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World Round Up 2002
Prionka Jha
Sri Lankan-LTTE crisis: A historic breakthrough If there was hope for peace in one region of the world it was Sri Lanka.
On February 22, the seemingly unending conflict between the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE moved towards settlement as the two parties signed the historic ‘Permanent Ceasefire Agreement’ with Norway, key player in brokering truce, endorsing the agreement. This agreement was aimed at creating a conducive atmosphere for peace talks. The breakthrough came, after several rounds of negotiations, on December 5. The Sri Lankan government led by G L Peiris and the LTTE led by Anton Balasingham agreed to develop a government that would give the rebels regional autonomy - ending 19 years of strife between them.
Two earlier rounds of talks in Thailand showed unexpected progress with the rebels expressing hope to enter mainstream politics. But in the third round, the LTTE gave up its demand of an independent homeland. This was the turning point. A novel adage of “internal self-determination” was coined. The truce was announced immediately after the third round of talks in Oslo. Ways of incorporating the LTTE into the government will be examined and a framework embodied in the Constitution will be discussed in the next round of talks at Japan.
Earlier, the LTTE supremo, Velupillai Prabhakaran was sentenced to 200 years of imprisonment by a court in Colombo on October 31 for ordering the 1996 bombing of Sri Lanka’s Central Bank in Colombo in which 76 people were killed. However, with the new agreement in place, the sentence is unlikely to be taken seriously. Afghanistan: Limps back to normalcy
The tumultuous war in Afghanistan against the Taliban reached its logical conclusion this year as in mid-June, Loya Jirga (assembly of elders) met in Kabul to choose the head of state and a new government to replace the interim administration installed under the October 2001 Bonn accord. The Loya Jirga overwhelmingly elected Hamid Karzai as president of Afghanistan. He won 1295 votes whereas Masoodeh Jalal, a doctor with the World Food Programme, won only 121 votes but became the first woman ever to contest presidential elections in Afghanistan.
Hamid Karzai was sworn-in on June 19, and his 28 member new cabinet was sworn-in on June 24. The former king of Afghanistan, Mohammed Zahir Shah, returned to his homeland as well after 29 yeas of exile in Italy. Myanmar: Whiff of liberty On May 6, Myanmar’s military junta unconditionally released Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD), after 19 months of house arrest. She was placed under house arrest for defying a government ban on travelling out of Yangon. The international community hailed the government’s move but added that it was only a first step to democracy for the military-ruled nation.
On May 17, Suu Kyi travelled outside Yangon, for the first time since 1997. She went to the local party office in Shwepyitha, some 30 km north of Yangon, and delivered a speech to party workers before returning to Yangon. Then on May 27, the NLD commemorated the 12th anniversary of the 1990 polls.
Ambassadors from Britain, France, Italy and Germany and diplomats from the United States, South Korea, Japan and Australia also attended the meeting at the NLD’s Yangon headquarters.
East Timor: Millennium’s new child
East Timor was officially declared independent at a colourful and emotional ceremony in the capital, Dili, marking an official end to 450 years of foreign rule over the territory.
On the midnight of May 19, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan handed over power to the country’s new president Xanana Gusmao. Over the last two-and a-half years, a remarkable international effort was worked at for rebuilding East Timor from scratch and preparing it for independence.
Annan, however, said peace-keeping forces would gradually pull out, but the UN would remain engaged and would continue to support an independent East Timor. A truth and reconciliation commission has been set up to facilitate the process of healing years of hostility and bitter memories.
Iraq: Preparing for War
Perhaps the country that is most likely to face battle in 2003 in Iraq.
On May 15, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution to revamp the 12-year old sanctions regime against Iraq. Under the new sanctions the military embargo was tightened but the flow of civilian goods has been eased. The new sanctions were proposed by US and UK. These sanctions concentrate on arms control as US suspects that Iraq might be engaged in secretly building Weapons of Mass Destruction.
However, in the beginning of the year, Iraq agreed to meet UN officials for resumption of dialogue on weapons inspections. But on the whole, no outcome was reached at on this issue.
Accusing Iraq of violating UN Security Council resolution, but also with an ulterior motive to topple the Saddam regime, US somehow influenced UN to enforce Resolution 1441 against Iraq that allows weapons inspectors to return to Iraq to inspect Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Failing to reach an agreement, UN has sent weapons inspectors to Iraq who at present are formally carrying out searches for illegal biological, chemical and nuclear weapons.
The US has already accused Iraq of not coming out clean and hinted that it may attack the beleaguered nation early next year.
Nepal: Battling Maoists
2002 has been a very turbulent year for Nepal. It has been marked with lack of political stability clubbed with a very bloody civilian strife.
