{jcomments on}DAM, NY, AGNEWS, 16  décember 2010 —  ARMZ Uranium, a company owned by the Russian state and the fourth-largest producer of uranium in the world, has announced it will acquire Australian rival Mantra Resources for $1.15 billion… Three Australian firms, three Canadian firms, and two Tanzanian firms landed the outside counsel appointments on the deal…

 

 

 

 

BURUNDI :

 

Burundi : le Conseil de sécurité crée un nouveau Bureau de l’ONU plus réduit

Publié par Service d’information des Nations Unies le 16 décembre 2010

Le Conseil de sécurité a adopté jeudi une résolution créant un nouveau Bureau des Nations Unies au Burundi (BNUB), version sensiblement plus réduite de l’actuel bureau onusien existant dans ce pays. Les principales missions du BNUB seront l’assistance pour le renforcement des institutions nationales, la lutte contre l’impunité et la promotion du dialogue et des droits de l’homme.

 

Le mandat du BNUB a été fixé « pour une période initiale de 12 mois, à compter du 1er janvier 2011 ». Il remplacera le Bureau intégré des Nations Unies au Burundi (BINUB).

 

Pour les Etats Membres « le bon déroulement de cinq élections consécutives entre mai et septembre 2010, qui, malgré les divisions entre les acteurs politiques, n’ont pas entraîné de violences à grande échelle » marquent une étape « importante dans la consolidation de la paix et de la démocratie ainsi que dans le développement durable au Burundi ».

 

Entre mai et septembre 2010, la vie politique a été dominée par des élections communales (24 mai), présidentielle (28 juin), législatives (23 juillet), sénatoriales (28 juillet) et collinaires (7 septembre). L’élection présidentielle s’est déroulée en dépit de son boycottage par le parti d’opposition, l’ADC-Ikibiri. Le seul candidat, le Président en exercice, a été réélu avec 91% des voix.

 

Selon le dernier rapport sur le pays du Secrétaire général de l’ONU, Ban Ki-moon, les observateurs internationaux ont déclaré que les élections avaient été pacifiques et bien organisées, tout en regrettant l’arrestation de plusieurs membres de partis d’opposition et la réticence de la Commission électorale à adopter des mesures visant à renforcer la transparence du processus électoral.

 

Le BNUB concentrera son appui sur le renforcement de l’indépendance, des capacités et les cadres juridiques des institutions nationales essentielles ; la promotion du dialogue entre les acteurs nationaux; la lutte contre l’impunité, notamment par la mise en place de mécanismes de justice transitionnelle; la promotion et la protection des droits de l’homme.

 

Dans sa résolution, le Conseil encourage « les efforts que fait le gouvernement burundais pour faire une place à tous les partis politiques et continuer d’améliorer le dialogue entre tous les acteurs ». L’organe a cependant exprimé sa « grande préoccupation sur les informations faisant état de la poursuite de violations des droits de l’homme, en particulier des exécutions extrajudiciaires et des cas de torture, et les restrictions imposées aux libertés civiles, y compris la liberté d’expression, d’association et de rassemblement des opposants politiques et des représentants de la société civile ».

 

Les Etats Membres « demandent instamment au gouvernement d’enquêter sur les rapports faisant état de violations des droits de l’homme, de prendre les mesures nécessaires pour prévenir toutes nouvelles violations et de faire en sorte que ceux qui sont responsables des violations commises soient traduits en justice ».

 

Enfin, le Conseil salue l’accord tripartite intervenu récemment entre le Burundi, la République démocratique du Congo (RDC) et le Haut Commissariat des Nations Unies pour les réfugiés (HCR), « ainsi que des progrès réalisés dans la recherche de solutions durables et dignes au profit des réfugiés vivant en Tanzanie ».

 

 

Kamerbrief inzake Burundi – recente ontwikkelingen

Datum nieuwsfeit: 14-12-2010 -Kamerbrief | 14 december 2010

 

Geachte voorzitter,

 

In de motie Ferrier/Voordewind/Waalkens van 24 november 2009 (kamerstuk 29 237 nr. 113) werd de regering verzocht om de Kamer te informeren over het al dan niet verlenen van begrotingssteun voor het Burundese begrotingsjaar 2010/2011. Mede met het oog op de begrotingsbehandeling op 14 en 15 december a.s. informeer ik u hierbij over het verloop van de verkiezingen in de afgelopen periode, de mensenrechtensituatie alsmede over het besluit al dan niet begrotingssteun te verlenen aan Burundi.

 

Algemeen

 

Burundi heeft de afgelopen jaren opmerkelijke vooruitgang geboekt. Het land heeft zich ontworsteld aan een bloedige burgeroorlog en heeft strijders van de verschillende vijandige gewapende groeperingen weten te integreren in het Burundese leger en de politie. Nederland heeft een significante bijdrage geleverd aan het vredesproces door ondersteuning en hervorming van de veiligheidssector, het financieren van de noodzakelijke overheidsuitgaven en programma’s gericht op economische ontwikkeling. Een reeks van verkiezingen dit jaar had het vredesproces moeten bezegelen. Dat is maar ten dele gelukt. De stabiliteit in het land blijft mede daarom nog fragiel.

 

Het verloop van de verkiezingen

 

In de periode van mei tot september 2010 vond een serie van vijf verkiezingen plaats, achtereenvolgens voor de gemeenteraden (24 mei jl.), het presidentschap (28 juni jl.), het parlement (23 juli jl.), de senaat (28 juli jl.) en de heuvelraden (7 september jl.). De verkiezingen zelf zijn volgens de vele internationale en nationale waarnemers (6000 in totaal, waaronder een EU missie van ruim 80 waarnemers) eerlijk en zonder geweld verlopen en voldeden aan de internationale standaarden. Wel vonden in de aanloop naar de verkiezingen enkele gewelddadige incidenten plaats waarbij jongerenafdelingen van de grote politieke partijen betrokken waren. Mede als gevolg van internationale druk hebben de desbetreffende partijen hieraan een halt toegeroepen. De Burundese politie en het leger hebben zich gedurende het verkiezingsproces over het algemeen professioneel gedragen en neutraal opgesteld.

