French president outlines new approach to Africa

October 12, 2012

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — French President Francois Hollande attempted to make right France's relationship with Africa on Friday, honoring its contributions to world history during his first trip to the continent since winning office.

His deferential tone, his diplomatic remarks and the air of modesty he projected marked a dramatic contrast to his predecessor. Ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy came to Senegal five years ago and gave a speech that was viewed as deeply insulting to Africans whom he said had "not yet entered into history."

By contrast, the 58-year-old Hollande, who defeated Sarkozy in May, described Senegal as having not only a "great country," but also one that had made important contributions to French history. He reminded the audience at the whitewashed presidential palace, and later on the floor of the national assembly, that Senegal's first president, Leopold Sedar Senghor, was part of the committee that drafted the text of the French constitution. And he paid homage to the African soldiers, many conscripted by force, who died in France's imperial wars, including in Indochina and Algeria.

"Between France and Senegal, there's a history. There's a language that we both speak. There's a culture that we share and that both of our people contributed to," Hollande said in the garden of the neoclassical palace, in one of the many remarks that focused on the similarities between the two nations. "I didn't come to Africa to impose my way, or to deliver a lesson on morality," he added later, in a speech to parliament. "I consider Africans as my partners and as my friends."

Analysts say he chose Senegal for his first visit to the continent due to the country's democratic credentials and because of the need to heal the damage inflicted five years ago. He also chose it because Senegal is expected to play a central role in the planned military intervention in neighboring Mali, whose north is now under the de facto control of al-Qaida-linked rebel groups.

"What is happening in the Sahel for the past several months — in Mali — is that terrorists have structured themselves, have installed themselves. It's not simply a menace for West Africa," said Hollande. "It's a major issue for the security of the entire continent — and Europe," he said.

Pushed by France, the United Nations Security Council is scheduled to vote Friday on a plan to back an African-led military intervention in northern Mali. Accompanying the president in Dakar on Friday, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius appeared confident the resolution would pass.

"If no one is against it ... it is already approved, and the window expires in the next few hours. So we can say that this hurdle has already been surmounted," he told reporters. For the Senegalese though, what is front and center is the memory of Sarkozy's 2007 speech which bruised egos across the continent.

"The drama of Africa is that the African man has not fully entered into history ... They have never really launched themselves into the future," Sarkozy said. "The African peasant only knew the eternal renewal of time, marked by the endless repetition of the same gestures. ... In this universe where nature rules everything ... there is neither room for human endeavor nor the idea of progress."

He was accused of arrogance, of racism and of perpetuating the colonial relationship with Africa. Shocked, some of the people attending his speech delivered at Dakar's largest public university grabbed their bags and walked out.

"Sarkozy came with contempt. Hollande is coming to clean up," says Yero Dia, a political analyst who is a frequent commentator on TV debate shows in Senegal. "But for me it's not about Sarkozy, nor about Hollande. It's about us — Africans. It's like the horse and the rider. Whether it's Mitterand, or Chirac, or Sarkozy or Hollande, what remains constant is the system. ... and nothing will change until Africans stop behaving like the horse and letting France be their rider."

Senegal was once the seat of the French empire in West Africa. The country won its independence from France 52 years ago, but maintains close ties with France, as do many of the other countries on the French-speaking coast of West Africa, most of which are former French territories.

Ironically in 2007, Sarkozy had come to Senegal to mark the end of "Franceafrique," the term used to connote the cozy, post-colonial relationship that France has had with the region's dictators, like ex-Gabonese President Omar Bongo. On Friday, it was Hollande who vowed the end of Franceafrique.

"I want to declare here my willingness to renew the relationship between France and Africa. The era of Franceafrique is over. There is now a France and there is an Africa. And there is a partnership between France and Africa, based on relationships that are founded on respect," he said.

Hollande and Senegalese President Macky Sall also paid a visit to Goree Island, off the coast of the capital, where slaves were boarded onto ships headed to the New World. The visit is a symbolic gesture, underscoring Hollande's understanding of the difficult, and often cruel, history that Africans have endured. The two men clasped hands as they stood at the Door of No Return.

Among those waiting on the island for the presidents was Aminata Ba, 40, who wore a bright tangerine dress and head wrap, and carried a stenciled sign that read: "President Hollande: You Are At Home." She said she was heartened by Hollande's talk of improving relations with Senegal.

Africa watchers say that despite the promises of a new approach, it's unlikely that France's policies toward the continent will change much. Protesters waited for the leader to emerge from the parliament building on Friday, hoping to give him a copy of their fliers decrying the difficulty in getting visas to go to France. Immigrants who violate the terms of their visas have been returned on repatriation flights, dubbed the "Sarkozy charters."

"It seems that every time that a new French president comes in, he promises that his arrival will spell the end of Franceafrique," said Richard Downie, deputy director for the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. "Old habits die hard. In policy terms, will we see much difference? I think not. But I think the tone will be different."

Associated Press Writer Sylvie Corbet in Dakar, and Krista Larson in Goree, contributed to this report.

