EVENING REPORT

FORMER BURUNDIAN PRESIDENT AND TUTSI HARDLINER UNDER HOUSE ARREST.

BUJUMBURA: Burundian police have placed a former president and Tutsi hardliner under house arrest for allegedly plotting to kill the current president and speaker of the National Assembly. Internal Affairs and Security Minister Salvator Ntihabose says prosecutors have evidence that retired Colonel Jean-Baptistse Bagaza is plotting with supporters to assassinate President Pierre Buyoya and Assembly Speaker Jean Minani. Bagaza is thEe leader of the extremist PARENA political party. Bagaza, who was Burundi's president from 1976 until Buyoya overthrew him in a coup in 1987, has denied any involvement in a coup plot.

ISRAELI DEFENCE FORCE ACCUSED OF WAR CRIMES AND RIGHTS VIOLATIONS.

LONDON: Amnesty International says there is clear evidence that some of the acts committed by the Israeli Defence Force during its Operation Defensive Shield are war crimes or serious human rights violations. A report from the London-based human rights organization details unlawful killings, torture and ill-treatment of prisoners. It also adds wanton destruction of hundreds of homes sometimes with the residents still inside, the blocking of ambulances and denial of humanitarian assistance, and the use of Palestinian civilians as human shields.

G-8 POWERS WELCOME SYSTEM OF PEER REVIEW FOR AFRICA.

JOHANNESBURG: The G-8 industrial powers have welcomed the new system of peer review endorsed by 12 African nations in Abuja, Nigeria. They have promised more aid if the review succeeds. The African states, including South Africa, have agreed to set up a system of monitoring each other's efforts towards better governance. South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki had reportedly been opposed to the system of peer review, but later signed it. Mbeki's spokesman Bheki Khumalo says countries who have not yet endorsed the peer review commission are likely to do so in future.

IVORY COAST REBELS THREATEN TO WITHDRAW FROM PEACE TALKS.

BOUAKE: Rebels in Ivory Coast say they will no longer attend peace talks being held in Togo's capital, Lome, unless government negotiators agree to address all their demands. Speaking in the rebel stronghold Bouake, the dissidents' chief political representative, Guillaume Soro, said he got the clear feeling the government was reluctant to deal with the fundamental issues behind the uprising. Soro says the rebels' attendance at the Lome talks tomorrow could not be ruled out as long as they were allowed to discuss all of their demands. The rebels took up arms after a failed coup attempt on the 19th of September. They seized control of the mostly Muslim north. Hundreds of Ivorians were killed and thousands driven from their homes in four weeks of fighting before a truce was signed.

SOUTHERN AND EAST AFRICAN DELEGATES ATTEND PORT AUTHORITIES MEETING IN S.A.

CAPE TOWN: More than 150 delegates from port authorities across southern and eastern Africa are meeting in Cape Town, South Africa to discuss the challenges facing them on the continent. Conference chairperson Riah Phiyega says African ports need better equipment and infrastructure to function more efficiently. At the weekend, a top level meeting was held between South African port officials and shipping line authorities to find ways to reduce the waiting time for ships at Durban, South Africa's busiest port, before a deadline set for the 15th of this month.

BOTSWANA THREATENS TO STEP UP ELEPHANT CULLING IF IT CANNOT SELL IVORY STOCK.

GABORONE: Botswana has threatened to step up its elephant culling programme if its bid to sell ivory stock fails. Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe are applying to the wildlife regulatory authority, the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species, CITES, to resume trade in ivory and other elephant products. Botswana's Wildlife and National Parks Director Joseph Matlare says his country is home to the largest elephant population in Africa totalling an estimated 250-thousand.

CHAIRMAN AND BOARD OF CONGOLESE DIAMOND MINING COMPANY SACKED.

KINSHASA: The chairman and board of the largest diamond mining company in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been sacked by President Joseph Kabila. The decree comes two weeks after a United Nations report on the widespread plundering of natural wealth from the Congo, which is the world's leading producer of industrial diamonds. Kabila's decree suspends an earlier one which named Jean-Charles Okoto Lolakombe as head of state-run Miniere de Bakawanga, or MIBA. The UN report on plundering said although other African states involved in the Congo's six-year war had withdrawn their armies from the country, many had replaced the troops with criminal cartels which continue to pillage its natural riches. Civic and religious groups have called for the plunderers to be punished and demanded that the money drained from the Congo by the illegal activities be returned.

