The Times of India
26 December 2008
Former US President Bill Clinton may be Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton's special envoy for India and Pakistan even as she is believed to be forming a "hit squad" of diplomats for the world's troublespots.
Mrs. Clinton has suggested appointing her husband as a special envoy for the Indian subcontinent, where the situation has turned volatile in the aftermath of the Mumbai mayhem, because of his troubleshooting experience, the 'Daily Mail' reported.
Bill Clinton used several envoys during his two-terms in office, with Richard Holbrooke the best-known for his roles in the Middle East and the Balkans.
In fact, the diplomats, who will form the spearhead of the US State Department as Hillary Clinton takes office on January 20, would be sent to all the troubled places across the globe to try to prevent conflicts from breaking out.
Holbrooke is among the names being mentioned as a possible envoy either for Afghanistan or Iran. The name of Martin Indyk, a former US Ambassador to Israel, is also doing rounds for a diplomatic post, the British newspaper said.
Quoting insiders, it also said that Hillary Clinton, determined to wrestle power back from Pentagon which, under President George W Bush, played a dominant role in government, has dipped into her husband's former team for two advisers.
Jacob Lew, Budget Director in Bill Clinton's administration, has been given the job of ensuring that the State Department is not underfunded as Mrs. Clinton wants extra money for diplomatic corps across the world.
Mr. James Steinberg, a former Deputy National Security Adviser to Bill Clinton, is also in her team as a trusted lieutenant.
27 December, 2008
Guinea’s military junta suspends all mining contracts pending review.
African Press Agency
27 December 2008
The chairman of Guinea’s National Council for Democracy and Development Captain Moussa Dadis Camara Saturday suspended all the mining contracts with foreign companies operating in Guinea pending the "review" of the contracts.
The measure aims to "streamline the mining sector, which was plagued by corruption, raising voracious appetites among lobby groups around late President Lansana Conté," said a renowned Guinean political and economic analyst.
Recently, the contract with Rio Tinto, one of the world’s mining giants, was terminated and given to another company, while Rio Tinto said it has invested nearly US$400 million in the mining operation.
It seems that the new leaders of the country want to see how all these contracts were closed to avoid such mistakes being repeated.
Guinea has natural resources such as bauxite (aluminum), diamond, gold, and uranium, in addition to its forestry resources.
27 December 2008
The chairman of Guinea’s National Council for Democracy and Development Captain Moussa Dadis Camara Saturday suspended all the mining contracts with foreign companies operating in Guinea pending the "review" of the contracts.
The measure aims to "streamline the mining sector, which was plagued by corruption, raising voracious appetites among lobby groups around late President Lansana Conté," said a renowned Guinean political and economic analyst.
Recently, the contract with Rio Tinto, one of the world’s mining giants, was terminated and given to another company, while Rio Tinto said it has invested nearly US$400 million in the mining operation.
It seems that the new leaders of the country want to see how all these contracts were closed to avoid such mistakes being repeated.
Guinea has natural resources such as bauxite (aluminum), diamond, gold, and uranium, in addition to its forestry resources.
50 Foreign Nationals Arrested Over Jos Riot.
This Day
26 December 2008
As the Administrative Committee of Enquiry set up by President Umaru Yar'Adua to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the Jos riot last month start its work, it has emerged that some 50 of the 530 persons arrested in connection with the skirmishes which claimed over 400 lives, were foreigners.
Making the disclosure yesterday while receiving the primate of the Anglican Communion of Nigeria, the Most Rev. Jasper Akinola, the governor of Plateau State, David Jang said the foreign nationals were caught in Nigerian military and police uniforms, and were armed with guns.
Several foreign nationals from neighbouring Niger and Mali were said to have taken part and were arrested during the riot last month which left more than 400 dead in the aftermath of disputed local council elections in the state.
Throwing more light on his experience from the recent riot in Jos, the governor confessed that in all his years in the military and even during the civil war, he had never been so overwhelmed and dazed by the experience he had during the crisis in Jos.
Jang admitted he had never been taken by such surprise, as was the case during the riot in the city.
The governor said: "I will tell you very frankly, Your Grace, that I have been a military man all my life. But even the civil war we went through did not devastate me in the manner the event that just happened in Jos.
"Since the incidents of 2001 and 2004, we have done everything possible to ensure peaceful co-existence. We went out of our way to accommodate everyone irrespective of religious or tribal inclinations.
"We had a very wonderful and in fact the most peaceful election ever conducted in Plateau State, and suddenly, when we were relaxing, awaiting the results of the elections, we heard that some parts of Jos city were on fire."
"When this kind of crisis happened in 2001 and 2004, a judicial commission of inquiry was set up and chaired by Justice Niki Tobi. This report has not been released. The government then, in its own wisdom, drafted a white paper and decided not to do anything.
"We are determined, as an administration, to get that white paper and study it while we await the new judicial commission. We shall now look at those who have been perpetrating this arson and killing innocent people and they would be brought to justice by the law of the nation," Jang said.
Akinola said he could not bring himself to believe that the heinous act was perpetrated by unemployed youths.
He expressed shock and disgust that "human beings could take other human lives which are sacred and sacrosanct."
He told Jang to liaise with his counterparts in other states on the problem and come out with a permanent and lasting solution.
The Federal Government, Wednesday, set up the Administrative Committee of Enquiry into the Jos riot that will be chaired by Major General Emmanuel Abisoye (rtd.)
The terms of reference of the committee are among others to determine the remote and immediate causes of the unrest; determine the extent of the loss of lives and property; determine the types and sources of weapons used during the riot; and identify person(s), groups or institutions responsible for the unrest.
The committee is expected to submit its report to the Federal Government within three months from the date of its inauguration.
26 December 2008
As the Administrative Committee of Enquiry set up by President Umaru Yar'Adua to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the Jos riot last month start its work, it has emerged that some 50 of the 530 persons arrested in connection with the skirmishes which claimed over 400 lives, were foreigners.
Making the disclosure yesterday while receiving the primate of the Anglican Communion of Nigeria, the Most Rev. Jasper Akinola, the governor of Plateau State, David Jang said the foreign nationals were caught in Nigerian military and police uniforms, and were armed with guns.
Several foreign nationals from neighbouring Niger and Mali were said to have taken part and were arrested during the riot last month which left more than 400 dead in the aftermath of disputed local council elections in the state.
Throwing more light on his experience from the recent riot in Jos, the governor confessed that in all his years in the military and even during the civil war, he had never been so overwhelmed and dazed by the experience he had during the crisis in Jos.
Jang admitted he had never been taken by such surprise, as was the case during the riot in the city.
The governor said: "I will tell you very frankly, Your Grace, that I have been a military man all my life. But even the civil war we went through did not devastate me in the manner the event that just happened in Jos.
"Since the incidents of 2001 and 2004, we have done everything possible to ensure peaceful co-existence. We went out of our way to accommodate everyone irrespective of religious or tribal inclinations.
"We had a very wonderful and in fact the most peaceful election ever conducted in Plateau State, and suddenly, when we were relaxing, awaiting the results of the elections, we heard that some parts of Jos city were on fire."
"When this kind of crisis happened in 2001 and 2004, a judicial commission of inquiry was set up and chaired by Justice Niki Tobi. This report has not been released. The government then, in its own wisdom, drafted a white paper and decided not to do anything.
"We are determined, as an administration, to get that white paper and study it while we await the new judicial commission. We shall now look at those who have been perpetrating this arson and killing innocent people and they would be brought to justice by the law of the nation," Jang said.
Akinola said he could not bring himself to believe that the heinous act was perpetrated by unemployed youths.
He expressed shock and disgust that "human beings could take other human lives which are sacred and sacrosanct."
He told Jang to liaise with his counterparts in other states on the problem and come out with a permanent and lasting solution.
The Federal Government, Wednesday, set up the Administrative Committee of Enquiry into the Jos riot that will be chaired by Major General Emmanuel Abisoye (rtd.)
The terms of reference of the committee are among others to determine the remote and immediate causes of the unrest; determine the extent of the loss of lives and property; determine the types and sources of weapons used during the riot; and identify person(s), groups or institutions responsible for the unrest.
The committee is expected to submit its report to the Federal Government within three months from the date of its inauguration.
25 December, 2008
United States-Ukraine Charter on Strategic Partnership.
Source: U.S. Department of State
Preamble
The United States of America and Ukraine:
Affirm the importance of our relationship as friends and strategic partners. We intend to deepen our partnership to the benefit of both nations and expand our cooperation across a broad spectrum of mutual priorities.
Emphasize that this cooperation between our two democracies is based on shared values and interests. These include expanding democracy and economic freedom, protecting security and territorial integrity, strengthening the rule of law, and supporting innovation and technological advances.
Stress our mutual desire to strengthen our relationship across the economic, political, diplomatic, cultural, and security fields.
Confirm the importance of the security assurances described in the Trilateral Statement by the Presidents of the U.S., Russian Federation and Ukraine of January 14, 1994, and the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances in connection with Ukraine’s accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons of December 5, 1994.
Affirm the Priorities for U.S.-Ukraine Cooperation (Road Map) signed on March 31, 2008 and the commitments to a strategic partnership made by Presidents Bush and Yushchenko on April 4, 2005.
Section I: Principles of Cooperation
This Charter is based on core principles and beliefs shared by both sides:
Support for each other’s sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders constitutes the foundation of our bilateral relations.
Our friendship comes from mutual understanding and appreciation for the shared belief that democracy is the chief guarantor of security, prosperity and freedom.
Cooperation between democracies on defense and security is essential to respond effectively to threats to peace and security.
A strong, independent and democratic Ukraine, capable of responsible self-defense, contributes to the security and prosperity not only of all the people of Ukraine, but of a Europe whole, free and at peace.
Section II: Defense and Security Cooperation
The United States and Ukraine share a vital interest in a strong, independent, and democratic Ukraine. Deepening Ukraine’s integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions is a mutual priority. We plan to undertake a program of enhanced security cooperation intended to increase Ukrainian capabilities and to strengthen Ukraine’s candidacy for NATO membership.
Guided by the April 3, 2008 Bucharest Summit Declaration of the NATO North Atlantic Council and the April 4, 2008 Joint Statement of the NATO-Ukraine Commission, which affirmed that Ukraine will become a member of NATO.
Recognizing the persistence of threats to global peace and stability, the United States and Ukraine intend to expand the scope of their ongoing programs of cooperation and assistance on defense and security issues to defeat these threats and to promote peace and stability. A defense and security cooperation partnership between the United States and Ukraine is of benefit to both nations and the region.
Working within the framework of the NATO-Ukraine Commission, our goal is to gain agreement on a structured plan to increase interoperability and coordination of capabilities between NATO and Ukraine, including via enhanced training and equipment for Ukrainian armed forces.
Acknowledging the growing threat posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the United States and Ukraine pledge to combat such proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and dangerous technologies through adherence to international nonproliferation standards and effective enforcement and strengthening of export controls.
Section III: Economic, Trade and Energy Cooperation
The United States and Ukraine intend to expand cooperation to enhance job creation and economic growth, support economic reform and liberalization, develop a business climate supportive of trade and investment and improve market access for goods and services. Recognizing that trade is essential for global economic growth, development, freedom and prosperity, the United States and Ukraine support the following initiatives:
Welcoming Ukraine’s accession to the World Trade Organization on May 16, 2008, the parties held the first U.S.-Ukraine Trade and Investment Council meeting on October 2, 2008 in Kyiv. As discussed at the meeting, the United States continues to support Ukraine’s efforts to implement its WTO commitments. Other areas in which we plan to accelerate our efforts include expanding market access, resolving outstanding disputes and promoting intellectual property rights. Acknowledging the importance of increased investment to economic growth and development, the United States supports Ukraine’s efforts to enhance investor protections.
