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Weekly anb07031.txt #5

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 03-07-2003      PART #1/5
* Afrique. La BM figée par Washington - Les Etats-Unis tentent de bloquer toute démocratisation de la Banque mondiale (BM). Les réformes envisagées, qui visent à donner plus de voix aux pays pauvres, doivent être évoquées le 30 juin à l'occasion d'une réunion du conseil d'administration. Actuellement les pays riches contrôlent plus de 60% des votes au sein de la BM. Les mesures, évoquées dans un document produit le 9 juin, visent à pousser les droits de vote des pays du Sud, qui passeraient de 39% à 44,3%, et à proposer un poste supplémentaire de représentant pour les pays africains, soit trois directeurs exécutifs au lieu de deux. Mais une telle réforme inquiète Washington. Les Etats-Unis qui disposent, avec 17% de voix, d'un droit de veto, et nomment le président de la BM, redoutent toute modification à la tête d'une institution qu'ils entendent contrôler. (D'après Libération, France, 28 juin 2003)
* Africa. African diamond nations to pass gems test - A United Nations-backed campaign to curb the trade in conflict diamonds risks undermining its credibility by awarding a clean bill of health next month to almost all African diamond-producing countries. The Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone and the Central African Republic -- countries long blighted by civil war - are set to be officially cleared as legitimate producers and exporters of "clean" diamonds by the Kimberley Process -- a UN-backed coalition of governments, diamond companies and non-government organisations. Angola, which is emerging from one of the continent's longest civil wars, is likely to receive similar endorsement if it manages to rush through diamond regulating legislation before a deadline of July 31. Only Liberia, the West African diamond producer engulfed in a brutal conflict and whose president is accused of crimes against humanity, is certain not to make the grade. The initiative was launched in 2000 to stop trade in diamonds produced in conflict areas, which has prolonged civil wars. It requires all member countries to pass legislation to implement the accord under which all diamonds have to carry a certificate of origin from the producing country, which guarantees they are not being sold to fund wars. Major diamond producing or trading countries such as South Africa, Botswana, the US and Canada already meet the requirements. (Financial Times, UK, 29 June 2003)
* Africa. Action against the Media - Botswana: On 1 July, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) raised the alarm over a proposed draft communications bill which they say will pose a serious threat to freedom of expression and the free flow of information. Mauritania: On 1 July, the deputy director general of the Mauritanian News Agency (AMI), Mohamed Cheikh Ould Sidi Mohamed, was arrested by security operatives. Morocco: On 26 June, Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) urged the authorities to explain why they are holding four journalists who were originally detained under an anti-terrorism law, but reportedly will now be prosecuted under the press law and face prion terms. Nigeria: On 26 June, the MISA reported that on 23 June, State Security Officials in Abeokuta, Ogun State, purchased all available print runs of the week's edition of Tell magazine. The move was an apparent attempt by government officials to prevent circulation of the magazines's issue with the banner headline, "Scandal in Aso Rock". Sudan: On 2 July, Amnesty International condemned the confiscation of the 28 June edition and parts of the 29 June edition of the independent daily Al-Sahafa by the country's security forces. Uganda: On 26 June, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it was alarmed that the Ugandan authorities have closed the Catholic Church-owned Radio Kyoga Veritas FM, in Soroti, for broadcasting reports about fighting in the region between government forces and the rebel Lords Resistance Army (LRA). (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 2 July 2003)
* Afrique. CPI: Sanctions des Etats-Unis - Le 1er juillet, Washington a annoncé la suspension de son aide militaire à 35 pays, en représailles pour leur refus d'accorder l'immunité aux Américains qui seraient inculpés par la Cour pénale internationale (CPI), chargée de juger les crimes de guerre ou contre l'humanité. Le Congrès américain avait fixé une échéance au 1er juillet pour la conclusion de tels accords. En Afrique, dix pays sont ainsi visés: Bénin, Centrafrique, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Namibie, Niger, Afrique du Sud, Tanzanie et Zambie. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 3 juillet 2003)
* Africa. MSF targets "forgotten" diseases - 3 July: The leading medical charity Médécins Sans Frontières (MSF) is launching an initiative to invest money in treatments for neglected diseases which affect more than 500 million people a year. Only 10% of the world's health budget is invested in tropical illnesses like sleeping sickness, despite the fact that such diseases account for 90% of the global disease burden. The charity is teaming up with experts from Brazil, France, India, Kenya, Malaysia and the World Health Organization and will spend 12 years developing new and effective drugs for the illnesses which mostly affect people in poor countries. According to MSF, more money is invested in treatments to increase sex drive and beauty than in drugs for tropical diseases. Only 1% of the drugs developed in the past 25 years have been specifically made to tackle illnesses which blight the lives of millions of people in developing countries. Leishmaniasis, a parasitic and highly infectious disease spread by sand flies, is endemic in 88 countries, but the most commonly used drug is now 70 years old and toxic. MSF and its partners plan to spend $250m over the next 12 years to develop seven new drugs to combat these common diseases which kill the poor. The charity says the science is already in place to develop such medicines, but most big pharmaceutical companies are simply uninterested in making drugs for developing countries, because they do not make them big profits. (BBC News, UK, 3 July 2003)
