South Africa: Copper theft a growing problem in South Africa

Source: Institute for Security Studies (ISS)

Who Profits from Copper Theft? Erin Torkelson, Researcher, Organised Crime and Money Laundering Programme, Cape Town

There is little doubt that copper cable theft is a growing problem in South Africa, particularly for the electricity, telecommunications, and railway parastatals Eskom, Telkom, and Transnet.

In a 2009 parliamentary session on copper cable theft, it was revealed that Eskom lost R14.8 million in stolen materials, R38.7 million in replacement infrastructure and R18.2 million in security mitigation for 2008/09 (up from R10.5, 21.5, and R14.5 million respectively for 2007/08). Likewise, Transnet suffered losses of R12 million in stolen materials, R30.1 million in replacement infrastructure, and R116.0 million in security mitigation for 2008/09 (up from R8.9 million, R22.2 million and R91.9 million for 2007/08). Telkom appears to top the charts, reportedly spending R141 million on new telecommunications infrastructure and R231 million on security mitigation in 2007/2008. What is not clear from these figures is who is benefiting the most from this illegal economy and what can be done to thwart the beneficiaries?

Copper is a coveted commodity. Since 1890, industrialization has relied on the extensive use of copper’s electrical conductive properties for modern infrastructure. Copper-based electrification projects converted small handicrafts into large factory productions, which in turn created the need for distribution networks (copper-based railways) and communications infrastructure (copper-based telecommunications). This strong correlation between copper and industrial development is best illustrated by copper’s performance on metal markets.

After a century of extensive usage and demand-driven high prices, copper hit a 60-year low in 1999 ($1.32/kg), reflecting a decline in demand amongst the post-industrial societies. In the last decade, however, China has become the most rapidly industrializing nation in the world and the largest consumer of copper (accounting for 20% of the global market). As a result, the price of copper rose to an all-time high in May 2006 ($8.27/kg) and has held stable since then.

The consistently high price of copper makes it a valuable commodity for illicit business. Thieves are sophisticated market analysts, who decide when the price of copper has risen to a point where the theft of this particular commodity (weighed against the risk) is more financially rewarding than any other. Copper is widely available, poorly secured and easy to steal due to the extensive transportation, power and communications networks of Transnet, Eskom and Telkom. It is also extremely easy to sell, due to eager scrap dealers, looking to profit from the global price increase. Consequently, there are many actors – from petty thieves and organized criminals to scrap dealers and private security companies – benefiting from this illicit economy, and their various modus operandi will be analyzed here.

Petty criminals comprise the first group benefiting from copper cable theft. They are often already involved in collecting scrap metal for subsistence. Much of the work of scrap collectors is legal, albeit informal, but the illegal trade is far more lucrative, and consequently, very attractive. Scrap collectors are often tempted to supplement their earnings by stealing a few metres of copper cable from sources close to home.

Petty thieves dig pilot holes around lampposts to assess the quality of underground copper and then they light fires in those holes to interrupt the electrical current. After doing this, the cables can be safely severed, exhumed and stripped, doing away with any identifying marks. Occasionally, the criminals are tipped off by corrupt council officials about unused cable in municipal stores or on construction sites.

Organised crime networks have been implicated in the theft of miles of cable from peri-urban or rural areas in Gauteng, the North West and KwaZulu-Natal. Many networks are domestic, but recent evidence suggests the involvement of militarily trained cells from Southern Africa. Based in Springs (outside of Johannesburg), their modus operandi entails stealing underground cable in the early hours of the morning, or from electrical sub-stations, construction sites or vehicles in transit. They use hired vehicles to transport the copper. They may even use trucking and ambulance vehicles. Organised syndicates always rely on inside information and expert reconnaissance.

Petty and organized thieves sell most of their copper to local scrap dealers, who make up the third group of beneficiaries. Most scrap dealers have connections with foreign export agents, primarily of Chinese and Pakistani origin. Though certified scrap dealers are not meant to buy copper from questionable sources, for many the financial incentive is high enough to look the other way. This has prompted analysts to call for better regulation of the second-hand goods industry, and indeed a new law has been passed for this purpose.

The Second-hand Goods Act 6, 2009, is not yet effectively used. Disreputable scrap dealers have always found innovative ways of dodging legislation by sponsoring ‘mobile scrap yards’ to buy illicit copper from traveling vehicles, establishing smelters at peri-urban farms to change the appearance of illicit copper, and opening unregulated bucket shops to ‘clean’ the copper before supplying licensed agents. There is also evidence that foreign buyers, which may include the Chinese Triads and other Asian groups, are now bypassing local scrap agents altogether in response to increased scrutiny. One Pakistani syndicate with an address in Hillbrow, Johannesburg, has been using shipping containers in deserted areas as drop-off points for stolen copper. These containers are then driven to Durban and shipped abroad with falsified customs paperwork.