Recognizing the importance of a well functioning energy sector, the parties intend to work closely together on rehabilitating and modernizing the capacity of Ukraine’s gas transit infrastructure and diversify and secure Ukraine’s sources of nuclear fuel making Ukraine less dependent on foreign sources of nuclear fuel and nuclear fuel storage.
Following the Roadmap of Priorities for U.S.-Ukraine Cooperation, the United States and Ukraine intend to launch the work of the Bilateral Energy Security Working Group. Consistent with the U.S.-EU Summit Declaration of June 10, 2008, the United States and Ukraine intend to enhance a trilateral dialogue with the European Union on enhanced energy security.
Actively developing cooperation with Ukraine’s regions, including Crimea, the United States supports Ukraine’s plan to promote security, democracy and prosperity through expanded economic development, energy conservation, food security, and good governance initiatives. The United States and Ukraine also intend to cooperate in the area of public-private partnerships in regions of Ukraine aimed at supporting small and medium enterprises.
Section IV: Strengthening Democracy
Strengthening the rule of law, promoting reform of the legal system and of law enforcement structures and combating corruption are all of key importance to the well being of Ukraine. We intend to work together to support reform, democracy, tolerance and respect for all communities.
The United States and Ukraine will enhance their cooperation on efforts to strengthen the judiciary, increasing professionalism, transparency and independence as well as improving legal education and improved access to justice for all Ukrainians.
Through enhanced law enforcement and judicial branch relationships, the United States and Ukraine plan to address common transnational criminal threats such as terrorism, organized crime, trafficking in persons and narcotics, money laundering, and cyber crime.
Recognizing the importance of combating corruption, the United States and Ukraine intend to increase cooperation that will expand media and public monitoring of anti-corruption efforts; enforce ethical standards by establishing internal investigation units; and streamline the government regulatory process.
The United States and Ukraine plan to work together to promote reform in Ukraine’s legislative processes through increased transparency, heightened accountability through citizen and media access, and expanded public information about the work of Ukraine’s parliament.
Recognizing the importance of harmonizing Ukraine’s criminal justice system with European and other international standards, we plan to work together more intensely on issues of key importance, including the adoption of a Criminal Procedure Code compliant with Council of Europe standards.
The United States plans to provide Ukraine with further technical assistance to support Ukraine’s efforts through government and judicial authorities to combat human trafficking, including strengthening witness protection.
The United States supports increased assistance to strengthen democracy building and good governance in order to build upon Ukraine’s political progress and commitment to democratic development.
Section V: Increasing People-to-People and Cultural Exchanges
The United States and Ukraine share a desire to increase our people-to-people contacts and enhance our cultural, educational and professional exchange programs that promote democracy and democratic values and increase mutual understanding.
Recognizing the vital importance of increased contact between the people of the United States and Ukraine, both sides intend to promote further cultural and social exchanges and activities through initiatives such as the Fulbright program, Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX), Undergraduate Exchange (UGRAD), Legislative Education and Practice (LEAP), the International Visitor Leadership Program, the English Language Teaching and Learning Program and the Open World Program.
Stressing the necessity of innovation and dynamism to the future of our two countries, the United States and Ukraine intend to promote increased cooperation in higher education and scientific research. The United States will facilitate these exchanges consistent with U.S. laws and procedures so that qualified individuals in cultural, educational and scientific activities are given the opportunity to participate.
Our two countries will continue to cooperate closely to promote remembrance and increased public awareness of the 1932-33 Great Famine (Holodomor) in Ukraine.
Ukraine welcomes the United States’ intention to establish an American diplomatic presence (American Presence Post) in Simferopol.
Signed at Washington, D.C. on December 19, 2008.
For the United States of America:
Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State
For Ukraine:
Volodymyr Ogryzko
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Preamble
The United States of America and Ukraine:
Affirm the importance of our relationship as friends and strategic partners. We intend to deepen our partnership to the benefit of both nations and expand our cooperation across a broad spectrum of mutual priorities.
Emphasize that this cooperation between our two democracies is based on shared values and interests. These include expanding democracy and economic freedom, protecting security and territorial integrity, strengthening the rule of law, and supporting innovation and technological advances.
Stress our mutual desire to strengthen our relationship across the economic, political, diplomatic, cultural, and security fields.
Confirm the importance of the security assurances described in the Trilateral Statement by the Presidents of the U.S., Russian Federation and Ukraine of January 14, 1994, and the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances in connection with Ukraine’s accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons of December 5, 1994.
Affirm the Priorities for U.S.-Ukraine Cooperation (Road Map) signed on March 31, 2008 and the commitments to a strategic partnership made by Presidents Bush and Yushchenko on April 4, 2005.
Section I: Principles of Cooperation
This Charter is based on core principles and beliefs shared by both sides:
Support for each other’s sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders constitutes the foundation of our bilateral relations.
Our friendship comes from mutual understanding and appreciation for the shared belief that democracy is the chief guarantor of security, prosperity and freedom.
Cooperation between democracies on defense and security is essential to respond effectively to threats to peace and security.
A strong, independent and democratic Ukraine, capable of responsible self-defense, contributes to the security and prosperity not only of all the people of Ukraine, but of a Europe whole, free and at peace.
Section II: Defense and Security Cooperation
The United States and Ukraine share a vital interest in a strong, independent, and democratic Ukraine. Deepening Ukraine’s integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions is a mutual priority. We plan to undertake a program of enhanced security cooperation intended to increase Ukrainian capabilities and to strengthen Ukraine’s candidacy for NATO membership.
Guided by the April 3, 2008 Bucharest Summit Declaration of the NATO North Atlantic Council and the April 4, 2008 Joint Statement of the NATO-Ukraine Commission, which affirmed that Ukraine will become a member of NATO.
Recognizing the persistence of threats to global peace and stability, the United States and Ukraine intend to expand the scope of their ongoing programs of cooperation and assistance on defense and security issues to defeat these threats and to promote peace and stability. A defense and security cooperation partnership between the United States and Ukraine is of benefit to both nations and the region.
Working within the framework of the NATO-Ukraine Commission, our goal is to gain agreement on a structured plan to increase interoperability and coordination of capabilities between NATO and Ukraine, including via enhanced training and equipment for Ukrainian armed forces.
Acknowledging the growing threat posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the United States and Ukraine pledge to combat such proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and dangerous technologies through adherence to international nonproliferation standards and effective enforcement and strengthening of export controls.
Section III: Economic, Trade and Energy Cooperation
The United States and Ukraine intend to expand cooperation to enhance job creation and economic growth, support economic reform and liberalization, develop a business climate supportive of trade and investment and improve market access for goods and services. Recognizing that trade is essential for global economic growth, development, freedom and prosperity, the United States and Ukraine support the following initiatives:
Welcoming Ukraine’s accession to the World Trade Organization on May 16, 2008, the parties held the first U.S.-Ukraine Trade and Investment Council meeting on October 2, 2008 in Kyiv. As discussed at the meeting, the United States continues to support Ukraine’s efforts to implement its WTO commitments. Other areas in which we plan to accelerate our efforts include expanding market access, resolving outstanding disputes and promoting intellectual property rights. Acknowledging the importance of increased investment to economic growth and development, the United States supports Ukraine’s efforts to enhance investor protections.
Recognizing the importance of a well functioning energy sector, the parties intend to work closely together on rehabilitating and modernizing the capacity of Ukraine’s gas transit infrastructure and diversify and secure Ukraine’s sources of nuclear fuel making Ukraine less dependent on foreign sources of nuclear fuel and nuclear fuel storage.
Following the Roadmap of Priorities for U.S.-Ukraine Cooperation, the United States and Ukraine intend to launch the work of the Bilateral Energy Security Working Group. Consistent with the U.S.-EU Summit Declaration of June 10, 2008, the United States and Ukraine intend to enhance a trilateral dialogue with the European Union on enhanced energy security.
Actively developing cooperation with Ukraine’s regions, including Crimea, the United States supports Ukraine’s plan to promote security, democracy and prosperity through expanded economic development, energy conservation, food security, and good governance initiatives. The United States and Ukraine also intend to cooperate in the area of public-private partnerships in regions of Ukraine aimed at supporting small and medium enterprises.
Section IV: Strengthening Democracy
Strengthening the rule of law, promoting reform of the legal system and of law enforcement structures and combating corruption are all of key importance to the well being of Ukraine. We intend to work together to support reform, democracy, tolerance and respect for all communities.
The United States and Ukraine will enhance their cooperation on efforts to strengthen the judiciary, increasing professionalism, transparency and independence as well as improving legal education and improved access to justice for all Ukrainians.
Through enhanced law enforcement and judicial branch relationships, the United States and Ukraine plan to address common transnational criminal threats such as terrorism, organized crime, trafficking in persons and narcotics, money laundering, and cyber crime.
Recognizing the importance of combating corruption, the United States and Ukraine intend to increase cooperation that will expand media and public monitoring of anti-corruption efforts; enforce ethical standards by establishing internal investigation units; and streamline the government regulatory process.
The United States and Ukraine plan to work together to promote reform in Ukraine’s legislative processes through increased transparency, heightened accountability through citizen and media access, and expanded public information about the work of Ukraine’s parliament.
Recognizing the importance of harmonizing Ukraine’s criminal justice system with European and other international standards, we plan to work together more intensely on issues of key importance, including the adoption of a Criminal Procedure Code compliant with Council of Europe standards.
The United States plans to provide Ukraine with further technical assistance to support Ukraine’s efforts through government and judicial authorities to combat human trafficking, including strengthening witness protection.
The United States supports increased assistance to strengthen democracy building and good governance in order to build upon Ukraine’s political progress and commitment to democratic development.
Section V: Increasing People-to-People and Cultural Exchanges
The United States and Ukraine share a desire to increase our people-to-people contacts and enhance our cultural, educational and professional exchange programs that promote democracy and democratic values and increase mutual understanding.
Recognizing the vital importance of increased contact between the people of the United States and Ukraine, both sides intend to promote further cultural and social exchanges and activities through initiatives such as the Fulbright program, Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX), Undergraduate Exchange (UGRAD), Legislative Education and Practice (LEAP), the International Visitor Leadership Program, the English Language Teaching and Learning Program and the Open World Program.
Stressing the necessity of innovation and dynamism to the future of our two countries, the United States and Ukraine intend to promote increased cooperation in higher education and scientific research. The United States will facilitate these exchanges consistent with U.S. laws and procedures so that qualified individuals in cultural, educational and scientific activities are given the opportunity to participate.
Our two countries will continue to cooperate closely to promote remembrance and increased public awareness of the 1932-33 Great Famine (Holodomor) in Ukraine.
Ukraine welcomes the United States’ intention to establish an American diplomatic presence (American Presence Post) in Simferopol.
Signed at Washington, D.C. on December 19, 2008.
For the United States of America:
Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State
For Ukraine:
Volodymyr Ogryzko
Minister of Foreign Affairs
SPLM Delegation in US Soon.
Sudan Tribune
25 December 2008
The two partners of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement will meet earlier next month in Washington to undertake an inventory of the CPA implementation.
Within three weeks, a new administration led by the President-elect Barack Obama will deal with the Sudanese file but with another issue: the resolution of the Darfur conflict.
