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.