Shabelle News Network
13 June 2009
More Ethiopian troops with several battle wagons have reached in Balanbal town in Galgudud region and made military bases in the west side of the town in central Somalia, witnesses told Shabelle radio on Saturday.
Reports from the town say that the Ethiopian troops entered in the town yesterday afternoon and stationed in outside the town for the second day by not having talks with the people and residents in the town.
Balanbal is a town in Galgudud region in central Somalia which is 28 kilometers in border between Somalia and Ethiopia and there is comment from the administration of the town except that they have no idea for the grounds the troops came in the town.
Independent reports say that the Ethiopian troops were from the border between Somalia and Ethiopia specially the side of the Galgudud region before reaching Balanbal town. But independent reports say that the Ethiopian troops will be staying in the town for coming days.
It is the first time that the Ethiopian troops reach in Balanbal town and it is also unclear why the Ethiopian troops came in the town since they left the country in the early this year.
13 June, 2009
Somaliland election commission accused of corruption.
Garowe Online
12 June 2009
The election commission in Somalia's breakaway republic of Somaliland is embroiled in corruption, according to a member of the commission, Radio Garowe reports Friday.
Mr. Ahmed Mohamed Dahir, a member of the election commission, told a press conference in the Somaliland capital Hargeisa that the accusation of mismanaging funds is "true."
"I believe the media have read the reports and it is true," Mr. Dahir said, adding that the published report described the past and present situation within the election commission, where members have been accused of misusing funds.
He called on any commission member to face a court of law if there is evidence of corruption.
Local newspapers have reported in recent weeks that the election commission has mismanaged public funds and that infighting continues among commission members, as the chairman is currently on a working trip to observer Lebanon elections.
Somaliland, located in northwestern Somalia, unilaterally declared independence from the rest of the country in 1991 but has not been recognized internationally.
12 June 2009
The election commission in Somalia's breakaway republic of Somaliland is embroiled in corruption, according to a member of the commission, Radio Garowe reports Friday.
Mr. Ahmed Mohamed Dahir, a member of the election commission, told a press conference in the Somaliland capital Hargeisa that the accusation of mismanaging funds is "true."
"I believe the media have read the reports and it is true," Mr. Dahir said, adding that the published report described the past and present situation within the election commission, where members have been accused of misusing funds.
He called on any commission member to face a court of law if there is evidence of corruption.
Local newspapers have reported in recent weeks that the election commission has mismanaged public funds and that infighting continues among commission members, as the chairman is currently on a working trip to observer Lebanon elections.
Somaliland, located in northwestern Somalia, unilaterally declared independence from the rest of the country in 1991 but has not been recognized internationally.
Ethiopian troops cross deeper into Somalia: residents.
Reuters
12 June 2009
By Abdi Guled
Heavily-armed Ethiopian soldiers crossed into central Somalia on Friday and entered a town controlled by a pro-government militia nearly 30 kms (19 miles) from the border, residents said.
"They came with battle wagons and trucks all full of soldiers and guns," said Hassan Abdi, a resident in the town of Balanbale in Galgadud region. "Everybody is very worried."
Residents said the Ethiopian troops were setting up positions in the center of the town. Central Somalia has been the scene of heavy fighting between hardline Islamist insurgents and the moderate Islamist group Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca.
"We are ready to fight the Ethiopians if they come close to our forces, we will give them a lesson," Hassan Maalin Takow, an al Shabaab commander told Reuters.
Al Shabaab and allied group Hizbul Islam is trying to oust the government of President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, a former Islamist rebel who was elected in January, and impose a strict version of Islamic law throughout the Horn of Africa nation.
The insurgents control large swathes of the south and parts of the capital Mogadishu. They have been battling pro-government forces this month in a bid to stamp more authority on the center of the Horn of Africa nation.
NO INTENTION OF GOING INTO SOMALIA
Ethiopia sent thousands of troops into Somalia in 2006 to help topple an Islamist movement holding Mogadishu and most of the south. That drew protests from some in the Muslim world and enraged the Islamists, who regrouped to launch an insurgency.
The Ethiopian soldiers withdrew in January but residents, insurgents and humanitarian organizations have reported several incursions in the past few months.
Addis Ababa initially denied any soldiers had crossed into Somalia but said earlier this month military personnel had been carrying out "reconnaissance" missions into its neighbor.
"Ethiopia has no intention to go back into Somalia. That is the standing position of our government," the Ethiopian government's head of information, Bereket Simon, told Reuters on Friday when asked about reports of new incursions.
He will be holding a regular news conference on Saturday.
The Ethiopian troops were deeply unpopular in Somalia and their two-year presence helped rally support for the insurgents.
Since withdrawing, Ethiopia has left a heavy military presence along its border with Somalia and has been keeping a close watch on the ebb and flow of fighting between the rebels and pro-government forces.
It is wary of having a hardline Islamist state next door and Western nations fear al Shabaab, which has links to al Qaeda, could use southern Somalia as a base to destabilize neighbors such as Kenya and Ethiopia.
People living in the southwestern Somali region of Bakool, which is controlled by hardline Islamist rebel group al Shabaab, said Ethiopian troops moved into a village called Washaga on Friday and residents were fleeing.
"I'm now packed up to leave the village, al Shabaab and the Ethiopians are close to each other and on the verge of fighting," said resident Fatima Isaq Madey.
(Additional reporting by Mohamed Ahmed and Ibrahim Mohamed in Mogadishu, Barry Malone in Addis Ababa, Writing by David Clarke)
12 June 2009
By Abdi Guled
Heavily-armed Ethiopian soldiers crossed into central Somalia on Friday and entered a town controlled by a pro-government militia nearly 30 kms (19 miles) from the border, residents said.
"They came with battle wagons and trucks all full of soldiers and guns," said Hassan Abdi, a resident in the town of Balanbale in Galgadud region. "Everybody is very worried."
Residents said the Ethiopian troops were setting up positions in the center of the town. Central Somalia has been the scene of heavy fighting between hardline Islamist insurgents and the moderate Islamist group Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca.
"We are ready to fight the Ethiopians if they come close to our forces, we will give them a lesson," Hassan Maalin Takow, an al Shabaab commander told Reuters.
Al Shabaab and allied group Hizbul Islam is trying to oust the government of President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, a former Islamist rebel who was elected in January, and impose a strict version of Islamic law throughout the Horn of Africa nation.
The insurgents control large swathes of the south and parts of the capital Mogadishu. They have been battling pro-government forces this month in a bid to stamp more authority on the center of the Horn of Africa nation.
NO INTENTION OF GOING INTO SOMALIA
Ethiopia sent thousands of troops into Somalia in 2006 to help topple an Islamist movement holding Mogadishu and most of the south. That drew protests from some in the Muslim world and enraged the Islamists, who regrouped to launch an insurgency.
The Ethiopian soldiers withdrew in January but residents, insurgents and humanitarian organizations have reported several incursions in the past few months.
Addis Ababa initially denied any soldiers had crossed into Somalia but said earlier this month military personnel had been carrying out "reconnaissance" missions into its neighbor.
"Ethiopia has no intention to go back into Somalia. That is the standing position of our government," the Ethiopian government's head of information, Bereket Simon, told Reuters on Friday when asked about reports of new incursions.
He will be holding a regular news conference on Saturday.
The Ethiopian troops were deeply unpopular in Somalia and their two-year presence helped rally support for the insurgents.
Since withdrawing, Ethiopia has left a heavy military presence along its border with Somalia and has been keeping a close watch on the ebb and flow of fighting between the rebels and pro-government forces.
It is wary of having a hardline Islamist state next door and Western nations fear al Shabaab, which has links to al Qaeda, could use southern Somalia as a base to destabilize neighbors such as Kenya and Ethiopia.
People living in the southwestern Somali region of Bakool, which is controlled by hardline Islamist rebel group al Shabaab, said Ethiopian troops moved into a village called Washaga on Friday and residents were fleeing.
"I'm now packed up to leave the village, al Shabaab and the Ethiopians are close to each other and on the verge of fighting," said resident Fatima Isaq Madey.
(Additional reporting by Mohamed Ahmed and Ibrahim Mohamed in Mogadishu, Barry Malone in Addis Ababa, Writing by David Clarke)
12 June, 2009
Civilians killed 'in cold blood.'
SAPA
12 June 2009
Nigeria's most prominent armed group claimed Friday that government troops had killed seven civilians in the restive Niger Delta region, a key oil-producing area.
"The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) can confirm that seven more civilians were killed in cold blood on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 by the soldiers of the military Joint Task Force," the group said in a statement.
It claimed the seven included four children, one woman, an elderly man, and a driver of a boat they were traveling in.
MEND said they were shot without warning as they approached a task force checkpoint at Kangbene community in Delta state.
12 June 2009
Nigeria's most prominent armed group claimed Friday that government troops had killed seven civilians in the restive Niger Delta region, a key oil-producing area.
"The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) can confirm that seven more civilians were killed in cold blood on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 by the soldiers of the military Joint Task Force," the group said in a statement.
It claimed the seven included four children, one woman, an elderly man, and a driver of a boat they were traveling in.
MEND said they were shot without warning as they approached a task force checkpoint at Kangbene community in Delta state.
Africom to Continue and Expand Under Obama Administration.
Pambazuka
by Daniel Volman
11 June 2009
With the Obama administration set to oversee significant increases in US security assistance programmes for African countries, Daniel Volman examines the US government's plans for its military operations on the African continent over the coming financial year.
Stressing that the US president is essentially continuing the policies outlined under his predecessor George W. Bush, the author considers the proposed funding increases for initiatives like the Foreign Military Financing programme and the International Military Education and Training (IMET) programme. Pointing out that the administration is yet to offer any public explanation of its policy, Volman concludes that it would be a mistake to assume that there will be no US military action if the situation in Somalia deteriorates.
At the beginning of May 2009, President Obama submitted his first budget request to Congress. The Obama administration's budget for the 2010 financial year proposes significant increases in US security assistance programmes for African countries and for the operations of the new US Africa Command (AFRICOM). This shows that - at least initially - the administration is following the course laid down for AFRICOM by the Bush administration, rather than putting these programmes on hold until it can conduct a serious review of US security policy towards Africa. This article outlines the administration's plans for Africa in the coming year and the money it intends to spend on military operations on the continent.
FOREIGN MILITARY FINANCING
The Obama administration proposes maintaining or significantly increasing funding for the Foreign Military Financing programme, which provides loans for the sale of weaponry and other military equipment to a number of African countries. The administration's request raises the total funding for arms sales to Africa from $8.3 million in financial year (FY) 2009 to $25.6 million in FY 2010. The new funding includes funding for arms sales to Chad ($500,000), the Democratic Republic of Congo ($2.5 million), Djibouti ($2.5 million), Ethiopia ($3 million), Kenya ($1 million), Liberia ($9 million), Nigeria ($1.4 million), South Africa ($800,000) and African regional programmes ($2.8 million).
INTERNATIONAL MILITARY EDUCATION AND TRAINING
The Obama administration proposes small increases in the International Military Education and Training (IMET) programmes for African counties, raising the total funding for this programme from $13.8 million in FY 2009 to $16 million in FY 2010. Significant increases in funding are requested for Chad ($400,000), Djibouti ($350,000), Ethiopia ($775,000), Ghana ($850,000), Kenya ($1,050,000), Liberia ($525,000), Mali ($350,000), Niger ($250,000), Nigeria ($1,100,000), Rwanda ($500,000), Senegal ($1,100,000), South Africa ($900,000) and Uganda ($550,000). The United States will continue its major IMET programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo ($500,000), and the Obama administration is proposing to start new IMET programmes in Equatorial Guinea ($40,000), Somalia ($40,000) and Zimbabwe ($40,000).
PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS
The Obama administration proposes major new funding for security assistance provided through the Peacekeeping Operations programme. The FY 2010 budget proposal includes increasing funding for the Trans-Sahara Counter-Terrorism Partnership - from $15 million in FY 2009 to $20 million in FY 2010 - and for the East Africa Regional Strategic Initiative - from $5 million in FY 2009 to $10 million in FY 2010. It also includes $42 million to continue operations in support of the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Accords in southern Sudan, $10 million to continue operations to create a professional 2,000-member armed force in Liberia, $21 million to continue operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo to reform the military (including the creation of rapid reaction force for the eastern Congo), and $3.6 million for the Africa Conflict Stabilization and Border Security Program, which will be used to support monitoring teams, advisory assistance, training, infrastructure enhancements, and equipment in the Great Lakes region, the Mano River region, the Horn of Africa, Chad, and the Central African Republic. The budget request also includes $67 million to support the African Union Mission in Somalia. And it contains a request for $96.8 million for the Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI). The request for GPOI includes funding for the African Contingency Operations and Training Assistance Program (ACOTA) - which provides training and equipment to African military forces to enhance their peacekeeping capabilities - although the specific amount requested for ACOTA is not provided in the budget summary.
INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
The budget request for International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement (INCLE) programs contains $24 million for Sudan to support implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Accords (CPA) in southern Sudan and to assist programmes to stabilise Darfur by providing technical assistance and training for southern Sudan's criminal justice sector and law enforcement institutions as well as to contribute to UN civilian police and formed police units in southern Sudan and Darfur. It also includes funds for police reforms in the DRC; for training, infrastructure, and equipment for police units in Liberia; to operate the American-run International Law Academy in Gaborone, Botswana; and to create a Regional Security Training Center for West, Central, and North Africa. The Obama administration is also asking for funding to be provided through the INCLE programmes for the first time to provide security assistance to countries participating in the Trans-Saharan Counter-Terrorism Partnership: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Niger, Chad and Nigeria.
NON-PROLIFERATION, ANTI-TERRORISM, DE-MINING AND RELATED PROGRAMMES
The Obama administration proposes to almost double funding for counter-terrorism programmes. These include the Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program, which provides training to countries throughout the world; the Terrorist Interdiction Program/Personal Identification, Secure Comparison, and Evaluation System Program, which supports identification and watch listing systems to 18 countries (including Kenya); the Counterterrorism Financing Program, which helps partner countries throughout the world stop the flow of money to terrorists; and the Counterterrorism Engagement Program, which is intended to strengthen ties with key political leaders throughout the world and 'build political will at senior levels in partner nations for shared counterterrorism challenges'.
AFRICOM
The Obama administration's proposed FY 2010 budget for the Department of Defense requests some $300 million in operation and maintenance funds to cover the cost of AFRICOM operations and Operation Enduring Freedom-Trans-Sahara Counter-Terrorism Partnership operations at the AFRICOM headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. The administration is also requesting $263 million to provide additional personnel, airlift and communications support to AFRICOM. And the budget includes a request for a total of $451 million to replace or upgrade facilities at enduring CENTCOM and AFRICOM locations, but does not provide a separate figure for AFRICOM. According to the budget, the administration intends to carry out significant investment at Camp Lemonier in FY 2010. In addition, the administration is requesting $30 million to pay the annual lease for the 500-acre base at Camp Lemonier in Djibouti and $170 million to cover the annual operational budget of the base.
The administration is requesting some $400 million for Global Train and Equip (Section 1206) programmes, some $200 million for Security and Stabilization Assistance (Section 1207) programmes, and some $1 million for the Combatant Commander's Initiative Fund. This money will be used primarily to pay for emergency training and equipment, the services of personnel from the State Department, and humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi and Afghani armed forces, but it will be available for the use of AFRICOM as well. The administration's budget request also contains $1.9 billion to buy three Littoral Combat Ships and another $373 million to buy two Joint High Speed Vessels, ships that will play a crucial role in US Navy operations off the coast of Africa. It also includes $44 billion to fund US Navy operations throughout the world - of which a significant proportion will be needed to cover the costs of US Navy operations in African waters - but the budget does not provide enough information to estimate these costs.
SECURITY POLICY TOWARD THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO AND SOMALIA
Obama administration officials have not said anything in public to explain why they are proceeding with the Bush administration's plan to increase US security assistance to African countries and to expand US military activities on the continent. General William Ward, commander of AFRICOM, at a news conference that he held during his visit to Kinshasa in April 2009, provided one of the few pieces of evidence we have about the administration's thinking. The United States will continue working in training and advising the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo 'to help the host nation build capacity to more effectively conduct its military operations and provide for its own security.' The United States currently has a seven-member mobile training team training Congolese military officers. This training, Ward said at the news conference, is intended 'to support the increased professionalization of the Congolese armed forces as best we can as they work to bring security and stability here in Congo.' This suggests that President Obama - despite his rhetorical commitment to multilateralism and 'soft power' and the abysmal record of military incompetence and human rights violations by the Congolese armed forces - is convinced that unilateral US military involvement can still work and that he can succeed where his predecessor failed.
The only other indication we have about the president's true intentions is provided by his decision to authorise the use of force to rescue the kidnapped captain of the Maersk Alabama in May 2009. When he was a candidate, President Obama declared that he believed that 'there will be situations that require the United States to work with its partners in Africa to fight terrorism with lethal force.' But his action during the kidnapping episode show that he is also willing to use military force in situations that have nothing to do with terrorism. According to recent news articles, a debate is currently underway within the administration about the wisdom of direct US military intervention against Somali pirates or against the al-Shabaab insurgents. Top administration officials and military officers are convinced that, in the words of Defense Secretary Robert Gates, 'there is no purely military solution' to piracy and political conflict in Somalia. And Johnnie Carson, the president's new assistant secretary of state for Africa, told the BBC that 'there would be no case of the US re-engaging on the ground with troops' in Somalia. But some in the military and a number of prominent neo-conservative policy-makers contend that the United States must strike back at the pirates and the insurgents to prevent future acts of piracy and terrorism against Americans. It would be a mistake to assume that Obama will not take further military action if the situation in Somalia escalates.
* Daniel Volman is the director of the African Security Research Project in Washington, DC, and a member of the board of directors of the Association of Concerned Africa Scholars.
