School's out for Libyan children of the revolution

Benghazi’s children are helping revolution by cleaning streets, working as traffic cops, dishing up army rations to rebel soldiers.

Middle East Online

By Rory Mulholland - BENGHAZI

Sweeping the streets Children in Benghazi are not being sent to fight on the frontline, but they are helping Libya's revolution by cleaning streets, working as traffic cops and dishing up army rations to rebel soldiers. Schools shut down when the uprising against Moamer Gathafi started in mid-February, and officials in Benghazi say they will not reopen until the strongman is toppled and the rebel-held east is reunited with the west. In the meantime an army of kids in this city of 700,000 has to find ways of keeping itself busy and getting ready for what the rebels hope will be the post-Gathafi era. One example of revolutionary zeal is on display every evening at one of the city's busiest junctions, where children in dark-blue traffic police uniforms blow their whistles and gesture frantically to keep rush-hour motorists moving. "This is more fun than school," said 10-year-old Ali Selim as he took a break Monday from the duties he carries out every day from 5:00 pm until after 9:00 pm. Two brothers aged 14 and 15 were also working at the same junction, part of a tiny team of boys who have been helping adult traffic cops in this time of revolution. Other youngsters are working for the revolution in far greater numbers. Platoons of boys and girls have been formed across the city to rid their neighbourhoods of the trash that litters the streets. "We're doing this work voluntarily because we've got lots of free time -- we've got free time to clean our city," said one youngster as he and his team-mates combed their district for garbage. Many of the city's young men who have turned 18 have signed up for the military training that the rebel administration -- whose headquarters is in Benghazi -- is providing to build up its army to fight Gathafi's forces. Some of those too young to become fighters are helping out at a giant canteen which feeds the rebel force as well as families who have fled to Benghazi from regions under Gathafi control. Other youngsters are lending a hand in a refugee camp that has been taking in African migrants and Libyans from Misrata, a western city besieged by Gathafi forces where hundreds have been killed over the past two months. 'They demanded a better future' And on Benghazi's seafront, young people take part in or organise the daily rallies that are held to show support for the revolution and contempt for the Libyan strongman who has been in power for 41 years. But even with all that activity, there are still many youngsters left idle and for whom the novelty of an extended school holiday has long worn off. "When I get up in the morning, I just stay at home for a couple of hours then I go out to see my mates in the street then I go back home," one boy, sitting on a street corner, said, declining to give his name. The rebel National Transitional Council has taken measures to help boys like him. It has started to use schools as daytime activity centres to give young people something to fill their time and to help them get over the trauma of the violence on the streets of Benghazi before Gathafi's forces were chased out. Volunteers, many of them teenagers, run these centres. Al-Majd school, which lies opposite a mosque in the residential suburb New Benghazi, takes in more than 500 kids every day. "I love coming here because we can do everything in the same day --- sing, dance, draw, play games," said 10-year-old Aya al-Abar, as she took a break from a group of girls chanting revolutionary slogans such as "Freedom for Libya, Gathafi get out." Elsewhere in the school children engaged in water fights or drew revolutionary posters, while in one classroom toddlers -- some with the rebel colours green, black and red painted on their cheeks -- made castles with play dough or staged battles with toy soldiers. Parents bringing their kids to the school said they weren't too worried about them losing half a year's education, with several remarking that they had "lost" 41 years under Gathafi, so one more didn't really matter that much. Apart from an occasional class on why the Libyan revolution took place, there is no formal education going on here at the moment. Hanna al-Gallal, the most senior education official in Benghazi, said schools would reopen once Gathafi had fallen and only then would a new curriculum -- free of propaganda about the old regime -- be drawn up. Until then, she said, the not-so-young people of what the rebels call "Free Libya" had a lot to learn from the youth, who like those in Tunisia and Egypt were the main drivers of the popular uprising. "They will teach us about the revolution. They are the ones who came out and demanded a better future," she said.

Yemeni Qaeda chief warns jihad will intensify

Wahishi warns Americans not to fool themselves ‘matter will be over’ with killing of bin Laden.

