5/4/2012 3:08 PM ET (RTTNews) – Malawi’s new president Joyce Banda said Friday that she does not want her Sudanese counterpart Omar al-Bashir, who has been charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC), to attended a summit of African leaders due to be held in her country in July.
Banda reportedly told a press conference held Friday that she has already requested the African Union to prevent Bashir from attending the summit and suggested that Sudan send another top level official instead.
She said the summit comes at a time when her government was in the midst of attempts aimed at wooing back western donors who had stooped funding Malawi due to concerns of poor governance as well as the growing dictatorial tendencies of her late predecessor, Bingu wa Mutharika.
Banda was sworn into office on April 7, following the sudden death of President Mutharika due to a heart attack. She was the country’s Vice-President at the time of Mutharika’s unexpected death. She became President under a law which stipulates that the Vice-President would automatically become the head of state if the sitting President is either incapacitated or died.
Banda said Friday Bashir’s visit to Malawi for attending the forthcoming African Union summit could have serious economic “economic implications” for Malawi. She was apparently referring to the international criticism triggered by Bashir’s last visit to her country.
Bashir had visited Malawi in last October when President Mutharika was in power. That visit had triggered an international outrage, with many nations accusing Malawi of failing to honor its obligations as a member of ICC by failing to arrest Bashir despite a standing arrest warrant issued by the UN-backed international court. The ISS has since referred the issue to the UN Security Council.
The ICC has issued two warrants against Bashir for crimes committed in Sudan’s Darfur region, the first in March 2009, and the second warrant in July 2010. The UN estimates that about 300,000 people have been killed and some 2.5 million displaced in Darfur since ethnic Africans of the region took up arms against the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum in 2003 to fight discrimination.
Bashir, who is accused of ordering a campaign of murder, torture and rape in Darfur during the conflict, has denied the charges. Incidentally, the ICC warrants against Bashir marked the first such action against a sitting head of state.
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton waves upon her arrival at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata
Urging India to reduce the oil it imports from Iran tops US secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton’s agenda as she starts two days of talks with Indian officials.
India has huge energy needs to fuel its rapid growth but has made some progress in easing its dependence on Iranian oil. A senior official traveling with Clinton in Asia said the United States wants to see more.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview Clinton’s private discussions in Kolkata and New Delhi, said the “trend lines are good” but “we really need to receive assurances that they are going to continue to make good progress.”
The official said India had recently stepped up imports of oil from Saudi Arabia to make up for the reduction in Iranian oil and that the US was eager to see the Indians explore other alternatives.
India and Iran reached a deal earlier this year that would allow India to pay for about 45 percent its Iranian oil purchases in rupees. Iran would then use the Indian currency to buy goods from India.
International economic sanctions on Iran had made oil trade difficult, because Indian oil importers had to scramble to find banks willing to handle transactions with Tehran.
The barter exchange would help India pay for the Iranian crude without resorting to dollar payments, thus bypassing international banks.
An Indian delegation visited Iran in March to promote Indian goods including machinery, iron, steel, minerals and automobiles.
Clinton’s visit coincides with that of a large Iranian group that will be in New Delhi to explore Indian goods and services Tehran can buy to offset the enormous rupee payments running into billions of dollars that Iran has accumulated.
India has been pushing its oil companies to cut back their crude imports from Iran in order to be among the next set of countries to be granted a sanctions waiver that Washington is expected to announce in June.
Like other major consumers of Iranian oil, India could face US sanctions by the end of June if the Obama administration determines it has not made significant cuts in imports under a law aimed at squeezing Iran’s petroleum industry to press the country to comply with international demands over its nuclear program.
A dozen European nations and Japan have already been spared from those sanctions after the administration determined they had substantially reduced their Iranian oil imports. India, along with China, South Korea, Turkey and South Africa have still not received such waivers.
The US special envoy for global energy issues, Carlos Pasqual, will visit India later in May to follow up on Clinton’s talks, the official said.
Because of its energy needs, India has bristled at US calls to seek alternatives to cheap Iranian oil. The official said the Indian parliament is especially resistant to comply with demands from Washington on Iran.
After visiting Kolkata, India’s major eastern city, Clinton will travel on Monday to New Delhi.
The US official downplayed the presence of the Iranian delegation, which he said was centered on consumer goods.