* For more information, see the Department of State, Summary and Highlights for International Affairs Function 150: Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Request, and the Department of Defense, Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Request: Summary Justification.
by Daniel Volman
11 June 2009
With the Obama administration set to oversee significant increases in US security assistance programmes for African countries, Daniel Volman examines the US government's plans for its military operations on the African continent over the coming financial year.
Stressing that the US president is essentially continuing the policies outlined under his predecessor George W. Bush, the author considers the proposed funding increases for initiatives like the Foreign Military Financing programme and the International Military Education and Training (IMET) programme. Pointing out that the administration is yet to offer any public explanation of its policy, Volman concludes that it would be a mistake to assume that there will be no US military action if the situation in Somalia deteriorates.
At the beginning of May 2009, President Obama submitted his first budget request to Congress. The Obama administration's budget for the 2010 financial year proposes significant increases in US security assistance programmes for African countries and for the operations of the new US Africa Command (AFRICOM). This shows that - at least initially - the administration is following the course laid down for AFRICOM by the Bush administration, rather than putting these programmes on hold until it can conduct a serious review of US security policy towards Africa. This article outlines the administration's plans for Africa in the coming year and the money it intends to spend on military operations on the continent.
FOREIGN MILITARY FINANCING
The Obama administration proposes maintaining or significantly increasing funding for the Foreign Military Financing programme, which provides loans for the sale of weaponry and other military equipment to a number of African countries. The administration's request raises the total funding for arms sales to Africa from $8.3 million in financial year (FY) 2009 to $25.6 million in FY 2010. The new funding includes funding for arms sales to Chad ($500,000), the Democratic Republic of Congo ($2.5 million), Djibouti ($2.5 million), Ethiopia ($3 million), Kenya ($1 million), Liberia ($9 million), Nigeria ($1.4 million), South Africa ($800,000) and African regional programmes ($2.8 million).
INTERNATIONAL MILITARY EDUCATION AND TRAINING
The Obama administration proposes small increases in the International Military Education and Training (IMET) programmes for African counties, raising the total funding for this programme from $13.8 million in FY 2009 to $16 million in FY 2010. Significant increases in funding are requested for Chad ($400,000), Djibouti ($350,000), Ethiopia ($775,000), Ghana ($850,000), Kenya ($1,050,000), Liberia ($525,000), Mali ($350,000), Niger ($250,000), Nigeria ($1,100,000), Rwanda ($500,000), Senegal ($1,100,000), South Africa ($900,000) and Uganda ($550,000). The United States will continue its major IMET programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo ($500,000), and the Obama administration is proposing to start new IMET programmes in Equatorial Guinea ($40,000), Somalia ($40,000) and Zimbabwe ($40,000).
PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS
The Obama administration proposes major new funding for security assistance provided through the Peacekeeping Operations programme. The FY 2010 budget proposal includes increasing funding for the Trans-Sahara Counter-Terrorism Partnership - from $15 million in FY 2009 to $20 million in FY 2010 - and for the East Africa Regional Strategic Initiative - from $5 million in FY 2009 to $10 million in FY 2010. It also includes $42 million to continue operations in support of the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Accords in southern Sudan, $10 million to continue operations to create a professional 2,000-member armed force in Liberia, $21 million to continue operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo to reform the military (including the creation of rapid reaction force for the eastern Congo), and $3.6 million for the Africa Conflict Stabilization and Border Security Program, which will be used to support monitoring teams, advisory assistance, training, infrastructure enhancements, and equipment in the Great Lakes region, the Mano River region, the Horn of Africa, Chad, and the Central African Republic. The budget request also includes $67 million to support the African Union Mission in Somalia. And it contains a request for $96.8 million for the Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI). The request for GPOI includes funding for the African Contingency Operations and Training Assistance Program (ACOTA) - which provides training and equipment to African military forces to enhance their peacekeeping capabilities - although the specific amount requested for ACOTA is not provided in the budget summary.
INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
The budget request for International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement (INCLE) programs contains $24 million for Sudan to support implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Accords (CPA) in southern Sudan and to assist programmes to stabilise Darfur by providing technical assistance and training for southern Sudan's criminal justice sector and law enforcement institutions as well as to contribute to UN civilian police and formed police units in southern Sudan and Darfur. It also includes funds for police reforms in the DRC; for training, infrastructure, and equipment for police units in Liberia; to operate the American-run International Law Academy in Gaborone, Botswana; and to create a Regional Security Training Center for West, Central, and North Africa. The Obama administration is also asking for funding to be provided through the INCLE programmes for the first time to provide security assistance to countries participating in the Trans-Saharan Counter-Terrorism Partnership: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Niger, Chad and Nigeria.
NON-PROLIFERATION, ANTI-TERRORISM, DE-MINING AND RELATED PROGRAMMES
The Obama administration proposes to almost double funding for counter-terrorism programmes. These include the Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program, which provides training to countries throughout the world; the Terrorist Interdiction Program/Personal Identification, Secure Comparison, and Evaluation System Program, which supports identification and watch listing systems to 18 countries (including Kenya); the Counterterrorism Financing Program, which helps partner countries throughout the world stop the flow of money to terrorists; and the Counterterrorism Engagement Program, which is intended to strengthen ties with key political leaders throughout the world and 'build political will at senior levels in partner nations for shared counterterrorism challenges'.
AFRICOM
The Obama administration's proposed FY 2010 budget for the Department of Defense requests some $300 million in operation and maintenance funds to cover the cost of AFRICOM operations and Operation Enduring Freedom-Trans-Sahara Counter-Terrorism Partnership operations at the AFRICOM headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. The administration is also requesting $263 million to provide additional personnel, airlift and communications support to AFRICOM. And the budget includes a request for a total of $451 million to replace or upgrade facilities at enduring CENTCOM and AFRICOM locations, but does not provide a separate figure for AFRICOM. According to the budget, the administration intends to carry out significant investment at Camp Lemonier in FY 2010. In addition, the administration is requesting $30 million to pay the annual lease for the 500-acre base at Camp Lemonier in Djibouti and $170 million to cover the annual operational budget of the base.
The administration is requesting some $400 million for Global Train and Equip (Section 1206) programmes, some $200 million for Security and Stabilization Assistance (Section 1207) programmes, and some $1 million for the Combatant Commander's Initiative Fund. This money will be used primarily to pay for emergency training and equipment, the services of personnel from the State Department, and humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi and Afghani armed forces, but it will be available for the use of AFRICOM as well. The administration's budget request also contains $1.9 billion to buy three Littoral Combat Ships and another $373 million to buy two Joint High Speed Vessels, ships that will play a crucial role in US Navy operations off the coast of Africa. It also includes $44 billion to fund US Navy operations throughout the world - of which a significant proportion will be needed to cover the costs of US Navy operations in African waters - but the budget does not provide enough information to estimate these costs.
SECURITY POLICY TOWARD THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO AND SOMALIA
Obama administration officials have not said anything in public to explain why they are proceeding with the Bush administration's plan to increase US security assistance to African countries and to expand US military activities on the continent. General William Ward, commander of AFRICOM, at a news conference that he held during his visit to Kinshasa in April 2009, provided one of the few pieces of evidence we have about the administration's thinking. The United States will continue working in training and advising the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo 'to help the host nation build capacity to more effectively conduct its military operations and provide for its own security.' The United States currently has a seven-member mobile training team training Congolese military officers. This training, Ward said at the news conference, is intended 'to support the increased professionalization of the Congolese armed forces as best we can as they work to bring security and stability here in Congo.' This suggests that President Obama - despite his rhetorical commitment to multilateralism and 'soft power' and the abysmal record of military incompetence and human rights violations by the Congolese armed forces - is convinced that unilateral US military involvement can still work and that he can succeed where his predecessor failed.
The only other indication we have about the president's true intentions is provided by his decision to authorise the use of force to rescue the kidnapped captain of the Maersk Alabama in May 2009. When he was a candidate, President Obama declared that he believed that 'there will be situations that require the United States to work with its partners in Africa to fight terrorism with lethal force.' But his action during the kidnapping episode show that he is also willing to use military force in situations that have nothing to do with terrorism. According to recent news articles, a debate is currently underway within the administration about the wisdom of direct US military intervention against Somali pirates or against the al-Shabaab insurgents. Top administration officials and military officers are convinced that, in the words of Defense Secretary Robert Gates, 'there is no purely military solution' to piracy and political conflict in Somalia. And Johnnie Carson, the president's new assistant secretary of state for Africa, told the BBC that 'there would be no case of the US re-engaging on the ground with troops' in Somalia. But some in the military and a number of prominent neo-conservative policy-makers contend that the United States must strike back at the pirates and the insurgents to prevent future acts of piracy and terrorism against Americans. It would be a mistake to assume that Obama will not take further military action if the situation in Somalia escalates.
* Daniel Volman is the director of the African Security Research Project in Washington, DC, and a member of the board of directors of the Association of Concerned Africa Scholars.
* For more information, see the Department of State, Summary and Highlights for International Affairs Function 150: Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Request, and the Department of Defense, Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Request: Summary Justification.
Ex-Somalia PM to become EU Envoy, Ambassador to Italy.
Garowe Online
11 June 2009
A former Prime Minister in Somalia's U.N.-backed Transitional Federal Government (TFG) will become the country's new envoy to the European Union, government sources tell Garowe Online.
Mr. Nur "Adde" Hassan Hussein, who became Prime Minister in Nov. 2007, will soon be appointed as Somalia's EU Envoy by current President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed.
Nur Adde will also hold the post of Somali Ambassador to Italy, the sources added.
The current Prime Minister, Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmake, is attending an anti-piracy conference in Rome.
The Italian government became the first nation in the West that declared plans to reopen its embassy in Mogadishu, the war-ravaged capital of Somalia.
In 2008, when then-Prime Minister Nur Adde was embroiled in a bitter power struggle with then-Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf, the Italian government supported Nur Adde. Unconfirmed reports suggested Rome "requested" Nur Adde to become the Somali Ambassador to Italy.
Nur Adde hails from the Abgal clan of the larger Hawiye clan-family of President Sheikh Sharif, who was a leading opposition figure last when Nur Adde was the Prime Minister.
11 June 2009
A former Prime Minister in Somalia's U.N.-backed Transitional Federal Government (TFG) will become the country's new envoy to the European Union, government sources tell Garowe Online.
Mr. Nur "Adde" Hassan Hussein, who became Prime Minister in Nov. 2007, will soon be appointed as Somalia's EU Envoy by current President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed.
Nur Adde will also hold the post of Somali Ambassador to Italy, the sources added.
The current Prime Minister, Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmake, is attending an anti-piracy conference in Rome.
The Italian government became the first nation in the West that declared plans to reopen its embassy in Mogadishu, the war-ravaged capital of Somalia.
In 2008, when then-Prime Minister Nur Adde was embroiled in a bitter power struggle with then-Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf, the Italian government supported Nur Adde. Unconfirmed reports suggested Rome "requested" Nur Adde to become the Somali Ambassador to Italy.
Nur Adde hails from the Abgal clan of the larger Hawiye clan-family of President Sheikh Sharif, who was a leading opposition figure last when Nur Adde was the Prime Minister.
11 June, 2009
US makes slight amendment to Sudan sanction rules.
Sudan Tribune
10 June 2009
The US department of treasury introduced a new amendment to the rules pertaining to sanctions imposed on Sudan.
US department of Treasury The notice published by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said that it is expanding the scope of exemptions afforded to the diplomatic mission of Sudan in the United States.
OFAC said that prior to the amendment the authorization was applicable to the “importation of any goods or services into the United States destined for official or personal use by the diplomatic missions of the Government of Sudan to the United States”.
After today, the Sudanese diplomatic mission and its employees will be allowed to receive goods and services by vendors in the United States.
However, the amendment imposes certain conditions on receiving the good and services within the US.
“The goods or services must be for the conduct of the official business of the missions, or for personal use of the employees of the missions, and not for resale…. such transactions must not involve the purchase, sale, financing, or refinancing of real property…. all such transactions must be conducted through an account at a U.S. financial institution specifically licensed by OFAC” the notice reads.
The change appears to be made in order to close a loophole in the regulations that technically prohibited Sudanese diplomatic mission in the US from receiving good and services from local companies.
US sanctions dating back to the Clinton administration bars any financial dealings with Sudan or institutions owned by Khartoum as such.
According to the US regulations on Sudan sanctions “all property and interests in property of the Government of Sudan that are in the United States, that come within the United States, or that are or come within the possession or control of U.S. persons, including their overseas branches” are to be blocked.
10 June 2009
The US department of treasury introduced a new amendment to the rules pertaining to sanctions imposed on Sudan.
US department of Treasury The notice published by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said that it is expanding the scope of exemptions afforded to the diplomatic mission of Sudan in the United States.
OFAC said that prior to the amendment the authorization was applicable to the “importation of any goods or services into the United States destined for official or personal use by the diplomatic missions of the Government of Sudan to the United States”.
After today, the Sudanese diplomatic mission and its employees will be allowed to receive goods and services by vendors in the United States.
However, the amendment imposes certain conditions on receiving the good and services within the US.
“The goods or services must be for the conduct of the official business of the missions, or for personal use of the employees of the missions, and not for resale…. such transactions must not involve the purchase, sale, financing, or refinancing of real property…. all such transactions must be conducted through an account at a U.S. financial institution specifically licensed by OFAC” the notice reads.
The change appears to be made in order to close a loophole in the regulations that technically prohibited Sudanese diplomatic mission in the US from receiving good and services from local companies.
US sanctions dating back to the Clinton administration bars any financial dealings with Sudan or institutions owned by Khartoum as such.
According to the US regulations on Sudan sanctions “all property and interests in property of the Government of Sudan that are in the United States, that come within the United States, or that are or come within the possession or control of U.S. persons, including their overseas branches” are to be blocked.
Former Somalia senior military officials to meet in Washington, DC.
Press Release
3 June 2009
Former Somali senior military officials will convene on the 4 and 5 June in Washington DC at a meeting organized by the United Nations Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) under the auspices of the Somali Ministry of Defence.
The meeting will serve as a preparatory forum that will solicit support and participation from prominent Somali military leaders with follow-up meetings expected to be held in late July.
In keeping with the Djibouti Agreement and the Government’s commitment to build up security institutions, the meeting will look at the structures of Somalia’s military before the collapse of the state and the best ways to address the current and future security needs.
“We are expecting this to be the first of several fruitful meetings,” UN Special Representative for Somalia Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah said. “The senior military officials that will participate in this meeting are respected for their past professional experience during a period in Somalia’s history when it was called upon to help train soldiers from other African nations.”
During the meeting, the participants will discuss best practices and the way forward for security sector development.
“This is a great opportunity for Somalis to find within their past some solutions to their future,” Mr. Ould-Abdallah said.
For more information please contact: Susannah Price, Public Information Officer, UN Political Office for Somalia (Nairobi, Kenya) Tel. +254 20 762 1192 (o) or +254 733 902020 (m). Please visit: www.UN-Somalia.org
3 June 2009
Former Somali senior military officials will convene on the 4 and 5 June in Washington DC at a meeting organized by the United Nations Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) under the auspices of the Somali Ministry of Defence.
The meeting will serve as a preparatory forum that will solicit support and participation from prominent Somali military leaders with follow-up meetings expected to be held in late July.
In keeping with the Djibouti Agreement and the Government’s commitment to build up security institutions, the meeting will look at the structures of Somalia’s military before the collapse of the state and the best ways to address the current and future security needs.
“We are expecting this to be the first of several fruitful meetings,” UN Special Representative for Somalia Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah said. “The senior military officials that will participate in this meeting are respected for their past professional experience during a period in Somalia’s history when it was called upon to help train soldiers from other African nations.”
During the meeting, the participants will discuss best practices and the way forward for security sector development.
“This is a great opportunity for Somalis to find within their past some solutions to their future,” Mr. Ould-Abdallah said.
For more information please contact: Susannah Price, Public Information Officer, UN Political Office for Somalia (Nairobi, Kenya) Tel. +254 20 762 1192 (o) or +254 733 902020 (m). Please visit: www.UN-Somalia.org
France and Italy renege on pledges to aid Africa.
The Independent
By Daniel Howden, Africa Correspondent
Thursday, 11 June 2009
Nicolas Sarkozy and Silvio Berlusconi were singled out for scathing criticism in the Data report on G8 funding commitments
The rich world is failing to deliver on its side of an historic pact to improve the living conditions of millions of people in Africa, according to an assessment released today.
Only a third of the aid promised by the G8 group of industrialised nations has made its way to sub-Saharan Africa. This year's Data report describes the collective G8 assessment as "grim", blaming "exceptionally poor progress" by France and Italy, which were singled out as being responsible for 80 per cent of the funding shortfalls.
Almost a decade since they were set, the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, designed to eradicate extreme poverty by 2010, remain out of reach and rich nations are in danger of "defaulting" on their commitments.
The G8's self-imposed deadline is 18 months away but only $7bn (£4.3bn) of the $21.5bn in aid that was promised at the Gleneagles summit in 2005 has been delivered, according to One, the authors of the Data report.
The auditors are scathing in their assessment of France under President Nicolas Sarkozy and Italy under Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. "Certain members of the G8 are meeting and even beating the targets they set for themselves", says the report, which praises Germany and Britain, but "France's delivery is disappointing, and Italy's performance is an utter failure".
Foreign investment and trade has fallen as a result of the financial crisis. But the Africa Progress Panel, whose members include Kofi Annan and Graça Machel, argues in a separate report that the crisis has increased the importance of assisting those most in need.
Mr Annan, a former UN secretary general, says that poor Africans are hit by the costs of globalisation but "decoupled" from its benefits. After two years in which food and fuel crises dominated concerns on Africa, the US-led slump has hit African exports. In words that echo the effects of climate change, Mr Annan states: "Those who have contributed least to the crises have been affected most." African growth, which was forecast at 6.7 per cent for 2009, has been slashed to 1.7 per cent.
The reports, deliberately released back to back, also highlight the irony that aid flows have been curtailed just as real progress was being made.
