Malayalam Film Actor Narendra Prasad no more
17 U.S. Troops Die In Second-Deadliest Day In Iraq
Nov 3: Insurgents in Iraq shot down a Chinook helicopter near Fallujah yesterday, killing 16 U.S. troops and injuring another 20 on the second-bloodiest day for U.S. forces since the war began March 20 (Agence France-Presse, Nov. 3).
The deaths of a soldier killed in a bomb attack in Baghdad and two civilian contractors killed in a roadside blast in Fallujah brought the U.S. death toll to 19.
Iraqi civilians also suffered casualties yesterday and today. Late last night two residents of Kirkuk died in a mortar attack and an 11-year-old boy was killed after being caught in crossfire between U.S. troops and insurgents near Fallujah. This morning a bomb went off in Baquba, killing one man and wounding seven (Dean Yates, Reuters, Nov. 3).
The Chinook helicopter, which was transporting soldiers out of the area on recreational leave as a measure to relieve the stress of a year-long tour of duty, was reportedly hit by surface-to-air missiles launched from a palm grove near the crash site. Saddam Hussein's army is said to have had thousands of the weapons.
"It's clearly a tragic day for America," U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said yesterday. "In a long, hard war, we're going to have tragic days. But they're necessary. They're part of a war that's difficult and complicated" (Alex Berenson, New York Times, Nov. 3).
U.S. President George W. Bush did not comment on the attacks. U.S. chief civil administrator in Iraq Paul Bremer responded by saying Syria and Iran must "do a much better job of helping us" seal the borders and "keeping terrorists out of Iraq."
Associated Press reports that leaflets posted in mosques at the start of the weekend warned people to avoid public places. "Special operations against occupation forces might be carried out by using modern and advanced methods," one said (Tini Tran, AP/Yahoo! News, Nov. 3).
An anonymous U.S. sergeant said that in Fallujah, Iraqis make good money for carrying out attacks on U.S. forces. "It's a pay scale: $700 for an attack on a tank, $200-$300 for a Humvee, but $1,000 for a helicopter. That's a lot of money here," the sergeant said (Michael Howard, London Guardian, Nov. 3).
Yesterday's attacks came a day after Bremer announced that the U.S. coalition was aiming to have an Iraqi security force totaling 200,000 trained by next September. "This is, after all, their country," Bremer said. "It is their future."
Estimates of the size of the Iraqi security force vary. U.S. commander in Iraq Ricardo Sanchez said there were more than 50,000 Iraqi police on duty (Charles Hanley, AP/Yahoo! News, Nov. 1). Countering calls for more U.S. troops in Iraq, Rumsfeld yesterday said "over 100,000" Iraqis have been trained to provide security - a figure 15,000 higher than that provided by U.S. security adviser Condoleezza Rice Thursday and 40,000 higher than the one given to reporters by Bremer Oct. 9 (Kessler/Allen, Washington Post, Nov. 3).
The New York Times reported yesterday that some U.S. military leaders are calling for a reversal of Bremer's controversial decision - made after consultations with the Pentagon and White House - to disband the Iraqi army. Talks, still in the early stages, reportedly include the possibility of rehiring mid-level officers who might still know where their troops are (Shanker/Schmitt, New York Times, Nov. 2).
Meanwhile, the London Independent reports that U.S. intelligence officers are being pulled off the hunt for weapons of mass destruction and assigned to counter-insurgency duties as the security situation worsens (Whitaker/Cockburn, Nov. 2).
In other news, Reuters reports that the U.S. Congressional Budget Office has predicted that the occupation of Iraq could cost up to $200 billion over the next 10 years and could keep U.S. troops in the country until 2013 (Yates, Reuters, Oct. 31). AP reports that the Congressional Budget Office accurately predicted in September 2002 that occupying Iraq would cost $1 billion to $4 billion per month, even as the Pentagon said it could not provide estimates. The current cost is about $4 billion per month (Matt Kelley, AP/Yahoo! News, Oct. 31).
In another development, the Washington Post reported yesterday that Bremer instituted a flat tax in Iraq on Sept. 15. According to the "Tax Strategy for 2003" issued last month, "the highest individual and corporate income tax rates for 2004 shall not exceed 15 percent." The move, hailed by conservative economists, has "almost no support" from most members of the Iraqi Governing Council, according to a Middle East expert cited by the newspaper (Milbank/Pincus, Washington Post, Nov. 2).
Afghan Constitution Emerges At Last
Nov 3: Afghanistan's long-awaited draft constitution was unveiled today as a high-level U.N. delegation began its tour of the country to assess national security ahead of next month's loya jirga, where the draft constitution will be debated and ratified (London Guardian, Nov. 3).
A red-bound copy of the first official version of the constitution was presented at a formal ceremony in Kabul to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, former King Mohammad Zaher Shah and U.N. special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi. Drafts were handed out in Dari and Pashto, with an English version made available by email.
Conflicting pressures to establish a secular state while not offending a powerful religious establishment resulted in a document that avoids direct mention of Shariah, or Islamic holy law, but stipulates that "in Afghanistan, no law can be contrary to the sacred religion of Islam and the values of this Constitution." The constitution opens by declaring that "Afghanistan is an Islamic Republic," but assures that practitioners of other faiths may perform ceremonies "within the limits of the provisions of law."
