PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma yesterday urged closer cooperation between South Africa and Zambia in fighting poverty, disease and unemployment.

“The difficult years of fighting colonialism and apartheid together must now translate into a successful joint quest for economic freedom and social development,” he said in the Zambian capital Lusaka. “Our shared history must encourage us to work together to fight poverty, disease, and ensure that our people have decent jobs and a better quality of life.

“Our two business sectors must work as closely as the two governments will now work together, to ensure that we increase economic co-operation and trade.”

Zuma is on a three-day State visit to Zambia, accompanied by several Cabinet ministers and a business delegation representing 60 companies in the energy and petroleum, ICT, infrastructure, financial services, healthcare, mining and agro-processing sectors.

He said South Africa and Zambia had already registered important progress in strengthening bilateral economic co-operation.

SA-Zambian trade had substantially increased since 1994 and Zambia was now South Africa’s number one trading partner on the continent.

Major SA exports to Zambia included mineral oils and fuels, vehicles and components, chemicals, steel and capital equipment. “We should also continue to work together to strengthen people-to-people contact through cultural, scientific and educational exchange programmes, as well as encouraging two-way tourism.”

Zuma also spoke of SA’s efforts to “find a lasting solution” in Zimbabwe. — Sapa

CONAKRY, Guinea — The French ambassador was stopped and his diplomatic car was searched as troops loyal to Guinea's ruling junta continued a manhunt for the renegade soldier that shot and wounded the head of Guinea's military junta, an official said on Tuesday.

The search of a diplomatic car is a violation of international law and is evidence of how uncontrolled the Guinean military has become following the assassination attempt on their leader who was evacuated overseas for emergency treatment last week, said a diplomat who had been briefed on the matter.

Guinea's communications minister said he could not comment on the search of the ambassador's car, but accused the French secret service of "being complicit in the assassination attempt." He said that "only France knows where to find" Lt. Abubakar "Toumba" Diakite, the former head of the presidential guard who opened fire on Capt. Moussa "Dadis" Camara last Thursday, wounding him in the head and forcing him to leave the country for emergency surgery in Morocco.

French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said the claims by Guinea's communications minister were "absurd rumors that I forcefully deny." A spokesman for the French ambassador in Conakry said that he had no comment about the search of the diplomat's car.

The incident was confirmed by a diplomat who had been briefed on the matter and a person close to the French embassy. The two said that the ambassador and his wife had gone to the airport Monday, when soldiers surrounded their car which was clearly marked with diplomatic plates and demanded they be allowed to search it in violation of international treaties. The ambassador's' bodyguards were forced to lie down on the pavement as soldiers pointed rocket launchers at them, while the car was searched.

Earlier this year, Camara dismissed the French foreign minister's call for international intervention in Guinea after soldiers here opened fire on demonstrators. Human rights groups say at least 157 people were killed and that dozens of female demonstrators were dragged to the ground and gang raped by soldiers loyal to Camara.

Camara, who seized power in a coup a year ago, called French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner's comments an "affront to the dignity" of African people in an interview with France 24 radio and television.

Minister of Communications Idrissa Cherif declined to say how many people had been arrested in the sweep of the capital following the assassination attempt, but human rights groups have been getting reports of numerous civilians being rounded up and taken to the capital's main military barracks. A video posted on YouTube showed two soldiers who were believed to be close to Toumba being paraded in their underwear at the military camp in front of screaming soldiers. Their arms were bound behind their backs. Several of the detainees are believed to have been killed in custody.

Cherif said that some of them had committed suicide. "I don't yet have the full report of which of them are alive and which are dead, and which ones committed suicide," he said.

Thierno Sow, the head of a Guinean human rights group, said that his group had been receiving reports of torture from the camp.

It still remained unclear Tuesday how badly wounded Camara was following last week's attack. In an effort to tamp down speculation that he was badly hurt, the country's foreign minister said Monday that Camara was conscious and speaking.

But a doctor who saw Camara's CAT scan and who agreed to speak to the AP on the condition of anonymity due to patient confidentiality said the bullet had skimmed the right side of the leader's skull, causing a splinter of bone to wedge itself in his brain. He said the injury could be life-threatening if it causes excessive swelling in the brain, but he added that he was told by the technician who administered the scan that Camara had been able to step inside the CAT scan tunnel without assistance — indicating that he was still mobile before the surgery was performed.

Even if the piece of bone can be removed, the doctor said Camara could suffer mental impairments, especially memory loss, given that the frontal part of the brain, where memory is stored, was touched.

Camara came to power last December after the death of the country's former strongman, Lansana Conte — who was also a captain in the Guinean army when he grabbed power 24 years earlier. Conte's regime had been marked by excessive corruption and Camara promised he had come to "clean." He pledged to punish all those who had embezzled from the state and then to hand over power to civilians in democratic elections in which he would not run.

