Islamic Convert's Detention Sparks Debate on Tolerance

(WARNING): Article contains propaganda

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By Feizal Samath

COLOMBO, Apr 8, 2010 (IPS) - Issues of religious tolerance, the rule of law and freedom of expression in this mainly Buddhist country are being thrown into debate by the detention of a Sri Lankan Buddhist woman who converted to Islam and was writing a book on her conversion.

Sarah Malathi Perera, a 38-year old migrant worker who has lived in Bahrain for 20 years, was detained by police in Colombo under emergency regulations on Mar. 20, ostensibly over a book she had written and published on her conversion to Islam.

But police have since given different versions of the reasons for her detention, saying that the book was offensive to Buddhism or that she was being probed for links to Tamil militants and Muslim extremist groups.

On Tuesday, police spokesman Prishantha Jayakody was even more vague. "She has been detained under emergency regulations but I don’t have details as to why she is in detention. Let me check and let you know," he told IPS. He was the same official who earlier gave different reasons for Perera’s detention.

The incident reflects a cultural and social intolerance that Sri Lankan society has never previously experienced, argues Dayan Jayatillaka, former vice president of the U.N. Human Rights Council and former chairman of the intergovernmental working group on the implementation of the Durban declaration against racism.

"How (else) should we begin to define a country in which an unarmed young woman, a woman who has not harmed anyone, is detained in a police station under emergency laws or anti-terrorism laws, for writing a book, and a book which does not call for violence against anyone?" Jayatillaka said in an interview.

Lakshman Gunasekera, president of the Sri Lanka chapter of the South Asia Free Media Association, says that as journalists, they are concerned that Perera has been arrested under emergency regulations. "Although I have not read her book, this is an issue that concerns freedom of expression," he said.

He added that this kind of reaction is more often seen in situations of serious religious fundamentalism and extremism like Pakistan, Iran or Afghanistan, where writers have been accused of blasphemy against Islam and subjected to verbal and physical attacks.

"This is a country where all religions are respected and tolerated. So why this intolerance?" said a women’s rights activist who declined to be named. Perera returned to Sri Lanka three months back to settle a land dispute concerning her elderly mother in Colombo. She has said she has analyzed the spiritual substance of Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism and Christianity, and published a book entitled ‘From Darkness to Light: Questions and Answer’.

Sri Lanka’s 20 million people comprises 73.7 percent Buddhists, 10.9 percent Hindus, 7.6 percent Muslims and 6.2 percent Christians, and the rest from smaller ethnic groups. Non-Buddhists have the constitutional right to freely practise their religion.

But in recent years, the Jathika Hela Urumaya or JHU (National Heritage Party), a extreme racist party with little support in the country but with huge influence on President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has along with allied or similar groups been suspected of being behind attacks against largely Christian places of worship.

Perera, who wears a ‘hijab’ (dress that covers the body from head to toe), alleges that her arrest came after the courier company she was planning to use to send her books to Bahrain, tipped off the JHU, which in turn informed the police. JHU officials were not immediately available for comment.

Lakshan Dias, Perera’s lawyer, says his client has been informed that she is being detained on charges of offending Buddhism and possible links to Tamil militants and overseas Muslim militant groups. "She has been told that she has been detained under a 30-day detention order under emergency regulations. She has not been informed when she would be produced before a magistrate," he said.

Perera’s case points to a breakdown in law and order more than religious intolerance, some say. "People get arrested over some ideosyncratic issue and then once that happens, the system takes over and you can’t get out," said Jehan Perera, a columnist in the ‘Daily Mirror’ newspaper.

Under the Sri Lankan Penal Code, offenses relating to religion include acts such as damaging or defiling a place of worship, uttering words or sounds or making gestures with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings and trespassing in places of worship.

Jayatillake said the response to Perera’s book could have been a critical review of it, not an arrest. "Isn't this against both Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on freedom of expression as well as the rights and freedoms recognized by the Sri Lankan Constitution? Who decides on arrests like this and what is the law transgressed?" Equally worrisome to some is the government’s use of emergency laws almost a year after its defeat of the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels.

"The Sri Lankan emergency means that people enjoy any personal or legal rights solely at executive convenience and discretion," said an activist who requested anonymity. "Accordingly, Ms Perera has been detained without trial, charge, bail or much access to family or lawyers and any legal or procedural safeguards."

Source: IPS.
Link: http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50958.

A Different Kind of Green

By Kafil Yamin

BOGOR, Indonesia, Apr 15, 2010 (IPS) - The color green has long been associated with Islam, but if some recent Muslim visitors here could have their way, it’s a link that could intensify some more in the future.

For three years now, representatives of Muslim communities across the globe have been holding an annual conference on climate change in an effort to stage a new kind of ‘Green Revolution’.

And while the meeting that was held here Apr. 9 to 10 failed to form an umbrella group that would take care primarily of coordinating Islamic green initiatives worldwide, it nevertheless produced the ‘Bogor Declaration’ that among others urges the influential Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to set up a special council on climate change.

Proponents of the annual gathering have pointed out that with Muslims making up one-fifth of the world’s population, coordinated action among them toward a greener planet could only have a profound impact on easing global warming woes.

They also say that Muslims should have a stronger voice in global discussions on climate change, and should take the initiative to implement environmentally sound policies in their own communities.

Mahmoud Akeef, one of the initiators of the Muslim Action on Climate Change, told IPS that a faith-based plan for the environment makes perfect sense. He pointed out, "We have examples of best practice of taking care of the environment in the past. The Koran and examples shown by Prophet Mohammad carry the strong message about the unavoidable need to keep nature balanced."

Last year’s conference, held in Istanbul, even resulted in a seven-year action plan that Indonesian environmental activist Fachrudin Mangunjaya says was inspired by "Joseph’s proposition to make preparation for the seven-year drought that he interpreted from the Pharaoh’s dream".

An international ‘waqf’ (alms) institution is supposed to be established to finance the implementation of that plan, which includes the ‘Green Hajj’ project that aims to make the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, more environmentally friendly.

Research by Dr Mawli Izzidie, a senior lecturer in Islamic Studies at the University of Wales, Lampeter, has found that around 100 million plastic bottles are left on the annual Hajj sites in Mecca every year, as well as in hotels and Hajj camps around the Ka’bah compound.

"The packaging of food consumed by three million pilgrims is carelessly discarded," noted Mawli, a key figure behind the seven-year action plan. "This has to change. Two years from now, we are determined to make Hajj pilgrimage free of plastic bottles."

The plan also calls for ‘environmental’ labeling of ‘halal’ goods. Explained Mawli: "This will categorize the environmental effects that goods have and each will be graded as to how green they are."

But while the participants at the meeting here were unable to flesh out the ‘Green Hajj’ some more, they did manage to declare Bogor as the latest among the so-called ‘Muslim Green Cities’.

Previously, Sala in Morocco, Darul Ifta in Egyt, and Medina in Saudi Arabia had also been named as such.

Being named a ‘Muslim Green City’ does not necessarily mean the place is already one, but refers more to what it can and should become.

While huge trees still grace Bogor, for example, this West Javanese city shows signs of pressure from an increasing population, unchecked industrial development, and poor urban planning.

Locals also dub Bogor as ‘kota seribu angkot’, which means "city with thousands of ‘angkot’," or minivans. These popular angkot clog Bogor’s streets and pollute the air with their fumes.

Those at the conference, though, seemed optimistic about Bogor’s chances of cleaning itself up. Akeef also said, "We will develop our own model of green city in Muslim countries -- a city that has low carbon dioxide emission, low carbon food, clean transportation that use clean energy."

Still, seven years may be too short for a Green Revolution to take place, since it is not easy change individuals’ daily behavior.

Major Muslim-initiated environmental projects often have to look outside the Muslim world for support as well. The Muslim Action Plan for Climate Change itself has as its main supporters the United Nations Development Program, the World Bank, Earth-Mate Dialogue Center and Association of Religion and Conservation.

Here in Indonesia, an exemplary Muslim grassroots project that puts Islamic teaching on the environment into practice also won support not only from a Muslim organization, but from the World Bank and some secular non- government groups.

In the last five years, the project has seen ‘pesantren’ or Muslim boarding schools getting involved in land rehabilitation, in cooperation with tens of thousands of villagers. The ‘pesantren’ have also incorporated into their curricula teachings that reflect human beings’ close relationship with the land, including agriculture and animal husbandry.

Local Muslim activist Amany Lubis, however, said that perhaps Muslims should just focus on the work itself.

"Why don’t we just do what we are supposed to do?" she asked. "When we start doing the good things, we don’t have to think who support us, where they come from, or why most Muslims have poor environmental awareness."

"Just do it," she said.

Source: IPS.
Link: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=51052.

Pyongyang expels four staff from South Korean-run resort

Tue, 13 Apr 2010

Seoul - North Korea Tuesday ordered four employees of a mountain resort run by South Korea to leave the country, news reports said.

