UNESCO Awards Press Freedom Prize To Jailed Cuban
Journalist
Brahimi Says Iraqis Agree With Election Delay
Brahimi said today in Tokyo that he is confident
a broad spectrum of Iraqis agree that elections cannot be conducted
before the June 30 transfer of power, after he and his fact-finding
team met with between 400 and 600 Iraqis during its mission,
the Associated Press reports.More
Government efforts to help steel industry
Feb 25: The Government yesterday reduced custom
duties on steel items from 20% to 15% in order to ensure that
producers maintain a check on prices which have recently witnessed
sharp increases over a short period of time. At the same time,
the duty on met coke has been reduced from 10% to 5% so as to
ensure availability of this essential raw material to steel producers
at affordable prices. The duty on pig iron has also been reduced
from 15% to 10% to meet the raw material needs of the foundry
industry.
The Steel Minister met the representatives
of the steel producers earlier yesterday and requested them to
maintain stability in prices and if possible pass on some of
the benefits of the duty cut to the downstream industry. He stated
that there was considerable agitation among the user industry
at the steady price increase as well as frequent changes in prices
as a result of which they were unable to execute long term supply
orders. A surge in exports was also contributing to limited availability
in the domestic market and rising prices.
Shri Tripathy stated that the public sector
companies have already ensured that no part of their production
of pig iron is exported so that the foundry industry gets its
full supply of raw material. The producers were requested to
take similar steps for ensuring that the needs of the domestic
industry are fully met before resorting to exports.
Appreciating the concerns of the Minister,
the producers requested the Government to put in place restrictions
on export of high grade iron ore as well as leverage iron ore
for obtaining coke and coking coal on a reciprocal basis from
China. They stated that in order to meet the growing needs of
their own steel industry, China had not only banned export of
coking coal but drastically reduced export of coke to India.
They suggested reduction in excise duty on steel for ensuring
availability of affordable steel to the construction and other
sectors.
Shri Tripathy later met the Commerce Minister
in order to review the price situation and discuss the possibility
of instituting appropriate measures to increase availability
of steel in the domestic market. The issue of an appropriate
barter mechanism to ensure adequate import of coke from China
in exchange for export of iron ore was also discussed. The Steel
Minister will be meeting the Finance Minister soon for briefing
him on the price situation and discussing further measures for
price control.
The Steel Ministry has also written to all
the State Governments requesting them to indicate their requirements
of steel to be released to meet the needs of the Small Scale
Industries through their respective Small Scale Industries Development
Corporations. -Keralamonitor.com
Coal for people below poverty line
Feb 25: The Minister of Coal & Mines,
Ms. Mamata Banerjee has asked Coal India Ltd., to make coal available
for domestic consumption of families, below the poverty line.
This will enable the poor households to have some relief in meeting
their household energy needs. Detailed modalities for operationalizing
this scheme are being worked out on priority.
To improve availability of coal in remote
areas, the Minister also directed MECL and CMPDIL to identify
and exploit small isolated pockets of coal deposits not connected
by rail. This would ensure scientific exploitation of these resources
& prevent possibility of illegal unsafe mining. These pockets
should have deposits up to 10 million tonnes for open-cast operations
and 5 million tonnes for underground operations. -Keralamonitor.com
Four additional judges appointed in Gujarat
High court
Feb 25: The President is pleased to appoint
(1) Shri Mukeshkumar Rasikbhai Shah, (2) Shri Kalpesh Satyendra
Jhaveri, (3) Shri Akil Abdulhamid Kureshi and (4) Shri Dhirubhai
Naranbhai Patel, to be Additional Judges of the Gujarat High
Court, in that order of seniority, for a period of two years
each with effect from the date they assume charge of their respective
office. -Keralamonitor.com
CBI News
Five year jail term to lover for abetting
suicide of cine actress Prathyusha
New Delhi Feb 24: The Metropolitan Sessions
Judge, Hyderabad, convicted the accused Siddharth Reddy in the
suicide case of cine Telgu actress Prathyusha and sentenced him
to undergo Rigorous Imprisonment for a preiod of 5 years and
also to pay a total fine of Rs.6,000/-.
Kum. Prathyusha, a 22-year old upcoming cine
actress fell in love with one Siddharth Reddy while they were
studying in a college in Hyderabad during 1996. Prathyusha, after
her studies, entered into filmdom and acted in several Telgu
and Tamil films. Both Siddharth and Prathyusha were continuing
their love affair and had decided to marry each other. Though,
Prathyusha's mother agreed for the same, the family membrs of
Siddharth were not ready to accept their relationship. Siddharth
had dicided to leave for US to pursue higher studies after his
B.E final exams. On the evening of 23.2.2002, when Prathyusha
got confirmation for a Kannada movie and was to leave for Bangalore
on the next day, she asked Siddharth to see her before leaving
for Bangalore. At their last meeting, both of them had decided
to end their life and consumed poison.
After consuming poison, they went to CARE
Hospital, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, in Siddharth's car, where
Prathyusha died. The doctor who conducted the post-mortem examination
on the body of Prathyusha, stated in a TV interview that Prathyusha
died due to manual stangulation and that she was also gang-raped.
On the contrary, the Direcotor, Andhra Pradesh Forensic Science
Laboratory (APFSL), on completion of tests, revealed to the media
that Prathyusha committed suicide by consuming poison. These
contradictory versions in the media led to a hue and cry by the
public, which ended up in Writ Petitions before the Hon'ble High
Court of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad and the High Court, directed
CBI to conduct investigation into the circumstances leading to
the death of Prathyusha. Accordingly, CBI registered a case on
28.3.2002 and took up the investigation.
After thorough investigation, CBI filed a
charge sheet on 11.09.2002 against Siddharth Reddy for abetting
Prathyusha to commit suicide and for attempting to commit suicide
by himself u/s 306 and 309 IPC. The trial court found the accused
guilty for the offences and convicted him. -Keralamonitor.com
World Bank News
Lao PDR: World Bank Launches The Birds of
Lao PDR - 50th Volume in Series of Biodiversity Field Guides
Vientiane, Feb 25: To help raise awareness
of and concern for the conservation of biodiversity ? the animals
and plants that play a vital role for life on earth ? the World
Bank biodiversity field guides program launched its latest guide,
The Birds of Lao PDR, at an event in Vientiane today. The book
was produced through a partnership between the Vientiane office
of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Hanoi office
of BirdLife International, with additional assistance from the
EU-financed ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation.
The book, available only in the Lao language,
is the 50th in the World Bank-supported biodiversity field guide
series, which is now in its fifth year. This program seeks to
make more widely available information on the biodiversity of
its client countries and ensure that these important sources
of information are available in the local languages and in an
affordable format so they can be enjoyed and used by people from
school children to professional scientists.
"I am very pleased that the Bank has
been able to work with a range of partners - local NGOs, academics,
photographers, and artists - to produce so many beautiful books
that will enable a generation that is too frequently disconnected
from nature to get to know the natural riches of their countries,"
said World Bank President James Wolfensohn.
Many countries do not have local-language
guides to any of their animals or plants and this hampers all
biodiversity conservation efforts including public awareness-raising,
scientific research, environmental assessments, and park ranger
training and environmental education. The World Bank field guide
program seeks to fill these information gaps. Under this program,
field guides have been produced for more than 15 countries and
cover such topics as mammals, amphibians, fishes, dragonflies
and even snails.
"Experience shows that these books encourage
people to venture to the countryside to get better acquainted
with the wild species living there. By so doing interest in and
concern for biodiversity grows, and the number of advocates for
sustainable development increases," added Wolfensohn, who
keeps field guides at his home in Wyoming.
"Like many other biologists, I read field
guides avidly as I was growing up in England so I could identify
the plants, birds, and other animals I saw around me and this
sparked my desire to conserve these treasures. But too often
this important information is not available to people; that's
why we have launched this program," said Senior Biodiversity
Specialist and co-task manager of the field guides project, Tony
Whitten.
"As the Senegalese ecologist, Baba Dioum,
has said, 'In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we
will love only what we understand, we will understand only what
we are taught', and these field guides help us in that teaching,"
he added.
The Birds of Lao is based on the 2002 Birds
of Thailand by Craig Robson, and adapted for Lao by a team led
by the Dean of Science at the National University of Laos (NUOL),
Dr. Bouakhaykhone Svengsuksa. It covers all 686 species found
in the country and each is illustrated in color. "We hope
to get this book out to as wide an audience as possible. It will
be used as a tool in all our conservation projects and we expect
it will also be adopted by others around the country", said
Mike Hedemark, Co-Director for the WCS Lao Program. Two thousand
copies will be sent free-of-charge to key decision makers and
technical staff at national-level government institutions responsible
for natural resources management or biological research, wildlife
protection staff at provincial agriculture and forestry offices,
protected areas staff at the 20 National Biodiversity Conservation
Areas, and customs officials at key border crossings.
Another 1,000 copies will be made available
at cost price to students at NUOL. The sale of the field guide
to students will be promoted by members of staff of the Faculty
of Science during lectures and field courses. The remaining 2,000
copies will be sold at a profit to the general public at bookstores
in Vientiane, Luang Prabang and other urban centers. The proceeds
from sale of the field guide, after a deduction to cover the
distribution costs, will be used to fund reprintings to ensure
the continued availability of the field guide in the future.
The Bank's Country Manager for Lao PDR, Enrique
Crousillat, commented: "One of the major constraints to
development in Lao PDR is weak capacity, so much so that this
is the core of our Country Assistance Strategy. This guide, and
the three other Lao-language guides that we have helped to fund,
reach out to people and help to generate knowledge which informs
the dialogue on the issues of environmental management and biodiversity
conservation in the country."-Keralamonitor.com
WHO News
WHO and UNICEF launch rapid response to contain
yellow fever emergency in Liberia
Monrovia, Liberia/Geneva Feb 25: International
health agencies announced Tuesday that they were joining forces
with the Liberian government to combat a yellow fever emergency.The
World Health Organization and UNICEF are launching an emergency
mass immunization campaign together with Liberia's Ministry of
Health and Social Welfare.
