* Kenya. Rising militancy among Muslims — Six weeks after terrorists launched attacks on an Israeli hotel and airliner, information deeply troubling to Kenya and its Western allies keeps surfacing: some suspects were homegrown militants — born, raised and radicalized in Kenya. Investigators still believe the attacks were orchestrated from abroad, most likely by al Qaeda. But the apparent level of Kenyan involvement has alarmed Kenyan and Western officials, who fear a community once characterized by its tolerance is becoming an incubator for radical militants. So far, many details about the alleged assailants, who bombed a beachfront hotel popular with Israelis and fired shoulder-held missiles at the airliner, have been kept under wraps. Only one suspect has been named — Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, a Mombasa native. Unlike al-Qaida’s 1998 bombing of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, in which no Kenyans played a major role and in which 219 were killed, at least three Kenyans are believed to have taken part in the November 28 attacks. Islamic radicalism has been spreading on Kenya’s Indian Ocean coast for the last decade. But the apparent willingness of some Kenyan Muslims to work with foreign terrorists makes the longtime US ally an increasing security risk, said a Western official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Israeli officials said the suspected Kenyan involvement underscored al-Qaida’s efforts to expand its presence in Africa by exploiting sympathetic local populations. (CNN, USA, 9 January 2003)

* Kenya. Moi back in town — 13 January: Former Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi made his first public appearance on 12 January, vowing that he would play an active role in Kenyan life. Two weeks ago, Mr Moi retired after 24 years as Kenya’s leader. Previously, one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders and the continent’s «big men», Mr Moi has plenty to keep him busy in retirement. It seems Mr Moi does not plan to spend his remaining days pottering around on his farm in the Rift Valley. Last week, even as President Kibaki was settling into State House, Mr Moi was back in the capital, settling into his private office. During his leadership, he was renowned for his energy, rising early and working late into the night. That pattern, it seems, will continue. Like many other retired heads of state, he wants to retain an international profile. Through his new Moi Foundation, the  former president will stay engaged in the regional peace initiatives in Somalia and Sudan. He may also find time for more relaxing pursuits. He is a keen farmer; the Kenyan armed forces gave him a new plough and tractor as one of his retirement gifts. A committed Christian, he also indicated that he might like to take up lay preaching. More controversial is his continuing chairmanship of the former ruling party. (BBC News, UK, 13 January 2003)

* Kenya. Le nouveau pouvoir — 9 janvier. Dix jours à peine après avoir pris le pouvoir, la NARC (Alliance nationale Arc-en-ciel) poursuit ses réformes radicales en matière de gouvernance afin de conserver la sympathie du public. Le mercredi 8 janvier, cinq agents de l’administration locale ont été limogés, principalement pour des affaires de corruption. Le lundi, les établissements scolaires ont été envahis par des enfants après l’annonce par le nouveau gouvernement d’un programme gratuit d’enseignement. Quelques écoles ont dû fermer après que des parents avaient menacé de lyncher des chefs d’établissement qui ont refusé des enfants par manque de places. Le gouvernement a maintenant publié des directives en faveur d’un système de double flux dans les écoles primaires afin de réduire les encombrements. Le ministère de la Justice et des Affaires constitutionnelles s’est également mis à la tâche pour tenir ses délais concernant l’élaboration d’une nouvelle Loi fondamentale d’ici au mois de juillet prochain. Par ailleurs, le ministre des Travaux publics a annulé tous les contrats en attente qui ont été accordés notamment à des individus qui avaient la faveur de l’ancien régime. — Le 14 janvier, des responsables du Fonds monétaire international doivent se rendre à Nairobi pour discuter de la reprise de l’aide au Kenya, gelée depuis janvier 2001. Le FMI et la Banque mondiale, qui avaient suspendu leur aide au Kenya en juillet 1997, l’ont reprise en septembre 2000, mais l’ont à nouveau gelée en janvier 2001 en raison, selon le FMI, de “sérieux revers” dans la lutte contre la corruption. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 14 janvier 2003)

