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Weekly anb03143.txt #7
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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 14-03-2002 PART #3/7
* Congo (RDC). Le dialogue à Sun City - 7 mars. D'emblée, les discussions
à Sun City ont buté sur le statut du gouvernement de Kinshasa et son rôle
dans la phase de transition. Le gouvernement considère qu'il doit rester en
place durant cette transition (quitte à partager ses pouvoirs avec ses
adversaires), alors que les mouvements rebelles veulent que le dialogue de
Sun City instaure un gouvernement intérimaire menant à des élections. - Le
samedi 9 mars, les discussions se sont encore poursuivies pour fixer le
règlement intérieur et l'ordre du jour. Le premier dossier est quasi
bouclé, à l'exception d'un litige à propos des observateurs. Mais les
obstacles à l'adoption de l'ordre du jour sont plus fondamentaux, portant
sur le "nouvel ordre politique" pendant la période de transition. Le
dimanche cependant, l'optismisme prévalait sur une issue possible le lundi.
-Lundi 11 mars. Les participants ont lancé les discussions de fond sur
l'avenir de la RDC, après avoir adopté les derniers articles de l'ordre du
jour et du règlement intérieur. Finalement, comme observateurs admis à
suivre les travaux du dialogue, seuls ont été retenus l'ONU, l'OUA,
l'Afrique du Sud et la Zambie (et donc ni les pays alliés des belligérants,
ni les parrains occidentaux du processus de paix). Quant au "nouvel ordre
politque", les délégations ont confié à une commission politique la tâche
de trouver un terrain d'entente sur le statut du gouvernement lors de la
phase de transition. -12 mars. Les délégués, répartis en cinq commissions,
ont commencé à émettre des propositions concrètes. Ils doivent poursuivre
leurs travaux à huis clos pendant le mois à venir, avec au moins un
compte-rendu hebdomadaire. Les commissions sont chargées de la paix et la
réconciliation, la défense et la sécurité, les enjeux politiques et
juridiques, les questions humanitaires et sociales, l'économie et la
finance. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 13 mars 2002)
* Côte d'Ivoire. La carte de résident - Les ressortissants de la
Communauté économique des Etats de l'Afrique de l'Ouest (CEDEAO), installés
en Côte d'Ivoire, devront désormais payer 35.000 FCFA pour pouvoir
bénéficier d'une carte de séjour, a annoncé le 8 mars le ministre de
l'Intérieur. Contrairement à l'ancien titre de séjour qui coûtait 15.000
FCFA pour une durée d'un an, la nouvelle carte de résidence sera valable
pour une période de cinq ans. A titre de comparaison, la carte de séjour
étranger hors CEDEAO, qui coûtait 150.000 FCFA, passe à 300.000. Estimée
officiellement à 26% des 15 millions d'habitants de la Côte d'Ivoire, la
population étrangère est composée, pour sa majorité, de ressortissants des
15 pays membres de la CEDEAO et de la Mauritanie. (PANA, Sénégal, 12 mars
2002)
* Djibouti. UN team arrives to assess environmental damage - A UN team
has arrived in Djibouti to assess the environmental and humanitarian
situation at Djibouti port, where a toxic pesticide began leaking out of
shipping containers in January. On 5 March, the Djibouti authorities
announced that the situation had been "brought under control". The
Environment Minister, Abdallah Abdillahi Miguil, told a news conference
there has been a phased approach to try and contain the situation. "The
first phase is an emergency phase and it is almost over," he said. "The
second phase, which has not yet begun, is linked to an appeal we issued to
friendly countries, as well as international and regional organisations, to
help us with the expertise and the finances to tackle the pollution." The
FAO announced last month that 10 shipping containers in Djibouti port were
leaking a toxic pesticide -- chromated copper arsenate -- which was causing
serious health and environmental problems. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 6 March 2002)
* Egypte. Homosexuels condamnés - Le 11 mars, le tribunal correctionnel
de Damanhour (nord du pays) a condamné cinq Egyptiens à trois ans de
prison, assortis d'une peine de trois années de mise à l'épreuve, pour
homosexualité. Les cinq personnes, dont trois fonctionnaires, avaient été
arrêtées début février par la police des moeurs. Reconnus coupables de
"pratiques sexuelles contraires à l'islam", les accusés peuvent faire appel
de la décision. L'homosexualité ne figure par explicitement parmi les
crimes sexuels évoqués par la loi égyptienne, fondée sur la charia (loi
islamique). Mais plusieurs textes législatifs peuvent s'appliquer à
l'homosexualité. C'est la deuxième condamnation de ce type en Egypte en
moins de six mois. (Libération, France, 12 mars 2002)
* Eritrea/Ethiopia. Aftermath of the armed conflict - 7 March: The
international ruling on fixing the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea has
again been postponed and will now be announced on Saturday 13 April.
