XINHUA NEWS SERVICE REPORTS FROM THE AFRICAN CONTINENT

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Further 15 die in third day of
renewed clashes in Mogadishu

A total of 28 people have been killed in the most
recent FIGHTING while more than 70 more have been
wounded, most of them civilians
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African Union endorses Nigeria for UN Security Council seat

LAGOS, (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) Candidature Committee has endorsed Nigeria for the UN Security Council Non- Permanent Seat, according to the reports of the News Agency of Nigeria.
Ayo Olukanni, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, disclosed this in Libya, venue of the 13th ordinary session of the AU.
She said the AU Candidature Committee, meeting on the sidelines of the ongoing AU summit, endorsed Nigeria’s candidature for election into the non-permanent seat of the UN Security Council.
“This follows the endorsement of Nigeria by ECOWAS at the 36th ordinary session in Abuja on June 22,” she said.
“With this endorsement, Nigeria is practically cleared for election into the UN seat at elections to be held at the UN General Assembly later in the year,” Olukanni said.
According to her, the Executive Council of the AU, which commenced its meeting on Thursday, would consider decisions reached by the Council of Ministers.
The decisions include how to advance the Millennium Development Goals, negotiations on the Economic Partnership Agreements and the establishment of a Pan-African University.
Others are the UN climate Change Convention and the Kyoto Protocol.
Nigeria’s Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan is leading Nigeria’s delegation to the summit.
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Three African countries agree to build gas pipeline across Sahara

LAGOS, (Xinhua) -- Nigeria on Friday in Abuja signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) with Algeria and Niger Republic to promote the Trans-Sahara Gas Pipeline (TSGP) project, the News Agency of Nigeria reported.
The agreement was signed by Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources, Rilwan Lukman, Algerian Minister of Mines and Energy, Chakib Khelil, and Malam Mohammed Abdoulahi, Niger’s Minister of Mines and Energy.
Lukman said the signing of the agreement is a significant stride in the actualization of a key element of the joint protocol on regional cooperation and development.
He described the event as a milestone in the collaborative effort to commercialize the country’s huge natural gas resources.
The minister said the project, designed about 30 years ago, had been delayed because of the need to obtain comprehensive feasibility studies to establish its techno-economic viability.
“A lack of a socio-economic framework for regional development has also contributed to the delay,” he added.
According to him, other factors were the absence of a gas market in the transit countries and limited market opportunities for the TSGP in Europe.
Lukman said the improved bilateral relations between Abuja and Algiers since the conception of the project, the socio-economic imperatives of NEPAD and the AU had given an impetus for the resuscitation of the project.
He said the project would facilitate the development of the economies of the three countries and provide another platform for a sustainable and reliable energy supply to Europe, thus ensuring security of supply.
In his remarks, Khelil said with the IGA, the three countries had worked out a development program to better the lot of their citizens.
“There is no problem in financing the project and there is also no problem in finding the market. The market is secure, but there is a need to securities the market,” Khelil said.
Pledging Algeria’s support to the TSGP, he urged the contributing countries to pursue the project with vigor, expertise, technology and the necessary funding.
In his comments, Abdoulahi said Niger Republic wholly supported the project and would work hard to see its actualization.
He said his country was committed to the development of the economies of the transit states and assured the partners of the security and safety of the pipeline network.
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Nigeria’s oil, gas industry future remains bright: Shell

LAGOS, (Xinhua) -- The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) Thursday said there is a bright future for the oil and gas industry in Nigeria if the current reforms are adequately implemented, the Lagos-based Guardian newspaper reported Friday.
Markus Droll, the Vice President (Technical), Shell Exploration and Production Africa Limited, stated this at a luncheon meeting of the International Petroleum Negotiators (AIPN) in Lagos.
He pledged the company’s commitment to the Nigerian economy despite the challenges facing the oil giant in the Niger Delta region.
According to Droll, Shell is currently producing about 150,000 barrels per day (bpd) of the company’s production capacity which is in excess of one million bpd, while some of its facilities in the region remain shutting until normalcy returns to the region.
He said some of the company’s ongoing projects were also halted as a result of security concerns, urging the Nigerian federal government to take drastic steps to stop the crisis in the region to enable the industry to continue playing its role in the nation’s economy.
“What is happening in the Nigerian oil and gas industry today is unfortunate, it has adversely impacted on both national revenue and company’s earnings,” he said.
“The security situation in the Niger Delta is a source of concern to all of us, and we hope it gets to an end in a short time, because we are worried about the security of our own employees, we are worried about the contractors, we are worried about the indigenes,” Droll said.
The Shell chief said Nigeria has been blessed with one of the world’s top class oil and gas portfolios which need to be thoroughly managed.
Droll expressed optimism that the ongoing reforms in the industry would be able to solve some of the structural issues that have hindered the industry from reaching its full potential in recent times.
Shell has suffered the highest number of attacks from restive youths in the Niger Delta since the crisis erupted in 2006.
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Nigerian president’s commitment reiterated to peace in Niger Delta

LAGOS, (Xinhua) -- Nigeria’s National Coordinator of the Committee on Implementation of Amnesty for Niger Delta Militants, Lucky Ararile on Thursday reiterated President Umaru Yar’Adua’s commitment to ensuring peace in Nigeria, especially in the Niger Delta, the Leadership newspaper reported on Friday.
Ararile disclosed this at a town hall meeting in southeast Nigeria Akwa Ibom State, as part of his committee’s activities.
According to him, the president’s desire to ensure that the return of peace to the Niger Delta necessitated his consultations with governors and other stakeholders, and the eventual constitution of the committee to implement the presidential amnesty for Niger Delta militants.
He said his committee was going round the affected states of the Niger Delta as part of President Yar’ Adua’s directive to listen to suggestions and opinions of all stakeholders, even at the grassroots level, to facilitate proper implementation of the presidential amnesty.
The coordinator added that militants would have to indicate their interest to surrender by registering names and submitting their arms at designated center between August 6 and Oct. 4, 2009, before they could be considered for amnesty.
He said the repentant militants would be educated and trained for different vocations, as the case may be, for proper reintegration into the society.
The coordinator also said the Niger Delta Ministry would play a major role in the rehabilitation of the militants, in conjunction with the affected states and local governments.
He underscored the need to separate criminality from genuine agitation for the rights of the Niger Delta people, adding that the acceptance of the amnesty would promote peace, development and economic growth within the Niger Delta region and in Nigeria as a whole.
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Africa leaders reach agreement to form new Authority

SIRTE, Libya, (Xinhua) -- African leaders have reached an agreement on the creation of the African Union (AU) Authority, but it has to be ratified by African parliamentaries, said Libyan leader Muammar Khaddafi on Friday.
At the closing session of the 13th AU summit, Khaddafi said the African leaders “decided to establish a new Authority speaking in one voice on behalf of the African people,” adding that the new organ is headed by a president and possessing an enhanced role to coordinate foreign affairs, trade and defence policies in the world’s poorest continent.
But the AU Authority will only come into force when the 53 African states ratify an amended treaty of the AU, known as the Constitutive Act, according to the veteran Libyan leader.
The compromise reached among African leaders after three-day heated debate would give the African states at least six years to consult their parliaments before committing themselves to submitting their authority to the new AU Authority, diplomatic sources said.
The idea of establishing a unity government in Africa has been discussed for years among the continent’s leaders.
Khaddafi is leading the calls to immediately establish a union government, which he believes is the only way to meet the challenges of globalization, fight poverty and resolve conflicts without western interference.
At the Ethiopia summit in February, African leaders compromised to transform the AU commission, the executive arm of the pan- continental grouping, into “an institution with a bigger mandate, with bigger capacities, which moves us toward the goal of the union government,” said AU Commission Chairperson Jean Ping. 
But the African leaders need to hammer out the details of its powers in the next summit previously scheduled for July in Madagascar and later moved to Libya’s coastal city of Sirte, east of Tripoli.
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SIRTE - Libyan leader AT CLOSING OF AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT

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African Union to end cooperation with ICC over Bashir indictment

SIRTE, Libya, (Xinhua) -- The 13th African Union (AU) summit wrapped up here Friday after the AU leaders approved a resolution to end cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC) over extraditing Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir.
“(The African Union) decides that in view of the fact that the request by the African Union has never been acted upon that AU member states shall not cooperate pursuant to the provisions of Article 98 of the Rome Statute on the ICC...or the arrest and surrender of African indicted personalities,” said a text of the resolution obtained by Xinhua at the end of the AU summit.
On March 4, the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against al-Bashir for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan’s restive western region of Darfur between 2003 and 2008.
The African leaders have also agreed to boost agriculture and food security and to enhance the powers of the AU Commission.
With the theme of “investing in agriculture for economic growth and food security,” the summit witnessed intensive discussions among African leaders on how to transform the executive arm of the AU and a number of hot pot issues.
After overnight marathon talks, the African leaders reached a consensus on early Friday morning on the transformation of the AU Commission into new “African Authority,” which comprises a chair, a vice-chair and 10 secretaries with specific portfolios.
The transformation, proposed by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi who is also the AU’s rotating chairman, also includes the expansion of the new institution’s power over defense, diplomatic and international trade matters.
Libya also expected to host a special AU summit in early September, to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Gaddafi’s rise to power of the Libyan “Guide” on Sept. 1, 1969, after the overthrow of King Idriss.
Leaders from about half of the AU’s members came to the three- day summit in Libya’s coastal city of Sirte, where the proclamation of the AU was signed in 1999.
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Two foreign aid workers kidnapped in Sudan’s Darfur

KHARTOUM, (Xinhua) -- Two female aid workers, one from Ireland and the other from Uganda, were kidnapped on Friday in the restive western Sudanese region of Darfur, a UN source said.
The two aid workers, with the Irish aid organization Goal, were abducted by unknown armed men in their quarters in northern Darfur, the source said on condition of anonymity.
A Sudanese guard was also taken but later released, the source added.
This is the third kidnapping of foreign aid workers since March in Sudan.
On April 4, a Canadian and a French aid workers were kidnapped at the headquarters of a French humanitarian organization near Nyala, capital of South Darfur State.
The kidnappers who called themselves as the “Freedom Falcons of Africans,” had demanded the French government to open a re-trial of the members of the French Arch de Zue organization who were involved in the kidnapping of children from Chad and Sudan last year.
The two aid workers were released on April 30 by the armed kidnappers, who claimed that they decided to release them for humanitarian reasons.
Earlier in March, three foreign aid workers with the Belgian branch of the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) were kidnapped in Darfur but freed several days later, a move which the kidnappers said was a protest against an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.
On March 5, the Sudanese government announced a sudden decision to expel 13 foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) operating in Darfur, accusing them of passing “false and fabricated information” to the ICC, a charge denied by relief agencies.
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Madagascan authorities to hold dialogue with EU in Brussels

ANTANANARIVO, (Xinhua) -- The Madagascar transitional government and the European Union (EU) agreed to hold dialogues next Tuesday at the EU headquarters in Brussels on the political crisis in the Indian Ocean island country.
The high transitional authority (HTA) led former Antananarivo mayor Andry Rajoelina held a meeting here on Thursday to prepare for defending its actions, which led to the prolonged political crisis in Madagascar since last December and the overthrow of former president Marc Ravalomanana last March.
The meeting, chaired by HTA President Rajoelina, discussed priorities in the agenda and documents prepared for the dialogues, local media reported on Friday.
Rajoelina said “We’re going to Brussels to defend the case of Madagascar”.
Rajoelina, backed by the armed forces and anti-Ravalomanana political factions, replaced Ravalomanana as president of the country on March 21, four days after the resignation of his predecessor.
Condemning the power change in Madagascar as unconstitutional and a coup, the international community including the EU, suspended assistance to the country while urging for a peaceful solution to the political crisis through talks between all political factions.
The HTA has argued that what it has been doing was for the realization of a true democracy and a better political system, which could not be dictated by a president like Ravalomanana.
The transitional government led by Prime Minister Monja Roindefo had worked out all documents on activities of every ministries, according to L’Express, a French-language daily, published here on Friday.
Hot debate is expected during the dialogues between the HTA and the EU on the legality of the transitional authority and political development in Madagascar, one of the poorest countries in the world.
The EU will access Madagascan political development under the framework of Cotonou Agreement, a treaty signed between the EU and the African, Caribbean and Pacific group of states in June 2000 in Cotonou, the largest city in Benin.
The EU will evaluate whether the Madagascan transitional authority has violated the eighth article on peace, security, stability, democracy and human right protection of the treaty.
The outcome of the dialogues will have effect on EU future aid to Madagascar, 577 million euros (808 million U.S. dollars) between 2007 and 2012 under original arrangement.
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 SWINE FLU     Egypt reports another case of A/H1N1 flu

CAIRO, (Xinhua) -- Egypt reported on Friday another case of influenza A/H1N1, bringing the total number of the flu in the populous country to 72, according to the Ministry of Health.
The new case is a 16-year-old girl who just came to Egypt with her family from London, Health Ministry said in a statement.
The statement said that the health condition of the new case is stable after proper treatment, adding that 51 of the country’s total 72 cases have recovered.
Egypt reported its first A/H1N1 flu case on June 2, a 12-year- old Egyptian-American girl coming from the United States via the Netherlands.
Egypt, the most populous Arab country that was hit hard by the fatal bird flu in 2006, decided in late April to cull all pigs in the country to stem the highly infectious flu A/H1N1.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the new disease has killed 337 people in 121 nations and regions and the number of the total infected exceeded 80,000 worldwide.
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Nigerian-Brazilian trade will increase: ambassador

ABUJA, (Xinhua) --The trade volume between Nigeria and Brazil may surpass 9 billion U.S dollars this year, Brazilian Ambassador to Nigeria Ana Perez said in Abuja on Friday.
Perez told reporters that with the cordial and special economic relations between the two countries, the trade volume was bound to surpass the 8.2 billion dollars recorded in 2008.
Nigeria was Brazil’s biggest partner in Africa, added the ambassador.
She also said with the recent visit of Brazilian President Lula Da Silva and the minister of trade and development to Nigeria, the trade volume between the two countries was bound to grow.
“The minister of trade recently visited Abuja with a delegation of 90 Brazilian officials and entrepreneurs, this is intended to boost the trade because Nigeria is a country full of potentials for investment,” Perez said.
According to her, plans are underway to invest in the transport, aviation, textile and food and beverage industries.
The ambassador reiterated the commitment of President Da Silva to partner with Africa, especially Nigeria in its development plan.
“President Lula has made more than eight trips to Africa recently and two of those trips were to Abuja, this underscores his commitment to the continent,” she said, stressing the need for Nigerian President Umaru Yar’ Adua to visit Brazil so as to further strengthen the relations between the two countries.
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Tanzanian current account deficit up 15 per cent in year to April

