Weekly ANB0925_04.txt #7

[anb-bia <anb-bia at village.uunet.be>]

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 25-09-2003      PART #4/7

* Kenya/UE. Accord de coopération  -  L'Union européenne et le Kenya sont 
parvenus à un accord de stratégie de coopération pour un montant de 225 
millions d'euros pour la période 2003-2007. L'aide européenne portera 
essentiellement sur l'agriculture et le développement rural, avec un accent 
particulier sur les routes et un appui budgétaire macro-économique. Sur les 
fonds octroyés, 170 millions d'euros sont déjà programmés, tandis que 55 
millions serviront à couvrir les besoins en cas d'imprévus. En plus de 
l'appui au développement des communautés rurales, les fonds programmés 
serviront à apporter une assistance au secteur des transports et à la 
réfection des routes au nord de Mombasa, qui desservent la région des 
Grands Lacs. En effet, les pays enclavés de cette région (Burundi, Rwanda, 
Ouganda et la partie nord-est du Congo-RDC) sont approvisionnés par le port 
de Mombasa. Il est prévu que la route partant de Mombasa desserve plus tard 
aussi l'Ethiopie.   (PANA, Sénégal, 18 septembre 2003)

* Kenya. Kenya to make AIDS drugs  -  19 September: A Kenyan firm has 
followed a South African company to become the second African company to 
manufacture affordable life-prolonging AIDS drugs. Cosmos Pharmaceuticals 
says production of the generic drugs for the East African market could 
begin as early as next month following extensive research and development 
at its Nairobi facility. Kenya, has one of the highest HIV/AIDS infection 
rates in the world, with about 2.2 million people living with the disease. 
Currently only 7, 000 receive anti-retroviral drugs at an average cost of 
about $40 per month per person. The firm's director Prakash Patel said the 
company will produce AIDS drugs under the brand names Neviriv, Lemurs, 
Lazidariv, Stariv and Zidocos.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 19 September 2003)

* Kenya. Thousands attend Cardinal's funeral  -  On 19 September, Cardinal 
Maurice Michael Otunga was buried at St. Austin's Cemetery, in the suburbs 
of Nairobi. The Cardinal died on 6 September. Thousands of Catholics 
arrived for both the funeral service at Nairobi's Nyayo National Stadium, 
and for the burial service. Among the many dignitaries present at the 
funeral was Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki. The Cardinal was laid to rest in 
a simple grave. Cardinal Otunga was ordained to the priesthood in 1950 and 
became a bishop six years later at the age of 33. He retired as Archbishop 
of Nairobi in 1997, having been created Cardinal in 1973.   (Francis 
Njuguna, ANB-BIA, Kenya, 20 September 2003)

* Kenya. Oil spill now poses ecological disaster  -  More than three 
million mangrove seedlings along Tsunza Bay in Mombasa are in danger of 
drying up after being covered by an oil spill. And the Kenya Ports 
Authority (KPA) has instituted investigations to establish the source of 
the mysterious spill. Residents of Tsunza told The East African Standard 
that they woke up on 17 September to find their beach totally covered with 
crude oil that was yesterday still floating on the sea water. The Tsunza 
Conservation and Development Programme Co-ordinator, Mr Teddy Majaliwa, 
said three million mangrove seedlings could dry up. KPA Harbour Master and 
operations manager, Captain Twalib Khamisi, confirmed the spill saying 
harbour officials had not yet established the source of the spill. Khamisi 
revealed that KPA had already engaged a African Management Company, to 
investigate the incident with a view of apprehending the culprits. "The 
spill originated from around the Kenya Navy base at Mtongwe or the port 
precincts", said Khamisi. He said the culprit will be forced to mop up the 
entire 60 kilometres that the spilt oil is covering.   (The East African 
Standard, Kenya, 22 September 2003)

