Somalia: More Than 40 Local Elders Arrested in Nation's Puntland State

22 June 2011

Bosaso — After extensive security crackdown in Bari region in Somalia's semi-autonomous state of Puntland, more 40 local clan elders arrested by the security forces.

Most of the operations took place in Bosaso, Puntland commercial hub, according to eyewitnesses in the town.

Puntland security officials say the elders were accused of inciting clan related grudges that claimed the lives of so many people.

At least two well-known businessmen were recently killed in the center of port town of Bosaso.

In what the local residents described as revenge attack, armed clan militiamen sprayed worshipers with bullets in a mosque in Somalia's semi-autonomous state of Puntland, killing at least four and wounding two others.

Source: allAfrica.
Link: http://allafrica.com/stories/201106221339.html.

Hundreds rally to protest of rejection of new political party in Russia

The government refuses to register the People's Freedom Party, or PARNAS, which seeks to unite Russia's fractured opposition, citing flaws in its charter. Hundreds turn out to protest that action in Moscow's Pushkin Square, calling it a political maneuver.

By Sergei L. Loiko
June 26, 2011

Reporting from Moscow—
Hundreds of people turned out in Moscow's Pushkin Square on Saturday to protest the government's refusal to register a new party that seeks to unify Russia's fractured opposition.

The People's Freedom Party, known as PARNAS, was organized last winter by four of the country's most well-known opposition politicians, all former members of previous Russian governments: Mikhail Kasyanov, Boris Nemtsov, Vladimir Ryzhkov and Vladimir Milov.

The often-amended legislation on political parties is difficult to follow and easy for bureaucrats to interpret the way they see fit: In the last four years, nine liberal parties have been denied registration on various technicalities.

Last week's rejection appeared no exception: The Justice Ministry found some flaws in the party's charter and detected some "dead souls" — dead people and youngsters not of age — registered among the required 45,000 membership.

The opposition called it a political decision by a Kremlin that doesn't want a strong opposition party on the ballot in December's parliamentary elections. Organizers alleged that the authorities harassed many party members across the country, compelling them to drop their names from the party lists.

The State Department promptly expressed its concern, urging Russian authorities "to investigate the reports of irregularities in the PARNAS registration process."

"We are troubled by reports of pressure from authorities in the regions designed to intimidate PARNAS supporters, prompting them to resign positions or disavow their signatures on required lists," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said last week on the State Department's website.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev insisted he saw no political motives behind the decision and advised PARNAS leaders to correct the mistakes in the registration papers and try again.

Addressing the Pushkin Square crowd on a hot, sunny Saturday afternoon, Nemtsov said Kremlin officials didn't register the party because they were "mortally scared" of the competition. He called Medvedev's advice to correct the papers "an outright deception and hypocrisy."

"All over the country [the authorities] were summoning people and telling them to write a letter denying their party membership: Write this letter, please, they said, or else you will lose your jobs and your children will not be admitted at universities," Nemtsov said.

The opposition vowed to take the case to court. In April, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, overruled a 2007 decision in Russian courts to disband the Republican Party — organized by Ryzhkov, now one of the PARNAS four. Russian legislators are preparing a bill that would enable Russian courts to ignore the Strasbourg decisions in some cases.

Source: Los Angeles Times.
Link: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-russia-protests-20110626,0,2584833.story.

The Bedouin of Sinai: Free but dangerous

WARNING: Article contains propaganda!

* * * * *

Since Egypt’s revolution, the Bedouin of Sinai have been able to do as they like.

Jun 23rd 2011

HUNKERED inside his fortified compound, North Sinai’s governor, Abdel Wahhab al-Mabrouk, a military man, plans his counter-attack against the peninsula’s rebellious Bedouin. Since the Egyptian uprising five months ago, they have thrown off the yoke of Egypt’s police and are determined to keep it that way. “We’ll kill them if they return,” says a Bedouin sheikh. General Mabrouk has recently repainted one of four police stations in his provincial capital, el-Arish, which the Bedouin torched. Plans for restoring another are in hand. But on the streets outside the governor’s building, uniformed police venture out only under an army escort.

The chaos may be the governor’s best ally. Hospitals are crowded with the victims of tribal vendettas. Notices tied to lamp-posts record the names of women who have disappeared. Traders load their guns before setting off to do business, for fear of highwaymen. In the early hours of June 22nd two Egyptian soldiers were shot dead by masked gunmen in a main street of el-Arish. If such lawlessness continues, hopes an adviser to the governor, everyone will be begging for the police to come back and restore order.

Such hopes are, for the time being, forlorn. The Bedouin of Sinai loathe the old order. Talk to an adult male Bedou in North Sinai, and the chances are he will tell you he has been in prison, sometimes in solitary confinement in a cell too small to sit down in. For years Egyptian bureaucrats from the Nile Valley have refused to let the Bedouin register their land. Checkpoints dotting Sinai’s rocky wastelands prevented the Bedouin from reaching their area’s main cash-cows: the peninsula’s tourist resorts, its oil installations and its giant cement factory. The government buildings that the Bedouin ransacked during the revolution are still littered with security files.

Most Bedouin leaders now prefer to rely on their own people to keep order. For decades, outsiders have manipulated their hierarchies and handpicked their sheikhs; now they are selecting their own. Control over smuggling routes linking Africa to Asia has provided them with enough guns and cash to keep the governor and his heavies away. A businessman robbed of $250,000 found it more sensible to appeal to Bedouin leaders than to the local courts, bereft of police to enforce rulings. “We can’t really arrest anyone any more,” moans the hapless governor.

Few Bedouin say they want to rid Sinai of Egyptian rule altogether, though the more wistful wonder whether Western powers might yet set up a Bedouin dynasty in Sinai as they did with the House of Saud in the Arabian peninsula. The more pragmatic Bedouin want a new contract with the state, including a degree of local autonomy, access to government and army jobs that have long been denied to them, and an amnesty from the sentences passed on them, often in absentia.

The governor has met tribal leaders and freed a few hundred prisoners. Egypt’s justice ministry has signaled its readiness to release others who have served half their terms. Egypt’s post-revolutionary prime minister, Essam Sharaf, has even paid el-Arish a visit, the first holder of his post to do so for years. But Bedouin leaders damned it as a cheap photo opportunity while, away from the cameras, Egyptian generals seemed intent on reviving the old order. “We’re not in the business of legitimizing smugglers, terrorists, drug barons and outlaws,” says an intelligence officer.

In frustration, some Bedouin have resorted to sabotage. Within hours of Mr Sharaf’s departure, a bomb blew up an unguarded pipeline that supplies Israel and Jordan with gas. They may yet attack South Sinai’s oil installations and tourist resorts, and perhaps the Egyptian “guests”—workers whom the government settled on Bedouin territory in an effort to cement the state’s grip. Attacks on cars with Nile Valley license-plates are getting more frequent. The head of a women’s association in Nakhl, an isolated Sinai town, fled back to the main bit of Egypt after 30 years. Bedouin protesters recently cut the road, albeit briefly, between Cairo and the tourist resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

The governor denies reports that the vacuum in Sinai’s rocky land, which has around 400,000 inhabitants, has been filled by 400 al-Qaeda men. But he accuses Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement, and Hizbullah, the Shia party-cum-militia that holds sway in southern Lebanon, of spotting a chance to stir up trouble. He adds that Salafist groups, who follow the puritanical Saudi model of Islam, have flourished since Hosni Mubarak’s fall. A bomb recently destroyed the walls of Sinai’s main Sufi shrine, but the dome miraculously dropped intact over the tomb.

Seeing threats in every corner, the governor has turned to the secret police, who have survived the uprising remarkably unscathed. By warning that the chaos may spill across the eastern border, he has persuaded Israel to allow 3,000 Egyptian troops into eastern Sinai, which, under the Camp David accords of 1978 that provided for Israel’s withdrawal, is a demilitarized zone. Egyptian military vehicles now proliferate, though Egyptian soldiers have taken a hands-off approach to the Bedouin for fear of being dragged into a domestic squabble with them. The governor toys with the idea of a heavier crackdown, but it is plain that only a political agreement has a chance of restoring calm and preventing the pesky Bedouin from soliciting outside support, which would make Sinai even more dangerous.

Source: The Economist.
Link: http://www.economist.com/node/18867450?story_id=18867450.

Officials: 2 Egyptian policemen killed in Sinai

By ASHRAF SWEILAM, Associated Press – Jun 22, 2011

EL-ARISH, Egypt (AP) — Security officials say unidentified assailants have killed two policemen and wounded another two when they opened fire on their patrol in northern Sinai.

The officials said the shooting happened early Wednesday when the gunmen opened fire on a two-vehicle police patrol in the Egyptian city of el-Arish.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Security has for months been tenuous in northern Sinai, with Bedouins involved in human trafficking to Israel challenging the local police.

Attempts by authorities to bring the area under government control are being met with resistance from the heavily armed Bedouins.

Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Syria reinforces northern border as Turkey loses patience with Assad

Advance on Khirbet al-Jouz seen as a warning after Ankara seeks reforms and end to crackdown on Syrian protesters.

Martin Chulov, Istanbul
Saturday 25 June 2011

Syrian officials have ordered military units to step up patrolling near the Turkish border in a warning to its increasingly irate northern neighbor not to establish a buffer zone inside Syria.

