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Ethiopia: Former Dergue officials request to apologize to people BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Aug 21, 2003 August Former Dergue officials, under government custody currently held at the Addis Ababa Maximum Prison, are said to have requested the Office of the Prime Minister to be allowed to apologize to the Ethiopian people, sources have revealed. Although the reason for such a move by the former Dergue officials was not yet known, it is evident that the officials have already submitted a signed petition and have set up a committee that would deliberate on this issue, sources close to the prison have said. According to some political analysts, the move by the officials seems to be aiming at the setting up of a truth and reconciliation commission similar to the one in South Africa and through it apologize to the Ethiopian people with a bid to getting leniency. There was no clue whether the Office of the Prime Minister had received such petition from the former Dergue officials. Also, there is no evidence whether their cases will be terminated or not if the Office of the Prime Minister accepts their petition. Source: Ethio News, Addis Ababa, in Amharic 21 Aug 03 © BBC Monitoring
Minister reportedly accuses Egypt's "negative policy" on Ethiopia BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Aug 20, 2003 web site on 16 August The minister of trade and industry, Ato [Mr] Girma Biru, said last week that Egypt had a negative policy towards peace and democracy in Ethiopia, according to Addis Zena, a weekly Amharic-language newspaper. "This is a fact well known to the international community," the minister stated. At a meeting held at his ministry where a policy document on Ethiopian foreign policy and security and strategy for industry was discussed, the minister said that Egypt was against the maintenance of peace and democracy in the country and that weapons used by sha'biyyah [Eritrea] during the Ethiopia-Eritrean conflict were of Egyptian origin. "Egypt had been pressuring international financial institutions to desist from assisting Ethiopia in carrying out development projects in the Nile basin," he stated. The policy document concluded: "The other strategy that the Egyptian use is to do all they can to prevent Ethiopia from getting loans and grants to utilize the Nile water. It has used its influence to persuade the Arab world not to provide Ethiopia with any loans or grants for Nile water development." Source: Addis Tribune web site, Addis Ababa, in English 16 Aug 03 © BBC Monitoring
Sudan: President notes "stubbornness" of rebels at current troubled peace talks BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Aug 21, 2003 Al-Ray al-Amm has learnt that President Umar Hasan al-Bashir has sent a written message to his American counterpart, George Bush, concerning the obstacles facing the peace process. The president clarified the government's position reiterating its commitment to the peace process as a strategic aim. The letter was delivered to officials in the US Foreign department by the Sudanese charge d'affaires in Washington, Dr Khydhir Harun. The letter touched on the stubbornness of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement [SPLM] in the talks. And in Nanyuki [Kenya], IGAD [Inter Governmental Authority on Development] mediators yesterday continued their efforts to bring together the vision of the negotiating parties by holding two lengthy discussions with both the government and the SPLM delegations. This was aimed at uniting their visions concerning the agenda and the work schedule which has determined that the peace talks should end this coming Sunday [24 August] if there are no new developments. [Passage omitted] Source: Al-Ra'y al-Amm, Khartoum, in Arabic 21 Aug 03 © BBC Monitoring
Sudan: Ruling party said keen to see opposition leader Al-Turabi released BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Aug 21, 2003 Excerpt of report by Sudanese newspaper Al-Khartoum on 21 August In its first comment concerning the extension [by six months] of the detention of the leader of the opposition Popular National Congress [PNC], Dr Hasan al-Turabi, the secretary-general of the [ruling] National Congress [NC], Prof Ibrahim Ahmad Umar, has said that the extension is aimed at covering a legal [process] and does not mean that Al-Turabi will remain [detained] throughout the period. He stressed that the NC is keen to see Al-Turabi released in the shortest time possible. Concerning the recent agreement between PNC and the [rebel] Sudan People's Liberation Movement [SPLM], Prof Umar said the agreement which brought the two parties together was unacceptable because its basis was for the two to cooperate in toppling the regime. [Passage omitted] Source: Al-Khartoum, Khartoum, in Arabic 21 Aug 03 © BBC Monitoring
Somalia: At least two said killed as two rival militia groups fight in Mogadishu BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Aug 20, 2003 At least two people have been killed and four others wounded after a gun battle broke out between two armed militia groups in Gedkalo village in northern Mogadishu last night. In the fighting, the two sides used machine-guns and other small firearms leaving one civilian and a militiaman dead. The wounded were rushed to Mogadishu hospital for treatment. The reason of the clash is not yet clear, but some sources say it has much to do with suspicion between the two rival sides. [Passage omitted]. Source: HornAfrik Online text web site, Mogadishu, in English 19 Aug 03 © BBC Monitoring
Somalia: Faction leader Yalahow in talks with pro-government faction in south BBC Monitoring Service - United Kingdom; Aug 19, 2003 site on 18 August One of Mogadishu's prominent faction leaders, Muse Sudi Yalahow, held talks in Kismaayo [southern Somalia port] town on Monday [18 August] with the leader of the Juba Valley Alliance, which controls the town. Mr Yalahow arrived in Kismaayo on Saturday [16 August] after storming out of the ongoing Somali peace conference in Nairobi recently. He boycotted the meeting 10 days ago expressing his unhappiness about the final draft of the constitutional charter and lack of reconciliation among the Somali leaders. Mr Yalahow was quoted as saying that he would return to the peace conference if his complaints were addressed. He was among prominent figures that left the peace conference making it almost unpopular. Source: HornAfrik Online text web site, Mogadishu, in English 18 Aug 03 © BBC Monitoring |