 

Tijdens de gemeenteraadsverkiezingen behaalde de regeringspartij de Conseil National Pour la Défense de la Démocratie-Forces pour la Défense de la Démocratie (CNDD-FDD) 64% van de stemmen. Een alliantie van twaalf oppositiepartijen, waaronder de Forces Nationales de Libération (FNL), de belangrijkste ex-rebellengroep die pas vorig jaar tot politieke partij werd omgevormd, besloot zich daarop terug te trekken uit alle daaropvolgende verkiezingen met als argument dat grootschalige fraude was gepleegd. Internationale waarnemers constateerden echter slechts enkele onregelmatigheden en vonden geen bewijzen van fraude op grote schaal. In de periode rond de daaropvolgende verkiezingsrondes werd het land opgeschrikt door een serie van granaatexplosies, waarbij enkele slachtoffers vielen. Ondanks regionale en internationale inspanningen liet het grootste deel van de oppositie zich niet overtuigen om weer aan het verkiezingsproces deel te nemen. President Nkurunziza werd dan ook zonder tegenkandidaten herkozen. Aan de parlementsverkiezingen namen naast de CNDD-FDD slechts vijf kleine oppositiepartijen deel. In het parlement zijn 81 van de 106 zetels aan de CNDD-FDD toegevallen. In de senaat (indirecte verkiezingen) zijn 32 van de 34 te verdelen zetels door de CNDD-FDD veroverd (er zijn 41 zetels in de senaat; die andere 7 zetels zijn toegewezen). Hoewel de verkiezingen dus over het algemeen eerlijk en vrij verliepen, zijn politieke stromingen slechts beperkt vertegenwoordigd in de diverse bestuurslagen. De grootste winst van de verkiezingen en het voorafgaande vredesproces is echter dat de politieke strijd niet meer puur gedicteerd wordt door etnische tegenstellingen. Ook het uitblijven van grootschalig geweld in deze periode stemt tot optimisme.

 

Mensenrechten

 

Burundi heeft zich recent ontworsteld aan een bloedige burgeroorlog en kent een gewelddadige samenleving waar veel incidenten en mensenrechtenschendingen voorkomen. Wij verwijzen daarbij ook naar de diverse Human Rights Watch rapporten. Sinds 2005 is de mensenrechtensituatie sterk verbeterd, en over het afgelopen jaar is deze situatie niet achteruitgegaan. De media kunnen veelal vrijelijk over misstanden rapporteren en het maatschappelijke middenveld kan redelijk ongehinderd opereren. Volgens de Verenigde Naties in Burundi hebben deze organisaties een belangrijke rol gespeeld bij het goede verloop van de verkiezingen en de grote betrokkenheid van de bevolking hierbij. Wel heeft zich ook de tweede helft van dit jaar een aantal zorgwekkende incidenten voorgedaan. Zo is recentelijk een aantal personen vermoord onder nog niet opgehelderde omstandigheden. Ook zou de Burundese veiligheidsdienst tijdens de verkiezingsperiode enkele personen gemarteld hebben. Na internationale interventie zijn deze martelingen gestopt. Tenslotte zijn onlangs enkele journalisten om dubieuze redenen opgepakt en voelden leiders van een aantal oppositiepartijen zich genoodzaakt naar het buitenland uit te wijken. Nederland blijft samen met andere internationale partners actief zoeken naar manieren om de politieke ruimte te verbreden en dialoog te stimuleren. Daarnaast blijven we druk uitoefenen op de Burundese autoriteiten om genoemde mensenrechtenschendingen te stoppen.

 

Het belang van een stabiele overheid

 

Nederland heeft sinds 2007 via het Wereldbankprogramma Economic Reform Support Grant begrotingssteun verleend aan Burundi, en trok daarbij gezamenlijk op met Noorwegen. Bij de beslissing begrotingssteun te verstrekken aan een fragiele staat spelen andere overwegingen

-gerelateerd aan stabiliteit- een rol. Ook wordt de steun niet rechtstreeks aan de overheid gegeven, maar via een betrouwbare partner als de Wereldbank en in samenspraak met andere donoren. Dat geldt ook voor Burundi. Ten behoeve van de stabiliteit van het land was en is het noodzakelijk om de Burundese overheid in staat te stellen haar basistaken uit te voeren en de salarissen van de eigen ambtenaren te betalen. Naast Nederland hebben Noorwegen, de Wereldbank, de Afrikaanse Ontwikkelingsbank en de Europese Commissie met begrotingssteun bijgedragen aan de stabiliteit in het land. De Wereldbank, Afrikaanse Ontwikkelingsbank en Europese Commissie zullen de begrotingssteun aan Burundi in 2011 continueren, Noorwegen heeft nog geen besluit genomen.

 

Zoals aan de Kamer medegedeeld heeft Nederland de bijdragen over de jaren 2007 tot en met 2009 uitbetaald, en is met de besluitvorming voor de vierde betaling 2010/2011 van de toegezegde 4-jarige steun gewacht tot na de verkiezingen in Burundi. Burundi heeft mede dank zij internationale financiële steun inderdaad de stabiliteit weten te bewaren de afgelopen jaren. Ook onze inzet op de ontwikkeling van de veiligheidssector is daartoe cruciaal. Omdat de stabiliteit nog altijd fragiel is, en gegeven de belangrijke rol die Nederland in het vredesproces speelt, blijft een bijdrage aan de stabiliteit belangrijk. Echter, gezien de beperkte controle op de uitgaven bij begrotingssteun, acht ik een geoormerkte bijdrage meer verantwoord. Ik heb daarom besloten om het komend jaar stabiliteitssteun te geven, in de vorm van de betaling van achterstallige ambtenarensalarissen. Vorig jaar leidden de lerarenstakingen om uitbetaling van die salarissen tot onlusten in het land, juist in de periode in aanloop naar de verkiezingen.

 

De Minister van Buitenlandse Zaken, Dr. U. Rosenthal  –  De Staatssecretaris van Buitenlandse Zaken,   – Dr. B. Knapen

 

 

RWANDA

 

Un pas dans l’enquête sur l’origine du génocide rwandais

 

Reuters – Publié le 16/12/2010   –   PARIS (Reuters) – Un pas important a été franchi dans l’enquête sur l’origine du génocide rwandais avec la mise en examen de six militaires soupçonnés de l’attentat qui est au départ du drame, en 1994.

 

Deux juges français, Marc Trévidic et Nathalie Poux, ont notifié au Burundi, terrain neutre volontairement choisi, des poursuites pour “complicité d’assassinats en relation avec une entreprise terroriste” à ces suspects, a-t-on appris jeudi de source judiciaire.

 

Parmi eux figurent James Kabarebe et Charles Kayonga, respectivement ministre de la Défense et chef d’état-major du président Paul Kagame, l’actuel président rwandais.

 

Auditionnés à plusieurs reprises par les juges depuis le 5 décembre, ils ont contesté toute responsabilité.

 

Fruit d’un accord entre la justice française et les autorités rwandaises, cette procédure devait déboucher ce jeudi sur la levée des mandats d’arrêt délivrés en 2006 par la France contre ces personnes. Ces mandats avaient provoqué la rupture des relations diplomatiques entre Paris et Kigali.

 

Le dossier vise l’attentat contre l’avion du président rwandais Juvénal Habyarimana en avril 1994, abattu par des missiles à son atterrissage à Kigali. Onze autres personnes avaient été tuées, dont le président burundais Cyprien Ntaryamira et quatre membres d’équipage français.

