Burundi: En bref ce 30 JUIN 2006 ...

Burundi government, rebels resume talks in Tanzania
Fri Jun 30, 2006 DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters)

DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - Talks between Burundi's government and the country's last remaining rebel group resumed on Friday after the chief mediator visited Tanzania to prod the negotiations along, a spokesman for the rebel group said.

The Hutu Forces for National Liberation had refused to keep talking unless mediator Charles Nqakula, South Africa's safety and security minister, came back to the talks hosted in Tanzania's commercial capital. Nqakula returned on Thursday.

"(Nqakula) came, we have spoken with him, and sorted out our problems. So we are continuing with the talks," FNL spokesman Pasteur Habimana told Reuters, without giving more details.

An official at the South African High Commission said that Nqakula flew in and out of Tanzania on Thursday for the meeting.

The FNL had accused the mediators and the Burundi government of trying to bully them into agreeing on a pact.

The chief mediator said on Monday he expected both sides to agree a comprehensive ceasefire agreement by Saturday.

The Burundi government and FNL signed a deal on June 18 to stop fighting, with a two-week deadline to finalise a comprehensive ceasefire.

A peace deal is seen as one of the last barriers to stability in the coffee-growing nation of 7 million, healing after more than a decade of civil war between the Hutu majority and a politically and economically dominant Tutsi minority.

At least 300,000 people were killed in a series of ethnic reprisals that followed the assassination of the first elected Hutu president, Melchior Ndadaye, in 1993 by Tutsi paratroopers.

Burundi has been hailed as a model on the continent because of its progress and relative stability in following a U.N.-backed peace plan drafted by regional leaders.

Burundi: Peacekeeping Mission in Burundi Extended Until December 2006
UN News Service (New York) June 30, 2006

Citing "factors of instability" that remain in Burundi despite democratization and ongoing negotiations with the last major rebel group outside the country's peace process, the Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations peacekeeping mission there for six months until 31 December 2006.

Through a unanimously adopted resolution, the 15-member body also welcomed the stated intention of Secretary-General Kofi Annan to establish a UN office to replace the mission by the end of the six-month period.

By the same action, the Council also extended until 30 September Mr. Annan's authority to temporarily redeploy a maximum of one infantry battalion, a military hospital and 50 military observers from ONUB to the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

In a December resolution extending ONUB's mandate, the Council had first authorized redeployment of personnel between the two missions to bolster MONUC during the DRC election process and as a step toward draw-down of the Burundi force after last year's successful elections, as the small African country emerges from its 12-year civil war.

Burundi peace talks flail
30/06/2006 20:22 - (SA)

Dar Es Salaam - Talks between Burundi's government and the country's last remaining rebel group stalled on Friday, after the chief mediator failed to convince rebels to return to the table.

South Africa, mediating the talks, had set July 1 as the deadline for the government and the Forces for National Liberation (FNL) to sign a comprehensive ceasefire.

Chief mediator and South Africa's safety and security minister, Charles Nqakula, had flown to the talks in Tanzania on Thursday, after the FNL demanded to talk to him.

"The mediator reported to us that he has tried to convince the FNL to tackle the issue of a ceasefire, but it refused," said the deputy head of Burundi's government negotiating team, Lazard Nduwayo.

"They told him that before negotiating a ceasefire, an agreement must first be reached on the reform of the army."

Officials said Nqakula had returned home and was not expected in Tanzania until next week.

The FNL says it is holding consultations before it decides its next course of action.

The Burundi government and the FNL signed a deal to stop fighting, with a two-week deadline to finalise a comprehensive ceasefire, on June 18.

Rebels say they are being bullied

The FNL have accused mediators and the Burundian government of bullying them into agreeing on a pact.

Nduwayo said the mediator would report to the leader of the regional peace initiative, Uganda President Yoweri Museveni, before talks resumed on Monday.

The FNL says it wants reforms in the security forces before it signs the agreements.

It has refused to integrate its fighters into the police and military as stipulated by Burundi's United Nations-backed peace plan.

The Burundian government said the FNL's demands were unrealistic because the rebel group wanted the army to be dismantled.

"The FNL's demand to reform or to dismantle the current army is something impossible," said defence minister major general Germain Niyoyankana on Thursday.

He said the Hutu rebels had, in the past, accused the army of being Tutsi-dominated, but all Hutu factions were now included in the armed forces.

A peace deal is seen as one of the last barriers to stability in the coffee-growing nation of seven million, after more than a decade of civil war between the Hutu majority and Tutsi minority.

Rwanda govt invests $500,000 in aviation plan
June 30, 2006 By ANDnetwork .com NewTimes

Rwanda government has invested $500,000 for the development of a plan to improve the country’s aviation system.

According to a release signed by the minister of state in charge of energy and communication Albert Butare, two consultancy firms from the United States- ARCON Corporation and Williams Aviation Consultants, Inc have been engaged by the government to develop a concept plan for Rwanda’s Safety and Air Traffic Management.

According to the work programme, the engagement of the two US-based firms is intended to provide expertise in transforming the country’s air traffic control and tactical surveillance systems, among others.

‘We are looking at funding sources for establishing the Communication, Navigation Surveillance and Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) Master Plan for Rwanda and other Common Markets for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Member States’, the release states in part.

Butare said that the investment was in line with the May 16, 2006 decision endorsed by the council of ministers of COMESA Members States that Rwanda should provide leadership in the implementation of communication, navigation surveillance and air traffic management project.

According to the media release, the innovations recommended by the experts will supplement the Karisimbi aviation infrastructure already in place.

“The 40m tower on a height of 4507m above sea level is already equipped with a power source and an optic fiber network, presenting a unique structure for attainment of among other things a springboard for CNS/ATM for Rwanda and the region,” the statement reads in part.

