Pan-African News Wire

Wellington Commons Tenants Win First Round in Fight Against Illegal Evictions

2009-07-11T02:19:00.001-04:00

Nyree Peters, a tenant at the Wellington Commons apartments on Seward in Detroit, speaks to the media about the illegal eviction that was attempted by the management firm controlling the building. (Photo: Abayomi Azikiwe)
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

Wellington Commons Tenants Win First Round in Fight Against Illegal Evictions

Residents can stay for 30 more days, DTE will not shut-off services

by Abayomi Azikiwe
Editor, Pan-African News Wire

DETROIT--Residents of the Wellington Commons on Detroit's west side have won the right to remain in their apartments for another month. After receiving an informal letter from management on July 9 stating that they would be required to leave the following day, the tenants began to demand answers for why they would have to move because of financial problems faced by the owners.

On July 9 organizers from the Moratorium NOW! Coaliton to Stop Foreclosures and Evictions went to the apartment building to inform the tenants of their rights and to encourage them to struggle against the eviction. The Coalition issued a press release and attracted the local NBC affiliate, WDIV Channel 4, which covered the struggle extensively from the evening of July 9 through July 10.

When a representative of the management company arrived at Wellington Commons after 11:00 a.m. on July 10, he was questioned by tenants, journalists and members of the Moratroium NOW! Coalition. The management firm now controlling the building said that it was not true that tenants had to leave by July 10.

Also the management firm acknowledged that DTE Energy would not shut-off the utilities services on July 10. The name of the supervising firm is Elite Property Management and a man who called himself Bob spoke for the company saying that they wanted to place the residents in other apartment buildings managed by the company.

Bob told the Pan-African News Wire that the apartment building was owned by a hedge fund from New York and that the firm had decided to go out of business. One resident of the Wellington Commons told the PANW correspondent that a firm called Stillwater Capital was actually the owners.

Later two officers from the Detroit Police Department came on the scene and went into the building to talk with the management. The officers later told the residents that the owners of the building owed over $100,000 in past due utilities bills.

However, the actual amount of the bill could not be substantiated. Moreover, this was not the fault of the tenants who have utility costs included in their monthly rent payments.

Later the representative of the Elite Property Management company, who called himself Bob, said that any resident could move into another building supervised by the firm without paying a deposit.

The epidemic of foreclosure and eviction is a serious problem in Detroit and throughout the United States. In many cases, where people rent homes and apartments, the tenants are not aware of the financial difficulties facing the owners. When they are ordered to move by the management firms that take over operations, many residents are not aware of their rights. A great number of the evictions that are carried out by the private interests controlling the properties are in fact illegal because they are not conducted through the courts.

These problems are reflective of the need for a declaration of an economic state of emergency in Michigan and throughout the country. There needs to be a general moratorium on all foreclosures and evictions in the United States.

According to government statistics, over four million people have lost their jobs since late 2007. Also the rate of foreclosure increased by over 30% during the first quarter of 2009. All together nearly 30 million workers are either unemployed or underemployed in the United States.

Under such circumstances, it is not at all surprising that working people are losing their homes and apartments at a phenomenal rate. This is why there is the need for a broad-based fightback movement to wage a protracted struggle against foreclosure and eviction, for full employment, universal health care and the end to all imperialist wars of aggression and occupation.

Investment Conference Attracts 400 Delegates to Zimbabwe

2009-07-10T17:31:00.001-04:00

Zimbabwe Vice President Hon. J.T.R. Mujuru presenting a cheque to Never Maroka on achieving Extension Worker of the Year award sponsored by Pannar Seed Company.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

Investment conference attracts 400 delegates

By Takunda Maodza and Sydney Kawadza

More than 400 people, including delegates from several Western countries, yesterday attended the official opening of the Zimbabwe International Investment Conference in Harare as the country continues with its drive to engage the international community in its economic turnaround programme.

Officially opening the event, President Mugabe said the Zimbabwe International Investment Conference was one of Government’s strategies to attract potential investors "with a view to stimulating investment into the country".

"Such investment is most welcome, especially when it is tailor-made to work in co-operation with indigenous entrepreneurs. All this is possible under our investment law," he said.

President Mugabe said the conference should project Zimbabwe as a conducive investment destination in sub-Saharan Africa and entice investment in order to increase output and employment to sustain economic growth and reduce poverty.

The conference, President Mugabe added, should articulate Zimbabwe’s investment policies and foster exchange of experiences on how to handle investment promotion.

He said the event was a platform to invite Zimbabweans in the Diaspora to invest in their motherland.

President Mugabe said the conference should seek to fully explain the country’s investment policies to counter misinformation over certain aspects, especially those relating to indigenisation.

"Such policies as the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act should not be viewed as obstacles to investment promotion.

"Rather, they should be welcomed as promotive of the greater participation of our people in the economy, indeed, as the democratisation of our economic activity that builds up to good business returns for the investor."

President Mugabe said Zimbabwe upholds the sanctity of property rights, adding that the formation of the inclusive Government had strengthened "our stable political environment making us more conducive to promoting the rule of law in all facets".

He invited all interested parties to sample the country’s investment opportunities.

Western investors attending the conference came from countries like the United Kingdom, Germany and other European countries.

Turning to land reforms, President Mugabe said Britain was obliged to compensate commercial farmers whose farms were acquired for resettlement purposes and urged white farmers to join the Government in appealing to the former coloniser to fulfil its side of the bargain.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai concurred with the President, saying Government would only provide compensation for improvements made on the farms.

"The President is correct. The Constitution is clear. We pay compensation for improvements. If funds are available we will pay," said PM Tsvangirai.

President Mugabe and PM Tsvangirai were responding to a question from the Commercial Farmers’ Union on when Government would compensate farmers whose farms were gazetted for the settlement of landless people.

"The responsibility to compensate farmers rests on the shoulders of the British government and its allies. We pay compensation for improvements. That is our obligation and we have honoured that," President Mugabe said.

He explained how the land issue was central to the liberation struggle.

President Mugabe narrated how (former British prime minister) Mr Tony Blair’s Labour administration refused to honour an agreement entered between the Government and the Conservative Party, forcing Harare to compulsorily acquire land in 2000.

"After two years of the Labour Party being in power, they wrote to us to say the Labour government cannot entertain the issue of aid towards land resettlement.

"It will only entertain requests towards poverty alleviation programmes. They said do not talk to us about colonial responsibilities.

"We said no, surely there was an agreement between us and Conservative government. We said (Mr) Blair please, but he said no," President Mugabe said.

It was at that point that Government resolved to compulsorily acquire farms and gave them to the people of Zimbabwe, he noted.

President Mugabe said the Constitution was clear on who was supposed to compensate the farmers.

"The Constitution says the responsibility to pay compensation is that of the British government. It is a British responsibility. The farmers let themselves down. Instead of supporting us, they have taken sides with the British. Join hands with us in appealing to Britain to make funds available because they have an agreement with us," he said.

He urged farmers whose farms were gazetted to cede them to the legal beneficiaries.

PM Tsvangirai told delegates the land question was topical during his recent six-nation tour of Europe and highlighted the need to finalise disputes surrounding land allocations and to

focus on production.

PM Tsvangirai also stressed the need to depoliticise the land issue.

Speaking at the conclusion of the first day, Economic Planning and Investment Promotion Minister Elton Mangoma expressed satisfaction with the attendance, commitment and participation of delegates at the conference.

"There are more than 400 delegates who are here today and some of them have come from such countries as the United Kingdom, Germany, South Africa and, in fact, many European countries are represented here.

"It is also important to note the presence of the three principals who exposed themselves to the discussions being undertaken at the conference," he said.

Minister Mangoma said the conference sought to put the country in better stead to attract investors and to show them that the country was moving forward.

"The conference also offers us an opportunity to show the world that investors should be able to get the real value of investment in the country were both parties would benefit from such arrangements."

He, however, added that there should also be the realisation of the need to involve Zimbabweans from various sectors of the community so that there was sustainable development in the country.

The conference continues today with presentations from Finance Minister Tendai Biti on the current fiscal and monetary policies.

Mines and Mining Development Minister Obert Mpofu, Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Joseph Made, Industry and Commerce Minister Welshman Ncube and Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Walter Mzembi are among the top Government officials who will address the conference today.

The conference is being held under the theme "Zimbabwe: Redefining Business and Investment Environment".

Honduras Crisis Talks Faltering

2009-07-10T17:21:00.001-04:00

Honduran masses resist the imposition of a military coup in their Central American nation. Ousted President Manuel Zelaya was prevented from landing at the airport on July 5, 2009.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

Friday, July 10, 2009
22:57 Mecca time, 19:57 GMT

Honduras crisis talks faltering

Zelaya met Arias in San Jose and reiterated his demand to be reinstated immediately

Talks aimed at ending a political crisis in Honduras have so far failed to reach a resolution, after the two claimants to the presidency left the negotiations.

Delegates for Roberto Micheletti, the military-backed interim president, and Manuel Zelaya, the deposed elected president, continued talks mediated by Oscar Arias, Costa Rica's president, on Friday.

But a statement released by the Costa Rican government afterward said that Micheletti's advisers will return to Honduras at about 2200 GMT.

Gabriel Elizondo, Al Jazeera's correspondent in San Jose, the Costa Rican capital, said: "This would be a major development because they were saying last night that they would continue the talks indefinitely.

"With the Micheletti camp here apparently telling Oscar Arias that they plan to leave, that would throw these talks into a completely new direction, maybe even end them."

However, Mariana Sanchez, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital, said that the interim government had dismissed the Costa Rican statement.

"I spoke with the minister of communications a little while ago and he said it was a rumour that was being spread by the media that supports Zelaya," she said.

Honduras, a Central American country of seven million people, has been hit by protests since June 28, when Zelaya was seized by the army and forcibly deported.

Obstacles to settlement

Micheletti and Arias held separate meetings with Arias on Thursday after they refused to see each other face-to-face.

The interim leader flew back to Honduras late on Thursday, while Zelaya headed to Guatemala on Friday in an attempt to win regional support for his reinstatement as president.

"We have made the first step," Zelaya said on Friday after a final meeting with Arias.

"President Arias heard my position and that of the union and political representatives with me, which is the immediate restoration of the elected president."

But Arias said that the talks have failed to produce a clear negotiated settlement.

"I feel satisfied because a sincere, clear dialogue has been initiated, but still, the positions are very different and certainly these things ... take time, they require patience," he said.

"This could possibly take more time than imagined."

Talks to continue

Micheletti, following his return to Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, said he was ready to return to talks "if necessary".
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Country facts
Second largest country in Central America
Population of 7.2 million
Second poorest country in the region
Economy forecast to grow less than two per cent this year
Relies on money from Hondurans in the US for more than 25 per cent of its gross domestic product
Former Spanish colony gained independence in 1821
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"If I am invited by President Arias, I will return with great pleasure," he said.

The US has suspended military ties with Tegucigalpa in the wake of the crisis and has said that it could cut off about $200m in aid.

The World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank have also suspended credit to the country.

Gabriela Nunez, the finance minister in the interim government in Honduras, said on Friday that the suspension of Inter-American Development Bank and World Bank loans would cost the country $200m in 2009.

Zelaya's leftist allies in South America have also made life uncomfortable for Micheletti since the coup.

Venezuela has suspended its oil deliveries to Honduras, while Nicaragua denied Micheletti permission to fly through its airspace for the Costa Rica meeting.

Zelaya was removed from power as he was about to press ahead with a non-binding referendum on constitution change.

Congress and the courts had declared the move to hold the public vote illegal, accusing Zelaya of trying to change the charter to enable him to run for a second term in office.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Cooperation With Sudan Key Despite ICC Charges, Says US Envoy

2009-07-10T17:15:00.001-04:00

Thousands of Sudanese have demonstrated in support of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir in the aftermath of the warrant issued for his arrest by the ICC.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

OSLO 9 July 2009 Sapa-AFP

COOPERATION WITH SUDAN KEY DESPITE ICC CHARGES: US ENVOY

A US special envoy to Sudan on Thursday stressed the need for
cooperation with the country's leadership after a prosecutor said
there was enough evidence for a further arrest warrant against
Sudanese president Omar al-Beshir for genocide.

"Right now President al-Beshir is the president of the country
and we have to work with him to solve those issues that are facing
the people (of Sudan) and (that) are facing the region," said Scott
Gration.

"But that does not mean that (Beshir) does not need to do what's
right in terms of facing the International Criminal Court and those
charges," he told AFP.

ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo argued Tuesday he had enough evidence for a further arrest warrant against Beshir for genocide.

Beshir already faces an ICC arrest warrant for war crimes and
crimes against humanity.

Gration said Beshir would face the court "when the situation is
right."

"We in the United States believe that everybody needs to be
accountable, and in due time, when the situation is right, the
international community will hold (accountable) folks that may have
been involved in crimes against humanity and genocide," he said.

Asked whether the announcement would complicate his dealings
with Sudan, Gration said: "We will work through it."

Gration made the comments during an official visit to the
Norwegian capital, where he will on Friday meet senior government
officials from Britain and Norway to coordinate the countries'
positions towards Sudan.

The US, Britain and Norway form a troika of nations closely
following Sudan-related issues, including the implementation of the
2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended the war between north and south Sudan.

Gration on Thursday met Norwegian foreign minister Jonas Gahr
Stoere.

Gration will travel to Sudan on Tuesday 14 July. He is not
expected to meet the president.

Wellington Commons Tenants Speak Out Against Illegal Evictions by Slumlords

2009-07-10T10:44:00.001-04:00

Nyree Peters of Detroit, a resident of Wellington Commons, talks to the media about the illegal eviction of tenants from the west side apartment complex. The renters were told to leave within one day. (Photo: Abayomi Azikiwe)
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

For Immediate Release

Media Advisory

Event: Tenants' Press Conference at Wellington Commons
Location: 59 Seward, Near Woodward, 11:00am
Contact: Moratorium NOW! Coalition
Phone: 313.778.4393 or 313.671.3715
E-mail: ac6123@wayne.edu
URL: http://www.peoplessummit.org

Stop the Illegal Eviction of Tenants at the Wellington Commons; Demand an Investigation of the Slumlords Who Own the Apartment Building

Residents of the Wellington Commons apartments located at 59 Seward near Woodward avenue near the New Center area, were today illegally ordered out of their apartments within twenty-four hours by the owners. A note delivered to the tenants said that the 59 Seward LLC was going out of business and that the electric and gas services provided by DTE Energy would be shut-off the following day, July 10.

This comes as a shock to the residents of the ten story apartment building. Some residents have lived there for as long as forty-six years. No writ of eviction was served by 36th District Court and the tenants had no idea that such action would be taken.

The ordering of these tenants out of their apartments is taking place in light of the deplorable conditions prevailing at Wellington Commons. Nyree Peters, who spoke for the tenants, said that she had no place to go within the next day.

The owners have neglected the maintenance of the building for years. Residents complained of broken elevators, inadequate ventilation, black mole, mice, bedbugs, roaches, broken windows and plumbing.

A representative of the Moratorium NOW! Coalition to Stop Foreclosures and Evictions was taken on a tour of several apartments in the building. Keith Major, who said that he had lived in the building for six months, occupied a one bedroom apartment where the faucets did not work, the kitchen sink was backed-up and the floors were covered with ants and roaches.

Angela Chadwick, who lives on the fourth floor, said that her two children were placed in protective services after a social worker paid a visit to the apartment. "I was told that this place was not fit for a cat, let alone children," Chadwick said.

Residents reported that the elevator had been out for months and that people were forced to climb the stairs. An elderly man died recently after becoming overwhelmed by the walking up the flights of stairs.

On Friday morning, July 10 at 11:00 a.m., tenants at the Wellington Commons will hold a press conference to demand justice. They want the illegal evictions stopped, repairs done on the apartment building or assistance in re-locating to a decent housing complex.