A fourth group that is possibly also benefiting from copper cable theft is the private security industry. Private security firms have the potential to profit from copper cable theft, which should set alarm bells ringing for those analysing organized crime. Similar to the logic of racketeering, private security companies depend upon the problem continuing – not being resolved. Some have been awarded large contracts to combat copper theft and protect state assets; however, there is little evidence of their effectiveness. It is useful to compare loss statistics from Transnet and Telkom, which rely on outsourced private security companies, with Eskom, which has recently switched to in-house security mitigation.

Eskom has the smallest security budget overall (spending R18.2 million as compared to Transnet’s R116 million and Telkom’s R231 million), but has experienced the best results. Transnet’s losses have tripled over the last 5 years, and Telkom’s losses have also substantially increased. Eskom’s losses, however, have begun to level off in the last year, suggesting that in-house security is a cheaper and more effective option.

So, before proposing more security to stem the copper trade, the questions should be asked: who is making the most from copper cable theft and what sorts of interventions will restrain thieves, scrap dealers and security companies alike?

Nuclear Issues: Controlling Tactical Nuclear Weapons

Source: International Relations and Security Network (ISN)

Tactical nuclear weapons represent the final frontier of nuclear arms control. Controlling US and Russian supplies would reduce the potential for nuclear terrorism, decrease the perceived threat to US allies and maintain momentum toward Obama’s goal of a world without nuclear weapons.

By Micah Zenko for ISN Insights

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Of the panoply of cavils leveled by Republican opponents to the New START Treaty, the most credible criticism centers on its omission of tactical, or "non-strategic" nuclear weapons. However, US President Barack Obama's administration was right to bypass tactical nuclear weapons in the interest of reconstituting the transparency and predictability of monitoring Russia's strategic nuclear capabilities under the treaty's verification regime.

The criticism warrants further attention, however, and the Republicans are correct in arguing that limiting and controlling these threatening weapons, which Washington and Moscow have not formally addressed since the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, should be a priority for the next round of talks. Controlling US and Russian tactical nuclear weapons would reduce the potential for nuclear terrorism, decrease the perceived threat to US allies and maintain momentum toward Obama's goal of a world without nuclear weapons.

What are tactical nuclear weapons? There is no official definition, and although the lines between tactical and strategic nuclear weapons are often blurred, the distinction is usually based on their associated delivery vehicles. When compared to the strategic nuclear weapons covered in the new START Treaty, tactical nuclear weapons are generally smaller, have lower yields and are intended for shorter range or even for battlefield use.

Tactical nuclear weapons are maintained either in an operationally deployed or inactive reserve status. Unlike strategic nuclear weapons that can be launched on very short notice, tactical weapons are not routinely loaded on US or Russian missiles, bombers, jets or submarines. In both countries, however, there are clear distinctions between military bases that are dedicated to maintaining operational tactical nuclear weapons and permanent storage sites that hold inactive reserves. The US and Russia each have a clear understanding of the differences between these sites. Operational bases contain tactical nuclear weapons that are equipped for deployment on short notice, as well as their air or naval delivery systems; permanent or nonoperational storage sites contain warheads rendered unusable due to the removal of limited-life components, such as tritium gas, and do not house delivery vehicles.

US and Russian reserves

The US reportedly has 400 operationally deployed tactical nuclear weapons and an equal number in inactive reserve. The primary use of US tactical nuclear weapons is to reinforce the nuclear umbrella that covers at least 31 allied countries - North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members, Japan, South Korea, Australia and possibly Taiwan - as well as other unnamed "partner" countries.

NATO benefits from nuclear deterrence through a long-standing arrangement whereby US tactical nuclear warheads are forward-deployed in Europe under American military custody (reportedly in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey) but are on-hand for delivery by either European or US dual-capable aircraft. As a practical matter, the weapons are a political symbol of America's commitment to Europe; as one Pentagon official told me: "There are no war plans in NATO for using them."

There is uncertainty about the size of Russia's tactical nuclear arsenal, but it is estimated to contain 2,000 operationally deployed tactical nuclear weapons - some of which may be dedicated to a missile defense system for Moscow - with another 3,400 in inactive reserve. Most of Russia's operational tactical weapons are deployed at nuclear-certified bases along the borders of NATO countries.

The primary use of Russia's tactical arsenal, as spelled out in its (unclassified) military doctrine, is to respond to an attack involving nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) against Russia or its allies or "in the event of aggression against the Russian Federation involving the use of conventional weapons when the very existence of the state is under threat." This latter option is primarily intended to deter NATO's vastly superior conventional offensive military. According to the latest reports on "treaty-limiting equipment" in the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty, NATO maintains at least a two-to-one advantage over Russia and its allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

Nuclear terrorism

The tactical nuclear weapons maintained by the US and especially by Russia represent a heightened security risk in light of their vulnerability to loss or theft. As early as the late 1970s, the CIA estimated that the well-known NATO warhead depots in western Europe constituted "the most vulnerable and therefore most likely targets for future terrorist activity." In 2008, a US Air Force report - which is challenged by some Pentagon officials - warned after site inspections to NATO warhead depots that "a consistently noted theme throughout the visits was that most sites require significant additional resources to meet Department of Defense security requirements." In January 2010, peace activists spent 90 minutes walking around the Kleine Brogel Airbase in Belgium, where 10 to 20 nuclear bombs are believed to be stored. Despite such incidents, Pentagon officials contend that the security features of the underground weapons' vaults where tactical nuclear weapons are stored make their unauthorized removal or use virtually impossible.