Diplomats in Ankara and Beirut believe the Syrian advance on the border village of Khirbet al-Jouz, initially portrayed as a sweep against dissidents, was a veiled threat to Turkey, which is steadily turning on President Bashar al-Assad as his regime's crackdown on dissent continues.

In the wake of Assad's speech last week, Turkish officials gave him one week to start reforms and stop the violent suppression of protests, which is estimated to have killed more than 1,400 people in less than four months. At least 18 were killed and dozens more wounded during nationwide protests on Friday – a relatively low toll compared with the past few Fridays. But the pattern of activists being attacked by the security forces remains the same.

British government officials traveled during the week to the south of Turkey to interview Syrian refugees. A Foreign Office official told the Observer that diplomats are compiling accounts of what happened in Jisr al-Shughour and the villages around it during the first two weeks of this month, when the Syrian army mounted a series of raids, followed by an assault that led almost every resident of the 41,000-strong town to flee, first for the nearby hills, then to Turkey.

Among the allegations being investigated are claims that Iranian soldiers operated alongside Syrian units – especially the Fourth Division of the army, which is led by Assad's brother Maher and has a reputation for ruthlessness.

The European Union last week adopted sanctions against three leading officers of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, among them Qassem Suleimani, commander of the elite Al-Quds force, who is widely regarded as the leader of all the Iranian military's clandestine missions abroad.

A senior diplomat in Beirut said on Friday that intelligence agencies had evidence that Iran sent weapons to Syria, but had not yet determined whether there had been an actual Iranian presence at demonstrations.

In a further sign of Turkish unease with Damascus, officials from the country's Red Crescent who run the five refugee camps along the border no longer seem to be banned from talking to reporters. Embarrassment to Syria has clearly become less of a concern.

Refugee accounts are being used to compile a referral to the international criminal court, which will be asked to prosecute Assad and key regime officials for crimes against humanity. The referral is being prepared by several rights groups, including Insan, which is also compiling testimonies from defecting Syrian soldiers.

Turkey's growing diplomatic anger at Syria has made Istanbul an attractive hub for the Syrian opposition movement, which has received scores of defectors in recent weeks. Beirut, which is less than three hours' drive from Damascus and offers easy access to Syrian citizens, is now considered too dangerous for anti-regime dissidents. "It is a clearing house only," said one Syrian activist who directs a network of dissidents across the border. "There are many ways that the regime can get to people here – they don't even have to be here themselves. They just use their proxies."

One Syrian journalist who fled to Beirut has told the rights group Avaaz of his capture by Lebanese military intelligence officers. The journalist says he was seized from a coffee shop in Jounieh, 25km north of Beirut. He said he was first asked by a stranger to step outside for a conversation, then seized and taken to a fetid barracks where he was interrogated for several days.

"During the days I spent in Beirut, some other Syrian activists were kidnapped and extradited to the Syrian security police," he said. "The Lebanese authorities have also captured the few fugitive Syrian soldiers who had fled Syria through the borders, and then turned them in to Syria, claiming that it had to because of the security agreement signed between the two countries."

At least 1,000 refugees crossed into Lebanon at the Wadi Khalled border point on Friday, including five men with gunshot wounds, after an assault on the Syrian city of Homs, according to Lebanese officials. A resident of the border village told the Observer that Syrian army units had opened fire towards the wounded as they attempted to enter Lebanon.

Source: The Guardian.
Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/25/syria-border-turkey-president-assad.

Family sit-in for 15th day at Royal Court

2011-06-19

AMMONNEWS - A family consisting of 5 members have been on a sit-in in front of the Royal Hashemite Court in Amman for 15 consecutive days.

The family was spotted protesting in front of the Royal Court during the retired military veterans' protest earlier on Sunday.

Asked of the reason for their sit-in, the father said that the family submitted a petition to the Royal Hashemite Court and are staging a sit-in until they hear a response.

"Gotcha" asked the family for further information on their cause, but the father preferred not to disclose further information, saying "We want a direct response from the Royal Court to meet His Majesty King Abdullah because no one would listen to our cause other than him."

Source: Ammon News.
Link: http://en.ammonnews.net/article.aspx?articleNO=12485.

Differences over Syria unrest deepen 'crisis' of Jordan's political elite

By Thameen Kheetan

AMMAN - Divisions have surfaced among Jordan’s elite over the ongoing unrest in the northern neighbor Syria.

Many writers, academicians and activists have engaged in a series of tit-for-tat statements, reflecting conflicting positions on street demonstrations in Syria, which President Bashar Assad described as part of a foreign “conspiracy”.

Several Jordanian figures and groups have denounced the northern neighbor's Baath regime for “crimes and oppression” against civilians who demonstrate calling for democracy and freedoms.

Others, however, voice fears that such a conflict in an Arab country that has backed Palestinian and Lebanese resistance movements against Israel would affect the region’s balance of power in favor of Tel Aviv.

A group of 72 writers published a statement on news websites criticizing what they described as the “silence of the administrative commission” of the Jordanian Writers Association (JWA) over the news from Syria, where over 1,200 people are reported to have been killed by security forces since the eruption of protests some three months ago.

The association, for its part, voiced “surprise” over the resignation of three of its leading members, insisting that it stands against the “oppression and cruelty that is being practiced against the Arab people in Syria, Yemen, Bahrain and Libya”.

For JWA President Soud Qbeilat, “Jordanians follow what is happening in Syria with concern,” because, he said, Syria has openly adopted anti-Israeli positions and any threat to this country will automatically tilt the balance in Israel’s favor.

“People are with democratic change in the Arab world, but when it comes to the Syrian issue, we are talking about the fight against Israel,” he explained, charging that the US and its allies in the region are taking advantage of the unrest to pressure Damascus “to bow to Israeli interests”.

He said some of those who criticize the JWA have “suspicious” positions and relations with the West.

“If the Syrian regime goes, the alternative is the unknown,” noted Qbeilat.

But for the other camp, a natural alternative is one that guarantees public freedoms, maintaining, at the same time, the will of people in resisting the “Israeli threat”.

Division, no division

“There is a clear division,” remarked renowned cartoonist Imad Hajjaj, who has drawn several caricatures denouncing Assad and supporters of his regime.

One of his drawings earlier this month in Al Ghad daily depicted a group of people representing the “role of intellectuals” lining up to shake hands with a blood-handed dictator.

“I am very much frustrated by the role of some intellectuals… who have attempted to polish the image of the [Syrian] regime and cover up for its crimes using unacceptable excuses,” Hajjaj told The Jordan Times.

But a researcher at the University of Jordan’s Center for Strategic Studies, Mohammad Abu Rumman, who has also taken the side of Syria’s popular uprising, does not see “any substantial division” inside the local elite circles on Syria.

“Only a handful of writers say they are with the Syrian people but against the ‘conspiracy’… What conspiracy is bigger than suppressing the people?” Abu Rumman asked.

The analyst, who is also a leading columnist at Al Ghad, was one of several figures who launched a campaign to boycott a dinner last month hosted by Syrian Ambassador in Amman Bahjat Suleiman to explain his country’s stance regarding the unrest.

“What is alarming is not their position on Syria, but their position on democracy in general,” Abu Rumman said, adding that “it is unacceptable that you call for democracy here but stand against it there”.

The writer said Damascus’ stance in support of the resistance in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon was “good”, but warned that the Syrian regime “will not be able to succeed in the battle with Israel when it continues to crackdown on its people”.

“This limited group of people have failed the test of democracy,” noted Abu Rumman.

Young activist Firas Mahadin, who is a member of the March 24 Youth Coalition that calls for political reforms and more freedoms in Jordan, insisted that speaking in favor of Syria is a matter of opinion that should be respected.

The self-proclaimed nationalist filmmaker explained: “It is a matter of different points of view, but some groups just do not accept the others’ opinion.”

Stressing that he, too, calls for democracy in Syria, Mahadin alleged that what is currently happening is a “sectarian-based” movement that aims to “dismantle the state in Syria in a way that serves Israel”.

Media professor at Al Hussein Ben Talal University in Maan, Bassem Tweisi argues that the Jordanian elite is treating the Arab Spring on the basis of their different ideologies.

“This explains the double standards in certain cases.”

“The Kingdom’s political elite is incapable of formulating a democratic and political discourse to replace the existing ideological one,” he remarked, adding that this “will further deepen the elite’s crisis”.

21 June 2011

Source: The Jordan Times.
Link: http://www.jordantimes.com/index.php?news=38704.

Odwan's resignation sparks political crisis - observers

By Taylor Luck

AMMAN - When Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Taher Odwan announced his resignation on Tuesday, the surprise move signaled a deepening political crisis, according to observers.

Odwan, who resigned in protest over a package of legislation referred by the Cabinet to the Lower House, dealt a blow to a government already reeling from alleged corruption cases and the recent resignation of two ministers.

In his letter of resignation, Odwan criticized the proposed legislation, namely amendments to the Press and Publications Law, Anti-Corruption Commission Law and the Penal Code as undermining reform efforts and contradicting the media strategy completed one day earlier.

Denouncing the package of laws on the eve of the opening of the extraordinary session of Parliament, Odwan’s announcement signals rough days ahead for Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit, says Fahed Kheitan, Arab Al Yawm chief editor and political analyst.

“This is a blow to an already weak government in the midst of a deep political crisis,” Kheitan said.