The note delivered to the residents from the owners said that they could move to an apartment building on Chalmers Street located on the far east side of the city. When residents called the number to inquire about availability at the Chalmers apartment, they were told that a deposit between $300-700 was required to move in. Tenants said they had just paid rent on the first of the month.

With the deepening economic crisis more residents in Detroit and the region are facing foreclosure and eviction. This is why there needs to be an economic state of emergency declared in Michigan by Gov. Granholm. Such a declaration of a state of economic emergency would create the conditions for a moratorium on foreclosures and evictions, utility shut-off and job losses.

Nigeria: MEND Attacks Oil Pipelines, Cut Output

2009-07-09T10:23:00.001-04:00

Nigerian Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta armed militant. The Federal Government has launched an offensive against the people of this oil-producing region on May 13.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

Nigerian rebels attack oil pipelines, cut output

Wed Jul 8, 2009 8:20pm GMT
By Randy Fabi

ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's most prominent militant group sabotaged oil pipelines operated by Shell and Agip on Wednesday, further cutting production in Africa's biggest energy producer.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said gunmen attacked the pipelines in two separate raids near Nembe creek in Bayelsa state in the Niger Delta.

Attacks against the OPEC member's oil sector have become a near daily occurrence since President Umaru Yar'Adua announced an amnesty offer two weeks ago.

"The plague of sabotage descended heavily on major Shell and Agip crude trunk lines in Bayelsa state," MEND said in a statement. The pipelines connect to Agip's Brass and Royal Dutch Shell's Bonny crude oil export terminals.

Agip's parent company Eni said the attack caused a production loss of about 24,000 barrels per day, while Shell said it was still looking into the report.

A military spokesman said soldiers foiled an attempted attack on an Agip-operated oil well in Tebidaba in Bayelsa state early Wednesday. It was not clear if the incident was related to the pipeline attacks.

Shell, Agip and U.S. oil firm Chevron have cut output by around 300,000 barrels per day in the last six weeks because of the latest militant violence.

The disruption to supplies has provided some limited support for global oil prices.

FOREIGN HOSTAGES

MEND has sabotaged pipelines, bombed oil facilities and kidnapped foreign workers following the military's biggest offensive in the region for years in late May.

Militants were still holding six foreign crew members hostage, two days after their chemical tanker was hijacked off the coast of Escravos in the Niger Delta.

"The crew are fine. They have just been relocated deeper into the swamps," MEND said.

Hoping to put an end to the unrest, Yar'Adua said last week he would offer a 60-day amnesty to militants and criminals in the Niger Delta beginning August 6.

But MEND, a loose network of varied factions, has publicly dismissed the amnesty offer.

Yar'Adua on Wednesday appointed Timi Alaibe, former managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, to be chief negotiator for the amnesty programme.

In a separate incident, gunmen kidnapped five Chinese fishermen off Cameroon's Bakassi peninsula earlier this week, a security source said on Wednesday, and local rebels blamed MEND militants from Nigeria's Niger Delta for the raid.

MEND denied involvement in the kidnapping, the latest in a series indicating that insecurity is spreading from the Delta.

(Additional reporting by Stephen Jewkes in Milan and Felix Onuah in L'Aquila; Editing by Charles Dick)

Cynthia McKinney Will Be on KPFK Tonight at 8:00pm; Letter From Israeli Jail

2009-07-08T18:56:00.001-04:00

Green Party Presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney and Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, after a campaign rally at the International Institute in Detroit on Aug. 30, 2008. (Photo: Alan Pollock).
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

Cynthia McKinney will be on KPFK.org at 8:00 p.m. EST tonight.

As is mentioned in her message below, George Galloway has invited her to join the convoy to Gaza.

Cynthia McKinney will be on KPFK 90.7 FM Radio

Tonight at 5:00 PM - Wednesday, July 8th

With Roseanne Barr & Johnny Argent, Hosts of "Beneath The Surface"

Tune in to KPFK 90.7 FM Radio or worldwide at: http://www.KPFK.org tonight at 5:00 PM to hear from

Cynthia McKinney on Beneath The Surface with Roseanne Barr and Johnny Argent.

Cynthia will be the first guest on tonight’s show so please tune in right at 5PM!

-Christine Blosdale
Senior Producer KPFK

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Cynthia McKinney Has Been Released From Prison In Israel and Is Back In The United States.

Below Is a Letter From Her and The Phone Call She Made While In That Prison.

Hello,

Well, all I can say is "Thank you!" Your calls, faxes, protests, and prayers all made a huge difference and helped to secure our protection and our release. I would also like to thank those at the Tel Aviv Embassy for their work on behalf of the three U.S. citizens held by the Israelis. For those of you who missed it, here is the statement I put out from the Israeli prison. Please forgive the undone, but needed edits. I have tried twice, now, to get into Gaza. I just got off the phone with George Galloway who extended a personal invitation to me to join him and the US convoy in Viva Palestina! I'm certainly excited about that. Maybe I will finally make it to Gaza.

Here's my "Letter from an Israeli Prison:"

Letter from an Israeli Prison

By Cynthia McKinney
Original Audio Message Available Here:

http://freegaza.org/it/home/56-news/984-a-message-from-cynthia-from-a-cell-block-in-israel

A funny thing happened to me on my way to Gaza. Before I left for Gaza, I was giddy with excitement. The children needed school supplies. It was a last-minute, but urgent request. Please bring crayons for the children. And so I accepted contributions of crayola crayons, #2 pencils, pencil sharpeners, paint brushes, and crayola watercolors.

When I told people that I was going shopping to buy crayons for the children of Gaza, everyone wanted to donate. By the time I left, my suitcase could hold no more. So, full of expectation, I entered the airport in the U.S. headed once again to Larnaca, Cyprus where the Hope Flotilla, consisting of the "Free Gaza" and the "Spirit of Humanity" were to embark to Gaza.

The "Free Gaza" was to be donated to the people of Gaza so they could replace some of the boats confiscated or bombed by the Israelis during Operation Cast Lead.

It was a beautiful dream. And dream it had to be because I had tried to get to Gaza before. At the outbreak of Israel's Operation Cast Lead, I boarded a Free Gaza boat, with one day's notice, and tried, as the U.S. representative in a multinational delegation, to deliver three tons of medical supplies to an already besieged and ravaged Gaza. But, during Operation Cast Lead, U.S. supplied F-16s raised hell fire on a trapped people. Ethnic cleansing became full-scale, outright genocide.

U.S.-supplied white phosphorus, depleted uranium, robotic technology, DIME weapons, and cluster bombs - new weapons creating injuries never treated before by Jordanian and Norwegian doctors. I was later told by doctors who were there in Gaza during Israel's onslaught that Gaza had become Israel's veritable weapons testing laboratory; and the people used to test and improve the kill ratio of their weapons.

The world saw Israel's despicable violence thanks to Al-Jazeera Arabic and Press TV that broadcast in English. I saw those broadcasts live and around the clock, not from the USA but from Lebanon, where my first attempt to get into Gaza had ended because the Israeli military rammed the boat I was on in international waters that carried medical supplies. That boat, The Dignity, was completely destroyed in its encounter with the Israeli military.

Again, on a humanitarian mission aborted by the Israeli military. I am now known as Israeli Prisoner #88794. I am in cell number 5, Ramle Prison. How could I be in prison for collecting crayons for kids and trying to get the crayons to them?

The Israeli authorities have tried to get us to confess that we committed a crime. And while in the cellblock, I have access to my clothes and a cell phone, but not the crayons or any clothing that has the word "Gaza" on it. Zionism has surely run out of its last legitimacy if this is what it does to people who believe so deeply in human rights for all that they put their own lives on the line for someone else's children. Israel is the fullest expression of Zionism, but if Israel fears for its security because Gaza's children have crayons then not only has Israel lost its last shred of legitimacy, but Israel must be declared a failed state.

I am facing deportation from the state that brought me here at gunpoint after commandeering our boat. I was brought to Israel against my will. I am being held in this prison because I had a dream that Gaza's children could color & paint, that Gaza's wounded could be healed, and that Gaza's bombed-out houses could be rebuilt.

But I've learned an interesting thing by being inside this prison. First of all, it's incredibly black: populated mostly by Ethiopians who also had a dream. My five cellmates have been here for about six months each. One is pregnant; they are all in their twenties. They thought they were coming to the Holy Land. They had a dream that their lives would be better. The CIA-installed puppet in Addis Ababa, President Meles, whom I have met, has put the once-proud, never-colonized Ethiopia into the back pocket of the United States, and become a place of torture, rendition, and occupation. Ethiopians must flee their country because superpower politics became more important than human rights and self-determination.

My cellmates came to the Holy Land so they could be free from the exigencies of superpower politics. They committed no crime except to have a dream. They came to Israel because they thought that Israel held promise for them. Their journey to Israel through Sudan and Egypt was arduous. I can only imagine what it must have been like for them. And it wasn't cheap. Many of them represent their family's best collective efforts for self-fulfillment. They made their way to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. They got their yellow paper of identification. They got their certificate for police protection. They are refugees from tragedy, and they made it to Israel. Only after they arrived, Israel told them "There is no UN in Israel."

The police have license to pick them up and suck them into the black hole of a farce for a justice system. These beautiful, industrious, proud young women represent the hopes of entire families. The idea of Israel tricked them and the rest of us. In a widely propagandized slick marketing campaign, Israel represented itself as a place of refuge and safety for the world's first Jews and Christians. I, too, believed that marketing and failed to look deeper. The truth is that Israel lied to the world. Israel lied to the families of these young women. Israel lied to the women themselves who are now trapped at Ramle.

And what are we to do? One of my cellmates cried today. She has been here for six months. As an American, crying with them is not enough. The policy of the United States must be better, and while we watch President Obama give 12.8 trillion dollars to the financial elite of the United States it ought now be clear that "hope," "change," and "yes we can" were powerfully presented images of dignity and self-fulfillment, individually and nationally, that besieged people everywhere truly believed in.

It was a slick marketing campaign, as slickly put to the world and to the voters of America as was Israel's marketing to the world. It tricked all of us but, more tragically, these young women.

We must cast an informed vote about better candidates seeking to represent us. I have read and re-read Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from a Birmingham Jail. Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever imagined that I, too, would one day have to do so. It is clear that taxpayers in Europe and the U.S. have a lot to atone for, for what they've done to others around the world.

What an irony! My son begins his law school program without me because I am in prison, in my own way trying to do my best, again, for other people's children. Forgive me, my son. I guess I'm experiencing the harsh reality which is why people need dreams. I'm lucky. I will leave this place. Has Israel become the place where dreams die?

Ask the people of Palestine. Ask the stream of black and Asian men whom I've seen being processed at Ramle. Ask the women on my cellblock. [Ask yourself:] what are you willing to do?

Let's change the world together and reclaim what we all need as human beings: Dignity.

I appeal to the United Nations to get these women of Ramle, who have done nothing wrong other than to believe in Israel as the guardian of the Holy Land, resettled in safe homes.

I appeal to the United States Department of State to include the plight of detained UNHCR-certified refugees in the Israel Country Report in its annual Human Rights Report.

I appeal, once again, to President Obama to go to Gaza: send your special envoy, George Mitchell there, and to engage Hamas as the elected choice of the Palestinian people.

I dedicate this message to those who struggle to achieve a free Palestine, and to the women I've met at Ramle.

Cynthia McKinney, July 2nd 2009, also known as Ramle prisoner number 88794.

Cynthia McKinney is a former U.S. Congresswoman, Green Party presidential candidate, and an outspoken advocate for human rights and social justice. The first African-American woman to represent the state of Georgia, McKinney served six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, from 1993-2003, and from 2005-2007. She was arrested and forcibly abducted to Israel while attempting to take humanitarian and reconstruction supplies to Gaza on June 30th. For more information, please see http://www.FreeGaza.org

China News Update: President Returns From Italy; Calm Reported in Xinjiang Uygur

2009-07-08T18:48:00.001-04:00

Xinjiang employees smile while working at Xuri toy factory in Shaoguan City, south China's Guangdong Province, July 7, 2009. More than 700 Xinjiang workers went back to work here on Tuesday after renovation of workshop, dormitory and dining-room.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

Chinese president back home after Italy visit

BEIJING, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao returned to Beijing on Wednesday afternoon after concluding a state visit to Italy.

Hu cut short his stay in Italy and left for home early Wednesday due to the situation in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Hu arrived in Rome on Sunday for the state visit at the invitation of Italian President Giorgio Napolitano. He was originally scheduled to attend the summit of the Group of Eight and major developing countries and pay a state visit to Portugal as well.

Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo, on Hu's behalf, will attend the summit, which is due to open on Wednesday in the central Italian city of L'Aquila.

The date for Hu's state visit to Portugal will be fixed by the Chinese and Portuguese sides later.

During the visit to Italy, Hu held talks with Napolitano, and met with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and parliament leaders on bilateral relations.

At least 156 people were killed during a riot Sunday evening in Urumqi, capital city of Xinjiang. More than 1,000 others were injured.

Police in Xinjiang have said they have evidence that the separatist World Uyghur Congress led by Rebiya Kadeer masterminded the riot.

Traffic curfew lifted, tension remains in Urumqi

by Xinhua writers Bai Xu, Li Zhihui

URUMQI, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Urumqi appeared to be calm under heavy paramilitary police presence Wednesday after an overnight traffic curfew, but sporadic standoffs and clashes were still reported.

The capital city of Xinjiang region in northwest China adopted a "comprehensive traffic control" from 9:00 p.m. Tuesday to 8:00 a.m. Wednesday to avoid further chaos amid the ongoing unrest.

Traffic restrictions were still imposed in some major streets as of Wednesday, with members of the Armed Police guarding or patrolling. Armored personnel carriers stood by, but more people appeared in the streets Wednesday than Tuesday.

Most of the bus services had resumed as of Wednesday noon. The number of buses running in the streets was 90 percent of that in the normal period, said Urumqi mayor Jerla Isamudinhe at a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

Urumqi has about 1,000 buses in total, among which 190 were damaged or torched in the riot that began Sunday night, in which 156 people died, and 1,080 were injured.

An overwhelmingly majority of the suspects had been arrested and were being probed, said Li Zhi, Communist Party chief of Urumqi.

Those who committed crimes will be seriously punished no matter what ethnic groups they belong to, he said. "The government has the ability to control the situation.

"For those who had conducted beating, smashing, looting and arson and continue to go onto streets to breach social order, we will severely punish them according to law," Li said.

SUPPLIES RESUMED

Jerla Isamudin said supplies of water and electricity were normal. A total of 43 gas stations have resumed services while the other 10 damaged in the riot or in controlled areas were yet to be operated.

The Urumqi government transported vegetables in 25 railway wagons from neighboring cities and counties Tuesday for the supply to the city of 3.5 million people, the mayor said.

The vegetables have been sent to supermarkets and major bazaars. More restaurants were resuming businesses. Shops in the city's hospitals also increased supplies to meet the needs of the patients, he said.

But shortage still remained. At a roadside morning market where50 members of the Armed Police were patrolling, at least one-third of the stalls were empty.

Prices of the vegetables were generally two to three times higher than before. A kilogram of haricot beans, previously two yuan, was sold at six yuan, while potatoes, originally 1.5 yuan, soared to 3.5 yuan per kilogram.

Officials said the supply of vegetables was expected to reach 800 tonnes Thursday morning and the price would gradually drop to the normal level.

LEAVING AND HIDING

After the riot, some tourists choose to leave the city.

Li Qian holding her seven-year-old son hurried to catch a flight. She flew to Xinjiang for tourism but cancelled her plan to go to the Tianchi Lake about 110 kilometers from Urumqi.

