VOA News: Africa: Sudan Cuts Off Talks With South Sudan

VOA News: Africa Africa Voice of America

Sudan Cuts Off Talks With South Sudan Apr 11th 2012, 17:34 The Sudanese government has pulled out of negotiations with neighboring South Sudan after reports of recent clashes in a disputed oil-producing border area. Sudanese Vice-President Al-Haj Adam Yusuf was quoted on state radio Wednesday accusing South Sudan of launching attacks in and around the Heglig oil field in Sudan's Southern Kordofan state. Yusuf then said there will be no talks between the two Sudans as his government is now busy defending its borders. Timeline of Events Since June 2011 June 5: Fighting escalates between Sudanese forces and southern elements ahead of southern secession. July 9: South Sudan declares independence from north. Sudan recognizes its new neighbor. July 22: U.N. claims strong evidence Sudan is committing atrocities in southern states, particularly against ethnic Nubas who backed south in 21-year civil war. Oct. 5: U.N. urges two Sudans to pull forces from contested border region where fighting continues despite June 20 withdrawal agreement. Oct. 9: Leaders of Sudan, South Sudan conclude two-day meeting with promise to negotiate resolution of issues involving citizenship, border territory and shared oil revenue. Nov. 26: U.N. reports 76,000 people fled fighting along border region in the last three months, particularly in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states. Nov. 28: Sudan blocks South Sudan oil awaiting export in Port Sudan, claiming Juba did not paid enough in transit fees. Dispute leads South Sudan to halt oil production. Feb. 10, 2012: Two Sudans sign "non-aggression pact" during African Union-mediated talks to ease tensions after both sides raise specter of war. March 26: Countries' militaries clash along border near Sudanese-controlled town of Heglig. Fighting leads to cancellation of proposed presidential summit. April 10, 2012: Countries exchange accusations of renewed attacks along border, near town Heglig oil field. April 11, 2012: Sudan announces withdrawal from AU-mediated talks with South Sudan. On Wednesday, Philip Aguer, spokesman for South Sudan's military, known as SPLA or SPLM, denied reports of ongoing fighting, saying Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, are nowhere to be seen. "SAF has left the area, has evacuated the area, and [the Southern Sudanese military] is in control of the area," he said. Meanwhile, Rabie Abdul Atti, an adviser to Sudan's information minister, described what he referred to as the situation on the ground. "The fighting now is going on and [Sudan's armed forces are] insisting also for [the Southern Sudanese military and government] to lose what they have gained by peace," he said. "They will lose it by war." The Sudanese government Tuesday released a statement saying South Sudan's military "brutally attacked" Heglig and other areas of South Kordofan, and that "the government of Sudan announces it will oppose this flagrantly aggressive behavior by all legitimate ways and means." South Sudan's military spokesman said the Sudanese government started it all. "Yesterday when [South Sudan's military] was attacked, we were fighting in self-defense, an instinct, requirement, of self-preservation," said Aguer. "We repulsed the attack." The two armies have been clashing in Heglig and areas of South Kordofan for weeks, and both countries claim the area as their own. Many fear that this latest tussle might lead to all-out war. South Sudan achieved independence in July last year after many decades of bitter warfare between with the north, with much of fighting over access to oilfields. The two countries then carried out negotiations over terms and conditions by which South Sudan would export oil through Sudan. In January, South Sudan shut down oil production throughout the country following an impasse in talks. In recent weeks, South African President Thabo Mbeki -- representing the African Union -- has been meeting with officials of both governments in a bid to resolve the issues. The African Union Wednesday issued a statement calling for the Sudans to exercise restraint, along with the unconditional and immediate withdrawal of South Sudan forces from Heglig. Media files: Reuters_sudan_oil_480_11april12.JPG (image/jpeg, 0.1 MB) Curious_Map_Gold_South_Sudan_Juba_300.jpg

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VOA News: Africa: Ivory Coast Marks Anniversary of Gbagbo Arrest