“I don’t think we are too concerned about it,” he said.
In her talks with Indian officials, Clinton will also be pressing for the country to continue economic reforms and trade liberalization, including dropping restrictions on foreign investment in the finance sector and allowing large western retailers to open up, the official said.
The news of the murder of yet another aide of the Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomole, coming shortly after the tragic accident which involved his convoy in which three journalists died some days ago, is shocking indeed. The deceased, Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, was the Private Secretary to the Governor until he was murdered in his residence on the 4th May, 2012 by unknown gunmen in a manner reminiscent of the days of the “do-or-die” politics in the country. It is deplorable to observe that our brand of democracy seeks to kill its best material to settle political or personal scores.
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Many eminent citizens have spoken to condemn this barbaric act unequivocally. I want to join other well-meaning Nigerians not only in deprecating this vile expression of bestial propensity by those who regard politics as a tool for the subjugation and elimination of their fellow beings, but also to forewarn members of the political class whose criminal activities have set in motion a chain of events the end of which foretells grim consequences.
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The spate of state-sponsored assassinations was unsettling during the tenure of General Olusegun Obasanjo as civilian Head of State. it was during his term that the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Chief Bola Ige, SAN, was murdered in his bedroom. Beyond the tragic histrionics dubbed state trial of suspects nobody was convicted. There were other high profile murders such as the brutal elimination of Harry Marshall by assailants who seemed to have all the time to perpetrate the heinous crime before the arrival of the police. Dikibo also followed the way of all flesh. Funsho Williams, a man adjudged by even members of the opposition parties as exhibiting the quintessence of an Omoluabi attitude on all issues, met his gruesome end in the hands of yet-to-be identified felons. Otunba Dipo Dina was cut down in a most wicked manner by unknown gunmen whose identities still remain a mystery. There have been other acts of bestiality visited on Nigerians by criminal elements and the refrain from our security agencies have always been that the perpetrators of the dastardly acts will be brought to book.
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As things are in the country today, almost every Nigerian believes that this much vaunted metaphoric book has become too voluminous by virtue of the incessant inclusion of fresh cases showcasing the dark sides of human beings. Nobody puts hope in our criminal justice system. If the security agencies have failed to resolve several murders which preceded this latest felonious act, why should anyone expect anything different this time around? Criminals get more emboldened at every successful strike at the underbelly of the society by social deviants.
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This is the point at which Nigerians must rise up to demand governance from the current rulers at all levels. We must not allow the investigation of this crime to tread the path of the others. The perpetrators of this crime must be identified and punished if the confidence of our people in the polity is to be restored. We demand a thorough investigation into what appeared as an assassination plot disguised as accident a few days ago. In addition, those responsible for this latest assault on our collective psyche as human beings must be fished out and punished.
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I seize this opportunity to commiserate with the family of Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde cut down gruesomely in his prime. My heart –felt condolences go to the Comrade Governor who has been at the receiving end of this morbid onslaught. The evil doers behind these deeds want to cow him to submission. He must remain strong so as not to allow the seeds of evil to flower. All good people should rally round this man who has shown a steely resolve to confront the unscrupulous elements in the state since he assumed office as the Governor. The enemies want to intimidate him through this constant harassment. He must employ all means to stave off their diabolical advances.
The dispute between Heartland FC of Owerri and Police Machines also of Owerri has taken a new twist as the Police Team have filed an appeal at the NFF against the decision of the Imo STate FA Appeal Commiitee in search of justice.
Both sides clashed on April 19th and the Police team led by one goal to nil with six minutes to go when Heartland were awarded a highly contentious penalty. After contesting the decision briefly the Police team returned to the field of play but Heartland refused to take the penalty and play was disrupted for almost 20 minutes before the centre referee blew off the match.
Heartland petitioned the Imo FA O & D claiming that The Police team were the ones that abandoned the game and praying the match be awarded to them under Article 14 of the Guidelines to the 2012 Imo FA Federation Cup which states that the if anyone disrupts play for more than 10 minutes the other side be awarded the match. However, the referee in his match report stated that Police Machines protest only lasted about seven minutes.
The O & D then fined Police Machines N50,000 for encroachment by their technical crew, Heartland N250, 000 for refusing to take the penalty and Tonex Chukwu, Heartland PRO was fined N50,000 for leading his team’s fans into the pitch to disrupt play and a replay was ordered.