The UN agencies appealed today for US$ 1.3
million to help contain the outbreak and keep it from exploding
to larger populations in displaced persons camps and urban areas.
"Conditions are ripe here for an epidemic,"
said Dr. Luzitu Simao, of WHO in Liberia "The last 14 years
of civil war have literally destroyed Liberia's health infrastructure
and yellow fever is an extremely deadly disease. Even among hospitalized
patients, the mortality rate may reach up to 50%."
"WHO considers just one laboratory confirmed
case to be an outbreak and we already have three confirmed cases
and several suspected cases are undergoing laboratory analysis
at the Pasteur Institute in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire"
he added.The three confirmed cases and two of the suspected cases
have died.
UNICEF said fewer than 80 000 vaccination
doses were currently available in Liberia. They estimated that
522 000 people above six months of age were in need of urgent
vaccination.
UNICEF and WHO estimate that it will cost
US$ 1.3 million to control the outbreak. The funds will cover
vaccines, injection materials, operational costs and the strengthening
of epidemiological surveillance and public awareness.
Liberia lies in the yellow fever belt of West
Africa and at least six outbreaks of the disease were reported
between 1995 and 2002.
Yellow fever is a viral haemorrhagic disease
transmitted by mosquitoes, either from monkey to human, or human
to human.
The civil war in Liberia sparked massive movements
of people from rural areas, where yellow fever is endemic, to
crowded urban areas creating ideal conditions for transmission
of the disease. Some 500 000 people are internally displaced,
living in squalid camps or in the ruins of abandoned buildings,
with extremely poor sanitation.
Environmental conditions will become even
more favourable for the disease with the onset of the rainy season
in April.
The vaccination campaign will first target
Bong and Nimba counties, which border Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire
respectively. -Keralamonitor.com
UK News
Better planning enforcement means a better local environment
Feb 25: Local authorities will be given more
powers to stop unauthorised
development and protect the environment, announced Planning Minister
Keith Hill today.
As a result of the "Review of the Planning
Enforcement System in
England", the Government has tabled an amendment to the
Planning and
Compulsory Purchase Bill to enable local planning authorities
(LPAs)
to issue a "temporary stop notice" at the start of
unauthorised
development, before an enforcement notice is served.
Keith Hill said:
"When someone starts damaging the local
environment by breaking the
planning rules we want to ensure local authorities can act more
effectively. The temporary stop notice could be used across a
wide
range of circumstances such as to stop the setting up a scrap
yard or
haulage business without consent in the Green Belt.
"Communities must have confidence in
the planning system, which will
only be the case if the rules are enforced. When we consulted
on the
planning enforcement system the overwhelming response was 'we
need to
be able to issue stop notices immediately.' So that's exactly
what
we're doing." -Keralamonitor.com
New opportunities for local authorities to
shine
New themes announced for Rounds 6 & 7
of the Beacon Council scheme
Feb 25: Themes focusing on developing strong, active
and healthy communities
for Rounds 6 & 7 of the Beacon Council Scheme were announced today
by
Local Government Minister Nick Raynsford.
Setting out the package of future themes,
Nick Raynsford reaffirmed
the value of the Beacon Council Scheme and of sharing best practice
in order to achieve excellence in a range of important public
services.
Nick Raynsford said:
"Today's announcement continues the commitment
we made in the Local
Government White Paper Strong Local Leadership, Better Public
Services, to develop the Beacon Council Scheme by moving to a
longer-term programme of themes.
The themes announced today were chosen following
input from
Ministerial colleagues and advice from the Independent Advisory
Panel
on Beacon Councils. They are intended to reflect a range of issues
which local people themselves find important, and which will
provide
real benefits for local communities. The themes should provide
an
opportunity for all authorities to engage in the scheme, regardless
of their size or location."
Nick Raynsford also announced the appointment
of Dr Mohammed Aslam as
a member of the Independent Advisory Panel on Beacon Councils:
"I am also delighted to announce the
appointment of Dr Mohammed
Aslam, as his wide range of experience in local government practice
makes him a welcome addition to the Panel."
Marianne Hood, Chair of the Advisory Panel
on Beacon Councils, said:
"The Panel welcomes the Minister's announcement
on future Beacon
themes. The package of themes agreed draw on suggestions put
forward
by the LGA, authorities and other organisations interested in
excellent local services, in response to the Panel's consultation
paper on themes for future rounds published in February 2003.
We
believe this wide range of themes will be positively received
by all
sectors in local government.
Like Nick Raynsford, I am also very pleased
to welcome Dr Aslam onto
the Panel".
The Round 6 themes are -
* Affordable Housing
* Asset Management
* Effective Environmental Health
* Getting Closer to Communities
* Healthy Communities
* Integrated Children's Services
* Promoting Racial Equality
* Supporting Carers
* Supporting New Business
* Sustainable Energy
Seven of the ten Round 7 themes are -
* Culture / sport for hard to reach groups
* Early Intervention (Children at Risk)
* Positive youth engagement (in the community and democratic
process)
* Road Safety
* Service delivery through partnerships
* Valuing People
* Waste and recycling -Keralamonitor.com
New centres of procurement excellence
Feb 25: Support for local authorities in implementing
good procurement
practice has been given a boost by the announcement of nine centres
of procurement excellence.
The new centres will drive innovative change
in procurement by
providing expertise to other councils and by building on existing
good practice.
The launch of the new centres marks a fundamental
step towards
assisting local authorities across the country in implementing
the
National Procurement Strategy for Local Government.
The new regional centres of procurement excellence
are:
North East Gateshead Metropolitan Borough
Council
West Midlands Worcestershire County Council
South West Dorset County Council
North West Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council
South East Kent County Council
Yorkshire and Humberside Leeds City Council
East Midlands Nottinghamshire County Council
East of England Norfolk County Council
London Association of London Government on
behalf of the London Boroughs
Announcing the nine centres, Local Government
Minister Phil Hope
said:
"Following the launch of the National Procurement Strategy
for Local
Government in October 2003, today marks another important stage
in
our joint working with the LGA to improve public services and
achieve
better value for money.
"We need to be certain that the £40
billion per year that councils
spend buying goods and services is managed with efficiency,
innovation, resourcefulness and prudence.
"I have been keen to establish these
centres as soon as possible,
because we need to start now if we are going to meet the milestones
set out in the National Procurement Strategy, especially those
for
2004."
The joint ODPM/LGA capacity building fund
will provide up to £3.6
million funding per annum for the centres for the financial years
2004/5 and 2005/6.
Welcoming the announcement, LGA Chairman Cllr
Sir Jeremy Beecham
said:
"Delivering good quality public services for all citizens,
is local
government's top priority. The establishment of Regional Centres
of
Excellence will be a vital step in ensuring the success of the
National Procurement Strategy, by enabling more effective and
flexible local collaboration between councils in regional areas.
"Building on, and promoting their own
good practice and effective
partnership working with other sectors, councils can help to
make
their local success story become a national one. This is not
only
good news for local authorities and their partners in central
government and other agencies, but most importantly good news
for
communities who will see the results in increasingly better quality
and better value public services." -Keralamonitor.com
Decoy Round brings improved protection to
Royal Navy fleet
Feb 25: The Mk 251 Active Decoy Round (ADR)
is now in service with the Royal Navy,
providing the fleet with the very highest level of protection
against attack
from homing missiles.
The ADR uses unique technology to produce
a powerful jamming signal which lures
missiles away from their original targets.
As soon as an incoming missile is identified
by the ship's Onboard Electronic
Support Measures Equipment, the system automatically selects
the appropriate
barrel to launch from and sets the timing of a parachute to automatically
deploy the ADR to the best location.
Once it has reached a pre-determined distance
from the ship, the ADR deploys an
ingenious 'para-wing' which keeps it suspended in the air, while
its
electronics emit a radar signal that attracts the incoming missile
- 'seducing'
it towards the ADR and away from the ship.
The programme has also seen the Seagnat Control
System, used on ships to deploy
chaff and infra-red countermeasures, converted to allow them
to fire the ADR.
The system will now be available to all Royal
Navy warships and has already
been deployed on operations in the Gulf.
Minister for Defence Procurement Lord Bach
said:
"This new system will play a vital role
in protecting the fleet and gives us
one of the most advanced ship defence systems in the world.
"The firing trials demonstrated how effective
the Active Decoy Round is. They
are a welcome addition to our fleet protection measures and will
remain a vital
part of our defences for the next ten years." -Keralamonitor.com
Security access to the commemorative events
for the 60th Anniversary of D-Day
Feb 25: Agreement has been reached regarding
Veteran's access to the D-Day
commemorative events in Normandy. Following negotiations with
the MOD, the
French authorities have agreed to relax the restrictions governing
access to
events in Normandy. An advanced registration scheme will meet
security
requirements whilst ensuring Veteran's access to the commemorations.
A series of events is planned this Summer.
The main international commemoration
is at Arromanches on 6th June. Other events include the inauguration
of the
Garden of Peace and the Military Band Tattoo.
In addition the Lower Normandy Regional Council
will mark the anniversary by
presenting an insignia to all veterans of the Battle for Normandy
who attend
these commemorations. -Keralamonitor.com
HM coastguard to feature in BBC documentary
series starting in mid March " Danger on the beach"
Feb 25: H.M. Coastguard will be featured in
a BBC documentary series 'Danger
On The Beach' starting Mid-March on BBC ONE.
This series was filmed at three locations, Brixham Maritime Rescue
Sub Centre and incorporated the work of the co-ordination centre,
Torbay and Berry Head Coastguard Rescue teams and Torbay Lifeboat.
The Coastguard helicopter based at Portland also features in
the
series. Also filmed were Newquay Coastguard Rescue team, Newquay
Lifeboat and lifeguards at Newquay.
In the first of the series the crew from the
Coastguard search and
rescue helicopter from Portland deal with one of the most difficult
rescues they have ever had to tackle. Three people including
a young
child are lifted from the sea off one of Dorset's most notorious
beaches. Reflecting on the tragedy, the parents and the coastguard
have strong advice on basic beach safety.