* Kenya. New vice-president apointed  -  President Mwai Kibaki has named 
his close ally and veteran politician Moody Awori as vice-president, one 
month after the death of his previous deputy. Mr Awori, 76, has been the 
minister for home affairs since President Kibaki led the then opposition 
National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) to an election victory against the Kenya 
African National Union (Kanu) which ruled Kenya for 39 years. Mr Awori's 
appointment follows the death on 23 August of the former vice-president, 
Michael Wamalwa at London's Royal Free Hospital, where he had been 
undergoing treatment for an undisclosed illness. Mr Awori comes from the 
Luhya ethnic community -- the second largest in Kenya -- whose support was 
crucial in the elections that saw the exit of Daniel Arap Moi, who ruled 
Kenya for 24 years.   (BBC News, UK, 25 September 2003)

* Liberia. Feu vert aux Casques bleus  -  Le 19 septembre, le Conseil de 
sécurité de l'Onu a adopté à l'unanimité une résolution mettant en place la 
Mission des Nations unies au Liberia, qui pourra compter jusqu'à 15.000 
Casques bleus. En plus des soldats, la résolution autorise le déploiement 
de 1.115 officiers de police civile, 250 observateurs militaires et 160 
officiers d'état-major pour une durée de 12 mois. La mission, qui ne 
devrait pas être opérationnelle avant 3 ou 4 mois, intégrera d'ici le 1er 
octobre une partie des forces de l'Ecomil, la force ouest-africaine 
d'interposition déjà déployée dans le pays. L'Ecomil est parvenue à apaiser 
la situation dans la capitale, Monrovia, mais pas dans les 
campagnes.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 19 septembre 2003)

* Liberia. UN peacekeeping force approved  -  19 September: The United 
Nations Security Council has unanimously approved a force of up to 15,000 
peacekeepers for Liberia. The resolution, proposed by the United States, 
sets up a UN mission in Liberia to monitor last month's peace agreement 
between the government and rebels. The main task of the force will be to 
restore security and to devise a plan to disarm more than 30,000 
militiamen, including child soldiers, who are still active in the 
countryside. In August, Liberia's two main rebel groups signed a 
power-sharing deal with the interim government to end four years of bitter 
civil war. Nigeria has been the main player in peace efforts in Liberia, 
where its troops make up most of a 3,500-strong West African peacekeeping 
force --Ecomil. Its peacekeepers have helped subdue violence in the 
capital, Monrovia, but not in rural areas. More than 1,000 civilian police 
will be included in the UN peacekeeping mission. No countries have yet 
committed troops to the proposed force, but the UN envoy to Liberia is 
currently holding discussions with several European governments. The 
15-member Council created the mandate for a year, subject to renewal, but 
it is expected to be three to four months before the force is 
deployed.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 19 September 2003)

* Liberia. Le butin de Taylor  -  Selon une enquête du bureau des Nations 
unies à Monrovia, l'ancien président Charles Taylor, en exil depuis le 11 
août dernier au Nigeria, aurait détourné près de 100 millions de dollars 
des caisses de l'Etat pendant les quatre dernières années de sa présidence. 
L'argent provenait notamment du registre maritime libérien et des 
exportations de bois. Des membres du gouvernement Taylor ont confié aux 
enquêteurs qu'il utilisait les ressources publiques pour acheter 
illégalement des armes, mais aussi des maisons, des voitures... et des 
partenaires sexuelles. Dernière escroquerie de Taylor: le détournement des 
3 millions de dollars alloués par Taiwan pour le désarmement et la 
démobilisation de ses milices.   (J.A.I., France, 21-27 septembre 2003)

* Liberia. Liberians used as forced labour  -  23 September: The United 
Nations have accused rebels in Liberia of using civilians as forced labour. 
The UN's Humanitarian Affairs Agency (OCHA) says members of the main rebel 
group, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), are 
forcing women to harvest rice for them in the northern town of Gbarnga, 
which is suffering food shortages. According to OCHA, recent fighting 
between LURD and the government has forced more than 5,000 civilians to 
flee into nearby Guinea between 29 August and 18 September.   (ANB-BIA, 
Belgium, 23 September 2003)

