WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2012
NEWS
A boy pushes his bicycle past a man standing on a roadside waiting for transportation as the sun sets on the outskirts of Islamabad yesterday. — AP
Red Cross seeks Syria ceasefire Continued from Page 1 And despite a plea by activists on Monday to allow women and children to flee Homs’ besieged Baba Amr neighbourhood, troop reinforcements were sent to the outskirts of the restive city, which residents say has been under assault for 18 straight days. Activists fear they are preparing to storm its defiant neighbourhoods. The Observatory said 16 people, including three children, died in “intensive shelling” that targeted Baba Amr, with the Khaldiyeh and Karm Al-Zaytoun districts also blasted. Eight more civilians, including a child, were reportedly killed by gunfire elsewhere in the country. Homs-based activist Hadi Abdullah of the General Commission of the Syrian Revolution, who had earlier voiced fears of an imminent ground attack against Baba Amr area, told AFP “large reinforcements were heading to Homs”. “We counted at least 150 shells crashing in Baba Amr within two hours this morning. We gave up counting afterwards,” he said. Omar Shaker, another activist, told AFP the neighbourhood had “no electricity, nor fuel,” and that “snipers have hit water tanks,” rendering the situation “bad beyond imagination”. Human Rights Watch said it had confirmed the use of Russian-made 240 mm mortars in Homs. “It is by far the most powerful mortar in modern use - most other countries stop at 160 mm mortars, and a very powerful weapon,” HRW
emergency director Peter Bouckaert told AFP. “We have little doubt that those extremely powerful mortars are being fired by the regime forces into civilian neighborhoods of Homs. We are talking about a 250pound mortar round that can only be fired from a heavy specialised armored vehicle and it requires a nine person crew to operate,” he added. In the capital, the Observatory reported that security forces opened fire overnight to disperse a demonstration in the Al-Hajar AlAswad neighbourhood, as daring protests spread in the stronghold of Assad’s regime. Protesters blocked the roads leading to Baramkeh Square in the centre of the capital overnight, according to Mohammed Shami, a spokesman for activists in Damascus province. Demonstrators used “burning materials” to shut the roads, triggering a security alert that saw “heavily armed forces” deployed in the area within minutes, he added. Security forces also opened fire to disperse a student protest inside the University of Aleppo, the northern city that until recently been spared anti-regime demonstrations. And secular groups demonstrated outside parliament against an article in the draft constitution that would require the president to be a Muslim. The International Committee of the Red Cross called for a daily truce of two hours in Syria so it can deliver vital aid to afflicted areas, after saying a day earlier it was in talks with both sides to halt
the violence. The head of the rebel Free Syrian Army, Colonel Riyadh AlAsaad welcomed the call, but voiced doubts that the “criminal” regime would commit. Meanwhile, the UN under secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, Valerie Amos, called on Syria to allow aid groups unimpeded access to the country. “ This is a major human rights crisis that is now moving into significant humanitarian consequences,” Amos said after talks with EU aid commissioner Kristalina Georgieva. And although top US military officer, General Martin Dempsey, said over the weekend it was “premature” to arm the country’s opposition, top Republican Senator John McCain called again for the outgunned rebels to be supplied with weapons. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, said Syria was increasingly under pressure. A Friends of Syria meeting in Tunis on Friday will “demonstrate that Assad’s regime is increasingly isolated and that the brave Syrian people need our support and solidarity,” she said on a visit to Mexico. The meeting “will send a clear message to Russia, China and others who are still unsure about how to handle the increasing violence but are up until now, unfortunately, making the wrong choices,” she added. Russia announced that it will not take part in the meeting because it was being convened “for the purpose of supporting one side against another in an internal conflict”, the foreign ministry said. — AFP
