Beirut, 27 ago, 11:04 - Un rapporto Onu critica lo scarso impegno di Libano e Siria nell'ostacolare il contrabbando, soprattutto di armi, che avviene ormai da tempo nella zona di frontiera.

Israele ne era cosciente e aveva già denunciato il traffico illecito che il movimento sciita Hezbollah riceve dall'Iran attraverso quel passaggio.

Il rapporto divulgato oggi dal quotidiano An Nahar, già presentato al segretario generale delle Nazioni Unite Ban Ki-moon, è il frutto del lavoro svolto da una commissione speciale.

Questo gruppo, a lavoro per oltre due settimane, era composto da esperti militari, di dogane e di diritto internazionale, che hanno collaborato a stretto contatto con forze di sicurezza interna, della sicurezza generale e della direzione delle dogane.

Russia signs up to Georgia truce

Moscow's troops continue to operate deep inside the Caucasus republic

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has signed a ceasefire agreement with Georgia after receiving it in Moscow.

The deal calls for all military activity to stop and for troops from both sides to pull back into pre-conflict positions.

The deal was signed on Friday by Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili.

But Russian forces remain deep in Georgian territory, and correspondents say many obstacles remain in the way of full implementation of the peace deal.

At stake is the future of Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

US-backed Georgia has vowed it will not accept any loss of its territory, but Russia insists that following the recent violence, residents are unlikely to want to live in the same state as Georgians.

The crisis, which began nine days ago, saw Georgian forces launch a surprise attack to regain control of South Ossetia, only to be decisively repelled by Russian forces.

Russian 'advances'

On the ground in Georgia, Russian forces had moved forward overnight.

Russian forces still control Gori, which lies some 15km (10 miles) from the border with South Ossetia.

Several tanks and armored personnel carriers were seen in Kaspi, west of Gori and some 35km north-east of the capital Tbilisi - an advance of some 15km on their previous position. Lorries of soldiers were seen heading towards the town.

Meanwhile, Russian troops were seen patrolling in Zestafoni, some 100km west of Gori along a major highway.

The Russian army brought in a large number of irregulars, mercenaries... They go around drunk, aggressive, armed and do all these atrocities Mikhail Saakashvili Georgian president

Georgian officials also said Russian forces remained in the Georgian Black Sea port of Poti, the site of a major oil shipment facility, and a major Russian military contingent is further inland, at Senaki.

The crisis began on 7 August, when Georgian forces launched a surprise attack to regain control of South Ossetia, which has had de facto independence since the end of a civil war in 1992.

The move followed days of exchanges of heavy fire with the Russian-backed separatist militias. In response to the Georgian assault, Moscow sent armoured units across the border into South Ossetia to intervene.

Obstacles ahead

Scores of people have been killed by the fighting and tens of thousands displaced.

PEACE PLAN No more use of force Stop all military actions for good Free access to humanitarian aid Georgian troops return to their places of permanent deployment Russian troops to return to pre-conflict positions International talks about future status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia

The EU-brokered ceasefire agreement which both sides have now signed includes a pledge to pull all troops back to their pre-conflict positions.

It also contains a plan to begin international talks about the future status of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who was in Tbilisi on Friday, has demanded the immediate withdrawal of Russian forces from Georgian territory.

But Russia argues its forces are there to ensure civilians face no threat from Georgian troops.

Mr Saakashvili has accused the Russians of committing war crimes.

The UN puts the number of those displaced in the conflict at 118,000

"The Russian army brought in a large number of irregulars, mercenaries," he said. "They go around drunk, aggressive, armed and do all these atrocities."

He criticized the West for not granting Georgia membership of Nato, saying it could have prevented the fighting.

Diplomats have said that the UN Security Council is expected to vote this weekend on a draft resolution formalising the ceasefire agreement.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will meet the Russian permanent representative in New York, possibly on Saturday, because he has so far been unable to contact the Russian president, officials have said.

