Weekly anb02066.txt #6

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

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

* South Africa. Mandela reacts to Powell's speech - Former South African 
President Nelson Mandela said Secretary of State Colin Powell's 
presentation to the United Nations undermined the UN's own efforts to 
determine whether Iraq was concealing weapons of mass destruction. Speaking 
before Powell's speech to the world body, Mandela said chief UN weapons 
inspectors Hans Blix and Mohamed El Baradei were the only ones with the 
authority to determine whether Iraq was complying with UN resolutions, 
regardless of what Powell said. "We are going to listen to them and to them 
alone. We are not going to listen to the United States of America. They are 
not telling us how they got that information," Mandela told reporters. 
Mandela has repeatedly criticized the United States and Britain, saying 
they were ignoring the will of the United Nations and pursuing their own 
belligerent policies against Iraq. Last week, the Nobel Peace laureate 
lashed President Bush, calling him arrogant and shortsighted and saying he 
wanted a war to get his hands on Iraqi oil. (CNN, USA, 5 February 2003)

* Afrique du Sud. Les évêques lancent un appel à la paix - Unissant leur 
voix à tous ceux qui demandent la paix dans le monde dans le respect de la 
sécurité de tous, les évêques d'Afrique du Sud ont lancé un appel au 
Président M. Georges Bush, et au Premier Ministre britannique, M. Tony 
Blair, pour qu'ils empruntent la voie de la paix pour résoudre la crise 
irakienne. Les évêques rappellent avec force que seule l'ONU a l'autorité 
pour résoudre la crise. "Nous sommes profondément convaincus que l'une des 
causes principales du terrorisme est l'indifférence envers les 
revendications justes des peuples qui se sentent exclus, exploités et 
opprimés socialement et économiquement", déclarent les évêques. (D'après 
Fides, Cité du Vatican, 5 février 2003)

* Sudan. Amnesty International's visit - On 31 January, In a press release, 
Amnesty International said that its delegates visiting Sudan in the first 
official mission allowed for 13 years, welcomed the growing openness in the 
country, but expressed concern at continuing arbitrary and incommunicado 
detention, unfair trials as well as the forced recruitment of children n 
and displacement of civilians by all sides in the armed conflict. (Amnesty 
International, 31 January 2003)

* Sudan. Rivals strengthen truce - 4 February: The Sudanese Government and 
rebels of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) have agreed to 
strengthen the truce they signed last year. International observers will 
help reinforce the role of a committee which will monitor the ceasefire, 
which is supposed to last while peace talks in Kenya continue. Each side 
has accused the other of breaking the ceasefire, and all territory seized 
since it was signed will be returned to the party that was holding it at 
the time. The current round of talks is the third to try to end the 
conflict between the government in the mainly Muslim north of the country 
and the rebels in the Christian and animist South. They sign a Memorandum 
paving the way for future agreements. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 4 February 2003)

* Soudan. Nouvel accord à Karen - Mardi 4 février, le gouvernement 
soudanais et l'Armée de libération du peuple du Soudan (APLS) ont signé à 
Karen, dans la périphérie de Nairobi, un nouvel accord afin de renforcer le 
pacte de cessation des hostilités conclu l'année dernière. Les pourparlers 
avaient repris le 22 janvier, sous la présidence de l'envoyé spécial du 
Kenya, Lazaro Sumbeiywo. Les deux parties renforcent ainsi le Mémorandum 
d'accord sur la cessation des hostilités, adopté le 17 octobre 2002 à 
Machakos. Dans ce dernier accord, l'APLS et le gouvernement soudanais ont 
convenu de notifier à l'avance, au comité des communications, tous les 
mouvements de leurs troupes, notamment les rotations ainsi que les 
livraisons et ravitaillement en produits non destinés au combat. L'accord 
enjoint aux parties de préciser au comité du Mémorandum d'accord l'identité 
de leurs propres troupes ainsi que de toutes les forces alliées et milices 
affiliées. Elles sont également tenues de donner des informations sur leur 
emplacement. (D'après PANA, Sénégal, 5 février 2003)

* Ouganda. La LRA prête à la paix? - Les chefs des rebelles de l'Armée de 
résistance du Seigneur (LRA) se sont déclarés prêts à engager des colloques 
de paix avec le gouvernement ougandais avec l'aide de médiateurs 
internationaux, a révélé l'archevêque de Gulu, Mgr Odama, dans une 
conférence de presse. Le 1er février, il a reçu une lettre du numéro deux 
de la LRA, Vincent Otti, dans laquelle le leader rebelle propose d'engager 
des colloques de paix, indiquant que son groupe nommera sous peu une 
délégation chargée des négociations. Rappelant que 800.000 personnes 
déplacées risquent de mourir de faim en territoire acholi, l'évêque a 
conclu: "Nous menons cette médiation pour sauver des vies. La faim est une 
guerre de plus qui tue la population locale". La LRA combat depuis plus de 
16 ans les forces gouvernementales, semant l'insécurité et la mort dans le 
nord de l'Ouganda. (D'après Misna, Italie, 3 février 2003)