It was only months later that he reversed course. In September, the presidential guard opened fire on unarmed protesters demanding an end to military rule.

The shocking level of violence prompted the African Union and the European Union to immediately impose an arms embargo on Guinea and to impose sanctions, including a travel ban on top members of the junta. The army, which was already deeply divided, began to fracture further as leaders of the massacre began pointing the finger at each other.

The tension increased last week as a U.N. commission investigating the killings began interviewing members of the junta in an effort to assign blame.

Associated Press

(Analysis)ZANU-PF’s youth secretary for Harare province, Tendai Wenyika, has said that this week’s congress will be turbulent and said most people want Mugabe’s succession issue decided once and for all. She said at previous congresses and annual conferences, the question of succession had been what she described as “taboo” but now

“Mr. Mugabe is now too old to continue for much longer”

She and others also say Mr. Mugabe’s long tenure has caused “factionalism” in the party.

1 Samuel 8:4-5

“So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.”

Samuel was the last of the judges who ruled Israel. He was an upright and justly man who always trusted God. However, as he grew old the Israelite elders were worried about continuity of Israel as a nation. The following observations are clear:

1. all the twelve tribes were in Unison on the succession issue, no factions or jostling for positions.
2. stated the truth about Samuel, mainly which he was old but his contributions to Israel could not be equalled or rivalled.
3. his sons whom Samuel had appointed to take over from him were very incompetent and corrupt thereby unsuitable for the job.
4. they wanted Samuel to appoint them a successor bringing Israel inline with its neighbours.
5. Samuel even at old age was still respected by the Israelites and he was the only person honoured to appoint his successor.

Succession is just as old as human history. If handled properly it allows smooth transition but if not it results in infighting, factionalism and manipulation of the majority by power hungry political vultures. A classic example of smooth succession is how Nelson Mandela handed over power to Thambo Mbeki in 1999. The symbolic importance of it is that the Founding father of South Africa handed power to his successor. Thus, smooth succession is now embedded within the African National Congress and other political institutions in South Africa. When ANC became disillusioned by Mbeki’s leadership it was easy for Jacob Zuma to challenge him and the rest is history. Instilling democracy in ANC is just as important as Mandela’s fight against apartheid in South Africa. More so, Mandela’s backing of Jacob Zuma was significant because Zuma is a Zulu as opposed to both Mbeki and him who are Xhosas, thereby uniting South Africa more as a nation without a dominant tribe.

Coming back home, ZANU PF is holding its national conference in a week’s time. The importance of succession has never been so crucial than ever. The incumbent is almost 86 and still there is no sign of him relinquish power yet. Mugabe has been at the helm of ZANU since 1976 and his major contribution to it has been to transform ZANU PF into a dictatorial party which is riddled by factionalism and tribalism. His argument that he should leave the selection of his successor to the party is inline with all dictators. The fear of losing power to your successor is too risky for any dictator to contemplate grooming someone to take over, hence he should rule until death do us part. In other scenarios dictators could even go to the extend of killing his own male children in fear of being succeeded.Imagine Mugabe rore to power when I was in grade 6 and 30 long years had since passed with little sign that Mugabe is going anywhere.One important characheristis of any leader is when to go and all signs seem to suggest that Mugabe was not gifted with this crucial quality.The fact that he wants another term in office could only regarded as insanity and should be relieved of his duties just to serve him from the political imprisonment self-imposed.

It is apparent then that dictators cannot relinquish power voluntarily. IN most cases the military provides the solution by intervening but not in Zimbabwe. Thus, this important function of leadership transition should be transferred to the congress of ZANU PF, just like in time of Samuel. This means that the ZANU PF congress of December this year is crucial to the survival of ZANU PF as a party and Zimbabwe in general. The following home truthful is worth pointing about ZANU PF:

a) Mugabe is not only old but very old.

b) ZANU PF is a factional party with competing camps jostling for power.

c) Both Munangagwa and Joyce Mujuru are corrupt and inept leaders who do not have what it take to succeed Mugabe or take ZANU PF to the next level.

d) There are many capable people within ZANU PF who are capable to rise to the occasion if chosen to succeed Mugabe.

e) The congress, just like the elders of Israel during Samuel’s time has the opportunity to demand from Mugabe to relinquish power and appoint his successor at the same time.

f) By demanding for a successor ZANU PF falls in line with other parties in Zimbabwe and Southern Africa at large.