The New Times has learnt that the Karisimbi project presently under the commissioning phase will provide very long range (1000Kms) VHF coverage boosted with the use of satellites and the accompanying mono-pulse radar.

Butare also explained that the steps taken by Rwanda government are geared towards enhancing safe, secure and reliable safe skies programme.
He said the main airports and air routes reporting points had been surveyed, with the Kigali International Airport being identified by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) as one of the 17 future potential hubs in Africa.

Currently, Rwanda has finished a feasibility study for a new Airport done by OZ Architecture of Denver Inc, USA as part of the national strategy for Vision 2020.

‘On October 11, 2000, the government of USA and the government of Rwanda signed an air transport agreement. However, US airlines can only start operating into Rwanda after we have satisfied safety and security standards’, Butare noted.

He said, however, that the country had fully implemented the COMESA Legal Notice No. 2 of 1999, signing a Memorandum of Understanding with an American organization, Safe African Skies Group (SASG) as well as becoming a signatory to Yamoussoukro Decision of 1999.

Meanwhile Rwanda’s operation ‘safe skies’ comes at a time when the World Bank, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Civil Aviation (ICAO) expressed concern that many African countries were operating poor air transportation services.

Rwanda: Government hires US firms to undertake Air Traffic Management
Fri. June 30, 2006 Bonny Apunyu (SomaliNet) Two United States (US) based firms, RCON Corporation and Williams Aviation Consultants, Inc. have been engaged by the Rwandan government to develop a concept plan for Rwanda’s Safety and Air Traffic Management, New Times reported Thursday.

According to a release dated June 27 and signed by the Minister of State in Charge of Energy and Communication Eng. Albert Butare, the engagement of the two US- based firms is intended to provide expertise in transforming the country’s air traffic control and tactical surveillance systems, among others.

“We are looking at funding sources for establishing the Communication, Navigation Surveillance and Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) Master Plan for Rwanda and other Common Markets for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Member States”, the release states in part.

The Energy and Communications Minister said the investment was in line with the May 16, 2006 decision endorsed by the Council of Ministers of COMESA Members States that Rwanda should provide leadership in the implementation of Communication, Navigation Surveillance and Air Traffic Management project.

According to the release, the innovations recommended by the experts will supplement the Karisimbi aviation infrastructure already in place.

“The 40m tower on a height of 4507m above sea level is already equipped with a power source and an optic fiber network, presenting a unique structure for attainment of among other things a springboard for CNS/ATM for Rwanda and the region,” the statement reads in part.

UGANDA

Uganda rejects torture claims by rebels
June 30 2006 - Sapa-dpa

Kampala - The Ugandan government on Thursday rejected claims by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group that its troops are responsible for killing and torturing civilians in the north of the country where a civil war has displaced more than a million people.

The claims were made by elusive LRA leader Joseph Kony in a rare interview published on Thursday by British newspaper, The Times. He said government forces and not his guerrilla army were responsible for the deaths of thousands of civilians during the 20 year war.

Widely published reports of the LRA cutting off people's ears, limbs and noses and abducting tens of thousands of children for forced conscription were untrue and such atrocities were committed by the Ugandan army, said Kony.

Replying to the allegations, Uganda's Information Minister Ali Kirunda Kivejinja told reporters: "He (Kony) is a person who is not in his mind... What he has been doing is common knowledge to the world. He has been committing atrocities against civilians, killing people, torturing them and abducting children. The UPDF has never done that. We have done everything to ensure that the war ends and that the people of northern Uganda enjoy freedom."

Independent observers regard Kony's recent outburst with scepticism, with the head of the region's pro-peace religious body, Archbishop John Baptist Odama telling reporters on Thursday that "individual members of government forces committed atrocities but those of the LRA have been sanctioned and intentional".

Tanzania calls for increased trade with Zambia
June 30, 2006 Source: Xinhua

Visiting Tanzanian Vice President Ali Muhammed Shein called Thursday for increased volumes of trade and improved regional markets between Zambia and Tanzania.

Shein made the call during the official opening of the 42nd

Zambia International Trade Fair in Ndola, capital city of Northern province.

He said the bilateral trade increased between 2002 and 2003, which should be encouraged because the economy of the two countries is dependent on trade.

He said the two countries should promote regional market participation because these markets are their entry point to international markets.

Regional markets are an opportunity for the participants to widen their market potential and the exhibition of their products to a wider audience, he said.

The vice president said that the International Trade Fair is an opportunity for competitive business and the sharing of ideas and market potential.

He called on the two countries to explore ways in which the two countries can promote export finished products as well as raw materials.

Shein said Zambia and Tanzania should promote a supportive business culture through the trade fairs held in both countries.

Over 270 local exhibitors are participating in this year's fair as compared with 250 last year. Ninety-six foreign companies from 14 countries are also participating in the fair, a 14 percent rise from last year's number.

DRC opens talks to ensure peaceful elections
June 30 2006 - Sapa-AFP

Kinshasa - A major dialogue involving the political elite of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from the president down was set to open on Friday to ensure a smooth run-up to the country's first democratic elections in 45 years.

Azarias Ruberwa, Vice-President in charge of politics, defence and security, said the promised consultations aimed to "preserve the credibility and calm of the electoral process".

The meetings, sought by several parties and the Roman Catholic Church in the country, would focus on "questions concerning safety of election candidates, their access to the media and the acceptance of results", said a presidential statement last week.

Several opposition parties threatened on Wednesday to obstruct the electoral process if these consultations did not take place.

Some parties were still seeking clarification of the campaign organisation.

Campaigning officially began late on Thursday for the elections, seen as a key step in bringing lasting peace to the vast, war-scarred nation.