'Watching with alarm'

President Bush is set to hold a video conference with some of his most senior staff, including Ms Rice and Defence Secretary Robert Gates, to discuss the crisis in Georgia.

President Bush said Russia had to act to end the crisis in Georgia Russia angry at US missile deal

On Friday, Mr Bush said Russia's actions in Georgia were "completely unacceptable".

"The world has watched with alarm as Russia invaded a sovereign neighbouring state and threatened a democratic government elected by its people," he said.

He called upon Russia to end the crisis or risk its credibility on the global stage.

Mr Bush said he would send his secretary of state to Brussels next week to discuss how to deal with Russia with Nato foreign ministers and EU officials.

But the president did not respond to comments from Russia's deputy chief of staff, who said Moscow would be justified in launching a nuclear attack if Poland went through with its agreement to base US interceptor missiles on its territory as part of Washington's controversial defence shield.

Matt Robinson

GORI, Georgia (Reuters) - Russian troops and armor deployed around three Georgian towns on Thursday, as international pressure mounted on Moscow over its continuing occupation of parts of Georgia.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was "extremely concerned" about the humanitarian situation in Georgia and called for a halt to lawlessness.

Here a Russian General defends the actions of Russian Troops and explains that the Russians will leave and they will respect Georgian territorial integrity.

La société civile espagnole a une responsabilité morale dans le conflit autour du Sahara. Et c’est l’envoyé personnel du secrétaire général de l’ONU, Peter van Walsum, qui vient de l’affirmer. Dans une interview, parue dans l’édition week-end du quotidien El Pais, le diplomate onusien a critiqué le tissu associatif espagnol pour avoir créé chez le front Polisario de «faux espoirs» sur «l’indépendance» du Sahara. Le médiateur onusien a estimé que ce soutien avait contribué au «prolongement de l’agonie» des Sahraouis séquestrés dans les camps de Tindouf ; restés prisonniers, depuis maintenant 33 ans de conflit, d’une chimère qui s’est envolée avec la première fumée de l’effondrement du Bloc communiste. M. Walsum a, par ailleurs, invité «les Espagnols qui se préoccupent vraiment du bien-être des Sahraouis à se demander s’ils agissent correctement en encourageant le Polisario à insister sur l’indépendance totale». «La réalité politique sur le terrain se trouve entre les mains du Maroc», a précisé le responsable onusien, qui avait balayé d’un revers de main, dans son rapport du 15 avril dernier, présenté devant le Conseil de sécurité, l’option de «l’indépendance» prônée par le front séparatiste, en la qualifiant d’ « irréaliste» et d’«irréalisable». Cette déclaration, pertinente et audacieuse, a depuis coûté au diplomate néerlandais, une campagne haineuse orchestrée par l’Algérie, qui l’accuse avec le Polisario d’avoir pris parti pour la solution d’autonomie, proposée par le Royaume. La nouvelle sortie du médiateur Walsum, cette fois dans la presse espagnole, révèle le rôle que joue la société civile espagnole dans la perpétuation du conflit, relevant sa responsabilité morale dans le calvaire incessant des Sahraouis, livrés en pâture à l’incurie et à la vindicte d’une direction séparatiste qui n’a d’yeux que sur les dividendes des aides humanitaires internationales, avec ce que cela implique en termes sonnants et trébuchants. La nouvelle sortie de M. Walsum montre qu’il n’est pas seulement toujours le médiateur onusien dans l’affaire du Sahara, mais qu’il est fidèle à sa perception de la sortie de crise, incarnée par l’Initiative marocaine de négocier un statut d’autonomie pour le Sahara. L’envoyé personnel du SG de l’ONU avait dernièrement appelé le Polisario à saisir l’opportunité de l’offre marocaine pour ménager une porte de sortie honorable au conflit plus que trentenaire créé autour du Sahara, ce qui lui a valu d’être accusé de «partialité» par Alger, ainsi que par la direction du Polisario, au point d’avoir conditionné le retour à la table des négociations au limogeage du médiateur onusien. Chose qui a porté des membres influents du Conseil de sécurité, notamment les Etats-Unis, à exprimer clairement leur soutien à M. Walsum, rejetant en bloc les fausses allégations relayées par Alger pour discréditer le responsable onusien. L’appui ouvert manifesté récemment à M. Walsum par le Département d’Etat américain montre à quel point la communauté internationale est lassée par la radicalisation du Polisario, mais aussi et surtout d’Alger qui continue de soutenir des chimères.