Less is known about the security of Russia's tactical arsenal. Since 1992, the US Cooperative Threat Reduction program has provided over $12 billion to better account for, and secure, Russia's shrinking WMD stockpile. This includes funding enhanced security upgrades for permanent nuclear storage sites where Russia's nonoperational tactical nuclear weapons are maintained. However, US policy prohibits the funding of security upgrades at front-line nuclear-capable bases housing Russia's operational tactical arsenal.

Given ongoing security concerns, bringing America's tactical nuclear weapons home from Europe, and consolidating Russia's weapons at permanent storage sites that have received enhanced security upgrades should reduce their vulnerability to theft. Even though the current risk is small, the consequences of nuclear terrorism, which President Obama described as "the single biggest threat to U.S. security, both short-term, medium-term, and long-term," are of such a magnitude that such precautions are the only responsible approach.

An agreement to control tactical nuclear weapons

The broad outlines of a US-Russian agreement on tactical nuclear weapons are apparent: reciprocal data exchange on the size, location and related delivery system of the relevant weapons; verification procedures to enforce the provisions of the treaty; and an accepted categorization for the class of weapons systems to be included and their operational status. Given earlier failed attempts at bilateral talks on tactical nuclear weapons, it will be difficult - though necessary - for both Washington and Moscow to make progress on these three issues.

First, each country should reveal its tactical nuclear weapons inventory, location and operational status, either publicly or through a private data exchange mechanism, to produce a comprehensive database. To assuage Russia's concerns about the security of its declared tactical arsenal, there are well-established cryptographic technologies that would permit Washington and Moscow to exchange detailed stockpile data while controlling access to its contents.

The second component of any agreement is to verify the data exchanged and confirm that the provisions of the treaty have been implemented on an agreed timeline. While verifying limits on Russia's operational tactical nuclear arsenal would be challenging, US officials believe that if the Kremlin reverses its earlier opposition, there are sufficient verification procedures and techniques in place to ensure Russian compliance with any treaty provisions, including radiation detection, remote measurement and tamper-indicating tags.

Although there is no universally accepted categorization for tactical nuclear weapons, US and Russian militaries have each published definitions so sufficiently similar that they could be used as the basis for a bilateral treaty. The more important categorization issue is what should constitute an "operationally deployed" tactical nuclear weapon. The goal would be to agree to a list of bases where any tactical nuclear weapons would be considered operational and permanent storage sites where they would be monitored as inactive reserves. To make tactical nuclear weapons limitations permanent, both sides should also verifiably dismantle non-operational warheads at assembly/disassembly facilities. The process of dismantling thousands of warheads will take decades; the current projected dismantlement queue in the US currently stretches to 2022.

The path to zero

Even after the New START Treaty goes into effect, the US and Russia will retain over 90 percent of the world's nuclear weapons. Tactical nuclear weapons represent the final frontier of nuclear arms control - a critical category of weapons that have been largely ignored in past treaties. While useful in deemphasizing the utility of the bomb in US and Russian foreign policy, warhead ceilings that do not include non-strategic nuclear weapons omit a crucial piece of the global nuclear puzzle. Limiting US and Russian tactical nuclear weapons within a bilateral agreement would help to lay the foundation for achieving Obama's vision of a world truly free of nuclear weapons.

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Micah Zenko is a Fellow at the Center for Preventive Action at the Council on Foreign Relations, and author of Between Threats and War: U.S. Discrete Military Operations in the Post-Cold War World and Toward Deeper Reductions in U.S and Russian Nuclear Weapons, a recent CFR Special Report.

OPT: Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (04. – 10 Nov 2010)

Source: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR)

Download full report (pdf)

Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) Continue Systematic Attacks against Palestinian Civilians and Property in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)

· IOF continued to fire at Palestinian workers, farmers and fishermen in border areas in the Gaza Strip.

- Two Palestinian workers were wounded

· IOF continued to use force against peaceful protests in the West Bank.

- An Israeli human rights defender was wounded.

· IOF conducted 34 incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, and 4 limited ones into the Gaza Strip.

- IOF arrested 18 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children.

- IOF arrested Secretary of the Palestinian Legislative Council.

- IOF waged a campaign of arrests in Jerusalem and its suburbs.

· Israeli warplanes attacked a number of civilian targets in the Gaza Strip.

· Israel has continued to impose a total siege on the OPT and has isolated the Gaza Strip from the outside world.

· IOF arrested two Palestinian civilians.

· IOF have continued settlement activities in the West Bank and Israeli settlers have continued to attack Palestinian civilians and property.

- The construction of 1,000 housing units in "Har Homa" settlement in Jerusalem was approved.

- 800 housing units are being built in "Ariel" settlement in the northern West Bank.

- IOF razed areas of Palestinian land near "Elli" settlement in the northern West Bank.