VOA News: Africa Africa Voice of America

Ivory Coast Marks Anniversary of Gbagbo Arrest Apr 11th 2012, 17:42 It has been one year since Ivorian rebel forces arrested former president Laurent Gbagbo after he refused to step down after losing an election six months earlier. His arrest marked an end to months of fighting that killed 3,000 people and displaced more than one million. Mr. Gbagbo is now awaiting trial at The Hague on charges of crimes against humanity. Outside of the mayor's office in the Abobo neighborhood of Abidjan, an association of market women in colorful traditional dresses stand in a line chatting while they wait for a vehicle to take them to a holiday celebration. It is stark contrast from the scene here just over a year ago, when Abobo, an opposition stronghold, rose to international infamy as the epicenter of a violent repression by pro-Gbagbo forces. <!--IMAGE-RIGHT-->Mr. Gbagbo refused to cede power to Alassane Ouattara, who was widely acknowledged to have won the run-off election. In the weeks and months that followed that disputed November election, human rights workers accuse Gbagbo loyalists of kidnapping and killing pro-Ouattara political leaders, gang-raping women and attacking neighborhoods, like Abobo, with rockets and heavy artillery. Lucy Kakoutie recalls a key point in the crisis, when civilians were openly targeted. She was protesting in favor of Mr. Ouattara in early March when soldiers in tanks turned their guns on a crowd of women. She says she saw the tanks passing and the last one began to shoot. She says there was panic and six women were shot. The long-delayed November election was supposed to reunite Ivory Coast after a bloody civil war in 2002 - 2003. A concept known as Ivorite, or Ivorian-ness, led to deep divisions along ethnic and regional lines. That xenophobia hit a fever pitch during the crisis as the international community rallied around Mr. Ouattara. Anti-French sentiment raged among Gbagbo supporters. West African immigrants became the target of violent attacks by pro-Gbagbo militia in Abidjan. One year later, many foreigners say they once again feel at home. Mor Diop, a 32-year-old taxi driver from Senegal, says he used to feel a bit threatened as a foreigner at police checkpoints. He says he was always being asked for his papers, but under President Alassane Ouattara, foreigners from other parts of West Africa can feel at home. Analysts say the economy has fared well under President Ouattara, an economist and former International Monetary Fund (IMF) official. Economic growth is expected to top eight percent in 2012, bringing hope that Ivory Coast could return to the prosperity it experienced before the wars when the cocoa-rich country was known as the "jewel of Africa." The leader of Mr. Ouattara's political party, Joel N'Guessan, says ports and airports are functioning again and the economy has bounced back. He says the central bank functions, businesses are coming back and foreign partners are returning. He says all of the international powers who condemned Ivory Coast during the crisis have reopened their doors. Mr. Gbagbo's arrest last April marked the end of the offensive launched by former rebel fighters in the North that allowed Mr. Ouattara to take office. As they swept down western Ivory Coast, those fighters are accused of killing civilians from pro-Gbagbo ethnic groups, raping women, burning villages and massacring hundreds of residents of the western town of Duekoue. Human Rights Watch says Ivorian courts have so far charged 130 people from Mr. Gbagbo's camp with crimes related to the conflict. However, HRW Ivory Coast researcher Matt Wells said no one from Mr. Ouattara's side has been charged. "In terms of this core promise of Ouattara's government, that of impartial justice for the grave post-election crimes that were committed, it essentially remains entirely unfulfilled," he said. He says Ivorians have resorted to violence to solve disputes because of the absence of the rule of law and  "victor's justice" would be particularly dangerous for Ivory Coast as tensions continue to fester. At a meeting commemorating the anniversary of the former president,  some 50 Gbagbo supporters gathered at the party's old campaign headquarters which is still missing its windows after being pillaged last year.   Mamadou Denbele, who works for an international insurance company,  was in exile in Ghana for four months following Mr. Gbagbo's arrest.  He says he does not advise his friends who are still there to return. He said he has warned his friends if they come back they will find their homes pillaged and bank accounts frozen.  he says the only reason he could come back was because he has friends there who are able to send money.   But in some areas of Abidjan,  Gbagbo supporters say tensions have died down. Outside of a storefront in the mixed neighborhood of Adjamé, Muslims and Christians of different ethnic groups sell vegetables and sit chatting and laughing. Rene Kouakou, 24, says he supported Gbagbo during the crisis. He says he was holed up in his house during the war and did not go into the streets. Kouakou, who is unemployed, points to his group of friends proudly showing off their diversity: Muslim, Christian, Guere, Dioula. He says in his part of the neighborhood the community held meetings where people from different sides came together to learn how to sympathize with each other. In my area he says, there were meetings where people try to sympathize with people from all parties, so that the country can move forward.  He says they couldn't stay in the same situation. Not everyone is ready to move on. Ethnic tensions persist in the west of the country, and in the Ivorian press, heated rhetoric on both sides reflects persistent anger and frustration. Back in the Abobo neighborhood, the market women have other concerns too.  Like other women here, Bouhoussou Ouffouet lost her merchandise when she fled her home last March. She returned after Gbagbo's arrest. She says life is hard due to thievery, frequent power outages and unaffordable food prices. There is no light in the neighborhood she says. Otherwise, things are getting better. After the war came, Ouattara is fixing the country she says.  But the times are hard, there is not enough food.  At the market it's expensive. The government has promised to address rising food prices, but the cost of living remains a key concern for many Ivorians. Media files: GbagboDec05-05.jpg (image/jpeg, 0.7 MB) gbagbo_tahanan_300.jpg APIvoryCoastOuattara21May2011-resizedpx480q100dpi96shp8Tease.jpg

