wfn.org | All Africa News Agency 24/03 June 23 2003 (a)

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

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AANA BULLETIN No. 24/03 June 23, 2003 (a)

NEWS  SECTION

'Unresolved Issues' Delay Signing Of Somalia Charter

NAIROBI (AANA) June 23 - The signing of a transitional charter that would 
have seen the formation of the first all-inclusive government in Somalia 
after more than a decade of anarchy, has been postponed to June 30.

The charter was due to be signed here on June 18, by delegates attending 
Somali National Reconciliation Conference.

At a press conference, special envoy to Somalia's peace negotiations, 
Ambassador Bethuel Kiplagat, observed that there were unresolved issues 
that needed to be handled first before the charter could be signed.

  "We had set June 18 as our D-day for forming the government. However, due 
to intensity of the discussions, particularly with regard to the Charter, 
we hope to resolve the remaining issues by June 30," he stated.

He accordingly noted that it was safe to assume that by early July the 
Somalia reconciliation conference will have formed a parliament and a 
government.

So far, 31 people have declared interest in the presidency, an issue 
Kiplagat says  "gives impression the Somalis are serious about this process".

Mr. Kiplagat disclosed that the selection process of parliament will be 
done by political leaders in consultation with 45 traditional leaders from 
the various clans.

But in interviews with AANA, a number of delegates to the peace process 
maintained that there were still several issues to be solved before the 
signing of the charter.

"The question of whether (or not) it is only the delegates attending the 
peace conference who should participate in the 'creation' of the new 
inclusive Somali Government is yet to be solved," observed Awad Ahmed 
Ashara, a spokesperson from Puntland.

"There are those who hold the opinion that other people, especially Somali 
people in the Diaspora, should equally be involved," he added.

Another delegate, Said Ismael from Kismayu stated:  "Even the issue of 
whether participating delegates in the election of parliamentarians and 
president should be limited to 350 or 450, is yet to be solved".

And Ibrahim Mohammed from Puntland, added that	the issue concerning where 
the new government would seat has not been settled.

"Most of us are of the opinion that either Puntland or Somaliland, 
should	be highly considered for this, due to the fact that the areas are 
relatively peaceful compared to, say, Mogadishu, Kismayu or Baidoa," he 
told AANA.

The current Somalia peace conference has been going on in Kenya for the 
last eight months, and has dealt with issues concerning federalism, 
democratisation, disarmament and reintegration, land and property rights, 
economic reconstruction, regional and international relations, conflict 
resolution and reconciliation.

Meanwhile a US-trained Information and Technology expert, Jama Hassan 
Khalif, 40, declared his candidature for Somalia's presidency here on June
18.

At a press conference, he called on Somali people to do away with warlords 
and instead   "seek for young people with quality to lead their nation".

Reported by Osman Njuguna

Batswana May Soon Face Compulsory Testing For HIV

GABORONE (AANA) June 23 - Citizens of Botswana visiting hospitals and 
clinics may soon be subjected to HIV/AIDS testing, if recommendations of a 
recent workshop organised by the Ministry of Health for health 
professionals are considered.

Patson Mazonde, the director of Botswana's Health Services, told AANA in an 
interview that it was high time the country's HIV/AIDS policy made room for
testing everyone for the virus.

"This, however, must be done in a manner that does not compromise 
individuals' rights, while at the same time striking a balance with public 
health," he said.

Botswana's present policy on HIV/AIDS says testing is not mandatory to a 
person visiting a clinic or hospital, unless it is meant to protect the 
unborn child, in the case of a pregnant woman, or when one is suffering 
from syphilis, said Mazonde.

"The policy on AIDS was useful for its time," said Mazonde, noting, "It is 
high time we revisit it to strengthen it. For example, if HIV testing 
becomes routine, it will help as many people as possible to know their
status."

Botswana is currently going through a programme of providing antiretroviral 
therapy to people who test positive to HIV.