* Kenya. Parliament and Government get down to work — 9 January: The Kenyan parliament sits for the first time since the Rainbow Coalition won a sweeping victory in the 27 December election. The historic occasion is the first time that any party other than Kanu has sat on the government benches —a stark reminder of just how much has changed in Kenyan politics. The government’s leather benches are crammed with members of the Rainbow Coalition led by President Mwai Kibaki. Opposite them sit the rump of Kanu, the party which until so recently dominated Kenya’s political life. It is a set piece occasion — the MPs are formally sworn in, a Speaker (Francis ole Kaparo) is elected. The new President has made it plain  that he wants to see stalled anti-corruption legislation passed as soon as possible. International donors want these new measures in place before millions of dollars of aid can be released. 14 January: President Mwai Kibaki has been holding his first cabinet meeting since forming his new National Rainbow Coalition government. The meeting has been a marathon one, focusing on many key issues including the government’s strategy of meeting its election campaign pledges. It takes place at a time of rising concern about the over-enthusiastic manner in which the new ministers have gone about their new duties, leading to chaos in some sectors such as public schools. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 14 January 2003)

* Lesotho. French donate emergency food aid — Female-headed households, children and the elderly in Lesotho are set to benefit from a recent donation of food aid from the French government, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on 14 January. The food package valued at US $160,000 was being distributed at two villages, Makeneng and Ha Ramohapi, south of the capital Maseru, and mainly consisted of legumes. Some 445,000 people in the landlocked country are in need of assistance following two consecutive poor harvests. (IRIN, Kenya, 14 January 2003)

* Liberia. 2 religieux accusés de trahison — Deux leaders du Conseil inter-religieux du Liberia (IRC), son secrétaire général David Kiazolu et son adjoint Christopher Toe, arrêtés trois semaines auparavant, ont été accusés de trahison. Après que leurs avocats avaient déposé une demande d’habeas corpus, ils ont été libérés, puis arrêtés immédiatement à nouveau et accusés de trahison par un tribunal pénal à Monrovia. Le gouvernement accuse les deux hommes d’avoir “collaboré” avec la rébellion des Libériens unis pour la réconciliation et la démocratie (LURD). Il dit être en possession de deux e-mails envoyés par le LURD aux leaders religieux et qui prouvent que ces derniers étaient en communication avec les rebelles du LURD. L’IRC, qui comprend des musulmans et des chrétiens, a rejeté ces accusations et indiqué que ces e-mails portaient sur des réunions que le groupe était en train d’organiser afin de réunir le LURD et le gouvernement autour d’une table de discussion pour mettre fin à la guerre. Il affirme que le gouvernement était au courant de ces réunions, de même que le Parlement de la CEDEAO et le président sierra-léonais Tejan Kabbah, qui avait accepté la tenue de cette réunion à Freetown. (PANA, Sénégal, 9 janvier 2003)

* Liberia. Liberian religious leaders charged — 8 January: Two members of a group trying to improve relations between Christians and Muslims have been charged with treason. They were arrested on 28 December after being found in possession of e-mails from a rebel group. David Kiazolu, Secretary-General of the Inter-Religious Council (IRC) and his assistant,  Christopher Toe, had been told they would be released today, but were instead hit with the charges following a court hearing. The e-mails were apparently suggesting negotiations between the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (Lurd) rebels and the government of President Charles Taylor. Members of the IRC have been battling to get their officials released for almost two weeks. The statutory period for the authorities to either charge or release them had been exceeded and so the state lawyers had agreed to drop the original charges. But just as relatives and sympathizers of the men were hugging them outside the courtroom and praising God that their trouble was over, a court officer from an upper magistrate’s court in the same building appeared. He served the released men with another writ, this time charging them with treason for allegedly conniving with Lurd rebels to overthrow the government. When lawyers for the accused men and prosecution counsels appeared before the magistrate minutes later, defence lawyers applied for the men to be freed on bail. But government lawyers countered the motion, saying treason suspects could not be released on bail. The two officials men have been taken to the Monrovia Central Prison awaiting the court’s ruling. 10 January: The Government drops the treason charges and frees them from further detention. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 10 January 2003)