Main Article: Human Race Faces "Oblivion" From Global Warming, Says UN Chief

Here is another speech he made on the topic, from the UN website.

Visiting Kyoto, Ban calls for new climate change agreement by end of 2009

If anyone is still in doubt about climate change, here are four recent articles that were aggregated within the Climate Change Coalition's weekly news letter. Note that all four are from different reputable sources and different parts of the world. Deniers can only keep burying their heads in the snow for as long as there is snow.

Meltdown in the Arctic is speeding up

Climate Change in Action in Greenland

No room for doubt: Glaciers in the Tian Mountains in western China are melting because of global warming

Record heat forces closure of Canada Arctic park -- 81 degrees F or 27 degrees C in Iqaluit on Baffin Island. Baffin is so far north most people probably have never heard of it and have no idea where it is, hence the link to a google map.

Thanks to bobbo for sending this to me.

De seguro saberedes que hoxe se inauguraron os Xogos Olímpicos de Beijing 2008. Así que, pasando do ben que organizan as cousas os países baixo dictadura, e do rollo do pebetero, o desfile de delegacións, e demáis gaitas, vou facer unha breve reflexión...

Como supoño que saberedes, durante a celebración dos Xogos Olímpicos Clásicos da Antiga Grecia existía a costume de declarar unha tregua chamada a Paz Olímpica, segundo a cal se paraban tódolos enfrontamentos armados entre as distintas delegacións participantes.

Cando o Barón Pierre de Coubertin decidiu impulsar de novo a tradición dos Xogos Olímpicos, tamén pretendía recuperar as tradicións que os rodeaban, incluida dita tregua. E así, este luns o Secretario Xeral da ONU Ban Ki-Moon chamou ás nacións en conflicto a depoñer as armas, inda que fose só de xeito temporal.

Tivo éxito a proposta? Diríase que non. Non só as hostilidades que había antes da declaración continúan coma se nada: Crise de Darfur, Ocupación de Iraq, Conflicto Palestino-Israelí... Senón que ademáis:

• Mércores 6 de agosto: Golpe de Estado en Mauritania.
  
• Venres 8 de agosto : Rusia invade a rexión xeorxiana de Osetia do Sur.

Veña, festa!! Que gran poder de convicción ten a ONU nos tempos que corren. Que foi de Kofi Annan??

Non vou falar da ocupación do Tíbet, non vou falar da ocupación do Tíbet...

"We must look at the substantial successes we have been able to achieve, but also reflect on how far we have to go," Ben Powless of the Indigenous Environment Network told IPS on the eve of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.

Though pleased with the U.N. General Assembly’s decision last year to approve the Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples, Powless and other activists say they have no reason to believe that those who have occupied their native lands are willing to change their behaviour.

"Governments in the past have been complicit in genocides, land seizures, massive environmental degradation, and many other human rights abuses because [indigenous peoples] were denied their fundamental rights and freedoms," said Powless, a Mohawk whose nation’s territory is now divided between modern-day Canada and the United States.

Last year when the 193-member U.N. General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples, both the U.S. and Canada were among a handful of countries that voted against it.

"This shows how far we still have to go to make sure that states acknowledge and protect indigenous peoples’ rights, for if they continue not to, we have many examples of the grave results," said Powless.