Odwan’s resignation represents much more than the loss of the face for the government, said Nawaf Tal, director of the University of Jordan’s Center for Strategic Studies.

According to Tal, Odwan was a key member of Bakhit’s inner circle, along with Minister of Agriculture Samir Habashneh, and a respected reformist in a largely conservative Cabinet.

Losing a liberal figure who influenced the decision-making process leaves Bakhit without a key ally at a time when several key pieces of legislation are to go before Parliament and pro-reform demonstrations are heating up.

“With one member of the inner circle out, it means that this government is a sinking ship,” Tal said.

The way in which Odwan ended his tenure as minister speaks volumes about the way in which the Cabinet works, and calls into question its ability to follow through on reform pledges, according Oraib Rantawi of Al Quds Center for Political Studies.

“This is not just a resignation, it’s a scandal,” Rantawi said.

“If this Cabinet cannot build a consensus among its members, how can we trust it to reach a national consensus on reform?” he asked.

The departure of the minister has also intensified the focus on the brewing political crisis over the release of convicted tycoon Khaled Shahin to receive medical treatment abroad, a potent symbol of corruption in the public mind, which has already led to the resignation of the ministers of health and justice.

“Bakhit has lost the public trust and this latest resignation has killed all chances of him gaining it back,” said columnist Hassan Barari.

Parliament showdown

The impact of the veteran journalist’s departure will be felt far beyond Amman’s 4th Circle area, where the Prime Ministry is located, according to observers.

The government’s future may hinge on the way Odwan’s resignation plays out in the extraordinary session of Parliament, which is quickly becoming the frontline in a battle of wills between the two authorities, observers said.

Beleaguered by the casino case, dogged by conflicting statements on the Shahin controversy and down three ministers, the prime minister is expected to receive less than a warm welcome from deputies.

The timing of Odwan’s resignation and his denunciation of the package of legislation presented before lawmakers left Bakhit further weakened before an emboldened Lower House fighting to regain its credibility in the eyes of the public, according to analysts.

“This is a minister resigning; you can’t defend these laws in front of Parliament,” Kheitan said.

With potential parliamentary elections on the horizon, deputies are likely to use Odwan’s resignation as ammunition in an effort to prove themselves as a check on the executive authority, according to Barari.

“Bakhit is going to suffer from parliamentarians who will take advantage of the situation to prove that he is not up to the job,” Barari said.

Jamil Nimri, Irbid MP and president of the House’s National Guidance Committee, said that without Odwan, a popular and respected figure among lawmakers, the premier will have a tough time before the Lower House.

“The government really surprised us with this package of laws and it seems that they surprised themselves,” Nimri said.

According to Nimri, the concerns raised in Odwan’s letter of resignation regarding the proposed legislation’s impact on media freedoms will “definitely” influence deputies’ votes.

“The government is in a tough spot and it is going to have a lot to answer for,” Nimri added.

Reshuffle in the cards?

Pundits agreed that with the government spokesman’s resignation, it is a matter of when, not if, Jordan will soon see a new government.

Kheitan believes Odwan’s departure opens the door to further resignations, and perhaps even a mass walkout.

“There are some ministers who haven’t agreed with all the Cabinet’s decisions who may take the opportunity to leave,” he said.

With the National Dialogue Committee’s reform recommendations set, the constitutional review panel’s work is about to be completed and the extraordinary session of Parliament opened, a Cabinet reshuffle is more likely in the cards, according to Barari.

“A reshuffle is a necessity in order to restore public trust in the political process. But the question is: What type of government will we get?” Rantawi said.

With speculation abound over Bakhit government’s expiry date - with forecasts ranging from days to weeks, analysts agreed that whoever occupies the Prime Ministry in the next few months will likely face an uphill battle.

“The next government, irrespective of who the prime minister is, is going to have a very rough time getting their agenda across,” Tal said.

23 June 2011

Source: The Jordan Times.
Link: http://www.jordantimes.com/index.php?news=38769.

Algiers hosts children's book fair

2011-06-23

The 4th International Children's Book Fair opened Tuesday at several sites across Algiers, El Moudjahid reported on Wednesday (June 22nd). Held under the theme "Free Your Imagination", the week-long event will present over 3,000 titles.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2011/06/23/newsbrief-05.

Denmark recognizes Libyan rebels

2011-06-23

Denmark on Wednesday (June 22nd) became the latest country to recognize Libya's National Transitional Council (TNC). "Our fears that competing groups will try to take over the country have been shown to be unfounded," Politiken quoted Danish Foreign Minister Lene Espersen as saying after talks with TNC chief Mustafa Abdul Jalil in the rebel-controlled city of Benghazi.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2011/06/23/newsbrief-02.

Colombian women among Kadhafi fighters, rebels say

Misrata residents tell Magharebia that they captured Colombian mercenaries fighting for Kadhafi.

By Asmaa Elourfi for Magharebia in Benghazi – 23/06/11

Moamer Kadhafi's government is using Colombian mercenaries to fight revolutionary forces, according to Misrata residents.

The rebels alleged that they captured several Colombian women belonging to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in the early days of the Libyan uprising.

"We found women of Colombian origins and they were armed," said Mourad al-Misrati, an employee at the Central Hospital in Misrata. He explained that he participated in the arrest of one woman, and that he later traveled to Benghazi to accompany a wounded friend seeking treatment in the rebel capital.

"One of the revolutionaries sneaked his way through the back stairs of the building and arrested her. The local council released her because she was a woman and after she promised to leave," al-Misrati said. "However, we were surprised with her returning to rooftops where she was targeting the revolutionaries again after she received weapons from Kadhafi's battalions. When she was arrested for the second time, she was placed at a special prison in Misrata with the other captives."

The revolutionaries said they were taken aback to discover that some of Kadhafi's snipers were women.

"There are a lot of women in Misrata who were recruited by Kadhafi to defend him," al-Misrati asserted. "It is said that he had brought them when they were little and trained them. They are loyal to him because he raised them. Therefore, they are prepared to die for him."

Youssef Afat, a journalist at a Misrata radio station, said that "five women snipers were arrested, two at Ben Salah apartment building and three at al-Taemeen apartment building. However, according to revolutionaries' sources, those who were arrested at Ben Salah apartment building were not armed; they were there just to satisfy the desires of soldiers who were there."

"But there were other women snipers like the three who were arrested at al-Taemeen," he said. "They were from Serbia, Columbia and Mali."

Steel plant employee Haitham al-Sahati was wounded in the clashes and also reported Colombian fighters in Misrata.

"We found 15 Colombian women snipers and 20 others from African countries. They were arrested at Tripoli Street while carrying weapons and ammunitions. The battalions were supplying them with weapons and food. At that time, Tripoli Street was under the control of the battalions," al-Sahati said.

He added, "However, they were arrested, and there were others who were killed in the battle. The rest were detained in a place in the city, but I don't know where it is. When I was wounded in an armed clash with the battalions, I was transferred to Misrata hospital. They then transferred me to Benghazi to receive treatment. Therefore, I don't know what happened to those ill-mannered women snipers."

But Benghazi resident Marwan al-Tashani said that there was no evidence of the claims. "There are no such women in Benghazi. It is said that they are members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which have been fighting the Colombian government since 1960."

The Colombian terror group has long-standing ties with the Kadhafi regime. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos told German news magazine Der Spiegel in April that Kadhafi had offered FARC $300 million to buy weapons. He said he did not know if the group had ever received the funds.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/06/23/feature-02.

European aid routed through Egypt to Gaza

Jun 19, 2011

Al-Arish, Egypt - Members of a European humanitarian aid mission carried supplies into the blockaded Gaza Strip via Egypt's Sinai Peninsula Sunday.

The aid, brought by the Miles of Smiles ship, was unloaded at al-Arish port, 45 kilometers from the Rafah border crossing, port director Gamal Abdul-Maqsoud told the German Press Agency dpa.

Trucks loaded with 12 ambulances, medicines and food for infants entered the enclave via the Rafah border crossing along with 62 international activists.

Egypt opened the crossing indefinitely on May 28 after four years, lifting restrictions on women, children and men over 40 or under 18 years.

The crossing was closed in 2007, after the Palestinian movement Hamas seized control of Gaza. Since then, Egypt has occasionally opened it for three- or four-day periods.

Israel relaxed its blockade of the strip last year, allowing some civilian goods through, while maintaining a naval blockade.

Source: Monsters and Critics.
Link: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1646366.php/European-aid-routed-through-Egypt-to-Gaza.

Ban Ki-moon gets nod for second term as UN Secretary General

BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhuanet) -- The UN Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution recommending UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon be elected for a second term. Andrew Dupuis has the story.

Gabon's UN ambassador Nelson Messone made the announcement to the press after the 15-nation Security Council met behind closed doors to consider the recommendation for the appointment of the UN Secretary-General.

Ban expressed gratitude in a statement after the nomination, saying he appreciates the confidence and support, and is proud of what has been accomplished during his time as head of the UN.

Ban said, "I am deeply honored by the unanimous vote of the Security Council to recommend me to the General Assembly for a second term as Secretary-General. With this recommendation by the Security Council, I will humbly put myself for consideration by the General Assembly. It is an immense privilege to serve this great organization as Secretary-General, and I am grateful for the confidence and support."

UN officials say the full UN General Assembly is expected to hold a formal vote next week.

Ban Ki-Moon's re-election required the approval of all five permanent members of the Security Council.