 

Cet événement a été le point de départ de l’un des plus grands génocides du XXe siècle, le massacre de 800.000 personnes, pour la plupart de l’ethnie tutsi, par des extrémistes de l’ethnie hutu, celle du président Habyarimana.

 

On ignore toujours si c’est la guérilla du FPR (Front patriotique rwandais), commandée par le Tutsi Paul Kagame, qui a commis l’attentat, déclenchant ainsi les massacres, ou si ce sont des extrémistes hutus qui l’ont fait pour favoriser des projets génocidaires déjà prêts.

 

RAPPROCHEMENT PARIS-KIGALI

 

Ce rendez-vous judiciaire au Burundi a permis d’éviter aux suspects une incarcération qui aurait été procéduralement automatique s’ils étaient venus en Europe. Ils resteront poursuivis mais peuvent participer à l’enquête.

 

“Cette démarche est fondamentale puisque les mandats d’arrêt seront levés et que nos clients pourront donner toutes les explications voulues”, a dit à Reuters pendant les auditions au Burundi Me Lef Forster, avocat français des suspects.

 

Après les mandats d’arrêt, Paul Kagame considérait que Paris tentait de lui renvoyer la responsabilité du génocide. Les relations diplomatiques ont été rétablies depuis.

 

En déplacement au Rwanda en février 2010, le président Nicolas Sarkozy a reconnu des “erreurs” de la France, qui soutenait le régime Habyarimana, dont sont issus les génocidaires.

 

Outre James Kabarebe et Charles Kayonga, plusieurs officiers et hauts responsables du régime ont été auditionnés par les juges français.

 

Sur les neuf visés par des mandats d’arrêt en 2006, deux manquent à l’appel, un étant réfugié en Afrique du sud et l’autre introuvable. La dernière personne visée, Rose Kabuye, a déjà été mise en examen fin 2008 en France après avoir été arrêtée en Allemagne.

 

Le juge Jean-Louis Bruguière, auquel Marc Trévidic a succédé en 2007, accusait Paul Kagame d’avoir planifié et mis en oeuvre l’attentat avec son état-major.

 

Le juge s’appuyait sur deux témoins rwandais, mais ils ont été depuis réinterrogés par le juge Trévidic et l’un a dit avoir menti, l’autre atténuant fortement sa déposition en admettant qu’il n’était pas témoin direct des faits.

 

Les juges français ont aussi repris l’enquête technique sur les tirs, avec un premier transport sur les lieux de l’attentat à Kigali en septembre dernier, en compagnie de nombreux experts. Un rapport est attendu en février prochain.

 

Édité par Yves Clarisse

 

 

 

Attentat contre Habyarimana au Rwanda: six proches de Kagame mis en examen

De Mathieu FOULKES (AFP) – 16/12/2010

PARIS — Six proches du président rwandais Paul Kagame ont été mis en examen et laissés en liberté ces derniers jours dans l’enquête sur l’attentat contre l’avion de Juvénal Habyarimana en 1994, ce qui devrait entraîner la levée des mandats d’arrêt qui les visaient depuis quatre ans.

Ces six personnes, dont l’actuel ministre rwandais de la Défense, James Kabarebe, faisaient partie des neuf proches du dirigeant rwandais visés par des mandats d’arrêt émis en 2006 par l’ancien juge Jean-Louis Bruguière.

Ils ont été mis en examen entre les 5 et 15 décembre au Burundi par les juges d’instruction antiterroriste Marc Trevidic et Nathalie Poux pour “complicité d’assassinats en relation avec une entreprise terroriste”. Ils ont été laissés en liberté sans contrôle judiciaire, selon leurs avocats, Mes Léon-Lef Forster et Bernard Maingain.

Ces mises en examen devraient être suivies de la levée des mandats émis en 2006, qui avaient entraîné une rupture diplomatique entre Paris et Kigali. Elles permettent en outre à ces six proches de M. Kagame d’avoir accès à l’enquête judiciaire et d’éventuellement faire des demandes d’actes.

Le soir du 6 avril 1994, l’avion transportant notamment le président Habyarimana, un Hutu, et son homologue burundais Cyprien Ntaryamira, avait été abattu en phase d’atterrissage à Kigali par au moins un missile antiaérien.

Cet attentat est considéré comme le signal déclencheur du génocide qui fit 800.000 morts selon l’ONU, essentiellement parmi la minorité tutsi.

Deux thèses s’affrontent dans cette enquête: la justice française — compétente dans ce dossier en raison de la nationalité française de l’équipage de l’avion — soupçonne un commando du Front patriotique rwandais (FPR, aujourd’hui au pouvoir) de s’être infiltré à travers le dispositif des Forces armées rwandaises (FAR), pour abattre l’avion depuis la colline de Massaka, qui surplombe l’aéroport.

Une commission d’enquête rwandaise a au contraire imputé la responsabilité de l’attentat aux extrémistes “Hutu Power” des FAR qui auraient voulu se débarrasser du président Habyarimana, jugé trop modéré, pour faciliter un coup d’Etat.

Outre James Kabarebe, figurent parmi les mis en examen le général Jack Nziza, le lieutenant-colonel Charles Kayonga, l’ancien militaire Jacob Tumwine, Franck Nziza, soupçonné d’être un des tireurs qui ont abattu l’avion, ainsi que Samuel Kanyemera.

L’ancienne chef du protocole de M. Kagame, Rose Kabuye, elle aussi visée par un mandat d’arrêt, avait pour sa part été mise en examen fin 2008. Deux autres Rwandais restent visés par les mandats délivrés par M. Bruguière: Faustin Nyamwasa-Kayumba serait réfugié en Afrique du Sud, selon plusieurs sources. Eric Hakizimana serait pour sa part décédé.

“Les explications fournies par les personnes ont donné un tout autre éclairage à ce dossier et des éléments de faits précis ont été portés à la connaissance des autorités judiciaires en vue de démontrer que la première partie de la procédure était plus le produit d’une manipulation qu’une instruction à charge et à décharge”, ont indiqué dans un communiqué les avocats des mis en examen, Mes Lev Forster et Bernard Maingain.

L’avocat de la veuve de M. Habyarimana, Me Philippe Meilhac, a pour sa part salué une “avancée attendue depuis longtemps”. “Ces mises en examen auraient dû intervenir plus tôt mais elles montrent qu’on approche de la fin de l’enquête”, a-t-il ajouté à l’AFP.

Les deux magistrats avaient effectué un déplacement au Rwanda en septembre au cours duquel ils avaient notamment effectué une reconstitution de l’attentat. Une expertise, dont les résultats sont attendus en mars, doit notamment déterminer d’où provenaient les tirs.

 

 

Rwanda: six proches de Kagame mis en examen par la justice française

Publié le 16 décembre 2010    Associated Press   Paris

Six proches du président rwandais Paul Kagame ont été mis en examen par la justice française dans le cadre de l’enquête sur l’attentat contre le président rwandais Juvénal Habyarimana, a-t-on appris jeudi de sources judiciaires.