Yemenis vote as Saleh’s 33-yr rule comes... Continued from Page 1 The Arab world’s first female Nobel peace laureate, Tawakkul Karman, hailed the poll as a “day of celebration,” though she warned Hadi “to work for young people who took to the streets a year ago” or else they will “force him out just as they did Saleh”. Hadi cast his ballot amid cheers and applause at a far more secluded polling station near his home in the capital, with close aides saying he was surrounded by heavy security because of death threats. “This is a historic day for Yemen ... we will put the past behind us and turn a new page on which we will write a new future,” said Hadi. The road ahead remains ripe with risk and potential pitfalls, warned Yemen’s UN envoy. Yesterday’s election must be followed by “a far-reaching national dialogue bringing together all parties, especially those who have so far not taken part in the current political process,” said Jamal Benomar, referring to southern separatists and northern rebels who boycotted the polls. The deep divisions and conflicts that still plague the Arab world’s poorest country were evident yesterday. At least nine people were killed in the south, including a child, three civilians and four members of the police and security forces, while dozens of others were wounded, medics and security officials said. The 10-year-old child was killed near the election commission headquarters of the south’s main port city of Aden when southern separatists traded gunfire with police. The separatists also seized half of the polling booths in Aden and set tyres ablaze to disrupt movement, forcing officials to end voting there three hours early, secu-
rity officials said. The separatists, who say the election fails to meet their aspirations for autonomy or independence, were boycotting the poll, and hardliners from the group called for a day of “civil disobedience” to prevent the vote. Meanwhile, in Shiite rebel strongholds in northern Yemen, many polling stations were either deserted or closed. The rebels, who have fought six wars with Saleh’s regime since 2004, also boycotted the election. According to a security official, only one polling station in the northern town of Saada was open. Hadi, himself a southerner, pledged on Sunday to address the concerns of the separatists and rebels, saying “dialogue and only dialogue” can resolve these long-standing conflicts. And though Saleh was across the Atlantic receiving medical treatment for wounds sustained during an attack on his compound last year, his shadow loomed large. The veteran strongman maintains a strong hold over the most powerful security forces and there is also speculation that he might return from the United States as early as today. Saleh, spared the fates of his ousted Arab counterparts in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, urged Yemenis in a speech published on state news agency Saba Monday to vote for his deputy to ensure a “peaceful” transition of power. Results can be expected within the next two days, although under Yemeni law it can take up to 10 days before the official tally is announced. More than 12 million Yemenis were eligible to vote. The turnout in the single-candidate election will give some idea of the support 66-year-old Hadi has from his countrymen to lead the transition. — AFP
Govt urged to scrap loan interests, give... Continued from Page 1 the occasion of the national and liberation days. Ashour pointed out that Mulaifi should be excluded from any pardon because he had insulted Shiites’ Imam Al-Mahdi. Shiite lawyer Ali Al-Ali, who organized a rally less than two weeks ago to demand action against Mulaifi, said that bigger protests will be held if Mulaifi was released. Mulaifi wrote at the start of the month an analysis on his Twitter account about how various groups of Shiites voted in the first constituency, which Shiites say contained derogatory remarks about their revered imam. Mulaifi was summoned to the state security on Feb 11 and following a week of interrogations at
the public prosecution, and was remanded into custody for 21 days pending further investigation. The National Assembly has meanwhile decided to hold its sessions on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays every two weeks, adding a session on Thursday in order to accelerate the approval of laws. The legal and legislative committee has decided to start discussing anti-corruption laws after the national and liberation days. The panel will focus on a draft law for setting up an anti-corruption authority and another for the disclosure of wealth. The financial and economic affairs committee also discussed the development plan and decided to invite all MPs for a presentation on the plan from Minister of Public Works and Development Fadhel Safar.