No man has defied nature. The home truth is that Mugabe is quite old indeed and his advance in age demands that we should respect him for his contributions to the History of Zimbabwe whether positive or negative but above all he should step down and allow his party to choose his successor to lead and reform ZANU PF to meet new challenges. On the other hand we have factions which are vying for power,why can’t anyone from these factions through himself on the ring and challenge Mugabe?To begin with he will have the full support of everyone from with ZANU PF and even beyond.For example,Munangagwa has been under the wings of Mugabe from the days of the liberation and to think that he has not learned enough by now implies that even given 2000 years he will not learn anything.What about other politicians in ZANU PF?The likes of SK Moyo, Oppah Muchinguri and many more cadres in ZANU PF are capable of leading the party,bearing in mind that leaders are made and not born.If the woorst comes to the worst even Chinotimba could as longas it is not baba Chatunga.Mugabe’s argument that the party is divided, hence the interest of party he should hang-on until the party is united should be dismissed with the contempt it deserves. He Mugabe has now become a liability to his family, party and Zimbabwe in general. The sooner he goes the better for Mugabe himself,ZANU PF, the inclusive government and Zimbabwe to evolve into a functional, free and democratic country which upholds human dignity and observes the rule of law. (ZimEye, Zimbabwe)

n “Invictus,” Morgan Freeman got the role he was destined to play: Nelson Mandela.

And that’s because the man who mattered most, Mandela, (called “Madiba” after his Xhosa clan’s title) thought so.

“This started out with Madiba naming me his heir apparent so to speak,” Freeman said Friday in Los Angeles.

That happened when South Africa’s first black president had a press conference in the 1990s for his just-published autobiography, “The Long Road to Freedom.”

“Mr. Mandela,” Freeman recounted the media asking, “if your book becomes a movie, who would you like to play you? He said Morgan Freeman.”

“Since then, we’ve read every script ever written that had Mandela in it for even a page,” said Lori McCreary, Freeman’s producing partner.

“We worked on his autobiography for seven years with a South African producer and it was so dense. You can’t tell Mandela’s life in two hours.”

In 2006 they saw “a book proposal from John Carlin” that told how Mandela, early in his presidency with a polarized nation, cannily used the South African rugby team and its efforts to win the World Cup to unite the nation.

“It was perfect. This was the role to play to give the world an insight into who Mandela is,” McCreary said.

There was only one hurdle. “We needed to go to Madiba and ask his blessing for not doing his autobiography; Morgan had looked him in the eye and said, ‘Yes. I’ll do this.’ ”

They went to South Africa for lunch with the Nobel Peace Prize winner.

“Morgan said, ‘We read this book about this incredible event’ - and he didn’t get the sentence out and Madiba said, ‘Ah, the World Cup.’ ”

How did Freeman confront this date with cinematic destiny?

“When he said I would be the one to play him, I had to start preparing then. I met him and said, ‘If I’m going to play you, I’m going to have access to you, to be close enough to hold your hand.’

“The biggest challenge was to sound like him. Everything else was easy.”

bostonherald

(Xinhua) -- Former UN chief Kofi Annan called on Kenya's leaders on Tuesday to quicken the pace of reform to avert a repeat of the violence that followed the disputed presidential elections in December 2007.

Annan, who brokered the power-sharing deal that brought an end to months of tribal violence that, killed at least 1,300 people and displaced hundreds of thousands, said fundamental reforms should be in place in early 2010.

"We urge Kenya's political leaders to show unity of purpose to achieve the objectives of the National Accord -- to deliver sustainable peace, stability and justice through the rule of law and respect for human rights," Annan told journalists after at the end of his two-day meetings in Nairobi.

"This is an important time in Kenya's history, one in which all Kenyans must take a clear stand and play their part," the former UN chief said.

Annan who chairs the AU Panel of Eminent African Personalities has been in the country since last week with fellow Panel member Graca Machel and held a series of meetings in Nairobi with Kenyan leaders, foreign diplomats and civil society.

The two said they were encouraged by a number of positive developments in the last two months, particularly the publication of the Harmonized Draft Constitution, land policy and the final report of the National Task Force on Police Reform.

"We believe these developments reflect fresh momentum in the reform process. The progress that we are seeing is an encouraging indication of what Kenya can achieve," Annan said.

However, the former UN chief said that progress was not yet irreversible as much more still needs to be done to help stabilize the east African nation.

"In some areas the reforms are moving too slowly. We urge greater speed of action, particularly as the time for reform is shrinking. In our judgment, it will close as early as late 2010 when the next round of electioneering begins in earnest," Annan said.

The ruling coalition government had been accused of delaying reforms to the electoral system, the judiciary and land policy, as well as failing to address huge economic disparity.

These reforms were recommended by two independent commissions set up to probe the violence. Annan said that although work had begun in some of the areas, the pace of reform should be accelerated.

"Reforms must be deep-rooted, not superficial, in order to build the firm foundations on which Kenya's continued stability and prosperity depend," Annan said.

He expressed concern over the Kenyan leaders' failure to set up a local tribunal to prosecute senior politicians and businessmen accused of instigating the violence, as recommended in an independent inquiry into the violence.