The four were part of a team maintaining the Mount Kumang resort, situated in North Korea but built and operated by the South Korean government and state tourism agency, news agency Yonhap reported.

The move comes as Pyongyang increases pressure on South Korea to resume visits to Mount Kumgang, which have been suspended for two years since a South Korean tourist was shot there.

Five buildings of the resort have been locked and sealed, including a reunion centre for families divided between the two Koreas, and a duty-free shop.

The expulsion comes as part of North Korea's freeze of Seoul-held assets, which aims to pressure Seoul into restarting the tours, an important revenue source for the cash-strapped nation, the Yonhap report said.

The latest actions would have little effect, Seoul officials were quoted as saying, as the facilities have hardly seen any use for the last two years.

The visits were frozen in 2008, when a South Korean woman was shot after walking into a nearby military restricted area. Visits to Kaesong, a jointly operated free-trade zone in the north, were also suspended.

South Korea has demanded that Pyongyang guarantee the safety of any future South Korean tourists to the site, and a joint investigation into the shooting, before considering further tours.

The four expelled workers, ethnic Koreans from China, were ordered to leave North Korea within 24 hours, Hyundai Asan, which manages the resort, said. A further 70 South Koreans are employed at Mount Kumang to maintain the currently unused facilities.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318431,pyongyang-expels-four-staff-from-south-korean-run-resort.html.

Sri Lanka's first terrorism-free new year for 26 years - Feature

Colombo – Sri Lankans are set to celebrate their traditional New Year free of the threat of terrorism for the first time in 26 years, after the army defeated Tamil rebels in May.

Traditional sports festivals and other celebrations are among the events planned for April 14, as locals take time off and travel all over the country, including to the northern regions held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) until their defeat last year.

The traditional New Year is celebrated by both the majority Sinhalese Buddhists and the minority Tamil Hindus, who account for around 73 per cent and 13 per cent, respectively, of the country's 20-million population.

Sri Lankans are enjoying their new freedom to move around the country, as previously strict security regulations were relaxed. "We are having close to 10,000 visitors to the (northern) Jaffna peninsula from the south of the country," said G Kuganathan, news editor of the Tamil daily Uthayan.

"The majority are Sinhalese who were unable to come here during the war," he added.

During the past 20 years the main road between the south and the Northern Province capital Jaffna was closed, except during a Norwegian-backed truce from 2002 to 2006. Even then, few holiday-makers traveled to the north.

But this year, both civilians who were caught up in the conflict and soldiers are enjoying the most peaceful New-Year season for nearly three decades.

"We have given leave to soldiers - except for the minimum required number - enabling them to visit their parents in their villages," military spokesman Major General Prasad Samarasinghe said.

In the areas worst hit by the fighting last year, soldiers are organizing celebrations for the predominantly Tamil villages, he said.

"We are relaxed and have no tension this year as in other years. Even I can take time to visit my parents," Samarasinghe added.

However, an estimated 75,000 Tamil civilians displaced by the war still remain in camps unable to return home, largely due to the unfinished clearing of landmines, the government claims.

New Year celebrations have also been organized for the displaced persons' camps in the north.

As the checkpoints that used to dot the country's roads are disappearing, Sri Lankans are also traveling to other holiday destinations.

"This year we have seen more people in the market places," Wasantha Chandrapala, a journalist based in the eastern town of Ampara, said. "One reason is that there aren't any security problems and the people can move freely."

Ampara was one of the towns seriously affected by the violence, including several fatal bombs during the war.

Nearly three decades of war cost Sri Lanka the lives of over 100,000 civilians and around 23,000 soldiers. An estimated 7,000 soldiers were maimed and more than 300,000 civilians displaced in the final phase of the conflict.

The ruling United People's Freedom Alliance led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa won a landslide victory with over 60 per cent of the vote in last Thursday's parliamentary elections, largely due to Rajapaksa's popularity for ending the war.

Rajapaksa himself recorded a 58-per-cent victory in January's presidential elections, seeing off a challenge by ex-army chief General Sarath Fonseka.

The general, who spearheaded the military campaign against the Tamil rebels, is currently in military custody facing charges of conspiracy against the government and involvement in "fraudulent acts."

Fonseka, previously hailed a hero, has come under criticism for his role since he fell out with Rajapaksa.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318411,sri-lankas-first-terrorism-free-new-year-for-26-years--feature.html.

EU court criticizes limits on foreign students in universities

Tue, 13 Apr 2010

Brussels - Preventing a European Union student from enrolling in a university in another EU state is illegal unless serious public interest risks can be demonstrated, the bloc's top court said on Tuesday.

The European Court of Justice was asked for its opinion on the decision by Belgian authorities to limit to 30 per cent the number of non-Belgian residents allowed in nine medical or paramedical courses at its Francophone universities.

The move was a reaction to the increasing popularity of Belgian universities among French students, who find them a much cheaper alternative to getting a degree in their home country.

Belgian authorities justified the restrictions by arguing that a growing number of foreign medicine students would eventually reduce the number of trained doctors in Belgium, posing a long-term risk to healthcare provision.

However, the EU court said that "such a difference in treatment constitutes indirect discrimination on the grounds of nationality which is prohibited, unless it is objectively justified."

Therefore, the risks to public health cited by Belgian authorities must be demonstrated by "an objective, detailed analysis, supported by figures ... with solid and consistent data."

The EU court left it to the Belgian constitutional court, which had asked for the opinion of the Luxembourg-based institution, to rule whether the public health interests being invoked are justifiable in this specific case.

However, the bloc's judges urged their Belgian counterparts to examine whether the stated objective could be attained "by less restrictive measures," such as incentives for foreign medical students to stay in Belgium once they graduate.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318429,eucourt-criticizes-limits-on-foreign-students-in-universities.html.

Nicaragua to establish relations with South Ossetia, Abkhazia

Tue, 13 Apr 2010

Managua - Nicaragua plans to establish diplomatic ties this week with the disputed Caucasus regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Foreign Minister Samuel Santos will travel to Tskinvale, South Ossetia's capital, and Abkhazia after a trip to Moscow that begins Tuesday, Nicaraguan officials announced Monday.

Abkhazia and South Ossetia have no international recognition, except from Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Nauru, a tiny island nation in Micronesia.

Abkhazia and South Ossetia have been de-facto independent since the early 1990s, but their isolation from Georgia proper increased in the wake of the 2008 Russian-Georgian conflict, which led Moscow to set up military bases in the two territories.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318374,nicaragua-to-establish-relations-with-south-ossetia-abkhazia.html.

Independent Palestinian state only solution to Mideast crisis

Ravindra Nath

13 April 2010
MUSCAT — Turkish President Abdullah Gul has reiterated that the only solution to the Middle East crisis is the creation of an independent Palestinian state that co-exists with Israel.

“The Palestinian cause is very important and should be solved by establishing an independent Palestinian state. Reconciliation among Palestinians, therefore, is very important because without it there will be a defect in the Palestinian structure.

“There should be an independent Palestinian state that coexists with Israel. There should be stability, security and peace in this region,” the Turkish leader said in an interview ahead of his first official visit to the sultanate.

He said his country was making endeavors and good efforts to help the Palestinians reach a compromise. Turkey also supports the Arab initiatives in this area, he added.

“We would like to be fair in this issue. Our relation with Israel and our brothers in Palestine is based on just and lasting peace. We believe that there is a possibility for Israelis, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese to live in peace. We want to talk to all of them to establish peace,” Gul said.

Gul described the Palestinian problem as the “core issue in the Arab region” because, he noted, “it does not belong to the Palestinians or the Arabs or Muslims alone, but is rather a human issue.”

The region, he said, was “witnessing some of the tragedies of this cause. We feel sorry when we see such tragedy and when there is no compromise among the Palestinians. There have been strong reactions in the whole world for what is taking place in Palestine and the Palestinian territories.”

Turning to the Iranian issue, he said Turkey believed in the importance of dialogue among counties, adding: “Dialogue is very important. Iran is one of our neighboring countries and we can understand the Iranian role very well. We seek also to assist in this area.

“As for the indirect negotiations between Syria and Israel, it should be noted that we are a neighboring country to the region and other countries as well. Therefore we may play a good and constructive role, especially since we don’t have any hidden agendas or seek to share any gains. We rather seek to achieve stability and security.”

Gul, who is accompanied by a high-level delegation consisting of ministers, members of parliament and businessmen, said Oman’s geographic location in the Arabian Peninsula and its rich cultural inheritance have made it “a country with distinguished tourism potential,” also underlining the scope for cooperation between the two sides in the tourism sector.

The Turkish President referred to his country’s ‘deep-rooted and growing’ ties with Oman, adding that Ankara was keen to step up these relations to higher levels.

He said his country was looking forward to increasing tourism cooperation with Oman and called upon holidaymakers from the Gulf state to visit Turkey to enjoy its many tourist attractions. He noted that Turkey received around 27 million tourists annually.

Source: Khaleej Times.
Link: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/April/middleeast_April181.xml§ion=middleeast&col=.