Last Monday, the 66 year old announced his formal application to serve a second consecutive term.

Ban began his current five-year term in January 2007, and if re-elected, he'll run the organization until the end of 2016.

The UN General Assembly is expected to confirm the appointment on June 21st.

Source: Xinhua.
Link: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/video/2011-06/18/c_13937099.htm.

Tunisian court convicts Ben Ali nephew

2011-06-22

Ousted Tunisian President Zine El Abedine Ben Ali's nephew on Tuesday (June 21st) was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison, TAP reported. A Beja court convicted Sofiane Ben Ali of writing more than 600,000 dinars worth of fraudulent checks to several Tunisian farmers.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2011/06/22/newsbrief-03.

Jobless Mauritanians receive land grants

2011-06-22

Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz on Tuesday (June 21st) inaugurated the country's 2011-2012 agricultural campaign, APA reported. The Rosso ceremony included the distribution of land to 125 unemployed graduates. The agricultural grants are part of the national plan to involve youth in the economic life of the country.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2011/06/22/newsbrief-05.

Spain aims at military-civilian satellites

Madrid (UPI) Jun 22, 2011

Spain is on track to become the first European country to have a dual Earth observation system, radar and optical, for both civilian and military use.

Defense Minister Carme Chacon said radar technology installed on the satellite, which is totally of Spanish design and manufacture, will enable up to 100 images of the Earth's surface to be taken per day at a resolution of up to 1 yard.

In three years' time, this capacity will be joined by that of the Ingenio satellite and its optical technology.

"With the Paz and Ingenio satellites, our military will have their own observation systems, thus multiplying our autonomy in terms of obtaining information and better protecting the interests of Spain," she said.

Chacon made her remarks at a formal presentation of the Paz satellite this month.

The presentation ceremony took place at a facility of EADS CASA Espacio, and was attended by the Chief of Defense Staff Jose Julio Rodriguez; State Secretary for Defense Constantino Mendez; and the Secretary-General for Industry Teresa Santero.

Officials from Hisdesat and Astrium Espana were also in attendance.

The Paz satellite was ordered from Hisdesat by the Ministry of Defense at the end of 2007 under the National Earth Observation Plan to meet the operational requirements of the Spanish armed forces.

Hisdesat contracted the design and manufacture of the satellite to EADS CASA Espacio, meaning this is the first time that the Spanish space industry has undertaken the challenge to build a satellite of this size and complexity to be assembled and manufactured entirely in Spain.

Chacon stressed that the Paz satellite, which will be in orbit in 2013, will be able to detect the position of any ship in the world that could possibly become the victim of hijacking through an automatic AIS identification system. It also will enable the tasks of border control monitoring, the verification of international treaties, the monitoring and assessment of natural disasters and environmental control to be carried out more easily and effectively.

"The Paz satellite will multiply the operational capabilities of our armed forces both within and beyond our borders," she said.

Spain's aerospace industry was credited for the innovation that made such progress possible.

"Thanks to the support from the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade, we have traveled the long and arduous path to creating a satellite fitted with sophisticated technology that will enable our country to play a very important role in the field of high-resolution satellite imaging," Managing Director of Hisdesat Roberto Lopez said.

Hisdesat said the satellite will be launched from Russia near the end of next year.

The Paz satellite, which has been designed for a 5 1/2-year mission, measures about 6.5 feet in height and about 3.8 feet in diameter. It has a total weight of nearly 3,100 pounds.

Spain's National Institute for Aerospace Technology is responsible for developing the terrestrial aspects of the program, which include control and monitoring stations in Torrejon, near Madrid, and Maspalomas in the Canary Islands, as well as data processing and storage centers.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Spain_aims_at_military-civilian_satellites_999.html.

Iranian opposition daily resumes work after 15-month ban

Jun 18, 2011

Tehran - An Iranian opposition daily resumed work on Saturday after a 15-month ban.

The license of the newspaper Etemad (Trust) was revoked in March last year, but a Tehran court this month ruled in favor of its renewed publication.

Etemad owner Elias Hazrati, a former reformist-oriented parliament deputy, wrote in an editorial Saturday that he was lucky that 'a fair judge' ordered the resumption of his daily's publication.

Hazrati said in the editorial that, despite its critical approach, the daily would respect national interests and not challenge the establishment.

Former president Mohammad Khatami praised the restart of the daily and hoped that it would continue to inform its readers 'truthfully.'

Reformist dailies in Iran are usually closed under the pretext of having insulted religious and political figures or fomenting public discord and working outside the press law. Such charges led to Etemad's closure.

The local press is restricted in reporting about the opposition. Foreign media have been banned since July 2009 from directly covering activities by the opposition, especially its street protests.

The government has accused some foreign media of having staged a 'soft war' against the Islamic establishment, through false and exaggerated reports about internal political rifts.

Source: Monsters and Critics.
Link: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1646249.php/Iranian-opposition-daily-resumes-work-after-15-month-ban.

Iranian Parliament Rejects Ahmadinejad's Sports Ministry Candidate

June 21, 2011

Iran's parliament has rejected the candidate of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad as the first-ever sports minister of the country, dealing the president a fresh blow on an increasingly fractious political scene.

Fars news agency reported that more than 55 percent of the deputies rejected the nomination of 43-year-old Hamid Sajadi, an Asian champion long-distance runner in the 1990s.

The move was another signal of the parliament's opposition to the president. Ahmadinejad had explicitly asked legislators to approve the minister and the new ministry as being in the national interest.

Meanwhile, Iran's deputy foreign minister, Mohammad Sharif Malekzadeh, has resigned under pressure from hard-liners and lawmakers who sought to impeach him. Fars reported that his resignation had been accepted.

Ahmadinejad was recently chastened by parliament amid ambitious cabinet reforms when lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to report him to the judiciary over "illegally" trying to put himself in charge of the Oil Ministry. The parliamentary move came after the powerful Guardians Council rebuked him on the same topic.

He has also clashed publicly with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who ordered the reinstatement of Iran's intelligence chief, Heyday Moslehi, after Ahmadinejed dismissed him.

After a prolonged hiatus from official appearances, the president took the unusual step of downplaying talk of a rift with Khamenei in a state television interview in mid-May.

Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE / RL).
Link: http://www.rferl.org/content/iran_parliament_rejects_ahmadinejad_sports_ministry_candidate/24241617.html.

China: Libyan rebels increasingly represent public

BEIJING (AP) — China's foreign minister sought to bolster ties with Libya's rebels on Wednesday, telling the opposition leader that his Transitional National Council represents a growing segment of the Libyan public.

Yang Jiechi's remarks to Mahmoud Jibril on Wednesday were China's strongest endorsement of the council yet, marking an attempt to hedge China's bets over the outcome to the Libyan conflict and dealing a further diplomatic setback to Moammar Gadhafi.

"Since the Transitional National Council was formed, it has become more representative by the day and is becoming an important political force," Yang said, according to a statement issued by the ministry.

"The Chinese side regards it as an 'important dialogue participant,'" he said.

Yang repeated China's stance that both sides in the conflict should stop fighting and negotiate a political settlement. China would not seek to gain from the conflict and regards it as an internal matter to be settled by the Libyan people, he said.

"China hopes that both sides in the conflict will ... truly give peace a chance," Yang said.

Beijing has criticized the NATO bombing campaign in support of the rebels. Yet, recent weeks have seen Beijing engage with the rebels in an indication that China regards a victory for Gadhafi as far from certain.

According to the ministry, Jabril responded to Yang by saying the council appreciated China's "active role" in resolving the crisis. He pledged in future that the council would "take necessary measures to protect Chinese personnel and property in areas under its control" — a reference to China's extensive economic interests in Libya prior to the conflict.

After fighting began, China was forced to evacuate 35,000 of its citizens working in Libya, while China-backed deals such as a half-finished public housing project being built by state-owned contractor China State Construction Engineering Corp., were abruptly put on hold. Other Chinese engineering, telecommunications and energy companies also face massive losses.

Estimates of China's investments in Libya before fighting began run as high as $18 billion.

Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

End of consultation on political reforms ordered by President Bouteflika

21 June, 2011

ALGIERS - The political consultations ordered by the head of state Abdelaziz Bouteflika to reform his country ended Tuesday as scheduled after a month, it was learned from official sources, but they were boycotted by large opposition groups.

Senate President Abdelkader Bensalah surrounded by two presidential advisers surveyed a host of parties and leaders to hear their suggestions or demands.

"The meetings planned with political parties and personalities have been completed but the forum for consultations on the reforms will continue to work to develop a report to be delivered to the president," told AFP a source close to the proceeding.

In a speech April 15, Bouteflika announced reforms in response to the wave of social and political protest that shook Algeria in the wake of the Arab revolt.

"The department held an average of three meetings per day. It has received political parties except the Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD), the Socialist Forces Front (FFS) and Socialist Workers Party (PST)" said the source.

The RCD has rejected the initiative, calling it "monologue against change" while the FFS found the reforms "not credible".

Many organizations and personalities, including former head of state Ali Kafi (1992-1994) have followed their path, the latter holding that "the regime does not want real change."

The parties of the ruling presidential alliance presented their suggestions, including the National Democratic Rally (RND) of Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia in favor of a presidential term limits.

Bouteflika had removed during a partial revision of the constitution in 2008, limiting to two the number of successive presidential terms which allowed him to have a third five-year term in April 2009.

