Weekly anb0166.txt #8

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

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 16-01-2003      PART #6/8

* Morocco. Protests over Iraq crisis  -  Thousands of Moroccans have held a 
protest in the capital Rabat against a possible US-led war on Iraq. The 
demonstration, the first such protest allowed by Moroccan authorities since 
April 2002, was organised by a pro-Iraq grouping of some 50 political 
parties and associations, most of them linked to Morocco's increasingly 
popular Islamic movement. Protesters at the head of the march chanted 
"George Bush assassin, Tony Blair is his dog." The government of moderate 
Muslim-Arab Morocco supported efforts to resolve the crisis through the 
United Nations and prodded Iraq to let in UN weapons inspectors. Morocco 
also worked with Washington last year in breaking up an alleged al-Qaida 
plot to attack US and British warships in the Strait of Gibraltar that 
separates the North African nation from Spain. But Islamic groups and 
politicians claim that US war planners are motivated by a desire to get 
Iraqi oil, not fears of Saddam's weapons. They vehemently oppose a US 
attack, particularly when Washington -- in their eyes -- has failed to stay 
Israel's hand in the Palestinian territories.   (CNN, USA, 12 January 2003)

* Maroc. Lèse-majesté  -  Un militant de la Gauche socialiste unifiée 
(GSU), Mohamed Loukah, a été condamné à un an de prison pour lèse-majesté à 
Berkane (nord-est), selon le Journal hebdomadaire. Il avait plaidé, dans le 
cadre des élections législatives de 2002, en faveur d'une monarchie qui 
"règne mais ne gouverne pas".   (Libération, France, 13 janvier 2003)

* Maroc. 52 immigrés africains arrêtés pour "mendicité et 
vagabondage".  -  La police marocaine a arrêté mardi 52 immigrés africains 
subsahariens à Tanger (nord) pour "mendicité et vagabondage", a indiqué 
mercredi l'agence marocaine MAP. Les personnes arrêtées, dont 17 femmes, 
séjournaient "en cachette" dans des pensions de fortune "en attendant de se 
rendre illégalement en Europe", ajoute la MAP qui cite une source policière 
à Tanger. La police a arrêté trois autres personnes qui aménageaient leur 
domicile pour y accueillir des candidats à l'émigration clandestine, a-t-on 
indiqué de même source. Le Maroc, particulièrement sa zone nord, constitue 
une voie de passage de nombreux émigrés clandestins africains vers 
l'Europe. Les autorités marocaines ont arrêté 2.533 candidats à 
l'émigration clandestine vers l'Europe en 2002 dans les régions de Tanger 
et d'El Ayoun, au Sahara occidental, parmi lesquels 1.380 Africains 
subsahariens.   (D'après AFP, France, 15 janvier 2003)

* Morocco. Spanish fishing boats return to Morocco  -  15 January: Morocco 
is temporarily lifting its ban on Spanish boats fishing in its waters, as a 
gesture to the Galician fishermen hit by the oil slick from the Prestige. 
The move is being seen as a positive sign in the strained relations between 
the two countries Twenty-six fishing boats from the Galician region of 
north-western Spain are on their way to Moroccan waters to take advantage 
of a three-month lift of the fishing ban. The number of vessels allowed to 
trawl the seas off the coast of Morocco is likely to be increased over the 
coming weeks. The relaxing of the prohibition could benefit an estimated 
250 fishermen who have been unable to work since an oil slick in November 
polluted hundreds of kilometres of the coastline. The move, initiated by 
the Moroccan king, is one small, hopeful sign in the turbulent relationship 
between Morocco and Spain.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 15 January 2003)

* Maroc/Espagne. Pêche dans les eaux marocaines  -  Le 15 janvier, 21 
navires de pêche espagnols entameront leurs activités dans les eaux 
territoriales marocaines après avoir reçu, la veille, des licences 
délivrées par le ministère marocain des Pêches. Ces 21 bateaux font partie 
d'une flottille de 64 navires autorisés à y opérer, suite à un geste du roi 
Mohammed VI envers les pêcheurs espagnols affectés par le naufrage du 
pétrolier "Prestige". Les 64 navires sont autorisés à pêcher une seule 
espèce de poissons (le merlu noir) pendant une période de trois mois, 
éventuellement renouvelable.   (PANA, Sénégal, 15 janvier 2003)