'No to hunger, no to intimidation' Yemenis chant

Yemen opposition parties protest against surging prices, south 'violations' and siege.

SANAA - Thousands of Yemenis protested on Thursday following a call by opposition parties against raising the prices of goods, as well as the authorities "violations" against southern activists.

Around 10,000 protesters gathered in a stadium in Sanaa, to protest a recent 15 percent increase in custom duties on 71 types of imported goods, which pushed prices up in the impoverished country.

"No to hunger, no to intimidation," chanted the demonstrators, referring also to Sanaa's policy in dealing with southerners.

A similar crowd gathered in Taiz, 200 kilometers (125 miles) south of Sanaa.

In a statement, opposition parties grouped in the "Common Forum" criticized the new measures saying they have "led to an appalling deterioration in the living conditions which threatens to cause starvation."

They also demanded an "end to the daily violations against political and cultural activists and the peaceful movement in the southern provinces," as well as ending the "de facto emergency law."

They also called for lifting "the siege imposed on (the southern) Daleh and Lahej provinces."

The statement also rejected proposed constitutional amendments that would "strengthen the power of an individual and tyranny, while they would reduce rights and freedom."

President Ali Abdullah Saleh had recently proposed an amendment that would strengthen his powers, change the electoral system and introduce proportional representation in elections.

Yemeni jails hold about 400 southern militants, according to estimates by the Southern Movement -- an alliance of parties whose demands range from improving economic and social conditions to the independence of the regions of former South Yemen.

Pro-independence protests have multiplied in the south amid a worsening economic situation in Yemen and charges of discrimination in favor of northerners.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=38456.

New law to curb smoking 'epidemic' in Syria

Experts: Syrian ban on smoking in public places to reduce national health service costs.

DAMASCUS - Experts believe the ban on smoking in public places, which comes into effect on 21 April, will improve people’s health and ultimately reduce national health service costs.

Considered far-reaching, it bans smoking in restaurants, airports and all other public places; offenders caught breaking the law will be fined the equivalent of about US$45.

According to the Syrian Center for Tobacco Studies (SCTS), a research organization based in Aleppo, 59 percent of adult males and 23 percent of adult females in Syria smoke. “It is an epidemic,” said Fouad Mohammad Fouad, SCTS coordination officer.

The average citizen spends 6.8 percent of his or her annual income of around $3,000 on 3.6kg of tobacco a year, according to the SCTS. Lung cancer is the second biggest cancer killer in Syria, according to a UICC World Cancer Conference held in 2006.

The water pipe, also known in the region as the 'nargileh' or 'shisha', is now becoming popular with young people and is believed to be a vector for tuberculosis. The new law envisages significant curbs on its use.

Anti-smoking initiatives

SCTS is calling on the government to raise the price of cigarettes by as much as 100 percent.

A ban on advertising tobacco was introduced in 1996, but a major problem, according to Fouad of SCTS is that “the establishment is funding Syria’s tobacco industry… Cigarettes make a lot of money for the government and I don’t know if they will be on our side.” Restaurants are still encouraging people to smoke, he said.

In 2006 the sale of tobacco to people under 18 was outlawed, but is widely flouted.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is involved in a program to eradicate smoking in the village of Maten al-Sahel in the northwest, and says some success has been achieved, with 600 people having given up the habit by June 2009.

Health burden

The prevalence of cancers among Syrians, many of them smoking related, puts a great burden on an already overstretched public healthcare system.

In 2006 Syria spent 3.9 percent of its gross domestic product on health compared to 9.9 percent and 8.9 percent in neighboring Jordan and Lebanon respectively.

According to WHO, there were 1,148 cases of trachea, lung, and bronchus cancer per every 100,000 males in 2000.

Fouad believes a well-implemented ban on smoking in public places will eventually have a positive effect on people's health, and consequently on the country's health system. “A reduction in the number of people smoking will mean a decrease in the number of people through hospital doors, thus freeing up space for other patients and money for the government."

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=38446.

Cost-cutting Denmark closes embassies

Denmark will close embassies in Amman, Algiers during 2010 after security costs have risen to prevent terrorism.

COPENHAGEN - Denmark will shut its embassies in Algeria, Jordan, Bosnia and Nicaragua to save money after security costs have risen to prevent terrorism, the foreign ministry said Wednesday.

The embassies in Amman and Algiers will close during 2010, whilst the embassy in Sarajevo will shut next year. No date has been set for the closure of the Managua embassy.

Denmark's general consulate in Hong Kong will also close its doors in 2012, though the Scandinavian country will open a new embassy in Abu Dhabi, part of the United Arab Emirates.

The closures will save Denmark 17.3 million euros (23.6 million dollars) over three years.

Referring to the closure of the embassy in Algiers, the Danish ministry said "the costs had become too high" to ensure its security.

Denmark will however "make special efforts to keep good diplomatic relations with Algeria" and said there would either be another Danish representative in the region, or "a traveling ambassador based in Copenhagen".

Denmark's daily Politiken apologized in February to Muslims for possibly offending them by reproducing cartoons of the prophet Mohammed in 2008.

Politiken's apology was widely condemned by Danish politicians, who charged that the paper had caved in to pressure and had sacrificed freedom of expression, which is considered a cornerstone of Danish democracy.

The cartoons, including one featuring Prophet Mohammed wearing a turban shaped like a bomb with a lit fuse, angered many Muslims worldwide and sparked angry protests in January and February 2006.

The protests culminated with the torching of Danish diplomatic offices in Damascus and Beirut and the death of dozens of people in Nigeria.

In 2008, around 20 Danish newspapers, including Politiken, reproduced the drawings following a failed attack against one of the cartoonists, sparking further protests in a number of Muslim countries, including Sudan, Egypt, Pakistan and Indonesia.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=38454.

Abu Dhabi names new head of world's top wealth fund

Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed al-Nahayan named to head Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.

ABU DHABI - Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed al-Nahayan has been named to head the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, the world's largest sovereign wealth fund, official news agency WAM said Wednesday.

The appointment follows the death of ADIA's former managing director and his brother, Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, when his glider crashed into a lake in Morocco last month.

Their eldest brother, the president of the United Arab Emirates and Abu Dhabi's ruler, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan, remains the chairman of ADIA, whose assets are estimated at more than 600 billion dollars.

The new chief is also the director of the council of Abu Dhabi's crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan.

The late Sheikh Ahmed, who managed ADIA from 1997, had been ranked by Forbes as the 27th most powerful personality in the world in 2009.

Created in 1976, ADIA manages a large chunk of the wealth of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, which sits on some 95 percent of the UAE's oil wealth -- a total of 97.8 billion barrels of oil.

An annual report published on March 15, said ADIA invested between 35 to 50 percent in North America, 25 to 35 percent in Europe and between 25 and 45 percent in Asia and other markets.

The Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute puts ADIA's wealth at 627 billion dollars, but ADIA, for its part, has never disclosed the size of its assets.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=38445.

Sudanese vote on last day of tense elections

Concerns over tensions increase as some candidates allege violations in some areas.

By Guillaume Lavallee - KHARTOUM

Sudanese had one last day to cast ballots on Thursday as landmark elections wrapped up, but concerns over tensions increased as some candidates alleged violations in some areas.

The head of the ruling National Congress Party in Bahr al-Ghazal state said that the southern army had killed the party's top representative in the town of Raja as well as seven civilians.

But the report, which came a day after President Omar al-Beshir's party reached out to the opposition in a bid to save the credibility of a vote boycotted by its key challengers, could not be confirmed.

Lam Akol, a candidate for the leadership of south Sudan, said on Tuesday that the southern army had killed two voters in Unity State.

Kuol Diem Kuol, a spokesman for the former rebel Southern People's Liberation Army (SPLM) denied that incident, and a diplomat said such reports had to be treated sensitively.

"We have to be cautious because as the results approach, the accusations themselves get can lead people to commit things," the diplomat said.

As the five-day polling began to wind down, Sudanese feared the announcement of results in the more contested areas, particularly in the south, would lead to tensions and possibly clashes.

"We just need peace. They should just do their job correctly and give us peace," Salwa al-Amir, a retired air hostess said, stressing she was worried about troubles across the country.

Some 16 million registered voters are being asked to choose their president as well as legislative and local representatives in the country's first multi-party election since 1986.

But the vote kicked off in chaos on Sunday, before delays and logistical problems prompted the National Election Commission to extend polling by two days to end on Thursday.

Many voters were left frustrated when polling stations due to open at 08:00 (0500 GMT) failed to do so, names were missing or misspelled on voter lists, and ballot boxes went to the wrong polling stations.

Before polling began, the poll's credibility had already been marred by a boycott of the opposition, including the heavyweight Umma Party, whose leader Sadiq al-Mahdi was meant to challenge Beshir in the presidential race.

The SPLM, partners in a national unity government, boycotted the vote in most northern states and withdrew their candidate for national president Yasser Arman.