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VOA News: Economy: Nigeria FM Called 'Africa's Candidate' for World Bank President

VOA News: Economy Economy Voice of America

Nigeria FM Called 'Africa's Candidate' for World Bank President Apr 11th 2012, 17:25 As the World Bank interviews Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as a candidate for its next president, academics, human rights organizations and regional bodies across Africa are supporting Okonjo-Iweala, with some calling her "Africa's candidate." At the same time, Africans across the continent are calling on the United States to step aside. In the 68 years since the World Bank's founding, an American has always held the job of president, while a European has always headed the International Monetary Fund.   In recent years, this dynamic has led to complaints that the West has too much say in organizations that are intended to benefit emerging economies.  Many Africans say they should be led by people who are actually from these economies. Nigerian political scientist Hussaini Abdu, with the anti-poverty group ActionAid says that if Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is chosen to head the World Bank, it would give the institution credibility in countries that do not trust it. "The significance is the fact that the leadership of the World Bank will be going to the global south.  Historically, the global south has seen itself as a victim of the World Bank, not as a beneficiary of the World Bank," said Abdu. On the streets of Nigeria's capital, locals say that if the selection process is fair and transparent, their finance minister is the obvious choice.  A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, and a former World Bank managing director, Okonjo-Iweala is competing for the bank's top spot with Colombia's former finance minister, José Antonio Ocampo and U.S. President Barack Obama's nominee, Dartmouth College President Jim Yong Kim. On a sweltering sidewalk in Abuja, local election official Abdullahi Bello smiles as he discusses Okonjo-Iweala's nomination. "I think [the] World Bank will need someone like her - an insider," said Bello.  "I see [her] as an insider because she has worked with the World Bank before.  I think she will do well, if given the opportunity." But not everyone in Nigeria supports the finance minister, especially earlier this year when she helped Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan cut a decades-old fuel subsidy that economists say institutionalized corruption and slowed economic development.   Prices from virtually everything to gas to food to school fees soared, causing nationwide protests.   At a market in Abuja, Shaibu Anibe, 42, a businessman and father of three children, says most Nigerians no longer blame the minister for the country's situation.  He says people now better understand the cut, and object only to the abruptness of the decision. "If you know you are going to remove the fuel subsidy, give six months, eight months, one year notice.  You should be able to convince Nigerians on why it should be removed," said Anibe. As Okonjo-Iweala's bid gains momentum, experts say the World Bank is under increasing pressure to consider her for the seat.  Originally nominated by South Africa, Nigeria and Angola, the minister later won endorsements from the African Union, regional leaders, the Nigerian presidency, and news organizations across the continent and beyond, including from The Economist magazine and The Guardian newspaper in Britain.   Other leaders, including World Bank President Robert Zoellick, who is stepping down at the end of June, have said that picking a non-American might be a mistake because it could lead to loss of American interest in and funding for the international organization. Political scientist Hussaini Abdu calls the idea "ridiculous." "We don't actually think that the world should continue to be blackmailed by what America is actually putting out there," said Abdu.  "I think America should accept that when America is making such contributions, it is only making the contribution to increase its influence." The World Bank has promised a fair and transparent process and is expected to announce its decision later this month.  Although all of candidates have powerful supporters around the world, some Nigerians are calling their finance minister, "Africa's pride." Media files: apNigerianFinanceMinisterNgoziOkonjo-Iweala11Apr2012-resizedpx480q100dpi96shp8.jpg (image/jpeg, 0.2 MB) apNigerianFinanceMinisterNgoziOkonjo-Iweala11Apr2012-resizedpx480q100dpi96shp8Tease.jpg