Recently, both the U.S. and Canada were found guilty by a Geneva-based U.N. rights watchdog, which keeps track of violations of the 1968 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) told Canada to take "appropriate legislative or administrative measures to prevent the acts of transnational corporations on indigenous territories."

CERD took the Canadian government to task in response to a petition filed by indigenous organisations that charged private businesses from Canada were unlawfully involved in the exploitation of their lands located in the U.S.

The petition particularly focused on the situation facing the Western Shoshone -- a Native American tribe whom some non-natives refer to as "Snake Indians," although in their own language they are called Newe people.

Continued . . .

Prejudice against people living with HIV/AIDS makes them afraid to speak out and allows the disease to make its deadly impact around the globe, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today. “Stigma remains the single most important barrier to public action. It is the main reason too many people are afraid to see a doctor to determine whether they have the disease, or to seek treatment,” Mr. Ban writes in an op-ed article in The Washington Times.

“It helps make AIDS the silent killer, because people fear the social disgrace of speaking about it, or taking easily available precautions. Stigma is a chief reason the AIDS epidemic continues to devastate societies around the world.”

Mr. Ban addressed a major international conference on AIDS in Mexico earlier this week, which brought together more than 20,000 activists, academics and policymakers. In today’s article he says he called on world leaders “to speak out against discrimination and to guarantee the rights of people living with HIV.”

“Schools should teach respect and understanding. Religious leaders should preach tolerance. The media should condemn prejudice and use its influence to advance social change, from securing legal protections to ensuring access to health care,” he stressed.

The Secretary-General notes that, for the first time, fewer people are being infected by HIV and fewer are dying, thanks to changes in sexual behaviour – particularly among young people – and better access to anti-retroviral drugs.

He says these gains would not have been possible without strong support from the international community, and cites a renewed pledge by the G-8 group of countries to work toward the goal of universal access to HIV treatment by 2010, as well as a $48 billion commitment by United States President George Bush toward the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria over the next five years.

Según los mismos informadores, 'EEUU apoya el proceso de negociaciones en el marco de Naciones Unidas, impulsadas por el actual mediador de la ONU, Peter Van Walsum. Los esfuerzos que ha realizado hasta ahora han conducido al refuerzo del diálogo entre las partes'. Sin embargo, el Frente Polisario ha condenado en numerosas ocasiones la actuación de Van Walsum, que llegó a declarar que la intención de crear un estado saharaui no es "realista". De hecho, el líder del Polisario y presidente de la República Árabe Saharaui Democrática, Mohamed Abdelaziz, ha asegurado en los últimos días que el clima actual no es el más propicio para convocar la quinta ronda de negociaciones en el marco de la ONU.

Aujourd´hui le Maroc escribe en sus páginas que Argelia ha instrumentalizado una campaña hostil contra el diplomático de Naciones Unidas, acusándole de 'parcialidad' por 'haber dicho simplemente en voz alta lo que todo el mundo pensaba en voz baja, llegando a la conclusión de la irrealidad de la tesis quimérica de la independencia', recoge la MAP.

Para el periódico alauita, los Estados Unidos se han reafirmado en el apoyo de Washington a la solución de la autonomía, calificándola de 'realista'. Y recuerda que Condoleezza Rice, Secretaria de Estado americana, se alineó en su momento con Van Walsum, asegurando que "sus sugerencias merecen ser tomadas seriamente en consideración".

'Nuestra posición sobre el Sahara sigue siendo la misma, pensamos que cierta autonomía mutuamente aceptada constituye la solución realista para el Sahara, y hemos exhortado a las dos partes a comprometerse sobre esta base', señalaron al rotativo marroquí fuentes diplomáticas americanas.

Desde junio de 2007, indica la MAP, representantes de Marruecos, el Polisario, Argelia y Mauritania han participado en Manhasset, cerca de Nueva York, en cuatro rondas de negociaciones bajo los auspicios de las Naciones Unidas en presencia de Van Walsum "en su calidad de facilitador de las negociaciones".