With both key challengers out of the way, Beshir looks set for a comfortable win.

By contrast, the legislative and local polls were still fiercely competitive in many parts of the country.

The boycott was announced after ballot papers had been printed, leaving the possibility open for individual candidates to run and win at the legislative and local levels, despite at boycott by their parties.

On Wednesday, the NCP said that if it won the landmark elections, it would invite the opposition to join a future government.

Presidential adviser Ghazi Salaheddin said that "given the challenges facing the nation," the NCP was interested in "our government being as inclusive as possible."

"If we are declared winners... we would extend the invitation to all parties, even those who have not participated in the elections, because we believe this is a critical moment in our history," Salaheddin told reporters.

"If they decide not to join the government, not to heed the offer, they would be isolating themselves from the process," he said.

The election is a prelude to a 2011 referendum on southern independence.

"We are facing an important decision like self-determination in the south and we would like to garner as much support and as much consensus as we can," Salaheddin said.

The results of the election are not expected before April 20.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=38453.

Hamas executes two convicted of collaboration with Israel

First-ever executions by Hamas since taking control of Gaza, no approval of Abbas taken.

GAZA CITY - The Hamas rulers of Gaza have executed two Palestinians convicted of collaborating with Israel despite objections from human rights groups, hospital and other sources said on Thursday.

The two were executed by a firing squad overnight, said Samir Zakut of the Palestinian Al-Misan human rights group.

Police would not allow journalists to enter the Al-Shifa hospital, but medical sources there confirmed the two bodies were delivered during the night.

The Hamas-run government did not immediately confirm the executions, but said last month it would carry them out.

"The death penalty will be implemented for (Israeli) agents who have been sentenced to death, regardless of the position of rights groups that reject these kinds of sentences," Hamas interior minister Fathi Hammad said at the time.

Hamas has approved the death penalty for informers, murderers and drug dealers but has not officially executed anyone since it seized power in Gaza in June 2007, driving out forces loyal to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas who now holds sway in the West Bank only.

However, several alleged informers were killed by armed groups during the devastating 22-day military offensive Israel launched on December 27, 2008, according to rights groups.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch has accused Gaza's Islamist rulers of killing at least 32 political opponents and suspected informers during and after the war, and of maiming dozens of others.

Palestinian law says the president must approve all execution orders before they can be carried out, but Hamas no longer recognizes the legitimacy of Abbas, whose four-year term ended in 2009.

Israeli security forces routinely use Palestinian informers in the occupied territories. They play a key role in thwarting attacks and assassinating top militants.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=38451.

China to build Algiers opera house

2010-04-15

Algeria’ deal signed with China will pave way for construction of opera house in Ouled Fayet at more than $30 million.

ALGIERS - Algeria and China on Wednesday signed a draft accord for building an opera house in Algiers, the APS news agency reported.

Algerian Culture Minister Khalida Toumi said "this big cultural project ... is a gift from the Chinese government to Algeria," decided on during a visit to China by Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in November 2006.

Construction of the opera house in the western suburb of Ouled Fayet at a cost of more than 30 million dollars was due to start before the end of 2010, a Chinese embassy official said.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=38452.

Libyan critics dispute health care quality reports

Public investments have improved Libya's health infrastructure, the Ministry of Health reports, but critics claim that citizens are fleeing the country to find better care.

By Jamel Arfaoui for Magharebia in Tunis – 13/04/10

Libyans are criticizing an April 4th government report that describes the country's health care as expansive and top-of-the-line.

"Reports like this are created at a time of need to tell lies," Libyan rights activist Mohammed Sehim said.

Libya's government spent $2 billion on health care in 2009, according to the Ministry of Health's Information and Documentation Center report. The country has 97 hospitals, 20,689 hospital beds, 40 CT scanners, 20 MRI machines, 9 angiography machines and 3 radiotherapy devices, according to the report.

Critics, however, claim that the picture painted by the Ministry of Health does not reflect the reality on the ground.

"The health condition in Libya is awful, as shown by citizens who are forced to sell their cars and houses to receive treatment in neighboring countries – not at the expense of the authority as mentioned in the report," Sehim said.

A single hospital in Benghazi serves all of eastern Libya from Ras Lanuf to Imsaad, Sehim said –an area containing half of the country's territory.

"These exaggerated figures are no more than a case of puffing up, to dispel the sense of failure," he said.

The World Health Organization ranks Libya's health system as 87th in the world, behind Tunisia (52nd), Morocco (29th) and Algeria (81st). It ranks ahead of Mauritania at 162nd place.

Journalist Adel Latrech criticized the report for its lack of detail on the quality of health care.

"The report doesn't include anything about the quality of professional and educational courses that the doctors joined and the medical conferences that the medical institution they have effectively participated in," he said.

The government avoids "evaluation in most of their sectors so as not to prove their shortcomings and hence be held accountable," Latrech said.

The true measure of health quality, he said, lies with the numbers of Libyans who travel abroad for medical treatment -- a trend that Libyan government officials try hard to spin positively, he said.

"Officials only comment by saying, 'As to the travel of some people to receive treatment abroad, it doesn't reflect a low or high level of the medical care. Rather, it shows how the citizens are keen on their health, and their financial capabilities to look for treatment elsewhere,'" Latrech added, quoting plastic surgeon Dr. Mustapha Zaidi.

Another Libyan doctor openly called for officials to address the flaws in Libya's health care in an article published in al-Watan last February.

"The change process is not hard to achieve, but it needs a scientific methodology capable of employing money rather than wasting it," Dr. Ameur Touati wrote. "Above anything else, officials in the Libyan state have to show some responsibility and stop their repeated claims that the medical services are just fine."

Magharebia was unable to reach the Libyan Health Department for comment.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/04/13/feature-01.

Mauritania Airways announces new routes

2010-04-13

Mauritania Airways on Wednesday (April 14th) will launch new routes to Europe, Africa and the Middle East, the Tunisian-Mauritanian carrier announced in Nouakchott on Monday. The new destinations include Geneva, Rome, Istanbul, Ouagadougou, Cairo, Tripoli, Jeddah and Dubai.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/04/13/newsbrief-04.

Algerian passport photo changes trouble Islamic groups

Islamic groups are protesting new documents which require women to remove their hijabs for official passport photographs.

By Fidet Mansour for Magharebia in Algiers – 13/04/10

Any woman seeking a new biometric passport in Algeria must remove her hijab for the official photograph, Algeria's interior ministry confirmed last week.

"The government will not back down on its decision; veiled women are expected to observe this law," Interior Minister Noureddine Yazid Zerhouni announced at a press conference on Thursday (April 8th).

"Any woman who does not submit to the rules imposed by the International Aviation Organization must take full responsibility for her actions when she travels."

Algeria introduced the new biometric passports, designed to heighten security and close the security loopholes of traditional passports, on April 6th.

Islamic groups are mobilizing protests against the requirement. Four groups – the Council of Algerian Ulemas, Al-Nahda, the Society Movement of Peace (MSP) and El Islah – gathered in Algiers on April 7th to plan protest activities.

"This campaign will rely on the support of political figures and associations and religious leaders to distance itself from the interior ministry's stance and repeal the law," said Al-Nahda general-secretary Fateh Rebaié.

"We're calling on the government to respect the Muslim religion, the appeal of 1 November and the Constitution, which clearly stipulates that Islam is the state religion," said MSP president Bouguerra Soltani. He expressed "surprise" at statements "from certain officials on the subject of the need to remove one's veil or shave off one's beard in order to obtain biometric passports and identity cards".

El Islah leaders released a statement the same day denouncing the minister's attitude, saying that he had tried "to defend the indefensible". The statement called on the Religious Affairs minister to "defend the Muslim woman's Khimar (headscarf) rather than putting down all those who are devoted to their religion".

Religious Affairs Minister Bouabdellah Ghlamallah stood behind the government ruling.

"If the law obliges a woman to have a photograph taken in which her features must be visible for the biometric passport, then she must comply," he told journalists at an April 4th press conference. "But the law gives her the choice, and so she's free to decide for herself."

Women must respect the law "or go without a passport," Ghlamallah said.

Religious affairs ministry adviser Adda Fellahi said that his department had nothing to do with the ruling and is not in a position to "contradict a state institution".

"Veiled women can seek advice from muftis or imams on the issue in a personal manner," he said, adding: "Algeria is obliged to comply with international security standards, which require the top of the head, chin and ears to be clearly visible."

The Islamic High Council has abstained from the debate. Chairman Cheikh Bouamrane said it is not the institution's place to weigh in on a purely administrative matter which, furthermore, was imposed by international rules.

The new regulation does not represent the government's position on religion, Interior Minister Zerhouni said.

"The aim of the authorities is not to ban people from wearing the hijab – far from it," Interior Minister Zerhouni said on April 6th. "We are a Muslim country, but any woman who wears the veil will be asked to allow herself to be photographed without it so that the photo will meet international standard requirements."

Female photographers will be available in every daira to photograph women who wear the veil, Zerhouni said.

