Turkey backs Bosnia Herzegovina’s NATO bid

Turkey has been pressing for Bosnia Herzegovina’s involvement in the NATO Membership Action Plan after foreign ministers in Brussels on Friday cleared the formal entry plan for Montenegro, but suspended the offer for its neighbor Bosnia on demands of further progress in reforms.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu noted that a country which suffered a traumatic civil war in the 1990s must not be left alone and emphasized NATO’s moral responsibility to support Bosnia Herzegovina on the issue.

The Membership Action Plan (MAP) provides advice, assistance and practical support for candidates preparing for membership to the Alliance.

The 28 minister of the NATO said that Bosnia Herzegovina will have to wait until it implements further reforms to attain standards of the Alliance.

"Montenegro has been granted its request to join the Membership Action Plan and a clear message has been given to Bosnia Herzegovina," said NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen at a news conference.

India: The Largest Democracy?

India: The Largest Democracy?
Arundhati Roy Disturbs Democratic Daydreaming, book review

by Trond Overland

Arundhati Roy is an unusual Indian woman. Instead of acting the graceful upholder of traditional values, she goes on challenging the hard core of establishment thinking. Roy is India’s leading commentator on such evils as militaristic imperialist capitalism, Hindu-supported genocide of Muslims, and dam disasters. In her latest book, Listening to Grasshoppers; Field Notes on Democracy, she hammers at perhaps the most central of all contemporary sacred pillars, i.e. that of democracy, which in her words “have metastasized into something dangerous”.

Grasshoppers is a collection of essays on such recent events as the 2008 terrorist attack on Mumbai, the 2006 visit to India by “the war criminal” U.S. President George W. Bush, the 2002 Gujarat carnage (between 2000-4000 Muslims slaughtered), the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament by "so-called" Pakistan-based terrorists, and the growing inequality in India (“the old society has curdled and separated into a thin layer of thick cream – and a lot of water...”).

A radical analysis of democracy runs through the book’s fiery chapters, like a river running from its mountainous source towards the ocean. Roy’s conclusion is disquieting: she is forced by the rationale of her facts and arguments to approve of violence as a means of people’s resistance to injustice. She observes with understanding that many of the poor are “crossing over... to another side; the side of armed struggle.”

While reviewers across India are busy assuring their readership of their being in wonderful agreement with the greater part of Roy’s information and reflections, they uniformly disagree with her basic take on the rising violence amongst India’s poor. The world-wide success of Roy’s novel The God of Small Things would not be the only reason why they have to agree at least somewhat. The documented material is just too true and persuasive. As readers we are forcefully moved to wish that things would be very different – and this reviewer is left to ponder how such a critique of the world’s largest democracy may produce such a fundamental clash between the radical author and her educated audience, the newspapers columnists, the upholders of status quo.

The key appears to be capitalism and communal unrest, or communal fascism as Roy calls it. She eloquently argues that democracy in India is not for, by and of the people but for, by and of capitalism – “designed to uphold the consensus of the elite for market growth”. Here are two quotes from the book:

“Dangerous levels of malnutrition and permanent hunger are the preferred model these days. Forty-seven per cent of India’s children below three suffer from malnutrition, 46 per cent are stunted... Today an average rural family eats about hundred kilograms less food in a year than it did in the early 1990s. But in urban India, wherever you go – shops, restaurants, railway stations, airports, gymnasiums, hospitals – you have TV monitors in which election promises have already become true. India’s Shining, Feeling Good. You only have to close your ears to the sickening crunch of the policeman’s boot on someone’s ribs, you only have to raise your eyes from the squalor, the slums, the ragged broken people on the streets and seek a friendly TV monitor and you will be in that other beautiful world. The singing-dancing world of Bollywood’s permanent pelvic thrusts, of permanently privileged, permanently happy Indians waving the tricolor flag and Feeling Good. It’s becoming harder and harder to tell which one’s the real world and which one’s the virtual.”

“Personally I don’t believe that entering the electoral fray is a path to alternative politics ... because I believe that strategically battles must be waged from positions of strength, not weakness. The target of the dual assault of neo-liberalism and communal fascism are the poor and the minority communities. As liberalism drives its wedge between the rich and the poor, between India Shining and India, it becomes increasingly absurd for any mainstream political party to pretend to represent the interests of both the rich and the poor, because the interests of one can only be represented at the cost of the other... A political party that represents the poor will be a poor party. A party with very meagre funds. Today it isn’t possible to fight an election without funds. Putting a couple of well-known social activists into Parliament is interesting, but not really politically meaningful. Individual charisma, personality politics, cannot effect radical change.”

Hardly the stuff that middle-class democratic daydreaming is made of. More like a real nightmare, actually.

So, by providing a proper perspective on the role of the world’s largest democracy as a mechanism and mouthpiece for market forces, Roy stimulates debate on a question of global importance: Democracy for, by and of what? It seems that democracy can never be for democracy’s sake, it has to serve some purpose. In other words, what kind of values and fundamental mentality are needed for democracy to be really successful and well functioning?

P.R. Sarkar, the founder of Prout, the Progressive Utilization Theory, opined that democracy can never be successful unless the majority of the population are moralists. In other words, there needs to be a leading trend that supports humanistic values and spiritual growth. Capitalism on the contrary serves to break down whatever remains of those very values. In its relentless quest for individual material acquisitions and selfish comfort it makes us all insensitive to the suffering of others and prone to divisive tendencies. It is in this contemporary reality, in the late phase of mature capitalism, that Roy keeps haunting the lazy, unimaginative and selfish middle class with her vision of a capitalistic system headed for hell.

Grasshoppers may not provide all or any answers at all to Roy's ongoing inquiry. Also, Roy is not God and there may be more complex causes as to Muslim genocides and other of her pet themes than what she chooses to emphasize. However, her writing most definitely raises some very important questions -- and reactions. Roy's concrete, bold way of measuring the pulse and temperature of the sick body of democracy leaves no one undisturbed it seems. We would not be surprised if irrational, defensive reactions continue to hound her noble inquiry into contemporary leadership and official thinking.

Listening to Grasshoppers; Field Notes on Democracy, Arundhati Roy, Hamish Hamilton, Penguin, India 2009, 240 pages, 499 rupees.

Turkey to honor Persian poet Mowlavi

Turkey is planning to hold a ceremony in commemoration of the world-renowned Persian poet Mowlavi in his eternal resting place in Konya.

The 10-day event will include mystic musical performances and various symposiums about the Sufi poet.

Visitors will also have the chance to watch Whirling Dervishes dancing the Sama, the traditional trancelike meditation of Sufism.

The Mowlavi symposium will host prominent Mowlavi experts from around the world including Dr. Mohammad-Ali Movahhedi from Iran.

Jalal ad-Din Mohammad Balkhi known as Mowlavi was a 13th century Persian poet, mystic and theologian, better-known for his six-volume poem Masnavi considered to be one of the greatest works of both Islamic mysticism and Persian literature.

UNESCO named the year 2007 as the year of Mowlavi in honor of the Persian poet's outstanding achievements.

Saudi rockets kill Shia civilians in N Yemen

Saudi military has reportedly killed several civilians in its latest round of land and air attacks on the Shia-populated northern Yemen.

The mortalities included several children, said the Shia Houthi fighters who have been resisting fierce state-led offensives as well as attacks by Saudi armed forces in the northwestern Sa'ada province.

Reporting on the conflict on their website, the resistance fighters said they had foiled a Saudi incursion into northern Yemen. The Saudi soldiers then reacted by firing a dozen rockets at villages at Mount Al-Dukhan and surrounding areas.

The Saudi shelling continued overnight, according to the source.

The fighters are accused by the government of seeking to reestablish a clerical rule, overthrown in a 1962 coup, a charge rejected by the Shia resistance, who maintain that the central government is widely corrupt and bent on violating their basic civil rights.

Riyadh, which has recently joined the offensives against the Houthis by Sana'a, has also claimed that the fighters had attacked one of its border checkpoints.

The Houthis, on the other hand, condemn the government's armed campaign as a marginalization attempt which is backed by the Saudi-backed Wahhabi extremists.

Wahhabism, an extremely intolerant interpretation of Islam, is the official religion in Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom has been facing criticism from its own Shia population over the widespread discrimination against them.

The Saudi Wahhabism, also known as Salafism, has been accused of fueling and funding terrorism against Shia Muslims as well as others across the world.

On Friday, the Human Rights Watch, an international rights group, voiced concern over the civilians caught in the north Yemen conflict.

Raising the prospects of a humanitarian crisis in the violence-torn area, the UN figures indicate that the offensives have displaced some 175,000 civilians who suffer from severe malnutrition.

The Al-Mazraq camp in the western Yemeni province of Hajjah, south of Sa'ada, receives more than 900 new refugees every day.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=113014§ionid=351020206.

Voting begins in Bolivia elections

Polls have opened in Bolivia's general elections with incumbent President Evo Morales likely to win a second five-year term.

Balloting began at 8 a.m. (1200 GMT) amid tight security measures and was expected to continue for eight hours.

The government has banned carrying firearms during the voting, while more than 55,000 troops and police were on duty throughout the country to provide security.