Middle East Online

DUBAI - The leader of Al-Qaeda's Yemen branch has warned that jihad will become more "intense and harmful" after the killing of Osama bin Laden by US commandos, SITE monitoring group reported Wednesday. Nasir al-Wahishi, leader Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), said in a statement posted on an Islamist website that the "ember of jihad is brighter" following the May 2 death of bin Laden, the US-based group said. "Do not think of the battle superficially ... What is coming is greater and worse, and what is awaiting you is more intense and harmful," Wahishi said, according to a translation given by SITE. He warned Americans not to fool themselves that the "matter will be over" with the killing of bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda. "We promise Allah that we will remain firm in the covenant and that we will continue the march, and that the death of the sheikh will only increase our persistence to fight the Jews and the Americans in order to take revenge," Wahishi said. The US has become increasingly concerned about the threat posed by Islamist militancy in Yemen, bin Laden's ancestral homeland, and has warned of the potential for the country to become a regrouping ground for Al-Qaeda. Four days after bin Laden was killed in a US commando raid on his Abbottabad compound, about two hour's drive from Islamabad, a US drone attack targeted US-Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaqi in southern Yemen. The cleric, whom the US says has strong links to Al-Qaeda, survived the attack in southern Yemen but two AQAP members were killed. In January 2009, the Saudi and Yemeni Al-Qaeda branches announced their merger to form the Yemen-based AQAP, which later went on to claim a failed attempt to bomb Detroit-bound US airliner in December 2009. Wahishi in his eulogy said bin Laden was killed "while his hand was on the trigger, fighting the enemies of Allah without tiring or surrendering." "He was killed while remaining firm and not changing or altering, as he continues according to the covenant of the believers." He stressed that the torch will pass from bin Laden to others who will keep up his work for generations. "Let the enemies of Allah know that we are determined to take revenge." Al-Qaeda formally acknowledged bin Laden's killing four days after he was killed and his body buried at sea. In his final audio message recorded a week before his killing, bin Laden warned there will be no US security before the Palestinians live in security. Addressing US President Barack Obama, he said: "America will not be able to dream of security until we live in security in Palestine. It is unfair that you live in peace while our brothers in Gaza live in insecurity."

GCC welcomes more kings

Gulf Arab states agree to expand their regional grouping to include Jordan, Morocco, demand Yemen deal.

Middle East Online

Willing to expand the bloc beyond the Gulf RIYADH- The six Gulf monarchies Tuesday responded to Arab uprisings by agreeing to expand their regional grouping to include pro-Western Jordan and Morocco and urged a quick political deal in Yemen. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) welcomed bids by the two Arab kingdoms to join the six-nation grouping of Gulf monarchies, its secretary general Abdullatif al-Zayani said. "Leaders of the GCC welcomed the request of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to join the council and instructed the foreign ministers to enter into negotiations to complete the procedures," Zayani told reporters. He said the same procedure would be followed with Morocco. His remarks came after a summit in Riyadh of the GCC, which groups Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, discussed relations with Iran, the unrest in Yemen -- the Arabian Peninsula's only republican state -- and the tensions sweeping the region. The heads of state demanded that all sides in Yemen, which has limited observer status in the GCC, sign a transition plan brokered by the bloc. "The council urged all parties in Yemen to sign the agreement which is the best way out of the crisis and spare the country further political division and deterioration of security," the GCC leaders said in a joint statement. It said their transition plan for Yemen was a "comprehensive agreement that would preserve Yemen's security, stability and unity." GCC heads of state discussed the bloc's mediation efforts which stalled this month in the face of veteran President Ali Abdullah Saleh's refusal to sign up to proposals which would require him to stand down. He has been insisting that any transfer of power should be in line with the constitution which would allow him to serve out his term until 2013. The GCC plan proposes the formation of a government of national unity, Saleh transferring power to his vice president and resigning after 30 days, a day after parliament passes a law granting him and his aides immunity. GCC Secretary General Abdullatif al-Zayani travelled to Sanaa last week to invite members of the government and the opposition to sign the transition plan in Riyadh and to obtain the president's signature but he returned empty-handed. At Tuesday's summit, the Gulf monarchies also criticised Iran's "continued interference" in their internal affairs. Relations between Iran and its Gulf Arab neighbours have deteriorated sharply, with the bloc accusing Tehran of seeking to destabilise Arab regimes by stoking the unrest that has rocked the region. Shiite-dominated Iran strongly criticised Saudi Arabia's mid-March military intervention in Sunni-ruled Bahrain which was aimed at helping crack down on a Shiite-led uprising. Iran says it gives "moral support" to Bahrainis but is not involved in the protests. Bahrain and Kuwait have expelled Iranian diplomats, accusing them of espionage.