In Brixham, Devon the lifeboat is called out
to help a family with
two young children, whose motor boat has broken down and appears
to
be sinking. The volunteer crew are scrambled and the race is
on to
get to the family as quickly as possible.
And on the packed beaches of Newquay, Cornwall
the waves are huge and
the surf boards are causing serious injuries. The lifeguards
are
being extra vigilant, and this pays off when a young surfer finds
himself in serious difficulties. -Keralamonitor.com
BBC Radio 4 used to try and locate vessel
Feb 25: A lifeboat which had been requested
to launch off the Norfolk Coast
located a cargo ship today which was accidentally jamming an
emergency radio frequency. The button on the handset of the ship's
radio had become accidentally jammed in the 'on' position without
crew realising.
Coastguards in Great Yarmouth, were unable
to use the frequency
needed for ships to make distress, urgency and safety calls.
Instead
of the usual silence on the frequency, coastguards picked up
the
sound of Radio 4, which was being broadcast on another radio
on the
ship and snatches of men's voices.
The Coastguard contacted the BBC who broadcast
a message on Radio 4
asking vessels to check their broadcasting equipment.
As the broadcasting continued Coastguards
then requested the Wells
RNLI Lifeboat to launch and, following the line of the radio
signals
from the vessel, were eventually able to reach the vessel `Victress',
which was found about 10 miles off the north Norfolk coast shortly
before 10am.
Colin Tomlinson, District Operations Manager
at Yarmouth Coastguard
said:
"The button on the handset had somehow
become jammed in the 'on'
position without the crew realising it. It meant that the channel
was
broadcasting the sounds around the handset which were Radio 4
and
snatches of conversation.
"The problem we encountered was that
it meant that we were unable to
use the emergency frequency. The signal was being carried on
four of
our aerials effectively blocking any other emergency call. The
problem started shortly after 5am and a lifeboat found the vessel
and
alerted the crew at about 9.50am.
"We have known this happen before occasionally
but never for quite so
long. Coastguards had initially tried to contact the crew on
the
cargo vessel by broadcasting an appeal on Radio 4 - but on this
occasion without success; however we would like to thank the
BBC for
their prompt response. We fully recognise that this was an accident
and not deliberate." -Keralamonitor.com
Anti-terrorist legislation must balance public
protection with individual rights
Feb 25: A discussion document exploring how
best to protect society from
terrorism while retaining personal freedoms and rights was published
by Home Secretary David Blunkett today.
The paper, Counter Terrorism Powers: Reconciling
Security and Liberty
in an Open Society, sets out the following:
* An explanation of the threat we face and
the way in which Al Qaida
organise their activities;
* An examination of the part 4 powers of the
Anti Terrorism Crime and
Security Act 2001 (ATCSA) and a defence of their use;
* The need for a wider debate on how to strike
an effective balance
between security and liberty; and
* An analysis of the recommendations of Lord
Newton and Lord Carlile,
who have reviewed existing legislation, and of powers used in
foreign
countries as a starting point for a discussion.
Mr Blunkett will also announce today additional
funding for the
Security Service, which will see their numbers increase by up
to 50
per cent in the next few years and £3 million to set up
a regional
network of Special Branch intelligence cells.
He said:
"As Home Secretary, I am the custodian
of civil liberties, but I do
not own them. How we balance them with security is a matter for
the
country, not just for Government. The paper I am publishing on
future
terror laws today does not set out answers to the issues it raises,
but aims to start a debate.
"The issues raised are put forward for
discussion by Parliament and
the public so we can reach an informed judgement on the way forward.
I hope this discussion will encourage a focus on answers, not
just
criticism. Rather than putting forward Government ideas for future
terrorism laws, we are starting off the debate with a summary
of how
different countries handle terrorism, together with the
recommendations of the Lord Newton and Lord Carlile reviews.
"We recognise that under current legislation
these powers will lapse
in November 2006. My responsibility is to set out the reasoning
for
the powers as we consider how to proceed beyond that point.
"It is the Government's ultimate responsibility
to find a fair and
effective balance between security and liberty. The rights we
must
balance belong to everyone. Ensuring a successful fight against
international terrorism demands we all play our part in getting
that
balance right.
"But we also need to consider whether
adequate powers are available
to deal with all terror suspects irrespective of their nationality.
This is one of the issues I raise in the paper published for
discussion today.
"The paper also raises the question of
whether we might further
define the range of terrorism offences and the difficulties of
using
intercept material within our existing criminal justice system.
We
are currently reviewing whether some intercept evidence could
be made
available to support a prosecution in certain cases.
"I am in no doubt that the terrorism
threat remains and the need to
have the right legislation in place is greater than ever. The
recent
attacks in Riyadh, Jakarta and Istanbul and continuing threats
against airline security illustrate the need to address these
difficult issues now and debate how best to protect our country
from
these genuine dangers."
Responding to Lord Newton's review, Mr Blunkett
said:
"I am convinced that the current threat
leaves us with no option but
to continue to use these powers. I have limited their use to
the
terrorist threat posed from Al Qaida and the network of terrorist
groups associated with it.
"That is why I am seeking to renew the
part 4 powers for another year
and have vigorously and successfully upheld them in the face
of any
legal challenge. The Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC),
a
superior court of record chaired by a High Court judge, and the
Court
of Appeal have upheld my conclusions that there is a state of
public
emergency. There have been 13 individual appeals against
certification and the 11 decisions so far handed down have all
dismissed the appeals and confirmed my decision to certify the
individuals as suspect international terrorists.
"The nature of that threat means that
it was right to target those
powers at foreign nationals. Because of that the specific powers
we
introduced were only used when an individual could not be prosecuted
through the normal procedures and could not be removed from the
UK
because of our international obligations under human rights.
"Nonetheless all of those detained are
entitled to leave the United
Kingdom at any time they choose, provided a country is prepared
to
countenance their presence, as two of those certified have already
done.
"These were not powers I assumed lightly.
I have never pretended that
they are ideal, but I firmly believe that they are currently
the best
and most workable way to address the particular problems we face.
I
believe that I would be failing in my duty of public protection
if
the part 4 powers were removed from the armoury of measures available
to protect the United Kingdom from specific terrorist threats."
The Home Secretary today pays tribute to the
work of the people in
the front line in the efforts to counter the threat from terrorism.
"I am grateful to the invaluable, brave
and painstaking work done by
security and intelligence and police and law enforcement agencies
in
protecting us from threats by groups of people engaged in long
term,
sophisticated planning, using every means of science and technology
to evade surveillance and detection. They present a severe challenge
to the security services, who need to disrupt them at the early
stages of their planning.
"That is why I am today announcing that
the Government is to provide
additional funding to the Security Service. We have also committed
£3
million to set up a regional network of Special Branch intelligence
cells and appointed a national co-ordinator to promote better
oganisation of their activities. This work will complement the
role
of police in forming relationships with communities, whose support
is
vital to strengthening our defence against terrorism." -Keralamonitor.com
Securing good health for the whole population
Feb 25: Although progress has been made through
efforts to improve public
health in recent years, a step change will be needed if we are
to
achieve the "fully engaged" scenario outlined in my
earlier report on
long-term NHS resource and funding issues, Derek Wanless said
today.
Announcing publication of his further report
"Securing Good Health
for the Whole Population", Mr Wanless said:
"Achieving the goal of a population 'fully
engaged' in improving
health, to avoid becoming sick rather than treating sickness,
is a
major prize for the whole community."
"The step change needed will require
strong leadership and
organisation in public health delivery, and access to high quality,
personalised information, advice and increased support to help
individuals take vital health and lifestyle decisions."
"Individuals are primarily responsible
for their own and their
families' health, but the Government has a major role in the
process
by providing the necessary framework for success. Activity is
needed
on a wide front to help individuals take greater responsibility."
"This report's recommendations are designed
to ensure that, in
future, the necessary and justifiable support will be delivered.
They
set out the work needed to learn how support can be better provided
and to help find answers to the many practical questions still
unanswered. The key challenge is more effective implementation."
Alongside Government-led improvements in achieving
a more effective
delivery framework for health service providers nationally and
locally, the report sees an enhanced role for schools, local
authorities and other public sector agencies, employers, and
private
and voluntary sector providers in developing opportunities for
individuals to play their part in securing better health.
The report makes more than twenty recommendations
to Government on
implementing cost-effective approaches to improving population
health, prevention, and reducing health inequalities consistent
with
the public health aspects of the "fully engaged" scenario.
It suggests that the Government needs to set
out principles for
action and a framework for assessing the role of economic
instruments, such as taxes and public spending, to choose the
right
set of policy levers to deliver public health goals, similar
to that
already provided in relation to environmental issues. Another
priority is the organisation and funding of research to ensure
we
know what works on the front line and what spending can be justified.
Looking at specific areas of concern, the
report recommends that the
Government should set a consistent set of national objectives
for the
key risk factors such as smoking, physical activity and obesity.
Primary Care Trusts and local authorities should then agree joint
local targets based on the national objectives and their local
needs,
which should then be reinforced through the NHS and local government
performance management and inspection systems and would mobilise
other local groups to provide support.
Primary care will play a greater role in a "fully engaged"
scenario
and give much more attention to helping individuals stay healthy.
The
Electronic Patient Record will provide an infrastructure for
mapping
out the local prevalence of disease and lifestyle risks for the
first
time and will allow enhanced disease management programmes to
target
help at those whose need is greatest. An experiment is recommended
to
assess the benefits of additional resource in information systems,
in
monitoring risk and in providing services to manage risk. -Keralamonitor.com
Baroness Symons rejects NGO accusations on
exports of military components
Feb 25: Responding to the report 'Lock, Stock
and Barrel - How British Arms
Components Add up to Deadly Weapons', Foreign Office Minister
Baroness Symons said:
"I welcome the report's finding that
the Government has a system of
robust export control criteria aimed at preventing the misuse
of
defence equipment supplied from the UK. However, the report provides
no evidence for its claim that we are not as tough on components
of
defence equipment as we are on complete systems. It is simply
not
the case.