Jose Medellin, 33, was executed by lethal injection on Tuesday for admitedly a foul crime commited 15 years ago. The International Court of Justice backed up by Ban Ki-moon the UN Secretary General, requested the US to put a hold on his and another 50 executions as there should be new hearings to determine whether the Vienna Conventions were violated during their arrests.

Jorge Montano, a former Mexican ambassador to the US, said that the US should respect international law.

"The biggest lesson once again for the rest of the world, the US is not prepared to respect any ruling when that ruling is not in their favour and that, for me, is like the law of the jungle once again. If we don't respect the international legislation, then how can we ask other countries to do so?"

Indeed!

World YWCA calls on religious leaders to rise up against stigma and discrimination in response to HIV and AIDS, World YWCA (Aug. 4)
World YWCA HIV and AIDS Co-ordinator Sophie Dilmitis "was part of a plenary session addressing stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV and AIDS and she called on religious leaders to start using their power to help overcome the stigma and discrimination often associated with HIV."

As AIDS Conference Opens, AmfAR Releases Report Exposing Global Failure To Address HIV Among MSM, Medical News Today (Aug. 5)
"A day after leaders from the United Nations and the World Health Organization called attention to the need to combat AIDS among men who have sex with men, amfAR released the world's first comprehensive report exposing the failure of governments and global health institutions to address this exploding epidemic. The report, MSM, HIV, and the Road to Universal Access - How Far Have We Come?, paints a clear picture of collective denial and inaction fueling a worldwide public health crisis."

AIDS stigma rampant in Mexico: World conference highlights patients who report discrimination from doctors, Houston Chronicle (Aug. 2)
"Activists plan to seize the opportunity to confront deep-rooted homophobia in Mexico, which has deterred thousands of HIV carriers — a majority of them gay men — from seeking treatment or even getting tested. The situation is similar throughout much of Latin America except in a handful of countries including Haiti, Honduras and Belize, where the epidemic has become more generalized. [...] Many experts liken the discrimination toward AIDS patients here to that of the United States in the 1980s, when the predominance of the disease within the gay community led to a homophobic backlash."

Mexican set for Texas execution

Jose Medellin, now 33, has been on death row since he was 18

A Mexican man whose case has drawn international legal attention is set to be executed in Texas for the rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl.

Barring a last-minute stay, Jose Medellin will face lethal injection at 1800 local time (2300 GMT).

The International Court of Justice had ruled that Medellin was entitled to a new hearing as he was not told of his right to contact a consular official.

Texas says its courts are not bound by the rulings of the ICJ.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called on the US to abide by the ICJ ruling, AFP news agency reported.

"All decisions and orders of the International Court of Justice must be respected by states," he is reported to have told a television station in Mexico City, where he is attending a world Aids conference.

"The United States should take every step to make sure the execution does not take place."

Medellin's case dates back to 1993 when two girls, Jennifer Ertman, 14, and Elizabeth Pena, 16, were raped and murdered by six gang members in Houston.

Set up in 1946, the ICJ is the highest United Nations court

Medellin, who was born in Mexico but moved to the US as a child, was convicted of Miss Pena's murder.

At the time of his arrest, police did not tell him that he could request assistance from the Mexican consulate - in violation of the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

In 2003, Mexico, which does not have the death penalty, filed a lawsuit at the ICJ on behalf of Medellin and 50 other Mexican nationals on death row in the US who had also not received consular support.

The court ruled in Mexico's favour, and ordered that their cases be reviewed.

Texas acknowledged that Medellin had not been told he could ask for help from Mexican diplomats, but argued that he had forfeited the right because he never raised the issue at trial or sentencing.

State officials also argued that it would not have made any difference to the outcome of the case.

Earlier this year, President George W Bush ordered Texas to comply with the ICJ ruling, but the Supreme Court justices subsequently decided 6-3 that he had overstepped his authority.