The vote on July 30 to choose a president and parliament will be followed by provincial and local ballots, designed to conclude the fragile three-year transitional period that succeeded the Central African country's civil war.

The political consultations, to be held at the foreign ministry, were scheduled to involve the president and four vice-presidents, 33 contenders for the presidency in a July 30 election, the Speakers of the lower and upper houses, an independent electoral commission, party delegates and representatives of civil society and members of the international community in the capital Kinshasa.

President Joseph Kabila, currently in the east of the vast, war-torn Central African country, was not expected to be back in time for the opening of the consultations.

Meanwhile it was announced here that a European Union military force to be deployed to ensure public safety during the election had already positioned the first 412 of 1 200 troops to be stationed in Kinshasa.

"In Kinshasa today there 200 French, 120 Poles, 40 Belgians, 40 Germans, a small advance party of a Spanish parachute company, two Swedes and two Portuguese," said French Colonel Francois David Pincet.

Kenya: Press Freedom in Kenya Under Threat
New Vision (Kampala) June 29, 2006 Jerry Okungu Kampala

The Internal Security Minister has no apologies to make over the raid at The Standard and KTN offices two months ago.

He is swearing to repeat the same act if the media house does not change its ways. He strongly believes that the threat to national security lies here. However, Koigi Wa Wamwere, the Assistant Minister in charge of Information and Communication has had a change of heart. He thinks Michuki has no basis for infringing on press freedom. His sentiments are shared by Kabete Member of Parliament who happens to chair a parliamentary committee on Media and Press Freedom.

Muite's committee has been investigating the reasons behind the raid at the Standard Group two months ago by hooded men suspected to be hired mercenaries and a special police crack force. However, his committee reached a dead end when summons to the Police Commissioner and the Director of CID to appear before it were apparently blocked by the Security Minister. This has sent Muite's hair standing.

Raids aside, the media has had a series of arrests in recent times that include two occasions involving various senior editors at The Standard and one incident involving senior editors at the Times Media Group. This is not to mention occasional arrests of publishers of the alternative press along with the confiscation of published editions from street vendors.

More worrying is the fact that two months after the Standard raid, another group of hooded thugs were at it again. This time round, they visited Hope FM, a Christian radio station housed at the Pentecostal Church compound on Valley Road. They left untold destruction of broadcast equipment, its building and one person dead in their wake. Unlike the Standard raid, the government this time did not claim responsibility. If anything, Mutahi Kagwe, Minister for Information and Communication hurriedly visited the scene in the company of church officials and condemned the raid in the strongest terms.

Curiously, and oblivious to the trauma the latest raid had caused the nation, Minister Michuki still found it very much in order to issue another threat to the so-called wayward media houses that paused a threat to national security!

This new threat to press freedom has not come as a surprise to anybody. In a society like ours, where the top leadership has proved to have little regard for the law, it is not possible to hold public officials to account. It has been the habit, especially of cabinet ministers to break the law, disregard judicial orders and literally be the law unto themselves. In this connection, John Michuki is not the only culprit. The difference is that Michuki does it with brazen arrogance that even President Kibaki would never dream of.

What makes this threat to the media more dangerous is the fact that the media itself is a fragmented industry that never speaks with one voice. Whenever it tries to come together for some selfish reason, its temporary unity is quickly scuttled by selfish interests and divided loyalty between state and commercial interests.

For years the same media has struggled to form a self regulatory body that would mediate between the media, the government and members of the public whenever disputes arose, however all the industry has ever achieved has been a lacklustre back and forth attempt at drafting a Media Bill. All indications are that even the Media Bill that took the industry two years to draft is now under interrogation by the same captains of the industry. In fact knowledgeable sources indicate that since the Standard raid, the industry has developed cold feet on having a Media Bill that would give the government a tool to run it out of town at will.

But the biggest setback was for the media industry to set up an outfit called the Media Council of Kenya that has remained not only toothless but has been highly ineffective in enforcing the code of ethics for the industry it took part in developing.

To cap it all, the last two weeks have seen another assault on the media of another kind. Suddenly out of the blues two leading media captains have lost their place in the industry under mysterious circumstances. Tom Mshindi suddenly found it necessary to part ways with the Standard Group after three years without the option to renew his contract despite credible performance at the once loss making outfit. The industry is full of with various versions of the rumour as to how and why he left so suddenly.

In quick succession, Wachira Waruru found himself transferred to Kenya Film Commission where his services were most needed at this critical time of the thriving Film Industry in Kenya. This was not withstanding the fact that the reform and reorganisation process he had initiated at KBC was still midstream. Tom Mshindi and Wachira Waruru were both veteran journalists and the first industry professionals to become chief executives of media houses. Apart from their relative youthfulness they brought freshness to the industry that hitherto purely business-oriented industry captains never had.

News - Kenya takes over Red Cross hospital
30 Jun 2006 Source: British Red Cross Society - UK

The largest ever Red Cross field hospital is to be handed over to the Kenyan authorities as the number of war wounded has decreased.

Lopiding hospital in Lokichokio, near the Sudan border, has been providing emergency medical care and war surgery for those affected by conflict in Southern Sudan for 19 years.

The hospital was founded by the Red Cross in this isolated rural area of Kenya in 1987 to respond to the lack of medical and surgical care in Southern Sudan and the massive influx of war-wounded being evacuated into Kenya.

As the conflict escalated the hospital expanded to meet rising demand, increasing from a 40 bed to a 500 bed capacity. At one point, Lopiding Hospital was the largest field hospital in the world.

Decline in hostilities

However following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the Government of Sudan and the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) in January 2005 there was a decline in hostilities and the number of patients admitted to Lopiding Hospital began to decrease.

At the same time, the Sudanese authorities started rebuilding the medical infrastructure in southern Sudan, which had been destroyed during the years of civil war.