Both sides appealed to the Imo FA Appeal Committee who sustained the decisions, and only reduced the fines against Heartland. Apparently dissatisfied with the decision the Police Machines have now taken the appeal to the NFF Appeals Committee, asking among many questions why Article 14 was not applied strictly, rather a replay was ordered.
Barrister Johnny Precious Ogbah of Activity Chambers representing Police Machines in his appeal further queried why a match with 4 minutes left should be ordered to be replayed when it was the losing side that willfully refused to continue play, and that being awarded another 90 minutes would amount to rewarding them for refusing to continue play when the right decision would have been awarding the match to the other side in line with Article 14 of the guidelines to Imo Federation Cup 22012 and Article 3.11(A) of the Nigerian Federation Cup 2012 Rules.
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja presided over by Justice Adamu Bello on Monday May 7th , 2012 remanded Sani Teidi Shuaibu in Kuje prison over a Four Hundred and thirty nine million (N439 million) pension fraud. He was arraigned over charges of fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud and concealing the illicit origin of stolen pension funds by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Four others arraigned together with him were business concerns with which Shuaibu laundered the money. They are: Badawulu Ventures Limited, Ebunu Attah Investment, Muha Millennium Motors Limited and Riba-ile Petroleum Limited.
Dr. Shuaibu is alleged to have conspired with Badawulu Ventures Ltd, Ebunu Attah Investment, and Riba-lle Petroleum Ltd to launder illegal funds derived directly from the pensions department, Office of the Head of Service of the Federation of Nigeria into the account of Muha Millennium Motors Limited through which the principal accused person (Dr Sani Teidi Shuaibu) purchased Brifina Hotels Limited located at Plot 1106, Cadastral Zone, BO2 Durumi District, Area 1, Abuja, at the sum of N399 million (Three hundred and ninety nine million naira).
After reading the four count charge, counsel to the accused, S.I Ameh SAN, then applied for bail for his clients, which was opposed by prosecution counsel, Godwin Obla. Obla however told the court that he strongly opposed bail for Shuaibu because he has a history of interfering with investigations and harassing potential witnesses in related cases before the same court. Justice Adamu Bello then adjourned the matter to Wednesday May 9th , 2012 for ruling on the bail application, and ordered that the accused person be remanded in Kuje prison.
One of the count charge reads: “That you, Dr. Sani Teidi Shuaibu, former Director, Pension Accounts, office of the Head of service of the Federation of Nigeria, Badawulu Ventures Limited, Ebunu Attah Investment, Muha Millennium Motors limited and Riba-lle Petroleum Limited at various times in April 2009 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, conspired among yourselves to convert resources in the aggregate sum of Three hundred and ninety Nine Million (N399, 000, 000.00) only derived directly from an illegal act at the Pensions Department Office of the Head of Service of the Federation of Nigeria to purchase Brifina Hotels Limited, Plot 1106 cadastral zone BO2 Durumi District Area Abuja, Certificate of Occupancy No: 1807w-1cc4z-6723r-cf4eu-20, property of A.E Bright Future Motors Nig. Limited with the aim of concealing the illicit origin of the resources, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 17 (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 and punishable under Section 14 (1) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004.
Honourable Aminu Waziri Tambuwal,speaker of the Nigerian house of Representatives has demonstrated courage,intelligence and goodwill towards the Nigerian masses through his actions and commitment regarding issues that affect Nigerians directly. This is not un-connected to the fact that he was elected by his colleagues independently without giving in to the will of the political Godfathers,who dictate who should be what in the Nigerian political arena.
The emergence of Hon. Aminu waziri as the speaker of the house of representatives was dramatic. This was because the PDP had already zoned the seat to the south west zone,in-line with its in-house zoning policy. But the then newly elected legislators decided to challenge the in-house arrangement by nominating and electing Hon. Aminu Waziri as their speaker despite political pressure from the supporters of zoning.
Hon. Tambuwal did not disappoint as he led the house to assert its independence and debate issues that affect the lives of Nigerian masses without the usual influence of the executive arm of government. One of such issues was the subsidy withdrawal debate,that sparked off protests all over the country in january.