* Liberia. Interest groups spell out guidelines for elections — A three-day consultative meeting that brought together Liberia’s 18 registered political and other pro-democracy groups have recommended, among other things, that in the absence of a national census a thorough voters registration be conducted in the presence of political party representatives. The pro-democracy groups that attended the meeting held from 8-10 January, included the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (JPC), the Movement for Democracy and Elections in Liberia (MODEL). The group wants the Electoral Commission to exhibit neutrality and tolerance in the conduct of this year’s elections scheduled to take place in October. It added that this would ensure confidence in the commission. To have tension-free elections, they recommended also that the electoral process be policed by constitutional security agencies. This would rule out the involvement of the presidential elite guard unit, the Anti-Terrorist Unit (ATU) which many Liberians said was not created by a legislative enactment. The ATU was created in 2000. Other recommendations were — the on-the-spot counting of ballots at the close of polling in the presence of local and international observers, as well as the equipping of the state-owned Liberia Broadcasting System where all political parties should have equal access to the airwaves. (IRIN, Kenya, 13 January 2003)

* Libya. Exchanging intelligence with USA — Libya is exchanging intelligence about the  al-Qaeda network with the United States, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has said. Colonel Gaddafi said there were what he called Libyan terrorists in the US and Britain, and they should be «wiped out». Osama Bin Laden is regarded as a prophet by many Muslims and has convinced his followers that the US is attacking the whole Islamic world, the Libyan leader tells Newsweek magazine in an interview. Colonel Gaddafi — who himself has been accused of sponsoring international terrorism — said there had been assassination attempts on his life by al-Qaeda members. «Fundamentalism is a threat to all regimes in the region,» he said. (BBC News, UK, 12 January 2002)

* Madagascar. Gouvernement dissous — Le 11 janvier, le gouvernement a été dissous, à la suite de la proclamation, la veille, des résultats officiels des législatives du 15 décembre. La mouvance du président Marc Ravalomanana a remporté plus de 80% des sièges à l’Assemblée nationale. Son parti, le TIM, a obtenu 110 des 154 sièges. Le 12 janvier, le président a reconduit dans ses fonctions le Premier ministre Jacques Sylla, qui avait remporté 75% des voix dans sa circonscription de Sainte-Marie. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 13 janvier 2003)

* Malawi. Flood emergency — 11 January: President Bakili Muluzi has declared a «state of national disaster» and called for international assistance following severe floods in several parts of the country. «This is a disaster of highest proportion,» Mr Muluzi says in a national address today, after making an aerial inspection of the area. The floods, caused by torrential rain, have killed at least eight people and displaced thousands more at a time when the country faces famine because of a drought. Six out of Malawi’s 28 districts have been affected, including Salima where aid agencies have been supplying emergency food rations for a year. Homeless people are now taking refuge in schools, churches and the open ground, Mr Muluzi says on national radio. Many homes and gardens have been washed away and livestock killed. 13 January: The heavy rains have spread to a new district, destroying homes and crops. At least 3,000 families in the mountainous region of Rumphi in the north of Malawi have been left homeless following weekend floods — and more than 3,000 hectares of crop destroyed. Rumphi is known for the growing of cash crops such as tobacco and coffee, as well as Malawi’s staple crop, maize. The destruction of these crops by rain, now raises fears of further food shortages. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 13 January 2003)

* Malawi. IMF team to assess economic progress — An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team arrived in Malawi on 13 January to assess whether to unfreeze US $47 million in vital aid to the country, news reports said. In May the IMF said it  would withhold the US $47 million earmarked for Malawi under its Poverty Reduction Growth Facility due to government overspending beyond targets set by the Fund. The IMF board was due to have met in December to review Malawi’s economic performance before authorising the release of the money. But the meeting was postponed with the IMF telling the government to rectify «pressure points» in its current budget before lending could resume. (IRIN, Kenya, 14 January 2003)

* Malawi. Inondations — Plusieurs milliers de déplacés, des cours d’eau en crue, des villes et villages inondés, des ponts et des routes détruites par la furie des eaux. Les conséquences des inondations qui touchent depuis quelques jours le centre et le sud du Malawi sont extrêmement graves. Les intempéries, commencées avec de fortes précipitations début janvier, ont touché la zone comprise entre la capitale Lilongwe et le sud du pays. Il n’est pas encore possible de dresser un bilan des victimes et des dégâts, mais les disparus pourraient se compter par plusieurs centaines, selon des sources locales. Les crues ont balayé des ponts sur les principales routes du sud, rendant les secours très difficiles. Rappelons que la Malawi doit déjà faire face à une grave famine. (Misna, Italie, 15 janvier 2003)

