{jcomments on}OMAR, AGNEWS, BXL, le 01 juin 2010 – www.presstv.ir- June 01, 2010–Amidst international fury over the Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid convoy, the African Union (AU) condemns the attack and demands an investigation.
BURUNDI :
Tz truck association break Burundi fuel adulteration racket
www.busiweek.com/JAMES MWAKISYALA/Tuesday, 1 June 2010
DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA- In startling revelations in Dar es Salaam last week, a representative of the Tanzania Truck Owners Association (TATOA), Zacharia Hans Poppe said recent spot checks on fuel imported into Burundi impounded 85 fuel tankers with adulterated diesel.
Poppe told a Parliamentary Committee for Infrastructure Development that the practice wasn’t only bad for fuel users, but was a huge leakage of Government revenue estimated at Tshs 33 billion (US$22 million) every month which translates into $264 m annually.
This loss could increase extensively if more millions of litres that are off-loaded, tax free, while in transit to neighbouring countries were properly taxed. Transit fuels and goods are by law untaxed until they reach their final destinations.
The TATOA official said unscrupulous businessmen and truck drivers collude by mixing diesel with paraffin. Citing an example, the official said a truck driver can sell as much as 4,500 litres of diesel and replace it with an equal volume of paraffin because the latter is sold cheaply in Tanzania.
The government has purposely reduced tax on paraffin because it forms the main source of lighting for the majority of the 45 million Tanzanians, especially in rural areas and urban slums.
The truck drivers are said to earn more than Tshs 4 million ($2,665) which they pocket and claim to spend some of it to bribe officials along the way.
Most of the transit fuel cargoes find a ready market along the many petrol stations that dot highways from Dar es Salaam to the borders with neighbouring countries of Burundi, Rwanda, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda.
Acting chairman of the Parliamentary Committee Godfrey Zambi noted that the matter was serious and needed an urgent solution to contain the crime because it was possible to curb the practice.
The adulteration revelation is not new to Tanzanian authorities as only recently the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA) closed over 30 petrol stations in Kilimanjaro region alone.
Tanzania mainland has 21 regions.
However, the wealth of oil marketers seems to overwhelm the Government institutions because they continue to violate safety and standards at will.
Observers said authorities in the landlocked countries where the adulterated fuel is destined, must maintain strict inspection of fuel that passes through Tanzania to curb the crime from resulting in devastation to their transport facilities that use diesel.
There are varying prices of fuel throughout the East African region.
Burundi ex-rebel leader Agathon Rwasa quits elections
Tuesday, 1 June 2010 /news.bbc.co.uk
Five opposition candidates have withdrawn from presidential polls in Burundi due to take place on 28 June.
They include the former rebel leader Agathon Rwasa, who was widely thought to be the key challenger to the current President Pierre Nkurunziza.
All had called for the resignation of Burundi’s electoral commission following local polls last month, which they say were fraudulent.
But European Union observers have said the polls met international norms.
The governing CNDD-FDD won a comfortable majority in the local elections.
The BBC’s Prime Ndikumagenge in the capital Bujumbura says the government has warned against any action that would undermine the country’s safety during the elections.
The former candidates have called on their supporters to remain calm.
Some 300,000 people are believed to have died during Burundi’s 12-year, ethnic-based civil war.
Mr Rwasa led his National Liberation Forces (FNL) in disarming in April 2009. It was the last active rebel group.
Mr Nkurunziza, also a former rebel leader, became president in 2005 following years of peace talks.
Both President Nkurunziza and Mr Rwasa led mainly Hutu rebel groups fighting against the army which was dominated by the Tutsi minority.
RWANDA
Peter Erlinder – Minnesota lawyer still jailed in Rwanda
www.tcdailyplanet.net/By Mary Turck, News Day/Jun 01, 2010
Here are some updates on Peter Erlinder, the Minnesota lawyer jailed in Rwanda on allegations of “genocide ideology.” A charge of “genocide ideology” means that an individual said something that the government disagrees with about the Rwandan genocide of 1984, and particularly about any involvement by the current president. Erlinder represents a presidential candidate, Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, who is also charged with “genocide ideology.”
On May 31, Ted Dooley (a Twin Cities attorney and a National Lawyer’s Guild colleague of Erlinder), forwarded an email from someone in Rwanda that said:
Just to inform that Peter has been rushed to the emergency unit this afternoon in Kigali (31.05.2010). This happened after or during CID interrogations today.
After many attempts, people managed to see him and shortly we expect to get a first briefing about his status.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Peter Erlinder Jailed by One of the Major Genocidaires of Our Era
by Edward S. Herman and David Peterson in Monthly Review
The May 28 arrest of the U.S. attorney Peter Erlinder by the Paul Kagame dictatorship in Rwanda reveals much about this regime that is routinely sanitized in establishment U.S. and Western intellectual life and media coverage. … MORE
FROM 5/31 PRESS RELEASE BY Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza:
A fair trial is being violated because international lawyers would fear that their motions will lead to indictments being issued against them for ideology of genocide. In the eyes of this controversial Rwandan law on ideology of genocide, the defence or testimony to show the truth about the killings in Rwanda before, during and after the genocide would be taken as a proof of negation of the genocide. Then, the lawyers, experts’ witnesses and factual witnesses would fear the intimidation and threats to be arrested because of their positions to portray different views from Kagame’s regime.
May 30: forwarded email from Kurt Kerns, who is an attorney for Peter Erlinder:
As stated, myself and Jean Bosco Karungu, a local Rwandan lawyer finally got in to see Peter around four yesterday [Saturday] afternoon. He is in Kicukiro prison in Kigali. While the arresting officers were punks, his guards are treating him well.
He was arrested at his hotel Friday morning around 10:30. They had a search warrant and seized all his belongings. He was taken to police station and advised he was accused of G.I. [“genocide ideology] just like Victoire. He was asked what statement he would like to make and he said “I want my lawyer. I want to call my embassy and I want these damn cuffs off me.”
They then presented him with his statement to sign which included just the first two demands. Peter pointed out there was no reference to his handcuff demand. They then took off his cuffs. He then told them that doesn’t change the content of his original statement. It got added. (It was obvious he was not intimidated in the least) …
He can be held for 72 hours excluding weekend time before brought to prosecutor. Prosecutor decides at that point if going to charge.