The draft, while not specifying gender, outlaws "any kind of discrimination."
Politically, the constitution envisions a strong president and two houses of Congress (Burt Herman, Associated Press/Yahoo! News, Nov.3 ). The president nominates half of the upper house of parliament, or the "Meshrano Jirga" (House of Elders). The lower chamber will be called the "Wolesi Jirga" (House of People).
The president will also have the power to appoint and dissolve the Cabinet, subject to "consultation with the Parliament" (Sayed Salahuddin, Reuters/Washington Post, Nov. 3).
The post of prime minister was dropped in last-minute changes last week, according to the London Guardian, out of fear that a prime minister could emerge as a political rival to the president, even if appointed by the president.
The British daily notes that the constitution bears evidence of other decisions made with a wary eye on the country's history of divisiveness and ethnic tension: if the president dies in office, the vice-president will not serve out the president's term but will only serve as acting head of state until elections are held, within three months' time. A senior Afghan official said such a provision "takes account of Afghan history and is meant to reduce the risk of assassination or palace coup."
The draft, originally due out Sept. 1, was delayed repeatedly by wangling over various points (London Guardian). The 35-member Constitutional Review Commission that created it started work a year ago. After accusations of secrecy, the commission sent out 460,000 questionnaires to citizens and held public meetings in villages to solicit input (Herman, AP/Yahoo! News). The London Guardian reports that one in five questionnaires was returned (London Guardian). Many Western diplomats and aid workers said the constitution did not take ordinary Afghans' views enough into consideration (Salahuddin, Reuters/Washington Post).
Next month the constitutional loya jirga, or grand assembly, will convene to discuss the draft constitution, alter it - perhaps radically - and approve a final version, paving the way to elections in June 2004. The 500 delegates are being selected at local meetings amid reports of intimidation (London Guardian).
Citing insecurity throughout Afghanistan and Afghans' unfamiliarity with democratic institutions, a CIA report made public in recent days warned that the country may not be able to hold elections next summer as planned. The report, submitted to the Congressional intelligence oversight committee in August, was accompanied by an analysis by the Defense Intelligence Agency estimating it would take 10-15 years for Afghanistan to become a democratic and economically viable state (Spiegel/Burnett, Financial Times, Nov. 2).
Security Council Delegation Reviewing Security
A delegation of U.N. ambassadors, including those from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Spain, Germany and Bulgaria, arrived yesterday in Kabul to assess security in Afghanistan and show support for Karzai's government.
Germany's U.N. ambassador, Gunter Pleuger, is heading the delegation and said that during stops to provincial centers its members would urge full cooperation by warlords with the central government to ensure elections proceed on schedule.
Yesterday the ambassadors met with Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, who briefed them on security, and with Karzai (Herman, AP/Yahoo! News, Nov. 2).
"The most important purpose of their visit is the symbolic one, which is to express or reiterate the commitment of the international community to the reconstruction, rebuilding and stabilization of Afghanistan," said Karzai's spokesman Jawed Luddin (Agence France-Presse, Nov. 3).
Today in the western city of Herat, the ambassadors called for the full participation of women in public life. "You can build a sustained peaceful and successful society only if you include women," Pleuger told a news conference."
Human rights groups have accused Governor Ismail Khan of denying women equal rights in Herat. The delegation was scheduled to meet with him, but he was in Geneva today, so they met instead with his deputy, Haji Mir Abdul Khaleq (Amir Shah, AP, Nov. 3).
Later in the week they will visit Mazar-e Sharif. Because of security concerns, a visit to Kandahar was scrapped (Herman, AP/Yahoo! News, Nov. 2).
On Friday the head of the U.N. committee overseeing sanctions against al-Qaeda and the Taliban warned that Afghanistan is at a "critical juncture" and faces "enormous challenges and threats." Chile's ambassador Heraldo Munoz, just back from a tour of the Middle East and Asia, said Afghanistan was still threatened by terrorists, factional fighting and a powerful new alliance between the Taliban and drug traffickers (U.N. release, Oct. 31).
Taliban insurgents who kidnapped a Turkish engineer Thursday to bargain for the release of 18 Taliban prisoners appear to have retreated from their threat to execute the hostage, AP reports (Herman, APII/Yahoo! News, Nov. 3). In other news of insecurity, a battle between Afghan soldiers and Afghan police, both loyal to Karzai's government, erupted Friday in an area about 90 miles west of Kandahar, killing as many as 10 (Noor Khan, AP/Yahoo! News, Nov. 1). Other reports put the number of dead at 40 (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo! News, Nov. 2).
Security Guard Tells How He Concealed Golden Hoard From Taliban
An Afghan security guard told the London Telegraph that he saved Afghanistan's 2,100-year-old Bactrian treasure - the biggest hoard of gold ever discovered - from the Taliban by refusing to reveal the whereabouts of the lion's share of the treasure despite torture and imprisonment.
Askerzai, as the 50-year-old security guard at Afghanistan's central bank is known, said the most precious part of the treasure was in a vault in the presidential palace. In 1996 the Taliban found part of it - a cache of gold bars. Askerzai said he was imprisoned for three months but refused to divulge information about the rest of the hoard.
