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Weekly ANB1016_3.txt #6

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 16-10-2003      PART #3/6
* Guinée-Bissau. Situation financière préoccupante - Selon un communiqué rendu public le 12 octobre, les principales priorités du gouvernement de transition sont le paiement des arriérés de salaires des agents de la fonction publique et la reprise des cours dans les établissements scolaires publics. Le conseil des ministres s'est dit "très préoccupé par la situation économique et financière difficile que traverse en ce moment la Guinée-Bissau". Les finances publiques sont très mal-en-point, alors que le gouvernement doit impérativement éponger les dettes contractées au plan interne et rembourser celles auprès des institutions financières internationales et de ses bailleurs de fonds. -Par ailleurs, le 13 octobre, le président de la transition, Henrique Perreira Rosa, a reçu en audience des diplomates de Grande-Bretagne, d'Allemagne et du Cap-Vert. Les discussions ont porté essentiellement sur le renforcement de la coopération bilatérale avec la Guinée-Bissau. (PANA, Sénégal, 12-13 octobre 2003)
* Kenya. Splits widen in coalition - 13 October: Fresh turmoil in Kenya's governing National Rainbow Coalition (Narc) is threatening to scuttle the government following calls for the sacking of a cabinet minister. Four deputy ministers over the weekend asked President Mwai Kibaki to sack Raila Odinga for being what they called "the enemy working from within Narc to wreck the government". The calls were made by members of Mr Kibaki's National Alliance of Kenya, which formed Narc along with Mr Odinga's Liberal Democratic Party. Mr Odinga -- the minister for roads, public works and housing -- described the allegations as unfounded. The calls were made in the presence of the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Kiraitu Murungi, who is regarded as a close ally of President Kibaki. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 13 October 2003)
* Kenya. Probe team to investigate judges - 15 October: Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki has appointed two tribunals to investigate the conduct of 23 senior judges, who have been suspended amid corruption allegations. The president said in a statement the tribunal would investigate "allegations that the said judges...have been involved in corruption, unethical practices and absence of integrity in the performance of the functions of their office". A report released last month said corruption was rampant in the Kenyan legal system, with almost half of the country's judges and close to a third of its magistrates said to be corrupt. President Kibaki, who was elected last year, vowed to rid the country of corruption to win back donor support and made cleaning up the judiciary a key target. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 15 October 2003)
* Kenya. Truth Commission - 15 October: A Kenyan Government task force has recommended that President Mwai Kibaki form a truth commission to look into past human rights abuses and economic crimes. The 18-member task force said in its report that 90% of the Kenyans who submitted their views want President Kibaki's National Rainbow Coalition (Narc) government to establish an effective truth commission. The task force --appointed by Justice Minister Kiraitu Murungi in April to find out if Kenya wanted a truth and reconciliation commission --said that the commission should look into abuses and crimes committed since independence, 40 years ago. Mr Murungi said that Narc will act on the recommendations. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 15 October 2003)
* Kenya. Government calls for abolition of death penalty - "Stop to the death penalty in Kenya". This was the call made to the commission working for months on the revision of the Constitution. The call was formally made in Parliament on 15 October by the deputy interior ministry, Wilfred Machage. He reminded parliamentarians that there are currently 2,618 inmates on death row in the Kenyan prisons. Kenyan law sanctions hanging for any type of burglary with violence, murder and treason. Both during the election campaign and after the landslide December election victory, President Mwai Kibaki and many members of his party, which counts on a government majority, personally pronounced themselves in favour of the abolition of the death penalty. Declarations applauded by many international human rights groups, above all Amnesty International, which in past months had reminded the Kenyan administration to keep to its promises. (MISNA, Italy, 16 October 2003)