The southern Sudan government president Salva Kiir will arrive to Washington on January 3, to thank the President Bush for his support for southern Sudan but also to draw the attention of the new administration to back the implementation of the CPA.
Salva Kiir will arrive to Washington with a big delegation which includes among other Deng Alor, Madame Rebecca Garang, Mansour Khaled, Bernaba Marial Benjamin, Luka Biong, Yasir Arman and the newly appointed SPLM minister Nhial Deng Nhial.
While the National Congress Party, as it does not expect much from the new administration, will send a small delegation composed of Mustafa Osman Ismail and Yahya Hussein who is in charge with the CPA implementation at the Sudanese presidency.
The SPLM is expected to put on the table the border demarcation and the delay in the adoption of bills related to the democratic transition and the run of 2011 referendum. Darfur will also be among the debated issues.
Bush’s Special Envoy to Sudan, Richard Williamson, said last week that Washington is preparing a diplomatic platform for Obama’s administration to test with Sudan when he takes office in January.
Williamson underscored that these preparations would put the new administration "in a position to move to the robust steps immediately at such time as they may determine there won’t be progress diplomatically."
However he predicted that elections will not take place in 2009, as mandated by the 2005 peace deal. He further said "I’ve never worked on a more discouraging project, and my first ambassadorship was 25 years ago. This is devilishly difficult."
25 December 2008
The two partners of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement will meet earlier next month in Washington to undertake an inventory of the CPA implementation.
Within three weeks, a new administration led by the President-elect Barack Obama will deal with the Sudanese file but with another issue: the resolution of the Darfur conflict.
The southern Sudan government president Salva Kiir will arrive to Washington on January 3, to thank the President Bush for his support for southern Sudan but also to draw the attention of the new administration to back the implementation of the CPA.
Salva Kiir will arrive to Washington with a big delegation which includes among other Deng Alor, Madame Rebecca Garang, Mansour Khaled, Bernaba Marial Benjamin, Luka Biong, Yasir Arman and the newly appointed SPLM minister Nhial Deng Nhial.
While the National Congress Party, as it does not expect much from the new administration, will send a small delegation composed of Mustafa Osman Ismail and Yahya Hussein who is in charge with the CPA implementation at the Sudanese presidency.
The SPLM is expected to put on the table the border demarcation and the delay in the adoption of bills related to the democratic transition and the run of 2011 referendum. Darfur will also be among the debated issues.
Bush’s Special Envoy to Sudan, Richard Williamson, said last week that Washington is preparing a diplomatic platform for Obama’s administration to test with Sudan when he takes office in January.
Williamson underscored that these preparations would put the new administration "in a position to move to the robust steps immediately at such time as they may determine there won’t be progress diplomatically."
However he predicted that elections will not take place in 2009, as mandated by the 2005 peace deal. He further said "I’ve never worked on a more discouraging project, and my first ambassadorship was 25 years ago. This is devilishly difficult."
24 December, 2008
Kosovo names street after US President Bush.
AFP
24 December 2008
Kosovo decided Wednesday to name a central street of its capital Pristina after outgoing US President George W. Bush for his support of the territory's split from Serbia.
Backed unanimously by Kosovo's cabinet, Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said the move was "a sign of the huge state and national respect and appreciation" for the United States' contribution to independence, declared earlier this year.
Located in Pristina's downtown area, Bush Street is to be linked to the main thoroughfare named after Mother Teresa, the 1979 Nobel Peace Laureate of Albanian origin.
Separately, the government pledged 5,000 euros (7,000 dollars) towards a statue honouring Bush's predecessor, Bill Clinton, popular in ethnic Albanian-majority Kosovo over NATO's 1999 war against Serb forces.
The three-metre (10-foot) tall statue, a project started in 2007, is to stand in a square of Pristina, which already has a Bill Clinton Boulevard graced by a 7.5 metre-high mural of the former US leader.
24 December 2008
Kosovo decided Wednesday to name a central street of its capital Pristina after outgoing US President George W. Bush for his support of the territory's split from Serbia.
Backed unanimously by Kosovo's cabinet, Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said the move was "a sign of the huge state and national respect and appreciation" for the United States' contribution to independence, declared earlier this year.
Located in Pristina's downtown area, Bush Street is to be linked to the main thoroughfare named after Mother Teresa, the 1979 Nobel Peace Laureate of Albanian origin.
Separately, the government pledged 5,000 euros (7,000 dollars) towards a statue honouring Bush's predecessor, Bill Clinton, popular in ethnic Albanian-majority Kosovo over NATO's 1999 war against Serb forces.
The three-metre (10-foot) tall statue, a project started in 2007, is to stand in a square of Pristina, which already has a Bill Clinton Boulevard graced by a 7.5 metre-high mural of the former US leader.
RESIGNATION (2): PRESIDENT’S EXIT CONFIRMED.
MISNA
24 December 2008
The President of the Somali transitional government Abdulahi Ahmed Yusuf will formally resign before parliament in Baidoa on Saturday. The announcement was made by a spokesman of the Head of State, confirming rumours already in circulation for days, which widely predicted an exit from the scene of Yusuf, who in the past weeks was entirely isolated and drew strong criticism of the majority of Somali political forces, as well as nations of the region and top international mediators. The presidential spokesman referred that his resignation letter is already ready and that the Head of State will personally explain his reasons for stepping down next Saturday. According to the Somali press, Yusuf, who so far had resisted international pressures, was given an ultimatum by United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer. The two met at Nairobi’s international airport in the past days, before his return to Baidoa.
24 December 2008
The President of the Somali transitional government Abdulahi Ahmed Yusuf will formally resign before parliament in Baidoa on Saturday. The announcement was made by a spokesman of the Head of State, confirming rumours already in circulation for days, which widely predicted an exit from the scene of Yusuf, who in the past weeks was entirely isolated and drew strong criticism of the majority of Somali political forces, as well as nations of the region and top international mediators. The presidential spokesman referred that his resignation letter is already ready and that the Head of State will personally explain his reasons for stepping down next Saturday. According to the Somali press, Yusuf, who so far had resisted international pressures, was given an ultimatum by United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer. The two met at Nairobi’s international airport in the past days, before his return to Baidoa.
CONAKRY (2): ‘SURREAL’ CALM, DEMONSTRATIONS AND NEW PROCLAMATIONS BY COUP PLOTTERS.
MISNA
24 December 2008
There is a completely calm atmosphere this morning in Conakry, “as if nothing happened”, referred MISNA sources contacted in the Guinean capital after the ‘coup’, in which some military divisions apparently attempted to seize power after the death of the elderly President Lansana Conté. “No cars are circulating on the streets, but only because there is no petrol left at the stations. The people are moving around on foot, in what appears a day like any other”, added the sources. Schools and large supermarkets remain closed, though small businesses reopened and are working regularly. “For the moment there have been no reports of violence or gunfire”, explained the sources, referring that all soldiers are gathered in the main barracks of the nation, Camp Alpha Yaya, where also today negotiations continue between the sides to decide on the next developments of the political situation. “The situation remains unclear and all the people can do is wait to see what happens next”, concluded the sources. The same sources said that thousands of people have begun taking the streets in some neighbourhoods of Conakry, though it is not clear what pushed them to demonstrate, even if some local media believe it is a spontaneous rally in support of the coup plotters.
Meanwhile, in a series of proclamations read over the radio, a spokesman of the CNDD (National Council for Democracy and Development) pledged “free, credible and transparent” elections by the end of December 2010 (when term of the late President Conté would have expired), adding that the junta “has no ambition of staying in power”. The new date of the presidential elections is however very different from the 60 days announced just yesterday to go to the polls to choose a successor of Conté. In another communication, the CNDD also informed that “the senior officers who insist on not recognising the movement are ready to intervene backed by foreign mercenaries already present in the national territory”. A statement that in fact confirms that yesterday’s coup attempt did not involve all sectors of the national armed forces.
24 December 2008
There is a completely calm atmosphere this morning in Conakry, “as if nothing happened”, referred MISNA sources contacted in the Guinean capital after the ‘coup’, in which some military divisions apparently attempted to seize power after the death of the elderly President Lansana Conté. “No cars are circulating on the streets, but only because there is no petrol left at the stations. The people are moving around on foot, in what appears a day like any other”, added the sources. Schools and large supermarkets remain closed, though small businesses reopened and are working regularly. “For the moment there have been no reports of violence or gunfire”, explained the sources, referring that all soldiers are gathered in the main barracks of the nation, Camp Alpha Yaya, where also today negotiations continue between the sides to decide on the next developments of the political situation. “The situation remains unclear and all the people can do is wait to see what happens next”, concluded the sources. The same sources said that thousands of people have begun taking the streets in some neighbourhoods of Conakry, though it is not clear what pushed them to demonstrate, even if some local media believe it is a spontaneous rally in support of the coup plotters.
Meanwhile, in a series of proclamations read over the radio, a spokesman of the CNDD (National Council for Democracy and Development) pledged “free, credible and transparent” elections by the end of December 2010 (when term of the late President Conté would have expired), adding that the junta “has no ambition of staying in power”. The new date of the presidential elections is however very different from the 60 days announced just yesterday to go to the polls to choose a successor of Conté. In another communication, the CNDD also informed that “the senior officers who insist on not recognising the movement are ready to intervene backed by foreign mercenaries already present in the national territory”. A statement that in fact confirms that yesterday’s coup attempt did not involve all sectors of the national armed forces.
Call for Burundi rebel group to join talks.
UPI
23 December 2008
The U.N. Security Council has passed a resolution calling on the remaining rebel group in Burundi to join the peace negotiations and end the violence.
The Party for the Liberation of the Hutu People rebel group, or Palipehutu-FNL, is the last remaining militant group that hasn't joined in the peace talks. The Security Council unanimously passed a resolution Monday that extends the mandate for the U.N. operations in Burundi for another year, the United Nations reported.
As part of the resolution, the Security Council called on the rebel leaders of Palipehutu-FNL to end their holdout on participating with the Burundi government and with the Joint Verification and Monitoring Mechanism working to establish peace in the country. Burundi has been marred by violent ethnic conflicts between Hutus and Tutsis for more than four decades, resulting in the death of hundreds of thousands.
The U.N. mission in Burundi has been calling on militants to hand over weapons in exchange for support in being reintroduced into civil society. The new resolution also calls on the Burundi government "to lay the foundations for the sustainable socioeconomic reintegration of demobilized soldiers, ex-combatants, returning refugees, the displaced and other vulnerable groups affected by the conflict, particularly women and children," the release said.
23 December 2008
The U.N. Security Council has passed a resolution calling on the remaining rebel group in Burundi to join the peace negotiations and end the violence.
The Party for the Liberation of the Hutu People rebel group, or Palipehutu-FNL, is the last remaining militant group that hasn't joined in the peace talks. The Security Council unanimously passed a resolution Monday that extends the mandate for the U.N. operations in Burundi for another year, the United Nations reported.
As part of the resolution, the Security Council called on the rebel leaders of Palipehutu-FNL to end their holdout on participating with the Burundi government and with the Joint Verification and Monitoring Mechanism working to establish peace in the country. Burundi has been marred by violent ethnic conflicts between Hutus and Tutsis for more than four decades, resulting in the death of hundreds of thousands.
The U.N. mission in Burundi has been calling on militants to hand over weapons in exchange for support in being reintroduced into civil society. The new resolution also calls on the Burundi government "to lay the foundations for the sustainable socioeconomic reintegration of demobilized soldiers, ex-combatants, returning refugees, the displaced and other vulnerable groups affected by the conflict, particularly women and children," the release said.