Magharebia visited the biometric passport department at the Daira of Hussein Dey in Algiers on April 6th and found that the majority of women do not take issue with removing their veils for official documents.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/04/13/feature-02.

CHRONOLOGY: From Spanish conquistadors to resurgent Indios

Buenos Aires - Five Latin American countries - Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Mexico and Chile - are celebrating 200 years of independence from Spain this year. Another three countries also came of age in the same era.

Here is an overview of history on this vast region, spanning the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the recent emergence of Brazil and Mexico as global economic and political powerhouses:

1492 - Christopher Colombus "discovers" the Americas, in the service of the Spanish Crown.

1521 - Spain conquers Aztec empire.

1532 - Spain conquers Inca empire.

1537 - Pope Paul III speaks against enslavement of indigenous people in the Americas.

1804 - Slave revolt leads to Haiti's independence from France.

1808-1814 - Spain conquered by France, and its 300-year-old empire further crumbles.

1809 - Beginning of independence movements in Bolivia and Ecuador.

1810 - Beginning of independence movements in Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Mexico and Chile.

1811 - Beginning of independence movements in Paraguay and Uruguay.

1814 - Defeated on the battlefield, Mexico cedes California, Nevada, Utah and parts of Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Wyoming to the United States.

1822 - Exiled Portuguese King Pedro declares Brazil independent from Portugal.

1823 - US Monroe Doctrine warns Europe against recolonization of lost territories in the western hemisphere.

1898 - Spain loses its last American colonies as Cuba becomes independent; US takes control of Puerto Rico.

1914 - Panama Canal built by the United States.

1920 - Mexican Revolution ends.

1929 - Founding of the Revolutionary Institutional Party (PRI), which rules Mexico for 70 years; women get voting rights in Ecuador, a first in Latin America.

1938 - Mexico nationalizes oil industry.

1946 - Juan Domingo Peron elected president of Argentina.

1948 - Organization of American States (OAS) founded.

1952 - Peron's second wife, the charismatic "Evita," dies at age 33.

1959 - Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro takes power.

1961 - Paraguay women get voting rights, the last in Latin America.

1967 - Argentine-born revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara is killed in Bolivia; Colombian Gabriel Garcia Marquez publishes One Hundred Years of Solitude.

1968 - Scores of people massacred on Tlatelolco Square in Mexico City; Mexico hosts Latin America's only Olympic Games so far.

1970 - Salvador Allende elected Chilean president, first democratically-elected socialist leader in Latin America.

1973 - Coup led by General Augusto Pinochet overthrows Allende in Chile.

1975 - Operation Condor: Right-wing military regimes in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil agree on mutual persecution of opponents. Thousands are killed.

1982 - Argentina loses war with Britain over the Malvinas/Falklands islands.

1989 - The United States invades Panama, captures dictator Manuel Noriega for trial in US on crimes including drug trafficking.

1994 - US, Canada and Mexico form the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

1999 - Panama government takes over administration of Panama Canal after transfer from US; Hugo Chavez elected president in Venezuela, first of a wave of left-wing victories across region.

2000 - Peruvian dictator Alberto Fujimori faxes in his resignation from Japan.

2001 - Argentina defaults on debt.

2003 - Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva becomes Brazil's first-ever president of working-class background.

2006 - Fidel Castro stands down as Cuban leader; Evo Morales becomes Bolivia's first-ever elected president of indigenous descent.

2008 - Mexico, Brazil and Argentina leaders join first summit ever of the G20 leading economies to tackle world recession.

2009 - Organization of American States (OAS) suspends Honduras after its President Manuel Zelaya is forcibly exiled and a new president is installed without following constitutional rules.

2010 - April 19, Venezuela to formally celebrate its independence from Spain.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318801,chronology-from-spanish-conquistadors-to-resurgent-indios.html.

South Korea raises stern of sunken warship

Seoul - Salvage teams off the west coast of South Korea recovered the stern of a sunken warship Thursday, nearly three weeks after it went down following an unexplained explosion.

The rear part of the 1,200-ton corvette Cheonan, hoisted to the surface by a giant sea crane, is suspected to contain the bodies of the 44 still-missing crew members.

The section of the wreck will be pumped free of water and put on a barge it is inspected at a naval base.

The authorities hope that the recovered ship part will shed some light on the cause of the sinking. Experts from several countries have joined the salvage operation, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported, including the United States, Australia, Britain and Sweden.

The vessel sank in 45 meters of water near the disputed maritime border with North Korea on March 26, in an area of the Yellow Sea where the navies of North and South Korea have clashed in 1999, 2002 and 2009.

Fifty-eight members of the Cheonan's 104-strong crew were rescued after the sinking. In addition to the 44 presumed drowned, a further two bodies have been recovered.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318804,south-korea-raises-stern-of-sunken-warship.html.

Iceland volcano ash interrupts air traffic

London - Ash from an erupting volcano in Iceland has led to the interruption of air traffic over Britain, media reports said Thursday.

Airport authorities closed down the airspace over Scotland, as ash drifted across the region from the volcano near the Eyjafjallajoekull glacier, about 120 kilometers east of the capital Reykjavik, the Press Association reported.

"Following advice from the Met Office, the National Air Traffic Service (NATS) has introduced restrictions to UK airspace this morning as a result of volcanic ash drifting across the United Kingdom from Iceland," a spokeswoman for London's Stansted Airport said.

These measures currently affect Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports, which are closed, but may also affect other parts of Britain later on Thursday, she added.

The decision followed similar measures taken in Iceland and Norway on Wednesday.

Officials in Reykjavik said that flight bans could also be expected in large parts of Sweden, Finland and regions in north-western Russia as well as in Denmark.

Some 700 people were ordered to leave their homes near the volcano following a series of tremors earlier this week. A plume of smoke and ash several kilometers high was spotted from the volcano, which had previously erupted last month.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318807,iceland-volcano-ash-interrupts-air-traffic.html.

Japanese astronauts serve sushi in space

Tokyo - Japanese astronauts aboard the International Space Station ISS treated their colleagues to a worldly delicacy from their homeland, by making them space sushi for dinner, Kyodo News reported Thursday.

Naoko Yamazaki, 34, donned an immaculate pink kimono to prepare the rice and seaweed rolls in zero gravity, according to a NASA photo.

Soichi Noguchi, 44, caught the celestial snacks in his mouth as they floated free, the report said. He had promised to make sushi for his fellow astronauts before taking off for the mission in December, and packed frozen scallops and tuna for the purpose.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318812,japanese-astronauts-serve-sushi-in-space.html.

Renewed Kyrgyz clashes reported as Bayiyev makes public appearance

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan/Moscow - Tensions heightened Thursday in Kyrgyzstan after an appearance by President Kurmanbek Bakiyev to rally his supporters turned into a violent confrontation with anti- Bakiyev forces, the Akipress news agency reported.

Bakiyev, who fled the capital, Bishkek, last week at the height of demonstrations against his regime, has been in seclusion in southern Kyrgyzstan, where he enjoys more support.

On Thursday, he appeared in the city of Osh, surrounded by heavily armed bodyguards, at an event to rally his supporters. But the hundreds of Bakiyev supporters were outnumbered by thousands of opponents, and fighting quickly broke out between the groups.

After his bodyguards fired shots into the air, Bakiyev quickly retreated from the event, Akipress reported.

Bakiyev, 60, has offered to resign if he and his family can be guaranteed safety.

Unconfirmed reports Thursday hinted that he might seek refuge in Russia, where his wife already is. Bakiyev reportedly conducted a phone conversation with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Wednesday night.

The interim government has also reversed itself, saying that it is no longer seeking Bakiyev's arrest and that he continues to enjoy immunity from prosecution.

"Based on current law, we have no right to arrest (Bakiyev)," said government spokesman Edil Baissalov.

The comments came after meetings between Kyrgyz officials and special representatives from Western nations.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318823,renewed-kyrgyz-clashes-reported-as-bayiyev-makes-public-appearance.html.

Former Jerusalem mayor arrested in major bribery scandal

Jerusalem - A luxurious Jerusalem housing project at the center of a major bribery scandal in Israel was "only the start" of revelations into alleged crimes by Jerusalem's mayor, a city councilor told Israel Army Radio Thursday.

Meir Turgeman made the remarks a day after former Jerusalem mayor Uri Lupolianski was arrested on suspicion of accepting over 800,000 dollars in bribes to ensure that the housing project plan was approved. He also faces allegations of money laundering.

Other building developments in the city are expected to come under investigation.

Police suspect that, between 1999 and 2008, the Holyland Development Company and associated land developers paid tens of millions of dollars in bribes to senior decisionmakers in the Jerusalem municipality, members of its planning and construction committee, and officials in the Israel Land Administration.

At stake was approval for the Holyland housing project in south- west Jerusalem and additional projects in the north of the country.

The affair has shocked Israelis and has been termed the biggest corruption scandal in the country's history. Police suspect the total amount of money, transferred from the project's initiators to a middleman who mediated between the parties involved, stands at 15 million dollars.