Case is 'clear'

Last month, in response to an urgent request from Mexico, the ICJ ordered the US to "take all measures necessary" to halt Medellin's execution.

But Texas judicial authorities said in response that the law in Medellin's case was "clear".

"Texas is not bound by the World Court but by the US Supreme Court, which reviewed this matter and determined that the convicted murderer's execution shall proceed," a statement from the attorney general's office said.

On Monday, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles rejected a request by Medellin and his legal team for a reprieve.

Medellin's legal team are still hoping the Supreme Court will grant a stay of execution that would give Congress time to enact new legislation compelling US states to abide by ICJ decisions.

El secretario general de la ONU, Ban Ki-Moon, hizo ayer un llamamiento a la comunidad internacional para que atienda la problemática de la crisis alimentaria y el cambio climático, dos fenómenos que "amenazan seriamente a las nuevas generaciones".

Tres enemigos. "El mundo encara tres retos críticos en los cuales estamos comprometidos y necesitamos una respuesta globalizada para atenderlos: el cambio climatológico, la crisis de alimentación y el desarrollo emergente", dijo Ban Ki-Moon en una sesión solemne en el Senado mexicano tras inaugurar ayer la XVII Conferencia Internacional sobre el SIDA (AIDS 2008), que concluye el viernes en la capital mexicana. "Los graves cambios climatológicos que se están viendo no son ciencia ficción, están provocando escasez de la comida y ello, a su vez, frena el desarrollo de los países", ha advertido.

Ayuda prioritaria a los pequeños productores. También ha instado a apoyar a los pequeños agricultores. "Se necesita proteger la producción de semillas y fertilizantes de los 450 millones de granjeros en el mundo pues de no tomarse esta medida, los 100 millones en extrema pobreza pasarán al estado de inanición", ha advertido.

México, ejemplo a seguir. Ha reconocido asimismo que México es uno de los países de Latinoamérica que ha emprendido acciones contra a esta problemática y sostuvo que la voz de este país "está muy respaldada" en Naciones Unidas por su esfuerzo en participar en temas de interés mundial.

Conferencia Internacional en México

A French diplomat, Alain Le Roy, has been appointed by the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki Moon, as the world's chief peacekeeper. With UN peace operations facing the most serious crisis since Rwanda and Srebrenica, the timing could not be more critical.

UN peacekeeping is the victim of its own success: Never before in their 60-year history have blue helmets been in such high demand. About 110,000 personnel are deployed in 20 peace operations around the world, more than a six-fold increase from 10 years ago.

However, UN member states have neglected making crucial investments in the support infrastructure for an expanding network of large peace operations with increasingly complex tasks, from protecting civilians to rebuilding defunct institutions in post-conflict states. As a result, the UN apparatus is severely overstretched, exhibiting increasingly serious pathologies ranging from sluggish deployments to shocking sexual abuse scandals.

Worse yet, the Security Council has returned to the ill-fated practice of sending peacekeepers into ever-more hostile environments where there simply no peace to keep.

Recent reports from Darfur, the largest and most expensive UN mission to date, are reminiscent of the news from Bosnia in the weeks before the fall of Srebrenica: UN peacekeepers, facing a logistical and political nightmare, are unable to defend themselves, let alone protect the civilian population. Were further large-scale atrocities to occur under the UN's watch in Darfur, the repercussions would threaten to undermine the entire business of peace operations.

There is a risk of an all-out anti-UN backlash overshadowing the good work UN peacekeepers have done in exceptionally difficult circumstances over the past decade. UN members need to act now and give the new head of peacekeeping the tools and support necessary to pull UN peacekeeping back from the brink.

To accomplish this, member states need to clearly commit to the doctrine that a UN peace operation should only be deployed if there is actually a peace to keep, underwritten by a credible commitment by the major conflict parties to work toward a political solution. If taking the "Responsibility to Protect" seriously in some cases requires military intervention, member states should not rely on the instrument of peacekeeping, which is ill-suited for this task.

