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Thursday, September 29, 2011

Libyan children to receive treatment in Jordan

2011-05-31

AMMONNEWS - The first group of Libyan children who have been injured during the current unrest sweeping the north African nation will arrive in Jordan next week to receive treatment at Jordanian hospitals.

According to Executive Director of the Jordan Private Hospitals Association PHA, Abdullah Hindawi, a total of 100 Libyan children will receive free treatment and medical care at a number of private hospitals in the Kingdom.

He said the children will arrive in four batches and will be flown by the Royal Jordanian Air Force in cooperation with the Royal Medical Services.

Hindawi added that the injured children were selected by a special Libyan medical committee in coordination with the PHA.

Source: Ammon News.
Link: http://en.ammonnews.net/article.aspx?articleNO=12150.

Eitan Appointed Envoy to Libya's Rebel Council

2011-06-01

AMMONNEWS - Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh on Wednesday appointed Fawaz Eitan to be the Jordanian commissioned envoy in Benghazi.

Eitan will serve as Jordan's first diplomat to Libya's rebel-led National Transitional Council.

Al Eitan will leave Jordan the next few days, official souces said.

The Foreign Ministry's decision comes a week after Amman recognized the National Transitional Council as the "legitimate representative of the Libyan people."

Source: Ammon News.
Link: http://en.ammonnews.net/article.aspx?articleNO=12165.

Govt Stabilizes Fuel Prices, Endorses Teachers' Association Draft Law

2011-05-31

AMMONNEWS - The cabinet on Tuesday approved the draft law to establish a teachers' professional association, and decided to stabilize fuel prices for next month.

In its session headed by Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit on Tuesday, the cabinet endorsed the teachers' professional association draft law in preparation to refer it to the Lower House of Parliament for endorsement during its extraordinary session expected to be held next month.

Also on Tuesday, the Oil Derivatives Pricing Committee in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources decided to stabilize 90 and 95 Octane gas prices, in addition to steady prices of Kerosene and residential propane gas for the time period between June 1st, 2011 until June 28, 2011.

Source: Ammon News.
Link: http://en.ammonnews.net/article.aspx?articleNO=12156.

Jobless Algerian youths launch hunger strike

2011-06-01

Some 50 unemployed youths on Tuesday (May 31st) mounted an indefinite hunger strike in Hassi Messaoud, 800km southeast of Algiers, El Watan reported. The protestors are demanding jobs with Algerian and foreign companies operating in the hydrocarbon-rich region.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2011/06/01/newsbrief-07.

Italy opens Benghazi consulate

2011-06-01

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini on Tuesday (May 31st) opened a new consulate in Benghazi and visited Libya's National Transitional Council (TNC) headquarters. At a joint press conference with TNC foreign affairs chief Ali al-Essawi, Frattini stated that the regime of Moamer Kadhafi was 'finished".

"His aides have left, he has no international support, the G8 leaders reject him, he must go," Frattini said. "We must continue our military pressure (and) strengthen our economic sanctions to ensure that the movement of the Libyan people is irreversible."

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2011/06/01/newsbrief-04.

Mauritanian journalists form rights group

Press workers and activists have joined forces in Mauritania to battle human rights abuses and foster a culture of tolerance.

By Jemal Oumar for Magharebia in Nouakchott – 01/06/11

A group of Mauritanian media professionals and bloggers last week announced the creation of a new club aimed at protecting journalists' rights.

The club, whose vision is inspired by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, seeks "to encourage journalists to write about topics on human rights in their press reports", according to its founding statement released May 22nd.

Journalists "will work on establishing a strong ground for rights values that conform to Mauritania's constitution and relevant laws in order to disseminate a spirit of tolerance, the values of justice and respect of different opinions and to urge press institutions to assume their roles in these fields", the statement read.

According to club president Mohamed Vall Ould Sidi Meila, Mauritanian journalists lack "a rights culture" and "simply go along with the regime's propaganda".

"There are no newspapers or media forums that are directly concerned with the human rights issues that are being discussed in Mauritania now, such as slavery, which still exists in this country although the world is living in the 21st century," he said.

The club hopes to fill this gap by organizing training courses and conferences that "would give journalists an opportunity to understand human rights and respect individuals' peculiarities". "We also hope that the media will keep abreast with the work of human rights organizations in which we are active, such as Mauritania's Initiative for the Resurgence for the Abolitionist Movement (IRA) and organization SOS Slaves," Ould Sidi Meila said.

According to the club chief, the group is not optimistic that the government will welcome their initiative.