Annan who handed over an envelope containing the names of suspects to the International Criminal Court (ICC) said a local tribunal was needed and that the ICC would also have to step in and try top-level suspects.

"We are also concerned that the government is yet to take the necessary and effective action to establish a local judicial mechanism to bring the perpetrators of post-election violence to justice," Annan said.

(Xinhua) -- Zambia and South Africa signed six Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) in Lusaka on Tuesday in the areas of health, agriculture, energy, mining, commerce and foreign affairs, during South African President Jacob Zuma's visit to the country, according to the report of Zambian News and Information Service (ZANIS).

Zuma, who had private bilateral talks with Zambian President Rupiah Banda on Tuesday in the State House of Zambia, told media that Zambia has become his country's top trading partner on the African continent.

"We are generally happy with the direction that our trade relations are taking. In 2008, Zambia became our number one trading partner on the continent," Zuma said.

He said South Africa's major exports to Zambia include mineral oils and fuels, autos and components, chemicals, steel and capital equipment.

Zuma, who arrived in Zambia on Monday in the company of eight ministers and a business delegation comprising representatives from 60 companies, said Zambia and South Africa need to cooperate in order to minimize the impact of the global economic recession.

He said the representatives of 60 companies that he has come with were interested in the energy, petroleum, information communication and technology (ICT), infrastructure, financial services, healthcare, mining and agro-processing, according to ZANIS.

"We should also work together to strengthen people-to-people contact through cultural, scientific and educational exchange programmes as well as encouraging two-way tourism," he said.

And Zuma has praised the Zambian government for promoting the growth of the agricultural sector in the country.

"With regard to agriculture, we congratulate Zambia on the growth of this sector, which has shown improvements despite heavy rains in 2008. This country managed to record a food surplus in the past three years. Thanks to the government's seed and fertilizer programme," he said.

Speaking at the same occasion, Zambian President Banda expressed optimism that Zambia and South Africa would enhance their economic cooperation and growth through the memorandums of understanding (MoUs), which the two countries signed.

He said the MoUs between the two countries must be implemented accordingly for the benefit of the people in the two countries. Banda said the two countries have a lot of work to do in implementing the MoUs successfully and urged ministers in concerned ministries to work hard and ensure the commitments made succeeded, according to ZANIS.

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20091208
President Jacob Zuma has been commended for attending the United Nations Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen and taking with him South Africa's contribution towards the global effort to reduce emissions.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said that the President, by outlining a timeline for the country's emissions to peak and decline, had made the first such commitment by a major developing nation.

"The current position from our State President is indeed bold and we are hopeful that leaders from the industrialised nations will comply with his conditions and play ball," said the Chief Executive Office (CEO) of WWF South Africa, Dr Morne du Plessis.

He said that South Africa was the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in Africa and therefore it was key that the South African government deliver such a bold statement.

"President Zuma has thrown down the gauntlet for others and it is up to world leaders to show the political will necessary to secure a positive outcome in Copenhagen. The science is clear, the urgency even clearer," said du Plessis.

Zuma accepted the invitation from the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Denmark, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, to attend the Heads of State and Government Segment of summit.

A statement issued by the Presidency said that South Africa would advocate for a successful outcome that would be inclusive, fair and effective; that had a balance between adaptation and mitigation and a balance between development and climate imperatives.

It said that for developing country's it was not only about addressing green house gas emissions, but energy security and energy access while moving towards a path of low carbon growth.

"South Africa will undertake mitigation actions which will result in a deviation below the current emissions baseline of around 34 percent by 2020 and by around 42 percent by 2025. This level of effort enables South Africa's emissions to peak between 2020 and 2025, plateau for approximately a decade and decline in absolute terms thereafter."

The undertaking was conditional, however, on a fair, ambitious and effective agreement in the international climate change negotiations and the provision of support and finance from the international community.

The Presidency further said that an ambitious and long term financing package for both adaptation and mitigation was a central element of the Copenhagen negotiations and one that will have significant impact on the extent to which developing countries can take mitigation action.

Tasneem Essop, WWF senior policy advisor based in South Africa said South Africa's pledge was another example of emerging economies contributing in a meaningful way to secure a successful outcome in Copenhagen.

"We hope that these commitments will spark a race to the top by pushing industrialised countries to raise their ambition level and put forward more ambitious emission reduction targets as well as the type of international support needed to capture all of the efforts currently being offered by developing countries."

Essop added that the Presidency's statement showed that South Africa recognized that it can grow and develop its economy, alleviate poverty while at the same time stabilising and reducing emissions.

"This represents strong leadership for developing and developed nations alike," she said.

BuaNews

20091208
Tunisia's tourism sector made over 3.21 billion dinars ($2.5 billion) representing a 2% rise from January to November 2009.