Therefore, under present circumstances the UN should not deploy peacekeepers to Somalia or Chad, where the absence of political will among rival parties renders peacekeepers as little more than turquoise targets.

Key member states must also lower expectations on what peacekeepers can realistically achieve in Darfur. They must make it crystal clear to the public that the absence of peace in Darfur is not the fault of UN peacekeepers but a result of the international community's inability to force the conflict parties into a lasting political settlement.

In addition, UN members urgently need to invest in the infrastructure for peace operations worldwide. Resources need to match the grandiose rhetoric and ambitious goals set out in Security Council mandates. This includes seriously enlarging the UN's standby blue helmet capacity - with a clear manpower commitment on the part of the United States, Canada and Europe, not just Asian and African states who currently supply the vast majority of peacekeepers.

It also means expanding the team of rapidly deployable police officers and complementing it with a team of judicial and legal experts who can play a critical role in struggling peace operations worldwide.

To read the article in its entirety, please click here.

En plus de l’appui qui lui a déjà été exprimé par les États-Unis et Londres, Peter van Walsum, l’actuel envoyé personnel du secrétaire général des Nations Unies pour le Sahara, peut compter sur le soutien de Madrid. Le ministre espagnol des Affaires étrangères, Miguel Angel Moratinos, a affirmé, lundi 4 août à Tanger, que son pays apporte «son soutien aux efforts du secrétaire général des Nations Unies et de son envoyé personnel» pour le règlement du dossier du Sahara. Le chef de la diplomatie espagnole qui s’exprimait à l’issue d’un entretien avec Taïeb Fassi Fihri, ministre des Affaires étrangères et de la Coopération, a affirmé que son pays a «soutenu la dernière résolution du Conseil de sécurité des Nations Unies qui est pragmatique» et que l’Espagne est favorable à la poursuite des négociations à travers la tenue d’un 5ème round de négociations.
A noter que l’ONU avait renouvelé sa confiance au diplomate néerlandais Peter van Walsum, en affirmant que son statut d’envoyé personnel du SG de l’ONU dans l’affaire du Sahara n’a pas changé.  «Peter van Walsum reste l’envoyé personnel du secrétaire général de l’ONU (Ban Ki-moon) et participe au processus de réflexion sur les prochaines étapes» du processus de négociations, avait déclaré la porte-parole adjointe du secrétaire général de l’ONU, Marie Okabe, lors d’un point de presse vendredi 25 juillet à New York. Ainsi, cette clarification était intervenue suites aux allégations, dirigées à partir d’Alger et de Tindouf, visant à discréditer le médiateur onusien, depuis que ce dernier a écarté, dans son rapport du 15 avril dernier au Conseil de sécurité, l’option de «l’indépendance» prônée par les séparatistes, en qualifiant cette thèse d’ «irréaliste» et d’«irréalisable». Le Polisario, autant que l’Algérie, avait qualifié de «partiale» la position du facilitateur onusien, relevant un «parti pris» en faveur de la solution d’autonomie préconisée par le Royaume du Maroc pour tourner la page du conflit plus que trentenaire autour du Sahara.  Depuis juin 2007, des délégations du Maroc, du Polisario, de l’Algérie et de la Mauritanie ont pris part, à Manhasset, près de New York, à quatre rounds de négociations sous l’égide des Nations Unies en présence de M. Van Walsum en sa qualité de facilitateur des négociations.

Mauritanian army coup condemned

General Ould Abdelaziz is now in charge in Mauritania

There has been widespread international condemnation of the  military takeover in Mauritania.

Troops overthrew the country's first democratically elected president, Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, detaining him after he tried to dismiss army chiefs.

UN chief Ban Ki-Moon called for the "restoration of constitutional order". Condemnation has also come from the US, the EU, and the African Union (AU).

The military promised to hold fresh elections "as soon as possible".