Somali 'prime minister' resigns.
BBC News
24 December 2008
A Somali official named prime minister by President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed last week has quit, stating his appointment was destabilising the transitional government.
Mohamed Mahamud Guled said he had chosen to resign "so that I am not seen as a stumbling block to the peace process which is going well now".
Not long after the announcement, Mr Yusuf said he too intended to resign.
Mr Guled was appointed in defiance of Somali MPs, who said the dismissal of Nur Hassan Hussein had been illegal.
The president had clashed in recent months with Mr Nur over attempts to negotiate a peace deal with the Islamist-led armed opposition.
Earlier this week, East African leaders imposed sanctions on President Yusuf.
At a meeting in Addis Ababa, the Inter-governmental Authority on Development (Igad) said it would not recognise the unconstitutional appointment of Mr Guled, and gave its backing to Mr Nur.
The grouping also called on other countries to take similar measures.
'Consultations'
President Yusuf told members of parliament who are loyal to him that he intends to hand in his resignation on Saturday.
Splits have paralysed his Western-backed administration at a time when Islamist insurgents appear to be growing stronger by the day.
Earlier, speaking to reporters in the town of Baidoa, Mr Guled said that "after evaluating the current situation", he had decided to resign as prime minister.
"I stood down so that I am not seen as a stumbling block to the peace process which is going on well now," he added.
"I want the government to remain in power and differences among its leaders to be sorted out."
Responding to a question on whether he initiated any projects during his short tenure, Mr Guled said that he had done nothing apart from engaging in "consultations that led to my resignation".
The former interior minister said he hoped the president would accept his decision, and that he would remain a member of parliament.
When Mr Yusuf sacked Mr Nur, he said it was because his government had been "paralysed by corruption, inefficiency and treason" and had failed to bring peace.
However, Somalia's parliament declared the sacking illegal and passed a vote of confidence in Mr Nur by a huge majority the following day.
Nur Hassan Hussein said the president did not have the power to sack him.
Mr Nur was appointed prime minister in November 2007 to replace Ali Mohamed Ghedi, who clashed with the president after refusing to negotiate with armed Islamists and other opposition groups.
He was previously chairman of Somalia's Red Crescent Society.
The African Union and the UN secretary-general have both described the political in-fighting as disruptive to the peace process, currently under way in neighbouring Djibouti.
Somalia has not had a recognized national government since President Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991.
Somalia is now in disarray and only controls parts of the capital and the town of Baidoa after recent advances by different Islamist groups.
The "irrevocable" departure of the Ethiopian troops from the country over the coming weeks has added to fears of further instability.
On Monday, the African Union agreed to keep its small peacekeeping force in place for a further two months, but did not say how it would cover for the imminent Ethiopian withdrawal.
24 December 2008
A Somali official named prime minister by President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed last week has quit, stating his appointment was destabilising the transitional government.
Mohamed Mahamud Guled said he had chosen to resign "so that I am not seen as a stumbling block to the peace process which is going well now".
Not long after the announcement, Mr Yusuf said he too intended to resign.
Mr Guled was appointed in defiance of Somali MPs, who said the dismissal of Nur Hassan Hussein had been illegal.
The president had clashed in recent months with Mr Nur over attempts to negotiate a peace deal with the Islamist-led armed opposition.
Earlier this week, East African leaders imposed sanctions on President Yusuf.
At a meeting in Addis Ababa, the Inter-governmental Authority on Development (Igad) said it would not recognise the unconstitutional appointment of Mr Guled, and gave its backing to Mr Nur.
The grouping also called on other countries to take similar measures.
'Consultations'
President Yusuf told members of parliament who are loyal to him that he intends to hand in his resignation on Saturday.
Splits have paralysed his Western-backed administration at a time when Islamist insurgents appear to be growing stronger by the day.
Earlier, speaking to reporters in the town of Baidoa, Mr Guled said that "after evaluating the current situation", he had decided to resign as prime minister.
"I stood down so that I am not seen as a stumbling block to the peace process which is going on well now," he added.
"I want the government to remain in power and differences among its leaders to be sorted out."
Responding to a question on whether he initiated any projects during his short tenure, Mr Guled said that he had done nothing apart from engaging in "consultations that led to my resignation".
The former interior minister said he hoped the president would accept his decision, and that he would remain a member of parliament.
When Mr Yusuf sacked Mr Nur, he said it was because his government had been "paralysed by corruption, inefficiency and treason" and had failed to bring peace.
However, Somalia's parliament declared the sacking illegal and passed a vote of confidence in Mr Nur by a huge majority the following day.
Nur Hassan Hussein said the president did not have the power to sack him.
Mr Nur was appointed prime minister in November 2007 to replace Ali Mohamed Ghedi, who clashed with the president after refusing to negotiate with armed Islamists and other opposition groups.
He was previously chairman of Somalia's Red Crescent Society.
The African Union and the UN secretary-general have both described the political in-fighting as disruptive to the peace process, currently under way in neighbouring Djibouti.
Somalia has not had a recognized national government since President Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991.
Somalia is now in disarray and only controls parts of the capital and the town of Baidoa after recent advances by different Islamist groups.
The "irrevocable" departure of the Ethiopian troops from the country over the coming weeks has added to fears of further instability.
On Monday, the African Union agreed to keep its small peacekeeping force in place for a further two months, but did not say how it would cover for the imminent Ethiopian withdrawal.
Ethiopia begins withdrawal of its troops from Somalia.
African Press Agency
24 December 2008
Ethiopia announced on Wednesday that its troops have started to withdraw from Somalia after two years of intervention in that war-torn country.
The withdrawal of thousands of troops, according to the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is being carried out from and around the capital Mogadishu, where Ethiopian troops were based since their arrival in Somalia in December 2006.
Ethiopia announced earlier that its troops will withdraw from Somalia by the end of December 2008.
The withdrawal is taking place despite Monday’s request by the African Union to delay its withdrawal until further AU peacekeeping forces (AMISOM) are deployed.
However, it is not yet clear when the withdrawal will be finalized, but Ethiopia repeatedly said it will withdraw all its troops by the end of December 2008.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi earlier told the Ethiopian parliament that the troops after their withdrawal from Somalia will be based at the border to closely follow the situation in that country.
Uganda and Burundi have promised to send additional one battalion each to Somalia in the coming weeks.
Nigeria has also promised to send one battalion (850 troops) to Somalia to join the Ugandan and Burundi forces in the country.
The withdrawal of the Ethiopian troops is feared to create a security vacuum until the required AU peacekeeping force deployment in that country.
The AU has planned to send around 8,000 peacekeeping forces to Somalia, but it has still not been able to get the required troops from its member states. . The AU continues asking member states as well as the United Nations to authorize the deployment of more forces to Somalia, which is expected to replace AMISOM. However, the UN did not make any decision yet to send troops to Somalia.
Currently, there are around 3,400 Ugandan and Burundian troops in Somalia, mainly in Mogadishu to support the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia in stabilizing the country.
24 December 2008
Ethiopia announced on Wednesday that its troops have started to withdraw from Somalia after two years of intervention in that war-torn country.
The withdrawal of thousands of troops, according to the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is being carried out from and around the capital Mogadishu, where Ethiopian troops were based since their arrival in Somalia in December 2006.
Ethiopia announced earlier that its troops will withdraw from Somalia by the end of December 2008.
The withdrawal is taking place despite Monday’s request by the African Union to delay its withdrawal until further AU peacekeeping forces (AMISOM) are deployed.
However, it is not yet clear when the withdrawal will be finalized, but Ethiopia repeatedly said it will withdraw all its troops by the end of December 2008.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi earlier told the Ethiopian parliament that the troops after their withdrawal from Somalia will be based at the border to closely follow the situation in that country.
Uganda and Burundi have promised to send additional one battalion each to Somalia in the coming weeks.
Nigeria has also promised to send one battalion (850 troops) to Somalia to join the Ugandan and Burundi forces in the country.
The withdrawal of the Ethiopian troops is feared to create a security vacuum until the required AU peacekeeping force deployment in that country.
The AU has planned to send around 8,000 peacekeeping forces to Somalia, but it has still not been able to get the required troops from its member states. . The AU continues asking member states as well as the United Nations to authorize the deployment of more forces to Somalia, which is expected to replace AMISOM. However, the UN did not make any decision yet to send troops to Somalia.
Currently, there are around 3,400 Ugandan and Burundian troops in Somalia, mainly in Mogadishu to support the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia in stabilizing the country.
US Undersecretary Frazier Pressures Somali President Yusuf to Resign.
Garowe Online
24 December 2008
By Yusuf M. Hassan
The President of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG), Mr. Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, is 'pondering resignation' from public office following a meeting with the U.S. government's senior Africa affairs diplomat, inside sources tell Garowe Online.
On Monday, President Yusuf met privately with Ms. Jendayi Frazer, the Bush administration's under-secretary for African affairs.
The meeting was held under peculiar circumstances: the VIP section inside Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, in Nairobi. Apparently, Frazer was on transit through the Kenyan capital and had limited time to meet with Yusuf, the Somali head of state who traveled from Baidoa.
Yusuf was not the only Somali official to travel to Nairobi for private discussions with Frazer, who met with TFG Prime Minister Nur "Adde" Hassan Hussein, also at the airport, in a bid to find a lasting solution to the Yusuf-Nur Adde feud.
U.S. pressure
On Tuesday, a somber President Yusuf returned to Baidoa, home to a fractured and disorderly TFG Parliament.
He declined to speak with journalists and was promptly ushered to his residence, under the heavy guard of Somali and Ethiopian troops.
A lawmaker in Baidoa, who spoke with Garowe Online on the condition of anonymity, said Frazer offered the Somali leader two options.
"Option one was that he [Yusuf] work with [Prime Minister] Nur Adde's government and endorse the Djibouti peace deal," the MP said, adding: "The second option was that the President resign."
According to our source, President Yusuf was given "a list of consequences" if he refused to accept one of the two options, including U.S. government support for sanctions imposed by IGAD and an International Criminal Court case against the ailing leader.
The Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a seven-member East Africa regional body that helped create the TFG in 2004, recently announced plans to slap sanctions on the Somali president.
'Pondering resignation'
Yusuf reportedly informed Frazer that he would not work with Nur Adde, but "requested time to consult with allies in Baidoa," the MP said.
The Somali president, a former warlord in his 70s, is holding consultations with supporters and allies across the country before making a final decision.
A well-placed source tells Garowe Online that President Yusuf is "seriously pondering resignation" after weeks of refusing to budge under international pressure.
Recent developments mark a spectacular change of fortune for Yusuf, who rode into the Somali capital with Ethiopian military support only two years ago and was touted as the West's man in Mogadishu.
But the West, led by the U.S. government, now backs Prime Minister Nur Adde and the Djibouti Agreement â€" a peace pact signed between the TFG and an Islamist-led opposition faction, the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS).
The Djibouti disagreement
The Djibouti Agreement has been met with a mixture of limited support and militant opposition since the peace process began in June, when the ARS split into two rival camps.
In November, the Djibouti Agreement advanced to a different stage with the signing of a controversial power-sharing agreement between the TFG and the Djibouti-based ARS faction, led by Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.
The power-sharing deal gives the ARS-Djibouti faction, and civil society groups, an additional 275 seats to transform the TFG Parliament into a 550-seat chamber.
The oversized parliament will then elect parliamentary leadership, including a new Speaker, before holding an election for the country's next President by January 2009.