DIAMOND PRODUCING AND TRADING COUNTRIES MEET IN SWITZERLAND.

INTERLAKEN: Representatives from diamond producing and trading countries, as well as the diamond industry, are meeting at the Swiss town of Interlaken in an attempt to stop blood diamonds from reaching world markets. Observers say the two-day gathering is part of a programme known as the Kimberly Process, aimed at blocking the trade in diamonds produced in areas of conflict that has helped finance civil wars in Angola, Sierra Leone and Congo. Participants said about 40 ministers were due to make a declaration on a global certification system for uncut diamonds. The system is meant to enable customs services to identify the origin of the gems through national legislation and industry self-regulation.

SENEGAL'S LEADER DISSOLVES PRIME MINISTER'S GOVERNMENT.

DAKAR: Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade has dissolved the government of Prime Minister Mame Madior Boye. Reports have quoted a presidential decree as saying that Prime Minister Boye had been relieved of her duties, as had the members of her government. It said Boye and other members of the government would continue to oversee current business until a new prime minister had been named.

AIR FRANCE TO RESUME FLIGHTS TO CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC.

BANGUI: Air France has announced that it is to resume flights to the Central African Republic. Reports say the flights were interrupted on the 25th of last month when an uprising broke out in the capital Bangui. An Air France flight from Paris is due to arrive at Bangui's international airport tomorrow. Bangui's airport was officially reopened to air traffic on Saturday, after troops loyal to President Ange Felix Patasse put down a bid to oust him. However the Air France and Cameroon Airlines flight schedule to arrive at the weekend were cancelled.

MIDDAY REPORT 04/11/02

G8 WELCOMES NEW PEER REVIEW SYSTEM BY AFRICAN NATIONS.

LONDON: The G-8 industrial powers have welcomed the new system of peer review endorsed by 12 African nations in Abuja, Nigeria. They have promised more aid if the review succeeds. The African states, including South Africa, have agreed to set up a system of monitoring each other's efforts towards better governance. South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki had reportedly been opposed to the system of peer review, but later signed it. Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo said the system is a central part of NEPAD.

BOTSWANA THREATENS TO STEP UP CULLING PROGRAMME.

GABORONE: Botswana has threatened to step up its elephant culling programme if its bid to sell ivory stock fails. Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe are applying to the wildlife regulatory authority, the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species -CITES - to resume trade in ivory and other elephant products. Botswana is home to the largest elephant population in Africa totalling an estimated 250-thousand. The landlocked Southern African state has proposed to sell an initial amount of 20 tons with an export quota of not more than four tons from the year 2005.

SOUTH AFRICA'S PRESIDENT RESHUFFLES GOVERNMENT.

PRETORIA: South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki reshuffles his government today with the swearing in of two New National Party members. The new Deputy Minister of Health will be Renier Schoeman while David Malatsi will be the new Deputy Minister of Social Development. There has been speculation for some time now that the South African president would accommodate the New National Party in his government following floor crossing legislation.

AFRICAN DIAMOND MINING MINISTERS TO MEET IN GENEVA.

PRETORIA: African diamond mining ministers are expected to meet in Geneva Switzerland today ahead of the launching of an international diamond certification scheme. The scheme is aimed at regulating the trade in so-called "blood diamonds". The initiative - known as the "Kimberly Process" - follows years of deliberations between diamond producers and traders. South Africa's Minerals and Energy Affairs Minister, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, says more vigilance is the key to success.

AMNESTY URGES WAR CRIMES PROBE OF ISRAELI DEFENCE FORCE.

LONDON: Amnesty International says there is clear evidence that some of the acts committed by the Israeli Defence Force during its Operation Defensive Shield are war crimes or serious human rights violations. A report from the London-based human rights organization details unlawful killings, torture and ill-treatment of prisoners. It also adds wanton destruction of hundreds of homes sometimes with the residents still inside, the blocking of ambulances and denial of humanitarian assistance, and the use of Palestinian civilians as human shields.

MORNING REPORT 04/11/02

AFRICANS AGREE ON PEER REVIEW MECHANISM.