Ces mises en examen sont intervenues la semaine dernière. Ces six personnes sont poursuivies pour complicité d’assassinat en relation avec une entreprise terroriste.

Le juge d’instruction Marc Trévidic s’est rendu à Bujumbura, la capitale du Burundi, où ces six proches du président Kagame avaient donné leur accord pour être entendus et mis en examen.

Parmi les personnes mises en examen par le juge d’instruction figurent plusieurs généraux et hauts gradés de l’armée rwandaise dont James Kabarebe, Charles Kayonga ou Jackson Nkurunziza, a-t-on précisé de mêmes sources. Sont également mis en examen Jacob Tumwine, Sam Kaka et Franck Nziza. Tous ont pu longuement s’expliquer sur les faits reprochés, a indiqué une source judiciaire.

Selon leurs avocats, Me Lev Forster et Bernard Maingain, leurs explications «ont donné un tout autre éclairage à ce dossier». Leurs clients, ont-ils dit, auraient apporté des «éléments» démontrant que la procédure judiciaire française «était le produit d’une manipulation». Les juges d’instruction ont levé les mandats d’arrêt à l’issue des mises en examen, ont-ils précisé.

«Il est dommage que ces mises en examen interviennent aussi tardivement, a regretté jeudi Me Philippe Meilhac, l’avocat d’Agathe Habyarimana, la veuve du président rwandais. Elles sont le fruit de la reprise des relations diplomatiques entre la France et le Rwanda».

La délivrance des mandats d’arrêts en novembre 2006 par le précédent juge d’instruction, Jean-Louis Bruguière, avait provoqué la rupture des relations diplomatiques entre le Rwanda et la France, souvent difficiles en raison du soutien militaire apporté par Paris au régime génocidaire. Elles ont été rétablies en 2009 et le chef de l’État, Nicolas Sarkozy, s’est rendu en février 2010 à Kigali.

Le juge français, se basant sur les témoignages de repentis du FPR, certains revenant par la suite sur leurs affirmations, avait accusé Paul Kagame d’être à l’origine de l’attentat.

Une accusation fermement démentie par Kigali qui a lancé une contre-enquête. Selon des experts britanniques missionnés par le gouvernement rwandais, le missile ayant touché l’avion aurait été tiré du camp des Forces armées rwandaises (FAR) de Kanombe. L’enquête française affirmait plutôt que le tir provenait de la colline de Massaka, où un commando de l’Armée populaire rwandaise (APR) aurait pris position en se déjouant des unités des FAR.

Le gouvernement rwandais a toujours réfuté avoir participé à l’élimination de M. Habyarimana. Une enquête rwandaise, publiée en janvier, a conclu à la responsabilité d’alliés du président Habyarimana qui cherchaient un prétexte pour lancer le génocide.

En novembre 2008, Rose Kabuye, ancienne chef du protocole de M. Kagame, avait été arrêtée en Allemagne. Extradée vers la France, elle avait été mise en examen et laissée sous contrôle judiciaire. Cette mise en examen avait permis au gouvernement rwandais d’avoir accès à la procédure.

En septembre 2010, les juges d’instruction Marc Trévidic et Nathalie Poux se sont rendus au Rwanda. Les accompagnaient dans ce premier déplacement d’enquêteurs dans le cadre de cette enquête, des experts afin de tenter de déterminer le lieu d’où aurait été tiré le missile qui a abattu l’avion présidentiel.

Outre le président rwandais, son homologue burundais Cyprien Ntaryamira et dix autres personnes ont trouvé la mort dans cet attentat considéré comme l’élément déclencheur du génocide rwandais. La justice française a ouvert une enquête en 1998 après la plainte des familles françaises des trois membres de l’équipage de l’avion présidentiel.

 

 

 

Rwanda’s Inflation Rate Little Changed at 0.18%

By David Malingha Doya – Dec 16, 2010     Rwanda’s inflation rate was little changed at 0.18 percent in November compared with 0.17 percent the month before, the East African nation’s statistics agency said.

 

The cost of food and non-alcoholic drinks rose 1.41 percent, while transportation prices gained 1.68 percent, the Kigali-based National Institute of Statistics said in an e- mailed statement today.

 

Inflation has slowed from 22.3 percent in December 2008 due to a drop in import prices, good harvests, a stable exchange rate and lower money supply, according to the central bank. The country will probably avoid deflation, the bank said on Nov. 15.

 

Underlying inflation, which excludes fresh food and energy costs, was 0.49 percent in November, the statistics agency said.

 

To contact the reporter on this story: David Malingha Doya in Kigali via Johannesburg at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net.

 

 

UGANDA

 

 

Uganda Pension Fund Buys 40 Billion-Shilling Standard Chartered Bank Bond

By Fred Ojambo – Dec 16, 2010  — Uganda’s state pension fund bought the total 40 billion-shilling bond issued by the local unit of Standard Chartered Plc, the bank said today.

The National Social Security Fund bought the 10-year bond with a 13 percent coupon, which will be listed on the Uganda Securities Exchange, Lamin Kemba Manjang, the managing director of Standard Chartered Bank Uganda, said by phone today from the capital, Kampala.

The bond was issued to replace a 10-year, 6.45 billion note issued five years ago, which will be fully redeemed this month, he said on Nov. 26.

The exchange is waiting for the listing date said Kenneth Ssenyondwa a spokesman at the bourse said by phone today. The listing date was initially set for Dec. 2, he said.

The new bond will enable the bank to “finance big projects because of a bigger capital base,” Manjang said, without giving further details.

To contact the reporter on this story: Fred Ojambo in Kampala at fojambo@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Agnes Nikoi at anikoi@bloomberg.net

Oil tax row bad for sector growth

Thursday, 16th December, 2010   –  Oil drillers at work at the Kingfisher well in Lake Albert in Hoima. The well belonged to Heritage Oil

By Ibrahim Kasita / http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/220/741366

 

UGANDA’s progress in exploiting the oil and gas deposits has dragged due to the capital gain tax dispute over the Lake Albert rift assets.The tax row started when Heritage Oil, sold its interest in blocks 1 and 3A to another UK exploration firm, Tullow Oil at $1.45b.

 

The deal was subjected to the Government’s approval and payment of $404m as capital gain tax.

 

However, the two oil firms went ahead to conduct the transaction disregarding the conditions.

 

Having offloaded its stakes in the Lake Albert fields, Heritage declared it would not be paying a $404m capital gains tax due on the deal.

 

Tony Buckingham, the Heritage boss, then cleared his men out of Uganda with military precision.

 

Incensed, the Government seized a field now owned by Tullow – the Kingfisher discovery area – vowing to keep it until the tax bill is settled.