"As rights journalists, we don't believe that the ministry concerned will give an administrative permit to our new league," he said. "This is exactly like what happened with other rights organizations that were rejected, and this is specially the case because the leaders of the club are members in known rights organizations."

Still, they are determined to carry on their work by exposing cases of human rights violations. "We're confronting this reality and we reject it," Ould Sidi Meila said.

For their part, rights defenders will contribute by "providing the Mauritanian press with correct information and advising media institutions about their editorial breaches, lack of objectivity and impartiality," said Oubeid Ould Imijen, the general coordinator of the club.

The ultimate target is to "protect the press against being dragged to hate, racism and intolerance", according to Ould Imijen.

Human rights groups in Mauritania, he said, are "paralyzed" and unable to help journalists "regain trust in their profession and try to improve away from any official, party or tribal pressures".

"We rely, first and foremost, on ourselves to accelerate the change in the pattern of journalism and change the mentality of people working in it," he emphasized. "We're also keen on selecting those who desire to join the club, which makes it imperative for those who want to do so to abide by the global values we're espousing. After that, it's necessary to rely on the group because it will set a good example in the field."

The club will award journalists who "dedicate themselves to the defense of basic and collective freedoms", he said.

Women's rights will be among the priorities of the group, said Marieme Aziz, secretary of production and documentation.

"We hope this club will be like a forum for all media professionals and human rights victims in Mauritania, whether women or men," she told Magharebia. "It's considered an extension of our struggle for human rights in this country."

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/06/01/feature-03.

GCC courts new kingdoms

Ahmed Shihab Eldin
01 Jun 2011

Social media commentators analyze Saudi Arabia's proposal to ask Jordan and Morocco to join with Gulf monarchies.

It all started - as many stories do these days - on Twitter.

In May, rumors that Jordan and Morocco might be asked to join the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) spurred a flurry of tweets questioning the motives of Saudi Arabia, the main proponent of the project, and speculating on the respective incentives for this potential alliance.

At dinner tables across the Arab world many gawked at and mocked these apparent rumors. But soon it became clear that not only was this a serious proposal, but also that it could mark the beginning of a seismic shift in regional policy.

Muna Abu Sulayman, a Saudi TV anchor with the MBC broadcasting company tweeted:

New GCC is about ensuring no one has power except Old GCC...Big lesson to Egypt - they have rendered Arab League obsolete

Perhaps her claim is overstated. Still, the initiative can be seen as an effort by the six-nation group to counter the growing influence of Iran and to find new ways of defending common interests following the successful popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.

"This movie is primarily about the internal politics of each country concerned," said Steven Fish, professor of political science at the University of California Berkeley.

"The GCC plus Jordan and Morocco is a coalition of the trembling. Each of the timorous monarchs is far more afraid of his own people than he is of Iran, the United States, or any other external power," Fish told Al Jazeera.

The Iranian threat?

Iran's threat, whether perceived or real, intensified earlier this week when its military announced a new ballistic missile system, demonstrating the country's advances in weapons production.

This followed the February arrival - and Egypt's allowing - of two Iranian warships through the Suez Canal for the first time since the 1979 revolution.

"I don't believe the Iranians take this seriously at all," said Seyed Mohammad Marandi, an associate professor at the University of Tehran.

"Jordan and Morocco are unpopular dictatorial regimes that are firmly in the American camp. These regimes are weak and they are extremely worried about the winds of change sweeping through the region and they are in no position to influence events in the Persian Gulf."

As Iran seems to be strengthening its footing, the region continues to witness unprecedented expressions of revolt from its people. After former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak was driven from power in a popular uprising, many Arab leaders, including those from GCC countries, took steps to appease voices of dissent and opposition.

Kuwait's Emir, Sheikh Sabah al Ahmad al Sabah, ordered the distribution of $4bn and free food for 14 months to citizens, just three days after Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was ousted from power on January 14.

On February 11 in Bahrain, prior to anti-government protests, King Hamad bin Isa al Khalifa ordered approximately $2,500 to be paid to every Bahraini family, according to the state news agency.

In Morocco, one week before anti-government rallies were held, the government announced on February 20 that it would offer approximately $2bn in subsidies to curb price hikes for staples.

And Jordan's King Abdullah, who welcomed GCC leaders to his country on May 9 to wish them "every success in their joint Gulf work to achieve the nations' ambitions and aspirations," dismissed his government and appointed a new prime minister after three weeks of protests over rising food prices and the unemployment crisis.

Saudi Arabia also tried to quell its own voices of dissent, when on February 23 King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz announced $36bn worth of handouts. When this did not succeed in suppressing a flurry of protests across the country, he added another $67bn worth of spending on March 18.