* Liberia. Travaux forcés  -  Les deux mouvements rebelles au Liberia 
utlisent des civils comme travailleurs forcés, ont dénoncé les Nations 
unies le 23 septembre. D'après le Bureau pour la coordination des affaires 
humanitaires (Ocha), des commandants locaux des Libériens unis pour la 
réconciliation et la démocratie (Lurd) ont notamment forcé des femmes à 
travailler pour eux dans des rizières à Gbarnga (centre). Les rebelles du 
Mouvement pour la démocratie au Liberia (Model) utilisent également des 
civils comme main-d'oeuvre forcée à Buchanan, second port du Liberia.   (La 
Libre Belgique, 25 septembre 2003)

* Libye/Espagne. Visite de M. Aznar  -  Le jeudi 18 septembre à Tripoli, au 
terme d'une visite de deux jours en Libye, le Premier ministre espagnol 
José Maria Aznar a qualifié de "fructueux et constructifs" les entretiens 
qu'il a eu avec le colonel Kadhafi. Ces entretiens ont porté notamment sur 
la consolidation des relations libyo-espagnoles, ainsi que sur les moyens 
de consolider la coopération entre les deux rives de la Méditerranée et 
entre l'Union africaine et l'Union européenne. M. Aznar a indiqué que sa 
visite en Libye, la première d'un responsable européen de haut rang depuis 
la levée vendredi dernier des sanctions imposées à Tripoli par le Conseil 
de sécurité de l'Onu, avait pour objectifs principaux la consolidation des 
relations entre la Libye et l'Espagne dans tous les domaines, et la 
contribution au retour entier de la Libye au sein de la communauté 
internationale.   (D'après PANA, Sénégal, 18 septembre 2003)

* Libya. Spanish PM visits Gaddafi  -  The Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi 
basked in a landmark visit by the Spanish prime minister, Jose Maria Aznar, 
the first by a western leader since the UN lifted two weeks ago the 
sanctions imposed for the 1988 Pan Am Lockerbie bombing. Colonel Gaddafi, 
dressed in purple and gold robes, held court inside a white tent and 
surprised Mr Aznar by presenting him with a horse. The prime minister held 
a press conference outlining his two-day visit without Col Gaddafi. While 
the Libyan leader declined to talk publicly about the lifting of sanctions, 
he revelled in the publicity provided by the dozens of journalists 
accompanying Mr Aznar. After waving goodbye to Mr Aznar at his residence at 
Tripoli's Bab al-Aziziya barracks, the style-conscious Col Gaddafi unfurled 
a white parasol, walked a few paces and climbed into a new Volkswagen 
Beetle. Thirty-four years after coming to power in a coup, and after being 
treated as a pariah for years because of alleged terrorist involvement, Col 
Gaddafi hopes to "rejoin the international community", according to one 
Spanish source. To fully return, though, he must convince Washington to 
lift its sanctions, including its ban on imports of Libyan oil.   (The 
Guardian, UK, 19 September 2003)

* Libya. Seeking to open dialogue with Washington  -  Libya is expecting to 
open talks with the US soon, in the hope of paving the way for a 
normalisation of relations with Washington. Abdurrahman Shalgam, the 
country's foreign minister, said that bilateral talks had already been 
discussed in the meetings that led to agreement over compensation and the 
assumption of responsibility by Libya for the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am 
flight over Lockerbie, Scotland. In an interview with the Financial Times 
on 20 September, he said that the first round of talks with the US could be 
as early as next month. "We have a target and that is to normalise 
bilateral relations. We're completely open and ready to discuss any issue 
[with the US]. The main obstacle to talking in the past was 
Lockerbie."   (Financial Times, UK, 22 September 2003)

* Libye. Pour la levée des sanctions  -  La Libye espère entamer dans les 
prochaines semaines des négociations avec les Etats-Unis en vue de la 
normalisation de leurs relations diplomatiques, après le succès récent des 
discussions sur la levée des sanctions internationales contre la Libye. Les 
discussions pourraient débuter dès le mois d'octobre. Jusqu'à présent, les 
Etats-Unis voulaient s'assurer que Tripoli ne cherche pas à se doter 
d'armes de destruction massive et ne soutient plus le terrorisme. - D'autre 
part, le 22 septembre, quelque 200 Libyens ont manifesté devant le siège de 
l'Onu à Genève, pour réclamer des réparations à la suite de la mort de 
proches lors des bombardements américains de Tripoli et Benghazi, en 1986. 
Cette action fait suite à l'accord sur l'indemnisation des victimes des 
attentats commis par la Libye.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 23 
septembre 2003)