NATO bombs pound Tripoli

NATO officials insist again air raids are not aimed at killing embattled Libyan leader.

Middle East Online

By W.G. Dunlop - TRIPOLI

Tripoli pounded by NATO A NATO bombing blitz, which the alliance insisted was not aimed at Moamer Gathafi, rocked Tripoli on Tuesday, as rebels in besieged Misrata claimed to be pushing back the Libyan strongman's forces. NATO said that since the alliance took over military operations on March 31 to protect civilians from pro-Gathafi forces, jets have conducted almost 6,000 sorties, including more than 2,300 strike missions. Bombs were not dropped during all of those missions, figures showed, as officials insisted again the raids were not aimed at killing Gathafi, who has ruled the north African nation for more than four decades. "All NATO targets are military targets, which means that the targets we've been hitting, and it happened also last night in Tripoli, are command and control bunkers," Brigadier General Claudio Gabellini told reporters. "NATO is not targeting individuals," he said via videolink from the operation's headquarters in Naples, Italy. But asked whether Gathafi was still alive, the Italian NATO general said: "We don't have any evidence. We don't know what Gathafi is doing right now." Early Tuesday jets had screamed in low over the capital, Tripoli, in a heavy bombardment lasting roughly three hours, an AFP correspondent said. The blasts came after NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said time was running out for Gathafi, who had to "realise sooner rather than later that there's no future for him or his regime." Gathafi survived a similar NATO bombing on May 1 in Tripoli, which killed his second-youngest son, Seif al-Arab, and three of his grandchildren. Inspired by the uprisings in other Arab nations, rebels have been fighting since mid-February to oust Gathafi but have met with stiff resistance despite gaining a foothold in the eastern city of Benghazi. They have set up a National Transitional Council (NTC) and Mahmud Jibril, a senior figure in Libya's opposition, was to meet with key US lawmakers on Wednesday to discuss the conflict, senior US Senator John Kerry said. Kerry, a Democratic ally of the White House who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he would make a public appearance with Jibril at 3:30 pm (1930 GMT). "The Foreign Relations Committee and the American people are eager to learn more about the opposition movement in Libya and Mahmud Jibril is well positioned to answer our questions," Kerry said in a statement. The United States has yet to recognise the NTC unlike France, Italy and Qatar, with officials in Washington saying they wanted "a clearer picture" first about the opposition body. The rebels said meanwhile they had driven Gathafi's forces back from around the western port of Misrata, which has been under loyalist siege for some two months, and were poised to make another thrust. After heavy clashes, the rebels controlled a stretch of coast road west of Misrata, their last major stronghold in the west, prompting thousands to flee. An AFP correspondent said the rebels had forced government troops about 15 kilometres (10 miles) from Misrata, advancing to Dafnia, and were readying to move on Zliten, the next major town on the road to Tripoli. Haj Mohammed, a rebel commander, said "every day we manage to advance along the coastal road toward Zliten. Yesterday 15 kilometres (10 miles), today only two, but the advance is unstoppable." Rebels were using shipping containers to shield themselves from loyalist fire, and bulldozers were pushing them forward as the advance continued. Ahmad Hassan, a rebel spokesman in Misrata, said the insurgents had also "liberated" areas south and east of the city, killing many Gathafi troops and seizing a large amount of weapons. Eighteen rebels and civilians were wounded. The rebel claims could not be immediately verified. Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency appealed to ships in the Mediterranean to treat all boats leaving Libya as being in need of assistance after reports that a vessel loaded with up to 600 people had capsized last week. The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said the number of flimsy and overloaded boats carrying people fleeing Libya was increasing. "We believe that any boat from Libya should be considered at first glance as a boat that is in need of assistance," UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said. "We believe that all of these boats are carrying people who are trying to escape, many of whom are weakened by conflict, please do not wait for a call of distress." The United Nations said Monday nearly 750,000 people have fled Libya since the start of the conflict.

