PEACE NEGOTIATIONS WATCH
Monday, September 12, 2005
(Volume IV, Number 33)
Contents:
Rupel senses desire for peace in meetings in Azerbaijan.
AU urges National Liberation Forces to engage in peace process.
Increasing number of refugees voluntarily return to Berundi with help from UNHCR.
Eight soldiers dead in Chechnya fighting
Fourteen separate attacks by Chechen seperatist rebels cause Russian casualties.
Security Council authorizes increased strength for UN Mission in Democratic Republic of Congo
Security Council approves increased aid to the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Democratic Republic of Congo Negotiation Simulation
Click here to access the DR Congo Negotiation Simulation.
Russia to blame for drawn-out South Ossetia, Abkhazia conflict: Saakashvili
Georgian President blames Russia for prolonging the South Ossetia and Abkhazia conflicts.
Up to 160 foreign peace monitors to arrive in Aceh: report
Members of Aceh Monitoring Mission to arrive September 15.
Rebels in Indonesia's Aceh province start collecting weapons for surrender
Disarmament in Aceh begins first phase as rebels begin to collect weapons for surrender.
Click here to access the Aceh Negotiation Simulation.
Annan warns of sanctions as Ivory Coast rebels demand Gbagbo goes
Former exiled president arrives to participate in October elections.
After New Talks, India Says It May Pull Troops From Kashmir
India says it will pull back troops from Kashmir if militant infiltration and violence ends.
After past disappointments, latest peace talks give Kashmiris some hope
Prime Minister Singh meets with groups of moderate Kashmiri separatists.
Kosovo
Serbia returns the remains of ethnic Albanian war victims to Kosovo
Remains handed over to UN authorities near Pristina.
UN envoy discusses Kosovo with Belgrade leaders ahead of reporting to Secretary General
Eide reminds public that report will focus on minority and refugee treatment.
Click here to access the Kosovo Negotiation Simulation.
UN representative for the Polisario Front asks for release of hunger strike political prisoners.
Nepal Maoist leader accuses king of trying to sabotage truce
Maoist leader declares truce to last three months.
Filipino and Indonesian militants collaborating to raise funds for new attacks: reports
Filipino militants seeking funds from Middle Eastern financiers for new terror attacks.
Serbia-Montenegro's president to meet pope in Vatican
Marovic meeting with Pope Benedict hoped to improve Catholic and Orthodox ties.
Montenegro's prime minister pledges independence from Serbia
Campaigning under way in first multiparty elections in Somalia's breakaway republic
Somaliland to hold elections on September 29.
Pro-Tamil rebel party slams Marxist deal; warns could lead to war
Tamil leaders call for talks to be held overseas, while government wants them at home.
Tamil Tiger rebels reject airport as venue for crucial cease-fire review talks
Rebels question security of airport for talks.
Sri Lanka prime minister backs down from signing election deal with Buddhist party
Buddhist monks against handing more rights over to Tamil groups.
Click here to access the Sri Lanka Negotiation Simulation.
Sudan favors talks to end Ugandan rebel presence in south; Darfur insecurity increases
Recent attacks against international aid workers raises security concerns.
Sudan's vice president 'satisfied' with Garang crash probe
Kiir leads Sudanese delegation to Uganda.
Khartoum ready for final Darfur peace push
Government to resume talks with Darfur groups on Thursday in Nigeria.
Genocide in Darfur: A Legal Analysis Click here to access the PILPG Report.
OSCE chief voices optimism about progress in Nagorno-Karabakh peace talks
Associated Press, 9/6/05
The chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe voiced optimism Tuesday about progress in resolving the long-running Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, after talks with top Armenian officials.
Dimitrij Rupel, head of the trans-Atlantic security and democracy body, said he also had sensed a desire for peace during his meetings in Azerbaijan, which is locked in a tense standoff with Armenia over the future of Nagorno-Karabakh, a mostly ethnic Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan.
In the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, "they expressed peaceful ideas ... and I did not hear any calls for war," Rupel told a news conference. Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan, however, accused Azerbaijan of harboring "extremely dangerous" illusions it could gain the upper hand by spending its oil revenues on a massive military build up.
Tension between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains high more than a decade after a 1994 cease-fire ended a six-year war that left Nagorno-Karabakh in Armenian hands. Some 30,000 people were killed and a million displaced, and the lack of resolution of the enclave's status has impeded economic development in the region.
An array of issues being negotiated in ongoing talks between the neighboring countries with international mediation include the return of refugees and the restoration of roads and other contacts.
Azerbaijan is strong enough to solve Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by force
Associated Press, 9/8/05
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliev said Thursday that while the ex-Soviet nation still hopes for a peaceful solution to the long-running Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, it has enough military strength to solve it by force.
Aliev made the statement while campaigning for the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan (New Azerbaijan) party in the run-up to the Nov. 6 parliamentary elections in an apparent response to the opposition's claim that a change in government is necessary to win back control over Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed enclave that has been under the control of Armenian separatists since the early 1990s.
"We are creating a strong military potential, and the enemy must know that Azerbaijan is capable of liberating its lands at any moment," Aliev said in a speech in the town of Lyankoran, some 270 kilometers (170 miles) south of the Azerbaijani capital, Baku.
He said the oil-rich Caspian nation, which budgeted over US$300 million ([euro]240 million) for defense this year, will double its defense spending next year.
Tension between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains high more than a decade after a 1994 cease-fire ended a six-year war that left Nagorno-Karabakh in Armenian hands. Some 30,000 people were killed and a million displaced, and the lack of resolution of the enclave's status has impeded economic development in the region.
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African Union urges Burundi rebels to join peace process
Agence France Presse, 9/9/05
African Union (AU) has urged the last active rebel group in Burundi to join the peace process aimed at ending more than a decade of devastating fighting in the impoverished central African nation.
The Peace and Security Council of the AU "appeals urgently to the FNL (National Liberation Forces) to join the peace process without delay," the Addis Ababa-based body said in a statement released late Thursday.
The council called "for renewed efforts to be made for the conclusion of a ceasefire agreement" between the Bujumbura government and the rebels.
In addition, AU said the international community should sustain its support in order to consolidate achievements in Burundi's democratisation process.
Next Tuesday, donor countries will gather in New York for a conference to raise funds aimed at helping the country continue its emergence from bloody conflict, which erupted in 1993 and has so far claimed 300,000 lives.
Last month, Burundi elected a new president, concluding a transitional period.
Nearly 14,000 Burundi refugees return home from Tanzanian camps
Agence France Presse, 9/12/05
Nearly 14,000 Burundi refugees returned home last month from camps neighbouring in Tanzania, more than twice the number that retuned in July, UN refugee agency said Monday.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) said that some 13,746 refugees voluntarily returned to their tiny central African nation in August, up from 5,399 in July.
"We are seeing a dramatic increase in the number of Burundian refugees returning home voluntarily," a UNHCR official told AFP on conditions of anonymity. "After the elections, many refugees want to return home and UNCHR is helping them," said the official, adding that the agency has so far facilitated the return of 185,333 refugees since the exercise began in March 2002.
The official added that UNHCR has increased the number of convoys out of Ngara, Kasulu and Kibondo camps in western Tanzania.
Last month, the agency expressed optimism in Geneva that the number of Burundi refugees returning home might rise significantly following peaceful elections in the central African nation.
Last month, Burundi inaugurated its first post-transitional president ending years of bloody civil war that claimed the lives of come 300, 000 people.
Eight soldiers dead in Chechnya fighting
Agence France Presse, 9/12/05
Eight Russian soldiers were killed in the latest violence in Chechnya, an official from the Moscow-backed government there said on Monday.
