Political stability yet to return to war-hit ME countries
Sunday, 8 January 2012
Fazle Rashid
NEW YORK, Jan 07: Peace and political stability is yet to return to countries from where long ruling corrupt autocrats have been deposed or hanging on to power precariously. Departed rulers have left their sympathisers in the administration.
Egyptian prosecutors in the trial of Hosni Mubarak say that the security forces of the army-led government are obstructing the case, suggesting that the government itself is not very keen on pursuing the case. The prosecutors say they are acting independently to gather evidence of corruption and murder of opponents by Mubarak and his co-hosts.
The Egyptian prosecutors in their concluding observation called for hanging of Mubarak, saying he used the security forces to brutally kill his political opponents and hundreds of protesters who challenged his autocratic rule.
Meanwhile, in Yemen, the beleaguered president Ali Abdullah Saleh who received gun wounds and was rushed to Saudi Arabia for treatment returned home duping Saudi security. He intended to visit the US for better treatment but changed his mind because of escalating political tension in his country. Saleh has been ruling for three decades much against the wishes of the Yemeni people.
Protesters, already furious over an immunity clause in the power transfer agreement, feared Saleh will use the trip to escape trial and lobby Washington to keep him in power. The US Fifth Fleet is based in Yemen.
In a separate development in north Africa, Libya's transitional government has expressed concern that the country could descend into a civil war if radicals were not disarmed and brought under control. The leader of the Transitional National Council warned that government is facing bitter options as it struggles to rein in thousands of fighters who battled against the Gaddafi forces. Capital Tripoli is still under the control of militias. There are allegations of Nato forces committing human rights abuses in Libya.
In the Middle East, Israel Defence Minister Ehud Barack said Israel and Palestine negotiators exchanged position papers of a meeting that is to be held in Jordan with King Abdullah, for brokering a peace accord. Bur neither side held out the promise of a breakthrough. This will be first meeting between two sides in 15 months. The negotiations broke down over Israel's insistence on going with new settlements in the occupied Arab territories.
Israel and the United State militaries will hold a major military exercise, the largest military drill between the two countries apparently in response to Iran's similar venture in the Strait of Hormuz. Israel said the drill was planned long ago and had nothing to do Iran.
NEW YORK, Jan 07: Peace and political stability is yet to return to countries from where long ruling corrupt autocrats have been deposed or hanging on to power precariously. Departed rulers have left their sympathisers in the administration.
Egyptian prosecutors in the trial of Hosni Mubarak say that the security forces of the army-led government are obstructing the case, suggesting that the government itself is not very keen on pursuing the case. The prosecutors say they are acting independently to gather evidence of corruption and murder of opponents by Mubarak and his co-hosts.
The Egyptian prosecutors in their concluding observation called for hanging of Mubarak, saying he used the security forces to brutally kill his political opponents and hundreds of protesters who challenged his autocratic rule.
Meanwhile, in Yemen, the beleaguered president Ali Abdullah Saleh who received gun wounds and was rushed to Saudi Arabia for treatment returned home duping Saudi security. He intended to visit the US for better treatment but changed his mind because of escalating political tension in his country. Saleh has been ruling for three decades much against the wishes of the Yemeni people.
Protesters, already furious over an immunity clause in the power transfer agreement, feared Saleh will use the trip to escape trial and lobby Washington to keep him in power. The US Fifth Fleet is based in Yemen.
In a separate development in north Africa, Libya's transitional government has expressed concern that the country could descend into a civil war if radicals were not disarmed and brought under control. The leader of the Transitional National Council warned that government is facing bitter options as it struggles to rein in thousands of fighters who battled against the Gaddafi forces. Capital Tripoli is still under the control of militias. There are allegations of Nato forces committing human rights abuses in Libya.
In the Middle East, Israel Defence Minister Ehud Barack said Israel and Palestine negotiators exchanged position papers of a meeting that is to be held in Jordan with King Abdullah, for brokering a peace accord. Bur neither side held out the promise of a breakthrough. This will be first meeting between two sides in 15 months. The negotiations broke down over Israel's insistence on going with new settlements in the occupied Arab territories.
Israel and the United State militaries will hold a major military exercise, the largest military drill between the two countries apparently in response to Iran's similar venture in the Strait of Hormuz. Israel said the drill was planned long ago and had nothing to do Iran.