King Gyanendra, on May 22 had dissolved the Parliament on the recommendations of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and called for mid-term polls on November 13. But later postponed the same due to security reasons.
The King declared a state of Emergency to fight Maoist rebels, who have declared awar against the monarchy. The King went ahead and dissolved Parliament, the first time in the country’s history during an emergency rule.
The recommendation to dissolve Parliament came following differences within the ruling Nepali Congress party itself over the extension of the state of emergency in the country.
There was also turmoil in political parties. The National Conference expelled Deuba as his differences with party president Girija Pasad Koirala came to a head. Deuba floated his own party called Nepali Congress(Democrat).
Meanwhile, King Gyanendra, on October 11, announced a nine-member cabinet and named Lokendra Bahadur Chand as the new Nepalese prime minister. The new PM has announced that elections would be held in the coming year in three phases.
The Maoists, who have blown up factories, police stations, government offices and killed numerous policemen and civilians, have said they are willing to resume negotiations with the government. But the government has declined the offer till such time the rebels lay down their arms.
North Korea: Emerging nuclear power
On October 17, after much media speculation, North Korea officially admitted to having a secret nuclear weapons programme. On a defiant note, it also declared that it no longer wished to abide by an agreement signed with Clinton administration in 1994.
As the year has progressed, its belligerence has only increased. It has removed the United Nations seals from sensitive nuclear laboratories. The communist state is taking over nuclear facilities from IAEA.
US is still dangling the economic assistance carrot in return for a nuclear-free North Korea but it doesn’t seem to be having the desired effect.
On the other hand, on October 25, North Korea asked US to enter into a bilateral non-aggression treaty so that the security concerns of both sides could be addressed in a manner that could bring about peace and stability on the Korean peninsula. In this case, the US is not biting bait.
Pakistan: Musharraf’s sham democracy
The Farce of Referendum
It couldn’t have got more ridiculous! In a bid to gain international acceptability, Pervez Musharraf held a referendum on his presidency on April 30. And he claims that of the 43.9 million voters, 42.8 million voted for him. An incredulous 98%!!
So incongruous was the outcome that even Musharraf was forced to reject the result. And for becoming a big joke in the world community, the General fired his election commissioner.
Musharraf, then listed out some proposals to amend the 1973 Constitution. These happened to be even more ridiculous than his referendum and was rejected outright by all sections of Pakistani society.
Some reforms he proposed were:
Musharraf was true to his word for once and conducted the general elections in October as promised. But the elections had to be fine-tuned to Musharraf’s will. So the biggest names in Pakistani politics didn’t contest and Musharraf’s puppet party Pakistan Muslim League (Qaid-e-Azam)-PML(Q) emerged as the single largest winner with 70 seats in the 342 seat assembly. It was followed by Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) with 63 seats. However the most disturbing new element was the emergence of a pro-Taliban Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), an alliance of six right-wing religious parties, as a third force with 44 seats. The Independents emerged as the fourth largest force by bagging 8 seats.
After much wrangling, the pro-Musharraf PML-Q staked claim to form the government on November 2 and Zafaraullah Khan Jamali took oath as the prime minister on November 23. The 30-member EU team which spent three to five weeks in different parts of the country took a very critical view of the constitutional amendments made by Musharraf. EU warned that the new rules seem to weaken the National Assembly and Provincial Assemblies and can lead to the concentration of power in the hands of a single individual who can dismiss elected governments. EU Observation Mission to Pakistan also raised serious questions about the credibility of the electoral process. Daniel Pearl Case
British born militant Sheikh Omar Saeed was sentenced to death for abducting and murdering The Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Pearl was abducted from the port-city of Karachi on January 23 after arranging to interview Sheikh Mubarak Ali Shah Gilani, the leader of a radical Muslim faction for having alleged ties with the al Qaeda terrorist network. The jehadis demanded the release of some Islamic terrorists among other things. On rejection of their demands, they killed the reporter. Pearl, a Jew by faith, was killed brutally as his throat was slashed by the jehadis. They even recorded the gruesome murder and sent it for telecast. Pearl’s widow Marian gave birth to a baby boy after his death. Terrorist Attacks
Foreigners were particularly targetted this year in Pakistan. It began with the terrorist attack on a church in Islamabad, killing five and injuring. Next, terrorists blew up a mini-bus killing and wounding several. The victims were mostly French nationals. Then the terrorists attacked the US consulate in Karachi. All this resulted in most diplomatic missions in Pakistan cutting down on their staff and cancelling their flights. Rogue state
It was the American newspapers that reported that Pakistan gave assistance to North Korea for developing its nuclear weapons programme. In fact, this was more of a barter deal that involved North Korea to supply Pakistan with missiles to counter the arsenal of India. France: Opt for a little change
Jacques Chirac was re-elected President of France on May 5. He won 82 per cent vote by defeating Jean Marie Le Pen of the extreme right-wing National Front who bagged just 18 per cent of the vote. First round of voting took place on April 1, in which Chirac of the Gaullist
Rassemblement pour la Republique won 19.71 per cent of the popular vote and Len Pen won 16.86 per cent. The then prime minister and leader of the Socialist Party, Lionel Jospin came third with 16.16 per cent of the votes and was thus eliminated from the second-round race. The rest of the votes were polled by various small rightist, leftist and environmentalist parties. French political system allows for cohabitation – in which the prime minister and president belong to different parties.