Five soldiers were killed and one was injured during 14 separate attacks by Chechen separatist rebels on Russian positions over a 24-hour period, said the official, who asked not to be named.
Another soldier was killed and four injured in a clash with rebel fighters near the town of Urus-Martan, south of Grozny, the official said.
Another two soldiers died when their vehicle was hit by an explosion and gunfire in the capital Grozny. Several detainees they were carrying in the vehicle were injured.
In addition, the body of a policeman was discovered in a ruined building in Grozny's Staropormyslovsky district.
Russian troops stormed Chechnya in October 1999 to try to re-establish control, following defeat in a first war against separatist guerrillas in 1994-96.
Although major clashes have become rare, Russian forces and local Chechen allies continue to suffer casualties virtually every day.
Security Council authorizes increased strength for UN Mission in Democratic Republic of Congo
M-2 Presswire, 9/6/05
Underlining the importance of forthcoming elections as the foundation for long-term restoration of peace, national reconciliation and establishment of the rule of law in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Security Council today authorized a temporary increase in the strength of the United Nations Organization Mission in that country (MONUC) for the period of the elections and their immediate aftermath.
Unanimously adopting resolution 1621 (2005) this morning, the Council authorized an increase of 841 personnel in the strength of the Mission, including additional police personnel, and up to five formed police units of 125 officers each. Underlining the temporary character of such deployment, it requested the Secretary-General to start downsizing or repatriating the additional personnel from 1 July 2006 at the latest.
The Council acted on the recommendations of the Secretary-General, contained in his special report on the elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (document S/2005/320). Presenting his proposal to strengthen the police component of the Mission to undertake training and institution-building activities at the central and ground levels, the Secretary-General insisted that "additional support from MONUC at this juncture would not only help to ensure stability and political openness during the electoral process, but support long-term capacity-building for the national police".
By the terms of today's resolution, MONUC was encouraged, within its capacity and in accordance with its mandate, "to provide advice and assistance, as well as the necessary support, to the setting up by the Transitional Government, international financial institutions and donors, of an arrangement to strengthen support for good governance and transparent economic management".
By other terms of the text, the Council authorized the Mission to provide additional support to the Independent Electoral Commission for the transport of electoral materials. In that connection, it approved the Secretary-General's recommendations, contained in paragraphs 58 and 59 of the report, related to the need to increase MONUC's air-mobility assets, to deploy some 400 United Nations Volunteers and national personnel at various locations, and provide additional logistic infrastructure and ground transportation resources in areas without permanent MONUC presence.
The meeting was called to order at 10:10 a.m. and adjourned at 10:15 a.m.
Council Resolution
The full text of resolution 1621 (2005) reads, as follows:
"The Security Council,
"Recalling its previous resolutions and the statements by its President concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in particular resolutions 1565 of 1 October 2004 and 1592 of 30 March 2005 and the statement of 29 June 2005 (S/PRST/2005/27),
"Reaffirming its commitmentto respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as of all States in the region, and its support for the process of the Global and All-Inclusive Agreement on the Transition in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, signed in Pretoria on 17 December 2002,
"Underlining the importance of elections as the foundation for the longer term restoration of peace and stability, national reconciliation and establishment of the rule of law in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
"Calling on the Transitional institutions and on all Congolese parties to ensure that free, fair and peaceful elections take place, and that the timetable for polls developed by the Independent Electoral Commission is scrupulously respected,
"Paying tribute to the donor community for the assistance they provide to the electoral process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and encouraging them to maintain it,
"Welcoming the interest and commitment shown by the Congolese authorities to promote good governance and transparent economic management, and encouraging them to continue their efforts in this regard,
"Reiterating its serious concern regarding the continuation of hostilities by armed groups and militias in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, at the violations of human rights and of international humanitarian law that accompany them, and at the threat they pose to the holding of elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
"Taking note of the special report of the Secretary-General on elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, dated 26 May 2005 (S/2005/320), and of its recommendations,
"Noting that the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to constitute a threat to international peace and security in the region,
"Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,
"1. Approves the recommendations and the concept of operations described in paragraphs 50 to 57 of the special report of the Secretary-General, and authorizes an increase in the strength of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) of 841 personnel, including up to five formed police units of 125 officers each and the additional police personnel;
"2. Underlines the temporary character of the deployments referred to in the previous paragraph, and requests the Secretary-General to take the necessary steps with a view to downsizing or repatriating these additional personnel from 1 July 2006 at the latest, and to report to the Council before 1 June 2006 on the assessment mentioned in paragraph 47 of his special report;
"3. Approves the Secretary-General's recommendation in paragraphs 58 and 59 of his special report, and authorizes MONUC, in accordance with this recommendation and with its mandate as defined in paragraphs 5 (f) and 7 (c) of resolution 1565, and acting in close coordination with the United Nations Development Programme, to provide additional support to the Independent Electoral Commission for the transport of electoral materials;
"4. Encourages MONUC, within its capacity and in accordance with its mandate, to provide advice and assistance, as well as the necessary support, to the setting up by the Transitional Government, international financial institutions and donors, of an arrangement to strengthen support for good governance and transparent economic management;
"5. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter."
Background
When the Security Council met this morning, it had before it a special report of the Secretary-General on elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (documents S/2005/320 and Add.1) based on the findings of a United Nations mission to assess electoral preparations, which had visited the country in April. The report presents the plans of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) for assisting the Congolese people to achieve a viable and open electoral process.
The Global and All-Inclusive Agreement on the Transition in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, signed by the parties on 17 December 2002, outlined a transitional process culminating in national elections to be held two years after the June 2003 inauguration of the Transitional Government, with the stipulation that the transition could be extended for two six-month periods if technical preparations for elections were delayed. The report adds that it will be essential that the elections are sufficiently credible in the eyes of the Congolese electorate.
The Independent Electoral Commission, established in June 2004, has put technical preparations for elections in place, but has formally requested the national Assembly on 28 April to extend the transition, the report notes. It is expected that the registration of some 28 million voters would begin in June. In June 2004, donors approved an estimated budget of some $284 million, of which $181 million has been pledged, but only $88 million made available. While the electoral budget covers the cost of transportation of material to the country and of further surface transportation from the 145 territoires and 21 cities to the registration and polling stations, it does not include transportation of electoral material from Kinshasa to the territoires and major cities. The Commission has, therefore, asked MONUC to take on that responsibility.
The report notes a number of potential threats to the security of the electoral process with the continued existence, in a climate of general insecurity and lawlessness, of armed groups, particularly in Ituri, North and South Kivu, central and northern Katanga and Maniema. In combination with national integrated military units, MONUC military in Ituri and the Kivus will assist in maintaining a security presence throughout the electoral process. However, in northern and central Katanga, the national armed forces have yet to show the capacity to address security issues related to the presence of Mayi-Mayi groups. Another security threat relates to tensions between political parties in large population centres. A related issue of concern is how prevailing tensions between ethnic groups could affect the dynamics of local politics in some areas. The expected return of some 48,000 Banyamulenge refugees from Rwanda and Burundi could pose considerable security risks during the registration and polling.
Noting that it is primarily the responsibility of the Transitional Government to create the conditions necessary of the success of the electoral process, the Secretary-General urges the transitional leaders "to think not of what the electoral process can bring to them personally and to their immediate supporters, but of what it can mean for the Congolese people and for the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a nation". The Secretary-General's recommendations through which the international community can assist the Government include the signing of a code of conduct and the establishment of a Group of Friends on Good Governance. The Secretary-General strongly urges the members of the Transitional Government to enter into those commitments.