* Morocco. Protests over Iraq crisis — Thousands of Moroccans have held a protest in the capital Rabat against a possible US-led war on Iraq. The demonstration, the first such protest allowed by Moroccan authorities since April 2002, was organised by a pro-Iraq grouping of some 50 political parties and associations, most of them linked to Morocco’s increasingly popular Islamic movement. Protesters at the head of the march chanted «George Bush assassin, Tony Blair is his dog.» The government of moderate Muslim-Arab Morocco supported efforts to resolve the crisis through the United Nations and prodded Iraq to let in UN weapons inspectors. Morocco also worked with Washington last year in breaking up an alleged al-Qaida plot to attack US and British warships in the Strait of Gibraltar that separates the North African nation from Spain. But Islamic groups and politicians claim that US war planners are motivated by a desire to get Iraqi oil, not fears of Saddam’s weapons. They vehemently oppose a US attack, particularly when Washington — in their eyes — has failed to stay Israel’s hand in the Palestinian territories. (CNN, USA, 12 January 2003)

* Maroc. Lèse-majesté — Un militant de la Gauche socialiste unifiée (GSU), Mohamed Loukah, a été condamné à un an de prison pour lèse-majesté à Berkane (nord-est), selon le Journal hebdomadaire. Il avait plaidé, dans le cadre des élections législatives de 2002, en faveur d’une monarchie qui “règne mais ne gouverne pas”. (Libération, France, 13 janvier 2003)

* Maroc. 52 immigrés africains arrêtés pour  “mendicité et vagabondage”. — La police marocaine a arrêté mardi 52 immigrés africains subsahariens à Tanger (nord) pour “mendicité et vagabondage”, a indiqué mercredi l’agence marocaine MAP. Les personnes arrêtées, dont 17 femmes, séjournaient “en cachette” dans des pensions de fortune “en attendant de se rendre illégalement en Europe”, ajoute la MAP qui cite une source policière à Tanger. La police a arrêté trois autres personnes qui aménageaient leur domicile pour y accueillir des candidats à l’émigration clandestine, a-t-on indiqué de même source. Le Maroc, particulièrement sa zone nord, constitue une voie de passage de nombreux émigrés clandestins africains vers l’Europe. Les autorités marocaines ont arrêté 2.533 candidats à l’émigration clandestine vers l’Europe en 2002 dans les régions de Tanger et d’El Ayoun, au Sahara occidental, parmi lesquels 1.380 Africains subsahariens. (D’après AFP, France, 15 janvier 2003)

* Morocco. Spanish fishing boats return to Morocco — 15 January: Morocco is temporarily lifting its ban on Spanish boats fishing in its waters, as a gesture to the Galician fishermen hit by the oil slick from the Prestige. The move is being seen as a positive sign in the strained relations between the two countries Twenty-six fishing boats from the Galician region of north-western Spain are on their way to Moroccan waters to take advantage of a three-month lift of the fishing ban. The number of vessels allowed to trawl the seas off the coast of Morocco is likely to be increased over the coming weeks. The relaxing of the prohibition could benefit an estimated 250 fishermen who have been unable to work since an oil slick in November polluted hundreds of kilometres of the coastline. The move, initiated by the Moroccan king, is one small, hopeful sign in the turbulent relationship between Morocco and Spain. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 15 January 2003)

* Maroc/Espagne. Pêche dans les eaux marocaines — Le 15 janvier, 21 navires de pêche espagnols entameront leurs activités dans les eaux territoriales marocaines après avoir reçu, la veille, des licences délivrées par le ministère marocain des Pêches. Ces 21 bateaux font partie d’une flottille de 64 navires autorisés à y opérer, suite à un geste du roi Mohammed VI envers les pêcheurs espagnols affectés par le naufrage du pétrolier “Prestige”. Les 64 navires sont autorisés à pêcher une seule espèce de poissons (le merlu noir) pendant une période de trois mois, éventuellement renouvelable. (PANA, Sénégal, 15 janvier 2003)