First round of the presidential elections saw low voter turn out. But the second round witnessed 62 per cent voter turn out. But on May 16, Jacques Chirac was formally reinstated in the office and he appointed Jean Pierre Raffarin as the new prime minister of France. Germany: Schoeder is just in
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, on September 23, secured one of the narrowest victory margins in German election history. In the closest national election since World War II Schroeder`s SDP (Social Democratic Party) and their Green coalition partners won. The final difference between the Gerhard Schroeder and his arch-rival of Chritisan Democrat Edmund Stoiber results was less than 9,000 votes. Official results showed the ruling Social Democrat-Green coalition parties squeezed through with a combined 47.1 percent of the vote, winning 306 seats in the new 603-seat Parliament. Whereass, the Christian Democrats and Free Democrats got 45.9 percent of the vote, winning 295 seats. In Germany power does not necessarily go to the party that wins the most seats in Parliament. It flows to the one that can form a working coalition.
This win ensured Schroeder a second term in office. In his election campaign he ruled out German participation in military action against Iraq. While Schroeder was swamped with congratulations from world leaders generally and European leaders in particular, the US President refused to acknowledge his victory. The relation between Berlin and Washington reached an all time low with Schroeder opposing the war on Iraq. Bali: Terror target
On the midnight on October 12, the resort-island of Bali witnessed a devastating terrorist strike. Several hundreds of revellers, mainly Australians and Westerners, were gathered at a string of pubs on the Kuta beach stretch near Denpasar, the Balinese capital. The blast claimed at least 187 lives and injured nearly 300. The blasts came just three days after the US government issued a worldwide terror alert.
A team of FBI agents, Australian police and intelligence agents gave technical assistance to Indonesian police to hunt down those behind the blast. Investigations pointed to a powerful car-bomb explosion and the possibility that a mini-van was used to carry the explosives. A remote-controlled device was suspected to have been used to set off the explosion, from a motorcycle at a safe distance. The alleged spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiyah, Abu Bakar Baasyir, is suspected to have masterminded the operation. The recent arrest of a man known as Mukhlas, believed to be the new operations chief of Jemmah Islamiah, is the older brother of Amrozi - who has also been arrested in connection with the Bali blasts in the beginning of November. Moreover, police also has confirmed Amrozi’s statement admitting owning up of the van containing the explosives. Moscow: Held Hostage
It all began on the night of October 23, 2002 when armed men entered the crowded Moscow theatre firing shots and pinning down the panic-stricken audience to their seats. The intruders were armed men from Chechnya demanding an end to Russia’s war on the breakaway republic. More than 800 members of the audience endured 57 hours of hell at the hands of some 50 Chechen separatists before Russian forces launched a swift commando operation to rescue the trapped hostages. The theatre, a former Soviet-era House of Culture was staging a performance of the musical “Nord-Ost”, one of Russian capital’s most popular productions.
The intruders had mines on their bodies and threatened to blow themselves up if the Russian security forces tried to storm the building. They also laid mines inside the theatre. Just two days after the siege, the Chechen gunmen threatened to start shooting the hostages if the Russian government failed to fulfil their demands of ending the war in Chechnya and withdrawing its troops from the region.
The terrorists, who initially gave the government a week’s time, hardened its stand after the authorities refused to negotiate the demands. But the government authorities said that the lives of the gunmen would be guaranteed if they release their captives. By October 25, the gunmen had freed around 54 captives. In a lightning pre-dawn assault on October 28, the Russian forces killed 50 armed Chechen rebels, including their leader Movsar Barayev and captured two gunmen alive. About 90 hostages died in the rescue operation, while rest of them were rescued safely. Commandos used the fentanyl gas to neutralise the terrorists and prevent them from detonating the numerous explosives that they had set up inside the building. The decision to storm the theatre was taken after the captors started executing hostages.