 

“The Government insists that tax must be paid at 30%,” Simon D’Ujanga, the energy state minister, said.

 

“We will not accept less. These taxes are due,” the minister pointed out.

 

Naturally, it’s more complicated than that.

 

Tullow did the deal aware of the tax dispute, while Heritage paid $283m into an escrow account and $121m to the Uganda Revenue Authority – a staging post between escrow and the Ugandan exchequer.

 

Not only is the Kingfisher exploration licence now up in the air – but the dispute is stopping Tullow from selling out 33% stakes in its field (Block 2) to France’s Total and China’s CNOOC.

 

“For the avoidance of doubt, this transaction approval shall not become effective unless Heritage has paid the taxes or demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Government of Uganda that the said taxes shall be paid immediately upon demand,” Hilary Onek, the energy minister, explained.

 

“The actions of Heritage and Tullow do not fulfill the terms of the conditional consent spelt out and, therefore, the consent has not become effective.”

 

Oil and gas operations are moving into the development and production stages, which require the necessary risk capital, access to project finance and long-term investments

 

Oil production, including the construction of a refinery expected to churn out roughly 150,000 barrels per day, cannot begin until the Heritage deal is complete.

 

But new investors, especially the Italian giants, ENI, have come out to express interest in developing the nascent oil and gas industry.

 

The Rome-based firm has expressed a desire to be given an opportunity to participate in the development of exploration areas 1, 2, and 3A.

 

It has promised to pay the tax and all other costs incurred in the course of exploring for the crude oil as well as realign to Uganda’s position of early oil and gas production.

 

Uganda wants to license several oil firms to avoid a monopoly.

 

The firms must also support the Government’s development strategies, including early commercialisation of the oil resources, value-addition and training of Ugandans in oil-related activities and processing.

 

This calls for a strong operating experience in refining and pipeline development, which, experts say, Eni has developed over the years.

 

Uganda has confirmed significant oil reserves in the Lake Albert Basin.

 

It is estimated that the basin has 2.5 billion barrels of commercially-viable crude oil.

 

Oil production at the peak will be around 200,000 to 300,000 barrels of oil per day.

 

At the current prices of about $72 per barrel, Uganda could earn about $2.5b in oil revenues alone in a year that could equal the current government revenues.

 

Already, the country is in the process of soliciting investors to build a refinery. 

 

 

TANZANIA:

 

 

 

Eight Firms Snag Roles on $1.2 Billion Uranium Deal

Posted by Brian Baxter     December 16, 2010   /  ARMZ Uranium, a company owned by the Russian state and the fourth-largest producer of uranium in the world, has announced it will acquire Australian rival Mantra Resources for $1.15 billion.

The deal gives ARMZ the Tanzanian assets of Mantra, whichaccording to The Wall Street Journal are a necessary acquisition as part of ARMZ’s ongoing bid to provide low-cost uranium to its Moscow-based parent company, Rosatom, the nuclear regulatory body for the Russian state.

Three Australian firms, three Canadian firms, and two Tanzanian firms landed the outside counsel appointments on the deal. Bloomberg reports that the transaction calls for Mantra to be sold to ARMZ, which has the option of selling all the shares it acquires in the company within a year to its Canadian unit, Vancouver-based Uranium One.

“The offer crystallizes immediate value for Mantra shareholders, providing them with the certainty of cash,” Mantra CEO Peter Breesetold the Australian press. “We have taken advice from our financial and legal advisers and concluded that this offer is in the best interests of Mantra’s shareholders.”

Perth-based Mantra turned to its longtime legal advisers at Hardy Bowen for lead counsel on the deal. The Australian firm, also based in Perth, was started in July 2002 by two former partners from 700-lawyer Aussie firm Clayton Utz. Peter O’Callaghan, a corporate partner in the Vancouver office of Blake, Cassels & Graydon, is serving as Canadian counsel to Mantra, along with associate Michelle Audet.

The Financial Times reports that like Chinese companies pursuing strategic natural resources in recent energy deals, Russia is also on the hunt for fuel, and the Tanzanian properties owned by Mantra make for an ideal acquisition. Mantra’s flagship asset, the Mkuju River Project in Tanzania, will now fall under the ARMZ umbrella.

Blake Dawson is serving as Australian counsel to ARMZ on the Mantra deal. Quentin Markin, a corporate partner and member of the global mining group at Canadian firm Stikeman Elliott in Toronto, is leading a team from the firm providing Canadian counsel to the acquirer. FB Attorneys in Dar es Salaam are handling Tanzanian legal matters for ARMZ.

John Turner, leader of the global mining group at Canadian firm Fasken Martineau DuMoulin in Toronto, is advising Uranium One on its potential acquisition of Mantra from ARMZ. Assisting turner are energy and corporate partner Gregory Ho Yuen, M&A partner S. Bruce Blain, banking and finance partner John Elias, general corporate partner Dimitri Cavvadas, and associates Bozidar Crnatovic and Sarah Lafleur. (Cavvadas and Lafleuer are based in Johannesburg and performed due diligence on Mantra’s Mkuju River Project.)

Allens Arthur Robinson, one of Australia’s largest law firms, is also advising Uranium One. Dar es Salaam-based Ishengoma Karume Masha & Magai, which has an alliance with DLA Piper, is serving as Tanzanian counsel to the ARMZ unit.

The deal is expected to close during the second quarter of 2011.

 

 

 

 

 

KENYA :

 

Kenya gets Sh42 billion health grants

By NATION REPORTER Posted Thursday, December 16 2010

http://www.nation.co.ke/News/regional/Kenya%20gets%20Sh42%20billion%20health%20grants%20/-/1070/1073608/-/vakf2y/-/

Kenya has gained massive favour with the international donor community following the approval of about Sh42 billion ($530 million) for malaria and HIV programmes.

The first grant was announced early Wednesday morning by the World Bank, which approved Sh4 billion ($55 million) for HIV and Aids interventions in the country.

The grant will also increase access to mosquito nets for Kenyans living in malaria-prone areas.

Reports on Wednesday night indicated that the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria had reopened its purse to Kenya and approved a Sh38 billion ($475 million) grant for its Round 10 application for HIV and malaria programmes.

This brings Kenya back into the Global Fund, which last year denied the country funds totalling some Sh22 billion ($270 million).

“I can authoritatively tell you that our application has been approved, making us comfortable in providing essentials for HIV, malaria and tuberculosis,” Dr Willis Akhwale, the head of disease control at the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation said on Thursday.

“This is a very exciting development and will help us maintain the fight against the three diseases,” he said.

Kenya’s relationship with the Global Fund has been bumpy because of poor accountability, underperformance and slow movement of funds.

 

 

 

AFRICA / AU :

 

 

Russia in Africa: hunting for uranium

 

December 16, 2010  by Stefan Wagstyl  China, India and Brazil aren’t the only BRICs pursuing strategic natural resources: Russia too is on the hunt. Rosatom, the Russian state nuclear energy group, is expanding its worldwide uranium reserves with the $1.15bn acquisition of a project in Tanzania. And it is looking for other deposits, having already invested in Namibia and Canada.