Askerzai told the Telegraph that after his release, he broke off the key in the lock to the vault where the gold bars were stored, to the frustration of Taliban members attempting to abscond with the bullion on their last night in power, in 2001.
The Golden Hoard of Bactria, as northern Afghanistan was known during Alexander the Great's time, was unearthed in 1978 and consisted of 20,000 coins, medallions, necklaces and more (Hamida Ghafour, London Telegraph, Nov. 3).
Top Official Resigns Over Alleged UNODC Corruption
Nov 3: A top adviser on organized crime at the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime has resigned in protest over alleged corruption within the agency, the Financial Times reports today. In a letter of resignation, Samuel Gonzalez-Ruiz accused UNODC management of ignoring a "pattern of misappropriation of funds" and "clear acts of corruption and mismanagement" by staff despite a recent clean-up effort.
Gonzalez-Ruiz, who gained an international reputation as head of Mexico's anti-mafia unit, also alleged that the agency routinely punished whistleblowers and that corrupt officials enjoyed "active and/or passive protection from top management."
The United Nations has made fighting corruption a priority in recent months, and on Friday the General Assembly passed the world's first anti-graft treaty.
Gonzalez-Ruiz alleged, however, that the agency does not live up to the terms of its own treaty. "I do not have the stomach to be promoting a fight against organized crime and corruption around the world when I am working in an office that tolerates administrative and in some cases criminal violations," he wrote.
Speaking yesterday, UNODC head Antonio Maria Costa said he had not yet read the resignation letter but that he was "very surprised" at the allegations. He plans to meet with Gonzalez-Ruiz upon returning to UNODC headquarters in Vienna this week.
While UNODC has been the focus of corruption allegations in the past, Costa said in January that an internal clean-up drive had ushered in a new era of transparency and good governance (Thomas Catyn, Financial Times, Nov. 3).
General Assembly Unanimously Approves Anti-Corruption Treaty
United Nations Nov 3: A treaty designed to strengthen international cooperation against corruption and make it harder to hide stolen assets was unanimously adopted Friday by the General Assembly. The U.N. Convention against Corruption took less than two years to negotiate.
Secretary General Kofi Annan called it "a remarkable achievement" that "sends a clear message that the international community is determined to prevent and control corruption."
Speaking to the assembly shortly before the adoption of the treaty, Annan said, "It warns the corrupt that betrayal of the public trust will no longer be tolerated. And it reaffirms the importance of core values, such as honesty, respect for the rule of law, accountability and transparency, in promoting development and making the world a better place for all."
According to U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa, "The convention has teeth, it is binding in many respects." For example, many of the articles say "each party shall adopt" specific measures, rather than "invite" or "encourage" parties to take action.
Speaking at a news conference, Costa said the scope is "very broad" with provisions against embezzlement, bribery, diversion of funds and property, "all binding." In other areas, such as money laundering, abuse of power, influence trading and illicit enrichment, "governments are invited to consider taking measures," he said.
"A new … major breakthrough of the convention" is "the importance governments have attributed to the recognition that assets that are stolen … should be repatriated," Costa added. Not only does this mean recovery of assets is possible, but "this is a very important element of deterrent: the idea money cannot hide anymore."
Annan said the requirement "to return assets obtained through corruption to the country from which they were stolen" was "a major breakthrough." He added, "These provisions - the first of their kind - introduce a new fundamental principle, as well as a framework for stronger cooperation between states to prevent, detect and return the proceeds of corruption."
"Corrupt officials will in the future find fewer ways to hide their illicit gains," said Annan. "This is a particularly important issue for many developing countries where corrupt high officials have plundered the national wealth, and where new governments badly need resources to reconstruct and rehabilitate their societies."
Ambassador Muhyieddeen Touq of Jordan, who chaired the negotiating committee in Vienna, called the treaty "comprehensive, pragmatic, very well balanced and easily ratifiable." It will, he said, "contribute to good governance in all countries and emphasize the rule of law, transparency and accountability." He added that 125 countries participated in the negotiations - "a record number in the history of negotiations of U.N. conventions."
While there is "no specific definition of corruption," Touq said, "the specific articles … speak to specific kinds of corruption," such as bribery of public officials, embezzlement and obstruction of justice. The convention has "very strong articles dealing with practically all aspects of corruption," he added, even though "it was not easy to lump them all together in one defining statement."
Negotiations began in Vienna, where the UNODC is located, in January 2002 and concluded last month. The convention will be open for signing at a conference in Merida, Mexico, Dec. 9-11. Most international treaties have required around 40 ratifications to enter into force, but the Convention against Corruption requires only 30.
By Jim Wurst
U.N. WireBurundi Government, Main Rebel Group Sign Peace Agreement
Nov 3: Burundi's main rebel group agreed to join the government in three weeks after the two sides signed a peace agreement Sunday in Pretoria, South Africa, officials said (Los Angeles Times, Nov. 3).
Peter Nkurunziza, leader of the rebel Forces for the Defense of Democracy, said the peace agreement with President Domitien Ndayizeye could lead to a cease-fire with all of Burundi's rebel groups, Associated Press reported yesterday.