"The Government has recognised for some
time that the globalisation
of the defence industry means that components, rather than whole
systems, are increasingly exported from the UK. Our export licensing
system takes full account of this fact. All licences for components
are assessed against the Government's usual criteria. When making
our assessment we take full account of what the components might
be
used for, as well as the end-use stated on the application. We
simply
would not issue a licence where there was an unacceptable risk
of it
being misused or diverted.
"The report also raises the issue of
how best to control items
exported for incorporation overseas into larger items, and then
re-exported. The Government's response to this issue, as the
Foreign
Secretary set out in 2002, is for additional factors to be considered
for 'incorporation' exports. They include assessing the export
control policies and systems of the incorporating country, and
the
UK's defence and security relationship with that country. These
factors are in no way 'above' the Criteria, as the report claims.
"With respect to small arms, the report
itself accepts, the UK is not
a sizeable small arms exporter. The report's headline of a four-fold
recent increase in assault-rifle components neglect to mention
that
the number of licences increased from just 10 to 41. In the context
of roughly 8,500 licenses granted by the Government last year,
this
is tiny.
"The report also explicitly says that
any increases in the exports of
components 'do not necessarily raise concerns' about the Government's
record of being a responsible exporter.
"The report also suggests several changes
which would give even
greater transparency of the UK's small arms exports. Whilst the
Quadripartite Select Committee has praised the Government's record
on
transparency in arms exporting highly, we are not complacent.
We
will study the report's recommendations closely." -Keralamonitor.com
Health Secretary welcomes new fertility guidelines
Feb 25: New NHS guidelines on IVF treatment
may lead the way for thousands
more women to access infertility treatment, said Health Secretary,
John Reid, today.
Speaking after publication of a new national
guideline on fertility
services in the National Health Service by the National Institute
for
Clinical Excellence, (NICE), John Reid said:
"I welcome the publication of NICE's
guideline and its recommendation
about how the NHS should seek to provide IVF. One in seven couples
experience problems with conception and I recognise the pain
and
distress that infertility causes.
"I am glad that NICE itself recognises
that the NHS cannot reasonably
make this expansion overnight. Our immediate priority must be
to
ensure a national level of provision of IVF is available wherever
people live. As a first step, by April next year I want all PCTs,
including those who at present provide no IVF treatment, to offer
at
least one full cycle of treatment to all those eligible. In the
longer term I would expect the NHS to make progress towards full
implementation of the NICE guidance.
"In providing this NHS service, as with
all others, our priority must
be to help those in greatest need. That is why I will be asking
the
NHS to give local priority to couples who do not have any children
living with them.
"This will mean that thousands more couples
should be able to have
fertility treatment on the NHS whilst enabling the NHS to manage
this
in a realistic way." -Keralamonitor.com
Ministers welcome wanless report
John Reid and Gordon Brown respond to public
health report
Feb 25: Health Secretary John Reid and Chancellor
Gordon Brown today welcomed
the publication of Derek Wanless' second report, Securing Good
Health
for the Whole Population.
John Reid said:
"I have already made clear the high priority
the government attaches
to public health by announcing I will publish a White Paper on
the
way forward later this year. Derek's report is an important
contribution to that debate. We will build on it when we launch
our
formal public consultation next week. After many years of discussion,
the key challenge now is to draw up a plan of action and implement
it."
Gordon Brown said:
"The first report by Derek Wanless set
out the argument for a
long-term financial framework for reform and modernisation of
the NHS
and showed the gains to be made both for the health of the nation
and
for the economy. His latest report suggests that everyone has
a role
to play in the improvement of our public health - employers,
the
public services, communities and individuals as well as the
Government - and we must all now consider the recommendations
he
makes." -Keralamonitor.com
Forecasts of future pensions hit the 1 million
mark
Feb 25: The one millionth Combined Pension
Forecast was issued this week, and
they are delivering a wake-up call to people about their future
income in retirement, Pensions Minister Malcolm Wicks said today.
The forecasts are issued by the Department
for Work and Pensions, in
partnership with employers and pension providers, and give people
an
individually tailored picture of their future pension prospects.
Pension scheme members receive a single statement setting out
their
state pension and private pension, with a forecast of what their
income will be when they retire.
Mr Wicks said:
"People are living longer than ever before,
so the idea of a 'pension
health check-up' is increasingly important.
"People pay a great deal of attention
when a doctor reports on the
state of their health, and the same should be true when they
are
informed about the state of their pension. As many people will
have
retirements lasting twenty or more years, it is vital they have
accessible tools at their disposal to make the right decisions
about
their future."
Combined Pension Forecasts are free to employers
and pension
providers, and simple to administer. The Government aims to reach
over 6 million people by the end of 2005/06.
The millionth Combined Pension Forecast will
be issued to an employee
at John Menzies Plc. John Liddle, Senior Pensions Administrator
at
Menzies, said:
"We introduced Combined Pension Forecasts
for the first time last
year as we felt they would give our pension scheme members a
much
clearer idea of what to expect at retirement.
"We are committed to providing our staff
with clear and easy to
understand information, and feel that the Combined Pension Forecast
allows members to take more control of their future."
Malcolm Wicks said the forecasts - which form
part of the
Government's Informed Choice agenda announced on 3rd February
- are
crucial in improving the information that people get, enabling
them
to make better decisions about their retirement provision.
"Over one million people have now seen
forecasts of both their state
pension and private pension together in a single statement. This
kind
of personalised information helps people see what income they
can
expect in the years to come.
"It may even come as quite a shock, but
if it means people take
saving for their retirement more seriously, that can only be
a good
thing." -Keralamonitor.com
Councils share in extra £14.2 million
to repair heat damaged local roads
Feb 25: Local roads damaged by last summer's
hot dry weather will be repaired thanks to
£14.2 million funding announced today by Transport Minister
Tony McNulty.
This funding has been made available as a
direct response to requests from
those local authorities in the worst affected areas and demonstrates
the
Government's commitment to ensuring that our roads remain in
a good state of
repair and are safe for all road users.
Eight local authorities in the South East
and East of England whose roads were
worst hit by the weather will share in the money. These include:
South East: East Sussex £4.6 million
Kent £1.9 million Isle of Wight £1.2
million Hampshire £1.0 million West Sussex £1.0 million
Buckinghamshire £0.2
million
East of England: Cambridgeshire £2.2
million Peterborough £2.2 million
Transport Minister Tony McNulty said:
"During the exceptionally hot and dry
conditions, clay and peaty soils
underlying the roads shrank causing them to subside leading to
deformation of
the road surface and severe cracking.
"The announcement of this funding demonstrates
the Government's commitment to
working closely with local authorities to ensure that our roads
remain in a
good state of repair and do not endanger road users. I am pleased
that the
Department has been able to provide the worst hit local authorities
with
additional funding to repair the damage". -Keralamonitor.com
Falconer heralds new constitutional era
Feb 25: A NEW constitutional era, abolishing
the office of Lord Chancellor and creating
an independent Supreme Court and independent Judicial Appointments
Commission,
was heralded today by Constitutional Affairs secretary Lord Falconer.
He said the changes brought in by the Constitutional
Reform Bill, published
today, would inspire more transparency, more openness and greater
public
confidence in Britain's constitution.
Lord Falconer said:
"Reform of our constitution is vital
to ensure our institutions are fit for the
21st century. Sustaining and increasing trust in these institutions
requires
continuing reform.
"The package of reforms I am announcing
today will guarantee judicial
independence and help modernise the justice system. Separating
government,
Parliament and the courts will be a significant step forward
for the
constitution and the country."
Judicial independence For the first time,
the Bill enshrines in law a duty on
government ministers to uphold the independence of the judiciary.
They will be
specifically barred from trying to influence judicial decisions
through any
special access to judges.
Abolishing the Lord Chancellor The Bill brings
to an end the post of Lord
Chancellor, transferring his judicial functions to President
of the Courts of
England and Wales.
The Lord Chief Justice, currently Lord Woolf,
will become President of the
Courts of England and Wales. He will be responsible for the training,
guidance
and deployment of judges. He will also represent the views of
the judiciary of
England and Wales to Parliament and ministers.
Supreme Court The Bill also establishes a
new, independent Supreme Court,
separate from the House of Lords with its own independent appointments
system,
its own staff and budget and, ultimately, its own building.
The 12 judges of the Supreme Court will be
known as Justices of the Supreme
Court and will no longer be allowed to sit as members of the
House of Lords.
The current Law Lords will become the first 12 Justices of the
Supreme Court,
with Lord Bingham as President of the Supreme Court.
Justices of the Supreme Court will be appointed
by the Queen on the
recommendation of a commission chaired by the President of the
Supreme Court
and including representatives from the Judicial Appointment Commissions
of
England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Appointments will only be made after consultation
with senior judiciary and the
first ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
As well as being the final court of appeal
for England and Wales and Northern
Ireland, and the final civil court of appeal for Scotland, the
Supreme Court
will take over the job of ruling on devolution issues from the
Judicial
Committee of the Privy Council.
The Secretary of State for Constitutional
Affairs will have the power to waive
any fees that prevent people accessing the Supreme Court.
Independent Judicial Appointments Commission
A new system of appointing judges,
independent of the patronage of politicians, is also brought
in by the Bill.
Appointments will be solely on the basis of merit, and solely
on the
recommendation of the new Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC).
The minister will have severely limited powers
to reject names put forward by
the JAC. He will only be able appoint candidates recommended
by the JAC and
will have no power to select his own candidates.
Lord Falconer said:
"Limiting the power of patronage and
severely curtailing the ability of
ministers to appoint and discipline judges are important safeguards
to judicial
independence.
"It is right that politicians should
not seek to influence the smooth running
of the judicial system. The duty to uphold judicial independence
further
underlines that.