Morales, an Aymara Indian, enjoys overwhelming support from Bolivia's indigenous majority who account for some 65 percent of the population.

Opinion polls gave Morales more than 50 percent of ballots — a wide lead over his main challengers Manfred Reyes Villa, a former governor, and Samuel Doria Medina, a wealthy businessman.

Morales, who first swept into office in 2005, was allowed to seek a second term through a referendum earlier this year.

Gunmen kill 5 peacekeepers in Darfur attacks

CAIRO (AP) — Gunmen killed five Rwandan soldiers in a series of attacks on the international peacekeeping force in Darfur, a spokesman for the mission said, marking a swift upsurge in violence in the western Sudanese region.

The attacks on Friday and Saturday targeted peacekeepers from the United Nations-African Union force, which deployed nearly two years ago to protect civilians and improve security in Darfur.

Fighting between rebels and Sudanese government forces began there in 2003, killing up to 300,000 people and driving 2.7 million from their homes. The government says those figures are exaggerated.

That violence has largely subsided, but the two attacks on peacekeepers demonstrate how vulnerable the under-funded and ill-equipped UNAMID force remains, as banditry and kidnappings of foreign aid workers continue to plague efforts to stabilize the vast desert region.

In Saturday's attack, assailants approached the gate of a camp for people displaced by the conflict and shot at peacekeepers distributing water, said UNAMID spokesman Kemal Saiki. That attack took place about 40 miles (65 kilometers) south of el-Fasher, the capital of northern Darfur.

In the other attack, which took place Friday near a market and a government checkpoint, gunmen fired on a convoy of Rwandan peacekeepers escorting a water tanker near the northern town of Saraf Umra. The force fired back, wounding an assailant, but the attackers escaped, Saiki said.

The attackers' motives are unclear, but they might have been trying to steal the troops' vehicles, he said.

"We are urging the authorities to spare no effort to conduct an inquiry and bring those (responsible) to justice," Saiki said.

The attacks bring to 22 the number of peacekeepers killed since the joint force deployed in January 2008.

The most deadly attack occurred in July 2008 when at least 200 assailants on horseback and in SUVs mounted with guns ambushed a police and military patrol, killing seven peacekeepers and wounding 22.

Violence has decreased in recent months in Darfur. The fighting began with a rebellion by ethnic African tribes accusing the Arab-dominated government of neglect. It quickly escalated into a frenzy of bloodshed with the intervention of a pro-government militia that has been accused of atrocities.

Chinese pilgrims return home from Mecca

A plane carrying 323 Chinese pilgrims landed safely at Hedong Airport of Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Saturday afternoon.

They are the first batch of Chinese Muslims to return home after completing their pilgrimage to Mecca this year.

Ma Junji, a 75-year-old pilgrim, said the hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia) is the most important religious task in his life.

"Thanks to the government's assistance, the pilgrimage went on quite well. As I am a hajji now, I will do more good deeds in the future, "Ma said.

The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam. Every able-bodied Muslim is required to do it at least once in life if he or she can afford it. Chinese Muslims have a long history of making the pilgrimage to Mecca, dating back to Ming Dynasty.

A total of 2,250 people from Ningxia went for the hajj this year. They are scheduled to return home by seven chartered planes from Dec. 5 to Dec. 17.

Li Yushan, an official with the regional bureau for religious affairs, said as the A/H1N1 virus was found among some foreign pilgrims, the government sent 14 medical staff to accompany the Chinese pilgrims to ensure their safety.

They sterilized all the rooms where Chinese pilgrims lived every day, said Li.

Before those Muslims left for Mecca, they were all inoculated with A/H1N1 vaccines.

"These measures are effective, as no A/H1N1 case has been reported among Chinese pilgrims so far, "said Li.

According to Li, after returning home, the Chinese pilgrims must undergo strict temperature checkup at the airport and they are required to stay apart from other people for seven days.

More than 2.1 million people, or more than one third of the population in Ningxia, are from the Hui ethnic group.

Iran slows Internet access before student protests

By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer

TEHRAN, Iran – Iranian authorities have slowed Internet connections to a crawl or choked them off completely before expected student protests Monday to deny the opposition a vital means of communication.

In another familiar tactic before such rallies, authorities have ordered journalists working for foreign media organizations not to leave their offices to cover the demonstrations.

Iran's beleaguered opposition has sought to maintain momentum with periodic demonstrations coinciding with state-sanctioned events. Monday's rallies will take place on a day that normally marks a 1953 killing of three students at an anti-U.S. protest. Since the 1990s, the day has served as an occasion for pro-reform protests.

Students are at the center of the opposition to Iran's clerical regime and its brutal crackdown on demonstrators protesting what they believed was a fraudulent presidential election in June.

The opposition, which relies on the Web and cell phone service to organize rallies and get its message out, has vowed to hold rallies Monday, the first anti-government show of force in a month. It was not clear if the demonstrations would take place on university campuses or in the streets, but there was a visible increase in the number of police and other security personnel around Tehran University Sunday.

The call went out on dozens of Web sites run by supporters of opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahdi Karroubi, both of whom ran in the June 12 election. Most of those sites have been repeatedly blocked by the government, forcing activists to set up new ones.

Internet connections in the capital, Tehran, have been slow or completely down since Saturday. Blocking Internet access and cell phone 'service has been one of the routine methods employed by the authorities to undermine the opposition in recent months.

The government has not publicly acknowledged it is behind the outages, but Iran's Internet service providers say the problem is not on their end and is not a technical glitch. A day or two after the demonstrations, cell phone and Internet service is restored.

Former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who has been a powerful voice of dissent from within the ranks of the Islamic leadership, accused Iran's hard-line rulers in comments reported Sunday of silencing any constructive criticism.

"The situation in the country is such that constructive criticism is not tolerated," Rafsanjani was quoted by several news agencies as saying.

Throughout Iran's postelection crisis, Rafsanjani has appeared to side with critics alleging that the vote was rigged.

Signs have mounted in recent days of a potentially explosive confrontation Monday, especially if student protesters dare to take their demonstrations off campuses.

Iran's police chief, Gen. Ismail Ahmadi Moghaddam, warned that security forces will crush any protests Monday.

"If any unauthorized gatherings take place outside the universities, police will confront them," Moghaddam was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency.

Monday's protests, if they go ahead, would be the first major show of force by the opposition since Nov. 4, when Iranian security forces beat anti-government protesters with batons on the sidelines of state-sanctioned rallies to mark the 30th anniversary of the U.S. Embassy takeover.

The opposition has sought to display unity and resolve after relentless crackdowns on their protests and a mass trial of more than 100 activists and prominent pro-reform figures accused of fomenting the postelection unrest and seeking to topple the government.

Authorities have also focused on Iran's students, besieging campuses nationwide with a wave of arrests and student expulsions. The pro-government Basij militia has also recruited informers on campuses to blow the whistle on any opposition troublemakers, according to students.

The opposition says at least 72 people died in the bloody crackdown on protesters after the election and that many of those detained were abused in custody. The government puts the number of dead at 30.

Seeking to confine journalists working for international media to their offices on Monday, Iran's Culture Ministry suspended accreditation allowing them to report from the streets.

A text message to journalists from the ministry's foreign media department said, "All permits issued for foreign media to cover news in the streets of Tehran will not be valid from Dec. 7 to Dec. 9."

The ministry also warned the few remaining pro-reform newspapers not to publish "divisive" material, the official IRNA news agency reported.

"Following publication of headlines ... contrary to unity by some newspapers, they were given written notification," IRNA said. The agency identified the newspapers as Etemad, Hayat-e-Now, Aftab-e-Yazd and Asrar.

Lebanon's Palestinians: refugees for life

Human rights groups warn Palestinian refugee camps could one day explode unless their issue is addressed.

By Rita Daou - BEIRUT

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas' visit to Beirut on Monday casts the spotlight on the plight of nearly 300,000 Palestinians in Lebanon who fear they are doomed to be refugees for life.

His brief trip comes amid renewed efforts to revive the Middle East peace process and concern in Lebanon's political circles that any deal struck on the refugee issue would be at the expense of the Lebanese.

"A permanent settlement of the Palestinians in Lebanon is a real demographic, political and security threat," Farid al-Khazen, a Lebanese MP and political science professor at the American University of Beirut, said.

"Yet there is pressure toward such a solution which, if implemented, would lead to war and the destruction of Lebanon," he added.

The majority of the refugees arrived in Lebanon following the creation of Israel in 1948. A second wave arrived in the 1970s after Jordan's then king Hussein kicked out the Palestine Liberation Organization and thousands of its fighters.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) lists nearly 400,000 refugees in Lebanon.

But Lebanese and Palestinian officials say the number actually resident in Lebanon may be as low as 250,000 as UNRWA does not strike off its figures Palestinians who move to other countries.

The refugees that remain live in dire conditions in 12 camps across the country of four million inhabitants.

They rely heavily on UNRWA for educational, health and other assistance because under Lebanese law they are banned from practicing most professions or from owning property.

While their presence in Lebanon was supposed to be short-lived, their chance of ever returning to their homeland has dimmed with every failed attempt to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

And the glimmer of hope raised following US President Barack Obama's bid to reinvigorate the peace process has been replaced by more bitterness and cynicism as each side digs in its heels.