"We look forward very much to work with our brothers who were our enemies yesterday," Nkurunziza said. "I hope the agreement signed today will be implemented in the very, very near future so we shall indeed be one," he added.
Under the agreement, Nkurunziza's rebels are to be included in the military and may form a political party, and both government and rebel fighters will be granted temporary immunity from prosecution.
At least one other group has resisted any agreement with the government, however, and fighting continues between Tutsi-dominated government troops and Hutu rebels (Elliott Sylvester, AP/Yahoo! News, Nov. 2).
A two-day regional summit to approve the agreement reached in Pretoria is scheduled to open Nov. 14 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (Integrated Regional Information Networks, Nov. 3).
Brazil To Launch Free HIV-Testing Program
Nov 3: Brazil is to launch a massive, free HIV-testing program, the health minister announced Thursday, in the latest phase of an AIDS program that the World Health Organization calls a model for the developing world, Reuters reported.
"Some 400,000 people in Brazil don't know about their situation," said Health Minister Humberto Costa. "As well as not treating themselves, they put other people's health at risk," he added.
Brazil offers some free anti-AIDS drugs, and successfully battled rich countries in September to force drug companies to reduce drug prices.
The free tests will be given in public hospitals, and the campaign has a goal of 3.6 million tests by the end of 2004.
An estimated 600,000 people in Brazil are HIV-positive (Reuters/Yahoo! News, Oct. 30).
Thailand's HIV/AIDS Fight Hampered By Gov't, Group Says
Nov 3: The success of a $1 million grant to Thailand from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to fight HIV/AIDS hinges on the Thai government's willingness to respect drug users' rights to seek prevention and care, Human Rights Watch said today.
The Global Fund announced the grant, which aims to create education and outreach programs for drug users, on Oct. 16. In a country in which 60 percent of injection drug users are thought to be infected with HIV, the Thai government has consistently denied support to such services, the rights group said. In fact, it has engaged in a crackdown against drug dealers and users, which Human Rights Watch said pushes drug users into hiding and drives them from prevention services.
"Violent crackdowns won't solve Thailand's drug problem, but they will fuel its AIDS epidemic," said Joanne Csete, director of HRW's HIV/AIDS and human rights program. According to Thai police reports, approximately 2,700 drug criminals were killed during the first phase of the police crackdown.
The Global Fund grant will provide funding for peer support groups for drug users, information and education on HIV prevention and increased access to health care and HIV testing services (Human Rights Watch release, Oct. 31).
In related news, the Global Fund recently welcomed the European Union's Oct. 30 move to accelerate its disbursement of nearly $197 million to the Fund. The 15 member states of the EU collectively form the Global Fund's biggest donor, contributing nearly 55 percent of total pledges.
In the three rounds of donations to date, the Global Fund has approved grants to 121 countries and three territories, half of which are awarded to governments and half to NGOs. The money is used to purchase medicines and commodities and to establish infrastructure and training program (Global Fund release, Oct. 31).
Conference Addresses Risks To Human Health From Chemicals
Nov 3: Leading international experts and government officials from around the world began meeting Saturday in Bangkok to discuss strategies to protect vulnerable populations from threats presented by chemicals, which cause approximately 340,000 preventable deaths per year worldwide, according to the International Labor Organization.
"Chemicals are necessary elements in everyday life, but to use them safely is essential for the well-being of millions of people and for protecting the environment in both the industrialized and developing world," said Henrique Cavalcanti, president of the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety and Brazil's former minister of environment and the Amazon. The Bangkok meeting is the forum's fourth session.
Global chemical output grew from $171 billion in 1970 to $1.5 trillion in 1998 and is predicted to continue at this pace over the next 20 years. Women and children in poor populations are most likely to suffer health impacts from exposure to chemicals.
"We urgently need to focus on the special vulnerability of children exposed to serious health threats from chemicals," said Hungary's chief medical officer, Gyorgy Ungvary. "The statistics are alarming."
Participants at the event, organized under the auspices of the World Health Organization, will address chemical-related issues such as the provision to the public of adequate safety information, renewed governmental efforts at health-impact assessments and the implementation of the Globally Harmonized System for the Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). GHS is a standardized labeling system that enhances both worker and consumer access to information.
The forum, which will run through the week, will also examine problems associated with acutely toxic pesticides, developing countries' inability to keep up with chemical safety policies and capacity building for the sound management of chemicals (WHO release, Nov. 1).
Speakers Highlight Increasing Role Of Women In Ending Wars
United Nations Nov 3: U.N. officials and activists last week marked the anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security by highlighting the contributions women are making to national reconciliation and the role Resolution 1325 plays in promoting that goal.
The resolution, adopted by the Security Council in 2000, calls on the secretary general and states to enhance the role of women in conflict resolution, "incorporate a gender perspective into peacekeeping operations" and "put an end to impunity" for crimes against women.
On Friday, Ruth Sando Perry, who was the interim president of Liberia in the mid-1990s, said the women of Liberia by 1998 could "no longer sit passively" and launched a peace mission to the presidents of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. Women's "unwavering opposition to the use of force" helped shaped the Liberian peace accords, she said.