ARMZ Uranium, Rosatom’s mining division, plans to acquire the Tanzanian assets by taking over its owner, Australia-based Mantra Resources in an agreed bid. Mantra said on Wednesday that it had recommended the offer to its shareholders. Mantra’s principal asset is the Mkuju River Project in Tanzania, which holds 101.4 million pounds of uranium.

“Mantra’s flagship asset, the Mkuju River Project, is a world class deposit,” ARMZ Director General Vadim Zhivov said. “We believe Mantra will complement our portfolio of assets and is consistent with our stated strategy of acquiring low cost, long life, geographically diverse assets.”

ARMZ has offered A$8.00 per share, or A$1.16 billion, for the firm, 15.5 percent above its 20-day average price on the Sydney exchange.

As the FT has reported, ARMZ, the world’s fourth largest uranium producer, has most of its mines in Russia and Kazakhstan, but it is rapidly expanding in the face of a growing demand for nuclear fuels. Last month it gained final approval for a $610m bid that allows it to increase to 51 per cent its stake in Canada’s Uranium One a company with operations in Kazakhstan, the US and Australia.

Rosatom first went into Africa in 2008 with a joint venture with SWA Uranium Mines in Namibia. There was a time when such aggressive expansion in the nuclear industry by a Russian state company would have raised hackles in Washington. But not now. The US relies heavily on imported uranium, including from Russia. And, when it comes to natural resources acquisitions, it is more concerned about China than Russia.

 

 

 

 

Ivory Coast teeters on brink of civil war

 

16/12/2010 / http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/africa/101216/ivory-coast-election-violence-civil-war

 

Supporters of Alassane Ouattara, who has claimed to have won last month’s presidential election, raise their arms during a protest in Abidjan on Dec. 16, 2010. At least 15 demonstrators were shot dead in Abidjan as troops loyal to Ivorian leader Laurent Gbagbo mobilized to thwart an attempt to storm state television headquarters. (Issouf Sanogo/AFP/Getty Images) 

BOSTON — No one who has been following events in Ivory Coast is surprised to see the outbreak of violence Thursday that is pushing the country to the brink of civil war.

Ivory Coast has been a slow motion train wreck ever since the disputed election at the end of November that left two rival politicians claiming to be president.

Observers fear Ivory Coast is returning to the civil war that divided the country in 2002 and 2003.

Fifteen people were killed Thursday in Abidjan, the country’s main city, in clashes between supporters of Laurent Gbagbo, the president who lost the election but refuses to leave office, and Alassane Ouattara, the opposition leader who won the official count.

Gunfire and explosions shook the skyscraper-lined streets of Abidjan and brought business to a halt. Clashes have also been reported in the capital city of Yamoussoukro, as well as the rebel stronghold of Bouake and the central town of Tiebissou.

One rocket-propelled grenade struck a wall surrounding the U.S. embassy in Abidjan, but no one was injured and damage was minor, according to U.S. officials.

More violence is expected Friday now that Ouattara has vowed to push to take control of government office buildings and the state broadcasting center.

Ouattara’s election victory has been acknowledged by the United Nations, the African Union, the United States and France. Ouatarra, 68, a former deputy director of the International Monetary Fund, draws much of his support from the rebel-held north.

Ggagbo, 65, has been in power since 2000 and his power base is in the south. So far Ivory Coast’s army has been loyal to Gbagbo.

The United Nations has 6,000 peacekeepers in Ivory Coast. Many of them are guarding the Golf Hotel in Abidjan where Ouatarra is staying along with members of his cabinet.

The Ivory Coast army is guarding the Presidential Palace where Gbagbo is running his government.

News of Ivory Coast’s violence has pushed up prices for cocoa on international markets toward a four month high. Ivory Coast is the world’s largest cocoa producer, providing 43 percent of the world’s supply.

These events are important for Africa because it highlights the problem of disputed elections, especially in which the incumbent refuses to accept a loss and to step down from power. Kenya, Guinea and Zimbabwe are all examples of where leaders have refused to accept results and have plunged their countries into political, and often ethnic, violence.

African leaders continue to struggle to strengthen democracy across the continent. The African Union has declared the Gbagbo government illegitimate. It also sent former South African president Thabo Mbeki to mediate.

What a bad idea. Mbeki has already failed to negotiate successful solutions in Zimbabwe and Kenya. Why send him to Ivory Coast? Mbeki’s panacea “African solution for African problems” is to create a coalition government that includes representations from both sides and leaves the incumbent in the driver’s seat.

It may sound plausible, but it doesn’t work. It leaves both sides disconnected and unresponsive to their constituents. Government becomes paralyzed and ineffectual. And the politicians become kleptomaniacs who loot the state coffers.

Africa does not need more of these problematic “governments of national unity.”

Africa needs better elections and better adherence to the democratic principle of allowing the winner to govern, and the loser to prepare for the next elections.

 

 

 

 

UN /ONU :

 

 

UN and partners unveil programme to combat West Africa’s growing drug trade

 

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=37093&Cr=unodc&Cr1= – 16 December 2010 – With drug traffickers in West Africa increasingly adjusting their tactics to avoid counter-narcotics efforts, the United Nations and partner organizations today launched a comprehensive, integrated programme to combat drug trafficking and organized crime in the region.

The programme – the UN Office on Drugs and Crime Regional Programme for West Africa 2010-2014 – covers 16 countries and will respond to the needs of West African countries on the principle of shared responsibility, addressing the transcontinental nature of the challenge, in particular, the transatlantic route. It will focus on peace building, security sector reform, and national and regional institution- and capacity-building; as well as strengthening action in the areas of organized crime, trafficking and terrorism, justice and integrity, drug prevention and health, and awareness raising and research.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has often raised the alarm over narcotics trafficking in West Africa, noting that the problem has been compounded by widespread corruption and money-laundering.

In its 2009 report on transnational drug-smuggling, UNODC estimated that up to 100 tons of cocaine might have transited through West Africa that year. In some cases, the value of trafficking flows through the region surpasses the gross domestic products of the countries in West Africa, which are among the world’s poorest countries.

The launch of the West Africa programme took place at a high-level meeting at UN Headquarters in New York, co-chaired by UNODC, the UN Office for West Africa and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and in cooperation with the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the UN Department of Political Affairs and the International Criminal Police Organization, better known as INTERPOL.

“The added value of UNODC facilitating the entire process will certainly lie in its particular mandate and experience, as well as in its role within the UN system as the main international forum to address crime and drug trafficking as a threat to international security at the global level,” the Executive Director of UNODC, Yury Fedotov, said at the launch. Established in 1997, UNODC is the UN agency charged with assisting countries in their struggle against illicit drugs, crime and terrorism.