But the health ministry says that although 39 percent of the people aged 
between 16 and 49 years carry the virus, according to 2002 statistics from 
the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP), only a few are participating in 
the antiretroviral therapy programme.

"The earlier people know their status, the more chances there are for 
assessing care and treatment," Mazonde asserted.

He said the practice at present is "opt in", in which a person visiting a 
doctor is examined for the purpose of treating his or her condition. For an 
HIV test, the patients have to give their consent.

Even President Festus Mogae has voiced his concern on testing, saying 
people are not taking advantage of the Tebelopele Testing Centres, which 
provide free HIV testing.

But human rights organisations are not convinced over the need to review 
the country's HIV/AIDS policy. Musa Khutso from Botswana's Centre for Human 
Rights (Ditshwanelo), said compulsory testing would be contrary to the 
human rights charter. "It is up to an individual to know his or her status, 
unless he or she is putting people at risk," he said.

But precedence on mandatory testing has already been set in Botswana. 
Debswana, the giant diamond mining company and the biggest employer in the 
country, tests all applicants for HIV in its mines. The government also 
tests expatriate workers it hires.

Reported by Rodrick Mukumbira

Everybody's Life In Liberia Is Threatened, Says AACC

NAIROBI (AANA) June 23 - The All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) has 
sent an appeal to its member churches to make financial contributions to 
the Liberian Council of Churches, in support of humanitarian needs of 
affected communities in troubled Liberia.

The letter, signed by the AACC Interim General Secretary, Mr. Melaku Kifle, 
notes that despite the signing of a cease-fire agreement between Liberian 
government and rebels groups on June 17, the situation on the ground was 
appalling.

The letter notes in part: "Many lives of innocent people have been lost. 
The potential for an outbreak of an epidemic is very real due to the 
shortage of clean water, food and many other essentials...."

The appeal, which was also sent to Catholic Relief Agency, Oxfam-UK, UNDP 
and UNICEF, says "everybody's life"  in Liberia is threatened and people 
are living in fear, "in situations that they see as extremely hopeless".

According to Mr Kifle, if no urgent action is taken, the situation could 
lead to a "humanitarian catastrophe of unpredictable magnitude".

Said Mr Kifle: "It is our duty as Christians to continue to stand in 
solidarity with the people of Liberia, particularly now that they need our 
support. We are in this together as children of God. Please give, whatever 
you may have. Let us keep the hope alive for Liberians and let us pray 
together for lasting peace in Liberia and the rest of the world".

Reported by Joseph K'Amolo

Calm Returns To Mauritania But Coup Culprits Are Unknown

NOUAKCHOTT (AANA) June 23 - Life has returned to normal in Mauritania after 
an attempted coup on June 8, against President Maaouiya Ould Sid'Ahmed 
Taya, was quelled after two days of heavy fighting.

But the identity of the coup perpetrators, who attacked the presidential 
palace here, and were successful in interrupting national radio and 
television transmission for 24 hours, remain a mystery.

"Officially, nothing was said. We only know that it was done by officers 
and their juniors from one army unit," declared the Mauritanian Agency for 
Information (AMI) on June 10.  "We do not know who they were nor their 
motive," added a diplomat close to the French Embassy.

Some sources, however, name former army colonel Saleh Ould Hanena, sacked 
from the army for participating in a previous coup attempt, as one of the 
principle ring-leaders.

"The name one remembers most is that of ex-colonel Saleh Ould Hanena, 
former chief of the foreign formation at the army headquarters," insisted a 
diplomat.

The government confirmed that army commander, Mohammed Lemine Ould 
N'Diayane, an Aide de Camp, and confidante of the president, was killed 
during the two-day fighting.

Some analysts have established a relationship between the rebels and 
previous arrests ordered by President Ould Taya against Islamic militants 
and opposition personalities, following the recent American invasion of 
Iraq. In the course of last month, several radical Muslims were arrested.

Other analysts speculate that the attempted coup had been motivitated more 
by personal interests in the military establishment in Mauritania.