Poland's government survives confidence vote

October 12, 2012

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's pro-market government survived its first confidence vote in parliament on Friday that it called in hope of boosting support that is dwindling under economic reforms and a slowing economy.

In a policy speech prior to the vote, Prime Minister Donald Tusk pledged to invest €200 billion ($258 billion) to create jobs and boost growth to brace the nation for 2013, which, he said, will be "difficult."

Tusk said he was seeking to restore confidence in his government. The lower house, or Sejm, voted 233-219 with no abstentions in support of the coalition government, which was re-elected last year for a second four-year term. It is composed of Tusk's center-liberal Civic Platform and farmer-based Poland's People's Party.

Tusk subjected his Cabinet to the vote in order to measure and consolidate the support he needs to get through plans aimed at maintaining economic growth amid a downturn. Poland has seen unemployment rise — hitting 12.4 percent in August — as economic growth slows. After registering 4.3 percent GDP expansion in 2011, growth is forecast to slow to less than 3 percent this year and lower still in 2013.

Tusk said he aims to boost the economy and create jobs with planned investments of up to 800 billion zlotys (€200 billion) in infrastructure, energy, shale gas, defense projects, education and research up to 2020. The funds cited are a combination of government, EU and private investments.

Poland's longest serving premier needs to rekindle public enthusiasm because his popularity suffered recently under reform measures such as raising the pension age to 67 and criticism of his ministers.

The justice system was revealed to have failed to act decisively against a shady investment plan that collapsed, costing investors millions. Investigators and forensic experts have been criticized for mistakes in identifying the victims of a 2010 plane crash that killed President Lech Kaczynski and 95 others.

Backers, critics of Egypt president clash in Cairo

October 12, 2012

CAIRO (AP) — Thousands of supporters and opponents of Egypt's new Islamist president clashed in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday in the first such violence since Mohammed Morsi took office more than three months ago, as liberal and secular activists erupted with anger accusing the Muslim Brotherhood of trying to take over the country.

The two sides hurled stones and chunks of concrete and beat each other with sticks for several hours, leaving more than 100 injured, according to the state news agency. Two buses used by the Brotherhood to bring in supporters were set aflame behind the Egyptian Museum, the repository of the country's pharaonic antiquities, and thick black smoke billowed into the sky in scenes reminiscent of last year's clashes between protesters against the regime of then-leader Hosni Mubarak and his backers.

The melee erupted between two competing rallies in Tahrir. One was by liberal and secular activists to criticize Morsi's failure to achieve promises he had made for first 100 days in power, the other had been called by Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood.

The clashes come as criticism among leftists, liberals and secularists against Morsi has been growing since he was inaugurated more than three months ago as Egypt's first freely elected president. Opponents accuse Morsi, the Brotherhood and other Islamists of trying to impose their dominance and Islamize the state, including through the writing of a new constitution.

Some Egyptians are also frustrated that Morsi, a longtime Brotherhood figure, has not done more to resolve the multiple problems facing the country — from a faltering economy and fuel shortages to tenuous security and uncollected piles of garbage in the streets.

Morsi boasted earlier this week in a nationally televised speech that he had carried out much of what he had promised for his first 100 days, and his supporters say he needs time in the face of overwhelming difficulties inherited from Mubarak's authoritarian and corruption-riddled rule.

One anti-Brotherhood protester in Tahrir, Abdullah Waleed, said he had voted for Morsi in this year's election to prevent his opponent — a longtime Mubarak loyalist — from winning. "Now I regret it because they are just two faces of the same coin," Waleed said. "Morsi has done nothing for the revolution. I want to say I am so sorry for bringing in another repressive regime."

Violence also broke out in the industrial city of Mahalla el-Kobra, a hotbed of regime opponents and labor activists in the Nile Delta renowned for its history of revolts against Mubarak. Protesters torched headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood in the city and set fire to Morsi posters.

Days ago, liberal and leftist groups had called for Friday's protest in Tahrir to demand accountability over Morsi's three-month rule. They also demand greater diversity on the panel tasked with writing Egypt's new constitution, which is packed with Brotherhood members and other Islamists who have proposed provisions opponents say greatly suppress civil liberties.

The Brotherhood called for a separate rally to denounce the acquittals earlier this week of 24 former senior figures from Mubarak's regime who had been accused of organizing a deadly attack on protesters during last year's Jan. 25-Feb.11 wave of protests that led to Mubarak's ouster.

The Brotherhood rally was to call for judicial reforms and to support a move by Morsi on Thursday to remove the prosecutor-general, who has been widely criticized for preparing shoddy cases against Mubarak-era politicians and police. Buses organized by the Brotherhood had brought in supporters from the provinces for the rally.

But the secular camp accused the Brotherhood of holding the gathering to "hijack" the square from their anti-Morsi protest. The violence erupted when Morsi supporters stormed a stage set up by the rival camp, angered by chants they perceived as insults to the president. The Islamist backers smashed loudspeakers and tore the wooden stage down, witnesses said.

The uproar ensued as more supporters of the liberal-secular rally poured into the square. Young men from both sides tore up chunks of concrete and paving stones to hurl while others hit each other with sticks. Gunshots were heard. Youths making V-for-victory signs with their hands set fire to two empty buses of the Brotherhood.