Though the protest started while the house was on recess,the speaker decided to summon back its members,so as to weigh the issues at hand. This attempt to reconvene was viewed as a threat by political jobbers,who tried all sorts of tricks to stall the move to reconvene the house. At last, the house reconvened and held a passionate debate with most members lamenting the hardship Nigerians will go through due to fuel subsidy removal. The house then concluded the debate with a historic resolution rarely seen before Tambuwal’s reign,by asking the federal government to suspend the withdrawal of subsidy from fuel.
In its reaction to the outcome of the resolution of the house, the NLC in a press statement said “The House of representatives displayed exemplary leadership in not just cutting short its break,but also meeting on a sunday. If other arms of governance work with the exemplary speed,seriousness,sensitivity and patriotic zeal as the house of representatives did today;our country would be a far better place to live.”
The house also went further to establish an ad-hoc committee to verify and determine the actual subsidy requirements and monitor the implementation of the subsidy regime in Nigeria. The speaker appointed another patriotic and fearless Nigerian legislator,in person of Hon. Faruk lawan to chair the committee. The committee got down to business and held series of interviews,public hearings etc with stakeholders in the oil industry. After months of rigorous investigations and enquiries,the committee submitted its report back to the house.
The indication that the committee’s report would be revealing,prompted political jobbers to put pressure on the speaker in order to stop the report from seeing the daylight. But as always the speaker decided to put Nigeria first and make public the findings of the subsidy committee.
In his speech after receiving the report,the speaker said “The probe of the oil sector has raised so much dust from certain segments of the polity such that it became clear that the intention was to frustrate it. For those who regard the oil sector as a secret society or sacred cow,I wish to state without equivocation that it is not. All public agencies in the oil sector are the creation of acts of the National assembly and this honourable house has no powers to legislate for the creation of secret societies………”
The house of representatives has already forwarded the amended report to the president and other relevant government agencies for their information and necessary action. The exemplary conduct of the members of the house,signifies the end of an era of self representation,when members of the house took sides completely with the government abandoning the masses that elected them as representatives.
The Nigerian House of representatives today,is what a parliament should be like. We must give a thumbs up to its leadership for making it possible. The actions of the speaker and his colleagues gives Nigerians hope for a better tomorrow.
Right Honourable Aminu Waziri’s courage has earned him admiration and support among Nigerians,most especially in his state of origin sokoto,where many are considering pressurising him to contest for the governorship of the state come 2015.
I will like to use this medium to urge Mr speaker to keep up the good work,as history will judge his effort to sanitise the business of governance and uphold transparency in Nigeria.
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Amiru Adamu is the publisher of Northern Wind Magazine
Mr Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), ACN gubernatorial aspirant in Ondo State, has charged security agents to unravel killers of Mr Olaitan Oyerinde, the Principal Private Secretary to Gov. Adams Oshiomhole of Edo.
Oyerinde, 44, was shot dead by unknown gunmen, who invaded his house in Benin City on Friday.
Akeredolu, a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), gave the charge on Monday during a condolence visit to Oshiomole in Benin, Edo State.
In a statement in Lagos, Akeredolu described the death of Oyerinde as “murder too many and tragic”.
The aspirant who was accompanied by Mr Banji Ayeloge, Director General, Aketi Campaign Network (ACN), lamented that the spate of political killings in the country recently.
“The killing of Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, in his residence on May 4, 2012 by unknown gunmen was in a manner reminiscent of the days of the “do-or-die” politics in the country.
“It is deplorable to observe that our brand of democracy seeks to kill its best material to settle political or personal scores.
“As things are in the country today, almost every Nigerian believes that this much vaunted metaphoric book has become too voluminous by virtue of the incessant inclusion of fresh cases showcasing the dark sides of human beings.
“Nobody puts hope in our criminal justice system. If the security agencies have failed to resolve several murders which preceded this latest felonious act, why should anyone expect anything different this time around? Criminals get more emboldened at every successful strike at the underbelly of the society by social deviants,” Akeredolu said.
The aspirant urged law enforcement agencies to ensure a thorough investigation into the incident towards bringing the perpetrators to book.
Akeredolu, however, cautioned that the killing of Oyerinde should not be linked to armed robbery attack “theory”.
He observed that Oyerinde’s assassination, as well as last week’s controversial accident involving Governor Oshiomole’s convoy, where three journalists died, was not unconnected with the July governorship election in the state.
Akeredolu urged members of the ACN in the state not to be deterred by the murder, but rather to work toward ensure the victory of the party in the forthcoming governorship election.