Li said she just wanted to go back home. She had planned to stay at the airport from Tuesday evening but couldn't reach it because of the curfew.

On Wednesday, she took the shuttle bus to the airport -- there were just a few taxis on the streets.

Those who are not able to get a handy ticket have gone to nearby hotels. "We fear Xinjiang is not safe anymore," said a passenger, who refused to be named.

Nearly all the hotels next to the airport were full. A Xinhua reporter learnt that as they were 17 kilometers away from the downtown area, people normally did not want to stay in those hotels. Only half of the rooms were occupied before the riot.

Some office workers in Urumqi were given a day off Wednesday. Su Can, 27, works in an airlines company. She and her colleagues took turns to stay at home.

"I don't want to go out and my friends said that we could just make phone calls to each other."

Li Gang, a local resident, said his company gave workers a day off and asked them not to leave their houses.

"I know from the news report that many rioters were arrested," he said.

"Now that the streets are guarded and helicopters are hovering, I think the social order could be restored."

RIFT?

No matter Han or Uygur, people are worried that the riot would leave a rift between them.

Azgul works in a hotel and has many Han friends. After the riot, some of her friends called to tell her to stay indoor and be careful.

"I was touched," she said.

But in another sense, she felt that her living condition was changed and she was unsure whether her friendship could last.

The 27-year-old girl is preparing for her wedding.

"Can my Han friends attend my wedding ceremony?" she frowned.

Dong Qiang who works at a local website was born in Xinjiang.

"For a long time I felt that different ethnic groups coexist in harmony and I like the place very much," he said.

On Sunday evening he was in the office, overlooking the Donghuan market where much of the violence erupted.

"If I were there, I might have been dead," he said.

The man in his 40s had a child, and he believed that he had taken root in Xinjiang.

"The riot could deal a heavy blow to the local economy," he said.

But what he cared about more was "could we go back to what we were before? If the answer is yes, then how long should we wait?"

(Reportings by Xinhua correspondents He Zhanjun, He Jun, Huang Yan, Zhang Hongchi, Li Xiaoling, Ji Shaoting and Li Jianmin in Urumqi)

Chinese police chief urges hardline crackdown on thugs in Xinjiang riot

URUMQI, July 8 (Xinhua) -- China's top police officer on Wednesday urged no leniency in the punishment of thugs who took part in the Urumqi riot.

Meng Jianzhu, state councilor and public security minister, made the remarks when visiting local residents injured by the rioters and family members of those victims in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

In the July 5 riot at least 156 people died and more than 1,000 were injured.

Leading rioters should be punished with the utmost severity and those taking part in the riot, who were provoked and cheated by separatists, should be given persuasion and education, Meng said.

Commissioned by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, Meng also visited local police officers and members of the Armed Police personnel and mourned for the victims.

Meng said that adequate evidence proved that the riot was masterminded and remotely controlled by overseas separatists and it was a serious struggle to maintain national unity against separatism.

In visiting the injured at the People's Hospital of the region, Meng asked the medical staff to try all means to save the innocent people, and the local government should give necessary support and aid to the residents whose properties were damaged in the riot.

To those households whose family members were killed in the riot, the government should provide compensation as soon as possible, he said.

Meng also went to the city square and communities to meet residents, saying all ethnic people living in Xinjiang had made great contribution to the region's stability and prosperity.

He called on residents of all ethnic groups to be united after the riot since the intention of the separatists who plotted the riot was to stir up racial confrontations.

Accompanied by Xinjiang Communist Party chief Wang Lequan and regional government chairman Nur Bekri, Meng also visited the wife and parents of Wan Jingang, a member of the Armed Police killed by rioters on July 5. Meng praised Wan's bravery and sacrifice.

Jalil Muntaqim Statement on the San Francisco 8 Plea Agreement

2009-07-08T18:24:00.001-04:00

Jalil Abdul Muntaqim, US-held political prisoner, had been indicted in a 35-year-old murder case by the state of California. He plead to a lesser charge while four other Panther comrades had charges dropped.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

July 6, 2009

TO: Friends and Supporters
FR: JALIL A. MUNTAQIM
DT: July 6, 2009
RE: My Statement on the S.F. 8 Plea Agreement

First, I would like to thank all my friends and supporters for their tenacious and tireless work in support of the S.F.8, especially the San Francisco 8 Support Committee, Committee in Defense of Human Rights, Asian-Americans Committee for the S.F. 8, Freedom Archives, and many others. I wish to thank the excellent legal team whose unwavering commitment to the task was inspiring. I especially want to thank the lawyers who did the majority of the behind-the-scenes legwork by name: Soffiyah Elijah, Jenny Kang, Julie de Almeida, Heather Hardwick, Rai Sue Sussman, and Lori Flowers. This team of women suffering the testosterone of as many as ten male lead attorneys, plus the eight men accused, truly had their feminist code tested. Naturally, I want to thank the most noted private investigators, Adam Raskin and Nancy Pemberton, whose investigative technique and services were outstanding.

Today we were to start the preliminary hearing but because of our strong legal defense team and growing public support, the California prosecutor offered plea settlements that could not be ignored. The entire group discussed whether I would plead no contest to conspiracy to manslaughter. After some discussion, I reluctantly agreed to take the plea and be sentenced to 3 years probation; 1 year of jail time, credit for time served, concurrent with New York State sentence, dismissing 1st degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

Also, because of my plea, four other defendants would have all charges dismissed for insufficient evidence. This was a no-brainer especially considering the elder brothers suffered a variety of health issues ranging from high blood pressure, chronic respiratory problems, diabetes, PTSD, and prostate cancer. Although I have my own health issues, in my near 38 years of imprisonment, I believe I am in better shape than all four combined (Ha).

In the last 25 years prior to these charges being lodged, the brothers had been living peaceful and productive lives raising their families, and offering community services. During the period from their release on bail to this date, they had been running themselves ragged across the country telling the story of Cointelpro destruction of the Black Panther Party, the Legacy of Torture, and building support for the case.

While I would have liked to have continued the legal fight to what I believe would have resulted in complete exoneration of all charges, I know the jury system is fickle. I have seen too many innocent men in prison who fought with the conviction of being innocent after a reasonable plea bargain was offered, and they ultimately lost due to prosecutorial misconduct, defense attorney errors, improper jury instructions by a judge, and/or a fickle jury.

Unfortunately, their loss results in spending decades in prison fighting for a reversal or waiting to be released on parole, or in the worst cases, death row DNA exonerations. The American judicial system is nowhere near being without flaws, as the overwhelming number of Black men in prison sorely attests. Given these circumstances, my taking this plea is a bitter-sweet win-win.

Finally, I would like to thank with profound appreciation my attorneys Daro Inouye, a 30+ year veteran of the San Francisco Public Defenders Office, whose trial experiences and skills are incomparable; and Mark Goldrosen, a remarkable, selfless trial technician and writer whose understanding of both State and Federal law brought the court (and some of the attorneys) to task.

A luta continua - Jalil

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe Lauds Traditional Leaders During Visit to Zambia

2009-07-08T18:18:00.001-04:00

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe with Zambian President Rupia Banda, during a trip by Mugabe to Zambia. The leaders working to strengthen relations in the southern Africa region.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

Mugabe lauds traditional leaders

By Edward Mulenga and Richard Mulonga
Courtesy of the Times of Zambia Newspaper

ZIMBABWEAN President Robert Mugabe has said politicians should embrace traditional leaders and learn from their initiatives to accelerate national development.

And President Rupiah Banda has paid tribute to Mr Mugabe whom he described as a brave and selfless nationalist who has withstood pressure from his enemies.

Speaking at the Lwiindi Lo Kuzyola Mukuni Ng’ombe traditional ceremony of the Toka-Leya people in Kazungula District, Mr Mugabe said he was impressed with the level of initiative exhibited by Chief Mukuni in developing his chiefdom.

President Mugabe said Chief Mukuni had preserved culture which had helped bring unity among different tribes in Zambia and neighbouring countries.

He said he did not know Chief Mukuni until President Banda forwarded the chief’s request for elephants from Zimbabwe, which he accepted through the minister responsible for wildlife and environment.

He said the efforts of the chief had led to the promotion of tourism, which was not just about constructing buildings and installing ornaments but establishing business to build up funds for development of the community.

He said not many chiefs possessed such amount of initiative and urged other traditional rulers to learn from the chief’s innovation to develop their chiefdoms.

President Mugabe said organising an event of such magnitude, where various people were united including heads of State for cultural interaction, was not common among chiefs.

“If other chiefs were able to do this in their various areas, development would be easier for government. Let us cooperate with chiefs, let other chiefs visit Chief Mukuni for initiative,” he said.

He thanked Chief Mukuni for inviting him to the traditional ceremony and said Zambian and Zimbabwean people were one, only separated by the Zambezi River.

Mr Mugabe promised Chief Mukuni that because of the friendship he had extended to him, he would also reciprocate and their friendship would grow further.

He also recounted his stay in Zambia at Chalimbana before joining politics to fight for Zimbabwe’s political freedom.

Welcoming his guest, President Banda said Mr Mugabe was a true African and nationalist who believed that Africa should develop itself.

Mr Banda said Mr Mugabe was a dedicated leader who remained hardworking and committed to national development and saluted him for attending the cultural event despite his busy schedule.

President Banda also commended Chief Mukuni for bringing development to his chiefdom and being a unifying factor through the Lwiindi traditional ceremony.

The Lwiindi Lo Kuzyola is an annual traditional ceremony performed by the Toka-Leya people of Kazungula in Southern Province to retrace their journey from Congo and to restate the unity among different migrating groups four centuries ago.

Mr Mugabe left for Zimbabwe last evening.

African Union Summit in Libya Discusses Greater Unity

2009-07-08T02:58:00.001-04:00

Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, speaking at the Dr. Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History on April 5, 2008. The event commemorated the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

African Union Summit in Libya Discusses Greater Unity

Continental organization adopts positions on Sudan and Somalia

by Abayomi Azikiwe
Editor, Pan-African News Wire
Commentary

Sirte, Libya was host to the 13th African Union Summit held between July 1-3. The AU, an organizations representing all 53 independent states in Africa, held extensive discussions on how to build unity and cooperation on the continent.

Chairperson Muammar Khadafi, the leader of the North African state of Libya, utilized his experience and political clout in advocating strongly for the formation of a continental government. This goal has been in existence since the mid-1960s when the early independence leaders, those of whom were revolutionaries, struggled against the onslaught of neo-colonialism where the imperialists would seek to control Africa even after national liberation from colonialism was attained.

At this year's summit, which came amid a worsening global economic crisis within world capitalism that has plunged 53 million Africans into poverty over the last two years, the AU debates reflected the ongoing struggle for unity and development.

Although the creation of a unified continental government was not achieved, the AU agreed to transform the Commission, the executive committte of the organization, into an Authority which will be comprised of a chair, vice-chair and 10 secretaries with specific portfolios that will theoretically expand institutional power over defense, diplomacy and international trade.

The Xinhua press agency reported that during the course of the AU meeting, Gaddafi "held intensive bilateral and multilateral talks with African leaders during this summit, to persuade those who take different views to support the creation of the AU Authority.

"When meeting with South African President Jacob Zuma, the Libyan leader stressed that Tripoli and Pretoria play significant roles in boosting the AU development and establishing the new AU executive organ. During the meeting, Zuma conceded Libya's efforts to set up the United States of Africa." (Xinhua, July 4)

In the aftermath of the AU Summit, the Libyan leader expressed satisfaction at the outcome and the efforts made toward greater unity and cooperation. He was quoted as saying that "With the setting up of this Authority, Africa will speak through one single voice to take up challenges," Gaddafi said.

Since the formation of the Organization of African Unity in 1963, which later was changed to the African Union in 2002, the concept and demand for continental unity has been an consistent theme among progressive and revolutionary organizations and leaders. Kwame Nkrumah, the leader of the Ghana revolution which won national independence in 1957, stated repeatedly that African unity and socialism were the pre-requisites to the realization of genuine economic empowerment and political stability.

A co-founder of the OAU, Nkrumah hosted the continental summit in Ghana in October 1965, just four months prior to his removal from office in a right-wing military and police coup backed and financed by the United States under the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson. During this summit, Nkrumah stressed the need to go beyond national independence towards the unification of Africa which would stand in opposition to western hegemony.

In Nkrumah's address to the OAU Summit on October 21, 1965, he stated that "In spite of these resolutions and declarations, in spite of all good intentions, in spite of our plans, the naked fact, alas, is that Africa is still an impoverished continent, immobilized by the lack of political cohesion, harrassed by imperialism and ransacked by neo-colonialism." (Nkrumah, Revolutionary Path, 1973, pp. 304-5)

The Ghanaian leader later said that "This is so because our unity is still incomplete and ineffective in the face of grave threats to our existence. What use is it to us then that our continent is so rich in material and human resources? Brothers and Colleagues, the fault is in ourselves, not in our stars.... The OAU must face such a choice now--we can either move forward to progress through an effective African Union or step backward into stagnation, instability and confusion--an easy prey for foreign intervention, interferences and subversion." (Revolutionary Path, p. 307)

AU Positions on Sudan and Somalia

At the 13th AU Summit, the general consensus among African heads-of-state was to oppose the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrants that have been issued against Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and other leaders of this country. At the end of the Summit, the organization passed a resolution of non-compliance with the ICC and accused the western states of not taking into consideration repeated calls by the AU to suspend the warrants against the Sudanese leaders.

Jean Ping of Gabon, who is the Chairperson of the AU Commission, stated to the media that the resolution of non-compliance affirms that "if you don't listen to Africa, and take our proposals into account, we are going to act unilaterally." The AU's decision in relationship to Sudan created controversy among western-based agencies such as Human Rights Watch who support the ICC's interference in African affairs.

Also a handful of western-allied states expressed unease about the AU's defiance toward the ICC and consequently the imperialist countries. Even though many other states, including the U.S., do not recognize the authority of the ICC over its citizens, the warrants issued against Al-Bashir are utilized by these same governments to weaken and pressure Sudan, which is Africa's largest geographic nation-state and an emerging oil-producing nation.

In a statement reportedly issued by the Foreign Minister of Botswana, Phandu Skelemani, his government did not agree with the AU declaration and cited treaty obligations with the ICC as the reason. Also the French-backed government of Chad, which neighbors Sudan and is another oil-producing country, voiced displeasure with the AU position in support of President Al-Bashir and other officials.

Nonetheless, with reference to Somalia, the AU was reported to have pledged additional support for the U.S.-backed Transitional Federal Government in Mogadishu. "We welcome the support of the recent AU heads of states summit in Libya for the government... and we have a firm pledge for the increase of the AU peacekeepers," Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke told journalists in Mogadishu on Sunday. (BBC, July 5)

Yet the presence of AU Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) forces has remained at 4,300 troops supplied by the U.S.-backed states of Uganda and Burundi. These troops have been accused of carrying out attacks against civilians in urban areas resulting in the displacement of 165,000 people from Mogadishu alone since May. The AMISOM forces are fighting alongside TFG units to prevent the seizure of power by the Islamic resistance fighters of Al-Shabaab and Hizbul Islam, which controls large sections of the south and central regions of Somalia along with many areas within the capital.

Although a few other African states have indicated that they would send reinforcements to AMISOM, none have come forward as of yet. The current U.S.-backed government in Somalia has made a direct appeal for intervention from neighboring African states as well as the "international community."

In response to the announcements by the TFG spokesperson of assurances of greater AU support, Al-Shabaab rejected the notion of strengthening the AMISOM mandate. "It is a chance for our mujahideen (holy warriors) to seize weapons from Amisom soldiers should they come out of their hideouts,” said Sheikh Ali Dhere, a spokesperson for Al-Shabaab told the Kenya Daily Nation.

