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WEEKLY NEWS ISSUE of: 13-03-2003

PART #1/4 - From AFRICA to ANGOLA 

* Africa. Politics of abortion delays $15 Billion to fight global AIDS — President Bush’s initiative to spend $15 billion on global AIDS programs, a central element of his compassion agenda, is getting bogged down in partisan disputes over how to spend the aid and whether the money should be steered away from international clinics if they promote abortion. The White House proposal, which would triple spending on international AIDS programs over the next five years, was widely expected to sail through Congress when President Bush announced it in January in his State of the Union address. But officials now say the window of opportunity for passing a bill in short order is closing. «The hope for something quick has sort of escaped us,» an aide to a senior Senate Republican said. There are two main problems. First, Democrats and Republicans are at odds over how much money should go to a global fund to fight AIDS. The White House wants $200 million this year, but some Democrats, notably Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, a presidential hopeful, want more, as much as $1 billion. Perhaps more important, the initiative has gotten caught up in the complex politics of abortion in the wake of a recent decision by President Bush involving the so-called «global gag rule.» The rule, also known as the Mexico City policy because that is where President Ronald Reagan first announced it, prohibits international family planning clinics from receiving taxpayer dollars if they promote or perform abortions. President Bush, pressed by abortion opponents to extend the rule to clinics that also have AIDS programs, has instead decided on a compromise: organizations can perform abortions and can receive global AIDS money, as long as they keep the programs strictly separate and account for the money. (New York Times, USA, 6 March 2003)

* Africa. Rich countries urged to end subsidies — 6 March: The United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, has called on the world’s richest countries to stop subsidising their farmers, as a step towards tackling famine in Africa. He said governments had to deal with the structural causes of famine as well as the lack of food itself. Mr Annan was addressing a contact group of the eight richest nations, established to give higher priority to agricultural development in Africa. He told them that their food subsidies —which total $300bn a year — were stifling agricultural production in Africa. Lack of sustainable food production was contributing to severe shortages which threatened more than 30 million Africans with starvation, said Mr Annan. Developing countries struggle to sell their produce to highly protected markets like Japan and the European Union because they do not enjoy the kind of subsidies that allow their farmers to sell food more cheaply. Observers say that matters are made worse by the fact that they also have to contend with cheap imports from the same rich countries into their own markets, leaving them without any livelihood. Mr Annan said the way that agricultural trade was structured was just as responsible for famine in Africa as the lack of food itself. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 6 March 2003)

* Africa/UK. Clare Short condemns globetrotting African ministers wanderlust — Britain’s international development secretary, Clare Short, has attacked African ministers for spending most of their time away from their homes attending conferences, and not focusing on problems in their own countries. In the same speech Ms Short criticised some environmental groups for trying to protect the great apes. She called them «morally disgusting» because they appeared to care more about animals than people. Speaking without a prepared text at a conference on biodiversity and development in London aimed at helping the poor and also preventing the extinction of many of the world’s endangered species, she said that conferences often failed to achieve anything. This conference, jointly hosted by the British government, the UN and environmental groups, would only be significant if it produced concrete results, she said. «What is the point of bothering with all these conferences if we are not going to start implementing things in the real world?» she asked. «On any day of any week of any year, most African ministers are not in Africa. They are at a conference in the northern hemisphere talking about what to do about development.» In an exchange with charities trying to prevent the killing of apes for human consumption and the import of their meat into Britain, she said: «People who care for nature and biodiversity have to care for humanity, and focusing on the animals without the people is morally disgusting. The bush-meat campaign, forgive me if I offend anyone, is a bit like that. The human beings don’t figure.» Tony Juniper, director of Friends of the Earth, said: «Whilst groups around the world work together to solve the twin crises of environment and development, we wonder which planet Clare Short lives on. It has been accepted in these circles for more than a decade that human and environment welfare go hand in hand... That fact seems to have escaped her. “The reason African ministers have to travel so much is that the decisions which affect development in their countries are made in London, Paris, New York and Tokyo, and often create the problems they face at home — issues like the power of transnational corporations, world trade, unacceptable agricultural subsidies and unpayable debts. The prime minister seems to understand these issues; he should get his cabinet to toe the line.» (The Guardian, UK, 7 March 2003)

