Weekly anb02214.txt #7

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

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 21-02-2002      PART #4/7

* Libya. Court rejects HIV plot charges  -  A court in Libya has said there 
is no evidence of a plot to undermine state security in the case of seven 
foreign medical workers accused of infecting children with HIV. The 
People's Court in Tripoli, which deals with matters of state security, has 
referred the case to an ordinary criminal court. The Palestinian doctor and 
six Bulgarian medical workers on trial have been in detention for three 
years. The decision makes their case less fraught, but they still face 
charges carrying the death sentence. Bulgarian public opinion had been 
alarmed when the Libyan leader, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, spoke about a 
possible conspiracy by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad or the 
American CIA. But in the hearing on 17 February at the People's Court, 
attended by foreign diplomats, the Libyan judge said the only incontestable 
fact so far was that a number of children had died. The Bulgarian foreign 
minister had visited Tripoli at the end of last year to discuss the case 
with Colonel Gaddafi and his son, Seif al-Islam. The defendants, who all 
deny the charges, have been moved out of prison and placed under house 
arrest. Some of them say they were forced to make confessions under 
torture.   (BBC News, UK, 17 February 2002)

* Libya. Meeting Gaddafi's son and heir  -  Dressed in jeans and appearing 
confident, Colonel Gaddafi's son, Seif al-Islam, gave short and precise 
answers to the journalists questioning him. It was a thoroughly modern 
performance, in sharp contrast to the flowing robes and rambling language 
preferred by his father. Our group had been specially flown to the town of 
Sirte on an elegant presidential plane in order to interview him. In one of 
the vast marble halls in the building where the Libyan General People's 
Congress meets, Seif al-Islam sat underneath a portrait of his father. We 
may have been surrounded by symbols of the Libyan state, fashioned 
according to Colonel Gaddafi's ideas, but Seif al-Islam insisted that his 
agenda is separate from that of the government. "I run a non-governmental 
organisation, I have my own agenda, I have my own mission, they have their 
own mission. Sometimes we agree and sometimes not," he said. The leader's 
second son heads the Gaddafi Foundation, a charity which tries to project a 
new and positive image of Libya. The foundation has been involved in 
attempts to get Western hostages released in both the Philippines and 
Afghanistan. More recently it has been trying to fly out of Afghanistan 
Arab families caught up in the turmoil there. Seif al-Islam's intervention 
has also secured vastly improved detention conditions for Bulgarian medical 
workers accused of infecting Libyan children with the virus which causes 
Aids. All this is giving him a high profile in a country where the leader 
overshadows everyone. Does it mean Seif al-Islam is being groomed for the 
succession? No, he insists, that would be inconsistent with Libya's 
progressive system.   (BBC News, UK, 20 February 2002)