The Red Cross stopped evacuating patients to Lopiding from southern Sudan on 28 February 2006.

We are incredibly proud of what the Lopiding hospital, and all of the nurses, doctors and surgeons who have worked there, have achieved.

Ros Armitage, British Red Cross

The last patient who benefited from medical evacuation to Lopiding was Nyamer Gang, a 60-year-old woman shot in the upper leg. Where the bullet came from, she does not know. There were no hostilities going on - she was simply standing in front of her hut when the bullet struck her.

"I was lucky to be admitted to Lopiding," she said. After two operations Nyamer Gang recovered and has been flown home to southern Sudan by the Red Cross.

Ros Armitage, Sudan officer at the British Red Cross said: "We are incredibly proud of what the Lopiding hospital, and all of the nurses, doctors and surgeons who have worked there, have achieved. The process of creating and expanding, what was to become the largest hospital dedicated to war wounded in the world, has been a massive learning curve and I'd like to say thank you to all of the medical staff who worked in this challenging environment."

Changing needs

In response to changing needs, the Red Cross will now hand over the hospital which will be managed by the Kenyan Ministry of Health. It will continue to run as a sub-district hospital with a capacity of 150 beds to serve the community of the Turkana district of Northern Kenya.During its lifespan as a Red Cross field hospital over 60,000 surgical interventions were performed and nearly 38,000 patients were treated.

Jenny Hayward Karlsson, a British Red Cross delegate and Head Nurse at the hospital in 1991 said: "At the height of the conflict we were in the desperate position of being faced with thousands of critical cases and knowing that only a small proportion would be able to reach the hospital.

"The hospital treated tens of thousands of Sudanese patients, approximately 95 per cent of who arrived at the hospital by air. In some cases people were being evacuated from hundreds of kilometres away after days of being seriously injured."

The Red Cross will now step up its activities in the Juba Teaching Hospital in Southern Sudan, where it has been working since 1993 supporting surgical, medical and paediatric services as well as training medical staff.

Kenya opens international calls
30/06/2006 AFP

Nairobi - Kenya's telecommunications regulator on Friday granted gateway licences to the country's two mobile phone companies, ending a monopoly held by state-run Telkom Kenya.
The communications commission of Kenya said it approved licences for the east African nation's largest cellular operator, Safaricom, and Kuwaiti group Celtel International to enhance competition and lower consumer prices.

"With the licences, mobile operators will now be allowed to construct and operate their own international voice gateways," CCK director general John Waweru said at a Nairobi ceremony where the move was announced.

"This will lead to the creation of diversity in international links, and improvement in the quality of service for international mobile communications," he said.

Safaricom and Celtel currently route their international calls through Telkom Kenya, which has a monopoly of the country's land lines and out-of-country traffic.

"Now that the two networks will have complete control over their own international voice services, including roaming, the commission expects consumers to get value for their money through provision of high quality services," Waweru said.

Information and Communications Minister Mutahi Kagwe said more competition would be key in allowing many Kenyans access to efficient and reliable services, wherever they lived, at affordable prices.

"We expect the two cellular operators will create more value in the market by providing more efficient and better priced international services to individuals and corporate bodies with overseas interests," he said.

Safaricom chief Michael Joseph hailed the granting of the licences, calling it a "a memorable and historical moment" for Kenya's mobile phone sector.

"We assure the public that they will see a tremendous drop in the cost of international calls from and into Kenya," he said.

Angola: Cholera Kills 99 in Diamond Prospecting Areas
Angola Press Agency (Luanda) June 30, 2006 Dundo

At least 99 peoples died of cholera in diamond prospecting areas in Cuango, Capenda Camulemba and Xa-Muteba districts, in Angola's eastern Lunda-Norte province, since the outbreak of the disease in May 2006, Angop learned.

This was said Thursday by the provincial director of Health, Sozinando Mazita Filipe, at the end of the 6th ordinary session of the local Government, chaired by local governor, Manuel Francisco Gomes Maiato.

Most of the deaths were recorded in the localities of Cafuba and Bananeira, where sanitation is poor and people taking inappropriate water.

Since the second week of June, he added, the situation improved considerably, taking into account the drop in cases.

Angola still has a lucrative market
June 30, 2006, Zimbabwean Herald By ANDnetwork .com

Angola remains a potentially lucrative export market for a wide range of products although exports to the oil-rich country took a dip last year.

Trade between Zimbabwe and Angola has been declining since 2000 with exports raising a total of US $3 500 000 in 2005 declined to US $720 000. Imports, on the other hand, have also been decreasing rapidly from US $180 000 in 2000 to US $39 000 in 2005.

A ZimTrade team that recently visited the country described Angola as a ready market for products such as rice.

ZimTrade market research manager Francisca Manyoni said Angola offered immense investment opportunities in education, construction, finance and banking, insurance, tourism and business management.

"In Angola you can import anything as long as it is of good quality, fully packaged and also has the expiry date written on the product."

"There is a lot of competition in the Angolan market. The quality of the goods in the market reflects the richness of the country and it is highly competitive and they import almost every type of product,"said Mrs Manyoni.

ZimTrade said the only requirement was that no company is allowed to import without being registered in the name of an Angolan national who will also learn from the business partner.

SOUTH AFRICA:

South Africa: Govt Committed To Youth Development - Pahad
BuaNews (Tshwane) June 30, 2006 David Masango Pretoria

Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad has emphasised that government will continue to focus on youth development issues as this is central to various government programmes.

These include the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (ASGISA) as well as initiatives to fight HIV and AIDS, unemployment and the provision of health, education as well as other services.

Mr Pahad was speaking at the Union Buildings today at an event to announce the new members of the National Youth Commission (NYC) who will be in office for three years starting today.