* Afrique. Sommet du NEPAD — Le 6ème sommet consacré au Nouveau partenariat pour le développement de l’Afrique (NEPAD) s’est déroulé le 9 mars à Abuja (Nigeria) en présence de huit chefs d’Etat africains (sur 22 invités). Au centre des discussions: le mécanisme d’évaluation. A l’issue de la réunion, le président nigérian Olusegun Obasanjo a déclaré que les participants avaient examiné les progrès accomplis, et notamment les rapports sur la paix et la sécurité, les engagements avec les agences des Nations unies et la coopération avec le G8. “Nous avons noté avec satisfaction qu’il a été proposé de doubler l’assistance internationale de financement afin de permettre au NEPAD de réaliser ses objectifs”, a-t-il indiqué. La réunion lui a confié la mission de mettre en oeuvre le processus pour la nomination, à la fin de ce mois, d’un Comité de personnalités chargées d’administrer le Mécanisme africain de revue par les pairs (MARP), considéré comme un élément essentiel à la bonne gouvernance sur le continent. (D’après PANA, Sénégal, 9 mars 2003)

* Africa. NEPAD vows to take Africa forward — 10 March: NEPAD envisions contributions from both Africa and the West African leaders have agreed on a framework for a peer-review mechanism aimed at tackling obstacles to growth and development on the continent. It follows a meeting on 9 March in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, to discuss implementation of the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD). Launched just over a year ago, NEPAD aims to promote economic and governance improvements across the continent through African-led reforms. Critics of the initiative have been impatient for clear signs of progress. The NEPAD plan is ambitious. It recognises that many of Africa’s problems are the result of poor leadership and aims to set up a mechanism by which leaders on the continent can scrutinise each others’ performance. The idea is not simply to blow the whistle on underachievers, but to identify problems and provide support. But those impatient with the pace of progress towards this goal will find little new in the document released after this weekend’s meeting. It talks of voluntary self-assessment, constructive peer dialogue and the sharing of common experiences. Nothing in the wording of this document suggests any punitive sanctions or teeth for Nepad against wayward governments. Donor nations who are being asked to provide billions of dollars in development assistance as part of the plan had been hoping for a mechanism with real clout, rather than just another talking shop. Hosting the summit, President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria countered those sceptics by saying that NEPAD had moved beyond the level of mere rhetoric to the concrete and pragmatic stage of implementation. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 10 March 2003)

* Africa. Africa and Iraq   

1 - Africa’s media and Iraq  — As French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin returns from his visit to Angola, Cameroon and Guinea to drum up support for the French position on Iraq, the media in the three UN Security Council member countries debate the pros and cons of the vexed issue. Angola’s leading daily Jornal de Angola proclaims in a headline: «The country maintains an independent stand.» It says Angola has made it clear it subscribes «to the general position of the African Union on Iraq», which has openly opposed the war option. A commentary on Angolan government radio argues that although «the world can no longer accept the intolerance of dictators like Saddam Hussein, human lives, notably those of civilians, must be spared». A leading Cameroon daily, Le Messager, says the country’s president, Paul Biya, is caught between a rock and a hard place. «In Cameroon, the pressure is clearly perceptible. It is seen in the sustained courting of Biya by Washington. Since no initiative could be too much, George Bush himself put his hand to the wheel,» Le Messager continues. «He personally called the Cameroonian president on the telephone. This act takes on special importance in diplomacy.» According to Guinea state radio, the country’s diplomacy has gone into overdrive. The foreign minister, Francois Fall, held talks on 10 March in Washington with US Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice after an earlier meeting with Mr De Villepin. «The foreign minister stressed the possibility of a rapid solution as demanded by the international community,» Guinea radio reports. (BBC News, UK, 11 March 2003) 