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VOA News: Economy: Report: Rising Income Gap Threatening Stability in Asia

VOA News: Economy Economy Voice of America

Report: Rising Income Gap Threatening Stability in Asia Apr 11th 2012, 17:27 A report by the Asian Development Bank says the region's rapid economic growth has created a widening income gap that threatens to undermine its growth and stability. In its annual economic development outlook, the Manila-based lender says Asia's richest one percent of households account for six to eight percent of total income, while up to 20 percent of total income went to the wealthiest five percent in most countries.   The ADB report says inequality grew the most in Asia's three largest economies, China, India and Indonesia, from the early 1990s to around 2010. ADB chief economist Changyong Rhee tells VOA that technological progress, globalization and market-oriented reforms, which have triggered the region's economic transformation, are also the main factors in the growing divide between rich and poor.   "In the last two decades, technical progress has favored capital over labor, and skilled workers over unskilled workers," says Rhee. "You can easily see that in the 60s and 70s, car factories and steel mills employed lots of people, but if you go these days to the car factories, you see more robots rather than people.  And then globalization and IT technologies and...software technology favors...highly educated people over less educated people.  And the globalization and trade benefits the urban and coastal areas, much more than the inland and the rural areas." The ABD report says unequal access to education, health and other public services also hinders opportunities for the poor to overcome their economic plight.   School dropout rates are up to five times higher for children in the poorest families, while the infant mortality rate is 10 times higher for poor infants than for babies born into an affluent family.   Rhee says after witnessing last year's revolts across the Arab world, Asian policymakers understand the urgent need to alleviate the growing income gap.  He says the ADB is encouraging Asian nations to spend more on education and infrastructure, and promote small and medium enterprises.   Meanwhile, the ADB is forecasting moderate economic growth for developing Asia for 2012, due to the ongoing crisis in the eurozone and weak global demand.  Rhee says this will also affect Asian nations' efforts to reduce the income gap between the rich and poor. "If the growth is reduced, then government will be very hard to mobilize more revenues, such as tax revenues, which means they cannot rely on more spending, social spending especially, so its very important to keep the growth momentum," says Rhee. The report says the gross domestic product will expand at a modest 6.9 percent this year, then improve to 7.3 percent in 2013. Media files: afp_china_us_econ_06aug11_eng_large-resizedpx480q100shp8.jpg (image/jpeg, 0.1 MB) ADB_outlook_2012_230.jpg

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VOA News: Middle East: Despite Violence, Syria Pledges to Meet Cease-fire Deadline