Peter advised that he was in Rwanda last in 2006 and he made no statements here. Statements he made were all made in commonwealth countries that protect his speech. He doesn’t think Rwanda has figured out that because they are now part of commonwealth they can’t prosecute speech protected under laws of commonwealth. He pointed out we were here since last Sunday. He delivered introductory letters to prosecutor Ngoga, the bar, minister of justice, all without incident. …
His plan when asked for statement at court is to demand trial forthwith. …
He also intends to continue to fight to defend Victoire. …
Bottom line is Peter is in high spirits. He loves and misses his family but is emotionally and physically prepared to give them a legal battle beyond their wildest expectations.
After I left I went to Victoire. Ngoga summoned her to his office Monday morning. Rwandan procedure allows prosecutors to force defendants to answer questions at their office on demand. …
UGANDA
Uganda: UN Chief, Ban-Ki Moon Hails ICC
Jun 01, 2010 /The Monitor/allafrica.com
The UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon says the formation of the International Criminal Court has heralded a new era of accountability and an end to impunity by nations.
Currently in its eighth year of operation, the court has been criticised for failing to convict perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In Africa alone, the ICC is investigating five key cases but no one has been convicted. The cases being investigated by the ICC are atrocities committed by the commanders of the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda, the post-election violence in Kenya, war crimes committed by Congo’s ex-Vice President Jean Pierre Bemba, war crimes by Sudan President Omar El-Bashir and Mr Thomas Lubanga, the leader of a militia group accused of war crimes relating to use of children in the civil conflict in DR Congo.
Opening the International Criminal Court Review Meeting at Munyonyo in Kampala, Mr Ban Ki-Moon, however, noted that in this is a new age of accountability where those who commit crimes against humanity will be held responsible. He asked leaders all over the world to support the court so as to end human rights abuses.
Mr Ban Ki-Moon, was however, quick to defend the court’s prosecutor Moreno Ocampo over the cases in Africa saying most of them were referred to him by the governments where the crimes were committed.
He said the court should not be seen as a threat to Africa but one of the means to root out impunity.
He said the court is meant to follow evidence and that it is only evidence that will take it beyond Africa in the near future.
Delegates from more than 100 countries are attending the Kampala meeting, which is intended to take stock of the ICC’s achievements and push forward proposals for strengthening its rules.
TANZANIA:
Seychelles Tourism Board in Tanzania
www.eturbonews.com/Source: Seychelles Tourism Board/Jun 01, 2010
Seychelles is telling the world that after a safari in Africa, “the land of the Big Five,” it is opportune to fly over to the Seychelles to enjoy, what the mid-ocean creole islands call “the Best Five.” This is the message aired on Monday in Uganda and being followed from Tuesday in Tanzania, where the Seychelles Tourism Board is being represented by David Germain, its director for Africa and the Americas, accompanied by his assistant, Ms. Marsha Parcou, based in Pretoria in South Africa, and Ms. Sharon Rosalie, the marketing executive, who is head-office based in the Seychelles.
The Seychelles is renowned for its white sandy beaches, clear blue seas, and slow pace of life, which has seen it rated amongst the top ten destinations in the world. Today, the Seychelles Tourism Board is in Tanzania to formally introduce the Seychelles destination to the travel agents and tour operators at a workshop at the Movenpick Royal Palm Hotel in Dar es Salaam. The Seychelles tourism delegation is also proposing its twin-center holiday option for visitors on an African Safari.
Last year, they presented this campaign to Kenya and today they are happy to report that many European Tour Operators are programming the Seychelles as an extension to an African safari. Seychelles lies but two-and-a-half-hours from Nairobi, where Kenya Airlines provides two weekly services between the islands and Nairobi. They are now targeting the American and Far East holiday makers who have always been attracted to the African wildlife to extend their African holidays with a beach-relaxing break in the closest and safest African mid-Ocean Islands, the Seychelles.
CONGO RDC :
KENYA :
Kenyan inflation rises to 3.9 per cent
234next.com/June 1, 2010
Kenya’s year-on-year inflation rate accelerated to 3.9 percent in May, from 3.7 percent a month earlier, a source at the statistics office said on Monday.
Inflation in East Africa’s largest economy had been slowing steadily this year mainly owing to heavy rains bolstering crop harvests and depressing food price inflation.
April inflation was the lowest since October 2005 when it was also 3.7 per cent, although the two measures were calculated using different methodologies and were not directly comparable.
In an interview with Reuters last week, central bank Governor, Njuguna Ndung’u, said inflation did not pose a threat and that he was more concerned about boosting Kenya’s fragile economic recovery.
ANGOLA :
Businesspeople from the Netherlands interested in partnerships in Angola
[ 2010-06-01 ] /(macauhub)
Lubango, Angola, 1 June – A group of businesspeople from the Netherlands arrived Monday in the city of Lubango, in Angola’s Huila province, on a trip to find partnerships, Angolan news agency Angop reported.
The head of the business mission, Van Hall Larenstein, said that the aim was to discover the opportunities that Angola had, particularly those in Huíla province.
Van Hall Larenstein also said that the Dutch businesspeople were hopeful about their objectives, as some of their consultants had been working in Angola for years and thus the search for Angolan partners was much easier.
He also said that, despite having started the market prospecting cycle in Huíla province, the Dutch businesspeople were also interested in partnerships in Huambo province, where they planned to travel in the next few days.
The delegation includes businesspeople from the dairy, water treatment, harvesting machine production (for potatoes, rice and soy) and professional training sectors.
Over the last few years Huíla has attracted interest from several international businesspeople, and this year has been visited by business missions from Italy, Portugal and the United States.
SOUTH AFRICA:
Absa, African Brick, Tongaat: South African Equity Preview
June 01, 2010/By Garth Theunissen/Bloomberg
June 1 (Bloomberg) — The following is a list of companies whose shares may have unusual price changes in South Africa. Stock symbols are in parentheses after company names and prices are from the last close.
South Africa’s FTSE/JSE Africa All Share Index declined 57.36, or 0.2 percent, to 27,145.36 at the close in Johannesburg, extending its loss in the past month to 5.2 percent, the worst since February 2009.