A club for kings

In light of these developments, the GCC countries are hoping to strengthen their base by allowing Jordan and Morocco to join, despite having turned them down in the past.

The idea of solidifying a region-wide alliance and pooling resources from fellow monarchies looks all the more appealing.

Sultan al Qassemi, a UAE commentator on Arab affairs, tweeted:

Basically the GCC is turning into a club for Arab monarchies. #Morocco #Jordan

As the region scrambles to re-align itself within a fast-changing political landscape, the proposal to have Jordan and Morocco join the GCC highlights the anti-revolutionary roots of the group's foundation in 1981.

The GCC was founded in part as a response to the revolution in Iran that took place in 1979 and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Among its main goals were plans to allow citizens to travel without visas and to develop a common currency and trade tariffs. Military cooperation was also one of its aims, but was never achieved, until Saudi Arabia's deployment of troops to Bahrain last month.

Jordan's armed forces, also known as the Arab Army, has more than 100,000 soldiers and the force is considered to be among the most professional and well-trained in the region. They have a relatively sophisticated special forces unit and almost all their equipment comes from the US, France and Taiwan.

Morocco's military, founded in 1956, consists of almost 190,000 active personnel, with a similar number on reserve.

Both countries have well-trained Sunni armies which the GCC can call on to counter the "Iranian threat", which some say is seen in Bahrain's manifestation of civil unrest, as the majority Shia population are protesting against the Kingdom's Sunni-led royal family's rule.

While the Saudis and GCC have much to gain, at least militarily, from allowing Jordan and Morocco to join them, some are still skeptical.

"I don't see what the Gulf is getting out of this," said Ahmed al Omran, a Shia Saudi blogger made famous by his blog SaudiJeans.org.

"Economically Jordan will benefit a lot from this. If it becomes part of the GCC market, their labor force will have access to work freely in the gulf," al Omran told Al Jazeera.

The much-needed economic incentives for Jordan and Morocco are clear. Both countries face high unemployment and serious budget deficits.

But perhaps most tangibly, the largest incentive would be that their citizens would be able to easily work in the Gulf, where employment opportunities are plentiful. Jordan and Morocco, like the rest of the GCC countries, are pro-Western, Sunni-led monarchies, but unlike the Gulf, their per capita gross domestic product is just around $5,000 whereas Saudi Arabia's is $24,200 (2010) and Qatar's, for example, is a whopping $88,000 (2010).

In March the GCC provided Oman and Bahrain with $10bn each over a decade to meet protesters' demands for improved living conditions. This type of cash influx would immediately alleviate some of the economic problems troubling Jordan and Morocco.

Already the US is sending large amounts of money to the two countries. Overall US aid to Jordan this year is expected to surpass $700m, including the economic assistance plan announced last week by president Obama.

It is plausible that part of the reasoning behind the GCC initiative is that Saudi Arabia wants Jordan to know it can rely on Saudi too, not just the United States.

It is unlikely Jordan or Morocco will become full members anytime soon; instead it is likely that they will be granted observer status, which could begin with improved bilateral investments, but still with restrictions on travel and residency.

Still, if the GCC leaders want the Jordanian and Moroccan armies to be ready to die on GCC soil, they will need to provide full economic and travel rights. Currently, it is extremely difficult for Jordanians to get jobs and visas in many Gulf countries.

US role

The US was caught off-guard on January 25 when Egypt's 18-day revolution began. It found itself in the role of a fair weather fan at a sports game, first supporting Mubarak and then quickly siding with the Egyptian people against him.

"There's no question that the Saudi rulers, like other US-allied dictators in the region, despise the Obama administration's quick abandonment of Mubarak and the rapid deterioration of its support for [president Ali Abdullah] Saleh after the popular uprisings started in Yemen," Fish told Al Jazeera.

"The US would aid Saudi Arabia in the event of a real threat from Iran, and Saudi rulers know it. The question is whether the US would protect the Saudi government against its own people. Here, Saudi rulers fear - and rightly so - that the US government would not and could not protect them."

These concerns mark what some are calling the beginnings of a souring in Saudi-American relations.

"There was a big disagreement over Mubarak and Bahrain," al Omran told Al Jazeera.

"Saudis were supporting Mubarak and they did not want him to go, prompting King Abdullah to make two very angry phone calls to Obama in less than two months."

Since then, Saudi Arabia has been campaigning to have other Muslim countries join an informal alliance at the cost of heightening sectarian divisions that would permeate the Arab world.

Should civil unrest sweep across the GCC, Saudi Arabia may fear that the US will, as was the case with Egypt, side with the people against the leader. So, it is looking to pursue new alliances.