Amid the global economic crisis, the northern African country's tourism industry is striving, according to reports from state-owned news agency, TAP.

Revenue from visitors has become the country's top foreign currency earner and the biggest employer after labour-intensive farming, according to Reuters.

In 2008 about 7 million tourists visited Tunisia between January and November, and a record $2.6 billion was realised, according to the ministry.

"The indices we have registered remain much better than the expectations of the World Tourism Organization," Tourism Minister Khelil Lajimi told TAP.

The North African country has been responding to lower consumer spending in Europe, its biggest tourism market, by trying to attract higher-spending tourists and through increased spending on advertising.

Lajimi said Tunisia's tourism industry hopes to obtain in 2009 the same result as last year or better.

Tunisia has a population of 10 million and it is one of the most visited countries not only in northern Africa but in Africa as a whole.

Africa News

20091208
Major stock exchanges in West Africa, all of them members of the African Securities Exchanges Association (ASEA), have taken a major move geared towards fully integrating all the stock exchanges in the sub region. The Stock Exchanges of Nigeria and Ghana, alongside Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières (BRVM), signed a MOU to go ahead with the deal.
Western-Africa-map

Prof. Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke, Director-General of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), who is also the new president of ASEA, said the move signifies the commitment of the sub-region to integrate their markets and trading systems, the Punch Newspaper in Nigeria reported.

Okereke-Onyiuke, who signed on behalf of Nigeria, said the NSE had been collaborating with the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) on the integration process over the years, while there had been challenges from the BRVM due to language problems.

A private corporation, and the only regional stock exchange on the continent of Africa, BRVM serves the francophone West African countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo. It is headquartered in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, with market offices in each member country.

The MOU was signed by the major Stock Exchanges in the Nigerian capital of Abuja, during the 13th Annual Conference of the African Securities Exchanges Association, a 20 member stock exchanges group with notable capital market operators. Also signing on behalf of their respective Stock Exchanges were the Managing Director of GSE, Kofi Yamoah, and the Director General of BRVM, Jean Paul Gillet.

Expressing delight over the development, the representatives pledged their commitment towards ensuring a successful integration of the West African sub region into a common stock exchange. The modalities and time frame for realisation of the project, according to the outcome of the meeting, will be worked out at the first meeting of the technical committee, set for January, 2010.

The members believe that this MOU opens the way for stock exchanges in the sub region to establish a regional platform for trading in stocks, despite the obstacles posed by the differences in currencies, languages and regulations in the individual member countries.

Africa News

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20091208

Ministers, parliamentarians, top civil servants: hardly a week goes by without a prominent official going to jail in Rwanda where the government has declared zero tolerance for corruption.
In his days as the finance director at the presidency, Janvier Murenzi might have thought he was safe from investigation.

Suspended from his post last year he was sentenced in late November to four years in prison and a fine of more than 1 billion Rwandan francs (1.25 million euros).

That very same week Vincent Gatwabuyege, a former top civil servant in the infrastructure ministry, was given a similar fine and a total of seven years in jail for corruption in the attribution of several government contracts.

Elected officials have met the same fate. Former junior minister in charge of water Munyanganizi Bikoro received a two-year jail sentence for tax fraud in August. Junior education minister Theoneste Mutsindashyaka was also recently jailed for corruption.

Most African governments like talking about their fight against corruption, seen as one of the biggest barriers to development on the continent, but Rwanda, most notably for the past two years, has been putting its money where its mouth is.

This tiny central African country, still struggling to recover from a genocide that left more than 800,000 people dead fifteen years ago, is frequently held up as an example by the World Bank.

Rwanda ranked top amongst central and eastern African countries and 89th worldwide in the 2009 report of Transparency International, an anti-graft NGO that compares the anti-corruption efforts of 180 countries.

The government of President Paul Kagame, in power since 2000, has launched what amounts to a crusade against economic and financial crimes, spearheaded by a youthful chief prosecutor, Martin Ngoga, who is just 42.

In the past two years 968 people have been investigated for corruption.

"I walk into the presidency and find people who are corrupt, and I have the freedom to do so without fear that it could backfire," said the fast-talking Ngoga.

"We don't have many things to offer to attract business," he added, referring to his country's poverty, landlocked status and relative lack of natural resources.

"But what is within our reach is to create an environment of no corruption," said Ngoga, before rushing off to his next meeting.

But he doesn't believe in resting on his laurels.

"I am keen not to be complacent about our very modest achievements. Even if Transparency International say that Rwanda is less corrupt, it is not a very good position. It is still a comparison among the corrupt."

Ngoga's partner in the anti-graft crusade is Tito Rutaremara, 23 years his elder, outwardly more placid but no less determined.