These consultations should lead to proposals. Bouteflika will present his final version, which the government will submission to the National Assembly in September.

Source: Ennahar.
Link: http://www.ennaharonline.com/en/news/6888.html.

India restores military exchanges with China

(TibetanReview.net, Jun20, 2011) India and China are resuming their military ties with the dispatch by the latter of a army delegation on Jun 19, reported AFP Jun 17. The ties had remained frozen since Jul 2010 after China refused to provide visa to the of India’s Northern Army Command, which has Jammu and Kashmir under its jurisdiction, saying he controlled a disputed territory. India retaliated by calling off all military exchanges between the two sides, including by canceling a Chinese officer’s scheduled visit.

China controls a sliver of Kashmir and regards the region, which is also split with Pakistan, as disputed territory.

India is now sending an eight-member delegation headed by Major General Gurmeet Singh who heads the Delta Force, part of a specialized anti-insurgency unit deployed in Kashmir. China now does not seem to have a problem issuing a visa. The report said the delegation will travel to Beijing and Xinjiang (East Turkestan) on a six-day visit.

The report cited media reports as suggesting the decision to resume defense cooperation was reached during talks between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese President Hu Jintao in China in April.

The resumption of military exchange with India takes place in the backdrop of China’s recent new assertiveness and angry exchanges with Vietnam and Philippines over disputed archipelagos which are both strategic and also said to be rich in oil, gas and fish resources.

Source: Tibetan Review.
Link: http://www.tibetanreview.net/news.php?cat=10&&id=9105.

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei: Free in body, not voice

Thursday, June 23, 2011

BEIJING (AP) — Outspoken artist and government critic Ai Weiwei talked about giving himself a haircut Thursday but said little else in his first day out of detention, living under a gag order that underscores concerns about China's growing use of extralegal methods to muzzle dissent.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Ai was released from nearly three months of detention late Wednesday after confessing to tax evasion and pledging to repay the money owed. His family denies the allegations and activists have denounced them as a false premise for detaining an artist who spoke out against the authoritarian government and its repression of civil liberties.

The Foreign Ministry said the conditions of Ai's parole require him to report to police when asked and bar him from leaving Beijing without permission for one year. A ministry spokesman did not mention the gag order, but ever since his unexpected release, Ai has told the foreign reporters thronging the gate to his suburban Beijing workshop and home that he is not allowed to talk.

On Thursday, he emerged from the doorway with freshly cut hair and wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with his name in giant black letters.

"I cut my own hair, looks more spirited," he explained in Chinese. But he said he couldn't give any interviews or say anything about his case.

"Of course, it's great to be home," he said.

In a sign of Ai's continued appeal among some Chinese, several supporters showed up outside his compound Thursday, despite a police presence. Two Chinese men pasted posters, one in English and other in Chinese, that read "I love you Ai Weiwei" to the door of his compound.

In a phone conversation, Ai's wife Lu Qing, said Ai had been forbidden to discuss conditions of his detention and release and was being followed by plainclothes officers whenever he left the house.

"It may take a few days to get back to reality," said Lu, who with Ai's mother had been called to pick him up from a police station on Wednesday afternoon.

Internationally renowned for mocking, satirical art, the 54-year-old Ai became the highest profile casualty in a spring crackdown to stop Chinese from imitating the democratic uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa. Dozens of rights activists, lawyers and others have been detained, put under house arrest or disappeared, and several of those who have been released have kept almost totally silent ever since.

Like some others detained, formal charges against Ai have never been announced.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters at a regular press briefing that Chinese investigators alleged Ai "evaded a huge amount of taxes and intentionally destroyed accounting documents."

Hong said authorities decided to release Ai because of his "good attitude in confessing his crimes and because of the chronic disease he is suffering from and his repeated expression of his willingness to pay the taxes he has evaded."

Human rights groups and Chinese legal experts, however, noted that even if the allegations were true, economic crimes are usually handled by fines.

Beijing-based rights activist and lawyer Pu Zhiqiang said Ai's detention was "politically motivated, and so is his release."

"The whole incident is only 'legal' in appearance," said Pu, a friend of Ai.

Jerome Cohen, a top expert on Chinese law at New York University, wrote in an editorial posted to the website of NYU's U.S. Asia Law Institute that Ai's release "has little to do with the rule of law, but everything to do with the untrammeled exercise of discretion enjoyed by Chinese authorities."

Cohen told The Associated Press authorities could reopen the case at any time, meaning Ai faces the ever-present threat of being detained again on the same accusations.

Ai's detention put a famous face on the crackdown the authoritarian Chinese government has vigorously pursued with little regard for China's laws. The U.S. had urged the release of the former New York resident, as did other Western governments.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed Ai's release, but said it "can only be a first step" to clearing the charges in a legal way, her spokesman said late Wednesday.

Amnesty International called on China to account for four of Ai's colleagues who have also gone missing. A driver, Zhang Jinsong, was expected to be released Thursday, said a studio employee who spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared official retribution. There was no word on the fate of the other three: studio assistant Wen Tao, accountant Hu Mingfen and designer Liu Zhenggang.

Why authorities chose to release Ai now remains unclear. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will soon travel to Hungary, Britain and Germany, and was likely to have heard loud calls for Ai's release, but the government has generally resisted such appeals.

Ai has also benefited from residual affection in the party for his father, one of China's most beloved modern poets.

On Thursday, China's government released another prisoner: Xu Zerong, a Hong Kong-based political scientist sentenced in late 2001 to 10 years in jail for leaking state secrets and another three years for illegal business operations. Rights groups say the main charge against him was that he had obtained and copied books on the Korean War and provided them to a scholar in South Korea.

Ai fearlessly challenged the government before his detention. He blogged and Twittered constantly on subjects including the deaths of students in shoddily built schools that collapsed during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake; children killed or sickened by tainted infant formula; and a deadly high-rise fire in Shanghai that killed 58 and was blamed on negligent workers and corrupt inspectors. He had also kept an informal tally on Twitter of people who disappeared into police custody.

Ai's Twitter account has remained dormant since his release. The last posting is from April 3, just before he disappeared.

Associated Press reporters Isolda Morillo and Christopher Bodeen contributed to this report.

Medical Crisis Worsening in Gaza

By Eva Bartlett

GAZA CITY, Jun 19, 2011 (IPS) - "During the first years of the siege, we could still manage, but nowadays we have no alternatives," says Dr. Hassan Khalaf, Deputy Health Minister in Gaza. "It is a major crisis: many health services have stopped, and I'm afraid this will spiral out of control, because Gaza doesn't have the essential medicines and supplies needed."

Cancer, kidney, heart and organ transplant patients, as well as patients needing routine surgeries, including eye and dental surgery, have been suffering for the last five years under the Israeli-led, internationally-backed siege of the Gaza Strip. Year by year, the warnings of Gaza's health crisis grow more dire, with the latest warning from Gaza's Ministry of Health stating the Strip is at emergency levels of medical supplies.

Following the democratic elections in 2006 that brought Hamas to power in Gaza, the population has been constrained under a siege which bans food items, construction materials, and school supplies among thousands of items. Medical supplies and equipment do not escape the blacklist, for years now depriving Palestinians in Gaza of basics like baby formulas, antibiotics, and MRI and X-Ray machines, which Israel reasons could be used for "terror" purposes.

While alarming zero-stock levels of drugs were already being reported in 2007 – when 80-90 drugs of the 480 deemed essential were at zero - Palestinian physicians could still find ways around the shortages. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in November 2008 reported that "medical staff try to cope by using the next best solution which is not always a good one - for example, if they need tubes for a medical procedure, they will use a tube size smaller or bigger than the appropriate one." While the alternatives were not optimal and could result in inadequate and painful treatments, there were at least alternatives. But with each year of the total siege on Gaza, particularly after the 23 days of Israeli war on Gaza in 2008-2009, the already dilapidated medical system in Gaza has been rendered more sickly. During the Israeli war on Gaza, Israeli warplanes bombed over half of Gaza's hospitals, as well as 44 clinics and the medical storage facility of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.

In February 2011, an Israeli bombing destroyed a medical warehouse in Jabliya. "We lost a large amount of stocks we had finally received from Ramallah just a few days prior to the bombing," says Dr. Khalaf.

In June 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a call for "unimpeded access into the Gaza Strip of life-saving medical supplies, including equipment and medicines, as well as more effective movement of people in and out of the territory for medical training and the repair of devices needed to deliver appropriate healthcare and respond to the population's humanitarian health needs."

But prolonged shortages of medical supplies have set-off new alarm bells.

"During 2008, Gaza received less than half of the needed medicines and supplies," says Dr. Khalaf. The WHO reported that in 2010 Gaza received even less, only 40 percent of the Strip's needs transferred to Gaza. "As of now, in 2011 we've received only third of what is needed," says Khalaf.

With years of delays by both the Israeli-led siege and the Ramallah Health Ministry, Gaza's zero-stock items list - now at 180 items - has grown as has the number of items temporarily re-stocked in hospitals and clinics.

"We're missing painkillers and anesthetics, cancer and epilepsy drugs, antibiotics, infant formulas, medicines for dialysis, even rubber gloves," says Khalaf.