 2 - Iraq and the scramble for Africa’s votes — 10 March: French foreign minister Dominique de Villepin last night flew to Africa for meetings with the holders of three potential swing votes in the United Nations Security Council —Angola, Guinea and Cameroon. French diplomatic sources say France still supports Mr de Villepin’s proposal that heads of state and government should vote in person on any second resolution authorising immediate military action against Iraq for not complying with disarmament resolutions. The idea, immediately rejected by Colin Powell, US secretary of state, on 7 March, underlines France’s determination to wring maximum publicity from its anti-war stance and to remind the US and its allies of the importance of the UN as the symbol for preserving international peace. French officials believe it is vital to stop Washington in effect trying to «buy» the votes of the six undecided nations — Pakistan, Chile, Mexico, Angola, Cameroon and Guinea - over the next 48 hours. Mr de Villepin’s punishing schedule reflects how much is at stake for the European diplomat who has done most to champion the peaceful disarming of Iraq. 11 March: Hard on the heals of France’s Foreign Minister, comes Britain’s Minister for Africa, Lady Amos. This is her second visit in a fortnight. On 10 March she was in Cameroon and her next port of call is Guinea. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 11 March 2003)  

3 - Africa and the Iraqi crisis — African Union: On the fringes of the second ordinary session of its executive council in N’djamena, Chad, devoted to administrative, budgetary and economic issues, the African Union reiterated (7 March) its position against war on Iraq. Egypt: Speaker Ahmed Fathi Sorour of Egypt’s National Assembly criticises (7 March) the determination by the USA to attack Iraq, warning that such war will cause «international chaos». — On 10 March, the highest authority in the Sunni Islamic World declared that war against Iraq will be a «new crusade» compelling every Muslim to perform «jihad». The Islamic Research Centre at Cairo’s Al-Azhar University, the world’s leading teaching institution from Islam’s Sunni sect, did not elaborate, however, on what form any «jihad», («holy struggle»), should take. — On 11 March, Ministers of Information from 57 Islamic countries denounced «any attempt to wage an unjustified war on Iraq by the USA», and called for a peaceful resolution of the crisis within the framework of the UN. Mauritius: The Council of Mauritian Muslims sends a letter (7 March) to Prime minister Anerood Jugnauth urging him to back the diplomatic option in the conflict pitting the USA and Britain against Iraq. Senegal: On 6 March, several civil society organisations staged protest marches in Dakar stating their opposition to war against Iraq and urging a peaceful approach to the disarming of Iraq. South Africa: On 12 March, the government said it is working round the clock to defuse the crisis in Iraq. Tunisia/Libya: On 10 March, Tunisia’s President Ben Ali and Libya’s President Gaddafi stressed the need for a «peaceful resolution» of the Iraqi-USA crisis. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 12 March 2003)

* Afrique. Cour pénale internationale — Créée par le traité de Rome en 1998, entrée en fonction le 1er juillet 2002, la Cour pénale internationale (CPI) a été inaugurée le 11 mars à La Haye, où ses 18 juges ont prêté serment. L’élection du procureur de la CPI doit avoir lieu en avril. A ce jour, 89 pays ont rejoint la Cour. Depuis le 1er juillet 2002, quelque 300 plaintes sont déjà parvenues à La Haye. Contrairement aux tribunaux de l’Onu pour le Rwanda et l’ex-Yougoslavie, des individus, des associations et des ONG peuvent demander au procureur de la CPI d’ouvrir une enquête sur des faits précis. Si certaines de ces accusations sont farfelues, d’autres sont solidement étayées. Ainsi, la Fédération internationale des droits de l’homme (FIDH) a déposé plainte contre le président centrafricain Ange-Félix Patassé, accusé de “crimes de guerre”, et contre le chef de guerre congolais Jean-Pierre Bemba, dont le mouvement rebelle serait responsable d’exactions, y compris d’actes d’anthropophagie. Autre cible éventuelle: le pouvoir d’Abidjan. Le 24 janvier, le Haut Commissariat de l’Onu pour les droits de l’homme a accusé “des éléments proches du gouvernement” de fournir des troupes aux “escadrons de la mort” sévissant à Abidjan. Toutefois, la Côte d’Ivoire n’a pas ratifié le statut de la CPI, et donc la Cour n’a pas compétence, à moins que le Conseil de sécurité décide de lui déférer l’affaire. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 12 mars 2003)