The Secretary-General further recommends that the military strength of MONUC be increased by 2,590 to a total strength of 19,290. The additional personnel would only be deployed temporarily for the period of the elections and their immediate aftermath to ensure stability in highly volatile areas. He also recommends strengthening the civilian police component by an additional 261 civilian police and five formed police units to undertake training and institution-building activities.
As for the logistical support requested of MONUC by the Independent Electoral Commission for the transport of electoral material from Kinshasa to the 145 territoires and 21 cities, the Secretary-General recommends giving MONUC a mandate to do so, for which increased air-mobility assets will be required, including three IL-76 aircraft, six C-130 aircraft, 11 medium-utility helicopters and 2 MI-26 helicopters. The additional aircraft would also serve to supplement the support required for the deployment of the Katanga brigade. As most of the sites are in areas without a current permanent MONUC presence, additional logistic infrastructure and ground transportation resources will be required.
Addendum 1 to the report gives cost estimates for the support for elections for the 12-months period, totalling some $189 million.
Democratic Republic of Congo Negotiation Simulation
Click here to access the DR Congo Negotiation Simulation prepared by the Public International Law & Policy Group.
Russia to blame for drawn-out South Ossetia, Abkhazia conflict: Saakashvili
Agence France Presse, 9/10/05
Georgia's President Mikhail Saakashvili charged Russia with drawing out Georgia's conflict with its breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, suggesting US intervention into the problem. "There is no such thing as the Ossetian problem as it is -- there is a Georgian-Russian problem on the issue of South Ossetian or Abkhazian territory," Saakashvili told a briefing late Friday, adding that "there is an active transfer of new weapons from Russia to Tskhinvali and Abkhazia."
"We noted to our regret that over the past year the disputed issues we got as legacy have only gotten worse, but I believe that we will be able to resolve them," Saakashvili added.
The Georgian leader also voiced plans for "an international conference including all countries (involved), including the OSCE (security and rights body) and the United States."
"The US administration for the first time agreed to open participation in resolving the South Ossetian conflict. This is a serious achievement," Saakashvili said."We and our partners in Washington constantly work on avoiding an armed confrontation in these regions, despite numerous provocations. Unfortunately, the other side does not work on this. We talked with President (Vladimir) Putin about this and are expecting a more pragmatic answer."
Saakashvili has vowed to regain control over South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which broke away in a war following a unilateral declaration of independence in 1992.
Russia officially recognises Georgian sovereignty in Abkhazia, but Tbilisi accuses Moscow of backing, arming and financing the rebels. Moscow sent peacekeeping troops to South Ossetia and offered ethnic-Ossetian residents Russian citizenship.
Up to 160 foreign peace monitors to arrive in Aceh: report
Agence France Presse, 9/8/05
Up to 160 foreign observers are scheduled to start arriving in Indonesia's Aceh province Thursday to help monitor a peace deal between the government and separatist rebels, a report said.
The monitors, due to arrive Thursday and Friday, are part of the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) agreed by the government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in their August 15 peace deal, AMM deputy chairman Nipak Thonglek said in Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh.
"They will carry out their tasks in a number of districts in Aceh," Thonglek said, according to the state Antara news agency.
Under the agreement, the AMM will officially begin to operate on September 15.
Thonglek said that before their deployment in the province, the monitors would undergo training in matters relating to background of the peace deal, the Acehnese social structure and AMM technical procedures and safety regulations.
He also said an initial team had already established nine of the 11 planned offices of the AMM across Aceh.
Under the peace deal, the AMM is tasked with monitoring the demobilisation of 3,000 GAM guerrillas, the surrender of their firearms, and the pull out of non-local military and police units.
The decommissioning, weapon surrender and troop withdrawal are scheduled to be completed by December 31.
The AMM comprises around 200 unarmed officials from the European Union and five contributing countries from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations -- Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
The peace accord signed in Helsinki is hoped to end almost three decades of hostilities between the government and the GAM that has left more 15,000 people killed since the uprising began in 1976.
Rebels in Indonesia's Aceh province start collecting weapons for surrender
Agence Presse France, 9/11/05
Separatist rebel leaders in Indonesia's Aceh province on Sunday began collecting weapons for surrender to foreign monitors this week as the military accused guerrillas of violating the peace pact.
Following last month's Helsinki agreement to end the 29-year conflict which has killed some 15,000 people, the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) will start handing in weapons to the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Major General Supiadin, who heads the military garrison in Aceh, told Elshinta radio that 210 firearms are scheduled to be handed over to monitors in the presence of military representatives in Aceh Besar, Pidie and Bireuen districts.
As of Sunday, he said, designated rebel leaders were touring the three districts to collect weapons for surrender later this week.
Supiadin said he has agreed to a GAM demand for a "security corridor" to allow them to register and collect weapons.
Under the peace agreement, the rebels are to surrender at least 210 weapons, or a quarter of its declared firepower, in the first phase. The movement is due completely to disarm by the end of the year.
In return for the first handover the military will pull out 25 percent of its troops sent as reinforcement to Aceh. Further pullouts will be commensurate with the percentage of weapons surrendered by the rebels.
The guns will be handed over to representatives of the AMM, a team of around 200 European and Southeast Asian monitors who will officially begin their duties on Thursday.
Indonesia has agreed to withdraw its non-local security forces by the end of the year, allow the creation of political parties in the province and offer amnesties to rebels. More than 1,400 GAM prisoners have been released.
Supiadin also accused GAM rebels, or possibly "splinters" from the main organisation, of shooting and wounding two soldiers on Saturday. He did not say where the incident took place.
He said about 10 shots were aimed at the pair. One soldier was grazed by a bullet while another was wounded in the arm.
"We want the AMM to clarify this. To clarify not who is at fault or who is in the right, but whether this is a violation (of the pact) or not. This has to be firmly said by the AMM," Supiadin said.
He said that if monitors were not firm on the issue, a return to the failure of past peace pacts could happen.
Aceh Negotiation Simulation
Click here to access the Aceh Negotiation Simulation prepared by the Public International Law & Policy Group.
Annan warns of sanctions as Ivory Coast rebels demand Gbagbo goes
Agence Presse France, 9/10/05
Ivory Coast began a dangerous new chapter in its fragile peace process Saturday as the United Nations threatened sanctions and the country's main rebel leader demanded President Laurent Gbagbo step down.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's explicit threat to call for international action against the strife-torn west African country came as he admitted that next month's planned presidential election would have to be abandoned.
Despite mounting international frustration with both sides in the conflict, Guillaume Soro, head of the former rebel New Forces (FN), insisted that his side no longer recognised South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki as a mediator.
Soro endorsed Annan's view that the election would have to be cancelled, but went further in saying that this meant Gbagbo could not continue as president beyond that date and must step aside in favour of a transitional authority. The president has himself argued that the current constitution would allow him to stay on until elections are finally organised, an idea Soro rejected.
"This is extremely important to us," he told AFP in Benin's port city of Cotonou, where he had earlier met President Mathieu Kerekou. "From October 30, Gbagbo is no longer president of the Ivory Coast. Once he's an ordinary citizen, we'll organise a transition together, which ought to begin by ensuring the security of the whole national territory," he said. "Secondly, we need to sort out an electoral consensus which first and foremost must include the problem of Ivorian identity. Then we will be able to hold free, fair and democratic elections," Soro said. "We will not take part in any election on October 30," he declared.