Sarkozy clashes with Le Pen on halal meat Continued from Page 1 Yesterday she clarified her comments to say that all meat distributed in the region could be suspected of being halal, as without a label “neither you nor I know which is halal and which is not”. “Widespread animal suffering, in violation of French and European law, is not trivial,” she said on France Inter radio in response to Sarkozy. “The fact that a majority of French people are being misled about what they buy is not a trivial controversy,” Le Pen said. Her campaign team stepped up the pressure yesterday, calling for a “ban on the slaughtering of animals for consumption without stunning”. “Mandatory stunning has two advantages: it reduces animal suffering and allows consumers to be reassured about the slaughtering conditions of the meat they are purchasing,” the campaign said in a statement.
Authorities and meat producers also denied Le Pen’s claim. Her claim is “absolutely false”, Interior Minister Claude Gueant said on Sunday, noting that, while there are halal slaughterhouses in the region, their products are clearly marked. “Veterinary services ensure that abattoirs send halal production to people who want to consume halal meat,” he told French media, saying there were “frequent checks to avoid any misrepresentation of products”. Producers said that, while slaughtering in the region was mostly done according to Islamic or Jewish traditions, only about two percent of the meat consumed in the greater Paris area came from the region itself. Le Pen is struggling to catch up to Sarkozy and Hollande in the election campaign, with polls showing her with between 16 and 20 percent support in what is increasingly looking like a two-horse race. She inherit-
ed the leadership of the National Front last year from her father JeanMarie, who was known for his antiimmigrant rants and shocked observers by making it to the second round of France’s 2002 presidential vote. Home to western Europe’s largest Muslim minority, estimated at between five and six million, France has for years been debating how far it is willing to go to accommodate Islam, now the country’s second religion. The country has come under fire from Muslim groups for a series of measures authorities say are aimed at protecting France’s secular tradition, including a ban on wearing full-face veils such as the Islamic niqab and the burqa. France will vote in the first round of a presidential election on April 22, followed by a second-round run-off on May 6, and Hollande is well ahead of Sarkozy in the polls. — AFP
DSK detained over sex ring Continued from Page 1 charges on these or other potential offences. He could be cleared, be charged and released on bail or remanded in custody pending an eventual trial. Under French law, aggravated organised pimping carries a prison term of up to 20 years and profiting from embezzlement five years and a large fine. Between interrogations, the millionaire international statesman was to be held in a spartan 7.5-sqm cell with a simple foam mattress, a sink and a hole-inthe-floor squat toilet. Investigating magistrates want to know whether he was aware that the women who entertained him at parties in restaurants, hotels and swingers’ clubs in Washington, Paris and several other European capitals were paid prostitutes. They will also seek to determine whether Strauss-Kahn knew that the escorts were paid with funds fraudulently obtained by his hosts from a French public works company, for which one of them worked as a senior executive. Paying a prostitute is not illegal in France, but profiting from vice or embezzling company funds to pay for sex can lead to charges. The former managing director of the International Monetary Fund admits he has an uninhibited sex life, but denies any role in pimping or corruption and has indicated he will deny any criminal wrongdoing. Lawyer Henri Leclerc has said his client may not have known he was with prostitutes as “in these parties, you’re not necessarily dressed. I defy you to tell the difference between a nude prostitute and a nude woman of quality”. Two businessmen, Fabrice Paszkowski, a medical equipment tycoon with ties to Strauss-Kahn’s Socialist Party, and David Roquet, former director of a local subsidiary of building giant BTP Eiffage, have been charged. The pair have alleged links to a network of French and Belgian prostitutes centred on the Carlton Hotel in Lille, a well-known meeting place of the local business and political elite in a city run by the Socialist Party. In all, eight people have been charged in connection with the “Carlton affair” -including three executives from the luxury hotel itself, a leading lawyer and the