Absa Group Ltd. (ASA SJ): South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan will issue a statement after meeting with the country’s banks. Absa fell 1.99 rand, or 1.5 percent, to 128.01 rand.
African Brick Centre Ltd. (ABK SJ): The owner of clay brick manufacturing plants said it plans to raise 20 million rand ($2.6 million) in capital by selling shares. The company’s stock was unchanged at 9 cents.
Cullinan Holdings Ltd. (CUL SJ): The tourism operator’s earnings were up 103 percent in the year through March from the same period last year. Shares of the company remained unchanged at 70 cents.
Tongaat-Hulett Ltd. (TON SJ): Africa’s second-biggest sugar producer will hold a presentation on its financial results. The company posted 15-month net income of 2.9 billion rand on May 28. Tongaat rose 1.44 rand, or 1.5 percent, to 98.44 rand.
Zaptronix Ltd. (ZPT SJ): The information technology company reported a net loss of 1.81 million rand in the six months ended Feb. 28, compared with a loss of 2.58 million rand in the same period the previous year, according to a stock exchange filing. Stock of Zaptronix was unchanged at 3 cents.
Zeder Investments Ltd. (ZED SJ): The investment company received acceptance from shareholders of KWV Holdings Ltd. to purchase shares in the company it does not already own for 9.60 a share, along with co-purchaser Rootstock Capital Ltd., it said in a statement. Zeder’s stock was unchanged at 1.90 rand.
Shares did not trade in the U.S. as stock exchanges were closed due to a public holiday.
–With assistance from Franz Wild. Editors: Antony Sguazzin, Ana Monteiro.
South Africa: Elders ‘Worried’ About Renewed Xenophobic Attacks
Loyiso Langeni/Businessday/allafrica.com/1 June 2010
Johannesburg — A GROUP of 10 prominent global leaders, known as the Elders, added their voice yesterday to concerns that xenophobic violence would be on the rise again after the Soccer World Cup.
The Elders, founded in 2007 by former president Nelson Mandela, met in SA to discuss a range of issues that were undermining efforts to ensure that progress is made in Africa.
The meeting was attended by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former US president Jimmy Carter, former first lady of SA Graca Machel, former United Nations (UN) secretary-general Kofi Annan and former Irish president and UN high commissioner for human rights Mary Robinson, among others.
Ms Robinson said the elders were “worried” that fierce competition for jobs after the World Cup would spark another wave of xenophobic violence as “construction jobs fall away and people, especially from Zimbabwe, will be looking for jobs”.
Last month the South African Human Rights Commission criticised the government for its failure “on a massive scale” to respond decisively on the outbreak of attacks against foreigners two years ago. At least 67 people, mostly foreigners, were killed and 670 wounded during the attacks, according to police figures.
Médecins Sans Frontières also issued a report last month that warned that violence against migrants in Musina and Johannesburg had increased over the past year. Mashudu Nelufule, a nurse, said the incidents were the “tip of the iceberg” as there were cases that went unreported.
Lawyers Oppose Naomi Campbell’s Testimony in War Crimes Trial
By GINA DINUNNO/TV GUIDE/www.seattlepi.com/Jun 01, 2010
Defense lawyers are fighting a motion to have Naomi Campbell testify in former Liberian President Charles Taylor’s war crimes trial, calling it a “publicity stunt,” according to The Associated Press.
Earlier this month, prosecutors sought to get the supermodel subpoenaed to appear as a witness about claims that Taylor gave her “blood diamonds” during a reception in South Africa in 1997.
Naomi Campbell punches camera during interview about former African dictator
Taylor’s lawyers called the evidence “tangential to the real issues” against the former Liberian president and added that it was too late to introduce it to the trial 15 months after they closed their case.
“For the prosecution to present such inferential evidence at this advanced stage, as part of an obvious publicity stunt, would bring the administration of justice into serious disrepute,” Taylor’s British lawyer, Courtenay Griffiths, wrote to judges.
Prosecuters want Campbell, who told prosecutors through her lawyer that she did not want to get involved in the case, to testify about an alleged gift of diamonds that Taylor gave her.
Mia Farrow — who visited the home of South African President Nelson Mandela at the same time as Campbell and Taylor — told prosecutors she heard Campbell describe receiving a “huge diamond” from Taylor in the middle of the night.
According to prosecutors, Campbell’s testimony would provide “direct evidence of the accused’s possession of rough diamonds from a witness unrelated to the Liberian or Sierra Leone conflicts.”
Taylor is charged with 11 counts of counts of murder, torture, rape, sexual slavery and the use of child soldiers and terrorism in his role backing rebels in Sierra Leone’s 1991-2002 civil war where an estimated 500,000 people allegedly were victims of killings, systematic mutilation and other atrocities.
AFRICA / AU :
Sarkozy says Africa reservoir for world growth
The Associated Press /Jun 01, 2010
NICE, France
President Nicolas Sarkozy says it’s “completely abnormal” that Africa has no permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council in a fast-changing world in which the continent has a vital role to play.
Opening the Africa-France summit with 38 African leaders, Sarkozy said Monday that “Africa is our future” and will be a principle reservoir for world growth in the decades to come.
The 25th Africa-France summit coincides with the 50th anniversary of independence for 14 former French colonies. It marks a new era of ties — for Sarkozy a partnership of friends.
France is pressing for a permanent place for Africa on the Security Council and said the system must be reformed to make room there and in other forums of world governance, like the G-20.
Khelil’s ‘Long Overdue’ Dismissal May Boost Algerian Oil, Gas
June 01, 2010/By Ayesha Daya/Bloomberg
June 1 (Bloomberg) — Last week’s dismissal of Algerian Energy Minister Chakib Khelil may give Africa’s biggest natural- gas exporter a fresh start after its national oil company lost its senior executives in a corruption scandal, analysts said.
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika appointed Youcef Yousfi, 68, a former oil minister, to replace the 70-year-old Khelil in a May 28 cabinet reshuffle. Khelil himself took over from Yousfi in 1999, after Bouteflika became president.
Analysts say that Khelil’s stewardship of the Ministry for Energy and Mines was marred by the failure of his efforts to open the hydrocarbons industry to foreign investment. He also was unable to persuade fellow gas exporters to shore up prices by cutting supply or to clamp down on illegal activities by senior officials at national oil company Sonatrach, they say.