The Saudis have been diversifying their exports of oil, rather than solely relying on the United States, which purchases nearly 15 per cent of Saudi's exports (150,000,000 barrels) each year.

"For the last couple years, Saudis have been pushing for a more independent foreign policy, but also economically, they are selling more oil to India, China and Brazil," al Omran said.

Through the potential GCC alliance, Saudi Arabia would inject massive amounts of cash flow into the Jordanian and Moroccan economies, in an attempt to shore up relations with the remaining monarchs in the region.

But as Professor Fish points out: "Obama does not want to be seen as a bully or as a self-righteous preacher; in this respect he aims to differentiate himself clearly from Bush. Saudi aid didn't do Ben Ali or Mubarak much good; nor is it saving Saleh. The uprisings are demonstrating the limits of Saudi financial power to shape events in a region whose people are fed up with tyranny."

Both Saudi Arabia, Iran and the US are vying for influence and trying to protect their interests in the rapidly transforming political scene in the Middle East.

After the announcements by president Obama to relieve up to one-billion-dollars in debt and guarantee another one-billion-dollar loan for Egypt, the Saudis last week pledged to provide Egypt with $4bn US dollars to support its economic recovery.

"I don't think it's really a matter of the US and Saudi Arabia competing for influence in the Arab world," Professor Fish said, "but more a matter of Saudi rulers being more assertive in defending their fellow despots - and, by extension, themselves - given the Obama administration's inability or unwillingness to prop up dictators in the region."

Prince Waleed bin Talal al Saud, a high-profile member of the Saudi royal family, told The New York Times' editorial board recently: "We're sending a message that monarchies are not where this is happening... We are not trying to get our way by force, but to safeguard our interests."

Although the Saudi Arabian ambassador Adel al Jubeir was sitting in the front row during Barack Obama's first speech on the Middle East since the recent uprisings, Obama did not refer to Saudi Arabia once in the speech.

This omission of Saudi Arabia, Washington's closest ally in the region, is indicative of the strained relations between them.

"Truth be told, the Arab revolts are very popular among the American people," Professor Fish said. "Obama and much of Congress are facing elections next year and American politicians do not want to be seen - or characterized by their political rivals - as protectors of despotism."

Hypocrisy and militarization

Obama also made no mention of Saudi Arabia's active support for the crackdown in Bahrain because it was the first instance of the GCC making use of its option to intervene in member countries' conflicts. With Morocco and Jordan in the mix, this ability would be greatly strengthened and make the military option potentially more appealing than negotiations.

Obama spoke about women and freedom in his speech, but did not mention the women's fight for freedom in Saudi Arabia or the sporadic protests across the eastern part of Saudi Arabia.

Malak Jaaphar noted:

@AJStream He gave a shout out to women & freedom but failed to mention Saudi Arabia? Hypocrisy.

As noticeable as Obama's omission of Saudi Arabia was, he reserved some of his harshest words for Iran, accusing them of taking advantage of the turmoil in the region.

"Thus far, Syria has followed its Iranian ally seeking assistance from Tehran in the tactics of suppression. This speaks to the hypocrisy of the Iranian regime," Obama said.

Marandi, the Tehran university professor, accused Obama of trying to justify what he calls "the crimes of the Bahraini and Saudi governments".

"Obama attacks Iran for verbally supporting the oppressed people of Bahrain, yet he is completely silent about the brutal Saudi-led invasion and occupation of the country," Marandi said

Jordan and Morocco's military might aside, the UAE has already taken its own protective measures, hiring a company run by Erik Prince, the billionaire founder of Blackwater Worldwide, to provide "operational, planning and training support" to its military.

Blackwater's $529m contract with the Emirati government to recruit and train a foreign battalion for counter-terrorism and internal security missions highlights the much-desired ability to strengthen the GCC's military capabilities, clarifying the logic behind the potential acceptance of Jordan and Morocco.

Singling out Iran and citing it as a justification is no longer convincing, al Omran said. "The Saudis and other countries in the region use Iran as a bogey man to justify their policies. Everyone is trying to increase his or her influence in the region. They say Iran is meddling in Lebanon and Bahrain - well, the Saudis are too."

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/05/201153073955794306.html.

Malta recognizes Libyan transitional council

Jun 1, 2011

Valletta, Malta - The Maltese government on Thursday officially recognized Libya's Transitional National Council as the 'sole legitimate interlocutor' of the Libyan people.

In a statement, the government said Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi had spoken to council chairman Mahmoud Jibril chairman to inform him of the decision.

For several years, the smallest EU state had close political links with Moamer Gaddafi's regime. Gonzi and Gaddafi held talks in Tripoli just days before the popular uprising.