* Mauritius. AGOA Meeting — 9 January: Leaders from almost 40 countries eligible for the US African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) will meet in Mauritius next week for the second US-sub-Saharan African Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum. The forum, to be held at the  University of Mauritius campus from 15-17 January, will see the delegations of up to eight members participating in discussions on trade, conditions for investment and «investing in people». Speakers will include trade and agriculture ministers from the various countries, as well as US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick and US Agency for International Development Administrator Andrew Natsios. There will also be a parallel private sector event discussing finance, doing business with the USA, agriculture, trade barriers and bio-technology. NGOs will meet between 13-15 January to discuss AGOA‘s results. 14 January: Opening of the meeting. The US stresses that it wants to work with Africa in order to boost the poor continent’s share of international trade. But the US team, led by Robert Zoellick, is almost certain to face a long list of complaints about the farming subsidies which keep African produce out of US markets. «The African producer is a farmer, he is a guy who suffers extremely as a result of the subsidies that are given to farmers in America,» Vijay Makhan, head of trade and industry at the African Union, said ahead of the meeting. 15 January: The United States has told Africa that free trade is the best way to move from poverty to prosperity. The advice came from the senior US trade representative Robert Zoellick during the AGOA conference. He told 38 ministers and hundreds of delegates from across Africa that the United States was committed to increasing trade between the two continents. They are already linked by the Africa Growth Opportunities Act (AGOA), a law passed in the US just over two years ago to allow a range of goods from eligible African countries to be given preferential access to the US. Mr Zoellick said exports had increased and huge numbers of jobs had been created. He said he was delighted with the way AGOA had been implemented so far, but warned that there were still many challenges to providing a growth stimulus for African countries. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 15 January 2003)

* Mozambique. The Cardosa murder trial — 15 January: Prosecutors have recommended that the son of President Chissano be investigated for the murder of crusading journalist, Carlos Cardosa, in 2001. As a court in Maputo hears closing arguments in the murder trial, a defendant gives the latest in a series of testimonies implicating Nyimpine Chissano, eldest son of President Joacquim Chissan, as the man behind the murder of Carlos Cardoso. Three of those accused of his murder have implicated Nyimpine Chissano. The defendants startled the nation when they testified that the President’s 32-year-old son, a wealthy and flamboyant man, forked out a considerable sum of money to have him assassinated. Nyimpine Chissano, who is not on trial, has vehemently denied organising the murder but he has been subpoenaed to appear in court. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 15 January 2003)

* Nigeria. Dutch firm to run telecoms — 15 January: A Dutch telecoms group, formerly part of KPN, has become the preferred bidder to manage the troubled Nigerian state-run telecoms company Nitel. The Nigerian privatisation agency Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE) spokesman Joe Anichebe said that Pentascope International had beaten two other short-listed bidders. «The challenge is first of all is getting the network capacity, both lines and quality, and then you can get the customers in,» Pentascope’s finance director Josbert Kester, said. Nitel is the monopoly fixed-line telecoms provider in Nigeria but has slipped to third position in the mobile market and has a poor customer relations reputation. «Tackling corruption is another element but you are also looking at debt collection and knowing your financial position, the revenues and costs, so decision making can be made on the right information,» Mr Kester said. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 15 January 2003)

* Nigeria. Electeurs fictifs — La Commission électorale nationale indépendante (CENI) a découvert que 2 millions d’électeurs se sont livrés à une double inscription ou des inscriptions multiples durant la campagne d’inscription sur les listes électorales de septembre 2002. Ces inscriptions fictives ont été découvertes grâce au système à image automatique d’identification des empreintes digitales qui compare les empreintes des individus avec celles enregistrées dans une banque de données créée à partir des cartes d’identité. Ce chiffre représente 3,3% des électeurs prévus et risque d’augmenter au fur et à mesure du processus de comparaison des empreintes. Les personnes impliquées seront poursuivies en justice. La CENI a prévu une autre campagne d’inscription du 21 au 23 janvier, en vue des élections générales de mars-avril 2003. (PANA, Sénégal, 15 janvier 2003)