* Madagascar. Political uncertainties  -  14 February: A blockade on a 
major transport route in Madagascar has cut off the capital city, 
threatening to starve Antananarivo of petrol within a matter of days. 
Hundreds of lorries waiting to bring goods and fuel into the city are lined 
up either side of a major river crossing in a protest that is part of the 
ongoing political crisis in the country. The blockade comes as the 
opposition candidate in the island's disputed election, Marc Ravalomanana, 
said he was ready to negotiate with President Didier Ratsiraka. Speaking 
after an initial meeting with the president, Mr Ravalomanana said the two 
men had agreed on teams to help with the negotiations. He said he was 
prepared to discuss a compromise and build a consensus government. But Mr 
Ravalomanana said demonstrations would go on until it was established who 
had won December's elections. Madagascar's capital has been rocked by huge 
daily protests and a general strike over Mr Ravalomanana's claim that he 
won the poll outright and that authorities rigged the results in order to 
hold a second round. For a week trucks loaded with supplies for 
Antananarivo have continued to stack up. 15 February 2002: Representatives 
of Madagascar's President Didier Ratsiraka and his main election rival Marc 
Ravalomanana are due to meet again, today. The talks were set to resume 
after what reports called a difficult first round of discussions to try to 
resolve a political crisis rooted in allegations of vote-rigging. 17 
February; Negotiators are locked in talks, in an effort to resolve the 
political crisis and the general strike which are crippling the country. 
Five representatives from each side have been meeting every day since 14 
February in an attempt to solve the dispute over the first round of 
elections, widely accused of being fraudulent, and to decide how to hold a 
second ballot to legally select a new president. The opposition hopeful, 
Marc Ravalomanana, who called the general strike and has huge support in 
Antananarivo, has set a deadline of 18 February for the committee to come 
to an agreement before he will "act". In his address to the people on 15 
February, he asked for their continuing support. 18 February: More than 
100,000 people take to the streets of Antananarivo. Marc Ravalomanana tells 
his supporters there is very little progress in the negotiations to resolve 
the political crisis. 19 February: The second round of Madagascar's 
presidential elections, scheduled for 24 February, has been postponed until 
24 March. Both President Didier Ratsiraka and opposition leader Marc 
Ravalomanana have agreed that the run-off should be put back, according to 
a statement read out by an official from the Organisation of African Unity. 
OAU Assistant Secretary General Said Djinnit also announced that talks 
between the two sides would resume in the next few days, after no progress 
had been made in a series of meetings to date. 20 February: Marc 
Ravalomanana declares he will seize power in the country. He makes the 
threat while speaking to tens of thousands of people in Antananarivo. He 
says he is abandoning negotiations over a 2nd round of voting and there 
will be an inauguration ceremony at a stadium in the capital on 22 
February.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 21 February 2002)

* Madagascar. Coup de force?  -  14 février. Trois missions internationales 
de haut niveau s'activent actuellement à Madagascar afin de dénouer la 
crise électorale. Après la médiation de l'OUA conduite avec succès par 
Amara Essy, la Commission de l'océan Indien (COI) et les Nations unies ont 
repris conjointement le relais. Aux termes des consultations du 13 février, 
il ressort que le principe d'un report du second tour est acquis. Le 
président Ratsiraka est aussi d'accord pour la présence d'observateurs pour 
ce second tour. Parmi les points qui restent en suspens, fi-gure la demande 
de M. Ravalomanana sur la révision de la décision de la Haute Cour 
constitutionnelle concernant les résultats du premier tour. De plus, 
l'opposition demande la création d'un gouvernement de transition. - Les 
jours suivants, les représentants des deux protagonistes se sont rencontrés 
plusieurs fois par jour, ensemble avec le secrétaire général adjoint de 
l'OUA M. Saïd Djinnit, qui joue le rôle de facilitateur. Les discussions 
visent à "trouver des solutions consensuelles sur les questions en 
suspens", notamment une nouvelle date pour le second tour et les conditions 
d'un scrutin transparent et fiable. Pendant ce temps, les manifestations se 
poursuivent; le 18 février, au cinquième jour des négociations et alors que 
la grève générale entrait dans sa 4e semaine, des centaines de milliers de 
personnes étaient à nouveau rassemblées dans le centre de la capitale. Le 
19 février, les négociations se sont achevées sans accord global; seul le 
report du second tour a été entériné. Et le 20 février, Ravalomanana 
annonçait qu'il "prendrait le pouvoir", le surlendemain, donnant 
rendez-vous à ses partisans au stade municipal de Mahamasina, lieu 
symbolique où les nouveaux présidents vont traditionnellement se faire 
acclamer par la foule. Coup de bluff ou volonté réelle? Malgré son 
apparente détermination, M. Ravalomanana sait qu'il n'a aucune chance 
d'être reconnu par la communauté internationale et les bailleurs de fonds 
sans second tour. Jeudi 21, le gouvernement malgache a condamné le projet 
de Ravalomanana de prendre le pouvoir en violation de la constitution et en 
rompant les négociations. Il a averti qu'il n'accepterait pas de coup de 
force. De son côté, le ministre de la Défense Marcel Ranjeva a assuré que 
la réponse de l'armée serait "graduée et adaptée" si les manifestants 
tentaient de s'emparer de bâtiments publics. Il a affirmé que l'armée était 
neutre et légaliste et que sa mission était de "s'interposer en cas de 
heurts entre les citoyens".   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 21 février 2002)