But 80 MPs in Baidoa say the TFG Parliament never ratified the power-sharing deal, and accuse current Speaker Adan "Madobe" Mohamed of violating parliamentary bylaws.
This group of rebel MPs, considered the pro-Yusuf camp in parliament, has also rejected Speaker Madobe's assertion that 143 MPs "passed" Prime Minister Nur Adde's Cabinet and have demanded the Speaker's resignation.
On the Islamist side, the most powerful group Al Shabaab has rejected the peace process altogether and vowed to continue the insurgency until all foreign troops leave Somalia.
Scapegoat for failure?
President Yusuf's political misfortune is deeply rooted in the U.S. government's efforts to save face in the waning days of the Bush years.
The use of Ethiopian troops to defeat Somalia's Islamist militia has backfired spectacularly, with Islamists controlling nearly all regions lost before the 2006 war and now poised to overrun Mogadishu.
This failed militarist policy was preceded by another, a botched CIA plot in 2005 and 2006 to halt or potentially destroy the rising wave of Islamists by aiding Mogadishu's hated warlords.
The Djibouti Agreement gives Ethiopia legal cover to withdraw its troops from Somalia, without any mention of the Ethiopian army's alleged war crimes in Mogadishu and elsewhere on Somali soil.
Likewise, the Bush administration will point to the Djibouti Agreement as a formal document calling for a ceasefire â€" which has never been implemented on the ground â€" and the timely withdrawal of Ethiopian forces, as stipulated under the peace deal.
Yusuf, who indirectly opposed U.S.-Ethiopian interests by rejecting the Djibouti Agreement, played into the hands of his detractors, who were desperately seeking a scapegoat for the Somali fiasco.
With Ethiopia announcing withdrawal plans, and Islamists steadily gaining new ground, Somalia is positioned to enter a new era of uncertainty and renewed turmoil.
24 December 2008
By Yusuf M. Hassan
The President of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG), Mr. Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, is 'pondering resignation' from public office following a meeting with the U.S. government's senior Africa affairs diplomat, inside sources tell Garowe Online.
On Monday, President Yusuf met privately with Ms. Jendayi Frazer, the Bush administration's under-secretary for African affairs.
The meeting was held under peculiar circumstances: the VIP section inside Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, in Nairobi. Apparently, Frazer was on transit through the Kenyan capital and had limited time to meet with Yusuf, the Somali head of state who traveled from Baidoa.
Yusuf was not the only Somali official to travel to Nairobi for private discussions with Frazer, who met with TFG Prime Minister Nur "Adde" Hassan Hussein, also at the airport, in a bid to find a lasting solution to the Yusuf-Nur Adde feud.
U.S. pressure
On Tuesday, a somber President Yusuf returned to Baidoa, home to a fractured and disorderly TFG Parliament.
He declined to speak with journalists and was promptly ushered to his residence, under the heavy guard of Somali and Ethiopian troops.
A lawmaker in Baidoa, who spoke with Garowe Online on the condition of anonymity, said Frazer offered the Somali leader two options.
"Option one was that he [Yusuf] work with [Prime Minister] Nur Adde's government and endorse the Djibouti peace deal," the MP said, adding: "The second option was that the President resign."
According to our source, President Yusuf was given "a list of consequences" if he refused to accept one of the two options, including U.S. government support for sanctions imposed by IGAD and an International Criminal Court case against the ailing leader.
The Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a seven-member East Africa regional body that helped create the TFG in 2004, recently announced plans to slap sanctions on the Somali president.
'Pondering resignation'
Yusuf reportedly informed Frazer that he would not work with Nur Adde, but "requested time to consult with allies in Baidoa," the MP said.
The Somali president, a former warlord in his 70s, is holding consultations with supporters and allies across the country before making a final decision.
A well-placed source tells Garowe Online that President Yusuf is "seriously pondering resignation" after weeks of refusing to budge under international pressure.
Recent developments mark a spectacular change of fortune for Yusuf, who rode into the Somali capital with Ethiopian military support only two years ago and was touted as the West's man in Mogadishu.
But the West, led by the U.S. government, now backs Prime Minister Nur Adde and the Djibouti Agreement â€" a peace pact signed between the TFG and an Islamist-led opposition faction, the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS).
The Djibouti disagreement
The Djibouti Agreement has been met with a mixture of limited support and militant opposition since the peace process began in June, when the ARS split into two rival camps.
In November, the Djibouti Agreement advanced to a different stage with the signing of a controversial power-sharing agreement between the TFG and the Djibouti-based ARS faction, led by Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.
The power-sharing deal gives the ARS-Djibouti faction, and civil society groups, an additional 275 seats to transform the TFG Parliament into a 550-seat chamber.
The oversized parliament will then elect parliamentary leadership, including a new Speaker, before holding an election for the country's next President by January 2009.
But 80 MPs in Baidoa say the TFG Parliament never ratified the power-sharing deal, and accuse current Speaker Adan "Madobe" Mohamed of violating parliamentary bylaws.
This group of rebel MPs, considered the pro-Yusuf camp in parliament, has also rejected Speaker Madobe's assertion that 143 MPs "passed" Prime Minister Nur Adde's Cabinet and have demanded the Speaker's resignation.
On the Islamist side, the most powerful group Al Shabaab has rejected the peace process altogether and vowed to continue the insurgency until all foreign troops leave Somalia.
Scapegoat for failure?
President Yusuf's political misfortune is deeply rooted in the U.S. government's efforts to save face in the waning days of the Bush years.
The use of Ethiopian troops to defeat Somalia's Islamist militia has backfired spectacularly, with Islamists controlling nearly all regions lost before the 2006 war and now poised to overrun Mogadishu.
This failed militarist policy was preceded by another, a botched CIA plot in 2005 and 2006 to halt or potentially destroy the rising wave of Islamists by aiding Mogadishu's hated warlords.
The Djibouti Agreement gives Ethiopia legal cover to withdraw its troops from Somalia, without any mention of the Ethiopian army's alleged war crimes in Mogadishu and elsewhere on Somali soil.
Likewise, the Bush administration will point to the Djibouti Agreement as a formal document calling for a ceasefire â€" which has never been implemented on the ground â€" and the timely withdrawal of Ethiopian forces, as stipulated under the peace deal.
Yusuf, who indirectly opposed U.S.-Ethiopian interests by rejecting the Djibouti Agreement, played into the hands of his detractors, who were desperately seeking a scapegoat for the Somali fiasco.
With Ethiopia announcing withdrawal plans, and Islamists steadily gaining new ground, Somalia is positioned to enter a new era of uncertainty and renewed turmoil.
CNDP Building Up Forces Along Main Roads.
MONUC Press Release
23 December 2008
MONUC continues to closely monitor the security situation in North Kivu and is increasingly concerned about clear evidence of a CNDP build up along key axes in the province. MONUC is conducting additional patrols along the axes of Rwindi-Kanyabayonga-Nyanzale, and Rumangabo-Kilimanyoka-Kibati. MONUC bases in Masisi territory also remain on high alert.
The Mission is also concerned about a reported clash today between CNDP and Mai Mai forces at Mai Moto. The proximity of CNDP and Mai Mai forces, particularly near Ngwenda, and between FARDC troops and CNDP at Kibati also remains a source of tension in the province.
MONUC calls on all armed groups, particularly CNDP and PARECO/Mai Mai forces, to cease any build-up or movement of forces which may provoke renewed hostilities and the new displacement of populations.
The Mission welcomes the FARDC’s continued observance of the cessation of hostilities prolonged by the Government of the DRC in its unilateral declaration signed in Nairobi on 20 December in the presence of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region, and his Co-facilitator appointed by the African Union and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region.
MONUC calls on all parties to refrain from threats or use of force and to spare no effort to avoid renewed fighting and stands ready to work with all parties on the ground to avoid a new outbreak of hostilities.
23 December 2008
MONUC continues to closely monitor the security situation in North Kivu and is increasingly concerned about clear evidence of a CNDP build up along key axes in the province. MONUC is conducting additional patrols along the axes of Rwindi-Kanyabayonga-Nyanzale, and Rumangabo-Kilimanyoka-Kibati. MONUC bases in Masisi territory also remain on high alert.
The Mission is also concerned about a reported clash today between CNDP and Mai Mai forces at Mai Moto. The proximity of CNDP and Mai Mai forces, particularly near Ngwenda, and between FARDC troops and CNDP at Kibati also remains a source of tension in the province.
MONUC calls on all armed groups, particularly CNDP and PARECO/Mai Mai forces, to cease any build-up or movement of forces which may provoke renewed hostilities and the new displacement of populations.
The Mission welcomes the FARDC’s continued observance of the cessation of hostilities prolonged by the Government of the DRC in its unilateral declaration signed in Nairobi on 20 December in the presence of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region, and his Co-facilitator appointed by the African Union and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region.
MONUC calls on all parties to refrain from threats or use of force and to spare no effort to avoid renewed fighting and stands ready to work with all parties on the ground to avoid a new outbreak of hostilities.
Rwandan suspect re-arrested in Germany.
African Press Agency
23 December 2008
Rwandan former mayor, Onesphore Rwabukombe, has been re-arrested by Frankfurt police in Germany after the prosecution authorities said they had unearthed new evidence following his release last November, APA has reliably learnt this Tuesday evening.
Rwabukombe, 51, on Rwanda’s wanted list, is accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes committed between October 1, 1990 and 31 December, 1994. He was previously arrested in Frankfurt in April, but later released after his Rwandan extradition request collapsed.
The Germany judicial authorities decided then that they could not extradite him on grounds that he would not face a fair trial in Rwanda as earlier ruled by the International Crimes Tribunal for Rwanda, based in Arusha, Tanzania.
According to the Germany media, German prosecutors said his second arrest was based on information that they gleaned in their own investigation, launched back in March.
German prosecutors say the suspect will be tried in Germany soon.
“In particular, Rwabukombe is accused of involvement in a massacre at Nyarubuye in mid-April 1994 in course of which several thousand people were killed,” said a statement by the Germany federal prosecutors, also obtained by APA.
German law allows trials for crimes abroad provided the accused is a German resident or the victims are German. According to reliable sources, Rwabukombe has obtained German nationality.
23 December 2008
Rwandan former mayor, Onesphore Rwabukombe, has been re-arrested by Frankfurt police in Germany after the prosecution authorities said they had unearthed new evidence following his release last November, APA has reliably learnt this Tuesday evening.
Rwabukombe, 51, on Rwanda’s wanted list, is accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes committed between October 1, 1990 and 31 December, 1994. He was previously arrested in Frankfurt in April, but later released after his Rwandan extradition request collapsed.
The Germany judicial authorities decided then that they could not extradite him on grounds that he would not face a fair trial in Rwanda as earlier ruled by the International Crimes Tribunal for Rwanda, based in Arusha, Tanzania.
According to the Germany media, German prosecutors said his second arrest was based on information that they gleaned in their own investigation, launched back in March.
German prosecutors say the suspect will be tried in Germany soon.
“In particular, Rwabukombe is accused of involvement in a massacre at Nyarubuye in mid-April 1994 in course of which several thousand people were killed,” said a statement by the Germany federal prosecutors, also obtained by APA.
German law allows trials for crimes abroad provided the accused is a German resident or the victims are German. According to reliable sources, Rwabukombe has obtained German nationality.
23 December, 2008
Hillary Clinton plans a more powerful State Dept: NY Times.
AFP
23 December 2008
Hillary Rodham Clinton plans to build a more powerful US State Department, with a bigger budget, high-profile special envoys dispatched to trouble spots and an expanded role in dealing with the global economic crisis, the New York Times reported Tuesday.