While the former rebel leader expressed respect for Annan, the UN leader spared none of the players in Ivory Coast from criticism as he revealed his frustration in an interview broadcast Saturday by Radio France Internationale. "I don't understand these Ivorian leaders, these men who believe they are capable of leading a country, who are seeking to become president of a country they are in the process of destroying," he declared.
In excerpts of the interview broadcast on Thursday, Annan said it would be impossible to hold presidential elections in Ivory Coast as planned on October 30 and blamed both sides for creaking a "blockage" in the peace process. "Each side is waiting for the other. They've signed several agreements. They have no problem signing them, but implementation is another story," he said.
Advocating sanctions against the country, Annan said "if that's what is needed to get them moving, then the Security Council should apply them."
"I proposed acting several months ago, but the mediator -- South Africa -- wanted to wait. I think they've now begun to realize we need to be much more firm. Something has to be done," he said.
Ivory Coast has been divided since a failed coup against Gbagbo in September 2002, with Soro's forces in control of the north and government troops and loyalist militias in control of the capital Yamoussoukrou and of Abidjan.
Most fighting stopped after the signing of a peace accord three years ago in the Parisian suburb of Marcoussis, and French and United Nations peacekeepers now patrol an uneasy frontline, but political progress has been slow.The African Union has asked Mbeki to oversee talks between the two sides in a bid to organise elections for a national government, but the former rebels have accused him of favouring the government.
"South African mediation is finished," Soro said. "The New Forces refuse this mediation because it is one-sided, because it has clearly demonstrated its support for Laurent Gbagbo.
"From this instant the New Forces no longer recognise the impartiality of this mediation and end their participation in it," he said, calling for Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo to take over Mbeki's role.
Ivory Coast's former president arrives home after yearlong exile in France
Associated Press, 9/11/05
Ivory Coast's ousted president, Henri Konan Bedie, arrived Sunday in this war-divided nation after a yearlong exile in France to take part in elections that observers say will be delayed.
Hundreds of supporters lined up along the commercial capital's airport road, cheering and chanting, as the motor car transporting Bedie - ousted in a Christmas Eve 1999 coup - drove by.
Bedie arrives a day after U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in an interview with Radio France Internationale that elections planned for Oct. 30 would not be held on time because political leaders and parties have not cooperated.
Bedie, who did not address the media on arrival, was expected to issue a statement at his party headquarters, his entourage said.
The October poll is considered crucial to bringing peace to Ivory Coast, which has been split between a government-held south and a rebel-held north since a failed coup attempt in 2002 sparked months of civil war.
The United Nations appointed a special envoy, Antonio Monteiro, to help oversee the ballot. He said this week that the government's failure to publish voter lists on time was a key problem making the October vote improbable.
A 2003 peace deal ended most fighting, but the country has remained tense, with repeated peace talks failing to end the crisis.
After New Talks, India Says It May Pull Troops From Kashmir
The New York Times, 9/6/05
India will pull back troops from the disputed territory of Kashmir if militant infiltration and violence ends, the prime minister's office announced Monday evening after a rare meeting with Kashmiri separatists.
The meeting, between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, a coalition of moderate separatists from Kashmir, came barely a week before the leaders of India and Pakistan are to meet during a United Nations General Assembly session in New York. Pakistan has expressed growing frustration with what it calls New Delhi's reluctance to tackle the problem of Kashmir.
The region is the only Muslim-majority state in Hindu-dominated India, and it is at the heart of a half-century conflict between the two South Asian neighbors. Since 1989 Kashmir has been roiled by an anti-Indian insurgency that India blames Pakistan for, and that Pakistan says it supports only by moral and political means. The Hurriyat leaders recently met with President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan.
In the statement, the prime minister's office said it would also review the cases of all those held under special preventive detention in Kashmir and take steps to ''safeguard against human rights violations.''
The most far-reaching pledge was on pulling out troops, whose presence across Kashmir is an enduring source of anger and alienation among many Kashmiris.
''The prime minister said that if there is a cessation of violence and an end to infiltration, conditions will be created for the reduction of armed forces,'' the statement read. ''It was agreed that the only way forward is to ensure that all forms of violence at all levels should come to an end.''
In an interview with the private New Delhi television station NDTV, the leader of the separatist coalition, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, heralded the talks as the start of a credible conversation. ''For first time, there seems to be a realization in Delhi that we need to have a solution in Kashmir, an honorable solution,'' he said. ''It was definitely a very good beginning.''
After past disappointments, latest peace talks give Kashmiris some hope
Mujtaba Ali Ahmad, Associated Press, 9/6/05
Few things arouse optimism in violence-weary Kashmir after nearly 16 years of bloodshed, but residents said the latest peace talks between separatists and India's prime minister provided a glimmer of hope.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held talks Monday with five leaders of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference - an umbrella group of moderate Kashmiri separatists - and promised to consider reducing troop levels in Indian-controlled Kashmir if violence by Islamic militants ceased.
Singh also agreed to review all cases of Kashmiris held in detention.
Separatists have been demanding Kashmir's independence from India or its merger with neighboring Pakistan for more than five decades.
The campaign turned violent in 1989 when hard-line militant groups began fighting security forces in the region split between India and Pakistan. The nearly 16-year insurgency has killed more than 66,000 people, most of them civilians.
Hurriyat leaders, such as Omer Farooq, have denounced the violence of the guerrilla groups, who have questioned the authority of moderate leaders.
But on the streets of Srinagar, the summer capital of India's Jammu-Kashmir state, there was optimism that the dialogue marked a new beginning.
"It is a small yet significant opening for Kashmiris, Indians and Pakistanis. I think that they should grab the moment and work toward settling the issue," said Abdul Hamid, a businessman in Srinagar.
Hamid said that he was optimistic about the peace process, but added that "past experience restrains us from jumping in joy."
He was referring to the two rounds of unproductive talks between India's previous Hindu nationalist government and Hurriyat leaders.
Another Srinagar resident, Bashir Muzaffar, said that "the logical conclusion of peace talks should be an end to violence. Let's see if that happens. Otherwise, these parleys have little meaning for us."
Attacks and bombings are routine in Indian Kashmir, and the insurgency appears to have worn out many in the region.
Muzaffar thinks that rebel groups should be involved in the talks because "ultimately combatants on both sides have a pivotal role in ending violence."
The leader of the pro-India National Conference party, Ali Mohammad Sagar, agrees. He suggested the "Indian government should invite rebel groups, like the Hezb-ul-Mujahedeen, in the next round."
But the rebel groups - who have continued their fighting - opposed any dialogue with India that does not include a discussion of self-determination for Kashmir, an unlikely prospect.
Prominent separatist leader, Nayeem Khan, who heads the Jammu-Kashmir National Front, told The Associated Press that holding talks with only one faction of the separatist bloc would affect the credibility of the peace process.
Kashmir Negotiation Simulation
Click here to access the Kashmir Negotiation Simulation prepared by the Public International Law & Policy Group.
Serbia returns the remains of ethnic Albanian war victims to Kosovo
Garentina Kraja, Associated Press, 9/7/05
Serbian authorities on Wednesday returned the remains of about 45 ethnic Albanians killed during the Kosovo war, a forensic expert said.
The remains are believed to be those of ethnic Albanian civilians killed by Serb forces during the 1998-1999 war and removed from Kosovo in an apparent cover-up attempt by former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.
The remains were handed over to the U.N. authorities in the border area of Merdare, 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the provincial capital, Pristina.
Once transferred to Kosovo, the authorities will conduct an additional examination before the bodies are given to the families for burial. The victims are believed to be from across the province.