"In a modern democracy, judges have no
place in Parliament and politicians no
place in the courtroom. Separating the powers of judges and politicians,
while
keeping the balance between them, is the best means of maintaining
clarity and
confidence in our constitution." -Keralamonitor.com
UN News
UNESCO Awards Press Freedom Prize To Jailed
Cuban Journalist
Feb 25: UNESCO awarded its annual UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World
Press Freedom Prize yesterday to Cuban journalist Raul Rivero
Castaneda, who is serving a 20-year jail sentence after a government
crackdown against journalists and dissidents last spring.
"The prize is a tribute to Raul Rivero's
brave and longstanding commitment to independent reporting, the
hallmark of professional journalism," said UNESCO Director
General Koichiro Matsuura, upon endorsing an independent jury
recommendation.
"Over the years, Mr. Rivero has paid
dearly for that commitment, and the prize celebrates the continuing
struggle of media professionals for freedom of expression. I
call on the authorities to free Mr. Rivero and the other journalists,"
he added.
Born in 1945, Rivero left the state-controlled
press more than 15 years ago and helped found the country's first
independent association of journalists in 2001 (UNESCO release,
Feb. 24).
He endured sustained government harassment
throughout his independent career, and was sentenced last April
for allegedly undermining Cuba's "independence and integrity."
His wife, Blanca Reyes, has launched a high-profile
campaign to get him freed, and yesterday she again criticized
the allegations leveled against him.
"Raul is a journalist and a poet unjustly
imprisoned and not a mercenary at the service of imperialism,"
she told Agence France-Presse.
Rivero has lost more than 60 pounds since
his arrest, AFP says, and is said to be suffering from circulatory
problems (AFP/Yahoo! News, Feb. 25). His wife has expressed serious
concerns about his health and the conditions in which he is being
held.
The $25,000 prize is presented each year to
mark World Press Freedom Day, which will be celebrated in 2004
in Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro. Jamaica's Oliver Clarke,
jury chairman, said he hoped Rivero would be allowed to attend
the ceremony (UNESCO release).
Case Dropped Against British Leaker Of U.S.
Spying Memo
Feb 25: British prosecutors dropped their
case today against a government translator charged with leaking
a secret U.S. e-mail last year that asked for help in spying
at the United Nations.
Katharine Gun, a former translator with the
Government Communications Headquarters, had admitted to giving
the London Observer the e-mail, in which the U.S. National Security
Agency reportedly asked for British help in eavesdropping on
U.N. Security Council countries about to vote on action in Iraq.
She had defended her actions, which put her
in possible breach of state secrecy laws, by saying she had "followed
her conscience" in an effort to prevent the war.
Gun was cleared yesterday on charges of breaching
the Official Secrets Act when the prosecution offered no evidence.
"There is no longer sufficient evidence
for a realistic prospect of conviction," said prosecutor
Mark Ellison. "It would not be appropriate for me to go
into the reasons for this decision."
Human rights group Liberty, which backed Gun
throughout her trial, said it was possible the prosecution's
decision followed political intervention.
"One wonders whether disclosure in this
criminal trial might have been a little too embarrassing,"
Liberty's Shami Chakrabarti said.
Speaking outside the court yesterday, Gun
said she was "absolutely overwhelmed and obviously delighted"
by the decision. "I have no regrets and I would do it again,"
she added (BBC Online, Feb. 25).
Europe, Central Asia Declare Ambitious Anti-AIDS
Agenda
Feb 25: Ministers from 55 countries in Europe
and Central Asia yesterday wrapped up a two-day meeting in Dublin
on the accelerating spread of HIV/AIDS in their region with a
pledge to provide "universal access" to antiretroviral
drugs as early as 2005.
They also plan to eliminate HIV infections
among newborns by 2010 and speed up a deal agreed upon in the
World Trade Organization to bring inexpensive generic drugs onto
the market. The ministers did not pledge a specific amount of
money to the project.
The World Bank warned last fall that the region
needed to raise annual spending on HIV/AIDS prevention and care
programs to $1.5 billion by 2007, from $300 million in 2000,
if it hoped to curb the disease.
Eastern Europe and Central Asia have the fastest-growing
HIV infection rates; as many as 1.8 million in the two regions
are infected, up from an estimated 30,000 in 1998. Russia, Ukraine,
and European Union accession states Estonia and Latvia have the
worst epidemics; last week the U.N. Development Program said
one in every 100 adults in Russia, Ukraine and Estonia is infected.
The disease took hold among injection drug users and is now spreading
through the general population.
At the conference, experts also said HIV/AIDS
was resurgent in Western Europe due to complacence induced by
the appearance of antiretroviral therapy. AIDS death rates dropped
from 20,000 in 1996 to 3,500 in 2003, but there were also 30,000
to 40,000 new infections last year (Robert Wielaard, Associated
Press, Feb. 24).
Global Fund Relaunches Ukraine AIDS Grant
With New Player
Feb 25: Less than a month after cutting off
support to HIV/AIDS projects in Ukraine because of mismanagement,
the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria yesterday
said it would restart the flow of money, this time to a new organization
that will oversee the the programs until the kinks in management
are straightened out.
Details remain to be determined, but in all
likelihood the International HIV/AIDS Alliance will receive a
grant worth $15 million to take the reins for one year. Whether
the group goes on to continue running the five-year, $92 million
Ukrainian program after the grant is up will depend on its own
performance, as well as progress made by the original grant recipients
toward resolving the problems that prompted the fund to withdraw
its support in the first place (Global Fund release, Feb. 24).
The three original recipients - the Ukrainian
Health Ministry, the Ukrainian Fund to Fight HIV Infection and
AIDS and the U.N. Development Program - had received $7.5 million
from the Global Fund as of late last month but had spent only
$740,000 and did not appear equipped to meet the target of providing
AIDS treatment to 4,000 Ukrainians within two years, up from
fewer than 100.
Although the fund did not suspect embezzlement,
a spokesman said the slow pace of the original projects, coupled
with Ukraine's escalating HIV/AIDS crisis, caused it to rethink
the program's stewardship. The decision marked the first time
in the fund's 18-month history that it had withdrawn money from
a program (U.N. Wire, Feb. 2).
The Global Fund finances programs to combat
HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria but does not implement the
programs itself and therefore relies heavily on performance evaluations
to ensure the money is well spent (Global Fund release).
Arab States Urged To Improve
Protection Of Abused Children
Feb 25: Guaranteeing a safe environment at
home is critical to addressing the issue of child abuse, particularly
given the desire of so many children to return home despite past
mistreatment, experts concluded today at a regional conference
in Amman, Jordan organized by the International Society for Prevention
of Child Abuse and Neglect.
Many Arab countries, including Jordan, have
taken steps in recent years to offer safe havens for abused children,
but the family unit is still the healthiest place for a child's
upbringing, social workers and experts at the three-day conference
said.
But the lack of rehabilitation services, follow-up
and intervention to improve the family's functionality remain
obstacles to ensuring the safety of abused children returning
home, they said.
In a paper presented at the conference, British
expert Margaret Lynch said that if tools for intervention did
not exist in her country, "60 percent of victims would be
back, either injured or possibly dead."
Lynch and other experts recommended strengthening
programs to reintegrate children into their homes and follow
up on past cases of abuse (Dalya Dajani, Jordan Times, Feb. 25).
An editorial in today's Jordan Times commended
the commitment to the issue demonstrated by Jordan and several
U.N. agencies participating in the conference, including UNICEF,
the World Health Organization and the U.N. High Commissioner
for Human Rights.
But the newspaper lamented the absence of
the International Labor Organization and UNESCO, saying that
"without the tools" of those two organizations, "the
ongoing efforts to prevent child abuse and neglect cannot be
complete."
The Jordan Times also called the conference
a "beginning" toward "break[ing] the silence on
child abuse and neglect. ... Transparent discussions of the problem
and concrete examples of applications to resolve it will make
the efforts more meaningful and fruitful," it concluded
(Jordan Times, Feb. 25).
UNICEF Study Urges Protection For Indigenous
Children
Feb 25: Indigenous children are among the
most vulnerable and marginalized groups in the world and need
global action to protect their survival and rights, says a new
UNICEF Innocenti Research Center report released today.
Improving the lives of indigenous children
is crucial not only for their own health but for the greater
survival of indigenous people as a whole, the report concluded.
It also highlighted the four strategic areas - health and nutrition,
education, protection and community participation - where investments
are most needed.
Indigenous groups are ubiquitous throughout
the world, originating in some 70 countries and speaking three-quarters
of the world's 6,000 languages. They often live with a lack of
opportunity and endure severe cultural and social discrimination.
Of the 300 million indigenous persons worldwide, about half live
in Asia. Latin America is home to the second-largest population.
In comparing non-indigenous children with
indigenous children, the study found that the latter group had
lower vaccination rates, higher mortality rates, lower rates
of school enrollment and higher rates of grade repetition and
school drop-out. The study found that infant, child and maternal
mortality rates are higher among indigenous groups regardless
of how wealthy the country is overall.
Indigenous children also suffer inadequate
protection from their national justice systems, the report says,
detailing how the rights of indigenous children in rural and
urban areas are often compromised or denied. The report urges
governments to devote resources and enact legislation, policies
and services protecting indigenous children from violence and
exploitation, such as human trafficking and sexual and labor
exploitation (UNICEF release, Feb. 25).
U.N. Convention On Marketing Of Chemicals
Comes Into Force
Feb 25: The Rotterdam Convention, a labeling
agreement enabling countries to decide which potentially dangerous
chemicals they want to import or to exclude, became legally binding
on its parties yesterday, two U.N. organizations announced.
"This treaty will enable developing countries
to avoid many of the mistakes made in the richer countries, where
the misuse of chemicals and pesticides has too often harmed or
killed people and damaged the environment," Klaus Toepfer,
executive director of the U.N. Environment Program, said.
Jacques Diouf, the director general of the
Food and Agriculture Organization, said the pact "will help
countries to avoid using pesticides that are recognized to be
harmful to human health and the environment and highly toxic
pesticides that cannot be handled safely by small farmers in
developing countries."
