Weekly ANB1016_3.txt #6

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

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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 16-10-2003      PART #3/6

* Guinée-Bissau. Situation financière préoccupante  -  Selon un communiqué 
rendu public le 12 octobre, les principales priorités du gouvernement de 
transition sont le paiement des arriérés de salaires des agents de la 
fonction publique et la reprise des cours dans les établissements scolaires 
publics. Le conseil des ministres s'est dit "très préoccupé par la 
situation économique et financière difficile que traverse en ce moment la 
Guinée-Bissau". Les finances publiques sont très mal-en-point, alors que le 
gouvernement doit impérativement éponger les dettes contractées au plan 
interne et rembourser celles auprès des institutions financières 
internationales et de ses bailleurs de fonds. -Par ailleurs, le 13 octobre, 
le président de la transition, Henrique Perreira Rosa, a reçu en audience 
des diplomates de Grande-Bretagne, d'Allemagne et du Cap-Vert. Les 
discussions ont porté essentiellement sur le renforcement de la coopération 
bilatérale avec la Guinée-Bissau.   (PANA, Sénégal, 12-13 octobre 2003)

* Kenya. Splits widen in coalition  -  13 October: Fresh turmoil in Kenya's 
governing National Rainbow Coalition (Narc) is threatening to scuttle the 
government following calls for the sacking of a cabinet minister. Four 
deputy ministers over the weekend asked President Mwai Kibaki to sack Raila 
Odinga for being what they called "the enemy working from within Narc to 
wreck the government". The calls were made by members of Mr Kibaki's 
National Alliance of Kenya, which formed Narc along with Mr Odinga's 
Liberal Democratic Party. Mr Odinga -- the minister for roads, public works 
and housing -- described the allegations as unfounded. The calls were made 
in the presence of the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs, 
Kiraitu Murungi, who is regarded as a close ally of President 
Kibaki.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 13 October 2003)

* Kenya. Probe team to investigate judges  -  15 October: Kenyan President 
Mwai Kibaki has appointed two tribunals to investigate the conduct of 23 
senior judges, who have been suspended amid corruption allegations. The 
president said in a statement the tribunal would investigate "allegations 
that the said judges...have been involved in corruption, unethical 
practices and absence of integrity in the performance of the functions of 
their office". A report released last month said corruption was rampant in 
the Kenyan legal system, with almost half of the country's judges and close 
to a third of its magistrates said to be corrupt. President Kibaki, who was 
elected last year, vowed to rid the country of corruption to win back donor 
support and made cleaning up the judiciary a key target.   (ANB-BIA, 
Belgium, 15 October 2003)

* Kenya. Truth Commission  -  15 October: A Kenyan Government task force 
has recommended that President Mwai Kibaki form a truth commission to look 
into past human rights abuses and economic crimes. The 18-member task force 
said in its report that 90% of the Kenyans who submitted their views want 
President Kibaki's National Rainbow Coalition (Narc) government to 
establish an effective truth commission. The task force --appointed by 
Justice Minister Kiraitu Murungi in April to find out if Kenya wanted a 
truth and reconciliation commission --said that the commission should look 
into abuses and crimes committed since independence, 40 years ago. Mr 
Murungi said that Narc will act on the recommendations.   (ANB-BIA, 
Belgium, 15 October 2003)

* Kenya. Government calls for abolition of death penalty  -  "Stop to the 
death penalty in Kenya". This was the call made to the commission working 
for months on the revision of the Constitution. The call was formally made 
in Parliament on 15 October by the deputy interior ministry, Wilfred 
Machage. He reminded parliamentarians that there are currently 2,618 
inmates on death row in the Kenyan prisons. Kenyan law sanctions hanging 
for any type of burglary with violence, murder and treason. Both during the 
election campaign and after the landslide December election victory, 
President Mwai Kibaki and many members of his party, which counts on a 
government majority, personally pronounced themselves in favour of the 
abolition of the death penalty. Declarations applauded by many 
international human rights groups, above all Amnesty International, which 
in past months had reminded the Kenyan administration to keep to its 
promises.   (MISNA, Italy, 16 October 2003)

* Liberia. New peace troops for Liberia  -  9 October: The first 
reinforcements of what is due to become the world's largest United Nations 
peacekeeping mission have arrived in the Liberian capital, Monrovia. Some 
800 Bangladeshi troops are being flown into Liberia by helicopter from 
similar UN peacekeeping duties in neighbouring Sierra Leone. The UN says 
that today, Monrovia should be a "weapons-free zone" as it tries to pacify 
Liberia, which has suffered 14 years of civil war. The extra troops arrive 
days before a new power-sharing government, headed by neutral businessman 
Gyude Bryant, is due to take office. "We look forward to bringing peace to 
this country," said Colonel Humayn Khalid, the Bangladeshi 
commander.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 9 October 2003)