The new commissioners are Chairperson Nobulumko Nomi Nkondlo, Deputy Chairperson Vuyiswa Gladys Tulelo, Olwethu Sipuka, Elrico van Rooyen and Mothupi Modiba.

Ms Nkondlo is not new to the job; she served as a commissioner during the commission's previous term of office.

Addressing the media, Minister Pahad said the NYC had a critical role to play in the development of youth in the country and expressed his confidence in the new members' expertise to deliver on their tasks.

He said the new commissioners should have a clear understanding of the work and programmes of the NYC; and that they should be ready to perform their duties.

Mr Essop refuted concerns the youth commission had failed in its work, saying people needed to understand the organisation was not a donor or funding agency but that it was tasked with addressing major needs, challenges and opportunities for youth.

These include dealing with teenage pregnancy; alternatives to youth imprisonment, and establishing employment and study opportunities for those disadvantaged.

"The youth commission has been criticised for not doing things that they [are not tasked to do] such as to provide funding.

"However it is working with the Umsobomvu Youth Fund especially regarding the National Youth Service, which is located in the offices of Umsobomvu," he said, adding however that there should be improvement in some areas.

He cited communication, saying this should be heightened through available media to ensure messages get through to young people.

Addressing the gathering, Ms Nkondlo expressed her gratitude for being afforded the opportunity to serve the youth of South Africa and committed to strengthening structures that already existed for the development of youth countrywide.

"The strength of this democracy lies in the participation of the masses, especially the youth," she said.

Ms Nkondlo emphasised the importance of youth participation at local government level, citing a conference the NYC had held to strengthen youth participation at local government structures.

She also said the establishment of local youth units, especially in rural areas would contribute towards the strengthening of youth participation in local government.

Angola: Over 3,000 Km of Roads Under Repair in Huambo
Angola Press Agency (Luanda) June 30, 2006 Luanda

More than 3,000 kilometres of roads that connect the city of Huambo to the other municipalities of the this central province with the same name, have already been selected and handed over to the contractors, in the ambit of the government's infrastructures rehabilitation programme, being implemented in the whole country.

These undertakings are under the responsibility of the National Roads Institute (INEA), in the framework of the executive programme for the rehabilitation of roads, which was approved in July 2005, during a session of the Cabinet Council's Standing Commission.

The repair works include the levelling of the ground, fixing the drainage system, improving the traffic signals, among others.

The works in Huambo Province are to be carried out in 12 to 18 months, by several firms, such as Monte e Monte, Mota Engil, Rood Mark International, among others.

The Public Works Ministry will reinforce its supervision, in the whole country, aimed at demanding greater quality in the execution of public works, reason why it will also resort to foreign specialists.

Angola: Ambassador to Argentina Speaks of Country's Reconstruction
Angola Press Agency (Luanda) June 30, 2006 Luanda

Angola's national reconstruction was the topic of a talk addressed recently by the Angolan ambassador to Argentina, Fernando Dito, at the invitation of Siglo XXI university, located at Cordoba province, Angop leanrd Friday.

To the Angolan diplomat, the environment of peace enjoying the country since April 2002 and the new law on private investment are elements of guarantee for Cordoba's provincial businesses, who expressed interest in participating in country's reconstruction.

Meanwhile, trade between Angola and Argentina will reach USD 200 million this year.

But, according to Argentina's ambassador to Angola, Eduardo Sguiglia, the amount will increase in coming years, taking into account the interest expressed by the two Governments in boosting existing bilateral co-operation.

AFRICA / AU :

Annan and Mugabe set to meet
By Tony Hawkins in Harare and Mark Turner at the United Nations Published: June 30 2006
Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General, will meet with Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwe president, at an African Union summit in Gambia on Saturday, in an effort to engage Harare in international talks about its future, and possibly set a date for a visit to the country.

But UN officials were reluctant Friday to go into any detailed proposals following what they viewed as unconstructive public statements by Thabo Mbeki, the South African president, and subsequent discussion in the southern African media.

Mr Annan would like to reach a deal with Zimbabwe before stepping down at the end of this year, but talks are still fragile and success far from assured. “My plan to go to Zimbabwe is still very much on the table,” he told journalists recently. “Zimbabwe, in economic and agricultural terms, was one of the breadbaskets of the region, and has the capacity of doing that. [But] I think it’s in a very difficult way.”

“We, the international community, should find a way of assisting Zimbabwe to come back to the fold and to turn around its economy and its social systems.”

However emphasing his government’s refusal to even discuss constitutional change and an interim administration with Mr Annan ahead of the meeting the Zimbabwe president insisted that his country does not need any international rescue package.

Speaking on Thursday the Zimbabwe leader said: “There are so many so-called ‘initiatives’ to rescue Zimbabwe. We are not dying. We don’t need any rescue. We will not collapse. Maybe we are suffering, yes. But we will never die”.

The president’s comments coincided with reports that the ruling Zanu-PF’s politburo had given Mr Mugabe “a mandate” to meet Mr Annan, but to reject any proposals for constitutional reform and a transitional government. “We will not accept any suggestions for a transitional government or economic rescue packages tied to veiled attempts of regime change,” said a senior member of the party’s top policy-making body.

“If Zimbabweans want change, they know when elections are due” added party spokesman Nathan Shamuyarira, a close confidant of the president.

These comments have deepened gloom ahead of the meeting despite continuing claims from South African sources that Mr Mugabe will come under intense pressure to step down at the AU summit.

In Harare, expectations of a positive outcome from the meeting are low.

Government sources see the meeting as an opportunity for President Mugabe to “set the record straight,” to quote one minister, by telling the Zimbabwe story “as it really is rather than how it is portrayed in the biased western media and in one-sided reports by UN agencies”.