"My conclusion here is that Morsi is just the president of the Brotherhood, that's all. We are back to square one," since Mubarak's fall, said Sayed al-Hawari, who carried a plank of wood as a shield against the volleys of stones.

A liberal protester, Rania Mohsen, said, "We are here against turning the state to a Brotherhood state .... We do not want to replace the old regime with a new like the old one." A Morsi supporter, in turn, accused the other camp of being "thugs" who chanted against the leader of the Brotherhood and harassed the Islamists during noon prayers in Tahrir.

"We have to give Morsi a chance," 19-year-old Moez Naggar, said. "The more protests we have, the less we can expect from him." A schoolteacher who said he belongs to the Brotherhood expressed dismay over the violence, saying he was surprised by the other camp's anger at Morsi. Sherif Mahmoud pointed to Morsi's attempt to remove the prosecutor-general, who many across the ideological spectrum have said should be sacked.

"The prosecutor general is a corrupt man," Mahmoud said. "The president is moving step by step." Around nightfall, fighting stopped as the Brotherhood supporters left the square in buses. Rashad Bayoumi, deputy leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, told The Associated Press that the scene around Tahrir Square "is something everyone is ashamed of."

He said Brotherhood members did not take part in the clashes and that the group was there simply to demand judicial independence. Still, the clashes stopped at the time when the Brotherhood's party ordered its members to leave the square at 6 p.m.

Morsi was in Egypt's second largest city, Alexandria, for Friday prayers where he pledged that former regime figures would be brought to justice despite Wednesday's verdicts. The 24 were acquitted of organizing the so-called "Camel Battle," an incident on Feb. 2, 2011, when a crowd of Mubarak supporters —including assailants on horses and camels — attacked protesters holding a sit-in in Tahrir to demand his ouster. Two days of fighting ensued, leaving nearly a dozen dead.

"All segments of Egypt's society were deprived of many rights" under Mubarak, Morsi told a crowd of supporters. "And the biggest right deprived of us was the right to freedom." Following the acquittals, Morsi on Thursday moved to dismiss the country's Mubarak-appointed prosecutor general by moving him to the position of ambassador to the Vatican. However, the prosecutor, Abdel-Maguid Mahmoud, refused to step down and vowed to remain in his post, as law gives immunity to the prosecutor general from being ousted by the president.

Morsi's move also angered judges, who held overnight an emergency meeting denouncing the attempt to remove Mahmoud. Many blame the prosecutor for frequent acquittals of police and Mubarak-era officials over the past year, saying he put together shoddy cases. Egyptians were also disappointed in what they saw as a weak verdict in the trial against Mubarak. He is serving a life sentence for failing to stop the killing of protesters last year, but prosecutors did not prove he ordered killings and he was cleared of corruption charges.

Landmark Turkish passenger flight lands in Tripoli

Reuters
Saturday 1 October 2011

TRIPOLI: A Turkish Airlines passenger plane landed in Tripoli’s Mitiga airport from Istanbul on Saturday in the first international commercial flight to Libya since the ousting of Muammar Qaddafi in August.

Flags representing Turkey and Libya’s new leadership flew outside the airport as the plane landed while inside the building, passengers waited patiently and queued at the check-in desk to board the return flight.

“We are going to Turkey for business because it has been a long time since we traveled. We are happy that the airline is back in the meantime and we thank God,” said Tripoli resident Mohammed Al-Jaroushi.

The United Nations Security Council resolution imposed in March a no-fly zone for civilian flights over the country as part of international efforts to protect anti-government protesters under attack from Qaddafi loyalists.

Diplomats say civil airliners and flights carrying official delegations are allowed to fly into the country provided they notify monitors of their flight plans in order to avoid NATO attack.

A diplomat contacted by Reuters said he believed the Turkish Airlines flight would have had special clearance to enter the country.

Tripoli’s main international airport, which is a separate facility south of the capital, has yet to resume normal operations.

Turkish Airlines Chief Executive Temel Kotil told reporters: “We started in Benghazi as humanitarian support and also we had a flight here. We’ve been bringing people here and we’ve been going back and bringing (aid) to the needy and the wounded people.”

“Best wishes to Libya. God willing, it will eventually be much better than today.”

A UN Security resolution on Sept. 16 eased some sanctions on Libya but kept the no-fly zone in place, despite calls from Russia and South Africa for it to be lifted.

However, the resolution did remove an obligation on all member states to deny permission to any aircraft registered in Libya, or owned or operated by Libyan nationals or companies to take off from, land in or overfly their territory.

Source: Arab News.
Link: http://www.arabnews.com/node/393067.

AU mission in Somalia authorized to increase to 12,000 troops

Sep 30, 2011

New York - The African Union mission in Somalia was Friday authorized to increase its military strength to 12,000 troops.

The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution raising the troops ceiling and extended the presence of the UN Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) until October 2012.

The resolution allowed AMISOM to take 'all necessary measures' to carry out its mandate in the Horn of African country, which has been hit by severe drought and famine, and an insurgency that has prevented the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Widespread insecurity and piracy are the other constant challenges of the transitional government in Somalia.