“The spate of violence was aimed at giving the opposition party victory at the poll. The ACN-led administration in Edo state has impacted positively on the lives of the people and no desperation or violent acts can stop Governor Oshiomole’s re-election in the July election,” he stated.
While commiserating with the family of Oyerinde on the gruesome murder, Akeredolu urged Governor Oshiomole not to be cowed by the morbid onslaught.
A civil rights group, Movement for The conduct of Local Govt Elections, under the leadership of Comarade Ositadinma Obi has given the state government upto Oct 1, 2012 to conduct council elections in the state, or face mass street to street protest of an unimaginable proportion all over the state.
The protest according the group would involve every citizen of the state- market men/women, school children, teachers, the artisans, commuters, commuter bus drivers/conductors, bankers, religious leaders, traditional rulers, community leaders, politicians, undergraduates, graduates and the unemployed who have feeling the pangs of misrule all over the state since 2006.
Addressing a mammoth crowd that assembled the Arroma Freedom Square , yesterday in Awka, the group stated that the non-conduct of local government elections in the state since 2003 has led to the high level decay and underdevelopment in virtually every sector of the state’s economic life.
That the ugly trend has denied no fewer than 10, 000 persons the opportunity of being useful to themselves and the society ever since. He argued that “the only plausible reason behind Gov peter Obi’s obstinacy is financial-simply put, greed.”
Comrade pointed out that the security challenges confronting the state presently since the inception of the administration in 2006 could be better tackled by empowering the people through the immediate conduct of local government election.
The group expressed the deep concern over what it saw as unusual silence and docility of the state’s elite class who have kept silent over the situation for so long. They asked rhetorically, “where are the Andy Ubas, Chris Ngiges, Chukwuma Soludos, Annie Okonkwos, the religious leaders, community leaders and monarchs”.
From Arroma square they matched round the streets of awka, under the watchful eyes of security agents. They also paid courtesy visits to the Anglican Bishop of Awka, Alex Ibezim and his Catholic counterpart, Bishop Simon Ezeokafor.
Those in charge of the electoral campaign to reelect President Barack Obama for a second term will seek to keep away matters of foreign policy, especially those that could implicate the United States in conflicts and wars. They will work to emphasize the killing of the leader of al-Qaeda Osama Bin Laden, as President Obama’s greatest achievement, at least in terms of American national security, and as an operation which in itself bears testimony to his personality and leadership.
All matters aside from this will fall under crisis management, if the Obama campaign has the ability to keep conflicts in check, contain them and keep them away until after November, when the presidential elections are to be held. Such a strategy has its justifications, considering the seclusion of American voters in quasi-isolationism, and the fact that they give absolute priority to matters that affects their livelihood and social situation, in addition to the public debt, unemployment rates and the future of the economy. Yet such a strategy bears serious dangers, just as it is not secure due to the nature of events, especially in the Middle East with the possibility of it slipping away to such an extent that it will not be possible to ignore it.
This week, the U.S. President declared from Afghanistan that the role played by the United States in the Afghan war is nearing its end, but that the United States would not abandon this country and would carry on with the war against al-Qaeda. He said that defeating al-Qaeda was now within reach. He addressed the American people from Kabul after more than a decade of war in Afghanistan, a country that he visited for six hours, secretly and surprisingly, on the occasion of the first anniversary of the killing of Bin Laden. But the war against Al-Qaeda is no longer being waged exclusively in Afghanistan, as Al-Qaeda now holds bases in Pakistan and Yemen – while both countries are in highly flammable situations. The Obama Administration is not absent from the pursuit of Al-Qaeda in Pakistan or inside Yemen, but Yemen requires a more in-depth approach, as it is coming close to turning into a rogue state that would export a new kind of extremism and terrorism, which could make it another Somalia or another Afghanistan. Sudan too is like a time-bomb, which, in order to be defused, will require holding in-depth and serious talks between China and the United States, as they both play roles there that stretch from oil interests to Washington sponsoring the partition of Sudan. Iraq is not an event that has passed, but rather remains threatened with division and sectarian war.