ABUJA: African leaders have taken the first step towards setting up a mechanism to monitor each other's progress towards good government, a key plank in a widely-praised new development strategy. Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo emerged after a six-hour closed door meeting in Abuja to announce that 12 of the 17 countries who attended had signed a declaration of intent on the "African Peer Review Mechanism". Delegates said the remaining countries who did not sign did so for technical or procedural reasons AND NOT because they oppose peer review, part of the NEPAD plan.

ETHIOPIA WELCOMES SIGNING OF TRUCE FOR PEACE IN SOMALIA.

ADDIS ABABA: The Ethiopian government has welcomed the signing of a truce accord aimed at ending lawlessness in Somalia, which took place in the Kenyan town of Eldoret. The Ethiopian foreign ministry, described the act as a major step forward, and a significant development towards peace in the Horn of Africa. The agreement was signed yesterday by close to a thousand delegates, mostly drawn from armed groups, the Transitional National Government, and civil society groups. According to this agreement all sides pledge to cease hostilities for the duration of talks aimed at building a new Somalia. The peace process is being steered by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a regional east African body of which Ethiopia is a member.

Meanwhile, Mediators in the Somali negotiations say the drive to build a new Somalia will enter a second phase this week when peace delegates shall meet to discuss a draft federal charter, disarmament and reconciliation. Negotiations are to resume today in the western Kenyan town of Eldoret. Somalia has lacked a fully functional central government and any semblance of national infrastructure since 1991. The Eldoret talks are aimed at filling that void and laying the foundation for sustainable peace.

SOLDIERS RETURNING FROM D.R.C. PROMISED LAND IN ZIMBABWE.

HARARE: Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe says soldiers returning from the Congo war will get preferential treatment in the carve-up of seized white farms. The official Zimbabwean newspaper, the Sunday Mail, reports that Mugabe told a rally of his ZANU-PF party in northwestern Zimbabwe that land was still available for all aspiring farmers, but soldiers who fought in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were a special case. Last week Zimbabwe withdrew the last of its troops from the former Zaire where they fought alongside Angolan and Namibian soldiers to defend the Congolese government against rebels backed by Rwanda and Uganda. About 11-thousand Zimbabwean troops were deployed at the height of the war, which broke out in August 1998.

IVORY COAST TALKS TO RESUME IN TOGO.

LOME: Government and rebel negotiators in Ivory Coast are preparing to resume peace talks in Lome, where they are expected to tackle opposing demands for rebel disarmament and new elections. The talks were put on hold during the weekend, as rebel leaders returned to their stronghold of Bouake in central Ivory Coast to brief their supporters. A rebel who identified himself as Major Sinclair said the real debate will begin next week. Other rebels described the three days of talks so far as "a drop in the ocean," saying the decisive negotiations concerned the government demand for rebel disarmament and the rebel demand for new elections. Neither side has appeared willing to budge on either demand, although they did reach an accord on Friday that rebels could be granted amnesty and reintegrated into the armed forces if the crisis is resolved.

Meanwhile, thousands of rebel supporters in Ivory Coast are reported to have demonstrated in the city of Bouake, saying they are opposed to peace talks. Reports say a uniformed rebel leader addressed them, saying they would never lay down their arms. The rebel rally in Bouake came a day before the resumption of peace talks to end a six-week rebellion, which has split the country in two. The talks are due to restart in the Togolese capital, Lome, today. Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo has insisted that the rebels disarm, and be confined to specific barracks.

NIGERIA WON'T SUPPLY TROOPS FOR PEACEKEEPING FORCE IN IVORY COAST.

ABUJA: Nigeria says it will not supply troops for a regional peacekeeping force set up to oversee a ceasefire in strifetorn Ivory Coast. Foreign Minister Sule Lamido says they have lots of troops elsewhere and will allow other countries to take part in the Ivory Coast mission. Nigeria has traditionally supplied the bulk of the forces mandated for peacekeeping by the regional Economic Community of West African States. But after bearing the bulk of the burden in the missions sent in recent years to Sierra Leone and Liberia, the country has proved reluctant to take up more missions.

S.A. DEPUTY PRESIDENT HEADS FOR TANZANIA FOR BURUNDI TALKS.