Summary

Israeli violations of international law and humanitarian law in the OPT continued during the reporting period (04 – 10 November 2010):

Shooting:

During the reporting period, IOF wounded two Palestinian workers in the Gaza Strip, and an Israeli human rights defender in the West Bank.

During the reporting period, IOF fired at Palestinian workers who were collecting raw construction materials near the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel. As a result, two workers were wounded.

On 06 November 2010, Israeli warplanes bombarded and destroyed a tunnel at the Egyptian border near Yibna refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah.

On 10 November 2010, Israeli warplanes fired at Gaza International Airport, southeast of Rafah, targeting a number of Palestinian workers who were collecting raw construction materials.

During the reporting period, IOF used excessive force to disperse peaceful demonstrations organized in protest to Israeli settlement activities and the construction of the annexation wall. As a result, an Israeli human rights defender was wounded, and dozens of Palestinian civilians and international human rights defenders suffered from tear gas inhalation or sustained bruises.

Incursions:

During the reporting period, IOF conducted at least 34 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank, during which they arrested 18 Palestinian civilians, including 6 children and the Secretary of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Dr. Mahmoud al-Ramahi.

In the Gaza Strip, IOF conducted 4 limited incursions into Palestinian communities in the central and northern Gaza Strip, during which they leveled areas of Palestinian land, which they had already razed.

Restrictions on Movement:

Israel had continued to impose a tightened siege on the OPT and imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem.

Gaza Strip

Israel has continuously closed all border crossings to the Gaza Strip for over three years. The illegal Israeli-imposed closure of the Gaza Strip, which has steadily tightened since June 2007, has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip.

Bilateral Relations: Iran reiterates support for Sri Lanka's development

President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reiterated its continuing support for Sri Lanka in the challenging tasks connected with rapid economic and infrastructure development in the new phase in Sri Lanka's history.

Minister of External Affairs, Professor G.L. Peiris who represented President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the 9th Asia Co-operation Dialogue in Tehran met with President Ahmadinejad on the sidelines of the meeting.

Sri Lanka, as the former Chair of the Asia Co-operation Dialogue, is a member of its Troika - with Iran and Kuwait. 31 countries across Asia participated in the session in Tehran.

Professor Peiris, who conveyed warm felicitations from President Rajapaksa to President Ahmadinejad, expressed appreciation of Iran's support at a difficult time, when Sri Lanka had the benefit of an interest free credit facility which Iran had extended for seven months for the purchase of oil.

Minister Peiris told the President of Iran that the Uma Oya and Rural Electrification Projects which were being implemented with Iranian assistance, were under way and conferred immense benefits on the rural heartland of Sri Lanka.

He informed President Ahmadinejad that he had fruitful discussions in Tehran with Iran's Ministers of Commerce and Foreign Affairs on several aspects of the Sapugaskanda Refinery Project, with a view to early finalization.

Prof. Peiris, in his address to the Conference, drew the attention of Asia's leaders to the achievements of Sri Lanka not only in overcoming terrorism against overwhelming odds, but also combining economic development at the level of 8.5% with social equity, in the form of distribution of the fruits of development across the country as a whole, as well as in putting in place imaginative home-grown structures as the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission in response to imperatives of reintegration and rehabilitation in the post-conflict era. Prof Peiris was invited by the Iranian Government to participate in the media conference which marked the conclusion of the ninth Session of the Asia Co-operation Dialogue in Tehran.

Courtesy : Presidential Media Unit

Intelligence: Double agent who sold out Anna Chapman & Co 'uncovered' ?

It's the latest twist in the summer's big spy scandal. A Russian newspaper says it's discovered the identity of the man who exposed 11 Russian agents working in the US. The 'Kommersant' daily claims it was a former foreign intelligence service employee, but so far there's been no official comment. RT's Yegor Piskunov reports.

Brazil: Indigenous Communities Call for Suspension of Belo Monte Dam in Brazilian Amazon

Today international and Brazilian human rights organizations submitted a formal petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), denouncing grave and imminent violations upon the rights of indigenous and riverine communities affected by the construction of Belo Monte Dam on the Xingu River in the Brazilian Amazon. Signed by the Xingu Alive Forever Movement and as well as representatives of affected communities, the petition urgently calls on the Commission to adopt "precautionary measures" that would compel the Brazilian government to halt the dam, slated to be world's 3rd largest.

The petition documents the Brazilian government's violation of the fundamental rights of indigenous peoples from the lower Xingu Basin, including the Arroz Cru, Arara, and Juruna communities. It also highlights threats posed by the Belo Monte Dam, including forced displacement of communities, threats to food security and access to drinking water. The petition concludes: "Despite the gravity and irreversibility of the impacts of the project to local communities, there were no appropriate measures taken to ensure the protection of human rights and the environment."

"The Belo Monte dam will cause extensive damage and gravely violate the rights of everyone living along the Xingu River," stated Antonia Melo, a leader and spokesperson of the Xingu Alive Forever Movement. "This project will uproot entire indigenous and riverine communities. The government is not listening to us."