Rutaremara is the secretary general of the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), head of the commission that drew up the new constitution adopted in 2003 and, since 2004, the country's ombudsman.

Rwanda adopted the idea of having an ombudsman from Scandinavia but enhanced the position with far-reaching anti-graft powers. The ombudsman's office goes through the revenue declarations that the country's top 5,000 leaders -- including Kagame -- are obliged to submit every year.

One third of the country's 30 or so regional administration chiefs have been sacked after their management raised suspicions.

Large billboards exhorting the population to fight economic crimes fill the streets of the capital. "Awareness week in the fight against corruption" has just ended.

"A corrupt country cannot break free from poverty as the money trickles out. And when corruption becomes a way of life, it discourages hard work -- that's why it's dangerous," Rutaremara said.

Sapa-AFP

20091208

Africa's gross domestic product is likely to grow by between 5.5 and 6 percent in 2010 as the continent recovers from the global downturn, Donald Kaberuka, the president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), said on Monday.
Donald Kaberuka also said the bank had suspended programmes in Guinea, including a mining project involving Rio Tinto, because of instability in the country, where a ruling military junta is facing international sanctions.

In an interview at the AfDB's headquarters in the Tunisian capital, Kaberuka said he was upbeat about the economic outlook for Africa after a year when the continent was hit hard by a drop in demand for commodities and scarcity of finance.

He said the bank had revised up its GDP growth forecast for 2009 to around 4 percent from the previous 3.5 percent, and that it expected to reduce lending in 2010 and would wind down some of its crisis-response instruments.

"I am much more optimistic for 2010 than I was a year ago," Kaberuka told Reuters. "For an average next year we shall see 5-1/2 percent, 6 percent (GDP growth)," he said.

Asked about GDP growth for 2009 he said: "We are at around 4 percent ... a figure of 4, 4.5 percent is not improbable."

He said the bank's lending in 2009, which rose to about $10 billion in response to the slump, was probably a peak. "I expect that ... we will go back to our traditional expected lending area of around $7 billion.

"Depending on what happens, we intend to scale down some of our crisis response instruments," Kaberuka said.

He said Africa's economic recovery would be driven by reviving demand for commodity exports and a pick-up in investment flows, which dried up in the global slump.

South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria would play a key role because they would drive growth in their regions.

"I am very much encouraged by the performance of the South African economy so far, which is recovering quite well from where it was a few months ago," he said.

africagoodnews

20091208

GENEVA (Reuters) - The top United Nations human rights official called on Tuesday for Libya to release two Swiss businessmen saying their "unfair" detention since July 2008 seemed linked to a diplomatic row.

The two men, sentenced last week to 16 months in prison in Libya for immigration offences, appear to be "victims of a state-level dispute" between Libya and Switzerland, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said.

Rachid Hamdani, a Swiss construction company employee and Max Goeldi, Libya head of Swiss-Swedish electrical engineering group ABB, were denied permission to leave Libya days after the arrest in Geneva of a son of leader Muammar Gaddafi on charges later dropped of mistreating two domestic employees.

"I think that the detention of the two Swiss businessmen appears to be a violation because they were detained and held in custody for a very long time before the government of Libya announced that they're now subject to judicial proceedings," Pillay told a news conference. "So their detention seems to be unfair and there has been no proper explanation."

She added: "They appear to be victims of a state-level dispute between Libya and Switzerland and should, in my view, be released as soon as possible."

Individuals should not be made to suffer because of "bad relations between states", according to Pillay.

A judicial source in Libya has said that the Swiss face a second trial this month on new charges related to violating economic regulations.

Libyan officials deny any connection between the arrest in Switzerland and the cases of the two businessmen, whom the Swiss foreign ministry has referred to as "hostages".

A Swiss foreign ministry spokesman in Berne was not immediately available for comment on Tuesday, but last week a spokesman said the men were still in the Swiss embassy in Tripoli.

20091208

CONAKRY (Reuters) - Guinea's military junta chief, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, is well and will address the nation soon, a spokesman said on Tuesday, five days after an assassination bid on the West African nation's leader.

Guinea, the world's top producer of bauxite, has been gripped by fears of further instability since Camara was shot and evacuated to Morocco, where he was operated on for head wounds, leaving behind a power vacuum and deeply divided army.

"The president is well. I think that he will address the nation and its people either this evening or tomorrow," Information Minister Idrissa Cherif told Reuters in Conakry.

Already under pressure for a September 28 security crackdown on pro-democracy campaigners that human rights groups say claimed more than 150 lives, Guinea's junta, led for now by defence miniter Sekouba Konate, is facing intense pressure to step down.

However, gunfire rings out almost daily as loyalist forces focus instead on hunting down those linked to Camara's former aid-de-camp and would-be assassin, Lieutenant Aboubacar "Toumba" Diakite, who is now on the run with a gang of soldiers.