* Madagascar. On craint le pire...  -  Après l'échec des négociations et 
des médiations de plusieurs organisations internationale, l'OUA et l'ONU 
entre autres, ainsi que des parlementaires francophones, Ravalomanana Marc, 
sous la pression de ses partisans, a décidé d'instaurer un gouvernement 
insurrectionnel. Il va se faire introniser le vendredi 22 février. Les 
principaux bailleurs de fonds de Madagascar et les grands Etats occidentaux 
partenaires de la Grande Ile lui ont déja fait savoir qu'ils n'accepteront 
pas un gouvernement insurrectionnel. Mais Ravalomanana est acculé par ses 
partisans. D'autant qu'il a épuisé tous les voies légales pour sortir la 
crise. En grève générale depuis le 28 janvier dernier, la situation dans la 
capitale devient de plus en plus intenable. Les grands axes routiers menant 
à la capitale sont barrés par les partisans de Didier Ratsiraka, son 
principal rival. Une pénurie de carburants se profile déja à Antananarivo 
et tout le monde craint le pire actuellement. On attend la riposte de 
Ratsiraka.   (L. Ratsiazo/ANB-BIA, Madagascar, 21 février 2002)

* Malawi. Famine situation  -  In view of the on-going famine situation in 
Malawi (cf. ANB-BIA 's Weekly News, 14 February), the Association of Men 
Religious of Malawi (AMRIM), and the Association of Religious Institutes of 
Women in Malawi (ARIMA) have issued an appeal to the Episcopal Conference 
of Malawi and to Christian Churches. The two Associations say that: "We are 
in an emergency situation. Many people are surviving on selling off their 
livestock and these are being sold off cheaper than usual. The government 
must ensure that the maize imported is the cheapest on the market and 
reaches the remotest villages in the countryside." A similar appeal has 
been launched by priests of Lilongwe Diocese to the Nation and the 
International Community. They say: "In some of our parishes, elderly people 
who haven't left their villages for a long time, now struggle to get to our 
churches and sit down saying they have come to die".   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 
16 February 2002)

* Malawi. Famine: appel des religieux  -  La famine qui afflige le Malawi 
doit être déclarée "catastrophe nationale" par le gouvernement, ont demandé 
les religieux du diocèse de Lilongwe dans un dramatique appel. Ils y 
décrivent les dimensions de ce qui a tout d'un immense désastre. Faire une 
estimation du nombre de personnes qui sont en train de mourir de faim dans 
les zones rurales est pour le moment impossible, indiquent les religieux. 
Ils demandent en particulier au gouvernement de baisser le prix du maïs 
(qui n'est plus disponible qu'en petite quantité), d'instaurer des 
contrôles sévères sur les coûts et de reconstituer les réserves nationales. 
Selon un rapport de la FAO, les récoltes de maïs au Malawi ont diminué d'un 
tiers par rapport à l'an dernier, essentiellement à cause des 
précipitations excessives et des inondations qui ont touché la région. 
650.000 personnes sont concernées, surtout dans le sud du pays. Environ 
200.000 tonnes devraient être importées pour couvrir les besoins les plus 
urgents.   (D'après Misna, Italie, 16-20 février 2002)

* Maurice. Démission du président Cassam Uteem  -  Le 15 février, le 
président de l'île Maurice, Cassam Uteem, a démissionné de toutes ses 
fonctions, suite à son refus de promulguer une loi sur la prévention du 
terrorisme. M. Uteem avait proposé dix amendements à cette loi 
antiterroriste, mais l'Assemblée nationale les avait tous rejetés. Il avait 
notamment réclamé que le soutien moral à une cause terroriste ne soit pas 
pénalisé, donnant l'exemple de la Palestine. Estimant que le texte "bafoue 
les droits fondamentaux des citoyens mauriciens", le président Uteem a 
préféré démissionner. -Le 17 février, le vice-président de la République, 
M. Angidi Chettiar, devenu président par intérim, a également démissionné 
pour les mêmes raisons. Aux termes de la Constitution, l'intérim sera 
maintenant assuré par le plus haut magistrat, M. Arriranga Pillay. Le 
gouvernement a convoqué pour lundi 25 février l'Assemblée nationale pour 
une séance exceptionnelle, destinée à élire les nouveaux président et 
vice-président du pays.   (D'après PANA, Sénégal, 15-18 février 2002)