At the time of his ascension to power, Ould Taya had first kept minimal 
relations with Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. But he kept his distance 
towards Baghdad after the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq in 1991, and had 
privileged relations with the United States and Israel.

In 1999, Mauritania become the third Arab League country to establish 
diplomatic relations with the Hebrew state, a very unpopular move in the 
country.

Ould Taya, 68, seized power through a military take-over nineteen years 
ago. He later legalised opposition parties but frustrated them, which led 
to their boycott of 1997 presidential elections to protest against his 
iron-rule.  It is again speculated that the opposition may not participate 
in the next presidential elections this November.

Reported by Hilhne Tshiabu

Morality Queries Could Hamper Distribution ARVs

HARARE (AANA) June 23 - Concerns about morality is slowing down 
distribution of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) in Zimbabwe.

While the government is applauded for making ARVs available to expectant 
mothers, some traditionally inclined people are now questioning the 
morality behind saving the life of the unborn child at the expense of the 
mother.

The government has permitted the use of Nevirapine on pregnant women since 
last year.  The drug is administered to expectant mothers in about 35 
health centres throughout the country.

But what is worrying is the increasing number of AIDS orphans that are 
flooding orphanages after both parents have died.

The prevailing harsh economic condition in the country has resulted in the 
breakdown of the extended family that used to be a refuge for bereaved 
children in the past.

This situation is what prompts some people to question the rationale behind 
saving the life of the unborn child while knowing very well that the 
parents might not live long enough to raise such children.

Official health figures indicate that at least 2.3 million Zimbabweans out 
of a population of 11.3 million are living with HIV or AIDS.

Almost 30 percent of pregnant mothers in Zimbabwe are said to be HIV 
positive, with chances of bearing infected children.

According to UNICEF's State of the World's Children 2003 report, Zimbabwe 
has the third largest number of children living with the HIV virus in the 
world.	There are an estimated	240,000 of them, while 780,000 others have 
been orphaned by the pandemic.

However, in response to critics of  ARVs, president of Zimbabwe National 
Traditional Healers Association, Gordon Chavhunduka, has hailed the 
Government for providing expectant mothers with the drugs.  He says society 
must chip in, in a big way, and assist in the welfare of AIDS orphans.

Reported by Tim Chogodo

Regional First Ladies Meet To Intensify Plan Against AIDS

BAMAKO (AANA) June 23 - A group of African First Ladies have embarked on an 
ambitious programme to intensify war on HIV/AIDS. The First Ladies 
Association Against AIDS (FLAAA) recently met in Bamako to draw up a plan 
of action against the scourge for the period 2003/2004.

The meeting, which took place on June 5 and 6, drew participants from 
central and western Africa regions, and focussed on efforts to eliminate 
stigmatisation and discrimination against people infected or affected by 
HIV/AIDS.

The discussions were led by Mrs Toure Labu Traori, wife of Malian Head of 
State, and Mrs Edith Lucy Bongo, Gabon's First Lady.  The latter is the 
president of FLAAA since its formation in July last year.

Toure and Bongo noted that the severity of the scourge on the continent 
necessitated the first ladies to take an active part in the mobilisation of 
resources towards war on HIV/AIDS, as well as social protection and health 
of individuals affected.

The United Nations, through its various agencies, and the World Bank among 
other international development organisations, have separately promised to 
support the First Ladies action.

Among the activities mentioned in the meeting as FLAAA's plan of action 
include taking leading roles in resource mobilisation, awareness promotion 
for prevention of infections, promotion of voluntary testing, and 
sensitisation of rural zones, where 70 percent of Africa's population is 
found.

Emphasising the urgency for such intervention strategies, Mrs Bongo called 
on her colleagues to seek to work with grassroots organisation, religious 
and local leaders, and external partners to reduce the devastating effects 
of HIV/AIDS on health, social, and economic sectors.

Similar meetings are planned for southern, northern, and eastern Africa 
regions, where First Ladies of Malawi, Mauritania and Rwanda will play 
leading roles respectively.

Reported by Hilhne Tshiabu