Also this week prosecutors from Brazil's Federal Public Ministry (MPF) urged Brazil's environmental agency IBAMA not issue an installation license until the dam-building consortium Norte Energia can comply with an obligatory set of social and environmental conditions. Norte Energia has been pushing IBAMA to issue a "partial" installation license, which would allow the project to break ground without complying with legally binding conditions on the dam's provisional license.

"The Brazilian government is ignoring national and international standards to accelerate this project, even at the expense of human rights and the environment," affirmed Astrid Puentes Riano, the co-Director of the Interamerican Association for Environmental Defense (AIDA). "Moving forward without taking precautions required by international norms will only result in the irreversible destruction of a critically important region of the Amazon."

Source: Amazon Watch

Kuwait: Kuwaiti Defence Minister Calls for Collective Efforts to Protect Regional Security

Speaking at the ninth meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Joint Defence Council, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, called on the member nations to commit to the Peninsula Shield Force to prepare for military challenges facing the Arabian Gulf nations.

Sheikh Jaber, the host of the conference of the six countries that in addition to Kuwait include Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), told his fellow ministers that the conference would give priority to the security of the GCC against external threats because "contiguous vigilance" and a uniform military strategy was imperative.

In his address, Sheikh Jaber said the terrorists and sabotage acts in the region, coupled with military confrontations in neighboring and nearby countries and the unstable conditions surrounding the Gulf countries require "our collective regimes and to develop them to honor our supreme strategic objectives in a drive to guarantee the security and prosperity of the Gulf countries."

Sheikh Jaber extended an invitation to GCC countries to send "symbolic military units" of the countries that participated in the 1991 war to liberate Kuwait, and to take part in February's celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of the liberation of Kuwait.

Among other issues discussed at the conference were continuing GCC cooperation on defence issues, the importance of applying the defence strategy to the GCC countries, and a satisfaction in the progress of GCC military cooperation and joint defence. The Council also renewed its support of Bahrain in the face of any threats to its security, safety and stability.

The GCC defense ministers expressed gratitude to His Highness the Kuwaiti Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for his constant support of the process of joint defence and to Sheikh Jaber for his efforts to ensure the success of the ninth session.

The outcome of the conference will be referred to the GCC summit held in Abu Dhabi, UAE early next month. The next session of the Joint Defence Council will be in the UAE next year.

Source: Al Madar

Western Sahara: Talks Remain Stalled but Parties Agree to Accelerate Family Visits for Refugees and Open a 'Road Home'

The third round of informal talks hosted by UN Personal Envoy Chris Ross ended yesterday in Manhasset, NY without agreement on resolving the decades-old Western Sahara conflict. The parties to the conflict, Morocco and the Polisario Front, did join together with Algeria and Mauritania on moving forward with Confidence Building Measures to ease the deteriorating humanitarian situation of long-suffering refugees confined in Algeria. The four nations agreed with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to resume family visits for refugees "without delay" and "accelerate" plans to open a 'road home' through the desert so more refugees could travel from Algeria to visit their families in Morocco. The parties to the talks agreed to meet again in December and early next year.

"The Western Sahara stalemate can be broken, but it will require realistic compromise that meets the basic demands of all parties, and provides the region with stability, security, and self-determination," said Robert Holley, executive director, Moroccan American Center for Policy. "Morocco's autonomy initiative provides the only reasonable political compromise to meet those requirements." Holley said broad autonomy for Western Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty has the backing of three successive US Administrations and many on the UN Security Council. "It is time this support was demonstrated in actions as well as words," he said.

Holley also urged international targeted aid programs to help meet the social and economic aspirations of the people of the Sahara underlying the recent protests in Laayoune, Morocco. "The violent unrest earlier this week highlights rising tensions in the region, which are partly a consequence of the lack of serious efforts by key parties on the Security Council to actively promote the realistic solution they claim to support. The murderous violence perpetrated by pro-Polisario supporters who tried to hijack what was essentially a social protest having nothing to do with Polisario political aims, was the latest in a growing number of violent provocations designed to derail prospects for a compromise solution," Holley continued. "The small group of pro-Polisario supporters in Morocco seem to be taking their lead from the repeated Polisario threats to return to war rather than reach a political compromise that would serve the region and its people's best interests."

Holley said the agreement to resume UN family visits for refugees was a positive step. Earlier this fall, the Polisario blocked a UN family visit flight and later jailed Sahrawi leader Mustapha Salma Ould Sidi Mouloud on his return from a UN family visit in September, further complicating efforts to reunite Saharawi families by silencing those within the refugee camps who want to speak out for a peaceful compromise solution.

Currently, the family visits have a wait list of 17,000 refugees. Most must wait years to visit family members in southern Morocco, despite the fact that their freedom of movement is guaranteed by international law. Holley said opening a "road home" from the Tindouf camps in Algeria into Morocco would enable many more refugees to visit their relatives, and added that Algeria should allow all refugees the choice to return home.