* Liberia. New peace troops for Liberia - 9 October: The first reinforcements of what is due to become the world's largest United Nations peacekeeping mission have arrived in the Liberian capital, Monrovia. Some 800 Bangladeshi troops are being flown into Liberia by helicopter from similar UN peacekeeping duties in neighbouring Sierra Leone. The UN says that today, Monrovia should be a "weapons-free zone" as it tries to pacify Liberia, which has suffered 14 years of civil war. The extra troops arrive days before a new power-sharing government, headed by neutral businessman Gyude Bryant, is due to take office. "We look forward to bringing peace to this country," said Colonel Humayn Khalid, the Bangladeshi commander. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 9 October 2003)
* Liberia/USA. Immunité - Les Etats-Unis ont signé avec le Liberia un accord mettant les ressortissants américains dans ce pays à l'abri de poursuites devant la Cour pénale internationale (CPI). Cet accord porte à plus de 65 le nombre d'accords d'immunité de ce type conclus par les Etats-Unis. (La Croix, France, 10 octobre 2003)
* Liberia. Reaping Chinese aid bonanza - 12 October: China and Liberia have re-opened diplomatic relations in a deal which sees China's arch rival Taiwan expelled from the country. The Government of Taiwan had been a close ally of the former President, Charles Taylor. He left the country for exile as part of the peace deal struck in August. For the Chinese Government, this is a small victory over Taiwan achieved with money rather than guns. The Chinese official who signed the deal says they are not fighting an aid war with Taiwan here, but he admits that it is something of a triumph over the old enemy. The Taiwanese pumped money into Liberia in Mr Taylor's time, forcing the Chinese to leave. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 12 October 2003)
* Liberia. Pacification et passation de pouvoirs - Le jeudi 9 octobre, le commandant de la Mission de l'Onu au Liberia (MINUL), le général kényan Daniel Opande, s'est rendu à Buchanan (90 km à l'est de Monrovia) pour y rencontrer le leader des rebelles du MODEL (Mouvement pour la démocratie au Liberia). Auparavant il avait déjà rencontré à Tubmanburg (nord-ouest) Sekou Conneh, président du LURD (Libériens unis pour la réconciliation et la démocratie), le principal groupe rebelle. L'objectif de ces rencontres est de mettre définitivement fin aux hostilités. Il y a quelques jours, la MINUL et les rebelles se sont mis d'accord sur la création d'une zone "sans armes" autour de la capitale Monrovia, où le premier contingent de renfort composé de 800 Bengladais est arrivé jeudi. -- D'autre part, le Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies s'est déclaré "préoccupé" par le fait que l'ancien chef d'Etat libérien en exil au Nigeria, Charles Taylor, continue d'interférer dans les affaires libériennes. Aussi, le 11 octobre, le président nigérian Obasanjo a rencontré M. Taylor pour le mettre en garde contre toute ingérence dans le fragile processus de paix. -- 14 octobre. La passation de pouvoirs entre le président par intérim, Moses Blah, et le chef désigné du gouvernement de transition, Gyude Bryant, s'est déroulée en présence du président ghanéen Kufuor, président en exercice de la CEDEAO, d'Alpha Oumar Konaré, président de la Commission de l'Union africaine, et du président nigérian Olusegun Obasanjo. Moses Blah était en charge depuis le départ en exil au Nigeria, le 11 août, de Charles Taylor. Gyude Bryant, chef du nouveau gouvernement de transition, doit rester en place jusqu'à la tenue d'élections générales en 2005. Il aura pour principale mission de reconstruire le Liberia, pays à genoux après 14 ans de guerre civile quasi ininterrompue et où 85% de la population vivent sous le seuil de pauvreté, ainsi que de préparer les élections générales. M. Bryant, homme d'affaires peu connu, protestant épiscopalien, est considéré comme une personnalité neutre dans le paysage politique libérien. Devant la présidente de la Cour suprême, il a juré de défendre les accords de paix interlibériens signés le 18 août dernier. - 15 octobre. Le Programme alimentaire mondial des Nations Unies (PAM) décide d'arrêter temporairement la distribution de nourriture aux personnes déplacées à l'intérieur du pays, à cause de la persistance des combats. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 16 octobre 2003)