The ministry's warning is echoed by the WHO, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), which noted on Jun. 13 that Gaza has not received medical supplies since February 2011. PCHR reports that the medical shortages affect "ICUs, nurseries of premature infants; operation rooms; anesthesia and recovery; emergency; cardiac catheterisation; hematology and oncology; nephritic diseases; and pediatrics."

According to Dr. Khalaf, hundreds of patients await "eye surgeries, endoscopic, vascular and pediatric surgeries, and neurosurgery" among others.

A group of Norwegian doctors surveyed Gaza's hospitals and clinics in February this year. Their study, reported in the Lancet, highlighted the difficulties for cancer patients in Gaza who receive only part of their chemotherapy treatments. Many have died as a result.

"Oncologists said 100 of 260 cancer patients at Gaza's largest hospital were unable to receive effective treatment because the required combination of several drugs was not obtainable," reported the Lancet.

To alleviate the current medical crisis, the ICRC on Jun. 14 gave its stocks of medical supply to hospitals in Gaza. The Ramallah-based Ministry of Health announced it would send medical supplies from its warehouses and that Egypt would soon send essential medicines.

Having dealt with the issue of delayed and banned medical supplies for years, the Ministry of Health in Gaza sees this as a temporary and insufficient fix.

"Israel and the Ramallah government hold mutual responsibility for Gaza's medical crisis," says Dr. Khalaf, citing Israeli obstacles and delays on permissions and shipments via the Israeli-controlled crossings as well as what he says is the Ramallah Ministry's intentional negligence.

"When international donors first cut aid to Gaza, it was resumed via the Ramallah government, with the understanding that Gaza receives 40 percent of the total donations, according to our population needs," he says.

This system worked until the ministry in Ramallah stopped coordinating with the ministry in Gaza, relying instead on its own contacts in Gaza.

Dr. Khalaf believes neither the Israeli siege nor the Ramallah government's reluctance to send medical supplies to Gaza could occur without international compliance. "It is intentional, it's part of the siege on Gaza's government," he says. "The international donor countries and Ramallah Health Ministry give us temporary, interrupted solutions."

Whether or not it is intentional, the severe lack of medical supplies harms Gaza's 1.5 million residents, not the Hamas government.

Source: Inter-Press Service (IPS).
Link: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=56141.

Experts Fear Israeli Design to Balkanize Arab States

Analysis by Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani

CAIRO, Jun 18, 2011 (IPS) - Developments in Libya have raised fears among Egyptian analysts and political figures of the possible break-up of the North African nation into two warring halves. To support the assertion, they point to longstanding Israeli designs - supported by the western powers - to balkanize the Arab states of the region.

"Libya could be split in two, with Gaddafi staying on in the west of the country and a revolutionary government loyal to the western powers in control of the east," Mohamed al-Sakhawi, leading member of Egypt's as-yet-unlicensed Arabic Unity Party, told IPS.

For three months, Libya has suffered internationally sanctioned air-strikes by the western NATO alliance, launched with the stated aim of supporting the ongoing popular uprising against the Gaddafi regime. Revolutionary forces based in Ben Ghazi now hold most of the country's eastern half, while forces loyal to Gaddafi continue to control the country's western half from the capital Tripoli.

Yet the fact that NATO - despite its overwhelming air superiority - has so far failed to dislodge the Gaddafi regime has led many local observers to question the western alliance's intentions.

"The western campaign against Libya wasn't undertaken to protect human rights or foster democracy," said al-Sakhawi. "It was launched with the aim of breaking Libya up politically so as to prevent the unification of three revolutionary Arab states - Egypt, Libya and Tunisia - which together might pose a threat to Israeli regional dominance."

Walid Hassan, international law professor at Alexandria's Pharos University, agreed for the most part, saying that NATO - with Israeli encouragement - "hopes to replace Gaddafi with rulers loyal to the west in advance of breaking the country into small statelets, as they are doing in Iraq.

"The primary objective is to weaken the Arab states of North Africa, which, if they ever united, would represent a potential threat to Israeli and western interests," Hassan told IPS. "Libya's significant oil wealth, of course, constitutes a secondary reason for the intervention."

Al-Sakhawi pointed to the region's century-old legacy of balkanization at the hands of foreign powers.

"The 1916 Sykes-Picot agreement between Britain and France drew artificial borders across the region and fragmented the Arab world into nation states," he said. "And in recent years, the drive to further balkanize the Arab world - by Israel and the western powers - has only accelerated."

Egyptian analysts point to several proposals written to this effect by Israeli strategists, the most well known of which is a 1982 treatise entitled "A Strategy for Israel in the 1980s." Written by Oded Yinon, then a senior adviser for Israel's foreign ministry, the essay explicitly calls for breaking up the Arab states of the region along ethnic and sectarian lines.

"The Zionist plan to politically fragment the Arab Middle East so as to keep Arab states in a perpetual state of instability and weakness has been well known for the last three decades," Gamal Mazloum, retired Egyptian major-general and expert on defense issues, told IPS.

While the Yinon document does not devote much space to Libya, it talks in detail about the need to divide Iraq, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon into small, ineffectual statelets.

"The dissolution of Syria and Iraq later on into ethnically or religiously unique areas… is Israel's primary target on the eastern front in the long run," the author writes. For Yinon, oil-rich and ethnically-diverse Iraq - which he describes as "the greatest threat to Israel" - constitutes a chief target.

"In Iraq, a division into provinces along ethnic/religious lines… is possible," he writes. "So, three states will exist around the three major cities: Basra, Baghdad and Mosul, and Shiite areas in the south will separate from the Sunni and Kurdish north."

As for Egypt, Yinon calls for breaking the country up into "distinct geographical regions." The establishment of an independent Coptic-Christian state in Upper Egypt, he writes, "alongside a number of weak states with very localized power and without a centralized government…seems inevitable in the long run."

Yinon goes on to mention Sudan in similar terms, describing it as "the most torn-apart state in the Arab-Muslim world today…built upon four groups hostile to each other: an Arab-Muslim Sunni minority which rules over a majority of non-Arab Africans, pagans and Christians."

According to Mazloum, political maneuvering in recent years by Israel and the western powers - both overt and covert - appears to conform to this strategy of balkanization.

"Israel and the U.S. have both helped break up Iraq by encouraging the emergence of an independent Kurdish state and fostering Sunni-Shiite division," he said. "And in Sudan, Israel actively contributed to the war between north and south by providing the latter with weapons and military training."

Southern Sudan is set to declare independence from the northern Khartoum government next month in a move that will officially split Africa's largest country in two.

"Israel has an interest in breaking up Sudan and instigating sectarian strife in Egypt so that the latter is faced with crises on both its internal and external fronts," said Mazloum. "Israel and its western patrons are determined to keep Egypt - the most populous Arab nation by far - in a state of perpetual weakness so that it cannot aid the Arab cause in places like Palestine and Iraq."

Earlier this month, Mohamed Abbas, a leading member of Egypt's Revolutionary Coalition Council (RCC), likewise warned of an ongoing "conspiracy" aimed at breaking Egypt into three petty states. The RCC consists of several political movements that played prominent roles in Egypt's recent Tahrir Uprising.

"This conspiracy is part of a wider scheme to fragment the Arab states - as has happened in Sudan, is happening in Libya and has been attempted in Iraq - in order to render Egypt so weak that the Zionist entity will be sure to remain the dominant power in the new Middle East," Abbas was quoted as saying by independent daily Al-Shorouk on Jun. 4.

Source: Inter-Press Service (IPS).
Link: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=56140.

Iranian foreign minister faces impeachment

TEHRAN, June 21 (UPI) -- The Iranian foreign minister said Tuesday he appointed a new deputy after lawmakers started impeachment proceedings against him.

Iranian lawmakers submitted documents to impeach Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi because he picked a deputy, Mohammad Sharif Malekzadeh, whom Iranian officials said had a criminal record, state broadcaster Press TV reports.

Iranian law requires the signatures of 10 members of the 290-seat parliament in order to start impeachment proceedings against a sitting minister. A motion to impeach Salehi was submitted Tuesday with 33 signatures.

The broadcaster notes Malekzadeh backed away quickly in what was seen as an attempt to thwart the impeachment.

Salehi said he appointed Iran's former ambassador to Indonesia and Zimbabwe Behrouz Kamalvandi as his new choice for deputy.

Ali Larijani, the speaker of the Iranian Parliament, said the impeachment process would go forward unless lawmakers revoke the motion against Salehi.

The move comes as leading clerics and senior figures in the Revolutionary Guards have move away from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Ahmadinejad has been at odds with the country's top clerical leader, Ali Khamenei, following a series of spats regarding investigations into Ahmadinejad's inner circle.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/06/21/Iranian-foreign-minister-faces-impeachment/UPI-61441308669601/.

Bahrain hiring mercenaries, scholar claims

WASHINGTON, June 21 (UPI) -- Mercenaries from Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan are being recruited by officials in Bahrain to help restore security to the country, a Saudi scholar claimed.

Bahrain is under increasing scrutiny for the response by the Sunni minority leadership to a Shiite uprising in the country. Doctors without Borders claimed that Bahraini security officials were using hospitals as torture chambers as part of a crackdown.

Ali al-Ahmad, director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs, told Radio Australia's Contact Asia program that the royal family was recruiting mercenaries from Asia to help with its crackdown.

Ahmad said there were no Shiites in the national security forces. Given the fact that Sunnis are in the minority, he said, the country has a "need to import mercenaries" from other places.