* Mauritius. President resigns  -  15 February: The president of Mauritius, 
Cassam Uteem, has resigned in protest at a controversial anti-terrorism 
bill which the government wants signed into law. Mr Uteem, whose post is 
largely honourary, has been locked in a power struggle with parliament over 
the law, which, among other things, allows the police to hold suspects for 
longer periods without charging them. The Mauritian opposition says the law 
erodes the rights of suspects. Mr Uteem refused to sign the bill earlier 
this week, forcing parliament to debate the issue again at a specially 
convened session on 14 February. Mr Uteem has now left to go on a 
pilgrimage to Mecca. Mr Uteem took office in July 1992. He was expected to 
be replaced in June 2002. Mauritius is politically stable and popular with 
tourists. It has a population of 1.3 million. Just over half are Hindu, 
with the next largest groups being Creole and Muslim. 18 February: The new 
President of Mauritius, Angidi Chettiar, has resigned in protest at the 
anti-terrorism bill, leaving the country without a head of state for the 
second time in three days. Mr Chettiar announced that like his predecessor, 
he was not prepared to approve the bill. Reports from Mauritius say Prime 
Minister Anerood Jugnauth will now try and select a new President who is 
less closely aligned with the political opposition. Under the Constitution, 
the President, whose post is largely ceremonial, is obliged to either sign 
the bill into law or leave office. 19 February: The interim President, 
Supreme Court Chief Justice Arianga Pillay, has signed the anti-terrorism 
bill into law.   (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 19 February 2002)

* Morocco. Steep rise in poverty  -  The number of Moroccans living below 
the poverty line of about one dollar a day has risen from 4.2 million in 
1998 to 5.5 million, or 18 percent of the population, a minister said on 15 
February. Abbas El Fassi, Employment, Training and Social Development 
Minister, told a conference the rise stemmed mainly from three years of 
drought which had hit the agriculture-reliant economy and hampered economic 
growth. In remarks carried by the official MAP news agency, El Fassi said 
it was also due to a rise in crude oil prices and "an educational system 
inherited by the current government which does not link training to 
employment." The latest official figures put the unemployment rate in 
Morocco at 13 percent of the 10.5-million workforce. The government, which 
took power in 1998, led for the first time by the Socialists Union of 
Popular Forces (USFP), had set the eradication of poverty and corruption 
among its priorities. Government critics say efforts so far have been 
fruitless.   (CNN, USA, 15 February 2002)

* Rwanda. Le nombre de victimes du génocide  -  Un rapport gouvernemental, 
qui n'est pas encore officiel, établit à 1.074.017 personnes, soit un 
septième de la population rwandaise, le nombre de victimes du génocide 
rwandais. Et 93,7% d'entre elles appartiennent à la minorité tutsi, selon 
un exemplaire du rappport obtenu par Associated Press. Ce rapport ne doit 
pas être publié avant d'avoir reçu l'approbation du gouvernement, a précisé 
le ministre des Collectivités rurales et des Affaires sociales, le 14 
février. Fruit de deux ans de recherches d'experts du ministère, le rapport 
part de l'année 1990 pour recenser les victimes du génocide, plutôt que de 
la période des trois mois du printemps 1994 au cours de laquelle la 
majorité des massacres eut lieu. Après ces 100 jours, entre avril et 
juillet 1994, les associations humanitaires avaient estimé qu'entre 500.000 
et 800.000 personnes avaient été tuées.   (AP, USA, 14 février 2002)

Weekly anb0221.txt - #4/7