* Mauritius. AGOA Meeting  -  9 January: Leaders from almost 40 countries 
eligible for the US African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) will meet in 
Mauritius next week for the second US-sub-Saharan African Trade and 
Economic Cooperation Forum. The forum, to be held at the University of 
Mauritius campus from 15-17 January, will see the delegations of up to 
eight members participating in discussions on trade, conditions for 
investment and "investing in people". Speakers will include trade and 
agriculture ministers from the various countries, as well as US Trade 
Representative Robert Zoellick and US Agency for International Development 
Administrator Andrew Natsios. There will also be a parallel private sector 
event discussing finance, doing business with the USA, agriculture, trade 
barriers and bio-technology. NGOs will meet between 13-15 January to 
discuss AGOA's results. 14 January: Opening of the meeting. The US stresses 
that it wants to work with Africa in order to boost the poor continent's 
share of international trade. But the US team, led by Robert Zoellick, is 
almost certain to face a long list of complaints about the farming 
subsidies which keep African produce out of US markets. "The African 
producer is a farmer, he is a guy who suffers extremely as a result of the 
subsidies that are given to farmers in America," Vijay Makhan, head of 
trade and industry at the African Union, said ahead of the meeting. 15 
January: The United States has told Africa that free trade is the best way 
to move from poverty to prosperity. The advice came from the senior US 
trade representative Robert Zoellick during the AGOA conference. He told 38 
ministers and hundreds of delegates from across Africa that the United 
States was committed to increasing trade between the two continents. They 
are already linked by the Africa Growth Opportunities Act (AGOA), a law 
passed in the US just over two years ago to allow a range of goods from 
eligible African countries to be given preferential access to the US. Mr 
Zoellick said exports had increased and huge numbers of jobs had been 
created. He said he was delighted with the way AGOA had been implemented so 
far, but warned that there were still many challenges to providing a growth 
stimulus for African countries.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 15 January 2003)

* Mozambique. The Cardosa murder trial  -  15 January: Prosecutors have 
recommended that the son of President Chissano be investigated for the 
murder of crusading journalist, Carlos Cardosa, in 2001. As a court in 
Maputo hears closing arguments in the murder trial, a defendant gives the 
latest in a series of testimonies implicating Nyimpine Chissano, eldest son 
of President Joacquim Chissan, as the man behind the murder of Carlos 
Cardoso. Three of those accused of his murder have implicated Nyimpine 
Chissano. The defendants startled the nation when they testified that the 
President's 32-year-old son, a wealthy and flamboyant man, forked out a 
considerable sum of money to have him assassinated. Nyimpine Chissano, who 
is not on trial, has vehemently denied organising the murder but he has 
been subpoenaed to appear in court.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 15 January 2003)

* Nigeria. Dutch firm to run telecoms  -  15 January: A Dutch telecoms 
group, formerly part of KPN, has become the preferred bidder to manage the 
troubled Nigerian state-run telecoms company Nitel. The Nigerian 
privatisation agency Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE) spokesman Joe 
Anichebe said that Pentascope International had beaten two other 
short-listed bidders. "The challenge is first of all is getting the network 
capacity, both lines and quality, and then you can get the customers in," 
Pentascope's finance director Josbert Kester, said. Nitel is the monopoly 
fixed-line telecoms provider in Nigeria but has slipped to third position 
in the mobile market and has a poor customer relations reputation. 
"Tackling corruption is another element but you are also looking at debt 
collection and knowing your financial position, the revenues and costs, so 
decision making can be made on the right information," Mr Kester 
said.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 15 January 2003)

* Nigeria. Electeurs fictifs  -  La Commission électorale nationale 
indépendante (CENI) a découvert que 2 millions d'électeurs se sont livrés à 
une double inscription ou des inscriptions multiples durant la campagne 
d'inscription sur les listes électorales de septembre 2002. Ces 
inscriptions fictives ont été découvertes grâce au système à image 
automatique d'identification des empreintes digitales qui compare les 
empreintes des individus avec celles enregistrées dans une banque de 
données créée à partir des cartes d'identité. Ce chiffre représente 3,3% 
des électeurs prévus et risque d'augmenter au fur et à mesure du processus 
de comparaison des empreintes. Les personnes impliquées seront poursuivies 
en justice. La CENI a prévu une autre campagne d'inscription du 21 au 23 
janvier, en vue des élections générales de mars-avril 2003.   (PANA, 
Sénégal, 15 janvier 2003)