Out of some 836 bodies of Kosovo Albanians found in mass graves in Serbia, 661 have been returned to their families, said Arsim Gerxhaliu, of the office for missing persons and forensics. The families have repeatedly demanded that all the war dead exhumed be returned immediately. Nearly 3,000 people are still listed as missing from the conflict.
The bodies were mainly exhumed from a Serb police training center just outside Belgrade.
NATO launched a bombing campaign in 1999 to halt the crackdown of Milosevic's troops on independence-seeking ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. Since then it has been administered by the United Nations.
Hundreds of bodies recovered from mass graves in Kosovo and Serbia are awaiting identification by matching DNA from bone samples with that of the relatives of missing people.
The fate of the missing is one of the most sensitive and emotionally charged issues between the two former foes.
The two sides have been seeking solutions in several meetings since earlier this year when Serbian and Kosovo officials resumed talks aimed at establishing the whereabouts of ethnic Albanians, Serbs and others who vanished during the war.
UN envoy discusses Kosovo with Belgrade leaders ahead of reporting to Secretary General
Jovana Gec, Associated Press, 9/8/05
A special U.N. envoy met Serbia's leaders Thursday as he prepared to report to the Secretary-General Kofi Annan about the situation in the province of Kosovo.
Kai Eide arrived in Serbia after visiting Kosovo on Wednesday. He is probing how far the U.N.-run province has come in creating a democratic society since the end of the 1999 bloody war.
Eide's assessment will determine whether talks on Kosovo's final status should start soon or be delayed.
Eide refused to disclose any details of report he will make to Annan. He said that "all options are open" and reiterated that the report will focus on protection of minorities, their cultural heritage and return of refugees.
Kosovo, Serbia's southern province dominated by separatist ethnic Albanians, has been an international protectorate since 1999, when a NATO air war ended repressive Serb rule there.
Kosovo's final status remains a contested issue. The province's ethnic Albanians want it to gain independence, while Serbia insists it should remain part of Serbia-Montenegro, or what used to be Yugoslavia.
Serbia's leaders complained in talks with Eide of the poor security situation for Serbs in Kosovo, who face harassment by extremist ethnic Albanians.
President Boris Tadic "expressed concern" over the recent killing of two young Serbs, while Serbia-Montenegro Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic said that "there is no nation in Europe whose rights are being so brutally violated as those of the Serbs in Kosovo."
Draskovic also urged Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leaders to "publicly acknowledge that Serbia is not a foreign country and that it has every right to care for the cultural and religious heritage of its people in Kosovo."
Eide on Wednesday had called on Kosovo's leaders to better reform local government, allow for the return of some 200,000 Serbs and other minorities and ensure protection of Serb cultural heritage, which mainly consists of Serb Orthodox churches that have been targeted in past violence.
The Serbs consider Kosovo - the center of Serbia's medieval empire - as the cradle of their history and culture.
Kosovo Negotiation Simulation
Click here to access the Kosovo Negotiation Simulation prepared by the Public International Law & Policy Group.
Western Sahara rebels ask for U.N. help securing release of prisoners in Morocco
Associated Press, 9/9/05
A representative for rebels seeking Western Sahara's independence appealed Friday for the U.N. to help secure the release of 37 prisoners on hunger strike in Moroccan prisons.
Ahmed Bujari, U.N. representative for the Polisario Front, said in a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan that the death of any of the prisoners would threaten efforts to peacefully resolve the conflict.
"We have asked the secretary-general three times (to intervene) and it seems there is no change," he said. "The fear now is if someone is going to die because of the situation, that certainly would have a great impact on the situation."
The letter said the detainees went on hunger strike Aug. 8 to seek recognition as political prisoners by Moroccan authorities. Two of the prisoners, Aminettu Haidar and Ali Salem Tamek, were at risk of dying, he said.
Polisario rebels waged a desert war to gain the territory's independence after it was annexed by Morocco in 1975. The fighting ended in 1991 with a U.N.-negotiated cease-fire that called for a referendum on the region's future. That has not been held.
Bujari said Morocco was also holding 151 prisoners of war, even after the Polisario Front released hundreds of Moroccan soldiers last month. He also called for the U.N. to investigate repression by Morroco, which he said has led to the disappearance of about 600 people.
"The United Nations should not give the impression that, on the specific question of human rights of civilians and humanitarian obligations related to international conflicts such as the one of Western Sahara, there is no basic and fair standard for judgment," the letter said.
Nepal Maoist leader accuses king of trying to sabotage truce
Agence France Presse, 9/10/05
Nepal's Maoist rebels Saturday accused King Gyanendra of seeking to sabotage a unilateral truce announced by the guerrillas last weekend.
Maoist leader Prachanda declared the three-month truce in what he said was a bid to pave the way for talks with political parties on forming a united front against February's seizure of power by King Gyanendra. "The autocratic royal regime has started hatching a conspiracy to sabotage the ceasefire instead of taking any peace initiative for a political way out of the problems facing the country," Prachanda said in a statement.
Nepal's government said Monday it was "yet to be assured" of the ceasefire by the Maoists, whose bloody struggle to install a communist republic in the Himalayan kingdom has claimed more than 12,000 lives.
"Based on the past experiences, the government is yet to be assured of such a declaration," state-run radio Nepal quoted government spokesman Tanka Dhakal as saying.
In August the political parties said they would hold talks with the Maoists on forming a broad front against Gyanendra, provided the rebels stop killing civilians.
Prachanda appealed to Nepal's political parties, foreign countries and the United Nations "to raise their voice for the people's aspirations for peace and a democratic solution." His appeal came days before Foreign Minister Ramesh Nath Pandey was due to lead Nepal's delegation to the UN General Assembly meeting in New York.
Nepal has denied news reports Gyanendra scrapped plans to attend due to international opposition to his power grab.
The monarch sacked a four-party government on February 1, accusing it of failing to tackle the rebellion.
Nepal has been in turmoil since Gyanendra seized power, cracked down on dissidents, rounded up hundreds of activists and clamped down on the media.
Pro-democracy activists have been staging daily protests since the Maoists' ceasefire announcement in which hundreds of demonstrators have been arrested.
Nepal Negotiation Simulation
Click here to access the Nepal Negotiation Simulation prepared by the Public International Law & Policy Group.
Filipino and Indonesian militants collaborating to raise funds for new attacks: reports
Associated Press, 9/9/05
Muslim militants in the Abu Sayyaf group in the Philippines and their Indonesian allies have been trying to solicit money from unidentified Middle Eastern financiers to buy weapons and fund new terror attacks, according to government reports.
Details of the fund-raising effort and planned attacks were obtained by Philippine security officials from Indonesian counterparts, who recently captured two suspected militants with knowledge of Filipino rebel activities, the reports said.
Copies of the reports, which summarized intelligence relayed by Indonesian authorities, were seen by The Associated Press on Friday.
The captured militants in Indonesia - Abdullah Sunata, allegedly the head of a group called Kompak in Ambon, and Encen Kurnia, who reportedly belongs to Negara Islam Indonesia - were among 15 suspected militants captured by the Indonesian police during an anti-insurgency sweep from June to July, the reports said.
Four of the 15, including Sunata and Kurnia, had received military training in southern Philippine rebel camps. The two later helped organize covert training and escort Indonesian recruits from their country to the southern region of Mindanao, according to the reports.
In letters found by Indonesian authorities, Sunata separately discussed with two compatriots hiding in the Philippines - Umar Patek and Pitono or Dulmatin - the fund-raising campaign and planned attacks in the Philippines as well as efforts to obtain explosives in the country for an unspecified attack in Indonesia, the reports said.