Europe presses for Syria condemnation at UN

Britain is lobbying for new attempt to pass resolution on Syrian regime’s crackdown on protesters.

Middle East Online

Protests continue despite the heavy crackdown UNITED NATIONS - European powers stepped up calls Tuesday for international action over Syria's crackdown as the United Nations sounded the alarm over the government's blocking of a humanitarian mission. Germany told the UN Security Council that those responsible for deaths in Syria should "held accountable." France called on President Bashar al-Assad's regime to cooperate with a UN inquiry, while Britain led efforts to get a Security Council resolution condemning Syria. A western diplomatic campaign against Assad's regime produced a first success when it was revealed that Kuwait would stand against Syria for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council. The world has been "deeply shocked by the violence and the brutality of the internal repression against unarmed and peaceful protesters orchestrated by the Syrian authorities," Germany's Ambassador Peter Wittig told the Security Council. While it is the responsibility of individual states to protect their civilians, Wittig said, "the international community will not turn a blind eye when there is a blatant disregard of this obligation -- this is a message that applies not only to Libya." Speaking of Syria, he said: "Those responsible for the killings should be held accountable," urging continued discussion of developments there in light of "the ongoing violence and the regional implications." Russia and China blocked a UN Security Council statement on Syria last week, but Britain is lobbying for a new attempt to pass a resolution on the crackdown, which is said to have left hundreds dead. "Despite the best efforts of the Syrian government to suppress media coverage, we have witnessed the repeated and deliberate targeting of civilians and the use of tanks and other heavy weaponry against peaceful protesters," said Britain's Deputy Ambassador Philip Parham. "We are determined that the Security Council should take measures adapted to the situations before us," added France's UN envoy Gerard Araud. Araud demanded that Syria cooperate with a UN Human Rights Council investigation into the clampdown and give humanitarian access to the protest city of Daraa and others. "I am concerned about the lack of access to parts of Syria, including Daraa and cities on the coast, including Latakia, Jablah, Baniyas and Douma," UN humanitarian agency chief Valerie Amos said in a statement. Amos raised concerns after the Syrian government blocked a UN mission to Daraa on Sunday. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon secured agreement for the mission in a phone call with Assad. Kuwait will challenge Syria's contested bid for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council, stepping up pressure on Assad to withdraw from a May 20 vote at the UN General Assembly, diplomats said. "Kuwait have said privately that they will be standing," a diplomat said on condition of anonymity. Another envoy said "Syria has faced several calls from the Asia group to withdraw." Syria had been one of four candidates -- with India, Indonesia and the Philippines -- for four vacancies to be filled by Asia under a convention under which UN bodies are filled by regional blocs. "Kuwait's candidacy certainly reduces the chances that Syria will get elected," said Peggy Hicks, global advocacy director for Human Rights Watch. "Syria should see the writing on the wall and withdraw."

Iran trial of US hikers postponed: sources

US hikers Shane Bauer (left) and Josh Fattal were arrested after straying into Iranian territory in July 2009. The trial of three American hikers charged with spying after being arrested on the Iran-Iraq border was postponed Wednesday because they were not brought from prison, their lawyer and other sources say.

US hiker Sarah Shourd poses for a photo at the AFP offices in Washington DC. Shourd was part of a group of US hikers who were arrested after allegedly straying into Iranian territory in 2009. The Tehran trial of three American hikers charged with spying was postponed Wednesday because the two still in custody were not brought from prison, their lawyer and other sources said.

AFP - The Tehran trial of three American hikers charged with spying was postponed Wednesday because the two still in custody were not brought from prison, their lawyer and other sources said.

A closed-door second session of the revolutionary court had been scheduled for Wednesday after the trial began on February 6 and lasted just a few hours.