"All those who were seen with (Toumba) -- soldiers, civilians and even charlatans -- are being systematically arrested and tortured. Some of them are being killed," said a senior police officer, who asked not to be named but said he had gathered information from official reports and other sources.

The information was confirmed by a military source.

"The most worrying thing is that they are not bothering to seriously question those who are arrested. At this rate, this will turn into a settling of scores," the policeman added.

20091208
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt has stepped up efforts to clear millions of World War Two mines from prime north coast land in a $250 million demining project to ready the area for tourism, energy and agriculture investments, an official said.

Egypt says Allied and Axis armies left behind 20 percent of the world's remaining landmines and explosive war remnants around El Alamein, site of a decisive World War Two battle.

"This project opens a huge wide open gate to the future," said Fathy El Shazly, the Director of the Executive Secretariat for Demining and Development of the Northwest Coast. "Our project is, par excellence, a demining for development project."

The area slated for demining stretches along Egypt's Mediterranean coast from El Alamein toward the Libyan border. The overall development of the area is estimated to cost $10 billion, a government report on the demining project said.

With most of its roughly 77 million people crammed into a strip of land along the Nile valley and in its fertile Delta, Egypt wants to develop other areas such as the northern coast.

Already, beach resorts popular among wealthy Egyptians dot the northern Mediterranean coast, and both Egyptian and foreign developers have bought up mine-free land in nearby areas.

The cleared land will be allocated to tourism, oil and natural gas, renewable energy, and agriculture, Shazly said in his Cairo office, where dismantled landmines sit for display.

Shazly, who is running the project that has UNDP backing, said he planned to clear all the mines in the area -- approximately 248,000 hectares of otherwise pristine coastline and desert hinterland -- within five or six years.

NAIROBI, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- The 2010 African Athletics Championships set for Kenya appear to have run into yet more difficulties.

Two Local Organizing Committee (LOC) officials hinted on Tuesday that the event had fallen into further problems with veiled undertones that Athletics Kenya (AK) were ready to pull the country out of the event altogether.

LOC chairman Isaiah Kiplagat and CEO, David Okeyo, who are also senior AK officials, told journalists in Nairobi that a meeting of the entire organizing body on Wednesday would spell out the future of the continental championships set for July 28 to August 1 in Nairobi.

"We are too slow and we have bottlenecks. We have a meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) and we do not want to pre-empt what shall be discussed in that meeting. We will let you know what happens," Okeyo said.

Three months ago, Kiplagat had given the Kenyan government a December ultimatum to financially guarantee the 4.04 million U.S. dollars needed to host the event or they would petition the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) to withdraw Kenya from the event.

"We are extremely slow since we want the input of everyone in the LOC. There is no need of telling people that we are doing so well but there is nothing to show for it. It is better to release (the truth) so that the people of Kenya can know what is happening," he said.

"We everything fails, it is we who shall carry the cross but in this case, we shall not carry the cross alone."

The government had not released money needed to set up the LOC secretariat for the event that was initially set for late March before being postponed by three months when it became apparent Kenya could not host the championships.

At the event's re-launch late November, Kenya's Prime Minister Raila Odinga seemed to put the myriad problems that had beset the event behind, saying, "The journey to hosting the Africa Senior Athletics Championship has just begun. It will be no simple task and it requires full commitment and financial support for the country to have a successful championship."

However, despite the assurance, AK and Kenyan Sports Ministry officials led by Minister, Prof. Helen Sambili who has been locked in a bitter behind-the-scenes battle to control the event, especially the finances appear headed for a big fallout that could cripple the country's chances of hosting the event.

Kenya, which has produced champion distance runners, has never staged the event.

ANTANANARIVO, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Madagascan transitional president Andry Rajoelina protested the consensus reached between the three former presidents in Maputo, Mozambican capital, a communique issued by the presidency said on Tuesday.

The communique said Rajoelina considered the resolution of the meeting held in Maputo since last Friday between the three former Presidents Marc Ravalomanana, Didier Ratsiraka and Albert Zafy as "a provocative approach that does not seek to resolve the current political crisis."

"Rajoelina's camp will not stick and does not endorse such an approach," said the communique issued following a telephone conversation between Rajoelina and former Mozambican president Joaquim Chissano, who led the joint mediation team.

The statement said Chissano informed Rajoelina that political camps respectively led by Zafy, Ratsiraka and Ravalomanana seek redistribution and the sharing of ministerial posts allocated to the movement of Rajoelina, according to the list drawn up by mediators on Nov. 13.

Midi, a French-language daily, reported that three former presidents agreed on Monday night to give Ravalomanana's camp the ministries of trade, foreign affairs, agriculture and land reform, higher education and scientific research, decentralization and regional planning and transport.