The resolution also called on the government in Mogadishu to abide by the terms and carry out the keys tasks in the political roadmap in the coming 12 months. The transitional period is shifting to an elected government, which is to assume political responsibilities by next year.

Source: Monsters and Critics.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/africa/news/article_1666119.php/AU-mission-in-Somalia-authorized-to-increase-to-12-000-troops.

States ready to recognize Syrian opposition council, it says

Oct 2, 2011

Cairo - Representatives of Syria's main opposition grouping said there were several Arab and foreign countries ready to recognize their Syrian National Council, the founding statement of which they officially released on Sunday.

The council 'is a frame for the opposition and the peaceful revolution and represents the revolution inside and outside,' Burhan Ghalioun, the chairman of the 140-member council, told reporters in Istanbul.

Ghalioun said he had no worries about gaining the support of the international community and that the council expected to have a busy schedule of meetings with friendly countries.

The Syrian National Council was first founded in the Turkish city in late August.

Source: Monsters and Critics.
Link: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/article_1666288.php/States-ready-to-recognize-Syrian-opposition-council-it-says.

US to train Turkish intelligence forces

Sat Oct 1, 2011

The United States, in an unannounced meeting between Washington and Ankara officials, has reportedly agreed to train Turkey's intelligence forces.

The deal was made when Director of the US National Intelligence Agency James Clapper traveled to Turkey on September 18, and met with Chief of Turkey's National Intelligence Organization Hakan Fidan.

In his talks with other Turkish top officials, Clapper also discussed a planned deployment of a US radar system as part of a NATO-backed missile defense system in the eastern Turkish province of Malatya.

Turkey announced earlier in September that it has agreed on the deployment of the X-Band radar on its territory.

Political observers say the White House is trying to boost its influence on Turkey.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.com/detail/202223.html.

Russian riot police staged mass beatings of Muslims and desecrated Koran in GULAG

1 October 2011

Russian concentration camp # IK-41" in Jurga (Kemerov region), is on a verge of revolt.

KC sources report that on September 28, punitive gangs of riot police entered the camp and staged mass beatings of prisoner Muslims.

In the course of the punitive raid, arranged by infidels, the infidels deliberately desecrated the Holy Koran, tore it apart and trampled on it.

They shouted derisively - "Where is your Allah?! Why isn't He helping you!? "

In a video, posted on YouTube, a prisoner tells in Chechen how the riot police beat prisoners, tortured them with electric shocks and desecrated the Koran.

About a hundred Muslims are kept in the GULAG camp. They went on hunger strike, demanding the dismissal of the current head of the Kemerov branch of GULAG.

The camp inmates call for help them in order to not let the infidels commit further violence and desecrate the Koran.

The KC sources report that Muslims are supported by Russian prisoners in their demands. Now the camp is surrounded by riot police. The relatives of prisoners, journalists and human rights activists are not allowed to approach it.

Department of Monitoring
Kavkaz Center

Source: Kavkaz Center.
Link: http://kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2011/10/01/15199.shtml.

US to break record number of solar panel installations in 2011

Saturday, October 01, 2011
by: Jonathan Benson

(NaturalNews) Solar technology has made tremendous advances in recent years, which has in turn prompted significant growth in commercial and residential photovoltaic (PV) panel installations. And for the first time in history, the US solar panel market will exceed one gigawatt (GW) in new PV energy production during a single year, according to recent report by Greentech Media.

In 2010, the US reached 887 megawatts (MW) in new PV panel installations. But that rate is expected to more than double by the end of 2011. Forecasts project that a whopping 1.8 GW in new PV panel installations will have taken place by the start of 2012 -- and by the end of 2012, that amount is expected to more than double again, topping four GW of new PV installations.

"On the whole, the US is currently the PV industry's most attractive and stable growth market," said Shayle Kann, Managing Director of Solar at GTM Research, which publishes the quarterly Solar Market Insight Report that unveiled the new data.

"This is reflected in our report's quarterly market data and in the comments from global suppliers, distributors, and developers, all of who see the US positioned to nearly double its global market share in 2011 and support a greater diversity of installation types than has previously been seen in any leading demand center."

Germany and Italy are currently the world leaders in solar energy production, but the US is quickly shaping up to earn a spot in this top tier of alternative energy-producing countries as well. And with advances being made to reduce overall production and maintenance costs of PV cells, more homeowners than ever will be able to afford them.

Back in 2010, for instance, researchers from the California Institute of Technology (CalTech) developed a new type of PV solar panel that performs at roughly 90 percent quantum efficiency. And because the technology uses only two percent semiconductors (the most expensive aspect of solar panels) and 98 percent plastic, the new panels are set to cost far less than those currently on the market.

Also in 2010, scientists from the University of Southern California developed flexible, "organic" solar cells that cost less to produce than traditional solar cells, and that can be used in a wider variety of applications thanks to their pliable design.

Source: NaturalNews.
Link: http://www.naturalnews.com/033750_solar_panels_USA.html.