“When allegations of corruption emerged at Sonatrach, Khelil’s position become untenable for President Bouteflika,” said Wolfram Lacher, head of Middle East and North Africa at Control Risks Group, a London-based political risk consulting firm. “Foreign investors in the energy sector have been concerned about the blockages the Sonatrach investigation has had over the past few months, and will be hoping these will be eased with the new appointment.”
International oil producers operating in the North African country include BP Plc, Total SA and Repsol YPF SA.
‘Long Overdue’
Yousfi will be responsible for stabilizing Algeria’s oil and gas industry after senior Sonatrach officials were suspended early this year amid allegations of illegal activity. Mohamed Meziane, Sonatrach’s former chief executive officer, was suspended along with the vice presidents for marketing, upstream and pipeline transportation, Khelil said Jan. 18.
Khelil’s dismissal “was long overdue,” said Nordine Ait- Laoussine, a former Algerian energy minister, by e-mail yesterday. Among the changes Ait-Laoussine would like Yousfi to make are easier entry terms in exploration and production activities for international oil companies and more flexible prices of gas exports.
Under Khelil’s leadership, Algeria began exporting liquefied natural gas to the U.K.’s Isle of Grain in 2005, the first such shipment in 40 years. He also oversaw construction of the Medgaz venture, a sub-sea pipeline that will transport 8 billion cubic meters of gas a year from Algeria to Spain starting in September.
Khelil was also one of the more vocal ministers among members of the 12-nation Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, constantly briefing reporters about his outlook for oil and gas prices. Prices should return to $80 or $85 a barrel this year as the European Union intervenes to solve the continent’s debt crisis, he said in a May 9 interview.
Hydrocarbons Law
He faced difficulties at home. The hydrocarbons law, conceived upon his return to Algeria in 1999 after two decades at the World Bank, was an attempt to make the country’s energy industry more attractive to foreign companies by limiting Sonatrach’s share in domestic upstream ventures. It was passed and then overturned as the country pursued a policy of resource nationalism.
Khelil also failed to convince his peers in the Gas Exporting Countries Forum to jointly cut production during its most recent meeting in April, as global oversupply hurt contract sales and prices.
Along with Meziane’s replacement, Nordine Cherouati, Yousfi may re-instill confidence in the country’s energy industry, according to Jon Marks, director of Hastings, U.K.-based research company Cross-border Information. Algeria has a production capacity of 1.4 million barrels a day of oil and exports about 60 billion cubic meters a year of natural gas.
‘Steady Hands’
“The reshuffle is being seen as a steady pair of hands to stabilize the ship,” Marks said by phone yesterday. “When his hydrocarbons law was overturned, Khelil stayed in office, and his micro-managing became increasingly resented in Sonatrach. Now Sonatrach will be able to get on with its work and the ministry can focus on strategy.”
The president also replaced the ministers of commerce and telecommunications, Bouteflika’s office said in a May 28 statement. Algeria relies on oil and gas for the majority of its foreign-currency revenue. It is the fourth-largest oil producer in Africa and the third-largest supplier of gas to Europe, after Russia and Norway.
Yousfi graduated from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Industries Chimiques in France, according to his CV received by e-mail yesterday from Algeria’s energy ministry. He became chief executive officer of Sonatrach in 1985 and energy minister in 1997, and he served as OPEC President in 1998 and 1999. He most recently served as Algeria’s ambassador to Tunisia.
“He is very capable, very professional,” Qatar’s Oil Minister Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah said of Yousfi, who served as an adviser to him for three years. “I am very happy because it is very rare to see a former oil minister come back to the same position.”
Khelil declined to be interviewed when contacted by e-mail.
–With assistance from Ola Galal in Cairo and Robert Tuttle in Doha. Editors: Bruce Stanley, John Buckley
Africa condemns Freedom Flotilla raid
Tue, 01 Jun 2010/ www.presstv.ir
Amidst international fury over the Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid convoy, the African Union (AU) condemns the attack and demands an investigation.
“The AU commission is deeply shocked by the bloody boarding operation carried out by the Israeli security forces on May 31, 2010 against a humanitarian mission destined for Palestine, causing a large number of deaths and injuries,” the African Union announced in its statement.
In international waters off Cyprus, Israeli naval forces intercepted the Freedom Flotilla aid convoy en route to Gaza Strip early Monday and swung aboard the six-ship convoy from helicopters, killing at least 20 on board and injuring 50 others.
“This operation launched against a peaceful convoy amounts to a grave violation of international norms and signals Israel’s clear intention to maintain its stranglehold on the Palestinian territories, ignoring the international community’s relevant decisions,” the statement added.
The AU commission “firmly condemns this unjustifiable and deliberate act and demands an investigation be conducted to establish who is responsible.”
The European Union has also called for an inquiry into the attack and urged Israel to allow the free flow of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
HA/JG/MMA
UN /ONU :
French President Backs Africa U.N. Security Council Seat
Peter Clottey/ www1.voanews.com/Jun 01, 2010
Kabiru Mato, professor of political science at Nigeria’s University of Abuja has welcomed a French pledge to support Africa’s representation on the U.N. Security Council.
Mato expressed hope to VOA French President Nicholas Sarkozy will be able to convince the leaders of other industrial countries to accommodate Africa’s representation on the Security Council.
“It’s a lot of encouragement (and) it’s a sign of perhaps (a) change of mind that it’s coming from the major countries on the need to perhaps carry Africa along in the scheme of global political economy. I hope that (Mr.) Sarkozy will back his words by action,” he said.
President Sarkozy made the pledged during the ongoing Africa-France summit in Nice saying he will back Africa’s bid to be represented on the 15-member Security Council.
The two-day Africa-France summit which ends Tuesday attracted over 40 African leaders and is expected to bolster relations between African countries and France.
Together with the United Kingdom, France is reportedly calling for U.N. reforms whereby non-permanent, non-veto membership on the Security Council would be raised to 10 years from two. The Council’s has 15 members, including the five permanent members with veto power, France, the United Kingdom, the Russian Federation, the United States and China.
Mato expressed the hope that President Sarkozy’s pledge is not a mere publicity stunt.