Successes included extending Aids treatment to nearly three million people, reducing deaths from malaria, and ensuring 34 million more children attend school. For the first time in nearly 50 years, the economies of sub-Saharan Africa grew in 2008 by more than 5 per cent for a second consecutive year.
Germany, which has now surpassed France in terms of aid to Africa, is praised for expanding its assistance. Britain is singled out "as the first G8 country to meet the UN goal of spending 0.7 per cent of national income in overseas development assistance".
The reviews mention the need for good governance but do not seriously address concerns over the impact of aid flows into corrupt African regimes.
By Daniel Howden, Africa Correspondent
Thursday, 11 June 2009
Nicolas Sarkozy and Silvio Berlusconi were singled out for scathing criticism in the Data report on G8 funding commitments
The rich world is failing to deliver on its side of an historic pact to improve the living conditions of millions of people in Africa, according to an assessment released today.
Only a third of the aid promised by the G8 group of industrialised nations has made its way to sub-Saharan Africa. This year's Data report describes the collective G8 assessment as "grim", blaming "exceptionally poor progress" by France and Italy, which were singled out as being responsible for 80 per cent of the funding shortfalls.
Almost a decade since they were set, the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, designed to eradicate extreme poverty by 2010, remain out of reach and rich nations are in danger of "defaulting" on their commitments.
The G8's self-imposed deadline is 18 months away but only $7bn (£4.3bn) of the $21.5bn in aid that was promised at the Gleneagles summit in 2005 has been delivered, according to One, the authors of the Data report.
The auditors are scathing in their assessment of France under President Nicolas Sarkozy and Italy under Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. "Certain members of the G8 are meeting and even beating the targets they set for themselves", says the report, which praises Germany and Britain, but "France's delivery is disappointing, and Italy's performance is an utter failure".
Foreign investment and trade has fallen as a result of the financial crisis. But the Africa Progress Panel, whose members include Kofi Annan and Graça Machel, argues in a separate report that the crisis has increased the importance of assisting those most in need.
Mr Annan, a former UN secretary general, says that poor Africans are hit by the costs of globalisation but "decoupled" from its benefits. After two years in which food and fuel crises dominated concerns on Africa, the US-led slump has hit African exports. In words that echo the effects of climate change, Mr Annan states: "Those who have contributed least to the crises have been affected most." African growth, which was forecast at 6.7 per cent for 2009, has been slashed to 1.7 per cent.
The reports, deliberately released back to back, also highlight the irony that aid flows have been curtailed just as real progress was being made.
Successes included extending Aids treatment to nearly three million people, reducing deaths from malaria, and ensuring 34 million more children attend school. For the first time in nearly 50 years, the economies of sub-Saharan Africa grew in 2008 by more than 5 per cent for a second consecutive year.
Germany, which has now surpassed France in terms of aid to Africa, is praised for expanding its assistance. Britain is singled out "as the first G8 country to meet the UN goal of spending 0.7 per cent of national income in overseas development assistance".
The reviews mention the need for good governance but do not seriously address concerns over the impact of aid flows into corrupt African regimes.
India blasts rivals' role in Sri Lanka.
Asia Times
11 June 2009
By Siddharth Srivastava
India is not happy with the important military role it says China and Pakistan played in the Sri Lanka's government decisive offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Top government officials in New Delhi have told Asia Times Online that India believes Colombo stockpiled arms and even sought help from military commanders from China and Pakistan before the offensive that decimated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and eventually killed Tiger chief Vellupillai Prabhakaran in May.
Chinese and Pakistani arms and direction were the "clinching" factor in the military's victory, top official sources have told ATol.
"With China's increasing role and presence in Nepal and
Pakistan, and Pakistan's in Bangladesh, New Delhi is looking at recalibrating its passive diplomatic approach towards Sri Lanka," said one senior official, who wished to remain anonymous.
"While its main tussle for influence in the South Asia region is with China, India's immediate concern is Pakistan due to the country's role in the past of launching clandestine terror activities, as has happened in Bangladesh," the official added.
Sources say that India has been concerned about Pakistan's reported supply to the Sri Lankan government of al-Khalids (Pakistan's main battle tank), training for fighter pilots, and advanced rocket launchers.
China has also reportedly increased its military relationship with Sri Lanka since 2007. In April that year, Sri Lanka signed a secret US$38 million pact to purchase Chinese ammunition and ordnance for its army and navy, Jane's Defense Weekly has reported. China also gave Sri Lanka six F-7 jets in 2008, supposedly free of charge, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, to counter the Czech-made Zlin-142s that made up the LTTE's small air force.
India fears that Beijing, with the help of Pakistan and possibly Sri Lanka, plans to encircle its influence in the Indian Ocean. It is concerned about a deep-water port being built with Chinese help in Hambantota, on Sri Lanka's south coast, and has long objected to Chinese involvement in the Gwadar port in Pakistan's Balochistan province.
National Security Advisor M K Narayanan said in 2007: "We [India] are a big power in the region. We don't want the Sri Lankan government to go to Pakistan or China. Whatever may be their requirement, the Sri Lankan government should come to us.''
But the Sri Lankan army chief said in a recent interview that Colombo had to seek out China and Pakistan for arm as India was reluctant to sell it any for use against the LTTE. New Delhi has not been keen to supply "offensive" arms to Sri Lanka due to domestic political considerations in the south Indian state Tamil Nadu.
Tamil political groups have resisted any supply of arms to Colombo, so New Delhi offered it only defensive capabilities such as radars, despite some sections of the government seeking greater Indian involvement in the conflict.
Sympathy towards Sri Lankan Tamils has remained high in Tamil Nadu due to cultural and linguistic affinities. The state's incumbent chief minister, M K Karunanidhi of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), went on a brief hunger strike in April in protest of the civilian casualty toll from the Sri Lankan army offensive.
India has thus been guarded in its reactions to the recent end of the Sri Lankan conflict, choosing to focus on humanitarian aspects. The Foreign Ministry said in May, "India will work with the people and government of Sri Lanka to provide relief to those affected, and to rapidly rehabilitate all those who have been displaced."
India will have to calibrate its strategies carefully in the wake of the involvement of other regional players in the elimination of the LTTE. Some observers also say that India, with its major stake in Sri Lanka's peace process, needs to play a bigger role in pressurizing Colombo to move in the direction of federalism and autonomy for Tamil areas.
Given the close links between the populations of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, the former will need to use its regional presence to ensure that the minority Tamil interests are protected in its neighborhood.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that the plight of the Tamils was much larger than the LTTE, and that he hoped Sri Lanka would show imagination and courage in meeting the legitimate concerns and aspirations of the Tamil people.
The LTTE exploited ethnic strife between the majority and minority communities in Sri Lanka. If the genuine grievances of the Tamil minority are not met, another group could soon do the same.
Siddharth Srivastava is a New Delhi-based journalist. He can be reached at sidsri@yahoo.com
11 June 2009
By Siddharth Srivastava
India is not happy with the important military role it says China and Pakistan played in the Sri Lanka's government decisive offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Top government officials in New Delhi have told Asia Times Online that India believes Colombo stockpiled arms and even sought help from military commanders from China and Pakistan before the offensive that decimated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and eventually killed Tiger chief Vellupillai Prabhakaran in May.
Chinese and Pakistani arms and direction were the "clinching" factor in the military's victory, top official sources have told ATol.
"With China's increasing role and presence in Nepal and
Pakistan, and Pakistan's in Bangladesh, New Delhi is looking at recalibrating its passive diplomatic approach towards Sri Lanka," said one senior official, who wished to remain anonymous.
"While its main tussle for influence in the South Asia region is with China, India's immediate concern is Pakistan due to the country's role in the past of launching clandestine terror activities, as has happened in Bangladesh," the official added.
Sources say that India has been concerned about Pakistan's reported supply to the Sri Lankan government of al-Khalids (Pakistan's main battle tank), training for fighter pilots, and advanced rocket launchers.
China has also reportedly increased its military relationship with Sri Lanka since 2007. In April that year, Sri Lanka signed a secret US$38 million pact to purchase Chinese ammunition and ordnance for its army and navy, Jane's Defense Weekly has reported. China also gave Sri Lanka six F-7 jets in 2008, supposedly free of charge, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, to counter the Czech-made Zlin-142s that made up the LTTE's small air force.
India fears that Beijing, with the help of Pakistan and possibly Sri Lanka, plans to encircle its influence in the Indian Ocean. It is concerned about a deep-water port being built with Chinese help in Hambantota, on Sri Lanka's south coast, and has long objected to Chinese involvement in the Gwadar port in Pakistan's Balochistan province.
National Security Advisor M K Narayanan said in 2007: "We [India] are a big power in the region. We don't want the Sri Lankan government to go to Pakistan or China. Whatever may be their requirement, the Sri Lankan government should come to us.''
But the Sri Lankan army chief said in a recent interview that Colombo had to seek out China and Pakistan for arm as India was reluctant to sell it any for use against the LTTE. New Delhi has not been keen to supply "offensive" arms to Sri Lanka due to domestic political considerations in the south Indian state Tamil Nadu.
Tamil political groups have resisted any supply of arms to Colombo, so New Delhi offered it only defensive capabilities such as radars, despite some sections of the government seeking greater Indian involvement in the conflict.
Sympathy towards Sri Lankan Tamils has remained high in Tamil Nadu due to cultural and linguistic affinities. The state's incumbent chief minister, M K Karunanidhi of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), went on a brief hunger strike in April in protest of the civilian casualty toll from the Sri Lankan army offensive.
India has thus been guarded in its reactions to the recent end of the Sri Lankan conflict, choosing to focus on humanitarian aspects. The Foreign Ministry said in May, "India will work with the people and government of Sri Lanka to provide relief to those affected, and to rapidly rehabilitate all those who have been displaced."
India will have to calibrate its strategies carefully in the wake of the involvement of other regional players in the elimination of the LTTE. Some observers also say that India, with its major stake in Sri Lanka's peace process, needs to play a bigger role in pressurizing Colombo to move in the direction of federalism and autonomy for Tamil areas.
Given the close links between the populations of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, the former will need to use its regional presence to ensure that the minority Tamil interests are protected in its neighborhood.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that the plight of the Tamils was much larger than the LTTE, and that he hoped Sri Lanka would show imagination and courage in meeting the legitimate concerns and aspirations of the Tamil people.
The LTTE exploited ethnic strife between the majority and minority communities in Sri Lanka. If the genuine grievances of the Tamil minority are not met, another group could soon do the same.
Siddharth Srivastava is a New Delhi-based journalist. He can be reached at sidsri@yahoo.com
German military asks for change to Nord Stream route.
RIA Novosti
10 June 2009
Germany's armed forces have demanded that the planned route of the Nord Stream gas pipeline linking to Russia be altered, Russian business daily reported Kommersant on Wednesday.
The 6 billion-euro pipeline being built jointly by Russia and Germany under the Baltic Sea is planned to eventually pump 55 billion cu m of gas per year to Western Europe, bypassing traditional transit nations.
In a letter to the defense committee of the country's lower house of parliament, the Bundeswehr (armed forces) said it was concerned that the pipeline would be laid close to a sea testing ground near the Island of Rugen, which is actively used for naval exercises, Kommersant said.
The paper said the German military had repeatedly voiced concern over the Nord Stream project. The latest statement by the Bundeswehr's top officials echoed complaints made in January 2007 by commanders of the Northern District based in Kiel, who said construction would be adjacent to zones where the German Army and Navy hold exercises.
Nord Stream AG, the project operator, has confirmed that the Bundeswehr filed the request during public consultations on the project.
"We have studied the issue closely, and invited the leading international experts to analyze potential risks. Dialogue is currently being held with the relevant German departments. We are sure to find a solution that will relieve tensions over the proposed route," Nord Stream AG spokesman Jens Muller said.
According to Kommersant, the issue is also likely to be addressed in Moscow by visiting German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who will meet with Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin later on Wednesday.
The Nord Stream project has been repeatedly delayed over Baltic nations' environmental and security concerns. Putin visited Finland earlier this month to assure his Finnish counterpart Matti Vanhanen that participants in the project were ready to alter the route in line with Finland's environmental concerns.
10 June 2009
Germany's armed forces have demanded that the planned route of the Nord Stream gas pipeline linking to Russia be altered, Russian business daily reported Kommersant on Wednesday.
The 6 billion-euro pipeline being built jointly by Russia and Germany under the Baltic Sea is planned to eventually pump 55 billion cu m of gas per year to Western Europe, bypassing traditional transit nations.
In a letter to the defense committee of the country's lower house of parliament, the Bundeswehr (armed forces) said it was concerned that the pipeline would be laid close to a sea testing ground near the Island of Rugen, which is actively used for naval exercises, Kommersant said.
The paper said the German military had repeatedly voiced concern over the Nord Stream project. The latest statement by the Bundeswehr's top officials echoed complaints made in January 2007 by commanders of the Northern District based in Kiel, who said construction would be adjacent to zones where the German Army and Navy hold exercises.
Nord Stream AG, the project operator, has confirmed that the Bundeswehr filed the request during public consultations on the project.
"We have studied the issue closely, and invited the leading international experts to analyze potential risks. Dialogue is currently being held with the relevant German departments. We are sure to find a solution that will relieve tensions over the proposed route," Nord Stream AG spokesman Jens Muller said.
According to Kommersant, the issue is also likely to be addressed in Moscow by visiting German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who will meet with Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin later on Wednesday.
The Nord Stream project has been repeatedly delayed over Baltic nations' environmental and security concerns. Putin visited Finland earlier this month to assure his Finnish counterpart Matti Vanhanen that participants in the project were ready to alter the route in line with Finland's environmental concerns.
Communiqué from the conference of the International Contact Group on Somalia.
International Contact Group on Somalia
9 – 10 June 2009
Rome
9 – 10 June 2009
Rome
The 15th meeting of the International Contact Group on Somalia (ICG) was held under the chairmanship of the UN Special Representative for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah on 9 – 10 June in Rome. The meeting was opened by the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Franco Frattini, together with the Somali Prime Minister, Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke.
The ICG welcomes the commitment made by the Transitional Government of Somalia to achieve political stability in Somalia through an inclusive process. The ICG urges the Somali Government to complete the process of national reconciliation by reaching out to those who have yet to support and engage in the process.
The ICG is encouraged by the efforts of the Somali Government to introduce a more accountable and transparent system of government which is critical to establishing good governance in Somalia and to enhance the confidence of partners.
The ICG calls on all partners to support, through a comprehensive approach, the Somali Government politically, financially and technically to enable it to deliver improved security, the protection of civilians, basic services and provide employment opportunities, particularly for the youth. The ICG remains committed to help bring stability, security and prosperity to Somalia.
The ICG urges the international community to operationalise its development and assistance strategies in order to further support the progress made by the Somali Government. The ICG requests joint Somali Government and United Nations reports on the support provided. The ICG recognises the need for a planning process for the International Reconstruction and Development Conference to start.
The ICG condemns the recent attempt by extremist armed opposition groups to overthrow the legal, legitimate and internationally recognised Somali Government. The ICG supports the engagement of the Inter Governmental Authority on Development and the African Union Peace and Security Council and calls for urgent discussions on the recommendations of their recent meetings.
The ICG calls for concerted actions against those individuals, entities and states who obstruct the peace process, including the imposition of necessary measures against those who violate the United Nations Arms Embargo.
The ICG supports initiatives aimed at combating piracy, which is an international security threat that also affects the Somali people by worsening the internal economic conditions and hampering delivery of humanitarian assistance. The ICG recognises fighting piracy requires a comprehensive and cohesive approach. The ICG calls for actions to address the root cause of piracy, namely the political, security and social crisis in Somalia, that risks enhancing patterns of collusion with terrorist activities. The ICG recognises the positive role of the international naval presence fighting piracy.
The ICG notes the financial and logistical contributions made by partners to date and welcomes the report on the follow up to the Brussels Donor Conference. The ICG urges those who made pledges to disburse and expedite the use of funds and pledges in kind and services without further delay to enable the Somali Security Sector to become more effective and to strengthen AMISOM capabilities. The ICG encourages partners to help train the Somali Security Forces.
The ICG appreciates the continued commitment of AMISOM and its troop-contributing countries performing under extremely difficult conditions and calls on all Somali parties to support those working to bring peace and stability to the country. The ICG welcomes the reinforcement of AMISOM troops in Somalia.
The ICG remains gravely concerned about the deteriorating humanitarian situation, particularly the plight of the displaced and of refugees. The ICG condemns those responsible for the violence and calls on all parties to ensure free and unhindered access and the safety of all aid workers.
The ICG urges all parties to continue to work on setting up mechanisms to address impunity and past and current atrocities committed by Somalis against Somalis. The ICG recognises the commitment by the Somali Government through the Djibouti Process to the protection of human rights and adherence to International Humanitarian Law. The ICG calls on all partners to support these efforts.
The ICG recognises the involvement and important role played by members of the Somali Diaspora and urges them to help bring about a comprehensive political settlement and an end to the violence in Somalia.
The ICG encourages the United Nations and the international community to establish offices in the capital of Somalia as soon as possible. The ICG takes note of the decision of the Italian government to re-open their embassy in Mogadishu.
The ICG thanks the Italian Government for hosting the meeting. The Chair and former Co-Chairs agree to formulate plans for the next ICG meeting and revert to members.
Present:
African Union, European Commission, European Union Council Secretariat, Presidency of European Union (Czech Republic), League of Arab States, Organization of Islamic Conference, United Nations, World Bank, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Somalia, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, United Kingdom, United States, Yemen.
10 June, 2009
Libyan wins post of UN General Assembly president.
Associated Press
10 June 2009
The next president of the U.N. General Assembly will be a Libyan politician in charge of the nation's dealings with the Africa Union.
Ali Abdessalam Treki, Libya's minister for AU affairs, won election by acclamation rather than a vote Wednesday in the General Assembly, the world's forum for debate among 192 member nations.