Hezbollah says it sent drone over Israel

October 11, 2012

BEIRUT (AP) — The leader of Hezbollah claimed responsibility Thursday for launching an Iranian-made drone aircraft into Israeli airspace earlier this week, adding more tension to an already explosive Mideast atmosphere.

Sheik Hassan Nasrallah warned that it would not be the last such operation by his Lebanese militant group. Israeli warplanes shot down the unmanned plane, but the infiltration marked a rare breach of Israel's tightly guarded airspace. Hezbollah had been the leading suspect because of its arsenal of sophisticated Iranian weapons and a history of trying to deploy similar aircraft.

With a formidable arsenal that rivals that of the Lebanese army, Hezbollah is already under pressure in Lebanon from rivals who accuse it of putting Lebanon at risk of getting sucked into regional turmoil. Confirmation that Hezbollah was behind the drone could put the group under further strain internally as it pursues its longstanding conflict with Israel.

Hezbollah, a powerful Shiite group committed to Israel's destruction, has long served as an Iranian proxy along Israel's northern border. It is also seen as a close ally of the embattled regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Israel accuses the Assad government of allowing Iran to ferry weapons to Hezbollah through its territory.

Israel and Hezbollah fought a brutal monthlong war in mid-2006. Hundreds of people were killed, and Hezbollah fired several thousand rockets and missiles into Israel before the conflict ended in a stalemate.

Israel routinely sends F-16 fighter planes over Lebanon, in violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution that ended the 2006 war. The Israeli planes have often broken the sound barrier over Beirut and other places as a show of strength, most recently after the drone incident.

"This statement today is a claim of responsibility by the Islamic resistance for this qualitative operation" of dispatching the drone, Nasrallah said in a televised address late Thursday. "Today we are uncovering a small part of our capabilities, and we shall keep many more hidden," he said. "It is our natural right to send other reconnaissance flights inside occupied Palestine ... This is not the first time and will not be the last. We can reach any place we want" in Israel, he said.

He said the aircraft was launched from Lebanese territory and flew "tens of kilometers" over sensitive Israeli installations before it was discovered and shot down by the Israeli air force near the Dimona nuclear reactor in Israel's southern desert.

He dismissed an Israeli military statement that it began tracking the aircraft over the Mediterranean but waited until it was over an empty desert area to bring it down in order to avert casualties on the ground.

Nasrallah claimed the group had more surprises and would not hesitate to use them in any future war with Israel. Launching the drone was a rare and provocative move by the Lebanese militants at a time of soaring regional tensions, with both Syria and Iran under intense international pressure.

Nasrallah said the aircraft was made in Iran and assembled by Hezbollah, adding that it was much more sophisticated than drones it sent before. Hezbollah has attempted to send unmanned aircraft over Israel on several occasions, dating back to 2004. Nasrallah has claimed that the group's drones were capable of carrying explosives and striking deep into Israel.

Israel has said the latest drone was not carrying explosives and appeared to be on a reconnaissance mission. The last known attempt by Hezbollah to use a drone took place during the 2006 war, when Israel shot down an Iranian-made pilotless aircraft that entered its airspace.

Touring southern Israel on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised efforts to prevent land infiltrations from Egypt. He mentioned that Israel has been equally successful "in the air, just like we thwarted the Hezbollah attempt last weekend," his first public statement blaming Hezbollah.

Hezbollah was formed to oppose Israel's occupation of south Lebanon in the 1980s, and the two sides have a bitter history. Hezbollah has accused Israel of assassinating a top Hezbollah operative in 2008 in Syria. The group and Lebanese officials say they have broken up several Israeli spy rings inside Lebanon over the past few years.

Israel charges that Hezbollah, with Iranian backing, was behind a string of attempted attacks on Israeli diplomatic targets in India, Thailand and the former Soviet republic of Georgia, plus a deadly bombing this year that killed five Israeli tourists in a Bulgarian resort.

Last week, Israel announced the arrest of an Arab citizen it accused of spying for Hezbollah, the latest in a string of such cases. Nasrallah also denied reports that Hezbollah members were fighting alongside Assad's forces against rebels in Syria.

The reports gained new urgency in the past weeks after Hezbollah buried several of its members, saying they died while performing their "jihadi duty." Lebanese officials said they died in Syria. He said those killed were among 30,000 Lebanese who live in Syrian territory along the border with Lebanon and were defending themselves against repeated attacks by gunmen in Syria.

"Until this moment we did not enter the fight alongside the (Syrian) regime," Nasrallah said, but did not preclude the possibility that the group might do so in the future.

AP writer Aron Heller in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

Greek unemployment rises above 25 percent

October 11, 2012

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Unemployment in Greece hit a record high of 25.1 percent in July as the country's financial crisis continues to exact its heavy toll, official figures showed Thursday.

All indications are that unemployment in Greece will continue to rise. The economy has shrunk by around a fifth since the recession started in 2008 and youth unemployment has pushed far above 50 percent. The economy is expected to enter a sixth year of recession next year.

"This is a very dramatic result of the recession," said Angelos Tsakanikas, head of research at Greece's IOBE economic research foundation. The state statistics agency said Greece's unemployment rate rose from 24.8 percent in June. According to European statisticians, that would be the same rate as Spain's in August.