“I hope it’s not also another political game plan that France is deploying in order to woo perhaps the attention of African leaders, so as to maybe maintain (an) upper hand in its dealings with (the) African continent in a much more comfortable manner than most other major European powers,” Mato said.
Congo Republic President Denis Sassou Nguesso was quoted as saying that there is need for Africa to have two seats on the Security Council. He said the world can no longer manage crises under an outdated system that has been in use since the Second World War.
Mato said Africa’s representation on the Security Council will boost its reputation and image on the global political stage.
“I think it has to do more with what I will call status symbol. The Security Council itself is fast losing its credibility because we have seen at least one or two members of the United Nations taking unilateral or bilateral action, not in consonance with the Council. So, obviously, the Security Council is not as sacrosanct as it used to be, but still it retains some major, or very serious, significance,” Mato said.
South Africa censures Israel
Tue, 01 Jun 2010/ www.presstv.ir
South Africa has strongly condemned Israel’s attack on the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla and called for a concerted global effort to find a solution to the question of Palestine.
In a statement issued by the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Pretoria strongly condemned all military aggression by Israel against innocent civilians, including the people of the occupied West Bank and Gaza, a Press TV correspondent reported.
In the incident, the Israeli navy attacked the Freedom Flotilla in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea early on Monday, killing at least 20 people on board the six ships, mostly Turkish nationals, and injuring about 50 others.
The flotilla was carrying 10,000 tons of relief supplies, including food and construction material, for the besieged people of Gaza.
South Africa has urged Israel to lift its siege of the Gaza Strip, which has caused untold hardship for the ordinary people of Gaza and prompted the international community to organize relief efforts for the territory.
Israel stands solely responsible for the loss of life in the attack on the flotilla, the statement noted.
The statement referred to the UN report written by a team led by former international war crimes prosecutor Richard Goldstone which was critical of Israel for carrying out military actions in Gaza with the resultant loss of life of innocent civilians.
South Africa called for a concerted international effort to bring about a broader solution to the question of Palestine, which will ultimately contribute to the establishment of peace in the Middle East.
The statement expressed hope that the international community would seriously address Israel’s act of aggression, which took place in international waters and involved citizens from across the globe.
ASH/HGL
USA :
Israeli Raid Complicates U.S. Ties and Push for Peace
www.nytimes.com/By HELENE COOPER and ETHAN BRONNER/Jun 01, 2010
WASHINGTON — Israel’s deadly commando raid on Monday on a flotilla trying to break a blockade of Gaza complicated President Obama’s efforts to move ahead on Middle East peace negotiations and introduced a new strain into an already tense relationship between the United States and Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel canceled plans to come to Washington on Tuesday to meet with Mr. Obama. The two men spoke by phone within hours of the raid, and the White House later released an account of the conversation, saying Mr. Obama had expressed “deep regret” at the loss of life and recognized “the importance of learning all the facts and circumstances” as soon as possible.
While the administration’s public response was restrained, American officials expressed dismay in private over not only the flotilla raid, with its attendant deepening of Israel’s isolation around the world, but also over the timing of the crisis, which comes just as long-delayed American-mediated indirect talks between Israelis and Palestinians were getting under way.
Some foreign policy experts said the episode highlighted the difficulty of trying to negotiate peace with the Palestinian Authority without taking into account an element often relegated to the background: how to deal with Hamas-ruled Gaza. Hamas, the Islamist organization that refuses to recognize Israel’s existence, operates independently of the Palestinian Authority and has rejected any peace talks. Gaza has repeatedly complicated Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.
“This regrettable incident underscores that the international blockade of Gaza is not sustainable,” Martin S. Indyk, the former United States ambassador to Israel, said Monday. “It helps to stop Hamas attacks on Israelis, but seriously damages Israel’s international reputation. Our responsibility to Israel is to help them find a way out of this situation.”
The Obama administration officially supports the Gaza blockade, as the Bush administration did before it. But Mr. Obama, some aides say, has expressed strong frustration privately with the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
At a time when the United States is increasingly linking its own national security interests in the region to the inability of Israelis and Palestinians to make peace, heightened tensions over Monday’s killings could deepen the divide between the Israeli government and the Obama administration just as Mr. Obama and Mr. Netanyahu were trying to overcome recent differences.
“We’re not sure yet where things go from here,” one administration official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the diplomatic delicacy of the issue. The White House statement said that Mr. Obama “understood the prime minister’s decision to return immediately to Israel to deal with today’s events” and that they would reschedule their meeting “at the first opportunity.”
No matter what happens, foreign policy experts who advise the administration agreed that if Mr. Obama wanted to move ahead with the peace talks, preceded by the so-called proximity or indirect talks, the flotilla raid demonstrated that he may have to tackle the thornier issue of the Gaza blockade, which has largely been in effect since the takeover of Gaza by Hamas in 2007.
Since then, Israel, the United States and Europe have plowed ahead with a strategy of dealing with the Palestinian Authority, which has control over the West Bank, while largely ignoring Gaza, home to some 1.5 million Palestinians.
Gaza was left with a deteriorating crisis as Hamas refused to yield to Western demands that it renounce violence and recognize Israel.
“You can talk all you want about proximity talks, expend as much energy as Obama has, but if you ignore the huge thorn of Gaza, it will come back to bite you,” said Robert Malley, program director for the Middle East and North Africa with the International Crisis Group.
For the Obama administration, the first order of business may be figuring out a way to hammer out a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas that will end the blockade of Gaza. Several attempts in the past two years to reach such an agreement have come close, but ultimately failed, the last time when the two sides were unable to reach a consensus on the release of an Israeli soldier captured by Hamas, Gilad Shalit.
Mr. Indyk, the director of foreign policy at the Brookings Institution, says that after things cool down, the administration needs to work on a package deal in which Hamas commits to preventing attacks from, and all smuggling into, Gaza. In return, Israel would drop the blockade and allow trade in and out. “That deal would have to include a prisoner swap in which Gilad Shalit is finally freed,” he said.
It was unclear whether the indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority would suffer an immediate delay. George J. Mitchell, the Obama administration envoy to the Middle East, was still planning to attend the Palestine Investment Conference in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Wednesday and Thursday.
The indirect talks involved American negotiators shuttling between the Israelis and Palestinians, and are widely viewed as a step back from nearly two decades of direct talks.