In global terms, "it is women in the end who are abused," said Parry, therefore "we must all demand a role in reconciliation and peace." She was speaking at a panel discussion on the impact of Resolution 1325, hosted by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Women, Peace and Security. "Inspired" by Resolution 1325, women "continue to play an active role in the life of the nation," she added.
On Thursday, Fatima Gailani, a member of the drafting committee for the Afghan constitution, said the work of getting women's input for the new constitution is turning into a way not only of helping women gain political power, but also of helping to forge connections among women throughout the world. Gailani said her work and that of others "has opened doors for Afghan women in politics, but more needs to be done."
She and actress Jessica Lange, who is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, both said that in their travels the message was the same - peace, security and education. Gailani said the answer she received throughout Afghanistan is "peace first" coupled with the desire to return to school. Lange visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo earlier this year in her role as goodwill ambassador. She said this desire for peace came both from child soldiers and women and girls who had been physically and sexual abused in the war. All the children wanted to go back to school, Lange said. "Without peace, there is nothing," she added.
Gailani and Lange were speaking at a news conference organized by the U.N. Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). UNIFEM Executive Director Noeleen Heyzer said at the press conference that Resolution 1325's mandate must "become action that really touches the lives of women on the ground."
Lange narrated the documentary Peace by Peace: Women on the Frontlines, which debuted at the United Nations on Thursday. The film deals with women and peacebuilding in Afghanistan, Argentina, Bosnia, Burundi and the United States. Gailani, one of seven female members of the drafting committee for Afghanistan's constitution, is a subject of the documentary.
UNIFEM on Thursday launched both the documentary and a new Web portal. Heyzer said the portal is meant to make up for "a lack of data and information" on women in conflict and post-conflict zones.
The portal has information from 27 countries on issues including the country's "gender profile," what is happening to women on the ground, "a mapping of critical partners" in the country, critical issues that women can become or are involved in, such as disarmament and demobilization and law enforcement, and "how the U.N. as a system has responded," said Heyzer.
By Jim Wurst
U.N. WireUNICEF Launches Back-to-School Drive In Liberia
Nov 3: Up to 750,000 children will return to their studies as part of Liberia's Back-to-School campaign, an education drive launched jointly today by UNICEF, the U.N. Development Program and the U.N. Office for Project Services.
"This is a brave campaign, launched at a fragile time in the peace process," UNICEF head Carol Bellamy said of the program, which is modeled on similar UNICEF post-war education efforts, including, most recently, the one in Afghanistan. "It's absolutely right that the first dividends of peace should be paid to Liberia's children, who have endured so much for so long and who hold the future of Liberia in their hands," she added.
The Liberian drive includes the training of nearly 20,000 teachers, the rehabilitation of 3,700 schools and the distribution of thousands of "school-in-a-box" kits - boxes containing teaching materials and school supplies. The kits are supposed to help make learning possible even in locations where the security situation remains fragile (UNICEF release/ReliefWeb, Nov. 3).
Environmental Treaty Protecting Caspian Sea To Be Signed
Nov 3: Efforts to halt the environmental destruction of the Caspian Sea will get a boost tomorrow, when delegates from Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan are scheduled to sign a new treaty in Tehran.
Industrial pollution, toxic and radioactive wastes, leaks from oil extraction and refining and overfishing have fueled the environmental degradation of the Caspian Sea, the world's largest freshwater lake.
The treaty, known as the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea, will coordinate regional efforts to reduce pollution and control the overexploitation of marine life. It will be the first legally binding treaty between the five signatories on any subject.
"By ensuring the sustainable use of the Caspian Sea's valuable living resources, the convention will contribute enormously to the well-being of millions of people living in this region," said U.N. Development Program Deputy Executive Director Shafqat Kakakhel.
It will also give extra weight to the Caspian Environment Program, established by the governments concerned in 1995 following a UNEP assessment mission.
After it is signed tomorrow, the convention must be ratified by the participating governments - a process that could take several years - before it will enter into force (UNEP release, Nov. 3).
Last week reports surfaced that the World Bank is planning to approve $250 million in loans for a 1,000-mile trans-Caucasus oil pipeline linking the Caspian Sea to the Turkish port of Ceyhan. The project is opposed by environmentalists, who fear oil spills and other degradation from the project (U.N. Wire, Oct. 29).
U.K. Revokes Permission To Dismantle U.S. Ships
Nov 3: British authorities on Friday withdrew permission for 13 retired U.S. naval vessels, some of which are already at sea, to be dismantled in the United Kingdom.
The decision came after the discovery that Able UK, the Hartlepool-based contracting firm, was not allowed to build a necessary dry dock and also lacked appropriate waste-management licenses, the Associated Press reported.
Environmental groups had fought measures allowing the so-called "Ghost Fleet" to come to the United Kingdom due to concerns over toxins and 500,000 gallons of oil on board the ships, some of which date back to World War II (AP/Yahoo! News, Oct. 31).
However, despite the announcement, U.S. maritime authorities insisted the ships will continue on to British waters and said all contaminants on board had been properly secured, according to the London Independent.