In a statement released a day after Wednesday's coup, the junta promised the polls would be "free and transparent".

Meanwhile US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called for the immediate release of President Abdallahi and Prime Minister Yahia Ould Ahmed El-Ouakef, both of whom were detained by troops on Wednesday.

"The United States looks to all of our international partners to condemn this anti-democratic action," she said in a statement.

The European Union warned that it may suspend aid to Mauritania.

The AU denounced the coup, demanded a return to constitutional government and said it was sending an envoy to the capital, Nouakchott, immediately.

Political crisis

On Wednesday the president tried to dismiss four senior army officers, including the head of the presidential guard, Gen Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz, who responded by launching the coup.

A statement issued by a body calling itself the "State Council" and led by Gen Abdelaziz, was broadcast by Gulf-based Arabic television stations.

It said Mr Abdallahi - who came to power in polls last year, taking over from a military junta - was now a "former president".

Troops deployed on Nouakchott's streets fired tear gas to disperse about 50 protesters as the council annulled his previous decree dismissing the military chiefs.

The country has been in the grip of a political crisis since a vote of no confidence in the cabinet two weeks ago.

On Monday, 48 MPs walked out of the ruling party.

Reports suggest some of the generals orchestrated the mass resignation, says the BBC's James Copnall in the region.

Food protests

Mauritania has a long history of coups, with the military involved in nearly every government since its independence from France in 1960.

Presidential elections held in 2007 ended a two-year period of military rule - the product of a military coup in 2005.

The elections were deemed to have been free and fair and appeared to herald a new era of democracy.

Earlier this year, however, the president dismissed the government amid protests over soaring food prices.

The cabinet that replaced it has been dogged by instability, lacking the support of a moderate Islamist party and a major opposition group that were in the former government.

Mauritania is one of the world's poorest nations as well as its newest oil producer.

New York – Am heutigen Morgen hat Bundespräsident Horst Köhler stellvertretend für
alle Deutschen eine Medaille der Vereinten Nationen entgegengenommen.
Bei einer feierlichen Zeremonie überreichte der Generalsekretär Ban
Ki-Moon die neue geschaffene Auszeichnung.

„Die Deutschen sind ein Vorbild für alle Völker dieser Erde.
Selbstaufopferung zum Wohle aller anderen, das ist wirklich ein großer
Schritt.“ Sagte Ban in seiner Lobpreisungsrede. „Der Verzicht auf
Fortpflanzung und damit die Entscheidung endlich auszusterben hilft der
gesamten Weltbevölkerung den begrenzten Raum zukünftig sinnvoll zu
nutzen.“

Horst Köhler dankte dem Generalsekretär und versprach, dass der deutsche
Staat auch künftig alles daran setzen werde, die Vermehrung seiner
angestammten Bevölkerung einzudämmen. „Dabei arbeiten alle Deutschen
Hand in Hand. Die Industrie verwöhnt die Bevölkerung mit
wohlschmeckenden, Potenz mindernden Weichmachern und die deutschen
Konsumenten haben sich zu mehr Pornografie- und TV-Konsum
verpflichtet.“ Wenn die Deutschen spätestens in 50 Jahren ausgestorben
seien, stünden alle Einrichtungen und Gegenstände den neuen Besitzern
zur uneingeschränkten Nutzung zur Verfügung, so Köhler großzügig.

Aber auch kritische Töne gab es bei der Verleihung. So rügte Generalsekretär
Ban die vom Sachsen-Anhaltinischen Ministerpräsidenten Wolfgang Böhmer
als „ostdeutsche, postnatale Bevölkerungsdichten-Kontrolle“
bezeichneten Maßnahmen zur Erreichung dieses hohen Ziels.
Bundespräsident Köhler entschuldigte sich für diese „schwachsinnige
Äußerung eines Grenzdebilen“ und gelobte die Total-Verhütung mit allen
humanen Mitteln umzusetzen.