But their structure may actually serve the purpose of keeping them going. Mr. Mitchell and his staff have been shuttling between the two sides for more than a year, meaning that the preparation for indirect talks and the talks themselves do not look different from the outside. As a result, the American brokers could continue their shuttles despite the flotilla attack.
While the blockade of Gaza has been widely criticized around the world, Israeli officials say it has imposed political pressure on Hamas. The group has stopped firing rockets at southern Israel and is fighting discontent among the people in Gaza.
CANADA :
AUSTRALIA :
Speed backs Howard’s nomination for ICC president-elect
PTI/timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Jun 1, 2010
MELBOURNE: John Howard will win the crucial support of India during the governing body’s annual meeting later this month and will become the next president-elect, feels former ICC CEO Malcolm Speed.
Howard, a joint nominee of Australia and New Zealand, to succeed India’s Sharad Pawar first as vice-president and then as president was opposed by Zimbabwe and South Africa and later Sri Lanka also joined the resistance.
However, the former Australian Prime Minister’s nomination received a boost last Friday when Pawar met with current President David Morgan and offered his support to the nomination process.
“Sharad Pawar is a very sensible, experienced man who I think has now got a good grip of cricket administration and politics,” Speed told the ‘Australian’.
“He’s the incoming president and he still has a lot of influence in India so from afar I’m hopeful the process is followed and that Australia and New Zealand’s recommendation is accepted,” he added.
Speed, who was sacked by the ICC two years ago for instituting what became a damning investigation into the Zimbabwe Cricket Union’s (ZCU) finances, said the African nation is threatening to split international cricket.
“There is some irony in this,” Speed said of Zimbabwe’s opposition to Howard.
“Zimbabwe throughout has said ‘you must come and play against us for the sake of our cricket. You can’t have politics in cricket, you can’t make political considerations’, and the ICC has consistently endorsed that position.
“Their position now, as I understand it, is that Howard’s not qualified because he’s a politician and he’s criticised Zimbabwe, so they bring politics back into it when it suits them,” he added.
Speed said he finds the opposition of Zimbabwe and South Africa to Howard’s nomination as outrageous.
“I think the behaviour of Zimbabwe, and South Africa supporting them, has been outrageous,” Speed said.
“They agreed to the process. They knew it was to be Australia and New Zealand’s decision and they should have been prepared to accept that position and not second-guess those countries.
“The process should have been followed,” he added.
The 61-year-old also said that the ICC’s decision to elect Eshan Mani president in 2003 “makes a nonsense of the claim that Howard’s not qualified because he’s not a member of the Australian board”.
“Mani wasn’t a member of the Pakistan board. In fact he lived in England, but he was their nominee and he was a very good president,” he said.
Australia Cape Lambert matches China offer for iron ore explorer DMC
www.platts.com/1Jun2010
Melbourne (Platts)–
Australia’s Cape Lambert Resources on Tuesday increased its cash offer
for Africa-focused iron ore explorer DMC Mining to match the latest competing
takeover offer from China’s Meijin Energy Group Limited.
Both suitors are now offering A$0.53/share ($0.43/share), which values
DMC Mining at A$46 million. Cape Lambert currently holds a 35.45% interest in
DMC Mining. Its said its latest offer was unconditional, while Meijin’s was
subject to several conditions.
Mejin increased its offer on May 21 to A$0.53/share from A$0.50/share
after Cape Lambert Resources on May 10 matched its A$0.50/share offer.
DMC Mining at the time recommended shareholders take no action until the
directors had considered all offers. It has yet to respond to Cape Lambert’s
latest offer.
Cape Lambert kicked off the tussle with an initial unsolicited approach
to DMC Mining at A$0.40/share on March 23.
In a filing to the ASX on May 10, DMC Mining’s board said an independent
expert had determined a valuation range of A$0.50-0.56/share for the company.
DMC Mining’s key asset is an 80% interest in the the Mayoko iron ore
project in the Republic of Congo, which in January announced a resource
exploration target of 0.9 billion-1.3 billion mt at 35-45% iron. A drilling
program is currently underway.
Meijin Energy Group is one of China’s largest coking coal miners with a
capacity of 5.3 million mt/year.
Cape Lambert earlier Tuesday completed the sale of its Lady Annie copper
mine in Queensland to Hong Kong-listed China Sci-Tech Holdings, or CST, for
A$135 million.
It said it planned to utilize the proceeds at two projects in Sierra
Leone, pursue other developments and pay shareholders a partially franked
special dividend.
–Wendy Wells, newsdesk@platts.com
PRESS DIGEST-Australian Business News – June 1
Jun 01, 2010 /www.reuters.com
Compiled for Reuters by Media Monitors. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
Stocks | Global Markets | Airlines
THE AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW (www.afr.com) Alan Joyce, chief executive of Qantas Airways (QAN.AX) yesterday said he remained “buoyant” about growth prospects for the airline’s budget subsidiary Jetstar, and believes Qantas will this year again become Australia’s most profitable carrier.
Mr Joyce’s comments follow last week’s profit downgrade from budget rival Virgin Blue (VBA.AX). Analysts say growth at Qantas has been helped by its exposure to both business and leisure markets. Page 15.
—
Graeme Liebelt, chief executive of chemicals group Orica (ORI.AX), yesterday said the company’s investors in Asia were “broadly supportive” of Orica’s plans to demerge its consumer paints business DuluxGroup.
Mr Liebelt had just returned from meeting with investors in Singapore and Hong Kong, and will travel to Europe this week for meetings with further investors. Page 15.
—
Toll road operator Transurban (TCL.AX) will be able to proceed with a A$543 million equity issue following a ruling by the Takeovers Panel.
Transurban’s largest stakeholder, investment group CP2, had asked the panel to halt the share sale, alleging that the equity issue amounted to “frustrating action” against a takeover bid from CP2 and two other major shareholders.
The panel ruled that the bid from CP2 “did not constitute a genuine potential offer” for Transurban. Page 15.
—
Canadian utilities company ATCO (ACOx.TO) yesterday said plans to construct a new 100 megawatts power station in Western Australia’s Pilbara iron ore region face uncertainty due to the Federal Government’s proposed resource super profits tax.