The convention initially lists 27 hazardous
chemicals, but as many as 15 more pesticides and industrial chemicals,
including some forms of asbestos, will be considered for inclusion
at the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties in Geneva
from Sept. 20-24, the FAO and UNEP said (U.N. release, Feb. 24).
Scientists Warn of "Back Door" Contamination
By GM Crops
Feb 25: Lax U.S. regulations monitoring the
production and distribution of seeds from genetically modified
crops designed for industrial or pharmaceutical use heightens
the risk of food contamination and poses a serious threat to
human health, warns a report released Monday by the Union of
Concerned Scientists.
According to the Financial Times, the report,
Gone to Seed, found that poor controls to monitor the separation
of genetically modified products from conventional food types
could lead to increased dangers in the future. Pharmaceutical
and industrial crops are the "back door" to food contamination
because of their role in producing drugs, vaccines and industrial
chemicals, the report said.
"This study shatters the presumption
that at least one portion of the seed supply - that for traditional
varieties of crops - is truly free of genetically engineered
elements," said Margaret Mellon, director of the UCS's Food
and Environment Program and an author of the new study.
Although testing revealed low levels of contamination
from genetically modified seeds to conventional stocks of corn,
rape and soy bean seeds - less than 1 percent - the report asserts
the amount is still enough to fill 240 large trucks and poses
a significant health risk.
The report further warns that current U.S.
testing methods may not detect all the possible contaminants,
urging the U.S. government to strengthen regulations for industrial
and pharmaceutical GM crops. The UCS, a Washington-based group,
also suggested that the United States establish a reservoir of
non-genetically modified seeds in case genetically modified crops
fail.
"Seeds are the wellspring of our food
system, the base on which we improve crops and the course to
which we return when crops fail. Seeds will be our only recourse
if the prevailing belief in the safety of genetic engineering
proves wrong," the report says.
At a related U.N.-backed conference in Malaysia,
Hamdallah Zedan, executive secretary of the U.N. Convention on
Biological Diversity, addressed developing countries' diminished
capacity to access genetic food-modification technology. According
to Zedan, countries that had signed the Cartagena Protocol on
Biosafety were trying to implement rules for genetically engineered
food production, but lacked the funds to set up the necessary
laboratories to monitor the use of the technology (John Mason,
Financial Times, Feb. 24).
At the conference are delegates from nearly
90 countries. They are set to work out details on several issues
related to GM crops, such as shipment labeling, liability and
compliance.
The conference opened Monday with Washington
and the European Union prepping for a showdown over the EU's
moratorium on GM approvals, which the United States has challenged
under World Trade Organization rules.
Participants are also expected to negotiate
the specifics of the biosafety protocol, which obliges exporters
of GM products to give more information about the products before
shipping them to recipient countries (Reuters/Planet Ark, Feb.
25).
China, meanwhile, has issued rules on the
importation of GM crops, ending its trade dispute with Washington
on the matter. The Ministry of Agriculture said it had approved
five GM crops, including soybeans and two types each of corn
and cotton, and that suppliers could apply immediately for import
permits (Associated Press/Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Feb. 24).
Globalization Failing The
Poor, ILO Study Says
Feb 25: The current globalization model benefits
few and creates imbalances that are ethically unacceptable and
politically unsustainable, says a new study released yesterday
by the International Labor Organization, which is calling on
countries to build a more inclusive model.
According to A Fair Globalization: Creating
Opportunities for All, globalization has "immense"
potential, but so far it has not been able to improve the lives
of the poor.
For instance, the report says, globalization
has increased unemployment, which recently has reached a historical
record of 185 million worldwide. It has also swelled the ranks
of the informal sector (BBC Brasil, Feb. 24, U.N. Wire translation).
According to recent estimates, 70 to 90 percent of the population
in developing countries is involved with businesses and work
that exist outside of a legal framework (Patricia Kowsmann, U.N.
Wire, Feb. 18).
The globalization study was issued by ILO's
World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization and
results from discussions that took place in 20 countries over
the last two years.
Although it states the failure of globalization
to improve the lives of many, the study acknowledges that globalization
has produced some benefits that accrue to a wide range of people,
including the strengthening of movements to protect the environment,
respect human rights and women's rights and condemn child labor
(BBC Brasil).
Among the report's recommendations are calls
for fairer rules for international trade, investment, finance
and migration, as well as steps to increase labor standards.
The report is to be discussed in March during
ILO's governing body meeting. ILO Director General Juan Somavia
is also expected to present proposals for a fairer globalization
model during the International Labor Conference in June (U.N.
release, Feb. 24).
Internet Growth, Tourism Boosted Globalization
In 2002
Feb 25: In spite of a slowed world economy
in 2002, Internet growth in developing countries and a jump in
tourism boosted global "connectedness" between nations
and individuals, according to a report on this year's A.T. Kearney/Foreign
Policy Globalization Index by United Press International.
The fourth annual index, released yesterday,
measured economic, personal, political and technological globalization
for 2002 in 62 countries that account for 96 percent of the world's
gross domestic product (GDP) and 84 percent of the world's population
(Dar Haddix, UPI, Feb. 24). This year's index includes sections
on health, women's rights, religion and culture (U.N. Wire).
"It's not just about economics,"
Moises Naim, editor and publisher of Foreign Policy magazine,
said of the index. "Globalization in the '90s became shorthand
at some point for trade investments flows and the Internet. And
we felt that it was that, but it was more than that. It was about
a web of interactions that linked the world in ways, some of
which had a long history and some of which were new."
For the third year in a row, Ireland ranked
as the most globalized country in the world, logging its highest-ever
foreign direct investment of $24.7 billion. The United States
made the survey's top 10 list for the first time.
Although labor and trade tensions, falling
foreign investment and the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks created
some setbacks to globalization, tourism, Internet use and telephony
strengthened global ties, with 22 million more people making
international trips and the number of international calls increasing
by 15 billion minutes.
Mobile phones outnumbered landlines for the
first time in 2002, allowing residents in developing countries
to bypass land networks for newer mobile technology.
Also, 130 million people became Internet users
in 2002, putting nearly 10 percent of the world online, up from
8.1 percent in 2001.
According to the index, in globalized countries,
people lived longer, healthier lives, and women enjoyed the most
opportunities. The top 10 most-globalized countries in order
of rank were Ireland, Singapore, Switzerland, Netherlands, Finland,
Canada, United States, New Zealand, Austria and Denmark.
The 10 least-globalized countries, where 50
percent of the world's population lives, were Brazil, Kenya,
Turkey, Bangladesh, China, Venezuela, Indonesia, Egypt, India
and Iran (Haddix, UPI).
WTO Approves EU Sanctions Against U.S. In
Dumping Ruling
Feb 25: The World Trade Organization announced
yesterday it has given the go-ahead for the European Union to
impose trade sanctions against the United States because Washington
has not cancelled an 88-year-old law that allows U.S. producers
to sue foreign companies that sell imported products on the U.S.
market below fair market value.
The WTO ruled the U.S. Anti-Dumping Act illegal
in 2000, giving the country until December 2001 to revoke the
law. The U.S. Congress, however, has maintained the law.
"The decision of the arbitrators is a
welcome reaffirmation that the WTO is a rule-based system and
members may not ignore their obligations with impunity,"
said EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy.
According to the EU, three European companies
are currently being sued by U.S. companies for selling products
below fair market value (BBC Brasil, Feb. 24, U.N. Wire translation).
The European Commission has said it is planning
on imposing the same sort of financial penalties on U.S. companies
that are found guilty of dumping European markets, although it
is still hopeful that sanctions could be avoided.
"The EU may now adopt a mirror regulation
at any time, but it strongly hopes that rapid action by [the
U.S.] Congress will make such step a unnecessary," the commission
said.
Under international trade rules, countries
can increase customs duties on imports that have been sold below
fair market value, but they are not allowed to sue companies
that do so (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo! News, Feb. 24).
Next week the EU will start imposing $370
million worth of sanctions against the United States in another
trade dispute (BBC Brasil).
Annan Promises U.N. Help For Morocco Earthquake
Victims
Feb 25: U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan
yesterday pledged the United Nations' assistance to the victims
of yesterday's earthquake in northern Morocco that killed more
than 500 people.
"The secretary general is deeply saddened
by the heavy loss of life and extensive damage caused by a powerful
earthquake that struck near the city of al-Hoceima," U.N.
spokesman Fred Eckhard said (U.N. release, Feb. 24).
According to Reuters, the earthquake, Morocco's
worst natural disaster in more than 40 years, has killed at least
564 people around the Mediterranean port city and left thousands
more homeless, with many survivors forced to spend the night
in the open. Authorities feared the death toll could climb higher
as search-and-rescue teams reached hamlets far up the Rif mountains.
France was among the first countries to pledge
aid, including rescue workers with sniffer dogs and clearance
equipment. Algeria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal,
Spain and the United States also offered humanitarian help (Souhail
Karaim, Reuters, Feb. 25).
WFP Resumes Food Aid In North Korea
Feb 25: The World Food Program announced today
it has resumed food aid to most of the 6.5 million people it
feeds in North Korea after receiving contributions from Germany,
New Zealand, Canada and Norway.
Earlier this month, the U.N. agency made an
urgent appeal for more food aid to North Korea, saying the supplies
had nearly run out.
"We can now resume cereal distribution
to most - but not all - of the 6.5 million children, women and
elderly identified as particularly needy," said WFP representative
in North Korea Masood Hyder.
The WFP has been struggling to meet aid targets
for the country in recent years, as it has received as little
as 60 percent of the food the North Koreans need yearly (Associated
Press/Yahoo! News, Feb. 24).
U.S. Charges First Guantanamo
Detainees
Feb 25: The United States yesterday charged
two suspected al-Qaeda members being held at Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba, with conspiracy to commit war crimes, paving the way for
the first U.S. military tribunal since World War II.