* Malawi. Concern over illiteracy  -  Despite Malawi's introduction of free 
primary education which nine years ago saw over 3 million children enroling 
for primary education, there are reports that 58% of its 10 million people 
cannot read and write. Speaking on the occasion of International Literacy 
Day, Malawi's Minister of Gender, Alice Sumani, expressed concern that with 
the high illiteracy rate, the government is finding it tough to promote 
issues dealing with health and social development. Most of the 58% are 
women.   (Frank Jomo, ANB-BIA, Malawi, 12 September 2003)

* Malawi. Clues to past lie in lake of stars  -  Scientists are preparing 
to drill deep into the great African lakes -- which contain some of the 
richest archives of the planet's development -- to extract secrets about 
the ice ages, global warming and human evolution. Advance teams with 
specialised equipment will soon start setting up a base on the shores of 
Lake Malawi, a seven million-year-old, 750-metre-deep geological treasure 
trove. Technology designed for the mining industry has been adapted for the 
drilling, which is intended to solve riddles such as whether our ancestors 
evolved in forests or savannah-land, and whether the Earth's climate engine 
was driven by the ice sheets or the tropics. The scientists hope the 
answers will guide policymakers struggling to respond to melting icecaps, 
rising sea levels, floods and droughts. "This should provide first-level 
input to the climate modellers," said Andrew Cohen, professor of 
geosciences at the University of Arizona. After Lake Malawi, a separate 
drilling project is due at Ghana's Lake Bosumtwi and eventually the 
scientists hope to explore the ultimate prize: Tanzania's Lake Tanganyika, 
which is 1,500 metres deep, and which promises to offer up a much longer 
record, of several million years.   (The Guardian, UK, 20 September 2003)

* Maroc. "Le plus vieux dinosaure du monde"  -  Le 22 septembre, les 
autorités marocaines et une équipe de paléontologistes internationaux ont 
annoncé la découverte du squelette fossilisé d'un dinosaure vieux de 180 
millions d'années, le "plus vieux au monde". L'animal ressemblait sans 
doute à un gros rhinocéros avec un très long cou et une longue queue. 
Baptisé "Tazoudasaurus naïmi", du nom du village de Tazouda où il a été 
découvert, dans les montagnes du Haut-Atlas, ce dinosaure d'environ 9 
mètres de long serait l'ancêtre des sauropodes d'Amérique du Nord, 
"seulement" vieux quant à eux de 140 millions d'années. A l'ère secondaire, 
l'océan Atlantique n'existait pas et l'Afrique du Nord et l'Amérique 
étaient soudées en un "supercontinent", a rappelé le paléontologiste 
Philippe Tacquet. Le squelette a été découvert à 1.500 mètres d'altitude, à 
70 km de Ouarzazate.   (AP, 22 septembre 2003)

* Morocco. Three sentenced to life imprisonment  -  18 September: A 
Moroccan court sentences a French national and two Moroccans to life 
imprisonment for planning terrorist attacks in an attempt to overthrow the 
state. The court also gave a variety of other sentences of up to 30 years 
to 30 other defendants in the case. Two of the accused are found innocent. 
Frenchman Pierre Robert, 31, has denied all the charges and claimed he had 
been tortured in custody. His trial was the most high profile of a series 
of cases of suspected Islamic militants arrested in the aftermath of the 
suicide bombings in Casablanca in May which killed 45 people. Robert and 
the other defendants were not accused of carrying out the Casablanca 
attacks, but of plotting similar bombings in the northern city of Tangiers 
where they lived. @CITA_1 = (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 18 September 2003)

Weekly anb0925.txt - #4/7