Lupolianski was Jerusalem's deputy mayor and chairman of the municipality's planning and construction committee between 1993 and 2003, when the Holyland plan was approved. He served as a member of the National Building and Planning Committee when he was mayor from 2003 to 2008.

Police suspect that by 1999 he had received 1.5 million shekels (around 400,000 dollars) in bribes, which he transferred in the form of a donation to the Yad Sarah charity for disabled elderly people, which he founded in 1976.

A second alleged transfer of funds took place between 2006 and 2008.

In return, Lupolianski is suspected of pushing for an enlarged version of the project and resisting calls to lower the height of the project's residential towers by two stories.

He also allegedly helped ensure that almost 1,000 objections to the project were overruled.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318831,former-jerusalem-mayor-arrested-in-major-bribery-scandal.html.

Three convicted rapists publicly hanged in northern Iran

Tehran - Three convicted rapists were publicly hanged in northern Iran, the Tehran press reported Thursday.

The three were executed on Wednesday in a square in the Caspian Sea city of Babolsar after their initial verdicts were confirmed by the Supreme Court.

The three had abducted and then raped 13 women, including a pregnant one, in 2007 and were identified and arrested after one of the women complained to the police, the daily newspaper Iran reported.

Murder, rape, armed robbery and drug trafficking of quantities in excess of five kilograms are among the crimes punishable by death in Iran.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318835,three-convicted-rapists-publicly-hanged-in-northern-iran.html.

Expeditioners find ancient artifacts in Kashmir

Srinagar, Apr 15 (PTI) Two expeditioners of South Kashmir's Anantnag district have stumbled upon what they believe to be a 1500-year-old archaeological site in Zalangam village, 85 kms from here, and have suggested to the ASI to undertake excavation work there.

"When we set out for an expedition in the forest, little did we know that we were to discover an ancient civilization," Malik Tariq, an oncologist at S K Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, and Abdul Rouf, an engineering student told reporters.

They said they were researching the springs of Zalangam when they stumbled upon the site where artifacts, bricks, neolithic-age rocks, stone sculptures and coins were present.The site is located in a forest at a distance of two km from the famous spring of Kokernag in Anantnag.

"It is a prospective archaeological site."

Source: Press Trust of India.
Link: http://www.ptinews.com/news/610229_Expeditioners-find-ancient-artefacts-in-Kashmir.

S. Arabia advocates dialogue on Iran

Saudi Arabia has insisted on guaranteeing Iran's rights to nuclear energy, as the US continues its all-out efforts to drum up support for fresh sanctions on Iran.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia welcomes the international endeavors to find a peaceful solution to this crisis through dialogue in such a way as to guarantee the right of Iran and other states in the region to the peaceful use of nuclear energy in accordance with the procedural safeguards, and under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency,” said Head of Saudi Arabia's delegation to the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz in a statement on Tuesday.

“We hope that Iran will respond to these endeavors in order to put an end to the crisis as soon as possible,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, addressing the 47-nation Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, DC on Tuesday, US President Barack Obama insisted that he will push hard for a speedy UN Security Council approval against Iran for the refusal to halt its nuclear program.

Obama's bullying attitude against Iran was then challenged by leaders of Turkey and Brazil, who expressed their opposition to the move in meetings with him on the sidelines of the summit on Tuesday.

The two leaders advised Obama to seek a "negotiated solution" to the dispute over Iran's nuclear program and avoid imposing new sanctions on the country.

Moreover, President of General Intelligence Presidency (GIP) of Saudi Arabia also took aim at Israel, describing the regime a “fundamental obstacle to the achievement of security and stability in the Middle Eastern region.

“The justifications that it has cited for its acquisition and development of weapons of mass destruction, and especially nuclear weapons, are manifestly and totally inconsistent with its alleged desire to achieve peace with the peoples and states of the region,” the statement said.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123321§ionid=351020104.

Gates criticizes Wikileaks Iraq video

The US Secretary of Defense has blasted the release of a video footage by the Internet group WikiLeaks showing the killing of Iraqi civilians by a US helicopter fire.

Robert Gates said on Tuesday that the WikiLeak video footage is out of context and depicts an incomplete picture of the battlefield.

"You have no context or perspective," he said, The Los Angeles Times reported.

He accused the website of seeing the war "through a soda straw."

"These people can put out anything they want, and they're never held accountable for it. There's no before and there's no after," Gates said.

The WikiLeaks video shows the killing of two journalists and over a dozen civilians in a strike conducted by a US military Apache helicopter in Baghdad in 2007.

An editor of the WikiLeaks earlier told Press TV that US military officers gave him the footage on the killing of Iraqi civilians.

"We have a lot of supporters, including within the US military… They know that we're after the bad guys and we don't want to expose the good intelligence operations that are happening," Julian Assange told Press TV.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123359§ionid=3510203.

Tehran summit promotes nuke-free world

Tehran says its upcoming denuclearization conference aims to send the message that nuclear weapons have no place in the world — particularly in the Middle East.

"We would continue to send this very strong message from the capital of Iran, Tehran, the center of the Middle East, that nuclear weapons do not have a place at all in this very sensitive part of the world," Mohammad Mehdi Akhoundzadeh, Iran's deputy foreign minister, told Press TV ahead of the international conference on nuclear disarmament scheduled for April 17th and 18th.

Officials from more than 60 countries as well as representatives from various international and non-governmental entities have been invited to the two-day conference dubbed "Nuclear energy for all, Nuclear weapons for none.”

Akhoundzadeh, who is the secretary general of the summit, also said that the conference did not mean to overshadow the nuclear summit held earlier in the US.

"This is a process, this is not a project. Some may think that this is to overshadow what's going on in Washington but we don't look at it that way," he reiterated.

Iran's ambassador to the Netherlands, Kazem Gharibabadi, said Tuesday that the conference seeks "practical" methods to oblige nuclear-armed countries to dismantle their nuclear warheads.

"Iran's main intention for holding this conference is that nuclear-armed countries take practical steps [towards disarmament]," he said in an interview with ANP, the Netherlands' national news agency.

He added that although the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) came into effect 40 years ago to curb the spread of nuclear weapons across the globe, the international community was seriously concerned about the existence of thousands of nuclear weapons, which have yet to be dismantled.

Gharibabadi added that Tehran's forum would also discuss issues such as globalization of the NPT, the legal consequences of threatening to use or using nuclear weapons, as well as the need to end discrimination in the implementation of nuclear disarmament treaties.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123344§ionid=351020104.

Iran's Armed Forces ready for threats

Amid threats of a nuclear strike on Iran, a senior commander says no power has the capability to launch an aggression on the Islamic Republic.

The statement comes as Iran lodges a complaint with the United Nations over what US President Barack Obama called, reserving the right to launch a nuclear attack on Iran under the pretext that the country is developing an atomic bomb.

"I assure the Iranian nation that our Armed Forces are very strong. No power has the ability to target the Iranian nation," the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) quoted Commander of Iran's Ground Forces Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan as saying on Wednesday.

"Iran's Armed Forces have the capacity to counter any threat on ground, sea, and in the air," he added.

The commander went on to praise the "wise" performance of the Armed Forces in "crucial moments" following the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

The US and Israel have not diluted their baseless accusations of Iran seeking nuclear weapons development. Tehran, which says its program is for civilian applications of the technology, says it will deliver a serious response to any act of foreign aggression.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123298§ionid=351020101.

Russia asks Iran for its rare leopards

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has asked for Iran's help in reviving a rare population of Persian leopards that disappeared in Russia decades ago.

Caucasian or Persian leopards disappeared from the Caucasus Mountains around the resort of Sochi in southern Russia in the 1920s due to excessive hunting.

The call for help comes as Russia is seeking to restore the population of Persian leopards near the Black Sea resort, where 2014 Winter Olympic Games are slated to be held.

Putin received two wild male leopards as a gift from Turkmenistan last year, which were later released into the wild. However, obtaining female leopards, needed to restore the population, has proven to be a much harder task.

Russia has pinned high hopes on receiving several female leopards from Iran as part of efforts to save the endangered species in the area.

"We have made additional arrangements with our Iranian colleagues and are hoping to receive several specimens from there in order to complete this project in the North Caucasus," Putin told members of the International Olympic Committee on Wednesday.

"The search for females in both Turkmenistan and Iran continues," Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Reuters. Persian leopards live in the border areas of the two countries.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123367§ionid=3510208.

Israeli regime worse than apartheid

Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat says Israel has turned into a regime worse than South Africa before the collapse of apartheid.

"Never in the darkest hours of South African apartheid were the blacks prevented (from using) roads that whites were using," the official said, referring to measures taken by Israel to segregate Palestinian allegedly to secure Jewish settlers in the occupied Palestinian territory.

"If the occupation continues, there will be villages, towns in the West Bank, and refugee camps that will be within walls," Erekat said.