"The slow pace and erratic progress of the negotiations means that final status, including the refugee issue, are in effect indefinitely postponed," UNRWA commissioner Karen Abu Zayd said during a recent visit to Beirut.

"I'm very concerned of the lack of attention for the refugees in the peace process."

For the Lebanese, any mention of permanently settling the Palestinians in the tiny Mediterranean country prompts an outcry and warnings that this would upset the country's confessional balance and further exacerbate political divisions.

Fresh in the minds of many is the key role the Palestinians played in Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war, Israel's 1982 assault on Beirut and, more recently, the deadly 2007 battle at a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon between an Al-Qaeda-inspired group and the Lebanese army.

But specialists and human rights groups warn that unless the refugee issue is addressed, the camps, already considered breeding grounds for extremism, could one day explode.

"The situation in the camps is beyond what is humanly acceptable," said Khalil Mekkawi, former head of the Lebanese Palestinian Dialogue Committee that was set up in 2005 to improve living conditions for the refugees.

"There is no hope whatsoever for people living in such misery."

Mekkawi said that although UNRWA requested 50 million dollars in 2006 to improve conditions in the camps, donors had responded with only 16 million dollars which represent "a drop in the ocean".

Souheil El-Natour, a Palestinian analyst and member of the leftist Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said the refugee issue had fallen victim to Lebanon's sectarian divisions.

"The question of permanent settlement is being used as a scare tactic in Lebanese politics and this is denying the refugees their civil rights," Natour said.

Analysts warn that denying Palestinians basic rights and putting the camps off-limits to the Lebanese army allow extremist groups and outlaws to gain a foothold.

"The extremism is in large part because of the lack of a solution," Abu Zayd said. "These people are people without hope, who can't see what the future holds.

"Their plight is not only the responsibility of the Lebanese government, it's an international responsibility."

No rush for new Jordan parliament

Jordan plans to delay parliamentary election, hold regional poll as part of decentralization process.

AMMAN - Jordan plans to postpone its parliamentary election, amend the electoral law and organize its first poll for regional councils as part of a decentralization process, an official said on Sunday.

"The government will ask the king to use his powers to postpone the election, which will be preceded by a regional council election for the purpose of a decentralization of power," an official said.

"Jordan wants such councils elected. The regional election will show voting trends ahead of the general election," he said, declining to be named.

The regional councils in Jordan's 12 governorates have previously been appointed by the government.

King Abdullah II dissolved parliament on November 23 and ordered a general election two years early, after months of press criticism of the ineffectiveness and in some cases alleged corruption of MPs.

The constitution allows the government four months to hold a parliamentary election after its dissolution, but the king has the power to delay the poll, which are held every four years.

A ministerial commission has been formed to amend the electoral law and proposed amendments are currently under discussion following orders by the king for a reform.

The 1993 controversial one-person-one-vote electoral law has been under constant attack by opposition parties, trade unions, politicians and the Jordanian media.

They say the law has produced lawmakers with tribal affiliations, instead of MPs who truly represent the people.

"The one-person-one-vote system was introduced in order to limit our representation in the lower house," said Azzam Hneidi of the Islamic Action Front (IAF).

Only six of the 22 candidates fielded by the IAF were victorious in the last general election on November 20, 2007, a tally sharply down on the 17 seats it won in 2003.

After the 2007 vote, the IAF, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, charged there had been widespread vote-buying in some constituencies despite pledges of transparency from the government.

Meanwhile, King Abdullah is expected to call for the formation of a new government to replace the cabinet headed by Nader Dahabi since November 2007, according to political sources.

The current Royal Court chief, Nasser Lawzi, is expected to head the new administration, they said.

Roadside bomb kills foreign troop in Afghanistan

Sun Dec 6, 2009

An International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) soldier has been killed in a land mine explosion in Afghanistan.

The foreign convoy hit a land mine when on patrol in Sayed Abad district in Wardak province late Saturday, Shahedullah Shahed, spokesman for Wardak's governor, told a Press TV correspondent on Sunday.

A military vehicle was also damaged in the roadside bomb explosion, Shahed added.

The nationality of the killed soldier was not declared.

Most of the foreign troops deployed in Wradak province are Americans, however, the US military has not commented on the report.

Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, claimed responsibility for the bombing. The militants say at least three foreign soldiers were killed in the incident.

Shahed also noted that militants executed a young Afghan militia who cooperated with the Afghan government in Sayed Abad district on Sunday.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/113003.html.

Israel must respond to demands of Hamas: Egyptian FM

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit says that Israel must respond to the demands of Hamas if it wants to see its captured soldier released.

“We told the Israelis that if you want your soldier, you must pay the price demanded by the Palestinians,” Egypt's official news agency MENA quoted Aboul Gheit as saying on Saturday.

He went on to say that Israel should not “exaggerate its demands.”

Hamas is demanding the release of 1,000 Palestinians incarcerated in Israeli prisons in exchange for Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier captured in 2006.

Indirect talks are continuing over a prisoner swap between Hamas and Israel with the mediation of Egypt.

Last month the talks gained some momentum, but Israeli objections to releasing certain prisoners led to an impasse.

'Hamas will not surrender to siege of Gaza'

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri says even if prisoner exchange negotiations are completed, Israel will not end the siege of Gaza.

Zuhri made the remarks on Saturday following Israeli media reports quoting officials close to the negotiations as saying that a prisoner exchange would not mean an end to Israel's three-year blockade of the Gaza Strip, the Maan news agency reported.

Many Gazans had believed that the release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit would bring an end to the blockade.

But Zuhri said that an end to the siege is not one of the conditions for the release of the captured soldier.

However, Israel's plan to continue the siege of Gaza even if its soldier is released is a continuation of the illegitimate regime's assault on the Palestinian people, he added.

“Hamas will not surrender to the continued Israeli siege and will keep on searching for alternative endings to the suffering of the Palestinians,” Abu Zuhri asserted.

The Israeli blockade began in 2006 when Hamas won legislative elections, was intensified following the capture of Shalit in June of the same year, and turned into a total siege in 2007 when Hamas forces took control of Gaza.

The Israelis allow only a trickle of assistance into the besieged territory but are roundly condemned by human rights groups for the act of collective punishment, which is a violation of international law.

Jamal al-Khudari, the head of the People's Committee Against the Siege, said the blockade of Gaza should end immediately and not be conditioned on Shalit's release.

Al-Khudari called the siege illegal and insisted that Israel is obligated under international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention to allow the free passage of goods and people through their sovereign borders.

ElBaradei warns against Israel attacking Iran

Mohammed ElBaradei, the recently retired former head of the UN nuclear watchdog, warns against an alleged plan by the Israeli government to attack Iran's nuclear sites.

In a recent interview with The Washington Post, ElBaradei said an Israeli military strike against Iran would "absolutely be the worst thing that could happen."

"There is no military solution. . . . If a country is bombed, you give them every reason -- with the support of everybody in the country and outside the country -- to go for nuclear weapons, and nobody can even blame them," said ElBaradei, who bade farewell to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) last week.

He said the world needs to take account the fact that Iran does not represent an imminent threat as it is not accelerating its production of enriched uranium.

Israel has set the end of the year as a deadline for Iran to give in to Western demands, while dropping heavy hints of a possible military strike against the country.

On a different note, ElBaradei said the imposition of a recent IAEA resolution, which demands that Iran stop construction of its Fordo nuclear facility outside Tehran, should not be seen as a sign that diplomacy with Iran finally reached a dead end

"The resolution was an act of frustration, but there was no mention by anyone that this was the end of the fight for a diplomatic solution. The same people who sponsored the resolution continue to talk about the importance of reaching out to Iran," the 67-year-old Egyptian said.

ElBaradei also rejected the notion that Iran's nuclear activity could trigger an arms race in the Middle East as previously suggested by the Bush administration, saying that suchlike have made matters only worse with regards to Iran's nuclear issue.

"For at least three years, the US was against any dialogue with Iran. This was the ideology of the time -- "we don't talk to countries that are 'axis of evil.' " The animosity was described in biblical terms, and rhetoric makes a lot of difference," he noted

"You cannot describe a country as part of an "axis of evil" and then turn around and expect them to have trust or behave in certain ways," he asserted.

ElBaradei said if the Bush administration had not missed its chance for rapprochement with Iran and had adopted a more pragmatic and realistic approach, Tehran's nuclear issue "could have been resolved four to five years ago".

Israeli group condemns Tel Aviv's 'racist' policies

An Israeli rights group, in its annual report, has unveiled Tel Aviv's poor records with regard to observing basic human rights.

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) declared in its report that basic human rights in Israel are increasingly conditioned on the identity and gender of people.

According to the report, Arabs receive education, work and maybe citizenship only if they serve in the army or perform national service, Haaretz reported on Sunday.

Crackdowns on protests against Operation Cast Lead earlier this year was described in the report as "a trend of infringement on the freedom of speech of individuals and organizations, which passed criticism on the government and authorities."

The report says that during Operation Cast Lead, police "limited freedom of expression with the backing of the attorney general, dispersed many legal demonstrations and withheld permits from others for illegitimate reasons that pertain to the political content of the demonstrations."