International experts are also concerned the Western Sahara conflict is creating an obstacle to regional security efforts and an opening for encroaching terrorist groups, including al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

"From a humanitarian and security perspective," said Holley, "the clock is ticking for the region and its international partners. The unresolved Western Sahara conflict continues to block regional security cooperation, giving AQIM and other extremist groups new inroads for terrorism and trafficking. The region needs to find common ground to meet these new challenges, or risk sharing an unfortunate common fate."

Source: Moroccan American Center for Policy

Mental Health: Army General David Blackledge on PTSD - 'War is Not a Normal Situation'

Army Major General David Blackledge told the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) today said that "a revolution" is occurring in how the military looks at post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD.

"Combat is not a normal situation," Blackledge said in a 25 minute interview available on the NAMI website. He described his own experience with posttraumatic stress after being wounded in combat in Iraq.

Blackledge is commanding general of the Army's Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne). His decorations include five Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts. He was wounded once in a convoy ambush and once during a suicide bombing in Iraq.

Treatment Revolution

Soldiers are trained in a warrior culture, but "combat is not a normal situation," Blackledge said.

When he was wounded, "we didn't really have a clear protocol" for treatment. "Psychological aspects took a backseat."

As part of a treatment "revolution," the Army has recognized a need to be "proactive" in helping troops in combat and "especially upon return." The new approach focuses on "comprehensive soldier fitness" and "resiliency."

"Two people can experience the same traumatic events, One will develop posttraumatic stress and it could be a debilitating issue for the rest of their life. For the other person, it doesn't have lasting effects."

The Army is working to better understand and incorporate "resiliency" into training as part of institutional change. It includes providing psychological tools to prepare for and respond to posttraumatic stress.

Message to Soldiers, Veterans and Families

"We're still struggling as a nation with the stigma of mental illness," Blackledge said. "I tell my soldiers and their families, you need to look at it as an injury, just like a physical injury. If you break your leg, there's no question that you are going to go to the doctor. Help is there. We recognize it takes courage to seek help. We encourage it ... We have learned so much."

About NAMI

NAMI is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. NAMI has over 1100 state and local affiliates.

Venezuela: The Russian nuclear connection

By Richard Johnson
Courtesy IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis

MOSCOW (IDN) – When Russia struck a deal with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in October to build a nuclear power plant in the Bolivarian Republic, President Dmitry Medvedev said: "Our intentions are absolutely pure and open: we want our partner Venezuela to have a full range of energy possibilities."

On November 9 the Venezuela's National Assembly ratified the nuclear cooperation agreement with Russia that would see the two countries work on a research reactor and then a nuclear power plant.

In an apparent attempt to allay U.S. apprehensions, Medvedev added: ". . . Even a country with as much oil and gas as Venezuela needs to develop new energy sources. I therefore think that our cooperation is a very good symbol."

U.S. apprehensions -- arising from basic mistrust in Chavez -- were expressed immediately after the deal was signed on October 15, 2010. Media reports quoted U.S. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley saying in Washington that "the United States hoped both Russia and Venezuela would act responsibly" and adhere to IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) rules.

"Comparisons with the Iran nuclear row figured in Crowley's briefing with reporters," stated a news agency report.

"Russia has cultivated close ties with Mr. Chavez's government as part of its efforts to expand its global clout and counter U.S. influence in Latin America," said another report. It added: "Moscow aims to expand its nuclear partnerships with its international partners. Russia is working in Iran on a nuclear power plant and landed new nuclear deals with Ankara and Beijing. More deals are in the works in India and the Czech Republic."

Celebrating November 9 ratification, the Venezuelan Ministry of Communication and Information said a large nuclear reactor could displace some 15 million barrels of oil from electricity generation with an export value of 1 billion U.S. dollars.

According to the London-based World Nuclear News (WNN), producing 1200 MWe, a pressurized water reactor from Russia would generate up to about 10 TWh per year. This tallies with the latest IAEA data which shows Venezuela used oil to generate 13.11 TWh of electricity in 2007 -- about 11% of its total, notes WNN.

"Although nuclear power plants usually operate for constant baseload supply and oil is usually used flexibly to meet peak demand, it is clear that nuclear power could liberate the majority of that oil for export while reducing carbon emissions at the same time," says WNN.

Other countries plan to use nuclear power in the same way and enable more exports of fossil fuels. Russia has been expanding its nuclear and hydro generation base in order to export more gas, while producers in the Middle East like the UAE and Iran would also prefer to export oil and gas rather than use them for electricity, the London-based agency adds.

However, nuclear energy is not entirely new to Venezuela. The Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, IVIC) operated a 3 MWt research reactor from 1960 to 1994 to produce radioisotopes for industry, medicine and agriculture. Currently the institute has a gamma ray facility to sterilize disposable surgical supplies, packaging, medicine and even some dry foods, but this is powered by imported cobalt-60.

According to the WNN, the 19-article cooperation agreement with Russia sees the first step to renewing Venezuela's nuclear development as personnel training, including the application of International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards. Other key developments will be radiation safety, environmental protection, emergency response and the expansion of the proper regulatory environment to maintain those capabilities.