DAR ES SALAAM, (Xinhua) -- The Tanzanian Central Bank has said that the country’s current account deficit rose by 15 percent to 1.88 billion U.S. dollars in the year to April due to more buying of goods for construction, mining, communication and manufacturing.
Goods and services imports jumped 16 percent to 7.27 billion dollars in the period under review, the local daily the Guardian on Friday quoted the Bank of Tanzania as saying in its monthly economic review for May. 
The bank also noted that the importation of capital goods increased in line with growth of activities in the construction, mining, communication and manufacturing sectors, as well as the fertilizer imports. 
Due to manufactured goods and gold sales, goods and services exports also rose by 16 percent to 4.77 billion dollars compared with the same period in 2008, it said.
However, gold exports dipped by three percent to 839.9 million dollars, from the sale of 28.2 tons of the precious metal compared with 35 tons in the year ago period, while the earnings was cushioned by improved gold prices, according to the Bank.
Gold made up 31 percent of total goods sold outside the country, while manufactured goods accounted for 24 percent, it added.
In the same period, tourism revenue in the country rose to 1.28 billion dollars from 1.2 billion dollars, which is the top source of foreign exchange, and the bank sees it slowing by up to 20 percent this year due to the world economic slump. 
Proceeds from traditional exports—coffee, tea, cashew nuts and tobacco among others—rose 39 percent to 474 million dollars compared with a year before, while horticulture fetched 35 million dollars from 23 million dollars previously. 
Tanzania’s over 40 million people live mainly on tourism, agriculture and mining, while contribution from sectors like telecommunications, financial services and manufacturing has increased in recent years.
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Uganda’s FDI, remittances from abroad drop

KAMPALA, (Xinhua) -- Uganda’s Foreign Direct Investment ( FDI) fell by 5.5 percent in 2008/09 financial year and remittances from overseas Ugandans dropped sharply due to the global crisis, an official said here on Friday. 
Maggie Kigozi, executive director of Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) said the actual FDI for 2008/2009 financial year was 735.4 million U.S. dollars compared to 778.4 million dollars in 2007/2008.
“We can blame the financial crisis for the decline in FDI. Our big partners have been affected by the credit crunch,” said Kigozi while addressing reporters here.
Uganda’s growth has averaged more than 7 percent for the last five years.
The Ministry of Finance expects the growth to slow down to 6 percent in 2009/2010 financial year starting on July 1 as fallout from the world-wide economic slump hits inflows and hurts outflows.
She said the strongest buffer against the inevitable decline of FDI will be maintaining and raising domestic capital inflows from local investors.
“The UIA is launching a vigorous sector-targeted promotional strategy that will see local business and Ugandans in general acquire more knowledge about the investment opportunities and incentives offered to support new investment,” she said.
Some of the sectors that UIA is targeting at are tourism, agriculture, manufacturing as well as supporting the small and medium-sized enterprises through the business linkage and entrepreneurship training program.
Meanwhile, the remittance from Ugandans working abroad sharply dropped to 350 million dollars in 2008/09 compared to 800 million dollars in 2007/2008 due to the global economic downturn.
“The global recession has affected most jobs in Europe and the United States of America,” said Henry Opondo, director of financial markets, Bank of Uganda
”We hope by next year, the remittance will grow by 500 million U.S. dollars.”
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Kenyan Prime Minister says reforms will change image of police

by Daniel Ooko NAIROBI, (Xinhua) -- Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Friday blamed the problems of the Kenya Police Department on its colonial legacy and structure which once tackled will give way to a people-friendly civilian force.
Odinga said the government is keen on reforms that will ensure officers working professionally to weed out crime and serve the people are rewarded with promotions and better pay while those who don’t are forced out and denied promotions.
Speaking during a meeting with President of the Federal Republic of Germany Horst Kohler in Berlin, the premier said the upcoming reforms in the police force would restore the confidence in the force and make it professional and a service oriented unit.
“We are keen to see that officers who are genuinely committed to making our parks, our schools and our neighborhoods safe and secure for our children, officers who go out of their way to eradicate crime professionally are rewarded instead of being victimized while those with criminal and corrupt tendencies are promoted,” Odinga.
“Those are the reforms we are looking for. I believe there are such officers in our police force,” he said according to press release issued in Nairobi from his office.
The premier said the Kenyan police was created by the colonial authorities to help subdue and rule the natives by instilling fear in them and little has changed since independence more than 40 years ago.
He said the mindset still drives the training and syllabus of the force and has resulted in a crisis of confidence.
“The colonial police was not meant to serve people. It was meant to serve the colonial powers. That is why it had things like Preservation of Public Order Act, Vagrancy Act and things like loitering with intent to commit a felony or being drunk and disorderly,” said Odinga.
“Unfortunately, these provisions remain in the laws or are still entrenched in the police mind. We hope to change this through the envisaged reforms,” he told Kohler.
He said even the British police who helped set up the department in Kenya have changed and become more people friendly.
During the meeting, the prime minister, who was accompanied by Kenyan Internal Security Minister George Saitoti, said Kenya has learnt the lesson from the 2008 post-election violence and is determined to ensure it does not happen again.
“Every nation at some stage in her life comes through the trials we went through last year. Germany had her days of tribulation.
The important thing is what lessons you pick from the tribulations.
I assure you that Kenyans have learnt and they will never take peace for granted again,” he said.
“We have embarked on reforms to ensure the events of last year do not repeat themselves,” said the premier.
Earlier, the two leaders met Kenyans living in Germany at a dinner party where they assured that the country is back on track.
At the dinner meeting held on Thursday night, Odinga assured Kenyans who expressed concerns over insecurity and extra-judicial killings that reforms in the police force would check spiraling crime.
He cited Tanzania as an example of a country where police reforms created a people-friendly force that people trust and confide in, adding that the development had contained crime.
The prime minister said the government would implement the recommendations on police reform to the letter.
He said the government agreed that the taskforce needed absolute independence and rejected demands by police to be part of it.
Saitoti assured Kenyans that the government is committed to stamping out crime and asked them to look forward to upcoming reforms.
“Police Department has remained unchanged since independence and that has not worked well for us. All institutions need to be tuned from time to time,” the minister said.
“The taskforce will submit its recommendations by the end of this month and I assure you there will be far reaching reforms.”
The two leaders are in Germany to represent the government at a ceremony in honor of Herr, who begins his second term as president of the Federal Republic of Germany this week.
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Angola rules out possibility of sacking chieftains

LUANDA, (Xinhua) -- The Angolan government has ruled out the possibility of removing chieftains or the leading members of the traditional authorities due to the lack of legal support, Angola’s official ANGOP news agency reported on Friday.
Virgilio Fontes Pereira, minister of territory administration, was quoted as saying that “the government has no institutional responsibility with regard to the filling of a position of traditional authority.”
He added that such filling is now carried out in Angola under the traditional practices and customs without institutional intervention by the government.
According to the official, Angola’s relevant law does not grant the government the right to appoint or remove local administration officials and representatives of the traditional authority as well.
On the contrary, he said, it is possible for a leading member of the traditional authority to be appointed to hold a public post such as a municipal or communal administrator or assistant administrator through the Lusaka Protocol.
However, he admitted, the referred municipal or communal administrator or assistant administrator might have been dismissed only for “the reason of the expiry” of the Lusaka Protocol.
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Mozambique provides credit for cashew producers