'Dr Jibril described this decision as a very important step forward which the Libyan people will never forget,' the Maltese government said.

'He added that while he hoped that the Maltese government will eventually decide to go for full recognition, this was a development that was very much appreciated,' it continued.

Abdel Rahman Shalgam, Libya's defected ambassador to the United Nations and today a senior representative of the Benghazi-based Transitional Council held meetings in Malta last week.

The self-appointed interim government is currently only recognized by a handful of countries, including France, Qatar and Italy.

Source: Monsters and Critics.
Link: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/africa/news/article_1642910.php/Malta-recognizes-Libyan-transitional-council.

Jordan pledges support for Libya rebel council

AMMAN May 24 (Reuters) - Jordan's Foreign Minister Nasser Joudeh said on Tuesday the kingdom recognized Libya's rebel council as a legitimate representative of Libya's people and planned to open an office in the rebel-held city of Benghazi.

Joudeh said Amman considered the Benghazi-based Transitional National Council (TNC) had organized a credible interim council that was committed to democracy.

"We consider it a legitimate representative of the Libyan people ... It adopts stances that reflect the demands of the Libyan people and their hopes to move to a new stage," Joudeh was quoted as saying by Petra state news agency.

U.S. ally Jordan last month said it sent fighter aircraft to provide logistical support for the no-fly zone over Libya and to protect aid flights from the kingdom.

It also took measures to freeze financial assets held by Muammar Gaddafi's government.

Rebels are fighting to topple Gaddafi after his 41 years in power. NATO forces are bombing his forces but the conflict has been deadlocked for weeks.

The United States bolstered the credentials of the rebel National Transitional Council as a potential government-in-waiting on Tuesday when a senior U.S. envoy invited it to set up a representative office in Washington. (Reporting by Suleiman al-Khalidi; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

Source: Reuters.
Link: http://af.reuters.com/article/libyaNews/idAFLDE74N1MX20110524.

UN finds war crimes by Gaddafi forces, opposition

* Report follows fact-finding mission in April
* Body urges both sides to respect humanitarian law

GENEVA, June 1 (Reuters) - The United Nations human rights forum said on Wednesday a fact-finding mission in Libya has concluded that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.

It also said the mission found some evidence of war crimes by opposition forces.

"The Commission has reached the conclusion that crimes against humanity and war crimes have been committed by the Government forces of Libya," the Human Rights Council said in a statement.

"The Commission received fewer reports of facts which would amount to the commission of international crimes by opposition forces, however, it did find some acts which would constitute war crimes," the Geneva-based council said.

The 47-member council in April sent a group of independent human rights experts including a former president of the International Criminal Court to Libya to investigate allegations of violations of international human rights law.

The commission's report -- handed to the council on Wednesday -- is based on their meetings with 350 people across the country, thousands of pages of documents and photos as well as hundreds of videos, the council said.

The experts examined allegations of excessive use of force, extrajudicial killings, torture, interferences with freedom of expression, sexual violence and attacks on civilians and the use of child soldiers among others.

"The Commission expressed its concerns with regard to these violations to both sides of the conflict, urging each to fully implement international human rights and international humanitarian law," the council said in its statement.

(Reporting by Juliane von Reppert-Bismarck; Editing by Michael Roddy)

Source: Reuters.
Link: http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFLDE75037P20110601?sp=true.

Lebanon security hit by political vacuum, Syria crisis

By Dominic Evans
BEIRUT | Wed Jun 1, 2011

(Reuters) - Months of political paralysis and a crisis in neighboring Syria have harmed Lebanon's security, a senior U.N. official said on Wednesday, days after a bomb attack wounded six U.N. peacekeepers.

Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams said the attack, which followed the kidnapping of seven Estonians and a deadly incident last month on the Israeli border, was part of an "eroding and deteriorating" security situation.

Lebanon has been without a proper functioning government since January when the Syrian- and Iranian-backed Hezbollah and its political allies brought down the government of Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, who has Western and Saudi support.

Efforts to form a government have made little progress and the 10-week unrest in Syria has escalated tensions. Damascus ended a prolonged military presence in 2005, but remains a powerful player in a country still defined by the political and religious faultlines which fueled its 1975-1990 civil war.

"We see signs of the security situation deteriorating in general, and disturbingly that the institutions of the state are not responding in the way that they should," Williams told Reuters at his U.N. office in the hills above Beirut.

He said the main concern was a political vacuum caused by the lack of government. Although Lebanese are accustomed to protracted wrangling over new cabinets, the current impasse was unusually fraught and likely to drag on for months, he said.