* Africa/USA. Bush lays out ambitions for troubled Africa - On 26 June, US President George W. Bush addressed the wars and civil strife in Africa for the first time this year, calling for Liberian President Charles Taylor to stand down and for the immediate establishment of an interim government in Democratic Republic of Congo. After months in which White House preoccupation with Iraq has kept Mr Bush from making any comment about the bloodshed in Liberia or the reports of mass killings in Congo, the US president laid out US ambitions for Africa. In what his aides billed as a comprehensive outline of the administration's agenda for Africa, Mr Bush put the war on terror at the centre of US policy for the continent. He announced $100m in new US aid to enhance security at African airports and seaports. Mr Bush heads to Africa in 10 days and as he tours Senegal, Botswana, South Africa, Uganda and Nigeria, he will emphasise the US financial commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS, his administration's willingness to improve trade opportunities for African nations, and the need to co-operate in the fight against violent extremists. His message was that "the United States believes in the great potential of Africa". Mr Bush first set out the US support for peace efforts. In Liberia, "President Taylor needs to step down so that his country can be spared further bloodshed". The president's comments came as reports reached Washington that crowds had dumped bloody corpses in front of the US embassy in Monrovia, accusing US Marines of failing to protect people from the fighting in the capital. (...) In Congo RDC, where the war is estimated to have cost more than 3m lives, Mr Bush urged all sides to support the peace process championed by Thabo Mbeki, South African president. He pressed for the creation of an integrated national army and the rapid establishment of a transitional government. (Financial Times, UK, 26 June 2003)
* Africa/Italy. Migrant headache for Italy - As Italy takes over the EU presidency, the country's politicians would like to see headlines dominated by plans for the European economy or the new EU constitution. But Italian newspapers are talking of an invasion of immigrants washing up both dead and alive on Italy's shores. Italian officials insist immigration numbers are lower this year, but a record number of people have made the journey from North Africa to Europe's most southerly point -- the tiny island of Lampedusa, south of Sicily. "Over 3,000 immigrants have come here so far this year and more than 200 have drowned at sea," says Lampedusa's mayor, Bruno Siragusa, a member of Mr Berlusconi's Forza Italia party. But he is angry that the press talks of an invasion of immigrants. "Our beaches are full, our hotels are full. Our fishing nets are full...but not of drowned immigrants like the papers say". The Italian government blames Libya for the recent influx of immigrants. Mayor Siragusa agrees: "Gaddafi has deliberately opened his borders with African neighbours so that immigrants from other African countries where we do have some control are rushing instead to Libya to travel to us". (BBC News, UK, 1 July 2003)
* Africa/Spain. Mystery over arms seizure - 2 July: There is confusion in Spain over the seizure off the Mediterranean coast of hundreds of firearms from a container ship destined for Africa. South Korean Defence Ministry officials say the cargo was legal, apparently contradicting Spanish police reports that the weapons were being transported with false documentation. The cargo was intercepted off Barcelona, on 1 July, on the basis of intelligence reports. It was said to be on its way from the South Korean port of Pusan to Dakar, Senegal. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 2 July 2003)
* East Africa. Anti-terror plan - 27 June: East African countries have approved a plan to combat international terrorism in the region. The plan was drawn up by the regional grouping, the Inter-governmental Authority on Development (Igad). It includes moves to improve the monitoring of borders, financial transactions and trade. It also calls for East African countries to share intelligence on terrorism and harmonise their extradition rules. The plan was proposed by security and intelligence officials at the end of a three-day conference in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. Igad Executive Secretary Attalla Bashir said his region was on the frontline of the war being waged by international terrorists. The Igad area, specifically Kenya, has been the site of several recent terrorist attacks. On the same day in 1998 suicide bombers targeted the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing a total of 231 people. Last November, 16 others -- mostly Kenyans -- died when a hotel was blown up in the coastal resort of Mombasa. The United States has a task force in Djibouti to deal with what it sees as terrorist threats in East Africa. Igad's plan attempts to deal with the weak state structures in the region. Mr Bashir, denied that by trying to deal with the problem, Igad was doing the bidding of the US as Africans have been most affected. One of the key problems is that regional states find it difficult to control borders and financial transactions -- a problem that has made it an attractive area for terrorists. The plan describes measures to strengthen these controls. It also emphasises the need for the seven Igad countries to collaborate in sharing intelligence on terrorism, and calls on the countries to harmonise legal procedures such as extradition. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 27 June 2003)