According to a statement sent to both sides by the international Boundary
Commission at The Hague, the announcement is set for 10.30 local time and
should not take longer than one hour. The decision was originally due to be
announced at the end of February, and was then postponed until the end of
March for "technical reasons". A UN peacekeeping force was sent in to the
disputed border area after a bitter war was fought between the two sides
between 1998 and 2000. In New York, members of the UN Security Council
urged Ethiopia and Eritrea to desist from any unilateral action, noting
that the upcoming border ruling was not the end of the peace process. The
Council met on 6 March to discuss the report of the recent Security Council
mission to the two countries. 13 March: Displaced children affected by the
armed conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea will be reunited with their
families, the UN special representative for children, Olara Otunna, has
said. Many families of mixed Ethiopian and Eritrean origin were torn apart
in the war, as tens of thousands of epople were either deported or
voluntarily repatriated by both sides. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 13 March 2002)
* Ethiopie. Dernier journaliste libéré - Reporters sans frontières (RSF)
se félicite de la libération de Tamrat Zuma, directeur de publication de
l'hebdomadaire Atkurot, détenu depuis près de 10 mois. C'est la première
fois depuis septembre 1993 qu'aucun journaliste n'est emprisonné en
Ethiopie, a indiqué RSF, tout en rappelant qu'une trentaine de
professionnels de la presse sont actuellement poursuivis en justice et
risquent d'être incarcérés à tout moment. L'organisation a appelé les
autorités éthiopiennes à modifier la loi sur la presse de 1992,
particulièrement répressive. (RSF, France, 7 mars 2002)
* The Gambia. Gambians wonder - Gambians are still wondering why former
President Sir Dawda Jawara is still in exile in spite of earlier
suggestions that he would have been a state guest during the country's 37th
independence anniversary on 18 February. In January, the Secretary of State
for Tourism and Culture, had said a red carpet reception was awaiting the
former President if he should return. Then there's a Member of Parliament
who is wondering why President Yahya Jammeh has not yet formed a new
cabinet almost two months after assuming office. Halifa Sallah is wondering
why Jammeh had not announced his cabinet immediately after assuming office
following the 18 December 2001 polls. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 9 March 2002)
* Guinea-Bissau. President imposes new head of Supreme Court - President
Kumba Yala has promised to allow the country's Supreme Court to elect its
own officers, but has invoked strong protest from opposition parties for
imposing his choice to head the body. Antonio Sedja Man was appointed
President of the Supreme Court by presidential decree and took office on 6
March. It was at Man's inaugural ceremony that Yala announced the court
would soon be able to elect its own officers, as guaranteed under the
constitution. The United Opposition, an umbrella of 10 parties, called
Man's appointment a "violation of the constitution". (IRIN, 7 March 2002)
* Kenya. Moi's last address to Parliament - President Daniel arap Moi of
Kenya has called on the country's politicians to conduct a peaceful
election and avoid making outrageous and inflammatory statements which are
likely to fuel tribal hatred. In his last state address to parliament
before retiring later this year, Mr Moi also spoke of rampant corruption,
reviving the ailing economy and the need to continue with peace initiatives
in the region. He urged all leaders and political activists to pursue peace
and unity for Kenya's success and prosperity. However, the opposition were
not impressed with what they called the "usual rhetoric with nothing new to
offer". "Generally, the president sounded tired. And I think it is time new
managers took over the running of the country with vigour and new
energies," said the leader of the Ford Kenya Party, Wamalwa Kijana. Mr Moi,
who became president under the one party rule in 1978, following the demise
of Kenya's first President, Jomo Kenyatta, is not allowed to run for
another term under the constitution. (BBC News, UK, 12 March 2002)
* Liberia. Une ouverture de Taylor - Le président libérien, Charles
Taylor, a fait des offres de paix aux membres de l'opposition politique,
promettant de ne rien faire qui puisse obstruer le processus électoral de
l'année 2003. Au cours d'une réunion organisée avec les leaders des partis
politiques de l'opposition au palais de la présidence, le président Taylor
a indiqué qu'il parlerait de paix et de réconciliation avec tous les
Libériens à Abuja. Des pourparlers de paix devraient réunir le 13 mars à
Abuja toutes les parties libériennes avec la médiation du président
nigérian Obasanjo et sous les auspices de la CEDEAO. Toutefois, cette
ouverture politique du président Taylor intervient à la suite de nouvelles
menaces de sanctions onusiennes sur l'industrie nationale du bois et de
nouvelles exigences posées par les Etats-Unis qui souhaitent que Taylor
respecte les libertés d'expression et de mouvement dans le pays. (PANA,
Sénégal, 11 mars 2002)
* Liberia. Hopefully, towards a better understanding - 11 March: Liberia
welcomes on the appointment of a four-member panel by UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan to verify Monrovia's compliance with a UN resolution to end its
support to Sierra Leonean dissidents. "We welcome the new composition of
the panel. We are ready to cooperate with the panel," Robert Lormic, the
public affairs officer at the Liberian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, says.