Privately officials are delighted that the meeting is taking place on “home ground” for Mr Mugabe, seen as an African folk hero, by some in Africa, who has championed his country against “sanctions” imposed by the EU, US president George W. Bush, and British prime minister Tony Blair.

Recent statements by the Zimbabwe government give no hint of compromise.

Western diplomats left an acrimonious meeting with Zimbabwe ministers last week in state of deep gloom after foreign Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi had launched a 20-minute rant against the Australian ambassador to Zimbabwe Jon Sheppard.

The briefing had been called to tell the diplomats that Zimbabwe would honour bilateral investment agreements and pay compensation for expropriated land that they covered. When Mr Sheppard sought an assurance that all those who had lost their land would have “equal rights under the law” the foreign minister lashed out at Western countries describing Australia as “one of the most racist countries in the world”.

The episode left diplomats wondering whether there is any point in an Annan-Mugabe meeting.

Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa followed up with a bitter attack on the West for seeking to destabilise Zimbabwe by funding non-government organizations.

While opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai has welcomed the UN initiative, his party, the Movement for Democratic Change, says it still plans to go ahead with street protests to force the government to the negotiating table. But in the past Mr Tsvangirai has failed to bring people onto the streets and with President Mugabe threatening a” vicious” response to anyone seeking to unseat his administration, there is unlikely to be much support for public protests.

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions has set July 11 as a tentative date for a national stayaway to protest against rising unemployment, rampant inflation, expected to reach 1250 percent in June, and rapidly declining real wages.

$140m for Nile basin project
June 30, 2006, Newtimes By ANDnetwork .com

Ten Nile basin countries are negotiating for a joint power deal worth about $140 million funding from the World Bank.
By Lelah Ahmed

The revelation was made during the First Project Steering Committee meeting for the Nile Basin Initiative in Kampala, at which the Ugandan minister for water and environment, Maria Mutagamba, said that the US$140m project would ease the power problem that is affecting many Nile basin states.

The two-day meeting was attended by delegates from Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Egypt, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti and Uganda.

The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) executive director, Audace Ndayizeye said the $140 million project being funded by the World Bank, Germany, European Union, Canada and Sida under the Nile Basin Trust Fund, would ensure constant and steady supply of electricity in the Great Lakes Region and, Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania.

Ndayizeye said that the Eastern Nile Subsidiary Action Program (ENSAP) is handling the project in the member states. He said that the project supports the effective co-ordination with other regional organisations in power generation, transmission and trade in the Nile Basin. He noted that under the NBI indicative power master plan, the declaration among the member states recognised the need to promote co-operation amongst all countries that share the River Nile.

“In generation, transmission and development of electricity markets are important for optimising its benefits and with this co-operation, we shall realise development benefits, such as economic prosperity, poverty reduction, peace, economic integration and environmental sustainability,” he said.

Mutagamba said that the Kisumu-Kagera power project being worked upon would ease the power shortage being experienced in the countries. She noted that the Kampala meeting was geared towards emphasising the need for co-operation on the planning and management of Nile Resources to overcome the Nile Basin challenges of poverty, environmental and natural resources degradation, population increase, demographic pressures on the resources base and conflicts, among others.

Meanwhile, the Nile Basin Initiative received a US$32.8 million funding for the sustainable management of the River Nile basin.

A source in Uganda’s lands and water ministry, said Canada, Germany and the African Development Bank are jointly funding the project.

“The project will, through a Shared Vision Project (SVP) ensure sustained development of the Nile waters that benefits ten countries,” he said, adding that, “the project is charged with ensuring development and management of the water resource in an equitable, optimal, integrated and sustainable manner.”

UN /ONU :

Security Council extends increase in force strength of UN Mission in Democratic Republic of Congo until September, resolution 1693 (2006) adopted unanimouslySC/8767

Source: United Nations Security Council Date: 30 Jun 2006 5480th Meeting (AM)

Objective Is Free, Fair, Peaceful Election Process

The Security Council this morning, reiterating its concern regarding the continuation of hostilities by militias and foreign armed groups in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and at the threat they posed to the holding of elections, decided to extend until 30 September the increase in the military and civilian police strength of the United Nations mission there authorized in resolutions 1621 and 1635.

Unanimously adopting resolution 1693 (2006), the Council underlined the temporary character of that increase, and requested the Secretary-General to take the necessary steps with a view to downsizing or repatriating this additional strength by 30 September, as long as their presence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo would no longer be vital to the successful conduct of the electoral process.

The Council once again called on the transitional institutions and on all Congolese parties to ensure that free, fair and peaceful elections take place, that the timetable for polls developed by the Independent Electoral Commission is scrupulously respected, and that security forces exercise restraint and remain impartial while providing security to the electoral process, and to respect the rights of every candidate to conduct a campaign.

The historic elections which are scheduled to be held in the country in the coming months constitute the largest and most challenging electoral process ever conducted with United Nations support. The Congolese electorate of 25.5 million voters will be called on, for the first time in 45 years, to cast their vote in some 50,000 polling stations for some 33 presidential, over 9,000 national legislative and over 10,000 provincial assembly candidates.

The meeting began at 10:47 a.m. and ended at 10:50 a.m.