VOA News: Middle East Middle East Voice of America

Despite Violence, Syria Pledges to Meet Cease-fire Deadline Apr 11th 2012, 17:01 Even as it continued widespread shelling of opposition strongholds Wednesday, the Syrian government told peace envoy Kofi Annan that it will stop military action against rebels on Thursday morning. In a letter to Annan, the Syrian foreign ministry said the government reserves the right after the cease-fire deadline to continue responding to attacks from "armed terrorist groups." Kofi Annan's Six-Point Peace Plan A Syrian-led political process to address the aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people. A U.N. supervised end to armed violence by all parties in Syria. Timely humanitarian assistance in all areas affected by fighting. Increasing the pace and scale of release of arbitrarily detained people. Ensuring freedom of movement for journalists. Respecting freedom of association and the right to demonstrate peacefully. The U.N.-Arab League envoy brokered a six-part peace plan last month that called for Syria's government to withdraw its forces from major urban areas by April 10 and stop combat operations by Thursday. The Syrian government agreed to the plan, which also called for opposition forces to stop fighting. The Syrian government said it began a phased withdrawal Tuesday. But opponents say government shelling and attacks have not ceased in many areas.   Rights groups and activists say at least 11 people were killed Wednesday as government forces pounded targets in flashpoint opposition areas including the central Homs region and Damascus suburbs. Western diplomats Tuesday slammed the Syrian government for its continuing crackdown. Syrian Network for Human Rights chairman Mousab Azzawi says the Syrian government has continued efforts to punish dissenters, in spite of its promises to the international community. "The regime is just using the tactics to create some kind of very hard mass punishment for those people," Azzawi said. Azzawi told VOA on Wednesday that Annan should admit that his peace initiative has failed. "Everything he has been promised by the regime, the regime just tries to find a loophole in the initiative and tries to empty the initiative," he said. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she will again try to convince Syrian ally Russia that the situation in Syria was "deteriorating" and that the chances of a regional or civil war were increasing. She is due to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later Wednesday in Washington. The United States and its Western partners have pressed for stronger action against Syria for months but have been hindered by Russian and Chinese opposition to what those two nations call outside interference in Syria. Russia said Wednesday that since the Syrian government had pledged to halt its offensive on Thursday, it was now the armed opposition's turn to do the same. U.N. officials say more than 9,000 people have been killed in Syria since the uprising began 13 months ago. Media files: AP Syria Lebanon coffin of victim 11Apr12 480.jpg (image/jpeg, 0.1 MB) AP Syria Lebanon coffin of victim 11Apr12 230.jpg

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VOA News: Africa: Reform or Face Potential Conflict and Instability, Report Warns Museveni

VOA News: Africa Africa Voice of America

Reform or Face Potential Conflict and Instability, Report Warns Museveni Apr 11th 2012, 16:59 An international crisis tracking and analysis organization says although most Ugandans are better off than they were a quarter-century ago, frequent demonstrations and violent crackdowns indicate many are now deeply dissatisfied with the continued rule of President Yoweri Museveni. In a report released last week, the International Crisis Group (ICG) warned there could be conflict and political instability if he fails to break with the ways of his predecessors and set a date for ending his long years in office. The Uganda government has dismissed the report and says its warnings do not reflect political reality. The criticisms by the Museveni government, said E. J. Hogendoorn, the ICG's Horn of Africa project director, "are not surprising, but we believe it [the report] is based on extensive fieldwork in Uganda and accurately reflects the situation in the country." Hogendoorn said it is not too late for the Museveni government to carry out internal reform, but cautioned, "…the longer Museveni has been in power, the greater the discontent with his rule. Unless he starts to reform his government, demonstrations will continue, and pressure will rise, and if not dealt with politically, it will manifest itself in armed revolt." He said the developments Museveni initiated early in his rule had been encouraging but "unfortunately he and his close associates made decisions in the past decade that have increased authoritarianism in Uganda and have created the problems we are seeing." The report says Museveni has followed a governance trajectory similar to that of predecessors Idi Amin and Milton Obote, although without their brutal repression. Like them, the report says, he has failed to overcome regional and religious cleavages that make Uganda difficult to govern and has relied increasingly on centralization, patronage and coercion to maintain control. Unless this trend is corrected, Uganda will become increasingly difficult to govern and political conflict may become more deadly. Hogendoorn, however, clarified that the report did not say Museveni is like Idi Amin or Milton Obote.  But, it said Museveni faces the same structural problems encountered by his predecessors. "Unfortunately, Museveni has chosen to deal with those governance challenges in the same way [his predecessors did]. He has done that, Hogendoorn continued, "largely by relying on patronage and increasingly personalizing his rule. If that trend continues, instability will increase in Uganda." The ICG also warned that the discovery of significant oil reserves is unlikely to reduce social and political tensions:  "Clearly,"  Hogendoorn said, "the discovery of oil will generate additional huge amounts of revenue for the government. We believe that oil will be used by Museveni and his close associates to strengthen their rule through patronage and corrupt practices." Media files: APUgandariotsarrests30apr2011Tease.jpg mpuga-icg-11april2012.mp3 (audio/mpeg)