Dulmatin and Patek, both suspected leaders of the al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah, have been hunted for their alleged role in terrorist attacks in Indonesia, including the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings that killed 202 people. They're believed to be in the company of Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khaddafy Janjalani, who has been the target of an ongoing U.S.-backed military manhunt in the south.
Such continuing collaboration indicates continuing operational ties between militants in the Philippines and Indonesia despite years of anti-terrorist crackdowns in the neighboring countries.
During interrogation, Sunata allegedly disclosed that "he was tasked by Patek to solicit funds for terror attacks in the Philippines and recruit suicide bombers in Indonesia to be sent to central Mindanao," one report said.
A letter by Patek to Sunata, also found by Indonesian authorities, discussed efforts by the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiyah to solicit funds from Arab financiers for the purchase of weapons. The letter gave the specific quantity and type of arms, including light machine-guns and anti-tank weapons, that Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah rebels sought to battle Philippine troops and police, said a Philippine security official, who demanded anonymity.
According to one report, Abu Sayyaf rebels may stage new kidnappings to raise funds if they fail to get money from foreign supporters.
In a swap of letters also discovered by the Indonesian police, Sunata separately discussed with Dulmatin the deployment of Indonesian would-be suicide bombers for an attack in the Philippines, the purchase of explosives in the country for an unspecified bombing in Indonesia, recent arrests of Indonesian militants in the Philippines and some helpful tips in casing potential targets, the reports said.
"Dulmatin also suggested that in casing targets, cellular phones equipped with cameras be used in urban areas while handycams maybe used in the countryside or less urbanized areas," a report said.
Kurnia allegedly told Indonesian interrogators that last June, he arranged the entry to the Philippines for training of two Indonesians identified as Ahmad and Abu Nida, but that other such attempts to smuggle militants into the country were thwarted by authorities, the report said.
Kurnia allegedly said he arranged the trips of three suspected Indonesian bomb trainers arrested in the southern Philippine city of Zamboanga last December as well as those of two Indonesian militants who were arrested in Tawau in Malaysia's Sabah state last June 8 on their way to Mindanao, the report said.
Serbia-Montenegro's president to meet pope in Vatican
Agence France Presse, 9/8/05
Serbia-Montenegro's President Svetozar Marovic will meet Pope Benedict XVI this week for talks on promoting ties between the Orthodox and Catholic churches, his office said Thursday.
Marovic will meet the pontiff in his Castel Gandolfo summer residence near Rome on Friday, a statement from the presidential office said.
Ahead of the meeting, Marovic met in Belgrade with Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Pavle, "stressing the importance of further strengthening relations with the Catholic church," a statement said.
Serbia-Montenegro's ambassador to the Vatican Darko Tanaskovic said Friday's meeting "confirms the high level of relations and dialogue between the two states," the daily Blic reported.
In June 2003, Marovic met the late Pope John Paul II during a visit to the Vatican.
Local media speculated whether Marovic would invite Pope Benedict XVI to visit Serbia-Montenegro, a move in the past opposed by the Serbian Orthodox Church and nationalist political forces in the country.
About 65 percent of Serbia-Montenegro's 10.8 million people are Orthodox, while only four percent are Roman Catholic, mainly in the northern province of Vojvodina and Montenegro's Kotor Bay region, bordering Croatia.
Many Serbian Orthodox Christians have never forgiven the Catholic Church for its alleged support of the Nazi occupation of the Balkans during World War II, when hundreds of thousands of Serbs are said to have died in death camps.
In 1990s, the regime of Slobodan Milosevic, as well as the Orthodox Church, blamed the Vatican for being a key supporter of the secession of Croatia and Slovenia on the eve of the bloody wars that tore apart the old communist Yugoslav federation.
The relations between Belgrade and Vatican have improved since Milosevic's ouster in 2000, but the possibility of a papal visit has so far remained unrealized.
Montenegro's prime minister pledges independence from Serbia
Associated Press, 9/12/05
Montenegro's prime minister pledged independence for his tiny Balkan republic Monday, and rejected accusations by Serbia's president that his government's secession drive is fueling tension between the union members. "We believe that Montenegro has to be independent," Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic said. "We believe that the independence should be achieved through a democratic procedure, through an agreement with Serbia, or through a democratic referendum in Montenegro."
Whatever the means, "I am sure that Montenegro will be independent in spring next year," Djukanovic said.
Serbia's President Boris Tadic warned on Sunday that worsening relations between Montenegro and Serbia are threatening to split the two historical Balkan allies apart.
"Relations between Serbia and Montenegro are going in a negative direction," Tadic was quoted as saying by the FoNet news agency. "That is dangerous. It is a road of no return, and no one wants that to happen."
In another sign of tensions between the two republics, Tadic on Monday canceled his plans to attend this week's assembly of more than 170 world leaders to mark the United Nations' 60th birthday. Montenegro plans to send its separate delegation to New York.
Tadic's move was in protest that Serbia-Montenegro won't be represented by the union's President Svetozar Marovic.
"This is contrary to the interests of Serbia-Montenegro," Tadic said in a statement, adding that the summit was an opportunity for Marovic to discuss "serious problems" facing the union with the other world leaders.
Serbia and Montenegro are the only two former Yugoslav republics that stayed together when the six-member Yugoslav federation broke up in a series of bloody conflicts in the 1990s.
However, Serbia and Montenegro also have drifted apart over Montenegro's bid to gain independence and its claim that Serbia was stifling its much smaller partner.
Serbia has some 9 million people, while Montenegro has a population of about 600,000.
Tadic said it is in the interests of Serbia and Montenegro to remain together. He appealed for a calming of tensions ahead of a planned independence referendum in Montenegro next year.
Montenegro has remained in the joint state with Serbia, partly because the European Union officials oppose its independence, fearing that any further redrawing of borders in the Balkans could lead to more bloodshed.
Montenegrins themselves are deeply divided over its relations with Serbia, with nearly half of the population supporting independence and the other half advocating close ties with Serbia.
Campaigning under way in first multiparty elections in Somalia's breakaway republic
Mohamed Olad Hassan, Associated Press, 9/11/05
Campaigning is under way for the first multiparty legislative elections in breakaway Somaliland, with residents saying they hope credible polls will lead to international recognition for the most peaceful region of anarchic Somalia.
The polls, set for Sept. 29, are the latest step in Somaliland's efforts to set up democratically elected state structures. The breakaway republic has already held a referendum over independence from the rest of Somalia as well as presidential and local polls.
President Dehir Riyale Kahin won the 2003 presidential elections. His party won the 2002 single-party local polls. The majority of voters endorsed Somaliland's secession from the rest of Somalia in a 1999 referendum.
Ruling and opposition parties have pledged to push for international recognition of the republic, promote economic growth, strengthen Somaliland's security and protect human rights, residents said Sunday.
Some 246 candidates, including five women, are running for the 82 parliamentary seats. "Holding free and fair elections is seen as a stepping stone toward ... Somaliland's long-awaited international recognition," businessman Boosh Yahye Shilal said by telephone from Somaliland's capital, Hargeisa.
The former British colony of Somaliland and the Italian colony of Somalia merged in 1960 to form the independent republic of Somalia.
Somaliland set up its own administration after breaking away from the rest of Somalia when the Horn of Africa nation descended into anarchy as clan-based fighting swept the center and south of Somalia following the 1991 ouster of President Mohammed Siad Barre.