In a letter to the UN Security Council president, Annan named Atabou Bodian
(Senegal), Johan Peleman (Belgium), Harjit Singh Sandhu (India) and Alex
Vines (United Kingdom) to constitute the panel. They will compile "a brief
independent audit" of the government's adherence to the Council resolution
of 2001 and report their findings by 8 April latest. 13 March:
Representatives of the Liberian government and rebels have begun arriving
in Abuja, Nigeria, for their first direct peace talks since conflict flared
up in northern Liberia last year. -- Liberia has granted clemency and
released from Monrovis Central Prison people who attempted to overthrow
President Taylor's government in 1998. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 14 March 2002)
* Liberia. Human rights group condemns conditions of police cells - On 11
March, the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (JPC)'s Director, Frances
Johnson Morris, said that the conditions of inmates in police cells in
Monrovia, are "life-threatening". Morris, a former Chief Justice of
Liberia, said inmates were "inhumanely" treated and living under
"dehumanising" sanitary conditions. She said the cells were also too small
for the number of inmates per room, lacked sitting capacity and had no beds
for detainees to sleep on. "Conditions in these cells are at variance with
internationally acceptable standards and conditions of detention
facilities, as well as rules on treatment of inmates," she said. Inmates
were being treated as though "they are sub-humans, caged like ferocious
beasts, while others are almost nude". Morris said she had personally
observed conditions in one of the cells, when she was detained for several
hours by government early March, on the grounds of "mistaken identity." She
said she had written to the Justice Minister on 8 March, expressing the
JPC's willingness to collaborate with the Ministry to help improve
conditions in the cells. (PANA, Senegal, 11 March 2002)
* Liberia. Forced recruits - Hundreds of former child soldiers are being
forced to return to the front in Liberia, weeks after President Charles
Taylor called a state of emergency. Since 1999, the army has been battling
a mixed assortment of rebels from the 1989-96 civil war, who call
themselves Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy. On 8 February
8th, an attack on Klay Junction, just 35 km from the capital, Monrovia, set
alarm bells ringing. And this appears to be prompting the forcible
conscription of former child soldiers, who are now sleeping rough on the
streets. Out of an estimated 15,000 child soldiers who fought during
Liberia's civil war, only 4,300 have been demobilised. Many boys as young
as six were forced to fight for Charles Taylor's NPFL (National Patriotic
Front of Liberia), and other rebel groups. In exchange for their years of
fighting in the jungle, the former warlord promised them rich rewards when
they helped him reach the capital. But five years after Mr Taylor was
elected president, scores of young ex-combatants are on the streets of
Monrovia, trying to eke a living from cleaning windscreens, begging or
stealing. Some of them tried to return to their villages when the war was
over, but they found their houses razed and their families dead or
missing. (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 12 March 2002)
* Libya. CEN-SAD Summit - 7 March: The 18-member Community of
Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD), expresses "grave concern at the situation
in Madagascar". In a declaration at the close of its 4th annual summit in
the Libyan city of Sirte, CEN-SAD calls on both sides to open up to
"sincere and constructive dialogue." The declaration, also urged for a
respect of "the country's constitutional principles," and for the OAU to
continue the search for peace in Madagascar, and to ward off any external
interference there. Concerning the Middle East, CEN-SAD expressed sympathy
with President Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian people. It denounced what
it referred to as "state terrorism perpetrated by Israel against
defenceless civilian populations." CEN-SAD hailed what it qualified as the
"the bold position of African delegations in favour of Zimbabwe at the
recent Commonwealth summit." It expressed total support for President
Robert Mugabe in his tussle with what the bloc said was "the blatant
interference of foreign powers in Zimbabwe's internal affairs under the
guise of election monitoring." (ANB-BIA, Brussels, 8 March 2002)
Weekly anb0314.txt - End of part 3/7