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VOA News: Asia: China-Backed Hydro Dam Upsets Burma Locals

VOA News: Asia Asia Voice of America

China-Backed Hydro Dam Upsets Burma Locals Apr 11th 2012, 16:35 In September, Burma's reform-minded President Thein Sein appeared to heed environmental concerns and suspended construction of a controversial China-backed hydropower dam in northern Kachin state. But the Myitsone dam project has not been cancelled and locals worry what will happen if construction resumes. <!--AV--> The Myitsone is where the Mali Hka and N'Mai Hka Rivers merge in Burma's north Kachin state to form the Irrawaddy, the country's lifeline. If the $3.6 billion Myitsone dam goes ahead, the reservoir will flood an area the size of Singapore, submerging a scenic area popular with tourists. Senior monk U Yay Wa Ra says the waterline would reach halfway up his temple's pagoda. "When the dam project was suspended I felt happy because it meant we could keep the natural beauty of the Myitsone area and we would not lose our temple as well," he said. Hydropower from the dam could produce several thousand megawatts of electricity, most of which would be sold to neighboring China. China is also backing six smaller hydropower dams planned along the river. The potential profits are huge, but not for local businesses. La Phai Jar Aung sells roasted fish to tourists on the Irrawaddy riverbank. "If the dam project resumes we will not know how to make a living," she said.  "There is no business and no work at Aung Myin Thar [the relocation village]. So we would have to stay there and be unemployed." Aung Myin Thar is one of several villages where the government has moved thousands of people to make way for the dam.  Although they received brand new houses and other compensation, many are unhappy about moving. Farmer U Jang Hkam admits his new house is much better than his old bamboo one, but the farmland is too small. "There is no space to do farming here to make a living. To earn money, we totally rely on farms and forests. So, we own a house but we have nothing else," he added. For now, locals can still earn a few dollars a day searching for gold along the riverbank. They are eager to get all they can in case construction resumes and the Myitsone they once knew is left at the bottom of a lake. Media files: Burma_China_Dam_FOR_WEB_HD_16x906Tease.jpg Burma_China_Dam_FOR_WEB_HD_16x9-fixed-x264-Platform_YTHDFull__964020.mp4 (video/mp4)

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VOA News: USA: Drug Crime, Development Top Agenda for Summit of Americas