The Israeli army launched a massive military offensive, dubbed as 'Operation Cast Lead' against the Palestinian coastal sliver of Gaza in December 2008 and January 2009. More than 1,400 Palestinians were killed during the three-week offensive, which inflicted $ 1.6 billion of damage to the Gazan economy.

The Israeli rights group also condemned "racist" statements by Interior Ministry workers in dealing with foreign workers and asylum-seekers.

Israeli Interior Minister Eli Yishai's had warned that foreign workers will "bring a multitude of diseases with them".

The report has also discussed the "racist policies in the education system," mainly toward Ethiopians.

ACRI condemned Israel's semi-private schools that refuse to admit children of families that have emigrated from Ethiopia.

Turkey begins trial of former military chiefs

Turkish prosecutors start questioning former chiefs of the army, air and naval forces over an alleged role in plots to launch a military coup in the country.

The questioning of former Army Chief Gen. Aytac Yalman, Air Force Chief Gen. Ibrahim Firtina and Navy Chief Adm. Ozden Ornek began at the Istanbul courthouse in Besiktas on Saturday, Hurriyet newspaper reported.

The probe is expected to shed light on abandoned coup plots in the country.

Some charges are based on excerpts from a diary published in 2005 that is said to belong to Ornek.

The diary talks about coup plans that were abandoned, partly because of a lack of support from other commanders.

Alleged links between the military commanders and the Ergenekon gang will be reviewed during the trial.

The group planned to pave the way for a military coup in Turkey through causing unrest in the country.

IAEA supports Nigeria's nuclear power ambition

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Thursday that it is fully in support of Nigeria's ambitions to build a nuclear power plant to meet its growing energy needs.

The Lagos based Vanguard newspaper reported on Friday that the agency position was conveyed by the representative of the director-general of IAEA, Vincent Nkong-Njock, who spoke at the presentation of the Strategic Plan for the Implementation of the National Nuclear Power Program in Abuja.

According to him, the implementation of a complex program such as a nuclear power project is a major national undertaking that requires careful planning and preparation.

Nkong-Njock said the development of an appropriate infrastructure to sustain the introduction of nuclear power is an issue of primal importance and should be painstakingly developed, exercising the necessary caution.

"This entails the provision of the necessary resources including human, financial and logistic, to create the appropriate technological, economic and social conditions that will adequately support the establishment of sustainable national infrastructure able to absorb a nuclear power plant," he said.

Hamas slams PNA for seeking border demarcation

Islamic Hamas movement on Saturday criticized the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) for seeking international recognition of state's borders.

"The Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) trend to border demarcation is only an address of political failure that the PNA experiences," said Salah al-Bardaweel, a senior Hamas official.

"The international community is unserious in dealing with this proposal and the U.S. administration colludes with Israel and can't even press it to stop settlement," al-Bardaweel added.

On Friday, chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said the PLO will resort to the UN Security Council to get a recognition of the Palestinian statehood's borders. The move is part of a campaign the PNA had started to obtain international recognition of the statehood after peace negotiations with Israel had come to a stop.

Al-Bardaweel said his movement, which believes in destroying Israel, had once accepted a national Palestinian proposal for having a statehood in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem "but without recognizing Israel in exchange."

"We don't believe in the two-state solution and don't believe in the other state (Israel) which was created on a Palestinian land, so defining the borders in a meaningless operation and has no reality on the ground," al-Bardaweel continued.

Minister: Egypt to demand compensation for damage in Algeria

Dubai - Egypt will demand compensation for damage suffered by Egyptian companies in Algeria during football-related violence last month, Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said in an interview published Sunday. "We will demand compensation" and support similar claims by Egyptian companies, Abou Gheit told al-Itihad newspaper in the United Arab Emirates at the start of a diplomatic tour of the Gulf.

Among the companies that suffered was Cairo-based Orascom Telecommunications, which saw its offices and warehouses in Algeria burned, causing millions of dollars in damage.

Ahead of football matches between the two North African nations last month, tensions grew high, as both teams came under attack. Algerian players said their bus in Cairo was stoned, while Egyptians claimed they were assaulted in Sudan, where a final World Cup qualifying match was played.

In the end, Algeria advanced into the World Cup finals being played next year in South Africa.

Aboul Gheit will visit Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain in addition to the UAE. He said he saw the situation in Afghanistan and its neighbors as a priority, in addition to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Horn of Africa and regional Arab issues.

He also called for stability in Yemen and said the Iranian nuclear issues should be resolved peacefully.

India, Russia finally agree on Admiral Gorshkov price issue

New Delhi, Dec.6 : India and Russia have reportedly reached a final agreement on the sale of the Russian-manufactured aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov or the INS Vikramaditya.

According to top government sources, both countries have mutually reached an agreement and that a 'satisfactory price tag has been agreed upon.

The pricing of Admiral Gorshkov, which Russia is refurbishing, has become a diplomatic tug of war between India and China.

Sources said that the Admiral Gorshkov was festering wound which is being healed and a deal will be inked in the next few days

Initially, Russia had asked India to pay under a billion US dollars, but eventually the cost inflated up to 2.9 billion dollars, which is almost three times the original cost.

In fact, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, in its report, had even censured the Government of India for paying the extra price for the carrier which is to be delivered by 2012.

Negotiations over the final pricing have been going on for quite some time, and both sides have finally arrived at a figure of 2.6 billion US dollars, the sources said.

The purchase of Admiral Gorshkov aircraft was finalized during the visit of the then Russian Defense Minister to India in January 2004.

The CAG's recent report observed that the second-hand carrier would be 60 percent more costly than a new one and that there is a risk of further delay in its delivery.

The original deal signed in 2004, asked India to pay 1.5 billion dollars for the vessel, of this, 948 million dollars was to be spent on refitting the 45,000 tonne vessel and the balance was to be used for purchasing MiG-29 combat jets and Kamov anti-submarine warfare helicopters to be deployed on the ship.

The CAG report also pointed out that the carrier would have limited operational capabilities and certain key capabilities which would enable it to meet potential threats or challenges had either not been provided for or have been postponed to a later date.

The report said that the anti-aircraft missile complex selected to be fitted in the ship failed during the trials and the refurbishment contract was concluded without the missile system.

The CAG also expressed its concern over the ship not having a Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) which is a vital shipboard weapon for detecting and destroying incoming anti-ship missiles and enemy aircraft at short range until her first refit in India in 2017.

The carrier was earlier scheduled to have been delivered in 2008.

Pirate stock exchange helps fund hijackings

(WARNING): Article contains propaganda!

* * * * *

Mohamed Ahmed, Reuters

HARADHEERE, Somalia -- In Somalia's main pirate lair of Haradheere, the sea gangs have set up a cooperative to fund their hijackings offshore, a sort of stock exchange meets criminal syndicate.

Heavily armed pirates from the lawless Horn of Africa nation have terrorized shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean and strategic Gulf of Aden, which links Europe to Asia through the Red Sea.

The gangs have made tens of millions of dollars from ransoms and a deployment by foreign navies in the area has only appeared to drive the attackers to hunt further from shore.

It is a lucrative business that has drawn financiers from the Somali diaspora and other nations -- and now the gangs in Haradheere have set up an exchange to manage their investments.

One wealthy former pirate named Mohammed took Reuters around the small facility and said it had proved to be an important way for the pirates to win support from the local community for their operations, despite the dangers involved.

"Four months ago, during the monsoon rains, we decided to set up this stock exchange. We started with 15 'maritime companies' and now we are hosting 72. Ten of them have so far been successful at hijacking," Mohammed said.

"The shares are open to all and everybody can take part, whether personally at sea or on land by providing cash, weapons or useful materials ... we've made piracy a community activity."

Haradheere, 400 km (250 miles) northeast of Mogadishu, used to be a small fishing village. Now it is a bustling town where luxury 4x4 cars owned by the pirates and those who bankroll them create honking traffic jams along its pot-holed, dusty streets.

Somalia's Western-backed government of President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed is pinned down battling hard-line Islamist rebels, and controls little more than a few streets of the capital.

The administration has no influence in Haradheere -- where a senior local official said piracy paid for almost everything.

"Piracy-related business has become the main profitable economic activity in our area and as locals we depend on their output," said Mohamed Adam, the town's deputy security officer.

"The district gets a percentage of every ransom from ships that have been released, and that goes on public infrastructure, including our hospital and our public schools."

RISK VS REWARDS

In a drought-ravaged country that provides almost no employment opportunities for fit young men, many are been drawn to the allure of the riches they see being earned at sea.

Abdirahman Ali was a secondary school student in Mogadishu until three months ago when his family fled the fighting there.

Given the choice of moving with his parents to Lego, their ancestral home in Middle Shabelle where strict Islamist rebels have banned most entertainment including watching sport, or joining the pirates, he opted to head for Haradheere.

Now he guards a Thai fishing boat held just offshore.

"First I decided to leave the country and migrate, but then I remembered my late colleagues who died at sea while trying to migrate to Italy," he told Reuters. "So I chose this option, instead of dying in the desert or from mortars in Mogadishu."