* Africa. Africa and the International Criminal Court — Under the watchful eyes of Kofi Annan and the Queen of the Netherlands, 18 judges are sworn in today as the most important human rights institution the world has seen in half a century is formally inaugurated. The ceremony in the Dutch parliament marks the coming of age for the International Criminal Court (ICC) — and the fulfilment of a dream that began with the Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals for Nazi and Japanese war criminals, and later found expression in the work of the UN tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. But the ICC will be a new and, crucially, a permanent feature of the geopolitical landscape. It faces enormous challenges, including powerful American opposition, the task of choosing a prosecutor — and deciding who to put in the dock. The court’s job is to provide justice for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, so that future victims have somewhere to turn to when national systems fail. Bruno Cathala, the French judge who has been overseeing the ICC since it came into existence last summer, can hardly contain his excitement. «This is about globalised justice,» he said. «No one has ever built an international criminal court before. We are going to fill the impunity gap.» Getting this far has been a long haul. The US, China, Russia and India remain opposed. Neither Iraq nor Israel has signed up. And Washington continues to pick off small countries to sign deals ensuring that American personnel are guaranteed immunity. But 89 other states now back the court, and the moment is approaching when the first pre-trial investigation will be launched: its likely target is the Congolese rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba. The Bemba case falls into the category of those where a «state party» to the ICC statute — in this case the Democratic Re public of Congo — is either «unwilling or unable» to prosecute a suspected war criminal. (The Guardian, UK, 11 March 2003)

* Africa. Action against the Media — Burundi: On 6 March, Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) reported that on 4 March 2003, President Buyoya had ordered all Burundian radio stations to cease airing messages from two rebel groups in the country. RSF expressed its concern over the decision in a letter to the President. «In a country where radio broadcasts are the principal news source, and just as peace talks are underway, it is unacceptable that Burundian citizens should be left without access to certain news stories,» stated Robert Ménard, the organisation’s secretary-general. RSF urged the president to lift the ban and see to it that journalists are allowed to work in a free and safe environment in the country. Nigeria: On 11 March, the Media for Democracy in Nigeria Group together with CREDO, an international NGO, gave a press conference in which it was stated: «Following the advocacy and legal victory that led to the existence of the 30 current political parties in Nigeria, it has become critically important to review the role of the media, especially the broadcast media, in the electoral process. The broadcast media, particularly the publicly funded media, have an obligation not to be biased in their coverage of the political process». Sudan: On 11 March, RSF said that on 9 March 2003, the Sudanese authorities confiscated the print-runs of the dailies Khartoum Monitor and El Hurriya prior to their circulation. The same day, the authorities also confiscated copies of the English-language daily Khartoum Monitor at the printer’s and in the afternoon, the security services summoned Nhial Bol, the daily’s editor. The security services explained the next day that the action came in response to an article that stated that the history of Islam in Sudan had not always been peaceful. Copies of the Arabic-language daily Al-Hurriya were also confiscated on 9 March, though no explanation was offered for the move. The newspaper’s columnist and editor-in-chief were also summoned by the security services. On 11 March, Amnesty International called for restrictions on the freedom of the Sudanese press to be lifted. Togo: In a 10 March 2003 letter to President Gnassingbé Eyadéma, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) expressed its deep concern about increased restrictions on press freedom in Togo ahead of presidential elections, which are scheduled for June. The organization is particularly alarmed by last week’s closure of private radio station Tropik FM, based in the capital, Lomé. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 11 March 2003)

* Afrique australe. Famine évitée sauf au Zimbabwe — Sauf au Zimbabwe, où la situation alimentaire ne cesse de se dégrader, la menace d’une famine en Afrique australe a été écartée, a déclaré, le 5 mars, le directeur régional adjoint du Programme alimentaire mondial (PAM). “Alors que d’autres pays de la région enregistrent des progrès vers un redressement, le Zimbabwe va probablement rester dans un état de crise dans l’immédiat. Nous nous préparons pour les douze prochains mois”, a-t-il déclaré à l’ouverture du congrès des producteurs céréaliers d’Afrique du Sud. “L’économie du Zimbabwe continue à se dégrader. Les pénuries d’aliments de base et de matières premières continuent”, a-t-il ajouté. Alors que la sécurité alimentaire s’est stabilisée dans les régions ciblées par l’aide, le Zimbabwe, qui abrite la moitié des 15 millions de personnes menacées de famine dans six pays d’Afrique australe, devrait importer 20.000 tonnes de semences de maïs cette année, a précisé le responsbale du PAM. (Le Monde, France, 7 mars 2003)