* Zambia. Free land on offer - 3 February: The Zambian Government has 
announced that it will soon allocate free land for farming purposes to 
fight hunger in the country. A total of 90,000 hectares of land are to be 
given to commercial farmers with capital to start work immediately. More 
than two million people are in need of food aid in Zambia because of the 
severe drought which has caused total crop failure in the south of the 
country. Some 14.4 million people face critical food shortages across 
southern Africa as a result of the drought. The land will be divided into 
plots of 1,000ha for farmers to grow maize, fresh vegetables, fruit, 
flowers, coffee and tobacco, according to agriculture ministry officials 
quoted by Reuters news agency. "If an investor wants 10,000ha and can show 
that they have the capacity to till it, we shall give it to them," Deputy 
Finance Minister Patrick Kalifungwa says. "The idea is to ensure that we 
start putting all our land to proper use." Less than 10% of Zambia's arable 
land is utilised, in spite of the fact that it has five rivers and a high 
water table ideal for irrigation farming. Most Zambians live in urban 
areas, in contrast to many African countries which remain largely rural. 
(ANB-BIA, Belgium, 3 February 2003)

* Zambia. Govt moves to diversify economy - As part of continuing efforts 
to move away from its dependence on mineral exports the government has 
earmarked substantial tracts of land for agricultural development in 
central and southern Zambia. On 4 February, Deputy Finance Minister Patrick 
Kalifungwe said that the pilot project would start soon by offering 90,000 
ha of farmland in Serenje, central Zambia, and 100,000 ha in Kaoma in the 
south to farmers interested in producing non-traditional export crops such 
as cotton, paprika and sugar. "There is strong evidence that our economy is 
responding to our efforts to diversify the export base. Government has 
already allocated 10 billion Kwacha (about US $2 million) for 
infrastructure development in these two farming blocs. Commercial and 
small-scale farmers are welcome to invest in these areas provided they are 
able to show they can produce non-traditional export crops," Kalifungwe 
said. (IRIN, Kenya, 4 February 2003)

* Zimbabwe. Zimbabweans struggle on despite failed rains - Betty 
Maravanyika weeds her field, examines her shrivelled maize crop and murmurs 
as she looks up to the sky as if to ask: "Why me Lord?" Midway into the 
planting season, her maize crop is barely 12 centimetres tall, parched and 
even if the rains do improve now, she has little hope of a good harvest. 
With the first showers in early November, Mrs Maravanyika, like many 
villagers in this district, did what she has always done and planted early 
in anticipation of a good season. But the rains dribbled to a halt. The 
storm clouds passed, and a sweltering heat returned to sear the early crop. 
"This year is the worst. Last season was bad but at least we harvested 
something," Mrs Maravanyika says. "This is the second crop I have planted. 
The first crop was scorched by the sun." For produce-dependent households 
like Mrs Maravanyika's, the consequences are devastating. With the failure 
of her first crop, she no longer has enough money to buy additional 
fertilizer to try again properly. Prices of fertilizer have risen sharply 
in a country where farmers' earnings have fallen with each successive 
season. What is worse is that the chances of the government coming to her 
rescue and that of others in the same predicament, is almost nil. 
Chamunorwa Marufu, a mother of five from the same village, has been waiting 
for government food aid in vain. "I doubt my maize crop will make it this 
season. I am pleading for help. The government had promised to give us aid 
a week ago but I have seen nothing," she says. "We're surviving on bread 
but it's now very expensive, if you are lucky enough to get it." (ANB-BIA, 
Belgium, 30 January 2003)

* Zimbabwe. Collision ferroviaire - Le 1er février, près de Dete dans 
l'ouest du Zimbabwe, un train transportant plus d'un millier de personnes a 
heurté de plein fouet un convoi de marchandises transportant des produits 
inflammables. La collision a fait plus de 50 morts et 64 blessés, dont 
plusieurs dans un état grave. Selon la compagnie des chemins de fer, les 
deux trains roulaient sur la même voie en sens inverse, et leurs 
conducteurs n'ont pu éviter la collision frontale, après laquelle les deux 
trains ont pris feu. Les autorités imputent le drame à une erreur humaine 
au niveau de la signalisation des voies. Le gardien du poste d'aiguillage a 
été arrêté. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 3 février 2003)