Mr. Fedotov said that West Africa has become a hub for cocaine trafficking from Latin America to Europe, with its widespread poverty and geographic location halfway between the two continents making it particularly attractive to narcotics smugglers and other organized criminal networks.

He also noted that West Africa is a major transit route for counterfeit medicines, the smuggling of commodities and people for sexual exploitation, and risked becoming a major safe haven for terrorists if the narcotics trafficking problem remained unaddressed. Drug use has also been on the rise in the region, Mr. Fedotov added.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa, Said Djinnit, described the programme as a “strong and effective alliance” of countries and organizations against organized crime in a region that “has been under severe attack by drug trafficking networks.”

“The fight against drug trafficking and organized crime was an essential pillar for any conflict prevention and peace building strategy in West Africa,” said Mr. Djinnit said at the launch. “The UNODC Regional Programme will be key to streamlining support for the ECOWAS regional plan of action and efforts at combating this global threat to peace and security.”

The regional programme is a culmination of an ECOWAS ministerial conference in Cape Verde in 2008, which resulted in a political declaration and regional action plan to combat drug trafficking and organized crime in West Africa. That meeting, followed by a multi-agency West Africa Coast Initiative, gave the impetus to the creation of the regional programme launched today.

 

 

 

USA :

 

 

 

CANADA :

 

 

African leaders pledge to wipe out trade of conflict minerals

From Thursday’s Globe and Mail –  Published Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2010  Leaders from 11 nations in the conflict-ravaged Great Lakes region of central Africa on Tuesday signed a pledge – partly drafted by a Canadian organization – to stamp out the illegal trade of conflict minerals.

Signed at a summit in the Zambian capital of Lusaka by governments including the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi, the pledge commits signatory states to take steps to implement a regional certification system to track such minerals as they are exported from Africa for smelting in Asia.

The summit was called to address mining practices that have helped to fuel mass rapes and massacres in the eastern provinces of Congo. The illegitimate mining of minerals such as coltan, tungsten, tin and gold, which are used in electronic devices, is widespread in the region and often finances armed groups.

Among the mechanisms to be implemented is a “bag-and-tag” system in which minerals are tagged at their point of origin. The African nations also said they would create a database to make it easier to identify and track minerals that originate in areas of conflict.

The move by the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region comes as governments in the United States, Canada and Europe consider legislation that would make roughly 6,000 manufacturers, including BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd., responsible for tracking the minerals used in their products.

In Canada, New Democratic and Liberal MPs have proposed bills that would regulate the conflict-mineral trade. In the United States, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform act contains a sweeping clause that would empower the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to ask companies for information about their mineral purchases. The U.S. law would affect thousands of electronics manufacturers, including Apple Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co., as well as retailers.

On Wednesday, the SEC suggested new guidelines for the Dodd-Frank act that would require companies to disclose in annual reports whether they used conflict minerals from Congo or a neighbouring country. If so, the company would have to submit a separate report to the SEC, audited by a third party, on the company’s due diligence measures to ensure the minerals weren’t funding conflict.

Details of the certification process signed in Lusaka were crafted by an Ottawa-based non-governmental organization called Partnership Africa Canada (PAC). The group was instrumental in the Kimberley Process designed to halt the trade in “blood diamonds.” PAC operates in the Great Lakes region of central Africa with $1.8-million in funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs.

“This is a declaration of heads of state. It’s a political commitment. One could say that’s a legal commitment,” Bernard Taylor, PAC’s executive director, said in a phone interview from Lusaka. “The key thing is that they commit themselves to put into place a regional certification process for these high-value minerals, and take associated steps in each country to make this happen.”

Signing a declaration to stop the exploitation of coltan, tungsten, tin and gold, Mr. Taylor notes, does not immediately resolve the conflict-minerals issue. Brutal wars are still raging in parts of Congo. And in order to police the trade in so-called conflict minerals, states need to have a well-armed and well-paid police force, as well as knowledgeable customs officials, he said, something that will require a lot of “capacity building.”

Partnership Africa Canada’s involvement with the African leaders’ conference dates back to 2005. The organization has helped the summit grapple with flaws related to on-the-ground monitoring that marred the Kimberley Process.

 

 

Canada’s Africa Oil Corp. Agrees to Survey New Ethiopian Block

By William Davison – Dec 10, 2010   –  Africa Oil Corp., a Canadian oil and gas exploration company, said it signed an agreement with the Ethiopian government to survey the Rift Valley Block.

The company will carry out an airborne geophysical survey of the 42,519 square-kilometer (16,417 square-mile) block, it said yesterday in a statement. The area is north of the South Omo Block where Africa Oil has a joint holding with U.K explorer Tullow Oil Plc and Agriterra Ltd.

Africa Oil’s exploration areas in Ethiopia, Somalia’s Puntland region and Kenya “host numerous oil seeps indicating a proven petroleum system,” the company said.

Nine companies are operating 17 licenses to prospect for oil and gas in Ethiopia, Ketsela Tadesse, head of petroleum operations, licensing and administration at the Ethiopian Mines Ministry, said in an interview today in the capital, Addis Ababa.

“This part of the world can generate substantial amounts of oil and gas,” he said. “But there is a need for more data and more active work.”

The ministry hopes to license at least two new operations per year, with a minimum of $500 million invested in prospecting over the next five years, according to Ketsela.

No reserves have been proven apart from about 4.9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in concessions operated in the eastern Ogaden region by Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia-based Petroliam Nasional Bhd., Ketsela said.

To contact the reporter on this story: William Davison in Addis Ababa via Johannesburg atpmrichardson@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Antony Sguazzin at asguazzin@bloomberg.net.

 

 

AUSTRALIA :

UPDATE 1-Australia watchdog clears Sigma sale to South Africa’s Aspen

MELBOURNE, Dec 16 (Reuters) – Australia’s competition watchdog cleared Sigma Pharmaceuticals’ A$900 million ($887 million) sale of its generic drugs business to South Africa’s Aspen Pharmacare on Thursday, after Aspen agreed to give up some products.

Sigma’s shares jumped 2.6 percent in relief as the commission’s approval paves the way for a shareholder vote on Jan. 14 on the long awaited sale, which the beleaguered company needs to pay down debt.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission delayed its ruling in October, when it raised concern that Aspen’s acquisition of Sigma’s generics business would eliminate the only competitor in the market for some of its drugs.

To appease the commission, Aspen agreed to sell off two of Sigma’s anti-inflammatory steroid drugs, Sone and Solone, and its own LPV penicillin product, and Sigma agreed to keep its iron supplement Ferrosig.

Sigma shares closed up 2.6 percent at A$0.40 beating a 0.3 percent gain in the broader market. ($1 = 1.015 Australian Dollars) (Reporting by Sonali Paul; editing by Balazs Koranyi)

 

 

 

 

EUROPE :

 

 

 The Africa-EU Partnership – a new model for development aid?