The two countries have the highest unemployment rates among the 17 that use the euro. In August, eurozone unemployment stood at an average 11.4 percent, itself the highest level since the single currency was launched in 1999.

Greece's statistical authority said 1.26 million Greeks were out of work in July, with more than 1,000 jobs lost every day over the past year. In the worst-affected 15-24 age group, unemployment was 54.2 percent. In July 2008, a year before Greece's acute financial crisis broke, there were only about 364,000 registered unemployed.

The country's main GSEE labor union said real unemployment is above 30 percent and growing, which it blamed on "violent" government cutbacks. After losing access to international money markets and nearly defaulting on its mountain of debt, Greece has survived on international bailouts since May 2010.

However, solvency comes at a harsh price: To secure and continue receiving the loans, Athens imposed tough austerity measures, slashing incomes and repeatedly increasing taxes, in an attempt to get its public finances in order.

The conservative-led government is currently in negotiations with the country's creditors over another raft of austerity measures, worth €13.5 billion ($17.4 billion) over the next two years, so it can get the next batch of bailout funds. Greece has to satisfy certain periodic conditions in order to qualify for the handouts.

Without the money, Greece won't be able to pay all its financial obligations and may end up defaulting on its debts and leaving the euro. The cutbacks have triggered deep resentment among a population reeling under nearly three years of austerity. GSEE and other main unions have called a new general strike and demonstration next week.

"During a time when unemployment is strangling Greek society and the recession is at 7 percent, it is at least provocative that (bailout creditors are) focusing on further bleeding workers and pensioners," GSEE said in a statement.

Finance Minister Yiannis Stournaras was holding talks Thursday evening with representatives of the European Union, International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank — the so-called troika. The government still hopes to have struck a deal before next week's EU summit in Brussels, officials say.

The troika has to sign off the package for the release of the funds. After the late-evening talks, a senior government official said it remained unclear whether agreement on the austerity package could be reached before the Oct. 18-19 meeting in Brussels of European heads of government.

The official said another sticking point was how to cover the cost of a Greek request to extend its fiscal adjustment program by two years to the end of 2016, with the price tag estimated at €12 billion ($15.5 billion).

The official asked not to be named because the negotiations are ongoing. Some evidence emerged Thursday that the government's strategy is working on one front, at least. Finance Ministry figures showed that the deficit-busting effort is on track despite lower-than-anticipated revenues.

The ministry said the January-September deficit was €12.64 billion, lower than the €13.5 billion target. Although revenues were €1.3 billion off target, spending was €2.2 billion less than budgeted. All three parties in Greece's governing coalition back the two-year extension, and IMF chief Christine Lagarde on Thursday said she also supports the idea.

"I said repeatedly that an additional two years was necessary for the country to actually face the Fiscal Consolidation Program that is considered," Lagarde told reporters as the IMF and World Bank held annual meetings in Tokyo.

But German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who in a visit to Athens on Tuesday praised Greek progress with reforms but stressed that much remains to be done, said the troika must deliver its report before any decision is made.

"I do not want to comment on every single statement of which we see many during a single day," she said. "This is the base. I now wait for the troika report, then we will forge our position," she said.

Associated Press writer Derek Gatopoulos in Athens contributed.

Turkey: Syrian plane was carrying ammunition

October 11, 2012

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Escalating tensions with Russia, Turkey defended its forced landing of a Syrian passenger jet en route from Moscow to Damascus, saying Thursday it was carrying Russian ammunition and military equipment destined for the Syrian Defense Ministry.

Syria branded the incident piracy and Russia called the search illegal, saying it endangered the lives of Russian citizens aboard the plane. The accusation by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan contradicted denials by both Russia and Syria that anything illegal had been aboard the Airbus A320 that was intercepted over Turkish airspace late Wednesday.

"Equipment and ammunitions that were being sent from a Russian agency ... to the Syrian Defense Ministry," were confiscated from the jetliner, Erdogan told reporters in Ankara. "Their examination is continuing and the necessary (action) will follow."

He did not provide details, but Turkish media said the seized cargo included missile parts as well as radio receivers, antennas and other military communications equipment. "As you know, defense industry equipment or weapons, ammunitions ... cannot be carried on passenger planes," Erdogan said. "It is against international rules for such things to pass through our air space."

Erdogan refused to say how — or from whom — Turkey had learned that the twice-weekly scheduled flight would be used to transport military gear to Syria. "As you will appreciate, those who gave the tip, which establishments, these things cannot be disclosed," he said.

The United States said it backed Turkey's decision to intercept the plane. "Any transfer of any military equipment to the Syrian regime at this time is very concerning, and we look forward to hearing more from the Turkish side when they get to the bottom of what they found," said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland.

She declined to comment on Turkish reports that the intelligence on the plane's contents had come from the United States. The plane was allowed to continue to Damascus after several hours, without the cargo.

Turkish-Syrian relations have plummeted over the conflict in Syria, which has expanded into a civil war that threatens the stability of the Middle East. Syrian opposition activists estimate more than 32,000 people have been killed since March 2011, when the uprising against President Bashar Assad's regime began.