* East Africa. Cable link planned — Telecom executives from East Africa have been meeting to discuss the possibility of connecting countries in the region by an undersea fibre optic cable. At present African states pay about $400m a year to have international calls to other African countries routed via Europe. «Africa has better connection to Europe and America than within the continent,» Telkom Kenya managing director Augustine Cheserem told the meeting in Nairobi. The meeting decided to draw up a feasibility study for the cable which is not yet fully costed. A report in Kenya’s Nation newspaper cited an estimate of 300m Kenyan shillings ($4m). «We are anticipating substantial growth in (international data) traffic over the next five to 10 years,» said Telkom Kenya strategic planning manager Joseph Ogutu. Deregulation of the region’s fixed line telecoms sector coupled with expansion in mobile phone providers means East Africa has more telecoms firms than before. The cable would create a cheaper alternative to existing satellite-based transmission systems whilst adding extra capacity, Mr Ogutu said. The cable would probably run from Durban, in South Africa, as far north as Dijbouti in the Horn of Africa via Madagascar, Tanzania and Kenya. (BBC News, UK, 11 March 2003)

* Algérie. Crash d’avion: 102 morts — Le 6 mars, en milieu d’après-midi, un Boeing 737 d’Air Algérie s’est écrasé peu après avoir décollé de Tamanrasset (sud). Il n’y a qu’un survivant, un militaire en permission, grièvement blessé, selon l’Agence algérienne de presse. Les 97 autres passagers et les six membres d’équipage de l’appareil ont péri. Sept Français figurent parmi les victimes, selon les autorités algériennes. L’appareil devait rejoindre la capitale Alger, située 1.900 km plus au nord. “Le crash serait dû à une défaillance technique survenue au moment du décollage”, a déclaré le porte-parole de la compagnie aérienne. Il s’agit du plus grave accident d’avion en Algérie depuis son indépendance en 1962. (Libération, France, 7 mars 2003)

* Algeria. Air crash — 6 March: A passenger plane has crashed on take-off in southern Algeria, killing all but one of the 103 people on board. The sole survivor, a young man believed to be one of the six-person crew, was critically injured, local radio reports said. Witnesses said one of the engines of the Air Algerie aircraft caught fire as it took off in the remote city of Tamanrasset in the Sahara Desert. The plane — a Boeing 737 — veered off the runway and crashed several hundred metres further on, they said. It is believed to be the first accident in the history of Algeria’s national airline, set up after independence in 1962. The flight was heading for the capital, Algiers, some 1,300 kilometres away. The Algerian Government has set up crisis units in the capital and Tamanrasset to deal with the emergency, and the transport and interior ministers have gone to the crash scene. Seven French citizens were among the dead, airport officials were quoted as saying. In Paris, the foreign ministry confirmed the report without giving details. As the investigations into the crash began, a spokesman for Air Algerie said terrorism was not suspected. «There was a mechanical problem on take-off,» spokesman Hamid Hamdi said. But he insisted the plane had been well maintained. Tamanrasset lies at the base of the Hoggar Mountains in the Sahara Desert. 7 March: The news agency Zenit reports that the Pope has sent a message to Algeria’s civil and religious authorities and particularly to the families of the victims of the air accident. (ANB-BIA, Belgium, 7 March 2003)