Council Resolution

The full text of resolution 1693 (2006) reads, as follows:

“The Security Council,

“Recalling its resolutions and the statements by its President concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in particular resolutions 1565 of 1 October 2004, 1592 of 30 March 2005, 1596 of 18 April 2005, 1621 of 6 September 2005, 1628 of 30 September 2005, 1635 of 28 October 2005 and 1671 of 25 April 2006,

“Reaffirming its commitment to respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its support for the process of the Global and All-Inclusive Agreement on the Transition, signed in Pretoria on 17 December 2002,

“Underlining the importance of elections as the foundation for the longer term restoration of peace and stability, national reconciliation and establishment of the rule of law in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,

“Taking note of the fact that the elections of members of the National Assembly and the first round of the election of the President of the Republic are scheduled for 30 July 2006,

“Paying tribute to the donor community for the assistance they provide to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in particular to the electoral process, and encouraging them to maintain it,

“Recalling the importance of the security sector reform for the long-term stabilization of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the contribution brought by the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), the EUSEC Mission and other international partners in this field,

“Reiterating its serious concern regarding the continuation of hostilities by militias and foreign armed groups in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and at the threat they pose to the holding of elections,

“Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General dated 13 June 2006 (S/2006/390), and of its recommendations,

“Noting that the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to constitute a threat to international peace and security in the region,

“Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,

“1. Decides to extend until 30 September 2006 the increase in the military and civilian police strength of MONUC authorized by resolutions 1621 and 1635;

“2. Underlines the temporary character of the increase referred to in the previous paragraph, and requests the Secretary-General to take the necessary steps with a view to downsizing or repatriating this additional strength by 30 September 2006, as long as their presence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo would no longer be vital to the successful conduct of the electoral process;

“3. Calls once again on the Transitional institutions and on all Congolese parties to ensure that free, fair and peaceful elections take place, that the timetable for polls developed by the Independent Electoral Commission is scrupulously respected and that security forces exercise restraint and remain impartial while providing security to the electoral process, and to respect the rights of every candidate to conduct a campaign;

“4. Calls on all Congolese parties to refrain from incitement to hatred and violence;

“5. Recalls that MONUC has the mandate, as set out in paragraph 7 of resolution 1565, within its capacity and without prejudice to carrying out tasks stipulated in paragraphs 4 and 5 of resolution 1565, inter alia, to provide assistance to the transitional government and authorities in order to contribute to their efforts, including those carried out with the support of EUSEC, with a view to take forward the security sector reform;

“6. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.”

Background

The Security Council had before it the twenty-first report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) (document S/2006/390), which states that the historic elections which are scheduled to be held in the country in the coming months constitute the largest and most challenging electoral process ever conducted with United Nations support. The Congolese electorate of 25.5 million voters will be called on, for the first time in 45 years, to cast their vote in some 50,000 polling stations for some 33 presidential, over 9,000 national legislative and over 10,000 provincial assembly candidates.

By all standards, logistical challenges and the cost of the elections will be considerable, states the report. It is hoped that this unprecedented investment by the Congolese people and the international community will help consolidate lasting peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo through a process of national reconciliation, further democratization and the continued implementation of fundamental reforms and the transitional agenda. The Secretary-General also trusts that the lessons learned in organizing and conducting the elections will be considered carefully to allow for the organization of future national polls in the most efficient way.

The Secretary-General is grateful to the international community for its considerable political, financial, technical and logistical support of the electoral process. He notes, in particular, the key role played by the European Union in mobilizing and providing funding for the elections, and helping to advance the electoral agenda through its sustained high-level political engagement. He also thanks other key donors, including South Africa, which is assisting the Independent Electoral Commission with critically needed financing, printing and transporting of some 78 million ballot papers to 14 designated sites. This generous donor assistance is a welcome supplement to the considerable logistical and technical support being provided by MONUC.

While it will be difficult, given the logistical challenges, to ensure that the elections are absolutely perfect, it will be important for the credibility of the process that the Independent Electoral Commission remains impartial and fully transparent in managing the elections. In this connection, the Secretary-General is concerned by recent reports regarding limitations on civil liberties, the widespread misuse of public funds, endemic corruption, and the arbitrary detention of political party members.

He is also concerned by reports of increasing intimidation of the media, which threatens to undermine the transparency of the elections. Freedom of the press is a central tenet of democracy that needs to be upheld especially during the electoral period. It is the right of both national and international members of the press to be able to report without fear. Any attempt to manipulate the process, including through restrictions on the freedom of the national and international press, the intimidation of voters and arbitrary arrests, cannot be tolerated and should be strongly condemned.

In addition, the Secretary-General also strongly encourages the Congolese political leaders to approach the elections in a spirit of reconciliation and renewal. The elections and their outcome should provide an opportunity to continue the process of national dialogue, consolidation of peace and progress towards the long-term unity and stability of the country.

He urges the Congolese authorities, in particular the national police, who have the special mandate to secure the polls, to continue taking the necessary security measures to prevent and deter possible violence. The elections must take place in an atmosphere which is calm and free of any intimidation or interference. Political parties and candidates should refrain from using rhetoric that would incite ethnic tensions. Moreover, the political campaign should be conducted in strict compliance with the code of conduct; political parties and independent candidates should be encouraged to base their campaign on the programmes and platforms which will best serve the long-term interest of the Congolese population.

While the primary responsibility for securing the elections remains with the Congolese authorities, MONUC and its partners will continue to support the efforts of the Government. In this connection, the Secretary-General strongly welcomes the decision of the European Union to assist the United Nations in securing the elections by making available a standby force to address, if need be, specific security situations. The availability at short notice of the main body of the European Union standby force, as well as the presence of its advance elements in Kinshasa, will play an important role in reassuring the Congolese electorate and deterring potential spoilers. The Secretary-General is also grateful for the Council’s authorization to transfer from the United Nations Operation in Burundi (ONUB) to MONUC a battalion, a level II hospital and up to 50 military observers.

Despite some progress, the political and security situation in Ituri, the Kivus and Katanga remains tenuous. Militia fighting continues to affect negatively the lives of civilians. The surrender of Mayi-Mayi commander Gédéon and his forces in Mitwaba is a welcome development. The Secretary-General is also encouraged by the steps taken to bring before the International Criminal Court one of the notorious leaders of the Ituri armed groups. At the same time, the judicial authorities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are expected to make additional efforts to put an end to impunity, including within the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC).