"The risk is greater now. One, because of the absence of a government. Two, because of the crisis in Syria. And three, because there is some fragility now along the Blue Line (U.N.-mapped frontier with Israel)."

The Israeli army fired on a demonstration at the Lebanese border village of Maroun al-Ras two weeks ago, killing 11 Palestinians marking the "catastrophe" 63 years ago of the founding of Israel, security sources said.

Similar protests may take place on Sunday's anniversary of the 1967 war when Israel seized the Golan Heights and West Bank.

FRAYING AUTHORITY

Seven Estonians are still missing after being seized in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley after crossing the border from Syria in March, in a kidnapping which Williams and EU envoy Angelina Eichorst described as a dark reminder of Lebanon's civil war.

In another sign of fraying authority, rival security forces came close to confrontation last week in a standoff at a state-owned telecoms firm when caretaker Telecommunications Minister Charbel Nahhas was denied access to the building.

"It is another indication of the deterioration in the security situation and the inability of state institutions to manage," Williams said.

The political standoff and security fears also threaten Lebanon's economy, with growth projections trimmed, tourism revenues expected to fall, and no progress on Lebanon's plans to explore for oil and gas in the Mediterranean.

"I frankly find it distressing and troubling that the country is losing opportunities now. It's obvious that the economic situation is deteriorating," Williams said.

Friday's bombing of the Italian peacekeepers, one of whom remains "in a very grave condition," was the first such attack in three years on UNIFIL.

"We don't see the attack in isolation," Williams said. "Although it is the first on UNIFIL in a very long time we see the attack in the present security context."

Expressing concern and surprise at Saturday's announcement that Italy -- which has the largest UNIFIL troop contingent -- will cut its peacekeeping force to 1,100 from 1,780, Williams said he would travel to Rome next week for talks.

UNIFIL was expanded to about 12,000 troops and naval personnel under a U.N. Security Council resolution which halted the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war in south Lebanon.

It operates alongside 15,000 Lebanese army troops who are deployed to keep the peace and prevent weapons transfers in an area which is a stronghold of Hezbollah guerrillas.

Despite a deadly border clash last August, Williams said the cessation of hostilities since 2006 had held "remarkably well."

"What's been achieved is stability on the Blue Line and in southern Lebanon for the first time in decades. In a way that is why I am most worried now."

Source: Reuters.
Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/01/us-lebanon-un-idUSTRE7505O420110601.

Russia Warns U.S., NATO Against Military Aid to Syria Protests After Libya

By Henry Meyer, Brad Cook and Ilya Arkhipov
Jun 2, 2011

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the U.S. and European nations not to encourage anti-government protesters in Syria by holding out the prospect of military support like they provided in Libya.

“It is not in the interests of anyone to send messages to the opposition in Syria or elsewhere that if you reject all reasonable offers we will come and help you as we did in Libya,” Lavrov, 61, said yesterday during an interview in Moscow. “It’s a very dangerous position.”

Rallies against President Bashar al-Assad’s rule have swept Syria, inspired by the uprisings that ousted authoritarian rulers in Egypt and Tunisia. Syrian security forces have killed more than 1,100 people and detained at least 10,000, according to human-rights groups. The government blames the protests on Islamic militants and foreign provocateurs.

Russia abstained from the March 18 vote by the United Nations Security Council that authorized the use of force to protect civilians from Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi’s forces, saying the resolution might lead to a “large-scale military intervention.” Operations led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have stretched far beyond the stated goal of enforcing a no-fly zone, Lavrov said.

President Dmitry Medvedev discussed the situation in the Middle East among other issues today in Rome at a trilateral meeting with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, said Natalia Timakova, the Russian president’s spokeswoman.

UN Involvement Opposed

The U.K., France, Germany and Portugal asked the Security Council on May 25 to demand that Syria end attacks on peaceful protesters and address their grievances. The European Union last week imposed a travel ban and asset freeze on the “highest level of leadership,” a week after the U.S. froze the assets of Assad and six top officials.

Russia opposes Security Council involvement in Syria, Lavrov said.

“First of all, the situation doesn’t present a threat to international peace and security,” he said. “Second, Syria is a very important country in the Middle East and destabilizing Syria would have repercussions far beyond its borders.”

While Russia is opposed to international intervention, it supports the need for change in Syria and has encouraged Assad to implement promised reforms, Lavrov said.

Assad on April 21 ordered the lifting of a 48-year-old state of emergency, abolished the Supreme State Security Court and issued a decree allowing peaceful protests. This week he offered a “general amnesty” covering political detainees.

“We are gratified that our appeals have been heard,” Lavrov said. “Recently he published a draft of a new constitution, he declared an amnesty for political prisoners, and I think this should calm the situation.”

