Digest

Digest

Reunification Efforts Move Forward for Cyprus

Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders continued UN-led negotiations this week to reunify Cyprus. The small Mediterranean island gained its independence in 1960 from Great Britain, but its population is divided between ethnic Greeks and Turks.  Violence has plagued the nation since that time, and a UN peacekeeping force has been in place since 1964.  Currently the state is divided between the Greek rulers of the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which controls the northern part of the island and is recognized only by Turkey.

Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat agreed in May of last year to work towards “a bicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality.” Under the proposed plan, a unified federal government with govern over two Constituent States with equal power. The most sensitive subject of the negotiation is how to compensate property owners who have suffered losses as a result of the conflict between the two groups.  It is estimated that around 265,000 Cypriots lost their homes after fleeing during the 1960s and 70s.

The two sides will meet again on March 11th to address issues pertaining to the European Union. Cyprus joined the EU in 2004 and is represented there by the Greek Cypriot government. The EU has urged Turkey to encourage the reunification of Cyprus.

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Digest

Rwandan Chaplain Found Guilty of Genocide by UN Court

Last Friday a United Nations tribunal found Emmanuel Rukundo, a former chaplain of the Rwandan Armed Forces, guilty of genocide, murder as a crime against humanity and extermination as a crime. The Tribunal, which was created to investigate the mass killings in Rwanda in 1994, sentenced Mr. Rukundo to 25 years in prison. He was arrested in Geneva in 2001.

The Tribunal concluded that in April 1994, Rukundo, along with Rwandan soldiers, kidnapped a woman known as Madame Rudahunga, killing her and severely beating her children. The Tribunal also found that Rukundo had participated in the kidnapping and murder of Tutsis who had sought refuge in the St. Leon Minor Seminary on at least four occasions.

The Tribunal ultimately “found without a reasonable doubt that Rukundo was present during the commission of the crime and the soldiers acted under his authority.” The Tribunal condemned Rukundo’s actions given his position as religious figure stating that he had“abused his moral authority and influence.”

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Digest

Former Bosnian Serb Leader Karadzic Refuses to Plead

The former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, who faces 11 charges of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, refused to enter a plea at the Hague. He said that the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) did not have the jurisdiction to try him, because he was offered immunity by US Diplomat Richard Holbrooke, who negotiated the end of the Bosnian War in 1995. Judge Iain Bonomy said that Karadzic would “have the opportunity to deal with that in due course” and entered a plea of not guilty on Karadzic’s behalf on all 11 counts.

This is the second time Karadzic refused to enter a plea at the Hague. In July 2008, he refuesed to plead until prosecutors finalized all the charges against him. Karadzic was arrested in Belgrade last year for his alleged involvement in the siege of Sarajevo resulting in some 12,000 civilian deaths and the massacre of up to 8,000 Bosniak men and boys in Srebrenica.

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Digest

US May Boycott UN Racism Conference

Unnamed sources from the U.S. State Department have indicated that the United States will likely boycott an upcoming U.N. conference on racism. A State Department official paid a recent visit to Geneva in February to negotiate the conference’s final document. After looking over the draft document, the official stated that it is “unsalvageable” by U.S. standards and that therefore the United States will be unable to participate in the negotiations of the document as well as the conference itself.

U.S. officials say that the document unfairly singles out and criticizes Israel. The U.S. is also concerned that the draft could threaten freedom of speech, since certain parts of the document seek to restrict the defamation of religions. Other nations, such as Canada and Israel, have also stated that they may boycott the U.N. racism conference.

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Digest

Obama to Canada in First State Visit

President Obama traveled to Canada for his first international trip and met with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to discuss clean energy initiatives and the current economic crisis.

In Ottawa, Mr. Obama reaffirmed his administration’s concern for global climate change and voiced support for an international system of carbon emission caps and carbon credits trading. Canada is the United States’ largest energy supplier and the two nations have the largest bilateral trade relationship in the world. The U.S. president also provided assurances that the new stimulus package’s controversial “Buy American” provision would be implemented in a manner that does not violate WTO or NAFTA obligations.

Additionally, Obama praised Canadian assistance to the NATO-led force in Afghanistan, but did not request additional troops.

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Digest

Expected Arrest Warrant for Sudan President Bashir

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is expected to issue an arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan on March 4th, marking the first time the ICC has taken such action against a current state leader. While a panel of judges agreed to the issuance of an arrest warrant in January, the date was only recently announced so there would be enough time to alert diplomats, United Nations (UN) peacekeepers, and humanitarian workers in the Sudan region who may be attacked. 

Luis, Moreno-Ocampo, the ICC’s chief prosecutor, requested an arrest warrant for President Bashir in July 2008, claiming “sufficient evidence to charge him with war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.”. President Bashir has denied these charges.

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