Neither is accused of direct involvement with
the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Ibrahim al-Qosi, of Sudan,
is allegedly an al-Qaeda accountant who worked as al-Qaeda chief
Osama bin Laden's bodyguard from 1996 on and aided the leader's
getaway from Kandahar, Afghanistan on the eve of the Sept. 11
attacks. Ali Hamza al-Bahlul, of Yemen, was allegedly an al-Qaeda
propagandist assigned to make a video glorifying the October
2000 attack on the USS Cole and who also allegedly abetted bin
Laden's escape.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the
choice of charges to open the tribunal raises questions about
whether the U.S. administration has found substantive evidence
linking any of the 650 prisoners at Guantanamo to specific acts
of terrorism (Carol Rosenberg, Feb. 25).
A U.S. defense official quoted by Reuters
dismissed the notion, saying, "It's not necessarily that
these are the worst of the worst or the most egregious cases.
These are the cases that were ready for charging at this point."
Neither suspect will face the death penalty,
according to a Pentagon spokesman, and no date has been set for
the trials, which will take place at Guantanamo (Will Dunham,
Reuters, Feb. 25).
Amnesty International USA renewed its criticism
of the tribunals as inherently unfair. "Prisoners facing
these courts after years of detention and interrogation will,
among other things, be denied any meaningful right of appeal,"
said Amnesty International USA Executive Director William Schulz.
The rights group is one of three prohibited
by the Pentagon from observing the tribunals (Rosenberg, Philadelphia
Inquirer).
In related news, CIA Director George Tenet
told the Senate Intelligence Committee yesterday that wiping
out al-Qaeda would not end the danger of terrorism to the United
States because dozens of extremist Islamic groups have sprung
up, "infected" by bin Laden's ideology.
Delivering his annual assessment of threats
to the United States alongside Defense Intelligence Agency chief
Lowell Jacoby and FBI Director Robert Mueller, Tenet warned of
growing hostility toward the United States.
"The steady growth of anti-U.S. sentiment
through the wider Sunni extremist movement and the broad dissemination
of al-Qaeda's destructive expertise ensure that a serious threat
will remain for the foreseeable future - with or without al-Qaeda
in the picture," Tenet said (Jonathan Landay, Philadelphia
Inquirer, Feb. 25).
Four Killed In Northern Uganda Protest
Feb 25: Clashes between the Ugandan police
and residents protesting violence in the north of the country
turned deadly today as a mob beat two people to death and police
fired into the crowd, killing two others, Associated Press reports.
Thousands of residents took to the streets
of the town of Lira, angered by the killing of around 200 people
in the nearby Barlonyo refugee camp Saturday (Karel Prinsloo,
AP/Yahoo! News, Feb. 25). Rebels from the Lord's Resistance Army
shot and burned refugees in one of the bloodiest massacres in
a 17-year insurgency (U.N. Wire, Feb. 24).
The protesters said the government is not
doing enough to stop the rebels and to protect civilians. Some
of them also urged the United Nations to intervene.
"The government has shown a lack of concern
for the people of Lira and northern Uganda as a whole,"
said a resident. "It's always been giving empty promises.
If there is mass murder they say it is the kick of the dying
horse. For how long will they keep giving empty promises?"
(Prinsloo, AP).
At least one man killed in today's protest
is believed to be from the ethnic group Acholi, from which the
LRA rebels reportedly draw some of their members.
After Saturday's massacre, Ugandan President
Yoweri Museveni apologized to the population for what he said
were mistakes by the government and the army that allowed the
killings, adding that he is determined to stop the rebels - something
he has said on many occasions in the past.
Museveni also accused neighboring Sudan for
supporting and equipping the LRA and blamed donors for making
him keep military spending down.
"Maybe the mistake we made was not to
tell them to go to hell," he said (BBC Online, Feb. 25).
The Barlonyo camp, home to around 5,000 people,
was guarded by just 30 members of the local army when rebels
started attacking (U.N. Wire).
The Ugandan army announced that since Saturday
it has killed 21 LRA rebels directly involved in the massacre
(BBC Online).
Yesterday, a U.N. mission with representatives
from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
and UNICEF arrived in Lira to assess the situation after Saturday's
violence.
The World Food Program also went to two camps
where Barlonyo refugees were sent and announced it has 40 metric
tons of food ready for immediate distribution. The food would
be sufficient for 5,000 people for 15 days.
Local officials in Lira also told the United
Nations they were planning to reinforce security in the 18 camps
in the district, assigning 300 militia and 50 soldiers from the
army for each camp (U.N. release/ReliefWeb, Feb. 24).
The conflict in Uganda has displaced at least
1 million people since it started (BBC Online).
Serbs Demand U.N. Action On Kosovo Violence
Feb 25: Serbia and Montenegro Foreign Minister
Goran Svilanovic called on the United Nations Monday to "take
concrete action" to halt violence against Serbs in U.N.-administered
Kosovo, Agence France-Presse reported Monday.
Svilanovic's note to the Security Council
followed a weekend in which two Serbs were found shot dead in
the Albanian-majority province. Svilanovic called the killings
"tragic proof that all statements, condemnations and requests
(of the United Nations) have, unfortunately, not resulted in
ending the terror in Kosovo."
Tensions linger between Kosovo's ethnic Albanian
majority and the Serb minority, stemming from the province's
1998-99 war. Although Svilanovic said Belgrade "expects
the Security Council to take resolute and concrete action in
order to prevent further crimes and secure safety for all the
inhabitants of Kosovo," the U.N. police said there was no
proof the killings were ethnically motivated (AFP, Feb. 23).
Amnesty Urges China To Investigate Alleged
Prison Suicide
Feb 25: Amnesty International has sent a letter
to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao asking him to launch an independent
inquiry into the prison death of the former deputy mayor of Harbin
city, the human rights group said yesterday.
Zhu Shengwen had been serving a 17-year sentence
for taking $8,500 in bribes from a property developer when, according
to Chinese media reports, he threw himself out of a bathroom
window after struggling with a prison guard.
Amnesty has questioned the veracity of that
account, however.
"Zhu Shengwen's death has officially
been termed a suicide, but his family ha[s] strongly disputed
this version of events," the group said in a statement.
"They have stated that he was looking forward to the possibility
of parole and that his behavior did not suggest that he was suicidal."
In its letter to Premier Wen, Amnesty also
expressed concern that Zhu's account of having been tortured
in pretrial detention between 1996 and 1998 had apparently not
been investigated. During his trial in April 1998, Zhu reportedly
contested the charges against him and said he was framed, Amnesty
said.
"No investigation into these serious
allegations of torture is known to have been carried out, and
the court proceeded to convict and sentence him, apparently using
his confession as 'evidence,'" the group added (Agence France-Presse,
Feb. 24).
With Haitian Rebels On March, Aristide Pleas
For Help
Feb 25: Haiti's opposition yesterday rejected
a U.S.-backed power-sharing agreement, demanding instead that
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide resign and raising the risk
of all-out civil war.
The plan, brokered by U.S. envoys, Canada,
France, the Caribbean Community and the Organization of American
States, would have kept Aristide in power, but with diminished
authority and a shared government.
"We sent our position (paper) and a signed
letter saying 'No' to the proposal," said Paul Denis, one
of the leaders of the Democratic Platform coalition.
Maurice Lafortune, who heads the Haitian Chamber
of Commerce, one of the core groups within the coalition, said,
"There will be no more delays. Our answer remains the same.
Aristide must resign."
A U.S. State Department official said the
United States was still working with Aristide and the political
opposition on reaching consensus on the power-sharing plan, while
France was trying to convene a meeting between Aristide and opposition
leaders later this week.
Rebels, who have taken control of most of
the northern part of Haiti, insist they will put down their arms
only when Aristide relinquishes control.
Aristide, who has accepted the plan, warned
of an impending catastrophe unless international help arrived
to stem the crisis. "Should these killers come to Port-au-Prince,
you may have thousands of people who may be killed," he
said. "We need the presence of the international community
as soon as possible."
At least 70 people have been killed in the
three-week uprising, most of them police officers.
Associated Press reports that the United States
may seek a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for the dispatch
of international peacekeepers to Haiti if no settlement between
Aristide and the opposition is reached, and French U.N. Ambassador
Jean-Marc de la Sabliere said diplomats were considering proposing
"a police force, or a civilian force" for approval
by the United Nations (Mark Stevenson, AP/Yahoo! News, Feb. 25).
Port-au-Prince, the capital, was on full alert
yesterday, ready for an imminent attack by rebels after Cap-Haitien,
the country's second-largest city, fell to insurgents on Sunday.
Pro-Aristide gangs in Port-au-Prince had strewn barricades around
the city in preparation to receive rebel troops led by Guy Philippe,
who returned from exile in the Dominican Republic to help lead
the insurrection.
Philippe has vowed to press on to Port-au-Prince,
and the Los Angeles Times reports that 150 armed rebels had left
Cap-Haitien before dawn yesterday. The rebels face weak opposition,
with 20 percent of Haiti's 5,000 police officers - the country
has no army - having deserted or joined the attackers.
The political opposition, however, has distanced
itself from the rebels, condemning their violent tactics and
leaving unclear how much influence they have over the gunmen
(Carol Williams, Los Angeles Times, Feb. 25).
Philippe said yesterday he had made contact
with the opposition coalition, but that he had no plans to install
a military dictatorship should his band of rebels succeed in
chasing Aristide from office.
Opposition leader Mischa Gaillard, however,
said they had no contacts with the rebels. "We don't want
to be tainted with any suspicion of condoning violence,"
Gaillard said.
Philippe, Aristide's former assistant police
chief for northern Haiti, said his movement wants to re-establish
the army that ousted Aristide in 1991 but was disbanded after
U.S. troops restored Aristide to power in 1994. Although he said
the army "should stay in the barracks," Philippe made
his own ambitions clear by declaring, "I am the commander
in chief."
Under his command, Philippe insisted, the
history of the Haitian army ruling with brutality would end.
"We will not execute anyone," he said. "I promise"
(Paisley Dodds, AP/Yahoo! News, Feb. 25).
World Food Program Warns Of Dwindling Stocks
The World Food Program said yesterday that
although looters have ransacked a WFP warehouse in Cap-Haitien,
it still has sufficient stocks to feed the estimated 373,000
Haitians in need of food aid.