Syria Protests

Protests continued after the amnesty decree, issued late on May 31, as opposition leaders said it was a ploy to gain time.

Lavrov called for the Libyan resolution to be a unique one and said Russia will demand that any future UN mandates be more specific.

“If somebody would like to get authorization to use force to achieve a shared goal by all of us, they would have to specify in the resolution who this somebody is, who is going to use this authorization, what the rules of engagement are and the limits on the use of force,” Lavrov said.

Russia has stepped up diplomatic efforts to help forge a Libyan settlement that would persuade Qaddafi to step down and end NATO military action, Lavrov said.

‘Acceptable to All’

At the Group of Eight summit last week in France, U.S. President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy asked Medvedev to help negotiate a deal acceptable to coalition forces, the African Union and Libyan rebels, Lavrov said.

Medvedev spoke by phone with South African President Jacob Zuma before and after Zuma flew to Tripoli, Libya’s capital, on May 30, Lavrov said. The Russian president also told his special envoy for Libya, Mikhail Margelov, to go to the port city of Benghazi for talks with opposition leaders as soon as possible.

Any solution must “be acceptable to all Libyans,” Lavrov said, echoing comments Zuma made after returning from Tripoli in a trip backed by the African Union.

“I hope that the accumulated effort of all those who want to see an end to the hostilities and the beginning of the construction of a new Libya will bring results,” he said.

The U.S. and its partners, including France and the U.K., launched the first attacks against Qaddafi’s forces on March 19. NATO took command on March 31 and yesterday extended its mission for 90 days in what Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said was “a clear message” that “we are determined to continue our operation to protect the people of Libya.”

Bedouin or Trial

The air raids killed 718 civilians and wounded 4,067 from March 19 to May 26, Agence France Presse reported, citing a spokesman for Libya’s government.

Russia isn’t involved in negotiating “any deals of immunity or guarantees” for Qaddafi, though others are considering a range of options, he said.

“I can tell you without revealing too many secrets that the leaders of countries who can influence the situation are actively discussing the possibilities,” Lavrov said.

Officials at the G-8 summit discussed options for Qaddafi ranging “from a quiet life as a simple Bedouin in the Libyan desert to the fate of Milosevic in the Hague,” Margelov said in an interview yesterday, referring to the war crimes trial of former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic.

Source: Bloomberg.
Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-01/russia-warns-u-s-nato-against-military-aid-to-syria-protests-after-libya.html.

Yemen crisis deepens as dozens are killed in street battles

Tom Finn in Sana'a and Ian Black
Wednesday 1 June 2011

Foreign Office urges all Britons to leave at once with diplomats describing the situation as 'worse than Libya'.

The crisis engulfing Yemen deepened on Wednesday with dozens of people killed as President Ali Abdullah Saleh reinforced his troops after heavy clashes with gunmen loyal to an influential tribal leader.

Overnight street battles left at least 41 people dead, some trapped in burning buildings. Fighting raged until dawn as presidential guard units shelled the headquarters of an army brigade responsible for protecting government institutions.

Arab embassies were said to be evacuating their staff and the few remaining western residents were being advised to leave urgently. The Foreign Office is urging all Britons to leave while flights are still available in a situation diplomats described as "worse than Libya."

Residents of Sana'a woke to a chorus of birdsong and machine-gun fire as plumes of smoke rose into the sky, mortar blasts rattling windows and nerves. Heavy clashes resumed as Saleh's republican guard forces equipped with heavy artillery pushed the tribesmen out of government buildings. By nightfall they had wrested back control of several key positions.

The week's gun battles between rebel tribesmen and Saleh's troops have already claimed 200 lives and the confrontations are fanning fears of civil war.

Life in the capital is growing fierce and desperate. Sana'a's eastern suburb of Hasaba – the center of the clashes so far – is a ghost-town where Kalashnikov-wielding tribesmen stalk the streets.

Cars and buses with bags strapped to the roofs filtered their way out of the city. "No safety, no electricity, no water, no phone network, and people with no jobs, the situation is very bad these days," said Ahmed Zaid, who scratches a living by ferrying people to Tagheer Square, center of the protests, on his battered motorbike. "I'm terrified for my family, we're leaving tomorrow, inshallah," he said.

The home of Sadeq al-Ahmar, the Hashid tribe's most prominent sheikh, lies dark. It was an attack by government forces on al-Ahmar's home, a gothic style mansion, last week that triggered the clashes.

Several sheikhs attending a tribal mediation were killed when the house was hit directly by government artillery. It has been the target of shelling ever since and now lies in near ruins. Windows have been blown out and parts of the facade litter the street. Blood is splattered on the walls .