VOA News: USA USA Voice of America

Drug Crime, Development Top Agenda for Summit of Americas Apr 11th 2012, 16:11 <!--AV--> President Barack Obama departs Washington on Friday for Cartagena, Colombia, where he will participate in the sixth Summit of the Americas. Port of Spain, Trinidad, in 2009. The president attended his first Summit of the Americas, pledging to seek equal partnerships with other nations in the hemisphere. He also had his first encounter with Hugo Chavez, the fiery Venezuelan leader and critic of U.S. policies. Santos will host summit Three years later, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos will host the sixth summit. The agenda includes development and economic issues, and regional security. Obama claims substantial progress in the region. In 2011, he traveled to Brazil, Chile and El Salvador to press the U.S. trade and investment agenda, praise democratic and social progress, and urge greater cooperation in the war on transnational criminal cartels.   Eric Farnsworth of the Council of the Americas offers this assessment. "The hemisphere is maturing in its own self-confidence. It is strengthening in terms of its economies. And politically there are some challenges to democracy in certain countries, but overall democracy is secure and the countries are trying to find ways to develop those issues even further," said Farnsworth. On the agenda in Cartagena: poverty reduction and inequality, economic integration, technology and cooperation to cope with natural disasters, and citizen security, a reference to drug and criminal violence. Some Latin American leaders want a reexamination of what they call the failed war on drugs. They urge decriminalization of cocaine, heroin and marijuana. The U.S. disagrees. Obama remains focused on military and security aid, and intelligence cooperation. "We're going to be coordinating our efforts more closely than ever, especially when it comes to supporting Central America's new strategy on citizen security, which will be discussed at the Summit of the Americas in Colombia next week," said the president. Absent from the summit will be Cuba. It is not a member of the Organization of American States [OAS], which represents democracies. Cuba, Chavez to figure prominently Washington opposes Cuba's participation on political and human rights grounds. Colombia's president said the issue will be discussed. "There will be debate around Cuba's non-inclusion in the forum. I think nearly every country in the region except for the U.S. wants Cuba to be able to participate in these forums," said Alexander Main of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington. Farnsworth said nations are not allowing the issue to block expanded cooperation. "They are not hung up on the Cuba issue. They are diversifying their relationships. Their main issue is economic development and continuing the political legitimacy that is brought through democratic governance," said Farnsworth. It remains to be seen what drama Venezuela's Chavez, with his antagonistic attitude toward the U.S., may cause in Cartagena. "He is certainly a gifted thespian, and he will make the most of every opportunity to make his influence felt," said Stephen Johnson of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Chavez has deepened Venezuela's relationship with Iran. Analysts say his policies, however, are increasingly viewed with skepticism in the hemisphere. Media files: reuters_colombia_cartagena_skyline_230_10april2012.jpg Obama_Summit_of_the_Americas_Preview_FOR_WEB_SD-fixed-x264-Platform_YTHQFull__972323.mp4 (video/mp4)

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VOA News: Americas: Drug Crime, Development Top Agenda for Summit of Americas

VOA News: Americas Americas Voice of America

Drug Crime, Development Top Agenda for Summit of Americas Apr 11th 2012, 16:11 <!--AV--> President Barack Obama departs Washington on Friday for Cartagena, Colombia, where he will participate in the sixth Summit of the Americas. Port of Spain, Trinidad, in 2009. The president attended his first Summit of the Americas, pledging to seek equal partnerships with other nations in the hemisphere. He also had his first encounter with Hugo Chavez, the fiery Venezuelan leader and critic of U.S. policies. Santos will host summit Three years later, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos will host the sixth summit. The agenda includes development and economic issues, and regional security. Obama claims substantial progress in the region. In 2011, he traveled to Brazil, Chile and El Salvador to press the U.S. trade and investment agenda, praise democratic and social progress, and urge greater cooperation in the war on transnational criminal cartels.   Eric Farnsworth of the Council of the Americas offers this assessment. "The hemisphere is maturing in its own self-confidence. It is strengthening in terms of its economies. And politically there are some challenges to democracy in certain countries, but overall democracy is secure and the countries are trying to find ways to develop those issues even further," said Farnsworth. On the agenda in Cartagena: poverty reduction and inequality, economic integration, technology and cooperation to cope with natural disasters, and citizen security, a reference to drug and criminal violence. Some Latin American leaders want a reexamination of what they call the failed war on drugs. They urge decriminalization of cocaine, heroin and marijuana. The U.S. disagrees. Obama remains focused on military and security aid, and intelligence cooperation. "We're going to be coordinating our efforts more closely than ever, especially when it comes to supporting Central America's new strategy on citizen security, which will be discussed at the Summit of the Americas in Colombia next week," said the president. Absent from the summit will be Cuba. It is not a member of the Organization of American States [OAS], which represents democracies. Cuba, Chavez to figure prominently Washington opposes Cuba's participation on political and human rights grounds. Colombia's president said the issue will be discussed. "There will be debate around Cuba's non-inclusion in the forum. I think nearly every country in the region except for the U.S. wants Cuba to be able to participate in these forums," said Alexander Main of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington. Farnsworth said nations are not allowing the issue to block expanded cooperation. "They are not hung up on the Cuba issue. They are diversifying their relationships. Their main issue is economic development and continuing the political legitimacy that is brought through democratic governance," said Farnsworth. It remains to be seen what drama Venezuela's Chavez, with his antagonistic attitude toward the U.S., may cause in Cartagena. "He is certainly a gifted thespian, and he will make the most of every opportunity to make his influence felt," said Stephen Johnson of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Chavez has deepened Venezuela's relationship with Iran. Analysts say his policies, however, are increasingly viewed with skepticism in the hemisphere. Media files: reuters_colombia_cartagena_skyline_230_10april2012.jpg Obama_Summit_of_the_Americas_Preview_FOR_WEB_SD-fixed-x264-Platform_YTHQFull__972323.mp4 (video/mp4)