WFP Country Director Guy Gauvreau warned,
however, of a sharp rise in food shortages unless security improved,
especially in the north. "We have not witnessed the full
extent of the crisis yet," he said.
Demand for WFP assistance at some health center
around Port-au-Prince has risen 40 percent over the past two
months, the agency said.
"Insecurity is the main obstacle preventing
us from reaching the most vulnerable," Gauvreau said. "We
are calling on all parties to allow humanitarian operations to
continue" (WFP release, Feb. 24).
U.N. Told Iraq is Taking First Steps To Democracy
United Nations Feb 25: The U.S. and British
ambassadors yesterday gave the Security Council reports on the
security, economic and political fronts in Iraq that painted
a picture of a country pulling itself together. Speaking on behalf
of the Coalition Provisional Authority, U.S. Ambassador John
Negroponte and British Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry said that
despite continuing difficulties, Iraqis were on the road to self-rule.
"After decades of oppression, we see
the Iraqi people asserting their own vision for Iraq by assuming
greater responsibility for security, by managing their natural
resources for the benefit of all, and by taking the first steps
toward representative democracy," said Negroponte.
Responding to the joint presentation, governments
that opposed the pre-emptive invasion of Iraq and favored continued
working through the United Nations questioned the diplomats on
some of their assessments and renewed their arguments for the
return of the United Nations. "Only the United Nations can
credibly facilitate a lasting consensus among the Iraqis,"
said German Ambassador Gunter Pleuger.
This meeting was held in accordance with Resolution
1483, which requires periodic updates on the situation in Iraq.
It was also the first opportunity for council members to comment
on the report released yesterday by U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahami
on the prospect for Iraqi elections. Governments welcomed the
report and said the success of the Brahimi mission showed the
need for greater U.N. involvement in Iraq as soon as possible.
Russian Ambassador Sergei Lavrov said the
Brahimi mission shows "that without the United Nations,
it is difficult to look to achieving a lasting settlement"
that would be "acceptable to all Iraqis and would be viable."
Algerian Ambassador Abdallah Baali said the
mission shows the U.N. role is "vital and that its return
to that country to help the Iraqi people obtain democratic and
national institutions and rebuild the country are not only necessary,
but must occur as soon as security conditions allow and as soon
as the United Nations mandate is clearly defined."
That mandate could take the form of a new
council resolution, as France and others have suggested, but
the United States and United Kingdom have expressed little interest
in a new round of council deliberations over Iraq. French Ambassador
Jean-Marc de la Sabliere questioned whether 1483 is the "appropriate
framework for United Nations actions."
"Would [the United Nations] still be
able to govern the situations in a sovereign Iraq?" de la
Sabliere asked. "A new Security Council resolution could
prove necessary to support the restoration of Iraqi sovereignty."
After the council meeting, Negroponte said,
"We don't see an immediate need [for a new resolution] and
I would note that even the French ambassador … did not suggest
a resolution was required right away."
Jones Parry added, "There's enough basis
in the existing Security Council resolutions and in this report
[by Brahimi] to actually permit that role to unfold."
While the Brahimi report settled - at least
for the United Nations and some governments, if not for all Iraqis
- the key questions of holding to the June 30 deadline for the
transfer of sovereignty to Iraqis and whether to hold direct
elections, it raised an important new question: If sovereignty
is to be transferred to Iraqis on June 30 without election, then
to whom will that authority be given? The report says a transitional
government should be established, but it does not suggest how
this should be done.
"Between now and June 30, there is much
to be done," Negroponte said. "We welcome the active
engagement of the United Nations in helping the Iraqis define
their own future and transition to a democratic, pluralistic
society at peace with its neighbors."
Responding to several questions as to what
the transitional government should look like, Jones Parry said,
"To speculate now on what is the desirable outcome is actually
unwise given that in this, as in many other areas, it's really
a question of whether the Iraqis themselves are content with
what emerges. That is the test we ought to apply in particular."
Negroponte agreed, saying such speculation
"probably would be imprudent."
In his presentation on security and governance,
Negroponte said since the capture of Saddam Hussein on Dec. 13,
"The number of attacks against multinational force troops
has decreased. However, the attacks on both Iraqi security forces
and civilians have increased in the past two months."
He also said progress is being made in returning
local and national self-government to Iraqis. "A solid local
government system in Iraq is the foundation upon which a democratic
national government can be built," he said. "Effective
local governance encourages citizen participation, fosters dialogue
among competing groups, and delivers essential services based
on community priorities."
Negroponte said the search for weapons of
mass destruction is continuing. "Additional work remains
before the question of Iraq's stockpiles can be fully and completely
addressed," he added.
Lavrov said the issue of the return of U.N.
weapons inspectors is part of the 1483 mandate, although the
council has not discussed it. "The sooner we can come back
to this, the more useful this will be," he said.
In his presentation on the economic and social
situations, Jones Parry said, "Progress is continuing on
the provision of basic services, economic and reconstruction
issues and human rights and justice." The economy was improving,
he said, including an increase in the production of oil. Currently,
Iraq is producing 2.3 million barrels a day, he said, and forecasts
for 2004 say oil revenues should be around $12 billion, rising
to $19 billion by 2005.
"Assets stolen by the former regime"
are being recovered, with several countries returning $650 million
and another $1.3 billion having been found in Iraq, Jones Parry
said. The Central Bank Law had been adopted "granting the
Central Bank full independence with a mandate to pursue price
stability and to supervise the banking system," he said.
There also have been improvements in health care, telecommunications,
transportation, and reconstituting a judicial system, he added.
Resolution 1483, adopted in May 2003 after
the U.S./U.K.-led forces took Baghdad, recognized the CPA as
the occupying power in Iraq, created the post of U.N. special
representative and established the Development Fund for Iraq
and the International Advisory and Monitoring Board. The fund
was meant to handle oil revenues after the U.N. oil-for-food
program expired; the board was to monitor the running of the
fund.
Several delegates asked why the monitoring
board did not seem to be functioning as called for by 1483. The
board "has an important role to play, but it does not seem
fully to have begun to play that role," said Baali. Jones
Parry said that at its meeting earlier this month, the board
agreed to a mandate for an independent auditor who will audit
oil sales and will have nominees for the post by the end of the
month. These developments "should lead to quite a lot of
early progress," he added.
The development fund has a balance of $8.8
billion, said Jones Parry (Jim Wurst, U.N. Wire, Feb. 25).
Brahimi Says Iraqis Agree
With Election Delay
Brahimi said today in Tokyo that he is confident
a broad spectrum of Iraqis agree that elections cannot be conducted
before the June 30 transfer of power, after he and his fact-finding
team met with between 400 and 600 Iraqis during its mission,
the Associated Press reports.
"The impression we had was that we very
conclusively demonstrated to them that no credible elections
are really possible before the 30th of June," Brahimi told
reporters at the Japan National Press Club. "The impression
we had was that all our interlocutors - and there were hundreds
of them - agreed with us" (Joseph Coleman, AP/Yahoo! News,
Feb. 25).
Speaking yesterday, U.N. Secretary General
Kofi Annan cautioned that the United Nations must retain a clear
and separate identity in Iraq's effort to hold elections, draft
a constitution, and rebuild a country based on human rights and
the rule of law.
"The people of Iraq and others must see
us for what we are: an impartial, independent world body, with
no other agenda than to help their country in this time of need,"
Annan said on a visit to Tokyo.
At the same time the international community
must rebalance the international agenda, so that the current
focus on so-called hard threats does not overwhelm efforts to
confront the ever-present dangers of poverty, hunger and disease,
Annan said.
"After all, a world of glaring inequality
and widespread misery is never going to be fully safe or peaceful,
even for its most privileged inhabitants," he said (U.N.
release, Feb. 24).
In other Iraq news, Kurdish and U.S. officials
say that the militant Islamic group Ansar al-Islam, whose members
reportedly tortured civilians, is making a resurgence and is
being blamed for many of the recent suicide attacks that U.S.
officials say pose the greatest threat to the fragile Iraqi state,
the New York Times reports.
According to interviews with captured Ansar
members, the group is branching out from its former mountain
strongholds to cities across Iraq, expanding its mission from
terrorizing local villagers to planning suicide bombings against
the U.S.-led occupation (Jeffrey Gettleman, New York Times, Feb.
25).
By Jim Wurst
U.N. Wire
Last Day Of Israel Fence Hearing At The Hague
Feb 25: Hearings into the legality of the
West Bank barrier Israel is building ended today at the International
Court of Justice with French lawyer Monique Chemillier-Gendreau,
counsel for the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference,
saying suicide bombings and other attacks against Israel should
not be viewed in a vacuum.
"They have to be linked to the far more
bloody terror by Israel against the Palestinians since its founding,"
she said.Yesterday, the president of the European Parliament,
Pat Cox of Ireland, said the fence is inching further into the
territory of the West Bank to such a degree that the cantonization
of the Palestinian territory begins to raise the question about
the viability of a Palestinian state.
Meanwhile, in the West Bank itself, hundreds
of Palestinian protesters clashed with security forces today
near to where work has begun on a new section of the fence. Police
fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse stone-throwing
demonstrators (Sadeh/Nir, Haaretz, Feb. 25).
Also in Israel, Associated Press reports that
Israeli security forces raided four branches of Palestinian banks
today in their widest search yet for foreign money transferred
to Palestinian militant groups and other areas of the West Bank
and Gaza Strip.
Soldiers are also looking for evidence of
involvement by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat (Mohammed Daraghmeh,
AP/Yahoo! News, Feb. 25).
In other news, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon said yesterday that whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu, who
spilled Israel's nuclear secrets, will not be re-arrested after
his release from prison but will be kept under supervision to
prevent him from "committing further security offenses."
The former nuclear technician was sentenced
to 18 years in prison for espionage after giving dozens of pictures
and a description of what he said were nuclear weapons from Israel's
top-secret Dimona reactor to London's Sunday Times in 1986. He
is due to be released in April (Gavin Rabinowitz, AP/Yahoo! News,
Feb. 24).