MAPUTO, (Xinhua) -- The Mozambican cashew processing industry has benefited, over the last five years, from a line of credit of 50 million U. S. dollars from the government as part of a drive to facilitate access to support for small and medium companies, the state AIM news agency said on Friday.
Minister of Industry and Trade Antonio Fernando said in recent years 24 small scale cashew processing plants have emerged, in part due to the credit facilities provided by the government.
Today the cashew industry, he said, directly employs about 6, 700 workers, with a very positive impact on the cashew producing areas, notably the northern provinces of Nampula and Cabo Delgado.
In the late 1990s, the cashew industry collapsed, largely because of the World Bank’s demand that the government should no longer protect the industry. 
The World Bank’s interference made it impossible for the Mozambican industry to compete with those who were buying up raw nuts for export to India. Wittingly or otherwise, the World Bank supported the Indian cashew processing industry at the expense of the Mozambican one.
The result was that all 14 large scale, mechanized cashew factories closed.
The resurgence of processing in this decade is on the basis of much smaller, labor intensive units. These smaller plants have not yet equalled either the production or the employment of the defunct large factories. 
Fernando said, the government, working through the National Cashew Institute, is encouraging the establishment of small processing plants, with globally competitive technologies.
In addition to the 50 million dollars, other credit possibilities are available to small companies, such as the Small Industry Promotion Fund (1.5 million dollars), and the Economic Recovery Support Fund. 
Fernando said a new fund of over 4 million dollars is available to help farmers buy agricultural equipment.
The government is also trying to revive rural trade by selling off the ruins of shops that are still state owned, said the minister.
This measure was intended to ensure that Mozambican could carry on their businesses in the rural areas, where currently trade does not take place in commercial establishments at all, but is entirely informal.
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NANGA EBOKO - CAMEROON WORKS WITH CHINESE TECHNOLOGY

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Ethiopia’s new law for precious stones marketing in pipeline

ADDIS ABABA, (Xinhua) -- A new bill meant for administering the market of precious stones in Ethiopia is presently in pipeline, a cabinet minister said on Friday.
Alemayehu Tegenu, minister of mines and energy, said the new bill will enable traditional gold miners and business people supply precious stones to the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE), the country’s central bank. 
At the opening of an awareness-raising training on the draft bill, Alemayehu said his ministry, in collaboration with pertinent bodies, has been striving to establish a legitimate way of extraction and marketing of precious metals, which is currently practiced in a backward and traditional way in different parts of the nation.
Though there are lots of cooperatives of traditional gold miners and licensed business people on precious stone marketing activities in the country, the volume of gold supplied to the central bank still remains minimal, he said.
The Council of Ministers has ratified the new bill with a view to curbing illicit trade while promoting the marketing of precious stones in the country, and thereby boosting the benefit of the nation from the sector, he added.
The bill, which is tabled for discussions, is expected to be put into force after endorsed by the Lower House of Peoples’ Representatives.
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Mozambique builds first computer assembly line

MAPUTO, (Xinhua) -- Mozambique has built the first computer assembly line in its capital city of Maputo. 
The assembly line was built under a deal between the Mozambican government and the South African company Sahara Computers.
The factory, which began operating about three weeks ago, is currently producing between 50 and 70 computers a day, including desktops, laptops and mini-computers.
The computers have been branded “Dzowo”, the clan name of the founder and first president of the Mozambique Liberation Front ( Frelimo) Eduardo Mondlane.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, the production manager of the factory, Gustavo Chauque, said the installed capacity would allow the plant to assemble 150 computers a day. 
The parts are all from reputable companies, and so “Dzowo” could deal a body blow to those companies who have been selling imported computers at grossly inflated prices. 
“The advantage of these computers is that they are high quality, and they are cheaper than other models available on the market,” said Chauque.
The price ranges from 15,000 meticais to 17,000 meticais (560 U. S. dollars to 640 dollars), much cheaper than imported ones. “The price is low, because we have to pay fewer customs duties,” said Chauque. “The taxes on importing parts are lower than for importing complete computers.” 
Although the dominant partner in the venture is Sahara Computers, all 15 staff working at the factory are Mozambicans.
On Friday, the company management presented the Dzowo machines to Science and Technology Minister Venancio Massingue, and to representatives of Mozambican universities and private companies. 
The company is offering computers at even lower prices to students and institutions of higher education.
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Tanzania to establish first aeronautics school in Africa

DAR ES SALAAM, (Xinhua) -- The first aeronautics engineering school is expected to be established in Tanzania to enable the country to get qualified aviation technicians, the local media reported on Friday. 
In collaboration with Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology ( DIT), the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) is undertaking the task to establish the aeronautics school, the first of its kind in Africa, the local daily the Guardian reported.
John Njawa, TCAA Director of Safety Regulation, was quoted as saying on Thursday that the fast-growing aviation industry was facing deficit of qualified aeronautical engineers, which “shows an urgent need for the country to have its own school of aviation to offer aeronautical mechanical studies “.
Processes are now underway between TCAA and DIT to ensure that the project kicks off, Njawa said, adding that the initiative was even more important because most of available technicians are too old to continue working.
In 2006, French-Italian aircraft manufacturer based in Toulouse France-ATR and Tanzania’s Precision Air signed a technical support agreement, which includes the training of four technicians in France in aeronautics every year for a period of three years.
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Kenya Airways sends 12 new pilots for overseas training

NAIROBI, (Xinhua) -- Kenya Airways said on Friday it has recruited 12 cadet pilot trainees who are scheduled to undergo an intensive 18 months pilot training program in South Africa.
A statement from the national carrier said the training program will cost Kenya Airways 57.6 million shillings (about 760,000 U.S. dollars) with the 43rd Training School in South Africa.
“KQ pilots are among the best in the world and this is mainly because they are carefully selected as per the international standards and specifications that fulfill the airline’s requirements,” Kenya Airways CEO Titus Naikuni said.
“They all undergo an intensive and comprehensive training program with close monitoring, to ensure that they are in compliance with the various regulatory and mandatory rules and regulations set forth for safety and airworthiness of the airline and its clients,” he added. 
Since 2001, more than 153 cadet pilots have undergone through the training program with 122 successfully completing the course and are currently working for Kenya Airways.
Qualified applicants for the pilot recruitment need to pass through equipment check, written and oral tests before being accepted.
Successful candidates are then sent to South Africa for the intensive training program and thereafter they go through a one year in-house training which focuses on simulator training.
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Fly540 Africa airline to start operations in Zimbabwe

HARARE, (Xinhua) -- London-listed investment firm LonZim has structured a deal that would see Fly540 Africa airline to start operations in Zimbabwe by September, The Herald said on Friday. 
According to the daily newspaper, the company recently concluded an agreement with Fly540 Africa (BVI), a wholly owned subsidiary of LonZim plc, to have the airline commence flights in Zimbabwe. 
LonZim’s executive chairman David Lenigas said: “We are delighted to be able to launch Fly540 in Zimbabwe. Not only does it make sound commercial logic, but it is an important step forward for Zimbabwe and helps stimulate economic recovery.
“Good transport networks are essential for the growth of Africa, and Fly540 is delivering an international standard, quality aviation service connecting the continent,” he said. 
The airline, which would be run as Fly540 Zimbabwe, will operate its low cost service from Harare International Airport and is scheduled to open flights to Bulawayo and Victoria Falls on a domestic basis and Lubumbashi, Lilongwe, Lusaka, and Beira on an international basis.
LonZim said Fly540 Zimbabwe has now obtained the necessary Air Services Licence and, following completion of the arrangements with Lonrho’s Fly540, it would be possible for Fly540 Zimbabwe to finalise the necessary permissions to operate. 
LonZim said Fly540 Africa will receive 100,000 U.S. dollars to initiate flight operations in Zimbabwe, and thereafter a license fee of 2.5 percent of gross turnover and a monthly management fee of 35,000 dollars for managerial services. 
LonZim Air has already acquired a 90-percent stake in a local company Sol Air (private) Limited for 200,000 dollars to facilitate the entry of Fly540 Zimbabwe into the local market. 
LonZim said it would invest a further 4.3 million dollars ( resulting from an independent valuation) in acquiring an ATR 42 turbo prop from the Lonrho Aviation fleet to be operated by Fly540 Zimbabwe.
It would also spend another two million dollars for the operational costs associated with commencing operations and a working capital provision of 3.9 million dollars for the first twelve months. 
The airline’s capability was expected to be complemented by a freight service. 
The new company would be an integral part of the Fly540 network that will be flying in nine African countries by the end of 2009. 
LonZim said the launch of Fly540 Zimbabwe was central to its investment strategy of identifying current market opportunities in Zimbabwe and establishing companies that will benefit from the anticipated economic recovery.Nigerian authorities arrest 29 suspected drug traffickers LAGOS, (Xinhua) -- Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency said on Friday it arrested 29 suspected drug traffickers at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja between January and June, the News Agency of Nigeria reported.
The agency said in a statement issued in Lagos that the suspects comprising 28 male and one female attempted to smuggle a total of 35.37 kg of cocaine within the period through the airport.
According to the statement, all the suspects were found to have swallowed the drugs while the only female among them inserted some wraps in her anus. 
The suspects were from various states with Anambra and Abia topping the list.
The statement indicated that 12 of the accused persons had been successfully prosecuted while others were still standing trial.
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SARA urges investment in southern African regional railways