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VOA News: Europe: Britain's Cameron Discusses Arms Deals in Indonesia

VOA News: Europe Europe Voice of America

Britain's Cameron Discusses Arms Deals in Indonesia Apr 11th 2012, 15:46 British Prime Minister David Cameron is visiting Jakarta Wednesday where the sale of arms is high on the agenda. As China deepens its defense spending and India emerges as the world's largest importer of arms, Southeast Asia's largest economy is heading in the same direction. The British prime minister, who is seeing sluggish growth at home, is traveling with an entourage of 30 business delegates during his five-day trip to Asia. Hoping to capitalize on strong economic growth and ballooning defense budgets in the region, Prime Minister David Cameron told local media that Britain produces some of the "best defense equipment in the world." Reports last year suggested that Britain and Indonesia were negotiating the sale of 24 Eurofighter Typhoons in a $2 billion deal. <!--IMAGE-LEFT--> Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country, has launched an ambitious plan to modernize its under-equipped military and defense industry. But Yohannes Sulaiman, a defense specialist from the University of Indonesia, said the country's military equipment is so dilapidated that even a large deal with Britain would be a akin to a 'drop of water in an empty bucket.' "Many of these ships are very old, like the Hercules, most of them dated from the 1970s," said Sulaiman. "So they really want to modernize the army and the entire military, everything, but the problem is that because they have to upgrade everything, they don't have money. And to make the situation worse, there is still a lot of problems in the arms procurement, lots of corruption bribes, graft." Following allegations of human rights abuses in East Timor, Papua and Aceh, both the U.S. and Britain banned the sales of defense equipment to Indonesia in the 1990s. A decade of embargoes coupled with rampant corruption in the military have significantly weakened the country's defense capabilities. Despite territorial disputes in the nearby South China Sea, Yohannes Sulaiman said the Indonesian military is not in a position to exert influence in the strategic zone. "For Indonesia, we don't even have enough of anything to even control our own seas. Our military is totally on the defensive," Sulaiman said. "We just need to maintain our national security. They don't look at projecting the powe They don't think about regional strategy, they are just a protector of Indonesian territory." Non-governmental organizations have criticized Indonesia's human rights record and lack of accountability for soldiers accused of abusing their power in the restive region of West Papua. But Prime Minister Cameron is enthusiastic about expanding economic ties with Indonesia, and says the Asian nation has moved on from its tarnished human rights record.   After sealing a defense agreement with Japan Tuesday, the British prime minister is expected to announce a $2.5 billion deal Wednesday between British plane maker Airbus and Indonesian carrier Garuda Indonesia. Media files: RTR30KYZ_Indonesia_Cameron_11APR12.jpg (image/jpeg, 0.1 MB) RTR30KYZ_TEASE_Indonesia_Cameron_11APR12.jpg RTR2NYFR_TEASE_France_Typhoons_11APR12.jpg

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