He claimed "the majority of them" are coming from Pakistan, though he said he's seen reports of some from countries such as Somalia, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Washington was criticized for its support for Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. Bahrain, however, was recently added to the country's list of human rights abusers.

Bahrain had called on Saudi and other forces to help restore security early this year. Victoria Nuland, the spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, said Bahrain, as a sovereign state, has the right to ask for outside support though Washington felt dialogue was the best way forward.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/06/21/Bahrain-hiring-mercenaries-scholar-claims/UPI-22041308675189/.

Bahrain accused of abuse inside hospitals

GENEVA, Switzerland, June 20 (UPI) -- Security forces in Bahrain turned one of the country's main hospitals into a torture chamber, an official with Doctors without Borders said.

Bahrain is facing international criticism for its response to a Shiite uprising against the country's ruling Sunni minority.

Officials with Doctors without Borders claim security forces in the country routinely beat patients at the Salmaniya Medical Complex who suffered injuries during anti-monarchy rallies.

Jonathan Whittall, head of Doctors without Borders' mission in Bahrain, was quoted by London newspaper The Independent as saying torture was routine in the country's hospitals.

"The security forces basically took control of the (Salmaniya) hospital on March 17 when tanks moved outside and set up checkpoints for anyone entering or leaving," he said. "Inside, many of the wounded with injuries that could have been sustained during the protests were taken to the sixth floor, where they were beaten three times a day."

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay described the March seizure by security forces of the hospital as "shocking and illegal conduct."

Bahrain has been able to silence much of the anti-monarchy sentiments. The country called in support from neighboring countries to help respond to demonstrations.

Washington was rapped for its steadfast support for Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. The government last week, however, included the country on a list of human rights abusers.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/06/20/Bahrain-accused-of-abuse-inside-hospitals/UPI-83351308590497/.

Ben Ali, wife convicted by Tunis court

2011-06-21

Ousted Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and wife Leila Trabelsi were sentenced in absentia by a Tunis court to 35 years in prison and fined 25 million euros, TAP reported on Monday (June 20th). The convictions for misappropriating public funds stem from $27 million in cash found in their Sidi Dhrif palace. A second case related to weapons, narcotics and archaeological artifacts discovered in the Carthage presidential palace will begin June 30th.

Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia on January 14th. He remains there, despite an Interpol arrest warrant. According to the prime minister, Saudi authorities have not responded to Tunisia's request to extradite the deposed president and his wife.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2011/06/21/newsbrief-01.

Mauritanian refugee repatriation incomplete

2011-06-21

Mauritanian rights activists on Monday (June 20th) called for the repatriation of the last remaining refugees from Senegal and Mali, PANA reported. In a statement issued in Nouakchott to mark African Refugee Day, the Forum of Human Rights Organizations (FONADH) said that some 5,000 Mauritanian refugees were still in Senegal, with another 9,000 in Mali.

Repatriation operations began in 2008, following the three-party agreement between Mauritania, Senegal and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Some 20,000 Mauritanian refugees returned from Senegal before the program ended in 2010. The black Mauritanian refugees were expelled to Senegal during the 1989-1991 racial purges.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2011/06/21/newsbrief-05.

Morocco launches constitutional referendum campaign

From enthusiasm to skepticism and utter disappointment, Moroccans met the king's reform plan with mixed reactions.

By Siham Ali for Magharebia in Rabat – 21/06/11

Morocco's constitutional referendum campaign got under way on Tuesday (June 21st) and will run for ten days before the decisive vote on July 1st.

Political parties will visit the kingdom's 16 provinces to convince Moroccans to vote for or against the changes announced by King Mohammed VI last Friday.

In his landmark address to the nation, the sovereign pledged to mold "a distinctively Moroccan constitutional model" with enhanced powers of the prime minister, who will become "head of the government".

He "will be appointed from the party which wins the general elections, thereby confirming that the government will result from direct universal suffrage", the sovereign announced.

Article 19, which has been a point of heated debate, will be divided into two parts. The first part concerns "the exclusive religious powers of the King, Commander of the Faithful and President of the Higher Ulema Council", whereas the second part "specifies the status of the King as head of state and the country's supreme representative", the sovereign announced.

The legal age of the king will be elevated from 16 to 18. The parliament will "have greater powers in terms of control over the government, especially as the government will be accountable only to parliament ", the king said.

The new legislative body will also represent Moroccans living overseas and "set up a special system and effective mechanisms for parliamentary opposition in order to enhance its status".

Parliamentary immunity will be restricted "to the expression of opinion only", and the High Court of Justice for cabinet members will be abolished to ensure "the principle of equality of all citizens before the law and the judiciary".

On the question of identity, the king promised to institutionalize the Tamazight language.

"The official character of the Tamazight language will be gradually implemented through an organic law, which will specify the ways and means of integrating it in teaching and in basic public sectors," the monarch said.

The reform plan drew sharply divided reactions from civil society and politicians. Thousands of critics and supporters poured into streets across the kingdom on Sunday.

The draft can only inspire pride in Moroccans as it meets the expectations of the nation while incorporating the proposals of political parties and trade unions, according to National Democratic Forces Front Secretary Thami El Khyari.

Communication Minister Khalid Naciri underlined that the king had handed over some of his powers to the government and parliament in order to meet the expectations of the public.

The February 20 Movement holds a different view, claiming the king's pledge to create a constitutional monarchy did not go far enough. The draft does not really bring about a true separation of powers and does not satisfy the demand for a parliamentary monarchy, argued group member Najib Chaouki.

Meanwhile, average citizens entertain a mixture of hope, satisfaction and fear.

"Having heard the king's speech and read the new constitution, I think it's a big improvement compared to the current one," senior executive Salwa Gandouzi told Magharebia. "But its provisions still have to be implemented. There are several laws that exist but are not enforced in practice. The separation of powers will happen when the various parties concerned are put to the test."

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/06/21/feature-02.

Jordan information minister quits over 'restrictive' laws

Tuesday 21/06/2011

AMMAN (AFP) -- Jordan's Information Minister Taher Adwan said on Tuesday he has resigned because of laws he deemed "restrictive for freedom of expression."

"I submitted my resignation today to Prime Minister Maaruf Bakhit in protest at a government decision" to debate new press and publication laws in parliament that he opposed, Adwan told AFP.

"In addition, MPs will debate proposed anti-corruption and penal laws. I consider these laws restrictive for freedom of expression."

King Abdullah II on Monday ordered parliament to convene in an extraordinary session from Wednesday to discuss a series of temporary laws.

Describing the proposed legislation as a "blow to the reform drive" and "martial laws," Adwan, who joined the government in February, condemned "the repeated attacks on journalists who are doing their professional duties."

"Such attacks completely contradict political reform efforts, which cannot be achieved without a democratic climate of press freedom," Adwan said in a statement to AFP.

Adwan has condemned an attack on AFP in which 10 men broke into its Amman offices on Wednesday and destroyed furniture and equipment, after the news agency was among several foreign media to report that part of the king's motorcade had been stoned during a visit to a southern city.

The reports were vigorously denied by the palace, government officials and MPs from the city.

"Violence against journalists and their offices cannot be justified, under the pretext of loyalty and nationalism," said Adwan, a veteran journalist who was the editor of Al-Arab Al-Yawm independent daily.

"There is leniency towards attacks on the media that are being exploited to create chaos in the country, which could lead it to the same swamps in which some regional regimes have drowned."

Source: Ma'an News Agency.
Link: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=398653.

Tunisia may recognize Libya rebels

Tunisia opened a trade office in Benghazi as part of increased ties with Libya's opposition.

By Monia Ghanmi for Magharebia in Tunis – 20/06/11

The chairman of Libya's Transitional National Council (TNC) visited Tunis on Saturday (June 18th) as part of efforts to win recognition of the rebel government.

"The humanitarian aid that the people and government of Tunisia have offered, and the brotherly positions that they have taken, far exceed the issue of recognizing the TNC," rebel leader Mustapha Abdel Jalil said after meeting with Interim Tunisian Prime Minister Beji Caid Essebsi.

The TNC chairman noted that several Arab states have recognized the council as the sole representative of the Libya people. Abdel Jalil added, "We've now come to matters that are much greater than recognition, and our arrival in Tunis at an invitation from the President of Tunisia is in itself recognition."

After lauding the assistance provided by Tunisia to displaced Libyans, the rebel leader expressed his optimism about the future of Libyan-Tunisian relations, noting that Tunisians would have the greater share in the reconstruction of Libya in the post-Kadhafi era. Tunisia opened an office in Benghazi on Monday (June 20th) to facilitate trade.

"The war has delayed many stages in Libya, and the country will certainly witness development in which Tunisian labor will play the greater role and will have the greater share because we need your experience," Abdel Jalil said.

He also praised the Tunisian revolution, describing it as the initiator of the Arab Spring.

However, no official position has been so far expressed by Tunisia to confer recognition of Libya's TNC although the head of Tunisian government said in interview with Al Jazeera satellite channel last week that the Tunisian government was prepared to recognize TNC as the only legitimate representative of the Libyan people.

The TNC chief denied media reports that cited Libya's Prime Minister al-Baghdadi al-Hammoudi as saying that Tripoli had opened dialogue with TNC representatives.

"We won't accept any attempts of mediation or talks unless they are on Kadhafi's departure," Abdel Jalil said.