* Algeria. Seeking to limit bank fallout — Analysts are trying to assess the consequences for Algeria’s banking system after the country’s largest private sector bank was placed in administrative receivership earlier this week. The Banque d’Algerie, the central bank, said on 3 March that the owners of Khalifa Bank — primarily Abdel Moumene, known as Rafik Khalifa — were incapable of «taking the required steps to stop the risk of deterioration in the bank’s financial situation». A Banque d’Algerie appointee is now running Khalifa Bank.The bank’s problems date back to November last year, when it was banned from making transfers outside Algeria. Last week three of the bank’s employees were arrested trying to leave Algiers airport with up to $2.2m, in cash in a suitcase. The bank has denied involvement. The bank was founded by Mr Khalifa in the 1990s and quickly became a high-profile champion of the military-backed regime’s claims to a more liberal economic outlook after decades of state socialism. (Financial Times, UK, 7 March 2003)

* Algérie. Membre de l’OMC en 2004? — L’Algérie pourrait devenir membre de l’Organisation mondiale du commerce (OMC), comme elle le souhaite, dans le courant du premier semestre 2004, a indiqué le président du conseil général de l’OMC le 8 mars à Alger. L’Algérie doit “accélérer la cadence des négociations bilatérales” en cours avec chacun de ses partenaires commerciaux déjà membres de l’OMC, et “compléter sa réglementation économique” pour la rendre entièrement conforme aux règles de l’organisation, a-t-il déclaré. (Le Figaro, France, 10 mars 2003)

* Algérie. Un tramway à Alger — Casse-tête quotidien pour des centaines de milliers d’Algérois, les transports publics de la capitale devraient être renforcés par un tramway en attendant l’hypothétique mise en service d’un métro en chantier depuis plus de 20 ans. Une enveloppe de 61 millions d’euros a été affectée par la wilaya d’Alger pour l’étude et la réalisation de deux lignes de tramway (à l’est et l’ouest de la capitale) d’une capacité quotidienne de 100.000 voyageurs. Alger et sa banlieue sont un lacis de ruelles et de rues plus ou moins étroites qui parcourent une topographie accidentée. L’agglomération algéroise, qui compte aujourd’hui plus de 4 millions d’habitants, est littéralement asphyxiée par la circulation automobile. (AP, 12 mars 2003)

* Algérie/Nigeria. Accords signés — Le 12 mars, s’est tenue à Alger la 2e session de la haute commission mixte algéro-nigériane sous la présidence des deux chefs d’Etat, MM. Bouteflika et Obasanjo. Plusieurs accords ont été signés, notamment trois grands projets concernant la route transsaharienne, la construction d’un gazoduc reliant les deux pays et un projet de liaison par fibre optique. D’autres accords ont également été conclus dans les domaines de la culture, de la coopération judiciaire et consulaire, ainsi qu’un accord douanier. Notons que le projet de réalisation de la route transsaharienne a été lancé en 1971; longue de 9.000 km, elle devrait traverser, une fois achevée, l’Algérie, le Mali et le Niger pour atteindre le Nigeria. (ANB-BIA, de sources diverses, 12 mars 2003)

* Angola. Agricultural recovery crucial to post-war future — The coming agricultural season is crucial to Angola’s post-conflict future, and funding for assistance programmes for farming families is urgently required, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has warned. «Agriculture in Angola is very important, recovery of agriculture is needed quickly to enable vulnerable households to produce their own food and not depend only on general food distribution from the World Food Programme (WFP). We think that the rehabilitation of the agricultural sector will [take] two or three agricultural campaigns,» said Jean-François Dontaine of FAO in Angola. (IRIN, Kenya, 5 March 2003)

* Angola. L’aide compromise par les pluies — Les fortes pluies enregistrées dans certaines zones de l’Angola posent de sérieux problèmes logistiques pour la distribution des vivres et provoquent des maladies d’origine hydrique, affirment des organismes humanitaires. Les ponts et les routes ont été détruits par les pluies dans certaines provinces, particulièrement dans l’Uige, où environ 14.000 réfugiés récemment rentrés du Congo-RDC ne peuvent être atteints. Environ 160.000 personnes dans la province de Bengo et 100.000 autres dans la province de Kuando Kubango ont désespérément besoin de vivres et d’assistance médicale. Après trois décennies de guerre, beaucoup parmi les 11 millions d’Angolais dépendent de l’assistance internationale pour survivre. (D’après PANA, Sénégal, 10 mars 2003)