Haradheere's "stock exchange" is open 24 hours a day and serves as a bustling focal point for the town. As well as investors, sobbing wives and mothers often turn up there seeking news of male relatives missing in action.

Every week, Mohammed said, gang members and equipment were lost to the sea. But he said the pirates were not deterred.

"Ransoms have even increased in recent months from between $2-3 million to $4 million because of the increased number of shareholders and the risks," he said.

"Let the anti-piracy navies continue their search for us. We have no worries because our motto for the job is 'do or die'."

Piracy investor Sahra Ibrahim, a 22-year-old divorcee, was lined up with others waiting for her cut of a ransom pay-out after one of the gangs freed a Spanish tuna fishing vessel.

"I am waiting for my share after I contributed a rocket-propelled grenade for the operation," she said, adding that she got the weapon from her ex-husband in alimony.

"I am really happy and lucky. I have made $75,000 in only 38 days since I joined the 'company'."

Saudi Arabia will have 20% more rain this year

(MENAFN - Arab News) The recent heavy rains and floods in some regions do not signify a major shift in weather patterns in the Kingdom, according to a scientist of climate studies in Riyadh.

"We have just witnessed an unpredictable weather phenomenon in Jeddah and it is not possible to predict what havoc such events would wreak. Thunderclouds breaking into heavy downpours as happened in Jeddah is an annual event in the Kingdom," Nasser Sirhan, assistant professor of climate studies at the King Faisal College, said while speaking to media.

However, the scientist added that a difference in the Jeddah rain last week was the increase in the volume of rain compared to previous years and that too after a long dry spell, Al-Watan Arabic daily reported on Friday.

"But that rain, in my view, could not have caused a huge tragedy if there was adequate infrastructure to drain the water," Sirhan said.

The devastations were further deepened by the lack of preparedness of local residents, he added.

He also said that the weather changes and outrages occurred in the Kingdom almost in a cyclic manner, once in 20 years as happened in Riyadh in 1994.

"People are not prepared for such unexpected events as they do not occur annually. The phenomena is not related to other weather phenomenon observed in other parts of the world," he said.

The scientist said that the Kingdom would get more rains this year than in the past three years. "The rain fall will be 20 percent more than normal in the northern, western and central regions."

He also predicted that spring rain would be less in the western region compared to previous years.

Source: Middle East North Africa Financial News (MENAFN).
Link: http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?StoryId=1093286263&src=MOEN.

Saudi Arabia- Distrustful of swine flu vaccine, many go for herbal remedies

(MENAFN - Arab News) Fears both about swine flu and the safety of the vaccine against it have sent Saudi housewives rushing back to traditional remedies in the hope of protecting their families. Sales of oranges, lemons and especially black cumin and honey have risen as a result. It is believed that these items, consumed daily, can strengthen the body's immunity and protect against the H1N1 virus.

"I force my children to drink lemon and honey every day so that they do not get infected with swine flu. It has really frightened us," said Manal Saeed, a teacher.

A firm believer in alternative remedies, she said mixing these natural herbs with fruits and honey was better than medicines that might weaken the body.

"Black cumin is a panacea for all ills," she insisted, saying its efficacy was lauded by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Apart from the drinks, she said she makes sure the children regularly wash their hands and help keep the house clean.

She is by no means alone in her confidence in the value of black cumin. "I mix it with orange and lemon for my children to take every day to protect them against swine flu," said Asma Khaled, a nurse.

According a local herbal merchant, Muhammad Al-Hussein, sales of black cumin rose remarkably over the past few months. He attributed this to popular belief that it would protect people against the H1N1 virus and other illnesses. He said clients often asked if black cumin was good for swine flu. He always answered by referring to a Hadith in which the Prophet had said it cures all diseases.

The merchant said gurgling cumin oil helped cure bronchitis. "Ground and mixed with honey, black cumin will kill bacteria and increase immunity against cold and asthma," he said. "If it does not cure you, it will not harm you."

Even more convinced is Fatima Muhammad, a nutritionist. She claimed that science had proved that black cumin would strengthen the immune system, kill parasites, increase milk production of women breast-feeding their babies and clear the respiratory system.

She also believed orange and lemon were good for purifying the blood, healing wounds, cleaning the gullet and curing cold, fever, coughs and flu.

She advised all to drink a large quantity of orange and lemon juice to safeguard against such diseases.

Few would disagree with the value of taking high vitamin-C content fruit such as oranges.

However, Dr. Muhammad Saad, a specialist in internal medicine, while not denying the usefulness of herbal remedies, warned of possible dangers. On the first signs of flu or any other illness "people should not depend only on these remedies to provide them immunity," he said. "They must also see a doctor."

By Nadeen Ibrahim

Source: Middle East North Africa Financial Times (MENAFN).
Link: http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?StoryId=1093286277&src=MOEN.

Turkish PM not going to meet with American Jewish organizations

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan does not intend to meet with American Jewish organizations in the course of his visit to the U.S.

Erdogan will be the first Turkish leader since Turgut Ozal who will not meet with Jewish community’s representatives when visiting Washington, AA reported.

Turkey’s relations with Israel took a downturn in January when Ankara launched an unprecedented barrage of criticism of the Jewish state over its devastating Gaza war.

In October, Turkey excluded Israel from joint military drills and said ties would continue to suffer unless Israel ends “the humanitarian tragedy” in Gaza and revives peace talks with the Palestinians.

Jordan renews support for Palestinian Authority

Jordan on Saturday reiterated its support for the Palestinian Authority (PA), represented by President Mahmoud Abbas.

At a meeting with Abbas, Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, who conveyed a message from His Majesty King Abdullah to the Palestinian leader, expressed the Kingdom's commitment to continued coordination with the authority to end the current "impasse" in peace efforts and relaunch serious and effective peace negotiations that lead to the establishment of an independent and viable Palestinian state on the national soil with East Jerusalem as its capital.

During a joint press conference with his Palestinian counterpart Riyad Malki, Judeh underlined that establishing an independent Palestinian state is in the interest of Jordan, stressing Jordan's full support for the PA's efforts to resolve the Palestinian issue.

He said the Israeli government is not exerting enough effort to resume peace negotiations.

The minister reaffirmed Jordan's rejection of Israel's unilateral measures, particularly the continuation of settlement expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as its attempts to violate the sanctity of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, which he said hinder the resumption of negotiations.

He underscored that the US and international community should continue to play a significant role in peacemaking, highlighting the "unprecedented" international consensus regarding the two-state formula and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state living side by side with Israel.

Stressing the centrality of the Palestinian cause, Judeh highlighted that the two-state solution is in fact a "57-state solution", referring to the Arab Peace Initiative, which was agreed upon in the 2002 Beirut summit and offers Israel peace and normal ties with 57 Arab and Muslim countries in exchange for withdrawal from all occupied lands.

Malki said discussions covered the latest political developments regarding peace negotiations, especially the current "crisis" created by Israel's refusal to abide by the 2002 roadmap and halt settlement expansion, including the so-called "natural growth" of settlements.

He underlined the importance of the upcoming EU ministerial meeting, slated to be held in Brussels on Monday to discuss the Swedish proposal regarding the two-state solution.

Jordan Education Initiative receives UNESCO prize for ICT use

(MENAFN - Jordan Times) The Jordan Education Initiative (JEI) has won the 2009 UNESCO King Hamad Ben Isa Al Khalifa Prize for the Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Education.

The award, which was shared with the Rector of the Moscow Institute of Open Education, includes a diploma and $25,000 cash prize and will be presented at a ceremony on January 26, 2010 at the UN agency's headquarters in Paris.

This year's UNESCO award focused on the theme "Teaching, Learning and e-Pedagogy: Teacher Professional Development for Knowledge Societies", while the selection came upon a recommendation by an international jury which recently convened in Paris.

Thirty-nine projects from 29 countries including Russia, Ethiopia, Azerbaijan, Spain, Iran, Thailand, Georgia, Rwanda, France, Qatar, India, the US and Jordan participated in the competition.

JEI CEO Haif Bannayan pointed out that the initiative was launched in June 2003 at the World Economic Forum as a model of effective partnership between the public and the private sectors.

In addition to the government, 17 local institutions, 17 global companies and 11 NGOs joined the partnership to support Jordan's efforts to upgrade the education sector, Bannayan said.

Since its launch, Her Majesty Queen Rania has followed up on the initiative, which encourages creativity and develops qualified resources by using advanced technology in public schools, he added.

Underlining the importance of the award, Bannayan said the distinction is the latest of the JEI's accomplishments, noting that the initiative has served as a model for similar programs in Palestine, Egypt and the Indian region of Rajasthan.

"The Queen's follow-up of the initiative and its programs has been a major driving force for our achievements, the most recent of which is the prize," Bannayan said, noting that following the initiative's success in its first stage, and upon the Queen's directives, it was transformed into a non-profit institution in July 2005.

Last year, the Queen launched the second stage of the initiative and its strategic plans for the next three years, which focuses on maximizing the benefits of using technology for educational purposes and training teachers on modern educational techniques, he noted.

Currently, the JEI includes research, development and evaluation departments, as well as a project management unit.

The JEI has also been adopted to support the use of technology within the Madrasati initiative, which the Queen launched in 2008.

