Weekly anb02064.txt #6

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 06-02-2003 PART #4/6

* Egypt. Activist's retrial tests USA-Egypt ties - Washington's relations 
with Egypt, historically one of its closest allies in the Arab world, could 
be severely tested by the outcome of a court case that has become a running 
sore between the two sides. As the US builds up its forces for a possible 
invasion of Iraq, the highest court of appeal in Cairo is due on 4 February 
to start a retrial of Egypt's most prominent civil society activist, Saad 
el-Din Ibrahim, who in 2001 was sentenced to seven years in prison on what 
are widely viewed as trumped-up charges. The flimsiness of the case against 
the ailing Mr Ibrahim, who has joint Egyptian- US citizenship, and the 
notoriety of Egypt's state security courts, which sentenced him but where 
standards of evidence are notoriously lacking, has strained relations 
between the Egyptian regime and Washington. Among the charges of which Mr 
Ibrahim was found guilty were receiving funds from a foreign power without 
permission, defaming Egypt and embezzlement. Over the summer, the US 
administration let it be known that it would not be giving $150m in 
additional aid to Egypt specifically because of Mr Ibrahim. The case has 
also led some US commentators to question why a basic $2bn in civil and 
military assistance is given annually to Egypt, a country with such a poor 
human rights record. In response, government apologists in Cairo have 
lashed out against perceived foreign pressure and defended the independence 
of the Egyptian judiciary. The sensitivity of the hearing has been 
heightened because the abuse of human rights by Iraq has been a pillar of 
the US case in seeking to oust Saddam Hussein. But the retrial of Mr 
Ibrahim -- two previous verdicts have been quashed only for the state to 
appeal -- comes as the government of Hosni Mubarak, the president, has 
taken a number of steps over recent weeks signalling a more liberal bent. 
(Financial Times, UK, 3 February 2003)

* Eritrea/Ethiopia. Expulsion suffering lingers - In a report released on 
30 January, Human Rights Watch said that citizens and residents expelled by 
both Ethiopia and Eritrea during their 1998-2000 border war should be 
offered repatriation and the restoration of citizenship. The 64-page 
report, entitled: "The Horn of Africa War: Mass Expulsions and the 
Nationality Issue", recounts the plight of almost one hundred thousand 
citizens and residents of both countries who were uprooted and deprived of 
their residence and nationality without a semblance of due process. It 
documents cases of mistreatment typical of the mass expulsions, including 
prolonged detention, lack of food, water, and medical care, beatings and 
other physical abuse. (HRW, 30 January 2003)

* Ghana. Ghana's gold dilemma - The Ghanaian Government is agonizing over 
whether to grant licenses to six mining companies which are ready to invest 
over $2bn or preserve the forest and help save the earth. Over the past 
five years, only a handful of new mines have opened as against dozens in 
the early to mid 1990s. Five of the prospective mining companies are 
interested in mining for gold, but the ore is located inside forest 
reserves. One company, Newmont, which is based in Australia, would, alone, 
pump close to $500m into the ailing Ghanaian economy, even before mining 
starts, and create about 1,000 jobs directly. Newmont has found gold in two 
locations; but one of them falls inside a forest reserve. The company says 
it wants both concessions or nothing. A sixth company, called Bhp Billiton, 
a Dutch firm, wants to explore for bauxite, the mineral from which 
aluminium is derived. Billiton would invest about $1bn to establish an 
integrated mining and alumina processing industry. Since independence, 
Ghana has been looking desperately for exactly such an investor to mine and 
process the prodigious volumes of bauxite which, minerals experts say, 
exist at Kyebi in the Eastern Region and Nyinahin in Ashanti. But, again, 
the precious mineral lies buried inside forest reserves. Currently, there 
are two companies involved in the bauxite and alumina processing business: 
one exports the raw bauxite, the other imports it semi-processed from 
Jamaica. Last week, three ministers in charge of mines, forestry, and 
environment toured some of the reserves and met the local communities to 
help government to take a decision. The Minerals Commission which regulates 
mining activities in the country favours licensing the companies to mine. 
One official said small-scale artisans would invade the forest and mine, 
anyway, if the big companies, which are easier to identify, regulate, 
monitor and tax, are kept out. Many ordinary people in the prospective 
mining towns, which are desperate for amenities and secure jobs, also want 
the mines. But environmentalists say the forest reserves are too important 
for the survival of the earth and should not be tampered with. (BBC News, 
UK, 4 February 2003)