Somaliland, however, remained relatively peaceful, aided by the overwhelming dominance of a ruling clan and economic infrastructure left behind by British, Russian, and American military aid programs.
The region has its own security and police forces, justice system and currency - but has not succeeded in gaining international recognition.
Pro-Tamil rebel party slams Marxist deal; warns could lead to war
Shimali Senanayake, Associated Press, 9/6/05
A Norwegian mediator will meet with Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels this week to try to keep this country from sliding back into civil war, an official said.
The Tiger-backed Tamil National Alliance political party reacted angrily Tuesday, a day after a Marxist party announced support for a presidential candidate who the Tigers fear will change the terms of a government-rebel cease-fire - and scrap a tsunami aid-sharing deal - if he's elected.
The candidate's "joining hands with the JVP (the Marxist People's Liberation Front) will definitely close the door for any further talks to address the Tamil people's problems," said Tamil National Alliance lawmaker Joseph Pararajasingham. "It would amount to beating war drums," the lawmaker said. "If the cease-fire is completely changed, it would collapse and lead to resumed war."
Hans Brattskar, a key player in the Norwegian-brokered 2002 cease-fire that halted two decades government-Tiger war in Sri Lanka, was expected to travel Thursday to the northern rebel-held town of Kilinochchi.
While there, he'll to try to end a stalemate between the Tigers and government over where to hold crucial talks to review the rapidly fraying truce.
Norwegian Embassy spokeswoman Kjersti Tromsdal confirmed the meeting, but gave no details.
The guerrillas agreed to the talks a week after the Aug. 12 assassination of Sri Lanka's foreign minister pushed government-rebel tensions near the breaking point.
The government blames the rebels for the killing, and for other recent violence. They deny involvement.
Despite the Tigers agreement to hold the truce-review talks, they insist the meeting be held overseas, while the government says it must take place in Sri Lanka.
The Tigers are also bitter over the what they claim is a decision by Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse - a candidate in the presidential election, which must be held by Nov. 22 - to align himself with the JVP and other lawmakers who oppose the cease-fire.
Rajapakse has said the alignment deal is still being negotiated.
Rajapakse's main challenger in the election is his predecessor, opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, who has promised to revive stalled peace talks and supports a federal power-sharing arrangement between the government and Tigers.
The Tigers began fighting to create a separate state for ethnic minority Tamils in 1983, accusing the majority Sinhalese of discrimination.
The war killed about 65,000 people before Wickremesinghe signed the cease-fire that halted the fighting.
Subsequent peace talks, however, stalled in 2003 over rebel demands for wide autonomy in the Tamil-majority north and east.
Tamil Tiger rebels reject airport as venue for crucial cease-fire review talks
Shimali Senanayake, Associated Press, 9/8/05
Sri Lanka's peace process suffered a fresh blow Thursday when Tamil Tiger rebels rejected the Colombo airport as a location for crucial talks to prevent the collapse of a fragile cease-fire.
The airport "cannot be a venue for meaningful political discussions," S.P. Thamilselvan was quoted as saying on a rebel Web site. LTTE stands for the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam, the mainstream Tamil Tiger movement.
While rebels have traveled through the airport to foreign destinations, Thamilselvan said the rebels do not regard the airport as a "secure" venue for talks.
The rebels disclosed their position during a meeting with Norwegian truce-monitors and peace brokers.
Hagrup Haukland, who heads a team of Norwegian truce-monitors, and Oddvar Laegreid, a senior diplomat from Norway's embassy in Colombo, left Wednesday for the rebel stronghold town of Kilinochchi to discuss the proposed cease-fire talks and security issues.
Norway brokered the cease-fire signed by the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tigers in February 2002, halting an ethnic conflict that lasted nearly two decades and killed some 65,000 people.
But subsequent peace talks broke down a year later over rebel demands for greater autonomy in areas they control in northern and eastern Sri Lanka.
Violence has increased sharply in recent months in the northeast, threatening the already shaky cease-fire.
On Thursday, suspected rebels threw a grenade into a police jeep, killing two police officers and wounding six others in the volatile eastern town of Batticaloa, said Rohan Abeywardene, regional police chief.
The Tamil Tigers agreed to talks in efforts to salvage the truce after the government blamed them for the Aug. 12 assassination of Sri Lanka's foreign minister, which pushed tensions to the breaking point.
The government has insisted that any talks with the rebels must be held in Sri Lanka, and has rejected a rebel proposal to meet in Kilinochchi. The rebels, citing security reasons, also suggested Oslo as a venue, but the government said the Tamil Tigers would use any foreign venue to further their separatist campaign.
In search of a compromise, Norway suggested Wednesday that talks be held at Sri Lanka's international airport. A 2001 rebel suicide bomb attack at the airport killed 12 people and destroyed 12 military and passenger aircraft.
The government quickly accepted the airport as a possible venue, but Thamilselvan said it was "totally unacceptable." He had also raised concerns about hard-line nationalist political parties allying themselves with Sri Lanka's ruling party candidate in the upcoming presidential election, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse.
"Mr. Thamilselvan lamented that extremist elements are joining hands in an unprecedented manner to shatter the core concept of political resolution through negotiations on sharing of power," the Web site said.
A powerful Marxist party on Thursday signed a support agreement with Rajapakse after he agreed to take a tough line against the rebels.
The Marxists and an influential Buddhist monk party has declared support for Rajapakse. Both parties are opposed to the Norwegian-brokered peace process and sharing power with the rebels.
The Tamil Tigers began fighting in 1983 to create a separate homeland for Tamils in the north and east, claiming discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.
Sri Lanka prime minister backs down from signing election deal with Buddhist party
Shimali Senanayake, Associated Press, 9/12/05
Sri Lanka's prime minister will not sign an agreement with the country's influential Buddhist monks that would have sealed their support for his presidency bid, senior officials said Monday.
But Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse, the ruling party's presidential candidate, would still accept the proposal from the monk-led National Heritage Party on Tuesday, senior officials close to both Rajapakse and the monks said.
The pact links the monk's support to a condition that as president, Rajapakse does not pursue any peace deal that would hand over more power to Tamil Tiger rebels.
The decision not to ink the deal was taken after President Chandrika Kumaratunga criticized Rajapakse for signing a similar agreement with the Marxist party, the officials said on condition of anonymity, as they were not authorized to speak to the media.
In a strongly worded letter, Kumaratunga criticized the Buddhist party as "extremists," and warned that any deal with them would first have to be discussed with her and the ruling party.
The officials said a ceremony in one of Buddhism's holiest temples, the Temple of the Tooth, in central Sri Lanka will take place as scheduled on Tuesday but Rajapakse will not sign the document as initially planned.
The National Heritage Party said last week that Rajapakse had given assurances that the government would rework the fundamentals of the peace process and retain control over Tiger-held areas. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have demanded greater autonomy in the areas in the north and east - parts of which they control - as a condition for resuming peace talks stalled since 2003.
Rajapakse is the ruling party's candidate in presidential elections due before Nov. 22. Kumaratunga has served two terms and is constitutionally barred from another.
Kumaratunga has long been pushing a plan to share power with the Tigers in a bid to permanently end Sri Lanka's two-decade civil war.
Although the National Heritage Party only has seven lawmakers in the 225-member Parliament, the monks wield tremendous influence in this Buddhist-majority country and oppose giving any concessions to the rebels.
The Tigers have been fighting since 1983 for a separate homeland for minority ethnic Tamils, claiming discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.
The conflict killed nearly 65,000 people before February 2002, when the government and rebels signed a cease-fire, which is coming under increased strain due to scattered outbreaks of violence and the assassination last month of Sri Lanka's foreign minister.