local deputy police chief, Jean-Christophe Lagarde. The last of the sex parties is said to have taken place during a trip to Washington and the IMF headquarters between May 11 and 13 last year by Paszkowski and Roquet, in part to discuss Strauss-Kahn’s presidential bid. One day later, on May 14, Strauss-Kahn’s career fell apart when he was arrested in New York following allegations that he had subjected chambermaid Nafissatou Diallo to a brutal sexual assault in his hotel suite. The case against him eventually collapsed when prosecutors began to doubt Diallo’s credibility as a witness, and Strauss-Kahn returned home to France to face further investigation and scandal. First, 32-year-old French writer Tristane Banon accused him of attempting to rape her in 2003. Prosecutors decided there was prima facie evidence of a sexual assault, but ruled that the statute of limitations had passed. Then, StraussKahn was linked to the Carlton case when suspected escorts gave his name to police probing a vice ring linked to notorious pimp Dominique Alderweireld, known in the underworld as “Dodo la Saumure”. Strauss-Kahn’s multi-millionaire heiress wife, journalist Anne Sinclair, has stood by him since the allegations erupted, but the website she edits - the French edition of the Huffington Post -led its front page with the scandal. She made no editorial comment, but her team reported the case in depth. Few in France doubt that, but for the sex scandals, it would have been Strauss-Kahn and not Francois Hollande running against Sarkozy in April’s presidential election, and the incumbent’s camp was quick to seek advantage. “Perhaps, at the end of Dominique StraussKahn’s interrogation, we will hear useful and interesting news about the behaviour of Socialist Party branches in the north,” said Sarkozy’s campaign spokeswoman Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet. “If Francois Hollande is where he is today, it is because Dominique Strauss-Kahn is where he is today,” she added. The involvement of businessmen and police officers raised suspicions they intended to curry favour with a presidential contender by procuring women for him, but they are reported to have denied this during questioning. — AFP
Riyadh names first Iraq envoy since Gulf War Continued from Page 1 Saudi Arabia was alarmed when its US ally’s invasion of Iraq in 2003 brought Iranian-backed Shiite factions to power in elections after the overthrow of Saddam’s Sunni-based rule. Iraq also has strong ties to Syria, Iran’s only Arab ally, which the Arab League has suspended over President Bashar Al-Assad’s violent suppression of an 11-month-old uprising. “Iraq’s response accepting this request will be quick,” Maliki’s spokesman Ali Mussawi told AFP. “The Iraqi government welcomes this step, and we consider it a first step, and we are waiting for more steps,” such as “the appointment of a resident ambassador in the country”, he said. Martin Kobler, the top United Nations envoy in Iraq, called the appointment of an ambassador “an encouraging sign”. In an interview yesterday, Kobler said Iraq is now tak-
ing significant steps to appear inclusive to Sunnis. He sounded optimistic that the leaders of Iraq’s major parties would soon agree to work out ways to share more power with Sunnis who feel sidelined by the Shiite-led government. “The signs are encouraging,” he said. Saudi commentators said the move appeared to be motivated mostly the country’s desire to strengthen its relationship with Iraq before the Arab League summit. Iraq has long pressed Saudi Arabia to appoint an envoy to Baghdad. “Iraq is going to host the Arab summit next month so there will be a great deal of diplomatic activity,” Jamal Khashoggi, an influential Saudi commentator. “Maybe this is our way of saying ‘Okay, now we have an ambassador’ without actually putting one there. But the security situation is not good.” Baghdad has often accused Saudi Arabia and Turkey of meddling in its
affairs, especially after a 2010 election that kept Maliki in office under a power-sharing deal among Sunni, Shi’ite and Kurdish blocs. That deal has been severely strained since US troops withdrew in December and Maliki sought the arrest of a Sunni vice president and moved to oust a Sunni deputy premier. His actions prompted fears among Sunnis that the Iraqi leader was trying to consolidate his power further at their expense. Saudi Arabia has also worried that the rise of Shiite power in Iraq could stir unrest among its own Shiite minority. For their part, Iraqi Shiite officials see a Saudi hand in autonomy demands in mainly Sunni border provinces. “This is really part of the changes that have been taking place in the region, especially Syria,” Saudi columnist Khalid Al-Dakhil said. “This is part of the Saudis trying to keep their hands on the changes taking place in the region.” — Agencies