ATCO said the unnamed client was considering whether to go ahead with a planned mining project. ATCO Power already operates a gas fired power station in the region. Page 16.
—
THE AUSTRALIAN (www.theaustralian.news.com.au)
Private hospital operator Healthscope (HSP.AX) yesterday confirmed that it had received two further takeover bids over the weekend, rivalling the May 20 bid from a consortium made up of private equity groups Texas Pacific Group, Carlyle Group and Blackstone (BX.N).
Healthscope said the two new offers are priced at A$5.80 a share, outbidding the earlier offer of A$5.75 a share.
Healthscope said that all three bidders will be permitted to conduct due diligence on the company’s financial records. Page 35.
—
Australia’s major mining companies outperformed the wider equities market in May, despite market concern about the impact of the Federal Government’s proposed resource super profits tax.
The Australian Securities Exchange’s materials index of its ASX200 Index fell by almost 6 percent, with Rio Tinto (RIO.AX) down 6.87 percent and BHP Billiton (BHP.AX) down 6.15 percent. However, the wider S&P/ASX 200 Index fell 7.9 percent, pushed down by industrial and financial stocks. Page 35.
—
Gina Rinehart, chief executive of mining company Hancock Prospecting and Australia’s richest woman, yesterday added to mining sector criticism of the Federal Government’s proposed resource super profits tax.
Ms Rinehart said the tax would “make our resource commodities more expensive and less able to compete on world markets and will reduce Australia’s future revenue.” Page 35.
–National Australia Bank’s (NAB.AX) exclusivity agreement with takeover target Axa Asia Pacific (AXA.AX) was due to expire overnight; however, sources say the agreement is set to be extended for up to three weeks.
NAB’s bid for APH was rejected by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in April, but the bank is believed to be seeking to address the regulator’s concerns by selling its North investment platform. Page 35.
—
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD (www.smh.com.au)
The mining sector recorded its first quarter of profit growth since September 2008 in the three months to March, with gross profits rising 9.2 percent to A$15 billion.
The figures come from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which also found that profits across the wider economy rose 3.9 percent for the period.
Despite the rise, mining industry profits remain 40 percent below their pre-financial crisis peak of A$24.4 billion. Page 1.
—
Westpac Banking Corporation (WBC.AX) yesterday announced that it had struck a new enterprise agreement with the Finance Sector Union which will see the bank’s staff receive pay rises of up to 10 percent over three years.
The deal is expected to place pressure on Westpac’s rivals to match the wage increases. Westpac’s Peter Hanlon said the deal was an appropriate balance between the interests of employers, the bank and shareholders. Page 3.
—
Sigma Pharmaceutical (SIP.AX) has invited South Africa’s Aspen Pharmacare (APNJ.J) to undertake due diligence on its financial records, raising the likelihood that Aspen’s A$707 million takeover bid will succeed.
Sigma yesterday said that it had provided Aspen with a limited exclusivity agreement for four weeks, during which time Sigma has agreed not to solicit rival bids.
If successful, Aspen’s bid would make the South African company the leading supplier of prescription drugs in Australia. Page 3.
—
Luxury goods group Moet Hennessy Australia has recorded sales growth of over 10 percent for the year to date, following a 10.5 percent increase in revenue for calendar 2009 to A$162.8 million.
The company, part of French group LVMH (LVMH.PA), expects continued strong growth this year, driven by sales of its flagship Moet & Chandon champagne.
Managing director James Paton yesterday said the company is benefiting as restaurants reduce their wine lists and concentrate on trusted brands. Page 4.
—
THE AGE (www.theage.com.au)
The Business Council of Australia (BCA) yesterday questioned funding arrangements for the Federal Government’s National Broadband Network (NBN) Company, saying they may breach the Government’s competitive neutrality guidelines.
The BCA said the NBN Co’s expected 6 percent to 7 percent return on investment breached the Government’s policy that “government business enterprises should seek to make a commercial rate of return.” Page B3.
—
Shares in forestry products group Gunns (GNS.AX) yesterday rose strongly to end the day 21.5 percent higher at A48 cents a share.
The increase returns Gunns’ share price to the level seen before institutional investors last week began selling shares in protest at the continued presence of former executive chairman John Gay. Mr Gay last week resigned from all roles within the company.
Analysts say the increase is driven by speculation that Gunns may now become a takeover target. Page B4.
—
Shares in iron ore mining hopeful Cazaly Resources (CAZ.AX) were yesterday placed in a trading halt, with the company saying it would soon make an announcement “regarding the finalisation of an agreement with respect to the development [of] the Parker Range iron ore project.”
Industry sources believe the announcement means Cazaly has secured a partner for the A$78 million Parker Range project in Western Australia’s Yilgarn region. Page B5.
—
United States mining company Newmont (NEM.N) has warned the Federal Government that its proposed resource super profits tax risks killing “the goose that lays the golden egg.”
However, the company’s executive vice president of discovery and development, Guy Lansdown, last week tol
d inve
stors that he would not speculate on the tax, as “we’ve got 18 months before this is passed into law, and there is going to be a lot of water that will flow under the bridge.” Page B5.
EUROPE :
CHINA :
INDIA :
McLeod mulls buying assets in India, Africa & Vietnam: report
India Infoline News Service / Jun 01, 2010
In the current year, the company aims to produce 80mn kg of tea at its estates in India, 5.5mn kg in Vietnam and 16mn kg at its recently acquired gardens in Uganda. Incidentally, MRIL is expecting cash profits of US$11mn from the Ugandan operation and US$1.5mn from Vietnamese operations in FY11.
McLeod Russel India plans to acquire tea estates in Africa, Vietnam and India in the next five years, to become a 180-200mn kg company with a turnover of Rs30bn by FY15. The company’s current market share in the world’s black tea market of 2bn kg is 4%. It expect to double its market share in the next five years. However, it all depends on whether the company get estates at the right prices, which can enhance its profitability, the report stated.
In the current year, the company aims to produce 80mn kg of tea at its estates in India, 5.5mn kg in Vietnam and 16mn kg at its recently acquired gardens in Uganda. Incidentally, MRIL is expecting cash profits of US$11mn from the Ugandan operation and US$1.5mn from Vietnamese operations in FY11.