A government-rebel deal to share aid for the Dec. 26 tsunami has been viewed as a possible chance for progress toward ending the stalemate.
The monks and the Marxists have vehemently criticized the Norwegian-brokered peace process, the aid-sharing deal and opposed unconditional peace talks with the rebels.
Sri Lanka Negotiation Simulation
Click here to access the Sri Lanka Negotiation Simulation prepared by the Public International Law & Policy Group.
Sudan favors talks to end Ugandan rebel presence in south; Darfur insecurity increases
Mohamed Osman, Associated Press, 9/7/05
Violence is continuing in Sudan's western Darfur region with multiple attacks recently on foreign aid workers, the United Nations said Wednesday. Sudan's vice president said he wants to use negotiation to solve another rebel crisis involving Ugandan militants in the south.
Both situations threaten gains Sudan made in ending its 21-year southern civil war in January, which led to the formation of a national unity government, drafting of a constitution and sharing of power and resources.
U.N. spokeswoman Radhia Achouri said the security situation in Sudan's western Darfur region continues to be volatile with at least 10 serious attacks on humanitarian workers in the past 30 days, "including two attacks by armed men that took place" on Sept. 1.
"These numerous security violations ... are seriously affecting humanitarian operations," said Achouri of west Darfur, where at least 180,000 people have died - many from hunger and disease - and more than 2 million driven from their homes during a two-year conflict.
Peacekeepers from the African Union has "commenced intensive patrolling activities in the general area of the ambush," she told reporters in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.
The AU maintains about 5,500 peacekeepers, military observers and civilian police in Darfur to monitor a shaky cease-fire deal.
The latest violations are expected to be raised at the latest round of AU-brokered peace talks between rebels and the Sudanese government in Nigeria, set down for Sept. 15. Sudan has authorized its negotiators to conclude an agreement with the rebels.
The conflict in Darfur, a region the size of France, began when rebels from ethnic African tribes took up arms in February 2003, complaining of discrimination and oppression by Sudan's Arab-dominated government.
Sudan's previosuly Islamic-oriented government had been accused of unleashing Arab tribal militia known as the Janjaweed against civilians in a campaign of murder, rape and arson.
Achouri also claimed a notorious Ugandan rebel force, the Lord's Resistance Army, last week reportedly targeted Sudanese civilians in four attacks on isolated villages and remote areas near the southern city of Torit. But there was no independent confirmation that the rebel group was responsible.
The U.N. claims came as Sudan said its new vice president, Silva Kiir, favors a negotiated settlement with the LRA to persuade its rebels to lay down their arms.
But Kiir, who is also the president of the Southern Sudanese government, said if such talks fail, the LRA must be forced to leave southern Sudan's Eastern Equatoria state, where it has bases used in cross-border raids against Ugandan forces. "Reaching a peaceful solution through negotiations is considered as the best option (but) force can be used if the effort fails," Sudan's state-run news agency quoted Kiir as saying after returning from a one-day visit to neighboring Uganda.
The LRA, whose 19-year insurgency in Uganda has displaced about 1.5 million people, has abducted thousands of children, with boys being turned into child soldiers and girls into sex slaves.
Its presence in remote southern Sudan faces a setback with the end of this country's southern civil war under the peace accord between the mainly Muslim Arab north and rebels in the mainly animist and Christian south.
Sudan once backed the LRA in its insurgency against the Ugandan government, which was supporting the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army in its civil war with the Sudanese government in return.
But Sudan and Uganda normalized relations in 2001 and Ugandan troops have since been allowed to operate in some parts of southern Sudan to battle the LRA.
In July, Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail said his country would fully cooperate with Uganda to combat the LRA, which has also been accused of killing Sudanese civilians in Eastern Equatoria.
Kiir succeeded John Garang, the former southern Sudan rebel leader who became the country's first vice president under the peace deal. Garang died in a July 30 crash of a Ugandan military helicopter.
While in Uganda, Kiir discussed the investigation into Garang's death with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and the possibility of Sudanese soldiers joining Ugandan troops to fight the LRA.
Sudan's vice president 'satisfied' with Garang crash probe
Agence France Presse, 9/7/05
Sudan's First Vice President Salva Kiir has expressed satisfaction with an ongoing probe into the helicopter crash that killed his predecessor John Garang in July, officials said Wednesday.
Uganda's presidential spokesman Onapito Ekomoloit said Kiir, who concluded a one day tour here Wednesday, was "satisfied with the progress of the investigation." Kiir led a 13-man delegation to the east African nation and held talks with President Yoweri Museveni in his first visit to Uganda since he assumed the seat of vice-president last month.
An international team is currently probing factors that led to the July 30 accident in which the Ugandan presidential helicopter that was carrying Garang crashed, killing a total of 14 people.
Museveni and Kiir "also discussed the operation against the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and agreed that they should have joint operations to get him from beyond the red line where he is hiding now," Ekomoloit told AFP by phone.
Last month, Kiir issued a stern warning to the LRA rebels to leave their hideout in southern Sudan jungles and urged Kampala to press forward with the stalled peace process.
Khartoum and Kampala in 2002 signed a deal allowing the Ugandan army to conduct raids in parts of remote Sudan following repeated complaints that Khartoum was harbouring the notoriously brutal LRA.
Despite several raids, the Ugandan army has failed to flush out the insurgents, who have been fighting since 1988, from southern Sudan.
Museveni, who supported Kiir's Sudan People Liberation Movement during its 21-years stuggle against successive Islamic government in Khartoum, urged Kiir to stick the January peace deal that ended Africa's longest-running civil war. "The president urged the SPLA to continue with the peace pact that was signed between them and the Sudanese government," said Ekomoloit.
Khartoum ready for final Darfur peace push
Agence France Presse, 9/11/05
The Sudanese government said Sunday that it was ready to seal a deal with Darfur rebels in their next round of talks later this month and criticised the rebel factions for not showing the same determination to make peace. "The government delegation is fully mandated to conduct the negotiations and ensure that this round is decisive and final," chief negotiator Majzub al-Khalifa Ahmed told reporters. "The government is determined that 2005 shall be a year of peace," he said.
Khartoum is due to resume peace talks in Nigeria on Thursday with the two ethic minority rebel groups active in Darfur -- the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).
The negotiations had initially been scheduled for August 24, but were put off at the request of the SLM, which said it first needed to hold a conference of its members.
Last week, the group warned it might not even be able to meet the new date.
Analysts say the delay reflects a rift within the movement with one faction, led by SLM leader Abdul Wahid Mohammed Nur, in favour of taking part as scheduled, and another, led by Secretary General Mani Arko Minawi, wanting a postponement.
The government's chief negotiatior appealed to the rebels to thrash out a common position for the talks. "From this platform we direct an appeal to the armed movements to come to the negotiations in a positive spirit and to cast aside their differences for the interest of the whole nation," Khalifa said.
After a visit to Khartoum late last month, US State Department envoy Roger Winter called on the government and the rebels to make one final push for peace. "From the US perspective, Darfur simply cannot go on... and we truly hope that this upcoming round, whenever it starts, will be handled efficiently and, hopefully, will be the last round," he said.
The launch of the rebel uprising in February 2003 prompted a scorch earth response from the government, which unleashed Arab militias against minority villages suspected of supporting the rebels.
Up to 300,000 people have died and more than two million more fled their homes during the conflict, which has prompted war crimes charges against militia commanders and government officials.
Genocide in Darfur: A Legal Analysis
Click here to access the Report prepared by the Public International Law & Policy Group.