by Hai Mingwei, Mu Dong LUSAKA, (Xinhua) -- Wrapping up a workshop in Lusaka, Zambia, the Southern African Railways Association (SARA) appealed in a statement release on Friday for more investment in the regional railway infrastructure construction to promote regional trade.
Bernard Dzawanda, SARA executive director, described in the release that lack of infrastructure investment is a major problem facing the regional railway industry adding that for a very long time, there has not been investment in railway infrastructure.
The director also pointed out that lack of improved infrastructure in the railway industry is hampering the development in the region, adding that the railway industry has the potential of contributing positively to the growth of any country’s economy through regional trade. 
Dzawanda explained this was why countries in the SARA corridor need to implement the Southern African Development Communities ( SADC) protocol on transport which is emphasizing on the need to upgrade the current status of transport facilities in the region. 
And the agency director also revealed that the lack of locomotive is a major problem facing railway companies in the region.
He said his association was preparing a report to propose to SADC on the bottlenecks and financial needs the regional industry needs to run more effectively under the corridors.
Dzawanda indicated that partnerships from private sectors were essential and it was important that a strategy to ensure that investments were directed into the industry is in place.
He said the two-day workshop on Corridor multilateral in Lusaka, as the implementation of the SADC protocol on transport, created an opportunity to discuss improvement in the railway industry according to the corridor concept, adding that region will not be able to provide a single service when railway companies in the region operated individually.
The two-day workshop, from Wednesday to Thursday, has attracted participants from the seven SARA corridor countries which are Botswana, Tanzania, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Zambia. 
Dzawanda also commended the cooperation between Tanzania Zambia Railways Authority (TAZARA) and the Railways Systems of Zambia ( RSZ) by fully using the line to promote economy in the two countries.
And the Railway Systems of Zambia (RSZ) Chief Executive Officer Benjamin Even said RSZ plays a major anchor role for most of the corridors because of Zambia’s central geographical position in the region. 
Even assured RSZ will continue to play a coordinative role in the movement of both local and international traffic along the corridors it connects. 
SARA was formed in April 1996 following recognition by SADC railway administrations of the need to establish a strong railways lobby group to pursue advocacy for fair surface transport competition.
SARA is a platform for participation and integration of railway operators as it is in line with the railway management groups as enshrined in Article 7.8 of the SADC protocol on transport, communications and meteorology.
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Shareholders in TEAMs cable project given pay deadline

by Daniel Ooko and Zhao Zhuoyun NAIROBI, (Xinhua) -- The East African Marine System ( TEAMs) said on Friday it would achieve financial closure on July 14 when it is expected that all shareholders in the company would have paid in their subscription funds.
A statement from TEAMs said the development follows a board meeting on Wednesday this week, a day after the initial completion date of June 30.
TEAMS chairman and Safaricom CEO, Michael Joseph confirmed that over 95 percent of the shareholding in TEAMs Limited had been paid for in full.
“This is a great achievement for this public private partnership, we are holding a substantial amount of funds in the accounts now and we are up to date with all payments due to the contractor, Alcatel Submarine Networks Limited and our ongoing obligations towards them are fully covered,” Joseph said in a statement.
The total cost of the project connecting the coast Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Mombasa is worth 130 million U. S. dollars, however, the difference is meant to be paid by the other partner Etisalat, a UAE telecoms company, who owns 15 percent stake in the project.
The Kenyan side owns 85 percent of the cable under TEAMs which incorporates other private sector players.
Joseph said the board reached a consensus to extend the time for payment for some of the shareholders whose funding ability had been affected by the current global economic situation.
“Although I can not mention the details of the affected shareholders, TEAMS remains an open access developmental cable for Kenya, and it is not the intention of the government or the paid up shareholders to lock out these players,” said Joseph.
He however cautioned that July 14 was the final extension. “We are looking forward to the closure and the privatization of the company so those who have not paid in by the 14th will have to give up their shares and allow other interested parties to take their place.”
In response to an article published in the local media suggesting that the TEAMS cable had not landed in the country, Hose said “the fact of the matter is that the cable laying phase was successfully completed in June and extensive end-to-end testing is ongoing in respect of the cable and the landing station equipment.”
“As investors we know that the TEAMS project is a very long- term engagement and we would not want to take any shortcuts that could compromise the quality of the facility,” he added.
The cable is expected to position Kenya as a regional ICT power house.
It will also compliment the role of the government in making ICT a pillar of economic growth.
TEAMS has a unique structure where regional telecom competitors own a stake in the cable, guaranteeing that Kenyan and East African consumers will benefit from competitive rates.
TEAMS project shareholding ratio includes Safaricom, Telkom Kenya and the government of Kenya all with 20 percent of the shares, Kenya Data Network with 10 percent, Wananchi Online with 5 percent, Jamii Telecom with 3.5 percent and Access Kenya and Flashcom with 1.25 percent each. Others are Econet and Africa Fibre Net of Uganda.
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Tanzania to host Conference on road safety in Africa

DAR ES SALAAM, (Xinhua) -- A major conference to review progress on improving road safety in Africa is set to take place here next week, the local newspaper Daily News reported on Friday.
With the name of “Make roads Safe”, the four-day conference on July 7 to 10, is to provide common ground for Africa to debate a wide range of road safety issues, organizers was quoted as saying in a statement.
Under the theme of “Africa’s Decade of Action for Road Safety”, it also aims to discuss safety targets to reduce accident fatalities by half by 2015, according to the report.
Co-hosted by Federation International Automobile (FIA) Foundation, FIA African Council for Touring and Automobile, as well as the UN Economic Commission for Africa, the conference also serves as a curtain raiser to the United Nations Transport Ministers Conference on Road Safety in Moscow in November 2009.
Delegates from across Africa, including road safety and infrastructure experts, government representatives, non- governmental organizations will attend the conference, during which a new documentary film on global road safety will be presented.
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Lagos Governor seeks action against polio in Nigeria

LAGOS, (Xinhua) -- The Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola Thursday sought support for the fight against polio in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub, the Nation newspaper reported Friday.
The governor stated this at the launch of the Sub-National Immunization Plus Days (SIPDS) in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of the state.
“I call on the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Rotary Club and all support groups to help eradicate this deadly disease called polio,” he said.
Fashola said the state was particularly interested in the health of the children and prepared to carry out any activity that will assist them in achieving the highest standard of health.
The State Commissioner for Health Jide Idris said the government’s goal is to increase the number of children immunized with polio vaccine by encouraging parents to increase their patronage of the Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities for routine immunization.
He said the state is also scheduled to participate in the other campaigns scheduled for the rest of the year by the Federal Ministry of Health, through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).
“I am happy that there has been a consistent improvement in the coverage of children immunized in the state with oral polio vaccine since the Integrated Measles Campaign (IMC) implemented last December,” Idris added.
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CAIRO - EGYPTIANS host annual 'ORIENTAL DANCE festival'