MTN, Reliance Comms could reopen talks – report
Tue, Jun 01, 2010/Source : Reuters
South Africa’s MTN, the continent’s biggest cellphone carrier, could reopen merger talks with India’s Reliance Communications at a board meeting on Tuesday, India’s Economic Times newspaper reported, citing a single unidentified source.
The two carriers failed to do a deal two years ago when Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani asserted a right of first refusal on the sale of a stake in Reliance Communications, which is controlled by his brother Anil.
Late last month, the long-estranged Ambani brothers agreed to end the agreement that prevented them from competing on each other’s turf in a deal that, among other possible outcomes, was seen to pave the way for Reliance Communications to bring in outside investors.
MTN, which is in talks to buy assets from Egypt’s Orascom Telecom, has been thwarted in past efforts to join up with an Indian operator. It twice came close to a tie-up with Bharti Airtel, most recently in September.
An official with Reliance Communications could not immediately be reached for comment.
MTN declined to confirm that such a board meeting was taking place, the Economic Times said.
A Monday Financial Times story quoted one person familiar with both MTN and Reliance Communications as calling the idea of an MTN return to India “beyond absurd”.
Shares in Reliance Communications, locked in a ferocious price war in India’s crowded cellular market, were down by 0.55% in early Tuesday trade in Mumbai, roughly in line with the broader benchmark.
FedEx Appoints Gerald P. Leary as Regional President For Europe, Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and Africa
June 1, 2010/www.marketwatch.com
Will Succeed Robert W. Elliott, Who Is Retiring
MEMPHIS, Tenn., Jun 01, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. /quotes/comstock/13*!fdx/quotes/nls/fdx (FDX 83.49, -0.67, -0.80%) and the world’s largest express transportation company, today announced the appointment of Gerald P. Leary as regional president, FedEx Express, Europe, Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and Africa (EMEA). Leary will succeed Robert W. Elliott, who is retiring from FedEx Express. Leary will be based at the company’s European headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
A seasoned leader, Leary joined the Federal Express Corporation in 1974, and has served in a number of key management roles at both FedEx Express and FedEx Trade Networks. In his current position at FedEx Express, Leary serves as senior vice president, European Operations. In his new role, Leary will be responsible for the leadership and strategic direction of FedEx Express EMEA.
“Jerry’s demonstrated ability to lead and his in-depth transport operations experience make him an excellent choice as the new Regional President for EMEA,” said David J. Bronczek, president and chief executive officer of FedEx Express. “We appreciate Bob Elliott’s many years of service to our organization,” said Bronczek.
About FedEx Express
FedEx Express is the world’s largest express transportation company, providing fast and reliable delivery to more than 220 countries and territories. FedEx Express uses a global air-and-ground network to speed delivery of time-sensitive shipments, by a definite time and date with a money-back guarantee.
About FedEx Corp.
FedEx Corp. /quotes/comstock/13*!fdx/quotes/nls/fdx (FDX 83.49, -0.67, -0.80%) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenues of $33 billion, the company offers integrated business applications through operating companies competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world’s most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 280,000 team members to remain “absolutely, positively” focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. For more information, visit http://news.fedex.com/.
SOURCE: FedEx Express
BRASIL:
Africa: Keep your climate promises
Jun 1, 2010/By Sapa-AFP
African leaders set their sights on battling climate change on the final day of a summit hosted by President Nicolas Sarkozy to renew France’s ties on the continent.
Sarkozy set the tone for the talks with the 38 African leaders when he warned that developing nations must make good on their promises of billions of dollars in aid to poorer countries at the Copenhagen summit.
“These commitments must be scrupulously kept. Unless we want international conferences to lose all credibility,” Sarkozy said at the opening of the summit on Monday in the Mediterranean city of Nice.
At the Copenhagen summit in December, developed countries agreed to provide 30 billion dollars for three years to help poorer nations battle climate change.
Part of the funds are earmarked for battling deforestation in the Congo basin, home to the world’s second largest forest after the Amazon of Brazil.
But questions have been raised as to how much of that aid has been raised since Copenhagen and whether it will indeed be new financing, on top of existing development aid.
Ethiopian President Meles Zenawi, who will chair the debate on climate change in Nice, voiced scepticism earlier this month that the financing would ever reach those in need.
Zenawi however warned that the future of UN climate talks hinged on getting firmer commitments, a veiled threat as governments scramble to achieve progress at a key meeting in Cancun, Mexico later this year.
“There will be no legally binding agreement on climate change unless there is a reliable and adequate accord on financing,” Zenawi said at an African Union meeting in Addis Ababa earlier this month.
The 25th Africa-France summit is Sarkozy’s first since taking office in 2007 and reflects France’s shift away from its traditional west African allies toward engagement with the continent as a whole.
About 80 French business leaders including top bosses at oil giant Total and nuclear behemoth Areva are taking part in summit talks along with 150 heads of African companies.
Announcements were expected on Tuesday on a new solar energy project, a social responsibility charter for French businesses and private equity funds for African firms.
The push on the economic front comes as France has taken a back seat to China, Africa’s biggest trade partner, which has injected billions over the past decade to tap into raw materials needed to fuel its hungry economy.
At a dinner with African leaders late Monday, Sarkozy declared that the time when Africa’s political problems dominated summits was over and that trade and business were now at the forefront.
“Today we can talk about technology, innovation and research with Africa,” said Sarkozy.
Private sector investment in Africa has shot up from some 17 billion dollars in 2005 to 88 billion dollars in 2008, said Africa expert Karim Dahou of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
“Aid can be useful if it is used in conjunction with other resources but aid alone will not develop Africa. The private sector has a major role to play,” said Dahou.
Declaring that “Africa is our future,” Sarkozy has also backed a permanent seat for Africa at the United Nations Security Council among other changes needed to give the continent a greater say in global affairs.
“I am deeply convinced that it is no longer possible to discuss major world issues without the presence of Africa,” Sarkozy said.
Among the heavy hitters at the high-level talks are South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma, who travelled to Nice just weeks before his country hosts the football World Cup, and Nigeria’s new leader Goodluck Jonathan, sworn in this month.
EN BREF, CE 01 juin 2010 … AGNEWS / OMAR, BXL,01/06/2010