* Rwanda. Rwandan genocide suspects set free  -  10 January: The first 
group of Rwandan genocide suspects has been released as part of a plan to 
ease chronic prison overcrowding. Up to 40,000 suspects are being freed on 
bail and the government insists they will still face trial. But some 
survivors of the 1994 genocide are unhappy at their release, saying they 
could intimidate witnesses. Rwanda's prisons are currently massively 
overcrowded with some 120,000 people awaiting trial for genocide. 90% of 
Rwanda's prisoners are genocide suspects. Those being released must have 
confessed to their crimes and already served longer in prison than the 
maximum sentences for their offenses. They are not the alleged ringleaders 
of the genocide. Or they are either seriously ill, over 70 years old or 
were under 18 when the crimes were committed. In another attempt to reduce 
prison overcrowding, the government is using the traditional "Gacaca" 
justice system, where local communities judge suspects. Genocide survivors 
group Ibuka has warned that some people might be traumatised by seeing 
those who had killed their relatives walk free.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 10 
January 2003)

* Rwanda. Détenus libérés  -  Le 10 janvier, les autorités rwandaises ont 
remis en liberté provisoire 1.930 détenus dans le cadre d'une campagne 
concernant notamment les participants au génocide de 1994. Les détenus 
relâchés jusqu'ici sont gravement malades, étaient alors mineurs ou ont 
dépassé 70 ans. Ils doivent avoir avoué et passé en prison plus de temps 
que la peine maximale qui leur serait infligée. En tout, 30.000 à 40.000 
prisonniers sont concernés par la mesure.   (Le Figaro, France, 13 janvier 
2003)

* Sahara occidental. Tournée de James Baker  -  Le mardi 14 janvier, 
l'envoyé spécial des Nations unies pour la Sahara occidental, James Baker, 
a remis au roi Mohammed VI du Maroc des propositions visant à trouver une 
solution politique au conflit qui dure depuis plus de 27 ans dans ce 
territoire. Aucune information n'a filtré sur le contenu de ces 
propositions qui offrent, selon l'Onu, "une possibilité d'autodétermination 
(des populations sahraouies) comme demandé par la résolution 1429 du 30 
juillet dernier du Conseil de sécurité". M. Baker se rendra également à 
Alger (mercredi), à Tindouf (jeudi) et à Nouakchott (vendredi). Si le Front 
Polisario s'en tient toujours à l'organisation d'un référendum 
d'autodétermination, le Maroc a finalement accepté d'accorder au territoire 
une large autonomie sous sa souveraineté.   (PANA, Sénégal, 14 janvier 2003)

* Western Sahara. New push to end Sahara conflict  -  14 January: The 
United Nations is sending a special envoy to North Africa, today, to 
present new proposals to end the conflict over Western Sahara. Former US 
Secretary of State James Baker will travel to Morocco, Algeria and 
Mauritania to meet both government officials and members of the Polisario 
Independence Movement. Morocco annexed the former Spanish colony of Western 
Sahara in 1975, causing tens of thousands of local Sahari people to flee 
into Algeria where they still live in refugee camps. With the dispute over 
Western Sahara dragging on for more than 25 years, James Baker will be 
hoping this time he has devised a solution he can successfully sell to the 
interested parties. 15 January: The UN secretary-general's special envoy to 
the Western Sahara arrives in Algiers hoping to break an impasse in the 
search for a political settlement to the Western Sahara dispute. He is 
presenting a new proposal for peace. Baker met Moroccan King Mohammed VI 
yesterday in Agadir, Morocco and today travels to Tindouf, in southern 
Algeria, where the Polisario is based. He will also go to Mauritania, which 
borders the Western Sahara, during his four-day trip. Algerian Foreign 
Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem greets Baker on his arrival ahead of talks 
with Algerian officials. The details of the new initiative are not 
disclosed.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 15 January 2003)

* Senegal. Senegal loses out on tourism  -  15 January: January in Senegal 
is normally one of the biggest months of the tourist season as thousands of 
mainly European visitors arrive in the West African country's coastal 
resorts. One of the main tourism centres is Cap Skirring in the far south 
western corner of Senegal, but this year numbers are down again. Hotel 
owners, guides and others involved in the tourism industry say Cap Skirring 
has suffered because of misconceptions about its location in Casamance, a 
part of Senegal caught up in a 20-year-old civil war. This January in Cap 
Skirring some hotels are fully booked with passengers who have arrived on 
chartered flights from Europe. Others stand virtually empty. The more 
experienced hotel owners talk appreciatively of the customers who come year 
in year out.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 15 January 2003)

Weekly anb0116.txt - #6/8