Egypt is entering a dangerous and historical phase, in which salvation through pumping in money, after it is too late, will prove to be of no use. Iran represents a thorn in the side of the United States, one which the Obama Administration is afraid to pull out and is exerting the utmost effort to keep from sinking deeper. Indeed, on the issue of Iran, the Obama Administration is lost between enticement and threats, and in addressing the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Obama Administration strips itself bare. It does not want to take military action against Iran, and does not want to shackle the Islamic Republic through the main axis of its wheel – its Syrian ally. Concerning Syria, what is taking place there may backfire against both the strategy of those in charge of Obama’s reelection campaign, and the strategy of those in charge of keeping Bashar Al-Assad and the Baath regime in power. It is perhaps there that developments may force Barack Obama to stop being evasive. As for prolonging the current situation, with everything it involves in terms of the Syrian regime going too far in its policy of exhausting the opposition and exhausting the international community, it will at the end of the day lead to the increase and the growth of extremism, giving rise to a dangerous monster in this region of strategic importance- and then there will be no use for the policy of burying one’s head in the sand.
Syria is a crucial issue for Barack Obama’s electoral campaign, regardless of how much those in charge of the campaign wish to neutralize or avoid it. Indeed, the relationship between the US and Iran and the relationship between the US and the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) all meet in Syria, most prominently that involving the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The fundamental policy adopted by these countries is characterized by their determination not to coexist with the Syrian regime under any circumstances, on the one hand, while on the other, some of these countries, Saudi Arabia in particular, interpret the policy based on coexisting with the regime in Damascus as one that preserves the regime in Tehran and supports the Mullahs even in the ambitions of regional hegemony they have always harbored.
It is true that the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia will not hit rock bottom, due to the numerous strategic and historical reasons inherent to this relationship. Yet the depth of the rift concerning Syria will have a tremendous impact if the Obama Administration’s policy were to lead to support for maintaining the regime in Damascus and encouragement for the regime in Tehran to carry on with its methods – and that is no passing disagreement. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will not be able to back down on what its policies have come to, especially after it – for the first time – has made its stances public, clear and showed its determination. The matter is an existential one for Riyadh, when it comes to the Islamic Republic of Iran. It would therefore be useful for the Obama Administration not to take matters as being “business as usual”, as a change has occurred in Saudi policy over the past two years which must be taken seriously, a change whose reasons and implications must be examined in depth. This is an important Arab country that carries influence and weight, and this should be taken very seriously when drafting U.S. policy towards the Middle East.
Secondly, regardless of the regional balance of power and the struggle for influence in the Middle East, the Syrian issue is first and foremost a domestic one. The popular uprising in Syria started out as a peaceful movement at first, until it was confronted with the murderous military machine of the regime in Damascus. Today, after the number of lives that have been lost in Syria reached 11 thousand, it is not possible to think that the regime has the ability to simply return – as usual – to its “business”. Indeed, the traditional relationship with the regime, the latter’s key elements, its halo and the fear of it, have all been shattered. It will not be possible to return things to the way they were before.
Hiding behind the former Secretary-General of the United Nations and Joint Envoy of the U.N. and the League of Arab States, Kofi Annan, has become flagrant. Indeed, his plan is based on keeping the regime in place, not on handing over the keys of the regime to coalitions in order to shape a transitional political process. The League of Arab States is well aware of this, just as it is aware of the fact that it has backtracked on the decisions taken on January 22, which had been based on a transitional political process. It has placed itself in the hands of Kofi Annan, who in turn has placed himself outside of its framework, behaving essentially as an envoy of the U.N. first, and as an envoy of the Arab League only marginally. Even with the United Nations, Kofi Annan has placed himself above his mandate and above accountability. He refuses to head to New York to address the Security Council, and behaves as if he were above the Council’s mandate, because it was not the Security Council that issued the decision to establish his mandate. He is behaving as if he were a Secretary-General parallel to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon – although he is in reality his envoy through a mandate issued by a decision from the General Assembly – and this is why Annan has established a miniature United Nations in Geneva, where he holds conferences with the flag of the U.N. flapping behind him.
Annan’s plan is not a bad one, despite the fact that it has been based on keeping the regime in Damascus in place, and not on the basis of it handing over the keys of power to a pluralistic government. What is bad is Annan’s “forbearance” in the face of Damascus’s excesses in terms of committing violations, failing to fulfill promises and changing the rules of the game to such a degree as to allow the leaders of the Syrian regime to set the roadmap and to dictate conditions over who would follow it and to what extent.