“It will be a great chance for our fighters to test their fighting skills that will surely lead to the defeat of the foreign soldiers,” he added.

Al-Shabaab's Sheikh Ali Dhere condemned the AU Summit leaders who met in Libya for discussing agenda items that work against the Somali people.

“They are there to talk about how to harm the Somali people,” said the Al-Shabaab spokesman.

More importantly, despite the statements by the TFG government, the Daily Nation reported that "The AU Summit, however, did not conclude a resolution allowing the Amisom peacekeepers to directly support the TFG." (Daily Nation, July 5)

Overshadowing the statements made during the AU, the U.S. pledged additional military support to the TFG. Undersecretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson said that "The U.S. is glad that the Africa Union and IGAD (the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development) did take up the issue of Somalia at the Summit in Libya and have taken a strong stance on the issue under their wings for close and careful consideration," said Carson.

"The U.S. will continue to look for ways of providing support to the TFG (Transitional Federal Government)... This will include military support in terms of arms and material resources but not manpower." (Xinhua, July 4)

The Role of U.S. Imperialism in Stifling African Unity

With the constant attempts by the U.S. to both infuence and dominate African affairs, the efforts aimed at unification will remain elusive. Although the AU defied the U.S. position on Sudan, it has not been able to effectively rebuke the Obama administration on the question of sovereignty and non-interference in the political situation in Somalia.

Since the involvement of the Bush administration in the invasion of Somalia by Ethiopia between December 2006 and January 2009, the Horn of Africa region has been further militarized and destabaliized. It has been estimated that the humanitarian situation in Somalia is the worse on the continent. At the same time, there is an ever increasing presence of U.S. and NATO warships, among vessels from other countries, that have taken up positions in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean off the coasts of Somalia and Kenya.

Under the guise of fighting piracy, the imperialist states are poised for direct military involvement inside Somalia. In addition to the so-called anti-piracy campaign, the Al-Qaeda organization has been blamed for the advances of the Al-Shabaab and Hizbul Islam forces that have taken over large sections of the country.

However, both Islamic resistance groups have denied affiliations with Al-Qaeda. There main motivating force has been a desire to rid Somalia of AMISOM units and the U.S.-backed government in Mogadishu. The pirates who patrol Somali waters say that imperialist states and multi-national corporations are responsible for the destruction of the coasts and the fishing industry through illegal theft of sea life and the dumping of toxic chemicals. No deaths took place in the seizure of vessels by the pirates until the U.S. Navy killed three Somali youths who had taken a ship under their control and was negotiating for its release.

The workers and nationally oppressed in the United States are facing the worse economic crisis since the Great Depression in the 1930s. In Africa and other developing or so-called Third World countries, the global crisis in capitalism has relegated tens of millions more into poverty.

These conditions prevailing internationally provides opportunities for workers and the oppressed in both Africa and North America to demonstrate solidarity in opposition to U.S. militarism and imperialism. Perpetual wars and destabilization efforts in Africa by the U.S. has not resulted in greater prosperity for workers inside the country. In fact, resources utilized for imperialist wars contribute significantly to the decline in living standards among workers in the highly-industrialized capitalist states.

Therefore, the defeat of world capitalism and imperialism can be achieved only through greater collaboration among the working and oppressed peoples throughout the world.
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Abayomi Azikiwe is the editor of the Pan-African News Wire. The author has traveled extensively in Africa and has followed events related to the ongoing quest for development and unity on the continent.
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Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia, Expresses 'Surprise' At Call by Truth Commission to Ban Her Involvement in Politics

2009-07-08T02:37:00.001-04:00

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia. The west African nation has been a focal point in the international traffic of illegal diamonds.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire Photo File

Sirleaf 'surprised' at ban call

The president was at an African Union summit when the report was released
Liberia's truth commission has called for President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to be barred from office - a decision her spokesman says is "surprising".

The commission recommended a 30-year ban for Mrs Johnson-Sirleaf and dozens of other senior politicians.

She has admitted that she had backed former warlord Charles Taylor's rebellion 20 years ago.

The recommendations could become law if parliament, in which the opposition has a majority, decides to adopt them.

The BBC's world affairs correspondent Mark Doyle says the report leaves the president - Africa's first elected female leader - in serious political difficulties.

'Fooled' by Taylor

The president was at the African Union summit in Libya when the report was released last week.

Her spokesman, Cyrus Badio, told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme she was still reading the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's report and would respond fully later.

"She will not be able to make an informed opinion until she can digest it, she can conceptualise it to see what the issues are," he said.

"Of course it will come as a surprise to her but let's reserve judgement until she has read through the report."

The commission was established four years ago with a mandate to "promote national peace, security, unity and reconciliation" by investigating more than 20 years of civil conflict in the country.

In February the president appeared before the commission and admitted that she had believed Mr Taylor's rebellion against military ruler Samuel Doe in the late 1980s was necessary.

The killing of Mr Doe in 1990 sparked more than a decade of violence between warring factions in which about 250,000 people were killed and the country left in ruins.

Mrs Johnson-Sirleaf apologised to the commission for supporting Mr Taylor - who later became president himself, before fleeing the country.

She said she had been "fooled" into supporting him, adding: "I feel it in my conscience. I feel it every day."

Mr Taylor was eventually arrested on an international warrant and is currently on trial for war crimes in The Hague.

Appeal on President Omar al-Bashir ICC Charges

2009-07-08T02:21:00.001-04:00

President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has remained defiant in the face of imperialist plots to destabilized the government of Sudan. The ICC recently issued a warrant for his arrest.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

Appeal on Bashir genocide charges

Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have appealed against the judges' decision not to indict Sudan's president for genocide.

The judges in March said there was insufficient evidence to support the three charges of genocide in Darfur.

However they issued an arrest warrant for Omar al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The ICC chief prosecutor is in Ethiopia for talks with the African Union, which says Mr Bashir should not be charged.

At the AU summit last week, African leaders said their request to the UN Security Council to delay Mr Bashir's indictment had been ignored, so they would not help arrest Sudan's leader.

ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, who is pushing for the genocide charges, is on the first leg of a trip to Africa that will also take him to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

In his appeal lodged on Monday, it said the prosecution had "submitted detailed evidence on the mobilisation and use of the entire Sudanese state apparatus for the purpose of destroying a substantial part of the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa ethnic groups in the entire region of Darfur during more than six years".

Mr Bashir has denied all the prosecution's allegations, saying the state has a responsibility to fight rebels who took up arms in Darfur in 2003.

The UN says 300,000 people have died and more than two million fled their homes in that time.

The war crimes court, based in The Hague, has already issued two arrest warrants - in 2007 - for Sudanese Humanitarian Affairs Minister Ahmed Haroun and the Janjaweed militia leader Ali Abdul Rahman.

Sudan has refused to hand them over.

Mr Moreno-Ocampo has also requested warrants for three Darfur rebel commanders.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/8138554.stm
Published: 2009/07/07 12:47:34 GMT

Guest Editorials on Somalia and the African Union From Shabait.com

2009-07-08T01:59:00.001-04:00

Somali citizens flee from the escalation of fighting in the capital of Mogadishu. The US-backed AU Mission has stepped-up its propaganda in support of the Transitional Federal Government that was formed in January 2009.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

From http://www.shabait.com

Editorial

Somalia: Mission in The Name of Peace Keeping; Trading with People's Suffering

By Staff
May 18, 2009, 12:19

Lacking any kind of popular support or acceptance, the third arrangement of the so called 'government' imposed on the Somali people by the auspices of foreign forces ever since the country was declared a 'failed state' is already being engulfed in a fierce popular opposition. It is not surprising that the Somali people's opposition to this foreign imposed 'government' since that was an expected reaction. However, what's more amazing is that the circumstances have brought a consortium of elements that work to capital and profit from the current state of affairs in Somalia.

These days, the forces that have entered Somalia under the pretext of peacekeeping and stabilizing Somalia, namely the TPLF regime and the governments of Burundi and Uganda have convened in Addis Ababa to access their missions in Somalia.

Those forces have no intention of bringing peace and stability into Somalia, but rather elongating the crisis so that they will profit from it. As it is known, both Uganda and Ethiopia are far from stable, they're both experiencing civil unrest as well as internal oppositions. The same also goes for Burundi, which has spent years under successions of UN peacekeeping missions due to recurring instances of chaos is lacking peace and security. Expecting countries that are experiencing recurrent internal turmoil come to aid in solving a crisis in other country is either absurd or it is mockery at the suffering of peoples. If these governments are really committed to peace and regard to people they should rather attempt to alleviate the suffering of their own people rather than go elsewhere.

The imposition of an alien government formed by foreign forces has been attempted several times through invention or other wise and has proved a failure. As articulated on several occasions, the situation in Somalia is simply being complicated due to external unholy interferences with differing agendas So the only viable solution for Somalia is to stop meddling in its affairs and leave the Somali people freely decide their future and start political process to reinstate their country. Chocking the peace process under the pretext of peacekeeping mission can only be interpreted as extending the period and intensity of the suffering of the Somali people.

From http://www.shabait.com

Editorial

New and Independent African Union: A Precondition for Development of our Continent

By Staff
Jun 10, 2009, 12:48

The Organization for African Unity that was formed to foster unity and economic development of the African People, in its half-century of existence has only ended up being an inept body. It has since shed the goals outlined at the time of its founding. Hence, its existence has become irrelevant and also it has lost value and credibility of itself and the African people it supposedly represents.

These days, the organization which was previously characterized as an incompetent and passive entity, is being seen lending its voice and acting as a tool for external forces, western spy networks and the agents of neo-colonialism.

It is to be recalled that the Organization for African Unity, or as it is known these days as the African Union, has failed to make any contribution whatsoever in the upkeep of founding objectives such as ensuring Africa’s political stability, safeguarding human rights of fellow Africans and directing the course of developmental endeavors in the continent. If we were to count its only ‘contributions’, we would find out that they were only roles and involvements of blunders and shameful misdeeds. And for this reason, the very name of the organization has become one that of humiliation and embarrassment for Africans.

However, lamenting and bewailing the golden times that were lost because of the ineptitude of the organization would boil down to nothing but wasting valuable time and opportunities. Previously, attempts to restructure the Organization of African Unity by changing its name to African Union were futile. Drawing experience from the past attempts, the only remaining thing to do for us Africans is to throw the organization in the dustbin of history and forming another organization having no relation or resemblance to the current one; as such a new organization is a prequisite for the development of Africa and its people.

And above all, there is the need for setting up a strong and effective organization, one that will not become subservient to western forces and their puppets. The only thing left for the African people is to close the chapters of the past and resolutely criticize the ways the organization is being run, and thus map out a new path for radical changes without any delay.

Editorial

The African Union: A Discredited Tool

By Staff
May 29, 2009, 15:30

“… It is unfortunate to witness the Organization of African Unity (OAU) becoming an inept organization that utterly failed to fulfill the objectives and pledges vested upon it. Indeed, it did not strive to translate into action the lofty goals it was entrusted with. And as a result, 30 years since the founding of the organization, Africa is still suffering from mounting poverty, backwardness and civil strife. It has become a continent despised by all partners instead of one in which nationals lead a life of dignity. Although it is indisputable that there exists the ugly legacy of colonialism, such a reality should nonetheless not make the African people complacent and a cover for our weaknesses. We cannot achieve a better future as long as we fail to critically scrutinize past errors. The OAU did not succeed at all in ensuring unity and development in the continent, as well as in safeguarding the fundamental rights of the African people. ... At this juncture, I would like to underscore that Eritrea opted to become member of this organization not because it was impressed with the organization’s successes but only out of the spirit of family responsibility...”

The aforementioned salient remarks are excerpts from the speech which H.E. President Isaias Afwerki delivered at the OAU Summit in June 1993 where he participated for the first time in the wake of Eritrea's accession to sovereign nationhood through legal referendum and becoming member of the organization.

The President's statement did not only emanate from the OAU’s total neglect of the immense hardship the Eritrean people experienced in the days of the liberation struggle. Although it is a well known fact that the OAU played a sad negative role in the Eritrean issue, its failure and shameful negative role in various issues in the continent is but uncountable.

And now 46 years later, the organization's long-standing contemptuous status has been further downgraded, and thus changing from a paralyzed and passive body into a cheap and toothless entity. Hence, the OAU did not bring about any meaningful change, and instead it has become a mere agent of executing the wicked designs of intelligence agencies, besides serving as an appendage of external forces. As an international organization, the OAU, instead of serving as a common forum for all, it became a tool for covering up the ugly practices of some parties and one that facilitates the adoption of illegal and shameful statements and resolutions on the part of such parties.

Any person can readily gauge the extent of the failure of the OAU, and presently the AU by simply referring to the objectives enshrined in the organization's Charter and their implementation. It is to be noted that the major provisions embodied in the organization's Charter include strengthening the unity of the African people, ensuring economic development through joint cooperation, safeguarding the human rights of Africans, respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every member state, seeing to it that colonial boundaries and treaties are respected for the sake of peace and stability, striving to achieve peaceful resolution to conflicts inside and among member states through mediation and arbitration. It is not difficult for anyone to discern the prevailing reality in Africa vis-à-vis the objectives outlined in the organization’s Charter which was adopted about half a century ago.

Let alone ensuring the unity of the entire African continent, the OAU is an organization that commits numerous destructive and shameful mistakes in resolving problems in a specific zone or a given country. Without citing instances, the situation in Somalia is a vivid demonstration of its incompetence and weakness. Contrary to its Charter principles advocating economic development through joint cooperation, Africa is being marginalized in the world economic order and looking for handouts and aid and in which its people are dieing from hunger, poverty and epidemics due to corruption and maladministration. And as such, the fact that the continent ranks the last of the last in every aspect as regards human progress is the unfortunate sum total of the despicable half century journey.

Looking from the standpoint of respect for human rights, Africa is a continent where gross violation of human rights are rampant as witnessed in the horrible genocide in Rwanda and the war crimes committed over the Somali people. Still in other instances, the OAU’s complete silence in the face of its own Eritrean staff being dragged out from its headquarters, thrown to jail and subsequently forcibly deported with their property confiscated by the TPLF regime solely because of their nationality fully attest to the organization’s total discredit and disgrace. Even worse, the OAU’s failure to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states and having served as an instrument for the transgression of the rule of law at cheap ‘incentive’ amply demonstrates that the organization has sold its dignity.

Hence, the irresponsible and illegal resolution recently issued as regards Eritrea by an organization discredited by both the world community and member states represents not only a single error but also a continuation of the endless mistakes and cheap practices it had committed over the past half century simply for the sake of securing a handful of aid. Nevertheless, such acts of slander and defamation on the part of a despised tool cannot at all merit any value.

Eritrea News Update: Visiting Chinese Experts Highly Appraise Prevailing Peace; UK Festival Attracts Thousands

2009-07-08T01:19:00.001-04:00

Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki with Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

National News

Visiting Chinese experts highly appraise prevailing peace and salubrious weather in Eritrea

By Staff
Jul 7, 2009, 10:26

Chinese experts of agriculture, mining and banking who conducted a visit in Eritrea highly appraised the existing rich historical relics, spectacular landscape and above all the prevailing peace and salubrious weather in the country. They said that such factors could attract tourists and investors.

Agricultural expert, Mr. Chen Lee, who observed micro-dams and water diversion schemes in the Southern region that were constructed through the Government and the people, said that Eritrea’s future is bright as it possesses productive manpower.

Noting that strong organizational capacity, nationalism and dedication were the factors that led China to development, he expressed admiration to the fact that both man and women equally engage in work in Eritrea.

Cotton plantation expert, Dr. Chen Young, on her part stated that she was highly impressed with Eritrea’s historical relics, landscape and the prevailing peace, coupled with salubrious weather, as well as the hospitality of the people. She further said that there exist similarities between China and Eritrea as they both possess hard working and hospitable people.