The fleet's future is unclear. One possibility is that the four vessels already on their way to the United Kingdom divert to the Azores, although docking in the Atlantic island group would require Portuguese permission (Rupert Cornwell, London Independent, Nov. 2).
Able said it was confident the situation would be resolved by the time the first ships reach British waters next month (AP/Yahoo! News).
Former Argentine Economy Minister To Head ECLAC
Nov 3: U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan announced Thursday the appointment of former Argentine economy minister Jose Luis Machinea as the new executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Machinea replaces Jose Antonio Ocampo, who in September became undersecretary general for economic and social affairs (ECLAC release, Oct. 30). ECLAC officials could not confirm when Machinea's term will begin (Patricia Kowsmann, U.N. Wire, Nov. 3).
Currently, Machinea is the special expert on integration and trade at the Inter-American Development Bank (ECLAC release).
Bloomberg reported that Machinea was economy minister in Argentina from 1999 to 2001, when the country accumulated a $95 billion debt default. In 1989, as president of the central bank, he also failed to cut the annual inflation rate below 1,000 percent, Bloomberg said.
"Just going on what he did during his two economic terms in Argentina, I'd say I'm pulling my hair out; I'm extremely worried," said Eduardo Curia, an economist from the Buenos Aires-based Center for Social and Economic Research, of Machinea's appointment. "I hope at least he will be able to do something good for Argentina this time around" (Bloomberg, Oct. 31).
War On Terror Undermines War On Poverty, Expert Says
Nov 3: The focus on funding for the U.S.-led war on terrorism is undermining the fight against global poverty, World Bank Environment Director Kristalina Georgieva told Reuters last week, stressing that governments around the world spend $600 billion on arms per year but only $50 billion on development aid.
"The war on terror is shifting attention away from making globalization work for all," said Georgieva. "It is undermining our ability to drive forward a responsible globalization. We need prevention rather than reaction, yet we focus not on the causes but on the cures."
Georgieva estimated that between $115 billion and $155 billion would be needed "to make a real dent in the problem of long-term environmental sustainability" (Jeremy Lovell, Reuters/PlanetArk, Oct. 31).
Georgieva's comments echoed those of World Bank President James Wolfensohn Thursday in a General Assembly meeting on trade, aid, debt and investment. "We in our institution are concerned about the imbalance that exists in terms of the allocation of resources and the allocation of interest in the development process," he said.
In the same meeting, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan pointed that last year developing countries made a net transfer of $200 billion in financial resources to other countries, when they should in fact be the recipients of aid, and "funds should be moving from developed countries to developing countries."
Also speaking before the General Assembly, U.N. Development Program Administrator Mark Malloch Brown said that if donors had the same political will they had in Madrid when they raised $33 billion for the reconstruction in Iraq to help poor countries, "we could put in place the resources and the policy reforms" to meet the U.N. Millennium Development Goals by 2015 (World Bank release, Oct. 31).
Conference On Water Scarcity Opens In Nairobi
Nov 3: At the opening yesterday in Nairobi of a five-day conference on water scarcity, scientists warned that water shortages could leave Africa more dependent on food aid over the next two decades.
Africa's rising population is expected to strain the water supply and could leave as many as 523 million people without access to clean water by 2025, scientists with the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) said at the launch of the Challenge Program on Water and Food Consortium.
Water scarcity could also compound famine in arid countries where farmers are already hard-pressed to find sufficient water for their crops. Scientists said yesterday that Africa could see a 23 percent drop in crop yields because of water scarcity, even as food production must triple over the next 23 years to 35 million metric tons to meet demand. That scenario would leave Africans more dependent than ever on aid, scientists said.
"The crisis has to be addressed comprehensively at all levels, from the way farmers use water to international policy decisions that affect reforms and investments in water management and infrastructure," said Professor Frank Rijsberman, chairman of the Challenge Program (Matthew Green, Reuters, Nov. 2).
In its quest to improve water management, the Challenge Program will likely examine higher-yield, drought-resistant crops and ways of combining agriculture and aquaculture. Researchers will be working in nine large river basins in Africa, Asia and Latin America, including the Indus-Ganges, the Mekong and the Niger.
Rijsberman drew attention to the prominent role of trade in water management. "Agricultural subsidies in North America and Europe determine where food is grown, and policy decisions taken in the World Trade Organization are possibly the single most dominant factor shaping the global demand for food and consequently the amount of water required to grow that food," he said (Alex Kirby, BBC Online, Nov. 2).
Nearly 90 percent of water used in developing countries goes to agriculture. Rijsberman said the Challenge Program will analyze the effect of WTO decisions to determine potential negative impacts on farmers as well as opportunities.
The Challenge Program seeks to raise $120 million for an initial six-year research phase. Donors have already committed nearly half that amount, CGIAR said (CGIAR release, Nov. 2).
FAO Declares 2004 International Year of Rice
Nov 3: The Food and Agriculture Organization on Friday declared 2004 the International Year of Rice in an effort to highlight the increasing demands for rice among growing populations and production constraints for the commodity.
The Year of Rice was created in a response to a proposal made last year by 44 U.N. member states. They noted a "pending crisis" in the state of rice production. Of 840 million people suffering from chronic hunger, more than half lived in areas dependent on rice production for food, income and employment, they said.