* Rwanda. Rwandan genocide suspects set free — 10 January: The first group of Rwandan genocide suspects has been released as part of a plan to ease chronic prison overcrowding. Up to 40,000 suspects are being freed on bail and the government insists they will still face trial. But some survivors of the 1994 genocide are unhappy at their release, saying they could intimidate witnesses. Rwanda’s prisons are currently massively overcrowded with some 120,000 people awaiting trial for genocide. 90% of Rwanda’s prisoners are genocide suspects. Those being released must have confessed to their crimes and already served longer in prison than the maximum sentences for their offenses. They are not the alleged ringleaders of the genocide. Or they are either seriously ill, over 70 years old or were under 18 when the crimes were committed. In another attempt to reduce prison overcrowding, the government is using the traditional «Gacaca» justice system, where local communities judge suspects. Genocide survivors group Ibuka has warned that some people might be traumatised by seeing those who had killed their relatives walk free. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 10 January 2003)

* Rwanda. Détenus libérés — Le 10 janvier, les autorités rwandaises ont remis en liberté provisoire 1.930 détenus dans le cadre d’une campagne concernant notamment les participants au génocide de 1994. Les détenus relâchés jusqu’ici sont gravement malades, étaient alors mineurs ou ont dépassé 70 ans. Ils doivent avoir avoué et passé en prison plus de temps que la peine maximale qui leur serait infligée. En tout, 30.000 à 40.000 prisonniers sont concernés par la mesure. (Le Figaro, France, 13 janvier 2003)

* Sahara occidental. Tournée de James Baker — Le mardi 14 janvier, l’envoyé spécial des Nations unies pour la Sahara occidental, James Baker, a remis au roi Mohammed VI du Maroc des propositions visant à trouver une solution politique au conflit qui dure depuis plus de 27 ans dans ce territoire. Aucune information n’a filtré sur le contenu de ces propositions qui offrent, selon l’Onu, “une possibilité d’autodétermination (des populations sahraouies) comme demandé par la résolution 1429 du 30 juillet dernier du Conseil de sécurité”. M. Baker se rendra également à Alger (mercredi), à Tindouf (jeudi) et à Nouakchott (vendredi). Si le Front Polisario s’en tient toujours à l’organisation d’un référendum d’autodétermination, le Maroc a finalement accepté d’accorder au territoire une large autonomie sous sa souveraineté. (PANA, Sénégal, 14 janvier 2003)

* Western Sahara. New push to end Sahara conflict — 14 January: The United Nations is sending a special envoy to North Africa, today, to present new proposals to end the conflict over Western Sahara. Former US Secretary of State James Baker will travel to Morocco, Algeria and Mauritania to meet both government officials and members of the Polisario Independence Movement. Morocco annexed the former Spanish colony of Western Sahara in 1975, causing tens of thousands of local Sahari people to flee into Algeria where they still live in refugee camps. With the dispute over Western Sahara dragging on for more than 25 years, James Baker will be hoping this time he has devised a solution he can successfully sell to the interested parties. 15 January: The UN secretary-general’s special envoy to the Western Sahara arrives in Algiers hoping to break an impasse in the search for a political settlement to the Western Sahara dispute. He is presenting a new proposal for peace. Baker met Moroccan King Mohammed VI yesterday in Agadir, Morocco and today travels to Tindouf, in southern Algeria, where the Polisario is based. He will also go to Mauritania, which borders the Western Sahara, during his four-day trip. Algerian Foreign Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem greets Baker on his arrival ahead of talks with Algerian officials. The details of the new initiative are not disclosed. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 15 January 2003)

* Senegal. Senegal loses out on tourism — 15 January: January in Senegal is normally one of the biggest months of the tourist season as  thousands of mainly European visitors arrive in the West African country’s coastal resorts. One of the main tourism centres is Cap Skirring in the far south western corner of Senegal, but this year numbers are down again. Hotel owners, guides and others involved in the tourism industry say Cap Skirring has suffered because of misconceptions about its location in Casamance, a part of Senegal caught up in a 20-year-old civil war. This January in Cap Skirring some hotels are fully booked with passengers who have arrived on chartered flights from Europe. Others stand virtually empty. The more experienced hotel owners talk appreciatively of the customers who come year in year out. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 15 January 2003)