When will such patience run out, as the U.S. Administration threatens on a daily basis? Some say that the timeframe Kofi Annan has in mind is 90 days, which is the deadline that was given by the Security Council in its decision to establish a delegation of observers, who have begun to arrive to Syria.
In fact, Annan has asked for a budget of a whole year, amounting to 8 million dollars, to carry out his political task. Running out of patience does not at all seem to be in sight for Annan, as he does not want his mission to fail, and is willing to adapt to changing factors so as to ensure not failing. In other words, Annan is not willing to confront the regime in Damascus, and is in fact more liable to meet Damascus and Moscow’s demand of holding the opposition responsible.
Yet there is a big difference between laying equal blame for the violence on the opposition and on the regime, and providing assistance to the leaders of the opposition to form a credible political front for negotiations. Annan’s team is doing both, and that is dangerous, because it enables the regime in Damascus to elude the fact that it is primarily responsible for the violence, and also gives it the space to breathe and to reorganize its “coalition” cards, while efforts and pressures focus on the opposition.
Certainly, sponsoring dialogue between opposition leaders and international players is a very positive matter, because it is necessary to curb the appetite of the likes of the Muslim Brotherhood for control over the present and the future in Syria, on the basis of the sudden wave of Islamists rising to power in the Arab region. Here, the concern shown and the role played by Russia are appropriate, in view of the fact that Russia finds itself surrounded by five Muslim republics in which it does not want Islamists to rise to power.
Such Russian apprehensions can be positively put to use in influencing the stances and the ambitions of the various strands of the Syrian opposition. In fact, the Muslim Brotherhood, for the first time, issued a few weeks ago a statement which was considered to be revolutionary, as it included pledges the Muslim Brotherhood had never made it the past, from pluralism to respecting the rights of other religions in power and in society. Stances such as these need to be channeled into some sort of guarantees, so as to be able to reassure the other parties of the opposition, and not just those who fear that the Muslim Brotherhood could attain power and monopolize it.
The Deputy to the Joint U.N.-AL Envoy, Nasser Al-Qudwa, plays a role with the opposition and among those who are party to it. Other countries have appointed high-ranking experts to help prepare the opposition politically. Yet the fact of the matter remains that Syrian authorities have refused to even receive or recognize Nasser Al-Qudwa as Kofi Annan’s Deputy. The fact of the matter is that the measures they are taking on the ground are exhausting the opposition and destroying its infrastructure, while the world waits for another report from Kofi Annan.
The major powers, meanwhile, are divided. France’s Foreign Minister Alain Juppé speaks of Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which includes imposing sanctions or safe humanitarian corrido.r.s on Syria. The British Foreign Office has called for contributions to the formation of a dossier on the violations and infringements committed by the Syrian regime, in preparation for referring it to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of committing crimes against humanity. As for the U.S. Administration, it sometimes speaks in the tone of “our patience is running out”, repeatedly and without this being translated in reality, and at other times works seriously behind the scenes to restrain the Arab countries that want to arm the opposition or establish safe corridors – in the name of the political process and of fear from a civil war and from …Al-Qaeda. And let us not even mention the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO), which pledges to the regime in Damascus that it will not direct a military strike against it no matter what happens.
All of this does not negate what is taking place behind the scenes, in terms of preparation for what comes after the third, fourth or fifth Russian veto at the Security Council, after all patience and diplomacy has been exhausted. Indeed, there is increasing talk of forming a coalition of countries that would not need a Security Council resolution to intervene militarily, and would not submit to a Russian or Chinese veto, as took was the case in the former Yugoslavia.
Some say that it would have been more useful for Kofi Annan to initiate a policy of enticement with Bashar Al-Assad, after having moved obscurely and seriously at NATO headquarters, as well as in Turkey, so as to have made the message clear and strong. Others say that Annan’s insistence on sending a delegation of 300 observers, even after the Syrian government backed down on its pledge to withdraw its army to its barracks and out of urban centers, only threatens the lives of the observers and turns the issue into a time-bomb.
Regardless of the soundness of the latter or the former, U.N. observers entering Syria’s home soil may lead to exhausting the regime, as it is now effectively under observation.