The report states that the FARDC has engaged in widespread, serious violations of human rights. This is partly due to the fact that the integration of the national army has been somewhat ineffective, particularly given the lack of political will, the mismanagement and diversion of funds earmarked for salary payments, and inadequate training and logistical support. The Secretary-General urges the Congolese authorities and bilateral donors, including the European Union and others, to accelerate the establishment of a reformed army and police force and to ensure that those responsible for human rights violations are swiftly brought to trial by an independent and credible justice system.

The humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo remains severe, with a large number of internally displaced persons and other vulnerable populations. The United Nations and its partners have invested considerable effort and resources in helping to mitigate the worst aspects of the humanitarian crisis. The 2006 action plan launched on 13 February in Brussels and Kinshasa presents a clear and realistic framework to address the continuing humanitarian issues in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, it remains a source of concern that donors have pledged only 14 per cent of the $682 million needed. The action plan, which is aimed at building on the gains in the security environment achieved by MONUC, will be critical in addressing the legacy of conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Secretary-General strongly appeals to the Congolese authorities as well as the donor community to urgently provide the required assistance to address the humanitarian crisis in the country.

The recent progress made in improving bilateral relations between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda is encouraging. Rwanda’s intention to restore full diplomatic relations with the Democratic Republic of the Congo after the elections is a step in the right direction. At the same time, the misunderstandings and tensions that persist between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, especially those concerning the security situation on their common border, should be addressed as matter of priority.

The forthcoming elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will represent a major milestone, states the report. However, some tasks envisaged under the Global and All-Inclusive Agreement will not have been completed by the time of the polls. The Secretary-General urges all Congolese stakeholders to approach the post-electoral period in a spirit of reconciliation and national consensus, ensuring the participation of all of the country’s political forces in the new political dispensation. The new Government should also make every effort to ensure that urgent needs of the population for security and economic development are met.

The Secretary-General intends to provide the Council with his proposals for the post-electoral role of MONUC, which will include critical areas such as the extension of State authority, reform of the security sector, protection and promotion of human rights, protection of civilians and the provision of overall security. These proposals will be outlined in his report to the Council after the possible second round of the presidential elections, which may take place in October 2006.

USA :

CANADA :

South Africa: Canada to Give Mpumalanga Tips On Better Environmental Management
BuaNews (Tshwane) June 30, 2006 Sizwe Samayende Nelspruit

Mpumalanga will send a delegation of cabinet members and mayors to Canada next month to explore best practices in environmental management.

Canada's Alberta province has a twinning agreement with Mpumalanga.

Provincial government spokesperson Lebona Mosia said on Thursday that Canada was chosen because of its excellent environmental and water resource management systems.

"These facilities were observed by the premier [Thabang Makwetla] during his visit last year," Mosia said.

He said the decision to go to Canada was taken by the provincial executive committee during its sitting in Bushbuckridge on Wednesday.

The committee has also agreed that time frames should be set to prepare for the 2010 Soccer World Cup games that will be played in the province.

"These include the legacy infrastructure plans that must be developed. Other areas that focus must be put on include the hospitality and entertainment industries," Mosia said.

Mr Makwetla has returned from a week-long expedition to the state of North Rhine Westphalia in Germany to see how that province was hosting the current world cup games.

North Rhine Westphalia also has a twinning agreement with Mpumalanga, and has three venues that are hosting some of current games; in Dortmund, Cologne and Gelsenkirchen.

Mr Makwetla briefed the committee about the visit.

The construction of Mpumalanga's soccer stadium is set to begin in September, and it is estimated that it will cost about R600 million.

The Premier has since invited Germans to come and help Mpumalanga prepare for the soccer showpiece after July 9.

During the visit, a declaration of intent was signed by Mpumalanga's culture, sports and recreation department and the North Rhine Westphalia ministry of inter-generational affairs, family, women and integration.

The declaration aims to establish co-operation and collaboration in youth development through sport.

The areas of co-operation would include sport management, coaching, mentoring and general capacity building in sport development.

A business plan is still to be drafted, and would specify the involvement of teachers and club coaches in sport lessons.

AUSTRALIA :

EUROPE :

Senegal, EU halt fish deal amid compensation spat
Fri Jun 30, 2006 DAKAR (Reuters) - Senegal and the European Union (EU) failed to renew a four-year $75 million fishing deal after they disagreed over financial compensation for the West African country, a senior EU official said on Friday.

The current fishing deal between Senegal and the EU will end on Friday at midnight, when all EU fishing trawlers will have to leave Senegalese waters.

"They (the Senegalese) want us to cut back our fishing by 60 percent which we agree, but Senegal must agree on a smaller compensation package and we disagree for the time being on that," Cesar Deben, head of fisheries at the EU told Reuters.

European trawlers fish in Senegalese waters under a four-year, 64 million-euro contract between Senegal and the European Union.

The deal brings in a steady stream of cash to Senegalese authorities and stipulates that 3 million euros of the proceeds each year must be spent on developing sustainable fishing.

But local fishermen complain that fish resources are dwindling. Europeans say their catch in the Senegalese waters is not the main cause.

"Our catch represents only 2 percent of Senegalese fish," Deben said.

The overall catch from Senegalese waters fell to 374,000 tonnes in 2002 from 453,000 tonnes in 1997. The quantity of commercially valuable fish has fallen by more than 80 percent since the 1950s, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Neither Senegal nor the EU could confirm when the next round of negotiation would resume.

More than 600,000 men and women depend on fishing and related industries in a country of 11 million, where fish and rice is the main dish.

CHINA :

INDIA :

BRASIL: