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CONTENTS:

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:

1. World
2. Africa
3. Americas
4. Asia Pacific
5. Europe
6. Middle East
7. South Asia
8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare
9. Finance
10 Human Rights
11. Law and Legal Issues
12. Transportation
13. Weapons of Mass Destruction
14. Recently Published

FEATURE ARTICLE:
Littered With Invisible Killers

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

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1. World

The Arctic Council of eight nations with Arctic territory met to review the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment that concluded climate change in northern latitudes has outpaced other regions. The Council agreed to take more aggressive measures to fight glacial melting and other effects of global warming.
http://www.arctic-council.org/

The Council of Presidents of the General Assembly of the United Nations issued a communique at the end of their annual meeting, expressing concern over the marginalization of the UN and the need to uphold the rule of law around the world. http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/ga10301.doc.htm The report of the High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change that reviews global security issues will be delivered to the Secretary General in December.

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2. Africa

Angolans in three southern communities have for the first time received title to their land.

Central African Republic's northeast town Birao was raided and more than 20 people were killed. The attack, in advance of a constitutional referendum scheduled for December 3, was blamed on opponents of President Bozize but the town, near the Sudanese border in Darfur, has been attacked previously by poachers from Sudan.

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Kabila suspended six ministers accused of embezzlement by a parliamentary inquiry.

DRC and Rwanda, facing increasing cross-border ethnic clashes and continued attacks by dissident militia groups, moved closer to renewed war just a week after the Dar es Salaam Declaration on Peace, Security, Democracy and Development in the Great Lakes Region. Rwanda has threatened to strike against rebels in DRC, where many of the Hutu extremists blamed for the 1994 genocide fled and where Rwanda is accused of violating the arms embargo. More UN peacekeeping troops have been deployed, the Security Council has visited, and it is hoped that diplomacy will maintain peace, despite Rwandan President Kagame's claim that the war is already under way.

Ethiopia announced it has accepted in principle the international boundary commission ruling on its border with Eritrea. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi proposed a 5-point plan for peace with Eritrea.

Ivory Coast is relatively calm although the separation-zone between the rebel-held north and the government-controlled south remains tense and unpredictable. Humanitarian relief efforts have resumed and diplomatic efforts, now involving South African President Mbeki, are ongoing.

Liberia's disarmament program wound up last week, nearly a month after the original deadline. Over 100,000 former combatants, twice the anticipated number, participated.

In Madagascar, homes, businesses and offices linked to the government have been attacked with grenades in a series of actions believed either connected with dissident military personnel or street violence connected with rampant inflation.

Namibia's election officials named Hifikepunye Pohamba the new president. Replacing long-time leader Sam Nujoma also of the ruling SWAPO party, he won 76 percent of the vote. Four opposition parties have requested a recount and audit.

In Sudan, violence in the Darfur region has escalated, violating ceasefire accords between the government and rebels and threatening tens of thousands of civilians. More than 300,000 displaced people have been cut off from aid following the latest rebel attack. In the Upper Nile region, armed militias, government troops, and Sudan People's Liberation Army forces have been building up, with sporadic clashes reported in several areas.

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3. Americas

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Chile ended
The first time the meeting was held in South America, Chilean officials reported large protests, including a march with tens of thousands, that ended in violence in which nearly 700 people were arrested and 20 injured. The final declaration of the APEC meeting reaffirmed their commitment to sustainable and equitable growth, investment liberalization and facilitation, enhanced human security, good governance and a knowledge-based society.
http://www.apec2004.cl/

In Brazil, gunmen attacked members of the Landless Workers' Movement (MST) who were occupying a farm and killed five. The landowner is suspected of ordering the murders and is sought by police.

Colombia reports it foiled a Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) assassination plot against US President Bush. Around 450 members of the paramilitary United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) have disarmed in a public event at a football field. A FARC leader responsible for an elite guerilla unit, Humberto Valbuena, and three colleagues are reported killed in fighting with the Colombian army.

Haiti's security situation has deteriorated further with increased violence and staggering downturns in health, education, the economy and the environment.
http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/minustah/
http://www.undp.org/dpa/pressrelease/releases/2004/november/haitirelease.pdf
http://www.ht.undp.org/

In Mexico, suspected drug traffickers near Cancun killed nine people in two attacks. More than a thousand police swept through the neighborhoods in Mexico City where two federal agents were beaten and burned to death and arrested 33 men.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation released Hate Crime Statistics 2003, showing that overall numbers increased only slightly and that most prejudice was directed against black victims.
http://www.fbi.gov/page2/nov04/hatestats112204.htm

The World Trade Center Health Registry released data finding that thousands of people in the vicinity of the towers' collapse on September 11 experienced worsened respiratory symptoms.
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/wtc/index.html

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4. Asia Pacific

Oceania, after sub-Saharan Africa, has made the least progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. The eight million island inhabitants lag behind in reducing hunger, maternal death, unemployment, lack of education, and immunization while having increased rates of disease, deforestation, and water shortages.
http://www.un.org/esa/desa.htm
http://www.un.org/smallislands2005/

Burma's military junta has released several thousand prisoners but very few political detainees were freed. Democracy talks are supposed to take place next year.

Indonesian President Yudhoyono visited Aceh province to meet local leaders and reiterate his determination to end the long-running separatist conflict. An amnesty plan is under consideration.

Thailand is offering large rewards for the capture of 74 suspected militants accused of involvement in ongoing violence in the south. The suspected leader of Mujahideen Islamic Pattani, Jegumae Guteh, has a five million baht price on his head. The most recent attack was when five coordinated bombs went off in Pattani. There were no casualties.

Uzbekistan prosecutors have used DNA examination of the remains of the suicide bombers who struck the Israeli and US embassies and chief prosecutor's office on July 30. They identified the bombers as Kazakhs named Avaskhan Shayusupov, Mavlon Valiev, and Dulat Iskakov. Another 13 people have been jailed for terrorism and extremism, raising the number of those imprisoned in connection with the attacks to more than a hundred.

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5. Europe

An EU force is taking over the multinational stabilization role in Bosnia Herzegovina from NATO.

Georgians celebrated a year since their Rose Revolution, the peaceful removal of Shevardnadze and his replacement by Saakashvili, on November 23. Broadcasts of the celebrations were interspersed throughout the day with news of a similar effort in the Ukraine.

Ukraine held a presidential run-off election last weekend that has turned into a major political crisis. Amid widespread reports of electoral fraud and irregularities, the electoral college declared pro-Russian candidate Yanukovich was declared winner. Supporters of opposition pro-Western candidate Yushchenko cried foul and took to the streets where there have been massive demonstrations. The Supreme Court blocked Yanukovich's inauguration pending their hearing the voting fraud case next week. Parliament, in a non-binding resolution, declared the election results void. In the East, that is largely pro-Russian, there are suggestions they would form an autonomous union if Yushchenko becomes president. The Supreme Court decision on whether to accept the electoral commission finding or hold new elections will have a profound impact on the countries internal affairs and its future relations with Russia and the EU.

In the UK, the Bloody Sunday Inquiry (the Saville Inquiry) has ended after seven years, more than 900 witnesses, and a cost of GBP150 million. The three inquiry judges will now write their final report, that is expected next summer. Bloody Sunday was the name given to the January 1972 incident in which 14 civilians in a civil rights march were shot dead by soldiers.

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6. Middle East

In Gaza, the Palestinian Authority Preventive Security forces will disband the special unit known as the "death squad". Israeli forces killed two Hamas members.

Israel has agreed to cooperate in allowing the Palestinian presidential election to take place in January. Marwan Barghouti, the popular Palestinian militia commander and political leader, now serving multiple life sentences in Israeli jail, announced he will not run for president, leaving the path clear for Mahmoud Abbas, the transitional leader, to succeed Yasser Arafat.

Throughout Iraq clashes continued. Security is so poor that major political parties and influential leaders asked to postpone the January elections for six months, but both the interim government and the electoral commission have rejected any postponement.

Saudis are preparing for municipal elections that will be held next year, beginning with voter registration. These will be the first elections in more than forty years.

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7. South Asia

In Afghanistan sporadic clashes continued. Three kidnapped UN workers were released and are reportedly eager to return to work.

Indian Prime Minister Singh ruled out sovereignty discussions with any separatist groups, including those in Assam, Kashmir, and Manipur. Although he insisted on the integrity of the Indian state, he is willing to discuss measures to ensure peace. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court will allow the Taj Mahal to be open on moonlit evenings four nights a month for three months, with limited access and other restrictions. Night visits had been prohibited for twenty years because of security concerns.

Nepal's Maoist rebels have rejected a government deadline of beginning peace talks in two months. The army offensive against rebels continued during the week.

Pakistan is removing checkpoints set up in the Afghan border areas during recent operations. In the southwest, a bomb planted in a bicycle by persons unknown killed one and injured 15 and in a shootout a policeman and suspected militant were killed.

Sri Lankan police in Trincomalee imposed a curfew after clashes between Tamil Tiger supporters and opponents. The Tigers say they may resume war if the government will not resume peace talks based on their proposed terms.

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8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare

Hackers exploiting the Microsoft Internet Explorer IFRAME vulnerability, used popular online advertising services to serve up popup ads containing viruses.
http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid14_gci1027844,00.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A7913-2004Nov23

There are now five malicious software programs attacking cell phones, most recently, "skulls" turns every icon on the phone into a skill and crossbones.
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/symbos.skulls.html

Oracle is moving to a quarterly schedule for software patches.

The US Federal Trade Commission charged and reached settlements with Petco Animal Supplies and Sunbelt Lending Services for security and privacy flaws.
http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/news.htm

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9. Finance

Northern Ireland's Assets Recovery Agency will auction the home of Jim Johnston, a leader of the paramilitary Red Hand Commando in Northern Ireland who was shot dead in May 2003. It is the Agency's first public sale of a criminal's property.

A Chilean court has frozen assets worth more than $4 million of former military dictator Augusto Pinochet. Pinochet faces a money laundering inquiry to track down additional assets, including secret bank accounts in the US.

Nigerian President Obasanjo says he earns more than $250,000 per month from his farm, not from corruption.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=44353

The European anti-fraud office OLAF reports a nine percent increase in fraud connected with international aid.
http://europa.eu.int/comm/anti_fraud/index_en.html

The US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added six individuals to its designated Foreign Narcotics Kingpin list. The members of the Arellano Felix Organization (AFO) named are Jesus Abraham Labra Aviles, Gilberto Higuera Guerrero, Efrain Perez Pasuengo, Jorge Aureliano Felix, Rigoberto Yanez Guerrero and Armando Martinez Duarte.
Press release http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/js2115.htm
Diagram of AFO http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/reports/js2115_1123_afochart.pdf

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has developed a standard method to determine whether and how sanctions could cause harm. http://ochaonline.un.org/webpage.asp?Page=901
(Note TerrorismCentral coverage on economic sanctions in https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2004/102404.html#FeatureArticle)

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10. Human Rights

The UN's Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) approved draft resolutions on extrajudicial executions and religious intolerance.
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/gashc3809.doc.htm

Reporting to the UN Security Council on war crimes tribunals, prosecutors warned that some countries, notably Serbia, were still not cooperating in arresting and transferring suspects.
http://www.un.org/icty/pressreal/2004/p917-e.htm

The US Sentencing Commission reports on racial disparity in jail sentences rising sharply under federal sentencing guidelines. http://www.ussc.gov/PRESS/rel112304.htm

The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University reports a sharp drop in US Justice Department civil rights enforcement since 1999 although the number of complaints has remained relatively constant.
http://trac.syr.edu/

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11. Law and Legal Issues

Carlow Castano and Salvatore Mancuso of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) and Ricardo Palmera ("Simon Trinidad") of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) are eligible for extradition to the US following a ruling of the Colombian Supreme Court. Only Mancuso is in custody, where he is acting as the chief peace negotiator between the AUC and the government. All are wanted for drug trafficking, money laundering, and other charges.

Charles Jenkins, convicted of deserting the US army and defecting to North Korea in 1965, was freed after 25 days of US military custody in Japan.

Brothers Rolando and Otoniel Guevara were arrested in Venezuela in connection with the shooting death of state prosecutor Danilo Anderson.

Colonel Ephrem Setako pleaded not guilty to six counts of genocide, complicity in genocide, murder and extermination as crimes against humanity, and violations of the Geneva Convention in connection with the alleged planning, instigation, ordering and participation in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
http://www.ictr.org/ENGLISH/PRESSREL/2004/410.htm

Sogir ("Ansori"), Rois ("Iwan Darmawan"), Hasan and Apuy have been arrested in Indonesia in connection with the September suicide bombing of the Australian embassy in Jakarta.

Nick du Toit, a South African and former special forces soldier, was convicted in Equatorial Guinea of plotting to overthrow the President. He has been sentenced to 34 years prison. Opposition leader Severo Moto, also accused, was sentenced in absentia to 63 years prison. Moto is living in exile in Spain.

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12. Transportation

The US Federal Aviation Agency's Inspector general released an audit of measures to secure and manage hazardous materials, finding many areas of significant vulnerability.
http://www.oig.dot.gov/item_details.php?item=1447

El Al, Israel's state airline, will be the first commercial service to fit its passenger planes with anti-missile systems.

In the vicinity of Banjarmasin, off Pulau Laut, Balikpapan and Bontang in the Makasar Straits, Indonesia 13 piracy attacks, most while anchored, have been reported in the last six weeks.
http://www.iccwbo.org/ccs/imb_piracy/weekly_piracy_report.asp

A high-level conference on "enhancing safety, security and environmental protection in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore" has been announced. The International Maritime Organization plans to hold the event probably in July 2005.
http://www.imo.org/

Greg Krikorian of the Los Angeles Times writes of " Ports Called 'Enormous Target': About 12,000 containers arrive daily in L.A. On average, 43 of them are inspected by hand under the 'layered' system of Homeland Security" in the November 26 issue.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-port26nov26.story

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13. Weapons of Mass Destruction

International Atomic Energy Agency Director Mohamed ElBaradei said the Agency 'is not yet in a position to conclude that there are no undeclared nuclear materials or activities in Iran" and that "A confidence deficit has been created, and confidence needs to be restored".
http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Statements/2004/ebsp2004n016.html

The US Government Accountability Office reports that " DOE Needs to Consider Options to Accelerate the Return of Weapons-Usable Uranium from Other Countries to the United States and Russia", recommending that the Energy Department revise fees to increase participation in recovering US-supplied research reactor fuel.
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d0557.pdf

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14. Recently Published

Peter Goodchild, "Edward Teller: The Real Dr. Strangelove" Harvard University Press

R. W. Johnson, "South Africa: The First Man, The Last Nation" Weidenfeld and Nicholson

James C. Mohr, "Plague and Fire: Battling Black Death and the 1900 Burning of Honolulu's Chinatown" Oxford University Press

Marie Beatrice Umutesi, transl Julia Emerson, "Surviving the Slaughter: The Ordeal of a Rwandan Refugee in Zaire" University of Wisconsin Press

Dominique de Villepin, "Toward a New World: Speeches, Essays, and Interviews on the War in Iraq, the UN, and the Changing Face of Europe", Melville

Rex Weyler, "Greenpeace" How a Group of Journalists, Ecologists and Visionaries Changed the World", Rodale

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FEATURE ARTICLE: Littered With Invisible Killers

They threaten the peace, stability and development of the world's poorest continent and kill or mutilate 12,000 people each year. This was the reason that African governments agreed recently to a landmark initiative aimed at eliminating an estimated 40 million landmines from the continent.

At the African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa, a new "common African position" was unveiled on 17 September 2004. It aims to ensure that the continent becomes an anti-personnel-mine (APM) free zone, with a framework largely centred on the 1997 Ottawa Convention.

The initiative also stresses inter-African cooperation as a vital issue in successful mine clearance and calls for more support for victims and greater transparency by governments.

Among the innovations that were agreed on was a call by African nations to countries which have laid landmines throughout the continent during World War II to "devote a reasonable percentage of their military budgets" to clearing them.

In Egypt, for example, some 17 million landmines remain buried in the desert, a deadly legacy of World War II.

The new position was agreed ahead of the Nairobi Summit in November 2004 on a Mine-Free World that will look at the progress made in the last seven years since the Ottawa Convention was drafted.

Under the convention, which came into force in 1999 and was signed by 143 countries, nations that are party to the treaty must not use, stockpile, produce or transfer APMs. Still, even though African governments had backed the common strategy and some 48 joined the Ottawa Convention, a number of nations have not yet ratified the treaty. These include Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, Morocco and Somalia.

Ethiopian officials told IRIN that ratification was in the pipeline and a draft was expected before their parliament meets in the coming months. They said delays in ratification had stemmed largely from security concerns along their borders due to conflicts against neighbouring countries like Eritrea in 1998 and Somalia in 1977.

However, Egypt, which is infested with an estimated tenth of the world's 200 million landmines, is still reluctant to agree to the convention.

"We do not believe in a total and free ban of landmines as long as many actors, including the major producers, are still out of the convention," an Egyptian diplomat told IRIN recently.

"There are three major shortcomings in the Ottawa Convention as far as we see it," the diplomat said on condition of anonymity. "There should be a real obligation, not moral obligation, to demine.

States should have the right to get assistance where their countries have been mined and we also need to differentiate between landmines for protection, for national security and those landmines used for other purposes like terrorism. You should be given the right to defend yourself."

Some 30 countries in Africa report being affected by landmines and unexploded ordnance and 10, including Angola, Mozambique and Sudan, say they suffer a high level of casualties.

Said Djinnit, head of the Peace and Security Council at the AU, described at the conference the devastating effects of landmines on the continent and their impact on development.

"We have seen innocent people, women and children amputated, lose their limbs and other vital parts of their bodies - and end up handicapped," he told delegates. "We have also seen landmines destroy the healthy and productive part of our active population, destroy fertile land for agriculture, destroy transport networks and destroy important natural resources that support life."

Djinnit also told the conference, attended by diplomats, landmine experts and other officials, that the AU had been at the forefront of the campaign to ban landmines. Nonetheless, he said, ending the scourge of landmines on the continent had "not been pursued with all the needed vigour and determination in Africa".

"Landmines continue to be the main impediment to post-conflict reconstruction and development in our countries," the AU official added. "Ridding the continent of this invisible and indiscriminate weapon is crucial for creating conditions for peace, security, stability and development in Africa, as well as reconciling and healing societies from the trauma of conflict."

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) told IRIN that the convention, seen as one of the most successful global treaties, could also be a template for other weapons legislation. The organisation believes a similar treaty could be designed around small or light arms proliferation, a major factor causing instability on the continent. The convention also contains the potential for enforcement.

Under the Ottawa Convention, a system of verification exists, whereby countries believed to be using AMPs, could be subjected to international inspection. So far, said the ICRC, the verification system has never been triggered.

The ICRC also stated that sanctions could be imposed on countries where major concerns of non-compliance exist. While significant progress has been made, UN landmine experts also noted caution.

Phil Lewis, of the UN's Mine Action Service and also in charge of mine clearance for the UN peacekeepers monitoring the ceasefire between Ethiopia and Eritrea, spelled out key concerns that need to be addressed in adopting a common position. The geography, size and number of landmines pose tremendous problems, Lewis said.

"Within these huge distances, the actual number of mines laid may be few, but their effect is often disproportionate to these numbers," he said. "The fear of entering areas affected by a few mines remains psychologically the same."

He also noted that non-military forces have laid some mines with no record of where they were placed. Medical facilities are also weak, Lewis added. However, he praised the significant progress made in mine clearance and stressed that the continent has a huge movement of people willing to help demine.

Austria's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Wolfgang Petritsch, said progress made in the fight against landmines meant total eradication could be achieved.

"This is doable," Petritsch, who is president designate of the Nairobi Summit, told IRIN. "With the achievements we have made in the last five years, we can rid the world of landmines and make a significant difference."

This article comes from IRIN, a UN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. All materials copyright UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2004.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=44371

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