"Almost a billion households in Asia, Africa and the Americas depend on rice systems for their main source of employment and livelihood," said FAO Director General Jacques Diouf at the launch of the Year of Rice. He also noted that about four-fifths of the world's rice is produced by small-scale farmers and is consumed locally.
"The Year of Rice will act as a catalyst for country-driven programs throughout the world," he said, adding that the mission is to increase rice production "in a manner that promotes sustainability and equity."
Rice provides 20 percent of the world's dietary supply in comparison to 19 percent from wheat and 5 percent from maize. Production is being threatened as the commodity competes with urban development for land and water.
According to FAO Assistant Director General Michel Savini, the Year and its "Rice is life" slogan could play an important role in achieving the Millennium Development Goals on the eradication of hunger and poverty (U.N. release, Oct. 31).
U.N. Rights Envoy On First Visit To Myanmar Since Bugging
Nov 3: U.N. human rights envoy Paulo Sergio Pinheiro arrived in Myanmar Saturday, two days early, on his first visit to the country since leaving abruptly in March after discovering that his conversations with political prisoners were being bugged.
Pinheiro gave no explanation for his early arrival. He was originally scheduled to travel Nov. 3 to 8 to evaluate human rights developments, political prisoners and "the possibility for an independent assessment of allegations of human rights violations," according to the United Nations. Pinheiro is to present his findings to the General Assembly Nov. 12 (Aye Aye Win, Associated Press/Yahoo! News, Nov. 1).
Today Pinheiro met with Foreign Minister Win Aung and his deputy, a U.N. official said, in the first high-level meetings of the visit. An unnamed Myanmar official told Agence France-Presse that Pinheiro is scheduled tomorrow to meet with Prime Minister Khin Nyunt.
Pinheiro is expected to focus during this visit on unrest that led to the May 30 arrest of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung Sun Suu Kyi and allegations that the military is using rape as a tool for quelling rebellion in northern Shan state (AFP, Nov. 3). It was not clear whether the junta would allow Pinheiro to visit Suu Kyi, who was arrested following a clash between her followers and pro-government forces (Aung Hla Tun, Reuters, Nov. 1).
On March 24, Pinheiro cut short a weeklong visit to Myanmar after discovering a wireless microphone under a table during supposedly confidential conversations with political prisoners (U.N. Wire, March 24). "I was flabbergasted," he said later. "I was angry and completely out of control" (U.N. Wire, March 26).
After the incident, which took place at Insein prison near the capital city of Yangon, Pinheiro said Myanmar's ruling junta was making "absurd" excuses to keep political opponents in prison. There are reportedly 1,200 to 1,300 political prisoners in Myanmar, many of them elderly (AP/Yahoo! News).
Rwanda Genocide Trial Of Former Ministers Delayed Three Days
Nov 3: The expected opening today of the trial of four former Rwandan ministers accused of playing key roles in the country's 1994 genocide was postponed at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania, because one defendant's lawyer was not present, the independent Hirondelle News Agency reported.
Christian Gauthier, a Canadian lawyer representing former Civil Service Minister Prosper Mugiraneza, was due to arrive tomorrow in Arusha. The trial is now scheduled to begin Thursday (Agence France-Presse, Nov. 3).
The other defendants are former Health Minister Casimir Bizimungu, 52, a former doctor who studied medicine in the United States, former Trade and Industries Minister Justin Mugenzi and former Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Minister Jerome Bicamumpaka (Daniel Wallis, Reuters/Philadelphia Inquirer, Nov. 3).
They all face 10 counts related to genocide and crimes against humanity for their alleged roles in the 100-day slaughter of Rwanda's minority Tutsi population. According to the charges, all four "had authority over the militias" that carried out most of the murders (AFP).
The charges include handing out weapons, traveling abroad to buy guns and inciting the slaughter.
"The crimes they are alleged to have committed resulted in massacres against Tutsis and moderate Hutus," Roland Amoussouga, spokesman for the U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, said yesterday.
All deny the genocide charges.
They all served under former Prime Minister Jean Kambanda, who became the first former government leader to be convicted of genocide by an international tribunal when he was jailed for life in September 1998 (Wallis, Reuters/Philadelphia Inquirer).
Renewed Fighting Erupts In LiberiaNov 3: New fighting has broken out in northern Liberia between government forces and rebels of the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL), Reuters reports today."This fighting has led to the burning of towns and homes in areas like Gray, Zuatuo and other towns," said a military official today who declined to be named. "This is very serious and we have informed the United Nations about this incident" (Alphonso Toweh, Reuters, Nov. 3).
U.N. peacekeepers are to fly back to Liberia's Nimba County to investigate the fighting, BBC Online reports.Peacekeepers were unable to land yesterday, but they saw armed fighters in the streets and "huge columns of smoke" hanging over some towns.
While the government and MODEL rebels accuse each other of starting the attacks, U.N. officials were unable to identify which group was responsible for the fighting, BBC reports.
Defense Minister Daniel Chea, a loyalist of ousted President Charles Taylor, said that at least two towns had been taken over by the rebels (BBC Online, Nov. 3).