* Kenya. Kenyans worry for sick President - Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki 
was back on his feet on 28 January, but he immediately limped into a 
gathering storm over his ill-health and misgivings about a rogue and 
accident-prone government that has been in power for only four weeks. He 
was released from hospital after receiving treatment for blood clots in his 
leg and high blood pressure caused by complications following a car crash 
two months ago. Leaning on a crutch, the 71-year-old leader was immediately 
whisked off to State House, instead of his private home in Nairobi's posh 
and leafy suburb of Muthaiga -- a move that underscored the urgency to 
rebuild a young but seemingly rudderless presidency. For a leader who has 
spent the best part of his presidency in a wheelchair, events that unfolded 
after his swearing in seemed rather cruel to a man who symbolised so much 
hope for many Kenyans. In his first weeks in office, Kenyans became 
accustomed to pictures of the president's toe sticking out of his plastered 
leg while being wheeled around State House -- whether swearing in his first 
cabinet or meeting foreign dignitaries. When he was wheeled back to 
hospital 10 days ago, most Kenyans welcomed updates of their president's 
state of health -- a novelty on a continent where leaders' ailments are 
either state secrets or the people are made to believe their leaders never 
fall ill. But observers of Mr Kibaki's government say soon his ill-health 
began to take its toll on the running of the infant government. They point 
out that the state opening of the new parliament had to be postponed until 
February owing largely to President Kibaki's hospitalisation. Before long, 
he was joined at the Nairobi Hospital by four other ministers who survived 
a plane crash in western Kenya that left one minister dead. The ministers 
were returning to Nairobi from a victory bash. Newspaper cartoonists were 
quick to depict a wheelchair-bound President Kibaki surrounded by 
bed-ridden ministers chairing his cabinet in a hospital ward. (ANB-BIA, 
Belgium, 30 January 2003)

* Kenya. Acting over corruption - A shake-up in the top ranks of Kenya's 
administration is expected to herald further culls of senior figures in the 
public sector and security forces, in a reform drive by Mwai Kibaki, the 
country's recently elected president. However, wide-ranging changes made at 
the weekend in senior ministry posts showed up potential strains within his 
National Rainbow Coalition, which five weeks ago swept away four decades of 
rule by the Kenya African National Union (Kanu). The head of the civil 
service and at least 10 other senior officials were dropped, and others 
moved to new posts. But the reshuffle fell short of a wholesale purge, and 
several cabinet ministers were reported to be unhappy with the new 
appointments --which included officials from the old Kanu administration. 
Mr Kibaki, who has promised to end endemic corruption and revive east 
Africa's largest economy, insisted the appointments were based on "merit 
and professionalism". The changes marked an assertion of authority by the 
71-year-old president, who was discharged from hospital last week after 
suffering complications from a pre-election car accident. His government 
has begun a clean-out in state enterprises and semi-government bodies, 
sending three chief executives on compulsory leave. Other parts of the 
graft-ridden state sector, which includes power, ports, telecommunications 
and railways, are also likely to be targeted. (Financial Times, UK, 3 
February 2003)

* Liberia. Nouvelle attaque rebelle - Le 31 janvier, le président libérien 
Charles Taylor a affirmé que les rebelles du mouvement des Libériens unis 
pour la réconciliation et la démocratie (LURD) avaient lancé, la veille, 
une nouvelle attaque contre les positions gouvernementales à Bopulu, au 
nord-ouest de Monrovia. Après avoir accusé des hommes politiques de 
l'opposition en exil d'avoir collecté des fonds pour soutenir la rébellion 
du LURD et que son gouvernement avait des preuves de ces allégations, il a 
invité les politiciens de l'opposition à condamner cette reprise des 
hostilités, compte tenu des efforts du gouvernement d'assurer la tenue des 
élections générales en octobre prochain. -- Mardi 4 février, d'après les 
dépêches d'agence, le LURD avait pris le contrôle des grandes villes du 
Nord-Ouest et ses troupes se trouvaient à moins de 20 km de la capitale 
Monrovia. Les autorités ont reconnu avoir perdu le contrôle des principales 
localités du nord-ouest du pays. Le président du LURD, Sekou Damate Conneh, 
a donné une semaine au président libérien pour quitter la capitale. 
(ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 5 février 2003)