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Teachers threaten strike in Zimbabwe

HARARE, (Xinhua) -- Teachers in Zimbabwe threatening a strike over unfulfilled pay promises have been told that civil servants are likely to get proper salaries when Finance Minister Tendai Biti presents the mid-term fiscal policy on July 16. 
Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister David Coltart was quoted by local media The Chronicle on Friday as saying that the government was working to address their salaries and working conditions and those of other civil servants.
The announcement was expected in the mid-term fiscal policy. 
Coltart said he had received notices from teachers unions, among them the Zimbabwe Teachers Association and Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe, threatening to go on strike if the government does not start paying them salaries. 
At the moment, all civil servants just get a 100 dollars monthly allowance. 
“We told them that the government was aware of their concerns and it realises that the 100 U.S. dollars allowance teachers are getting was not adequate and did not recognise their professional qualifications,” Coltart said. 
“Finance Minister Tendai Biti is running around to secure money to pay their salaries as well as that of other civil servants. I am hopeful that we will be able to address their concerns and that of other civil servants but it will depend on the amount of money coming into the fiscus,” said Coltart. 
But the Zimbabwe Teachers Association on Thursday expressed frustration over unfulfilled pay promises and said it had twice restrained its members from striking but was now being left with no option. 
Minister Biti’s mid-term fiscal policy comes amid reports that revenue from taxes has risen substantially. Last month, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority Commissioner-General Gershom Pasi said Zimra had collected 100 million dollars in taxes and hoped the figure would keep rising. 
Coltart said at the moment the government had limited ability but he was very optimistic that teachers and all civil servants’ concerns would be addressed soon since there were indications that the economy was stabilizing. 
Coltart has said the country’s education sector requires at least 100 million dollars to re-equip schools with textbooks and pay teachers salaries. 
In May, the government held a crisis meeting with teachers unions over the salary issue after they had decided not to report for work when the second term began. 
The government, through the United Nations, has since sent an appeal to Western donors and Western governments for financial aid to revive the country’s education system.
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Global recession hits Zimbabwe hortuculture sector

HARARE, (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe’s Horticultural Promotion Council (HPC) said on Friday the global recession has impacted negatively on the country’s horticultural sector, particularly flower growers.
HPC chief executive Basilio Sandamu said the recession, which began in the United States in the first quarter of last year and spread across the world, had seen many people losing disposal incomes, resulting in a reduction in prices of flowers by between 30 percent and 35 percent on the international market.
He told New Ziana that as a result, some growers, particularly smaller ones in the country had gone under. “Last season was one of the worst in the history of the industry,” he said.
Horticulture has been one of the major contributors of foreign currency earnings for Zimbabwe.
Sandamu urged horticultural firms in the country to exploit vast market opportunities in South Africa and the region to boost their exports.
He said most local horticulture companies were only exporting to Europe yet neighboring South Africa was going beyond the region for imports.
“Companies need to go down there, find out what consumers want and grow the crop,” he said, noting that when horticulture firms fail to get freight space from Air Zimbabwe, they drive all the way to South Africa with their produce to load it to other airlines going to Europe.
He said fear of taking risks was the major factor preventing local companies from moving away from traditional markets in the North and establish new ones in the South.
“Traditional markets approached us in the first place and provided financial assistance,” he noted.
Sandamu said the HPC would be working with the country’s trade promotion body ZIMTRADE to develop the South African market with a view to establishing a presence there.
He said there were more than 45 million people in South Africa who could buy horticulture produce from Zimbabwe.
“They have the money and we have the land,” he said.
Horticulture companies could take their produce to the Johannesburg Fresh Produce Exchange which was like a wholesale as well as to the various supermarket chains.
The companies could also penetrate Botswana, Namibia and Angola which also import from beyond the region, Sandamu said.
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Kimberley team dismisses negative reports on Zimbabwe

HARARE, (Xinhua) -- The head of the visiting Kimberley Process Certification Scheme team has acknowledged efforts by the Zimbabwean government to rid the Chiadzwa diamond fields of illegal miners while dismissing negative reports on the country, local media reported on Friday. 
Liberian Deputy Minister of Planning and Development Kpandel Fayia, who is heading the team, was quoted by The Herald sa saying that the Zimbabwe government had managed to reduce significantly the number of illegal miners entering the diamond fields. 
“We have come and we have seen that the government managed to flush out those who were doing illicit mining in Marange,” he said. “There were about 35,000 people (illegal panners). The number has been reduced by up to 95 percent.” 
Fayia noted that the Marange diamond fields were extensive, making it difficult to effectively control illegal mining. 
“Basically, it is a very large area and from all indications, nobody can say you have perfect control of diamonds in a large area like Marange. It is 66,000 hectares and to control this area is quite a task,” he said. 
“Now there is an opportunity to find partners to come and help develop this big area.
We saw operations taking place in Marange under the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC).
They are using crude methods, but they will eventually mechanise in the proper way.” 
ZMDC does not have enough capital to finance the extraction of diamonds at Chiadzwa and depends heavily on human labour. 
This explains why employees were sorting the diamonds by hand in a shedded area monitored by computerised cameras. 
Fayia said on Wednesday his nine-member team broke into two groups as it entered Marange. 
“One group went into Marange (diamond fields), the other visited villages. From the report we got, villagers are saying Government wants to relocate them from the area.
Some people are very willing to relocate.
Some want to be compensated,” he said. 
There are plans by the Zimbabwean government to relocate the families to the Arda-owned Transau Farm in Odzi. 
The Kimberley Process team met Mines and Mining Development Minister Obert Mpofu and his deputy Murisi Zwizwai in Harare before touring Chiadzwa. 
Deputy Minister Zwizwai was on Wednesday condemned by his party MDC-T for telling the truth that nobody was killed by security forces at Chiadzwa during the scramble for diamonds by illegal miners from all corners of the country and foreigners. 
The team also met officials from ZMDC, African Consolidated Resources, Human Rights Lawyers and other non-governmental organisations.
On Thursday, Fayia and his team met Mutare Mayor Brian James (MDC-T), local Members of Parliament and an NGO involved in research. 
“Before we came here, there were fears that going to Zimbabwe was very dangerous. Zimbabwe is a very peaceful place.
The people are very friendly.
I am surprised,” explained Fayia. 
The Kimberley Process is a joint government, diamond industry and civil society initiative to stem the flow of “conflict diamonds”, rough diamonds used by rebel movements to finance wars against legitimate governments. 
The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme imposes extensive requirements on its members to enable them to certify shipment of rough diamonds as “conflict-free”. 
As of November last year, it had 49 members representing 75 countries with the European Community and its member-states counting as an individual participant.
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Zimbabwe to take national ownership of resources allocation