"There are people trained in this country, but we need more staff and a new generation to join the project and first it is important to know what we need," said Angel Viloria, head of IVIC. "Each of the estimated developments in this program has a portion where we define what type of staff are required and in what areas."

Success in developing the research reactor facility is a pre-requisite to the installation of nuclear power generation capacity. Rosatom and AtomStroyExport of Russia will therefore work towards these aims with IVIC and the National Electricity Corporation (Corpolec).

"We will probably take more than ten years to complete the nuclear technology program, for we are surely talking about more than one reactor," said Viloria, noting that many elements in cooperation nevertheless remain undecided. "What has been signed with the Russians are instruments through which only some agreements have been established."

The Russian state nuclear corporation, Rosatom, said agreements provide for the turn-key construction of a twin reactor nuclear power plant based on VVER-1200 pressurized water reactors as well as a research reactor for medical and industrial isotopes. The countries will also work on supporting infrastructure necessary for "the transition to the active phase of construction."

VVER is the Soviet (and now, Russian Federation) designation for light water pressurized reactor. In western countries, the PWR is used as the acronym.

Russia and Venezuela have been discussing nuclear energy for about eight years. Iran is another country with links to Venezuela's nuclear development through geophysical surveys for uranium. Commenting, Chavez said: "We have not yet signed a single final agreement, but we are moving in that direction."

But he recalled that a research reactor had run in Venezuela from 1960 to 1994. "Naturally, it was an enormous contribution not only to Venezuelan economy," he said, "but also that of its neighbouring nations, with an eye toward the future." (IDN-InDepthNews/11.11.2010)

Somalia: UN human rights experts condemn recent execution of teenage girls

Several independent United Nations experts today condemned the recent public execution of two teenage girls in central Somalia, voicing deep concern that groups such as the Islamic militant Al-Shabaab are taking the Horn of Africa nation “back into the stone age.”

The two young women, who had been accused of spying in the central town of Beledweyne by the Islamic militant group known as al-Shabaab, were killed by firing squad two weeks ago in front of hundreds of residents in the town, according to media reports.

“We were horrified to learn of the public execution, reportedly carried out by Al-Shabaab insurgents on 27 October in front of hundreds of residents in Beledweyne,” the six experts said in a news release.

“We join the Somali people in condemning, in the strongest terms, these latest brutal summary executions of two young women convicted without any semblance of due process.”

The experts called on the parties to the conflict “to immediately refrain from committing acts of extrajudicial executions, torture, stonings, decapitation, amputations and floggings as well as other human rights violations, including with regard to freedom of religion.”

They voiced deep concern that groups such as Al-Shabaab are “taking Somalia back into the stone age.”

The country – which has not had a functioning central government since 1991 – has been torn apart by decades of conflict and factional strife, more recently with al-Shabaab and other groups fighting the Transitional Federal Government.

According to the experts, regular indiscriminate attacks in the capital, Mogadishu, in which heavy artillery, mortars, rocket-propelled grenades, heavy machine guns and roadside bombs have been used, as well as targeted assassinations, have caused thousands of deaths and injuries, as well as destruction of property, with whole neighbourhoods razed to the ground.

Shamsul Bari, the Independent Expert on Somalia, noted constant reports of sexual and gender-based violence, including rape and female genital mutilation, as well as forced child marriages and the lack of educational opportunities for young girls and boys.

“Sexual violence continues to rise, not only among the approximately 1.4 million people displaced inside the country, but in other parts of Somali society,” Mr. Bari said.

In addition to Mr. Bari, the other experts voicing their concern about Somalia are the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Juan Mendez; the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns; the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Heiner Bielefeldt; the Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Gabriela Knaul; and the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Rashida Manjoo.

They all work in an independent and unpaid capacity, and report to the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council.

U.S.-India: Comments on Obama's visit - unwarranted remarks on India's Myanmar policy

By B.RAMAN
See also: www.southasiaanalysis.org

President Barack Obama's support for India's permanent membership of the UN Security Council (UNSC) was not direct and unconditional. It was indirect and conditional on an agreement being reached in the UN General Assembly on a reformed UNSC that will include India as a permanent member. This is the meaning of what he said in his address to the Parliament on November 8,2010. He said: " As two global leaders, the United States and India can partner for global security —- especially as India serves on the Security Council over the next two years. Indeed, the just and sustainable international order that America seeks includes a United Nations that is efficient, effective, credible and legitimate. That is why I can say today, in the years ahead, I look forward to a reformed United Nations Security Council that includes India as a permanent member."

2. A reformed UNSC with India as a permanent member is a long way off. China is not prepared to support a reformed UNSC which includes Japan as a permanent member. The US is unlikely to support any reforms which exclude Japan. The Islamic world, at the prompting of Pakistan, has been canvasing for a reformed UNSC which would include at least one Islamic nation as a permanent member----either Indonesia or Saudi Arabia. If this idea is accepted and the US prevails in having Japan included, there will be two new members from Asia and there will be no place for a third new permanent member. India would be automatically excluded. China has been firm that the new permanent members should not have the right of veto---- a condition which would not be acceptable to India.It is going to take years before these issues are sorted out. Public and media euphoria in India over the statement of Obama was, therefore, not called for.