The Times cited an unnamed Hillary Clinton adviser as saying her push for a more vigorous economic team stems from her belief that the State Department needs to play a part in the recovery from the global financial crisis, while economic issues also are at the heart of key diplomatic relationships, notably with China.
The former first lady also is reportedly likely to name several high-powered envoys to world hotspots.
The daily reported that Clinton and Obama have not yet settled on specific envoys or missions, although the name of veteran diplomat Dennis Ross has come up as a possible Middle East envoy, along with Richard Holbrooke and Martin Indyk, a former United States ambassador to Israel.
The Times wrote that the New York senator -- President-elect Barack Obama's pick for Secretary of State -- is recruiting Jacob Lew, the budget director under her husband former president Bill Clinton -- to be one of her two deputies. Lew would be tasked with handling economic matters, the report said.
Another Bill Clinton aide, former deputy national security adviser James Steinberg is to be Hillary Clinton's other chief lieutenant, subject to Senate confirmation.
23 December 2008
Hillary Rodham Clinton plans to build a more powerful US State Department, with a bigger budget, high-profile special envoys dispatched to trouble spots and an expanded role in dealing with the global economic crisis, the New York Times reported Tuesday.
The Times cited an unnamed Hillary Clinton adviser as saying her push for a more vigorous economic team stems from her belief that the State Department needs to play a part in the recovery from the global financial crisis, while economic issues also are at the heart of key diplomatic relationships, notably with China.
The former first lady also is reportedly likely to name several high-powered envoys to world hotspots.
The daily reported that Clinton and Obama have not yet settled on specific envoys or missions, although the name of veteran diplomat Dennis Ross has come up as a possible Middle East envoy, along with Richard Holbrooke and Martin Indyk, a former United States ambassador to Israel.
The Times wrote that the New York senator -- President-elect Barack Obama's pick for Secretary of State -- is recruiting Jacob Lew, the budget director under her husband former president Bill Clinton -- to be one of her two deputies. Lew would be tasked with handling economic matters, the report said.
Another Bill Clinton aide, former deputy national security adviser James Steinberg is to be Hillary Clinton's other chief lieutenant, subject to Senate confirmation.
American lawmaker says US directly involved in Liberia's destabilization.
AFP
22 December 2008
A visiting US lawmaker claimed Monday that Washington had been involved in Liberia's "destabilisation" before and after a series of civil wars that killed tens of thousands over the past three decades.
"Our government was supportive of some things that happened in the destabilisation of this country," US Congressman Benjamin Swan of Massachusetts told reporters, responding to accusations by a former Liberian justice minister.
"It happened during the Doe regime and it happened during the Taylor regime," said Swan, a Democrat, referring to former presidents Samuel Doe (1980-1990) and Charles Taylor (1990-2003), whose terms in this west African country were marked by brutal torture and killings.
In remarks before Liberia's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, former justice minister Clarence Simpson accused Washington of conspiring against both former leaders, along with William Tolbert (1971-1980) who was overthrown and executed in a coup d'Etat.
"The Americans helped in getting William Tolbert out of power because he did not go their way," Simpson told the commission.
"Samuel Doe and Charles Taylor faced the same fate because of their refusal to take instructions from Washington."
But in August, former warlord Prince Johnson claimed before the same committee that Washington had played a double game in Liberia between 1989-1997, notably by secretly liberating Taylor from a Massachusetts prison in the 1980s so he could topple Doe.
Founded as a colony in 1822 by former slaves and African-Americans, Liberia became a republic 25 years later, but kept close ties with the United States.
Some 250,000 people died in civil wars that convulsed the impoverished country between 1989 and 2003.
22 December 2008
A visiting US lawmaker claimed Monday that Washington had been involved in Liberia's "destabilisation" before and after a series of civil wars that killed tens of thousands over the past three decades.
"Our government was supportive of some things that happened in the destabilisation of this country," US Congressman Benjamin Swan of Massachusetts told reporters, responding to accusations by a former Liberian justice minister.
"It happened during the Doe regime and it happened during the Taylor regime," said Swan, a Democrat, referring to former presidents Samuel Doe (1980-1990) and Charles Taylor (1990-2003), whose terms in this west African country were marked by brutal torture and killings.
In remarks before Liberia's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, former justice minister Clarence Simpson accused Washington of conspiring against both former leaders, along with William Tolbert (1971-1980) who was overthrown and executed in a coup d'Etat.
"The Americans helped in getting William Tolbert out of power because he did not go their way," Simpson told the commission.
"Samuel Doe and Charles Taylor faced the same fate because of their refusal to take instructions from Washington."
But in August, former warlord Prince Johnson claimed before the same committee that Washington had played a double game in Liberia between 1989-1997, notably by secretly liberating Taylor from a Massachusetts prison in the 1980s so he could topple Doe.
Founded as a colony in 1822 by former slaves and African-Americans, Liberia became a republic 25 years later, but kept close ties with the United States.
Some 250,000 people died in civil wars that convulsed the impoverished country between 1989 and 2003.
Rebels, army to be integrated.
News 24
23 December 2008
Representatives of the Ivorian government and former rebels initialled a deal here on Monday to integrate some 5 000 ex-rebel troops into the army, a key element of a 2007 peace deal.
The integration process is expected to be completed within two years, according to the document seen by AFP, with ex-rebels and pro-government militia groups in Ivory Coast paid a demobilisation allowance.
The deal is to be formally signed by Ivorian President Laurent Ggagbo, and former rebel leader, now Prime Minister, Guillaume Soro on a date yet to be agreed.
As part of the deal, a further 3 400 former New Forces (FN) rebels will be integrated into the police and gendarmerie.
Some 600 former FN rebels who have already undergone training are to be integrated into the police force "without delay" to help provide security for the electoral process.
The FN claims 36 000 troops, while the government counts 24 000 soldiers and gendarmes along with 16 000 police officers.
Under last year's peace agreement, the country is to be reunited and the former rebels disarmed and militia groups dismantled before elections take place.
"The setting up of the new national army will occur at the latest one month after the investitute of the new president," the document said.
23 December 2008
Representatives of the Ivorian government and former rebels initialled a deal here on Monday to integrate some 5 000 ex-rebel troops into the army, a key element of a 2007 peace deal.
The integration process is expected to be completed within two years, according to the document seen by AFP, with ex-rebels and pro-government militia groups in Ivory Coast paid a demobilisation allowance.
The deal is to be formally signed by Ivorian President Laurent Ggagbo, and former rebel leader, now Prime Minister, Guillaume Soro on a date yet to be agreed.
As part of the deal, a further 3 400 former New Forces (FN) rebels will be integrated into the police and gendarmerie.
Some 600 former FN rebels who have already undergone training are to be integrated into the police force "without delay" to help provide security for the electoral process.
The FN claims 36 000 troops, while the government counts 24 000 soldiers and gendarmes along with 16 000 police officers.
Under last year's peace agreement, the country is to be reunited and the former rebels disarmed and militia groups dismantled before elections take place.
"The setting up of the new national army will occur at the latest one month after the investitute of the new president," the document said.
Outcry as France allows suspect to go home.
IOL News
23 December 2008
A top Rwandan official held in France on charges of complicity in the murder that sparked the 1994 genocide has been allowed to fly home for a holiday, sparking an outcry on Tuesday from plaintiffs in the case.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame's chief of protocol, Rose Kabuye, was arrested in Germany in November under a French warrant over her alleged involvement in the 1994 attack that killed President Juvenal Habyarimana.
Transferred to France, she was charged with "complicity in murder in relation to terrorism" and freed on bail, on condition she stay on French soil.
On Monday the 47-year-old was authorised by judges to return home to Rwanda for the holiday period, her lawyers said.
The late president's widow, Agathe Habyarimana, who is a civil plaintiff in the case, issued a sharp protest against the decision, calling it "a U-turn made for diplomatic reasons".
"My client is staggered by this decision which goes against normal practice for this kind of investigation," said her lawyer Philippe Meilhac.
"She wonders if this means Ms Kabuye's bail will be lifted pure and simple in three months time," Meilhac said, adding that his client "was coming to doubt the judiciary's determination to uncover the truth".
Kabuye's arrest drew furious reactions from Kagame's Tutsi government, which accuses Paris and its allies of deploying efforts to persecute survivors than to hunt alleged Hutu perpetrators of the genocide.
Rwandan government spokesperson Louise Mushikiwabo said Kigali welcomed the decision to allow her home and insisted she was an "innocent woman" arrested in violation of international conventions.
According to Rose Kabuye's lawyer, Leon-Lef Forster, Ms. Kabuye is bound to return to France by January 10.
23 December 2008
A top Rwandan official held in France on charges of complicity in the murder that sparked the 1994 genocide has been allowed to fly home for a holiday, sparking an outcry on Tuesday from plaintiffs in the case.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame's chief of protocol, Rose Kabuye, was arrested in Germany in November under a French warrant over her alleged involvement in the 1994 attack that killed President Juvenal Habyarimana.
Transferred to France, she was charged with "complicity in murder in relation to terrorism" and freed on bail, on condition she stay on French soil.
On Monday the 47-year-old was authorised by judges to return home to Rwanda for the holiday period, her lawyers said.
The late president's widow, Agathe Habyarimana, who is a civil plaintiff in the case, issued a sharp protest against the decision, calling it "a U-turn made for diplomatic reasons".
"My client is staggered by this decision which goes against normal practice for this kind of investigation," said her lawyer Philippe Meilhac.
"She wonders if this means Ms Kabuye's bail will be lifted pure and simple in three months time," Meilhac said, adding that his client "was coming to doubt the judiciary's determination to uncover the truth".
Kabuye's arrest drew furious reactions from Kagame's Tutsi government, which accuses Paris and its allies of deploying efforts to persecute survivors than to hunt alleged Hutu perpetrators of the genocide.
Rwandan government spokesperson Louise Mushikiwabo said Kigali welcomed the decision to allow her home and insisted she was an "innocent woman" arrested in violation of international conventions.
According to Rose Kabuye's lawyer, Leon-Lef Forster, Ms. Kabuye is bound to return to France by January 10.
Rwanda: End Bar on Human Rights Watch Staff Member.
Human Rights Watch
23 December 2008
The Rwandan government should reverse its decision barring Human Rights Watch's senior adviser on Africa, Dr. Alison Des Forges, from Rwanda, Human Rights Watch said today.
Rwanda has not previously excluded any Human Rights Watch staff member from the country since the organization began monitoring its human rights actions in 1991. Dr. Des Forges, who has been working to promote human rights in Rwanda for Human Rights Watch for 17 years, won the prestigious MacArthur Award for her reporting on the 1994 genocide.
"A nation like Rwanda, which has seen such deadly violations of human rights, should show the world that it welcomes review of its record," said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. "We've asked Rwandan authorities why they have excluded this highly respected human rights advocate but haven't gotten any official response. Unofficially the only explanation we have been given is that they don't like our criticism."
The Rwandan government first refused Des Forges entry to Rwanda at a border crossing with Burundi on September 4, 2008. She was refused a second time on December 2, when she flew to Rwanda to attend an international conference on legal aid for the poor. On that occasion, Rwandan officials prevented her from leaving the plane, and she returned to Belgium.
On December 3, the Rwandan authorities delayed for a day another Human Rights Watch staff member at the Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, border crossing. She finally received permission to enter Rwanda in the evening.
In October, the US government's Millennium Challenge Corporation gave Rwanda a US$25 million grant to support its efforts to strengthen civic participation, promote civil liberties and rights, and improve the judicial system.
"Rwandan officials see the awarding of a Millennium Challenge Corporation grant as a victory," said Roth. "But they should also see it as a call for needed improvements in their policies."
In addition to monitoring human rights, Human Rights Watch has worked to see justice delivered on behalf of victims of the 1994 genocide and of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Rwanda. Des Forges has provided expert testimony in 11 genocide trials at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), including that of Col. Theoneste Bagosora and two others found guilty on December 18. She has testified also in genocide trials in national courts in Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Canada.
On several occasions, most recently on December 12, Human Rights Watch called on the prosecutor of the tribunal to ensure it carries out its full mandate by examining alleged cases against the Rwandan Patriotic Front, the dominant force in the current government of Rwanda.
In the past, staff members of other international organizations, journalists, and academic specialists thought to be critical of the government have also been refused permission to enter or work in Rwanda.
"By barring one of our staff, the Rwandan government is sending a message to others seeking to promote human rights in Rwanda that if you do your job too well, you also risk being kept out of the country," said Roth. "That's not the way for a government to improve its human rights record."
23 December 2008
The Rwandan government should reverse its decision barring Human Rights Watch's senior adviser on Africa, Dr. Alison Des Forges, from Rwanda, Human Rights Watch said today.
Rwanda has not previously excluded any Human Rights Watch staff member from the country since the organization began monitoring its human rights actions in 1991. Dr. Des Forges, who has been working to promote human rights in Rwanda for Human Rights Watch for 17 years, won the prestigious MacArthur Award for her reporting on the 1994 genocide.
"A nation like Rwanda, which has seen such deadly violations of human rights, should show the world that it welcomes review of its record," said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. "We've asked Rwandan authorities why they have excluded this highly respected human rights advocate but haven't gotten any official response. Unofficially the only explanation we have been given is that they don't like our criticism."
The Rwandan government first refused Des Forges entry to Rwanda at a border crossing with Burundi on September 4, 2008. She was refused a second time on December 2, when she flew to Rwanda to attend an international conference on legal aid for the poor. On that occasion, Rwandan officials prevented her from leaving the plane, and she returned to Belgium.
On December 3, the Rwandan authorities delayed for a day another Human Rights Watch staff member at the Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, border crossing. She finally received permission to enter Rwanda in the evening.
In October, the US government's Millennium Challenge Corporation gave Rwanda a US$25 million grant to support its efforts to strengthen civic participation, promote civil liberties and rights, and improve the judicial system.
"Rwandan officials see the awarding of a Millennium Challenge Corporation grant as a victory," said Roth. "But they should also see it as a call for needed improvements in their policies."
In addition to monitoring human rights, Human Rights Watch has worked to see justice delivered on behalf of victims of the 1994 genocide and of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Rwanda. Des Forges has provided expert testimony in 11 genocide trials at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), including that of Col. Theoneste Bagosora and two others found guilty on December 18. She has testified also in genocide trials in national courts in Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Canada.
On several occasions, most recently on December 12, Human Rights Watch called on the prosecutor of the tribunal to ensure it carries out its full mandate by examining alleged cases against the Rwandan Patriotic Front, the dominant force in the current government of Rwanda.
In the past, staff members of other international organizations, journalists, and academic specialists thought to be critical of the government have also been refused permission to enter or work in Rwanda.
"By barring one of our staff, the Rwandan government is sending a message to others seeking to promote human rights in Rwanda that if you do your job too well, you also risk being kept out of the country," said Roth. "That's not the way for a government to improve its human rights record."
Finland police conclude investigations into Rwandan suspect.
African Press Agency
23 December 2008
The long awaited two year investigation by the police in Finland into a Rwandan genocide suspect, Francois Bazaramba, have been concluded, signaling his possible extradition to Rwanda APA reliably learned Tuesday.
Finnish police last year arrested Bazaramba after he was accused of involvement in the 1994 genocide. He was arrested after he applied for political asylum in Finland and the police launched extensive investigations into his conduct in Rwanda. According to a reliable source from the Rwandan prosecutions office who talked to APA, Bazaramba appears among the top ten on the list of fugitives wanted by the government. The source also said that immediately after his arrest, the Rwandan prosecutions office filed an extradition request to the Finnish authorities.
“The Finnish police have finished their investigations into the 1994 genocide suspect and this was a pre-requisite to our extradition request. It was also in relation to his application for political asylum in that country,” the source said.
APA has also learned that the Finnish police interviewed over 100 people in Rwanda and ten others from various African countries.
Bazaramba, who has been held in custody for a year and eight months, vehemently rejects the charges. The case will soon go to prosecutors for consideration of whether or not charges should be filed against Bazaramba or he should face trial in Rwanda, according to the Finnish media quoted here.
Since 1997, 55 Rwandans have applied for political asylum in Finland. One was granted asylum and 34 have received temporary residence permits.
23 December 2008
The long awaited two year investigation by the police in Finland into a Rwandan genocide suspect, Francois Bazaramba, have been concluded, signaling his possible extradition to Rwanda APA reliably learned Tuesday.
Finnish police last year arrested Bazaramba after he was accused of involvement in the 1994 genocide. He was arrested after he applied for political asylum in Finland and the police launched extensive investigations into his conduct in Rwanda. According to a reliable source from the Rwandan prosecutions office who talked to APA, Bazaramba appears among the top ten on the list of fugitives wanted by the government. The source also said that immediately after his arrest, the Rwandan prosecutions office filed an extradition request to the Finnish authorities.
“The Finnish police have finished their investigations into the 1994 genocide suspect and this was a pre-requisite to our extradition request. It was also in relation to his application for political asylum in that country,” the source said.
APA has also learned that the Finnish police interviewed over 100 people in Rwanda and ten others from various African countries.
Bazaramba, who has been held in custody for a year and eight months, vehemently rejects the charges. The case will soon go to prosecutors for consideration of whether or not charges should be filed against Bazaramba or he should face trial in Rwanda, according to the Finnish media quoted here.
Since 1997, 55 Rwandans have applied for political asylum in Finland. One was granted asylum and 34 have received temporary residence permits.
Coup Bid Follows After Death of President Lansana Conté.
Gabon News
23 December 2008
There is confusion in Conakry Tuesday, where the death of President Lansana Conté has led to an attempted military coup.
An army officer, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, announced on Radio Conakry "the dissolution" of the government and its institutions, and the suspension of Guinea's constitution, just hours after Conté died. He has been in power since 1984.
The officer declared that "the institutions of the Republic have illustrated their incapacity to resolve the crisis" across the country. Citing reasons for the action, he pointed to the "profound disappointment of the population," the necessity for "economic redress" and the "fight against corruption."
"The [performance of the] government and the institutions of the Republic are disappointing," he added, while announcing that a "consultative council" would soon be created "comprising civilians and military officials."
The constitution provides that Somparé should act as president for 60 days pending a new presidential election. Parliamentary elections have already been announced for May 2009.
Among reactions to today's news, the African Union expressed its deep concern at the situation. In the region, Guinea's neighbours are following events closely.
23 December 2008
There is confusion in Conakry Tuesday, where the death of President Lansana Conté has led to an attempted military coup.
An army officer, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, announced on Radio Conakry "the dissolution" of the government and its institutions, and the suspension of Guinea's constitution, just hours after Conté died. He has been in power since 1984.
The officer declared that "the institutions of the Republic have illustrated their incapacity to resolve the crisis" across the country. Citing reasons for the action, he pointed to the "profound disappointment of the population," the necessity for "economic redress" and the "fight against corruption."
"The [performance of the] government and the institutions of the Republic are disappointing," he added, while announcing that a "consultative council" would soon be created "comprising civilians and military officials."
The constitution provides that Somparé should act as president for 60 days pending a new presidential election. Parliamentary elections have already been announced for May 2009.
Among reactions to today's news, the African Union expressed its deep concern at the situation. In the region, Guinea's neighbours are following events closely.
Un ex agente de Ruanda implica a su Gobierno en el asesinato de Kabila.
El Pais
MANUEL ALTOZANO
21-12-2008
El atentado que acabó con la vida de Laurent-Desiré Kabila, ex presidente de la República Democrática del Congo (RDC) tiroteado por uno de sus guardaespaldas el 16 de enero de 2001, fue organizado y sufragado por el Gobierno de Ruanda. Así lo declaró hace un mes un ex alto responsable de los servicios secretos de éste país ante el juez de la Audiencia Nacional Fernando Andreu, que ha procesado por genocidio al presidente ruandés, Paul Kagame, y a otros 39 cargos de su Ejército a los que acusa de haber urdido el exterminio sistemático de la etnia hutu entre 1994 y 2000. Ésta presecución siguió a la que los tutsis (y hutus moderados) sufrieron de manos de radicales hutus en la primavera de 1994, que causó 800.000 muertes.
El ex agente de Kagame ha prestado declaración bajo la condición de testigo protegido por el riesgo para su vida que puede implicar su testimonio. Su relato, según fuentes judiciales, detalló importantes actos de ingerencia ruandesa en Congo durante los últimos 14 años.
El último episodio de este desencuentro es la rebelión tutsi protagonizada ahora por el Congreso Nacional para la Defensa del Pueblo (CNDP) y capitaneada por general tutsi Laurent N'Kunda. En esa revuelta, según un informe discutido el lunes en el Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU, Ruanda juega un papel fundamental al participar en el reclutamiento de tropas y su equipamiento militar, y con el envío de oficiales a la región congoleña de Kivu Norte, donde la rebelión ha provocado hasta ahora la huída de 250.000 personas. Kagame, el presidente ruandés, lo niega sistemáticamente.
El testigo, que pasó el mes pasado por el despacho del juez Andreu, ofreció un relato muy detallado de cómo, hace casi ocho años, agentes secretos al servicio del Gobierno de Ruanda, presidido por el tutsi Kagame, líder del Frente Patriótico Ruandés (FPR), entregaron personalmente el dinero a personas del círculo del presidente Laurent Kabila para que organizaran el magnicidio. Esos mismos agentes al servicio de Kagame se comprometieron a facilitar la huida de los implicados a países europeos para evitar represalias tras el asesinato.
El mismo Gobierno que supuestamente financió la muerte de Kabila -al que sucedió su hijo Joseph- le ayudó a llegar al poder cinco años antes, en la guerra de 1996 que acabó con la dictadura de Mobutu Sese Seko. Ruanda apoyó económicamente entonces al movimiento que lo aupó como presidente, la Alianza para la Liberación Democrática de Congo-Zaire (ALDC). El enfrentamiento posterior entre los antiguos aliados se produjo, según el testigo, cuando Kabila, una vez en el poder, se deshizo de los cuadros militares tutsis que le habían ayudado e inició contactos comerciales con Rusia, China y Venezuela para la venta de materias primas como el oro o el coltán.
Durante la campaña que aupó a Kabila al Ejecutivo, siempre según el testigo protegido, Ruanda diseñó una estrategia de eliminación sistemática de la población hutu que huyó de ese país para instalarse en campos de refugiados de las regiones congoleñas de Kivu Norte y Kivu Sur después de que el Ejército Patriótico Ruandés (tutsi) de Kagame se hiciera con el Gobierno de Kigali.
El principal objetivo del plan, declaró el ex agente, era "matar el mayor número posible de hutus" o "su repatriación a Ruanda para ser encarcelados". En las operaciones militares indiscriminadas contra los campos de refugiados se llegó a utilizar "armamento pesado". Los que lograron escapar de las matanzas fueron perseguidos en su huída hacia el oeste de Congo a través de las ciudades de Kisangani y Ubundu hasta Mbandaka en la frontera occiental del país, donde cientos de ellos fueron masacrados en 1997.
En medio de esa estrategia supustamente genocida perdieron la vida los misioneros maristas españoles Julio Rodríguez, Fernando de la Fuente, Miguel Ángel Isla y Servando Mayor, que trabajaban en el campo de refugiados de Nyamirangue, donde se apiñaban 30.000 hutus. Dos espías al servicio de Ruanda los señalaron como testigos de las masacres y un comando de cinco personas, presuntamente, los asesinó "para que no denunciaran las matanzas de las tropas ruandesas, según el testimonio del ex agente ruandés. Uno de los miembros de ese comando, según su relato, fue el general Eric Murokore, actualmente a las órdenes del líder de la rebelión tutsi Laurent Nkunda.
MANUEL ALTOZANO
21-12-2008
El atentado que acabó con la vida de Laurent-Desiré Kabila, ex presidente de la República Democrática del Congo (RDC) tiroteado por uno de sus guardaespaldas el 16 de enero de 2001, fue organizado y sufragado por el Gobierno de Ruanda. Así lo declaró hace un mes un ex alto responsable de los servicios secretos de éste país ante el juez de la Audiencia Nacional Fernando Andreu, que ha procesado por genocidio al presidente ruandés, Paul Kagame, y a otros 39 cargos de su Ejército a los que acusa de haber urdido el exterminio sistemático de la etnia hutu entre 1994 y 2000. Ésta presecución siguió a la que los tutsis (y hutus moderados) sufrieron de manos de radicales hutus en la primavera de 1994, que causó 800.000 muertes.
El ex agente de Kagame ha prestado declaración bajo la condición de testigo protegido por el riesgo para su vida que puede implicar su testimonio. Su relato, según fuentes judiciales, detalló importantes actos de ingerencia ruandesa en Congo durante los últimos 14 años.
El último episodio de este desencuentro es la rebelión tutsi protagonizada ahora por el Congreso Nacional para la Defensa del Pueblo (CNDP) y capitaneada por general tutsi Laurent N'Kunda. En esa revuelta, según un informe discutido el lunes en el Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU, Ruanda juega un papel fundamental al participar en el reclutamiento de tropas y su equipamiento militar, y con el envío de oficiales a la región congoleña de Kivu Norte, donde la rebelión ha provocado hasta ahora la huída de 250.000 personas. Kagame, el presidente ruandés, lo niega sistemáticamente.
El testigo, que pasó el mes pasado por el despacho del juez Andreu, ofreció un relato muy detallado de cómo, hace casi ocho años, agentes secretos al servicio del Gobierno de Ruanda, presidido por el tutsi Kagame, líder del Frente Patriótico Ruandés (FPR), entregaron personalmente el dinero a personas del círculo del presidente Laurent Kabila para que organizaran el magnicidio. Esos mismos agentes al servicio de Kagame se comprometieron a facilitar la huida de los implicados a países europeos para evitar represalias tras el asesinato.
El mismo Gobierno que supuestamente financió la muerte de Kabila -al que sucedió su hijo Joseph- le ayudó a llegar al poder cinco años antes, en la guerra de 1996 que acabó con la dictadura de Mobutu Sese Seko. Ruanda apoyó económicamente entonces al movimiento que lo aupó como presidente, la Alianza para la Liberación Democrática de Congo-Zaire (ALDC). El enfrentamiento posterior entre los antiguos aliados se produjo, según el testigo, cuando Kabila, una vez en el poder, se deshizo de los cuadros militares tutsis que le habían ayudado e inició contactos comerciales con Rusia, China y Venezuela para la venta de materias primas como el oro o el coltán.
Durante la campaña que aupó a Kabila al Ejecutivo, siempre según el testigo protegido, Ruanda diseñó una estrategia de eliminación sistemática de la población hutu que huyó de ese país para instalarse en campos de refugiados de las regiones congoleñas de Kivu Norte y Kivu Sur después de que el Ejército Patriótico Ruandés (tutsi) de Kagame se hiciera con el Gobierno de Kigali.
El principal objetivo del plan, declaró el ex agente, era "matar el mayor número posible de hutus" o "su repatriación a Ruanda para ser encarcelados". En las operaciones militares indiscriminadas contra los campos de refugiados se llegó a utilizar "armamento pesado". Los que lograron escapar de las matanzas fueron perseguidos en su huída hacia el oeste de Congo a través de las ciudades de Kisangani y Ubundu hasta Mbandaka en la frontera occiental del país, donde cientos de ellos fueron masacrados en 1997.
En medio de esa estrategia supustamente genocida perdieron la vida los misioneros maristas españoles Julio Rodríguez, Fernando de la Fuente, Miguel Ángel Isla y Servando Mayor, que trabajaban en el campo de refugiados de Nyamirangue, donde se apiñaban 30.000 hutus. Dos espías al servicio de Ruanda los señalaron como testigos de las masacres y un comando de cinco personas, presuntamente, los asesinó "para que no denunciaran las matanzas de las tropas ruandesas, según el testimonio del ex agente ruandés. Uno de los miembros de ese comando, según su relato, fue el general Eric Murokore, actualmente a las órdenes del líder de la rebelión tutsi Laurent Nkunda.
21 December, 2008
Nigeria to deploy 850 troops in Somalia after Ethiopian withdrawal.
African Press Agency
21 December 2008
Jean Ping, Chairperson of the African union (AU) Commission on Sunday announced that Nigeria has confirmed that it will despatch one battalion consisting of 850 troops to Somalia in January 2009 to join the African Union Mission In Somalia (AMISOM).
The announcement was wade at the conclusion of the Inter Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) ministerial meeting held late on Sunday in Addis Ababa in the presence of IGAD member states.
Ping said the deployment of Nigerian troops will fill the security vacuum that will occur after the Ethiopian troops withdrawal.
Ethiopia announced on Sunday evening at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, that it will withdraw its troops from Somalia as scheduled by end of December 2008.
Nigeria was among countries that pledged to send troops to Somalia under the AU mission.
Ping also said that Uganda and Burundi also promised to send additional one battalion troops each to Somalia to their existing troops.
The two countries have over 3,000 peacekeeping forces in Somalia.
The AU was planning to send around 8,000 peacekeeping forces to Somalia.
21 December 2008
Jean Ping, Chairperson of the African union (AU) Commission on Sunday announced that Nigeria has confirmed that it will despatch one battalion consisting of 850 troops to Somalia in January 2009 to join the African Union Mission In Somalia (AMISOM).
The announcement was wade at the conclusion of the Inter Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) ministerial meeting held late on Sunday in Addis Ababa in the presence of IGAD member states.
Ping said the deployment of Nigerian troops will fill the security vacuum that will occur after the Ethiopian troops withdrawal.
Ethiopia announced on Sunday evening at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, that it will withdraw its troops from Somalia as scheduled by end of December 2008.
Nigeria was among countries that pledged to send troops to Somalia under the AU mission.
Ping also said that Uganda and Burundi also promised to send additional one battalion troops each to Somalia to their existing troops.
The two countries have over 3,000 peacekeeping forces in Somalia.
The AU was planning to send around 8,000 peacekeeping forces to Somalia.
UN renews weapons embargo on Liberia.
SAPA
20 December 2008
The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously on Friday to maintain an arms embargo on Liberia and a travel ban for another year on senior members of former President Charles Taylor's government and others accused of undermining peace in the country.
It also extended the mandate of the panel of experts investigating implementation of the sanctions.
While the council has lifted diamond and timber sanctions, it decided "on the basis of its assessment of progress made to date" to maintain the arms embargo and travel ban.
20 December 2008
The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously on Friday to maintain an arms embargo on Liberia and a travel ban for another year on senior members of former President Charles Taylor's government and others accused of undermining peace in the country.
It also extended the mandate of the panel of experts investigating implementation of the sanctions.
While the council has lifted diamond and timber sanctions, it decided "on the basis of its assessment of progress made to date" to maintain the arms embargo and travel ban.
$1.4 bn French-run uranium mine in Niger gets go ahead despite credit crunch.
Reuters
20 December 2008
French nuclear power group Areva (CEPFi.PA) will press ahead with its plan to build a 1 billion euro ($1.40 billion) uranium mine in Niger despite falling world prices for the fuel, the firm said on Friday.
The Imouraren mine, due to begin commercial production of 5,000 tonnes per year in 2010, would make the West African desert state the world's second biggest source of uranium.
French state-controlled Areva renewed its uranium mining deal with Niger in January 2008, when prices UX-U308-SPT were around $90 per lb, almost double their most recent recorded level of $53 on Dec. 16.
"The price of uranium is coming down on world markets, but the agreements we signed in January protect Niger," Chief Executive Anne Lauvergeon said on state television late on Friday, after meeting Niger's President Mamadou Tandja.
Several African mining projects have been put on ice as prices of minerals have crashed in the past six months.
Rio Tinto (RIO.L) said earlier this month it was postponing development of $6 billion Simandou iron ore project in Guinea as part of a cost-cutting package, while dozens of copper and cobalt miners in Democratic Republic of Congo have either delayed development or suspended operations altogether.
Areva's Lauvergeon was visiting Niger only days after a Canadian U.N. special envoy to the country went missing, with a rebel Tuareg group first claiming then denying it was holding him.
Tuareg dissidents are fighting a campaign for autonomy in the uranium-producing north, where they have attacked Areva employees.
Rebel group Niger Justice Movement (MNJ) claimed in June it carried out the kidnapping of four workers from Areva's Cominak mine near the northern town of Arlit. As well as Cominak, Areva also runs the Somair mine in Niger, while China Nuclear International Uranium Corp is developing the Teguida mine.
(Reporting by Adboulaye Massalatchi; Writing by Daniel Magnowski; Editing by Victoria Main)
20 December 2008
French nuclear power group Areva (CEPFi.PA) will press ahead with its plan to build a 1 billion euro ($1.40 billion) uranium mine in Niger despite falling world prices for the fuel, the firm said on Friday.
The Imouraren mine, due to begin commercial production of 5,000 tonnes per year in 2010, would make the West African desert state the world's second biggest source of uranium.
French state-controlled Areva renewed its uranium mining deal with Niger in January 2008, when prices UX-U308-SPT were around $90 per lb, almost double their most recent recorded level of $53 on Dec. 16.
"The price of uranium is coming down on world markets, but the agreements we signed in January protect Niger," Chief Executive Anne Lauvergeon said on state television late on Friday, after meeting Niger's President Mamadou Tandja.
Several African mining projects have been put on ice as prices of minerals have crashed in the past six months.
Rio Tinto (RIO.L) said earlier this month it was postponing development of $6 billion Simandou iron ore project in Guinea as part of a cost-cutting package, while dozens of copper and cobalt miners in Democratic Republic of Congo have either delayed development or suspended operations altogether.
Areva's Lauvergeon was visiting Niger only days after a Canadian U.N. special envoy to the country went missing, with a rebel Tuareg group first claiming then denying it was holding him.
Tuareg dissidents are fighting a campaign for autonomy in the uranium-producing north, where they have attacked Areva employees.
Rebel group Niger Justice Movement (MNJ) claimed in June it carried out the kidnapping of four workers from Areva's Cominak mine near the northern town of Arlit. As well as Cominak, Areva also runs the Somair mine in Niger, while China Nuclear International Uranium Corp is developing the Teguida mine.
(Reporting by Adboulaye Massalatchi; Writing by Daniel Magnowski; Editing by Victoria Main)
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