The 10-member Chinese expert team visited the Dirko Dam and the drip irrigation around it, as well as the Warsay Dam and Mendefera town in the Southern region.

9th Eritrea Festival in the U.K concluded in a colorful manner

By Staff
Jul 7, 2009, 11:49

The three-day 9th Eritrea Festival in the U.K that was opened in London on July 3 under the theme: “Our Independent Path, Guarantee of Development” concluded in a colorful manner.

In the Festival in which thousands of Eritrean nationals from the cities of Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Scotland took part, Mr. Abdalla Jabir, Head of Organizational Affairs at the PFDJ, gave extensive briefings on the objective situation in the Homeland and future prospects. He pointed out that acts of conspiracy and hostility weaved against Eritrea over the past 10 years were ended in utter failure thanks to the steadfastness and resistance of Eritrean citizens inside the country and abroad.

Stressing the significance of evaluating the strong and weak sides witnessed in the country’s journey, Mr. Abdalla Jabir underscored that at present Eritrea is standing on a reliable ground through rebuffing all acts of hostilities.

Likewise, the Eritrean Ambassador to the U.K, Mr. Tesfamichael Gerahtu, indicated that the task of preserving and reinforcing the noble values of the society is gaining momentum, and that its positive impact on youths and children who were born abroad has already become noticeable. He further underlined the significance of holding festivals in strengthening the people’s organizational capacity and reinforcing national unity. In this regard, Mr. Tesfamichael expressed appreciation to all those who made due contribution for the success of the event.

Various programs, including sports competition, fashion show, cultural shows and arts exhibition were staged in the course of the Festival.

Detroit Meeting on Workers' Struggles in Guadeloupe and Haiti

2009-07-07T16:50:00.001-04:00

In this Feb. 23, 2009 file photo, labor union members shout slogans during a protest in Point-a-Pitre, French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

For Immediate Release

Media Advisory

Detroit Meeting on Workers' Struggles in Haiti and Guadeloupe, July 14

In Haiti, the unions are playing a major role in the struggle to restore democracy after the U.S. government removed democratically elected President Aristide and U.N. troops continue to occupy the country.

Yes We Can! Earlier this year, the trade unions of the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe led a powerful “fight back” against the deepening worldwide economic crisis. United in a coalition of 50 organizations, the workers and people of Guadeloupe won a $250/month wage increase for low wage workers, more jobs for youth, a reduction in the prices of basic necessities and a moratorium on home foreclosures. Come find out more about this great victory as we learn to “fight back” against massive loss of jobs, healthcare, pensions and homes here in the USA.

Speakers:
Elie Domota, general secretary of the General Union of Workers of Guadeloupe (UGTG) and leader of the general strike there last winter.
Fignolé Saint Cyr, general secretary of the Autonomous Confederation of Haitian Workers (CATH). These two labor organizers will be speaking about the struggles of workers in their countries and regionally.
Plus reports from the struggle to win a Moratorium on foreclosures and evictions
Report on the solidarity struggle with the people of Honduras and Latin America and the Caribbean

When: Tuesday July 14, 7:00-9:00pm

Where: 5920 Second Avenue at Antoinette, Near the WSU Campus

For information: 313.671.3715
E-mail: ac6123@wayne.edu or info@mecawi.org
URL: http://www.mecawi.org

Sponsored by the Michigan Emergency Committe Against War & Injustice (MECAWI)

If you or your organization want to endorse this meeting, contact us.

Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder Sing at Michael Jackson Memorial

2009-07-07T16:45:00.001-04:00

Mariah Carey on stage performing at the Michael Jackson Memorial at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on July 7, 2009.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder sing at Jackson memorial

BOB TOURTELLOTTE | LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES
Jul 07 2009 21:39

A Gospel choir singing We're Going To See The King launched an emotional public memorial for Michael Jackson on Tuesday as the music world and thousands of fans bade farewell to the singer known as the "King of Pop."

Jackson's brothers carried the singer's gold-trimmed casket into the Staples Centre sports arena in downtown Los Angeles for the memorial, the same place where Jackson rehearsed the day before his death for a highly-anticipated comeback tour.

Mariah Carey performed Jackson's 1970 hit I'll Be There and singer Smokey Robinson read out written tributes from former South African president Nelson Mandela and Diana Ross. Singer Stevie Wonder also sang and a glossy memorial programme was filled with pictures of Jackson and testimonials from friends and family.

"Michael was the biggest star on earth," said actress Queen Latifah, to huge applause.

About 18 000 fans and friends got tickets in the arena or at a nearby, overflow theatre for the ceremony, which took place against a large backdrop and picture of Jackson that read "In Loving Memory of Michael Jackson King of Pop 1958 -- 2009."

Jackson's sudden death from cardiac arrest in Los Angeles on June 25 at the age of 50 prompted a worldwide outpouring of grief and sent sales of his biggest hits back to the top of the music charts.

Usher, Jennifer Hudson and Stevie Wonder were also expected to perform, while basketball star Kobe Bryant and civil rights leader Al Sharpton were among the other celebrity guests.

Jackson's family and close friends held a brief private ceremony earlier on Tuesday at a Los Angeles cemetery.

Dozens of fans watched from bridges as the funeral procession made its way along highways cleared of traffic for one of the biggest celebrity events ever seen in a city accustomed to living with superstar citizens.

Police had estimated that more than 250 000 people would gather outside the arena to say farewell to the singer and one-time member of the Jackson 5.

But the orderly crowds were much smaller than expected and many fans and downtown office workers appeared to have stayed at home. The ceremony was carried live on most television networks.

Los Angeles resident Parisa Ebraihimi (28) who said she has been a Jackson fan since she was five years old, came "to pay her final respects".

For me, his dance moves and his music -- all his songs were about a better world. He'll live on for generations," she said.

"This is certainly a momentous occasion that is probably as big, if not bigger than, when Elvis [Presley] passed away," said Steve Howard, a resident of Glendale, California, who won a ticket in an online lottery.

Tuesday's memorial focused on Jackson's musical achievements, overshadowed in the last 10 years by the darker side of the singer's life, including his humiliating 2005 trial and acquittal on charges of child sex abuse.

Questions persist over the cause of his death, which is being investigated by coroners, police and drug police amid reports of possible prescription medication abuse.

Police, security, escorts and sanitation for the memorial ceremony are expected to cost cash-strapped Los Angeles city council nearly $4-million. The city council on Tuesday launched a website asking for fans to make donations towards the cost of hosting Tuesday's events.

The memorial was being shown live on US television networks, in about 37 US movie theatres, and was streamed on the internet. - Reuters

Source: Mail & Guardian Online
Web Address: http://www.mg.co.za/article/2009-07-07-mariah-carey-stevie-wonder-sing-at-jackson-memorial

Iran Attacks Biden's Remarks Encouraging Israel to Bomb Tehran

2009-07-07T12:10:00.001-04:00

Sandra Hines, Sakai and Kim of MECAWI at the No War on Iran demonstration in downtown Detroit on August 1, 2008. (Photo: Alan Pollock).
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

Tuesday, July 07, 2009
11:00 Mecca time, 08:00 GMT

Iran attacks Biden's Israel remarks

Biden said the US would not stand in the way of Israel in its dealings with Iran's nuclear ambitions

Iran will hold the US responsible for any Israeli attack against the country, Ali Larijani, the speaker of Iran's parliament, has said.

His remarks came after Joe Biden, the US vice-president, said that Washington would not dictate the way Israel deals with Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

"We will consider the Americans responsible in any adventure launched by the Zionist entity," Larijani said in Doha, the capital of Qatar, on Monday during an official visit.

"No politician or person in the world can imagine that the Zionist entity can lead an operation without getting the green light from the United States."

Larijani said the Islamic republic's response to an attack would be "decisive and painful".

Israel's interest

Biden said in an interview on Sunday that the US would not stand in the way of Israel in its dealings with Iran's nuclear ambitions.

"Israel can determine for itself - it's a sovereign nation - what's in their interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and anyone else," he told ABC television.

"Whether we agree or not. They're entitled to do that ... We cannot dictate to another sovereign nation what they can and cannot do when they make a determination, if they make a determination, that they're existentially threatened."

Larijani said Biden's comments was "political manoeuvre. We have heard a lot of these words in the past".

"Biden, by saying that they (the United States) can't prevent such an operation, has taken the wrong route and revealed his card".

Asked about US calls for dialogue, Larijani said: "We want to work seriously. ... But on one side they tell us 'we want to resolve the problems and negotiate', on another we hear what Mr Biden says."

No 'green light'

Following the controversy triggered by Biden's interview, the US administration denied that it was giving Israel any green light to attack Iran or that it was reconsidering plans to engage diplomatically with Tehran.

"I certainly would not want to give a green light to any kind of military action," Ian Kelly, the US state department spokesman, said late on Monday.

But he echoed Biden's point that Washington considered Israel a "sovereign country" with a right to make its own military decisions.

"We're not going to dictate its actions," Kelly said.

"We're also committed to Israel's security. And we share Israel's deep concerns about Iran's nuclear programme."

Kelly brushed aside the idea that Biden was signalling a move by the Obama administration to drop its policy of diplomatic engagement with Iran, saying: "I wouldn't read into it any more than what you see."

Source: Agencies

The Coup d'Etat in Honduras: Character, Evolution and Perspectives

2009-07-07T11:59:00.001-04:00

Honduran masses demonstrate against the military coup that took place on June 28, 2009. The people are demanding that the president be returned to his position.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

The Coup d’Etat in Honduras: Character, Evolution and Perspectives

Written by Leticia Salomón, Translation by Adrienne Pine
Tuesday, 07 July 2009
Source: Quotha.net

This article is a continuation of an article written and distributed on July 29th, titled “Honduras: Políticos, empresarios y militares: protagonistas de un golpe anunciado” (posted in Spanish earlier on Quotha.net). Leticia Salomón is an Honduran sociologist and economist who specializes in defense, security and governability.

A. The Polarization Intensifies

The coup d’etat carried out in the pre-dawn hours of Sunday June 28th has been evolving and incorporating new elements from the national and international context. The different parties refine their strategies, reaffirm their positions, work on their image and constantly evaluate their situation. Both sides know well that time is important, that deadlines approach and that the situation must resolve itself in a very short time. Internally both groups combine their forces (businessmen, churches and the media, involving their employees and congregation, and the other side rallying new social forces: teachers, women, indigenous groups, and local and regional NGOs), and meanwhile on the international scene the balance tilts totally to one side, in this case toward the consitutional president of the republic. In these days as the deadline of the OAS approaches, the side of the [de facto] president reactivates lawsuits, generates arrest warrants that not previously carried out against ex-functionaries and issue back-dated arrest warrants to defend their accusations against the president.

While the group that supports the de facto president intensifies the methods of force to control actions of resistence, prolonging the state of siege, suspending individual guarantees for 72 hours and stopping the protesters who try to reach the capitol—the side of the constitutional president capitalizing on citizen outrage at the repression—they increase their internal support with people and organizations who have questioned [Zelaya] in his governing approach and his insistence on the 4th ballot box, and redefine their mobilizing strategy, focusing on the regional capitols, obligating protesters to break the military/police siege, crossing mountains on foot, due to the heavy control of roads.

While the former group protects the protesters who support the de facto president with “street cleaning” actions and direct protection from the military and police, it also represses the protesters who question it, blocks passage on highways, shoot tires of vehicles that don’t stop, and forces passengers in urban and inter-urban buses in high traffic areas to get out to prevent them from concentrating in protests in support of the constitutional president.

The side of the de facto president intensifies the accusations of corruption, Chavista interference, violation to the constitution, drug trafficking, anarchy, and mental disequilibrium of the president and complicity of his allies, hoping to achieve a popular outrage against the possible return of the constitutional president that is stronger than the actions of the OAS and the countries and institutions that have called for [his return].

The group of the constitutional president tries to open a space in the legal system that has been shut off in turn by the de facto president, bringing a legal case to the Constitutional Branch of the Supreme Court, requesting that, as a precautionary measure, the immediate repatriation of President José Manuel Zelaya Rosales. While the National Commission of Human Rights remains firm in its support of the de facto president (it has maintained personal and institutional silence before the violation of constitutional guarantees brought about by the state of siege and the repression of protesters), the civil rights organizations CODEH and COFADEH show their increasing support for the constitutional president.

The strategy of the de facto president toward the exterior is not fully defined and instead of progressing is confronting numerous complications. One of these is related to the fact that the de facto president himself as yet seems incapable of bringing coherence and legitimacy to his explanations for his involvement in the coup d’etat, falling into numerous contradictions before the international press. Another is related to the de facto foreign minister (Canciller) who looks at the world like a village and has an inadequate understanding of international relations; finally, the fiasco of calling key ambassadors to come to Tegucigalpa to receive instructions or dismiss them depending on the case, since to date they have only received the unconditional support of the ambassador of Honduras in Washington who confirms with great certainty, without having been in the country, that there was no coup d’etat here [in Honduras], and neither was there a breach of constitutional order, thus supporting the de facto president. Less exposed to public opinion, but following his lead, is the ambassador of Honduras in Brussels, who is the son of the National Commisioner of Human Rights.

B. The National Context

1. Revision of the constitutional order

The group of the de facto president is having difficulty maintaining that what happened in Honduras on Sunday the 28th was a simple and normal substitution. They cannot explain why they presented a supposed resignation of the constitutional president dated the 25th yet not accepted until the 28th, and much less why an arrest order issued by a court judge was addressed in writing to the Joint Chief of Staff on the 26th, when this is exclusively a police matter, nor can they explain why this order was not channeled legally through the Secretary of Defense. Much less can they explain why the Joint Chief of Staff, in a decision coordinated with the military junta, executed the order to arrest a supposed delinquent, who in addition was their superior and, instead of bringing him to the courts to be tried, burst into his house, brought him against his will to the Air Force and sent him to another country. What is interesting about this case is that when the foreign journalists questioned him about some of these concerns the de facto president claimed he knew nothing about it and sent them to those who ordered and carried out the act, openly alluding to the judge who signed the order and the army official who carried it out or ordered it to be carried out, who was the Joint Chief of Staff.

No matter how the de facto president’s side tries to structure a minimally acceptable explanation, advised by lawyers, politicians in the tradition of the coup and active and retired military officials with plenty of experience in such activities, they cannot explain why they prevented a president elected by a majority of votes in 2005 from finishing his term in office, if in the country the mandate has not been annulled, nor did the National Congress have this power, less so since it did not carry out a legal process that respected the dignity of the presidency.

The side of the de facto president has insisted on claiming that their has been no coup d’etat and cites in its defense a collection of reasons, comparisons and justifications trying to avoid the obvious: that by condeming the president (to exile) without due process they violated the constitution, when they named a substitute under dubious circumstances, and when they carried out numerous similarly law-breaking and violent activities, related to the following: establishing a state of siege that impides the free circulation of citizens for five days with the possibility of extension; the closing of radios and television channels with ties to the constitutional government; preventing journalists from discussing the constitutional president (and no restrictions for those who oppose him); repression of the protests in favor of the constitutional president (and protection for those in favor of the de facto government); arresting people who are relations or allies of the constitutional president (who remain imprisoned or are expelled from the country); the appearance of the Joint Chief of Staff at the side of the de facto President in public gatherings, when there is a constitutional mandate establishing that the Armed Forces are subject to the civil government, apolitical, and without deliberative power.

2. The judicial system at the service of the coup

The judicial system, strongly partisan, has been transformed into a legal facilitator of the coup. This situation remains at present and the attitude of the highest representatives of the judicial branch has been evident in interviews on national and international channels, in particular the president of the Supreme Court of Justice and the Attorney General, forgetting the presumption of innocence and assuming the guilt of the president, without having submitted him to an open and transparent trial, following the law and without partisan political bias.