Yet confronting Damascus’s policy of exhausting the opposition and exhausting international politics, certainly requires for the Obama Administration to stop confusing others – at times with unenforced pledges, of the kind of the time has come for Assad to leave, or patience is running out; while at other times appearing to be in dire need to convince both sides – the government and the opposition – to keep the issue of Syria away from the U.S. elections. Indeed, Washington wants to postpone the Revolution and postpone the process of change in the Arab region until after the elections. But the world will not necessarily stop, as postponement and delay could cause a backlash against the Arab region and the United States in the form of a major concern and a monster that can only be restrained at a very high cost.
(Raghida Dergham is a prominent writer for Dar al-Hayat, where this article was first published May 4, 2012)
Just in case you missed the news, here is an update: some more terrible things have happened in the last few days. Ace footballer and international star, Rashidi Yekini is dead, he died on Friday, Yekini was by all accounts a devout Muslim and was quickly buried the next day, in accordance to Muslim rites. Going by reports we have, the mode in which he was buried is however unacceptable. No need to mince words here, the burial given to Rashidi Yekini is unbefitting of the man and his country.
Elsewhere, fellow countrymen and women of this late football hero will need no introduction to the name of or biography notes about a star like Rashidi Yekini. He would by now be a household name with all, regardless of their passion for or understanding of football. Rashidi Yekini was however born in Nigeria and in that great multifarious and convoluted country called Nigeria, normal things don’t normally happen and obvious things are rarely obvious to many. In Nigeria, vital issues such as national history and recognitions, public comments and procedures tend to be exceedingly subjective to variables that generally work against greatness and quality. National discourse and knowledge in Nigeria are largely dependent on ethnicity, socio-political affiliations and are generally managed mediocrely by self-interested agents whose goals tend to be in conflict with the greatness of Nigeria and free of consideration for prosperity.
Sadly, we therefore cannot take it for granted that people know and we consequently here have to remind all, including Nigerians, that Rashidi Yekini, the international player that participated brilliantly in the World Cup, African Nations Cup, and in the Olympics is really a first amongst peers. Hopefully we shall have more, but forever, Yekini remains the first Nigerian to win the African footballer of the year award, the first Nigerian to score a goal in the world cup, first Nigerian to be the highest goal scorer in Europe, he is still, as we speak, the Nigerian player with highest number of goals scored ever.
Now brace yourself, in spite of all these achievements, Rashidi Yekini died like a nobody, without any national honor or monument or even plaque of recognition with his name on it in Nigeria. Let us now pause for a moment to think of all those that have been honored in Nigeria instead, let us compare that list to the name of Rashidi Yekini, let us evaluate what joy they have brought to Nigerians, let us ponder upon what great things they have done for the image of Nigeria. Let us now move our mind outside Nigeria and mentally travel to anywhere else in the world to investigate the status of anyone living or dead that has feats similar. How have they treated their own Rashidi Yekini?
Newspaper reports about his burial say he was buried over the weekend like a ‘commoner’ in a poorly attended ceremony without any of his colleagues in the national team in attendance. Save for the exception of Ike Shorunmu, ex-Super Eagles goalkeeper, the graveside was devoid of any high profile footballer. Yes this Muslim burial was quickly done but that is no excuse for the way his remains was put to rest. It could have been better managed, with better publicity and with more attendance. We have seen Nigerians rush to aid of powerful but inglorious figures with shorter notice.
The last days of Rashidi Yekini were not great either, he was said to be ill, depression was suspected and there were even voices of a bigger mental ailment true or false it does not matter anymore, at least not to him anymore, he is gone. Before going however, he did his best in his field, and many can testify that he entertained, he thrilled, he inspired and even made many of us his fans and fellow countrymen and women proud.
For what Rashidi Yekini and others like him have given, he has received little, too little from his government too little from his people and we are all guilty. This is however not a time to blame the government or the Nigerian Football Federation, the press, or those aides that advice and influence those in power and all those that could have given more to him while alive. It is a time to seek redemption and try to make sure our other true heroes do not end up in way that will put us to shame as people. Let us today form a group with a clear simple aim of honoring Rashidi Yekini and other true heroes of Nigeria. We do not need to wait for the government to do that we do not need the government to approve that all we need is a group of men and women of goodwill that understand that by honoring those who gave us joy and pride through hard work we give honor to ourselves as a people and we provide a treasure for those to come.
And to death that took away prematurely Rashidi Yekini from us, I boldly say