* Southern Africa. AIDS hits food production - 2 July: The World Food Programme (WFP) has launched an appeal for $380m for Southern Africa, warning that at least 6.5m people will still be dependent on food aid for another year. Speaking in Geneva, the United Nations agency said although the major humanitarian crisis they had feared has now been averted, erratic weather patterns, deteriorating economies and the devastating impact HIV/AIDS is having on communities means that needs remain substantial. WFP says at least 500,000 metric tonnes of food is needed for Southern Africa over the next 12 months, despite the fact that some countries, like Malawi and Zambia, have produced significantly better harvests this year. The continuing food crisis mainly affects Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho, Swaziland, Malawi and Zambia. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 2 July 2003)
* Algérie. Benflis candidat à la présidentielle - Ali Benflis, le secrétaire général du Front de libération nationale (FNL, ancien parti unique), sera candidat à l'élection présidentielle de 2004, a annoncé, le 27 juin, le FNL. Ali Benflis sera le plus sérieux rival du président Abdelaziz Bouteflika, élu en avril 1999 avec le soutien du FNL, si ce dernier décide de briguer un second mandat. Le FNL s'est éloigné du président Bouteflika en mars, pour soutenir Ali Benflis, qui était alors le chef du gouvernement avant d'être limogé le 5 mai. (Libération, France, 28 juin 2003)
* Algérie. Nouveaux cas de peste bubonique - Le samedi 28 juin, un nouveau cas de peste bubonique a été enregistré à l'hôpital d'Oran, a annoncé le ministre algérien de la Santé. Un cas "isolé" de peste bubonique avait déjà été détecté jeudi dans un douar de la région d'Oran, a indiqué le ministre. Mais selon le quotidien El Watan, ce sont 5 personnes soupçonnées d'être porteuses d'agents pesteux qui ont été admises à l'hôpital d'Oran. Début juin, 10 personnes atteintes de cette maladie avaient été admises à cet hôpital, et la localité de Kehaila avait été mise en quarantaine, mais celle-ci avait été levée le 25 juin. Une délégation de l'OMS, comprenant des spécialistes mondiaux de la peste, devait se rendre dimanche à Alger. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 30 juin 2003)
* Algérie. Accident d'avion - Le 30 juin, un avion de transport militaire algérien s'est écrasé non loin de l'aéroport militaire de Boufarik (40 km à l'ouest d'Alger), faisant 12 morts et 5 blessés légers. Le Hercules C-130 s'est écrasé vers 11h locales, peu après le décollage, sur une maison individuelle de la localité de Beni Mered, située à 16 km de l'aérodrome. Les cinq occupants de la maison (2 femmes et 3 enfants) sont morts. Il faut ajouter à ce bilan les 4 membres de l'équipage et 3 autres civils. D'après des témoins, un des moteurs de l'appareil était en feu lors du décollage. (AP, 30 juin 2003)
* Algérie. Refus des Berbères - Le 29 juin, les dirigeants de la minorité berbère ont fait savoir qu'ils n'entameraient pas de négociations avec le gouvernement visant à mettre fin au conflit qui les oppose, tant qu'Alger n'aura pas accédé à toutes leurs exigences. Les Berbères, qui représentent un cinquième de la population algérienne, forte de 32 millions d'habitants, réclament un meilleur respect de leurs droits et davantage d'autonomie en Kabylie, dans l'est du pays. (Le Monde, France, 1er juillet 2003)
* Algeria. Islamist leaders freed - 2 July: The two top leaders of the outlawed Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) have been freed from custody after serving their 12-year sentences. FIS leader Abassi Madani is released from house arrest and his deputy, Ali Belhadji, from prison in the town of Blida. But shortly after their release, the authorities announced that they are totally banned from all political activity. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 2 July 2003)
* Algérie. Dirigeants du FIS libérés - Le mercredi 2 juillet, les deux dirigeants historiques du parti islamiste dissous, le Front islamique du salut (FIS), Abassi Madani et Ali Belhadj, ont été libérés après douze ans de détention. Ils devront cependant s'abstenir de toute activité politique ou sociale. Ils avaient été arrêtés peu après que les autorités avaient suspendu le deuxième tour des élections qui auraient dû leur donner une majorité en 1992, ouvrant une décade de violence qui a causé la mort de plus de 100.000 personnes. Le comportement futur d'Abassi Madani inquiète assez peu les autorités; sur le site Internet du FIS, il a lancé un appel au calme. L'attitude d'Ali Belhadj est plus incertaine; il a refusé de signer un engagement de se tenir aux conditions de sa libération. Mais après leur remise en liberté, mercredi, les militants du FIS ont gardé le calme. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 3 juillet 2003) 

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