Abdel Jalil also met with Interim President Foued Mebazaa who confirmed that Tunisia would stand besides the Libyan people as they lived through a difficult time. Mebazaa said last Tuesday (June 14th) that "the Libyan danger is still there."

"In spite of all the security arrangements we have made, we still arrest infiltrators everyday sent by Kadhafi against us at the Tunisian-Libyan border," the interim president said.

Tunisia recently stepped up security on the border, with military reinforcements arriving at the Libyan frontier on Tuesday (June 14th) after renewed shelling by pro-Kadhafi forces, according to Tataouine resident Abdelbasset Jemni. Residents also said they saw Tunisian warplanes patrolling the skies above the border for the first time on Tuesday.

The Tunisian army remained along the border "supported by the necessary supplies to protect the sanctity of Tunisian national soil", according to Brigadier General Mokhtar Ben Naceur. He added that several military patrols were formed to conduct surveillance operations "to prevent any infiltration or smuggling to national soil".

But Tunisians living near the boundary said that they no longer felt secure with the continued war between the Libya rebels and pro-Kadhafi forces.

"We are afraid, especially of the battalions that are stationed in thousands near the border," said Mohamed Ali Brissi. "They have dangerous weapons that can destroy whole cities."

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/06/20/feature-01.

Moroccan youth call for further protest after royal speech

2011-06-19

Morocco's pro-reform February 20 Movement called for nationwide protests on Sunday (June 20th), two days after King Mohammed VI addressed the nation and revealed constitutional reforms, international press reported. According to the movement, the proposed reforms fail to meet demands for a true separation of powers. Also at issue is the proposed July 1st referendum, which the movement says is too soon and leaves little time for a real debate, BBC reported.

In his speech on Friday, the king pledged to create a constitutional monarchy, limiting his power and prerogatives and giving the prime minister and parliament more executive authority, establishing an independent judiciary, and recognizing Amazigh language alongside Arabic as an official language.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2011/06/19/newsbrief-03.

EgyptAir to resume flights to Iraq after 21-year gap

Sun Jun 12, 2011

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's national carrier EgyptAir will resume flights to Iraq in mid-July after they were halted following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, an top official said on Sunday.

EgyptAir, one of Africa's largest airlines, will operate four weekly flights to Baghdad and three flights to north Iraq's Erbil area as of July 15, 2011, said Hussein Massoud, chairman of the EgyptAir holding company.

He said flights to the Iraqi capital will be operated on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays with a 145-seat Airbus A320 aircraft.

Source: Reuters.
Link: http://af.reuters.com/article/investingNews/idAFJOE75B06020110612.

Iraq citizens plan to sue George W. Bush

BAGHDAD, June 16 (UPI) -- An unknown number of Iraqis have decided to sue former U.S. President George W. Bush over relatives who were killed in the war, officials said.

Aswat al-Iraq reported Thursday the suits are to be based on U.S. military operations in west Iraq's Anbar Province during the years that followed Iraq's occupation in 2003.

"I have lost five of my sons in the first and second battles in 2004 … what was the guilt of my sons, who were killed by the American Army," said Najim al-Mohammady, 53. "There isn't a single house in Anbar whose family had not lost a martyr or two.

"Hundreds of relatives of martyrs, who lost their sons, have decided to raise a judicial case against the former American president, and we shall assign a number of lawyers to revenge for part of the sacrifices made by Iraqis and to account the occupier for his acts," Mohammady said.

One man said two of his sons were killed inside his home in an attack by U.S. troops.

Shawla Taha, 32, said U.S. soldiers killed her brother.

"The Iraqi political blocs and parties are after gains and raise red papers to expel those who they don't wish from the Parliament, but we shall act according to the law to restore the rights of our sons from the American Army, who killed them and to account those who were in power in the Iraqi government and supported them," Taha said.

Mohammady didn't say when or where the lawsuits would be filed.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2011/06/16/Iraq-citizens-plan-to-sue-George-W-Bush/UPI-45711308230207/.

China confirms extradited Uighur facing terror charges

Tue Jun 14, 2011

(Reuters) - China on Tuesday confirmed that an ethnic Uighur schoolteacher faces terror charges after being extradited from Kazakhstan where he had won refugee status.

Human rights advocates criticized Kazakhstan's decision to deport Ershidin Israil, saying he could suffer harsh treatment and even torture in China, which says its far west Xinjiang region faces threats from militants seeking independence for the heavily Muslim Uighur minority.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei confirmed that Israil was now in Chinese custody.

"The person in question has been wanted by Chinese police as major terror suspect, and was also a target of a red-alert wanted notice from Interpol," Hong told a news conference.

"I understanding that this person has been extradited back to China, and now the case is being tried according to the law."

Hong did not say what specific accusations Israil faces.

Chinese President Hu Jintao has been visiting Kazakhstan and Beijing has sealed a currency swap deal worth $1 billion with its Central Asian neighbor and agreed to a $1.5 billion loan to a copper miner, highlighting China's growing economic pull in the region.

Israil, who holds a Chinese passport, was arrested in Kazakhstan's financial capital Almaty on June 24 last year on terrorism charges, following a request from Interpol, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said last week.

The exiled World Uighur Congress said Israil fled Xinjiang in 2009 after providing information to Radio Free Asia about the death of another Uighur man.

The Turkic-speaking Muslim Uighur people are native to Xinjiang, strategically located on the borders of Central Asia. Many of Xinjiang's 8 million Uighurs resent the growing presence and economic grip of the majority Han Chinese.

In 2009, Uighurs rioted against Han Chinese residents in Xinjiang's regional capital, Urumqi, killing at least 197 people, mostly Han.

Israil had applied for refugee status in Kazakhstan in June 2010. At the time, he held a refugee mandate issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). But after studying Israil's case, the UNHCR annulled on May 3 its refugee mandate issued to Israil, a Kazakh official said.

(Reporting by Chris Buckley)

Source: Reuters.
Link: http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/06/14/idINIndia-57688420110614.

Tahar Belabes: Algerian youths need motivation

An Algerian labor rights defender calls on authorities to heed young people's demands and take bold measures to curb unemployment.

Interview by Fidet Mansour for Magharebia in Algiers – 17/06/11

A young jobless man's suicide in Ouargla last week sparked a wave of protests and brought to the fore the persistent problem of unemployment in the southern Algerian town. Despite the abundance of natural resources, the city is unable to put educated youths to work. To address the paradox, Magharebia sat down with Tahar Belabes, a spokesman of the National Committee for the Rights of the Unemployed (CNDDC).

Magharebia: Can you tell us about your organization and the reasons why it was created?

Tahar Belabes: The CNDDC fights for unemployed people's moral and material rights. The committee, set up on February 4th, 2011, is an autonomous and democratic forum, open to all people, male and female, who support our plans and demands.

Our main demands include decent work, unemployment benefits worth 50% of the national minimum wage, total transparency in the advertising of jobs, plus an end to military service for 25-year-olds and the reduction of military service to a period of 6 months.

Magharebia: Over recent days, life in Ouargla has been dominated by youth protests pressing for work and a decent living. What is the situation in the region like now?

Belabes: It is very tense; the authorities have deployed a lot of security forces out on the streets. The city is on lockdown, in response to the anger of young people who took to the streets and organized rallies and sit-ins. The authorities have done nothing to calm these angry people. The doors to dialogue were shut, just as the news of the first suicide attempts started leaking through on the streets of Ouargla.

On Thursday (June 9th), a young man aged 30 hanged himself inside his own home. On March 16th, a young man aged 20 took his life in the same way in Hassi Messaoud. Meanwhile, activists from the CNDDC are being harassed and prosecuted. We deplore this attitude, which only exacerbates the situation.

Magharebia: Despite a vast number of energy companies, the city suffers from a high unemployment rate. How do you explain this?

Belabes: This is exactly what we oppose. We find it difficult to understand the reasons behind this exclusion. These companies, whether Algerian or foreign-owned, recruit from a very closed circle. In particular, it's closed to young people from the region, under the false pretext of skills. I assure you that more than 50% of the protesters have degrees, but they have been struggling to find work in the oil companies, who prefer to recruit graduates from other wilayas in the north. We're not regionalist, not at all. We are simply demanding our right to work.

Magharebia: Perhaps these companies need technicians in highly specialized areas such as petrochemicals, whereas your wilaya doesn't have an institute or training center that focuses on this sector.

Belabes: For the past seven years, we have constantly been calling for the creation of a petrochemicals institute in Ouargla, but unfortunately the authorities have turned a deaf ear to our continued requests. Every year, nearly 45,000 paid jobs are created in the wilaya, mainly in the oil companies. It might seem like a huge number, but in reality it doesn't benefit young people in Ouargla. Moreover, some of these jobs don't require a university education. Why not give young people a chance?

Magharebia: Have you been in contact with local authorities?

Belabes: We have presented a raft of demands to the officials. But once the riot police were deployed, all contact was broken. We fear the worst, and we're turning to the highest powers in the country to react and listen to youths who aspire to a decent life and a bright future. Unemployment is leading our young people into exile through illegal emigration. Algeria needs to hold on to its skills base by guaranteeing people the minimum, namely a job and a decent income.

Magharebia: Does the committee have any control over the protesters?

Belabes: For now yes, but the truth is that everything will depend on what the authorities do.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/06/17/feature-02.