* Zimbabwe. Chaos at Tsvangirai's trial - 3 February: The treason trial of 
Zimbabwe's opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, has begun after a delay of 
several hours. Riot police surround the Harare High Court early morning and 
used batons to disperse crowds of journalists, lawyers, diplomats and 
others who wished to attend. Mr Tsvangirai's lawyers protest and Judge 
Paddington Garwe orders that journalists and members of the public be 
allowed into the courtroom. Mr Tsvangirai and two senior colleagues in the 
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) are facing treason charges over an 
alleged plot to kill President Robert Mugabe. All three plead not guilty to 
the charges. The MDC leader says the charges were fabricated by the 
authorities to try to remove him from the political scene. If found guilty, 
they face the death penalty. During the chaotic scenes, diplomats from the 
UK, the Netherlands and Germany are forcibly turned away from the High 
Court but United States ambassador Joseph Sullivan is allowed in. Police 
make several arrests, including two journalists. They say the courtroom is 
filled to capacity, but lawyers inside said the public benches are 
virtually empty. After the judge's ruling, only those journalists with 
press cards issued under a strict new media law are allowed into court. 
Most foreign correspondents and journalists from the private sector have 
not yet received their accreditation. 4 February: The United States 
expresses concern after police prevented diplomats and journalists from 
attending the treason trial of Zimbabwe's main opposition leader, Morgan 
Tsvangirai. The US State Department speaks out about the trial after it 
opened. "This trial has very important implications for the rule of law and 
the state of democratic pluralism in Zimbabwe," spokesman Richard Boucher 
said. -- The key witness in the trial, former Israeli intelligence officer 
Ari Ben-Menashe, says Mr Tsvangirai left "no confusion" in his mind about 
his intentions. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 4 February 2003)

* Zimbabwe. Procès de Tsvangirai - Le 3 février, le procès pour trahison 
intenté au chef de l'opposition Morgan Tsvangirai et deux de ses adjoints a 
débuté à Harare sous haute surveillance de la police, qui a arrêté deux 
journalistes et tenté d'empêcher la majorité des autres à suivre 
l'audience. Plusieurs diplomates ont en outre été refoulés, dont ceux de la 
Grande-Bretagne, d'Allemagne et des Pays-Bas, parfois sans ménagement. La 
défense a demandé l'ajournement du procès jusqu'à ce que l'ensemble des 
journalistes et le public soient autorisés à y assister. Après trois heures 
et demie d'attente, la cour a accepté "que les membres du public et les 
autres personnes intéressées soient admises" au tribunal. MM. Tsvangirai, 
Ncube et Gasela plaident non-coupables. Ils risquent la peine de mort si la 
cour prouve leur culpabilité. Ils sont accusés d'avoir "conspiré pour 
renverser le chef de l'Etat, le gouvernement, et prendre le pouvoir". (La 
Libre Belgique, 4 février 2003)

* Zimbabwe. L'UE toujours en désaccord - Le 29 janvier à Bruxelles, les 
pays de l'Union européenne ont à nouveau échoué à se mettre d'accord sur la 
question de la prolongation des sanctions à l'encontre du Zimbabwe. Lors 
d'une réunion entre les ambassadeurs des Quinze, seul le Portugal a refusé 
d'endosser un compromis préparé par la présidence grecque de l'UE. La 
question, qui doit être tranchée à l'unanimité, sera réexaminée le 5 
février. - Par ailleurs, selon un article paru dans Le Monde du 4 février, 
un "accord secret" aurait été passé entre Londres et Paris au sujet de 
l'invitation du président Mugabe au sommet France-Afrique, et cela à 
l'occasion du sommet européen de Copenhague en décembre dernier. Londres 
aurait accepté la venue de Mugabe au titre des "dérogations" prévues, alors 
que la France aurait accepté en échange de voter la prorogation des 
sanctions. -- Lors d'un point de presse conjoint avec le Premier 
britannique Tony Blair, mardi 4 février, M. Chirac a justifié cette 
invitation en soulignant que des discussions sur la question étaient 
ouvertes au niveau européen. "Nous ne voulons rien prouver et nous ne 
voulons être agressifs à l'égard de personne", mais "nous avons estimé 
devoir inviter tous les présidents", a-t-il déclaré. (ANB-BIA, de sources 
diverses, 5 février 2003)

* Zimbabwe. Sanctions elude EU - The European Union last night failed again 
to agree to renew its sanctions against Zimbabwe. With time running out 
before the measures expire, EU ambassadors were unable to finalise a deal 
under which the "smart" sanctions will be extended for a year from next 
month but still allow President Robert Mugabe to attend a Franco-African 
summit in Paris. Diplomats said that an EU-Africa summit, scheduled for 
Lisbon in April, may be postponed or dropped to avoid a mass boycott by EU 
heads of government. Britain and several other countries have made it clear 
their leaders would stay away if Mr Mugabe was present. Ambassadors will 
meet to discuss the problem again next week, their last chance before 
February 18, when the sanctions lapse. The measures ban travel to Europe by 
Zimbabwe's leaders, freeze their financial assets and maintain an embargo 
on weapons that might be used for internal repression. A compromise may 
allow member states to be exempt from applying the travel ban if they are 
hosting an international conference such as an EU summit or an event 
convened by the UN. (The Guardian, UK, 6 February 2003)


Weekly anb0206.txt - #6/6 - THE END


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Un homme meurt chaque fois que l'un d'entre nous se tait devant la tyrannie 
(W. Soyinka, Prix Nobel litterature)
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Everytime somebody keep silent when faced with tyranny, someone else dies 
(Wole Syinka, Nobel Prize for Literature) *
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