3. Military-political involvement in the coup.

Internationally, the most intensive activity is maintained by the constitutional president and, in the national arena the de facto president, the Armed Forces, the Police, the Attorney General and the President of the Supreme Court of Justice. All the other political actors have assumed a role of attentive observers of the process, always ready to lend their support. This is the case of the National Congress, the Attorney General’s office, and the National Human Rights Commissioner.

4. Economic-religious and media involvement in supporting [the coup]

Businesspeople actively support [the coup], knowing that the days approaching the decision of the OAS are fundamental in order to gain a certain space in the international arena; that is why they have mobilized their employees to participate in public protests, which they themselves organize and partially finance. The churches assure the military and police protection, give instructions and mobilize their congragations. The media continue with a unified defense of the coup d’etat, with the exception of Diario Tiempo and Radio Progreso in the north of the country; the lesser media has opened a bit but continue firmly positioned on the side of the de facto president, which means that the level of disinformation about what is happening with the protests in favor of the constitutional president remains high. The internet facilitates international and national communication that has made it possible to know what is going on in the remote regions of the country, and about the insurrections and support of people, groups and institutions that are rapidly spread among all their contacts.

5. Organization of the de facto government and distribution of power

Slowly but steadily the de facto government has been organizing and distributing power among the participants in the coup process, including retired military officers, something which should draw attention toward a possible remilitarization of the State, this time with retired military officials occupying key positions tied to national security, positions which up to now have been in civilian hands. A dangerous message has been sent with the naming of an ex-intelligence official in the national Migration Agency, with the expectation that [such individuals] will also be placed in other key positions like the Merchant Marines and the National Port Authority.

6. Manipulation of public opinion

The protests in favor of the de facto president are replete with frontal attacks using subliminal messages: the attacks come from politicians, businesspeople and media (the intrusion of Chavez, lack of respect for legality, provocative and deceitful epithets) and messages (God, peace, democracy, dialogue, stability, order, fatherland and non-violence) in addition to white shirts, Honduran flags, signing of the national anthem, revealing a marked religious influence (actually, the leaders of the Catholic and evangelical churches have supported the coup d’etat and have constituted a key factor, together with the businessmen, in the mobilization of marchers). One interesting fact to note is that the subject/object of mobilization has been gradually changing. From supporting Micheletti they have been moved to “support democracy” in an attempt to deoersonalize the adherence to the coup cause, trying to maintain an integrated force that includes all religious preferences and respects the partisan preferences of the marchers, which combines very well with the role of the media and affirms the de facto president when he finalizes his public appearances saying: “God is with us!”

C. The International Context

1. Rejection of the coup

The rejection of the alteration of constitutional order in Honduras by regional and international countries and organizations has been fundamental at this moment. It is clear to all that the unifying element among the diversity has been the condemnation of a practice of the past that reappears as a threat to the democratic processes under construction in our continent—a process undertaken with difficulty but resolve. Academic, labor and human rights activists—individuals and organizations—have added their voice to the protest and have condemned the coup d’etat of this June 28th.

The occasion constitutes a great test to know and assess the level of international commitment to the stability of legitimately constituted governments. The message has been (and should be) clear, not just for the members of the military who have always been distrusting spectators on the sidelines of democratic processes that they cannot understand, but also for the politicians who become embroiled in intra- and interpartisan rivalries that undermine their legitimacy and that of the institutions into which they insert themselves.

2. The ideology of the coup in the international context

a. The Role of the United States

Misgivings, mistrust and many doubts related to the authoritarian past have created a climate of suspicion, at time extreme, in relation to the role of the United States in the recent coup d’etat. The traditional subordination of the Armed Forces to U.S. interests and the role that U.S. ambassadors play or have played to dissolve domestic political or social conflicts, are all too well known in our country and our America. From there comes the importance of the role played by the United States with respect to the coup d’etat, knowing that it finds itself in a rather uncomfortable situation: To claim that that they knew about it and could not do anything to stop it (because they were not capable of controlling their accomplices in a coup adventure), an argument with very little credibility, or that they knew about the decision and did not want to do anything (because they possessed an inadequate reading of the facts and circumstances, or because they wanted to see which direction that the events would take)—an argument with more credibility than the previous one—if we relate it with certain facts that could influence this decision, like the mutual antipathy between the president and the legislators off the National Congress, the business sector’s rejection of the president for his “social excesses,” discomfort with the president’s style of speech and action (confrontative, mocking, rash, frank, direct) and understandable suspicions about the public raprochement between Zelaya and Chavez. What is odd about the case is that the constitutional president only had seven months of his term left, neither of the presidential candidates have leftist inclinationes, and furthermore there was not even a remote threat that the president would convene a national constituent assembly (the actions themselves invalidate this threat, but it is so laughable that it is almost impossible to believe: supporting (yes or no) the placement of a fourth ballot box in the general elections in November, to vote for the installation of a national constituent assembly to review and create a new Constitution of the Republic. Creating it would be under the authority of the National Congress and never of the President of the Republic because he does not have these duties).

b. The Role of Chavez

The manipulation being carried out in the rural sectors of the country in relation to worn-out ideological ghosts (Democracy/Communism) influencing public opinion through churches and the media, is contributing to the growing polarization of Honduran society. In the confrontation we are seeing the hand of Chavez’s defenders and detractors, which tends to minimize the key aspect of the coup which was and continues to be the violation of the Constitution of the Republic, from the moment in which the Supreme Court of Justice ordered the arrest of the constitutional president of the republic without having initiated and carried out a trial, a situation that was exacerbated by the Armed Forces that carried out the order and decided, according to a completely deformed arbitrary power, that the best thing for the country would be his expulsion from the country.

To accept these criteria and insert the coup d’etat into the context of ideological differences that can be observed in our continent is a mistake that tends, as usual, to minimize internal causes and to force a way out involving other countries and other ideologies. The coup d’etat in Honduras should motivate people who study the theme to carry out in-depth, responsible and integrated analyses incorporating the elements that have flowered and erupted in Honduras, and which can occur in other contries on the continent, taking into consideration, of course, the differences that occur in their respective processes of democratic development. Just as in Honduras the question of whether one is for or against the constitutional president has ceded to the difference between those who are for and those who are against the coup d’etat in Honduras, in the same way international analists and researchers should should take great pains to not insert the theme of the coup d’etat in Honduras in an ideological context polarized between those who are with Chavez and those who are with the United States, because they would divert attention from the real situation to a possible [but not actual] situation that is longed for by some and manipulated by others.

D. Key Elements in the Solution to the Conflict

There are three key elements that must be confronted in order to find a solution to the conflict evidenced by the coup d’etat: a) Restitution of the constitutional president to his position, b) Removing all those who broke the law from office and c) Agreeing to create an new constitution. Nothing else is required to resolve the crisis because the November elections have never been in doubt and the friendship of the constitutional president with Chavez does not constitute a threat to the country.

• Restitution of the constitutional president to his position

This action will be fundamental for the political and social stability of the country and to guarantee the normal development of general elections next November. In the same way, to prevent future presidents from being exposed to the interference of other powers of the State that make it impossible for [him] to finish the term of office for which [he] was elected. This should occur independently of a) the number of people who acclaim him (he is not obligated to demonstrate popularity because he already demonstrated it in the November 2005 elections), b) the opinion of people or groups about his competence (no reverse mandate exists in the country), c) the number of accusations that are made against him (if they have a legal basis he should go to trial), d) the antipathy that politicians, the business elite and religious leaders have for him, e) whatever responsibility he may have for the polarization of the conflict (in the same way that we reject the neckline of a dress as being the cause of a rape) and g) the antipathy that the Junta of Military Commanders has for him.

• Removing all those who broke the law from office

This includes a) the president of the republic, who once restored to his position should confront the accusations made against him, and against which he has not been given a chance to defend himself. Given the partisan politicization of the Supreme Court of Justice and the antecedent in which they have already publicly expressed opinions about the accused whom they are supposed to judge, actions which do not guarantee a fair trial, he should be assured of the participation of international judges; b) lawsuits must be brought against the Supreme Court judge who signed the arrest warrant for the President of the Republic, without respect for due process, c) against the Attorney General of the Republic, who requested the arrest warrant and has publicly demonstrated disdain for the accused, d) against the Junta of Military Commanders who obeyed an illegal order and committed the crime of expelling a citizen of this country who furthermore was their commander-in-chief by force from Honduran territory and e) against the then-president of the National Congress and current de facto president, for falsifying public documents in order to alter the constitutional order, like the supposed letter of resignation of the constitutional president of the republic. There should be a public trial a) against the the institutions of justice (the Supreme Court, public ministry and police) for committing an outrage against the rule of law and contributing to the breach of constitutional order, b) against the National Congress for its active contribution to the breach of constitutional order, c) against the political parties, as institutions that maintained complicit silence about everything their activists in all branches of the State were doing, a situation which is beginning to be challenged by two very small political parties, PINU and UD, and d) against the officers and soldiers who used excessive force to repress protesters who supported the constitutional president.

• Agreeing to create an new constitution

Given that the spark that ignited the coup d’etat is related to an attempt to consult the citizenry about the possibility of creating a new constitution, part of an underlying need for the citizenry to participate in the decision-making process about larger national issues, it becomes necessary to design a legal mechanism through which, in the future, a president or [other] citizen is not persecuted for suggesting the need to change it. This is important because of the legal vaccuum left by the constitution of 1982, which did not anticipate legal mechanisms for the creation of a national constituent assembly whose exclusive mission would be to create a new constitution without the process being predeeded by a coup d’etat.

E. Pending Work

1. In the Short Term

a. Accept the resignation of the Junta of Military Commander since it is easy to see that, given what has happened, any proper hierarchical relationship between the constitutional president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, with the military leadership.
b. Demilitarize the country and its institutions. Members of the military should literally return to their barracks, in order to reaffirm a sense of calm that the country urgently needs.
c. Evaluate the role of the police during the coup d’etat: if it was to guarantee public security or to guarantee the protection of a de facto government.
d. Establish a pact for non-partisan depoliticization in the justice system: this is a key element for guaranteeing judicial security and regaining the confidence of Hondurans and foreigners.
e. Approve democratic mechanisms of citizen participation: the vote and the national-level referendum should be a door that ensures participation and not something that puts the brakes on their right to hold an opinion
f. Establish mechanisms to guarantee the independence of separate branches of government, in order to permit each branch to focus on its responsibilities without the interference of the other branches in carrying out any aspect of its duties.
g. A social-political pact to carry out general elections without confrontation, with proposals and a vision for the country. The political-economic system needs to regain its legitimacy vis-a-vis the citizenry and should anticipate and take seriously the danger of a political disenchantment expressing itself in high levels of abstention in the November elections.
h. Institutionalize permanent mechanisms of citizen participation in the evaluation of the course that the country takes with each government. In order to prevent political and social conflicts from reaching their limits and to give local and national leaders the opportunity to amend mistakes and attend to the needs of a true social agenda.

2. Medium Term

a. Define (record, specifying exactly) the role of the Armed Forces within a Democracy, so that civilians and military actors understand the true meaning of democracy and assume their role in key aspects of the process of democratic development.
b. Recuperate the secularity of the Honduran State. The place of the diverse denominations is not in the public sphere and they should not be used as a mechanism of political support of any type. They can play a fundamental role in democratic development in the private sphere, creating essential values of democracy like pluralism, tolerance and respect for diversity, which our society so desperately needs.
c. Have a citizen dialogue about the role of the media in democracy. In order to recuperate the image of the media as being committed to the general interests of the society, with professionalism, objectivity and respect for citizens and authorities.
d. Intensify our training in democratic political culture, in order to better know the Constitution of the Republic, and our rights and responsibilities as citizens. Universities can play a fundamental role in this type of work.
e. Develop programs for the prevention and peaceful resolution of conflicts, so we can have professional teams in the parties, social organizations and institutions of the State and to be able to prevent political and social conflicts, and to find pacific solutions when these do erupt.

United Nations Cover-up in Haiti

2009-07-07T11:53:00.001-04:00

Filmmaker Kevin Pina speaks at a MECAWI forum in Detroit on May 12, 2007. He had screened his new documentary on Haiti at the community meeting. (Photo: Abayomi Azikiwe).
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

UN Cover-up in Haiti

Written by Kevin Pina
Monday, 06 July 2009

On June 18, family, friends and supporters of Haitian priest Father Gerard Jean-Juste gathered at the national cathedral to pay their final respects and lay him to rest. Few expected the solemn occasion would be transformed into confusion and terror as U.N. forces opened fire towards Haiti's national cathedral following the arrest of one of the mourners. A victim of a single gunshot wound to the head would be discovered moments later. Witnesses say his body writhed and convulsed struggling with the inevitable as blood slowly formed a crimson background around his head.

Jean-Juste would probably not be surprised by the shooting given that he was a leader of Lavalas and this was after all a Lavalas funeral. He would most likely recall many other instances of human rights abuses committed against Lavalas where the U.N. was complicit or directly involved. He would often criticize the U.N. mission in Haiti for killing unarmed civilians in Cite Soleil and for training the Haitian police as they regularly shot up peaceful demonstrations, performed summary executions and falsely arrested Lavalas supporters following the ouster of Aristide in Feb. 2004. Jean-Juste more than most, would understand that this incident is but one more in a long list of violent offenses committed against the movement of the majority of the poor in Haiti as part of the U.N.'s current experiment in political landscaping.

Public revulsion over this recent unprovoked shooting by U.N. soldiers in Haiti is only surpassed by disgust at the U.N.'s attempt to cover it up. The commander of MINUSTAH, Brazilian General Floriano Peixoto orchestrated immediately, "The truth is I do not believe... that the soldiers fired on the people with live ammunition...I'm convinced that this did not happen." The U.N. then released a statement through its songbird Michelle Montas in New York that said they "categorically denied" any of its soldiers were involved in the death. Agence France Presse played the tune, "The UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) insisted also that the death, initially attributed to a gun shot wound, was due to a "head injury inflicted by a stone or a blunt object."" The Associated Press (AP) chimed in, "[MINUSTAH] cited unspecified preliminary information that the victim was killed by a blunt object, such as a thrown rock, rather than a bullet." The fact that the U.N.'s version of the killing was based on ‘unspecified preliminary information' didn't seem to matter much to the chorus at the time.

The U.N.'s attempt at a cover-up came into focus after a Haitian TV station, Radio Tele-Ginen, streamed coverage of the funeral of Father Gerard Jean-Juste live over the Internet. Thousands watched as U.N. soldiers fired into the air and it was only after they had left the scene that the camera showed the body of the victim. This led AP reporter Jonathan Katz to comment on June 19, "The video did not appear to show what happened to the man, showing only some U.N. soldiers arresting another man and firing shots into the air." Katz concluded, "The soldiers load the protester into the truck and fire two more shots as they drive away, followed by a Haitian police vehicle."

Radio Tele-Ginen then dropped a bombshell and released footage from another camera angle that actually showed Brazilian soldiers firing at crowd level from the back of a small white pickup truck as they left the scene. There is no police vehicle following them as Katz claims and you can clearly see that no one was throwing rocks at them or any where near the soldiers as they casually fire off two shots from the back of the truck. Thirty seconds later a man is discovered in front of Haiti's national cathedral felled by what is clearly a single gunshot wound to the head.

From the footage alone any one who has ever seen a victim of a headshot could easily tell his wound was not inflicted by a rock or blunt instrument as the U.N. claimed. The ‘rock of blunt instrument' spin was a cynical attempt by the U.N. to imply that a fellow mourner was responsible for the death during a funeral organized by Lavalas for one of their own. They were correct in thinking that a gullible international press would repeat the ridiculous assertion given the latter has long participated in creating a spoon feed image of Lavalas as a violent political movement.

