BRIEF: Libya Blocks UN Condemnation

GENEVA, Switzerland – For the second time in two months, the UN Security Council was unable to agree on a statement condemning violence and unrest in the Middle East.  On March 6, the US prepared a statement, which carries less weight than a formal resolution, condemning a day of violence that included an attack at a seminary in Jerusalem.

Libya opposed the statement, believing that it should be more balanced and that it should also condemn Israel’s recent operation in Gaza.  Libya’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Ibrahim Dabbashi, said the attack on the school was no different than Israeli military offensives against militants in Gaza.  He said that “when we have to condemn the killing of the Israeli civilians, we also have to look at what’s happening in Gaza.”

Israel stated that no comparison could be made between the two events.  Dan Gillerman, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nation, said that the attack on the seminary was not an act of retaliation, but rather “these people have been terrorizing Israel for years, have been carrying out suicide bombings and indiscriminate attacks for years.”

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman, Arye Merkel, echoed Gillerman’s statement, by saying that there’s a major difference between the attack on the seminary and Israel’s operation in Gaza. He said, “We attack terrorists and unfortunately in a situation of war it happens that some civilians are also hurt. They attacked civilians only.  Today it was a school, the other day it was a hospital, and then another school.”

For more information, please see:
The Associate Press – Libya Blocks UN from Condemning Violence – 7 March 2008

CNN – Libya Blocks UN Condemnation of Jerusalem Seminary Attack – 7 March 2008

BRIEF: Rwanda Signs Agreement with UN to House Prisoners

KIGALI, Rwanda –  Rwanda can now jail persons convicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).

Rwanda signed an agreement with the UN on the enforcement of sentences imposed by the ICTR with the United Nations. Rwanda joins six other countries, Mali, Benin, Swaziland, France, Italy and Sweden, which have already signed such an agreement.

The ICTR Statute sets forth requirements for prisons that a nation must satisfy before it can agree to house criminals convicted by the ICTR. Rwanda built a prison in Mpanga which meets these criteria.

In response to the possibility of being transferred to prison in Rwanda, 40 of about 70 detainees who have been convicted by the ICTR voiced their concern about possible mistreatment or abuse. The 40 detainees signed a letter sent to the president of the ICTR stating that they would call on international organizations to hold the U.N. and the ICTR responsible for ensuring that they are not mistreated in a Rwandan prison if they are sent there against their will.

For more information, please see:

allAfrica.com – Rwanda: Country Becomes the 7th to Sign UN Agreement – 7 March 2008

ICTR – Rwanda signs Agreement on Enforcement of ICTR Sentences – 5 March 2008

UPDATE: Barisan National Party Wins Simple Majority

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – According to the Election Commission, the Barisan National Party won a simple parliamentary majority. However, the coalition lost control of three states, which include Kedah, Penang, and Kelantan.

The coalition had earlier held a 90 percent majority, but according to experts it will have major setbacks in these elections. Final results are still being tallied. However, the opposition is claiming victory in five state assemblies and at least one-third of the seats in the federal parliament.

For more information, please see:

Reuters – Malaysia PM’s Coalition Wins Simple Majority – 8 March 2009

UPDATE: Barisan National Party Wins Simple Majority

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – According to the Election Commission, the Barisan National Party won a simple parliamentary majority. However, the coalition lost control of three states, which include Kedah, Penang, and Kelantan.

The coalition had earlier held a 90 percent majority, but according to experts it will have major setbacks in these elections. Final results are still being tallied. However, the opposition is claiming victory in five state assemblies and at least one-third of the seats in the federal parliament.

For more information, please see:

Reuters – Malaysia PM’s Coalition Wins Simple Majority – 8 March 2009

Sahwa Forces Increase Strength, Tensions with Iraqi Government

By Ben Turner
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq –  As a result of the sectarian violence in Iraq, the U.S. has made efforts to promote Sunni-run security forces.  During the spring of 2007, the U.S. government recruited more than 80,000 former Sunni resistance fighters to form a new group, the Sahwa.  The group is also known as “The Awakening Council.”

Sahwa was formed to battle al Qaeda in Iraq.  Sahwa works with U.S. and Iraqi forces to increase security across Iraq.

The motives for joining Sahwa vary.  Many joined as a rejection of al Qaeda’s extremism.  For many Sunnis, having a counterweight to the Shia controlled Iraqi government is also motivation.  And the $300 monthly salary also serves as a great incentive.

The Sunni dominated groups form a counterbalance to the primarily Shiite run Iraqi government.  The relationship between Sahwa and the Iraqi government is delicate and many disagreements arise.

Sahwa forces have accused the police chief of Diyala province Ghanim al-Qureyshi of allowing Shia militiamen and death squads to operate with impunity against Sunnis.

Tensions rose in early February when men dressed in Iraqi security personnel uniforms kidnapped two women.  Their naked bodies were found later.

After the incident with the two women, Sahwa gave Qureyshi a deadline to apologize and to arrest those responsible.  When the deadline passed without an apology, Sahwa stopped working and held demonstrations protesting Qureyshi.

“We hereby declare suspension of all co-operation with U.S. military, Iraqi security forces and the local government,” Abu Abdullah, spokesman for the Awakening Council in Diyala province announced after the deadline passed.

Hundreds of Sahwa members closed their offices and held demonstrations in Baquba, a city 40 kilometers northeast of Baghdad.  The Iraqi government then promised to investigate the incident with the two women and the Sahwa went back to work.

Shortly thereafter, Sahwa again stopped work in protest, accusing the government security forces of further attacks against Sunnis.  Sahwa then cut all ties with the government and U.S. forces and left their security posts.

But on March 1, the government met most of Sahwa’s demands and Sahwa members returned to their posts.  The Iraqi government’s accommodating stance in regards to Sahwa forces underscores the group’s growing influence in Iraq.

The group’s increased influence in security roles has almost made them a third security force in the country, alongside the Iraqi army and the police.  As their influence continues to grow, the tensions between Sahwa and the Iraqi government have become more pronounced.

General Mahdi Subeih from the interior ministry told the Saudi-owned al-Hayat newspaper in London that “the rebellion by some of the members of the Awakening Councils and the confrontations that erupted between them and the security forces reveal the depth of the chasm between the two sides.”

For more information, please see:
Middle East Online – Iraq: Did the Surge Work? – 7 March 2008

Uruknet.info – IRAQ: Sahwa Forces Challenge Govt, and Win – 5 March 2008

Middle East Times – Top US Military Official Visits Iraq Rebel Stronghold – 3 March 2008

The Independent – The Turkish Invasion Could Destroy a Unified Iraq – 27 February 2008

Christian Science Monitor – Rift threatens U.S. antidote to Al Qaeda in Iraq – 13 February 2008