Turkey has called for Assad to step down, while Damascus accuses Turkey of supporting the rebels. The two neighbors have traded artillery fire over Syria's northern border throughout the past week. Hours before Erdogan's statement, Russian Ambassador Vladimir Ivanovsky held talks with Turkish officials at the Foreign Ministry.

In Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said the Kremlin was concerned that the lives and safety of the 35 passengers, including 17 Russian citizens, had been endangered. "The Russian side continues to insist on an explanation for the Turkish authorities' actions toward Russian citizens and on the adoption of measures to avoid such incidents in the future," Lukashevich said in a statement.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry said the pilot of the Syrian Air jetliner had been warned of Turkey's intention to ground it as he approached from the Black Sea and he was given the opportunity to turn back, but declined.

Rejecting claims that passengers were ill-treated, the ministry said those on board were allowed to leave the plane if they wanted and that there was a medical crew and ambulances on standby. It also said the pilot did not provide a passenger list and therefore Turkish officials did not know there were Russians on board until after the plane landed.

Separately, the Foreign Ministry said it had submitted a formal protest note to Syria for the violation of civil aviation rules and declared Syrian air space unsafe for Turkish planes. In Damascus, Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdessi rejected the Turkish accusations as "absolutely untrue," saying the plane was not carrying ammunition or any illegal cargo. Turkey's decision to force the plane to land amounted to piracy, said Transportation Minister Mohammad Ibrahim Said.

The general manager of the Syrian Civil Aviation Agency also blasted Turkey's forced landing of the plane, calling it "contrary to regulations and aviation norms." The plane's pilots were not asked to land but were surprised by the Turkish F-16 fighter jets that intercepted the flight, the official, Ghaidaa Abdul-Latif, told reporters in Damascus.

A Syrian Air engineer who was aboard, Haithan Kasser, said armed Turkish officials entered the plane and handcuffed the crew before inspecting packages that he said contained electrical equipment. The Moscow airport that cleared the Syrian plane for takeoff denied it carried any forbidden cargo.

"No objects whose transportation would have been forbidden under aviation regulations were on board," said Vnukovo Airport spokeswoman Yelena Krylova, ITAR-Tass reported. She said all documentation was in order, though she would not say who sent the cargo.

Meanwhile, family and supporters of two journalists believed to be detained in Syria appealed in Istanbul for their release. Arzu Kadoumi said her husband Bashar Fahmi, a reporter for Al-Hurra network, and his Turkish cameraman, Cuneyt Unal, had been missing for 53 days.

Inside Syria, battles continued in the southern Idlib province that abuts the Turkish border as rebels sought to consolidate control of a strategic town on the country's main north-south highway. Rebels said they captured Maaret al-Numan on Wednesday.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said clashes continued Thursday after rebels attacked a military convoy and nearby army checkpoints. The fighting killed more than a dozen people, the Observatory said.

The Observatory also said eight people were killed and another eight wounded when unknown gunmen fired on their bus near the coastal city of Tartous. Syria's state news agency SANA said the men were Syrian workers returning from Lebanon.

In the southern province of Daraa, gunmen shot dead the brother of a member of Syria's parliament while raiding his home, the Observatory and SANA said. The parliament member, Khalid al-Abboud, regularly defends the Syrian regime on TV.

The Observatory said gunmen also killed the son of another legislator, Mohammed Kheir al-Mashi, at his home in Idlib province. The activist claims could not be independently verified because of restrictions on reporting in Syria.

Meanwhile, state-run Syrian TV reported an explosion in the capital Thursday night near the Ministry of Education and the Military Court. A Syrian official said the blast wounded two people.

Jordans reported from Istanbul. Associated Press reporters Matthew Lee in Washington, Albert Aji in Damascus, and Nataliya Vasilyeva and Max Seddon in Moscow contributed to this report.

Jordan and Canada Launch Free Trade Agreement

by Adam Nicky
Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Jordanian Businesses Divided over Potential Impact

AMMAN – Mohammed Abu Hassan owns a small shoe factory in the Sahab Industrial Zone on the eastern edge of Jordan’s capital, Amman. He is struggling to keep his factory open and he is worried that the new Free Trade Agreement (FTA) could put him out of business.

"We are already losing our traditional local market and we worry that this agreement will be the beginning of the end, unless the government takes measures to protect local industries," he told The Media Line.

While the FTA allows Jordan to export goods tax-free to Canada, it also allows Canadian firms to export to Jordan, increasing competition. The economy of Canada, with more than 34 million people, dwarfs that of Jordan’s population of six million.

Jordan imports more than it exports. In 2010, according to government statistics, it imported almost $15 billion worth of goods, and exported just $5.8 billion worldwide. When it comes to Canada, in 2012, Jordan exported $10 million dollars worth of good and imported $54 million.

Jordanian officials say the FTA offers new opportunities for Jordanian businesses seeking to explore North American markets or to partner with Canadian companies who want to enter the oil-rich Gulf States.