* Liberia. Liberia's new leader - 13 October: Ordinary Liberians have little to cheer about even as they wait hopefully for the inauguration of a transition government on 14 October after 14 years of civil war. Many readily admit that they know very little about businessman Gyude Bryant who will take over as head of an interim government to guide Liberia to elections in 2005. On arrival in Monrovia, today, Mr Bryant is welcomed by thousands of excited Liberians who expect the successful businessman to change their lives. Many had expected things to change after the former president Charles Taylor was forced to leave the country in August. But for the majority little has changed, even after the deployment of West African peacekeepers. With the fighting having died down recently, Mr Bryant will need all his political acumen as he leads a government of 21 ministers deeply divided along party lines. One of the biggest problems he will have to confront is that of displaced Liberians. In Monrovia's Samuel K Doe stadium alone, over 50,000 people are still crammed into the stadium with neither sufficient food nor medical supplies. Many of them are from areas controlled by the rebel Liberians United for Reconstruction and Democracy (Lurd) and the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (Model). 14 October: Gyude Bryant is sworn in as the head of a new power-sharing government. Mr Bryant takes the oath on the Bible at a ceremony attended by several West African leaders, heavily guarded rebels and officials of the former government. There is a festive atmosphere in the city, just two months after it was the scene of heavy fighting. However, United Nations peacekeepers are on high alert and security is tight after a shootout between rebels and government supporters in Monrovia two weeks ago. In a reminder of the devastation wrought by the fighting, the guests are sitting on plastic chairs because the parliament building had recently been looted. And the sombre ceremony is punctuated by the sound of these chairs breaking and people falling to the floor. President Bryant begins his two-year term of office by abolishing monopolies on imports or rice and petroleum products, which former President Taylor had awarded to his cronies. 15 October: Gyude Bryant meets leaders of the country's warring parties and afterwards says they have all agreed to disarm their fighters. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 15 October 2003)
* Libya. Payout deadline passes - 12 October: The deadline for a compensation deal between Libya and the families of those killed in the 1989 French airliner bombing passed on 11 October without agreement. Hours before the ultimatum, Libya invited a delegation of relatives to continue talks in Tripoli on 13 October -- a move welcomed as a "positive sign"by the families' spokesman. Earlier, French President Jacques Chirac warned Libya that ties with France would suffer if it failed to stick to its commitment to offer an increased settlement. Last month France lifted a threat to block a United Nations resolution ending sanctions against Libya over the 1988 Lockerbie airliner bombing unless a similar compensation deal was agreed for the 170 who died in the Niger attack. France had protested that an earlier settlement was dwarfed by the $2.7bn Libya agreed to pay in connection with the Lockerbie bombings. Under a preliminary agreement, Libya and negotiators for the French families were meant to have reached a definitive deal by 11 October. 13 October: A Libyan team has gone to France to hold talks on compensating families of those killed in the bombing of a French airliner over the Sahara in 1989. The original deadline for a deal expired at the weekend. However, Tripoli has contacted the families to propose further discussions. 14 October: Libya suspends talks in Paris. The head of the Libyan delegation accuses France of reneging on an interim agreement reached last month. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 14 October 2003)
* Madagascar. A la veille des communales - Les Malgaches se rendront aux urnes les 17 et 23 novembre pour élire leurs maires et leurs conseillers dans les communes rurales et urbaines. Cette échéance revêt une importance particulière pour le gouvernement du président Ravalomanana qui a choisi les communes comme base de sa politique de développement. Aussi le climat politique devient plus tendu et les hostilités commencent par une guerre de communiqués. Le parti au pouvoir, le TIM, a déjà annoncé avoir comme objectif l'élection de plus 1.000 maires sur les 1.513 à choisir. L'opposition, elle, refait surface après plusieurs mois de silence. L'AREMA, le parti de l'ancien président Ratsiraka, dans un communiqué repris dimanche 12 octobre par tous les quotidiens du pays, dénonce "les harcèlements continuels dont sont victimes la plupart des leaders politiques ne roulant pas pour le régime actuel". - Le 13 octobre, des tracts au ton d'une rare violence incitant à la haine tribale ont été placardés sur les murs des quartiers populeux de la ville de Tamatave. Ils visent surtout la population des hauts plateaux, les Mérina, qu'ils accusent d'être à l'origine de tous leurs maux. Les tracts font également état de l'exclusion des "Tanindrana" (côtiers) dans les affaires nationales et menacent de "vengeances inévitables et terribles". (PANA, Sénégal, 14-15 octobre 2003) 

Weekly anb1016.txt - #3/6