Through its public-private partnership, the initiative has trained over 3,000 teachers in ICT skills using six e-curricula as tools to enrich the national curriculum.

The Education Ministry selected 100 public schools to test the innovations and provided them with the needed technical infrastructure.

Under the initiative, more than 80,000 public school students have benefited from the use of technology and computerized curricula which led to interactive teaching in lieu of traditional teaching.

Launched in 2005 under the patronage of King Hamad Ben Isa Al Khalifa of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the UNESCO award seeks to reward excelling models and best practices in using telecommunications and IT technologies to enhance education.

Jordan- Arab Bank officially launches Together for Better program

(MENAFN - Jordan Times) Arab Bank officially launched the "Together for Better" program, which aims to promote social responsibility and volunteerism through partnerships with non-profit organization.

To this effect, an agreement was signed on Thursday between the bank and Al Aman Fund, the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, Madrasati, the King Hussein Cancer Foundation and Tikeyet Um Ali. Under the accord, customers will be able to donate money to any of the program's main participants at branches, ATM's, standing orders and through Arabi Online to any of the program's five main participants.

They can also donate to all of these organizations by using the Together Platinum Card. During the signing ceremony, attended by HRH Prince Dina Mired, Dina Shoman, Arab Bank's executive vice president for branding, highlighted the importance of the program in contributing to the advancement and well-being of the community.

Arab Bank's Together program has been active recently and employees have volunteered in several activities such as the Amman International Marathon, where 700 employees, friends and family participated.

Hussein Smadi returns to Jordan from US

(MENAFN - Jordan Times) Jordanian citizen Hussein Maher Smadi returned home on Saturday after he was released by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported yesterday.

Hussein was arrested on September 24 along with his brother Hosam, who was indicted in October on charges of plotting to destroy a building in Dallas, Texas, with what he thought was a car bomb.

Authorities say Hosam, who is set to stand trial in June, parked a truck he thought contained a bomb in the garage beneath the 60-storey Fountain Place office building in downtown Dallas. Later, authorities say, he dialed a cell phone he thought would ignite a blast.

The device was actually a decoy provided by FBI employees posing as Al Qaeda operatives. The FBI says it had been keeping tabs on Hosam since an undercover language analyst discovered him in an online extremist group.

Hosam's family has maintained his innocence, and Maher Hussein Smadi, the father of the two young men, accused the FBI of "entrapping" his son in a previous interview with The Jordan Times.

Hussein's arrest was not related to the case against his brother, Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said shortly after the two were arrested.

After his return, Hussein lauded the government's efforts in following up on his case through the official correspondence carried out between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the US justice department that led to his release, Petra said.

His detention, which lasted for two-and-a-half months, was based on the grounds that he was an illegal resident in the US, Hussein said, explaining that he had filed an application to rectify his status while in the US since he was attending high school but that US government officials had asked him to postpone that until he had completed school.

Interrogations lasted for two weeks, after which he was detained without trial and released through the FBI office, he said.

The father expressed gratitude to the Jordanian government for its full cooperation with the US authorities in following up on his son's case. He also commended the role of the Jordanian media in covering the case.

Somalia’s wounded flown to Kenya

NAIROBI, 5 December 2009 (Somalilandpress) — Eight people wounded on Thurday’s Mogadishu bombing that ripped through a university graduation ceremony at a hotel were taken to Nairobi for medical treatment.

The wounded, ranging from critical conditions to minor injuries arrived at Nairobi’s Wilson airport and were transferred to African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) medical team for treatment. The eight people consist of three doctors, four students and Somalia’s minister of sports, Mr Sulaiman Olad Roble. The minister, one student, and two doctors are said to be in critical condition. Mr Olad is believed to be taken to ICU of Nairobi’s main hospital.

Somalia’s ambassador to Kenya, Mr Mohamed Ali ‘America’ told Somali-tv, Universal Tv that five more wounded will be brought to Kenya for medical attention.

Somaliland: Government, opposition and Islamic leaders condemn Somalia attack, security tightened

HARGEISA, 5 December 2009 (Somalilandpress) — Somaliland Islamic leaders have condemned the suicide bombing that killed 22 people in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu. During Friday prayer in Hargeisa’s main mosque, prominent Somaliland religious leaders said the attack was un-Islamic and coward.

Somaliland’s religion leaders said the horrific attack is a complete violation of Islamic law and norms and the perpetrators were no way representative of the Muslim people or Islam.

In Somaliland cafes, streets, shopping malls and hotels the discussion this week has been the attack on Shamo Hotel and were shocked at the fact that the bombing targeted a ceremony for graduating medical students.

Taiwan greets 4 millionth foreign visitor with 12,000 US dollars

Taipei - Taiwan on Saturday greeted its 4 millionth foreign visitor this year with a reward worth 12,000 US dollars and expressed confidence in attracting 4.5 million foreign visitors next year. Goto Suzuyo, 63, a retired Japanese woman, became the 4 millionth foreign visitor when she landed at the Taoyuan International Airport near Taipei.

She was speechless when Deputy Tourism Minister Hsieh Wei-chun greeted her with the news, as reporters' cameras clicked and a celebratory "lion dance" was performed to welcome her.

Hsieh presented Goto with a cash card worth 400,000 Taiwan dollars (12,000 US dollars), a gift package and a certificate from the Tourism Bureau.

Hsieh said the Tourism Bureau's original target for 2009 was 4.1 million foreign visitors.

"But we feel that it might reach 4.2 million, and we have set 4.5 million as the target for next year," he said.

Taiwan's visitors figures rose 11.65 per cent in the first 10 months this year, boosted by the influx of Chinese tourists, the Tourism Bureau said Monday.

Battle for Brazil and South Africa but easier for Italy and England

Cape Town - Brazilians aren't exactly overjoyed at the prospect of probably providing much of the early entertainment at the 2010 World Cup as a result of Friday's draw in Cape Town. The five-time winners must safely navigate a perilous Group G also containing Didier Drogba's Ivory Coast, the gifted Portugal side of World Footballer of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo and, first up on June 15 at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, the completely unknown quantity North Korea, who are in their first finals since 1966.

That was also the last year Brazil failed to make it out of the group stages at a World Cup finals, ironically after going down 3-1 to Portugal at Goodison Park.

A few days later Portugal famously beat North Korea (who had shocked Italy 1-0 earlier) 5-3 from 3-0 down in the quarter-finals in the same stadium, and this similarity did naturally not go unnoticed in Portugal.

The O Jogo newspaper said the situation "smells like the World Cup in '66" while for the Publico newspaper the draw "couldn't have been more difficult".

Real Madrid's Ronaldo was also unhappy at the prospect of trying to escape from such a tough group.

"I'm not happy. Our group is very complicated but there's no point whingeing about the draw," said the Portugal captain, whose country have only beaten Brazil four times in 18 attempts.

"Brazil are the strongest team in the group, Ivory Coast is a strong opponent and the Koreans run a lot. We have to win the first game. It won't be easy to beat the Ivory Coast but it's not impossible."

Meanwhile, Brazil coach Carlos Dunga got excited about seeing Brazil playmaker Kaka play against his Real teammate Ronaldo.

"It will be nice to see the rivalry between Kaka and Cristiano, who permanently compete with each other for individual titles," Dunga said.

However, Dunga should be more interested about ensuring his team finish top of Group G as otherwise European champions Spain could await in the round of 16 in Cape Town.

The Ivory Coast team had a feeling of deja vu by being in the toughest group again, after being pitted against Brazil, the Netherlands and Serbia and Montenegro in their 2006 debut.

"This is our second appearance and the second time that we are facing big teams," defender Siaka Tiene complained.

The most defiant comments, however, came from North Korea star Jong Tae Se.

"I always wanted to play against the strongest team of the world," Jong was quoted as saying on the phone from Japan, where he plays for Kawasaki Frontale. "I am not afraid, I think it's a great opportunity and a challenge. I will be very ambitious."

Spain will be strong favorites to win a Group H completed by Chile, Honduras and Switzerland, thus setting up a possible mouthwatering clash against Brazil.

Indeed, following Friday's draw, bookmakers have made Vicente del Bosque's side favorites to win the tournament ahead of Brazil.

England, meanwhile, also had their odds slashed after being drawn in Group C alongside the United States, Algeria and Slovenia.

"England get luck of World Cup draw" wrote The Telegraph newspaper while The Sun described it as a "Yankee Doddle of a World Cup draw". However, coach Fabio Capello urged caution.

"There are other groups that are stronger than ours but I remember when I was a player in Germany in 1974 sometimes you can think the group is easy and it will not be so," he said.

"That is what I will tell the players - because psychologically the games you have to play in a World Cup are different to other games."

While England breathed a sigh a relief following the draw, South Africa woke up Saturday facing the real prospect of becoming the first host nation to fail to make it past the group stages after being drawn against Mexico, Uruguay and France in Group A.

"South Africa gets nightmare draw" commented the Cape Times although coach Carlos Alberto Parreira's tried to maintain a brave face.

"I think we will have three difficult games, but that is what we are at the World Cup for. We want to play good football and we can't expect easy games," he said

As Parreira played up South Africa's chances, Italy coach Marcello Lippi endeavoured to dampen Azzurri hopes after a super draw that saw the holders pitted against Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia in Group F.