* Liberia. Rebels approach capital - 4 February: There are reports that 
rebels in Liberia have taken two key towns north of the capital, Monrovia. 
Defence Minister Daniel Chea confirmed rebels recaptured the iron-ore rich 
town of Bopolu on 3 February, situated approximately 100 kilometres 
north-west of the capital. The Liberians United for Reconciliation and 
Democracy (Lurd) have been trying to overthrow the government of President 
Charles Taylor since 1999. Panic has gripped Monrovia, following news of 
the advances. In an interview on the Tubmanburg highway, Mr Chea said that 
government forces are being amassed to advance on the embattled town. 
Several vehicles, including jeeps loaded with armed men, some carrying 
calibre machine guns, were seen heading towards the area. When asked 
whether the rebels' quick advance on the town confirms that other towns 
such as Bopolu and Sawmill, situated beyond Tubmanburg, have fallen to the 
rebels, Mr Chea replied "not necessarily". 5 February: The Liberian army is 
sending reinforcements to the front-line. Defence Minister Daniel Chea says 
the highway from Monrovia to the rebel-held town of Tubmanburg is now in 
government hands. President Charles Taylor has arrived back from the 
African Union meeting in Addis Ababa amid tight security at the airport but 
makes no comment on the latest fighting. -- Liberia's army holds off rebel 
attacks near a key bridge on the road to Monrovia. Liberia's chief of staff 
General Kpenkpah Konah had earlier ordered all soldiers to report for duty 
as reinforcements speed overnight to stop insurgents crossing the Po River 
Bridge 12 km from Monrovia's outskirts. With legs hanging over the side of 
pickup trucks and rifles across their laps, President Charles Taylor's 
security forces head out of Monrovia to reinforce the line at the bridge. 
"Our men were able to push them... to nearby towns. What happened was our 
men were taken by surprise. We lost some men, about eight, and the rebels 
lost three," a military source says adding the rebel death toll had climbed 
to nine as of today. The Po River bridge is as close to Monrovia as LURD 
rebelshave come since they launched the war in 2000 to oust Taylor. -- 
MISNA reports that Archbishop Michael Francis of Monrovia has said: "There 
is widespread fear in Monrovia and there have been scenes of panic on the 
roads, the people fear a similar scenario to that of the past days. The 
only news we have for the moment is that the LURD rebels have captured 
Tubmanburg, but I really do not know if or when they will arrive in the 
capital". (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 5 February 2003)

* Libya. Gaddafi offers to mediate in Iraq crisis - Libyan leader Muammar 
Gaddafi is offering to mediate between U.S. President George W. Bush and 
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to try to halt the slide towards a new Gulf 
war. "I wish I could have the opportunity to talk to these two persons, to 
address them, President Bush and Saddam Hussein," he said, while in Addis 
Ababa for the summit of the African Union. The United States, which regards 
Libya as a pariah state over its involvement in terror acts, was unlikely 
to take up Gaddafi's offer. Gaddafi said there was no "rationale" for a 
US-led war on Iraq. Asked if he was offering himself as a mediator between 
the two he replied: "Why not? After all it is necessary. I would like to 
save international peace. I would like to get rid of mass destruction 
weapons not only in Iraq but in the whole region of the Middle East and 
then from the world all over. We can solve problems peacefully," the Libyan 
leader said, adding that Saddam should allow the UN arms inspectors to get 
on with their work inside Iraq without hindrance. On 3 February, Gaddafi 
told reporters African leaders were categorical in their rejection of a 
conflict in the Gulf. Africa was united in its opposition to war in Iraq, 
and the United States would suffer if it acted against the will of the rest 
of the world, he said. (Financial Times, UK, 4 February 2003)

Weekly anb0206.txt - #4/6