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa's Deputy President Jacob Zuma is to return to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to continue facilitating talks between the transitional government of Burundi and one of the main rebel groups. Zuma's spokeswoman says rebels from the National Council for the Defence of Democracy-Forces for Defence of Democracy are still engaged in cease-fire negotiations with the government. However, the spokeswoman says rebels from one of the other main groups, the Palipehutu Forces for National Liberation, pulled out of the negotiations last week after their conditions were not met.

S.A. FOREIGN MINISTER HEADS FOR SOUTH EAST NATIONS SUMMIT.

PRETORIA: South Africa's Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has left for Phnom Penh in Cambodia to attend the eighth Association of South East Asian Nations Summit, which starts today. Foreign Affairs says President Thabo Mbeki is also expected to address the ASEAN summit on the New Partnership for Africa's Development - NEPAD. This is the first time that a non-member of the ASEAN countries will address the Summit. South Africa will invite the ASEAN countries to become partners in NEPAD for the mutual benefit of both regions.

U.S. OPPOSES MOVE TO ALLOW AFRICAN NATIONS TO RESUME IVORY EXPORTS.

SANTIAGO: As delegates from 160 nations met to discuss how to prevent the trade in endangered species, the United States has opposed a proposal allowing four African nations to resume ivory exports. The 12th Conference of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, will discuss efforts to prevent trade in species ranging from elephants and whales to turtles and fish. Twenty-two African nations passed a resolution allowing South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe to sell up to 70 tons of ivory from their stocks on the eve of the conference. Kenya and India, which also hold ivory stocks, did not join the resolution.

SAUDI ARABIA WON'T ALLOW U.S. TO USE ITS BASES TO ATTACK IRAQ.

WASHINGTON: Saudi Arabia's foreign minister has repeated his country's past refusal to allow the United States use of its bases or airspace to attack Iraq. Prince Saud al-Faisal has added that he is worried about a possible U.S. occupation there. Al-Faisal says his country supports the U.S.-led war on terror, and even what he calls the political sentiment of a possible war against Iraq. However, Al-Faisal says he hopes the United Nations will find a political settlement to disarm Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction, including biological and chemical weapons.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi Government says it may not accept a draft United States resolution on United Nations weapons inspections - even with Security Council approval. In a strongly worded statement, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein says his country is ready for war with the U.S. The U.S. Navy has been doubling its patrols over the no-fly zones in Iraq.

FORMER PRIME MINISTER ACCEPTS ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTRY POSITION.

JERUSALEM: Former Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu is reported to have accepted the position of foreign minister offered by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. The two right-wing figures also agreed to hold early elections before parliament's current term expires in October 2003, though without specifying a date. The rivals for the leadership of the Likud party met at Sharon's official Jerusalem residence, two days after Sharon first offered the job to Netanyahu in talks at his ranch in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Netanyahu had been widely tipped to turn the job down.

PRINCESS DIANA'S BUTLER WON'T TELL HER SECRETS.

LONDON: A lawyer representing former royal butler Paul Burrell says his client will never betray the intimate secrets of Princess Diana, despite being offered thousands of pounds for his story. Since he was cleared last week of stealing hundreds of items from the royals, 44-year old Burrell has reportedly been besieged by lucrative offers to tell all about his life serving Diana and Prince Charles. But his lawyer, Andrew Shaw, insists that his client is a man of integrity who will not cash in by selling details of the princess' turbulent private life. Burrell was charged with taking more than 300 items from the princess and other members of the royal family between January 1997, and June 1998. The property allegedly included letters, photos, and compact discs owned by Diana, Prince Charles and their son Prince William.

SOUTH AFRICAN HONOURED IN U.S.A.

DALLAS: A 20-year-old South African athlete from Ermelo, Karin van Rooyen, has been named the Cross Country Athlete of the Year in the Western Athletic Conference of the United States. Van Rooyen claimed this honour after winning the women's title over five kilometres in Dallas, by 19 seconds. Another South African, Rika Feuth, also made a good impression by finishing in 15th place. Graham Davidson, also South African, ran well to finish seventh in the eight kilometres men's race.

Prepared in Johannesburg, South Africa, by Mbulelo Dlamini Maqhubu.
Source Channel Africa