Eleven days after the shooting the other shoe would finally drop. On June 29, the final results of an autopsy would reveal that the victim was indeed killed by a wound resulting from a single shot to the head. In a fantastically surreal statement of further denial U.N. peacekeeping spokeswoman Sophie Boutaud de la Combe would respond, "We are confident that the autopsy reconfirmed that our troops were not responsible for this death." It seems that someone forgot to tell Sophie that if you're going to spin for denial it has to at least have some possibility of being taken seriously.

Writing for AP, Katz would soften the realization that the U.N. had lied about the victim's fatal wound in a ‘matter of fact' tone, "[Boutaud de la Combe] noted that preliminary information that the protester had been killed by a rock or other blunt instrument were incorrect." Katz would continue to provide the U.N. with plausible deniability when he wrote, "In television footage of the clash at least eight shots can be heard. It is not clear if all were fired by the soldiers." He would at least have the decency to add the qualifier, "No one else is seen holding a firearm."

The fact that the Radio Tele-Ginen footage from June 18 shows Brazilian soldiers opening fire without any provocation speaks volumes. The casual nature with which they discharge their weapons as they leave the scene makes it appear as if they were sending a message to the mourners and Lavalas. It was message of violence and terror that has been repeated over and over again for the Lavalas movement since Feb. 2004. That this particular volley would come four days before the second round of Senate elections in Haiti is clearly not a coincidence.

After the Fanmi Lavalas party was barred from participating in Senate elections, they waged a highly successful boycott campaign of the first round held on April 19. Another successful boycott of the second round on June 21 would be a crushing repudiation of the U.N.'s attempt to legitimize their mission through ‘helping the Haitian people to realize democracy.' If the U.N. cannot oversee a process of fair and inclusive elections in Haiti then there really is not much point in them continuing to press to extend their mission is there? The only thing standing between them passing off exclusive elections or "selections" as credible was and continues to be the Lavalas movement. The message delivered by U.N. soldiers firing indiscriminately at the crowd during Jean-Juste's funeral was for Lavalas to back off from their political campaign against the elections or the killings and arrests would start again. Desecrating the funeral of one of Lavalas's revered leaders and associating his cortège with violence would pave the way.

In the end, despite tremendous financial and political efforts by the U.N., Lavalas successfully boycotted the second round of Senate elections. Turnout was lower than the first round and other than inflated figures provided by the election council most observers admit that very few people showed up to vote in either election.

Just like denials of firing at crowd level on June 18 and the head wound of the victim, the U.N. and the international press that feeds off them also continue to deny the successful boycott campaign. One can almost hear the collective mantra of Brazilian General Floriano Peixoto, Sophie Boutaud de la Combe, Michelle Montas, Jonathan Katz and others that the boycott had little to do with the low voter turnout. Voter fatigue, off-season elections, fatigue with ineffective government, a loss of faith in politicians and everything else under sun except the boycott.

Leaders of the Lavalas Mobilization Commission, organizers of the boycott, have made it clear that the Haitian people see their new Senators as ‘creatures of the U.N. and the international community.' They do not recognize the elections as credible and say they will continue to demonstrate peacefully to have them annulled. If June 18 is any indication of what's to come, the U.N. is gearing up for a new round of the blame the victim style of repression that has come to define their current mission's relationship to the Lavalas movement.

As events unfold in Haiti, we can only hope that a few brave journalists will keep the cameras rolling so that we might have some small chance of seeing the truth behind the denials.

Kevin Pina is a journalist and filmmaker who has been covering events in Haiti since 1991. Pina is also the Founding Editor of the Haiti Information Project(HIP), an alternative news agency based in Port au Prince.

Economic Crisis Imminently Threatens Survival of Poor Countries

2009-07-07T11:44:00.001-04:00

Congolese soldiers patrol through the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The upsurge in rebel attacks in 2008 had created the conditions for the possible intervention of the EU.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 6, 2009

ECONOMIC CRISIS IMMINENTLY THREATENS ECONOMIC SURVIVAL OF POOR COUNTRIES

Ahead of G-8 summit, United Nations Millennium Campaign warns that developing countries will be forced to slash desperately-needed expenditures for the poor; Campaign calls on G-8 leaders to urgently provide financial resources to poor countries

The United Nations Millennium Campaign is warning that the ongoing economic crisis is likely to bring the economies of many developing countries to the brink of collapse and threatens the very survival of their citizens. According to the African Development Bank, countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kenya could run out of foreign reserves to purchase goods necessary for survival in a matter of weeks. At the same time, countries including Laos, Senegal, Uganda, Cape Verde and Sudan are cutting expenditures on poverty alleviation for desperately poor citizens. Experts predict that spending on core development, including the Millennium Development Goals, could decline by $200 billion as a result of the crisis.

“When world leaders break a promise, it is a sin – but when governments break a promise to the poorest people on the planet, it is nothing short of a crime,” said Salil Shetty, Director of the United Nations Millennium Campaign. “All over Africa and Asia, governments might have no option but to cut expenditure which the poor need to survive. Given that leaders of rich countries have found $18 trillion to bail out financial institutions over the past year – nine times more money than they have given in aid over the past 49 years – we know that finding financial resources is possible if the political will is there. G-8 leaders must not turn their backs on the world’s most vulnerable in L’Aquila.”

G-8 leaders must urgently announce timetables for meeting their existing aid commitments. The UN Millennium Campaign is also calling for new resources tailored to address the challenges caused by the economic crisis. These sources must be additional to existing commitments and must not come with conditions which hamper effectiveness or increase indebtedness.

The quality of aid must also improve. Earmarking aid runs counter to the agreed aid effectiveness agenda; donors should be aligning their aid with developing countries’ priorities and programs.

Finally, the majority of the world’s poor live in rural areas and depend on agriculture. Rich countries continue to spend exhorbitant amounts of money to subsidize the agricultural products of their own farmers, at the expense of farmers in poor countries with no other means of subsistence. This practice must stop.

Specifically, the UN Millennium Campaign is calling on G-8 leaders to:
-Announce transparent and predictable timetables for the delivery of aid committed at Gleneagles in 2005, clearly spelling out precise schedules of annual increases for each country.
-Provide additional financial resources to poor countries – not repackaging of existing commitments -- which do not increase their indebtedness or contain harmful conditions.
-Issue a moratorium on debt repayments from poor countries.
-Improve aid quality and avoid earmarking aid for specific purposes, as this is counter to the principle of aid effectiveness and does not allow countries to define their own priorities.
-Immediately eliminate trade-distorting agricultural and export subsidies, given that existing trade tariffs make it difficult for poor countries to compete and the economic crisis has further reduced their export markets.

To arrange interviews with spokespeople at the Summit and across Africa, Asia, Europe and North America contact:
Kara Alaimo
(+1) 212-906-6399
Kara.Alaimo@undp.org
Or
Hamimu Masudi
+254715101464
hamimu.masudi@gmail.com

Note to editors:
The UN Millennium Campaign was established by the UN Secretary General in 2002. The Campaign supports citizens’ efforts to hold their governments to account for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. The Millennium Development Goals were adopted by 189 world leaders from the north and south, as part of the Millennium Declaration which was signed in 2000. These leaders agreed to eradicate extreme poverty and its root causes by 2015. Our premise is simple: we are the first generation that can end poverty and we refuse to miss this opportunity. For more information, visit http://www.endpoverty2015.org

China News Bulletin: Fresh Chaos Erupts In Urumqi; Toy Factory Employees Return to Work

2009-07-07T10:15:00.001-04:00

The city of Urumqi will adopt a "comprehensive traffic control" Tuesday night to avoid further chaos amid the ongoing unrest, said Wang Lequan, secretary of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Committee of CPC, in a televised speech.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

Fresh chaos erupts in Urumqi

URUMQI, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Chaos hit Urumqi again Tuesday afternoon, nearly two days after a riot that killed 156 people and injured more than 1,000 others.

Several thousand protesters, mostly Han Chinese, marched along Youhao Street and Guangming Street toward Erdaoqiao, mainly inhabited by Uygurs, in downtown Urumqi.

The protesters, holding clubs, knives, axes, hammers and various types of tools that could be used as weapons, shouted "protecting our home, protect our family members".

They were stopped by units of the Armed Police before reaching the destination. No clashes were reported.

A Xinhua reporter saw an officer with the Armed Police crying while he followed the march.

Li Zhi, Party leader in Urumqi, rushed to the scene at about 4:30 p.m., to appease the protesters.

"Down with Rebiya (Kadeer). Let's unite and try to build a better Urumqi," Li yelled through a loudspeaker.

"Uygur people and Han Chinese are brothers and sisters, we are a family," said the official while repeatedly asking the crowds to leave.

Many of the protesters began to persuade others to refrain from extreme action, "otherwise those who instigated the deadly Sunday violence would be very happy to see more unrests," a man said while listening to Li's talk.

But some people asked for punishment of the killers and stronger government action.

"Let's leave here now. Rebiya must be very willing to see that Urumqi turns out to be in a mess," another protester shouted.

A Uygur woman, hugging a child, walked through the protesters with a police escort.

"Let them go. Uygur mobs killed our women and children, but we will not kill theirs," some protesters said.

The crowds spontaneously sang the National Anthem and gradually dispersed in about 40 minutes. Only several hundred remained at the scene.

Many protesters had gathered at the Urumqi South Railway Station, Changjiang Road, Yangzijiang Road and some other places. People ran away in panic and roadside shops were shut down.

Residents of some community compounds held bats for self-defense.

"We will not hide anymore. We will fight back if they (the rioters) come," said a man standing in front of a building in Shihezi.

Crowds of people rushed to the municipal people's hospital to take shelter. Many nurses were trying to call their relatives to make sure they are safe.

An adult who was coughing up blood and a young man whose head was covered in blood were rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment.

The regional hospital of traditional Chinese medicine received about three Han Chinese with fresh wounds on their bodies in the afternoon, the president of the hospital told Xinhua.

Witnesses said a group of people gathering around an outlet of the Quanjude roast duck restaurant at Changjiang Road were beating a man at about 2 p.m..

Police managed to stop the attack and rescued the man.

Someone drove a car into a police wagon during a standoff with police at Tuanjie Road at about 1:30 p.m.. Police have arrested a number of people. The number of arrests in the latest outburst is unknown at this time.

"I was shocked how they killed people bloodily. Beating and killing innocent people is extremely cruel," Alfred N. Shifu, an English teacher with Beijing City University, told Xinhua.

"For a long time, the Chinese government has been pretty tolerant, but they should crackdown severely on those terrorists," said the 32-year-old Cameroon national, who has been in China for seven years. "I think the police should shoot any of those killers."

Evidence showed that the separatist World Uyghur Congress leader Rebiya Kadeer masterminded the Sunday violence. Rioters attacked civilians, smashed vehicles and shops and set fire to urban facilities.

(Writings by Xinhua correspondents Zhao Ying, Gui Tao and Cao Kai in Beijing and Li Jianmin, Ji Shaoting, He Zhanjun and Xing Guangli in Xinjiang; Reporting by bureau reporters in Xinjiang)

Xinjiang to adopt curfew in capital city Tuesday night

URUMQI, July 7 (Xinhua) -- The city of Urumqi will adopt a curfew Tuesday night to avoid further chaos amid the ongoing unrest, said Wang Lequan, secretary of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), on Tuesday.

A "comprehensive traffic control" will be imposed from 9:00 p.m. Tuesday to 8:00 a.m. Wednesday, Wang announced in a televised speech.

"Some Han people took to streets in Urumqi today, disrupting social orders," he said. "This is not necessary at all."

"All the employers in the city should call on their employees to go back home. Ethnic confrontation should be definitely prohibited," he said.

NO ETHNIC CONFRONTATION

"Neither the people of Han nor Uygur ethicalities are willing to see the Han people being attacked. It is the same the other way around. If the Han people attack the innocent Uygur people, it is also heart-breaking."

"The family members of those who were involved in the violence are innocent. We should be cool-headed and do not be fooled by the enemies," he said.

"Our targets should be the hostile forces at both home and abroad and criminals, rather than our own brothers and sisters of different ethnic backgrounds."

Xinjiang Party chief orders traffic curfew, calls for avoiding ethnic conflicts

URUMQI, July 7 (Xinhua) -- The city of Urumqi will adopt a "comprehensive traffic control" Tuesday night to avoid further chaos amid the ongoing unrest, said Wang Lequan, secretary of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), in a televised speech Tuesday.

The traffic curfew will be imposed from 9:00 p.m. Tuesday to 8:00 a.m. Wednesday, he said.

"It may bring some inconvenience for your. But we expect your understanding."

In his speech, Wang called for avoiding confrontation between ethnic groups in the region.

"Some Han people took to the streets in Urumqi today, disrupting social order," he said. "It is completely unnecessary."

"Neither the people of Han nor Uygur ethnicities are willing to see the Han people being attacked. It is the same the other way around. If the Han people attack the innocent Uygur people, it is also heart-breaking."

"The family members of those who were involved in the violence are innocent. We should be cool-headed and do not be fooled by the enemies," he said.

"Our targets should be the hostile forces, both at home and abroad, and criminals, rather than our own brothers and sisters of different ethnic backgrounds.

"Unreasonable behavior will only further worsen the situation," Wang said.

"All the employers in the city should call on their employees to go back home. Ethnic confrontation should be definitely prohibited," he noted.

Wang said an overwhelming majority of the suspects involved in the deadly violence are now under investigation.

"Some of those involved are students. Most of the youngsters were unaware of the truth. If they did not play a major role in the violence, they will be released. Their future should not be ruined."

"All the injured have received the best medical treatment," said Wang.

The government would comfort and compensate bereaved families, and try hard to help restore business for those who suffered losses in the violence, he said.

The death toll from Sunday's riot in Urumqi has risen to 156, with 1,080 injured.

Mobs in deadly Xinjiang violence subject to severe punishment: official

http://www.chinaview.cn
2009-07-07 13:54:35

URUMQI, July 7 (Xinhua) -- A Xinjiang official Tuesday vowed severe punishment for the mob in the "deadliest riot since New China was founded in 1949."

Sunday's riot in Urumqi has killed 156 people and injured more than 1,000, the largest number of casualties in any single incident of its kind in six decades.

"The rioters violated laws and harmed the fundamental interests of all Chinese ethnic groups," said Li Zhi, Communist Party of China (CPC) chief of Urumqi.

Police in Xinjiang have arrested 1,434 suspects over Sunday's deadly riot, including 1,379 men and 55 women. They are said to have conducted violent acts of killing, beating, smashing, looting and burning.

While those under arrest might be released if no serious criminal records were found, Li said authorities would not let pass those who were still at large.

Anti-terror expert: World Uyghur Congress behind Xinjiang violence

http://www.chinaview.cn
2009-07-07 19:56:34

BEIJING, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Evidence showed that World Uyghur Congress had masterminded Sunday's deadly violence in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, a Chinese counter-terrorism expert told Xinhua Tuesday.

"Judging from what Rebiya Kadeer, leader of the World Uyghur Congress, had said and done, it is fair to say the organization masterminded the incident," said Li Wei, director of the Center for Counter-Terrorism Studies with the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations.

"After the March 14 unrest in Tibet last year, Kadeer said in public that something similar should happen in Xinjiang. The riot in Urumqi bore some similarities with the March 14 incident."

Kadeer had been in close relations to the Dalai Lama, Li said, noting that the Xinjiang riot was regarded by experts as an "intentional imitation" of what happened in Lhasa.

"The riot was by no means incidental and spontaneous," he noted. "It was well organized as riots, targeting civilians, occurred at several locations at the same time."