Ratsiraka's camp was given the ministries of finance, budget, energy, public health, post, telecommunications and new technologies, public works and public service, labor and social laws.

Zafy's camp took the portfolios of environment and forests, education, mines and hydrocarbons, tourism and handicraft, interior, and fisheries and fish resources.

The three political camps agreed to give Rajoelina's camp the ministries of defense, technical and vocational education, youth and leisure, economy and industry, livestock and sports.

For the Ministry of Justice, one of those in question, Didier Ratsiraka proposed that Rajoelina choose among five names from the Union of Magistrates in Madagascar.

However, the newspaper said there was not consensus for this ministry because Zafy and Ravalomanana rejected Ratsiraka's proposal.

Madagascan National Radio said the three political camps ended their meeting Tuesday morning and were scheduled to arrive in the Indian Ocean island country in the night with their proposal rejected by Rajoelina's camp.

CAIRO, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed AbulGheit on Tuesday was satisfied with the Iraqi parliament's adoption of the new elections law, Egypt's MENA news agency reported, quoting Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki as saying.

Zaki quoted Abul Gheit as describing the measure as an important step along the road of democracy and stability in Iraq.

Abul Gheit, added the spokesman, underlined Egypt's full support to the Iraqi people and its relentless efforts to help Iraq attain sovereignty and territorial integrity.

On Sunday night, the Iraqi lawmakers approved by majority the new election law which would govern the upcoming national parliamentary elections initially scheduled for Jan. 16.

On Monday, the Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq decided to extend by five days the deadline of holding the national voting and set Jan. 21 as the date for the elections.

20091208

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Residents of a Mogadishu suburb clashed with Hizbul Islam rebels on Tuesday after the insurgents arrested a headmaster who raised a Somali flag over his school.

Witnesses said some residents grabbed weapons and fired at the Hizbul gunmen after a protest against the group turned violent in Elasha, 15 km (9 miles) southwest of the capital.

Residents said the insurgents shot back, wounding at least two people.

The incident was a rare example of Somali civilians standing up to heavily-armed insurgents who rule much of the country.

Hundreds of students and local people had taken to the streets after Hizbul Islam fighters stormed Elasha's Ibnu Kuzeima secondary school, replaced the blue Somali flag with a black Islamist banner and then dragged away the principal.

"Residents took out their guns. Fighting is going on and I don't think it will stop," shopkeeper Aden Hussein told Reuters.

The demonstrators burned tyres and chanted: "We don't want destructive Hizbul Islam. Down with them. They are destroyers."

Hizbul officials later released the headmaster but the situation degenerated as residents began shooting at them.

20091208

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's labour federation COSATU could strike against plans by state-owned utility Eskom to raise electricity prices by 35 percent a year for the next three years, the union's head said on Tuesday.

A steep electricity price increase has stoked fears of more job-losses and inflation as it could lead some industrial majors to shut parts of their operations. South Africa, which emerged from its first recession in 17 years in the fourth quarter, saw its economy lose close to a million jobs this year.

Eskom {ESCJ.UL] says it needs a tariff increase to help raise money to pay for a 385 billion rand power expansion programme. Last week the utility reduced its proposal for an increase to 35 percent from 45 percent after widespread criticism from labour, government and business circles.

Eskom has said it would also rely on borrowing from capital markets and government loans to fund its expansion programme.

"It (35 percent tariff hike ) will spell a disaster, it will make the situation we are talking to now about job-losses much worse," COSATU's General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said.

"We will make our submission, we will engage and we have said it very clear it's not something that we will be prepared to take lying down and if there is a need we are prepared to mobilise the society."

Asked by Reuters if he meant COSATU would go on strike to prevent the new tariffs from being implemented, he said: "Yes".

President Jacob Zuma last week raised the prospect of more job losses as the global economic downturn continues to have an impact.

Vavi and former Eskom chairman Bobby Godsell also spoke on measures needed for preserving current jobs and avoiding retrenchments at a business and labour forum.

20091208

PARIS (Reuters) - France said on Tuesday it had asked a diplomat at the Togo embassy in Paris to leave the country in retaliation for the expulsion of a French diplomat from the west African country.

The foreign ministry declined to say why Togo had targeted France's first secretary in Lome, who was named as Eric Bosc, and defended his record in the former French colony.

"(Bosc) was in charge of following interior policy and has never acted beyond his mission, showing great professionalism in his contacts with all legal parties," it said in the statement.

"France has taken a reciprocal measure and demanded the departure of a diplomat at Togo's embassy in France," it added.

French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero declined to comment on reports that Togo believed Bosc had developed too close ties with one of the candidates standing in 2010 presidential elections.

Bosc was still in Togo and was expected to leave the country in the next few days, Valero said.

Togo's embassy in Paris was not immediately available for comment.