by Li Nuer HARARE, (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe will take national ownership in the exercise, development and implementation of all financial aid and policies aimed at reviving its economy, The Herald said on Friday. 
Addressing ambassadors accredited to Zimbabwe and the donor community on Wednesday, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Gordon Moyo said the Aid Co-ordination Policy document adopted by Cabinet three weeks ago placed the government as the leading player in determining allocation of resources. 
The Minister held the meeting with diplomats and the donor community to appraise and consult them on the Aid Co-ordination Policy document. 
“The government will take the lead in co-ordinating aid and other developmental resources in consultation with partners.
We will also ensure that one area is not overfunded at the expense of the other and that is why we are saying we need to harmonize our efforts,” said Moyo. 
European Commission ambassador to Zimbabwe Xavier Marchal and Swedish ambassador to Zimbabwe Sten Rylander concurred with Moyo, calling for the identification of areas where the government needs technical assistance. 
Marchal said there is need for flexibility to allow, for example, Finance Minister Tendai Biti to re-direct resources to other priority areas should the donor community channel funds to an area that already has a budget from the fiscus. 
This will ensure that there will be no over-concentration of resources in one area at the expense of others, the minister said.
In his contribution, Rylander expressed hope that the dialogue that has commenced between the European Union and Zimbabwe would bring normalization of relations. 
Moyo said the Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) where all funds for the government are being channelled, is a temporary measure while the government revamps its public funds management system. 
“This is a stop-gap measure we have created because most of you, and others in general lack confidence in our public finance management system.
We are currently addressing that,” said Moyo.
“The World Bank will be handling our funds in trust for the government of Zimbabwe but it is a temporary measure.
The consolidated Revenue Fund remains, the Treasury remains as well as all bilateral support but the MDTF shall facilitate scaling up of aid as Zimbabwe moves towards economic recovery,” he said. 
The MDTF, said Moyo, would be co-chaired by the government and development partners.
The Government has since nominated Minister Biti to co -chair. 
Ministers from the three political parties in the country have been nominated to represent the government to ensure that money finds its way into government coffers and not to political parties. These are Local Government, Urban and Rural Development Minister Ignatious Chombo, Finance Minister Biti, Regional Integration and International Cooperation Minister Priscilla Misihairambwi- Mushonga. 
Moyo said in sync with the values and norms of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness (2005) the government is committed to managing aid in order to enhance effectiveness with a view of ultimately reducing dependence on donors. 
Minister Moyo outlined to the diplomats the thrust of the Aid Co- ordination Policy document and how it functions, pledging to address concerns raised on the need for them and the donor community to engage with the government at a higher level as well.
The Aid Co-ordination Policy structure comprises of four committees which are the Cabinet Committee on Aid Co-ordination, The Aid Technical Committee, The Government Development Forum and the Aid Co-ordination Unit.
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Zimbabwe’s inclusive government in no mortal danger

By Tichaona Chifamba HARARE, (Xinhua) -- Despite the problems dogging Zimbabwe’s inclusive government, the arrangement is in no mortal danger and the three parties to the Global Political Agreement ( GPA) will soldier on, a top Zimbabwean academic has said.
Political scientist Professor Eldred Masunungure said on Friday that there is political turbulence in the inclusive government itself, within the two MDC formations and also within Zanu-PF, a situation which does not bode well for the future of the government.
While acknowledging that the inclusive government is in serious danger, he did not see the threat as mortal.
Masunungure accused the guarantors to the GPA, in particular the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and South African President Jacob Zuma, of standing aloof while GPA is under threat. 
“I think the guarantors are being delinquent. Why are Zuma, SADC and the African Union quiet? They have a special summit on Madagascar, why did they not include Zimbabwe on the agenda? I think SADC and Zuma in particular must take full responsibility for what happens or does not happen. At the moment it seems they have washed their hands, but pressure must be applied on them, especially SADC.”
“Most Zimbabweans, unless if there are some who are benefiting from the previous chaos, want this experiment of the inclusive government to succeed. SADC should, therefore, wake up from its slumber and interfere in a constructive manner in the problems the government is experiencing,” Masunungure, a lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe, said.
The larger MDC led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has raised a number of outstanding issues, saying the Zanu-PF side of the GPA, through President Robert Mugabe, is failing to address. It has since referred some of the issues to SADC as it seeks a resolution.
The smaller MDC led by Deputy Prime Minister Professor Arthur Mutambara has generally been quiet over the outstanding issues.MDC Tsvangirai hinted earlier in the week that it reserved the right to disengage if outstanding issues in the GPA are not resolved. 
Wide cracks within the government showed on Monday when cabinet ministers from the party boycotted a cabinet meeting scheduled for the day. 
Apart from highlighting the outstanding issues, the ministers were not amused by the fact that the meeting had been moved forward from the traditional day so that President Mugabe could chair the meeting before he left for the African Union summit in Libya.
According to the GPA, Tsvangirai chairs cabinet meetings in the absence of Mugabe. Therefore, the MDC argued that the decision was designed to avoid a situation where Tsvangirai would have to chair a cabinet meeting.
“At the epicenter of our disappointment has been the unwillingness of Zanu-PF to resolve the unfinished issues of the inclusive government under the GPA. In particular, despite five months of endless meetings amongst the principals, the central issues of the Reserve Bank governor, the Attorney-General, the provincial governors, the swearing in of Roy Bennet and the appointment of ambassadors remain unresolved as the inclusive government is yet to be fully constituted,” MDC deputy president and Deputy Prime Minister in the inclusive government Thokozani Khupe said on Monday, explaining reasons for the cabinet meeting boycott.
She added that while the MDC remained fundamentally committed to the GPA “in the interests of our people, it is our constitutional right to consider disengagement”.
Bennet is on bail following allegations of unlawful possession of arms of war and Mugabe has refused to swear him in as deputy minister of agriculture.
Masunungure said although there has been talk of disengagement, there was no incentive for any of the three parties to the GPA to do so.
“I don’t think the ‘divorce’ the MDC is talking about will succeed. There is absolutely no incentive, and if anything, they are decisive against pulling out. None of the parties will pull out, and MDC will not be the first to pull out.”
“The inclusive government will continue to wobble along like a vehicle with a bad wheel, and it will get wherever it wants to get.
It is in serious trouble, but not in mortal danger.
We will continue to read about the impending collapse but that won’t happen,” he said.
When Tsvangirai defended his ministers’ decision to boycott cabinet, he also hinted the possibility of a divorce if things were not working in the inclusive government.
“The ministers from my party disengaged from the Cabinet meeting held yesterday (Monday).
I understand their frustrations and concerns.
It is the same frustration expressed by Zimbabweans in general and the international community that we wish to re- engage with as a nation.
These frustrations emanate from the slow pace of the implementation of the GPA,” Tsvangirai said at a press conference on Tuesday.
It will be difficult for the MDC to explain to many of its constituents any disengagement, because many people attributed the lessened hardships to the inclusive government. 
One analyst said the MDC is in a better position than Zanu-PF to stay in the inclusive government because the people believe that the better state of affairs in the country is a direct result of the party being part of government.
“If it disengages, it will be shooting itself in the foot,” the analyst said.
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Sweden prepared to work with Zimbabwe’s inclusive government

HARARE, (Xinhua) -- Swedish Ambassador to Zimbabwe Sten Rylander whose country has assumed the rotating presidency of the European Union, has said Sweden is prepared to work with the inclusive government of Zimbabwe in the economic and social sectors, ZBC News said on Friday. 
Rylander said Sweden will mobilize European countries to support the inclusive government in its economic recovery program.
Rylander, who was among ambassadors and donors from Africa, the European Union and other western countries who attended the government initiated aid coordination policy meeting in Harare, said the EU is stepping up efforts to normalize relations with Zimbabwe. 
Sweden is one of the Scandinavian countries that have supported Zimbabwe in the humanitarian sector since independence.
Sweden assumed the leadership of the European Union Bloc on July 1, taking over from France.
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Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe meets senior US official