The security forces blew up a wall to enter the building and quickly took control of the ground floor. The actual operation lasted only ten to fifteen minutes and the evacuation of the hostages was completed within 40 minutes. Russia joins NATO
On May 28, NATO formally accepted Russia as a junior partner. Nineteen NATO members and the President of Russia signed the Rome Declaration, officially creating a new era of cooperation between the former foes. The NATO-Russia council will establish policy of a range of issues, including counter-terrorism, regional emergencies, peacekeeping and military areas such as air-defence, search-and-rescue operations and joint exercises. But more importantly, NATO and Moscow will decide only on those issues on which they can find consensus, while NATO will consider more contentious issues alone. The NATO-Russia council will establish policy of a range of issues, including counter-terrorism, regional emergencies, peacekeeping and military areas such as air-defence, search-and-rescue operations and joint exercises. But more importantly, NATO and Moscow will decide only on those issues on which they can find consensus, while NATO will consider more contentious issues alone. China: Striving ahead
China on November 15 scripted a crisis-free political succession with poise and precision. The Central Committee of the governing Communist Party of China (CPC) elected 59-year old Hu Jintao as its new General Secretary. Jiang Zemin gave up his post to facilitate an orderly change of leadership on the basis of a political consensus within the party. But he will retain his status as China`s President until perhaps the end of his present term within the next few months. Hu will formally succeed Jian Zemin as the Chinese President in March 2003. Mideast: Impasse continues
Peace between Israel and Palestine seems elusive, even though neither side denies the need to resume dialogue at some stage. Despite Israeli-Palestinian stand off international efforts to help resolve the tension continued. Meanwhile, all round the year, several peace plans, diplomatic initiatives were put forward by many world leaders and negotiators and were also supported by UN, but both Israel and Palestine never agreed and adopted any. In fact, in mid-July, Israel and Palestinian Authority began direct talks disregarding the spate of terrorist attacks. However, deadlock persisted.
But the peace efforts ran into problems when Ariel Sharon’s coalition government collapsed on October 30 and all negotiations and initiatives had to be put on a backburner. It was on November 4 that Ariel Sharon, his government in disarray and his parliamentary majority gone, survived three no-confidence votes. However, fresh elections in Israel have been slated for February 2003. But it is still not known, whether change of guard in Israel will be of any help in solving the ongoing conflict with Palestine. European Union: Expands eastwards
The European Union is at last poised to carry out its enlargement eastward into Central and Eastern Europe. The union`s summit meeting in Copenhagen in early December issued formal invitations to 10 countries to join in 2004. These countries are Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Slovenia, Malta and Cyprus. The historic moment has come at the end of a year of tense negotiations between the candidates and the European Commission. The invitations, issued by EU leaders at their Copenhagen summit meeting on 12-13 December, brought to a culmination years of preparation and negotiation. Scheduled to start in 2004, the accessions mark the biggest enlargement undertaken by the EU. Two weaker candidates, Bulgaria and Romania, were not given invitations on this occasion but were encouraged to pursue their applications, with prospective joining dates in 2007. The 13th candidate, Turkey, was offered negotiations starting in 2005 but only if it considered meet all of the so-called Copenhagen criteria, particularly relating to human rights by then. The process is still far from concluded. The enlargement decision is still subject to endorsement by the Parliaments of the 15 current EU member states. That should largely be a rubber-stamp affair, but surprises can never be ruled out. For instance, in a referendum in 2001, Irish voters unexpectedly rejected the Nice Treaty, the document that outlines the reform of EU institutions to make room for enlargement. That rejection threatened to halt the entire enlargement. But the danger was averted when the Irish people endorsed the treaty in a second, special referendum held in October 2002. The year 2002 could also be called Turkey`s year, at least in relation to the EU. Despite a change of government in November, that country conducted a skillful lobbying campaign for membership, securing the open support of the United States for its bid. In the end, Ankara was given a promise of negotiations with the EU in 2005, if it meets certain conditions in a review in December 2004. South Korea: Change of Guard
2002 was the last year of President Kim Dae Jung in office. He over saw a small-scale naval battle in June 2002 with North Korea along their disputed sea border that left four South Koreans dead and several wounded. But North Korea had more number of casualties (30) as compared to South Korea. He got a rude shock the following month when his three sons were given jail sentences for taking bribes. Moreover this corruption scandal further hit the not-so-well-doing economy of South Korea Though, he publicly apologised for the conduct of his sons. This corruption scandal surely gave him a big blow during the elections that were held in December. In July Kim Dae-Jung created history by appointing the first woman Prime Minister of South Korea - Chang Sang. December was also an important month as South Korea saw presidential elections. Roh Moo-Hyun of the Millennium Democratic Party won the presidential elections and will take over from Kim Dae-Jung in February 2003.