* Liberia/USA. Immunité  -  Les Etats-Unis ont signé avec le Liberia un 
accord mettant les ressortissants américains dans ce pays à l'abri de 
poursuites devant la Cour pénale internationale (CPI). Cet accord porte à 
plus de 65 le nombre d'accords d'immunité de ce type conclus par les 
Etats-Unis.   (La Croix, France, 10 octobre 2003)

* Liberia. Reaping Chinese aid bonanza  -  12 October: China and Liberia 
have re-opened diplomatic relations in a deal which sees China's arch rival 
Taiwan expelled from the country. The Government of Taiwan had been a close 
ally of the former President, Charles Taylor. He left the country for exile 
as part of the peace deal struck in August. For the Chinese Government, 
this is a small victory over Taiwan achieved with money rather than guns. 
The Chinese official who signed the deal says they are not fighting an aid 
war with Taiwan here, but he admits that it is something of a triumph over 
the old enemy. The Taiwanese pumped money into Liberia in Mr Taylor's time, 
forcing the Chinese to leave.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 12 October 2003)

* Liberia. Pacification et passation de pouvoirs  -  Le jeudi 9 octobre, le 
commandant de la Mission de l'Onu au Liberia (MINUL), le général kényan 
Daniel Opande, s'est rendu à Buchanan (90 km à l'est de Monrovia) pour y 
rencontrer le leader des rebelles du MODEL (Mouvement pour la démocratie au 
Liberia). Auparavant il avait déjà rencontré à Tubmanburg (nord-ouest) 
Sekou Conneh, président du LURD (Libériens unis pour la réconciliation et 
la démocratie), le principal groupe rebelle. L'objectif de ces rencontres 
est de mettre définitivement fin aux hostilités. Il y a quelques jours, la 
MINUL et les rebelles se sont mis d'accord sur la création d'une zone "sans 
armes" autour de la capitale Monrovia, où le premier contingent de renfort 
composé de 800 Bengladais est arrivé jeudi. -- D'autre part, le Conseil de 
sécurité des Nations unies s'est déclaré "préoccupé" par le fait que 
l'ancien chef d'Etat libérien en exil au Nigeria, Charles Taylor, continue 
d'interférer dans les affaires libériennes. Aussi, le 11 octobre, le 
président nigérian Obasanjo a rencontré M. Taylor pour le mettre en garde 
contre toute ingérence dans le fragile processus de paix. -- 14 octobre. La 
passation de pouvoirs entre le président par intérim, Moses Blah, et le 
chef désigné du gouvernement de transition, Gyude Bryant, s'est déroulée en 
présence du président ghanéen Kufuor, président en exercice de la CEDEAO, 
d'Alpha Oumar Konaré, président de la Commission de l'Union africaine, et 
du président nigérian Olusegun Obasanjo. Moses Blah était en charge depuis 
le départ en exil au Nigeria, le 11 août, de Charles Taylor. Gyude Bryant, 
chef du nouveau gouvernement de transition, doit rester en place jusqu'à la 
tenue d'élections générales en 2005. Il aura pour principale mission de 
reconstruire le Liberia, pays à genoux après 14 ans de guerre civile quasi 
ininterrompue et où 85% de la population vivent sous le seuil de pauvreté, 
ainsi que de préparer les élections générales. M. Bryant, homme d'affaires 
peu connu, protestant épiscopalien, est considéré comme une personnalité 
neutre dans le paysage politique libérien. Devant la présidente de la Cour 
suprême, il a juré de défendre les accords de paix interlibériens signés le 
18 août dernier. - 15 octobre. Le Programme alimentaire mondial des Nations 
Unies (PAM) décide d'arrêter temporairement la distribution de nourriture 
aux personnes déplacées à l'intérieur du pays, à cause de la persistance 
des combats.   (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 16 octobre 2003)