"We must be realistic," Lippi said. "Verify the worth and characteristics of our opponents and get ready to tackle them. An opponent gets tougher if you consider it easy."

The Italians won't want to slip up as a possible knockout clash against the Netherlands could be the result as the Dutch will be fancied to top Group E, which also includes Japan, Cameroon and Demark.

Three-time winners Germany could have been handed an easier task than Australia, Serbia and Ghana in Group D but coach Joachim Loew was satisfied nonetheless.

"We are looking forward to the tournament. We have an interesting group," Loew said, while German football supremo Theo Zwanziger warned the draw meant there was no guarantee Germany would make the round of 16.

However, Germany has not lost a World Cup group game since going down 2-0 to Denmark in 1986. Also, Germany played then Yugoslavia in the group stages when winning the 1990 crown and Australia when victorious on home soil in 1974.

Even if Germany, as expected, make it out of the group, there remains the possibility of meeting England in the round of 16.

Argentina coach Diego Maradona was declared not welcome by FIFA ahead of the draw as he is serving a two-month for a rant at a news conference so the footballing legend was not present to see his side drawn against Nigeria, South Korea and Greece in Group B.

Any failure to dominate what, on the face of things, looks like a manageable group, could result in a date with 2006 finalists France, meaning that there is a permutation that eight of the current top 10 teams in the FIFA rankings could meet each other in the round of 16.

There will also be a feeling of deja vu in this group as Argentina, Nigeria and Greece were in the same group as well in 1994 - when the then player Maradona was kicked out over a positive doping test.

Australia delighted at playing Germany, coach Verbeek says - Summary

Sydney - Australia coach Pim Verbeek said Saturday that having triple-champion Germany as opening World Cup opponents was a bonus. "I love to play Germany first game," the Dutchman said. "I think it's a big game, it's a great game, and the way they play suits us very well."

But Verbeek also admitted in a statement from Cape Town that being in Group D was not ideal.

"It's a tough group but the more difficult it is for the players the bigger the challenge," he said. "We have a good record against Ghana - we have won four times against them - but Germany is one of the best teams in the world, while Serbia beat France, so every game is full of challenges."

The prospect of a possibly round of 16 game against arch-rivals England - and consequently against some fellow England Premier League players - would give that extra incentive to take a top-two place in Group D, the Dutchman said.

"First Germany and then Ghana, then Serbia," Verbeek said. "But it can be a bonus for the players, for the last 2 per cent of motivation, they can hopefully play England in the next round."

Bookmakers have rated Australia's chances of winning the World Cup at 100-1 and they are the least-backed team in Group D.

Australia last played Germany, losing 4-3, at the 2005 Confederations Cup in Frankfurt.

South Africa will only be Australia's third World Cup finals.

In West Germany in 1974, where they drew Chile, East and West Germany in the group stage, they failed to win a match. Australia qualified a second time in 2006, again in Germany. It finished second in the group before being bundled out by later champion Italy in the first knock-out round on a controversial late penalty.

Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, meanwhile, said that Germany rather than Australia will be under pressure to perform well in their opening match.

"Obviously, it's a massive game first up and the great thing for us is that Germany will be under all the pressure," Schwarzer told local television.

"Everyone will expect Germany to win, they'll be under enormous pressure back home to win the game and the footballing world will be thinking the same thing," he said.

"So, from our point of view, we'll go into the game and hopefully we'll perform at our best and if we do I think there's every possibility that something might happen."

Schwarzer, whose parents were immigrants from Germany and who played his early European football with Dynamo Dresden and Kaiserslautern, said that in Group D only Ghana ranked lower than Australia in FIFA rankings.

"I'm happy that people might possibly underestimate us," Schwarzer said. "That will change pretty dramatically if we do beat Germany."

Former goalkeeper Mark Bosnich also said a creditable performance against Germany would be crucial.

"If we do happen to get a good result, that can set you up for a great World Cup," the 36-year-old said. "If you get a bad result, confidence can be low."

Mauritania security forces undergo shake-up

Nouakchott - Dozens of senior security officers were replaced or moved to other positions in Mauritania, officials said Saturday, in response to the kidnapping of three Spanish aid workers. Those being shuffled or moved out of the forces are said to have had responsibilities in the area where the Spaniards were seized on November 29.

On Wednesday, Mauritanian President Mohammed Ould Abdel-Aziz dismissed the head of the country's national police force, who also had security duties in the district.

Spanish government officials could not confirm information which came out earlier this week that the three aid workers had been located.

Shutdown in Indian Kashmir after separatist leader is shot

Srinagar, Kashmir - The moderate separatist Hurriyat faction in Srinagar, capital of India-administered Kashmir, called a shutdown on Saturday to protest the shooting of a senior separatist leader. Fazal Haq Qureshi, a senior leader in the moderate faction of the region's main separatist Hurriyat alliance, was shot at by gunmen outside his house in Srinagar on Friday evening.

Doctors described the 65-year-old Quereshi's condition as stable but critical after he underwent surgery at the main Sher-e- Kashmir Medical Institute.

A little-known Muslim guerrilla group, Al-Nasreen, claimed responsibility for the attack.

The attack was seen as an attempt to sabotage moves for launching peace talks between the separatists and Indian government as Qureshi is one of the most vocal supporters of the dialogue.

Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah condemned the attack saying it was an "attempt" to derail the peace process.

Meanwhile, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, leader of the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference, called the shutdown to protest the attack.

Traffic and businesses were affected in Srinagar and parts of the Kashmir valley due to the strike.

Groups of youths took to streets in several areas of Srinagar and pelted stones on passing vehicles to enforce the strike. Additional police was deployed in the city to prevent further violence.

Meanwhile the Indian government and the Hurriyat Conference reaffirmed their commitment to the dialogue process.

Farooq said the alliance will not be deterred by such violence and will pursue the path of dialogue.

"There are certain elements within Kashmir who do not want a permanent solution to the problem. They want to continue the uncertainty so that their vested interests are protected," he said.

He said the Hurriyat believes in dialogue with India and Pakistan to "reach the goal" of resolving the matter.

Nuclear-capable neighbors India and Pakistan have fought two wars over the disputed Kashmir region.

India-administered Kashmir has seen a violent separatist militant movement that peaked in the late 1980s and has claimed over 45,000 lives so far.

India accuses Pakistan of aiding the militants and running camps to train them. Pakistan denies the charge and calls Kashmiri militants freedom fighters.

Swine flu death toll hits 200 in China

Beijing - November saw a sharp rise in the official swine flu death toll in China, with 194 deaths recorded in that month, local media reported Saturday. The A(H1N1) influenza strain has so far been involved in 200 deaths in China, with 194 fatalities recorded in November alone, the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing Ministry of Health figures.

In a statement on Friday, the Ministry said that 89.3 percent of all flu cases reported in November were of the A(H1N1) strain, an increase of 12.4 percent from the previous month.

China's reported swine death toll has, until this week, remained low in comparison to other countries, sparking suspicions of a cover- up.

In this context, the sharp increase in the death toll may be a sign of increased transparency.

The Ministry also reported that more than 92,000 Chinese have contracted swine flu, while nearly 27 million people have received the A(H1N1) vaccination.

Another 1 million World Cup tickets go on general sale

Cape Town - The third ticketing phase for the 2010 World Cup was launched by FIFA Saturday with another 1 million tickets for next year's finals in South Africa going on general sale. Approximately 680,000 tickets have so far been sold to the general public for the 64 matches in the 10 World Cup venues situated in nine host cities.

"This is a huge amount," Horst Schmidt, chairman of the FIFA's ticketing sub-committee told a press conference in Cape Town, a day after the draw for the 2010 finals.

"We are confident that our promotional activities will be a huge success."

Fans have until January 22 to apply for individual match tickets or team-specific series but a fourth sales phase will commence on February 9, followed by a final "last-minute" offer.

However, Schmidt warned fans against waiting until the final moment to purchase tickets.

"There are tickets also available last-minute but the question is what tickets and for what matches," he said.

Schmidt also revealed that 2000,000 seats have been reserved for the hospitality sector, but while he believed the World Cup would be "attractive for international demand" he also accepted the global economic crisis would take its toll on corporate sales.

"Personally I don't believe we need this full allocation for hospitality," said Schmidt, adding that any unsold tickets would then be released for general sale.

Prices for group matches range from 20 dollars to 160 dollars for the opening match on June 11 between South Africa and Mexico at Soccer City in Johannesburg.

Tickets for the final on July 11 at the same venue will range from 100 to 600 dollars.

Category 4 tickets, the most affordable, have been exclusively set aside for South African residents.

Also, the member associations of the 32 qualified will be allocated 12 per cent of all purchasable tickets in the stadiums where their three group games will be played.

There are approximately 3.7 million tickets for the tournament but almost a third will be snapped up by sponsors and FIFA members.

Germany begin search for World Cup test opponents

Cape Town - Germany have begun the search for suitable opponents for friendly matches ahead of the 2010 World Cup and will consider scrapping plans to play Chile. After drawing Australia, Serbia and Ghana, coach Joachim Loew wants to line up matches against opponents with similar playing styles before traveling to South Africa.