 

Aaron AkinyemiDecember 16, 2010  http://www.losangeleschronicle.com/articles/view/203736

The 2009 publication of Dambisa Moyo’s provocative and critically acclaimed book Dead Aid stoked an ongoing furious debate about foreign aid and the extent to which it helps or harms developing countries.

 

It is within this general climate of evolving discussions on aid that the European Union launched its Joint Africa-EU Strategic Partnership with the African Union in 2007 in order to “move beyond the traditional donor-recipient relationship” and work together with African nations as equals to promote more sustainable and long-term development with a central focus on the UN’s Millennium Development Goals.

 

The 3rd Africa-EU Summit opened in Tripoli last week with a speech by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi urging European heads of state to strike fairer trade policies with African countries that are based on “mutual interest not exploitation”. Gaddafi’s words echo concerns by African leaders that calls from the EU for developing countries to liberalise their economies and open their markets to European goods and services will damage emerging local industries and are too one-sided.

 

Despite protestations that the Africa-EU Partnership is asking for too much of African nations and not offering enough in return where trade is concerned, EU officials maintain that the initiative is aimed at expanding the scope of traditional development aid policy and tackling the root causes of poverty, not just its symptoms.

 

Last month, the European Commission (EC) launched a Green Paper outlining proposals of how it aims to improve the impact of its development policy. The Green Paper notes that a mere one per cent increase in developing countries’ gross national income can be more effective than simply increasing aid to those countries and an impartial trade policy can be equally beneficial. Calls have already been mounting from NGOs such as CIDSE for the EU to reform its Common Agricultural Policy in order to give goods produced in the developing world fairer and more competitive access to global markets and to allow local African industries to thrive.

 

Sven Kuehn von Burgsdorff, the EC’s acting head of forward looking studies and policy coherence, said: “If we continue subsidising our agricultural products, we undermine the ability of smaller farmers to develop their own capacity to feed their populations. It’s very important that what we do on the policy front doesn’t undermine the objectives of development.”

 

The EC said it plans to focus on attracting foreign direct investment to Africa, maintain food security and improve access to affordable credit for small businesses, as well as source development funding in more innovative ways.

 

Speaking in Brussels, Irish MEP Gay Mitchell, who is on the European Parliament’s Committee on Development, said the Africa-EU Partnership represents the first time targets have been set for how developing countries must spend aid money (20 per cent on basic education and health respectively). Monitoring procedures have also been devised to ensure that these targets are being met.

 

Furthermore, EU officials said they want to ensure that multinational corporations pay the correct tax in developing countries and have less access to tax havens so revenues can trickle down to local communities.

 

Jose Correia-Nunes, the EC’s head of economic governance and budget support, said however, that the Commission will maintain – at just under half – the proportion of aid given to developing countries as budget support – arguably the type of aid that is most prone to corruption due to the fact that it is given directly to the treasuries of developing countries, where it is easy to siphon off undetected. Mr Correia-Nunes acknowledged that that there are problems with budget support that need to be addressed and maintained that the EC will continue to re-think its financing strategy to maximise effectiveness and will only give aid to countries that demonstrate strong governance and rule of law. Moreover, a clause (Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement) has been introduced to suspend aid to countries that flout democratic and human rights principles.

 

EU officials have consistently spoken of how the EU’s partnership with Africa is more “multi-faceted” than China’s involvement, which they describe as untenable in the long term. This has inevitably led to criticisms that the EU’s partnership with Africa is designed to counteract China’s growing economic influence on the continent and capitalise on Africa’s economic growth, which is forecast to reach 10% in countries such as Nigeria.

 

The Africa-EU Summit concluded with the signing of the Tripoli Declaration, which pledges to increase Africa’s influence in world bodies such as the G20 and the UN, and commits heads of state to implementing an action plan over the next two years focusing on a range of issues including sustainable energy, infrastructure, good governance, conflict prevention and food security.

 

However, attempts at agreeing a trade deal have been elusive, with African leaders saying the EU is trying to coax them into opening their borders without giving enough in return. African leaders are pushing for more equitable tariff cuts for all African countries and duty-free access to markets in the EU on a more long-term basis. African leaders have warned that they may discontinue trade negotiations if a mutually beneficial deal is not reached and seek partnerships elsewhere with emerging economies such as Brazil, China and India.

 

The onus is now on the EU to make good on its ambitious promises and offer a fairer trade deal to allow African countries to take proactive steps to foster long-term growth, eliminate poverty and meet the Millennium Development Goals in the spirit of the new “equal joint partnership”.

 

 

CHINA :

China, India Reduce November Coal Purchases From South Africa

December 16, 2010  – By Dinakar Sethuraman –  Dec. 16 (Bloomberg) — China and India imported less coal from South Africa in November as shipments from Richards Bay terminal declined from a record, said mjunction Services Ltd., a web-based trader.

 

China’s purchases fell 2.2 percent to 844,722 metric tons in November from October, said Kolkata-based mjunction, which is backed by Tata Steel Ltd. and Steel Authority of India Ltd. Indian imports fell 25 percent to 1.63 million tons, the trader said in a Dec. 14 note.

 

Asian coal purchases from South Africa declined 22 percent to 3.3 million tons in November from 4.25 million in October because of a drop in Indian purchases while European imports fell 35 percent to 1.1 million, mjunction said. Purchases by Asian countries through November this year were about 39.3 million tons and Europe’s imports were 9.6 million.

 

At Richards Bay Coal Terminal, Africa’s biggest coal export facility, shipments fell 30 percent in November from a month earlier, according to data on the terminal’s website. The port, on South Africa’s eastern coast, shipped 5.18 million tons, down from a record volume of 7.38 million in October. The terminal had stocks of 2.98 million tons at the end of last month.

 

Average prices for the fuel shipped through the terminal rose 7.1 percent in November from October and traded at $110 a ton as of Dec. 10, according to data from Hampshire, U.K.-based research firm IHS McCloskey.

 

India’s purchases in the first 11 months of this year from South Africa rose 14 percent to 18.96 million tons from a year earlier, mjunction said. Chinese imports climbed to 6.52 million tons through November as lower freight rates boosted shipments, compared with 1.52 million tons it imported for the entire 2009.

 

The Baltic Dry Index, the main measure of shipping costs for commodities, has declined 41 percent in the past 12 months, reducing costs to send coal and iron ore to China and India from Africa.

 

–Editors: Jane, Ching Shen Lee, John Viljoen

 

To contact the reporter on this story: Dinakar Sethuraman in Singapore at dinakar@bloomberg.net

 

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jane Lee at jalee@bloomberg.net

 

 

INDIA :

 

 

BRASIL:

 

EN BREF, CE 16 décembre 2010… AGNEWS /DAM, NY,16/12/2010