* Liberia. Liberia's new leader  -  13 October: Ordinary Liberians have 
little to cheer about even as they wait hopefully for the inauguration of a 
transition government on 14 October after 14 years of civil war. Many 
readily admit that they know very little about businessman Gyude Bryant who 
will take over as head of an interim government to guide Liberia to 
elections in 2005. On arrival in Monrovia, today, Mr Bryant is welcomed by 
thousands of excited Liberians who expect the successful businessman to 
change their lives. Many had expected things to change after the former 
president Charles Taylor was forced to leave the country in August. But for 
the majority little has changed, even after the deployment of West African 
peacekeepers. With the fighting having died down recently, Mr Bryant will 
need all his political acumen as he leads a government of 21 ministers 
deeply divided along party lines. One of the biggest problems he will have 
to confront is that of displaced Liberians. In Monrovia's Samuel K Doe 
stadium alone, over 50,000 people are still crammed into the stadium with 
neither sufficient food nor medical supplies. Many of them are from areas 
controlled by the rebel Liberians United for Reconstruction and Democracy 
(Lurd) and the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (Model). 14 October: Gyude 
Bryant is sworn in as the head of a new power-sharing government. Mr Bryant 
takes the oath on the Bible at a ceremony attended by several West African 
leaders, heavily guarded rebels and officials of the former government. 
There is a festive atmosphere in the city, just two months after it was the 
scene of heavy fighting. However, United Nations peacekeepers are on high 
alert and security is tight after a shootout between rebels and government 
supporters in Monrovia two weeks ago. In a reminder of the devastation 
wrought by the fighting, the guests are sitting on plastic chairs because 
the parliament building had recently been looted. And the sombre ceremony 
is punctuated by the sound of these chairs breaking and people falling to 
the floor. President Bryant begins his two-year term of office by 
abolishing monopolies on imports or rice and petroleum products, which 
former President Taylor had awarded to his cronies. 15 October: Gyude 
Bryant meets leaders of the country's warring parties and afterwards says 
they have all agreed to disarm their fighters.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 15 
October 2003)

* Libya. Payout deadline passes  -  12 October: The deadline for a 
compensation deal between Libya and the families of those killed in the 
1989 French airliner bombing passed on 11 October without agreement. Hours 
before the ultimatum, Libya invited a delegation of relatives to continue 
talks in Tripoli on 13 October -- a move welcomed as a "positive sign"by 
the families' spokesman. Earlier, French President Jacques Chirac warned 
Libya that ties with France would suffer if it failed to stick to its 
commitment to offer an increased settlement. Last month France lifted a 
threat to block a United Nations resolution ending sanctions against Libya 
over the 1988 Lockerbie airliner bombing unless a similar compensation deal 
was agreed for the 170 who died in the Niger attack. France had protested 
that an earlier settlement was dwarfed by the $2.7bn Libya agreed to pay in 
connection with the Lockerbie bombings. Under a preliminary agreement, 
Libya and negotiators for the French families were meant to have reached a 
definitive deal by 11 October. 13 October: A Libyan team has gone to France 
to hold talks on compensating families of those killed in the bombing of a 
French airliner over the Sahara in 1989. The original deadline for a deal 
expired at the weekend. However, Tripoli has contacted the families to 
propose further discussions. 14 October: Libya suspends talks in Paris. The 
head of the Libyan delegation accuses France of reneging on an interim 
agreement reached last month.   (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 14 October 2003)

* Madagascar. A la veille des communales  -  Les Malgaches se rendront aux 
urnes les 17 et 23 novembre pour élire leurs maires et leurs conseillers 
dans les communes rurales et urbaines. Cette échéance revêt une importance 
particulière pour le gouvernement du président Ravalomanana qui a choisi 
les communes comme base de sa politique de développement. Aussi le climat 
politique devient plus tendu et les hostilités commencent par une guerre de 
communiqués. Le parti au pouvoir, le TIM, a déjà annoncé avoir comme 
objectif l'élection de plus 1.000 maires sur les 1.513 à choisir. 
L'opposition, elle, refait surface après plusieurs mois de silence. 
L'AREMA, le parti de l'ancien président Ratsiraka, dans un communiqué 
repris dimanche 12 octobre par tous les quotidiens du pays, dénonce "les 
harcèlements continuels dont sont victimes la plupart des leaders 
politiques ne roulant pas pour le régime actuel". - Le 13 octobre, des 
tracts au ton d'une rare violence incitant à la haine tribale ont été 
placardés sur les murs des quartiers populeux de la ville de Tamatave. Ils 
visent surtout la population des hauts plateaux, les Mérina, qu'ils 
accusent d'être à l'origine de tous leurs maux. Les tracts font également 
état de l'exclusion des "Tanindrana" (côtiers) dans les affaires nationales 
et menacent de "vengeances inévitables et terribles".   (PANA, Sénégal, 
14-15 octobre 2003)

Weekly anb1016.txt - #3/6