Germany canceled a friendly against Chile last month following the death of goalkeeper Rober Enke and intended to play the South Americans before the World Cup.

But having avoided South American opposition in the draw, Loew intends to look for alternatives.

"We are going to have to change things a bit. We were thinking about a game against Chile...Now we have to consider whether that's such a good thing," Loew said.

"We have an opponent in Serbia who play European (football), and an African opponent. We will have to adjust to the style of our opponents."

Germany's last friendly before Loew names his provisional World Cup squad is against Argentina in Munich on March 3.

While Loew described the group as "difficult but manageable", there was a mixed response in Germany where the mass-circulation Bild daily said Germany had again been "kissed by luck."

"We'll do that easily, Jogi (Loew)," Bild wrote.

Spiegel online agreed that it was "a manageable task for the German team" but the Sueddeutsche Zeitung said that for once Germany had not been given the easiest of groups.

"The Germans have ... not got the easiest group (but not the most difficult; conclusion: semi-difficult, a bit treacherous), it wrote in its online edition.

German playing legend Franz Beckenbauer, writing for Bild, said many in Germany would be happy with the "lucky draw" for the national team.

"In Cape Town, I see it a bit differently. We have been given one of the most difficult groups," he said.

Beckenbauer said he thought Germany's group was even the second hardest after Group G containing Brazil, Portugal, Ivory Coast and North Korea.

However he forecast Germany would progress to the last 16 along with Ghana.

Taiwan's opposition scores gains in local elections - Summary

Taipei - Taiwan's main opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Saturday scored gains in local elections, raising its hopes of regaining power from President Ma Ying-jeou's China-friendly KMT party. Out of the 17 city mayoral and country magistrate seats, the DPP held on to its three seats and won over Ilan County, a traditional stronghold of the ruling Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).

The KMT retained 12 of its 14 seats, losing one to DPP and the other to a KMT rebel.

As the DPP closed the gap in several other localities, it signaled the comeback of the DPP which lost to the KMT in the 2008 presidential polls - after eight years' rule - due to the corruption tainted administration of ex-president Chen Shui-bian.

"Today's election outcome shows the DPP has gained a steady foothold and the DPP has walked out of the bottom of the valley. It is the people of Taiwan's vote of no confidence for President Ma's performance," DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ying-wen said.

"It shows that Ma, in his political and economic policies, has strayed from the will of the people," she told a news conference.

Tsai, while happy to see the DPP successes, said there was still a long way before the DPP could reach its goal of seizing power.

President Ma, who doubles as KMT chairman, acknowledged the KMT setback, calling it a "warning signal."

"We will humbly make self-examination. We are grateful that despite the economic downturn and high jobless rate, people still allow us to run 12 countries and cities," he said.

According to the Central Election Commission, the DPP snatched 45.3 per cent of votes, up from 42 per cent in the 2005 local elections, while the KMT captured 48 per cent votes, down from 51 per cent in 2005.

Analysts said the results will redefine the power bases of the KMT and DPP, and set the tone for next year's elections for four cities and counties directly controlled by the central government. These results will in turn affect the outcome of the 2012 presidential polls.

"In many constituencies, the KMT failed to win the majority vote, which should serve as a big warning to the ruling party," said Wang Yeh-lih, political science professor at National Taiwan University.

Wang acknowledged that the local polls were a mid-term test of Ma and his government's performances since he took office in May last year.

Ma's popularity has dropped due to several factors, including his moving too close to China, Taiwan's economic woes, the poor handling of Typhoon Morakot in August which killed more than 700, and the further opening of the market to US beef.

"Many people are disappointed by the incompetence of Ma's administration and the lack of transparency in his policy making. If the Ma government does not improve, it might lose the 2012 presidential election," Chen Ah-lu, a political analyst, told the German Press Agency dpa.

Iraq parliament fails to convene for election law debate - Summary

Baghdad - Iraq's parliament failed Saturday to convene the required number of legislators for a session to discuss details of a law covering voting in the 2010 parliamentary polls, an official said. According to the parliamentary official, who requested anonymity, the debate would now be postponed until Sunday.

Omar al-Mashhadani, a spokesman for parliament, had earlier told Sabah newspaper that a debate - without a vote - would take place on the distribution of parliamentary seats for the different provinces, including seats for minorities.

Some lawmakers had, however, predicted Friday that not enough enough members of the house would show up to fill the required quorum, as Shiite Muslims were still celebrating a holiday.

In the balance, Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, a Sunni Muslim, must decide whether to veto a new version of the law by Sunday.

Reports have said backdoor negotiations continued based on both Iraqi proposals and one submitted by the United Nations.

After Hashami first vetoed the legislation in November on the grounds that he wanted to ensure more representation for displaced Iraqis, most of whom are thought to be Sunnis, parliament returned a new version of the law that Sunni lawmakers complained would further reduce their voice in the new parliament.

The ruling coalition, which is dominated by Shiite and Kurdish parties, says it has enough votes to overturn al-Hashemi's veto, should he choose to use it a second time.

A session next week at parliament is set to see a vote, with legislators predicting the elections will be set for March, though originally Iraqis were supposed to go to the polls in January.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/297936,iraq-parliament-fails-to-convene-for-election-law-debate--summary.html.

Spain eye Rustenburg as World Cup base

MADRID: World Cup favorites Spain are due to choose Rustenburg, the mining city situated at altitude north east of Johannesburg, for their World Cup base, according to reports on Saturday.

The European champions, FIFA's top-ranked team, were pitted against fellow Hispanic nations Honduras and Chile in Group H, along with Switzerland, in the draw made in Cape Town on Friday.

Media reaction here to the draw was favorable, but the possibility of facing Brazil, Portugal or Ivory Coast, in the next round was described as "diabolical" by Sports daily Marca.

Spain's first match will be at Durban against the Swiss, followed by the Hondurans in Johannesburg and Chile in nearby Pretoria.

Reflecting on Friday's draw Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said: "We can't complain or be happy. But each team has its qualities -- Honduras is a good team, Chile is a great team and Switzerland will be a difficult rival."

If Spain do choose Rustenburg they will have as their neighbors England, who are due to set up camp at the town's Royal Bafokeng Sports Complex.

Morocco again blocks return of Sahara activist: Spain

LANZAROTE, Spain — Spain said Moroccan authorities Saturday again refused to allow Western Sahara activist Aminatou Haidar to return home, a decision it said it "deeply regrets."

The decision risked worsening the already tense diplomatic relations between Spain and Morocco over the award-winning activist, who has been on a hunger strike for almost three weeks.

The chief of staff at the foreign ministry, Agustin Santos, said Rabat early Saturday refused to allow Haidar to return to her hometown of Laayoune in Western Sahara from Lanzarote in Spain's Canary Islands, even though she had an exit permit from Spain.

He told reporters in Lanzarote that Spain "deeply regrets" Rabat's decision which is "contrary to international law."

It was the second time in two days that Morocco has refused Haidar permission to return.

Spain said on Friday Rabat had initially allowed her to fly to Laayoune and then denied permission as the plane was preparing to take off.

Haidar, who campaigns for the independence of the Western Sahara from Morocco, had boarded the plane after calling off a hunger strike which she had staged at the airport on Lanzarote.

The 42-year-old on Saturday resumed the fast that she began on November 16, three days after Moroccan authorities denied her entry into Western Sahara, a disputed territory annexed by Morocco in 1975, allegedly confiscated her passport, and sent her back to Lanzarote.

The mother-of-two has camped out at the airport to draw attention to her cause, which has been backed by several celebrities, including Oscar-winning Spanish actor Javier Bardem.

Spain had offered to give Haidar refugee status or Spanish citizenship so she could be allowed to return home but she rejected both options on the grounds that she did not want to become "a foreigner in her own home."

Santos said Saturday that Spain has offered to house her until the situation is resolved and also allow visits by her family.

Haidar responded by saying her only wish is to "go home to my children and my mother, in Laayoune."

And she again hit out at Spanish authorities, whom she has accused of collaborating with Morocco by accepting her after she was expelled from the Western Sahara.

"Spain is unable to resolve the situation," she said in a statement read by her lawyer, Ines Miranda.

"I say once again that Spain is Morocco's accomplice, and both governments want to push me to death. Spain is directly responsible for the consequences of the hunger strike that I have been keeping for 20 days."

The Moroccan embassy in Madrid issued a statement Saturday rejecting "all the versions, speculation and commentaries that have been going round about the supposed withdrawal of the supposed authorization" for Haidar's return.

Moroccan Foreign Minister Taieb Fassi Fihri said Wednesday that Haidar had "disowned her identity and her nationality" and "must accept, on her own, the legal and moral consequences which result from this behavior".

Morocco annexed phosphate-rich Western Sahara after Spain left in 1975 and has pledged to grant it widespread autonomy, but rules out independence as demanded by the Polisario Front movement.

While fighting in the desert territory halted in 1991, UN-sponsored talks on Western Sahara's future have made no headway.

Haidar won the Robert Kennedy human rights prize in 2008 as well as several other awards for her activism on behalf of Western Sahara.