Also in Liberia, Gyude Bryant, the chairman of the country's transitional government, has lowered the retail price of rice and fuel and has promised civil servants that they will be paid within the next few days for the first time in more than a year, Integrated Regional Information Networks reported yesterday.
In his first public speech since being sworn in last month, Bryant on Saturday also promised to name a panel of five supreme court judges during the coming week from a shortlist of seven names submitted to him by the Liberian Bar Association.
Bryant also said that Liberia has an empty treasury and owes more than $3 billion (IRIN, Nov. 2).
Sri Lankan Ministers, LTTE Rebels Meet Over New Peace Proposal
Nov 3: Four Sri Lankan ministers met yesterday with a leader from the rebel group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the northern town of Vavuniya a day after the group presented its proposal for an interim administration in the country, Agence France-Presse reported.
LTTE peace secretariat chief S. Pulithevan and the Sri Lankan ministers of trade, lands, agriculture, and rural economy "discussed matters arising from the peace process," an official said without giving details.
The rebels' proposal, presented Saturday, would create an Interim Self-Governing Authority and give it control over natural resources, including access to all marine and off-shore resources (AFP/ReliefWeb, Nov. 2).
The new authority would also have control over law enforcement and tax collection, as well as over state land, Associated Press reported. In addition, the blueprint urges the Sri Lankan army to withdraw from LTTE-owned private land. In total, the ISGA would have control over one-third of the country.
Sri Lanka's government said the proposal goes too far and would make the northeast region virtually independent (Dilip Ganguly, AP/Yahoo! News, Nov. 1).
With the release of the plan, the LTTE said it was ending the eight-month boycott of Norwegian-brokered peace talks.
European Union ambassadors to the capital city of Colombo said the proposal is an "important step forward in the peace process." Western and Asian diplomats called the blueprint "reasonable."
"What is also important is the tone of the preamble and the tone in which the Tigers released the document," a Western diplomat said. "There was no venom and the rhetoric was muted."
The government's chief peace negotiator, G. L. Peiris, said that "while the disparities between the position of the parties are evident, the government is convinced that the way forward lies through direct discussions of the issues arising from both sets of proposals" (AFP/Yahoo! News, Oct. 2).
Qureia Faces Deadline To Form New Palestinian Government
Nov 3: Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia met with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat today to try to resolve their bitter dispute over the choice of security chief, as Qureia must form a new government by midnight tomorrow, Associated Press reports (Lara Sukhtian, AP/Yahoo! News, Nov. 3).
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said a meeting with Qureia will take place "soon," and that Israel is not the obstacle to such a meeting, according to the Jerusalem Post.
"It is not because of us that the meeting has not taken place," Sharon said yesterday in Moscow. "It has not taken place because he [Qureia] argues that it will make it more difficult to establish a cabinet, and weaken his position. But contact with him exists" (Herb Keinon, Jerusalem Post, Nov. 3).
Arafat said yesterday that he would accept an offer for peace talks with Sharon, AP reports.
"There is no official communication, but we are ready," Arafat said at his headquarters in the West Bank town of Ramallah (Mark Lavie, AP/Philadelphia Inquirer, Nov. 3).
A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up today near Israeli soldiers in the West Bank, but no one else was killed or injured (Sukhtian, AP/Yahoo! News).
100,000 Call for Peace At Rally Honoring Rabin
A weekend rally in memory of murdered former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin eight years after his death turned into the largest left-wing demonstration since Sharon came to power in 2001. More than 100,000 people gathered under banners denouncing the occupation and demanding peace, the London Guardian reports.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres said the current Israeli government's emphasis on force over negotiation had failed, and that the country would return to Rabin's vision.
"Yitzhak was right, and his path just," Peres said. "His views today are clear and enduring. There will be no retreat; we will continue" (Chris McGreal, London Guardian, Nov. 3).
Meanwhile, more than 6,000 Palestinian workers crossed into Israel from the Gaza Strip yesterday as Israel eased restrictions that had prevented Palestinians from reaching their workplaces for more than a month after a suicide bomber blew herself up in a Haifa restaurant last month killing 21 people (News24, Nov. 2).
Israel Braces For Strike Over Economic Changes
Israel braced for a nationwide strike today that is expected to affect a wide range of public services, including buses and trains, garbage collection, post offices, banks and seaports, as the country protests the government's planned economic changes (Greg Myre, New York Times, Nov. 3).
Meanwhile, a report by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has warned that Israel will effectively annex large tracts of Palestinian territory by ordering thousands of Arabs living near the new security wall to apply for permits to stay in their homes, London's Sunday Telegraph reported yesterday.
The wall encroaches on about 18,000 acres of Palestinian land, cutting them off from the rest of the West Bank.
Israelis living in settlements in this "closed military zone" will receive automatic residence rights, while more than 10,000 Palestinians must apply for permission to continue living in the 15 villages affected, the Telegraph said.
"We are saying that if these people are not allowed to stay in that area, it is de facto annexation because they cannot go back to their homes. If these people are deprived of their homes and of their livelihoods, it will be a humanitarian disaster," said David Shearer, head of the U.N. office (Inigo Gilmore, London Sunday Telegraph/Washington Times, Nov. 2).Keralamonitor.com