HARARE, (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe met U.S. Under-Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson on the sidelines of the 13th Ordinary Session of the African Union General Assembly in Sirte, Libya on Thursday. 
The meeting with Carson was the first time in several years that a senior member of the U.S. administration has met President Mugabe, The Herald said on Friday. 
Sources who attended the meeting said Mugabe had a frank discussion with Carson who requested the meeting, and was briefed on the process that led to the formation of the inclusive government, its current state and the working relations between the three parties involved. 
Mugabe, the sources said, told Carson that the government was working well.
The meeting comes in the wake of recent attempts by some in the West to trash the inclusive government by claiming that it was failing to meet set “benchmarks” even though all the parties that signed the Global Political Agreement have given the arrangement a clean bill of health and pledged their commitment to resolving any problems arising from the implementation of the agreement among themselves. 
During Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s recent tour of Western capitals, the “benchmarks” were cited as an excuse to maintain the sanctions regime on Zimbabwe and to deny the country development support. 
Carson, a career African-American diplomat, served as U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe between 1995 and 1997, and ended his tenure just before the bilateral dispute over land with Britain flared up.
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South Africa’s World Cup organizers to “engage” unions over strike

JOHANNESBURG, (Xinhua) -- South Africa’s World Cup organizing committee will “engage” construction industry trade unions about a looming strike over wages, it said in Johannesburg on Friday.
The organizing committee has promised FIFA the stadiums to be used for the World Cup will be finished six months before the tournament starts on June 11 2010, organizing committee chairman Irvin Khoza said in Johannesburg on Thursday.
A strike could put paid to that, he said.
At this stage, though, all the committee knew of the impending industrial action was that the media was reporting that a major strike was expected.
“While we acknowledge and accept and recognize the democratic right (of workers to strike), there are issues we want to understand as a board,” said Khoza.
It was important that it kept itself informed because it needed to understand the possible impact of a strike. It wanted to hear both sides.
“This matter is now referred to the (executive committee) of the board to engage the respective unions,” he said.
He stressed that the board had no intention of interfering with workers’ right to strike.
It was a right they were constitutionally guaranteed and it was important to observe and respect that right.
A total of 10 stadiums will be used in the tournament.
Five are already operational—including the newly-built stadium at Nelson Mandela Bay, in Port Elizabeth.
Another five are still under construction: Soccer City, in Johannesburg, is undergoing a major upgrade; and four stadiums are being built from scratch in Polokwane, Nelspruit, Durban and Cape Town.
It is these which will be affected if there is a strike.
Construction workers plan to down tools at the World Cup sites on Wednesday after wage negotiations deadlocked on June 26.
The Building Construction and Allied Workers’ Union (BCAWU) has served notice of strike action.
BCAW is asking for a 13 percent wage increase.
Employers are offering 10 percent.
The union also wants formal skills, training and development programs for workers and a retirement fund set up in the industry. 
The South African Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors (SAFCEC) has indicated that it intends applying for an interdict to stop the strike on the grounds that it is premature.
“In considering strike action, the union has taken into consideration the national interests surrounding 2010 Soccer World Cup stadiums and road infrastructure,” BCAWU general secretary Narius Moloto said earlier this week.
Apart from stadiums, the strike could affected the King Shaka International Airport, the Kusile project, Eskom’s Medupi project, the Coega project, the Livingston hospital and the Gautrain.
Speaking after the organising committee’s post-Confederations Cup board meeting on Thursday, Khoza said it was not unusual to see unions striking during or just before major events. 
Apologizing to Frenchman Jerome Valcke, who is the secretary general of FIFA, Khoza said there was a complete collapse of the transport system in France a week or two before the World Cup was held there.
The same thing had happened in France with the rugby World Cup.
The board meeting was attended by outgoing South African Football Association president Molefi Oliphant, organizing committee chief executive officer Danny Jordaan, Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Khoza, Valke, Justice Minister Jeff Radebe and Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale.
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Ugandan track queen Inzikuru shifts base to Europe

KAMPALA, (Xinhua) -- Ugandan track queen Dorcus Inzikuru has shifted her training base to Europe as she intensifies preparation for the World Championships slated for August in Berlin. 
Inzikuru, who won the inaugural 3,000m steeplechase race at the 2005 Helsinki World Championships, left for Italy last week to join coach Renato Canova. She is not expected back to Uganda until after the World Championships. 
“She will start with a club competition. Her coach is yet to give us the details of her program,” said Inzikuru’s country manager Flavio Pasqualato, quoted by the state-owned New Vision on Friday. 
The 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games 3,000m steeplechase champion, who had been in camp in Iten, Kenya, started her comeback from a two-year lay-off with an 800m win at the Akii Bua Memorial championship recently. 
Inzikuru has set herself a target of running below her personal best of 9 minutes 15.04 seconds. 
The qualifying mark for the World Championships is 9 minutes 48 seconds. Since March 2007, Inzikuru had struggled with illness and took time to give birth in December 2007.
Following 15 months’ absence, the Arua gazelle participated in the Olympic torch relay in Tanzania late April in 2008.
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Cote d’Ivoire end South African hopes

JOHANNESBURG, (Xinhua) -- Cote d’Ivoire made sure of their semifinal spot with a narrow 7-6 extra-time victory over a brave South Africa in the final pool match of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2009 Qualifier in Durban on Friday.
South Africa needed a three-goal win to go into the semifinals and did better than most expected to keep the pressure on the talented Cote d’Ivoire side. But other than a brief time ahead in the first period, the hosts were always playing catch-up.
After the teams were locked at 5-5 at the end of normal time, Ludovic Ehounou sank South African hearts when he netted twice in the extra three-minute period to destroy the home-town hopes.
Nduduzo Phakathi gave the supporters a smidgen of hope with 46 seconds left as he wrapped up his hat-trick, but there was no fairytale and South Africa were consigned to third in their group.
South Africa started strongly, making their intent known from the kick-off when Thando Mthembu flashed a shot goalwards, but it was the 2006 Player of the Tournament, Frederic Aka of Cote d’Ivoire, who opened the scoring a minute into the game when he drove a long range effort into the bottom corner.
But the Ivorean joy was short lived as Nduduzo Phakathi smashed an equaliser from the following kick-off. South Africa went ahead two minutes later thanks to a potent Mthembu volley and South African hopes for victory soared.
But the incredible leg speed of Aka soon brought them back to earth.
He doubled his - and the team’s - tally midway through the period after his sand-spraying dancing shuffle confused Prince Gumede and the defender allowed Aka too much space to tie the scores once more.
Cote d’Ivoire then went ahead again but South Africa’s spirit shone through when Francis Cele equalised from the spot after he was brought down on the right flank to leave the scores 3-3 at the first break.
After six goals were scored in the first period there was just one apiece in the middle stanza as first Ehounou scored his second and then Cele turned and volleyed to leave the scores level going into the final 12-minute period.
It was much the same in the final period as South Africa once again had to fight back after Aka smashed home a free kick before Phakathi turned in Kinsey Lowell’s drive to level matters a minute before the final whistle.
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Zimbabwe wins Karate World Championship

HARARE, (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe has made history by becoming the first African country to win the Karate World Championship after Samson Muripo scooped the middle weight Kiyokishini Karate in Osaka Japan, ZBC News reported on Friday. 
Prior to Muripo’s milestone achievement, only Switzerland, Japan, Brazil and Russia had won the championship since its inception in 1975.
Speaking on his arrival at the Harare International Airport, Muripo said he had worked hard to achieve victory.
Among those to welcome Zimbabwe’s sporting hero was the Director General of Sport and Recreation Commission Retired Colonel Godfrey Nhemachena who said the Karateka had put Zimbabwe on the sporting map.
Muripo’s achievement comes as a boost to Zimbabwe’s sporting credentials as a sporting nation.
A few weeks ago, a 15 year old motorsport sensation Axcill Jefferies won in Malaysia while Steohen Muzhingi won the Comrades Marathon in South Africa.
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