The senior Palestinian official pointed out that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had to choose between settlements or peace, and he had chosen settlements and settlers.

He added that Israel is doing its utmost to sabotage any peace agreement based on a two-state solution.

Erekat stressed the peace process was at a "dead end."

Israel has in recent months announced the construction of new housing units in al-Quds (Jerusalem), in breach of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123364§ionid=351020202.

Israel demolishes two WB homes

Israeli forces backed by bulldozers have demolished two homes in the occupied West Bank, leaving at least nine Palestinians homeless.

Palestinian rights organizations said on Wednesday that the bulldozers destroyed a home in the village of Khader, near Bethlehem.

The building had been home to nine members of the Musa family, including a baby, according to the West Bank-based Popular Struggle Coordination Committee.

The Israeli military which confirmed the demolition claimed that the structure was an unfinished and uninhabited building in the northern village of Haris.

A military spokesman said both structures had been put up without the necessary construction permits.

The incident follows a new order by Israel according to which thousands of Palestinians will be forced out from their homeland.

The decree, which will come into force this week, stipulates the expulsion of Palestinians whose identification cards bear home addresses in the Gaza Strip or those who were born in the West Bank or abroad but for various reasons "have lost their residency status" according to Israeli-imposed regulations.

Palestinian Authority officials and the Arab League harshly condemned the threat and called on the Palestinians to resist any order which could lead to their expulsion.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=123363§ionid=351020202.

UAE Sentences 2 in Killing of Chechen Chief

ABU DHABI [MENL] -- The United Arab Emirates, in an effort to prevent its territory from becoming a foreign battleground, has issued stiff sentences to two men convicted of assassinating Chechnya's security chief.

Source: Middle East Newsline.
Link: http://www.menewsline.com/article-1173,19410-UAE-Sentences-2-In-Killing-Of-Che.aspx.

Libyan students awarded scholarships in Italy

2010-04-14

Some 100 Libyan students will receive undergraduate and post-graduate study scholarships in Italy, ANSA reported on Tuesday (April 13th). The students are all descended from Libyan colonial resistance fighters, deportees or victims of anti-personnel mines from WWII. The grant is one of the "special initiatives" envisaged in the 2008 friendship treaty signed by Silvio Berlusconi and Moamer Kadhafi.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/04/14/newsbrief-04.

Algeria to market affordable solar panels

2010-04-14

Algeria plans to unveil its first domestically-manufactured solar panel by next June, APS reported on Tuesday (April 13th). According to developers, the new photovoltaic panels manufactured in Algeria will cost up to 35,000 dinars less than imported units.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/04/14/newsbrief-03.

Vietnamese president visits Tunisia, Algeria

2010-04-14

Vietnam's President Nguyen Minh Triet arrived Tuesday (April 13th) in Algiers for a three-day visit at the invitation of his Algerian counterpart Abdelaziz Bouteflika, local press reported. During a trip to Tunisia on Monday and Tuesday, President Triet and his Tunisian counterpart Zine El Abidine Ben Ali signed agreements preventing double taxation and promoting trade and investment.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2010/04/14/newsbrief-02.

Arab women to explore modernity's impact on the arts

Everything from literature to the cinema will be discussed at an upcoming festival in Tunisia, as Arab women grapple with how modernity has altered their artistic fields.

By Houda Trabelsi for Magharebia in Tunis – 14/04/10

To celebrate the success of the arts in the age of modernity, Arab women in fields ranging from literature to the cinema will meet on Thursday (April 15th) in Tunisia.

Participants in the 15th annual Festival of Creative Arab Women, set to unfold over two days in Sousse, will discuss how modernity has affected arts and literature.

"Ever since the foundation of the festival in 1996, the most important goals have been to shed light on creative outputs by Arab women," Mestiri told Magharebia. She also expressed the hope that the festival will continue to forge bonds between female Arab artists and allow them to benefit from each other's experiences.

Thirty female artists from Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Palestine and Kuwait are scheduled to attend the festival.

Tunisian First Lady Leila Ben Ali and the Arab Women Organization are officially sponsoring the gathering, which will spotlight submissions from students in order to mark "International Year of Youth" activities. Students will also be invited to discuss the impact of the on child development, Mestiri said.

Artists and writers will present papers on a variety of cultural topics to stimulate discussion of modernity and the arts.

Tunisian poet and sociology researcher Amel Moussa will focus her talk on how modernity should be embraced by artists, as it calls for turning the page on the past. This change, Moussa said, opens up a wide berth of creativity for female artists.

Also representing Tunisia, Saniye Shafie will give a talk on the presence of women in her country's cinema, while Iraqi director Aida Chlifer will discuss the impact of modernity on women working in Arab cinema as a whole.

Emirati journalist and poet Berouin Habib is scheduled to present on how the media has played a critical role in ushering in a new era of modernity.

Loubena al Kentar, who as Syria's first female opera star went on to found the Classical Arab Singing Band, will present on the consequences of Arab creative modernity.

The festival will include a field trip to the landmarks of old-town Sousse and a soiree featuring male and female poets from Tunisia and other countries. Participants will also attend a forum on the role of creative women in refining public tastes.

Tunisian singer Lamia Erriahi is scheduled to perform at the event.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/04/14/feature-03.

Moroccans divided over Parliament leader's re-election

Politicians and everyday citizens were eager for a new face to lead the House of Representatives.

By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 14/04/10

Senior Moroccan statesman Abdelwahad Radi's return last week to the presidency of the House of Representatives is prompting some fellow legislators and ordinary citizens to question the political process.

The 75-year old, a Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) parliamentarian since 1963, has already served twice as leader of Morocco's lower house; his election on Friday (April 9th) marks his third turn.

Some Moroccans wonder if there is a lack of viable candidates for the sensitive position, which ranks third in national protocol, after the prime minister and the king.

To political science expert Said Bouchat, the process of selecting who fills the post was undemocratic because various political agendas, such as preparations for the 2012 legislative elections, were a factor.

Some USFP members had hoped Radi would honor earlier promises to limit himself to party management. They regretted that he had not conceded the House presidency to another politician.

Up until the election, in fact, many people, including members of the press, thought former Education Minister Habib El Malki was going to be the USFP choice.

But USFP political bureau member Abdelhadi Khairat believes that the position requires a senior and experienced man who can create the desired consensus within the majority and the opposition.

"There is no one more qualified than Radi to be President of the House of Representatives, which is still a very sensitive position requiring a charismatic leader," Khairat said.

Radi's experience, however, raises the issue of his age.

"A few people in their fifties are still waiting their turn to assume responsibility. The 'turn-taking' practice must be eradicated in favor of young people in their thirties and forties," said one political leader who preferred to remain anonymous.

"Those in their fifties must give up the seat if we are to create real politics," he added. Younger Moroccan citizens also commented on Radi's age.

"It is disappointing to see young people having no room in the political agenda," student Salim Bamousse told Magharebia.

The USFP should have chosen "someone who is younger and dynamic", he added, "especially since the party is full of young members of the Parliament, both men and women."

To ensure democracy, bank employee Asmae Noumairi told Magharebia, Morocco must change its political culture.

"There has never been a female speaker of the Parliament in Morocco, even if many female parliamentarians have been recognized for their legislative efforts," she said.

"Female ministers have also shown they were very competent," Noumairi added. "We do not know why women are not chosen by their parties."

MP Fatima Moustaghfir is also frustrated that a female was not considered for the position.

"Doesn't USFP have competent women and young candidates besides the experienced Abdelahed Radi, whom I greatly respect? I would love to see a female candidate, even if she would not win the presidency," she said.

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/04/14/feature-02.

Moroccans form group to fight for free speech

International rights watchdogs claim a decline in Moroccan press freedoms, and members of the media and civil society are rallying to their defense.

By Naoufel Cherkaoui for Magharebia in Rabat – 14/04/10

Moroccan journalists, activists and university professors have launched a new organization to defend free speech for the press and the public.

The Freedom of Press and Speech Organization will also work to influence the development of laws affecting the media, the group’s founders said at its inaugural press conference Saturday (April 10th) in Rabat.

"What drove us to create the organization is that freedom of press and speech are under attack through the harassment of journalists and bloggers, and the prosecution of a few of them, which has recently been a common practice by the regime," preparatory co-ordinator Mohamed el Aouni said.

"In addition, there's a need to protect progress in the area of freedom, and to find a comprehensive approach to defending free speech, instead of different media outlets defending it individually," Aouni said, adding that Morocco "has to accept progress in society that lets it work freely and without any interference by the regime".

Moroccans have witnessed a string of cases involving free speech issues, including a defamation suit connected to Khadafi and the imprisonment of blogger Boubaker Elyadib. International rights watchdogs such as Reporters Without Borders claim that Morocco has seen an overall decline in press freedoms.

"Any addition to the work of defending human rights, especially defending free speech, is always good,” National Moroccan Press Union general secretary Mohamed Siraj Eddaou said after the event.