Xinjiang police said Monday they had evidence that Rebiya Kadeer masterminded the Sunday riot, and had obtained recordings of calls between overseas Eastern Turkestan groups and their accomplices inside the country.

In the recorded calls, Kadeer said, "Something will happen in Urumqi." She also called her younger brother in Urumqi, saying, "We know a lot of things have happened," referring to the June 26 brawl involving workers from Xinjiang in a toy factory in Guangdong Province.

"This year marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China," Li said. "The World Uyghur Congress has chosen this specific time to do damage."

Production resumes in S China toy factory which was scene of deadly brawl

SHAOGUAN, Guangdong, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Production has resumed in the toy factory in south China's Guangdong Province where two Uygurs were killed in a brawl, according to local sources on Tuesday.

About 16,000 of the 18,000 workers at the Xuri Toy Factory in Shaoguan of Guangdong have returned to work by Tuesday, including more than 700 workers from the northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

A dispute among factory workers led to a fight involving hundreds of people on the morning of June 26, leaving two dead and 118 injured.

Jin Ling, a female worker with the factory from Nanchang of east China's Jiangxi province, left the factory on June 27 but returned the next day.

"When I came back, I found the production line was open but many workers were absent," she recalled. On that day, only about 3,000 workers went to work.

LIFE OF UYGUR WORKERS

Sitting in her dormitory, which has a white mosquito tent, a red bedsheet, a round mirror and a textbook of mandarin Chinese, the 21-year-old Uygur girl Aysumgul Memet said she was learning while working.

"We were worried after the incident a few days ago, but now we are feeling better every day," she said.

Busa Regul was only 19 years old, but she is already head of a production group, in charge of gathering the products and registering them.

Although she said the work was tiring sometimes, the girl was satisfied with the salary -- 1,100 yuan to 1,600 yuan (161.8 to 235.3 U.S. dollars) a month.

"I want to learn more so as to find a better job in the future," she beamed.

According to Erbakri Turdi, Party chief of the Minxiang village of Shufu county in Xinjiang, many migrant workers from the region had complaint when they just arrived.

"But the local government is trying to comfort them," he said.

After the clash, Turdi said that they helped all the Uygur workers to make phone calls to their families.

"Unlike reports from some media, most of the workers from Xinjiang are now willing to continue working here," he said.

A 24-hour clinic was set up in the factory with instructions in the Uygur language. A doctor said that all the medicines were free of charge.

DENOUNCING THE LIE

In the early hours of Sunday, the Urumqi police department got a tip-off that there were calls on Internet forums for demonstrations.

The riot began around 8 p.m., when rioters started beating pedestrians and smashing buses. The violence soon spread to many other downtown areas.

Police said at least 156 people had died and more than 800 were injured in the riot.

Many workers in the Xuri Toy Factory were dissatisfied seeing some media citing the clash in the factory as the cause of the Urumqi riot on Sunday.

"We are so faraway from Xinjiang and I don't know why they make our factory the scapegoat," said Jin Ling, the worker from Jiangxi.

Her colleague Luo Shan also believed that the accusation was "unreasonable".

"The problem in our factory was that we couldn't understand each other's language," she said. "It lies with communication."

Despite the dispute, Luo said she would try to keep a good relationship with Uygur workers.

"We shared the same goal -- everybody is coming to earn a living," she said.

"I'd like to work with my colleagues, Hans and Uygurs alike."

At Least 6 US Soldiers Reported Killed in Attacks on Afghan Bases

2009-07-06T14:11:00.001-04:00

Bomb damage done to a vehicle in Afghanistan. Resistance forces have stepped-up attacks against US and NATO troops now occupying the country. 6 US soldiers were reported killed on July 6, 2009.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

Monday, July 06, 2009
20:07 Mecca time, 17:07 GMT

Afghan attacks target US troops

A suicide bomber targeted a Nato military in the southern Kandahar province

At least six US soldiers were among 10 people killed in a series of attacks apparently targeting foreign troops in Afghanistan, as US marines continued their offensive in southern Afghanistan.

Four US soldiers died when a roadside bomb was detonated in northern Kunduz province on Monday, military officials said.

"There was a joint police and Nato patrol which was hit by a roadside bomb to the east to the city," Abdul Razaaq, the police chief in Kunduz, said.

Two Afghan civilians were also killed in the blast, he said.

Northern Afghanistan is considered to be relatively peaceful, compared to the south and east where the Taliban are strong.

The two other US deaths were caused by an explosion in the south, a US military spokesman said.

Helmand offensive

About 4,000 US marines, backed by a 650-strong force of Aghan security personnel, began an offensive - dubbed Operation Strike of the Sword - on Thursday in southern Helmand province.

The operation is aimed at seizing control of areas in the lower Helmand valley and then securing them with US, Nato or Afghan forces.

About 500 marines moved into the Khan Neshin area on Monday, according to a military statement.

"This is the first time coalition forces have had a sustained presence so far south in the Helmand River valley," it said.

"Khan Neshin had been a Taliban stronghold for several years before Afghan and coalition forces arrived and began discussions with local leaders several days ago."

There has been little resistance by the Taliban in Helmand, except for a few small skirmishes, but there has been an increase in violence elsewhere.

US soldier held

In Kandahar, which shares a border with Helmand, at least two people were killed in a suicide attack outside a Nato military base on Monday.

The bomber drove a car packed with explosives towards a line of lorry drivers waiting to supply US-led troops at the Kandahar airfield.

"It was a suicide car attack, which killed two truck drivers and wounded 10 more of them, along with two [Afghan] army soldiers," General Sher Mohammad Zazai told reporters.

He said no foreign troops were killed or wounded in the attack.

Meanwhile, Taliban fighters claimed in a statement on a website that they were holding a US soldier who went missing from his base in Paktika province last week.

"It is to be said that five days ago, a drunken American soldier who had come out of his garrison named Malakh, was captured by mujahidin ... He is still with mujahidin," the statement said.

There was no proof of the claim or further information about his whereabouts.

US defence sources said the American soldier walked off the base with three Afghans on June 30, leaving behind his body armour and weapons.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Mali Army Fights Against AQMI

2009-07-06T12:56:00.001-04:00

AQMI guerrillas who are fighting in Mali have become the focus of the purported battle against Al-Qaeda in North Africa.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

Mali army fights again with Al-Qaeda elements

Source: Xinhuanet

Fighting broke out again between the Mali army and the elements of Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb region since they first engaged each other last month, the military told Xinhua on Sunday.

The clash erupted between Friday night and Saturday in Mali's northern Tombouctou region. "There were no victims on the side of the army," the military said in reference to the exchange of fire with the terrorist group known as AQMI.

The army launched an attack on the AQMI group on June 17, killing 26 of its combatants, after the government vowed to take military actions against the Al-Qaeda branch in the region.

Bamako moved against the AQMI elements following the assassination of a security officer on June 10, who was killed at his residence in the same Tombouctou region by armed men suspected of links to the organization.

The elements are roaming in several countries in the sub-region in small groups, according to Capt. Ali Diakite, a spokesman for the military in the northern region of Gao.

He said in the past two weeks the troops were in ground operations against all terrorist cells including AQMI. "We have also arrested several suspects of the killing of a Mali army officer by AQMI," he added.

While some analysts fear Mali is not well equipped to confront Al Qaeda, France, Algeria, Canada and the United States have expressed support for Mali in an overall fight against the terrorist group in the region.

China News Bulletin: Commentary on Catastrophe For Xinjiang Uygur; Background on Recent Incidents

2009-07-06T12:53:00.001-04:00

Chinese police move in to crush unrest in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. 140 people were reportedly killed in the riots on Sunday, July 5, 2009.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

Commentary: Riot a catastrophe for Xinjiang

by Xinhua writers Zhao Ying and Zhou Yan

BEIJING, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Sunday's deadly riot in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region bruised the beautiful city of Urumqi and shocked the world, barely 16 months after the nightmarish Lhasa violence that still clings to many Chinese minds.

"Oops! Not again!" was almost the universal response when news of the unrest came Sunday night, when blood tainted Urumqi, with at least 140 lives lost and more than 800 others injured.

When rioters assaulted innocent people with knives, wooden batons, bricks and stones, smashed vehicles and set fire to buildings and public facilities, we also saw many people of ethnic minority groups extending a helping hand to the victims.

Love and humanity glittered behind the deadly violence: out of human nature, these brave people helped those who were attacked, and stopped passersby from coming too close to the violent scenes.

By their heroic deeds, we hope, these people helped remind the rioters and whoever was behind the violence, that riots would only harm the majority of the people.

History has proven, time and again, that social stability is a blessing and riot a catastrophe. Innocent citizens always suffer the most when stability is shaken, which often leads to social unrest and stagnated economic growth.

National unity and social stability are in line with the fundamental interests of all Chinese people, including the 21 million-plus people from all ethnic groups in Xinjiang.

Given its unique location and demography, the northwestern Chinese region has been a target of separatist and terrorist actions, particularly in the past two years.

On Aug. 4, 2008, just days before the Beijing Olympic Games opened, 17 people were killed and 15 injured in an attack on police by terrorists in Kashgar, Xinjiang. The attack was aimed to sabotage the Beijing Games.

Six days later, a string of explosions in supermarkets, hotels and government buildings rocked the region's Kuqa County, killing a security guard and a civilian and injuring two police officers.

On March 7, 2008, a number of terrorists planned to attack a passenger plane with explosives but were thwarted by police. The attempt was found to be masterminded by Eastern Turkistan separatists from abroad.

Police said that in the first half of 2008, five terrorist rings were busted in Xinjiang and 82 suspected terrorists detained.

Now the three forces of terrorism, separatism and extremism are at work again. An initial investigation showed a separatist group made use of the June 26 brawl involving workers from Xinjiang in a toy factory in the southern Guangdong Province to foment Sunday's unrest and sabotage the country. Behind the scheme was the separatist World Uyghur Congress led by Rebiya Kadeer.

Government investigations indicate that Sunday's unrest was controlled and instigated from abroad.

"It was a crime of violence that was premeditated and organized," said Nur Bekri, chairman of the Xinjiang regional government, in a televised speech Monday morning.

Bekri said that stability was the premise for everything in the region and people should work to maintain the harmonious and stable social and political status -- a result of the long-term efforts by the government and people across the country, "as if protecting your own eyes".

For whoever was behind the riot, or for whatever intentions they had in masterminding the bloodshed, one thing is clear: under no circumstances should slaughters be brooked, violence allowed or national security challenged.

Order partially restored in violence-plagued Urumqi, situation still tense

URUMQI, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Traffic control was partially lifted Monday morning in parts of Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region after a deadly riot late Sunday, but tension still exists in the city.

With the exception of Yan'an Road, Tuanjie Road, a road near Xinjiang University, and Ningxiawan in the suburbs of Urumqi, blockades in downtown Urumqi have been removed.

Debris has been cleared from the roads and normal traffic has resumed. Workers are still pulling away damaged vehicles from the worst-affected roads in the city.

But most shops in areas where the violence occurred remained closed as of Monday morning.

At a market on Guangming Road, only ten stalls selling vegetables and fruit opened Monday morning, compared with dozens of stalls on normal days. The market is usually crowded.

Li Guifang, a resident near the market, said they had heard the violence last night and few residents came to the market in the morning.

Armed police are patrolling streets that are still blockaded.

In Ningxiawan, firefighters were still struggling to put out a fire at a shop Monday morning.

Residents in Urumqi said they still felt no sense of safety although the order was being restored.

A young couple, who witnessed the violent scene in Ningxiawan, said they had "little sense of safety and would leave the area quickly."

The couple, from Korla, southwest of Urumqi, said they had planned to buy a house in the capital city.

A total of 129 people were killed and 816 others injured in the violence in Urumqi, when rioters took to the street with knives, wooden batons, bricks and stones at around 7 p.m. Sunday, according to the regional government. The rioters also vandalized vehicles and buildings.

Uygur victims of south China toy factory brawl condemn Xinjiang riot

SHAOGUAN, Guangdong, July 6 (Xinhua) -- The Xinjiang Uygur workers injured in a toy factory brawl in south China's Guangdong Province condemned the riot in their hometown, where at least 140 people were killed.

"The rioters used our injuries as an excuse for their violence," said Atigul Turdi, 24, who was injured when she was running out of the scene of the fight on June 26 in Xuri toy factory in Shaoguan City, Guangdong. "I firmly opposed the violence in the name of taking revenge for us."

Two Uygur workers died and 60 Xinjiang Urgur workers were injured in the brawl. Then riot organizers started posting calls on Internet forums for demonstrations in Urumqi, the Xinjiang regional capital.

"I believe the government will handle the brawl appropriately," Turdi said. "Why did the rioters destroy our beautiful and peaceful Xinjiang region in such cruel manners?"

Among the 60 injured workers from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, 29 have been discharged from hospital and a dozen others had recovered, said Fan Shiping, a doctor at Yuebei People's Hospital in Shaoguan City.

"The rest who were being treated and are in stable conditions," he said. "We are getting along with the patients very well."

Turdi said she would stay in Guangdong to work after recovery. As one of the first workers to arrive at Xuri factory from Shufu County, Xinjiang on May 1, she still missed the happy days to work with her colleagues harmoniously.

"Every one was very happy at a party after our arrival," she said.

But she was worried rioters would "do something terrible in other areas besides Urumqi."

"My family in Xinjiang are also feared," she said.

Ebeyjan Ahmad whose arms and head were hurt in the fight was waiting to be discharged from hospital.

He shared the worry with Turdi and chose to work in Shaoguan, too.

"As long as I'm safe here, I'd like to stay," he said. "I have made phone calls to my family so that they won't be worried about me."

Doctors celebrated the birthday of the 18-year-old Kurbanjan Abdulla in the hospital. He was presented with a birthday cake and received good wishes from the patients.

The government of Shaoguan and the factory are trying their best to help Uygur workers go back to work as soon as possible, officials said.

The alleged sexual assault on a female Han worker Huang Cuiling by several Uygur co-workers at 11 p.m. on June 25 triggered the fight between Uygur and Han ethnic workers in the Xuri toy factory in the early morning on June 26, said Nur Bekri, chairman of the Xinjiang regional government, at the press conference on Monday.

The deaths of two Uygur workers in the fight were used as an excuse for the riot in the regional capital Urumqi, which Bekri said was masterminded by the forces of terrorism and separatism.

In the early hours of Sunday, the Urumqi police department got a tip-off that there were calls on Internet forums for demonstrations.

The riot began around 8 p.m., when rioters started beating pedestrians and smashing up buses. The violence soon spread to many other downtown areas.

At least 140 people had died and more than 800 were injured in the riot, the regional government said Monday.

Backgrounder: Previous unrests in China's Xinjiang region

BEIJING, July 6, (Xinhua)

-- In January 2007, police destroyed a terrorist training camp in the Pamir plateau, killing 18 terrorists and capturing 17. The police also seized 22 hand grenades and more than 1,500 half-finished grenades, and some home-made explosives. One officer was killed and another injured in the raid.

-- Chinese police smashed a terrorist gang on Jan. 27, 2008 in Urumqi, the regional capital, killing two and arresting 15 others. Five police were injured during the raid when three homemade grenades were thrown at them.

-- On March 7, 2008, a 19-year female, Uygur ethnic, attempted a terrorist attack on a China Southern Airlines flight that left Urumqi for Beijing. The attempt was foiled.

-- Two terrorists, armed with guns, explosives, knives and axes, drove a heavy truck onto a team of more than 70 police in a regular morning exercise in Kashgar on August 4 last year. Seventeen people were killed and 15 injured in the attack four days before the Beijing Olympics.

-- On August 10, 2008, serial explosions occurred in the early hours in some supermarkets, hotels and government buildings in Kuqa County, killing a security guard and injuring two policemen. Eight terrorists were shot dead by police while two others killed themselves by suicidal bombings.