The one-year post rotates among nations on a regional basis.
Treki will assume the job when the assembly convenes in mid-September for its annual ministerial debate. He will replace Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, a former Nicaraguan foreign minister and a Roman Catholic priest.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says it was more fitting to "welcome back" Treki than say "welcome" to him since he served three times as Libya's U.N. ambassador.
10 June 2009
The next president of the U.N. General Assembly will be a Libyan politician in charge of the nation's dealings with the Africa Union.
Ali Abdessalam Treki, Libya's minister for AU affairs, won election by acclamation rather than a vote Wednesday in the General Assembly, the world's forum for debate among 192 member nations.
The one-year post rotates among nations on a regional basis.
Treki will assume the job when the assembly convenes in mid-September for its annual ministerial debate. He will replace Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, a former Nicaraguan foreign minister and a Roman Catholic priest.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says it was more fitting to "welcome back" Treki than say "welcome" to him since he served three times as Libya's U.N. ambassador.
Gabon's interim leader sworn in.
BBC News
10 June 2009
The speaker of the senate in Gabon has been sworn in as the country's interim head of state, following the recent death of President Omar Bongo.
Under the constitution, Rose Francine Rogombe, an ally of Mr Bongo, must organise elections within 45 days.
On Thursday, Mr Bongo's body will be repatriated from Spain where he had been undergoing medical treatment.
Access to the internet in the oil-rich nation remains cut off, but the state's borders have been reopened.
Minute's silence
Ms Rogombe was sworn in at the International Conference Centre in the capital, Libreville, on Wednesday morning, a day after her appointment was confirmed by the constitutional court.
OMAR BONGO
Led Gabon for 42 years
Kept close economic and political ties with France
Oil money means Gabon officially one of richest countries in Africa
His son is defence minister
His daughter was his chief of staff
He denied corruption charges in French courts
Introduced multi-party elections in 1993 - opposition complained they were not fair
Having a laugh with Omar Bongo
Gabon teacher not mourning Bongo
"I swear to devote all my strength to the good of the Gabonese people, with the aim of promoting its well-being and protecting it from all harm, to respect and defend the constitution and a state of law, and conscientiously to carry out my duties and to be fair to all," Ms Rogombe said.
Before she took the oath, a minute's silence was held in the memory of Mr Bongo, AFP news agency reports.
The death of the 73-year-old president, who was Africa's longest-serving leader, was announced on Monday.
The government said Mr Bongo, who had led Gabon since 1967, had died of a heart attack, hours after saying he was alive and well.
It emerged in May the president was being treated in a Barcelona clinic, amid unconfirmed reports he had cancer.
On Thursday the late president's body will arrive back in the country where it will lie in state at the presidential palace in the capital.
He will be buried at Franceville in the Bateke region of his birth in south-east Gabon on Thursday of next week.
On Tuesday, Mr Bongo's son - Defence Minister Ali-Ben Bongo - appealed for calm following his father's death.
Observers say the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) has been deciding who should succeed him, with his 50-year-old son a leading contender.
The BBC's Linel Kwatsi, in Libreville, says the security forces are keeping a low profile on the capital's streets, which are quieter than usual.
Gabon Telecom says the internet, cut since Sunday, has been hit by an optical fibre technical fault.
But many believe the government has ordered the company to take Gabon off-line so as to control access to information in the aftermath of the president's death.
The city's mayor has banned large gatherings and ordered nightclubs and bars to close, while security forces are on patrol.
10 June 2009
The speaker of the senate in Gabon has been sworn in as the country's interim head of state, following the recent death of President Omar Bongo.
Under the constitution, Rose Francine Rogombe, an ally of Mr Bongo, must organise elections within 45 days.
On Thursday, Mr Bongo's body will be repatriated from Spain where he had been undergoing medical treatment.
Access to the internet in the oil-rich nation remains cut off, but the state's borders have been reopened.
Minute's silence
Ms Rogombe was sworn in at the International Conference Centre in the capital, Libreville, on Wednesday morning, a day after her appointment was confirmed by the constitutional court.
OMAR BONGO
Led Gabon for 42 years
Kept close economic and political ties with France
Oil money means Gabon officially one of richest countries in Africa
His son is defence minister
His daughter was his chief of staff
He denied corruption charges in French courts
Introduced multi-party elections in 1993 - opposition complained they were not fair
Having a laugh with Omar Bongo
Gabon teacher not mourning Bongo
"I swear to devote all my strength to the good of the Gabonese people, with the aim of promoting its well-being and protecting it from all harm, to respect and defend the constitution and a state of law, and conscientiously to carry out my duties and to be fair to all," Ms Rogombe said.
Before she took the oath, a minute's silence was held in the memory of Mr Bongo, AFP news agency reports.
The death of the 73-year-old president, who was Africa's longest-serving leader, was announced on Monday.
The government said Mr Bongo, who had led Gabon since 1967, had died of a heart attack, hours after saying he was alive and well.
It emerged in May the president was being treated in a Barcelona clinic, amid unconfirmed reports he had cancer.
On Thursday the late president's body will arrive back in the country where it will lie in state at the presidential palace in the capital.
He will be buried at Franceville in the Bateke region of his birth in south-east Gabon on Thursday of next week.
On Tuesday, Mr Bongo's son - Defence Minister Ali-Ben Bongo - appealed for calm following his father's death.
Observers say the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) has been deciding who should succeed him, with his 50-year-old son a leading contender.
The BBC's Linel Kwatsi, in Libreville, says the security forces are keeping a low profile on the capital's streets, which are quieter than usual.
Gabon Telecom says the internet, cut since Sunday, has been hit by an optical fibre technical fault.
But many believe the government has ordered the company to take Gabon off-line so as to control access to information in the aftermath of the president's death.
The city's mayor has banned large gatherings and ordered nightclubs and bars to close, while security forces are on patrol.
Ugandan police inspector general visits S. Sudan capital.
Sudan Tribune
10 June 2009
Reportedly Aiming to head off crime and insecurity in the border region, the Ugandan Inspector General of Police today visited the President of the Government of Southern Sudan in Juba.
At his office in the southern capital, President Salva Kiir Mayardit welcomed a delegation from Uganda comprised of senior police officers, according to an official source.
Major General Kale Kayihura, leading the Ugandan delegation, discussed areas of cooperation in fighting crimes and ensuring safety and security between southern Sudan and Uganda.
According Kayihura’s press statement made shortly after the meeting, the visit was designed to follow up on implementation of the security agreement between Uganda and Southern Sudan to keep movement of traders between Juba and Kampala safe, and to eradicate criminal activities of abducting and looting people’s properties on the roads.
Reportedly, the consulate of Uganda in Southern Sudan and the GOSS Mission in Uganda will work to develop mechanisms for jointly combating crime.
The other GOSS officials attending the meeting were the newly elevated Minister of Interior, Gier Chuang Aluong, Inspector General of Police Lt. Gen. Makuei Deng, and Lt. Colonel Majier Abdalla.
Also in attendance was the Ugandan Consul-General to Juba and other Ugandan officials.
10 June 2009
Reportedly Aiming to head off crime and insecurity in the border region, the Ugandan Inspector General of Police today visited the President of the Government of Southern Sudan in Juba.
At his office in the southern capital, President Salva Kiir Mayardit welcomed a delegation from Uganda comprised of senior police officers, according to an official source.
Major General Kale Kayihura, leading the Ugandan delegation, discussed areas of cooperation in fighting crimes and ensuring safety and security between southern Sudan and Uganda.
According Kayihura’s press statement made shortly after the meeting, the visit was designed to follow up on implementation of the security agreement between Uganda and Southern Sudan to keep movement of traders between Juba and Kampala safe, and to eradicate criminal activities of abducting and looting people’s properties on the roads.
Reportedly, the consulate of Uganda in Southern Sudan and the GOSS Mission in Uganda will work to develop mechanisms for jointly combating crime.
The other GOSS officials attending the meeting were the newly elevated Minister of Interior, Gier Chuang Aluong, Inspector General of Police Lt. Gen. Makuei Deng, and Lt. Colonel Majier Abdalla.
Also in attendance was the Ugandan Consul-General to Juba and other Ugandan officials.
Range Resources 'wants to return to Puntland.'
Garowe Online
7 June 2009
A delegation from Australian mining firm Range Resources, Ltd., has visited the Somali self-governing region of Puntland for the first time since the January election of President Abdirahman Mohamed "Farole," inside sources tell Somali news agency Garowe Online.
The Range Resources delegation was led by Mr. Peter Landau, the company's executive director. The delegation met with Puntland Cabinet ministers on Thursday in Garowe, the capital of Puntland State.
The meeting was organized by Puntland's Minerals and Petroleum Director, Mr. Isse Mohamud "Dholowa," and attended by Finance Minister Farah Ali Jama, Interior Minister Gen. Abdullahi Ahmed "Ilkajir" and Public Works Minister Dahir Khalif Farah.
Sources close to the meeting told Garowe Online that Mr. Landau presented a case that Range Resources has been "reformed" and reportedly "admitted" to past mistakes.
Mr. Landau offered to work closely with the new government in Puntland in matters of exploring for oil and minerals in the vast territory in northeastern Somalia.
Further, Mr. Landau reportedly informed the Puntland government officials that Canada-based Africa Oil Corp. has "violated" some clauses of its controversial exploration contract in Puntland.
It is not clear why Mr. Landau accused Africa Oil, but the Canadian explorer with links to Sweden's Lundin Petroleum has an 80% stake in a joint-venture agreement with Range Resources to search and drill for oil in Puntland's Dharoor and Nugaal valleys.
While in Garowe, the Range Resources delegation did not meet with President Farole, who became opposition leader in 2005 after rejecting ex-Puntland President Adde Muse's controversial oil contract with Range Resources.
President Farole has publicly stated that all contracts signed by the former Muse administration are "under review" to ensure legality and to protect the interests of Puntland State.
To date, no oil drilling has taken place in Puntland as Range Resources took its contract with ex-President Muse abroad and "sold" exploration rights to other companies, such as Africa Oil.
7 June 2009
A delegation from Australian mining firm Range Resources, Ltd., has visited the Somali self-governing region of Puntland for the first time since the January election of President Abdirahman Mohamed "Farole," inside sources tell Somali news agency Garowe Online.
The Range Resources delegation was led by Mr. Peter Landau, the company's executive director. The delegation met with Puntland Cabinet ministers on Thursday in Garowe, the capital of Puntland State.
The meeting was organized by Puntland's Minerals and Petroleum Director, Mr. Isse Mohamud "Dholowa," and attended by Finance Minister Farah Ali Jama, Interior Minister Gen. Abdullahi Ahmed "Ilkajir" and Public Works Minister Dahir Khalif Farah.
Sources close to the meeting told Garowe Online that Mr. Landau presented a case that Range Resources has been "reformed" and reportedly "admitted" to past mistakes.
Mr. Landau offered to work closely with the new government in Puntland in matters of exploring for oil and minerals in the vast territory in northeastern Somalia.
Further, Mr. Landau reportedly informed the Puntland government officials that Canada-based Africa Oil Corp. has "violated" some clauses of its controversial exploration contract in Puntland.
It is not clear why Mr. Landau accused Africa Oil, but the Canadian explorer with links to Sweden's Lundin Petroleum has an 80% stake in a joint-venture agreement with Range Resources to search and drill for oil in Puntland's Dharoor and Nugaal valleys.
While in Garowe, the Range Resources delegation did not meet with President Farole, who became opposition leader in 2005 after rejecting ex-Puntland President Adde Muse's controversial oil contract with Range Resources.
President Farole has publicly stated that all contracts signed by the former Muse administration are "under review" to ensure legality and to protect the interests of Puntland State.
To date, no oil drilling has taken place in Puntland as Range Resources took its contract with ex-President Muse abroad and "sold" exploration rights to other companies, such as Africa Oil.
Businessman 'imports weapons' into Somaliland.
Garowe Online
9 June 2009
A cache of weapons docked at a small harbor in Zeila, a coastal town in Somalia's breakaway republic of Somaliland, Radio Garowe reports Tuesday.
Somaliland newspapers printed headlines that the weapons were secretly unloaded at Zeila harbor and transported by road south to Borama, the home town of Somaliland President Dahir Riyale near the Ethiopian border.
Somaliland authorities have not spoken publicly about media reports that weapons were secretly imported, but confidential sources in Hargeisa said the weapons were bought in Yemen by a Borama businessman.
The arrival of the weapons shipment comes a week after two warring clans in Somaliland who traditionally inhabit the towns of Borama and Gabiley disagreed over mediation efforts, with the clan in Borama reportedly rejecting a peace proposal.
9 June 2009
A cache of weapons docked at a small harbor in Zeila, a coastal town in Somalia's breakaway republic of Somaliland, Radio Garowe reports Tuesday.
Somaliland newspapers printed headlines that the weapons were secretly unloaded at Zeila harbor and transported by road south to Borama, the home town of Somaliland President Dahir Riyale near the Ethiopian border.
Somaliland authorities have not spoken publicly about media reports that weapons were secretly imported, but confidential sources in Hargeisa said the weapons were bought in Yemen by a Borama businessman.
The arrival of the weapons shipment comes a week after two warring clans in Somaliland who traditionally inhabit the towns of Borama and Gabiley disagreed over mediation efforts, with the clan in Borama reportedly rejecting a peace proposal.
09 June, 2009
Gabon appoints interim president.
BBC News
9 June 2009
The head of Gabon's Senate, Francine Rogombe, is to be sworn in as interim head of state on Wednesday, the Constitutional Court has announced.
She will fill the vacuum left by the death of Omar Bongo, Africa's longest-serving leader, until polls are held.
Earlier, Mr Bongo's son - Defence Minister Ali-Ben Bongo - appealed for calm following his father's death.
Access to the internet in the oil-rich nation has been cut since Sunday, and TV has been playing religious music.
The decision from the Constitutional Court came after an emergency government meeting.
"We want the friends of Gabon to know that the country is functioning smoothly despite the president's absence," government spokesman Renee Ndemezo'o Obiang said.
In a written statement on Monday, Prime Minister Jean Eyeghe Ndong announced the 73-year-old veteran leader had died of a heart attack, hours after saying Mr Bongo was alive and well.
Tight security
It emerged in May that the president, who had led Gabon since 1967, was being treated in a Spanish clinic, amid unconfirmed reports he had cancer.
OMAR BONGO
Led Gabon for 42 years
Kept close economic and political ties with France
Oil money means Gabon officially one of richest countries in Africa
His son is defence minister
His daughter was his chief of staff
He denied corruption charges in French courts
Introduced multi-party elections in 1993 - opposition complained they were not fair
Having a laugh with Omar Bongo
Gabon teacher not mourning Bongo
The late president's body is due to arrive back in the country on Thursday - no date has been set for the funeral.
Under the constitution, Ms Rogombe, an ally of Mr Bongo, must organise elections within 45 days.
Observers say the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) has been deciding who should succeed him, with his 50-year-old son a leading contender.
The BBC's Linel Kwatsi, in the capital Libreville, says security is tight and there is genuine mourning over Mr Bongo's death as, for many Gabonese, he was the only leader they ever knew.
Many civilians have been buying staple commodities, especially food, in case a curfew is declared, adds our correspondent.
The city's mayor has banned large gatherings and ordered nightclubs and bars to close, while security forces are on patrol.
Embezzlement probe
Gabon under Mr Bongo has maintained close economic and political ties to France, the former colonial power. France has around 1,000 troops stationed in Libreville.
Oil earnings mean that Gabon is officially one of Africa's richest states but analysts say the political elite has kept most of the money for themselves. Most of the country's 1.4 million people live in poverty.
Mr Bongo was one of three African leaders being investigated for alleged embezzlement by a French judge. The others are Denis Sassou-Nguesso of the Republic of Congo and Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea.
It is alleged that the properties owned by Mr Bongo's family in France could not have been purchased with official salaries alone. Mr Bongo denied any wrongdoing.
9 June 2009
The head of Gabon's Senate, Francine Rogombe, is to be sworn in as interim head of state on Wednesday, the Constitutional Court has announced.
She will fill the vacuum left by the death of Omar Bongo, Africa's longest-serving leader, until polls are held.
Earlier, Mr Bongo's son - Defence Minister Ali-Ben Bongo - appealed for calm following his father's death.
Access to the internet in the oil-rich nation has been cut since Sunday, and TV has been playing religious music.
The decision from the Constitutional Court came after an emergency government meeting.
"We want the friends of Gabon to know that the country is functioning smoothly despite the president's absence," government spokesman Renee Ndemezo'o Obiang said.
In a written statement on Monday, Prime Minister Jean Eyeghe Ndong announced the 73-year-old veteran leader had died of a heart attack, hours after saying Mr Bongo was alive and well.
Tight security
It emerged in May that the president, who had led Gabon since 1967, was being treated in a Spanish clinic, amid unconfirmed reports he had cancer.
OMAR BONGO
Led Gabon for 42 years
Kept close economic and political ties with France
Oil money means Gabon officially one of richest countries in Africa
His son is defence minister
His daughter was his chief of staff
He denied corruption charges in French courts
Introduced multi-party elections in 1993 - opposition complained they were not fair
Having a laugh with Omar Bongo
Gabon teacher not mourning Bongo
The late president's body is due to arrive back in the country on Thursday - no date has been set for the funeral.
Under the constitution, Ms Rogombe, an ally of Mr Bongo, must organise elections within 45 days.
Observers say the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) has been deciding who should succeed him, with his 50-year-old son a leading contender.
The BBC's Linel Kwatsi, in the capital Libreville, says security is tight and there is genuine mourning over Mr Bongo's death as, for many Gabonese, he was the only leader they ever knew.
Many civilians have been buying staple commodities, especially food, in case a curfew is declared, adds our correspondent.
The city's mayor has banned large gatherings and ordered nightclubs and bars to close, while security forces are on patrol.
Embezzlement probe
Gabon under Mr Bongo has maintained close economic and political ties to France, the former colonial power. France has around 1,000 troops stationed in Libreville.
Oil earnings mean that Gabon is officially one of Africa's richest states but analysts say the political elite has kept most of the money for themselves. Most of the country's 1.4 million people live in poverty.
Mr Bongo was one of three African leaders being investigated for alleged embezzlement by a French judge. The others are Denis Sassou-Nguesso of the Republic of Congo and Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea.
It is alleged that the properties owned by Mr Bongo's family in France could not have been purchased with official salaries alone. Mr Bongo denied any wrongdoing.
Heritage Oil plans $3-billion merger with Turkey's Genel.
Jun 9 2009
By Lauren Krugel
THE CANADIAN PRESS
A Heritage Oil Ltd. (TSX: HOC) executive says a $3-billion combination with Turkey's Genel Enerji A.S. would give the new company a top position in Northern Iraq's burgeoning oilfields.
"It will be the leading oil and gas company in Kurdistan. It will have a unique position and that unique position comes from its first mover advantage," said Paul Atherton, chief financial officer of the U.K-headquartered firm, which has offices in Canada and trades on both London and Toronto stock exchanges.
Heritage and Genel announced Tuesday that they had reached a tentative reverse-takeover deal, which would create a regional exploration giant with core operations in Kurdistan and Uganda.
Genel was awarded a license to develop Kurdistan's Taq Taq field in 2002 "way before anyone else," Atherton told an analyst conference call.
"In terms of Kurdistan we were one of the first in. The first in was Ganel," he said.
Heritage has operated in the autonomous and relatively peaceful Iraqi region since 2004.
Under the terms of the agreement, Heritage would double its current share capital by issuing 260 million new shares, receiving all of Genel's shares in return.
Based on Monday's closing price of Heritage shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange, which ended the day at $11.62, the deal is valued at about $3.02 billion.
In early TSX trading Tuesday, Heritage shares rose 63 cents to $12.25, a gain of 5.4 per cent.
Genel is a private, independent oil explorer and producer in Turkey, with interests in producing oilfields in Iraq and other properties.
Heritage has a producing property in Russia and other exploration projects in Kurdistan, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malta, Pakistan, Tanzania and Mali.
Last week, Heritage requested a suspension of its shares on the London Stock Exchange after confirming it was in reverse-takeover talks with an unnamed third party. The suspension will be lifted on Tuesday.
Heritage said the expanded company will have proved and probable reserves of about 300 million barrels and potential for millions more.
The takeover, which is subject to shareholder and regulatory approval, is slated to close during the third quarter of 2009.
"The potential combination of our two companies brings together a long held ambition to develop the assets in our core areas," Heritage CEO Tony Buckingham, who will serve as executive chairman of the new company, said in a statement.
Genel CEO Mehmet Sepil will be CEO of the combined entity.
"The combination of Heritage with its worldwide experience and Genel's Turkish nationality together with its significant long experience and track record in the Kurdistan Region would help to develop our assets in an efficient and timely manner and would deliver excellent value to all stakeholders including the people of Iraq," he stated.
The new company will be called HeritaGE, incorporating Genel's name by capitalizing the final two letters.
In May, Heritage said it had made a major oil discovery in Kurdistan, with an oil-in-place estimate of between 2.3 billion to 4.2 billion barrels and a recovery factor expected between 50 and 70 per cent.
Addax Petroleum Corp., (TSX: AXC) another Canadian-listed company with headquarters overseas, has been active in Iraq, with licenses in the Taq Taq and Sangaw North fields in Kurdistan.
The Geneva-based firm acknowledged Monday that it is in ``preliminary discussions" with another company about a "potential transaction."
There has been speculation in Chinese media reports that one of that country's state-owned oil firms could be interested in buying Addax.
By Lauren Krugel
THE CANADIAN PRESS
A Heritage Oil Ltd. (TSX: HOC) executive says a $3-billion combination with Turkey's Genel Enerji A.S. would give the new company a top position in Northern Iraq's burgeoning oilfields.
"It will be the leading oil and gas company in Kurdistan. It will have a unique position and that unique position comes from its first mover advantage," said Paul Atherton, chief financial officer of the U.K-headquartered firm, which has offices in Canada and trades on both London and Toronto stock exchanges.
Heritage and Genel announced Tuesday that they had reached a tentative reverse-takeover deal, which would create a regional exploration giant with core operations in Kurdistan and Uganda.
Genel was awarded a license to develop Kurdistan's Taq Taq field in 2002 "way before anyone else," Atherton told an analyst conference call.
"In terms of Kurdistan we were one of the first in. The first in was Ganel," he said.
Heritage has operated in the autonomous and relatively peaceful Iraqi region since 2004.
Under the terms of the agreement, Heritage would double its current share capital by issuing 260 million new shares, receiving all of Genel's shares in return.
Based on Monday's closing price of Heritage shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange, which ended the day at $11.62, the deal is valued at about $3.02 billion.
In early TSX trading Tuesday, Heritage shares rose 63 cents to $12.25, a gain of 5.4 per cent.
Genel is a private, independent oil explorer and producer in Turkey, with interests in producing oilfields in Iraq and other properties.
Heritage has a producing property in Russia and other exploration projects in Kurdistan, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malta, Pakistan, Tanzania and Mali.
Last week, Heritage requested a suspension of its shares on the London Stock Exchange after confirming it was in reverse-takeover talks with an unnamed third party. The suspension will be lifted on Tuesday.
Heritage said the expanded company will have proved and probable reserves of about 300 million barrels and potential for millions more.
The takeover, which is subject to shareholder and regulatory approval, is slated to close during the third quarter of 2009.
"The potential combination of our two companies brings together a long held ambition to develop the assets in our core areas," Heritage CEO Tony Buckingham, who will serve as executive chairman of the new company, said in a statement.
Genel CEO Mehmet Sepil will be CEO of the combined entity.
"The combination of Heritage with its worldwide experience and Genel's Turkish nationality together with its significant long experience and track record in the Kurdistan Region would help to develop our assets in an efficient and timely manner and would deliver excellent value to all stakeholders including the people of Iraq," he stated.
The new company will be called HeritaGE, incorporating Genel's name by capitalizing the final two letters.
In May, Heritage said it had made a major oil discovery in Kurdistan, with an oil-in-place estimate of between 2.3 billion to 4.2 billion barrels and a recovery factor expected between 50 and 70 per cent.
Addax Petroleum Corp., (TSX: AXC) another Canadian-listed company with headquarters overseas, has been active in Iraq, with licenses in the Taq Taq and Sangaw North fields in Kurdistan.
The Geneva-based firm acknowledged Monday that it is in ``preliminary discussions" with another company about a "potential transaction."
There has been speculation in Chinese media reports that one of that country's state-owned oil firms could be interested in buying Addax.
Iran to Sell 450,000 Bpd of Oil to China.
Asia Pulse Pte Ltd
6/9/2009
URL: http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=76995
Iran's Deputy Oil Minister Seyfollah Jashnsaz said Friday that Iran will sell 450,000barrels per day of oil to China.
Jashnsaz said in a meeting with Iran's Ambassador to China and officials of Iranian offices in the country that Iran is now a major supplier of energy to China and cooperation between the two sides in the oil and gas sectors is on the rise.
Referring to a gas deal worth around US $5 billion that was signed with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) on Wednesday to develop the upstream part of the giant South Pars gas field in the Persian Gulf, Jashnsaz said conclusion of the accord proves the inefficacy of the West's defeated policies of imposing sanctions on Irans oil and gas industries.
He said under the deal, the Chinese party has announced readiness to implement the project by next three months.
He added that the contract signing means replacement of French Total with Chinese CNPC.
Jashnsaz said the aim of implementation of the project was to produce 50 million cubic meters (1.76 billion cubic feet) a day of natural gas and other products.
Total had a stake of 50 percent plus one share in phase 11 of South Pars, which has total reserves of about 500 trillion cubic feet (14 trillion cubic meters) of gas -- or about eight per cent of world reserves.
6/9/2009
URL: http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=76995
Iran's Deputy Oil Minister Seyfollah Jashnsaz said Friday that Iran will sell 450,000barrels per day of oil to China.
Jashnsaz said in a meeting with Iran's Ambassador to China and officials of Iranian offices in the country that Iran is now a major supplier of energy to China and cooperation between the two sides in the oil and gas sectors is on the rise.
Referring to a gas deal worth around US $5 billion that was signed with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) on Wednesday to develop the upstream part of the giant South Pars gas field in the Persian Gulf, Jashnsaz said conclusion of the accord proves the inefficacy of the West's defeated policies of imposing sanctions on Irans oil and gas industries.
He said under the deal, the Chinese party has announced readiness to implement the project by next three months.
He added that the contract signing means replacement of French Total with Chinese CNPC.
Jashnsaz said the aim of implementation of the project was to produce 50 million cubic meters (1.76 billion cubic feet) a day of natural gas and other products.
Total had a stake of 50 percent plus one share in phase 11 of South Pars, which has total reserves of about 500 trillion cubic feet (14 trillion cubic meters) of gas -- or about eight per cent of world reserves.
Bribery - U.S. Congressman Jefferson's Trial Begins.
This Day
9 June 2009
By Constance Ikokwu With Agency Report
Former United States congressman, William J. Jefferson, will defend himself today as the Alexandria Federal Court hears his case which involves fraud and graft allegations including a $100,000 bribe he claimed was meant for former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
Jefferson, who lost his legislative seat last year due to his tainted image, received the $100,000 marked notes from one Lori Mody, a Virginia businesswoman and government informant.
He promised the money would be used to bribe Atiku in order to lock up a business deal.
He was busted when $90,000 of the money was found by federal investigators in a wrapped aluminium foil in his freezer during a raid on his Capitol Hill apartment.
Jurors are expected to determine whether he was the ring leader in a scheme to bribe the former vice-president. Jefferson says he has an "honest explanation" for the money found in his apartment.
But his business associates - Vernon L. Jackson, owner of Kentucky Technology Firm iGate, and Brett Pfeffer - a former congressional aide, pleaded guilty in 2006 to bribery.
Both men are serving time in prison.
The former congressman is facing 16 criminal counts in a case that has uncovered his business deals across seven West African countries.
He faces charges of racketeering, obstruction of justice and money laundering.
He is accused of using his privileged office to make illicit gains from companies seeking business in Africa.
As co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Nigeria and African trade, the disgraced former congressman allegedly received kickbacks for facilitating businesses while failing to make an honest disclosure of his deals.
In the 94-page indictment sheet, federal authorities say Jefferson's bribery schemes included telecommunications deals in Nigeria and Ghana, oil concessions in Equatorial Guinea and waste-recycling systems in Nigeria.
The indictment revealed that he promoted international businesses using his official congressional letter head paper while at the same time hiding his personal interests in those deals.
Investigations trace his business meetings to Potomac, Maryland, McLean, New York, London and cities across Africa.
His lawyers claim he acted outside his congressional capacity as a businessman.
But the jury will decide if he was making personal benefits for himself and his family through his office as congressman.
The investigations into Jefferson's dealings came to a head in 2005 when federal agents searched his home, gathering documents, e-mails, faxes, and conversations with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informant, Mody, who wore a recording device.
The case caused a row between the Justice Department and Congressional leaders who charged that documents in Jefferson's office were legislative materials and should not have been searched.
Jefferson sued the Justice Department. An appeals court ruled that it could review the documents to determine those connected with legislative work.
9 June 2009
By Constance Ikokwu With Agency Report
Former United States congressman, William J. Jefferson, will defend himself today as the Alexandria Federal Court hears his case which involves fraud and graft allegations including a $100,000 bribe he claimed was meant for former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
Jefferson, who lost his legislative seat last year due to his tainted image, received the $100,000 marked notes from one Lori Mody, a Virginia businesswoman and government informant.
He promised the money would be used to bribe Atiku in order to lock up a business deal.
He was busted when $90,000 of the money was found by federal investigators in a wrapped aluminium foil in his freezer during a raid on his Capitol Hill apartment.
Jurors are expected to determine whether he was the ring leader in a scheme to bribe the former vice-president. Jefferson says he has an "honest explanation" for the money found in his apartment.
But his business associates - Vernon L. Jackson, owner of Kentucky Technology Firm iGate, and Brett Pfeffer - a former congressional aide, pleaded guilty in 2006 to bribery.
Both men are serving time in prison.
The former congressman is facing 16 criminal counts in a case that has uncovered his business deals across seven West African countries.
He faces charges of racketeering, obstruction of justice and money laundering.
He is accused of using his privileged office to make illicit gains from companies seeking business in Africa.
As co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Nigeria and African trade, the disgraced former congressman allegedly received kickbacks for facilitating businesses while failing to make an honest disclosure of his deals.
In the 94-page indictment sheet, federal authorities say Jefferson's bribery schemes included telecommunications deals in Nigeria and Ghana, oil concessions in Equatorial Guinea and waste-recycling systems in Nigeria.
The indictment revealed that he promoted international businesses using his official congressional letter head paper while at the same time hiding his personal interests in those deals.
Investigations trace his business meetings to Potomac, Maryland, McLean, New York, London and cities across Africa.
His lawyers claim he acted outside his congressional capacity as a businessman.
But the jury will decide if he was making personal benefits for himself and his family through his office as congressman.
The investigations into Jefferson's dealings came to a head in 2005 when federal agents searched his home, gathering documents, e-mails, faxes, and conversations with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informant, Mody, who wore a recording device.
The case caused a row between the Justice Department and Congressional leaders who charged that documents in Jefferson's office were legislative materials and should not have been searched.
Jefferson sued the Justice Department. An appeals court ruled that it could review the documents to determine those connected with legislative work.
Shell settles in Nigeria executions case.
The Guardian
9 June 2009
The oil giant Shell has agreed to pay $15,5-million in settlement of a legal action in which it was accused of having collaborated in the execution of the writer Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other leaders of the Ogoni tribe of southern Nigeria.
The settlement is one of the largest payouts agreed by a multinational corporation charged with human rights violations. Shell and its Nigerian subsidiary SPDC have not conceded to or admitted any of the allegations, pleading innocent to all the civil charges.
But the scale of the payment is being seen by experts in human rights law as a step towards international businesses being made accountable for their environmental and social actions.
In the past, it has been notoriously difficult to bring and sustain legal actions involving powerful corporations.
The settlement follows three weeks of intensive negotiation between the plaintiffs, who largely consisted of relatives of the executed Ogoni nine, and Shell. "We spent a lot of time trying to put together something that would be acceptable to both sides, and our people are very pleased with the result," said Anthony DiCaprio, the lead lawyer for the Ogoni side working with the New York-based Centre for Constitutional Rights.
The deal marks the end of a 14-year personal journey for Ken Saro-Wiwa Jr, son of the executed leader. Among the other plaintiffs was Karalolo Kogbara who lost an arm after she was shot by Nigerian troops when she protested against the bulldozing of her village in 1993 to make way for a Shell oil pipeline.
Though the settlement cannot compensate for individual losses of loved ones or livelihoods, the plaintiffs will now be able to pay all legal fees and costs. A sum of $5-million will be used to set up a trust called Kiisi -- meaning "progress" in the Ogoni Gokana language -- to support educational, community and other initiatives in the Niger delta.
Shell has consistently denied any involvement in the decision of the Nigerian regime to execute the Ogoni nine. It argues it tried to plead with the government to grant clemency to the prisoners but to its great sadness the appeal went unheard.
Supporters of the legal action said the fact that Shell had walked away from the trial suggested the company had been anxious about the evidence that would have been presented to the jury had it gone ahead.
Stephen Kretzmann, director of Oil Change International, said Shell "knew the case was overwhelming against them, so they bought their way out of a trial".
Among the documents that were lodged with the New York court was a 1994 letter from Shell in which it agreed to pay a unit of the Nigerian army for services rendered. The unit had retrieved one of the company's fire trucks from the village of Korokoro -- an action that according to reports at the time left one Ogoni man dead and two wounded. Shell wrote that it was making the payment "as a show of gratitude and motivation for a sustained favourable disposition in future assignments".
Shell's involvement in the oil-rich Niger delta extends back to 1958. It remains the largest oil business in Nigeria, owning some 90 oil fields across the country.
The Ogoni people began non-violent agitation against Shell from the early 1990s, under the leadership of Ken Saro-Wiwa and his organisation Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People. Mosop has long complained that the oil giant was responsible for devastating the ecosystem of the delta upon which Ogoni farmers and fishermen depend, through a combination of oil spills, forest clearance for pipelines and the burning of gas from oil-wells known as gas flares.
Human rights experts believe the settlement will have a substantial impact on other multinational corporations. DiCaprio predicted it would "encourage companies to seriously consider the social and environmental impact their operations may have on a community or face the possibility of a suit".
9 June 2009
The oil giant Shell has agreed to pay $15,5-million in settlement of a legal action in which it was accused of having collaborated in the execution of the writer Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other leaders of the Ogoni tribe of southern Nigeria.
The settlement is one of the largest payouts agreed by a multinational corporation charged with human rights violations. Shell and its Nigerian subsidiary SPDC have not conceded to or admitted any of the allegations, pleading innocent to all the civil charges.
But the scale of the payment is being seen by experts in human rights law as a step towards international businesses being made accountable for their environmental and social actions.
In the past, it has been notoriously difficult to bring and sustain legal actions involving powerful corporations.
The settlement follows three weeks of intensive negotiation between the plaintiffs, who largely consisted of relatives of the executed Ogoni nine, and Shell. "We spent a lot of time trying to put together something that would be acceptable to both sides, and our people are very pleased with the result," said Anthony DiCaprio, the lead lawyer for the Ogoni side working with the New York-based Centre for Constitutional Rights.
The deal marks the end of a 14-year personal journey for Ken Saro-Wiwa Jr, son of the executed leader. Among the other plaintiffs was Karalolo Kogbara who lost an arm after she was shot by Nigerian troops when she protested against the bulldozing of her village in 1993 to make way for a Shell oil pipeline.
Though the settlement cannot compensate for individual losses of loved ones or livelihoods, the plaintiffs will now be able to pay all legal fees and costs. A sum of $5-million will be used to set up a trust called Kiisi -- meaning "progress" in the Ogoni Gokana language -- to support educational, community and other initiatives in the Niger delta.
Shell has consistently denied any involvement in the decision of the Nigerian regime to execute the Ogoni nine. It argues it tried to plead with the government to grant clemency to the prisoners but to its great sadness the appeal went unheard.
Supporters of the legal action said the fact that Shell had walked away from the trial suggested the company had been anxious about the evidence that would have been presented to the jury had it gone ahead.
Stephen Kretzmann, director of Oil Change International, said Shell "knew the case was overwhelming against them, so they bought their way out of a trial".
Among the documents that were lodged with the New York court was a 1994 letter from Shell in which it agreed to pay a unit of the Nigerian army for services rendered. The unit had retrieved one of the company's fire trucks from the village of Korokoro -- an action that according to reports at the time left one Ogoni man dead and two wounded. Shell wrote that it was making the payment "as a show of gratitude and motivation for a sustained favourable disposition in future assignments".
Shell's involvement in the oil-rich Niger delta extends back to 1958. It remains the largest oil business in Nigeria, owning some 90 oil fields across the country.
The Ogoni people began non-violent agitation against Shell from the early 1990s, under the leadership of Ken Saro-Wiwa and his organisation Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People. Mosop has long complained that the oil giant was responsible for devastating the ecosystem of the delta upon which Ogoni farmers and fishermen depend, through a combination of oil spills, forest clearance for pipelines and the burning of gas from oil-wells known as gas flares.
Human rights experts believe the settlement will have a substantial impact on other multinational corporations. DiCaprio predicted it would "encourage companies to seriously consider the social and environmental impact their operations may have on a community or face the possibility of a suit".
Gabon's Senate leader set to assume interim power.
Reuters
9 June 2009
Gabon's government will ask the country's top court to confirm Senate President Rose Francine Rogombe as interim leader after the death of veteran ruler Omar Bongo, a senior government source said on Tuesday.
The cabinet met to discuss how to fill the power vacuum in the central African oil producing nation following the death on Monday of Bongo, Africa's longest-serving leader, in a Spanish clinic after more than four decades in office.
"The ministers voted unanimously to turn to the constitutional court, which should confirm the absence of a head of state and hand duties to the Senate president," the government source told reporters after the meeting, asking not to be named.
Bongo had dominated the political scene in Gabon since taking power in 1967, raising concern about how the transition will be handled.
Soldiers protected key administrative buildings in the capital Libreville, including the prime minister's office and state television headquarters, but their presence was discreet and the city was calm, with many residents staying at home.
"It's a period of mourning people are observing. Maybe there will be more tension when they organise new elections, but right now there's no need to panic," said one Libreville resident who gave his name as Tatus.
The government has said it will respect the terms of the constitution, under which Rogombe, a Bongo ally in the ruling PDG party, is supposed to organise elections within 45 days of the constitutional court confirming that the position of head of state is vacant.
But analysts say factions within PDG will be jostling to work out who succeeds Bongo, with his son, Defence Minister Ali Ben Bongo, seen as a leading candidate.
Ben Bongo, whose control of the security forces is seen as strengthening his chances of pushing through his succession, called for calm late on Monday in a message broadcast on national television on behalf of the ruling family.
Although there have been some concerns about stability, analysts say that the ruling party is likely to tightly manage the transition at least initially and that Bongo's successes in easing ethnic tensions will reduce the risk of turmoil.
So dominant was Bongo's personality over four decades that the opposition has had little opportunity to build much popular support. But the potential for trouble lies more in the risk of fractures within the ruling elite, analysts say.
Ben Bongo could face opposition from his brother-in-law, Foreign Minister Paul Toungui, while African Union Chairman Jean Ping, a long-time Bongo ally, and Vice-President Didjob Divungi Di Ndinge have also been cited as possible successors.
South African President Jacob Zuma claimed Bongo had "contributed enormously to the African continent through his involvement in peaceful resolution of conflict" while Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade said he had "worked all of his life in the service of his country and of Africa".
9 June 2009
Gabon's government will ask the country's top court to confirm Senate President Rose Francine Rogombe as interim leader after the death of veteran ruler Omar Bongo, a senior government source said on Tuesday.
The cabinet met to discuss how to fill the power vacuum in the central African oil producing nation following the death on Monday of Bongo, Africa's longest-serving leader, in a Spanish clinic after more than four decades in office.
"The ministers voted unanimously to turn to the constitutional court, which should confirm the absence of a head of state and hand duties to the Senate president," the government source told reporters after the meeting, asking not to be named.
Bongo had dominated the political scene in Gabon since taking power in 1967, raising concern about how the transition will be handled.
Soldiers protected key administrative buildings in the capital Libreville, including the prime minister's office and state television headquarters, but their presence was discreet and the city was calm, with many residents staying at home.
"It's a period of mourning people are observing. Maybe there will be more tension when they organise new elections, but right now there's no need to panic," said one Libreville resident who gave his name as Tatus.
The government has said it will respect the terms of the constitution, under which Rogombe, a Bongo ally in the ruling PDG party, is supposed to organise elections within 45 days of the constitutional court confirming that the position of head of state is vacant.
But analysts say factions within PDG will be jostling to work out who succeeds Bongo, with his son, Defence Minister Ali Ben Bongo, seen as a leading candidate.
Ben Bongo, whose control of the security forces is seen as strengthening his chances of pushing through his succession, called for calm late on Monday in a message broadcast on national television on behalf of the ruling family.
Although there have been some concerns about stability, analysts say that the ruling party is likely to tightly manage the transition at least initially and that Bongo's successes in easing ethnic tensions will reduce the risk of turmoil.
So dominant was Bongo's personality over four decades that the opposition has had little opportunity to build much popular support. But the potential for trouble lies more in the risk of fractures within the ruling elite, analysts say.
Ben Bongo could face opposition from his brother-in-law, Foreign Minister Paul Toungui, while African Union Chairman Jean Ping, a long-time Bongo ally, and Vice-President Didjob Divungi Di Ndinge have also been cited as possible successors.
South African President Jacob Zuma claimed Bongo had "contributed enormously to the African continent through his involvement in peaceful resolution of conflict" while Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade said he had "worked all of his life in the service of his country and of Africa".
India to increase troops along China border.
Reuters
8 July 2009
Arunachal Pradesh governor says two army divisions comprising 25,000 to 30,000 soldiers each will be deployed along the state border
GUWAHATI: India will deploy thousands of additional troops and build airstrips along its remote northeastern border with China, in a sign of persisting wariness between the two countries despite growing business ties.
India and China fought a brief war over their 3,500-kilometre Himalayan border in 1962, and both sides claim the other is occupying big but largely uninhabited chunks of their territory.
Although India and China have signed a treaty to maintain “peace and tranquility” along the disputed frontier and agreed to find a political solution to the row, talks have made little progress.
Last year, the army said Chinese soldiers had crossed the border in Arunachal Pradesh state illegally and entered their territory, urging the government to deploy more troops.
Deployment: “Two army divisions comprising 25,000 to 30,000 soldiers each will be deployed along the border in Arunachal,” said JJ Singh, the governor of the remote state.
“It (deployment) was part of the planned augmentation of our capabilities to defend the country ... The increase in force strength is to meet the future national security challenge,” Singh said in Itanagar, capital of Arunachal Pradesh.
Other than troops, India will add more firepower in the disputed zone with light 155mm guns, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles to strengthen its defences, officials said. They will also build airstrips close to the border.
The state shares a more than 1,000 km long disputed border with China.
Last month, India's air force chief said the country faces a greater threat from China than Pakistan because New Delhi knows little about Beijing's combat capabilities.
8 July 2009
Arunachal Pradesh governor says two army divisions comprising 25,000 to 30,000 soldiers each will be deployed along the state border
GUWAHATI: India will deploy thousands of additional troops and build airstrips along its remote northeastern border with China, in a sign of persisting wariness between the two countries despite growing business ties.
India and China fought a brief war over their 3,500-kilometre Himalayan border in 1962, and both sides claim the other is occupying big but largely uninhabited chunks of their territory.
Although India and China have signed a treaty to maintain “peace and tranquility” along the disputed frontier and agreed to find a political solution to the row, talks have made little progress.
Last year, the army said Chinese soldiers had crossed the border in Arunachal Pradesh state illegally and entered their territory, urging the government to deploy more troops.
Deployment: “Two army divisions comprising 25,000 to 30,000 soldiers each will be deployed along the border in Arunachal,” said JJ Singh, the governor of the remote state.
“It (deployment) was part of the planned augmentation of our capabilities to defend the country ... The increase in force strength is to meet the future national security challenge,” Singh said in Itanagar, capital of Arunachal Pradesh.
Other than troops, India will add more firepower in the disputed zone with light 155mm guns, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles to strengthen its defences, officials said. They will also build airstrips close to the border.
The state shares a more than 1,000 km long disputed border with China.
Last month, India's air force chief said the country faces a greater threat from China than Pakistan because New Delhi knows little about Beijing's combat capabilities.
UPC fronts Olara Otunnu for president.
The New Vision
8 June 2009
By Milton Olupot and Mary Karugaba
Some MPs of the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) are fronting former UN diplomat Olara Otunnu as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2011 elections.
The MPs, led by vice-chairman Livingstone Okello-Okello, yesterday told journalists that they met with Otunnu in Nairobi last week where they asked him to be the party’s flag-bearer.
A statement, signed by MP Benson Obua Ogwal (Moroto county), said consultations were held, in which Otunnu was briefed about the status of UPC and the state of affairs in Uganda.
When asked about the request, Otunnu reportedly replied: “I have heard the voices of the people of Uganda and I am deeply touched. I am taking these voices seriously. I will get back to you very soon.”
Ogwal said if Otunnu agreed to return, he would be UPC’s single possible candidate. He, however, hastened to add that nobody was barred from contesting.
“We are in the process of sieving for the best, but we are not blocking anybody. Otunnu is an accomplished diplomat and the best Africa has ever had and if he came back and led this country, he would change Uganda.”
Okello-Okello stressed that the 20-person delegation from Uganda, which attended the Nairobi meeting, went as individuals and did not represent the party.
They denied that Otunnu possessed double citizenship of Uganda and Ivory Coast. Ogwal said Otunnu, who lives in the US, is “stateless” and does not hold any passport, but remains a Ugandan by descent.
Okello-Okello added that the issue of Otunnu’s passport was being handled and would soon be sorted out.
Otunnu was born in 1950 in Mucwini, Kitgum district. He became Guild President at Makerere University in the 1970s before he fled the country during Idi Amin’s reign of terror. He completed his law degree in Oxford University and later went to Harvard Law School.
As a student leader and later, as secretary general of Uganda Freedom Movement, he is said to have played an active role in the resistance against the Amin regime. The Obote II Government appointed him Permanent Representative to the UN.
In July 1985, after the fall of Obote II, he was appointed minister of foreign affairs by the short-lived military junta of Tito Okello, which was overthrown by President Yoweri Museveni six months later.
Between 1997 and 2005, he served as UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict. At several public occasions, he hit back at Museveni, accusing him of genocide in northern Uganda.
Otunnu’s relationship with the Government has not been smooth. The Government has branded him an LRA rebel collaborator while Otunnu has accused the Government of denying him a passport and not supporting his candidature to become the first UN Secretary General from Africa.
It is not clear how much support Otunnu would have in his own party.
MP Jimmy Akena, a son of the party president Miria Obote, has also declared his intention to vie for the presidency.
Asked about Akena’s declaration, Okello-Okello said it was worrying that the party leadership was becoming a family matter.
“But we cannot tell Akena to withdraw because that would be trampling on his right to contest for any elective position in the country.”
8 June 2009
By Milton Olupot and Mary Karugaba
Some MPs of the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) are fronting former UN diplomat Olara Otunnu as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2011 elections.
The MPs, led by vice-chairman Livingstone Okello-Okello, yesterday told journalists that they met with Otunnu in Nairobi last week where they asked him to be the party’s flag-bearer.
A statement, signed by MP Benson Obua Ogwal (Moroto county), said consultations were held, in which Otunnu was briefed about the status of UPC and the state of affairs in Uganda.
When asked about the request, Otunnu reportedly replied: “I have heard the voices of the people of Uganda and I am deeply touched. I am taking these voices seriously. I will get back to you very soon.”
Ogwal said if Otunnu agreed to return, he would be UPC’s single possible candidate. He, however, hastened to add that nobody was barred from contesting.
“We are in the process of sieving for the best, but we are not blocking anybody. Otunnu is an accomplished diplomat and the best Africa has ever had and if he came back and led this country, he would change Uganda.”
Okello-Okello stressed that the 20-person delegation from Uganda, which attended the Nairobi meeting, went as individuals and did not represent the party.
They denied that Otunnu possessed double citizenship of Uganda and Ivory Coast. Ogwal said Otunnu, who lives in the US, is “stateless” and does not hold any passport, but remains a Ugandan by descent.
Okello-Okello added that the issue of Otunnu’s passport was being handled and would soon be sorted out.
Otunnu was born in 1950 in Mucwini, Kitgum district. He became Guild President at Makerere University in the 1970s before he fled the country during Idi Amin’s reign of terror. He completed his law degree in Oxford University and later went to Harvard Law School.
As a student leader and later, as secretary general of Uganda Freedom Movement, he is said to have played an active role in the resistance against the Amin regime. The Obote II Government appointed him Permanent Representative to the UN.
In July 1985, after the fall of Obote II, he was appointed minister of foreign affairs by the short-lived military junta of Tito Okello, which was overthrown by President Yoweri Museveni six months later.
Between 1997 and 2005, he served as UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict. At several public occasions, he hit back at Museveni, accusing him of genocide in northern Uganda.
Otunnu’s relationship with the Government has not been smooth. The Government has branded him an LRA rebel collaborator while Otunnu has accused the Government of denying him a passport and not supporting his candidature to become the first UN Secretary General from Africa.
It is not clear how much support Otunnu would have in his own party.
MP Jimmy Akena, a son of the party president Miria Obote, has also declared his intention to vie for the presidency.
Asked about Akena’s declaration, Okello-Okello said it was worrying that the party leadership was becoming a family matter.
“But we cannot tell Akena to withdraw because that would be trampling on his right to contest for any elective position in the country.”
Sudan SPLM slam Lam Akol's creation of new party.
Sudan Tribune
8 June 2009
The Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) today lashed at former Foreign Minister Lam Akol over his dissention and formation of a new party.
This week the controversial Southern politician announced that he was founding SPLM- for Democratic Change (SPLM-DC) and directed strong criticism against SPLM Chairman Salva Kiir.
Akol said he wants to save the SPLM from the “abyss” and said that its leadership is “bankrupt” and “undemocratic”.
“The SPLM has lost support among the masses of our people. Rightly so, because it has lost direction and failed to present a coherent programme in Government for both the South and nationally," he said.
But Deng Alor, Sudanese Foreign Minister, said that allegations by Akol have been “reused” by him in the past since 1991.
“Akol is an unstable character. He joined six parties since 1985. There is nothing new in what he said. He was a leading figure in SPLM. If he was a truly democratic figure why did he not pose his views inside the party organs?” Alor said.
“Lam Akol is undemocratic and wants to be the number one [in SPLM]” he added.
Alor disclosed that the SPLM was aware of Akol’s plans to form a new party and got hold of the SPLM-DC manifesto.
He added that Akol was confronted with the evidence but he denied it.
Akol has refused to disclose the name of his party members saying he will delay it until the party’s convention in two months.
A member of the NCP leadership committee Qutbi Al-Mahdi hailed the formation of SPLM-DC. He also said that further dissention will strengthen the cooperation between the signatories of the 2005 peace agreement.
Al-Mahdi said that corruption and power abuse are prevalent in the South and described Akol as one of the most intelligent and intellectual figures in the South.
Akol was a key figure at an assembly of southern leaders in April at Kenana, North Sudan, that slammed the dominant southern party for its “poor record of governance” since winning power over the South in 2005.
He was described by many within the SPLM as the “black sheep” in his views that appeared more aligned with the NCP.
Relations between the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and SPLM are increasingly tense as the country moves to hold its first national elections next year,
Both parties have yet to agree on a set of draft laws considered crucial for elections and the South Sudan referendum in 2011.
8 June 2009
The Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) today lashed at former Foreign Minister Lam Akol over his dissention and formation of a new party.
This week the controversial Southern politician announced that he was founding SPLM- for Democratic Change (SPLM-DC) and directed strong criticism against SPLM Chairman Salva Kiir.
Akol said he wants to save the SPLM from the “abyss” and said that its leadership is “bankrupt” and “undemocratic”.
“The SPLM has lost support among the masses of our people. Rightly so, because it has lost direction and failed to present a coherent programme in Government for both the South and nationally," he said.
But Deng Alor, Sudanese Foreign Minister, said that allegations by Akol have been “reused” by him in the past since 1991.
“Akol is an unstable character. He joined six parties since 1985. There is nothing new in what he said. He was a leading figure in SPLM. If he was a truly democratic figure why did he not pose his views inside the party organs?” Alor said.
“Lam Akol is undemocratic and wants to be the number one [in SPLM]” he added.
Alor disclosed that the SPLM was aware of Akol’s plans to form a new party and got hold of the SPLM-DC manifesto.
He added that Akol was confronted with the evidence but he denied it.
Akol has refused to disclose the name of his party members saying he will delay it until the party’s convention in two months.
A member of the NCP leadership committee Qutbi Al-Mahdi hailed the formation of SPLM-DC. He also said that further dissention will strengthen the cooperation between the signatories of the 2005 peace agreement.
Al-Mahdi said that corruption and power abuse are prevalent in the South and described Akol as one of the most intelligent and intellectual figures in the South.
Akol was a key figure at an assembly of southern leaders in April at Kenana, North Sudan, that slammed the dominant southern party for its “poor record of governance” since winning power over the South in 2005.
He was described by many within the SPLM as the “black sheep” in his views that appeared more aligned with the NCP.
Relations between the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and SPLM are increasingly tense as the country moves to hold its first national elections next year,
Both parties have yet to agree on a set of draft laws considered crucial for elections and the South Sudan referendum in 2011.
Sudanese minister, EU envoy discuss Washington meeting.
Sudan Tribune
8 June 2009
Sudanese Foreign Minister Deng Alor discussed today with European Union envoy Torben Brylle the ongoing preparations for a Washington DC meeting about the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).
The two partners of the 2005 peace agreement are expected to meet together with the representatives of the US administration and the European Union at the end of June in Washington to discuss CPA implementation.
Brylle, during the meeting, informed the Sudanese minister he would take part in the meeting reaffirming the interest of the European Union in the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
Washington meeting scheduled to be held on June 23, is expected to discuss the outstanding issue in the CPA implementation. It will be addressed by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Ali Sadiq, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters that the meeting also touched on the Chadian-Sudanese relations.
"The Minister of Foreign Affairs explained to the European envoy the intransigent position of Chad on the normalization of relations between the two countries," Sadiq said.
8 June 2009
Sudanese Foreign Minister Deng Alor discussed today with European Union envoy Torben Brylle the ongoing preparations for a Washington DC meeting about the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).
The two partners of the 2005 peace agreement are expected to meet together with the representatives of the US administration and the European Union at the end of June in Washington to discuss CPA implementation.
Brylle, during the meeting, informed the Sudanese minister he would take part in the meeting reaffirming the interest of the European Union in the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
Washington meeting scheduled to be held on June 23, is expected to discuss the outstanding issue in the CPA implementation. It will be addressed by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Ali Sadiq, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters that the meeting also touched on the Chadian-Sudanese relations.
"The Minister of Foreign Affairs explained to the European envoy the intransigent position of Chad on the normalization of relations between the two countries," Sadiq said.
Iran, China Implement Oilfield Development Plan at North Azadegan.
BBC Monitoring via Comtex
6/8/2009
URL: http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=76944
The North Azadegan oil field's development contract will take effect next month and executive operations will start in the near future.
China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) signed a 1.76 billion dollars agreement in January 2009 to develop the oil field in Iran, SHANA, Iran's Oil and Energy Information Network, reported on Sunday, Jun. 7.
According to the agreement, the Chinese company has undertaken to develop the field in two phases. The start of second phase will be dependent on presenting a comprehensive plan by CNPC and its endorsement by the NIOC.
The deal is in the form of buy-back terms, under which CNPC will develop the field and hand over operations to Iran. CNPC will also receive payment from oil production for a few years to cover its investment.
On average, 75,000 barrels of oil will be extracted from the field within 25 years.
The North Azadegan oilfield is located in Iran's western province of Khuzestan. The field has estimated reserves of 6 billion barrels of oil and can produce 75,000 barrels per day for 25 years, according to the Iranian Oil Ministry.
Output at the North Azadegan oil field is expected to reach 150,000 barrels per day when both the phases are completed, it said.
CNPC has also offered proposals to NIOC for the development of the South Azadegan oil field.
6/8/2009
URL: http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=76944
The North Azadegan oil field's development contract will take effect next month and executive operations will start in the near future.
China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) signed a 1.76 billion dollars agreement in January 2009 to develop the oil field in Iran, SHANA, Iran's Oil and Energy Information Network, reported on Sunday, Jun. 7.
According to the agreement, the Chinese company has undertaken to develop the field in two phases. The start of second phase will be dependent on presenting a comprehensive plan by CNPC and its endorsement by the NIOC.
The deal is in the form of buy-back terms, under which CNPC will develop the field and hand over operations to Iran. CNPC will also receive payment from oil production for a few years to cover its investment.
On average, 75,000 barrels of oil will be extracted from the field within 25 years.
The North Azadegan oilfield is located in Iran's western province of Khuzestan. The field has estimated reserves of 6 billion barrels of oil and can produce 75,000 barrels per day for 25 years, according to the Iranian Oil Ministry.
Output at the North Azadegan oil field is expected to reach 150,000 barrels per day when both the phases are completed, it said.
CNPC has also offered proposals to NIOC for the development of the South Azadegan oil field.
08 June, 2009
Global weapons spending hits record levels.
The Guardian
8 June 2009
By Richard Norton-Taylor
Worldwide spending on weapons has reached record levels amounting to well over $1tn last year, a leading research organisation reported today.
Global military expenditure has risen by 45% over the past decade to $1.46tn, according to the latest annual Yearbook on Armaments, Disarmament, and International Security published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri).
Though the US accounts for more than half the total increase, China and Russia nearly tripled their military expenditure over the decade, with China now second only to the US in the military expenditure league table.
"China had both the largest absolute and the largest relative increase," says the Sipri report. The increase "has roughly paralleled its economic growth and is also linked to its major power aspirations," it adds.
Other regional powers, including India, Brazil and Algeria, also substantially increased their spending on arms, the report says.
Despite increasing its military expenditure by 3% in real terms in 2008 and by 21% since 1999, Britain faces a significant military budget shortfall. Sipri says this is due partly to the UK's involvement in two conflicts, in Afghanistan and Iraq, which are projected to have cost a total of £12bn ($18bn). It is also partly due to commitments to numerous large weapons procurement projects that cannot be funded under current budget plans. To close the budget shortfall, the MoD decided last year to reduce or postpone, but not cancel, large projects including plans to build two aircraft carriers, and high-tech armoured cars for the army.
"The idea of the 'war on terror' has encouraged many countries to see their problems through a highly militarised lens, using this to justify high military spending," said Dr Sam Perlo-Freeman, head of Sipri's military expenditure project. "Meanwhile, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost $903bn in additional military spending by the USA alone."
Sipri's yearbook also lists the top 100 arms producing companies, excluding Chinese ones, for which figures were unavailable. Boeing remained the top arms producer in 2007 – the most recent year for which reliable data is available – with arms sales worth $30.5bn. All the top 20 companies are American or European.
Their aggregate arms sales amounted to $347bn in 2007, an increase of 5% in real terms over 2006.
Sipri estimates that in total there are about 8,400 operational nuclear warheads in the world, of which almost 2,000 are kept on high alert and capable of being launched in minutes. Counting spare warheads, those in storage and those due to be dismantled, there are 23,300 nuclear weapons in the arsenals of eight states – the US, Russia, China, the UK, France, India, Pakistan and Israel, according to the yearbook.
The number of people forcibly displaced by conflict has also increased in recent years, with internally displaced persons (IDPs) reaching 26 million, more than twice the number of refugees, says the Sipri report. "For a large share of these people, no sustainable solution is in sight. Mass population displacement is often a result –and even a goal – of violence against civilians."
Top 10 military spenders in 2008 ($bn)
1 USA 607
2 China 84.9
3 France 65.7
4 UK 65.3
5 Russia 58.6
6 Germany 46.8
7 Japan 46.3
8 Italy 40.6
9 Saudi Arabia 38.2
10 India 30
8 June 2009
By Richard Norton-Taylor
Worldwide spending on weapons has reached record levels amounting to well over $1tn last year, a leading research organisation reported today.
Global military expenditure has risen by 45% over the past decade to $1.46tn, according to the latest annual Yearbook on Armaments, Disarmament, and International Security published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri).
Though the US accounts for more than half the total increase, China and Russia nearly tripled their military expenditure over the decade, with China now second only to the US in the military expenditure league table.
"China had both the largest absolute and the largest relative increase," says the Sipri report. The increase "has roughly paralleled its economic growth and is also linked to its major power aspirations," it adds.
Other regional powers, including India, Brazil and Algeria, also substantially increased their spending on arms, the report says.
Despite increasing its military expenditure by 3% in real terms in 2008 and by 21% since 1999, Britain faces a significant military budget shortfall. Sipri says this is due partly to the UK's involvement in two conflicts, in Afghanistan and Iraq, which are projected to have cost a total of £12bn ($18bn). It is also partly due to commitments to numerous large weapons procurement projects that cannot be funded under current budget plans. To close the budget shortfall, the MoD decided last year to reduce or postpone, but not cancel, large projects including plans to build two aircraft carriers, and high-tech armoured cars for the army.
"The idea of the 'war on terror' has encouraged many countries to see their problems through a highly militarised lens, using this to justify high military spending," said Dr Sam Perlo-Freeman, head of Sipri's military expenditure project. "Meanwhile, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost $903bn in additional military spending by the USA alone."
Sipri's yearbook also lists the top 100 arms producing companies, excluding Chinese ones, for which figures were unavailable. Boeing remained the top arms producer in 2007 – the most recent year for which reliable data is available – with arms sales worth $30.5bn. All the top 20 companies are American or European.
Their aggregate arms sales amounted to $347bn in 2007, an increase of 5% in real terms over 2006.
Sipri estimates that in total there are about 8,400 operational nuclear warheads in the world, of which almost 2,000 are kept on high alert and capable of being launched in minutes. Counting spare warheads, those in storage and those due to be dismantled, there are 23,300 nuclear weapons in the arsenals of eight states – the US, Russia, China, the UK, France, India, Pakistan and Israel, according to the yearbook.
The number of people forcibly displaced by conflict has also increased in recent years, with internally displaced persons (IDPs) reaching 26 million, more than twice the number of refugees, says the Sipri report. "For a large share of these people, no sustainable solution is in sight. Mass population displacement is often a result –and even a goal – of violence against civilians."
Top 10 military spenders in 2008 ($bn)
1 USA 607
2 China 84.9
3 France 65.7
4 UK 65.3
5 Russia 58.6
6 Germany 46.8
7 Japan 46.3
8 Italy 40.6
9 Saudi Arabia 38.2
10 India 30
3,000 villagers flee Myanmar Fighting.
AP
7 June 2009
More than 3,000 villagers have fled into Thailand as Myanmar troops shelled areas near their camp while fighting ethnic Karen guerrillas, one of the largest movements of refugees across the border in a decade, aid groups said on Sunday.
The Thailand-based Free Burma Rangers said that refugees began streaming out of the Ler Per Her camp in eastern Karen state on Friday and that Myanmar forces started launching mortar attacks on Saturday morning. Myanmar is also known as Burma.
The aid group, which conducts missions across the border inside Myanmar, reported the KNU fighters were engaged in a fierce fire fight continuing on Sunday with Myanmar forces near the camp, which lies in one of few last rebel redoubts along the border.
The KNU has been fighting for half a century for greater autonomy from Myanmar’s central government, but its strength has dwindled over the past decade due to army offensives and divisions within its ranks. Some 100,000 mostly ethnic Karen refugees already shelter in camps in Thailand after fleeing counterinsurgency operations and many more are believed displaced inside military-run Myanmar.
In a statement, the Free Burma Rangers called the shelling a “a serious attack on defenseless people who fled just to get to the camp and now have had to flee over the border”. It said as many as 4,000 refugees had fled to Thailand and that the Ler Per Her camp was mostly abandoned by Sunday.
The Karen Human Rights Group, a Thai-based humanitarian group sympathetic to the KNU, put the number of refugees at 3,000 but their count was only through Saturday.
Still, the group said this was “the largest exodus from Karen State on a single occasion” since the government launched a major offensive against the KNU in 1997.
7 June 2009
More than 3,000 villagers have fled into Thailand as Myanmar troops shelled areas near their camp while fighting ethnic Karen guerrillas, one of the largest movements of refugees across the border in a decade, aid groups said on Sunday.
The Thailand-based Free Burma Rangers said that refugees began streaming out of the Ler Per Her camp in eastern Karen state on Friday and that Myanmar forces started launching mortar attacks on Saturday morning. Myanmar is also known as Burma.
The aid group, which conducts missions across the border inside Myanmar, reported the KNU fighters were engaged in a fierce fire fight continuing on Sunday with Myanmar forces near the camp, which lies in one of few last rebel redoubts along the border.
The KNU has been fighting for half a century for greater autonomy from Myanmar’s central government, but its strength has dwindled over the past decade due to army offensives and divisions within its ranks. Some 100,000 mostly ethnic Karen refugees already shelter in camps in Thailand after fleeing counterinsurgency operations and many more are believed displaced inside military-run Myanmar.
In a statement, the Free Burma Rangers called the shelling a “a serious attack on defenseless people who fled just to get to the camp and now have had to flee over the border”. It said as many as 4,000 refugees had fled to Thailand and that the Ler Per Her camp was mostly abandoned by Sunday.
The Karen Human Rights Group, a Thai-based humanitarian group sympathetic to the KNU, put the number of refugees at 3,000 but their count was only through Saturday.
Still, the group said this was “the largest exodus from Karen State on a single occasion” since the government launched a major offensive against the KNU in 1997.
Judge Investigates Karadzic Deal Allegations.
IWPR
6 June 2009
By Simon Jennings in The Hague (TU No 604, 6-June-09)
The Hague judge in charge of preparing the war crimes trial of Radovan Karadzic has asked Sweden’s foreign minister to speak with the former Bosnian Serb president’s legal representatives about an alleged agreement which the accused says leaves him immune to prosecution.
Judge Iain Bonomy called the Swedish ambassador to The Netherlands, Hans Magnusson, to a court hearing this week to ask for Sweden’s help in getting to the bottom of Karadzic’s allegations.
The accused insists that in 1996, the former US special envoy to the United Nations Richard Holbrooke agreed to grant him immunity from prosecution at the Hague tribunal in return for for standing down from Bosnian Serb politics.
Karadzic has repeatedly sought to interview Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt on the matter as he alleges the former Bosnian High Representative was a close aide to Holbrooke during that year and was involved in negotiations for him to step down as president.
The accused filed a motion on May 25, asking the court to dismiss all charges against him on the basis of the deal he says he struck with Holbrooke 13 years ago.
According to his motion, both eyewitness and documentary evidence confirm that Holbrooke offered Karadzic immunity from prosecution at the tribunal at meetings in Belgrade on July 18 and 19, 1996, in return for Karadzic withdrawing from public life.
Holbrooke – who was the architect of the 1995 Dayton accord which brought peace to the region and is now the US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan – has repeatedly denied making any such agreement with Karadzic.
This week, Judge Bonomy suggested that Bildt should convey anything he knows about any agreement to Karadzic’s legal team.
“What would be helpful would be an indication of Mr Bildt to disclose the full extent of his knowledge of these matters to those assisting Mr Karadzic [in his defence],” Judge Bonomy told Magnusson in court on June 3.
Karadzic alleges that Holbrooke proposed at the 1996 meetings that if he resigned as president of the wartime Bosnian Serb entity of Republika Srpska and did not participate in upcoming elections, then he would not face prosecution in The Hague.
“At the time, the agreement was entered into, I had no doubt that Richard Holbrooke had promised that I would not be prosecuted at the [Hague tribunal] and that he had the authority to make that promise,” wrote Karadzic in his motion, dated May 25.
“Dr Karadzic honoured his part of the agreement. He now seeks to require the tribunal to honour Holbrooke's part.”
The former leader claimed that it would be a miscarriage of justice for the tribunal to prosecute him following the alleged agreement.
“The indictment should be dismissed, or the proceedings should be stayed, so that the hands of the tribunal are not stained with Holbrooke’s deception,” wrote Karadzic in the motion.
Olga Kavran, spokeswoman for the tribunal’s office of the prosecutor, OTP, said that prosecutors would be filing a formal response to the motion in due course, but reiterated the office’s previous position that such an agreement as described by Karadzic would have no legal standing at the tribunal.
“Even if there was such an agreement, and the prosecution does not accept that there was, even if there was, [the OTP’s position is that] it would not be legally valid before the tribunal, [and] that only the [United Nations] Security Council can issue a resolution by which it would affect the tribunal’s jurisdiction and this has not happened,” Kavran told IWPR.
Speaking in court this week, Magnusson confirmed that “there were no legal obstacles” to Bildt giving evidence about the agreement.
However, he said that an interview with Karadzic’s legal advisers would serve no purpose as, according to him, any such agreement would have no legal effect before the tribunal.
But Judge Bonomy said Karadzic should be given an opportunity to investigate his claim.
“[Karadzic] is entitled to cooperation of all states throughout the world for at least establishing [any] factual basis for what he presents,” said the judge.
Magnusson said that he would communicate Judge Bonomy’s request to the Swedish government and that it would comply if judges were to order Bildt to appear.
“If the trial chamber would deem it necessary, Mr Bildt will be made available,” he said.
Judge Bonomy asked that the Swedish government respond to Karadzic’s request before the end of the week, noting the necessity of moving forward with the case as it approaches trial.
“We are anxious to make progress on this issue,” he said. “It needs to be determined speedily now. There will always be anxiety about the starting date for the trial being maintained as long as this issue remains outstanding.”
While a final pre-trial meeting has been scheduled for July 20, no start date has yet been set. It is thought unlikely that proceedings will get underway before the court’s summer recess from July 27 to August 17.
Although Karadzic submitted his motion on May 25, judges are allowing him to supplement this with additional evidence of an agreement as it is made available from various parties.
Judge Bonomy confirmed in court that a response to the accused’s request to the UN to disclose any information relating to its involvement in the alleged agreement had not yet been received.
Karadzic is trying to show that the Security Council – which passed a resolution establishing the tribunal – was a party to the alleged agreement granting him immunity and that the court is therefore bound to uphold it.
“You can take it that the matter will be pursued urgently,” said Judge Bonomy.
“And if this cannot be resolved... then the chamber will... have to decide whether to make an order [for the UN to respond to the request] or not.”
Karadzic was arrested in Belgrade on July 21 last year, having lived under an elaborate disguise and evaded capture for 13 years since the end of the war in the former Yugoslavia. He is charged with 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including two separate genocide charges.
The court’s indictment alleges Karadzic is responsible for crimes of persecution, extermination, murder and forcible transfer which “contributed to achieving the objective of the permanent removal of Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats from Bosnian Serb-claimed territory”.
Prosecutors are seeking to prove he was the political force behind the massacre of almost 8,000 Bosniak men and boys at Srebrenica in July 1995, as well as the 44-month campaign of sniping and shelling on the city of Sarajevo, which resulted in nearly 12,000 civilian deaths.
Karadzic refused to plead to the charges on March 3, citing the agreement he claims he made with Holbrooke, which prompted the judge to enter a plea of “not guilty” on his behalf.
“I have a general position in relation to the entire indictment,” Karadzic told Judge Bonomy in court.
“I’m challenging it on the basis of my agreement with the international community, whose representative at that time was Mr Richard Holbrooke.
“This tribunal does not have the right to try me.”
Judges in The Hague have already held that any alleged agreement granting Karadzic immunity would not hold water before the court.
In a decision from December 17, 2008, they ruled that “any immunity in respect to an Accused indicted for genocide, war crimes and/or crimes against humanity before an international tribunal would be invalid as a matter of international law”.
In order to support their decision, judges referred to statutes and conventions which said heads of state were not immune from prosecution.
However, Karadzic claims in his motion that he should not receive immunity due to his position as a former head of state, but as someone who has cooperated with the international community on that basis.
Although judges ruled that the mandate of the tribunal’s prosecution would not be affected by any alleged deal made by Holbrooke, Karadzic argues that because he believed the US diplomat was acting either on behalf of the Security Council, or appeared to be doing so, the court is in fact bound by the claimed agreement.
The next status conference in scheduled for July 1.
6 June 2009
By Simon Jennings in The Hague (TU No 604, 6-June-09)
The Hague judge in charge of preparing the war crimes trial of Radovan Karadzic has asked Sweden’s foreign minister to speak with the former Bosnian Serb president’s legal representatives about an alleged agreement which the accused says leaves him immune to prosecution.
Judge Iain Bonomy called the Swedish ambassador to The Netherlands, Hans Magnusson, to a court hearing this week to ask for Sweden’s help in getting to the bottom of Karadzic’s allegations.
The accused insists that in 1996, the former US special envoy to the United Nations Richard Holbrooke agreed to grant him immunity from prosecution at the Hague tribunal in return for for standing down from Bosnian Serb politics.
Karadzic has repeatedly sought to interview Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt on the matter as he alleges the former Bosnian High Representative was a close aide to Holbrooke during that year and was involved in negotiations for him to step down as president.
The accused filed a motion on May 25, asking the court to dismiss all charges against him on the basis of the deal he says he struck with Holbrooke 13 years ago.
According to his motion, both eyewitness and documentary evidence confirm that Holbrooke offered Karadzic immunity from prosecution at the tribunal at meetings in Belgrade on July 18 and 19, 1996, in return for Karadzic withdrawing from public life.
Holbrooke – who was the architect of the 1995 Dayton accord which brought peace to the region and is now the US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan – has repeatedly denied making any such agreement with Karadzic.
This week, Judge Bonomy suggested that Bildt should convey anything he knows about any agreement to Karadzic’s legal team.
“What would be helpful would be an indication of Mr Bildt to disclose the full extent of his knowledge of these matters to those assisting Mr Karadzic [in his defence],” Judge Bonomy told Magnusson in court on June 3.
Karadzic alleges that Holbrooke proposed at the 1996 meetings that if he resigned as president of the wartime Bosnian Serb entity of Republika Srpska and did not participate in upcoming elections, then he would not face prosecution in The Hague.
“At the time, the agreement was entered into, I had no doubt that Richard Holbrooke had promised that I would not be prosecuted at the [Hague tribunal] and that he had the authority to make that promise,” wrote Karadzic in his motion, dated May 25.
“Dr Karadzic honoured his part of the agreement. He now seeks to require the tribunal to honour Holbrooke's part.”
The former leader claimed that it would be a miscarriage of justice for the tribunal to prosecute him following the alleged agreement.
“The indictment should be dismissed, or the proceedings should be stayed, so that the hands of the tribunal are not stained with Holbrooke’s deception,” wrote Karadzic in the motion.
Olga Kavran, spokeswoman for the tribunal’s office of the prosecutor, OTP, said that prosecutors would be filing a formal response to the motion in due course, but reiterated the office’s previous position that such an agreement as described by Karadzic would have no legal standing at the tribunal.
“Even if there was such an agreement, and the prosecution does not accept that there was, even if there was, [the OTP’s position is that] it would not be legally valid before the tribunal, [and] that only the [United Nations] Security Council can issue a resolution by which it would affect the tribunal’s jurisdiction and this has not happened,” Kavran told IWPR.
Speaking in court this week, Magnusson confirmed that “there were no legal obstacles” to Bildt giving evidence about the agreement.
However, he said that an interview with Karadzic’s legal advisers would serve no purpose as, according to him, any such agreement would have no legal effect before the tribunal.
But Judge Bonomy said Karadzic should be given an opportunity to investigate his claim.
“[Karadzic] is entitled to cooperation of all states throughout the world for at least establishing [any] factual basis for what he presents,” said the judge.
Magnusson said that he would communicate Judge Bonomy’s request to the Swedish government and that it would comply if judges were to order Bildt to appear.
“If the trial chamber would deem it necessary, Mr Bildt will be made available,” he said.
Judge Bonomy asked that the Swedish government respond to Karadzic’s request before the end of the week, noting the necessity of moving forward with the case as it approaches trial.
“We are anxious to make progress on this issue,” he said. “It needs to be determined speedily now. There will always be anxiety about the starting date for the trial being maintained as long as this issue remains outstanding.”
While a final pre-trial meeting has been scheduled for July 20, no start date has yet been set. It is thought unlikely that proceedings will get underway before the court’s summer recess from July 27 to August 17.
Although Karadzic submitted his motion on May 25, judges are allowing him to supplement this with additional evidence of an agreement as it is made available from various parties.
Judge Bonomy confirmed in court that a response to the accused’s request to the UN to disclose any information relating to its involvement in the alleged agreement had not yet been received.
Karadzic is trying to show that the Security Council – which passed a resolution establishing the tribunal – was a party to the alleged agreement granting him immunity and that the court is therefore bound to uphold it.
“You can take it that the matter will be pursued urgently,” said Judge Bonomy.
“And if this cannot be resolved... then the chamber will... have to decide whether to make an order [for the UN to respond to the request] or not.”
Karadzic was arrested in Belgrade on July 21 last year, having lived under an elaborate disguise and evaded capture for 13 years since the end of the war in the former Yugoslavia. He is charged with 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including two separate genocide charges.
The court’s indictment alleges Karadzic is responsible for crimes of persecution, extermination, murder and forcible transfer which “contributed to achieving the objective of the permanent removal of Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats from Bosnian Serb-claimed territory”.
Prosecutors are seeking to prove he was the political force behind the massacre of almost 8,000 Bosniak men and boys at Srebrenica in July 1995, as well as the 44-month campaign of sniping and shelling on the city of Sarajevo, which resulted in nearly 12,000 civilian deaths.
Karadzic refused to plead to the charges on March 3, citing the agreement he claims he made with Holbrooke, which prompted the judge to enter a plea of “not guilty” on his behalf.
“I have a general position in relation to the entire indictment,” Karadzic told Judge Bonomy in court.
“I’m challenging it on the basis of my agreement with the international community, whose representative at that time was Mr Richard Holbrooke.
“This tribunal does not have the right to try me.”
Judges in The Hague have already held that any alleged agreement granting Karadzic immunity would not hold water before the court.
In a decision from December 17, 2008, they ruled that “any immunity in respect to an Accused indicted for genocide, war crimes and/or crimes against humanity before an international tribunal would be invalid as a matter of international law”.
In order to support their decision, judges referred to statutes and conventions which said heads of state were not immune from prosecution.
However, Karadzic claims in his motion that he should not receive immunity due to his position as a former head of state, but as someone who has cooperated with the international community on that basis.
Although judges ruled that the mandate of the tribunal’s prosecution would not be affected by any alleged deal made by Holbrooke, Karadzic argues that because he believed the US diplomat was acting either on behalf of the Security Council, or appeared to be doing so, the court is in fact bound by the claimed agreement.
The next status conference in scheduled for July 1.
Congo, Uganda clash over border.
The New Vision
7 June 2009
By Frank Mugabi
Tension is brewing along the Uganda-DR Congo border in Nebbi district after the Congolese started constructing a Police post in a contested area near the Ugandan customs point at Goli.
Nebbi resident district commissioner Betty Adima said the construction, which started last week, was causing unnecessary anxiety since the area is among those the two countries agreed to verify through a joint permanent commission.
Adima said the post was being built within 50 metres of Goli, which is considered to be a buffer zone.
She added that the builders were guarded by Congolese armed forces, which has caused panic among the local residents.
Adima blamed the Congolese officials in Mahagi district for trying to undercut the Ngurdoto-Tanzania Agreement in which presidents Yoweri Museveni and Joseph Kabila of the DR Congo agreed to re-mark the contested border areas to determine ownership.
She said members of the joint border remarking team had already surveyed Mahagi territory and were yet to make a final demarcation.
Adima expressed concern that although the Ngurdoto agreement signed at a summit in Arusha last September called for the demilitarisation of disputed areas, the Congolese had deployed armed personnel near Goli. She described it as “provocation” but stressed that the Ugandan Government would not take the same action.
“We have capacity to react strongly, but we won’t because we are people who keep the rule of law,” Adima said. However, she warned that the Government would not sit back if Ugandans were harassed or hurt.
Meanwhile, a meeting between officials from both sides of the border held at Goli on Saturday ended in disagreement.
Tempers flared when Adima, who led the Ugandan delegation, demanded an unconditional halt to the construction of the post, terming it as aggression. But the 20-member Congolese team that included the Mahagi district commissioner, identified as Lukango, and two MPs rejected the demand and left vowing to continue with the construction. They claimed they were acting within their land.
This is the second time the Congolese are trying to take over disputed border areas in the West Nile.
Last year, the Congolese stirred controversy when they used the army and police to shift their border point from 5km to within 200m of the Ugandan crossing point at Vurra in Arua district.
They erected a metallic and concrete barrier, and also planted a “welcome” signpost in the “no-man’s” land.
Although the area is still under Congolese occupation, it is one of those to be decided upon by the joint permanent commission.
Uganda and Congo also have a dispute over the ownership of Rukwanzi Island in Lake Albert.
In 2006, the two countries agreed that a joint technical team be put in place to remark its borders. It was also agreed at the meeting at Ngurdoto in Tanzania to form a joint administration of the island.
However, after over 20 months, there is no such administration in place, the disputed border areas have not been remarked and Uganda is blaming Congo for the delay.
Congo has never appointed a co-administrator for the island although Uganda appointed Drani Dradriga, as its representative to Rukwanzi. In April Dradriga told The New Vision that his team was ready to start work. He said 30 Police officers were on standby and waiting for the group from Congo to join them.
Uganda is also involved in a border dispute with Kenya over the ownership of Migingo Island on Lake Victoria. A survey to establish the border has already started.
7 June 2009
By Frank Mugabi
Tension is brewing along the Uganda-DR Congo border in Nebbi district after the Congolese started constructing a Police post in a contested area near the Ugandan customs point at Goli.
Nebbi resident district commissioner Betty Adima said the construction, which started last week, was causing unnecessary anxiety since the area is among those the two countries agreed to verify through a joint permanent commission.
Adima said the post was being built within 50 metres of Goli, which is considered to be a buffer zone.
She added that the builders were guarded by Congolese armed forces, which has caused panic among the local residents.
Adima blamed the Congolese officials in Mahagi district for trying to undercut the Ngurdoto-Tanzania Agreement in which presidents Yoweri Museveni and Joseph Kabila of the DR Congo agreed to re-mark the contested border areas to determine ownership.
She said members of the joint border remarking team had already surveyed Mahagi territory and were yet to make a final demarcation.
Adima expressed concern that although the Ngurdoto agreement signed at a summit in Arusha last September called for the demilitarisation of disputed areas, the Congolese had deployed armed personnel near Goli. She described it as “provocation” but stressed that the Ugandan Government would not take the same action.
“We have capacity to react strongly, but we won’t because we are people who keep the rule of law,” Adima said. However, she warned that the Government would not sit back if Ugandans were harassed or hurt.
Meanwhile, a meeting between officials from both sides of the border held at Goli on Saturday ended in disagreement.
Tempers flared when Adima, who led the Ugandan delegation, demanded an unconditional halt to the construction of the post, terming it as aggression. But the 20-member Congolese team that included the Mahagi district commissioner, identified as Lukango, and two MPs rejected the demand and left vowing to continue with the construction. They claimed they were acting within their land.
This is the second time the Congolese are trying to take over disputed border areas in the West Nile.
Last year, the Congolese stirred controversy when they used the army and police to shift their border point from 5km to within 200m of the Ugandan crossing point at Vurra in Arua district.
They erected a metallic and concrete barrier, and also planted a “welcome” signpost in the “no-man’s” land.
Although the area is still under Congolese occupation, it is one of those to be decided upon by the joint permanent commission.
Uganda and Congo also have a dispute over the ownership of Rukwanzi Island in Lake Albert.
In 2006, the two countries agreed that a joint technical team be put in place to remark its borders. It was also agreed at the meeting at Ngurdoto in Tanzania to form a joint administration of the island.
However, after over 20 months, there is no such administration in place, the disputed border areas have not been remarked and Uganda is blaming Congo for the delay.
Congo has never appointed a co-administrator for the island although Uganda appointed Drani Dradriga, as its representative to Rukwanzi. In April Dradriga told The New Vision that his team was ready to start work. He said 30 Police officers were on standby and waiting for the group from Congo to join them.
Uganda is also involved in a border dispute with Kenya over the ownership of Migingo Island on Lake Victoria. A survey to establish the border has already started.
07 June, 2009
Sudan ends gum arabic monopoly.
Sudan Tribune
6 June 2009
Sudan, which is the world’s biggest producer, has ended the monopoly on production and export of the gum arabic, it was reported yesterday.
The Gum Arabic Company, Ltd., holder of the monopoly position for the export of crude Gum Arabic from the Sudan was founded by the Sudanese government in 1969.
Gum arabic is a resin that is used as an emulsifier in soft drinks, a thickener in candies and jellies, a binder in special-purpose inks and drugs, even a foam stabilizer in beer. Its name derives from the fact that the gum was shipped to Europe from Arabic ports.
Sudanese President Omer Al-Bashir issued a decree ending the monopoly rights held by the Gum Arabic Company on production, trade and export, SUNA said on Thursday.
The government hopes the end of the monopoly will allow growers to sell their harvest at higher prices.
The Sudanese gum is produced in Kordofan region 49.3%, Kassala region 24.4%, Darfur region 23.4 % and White and Blue Nile region 2.9%.
The gum works as an emulsifier enabling a stable mixture of water and sugar so that no sugary residues are left at the bottom of cola bottles.
The US, which buys about one-fourth of Sudan’s annual production of the commodity, has exempted it from its comprehensive economic sanctions that it imposed since 1997 for national security reasons.
6 June 2009
Sudan, which is the world’s biggest producer, has ended the monopoly on production and export of the gum arabic, it was reported yesterday.
The Gum Arabic Company, Ltd., holder of the monopoly position for the export of crude Gum Arabic from the Sudan was founded by the Sudanese government in 1969.
Gum arabic is a resin that is used as an emulsifier in soft drinks, a thickener in candies and jellies, a binder in special-purpose inks and drugs, even a foam stabilizer in beer. Its name derives from the fact that the gum was shipped to Europe from Arabic ports.
Sudanese President Omer Al-Bashir issued a decree ending the monopoly rights held by the Gum Arabic Company on production, trade and export, SUNA said on Thursday.
The government hopes the end of the monopoly will allow growers to sell their harvest at higher prices.
The Sudanese gum is produced in Kordofan region 49.3%, Kassala region 24.4%, Darfur region 23.4 % and White and Blue Nile region 2.9%.
The gum works as an emulsifier enabling a stable mixture of water and sugar so that no sugary residues are left at the bottom of cola bottles.
The US, which buys about one-fourth of Sudan’s annual production of the commodity, has exempted it from its comprehensive economic sanctions that it imposed since 1997 for national security reasons.
Somaliland suspends licenses of nine NGOs.
Garowe Online
5 June 2009
The breakaway government in Somalia's separatist republic of Somaliland has declared that it has temporarily suspended the licenses of nine non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Radio Garowe reports.
A press release issued Friday by the Somaliland Ministry of Planning indicated that all 26 NGOs with operations in Somaliland were informed to submit the annual 2008 reports to the government in an April 19th press release in order to keep track of the various organizations' operations.
"That press release [of April 19] warned that any group [NGO] that refuses to report will face temporary suspension of its license," read Friday's press statement.
The statement went on to mention that nine NGOs have not reported back to the Somaliland government and therefore their operations in the breakaway region have been suspended.
The NGOs included Islamic Relief, Mercy USA for Aid Development and the Canadian African Indigenous Development, according to the press release.
Somaliland unilaterally declared independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991 but has not been recognized internationally.
5 June 2009
The breakaway government in Somalia's separatist republic of Somaliland has declared that it has temporarily suspended the licenses of nine non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Radio Garowe reports.
A press release issued Friday by the Somaliland Ministry of Planning indicated that all 26 NGOs with operations in Somaliland were informed to submit the annual 2008 reports to the government in an April 19th press release in order to keep track of the various organizations' operations.
"That press release [of April 19] warned that any group [NGO] that refuses to report will face temporary suspension of its license," read Friday's press statement.
The statement went on to mention that nine NGOs have not reported back to the Somaliland government and therefore their operations in the breakaway region have been suspended.
The NGOs included Islamic Relief, Mercy USA for Aid Development and the Canadian African Indigenous Development, according to the press release.
Somaliland unilaterally declared independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991 but has not been recognized internationally.
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