"The agreement gives Jordanian industries an opportunity to expand, but they must step up their level and find a place in the cutthroat market," Hatem Halawani, the head of Jordan’s Chamber of Commerce, told The Media Line.

He said that textiles, chemicals, jewelry and limestone are poised to compete in the Canadian market. He dismissed concerns that the agreement could negatively affect local businesses like Abu Hassan’s shoe factory, with the country being swamped with cheaper or better products from larger industrialized nations.

But businessmen in Jordan are concerned that small firms could even go out of business.

“Local products face a daunting task to compete with products from industrialist nations" said Mohammad Abu Fares, owner of a Jordanian petrochemical factory. “We had hailed a similar agreement with the European Union a few years ago, but we ended up importing European products and we were not able to export to the EU because of their strict rules," he told The Media Line.

Jordan enjoys a similar FTA with the US, Turkey and Pakistan. Textile and pharmaceutical companies say they have already benefited.

Jordan’s Minister of Trade Shabeeb Amari hailed the agreement as a landmark, saying it would inject life into the country's anemic economy. Tourism, which had previously been an important component, is struggling because of the Arab Spring. Although Jordan has been relatively quiet, many tourists are staying away from the Middle East entirely.

"The [Canadian] agreement will herald a new era of cooperation and allow more investment between the two countries,” he told The Media Line. “It will provide protection to products from both sides and increase investment in various fields.”

The head of the Jordanian-Canadian Businessman’s Association, Nabeel Khouri, who is also the head of the Arab Petrochemical Company, said the agreement will open up new markets for Jordanian products. He said the total trade volume of $89 million annually will improve and predicted that the FTA will mean more cash pouring into the Jordanian economy as Arab investors seek to reach the Canadian market via Amman.

Canadian officials said the agreement will provide Canada with a gateway to the Middle East.

“Jordan is the best opportunity for Canada to establish a hub or a gateway into the Middle East,” Canadian Minister of International Trade Ed Fast said during a news conference in Amman to mark the launch of the FTA. “What set Jordan apart from other countries is that it is moderate and stable. Canada appreciates that,” he said.

Meanwhile, Jordanian officials said they are working to upgrade the competitiveness of Jordanian manufacturers.

"The FTA will be the catalyst for our project to improve the level of Jordanian products through providing companies with the needed expertise to upgrade their quality in line with international standards," Nayef Esteiteh, head of the Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation, told The Media Line. "We brought in a Canadian expert who is working with three factories in the food processing sector to help them set up strategies to conquer the Canadian market and link up with Canadian partners."

Copyright © 2012 The Media Line. All Rights Reserved.

French president lands in Congo after Senegal stop

October 13, 2012

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — French President Francois Hollande landed early Saturday in Congo, where he is to take part in a summit of French-speaking countries, after months of controversy surrounding his visit to the vast Central African nation.

A celebration of the French language, the Francophonie Summit serves as an occasion for leaders of French-speaking countries and others to meet and discuss pressing political issues. Organized for the first time in a Central African country, this year's summit is taking place in the Congolese capital but the botched presidential and legislative elections of November 2011 have jeopardized its organization.

On Thursday, the Canadian minister of Foreign Affairs stated that his delegation would not meet with President Joseph Kabila in Kinshasa since according to him "barbarism has steadily increased" in Congo, a former Belgian colony.

Hollande initially threatened not to attend but ultimately confirmed his participation in July, saying he wants to break away from the traditional paternalistic ways of France toward Africa. In Kinshasa, Hollande is due to make a speech at the opening of the summit and meet with Kabila as well as with opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi before flying back to Paris.

"The challenge for a French president is promoting democracy and respect for human rights without being perceived in Africa as arrogant and paternalistic, as well as hypocritical due to the colonial past," says Judah Grunstein, editor-in-chief of the Paris-based World Politics Review.

On Tuesday however, Hollande said that "the situation (in Congo) is absolutely unacceptable in terms of human rights, democracy and the respect of the opposition," provoking Kinshasa's outrage. The spokesperson for the Congolese government, Lambert Mende, said that it is for the Congolese people to accept or reject the situation in their own country and not for France to give lessons.

"When this man who has never set foot in our country say this kind of thing, that hurts us," says Yves, 35-year-old economics teacher in Kinshasa. The crisis in Mali will be at the forefront of the discussion with the different francophone leaders, as France announced its support for an African force of intervention. The crisis in eastern Congo, where a new rebellion has displaced hundreds of thousands people, will also be on the agenda.

On Friday, Hollande made a stop in the former French colony of Senegal as part of his first trip to the continent since winning office earlier this year. His deferential tone, his diplomatic remarks and the air of modesty he projected marked a dramatic contrast to his predecessor. Ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy came to Senegal five years ago and gave a speech that was viewed as deeply insulting to Africans whom he said had "not yet entered into history."

By contrast, the 58-year-old Hollande, who defeated Sarkozy in in May, described Senegal as having not only a "great country," but also one that had made important contributions to French history. "I want to declare here my willingness to renew the relationship between France and Africa. The era of Franceafrique is over. There is now a France and there is an Africa. And there is a partnership between France and Africa, based on relationships that are founded on respect," Hollande said on Friday.