The conflict between the security forces and the Hashid erupted after Saleh refused to sign an agreement brokered by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states requiring him to give up power within 30 days. Violence has escalated across Yemen since then, with at least 21 people killed in the southern city of Taiz on 30 May, one of the bloodiest days in four months of protests in the poorest country in the Arab world.

Key military leaders defected in March after Saleh loyalists fired on demonstrators calling for an end to his 33-year-old rule. Yemen is on the brink of financial ruin, with about a third of its 23 million people facing chronic hunger. It is running out of oil and water.

Western policy is largely dictated by concern that al-Qaida in the Arabian peninsula will take advantage of the chaos to plan new attacks.

In Washington, the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, criticized Saleh's refusal to relinquish office.

The two sides blamed each other for breaking a ceasefire that halted three days of fighting last week.

The violence has overshadowed the protests that erupted on 11 February calling on Saleh to step down. The president, whose term ends in 2013, has said he is willing to hold early elections, a call that has so far been rejected by the opposition Joint Meeting Parties.

It is still unclear whether Saleh is holding out for a better exit deal such as a guaranteed position in a future government or intends to try to ride out demands for his resignation until his term officially ends. If it is the former he appears to be making a blunder, since the likelihood of a managed transition are fading and attempts to forcibly oust him are becoming more likely.

"Even if Saleh can defeat all those challenging him, his ability to 'govern' the country in any coherent sense of the word is gone forever," said the Yemeni political analyst, Abdul Ghani Iryani.

"Even in the most autocratic regimes, governance relies on some degree of acceptance of authority. In Yemen there is no sign whatsoever that this exists. Either Saleh leaves power through a political deal he brokers from a position of weakness or he is ousted by force by breakaway military groups and tribal leaders."

Source: The Guardian.
Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/01/yemen-crisis-dozens-killed-battles.

US general says no evidence Algeria backing Kadhafi

Jun 1, 2011

ALGIERS — The top US general responsible for Africa said Wednesday he had no evidence that Algeria has sent mercenaries to support the regime of Libyan strongman Moamer Kadhafi.

"I have seen absolutely no reporting that indicates that Algeria is supporting the movement of fighters to Libya," General Carter Ham, who heads the US Africa command (AFRICOM), told journalists in Algiers.

"To the contrary, Algeria has been supporting and strongly so regional security and countering terrorism," Ham added.

Libya's National Transitional Council, an umbrella group for the various rebel forces fighting to topple Kadhafi, has accused Algeria of sending mercenaries to support the embattled dictator.

Algeria has strongly denied the accusations.

On his first visit to the country since taking charge of AFRICOM, Ham said his "command is committed to strengthening and expanding this relationship and working with Algeria in a number of areas regarding mutual security cooperation interests."

Ham discussed the unrest in Libya and regional security with Abdelkader Messahel, Algeria's minister responsible for Africa and the Sahel, according to a statement from the Algerian foreign ministry.

Ham also met with President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved.

Somalia bans trading in weapons

Abdi Hajji Hussein
Mogadishu, Somalia
June 1, 2011

The interim federal government of Somalia on Tuesday banned trading in weapons.

While the government controls only half of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, the minister of interior and home security of the transitional government, Abshakur Sheikh Hassan Farah, said his government will take strict action against anyone seen trading in weapons.

“Right now, we [are] sending a warning message for all businessmen who are involved in weapon trade…The government would no longer tolerate harmful business. Our people are dying, injuring and displacing because of that,” Farah told reporters in a news conference.

The minister also warned government soldiers against carrying their assault rifles in the populated areas after returning from Mogadishu battle zones.

Farah noted that business sectors should register their weapons with the ministry of interior.

The trading ban comes on the heels of a deadly suicide attack on African Union peacekeepers and Somali forces in Mogadishu. Two African Union peacekeepers and a Somali soldier have been confirmed dead and four others injured Monday afternoon after Al Qaeda-inspired militants disguised as Somali soldiers attacked a military base in the capital.

It is not known how this ban from Somalia’s fragile government will take affect, as the government has failed to stamp its authority over the whole of Somalia.

In 1992 the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted resolution 733 imposing sanctions on Somalia in response to the deterioration of the conflict in Somalia, the heavy loss of life and the widespread damage resulting from the conflict. The sanctions have been modified and extended by a number of subsequent UNSC resolutions.

Somalis believe the UNSC weapons embargo is frequently violated and that is why fighting continues after 19 years.

Source: All Headline News (AHN).
Link: http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/90050237?Somalia%20bans%20trading%20in%20weapons.