"But it's essential to adopt an effective methodology and a clear vision to deal with this obstacle-laden field, whose members are in constant conflict with the state," he said, adding that "the general trend in Morocco is towards political tolerance … [h]owever, there might be partial disagreement between the two sides on specific issues".

"We don't live in a country where [our] rights are respected and the Constitution is upheld; there's a potential to suppress whoever is calling for freedom and human rights," Moroccan Human Rights Association head Khadija Riyadi told Magharebia.

"But that shouldn't drive us to self-censorship. Instead, individuals and groups should organize and defend their rights," she said, adding that the new organization "must add quality to the field of human rights through its focus on defending freedom of speech, which is a broad field full of violations".

"The organization has a lot to do," Riyadi said, “especially since its establishment takes place in a period when two journalists are in prison: Abdelhafid Sriti, the al-Manar Channel correspondent in Morocco, and Driss Chahtane, editor of the weekly al-Mishaal".

The Freedom of Press and Speech Organisation should also address the media’s role in society, blogger Moustapha el-Goumeri said.

"The new organization can correct … the current national dialogue between the press and society, which should have been between the parties in conflict, the press and the state,” he said.

"Furthermore, it can bring things back to normal, and also defend such prisoners of conscience as journalists and bloggers," added el-Goumeri, who is a member of the group.

Abderrahim el-Amari, a group member and professor of political communications at the University of Montreal, told Magharebia that such groups "can be effective as long as they represent the interests of civil and political society, and as long as they continue to be independent from state agencies".

"That depends on the direction [the group's] leaders are taking," he said. "Its objectivity will ensure its success in serving the great principles of freedom of speech, and the mission of the press, which is to raise awareness."

Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/04/14/feature-01.

NATO chief calls for joint missile defense with Russia

Brussels - NATO and Russia should set up a joint missile- defense screen to boost their security and mutual trust, NATO's top official said Wednesday, a week after Russia and the United States signed an historic deal on nuclear-arms control.

The question of missile defense has divided the Cold War foes ever since former US president George W Bush enraged Russia by launching plans to site interceptors in Central and Eastern Europe.

"The US and Russia now clearly see eye-to-eye on a range of security issues and we should use this new momentum to take further steps to enhance our common security.

Together, NATO and Russia should explore cooperation on missile defense," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in an online video message.

"This is the most significant step we can take to integrate Russia more fully in Euro-Atlantic security," he added. "We would develop trust and prevent hostility between NATO and Russia."

The shared system would be "a security roof which would give real security to our people," he said.

Relations between NATO and Russia have been an uneasy balance between cooperation and criticism.

The two sides work together to fight Afghan drug smuggling and their warships cooperate to combat piracy in the Gulf of Aden.

But NATO fiercely criticized Russia's 2008 invasion of Georgia, while Russia sees NATO's willingness to take in former Soviet states such as Georgia and Ukraine as a direct threat to its security.

In 2008, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called for a new security pact around the Northern Hemisphere to boost security and outlaw any power "enhancing its security at another's expense."

NATO states gave the proposal a cool reception, with some saying it was a Russian attempt to gain a veto over NATO enlargement.

Russian officials have yet to comment on Rasmussen's ideas.

Separately, NATO officials said that member states were to discuss ways to revive talks with Russia on limiting the deployment of conventional weapons in Europe, in a further sign of the momentum generated by the signing of the nuclear weapons treaty.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318743,nato-chief-calls-for-joint-missile-defence-with-russia.html.

ISS astronauts struggle with faulty cooling system

Washington - Astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) were on Wednesday struggling with a faulty valve on a newly installed ammonia tank, NASA said.

The new tank, which was installed Sunday by visiting Discovery astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Clayton Anderson, is vital to keeping the station's cooling system working.

"Mission control was having a problem activating the new ammonia tank. A stuck valve in one of the nitrogen pressurization lines is thought to be the problem," NASA spokeswoman Katherine Trinidad said.

"The closed valve won't allow nitrogen to pressurize the ammonia system that cools the station," she said, adding that the station crew was not in any danger and the joint mission with Discovery astronauts was continuing as planned.

Last week NASA extended Discovery's mission by one day to allow the crew to inspect the shuttle's heat shield while still docked at the ISS. Discovery is now slated to land at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday at 8:54 am (1254 GMT).

The US space agency is scheduled to retire the aging space shuttle fleet later this year after three remaining missions.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318753,iss-astronauts-struggle-with-faulty-cooling-system.html.

Medvedev in Argentina for historic visit

Buenos Aires - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev arrived in Buenos Aires Wednesday for the first visit to Argentina by a Russian head of state.

Medvedev was to meet with Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner later Wednesday, to sign deals towards "a leap forward in Argentine relations," said Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana.

Fernandez de Kirchner visited Moscow in December 2008. At the time, she signed a strategic association agreement with Russia that was set to be expanded Wednesday.

Medvedev was accompanied by a large delegation including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the president of the Russian Atomic Energy Agency (ROSATOM), Sergey Kirienko, and a group of business leaders.

Later Wednesday, Medvedev was to take part in a Russian- Argentine business seminar in Buenos Aires.

This is the first visit to Argentina by a Russian president in 125 years of bilateral relations.

Bilateral trade showed a surplus of 705 million dollars in Argentina's favor last year.

Buenos Aires is courting Russian investment, particularly for the fields of infrastructure and transport, and it also backs Russia's request to join the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Medvedev is set to leave Argentina Thursday for Brazil, where he is to take part in the summit of the BRIC group (Brazil, Russia, India and China) Friday.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318760,medvedev-in-argentina-for-historic-visit.html.

Civil war feared in Kyrgyzstan amid political deadlock - Feature

(WARNING): Article contains propaganda!

* * * * *

Ulf Mauder

Bishkek/Moscow - Fears of civil war gripped Kyrgyzstan amid a political deadlock on Wednesday, a week after anti-government riots toppled the Central Asian nation's authoritarian president, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, and left more than 80 people dead.

Bakiyev, 60, was in his home village in the south of the country, where he took refuge, and under guard by heavily armed supporters. In the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, interim leader Roza Otunbayeva called on Bakiyev to surrender.

Efforts at international mediation were under way since an attempt to arrest Bakiyev risked sparking another bloodbath.

In view of the many protesters killed and more than 1,600 injured, the Kyrgyz people will not allow Bakiyev and his family to go unpunished, said Otunbayeva, whose government has stripped him of his immunity.

Bakiyev and his brother Zhanysh Bakiyev, who headed the security service, are alleged to have ordered snipers to fire at protesters last Wednesday. The snipers, from an elite police force, are said to have aimed straight at heads from rooftops.

Many Kyrgyz have become disillusioned after a week under Otunbayeva's leadership. On the streets of Bishkek, in blogs and by telephone, people are saying good riddance to Bakiyev but have little hope of things improving with him gone.

There have been increasing complaints that the country's new leaders are more concerned with distributing government posts than improving the lot of the populace. Provisional ministers are already publicly proposing relatives for the jobs.

On the other hand, many people note a sense of freedom they have missed since the 2005 "Tulip Revolution" that ousted Askar Akayev, Bakiyev's predecessor. Kyrgyz news media say that they are now able to work without interference from Bakiyev's secret police.

Bakiyev, ironically, who was responsible for the instruments of repression in Kyrgyzstan and who always shunned contact with independent journalists, has been phoning Western media daily to get out his side of the story.

"I was always one with the people," Bakiyev has insisted in interviews and appearances in his home village. Accused of nepotism, electoral fraud, repression of the political opposition, torture and even political killings, he now sees himself as a victim.

Bakiyev's opponents repeatedly warned him not to let his family pressure him into turning the country into a military dictatorship. The Kyrgyz, many mired deep in poverty, finally gave vent to their anger with mass protests, resulting in a bloodbath.

"I don't fear an investigation of what happened by an international commission," Bakiyev said in Kyrgyzstan's southern Jalalabad region.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) suggests calling in just such a body under the auspices of the European Union or United Nations.

"An investigation by independent observers can be an important steppingstone toward freedom in the region," Andrea Berg, Central Asia researcher for HRW, told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

Mars Sariyev, a well-known Kyrgyz political scientist, said the new leadership had two weeks at most to establish order in the roiling country.

"If people feel the many deaths were in vain, they'll look for new leaders," he remarked, adding that Bakiyev's fate needed to be resolved soon.

Kyrgyzstan's northern neighbor, authoritarian-ruled Kazakhstan, currently holds the chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and could therefore serve as a peacemaker. It has responded calmly to the unrest across its border.

Uzbekistan, however, a dictatorship and Kyrgyzstan's neighbor to the west, is completely sealing itself off for fear the trouble could spread.

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, speaking in Washington after attending the nuclear summit meeting called by President Barack Obama, not only warned of possible civil war in Kyrgyzstan. Given the instability in Central Asia and strong terrorist networks in the region, he said, it could also become a second Afghanistan.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318762,civil-war-feared-in-kyrgyzstan-amid-political-deadlock--feature.html.