3. In the context of India's aspiration to become a permanent member of the UNSC, Obama made critical references to India's support to the military regime in Myanmar in a language which was unwarranted and injected a jarring note in an otherwise cordial and friendly visit.He said: "Now, let me suggest that with increased power comes increased responsibility. The United Nations exists to fulfill its founding ideals of preserving peace and security, promoting global cooperation, and advancing human rights. These are the responsibilities of all nations, but especially those that seek to lead in the 21st century. And so we look forward to working with India —- and other nations that aspire to Security Council membership -— to ensure that the Security Council is effective; that resolutions are implemented, that sanctions are enforced; that we strengthen the international norms which recognize the rights and responsibilities of all nations and all individuals. This includes our responsibility to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.....Now, we all understand every country will follow its own path. No one nation has a monopoly on wisdom, and no nation should ever try to impose its values on another. But when peaceful democratic movements are suppressed —- as they have been in Burma, for example -- then the democracies of the world cannot remain silent. For it is unacceptable to gun down peaceful protestors and incarcerate political prisoners decade after decade. It is unacceptable to hold the aspirations of an entire people hostage to the greed and paranoia of bankrupt regimes. It is unacceptable to steal elections, as the regime in Burma has done again for all the world to see. Faced with such gross violations of human rights, it is the responsibility of the international community —- especially leaders like the United States and India —- to condemn it. And if I can be frank, in international fora, India has often shied away from some of these issues. But speaking up for those who cannot do so for themselves is not interfering in the affairs of other countries. It’s not violating the rights of sovereign nations. It is staying true to our democratic principles. It is giving meaning to the human rights that we say are universal. And it sustains the progress that in Asia and around the world has helped turn dictatorships into democracies and ultimately increased our security in the world."

4. It would have been impolite and inappropriate for our leaders to have replied to Obama immediately after his speech. He was our honoured guest. Now that his visit is over and he has left the country, it is important for our Prime Minister to point out that Obama at his Town Hall meeting at Mumbai on November 7 had sought to justify the US reluctance to condemn Pakistan on the terrorism issue on the ground that Pakistan is strategically important to the US. Washington DC has been silent on the suppression of the rights of the Balochs, the Sindhis, the Mohajirs,the Pashtuns and the people of Gilgit-Baltistan by successive regimes in Pakistan. It has kept quiet on the frequent massacre of the Shias by the Sunni extremists and the failure of the Government to protect them. It has not taken any action for stopping the use of terrorism by the State of Pakistan and for the interrogation of A.Q.Khan, the nuclear scientist, on his clandestine proliferation of military nuclear technology and equipment to North Korea, Iran and Libya.

After 9/11, the US, which was dependent on Pakistan for its war against Al Qaeda and the Taliban, kept quiet on the suppression of democracy by Gen.Pervez Musharraf. In spite of all the transgressions of the military regime and its successor, it has been pouring money into Pakistan by way of economic and military assistance. For nearly three decades, the US closed its eyes to the suppression of the human rights of the Indonesian people by the Suharto-led military regime.Obama's remarks on India's relations with Myanmar were totally unjustified. Myanmar is strategically as important to India as Pakistan is to the US. (11-11-10)

The writer is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai.

Gender Issues: Sexual violence - the ‘cheap and silent’ weapon of war

Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Margot Wallström on a visit to Walikale in the DRC

UN - While the nature of war has changed over the years, the fact remains that civilians bear the brunt of today’s conflicts, with women and children paying a particularly heavy toll, says the United Nations envoy on sexual violence in conflict, who stresses that rape has become a tool to spread terror and exert control on communities.

“It is unfortunately a very effective, cheap and silent weapon with a long-lasting effect on society,” Margot Wallström, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, told the UN News Centre as part of its Newsmaker profile series.

“It is a way of demonstrating power and control. It inflicts fear on the whole community. It is also to send a message to the men: ‘You are not able to defend your women.’”

A Swedish politician with a long history in defending women’s rights, Ms. Wallström was appointed to her current post in February. In April she visited the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which she has described as “the rape capital of the world.”

According to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), more than 8,000 women were raped in the DRC during fighting between warring factions last year. Just a few months ago, reports emerged of rape and assault of scores of civilians in the remote and troubled far east of the DRC over a four-day period.

“You can see that it was systematic, it was planned. There were no killings at that time but this was used as a way to spread terror and fear,” the Special Representative said, referring to the atrocities committed in Walikale between 30 July and 2 August.

Ms. Wallström has repeatedly stressed the need to make the prevention of sexual violence a top priority, and to end impunity for the scourge.

“I think the most important signal is to demonstrate that we go after the perpetrators of crimes, that we will find them and they will be punished.”

While much of the focus in recent months has been on DRC, “sexual violence in conflict is a global scourge,” said Ms. Wallström, who plans to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina soon. There are also regular reports coming from Nepal, Timor-Leste, Myanmar and Colombia, among other places, she added.

“We will demonstrate that we have a global war. It’s not only Africa.”