"Their lawyer has told us that he has been informed (by the judiciary) that the session would be postponed since they were not transferred from prison," a Swiss diplomatic source said, adding that the lawyer had not been given further details.

The Swiss embassy represents US interests in Tehran since Iran and the United States have not had diplomatic relations for more than three decades.

"They did not bring Shane and Josh to the court (from prison) and I was not told why," the trio's lawyer Masoud Shafii told AFP.

"I waited in the court for two hours. The minutes of what happend was signed. The session will be postponed. I was not told about the time of the next session and I still was not able to see them," he added.

Shafii said: "It is certainly the fault of the judiciary since the prisons are under the judiciary.

Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, both aged 28, were arrested along with Sarah Shourd, 32, on the border between Iran and Iraq on July 31, 2009. They insist they lost their way while on a hiking trip.

Shourd is being tried in absentia after she returned to the United States after being freed on humanitarian and medical grounds in September and paying bail of around 500,000 dollars.

Spokesman for the Iranian judiciary, Gholam Hossei Mohseni Ejeie, told Tehran-based Al-Alam Arabic language television that, "The session will not be held today. It has postponed to another time," without any elaboration.

Shafii had earlier said he hoped the hearing would be the last and that a verdict would follow soon.

Ahead of Wednesday's planned session, the families of Fattal and Bauer issued a statement repeating that the two men were innocent and criticised the Iranian legal process.

"For more than 21 months, Shane and Josh have been locked up, isolated from their families and the world and denied any semblance of due process," they said in a joint statement.

"We call on the authorities to take this opportunity to end the mistreatment of two young men who have done no wrong to Iran and mean more to us than anything."

The detention of the three has added to the animosity between arch-foes Tehran and Washington, which have deteriorated over Iran's controversial nuclear drive and outspoken remarks by hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Iran has accused the three hikers of "spying and illegally entering the country."

The trio have pleaded not guilty to the spying charges and maintain they innocently strayed into Iran across the unmarked border with Iraq.

Washington too has vehemently denied Tehran's charges and has pressed for their freedom.

Shourd, who also failed to attend the February 6 hearing, told AFP in Washington last week that she will not return to join the other two in the dock.

She had sent Iran's revolutionary court a five-page evaluation by a clinical forensic psychologist, who concluded she was at high risk of psychological problems if she returned to face espionage charges.

Swiss embassy officials in Tehran, have met the detained hikers five times in the 21 months of their detention, including once when the mothers of the three visited the hikers in Iran last May.

Germany 'could back Italy's Draghi for ECB chief'

Italy's central bank governor Mario Draghi. Germany is ready to back Draghi to take over as European Central Bank president, Chancellor Angela Merkel has been quoted by a newspaper as saying.

AFP - Germany is ready to back Italy's central bank chief Mario Draghi to take over as European Central Bank president, Chancellor Angela Merkel was quoted by a newspaper as saying on Wednesday.

"Germany could back his candidacy for the position of ECB president," she told the Die Zeit weekly in an interview.

Germany's Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has previously also suggested he would like to see Draghi as the next head of the ECB when Frenchman Jean-Claude Trichet's term ends in October.

Merkel told Die Zeit that Draghi was "a very interesting and experienced figure" whose positions on monetary stability and the 17-nation eurozone economy in general were close to her own.

She had previously remained silent on backing Draghi, even after French President Nicolas Sarkozy expressed his support for the Italian, with some observers speculating Merkel was holding out for some unspecified concessions.

It is widely understood that any successful candidate would have to have the backing of the two biggest eurozone economies.

Berlin was left without a viable candidate of its own after former Bundesbank president Axel Weber announced his resignation in February.

Draghi, head of the Italian central bank, then emerged as the most likely candidate though it would mean the ECB has both a president and vice president from southern European countries.

A former Goldman Sachs banker, Draghi already sits on the ECB governing council and has further experience in international finance as head of the Financial Stability Board, a post he has held since 2009.

His stated support for ensuring that eurozone inflation remains in check and that governments respect strict fiscal guidelines has been crucial in garnering support from Germany.

British official trade deficit widens in March

Britain's trade deficit grew by more than expected in March, official data showed on Wednesday.

AFP - Britain's trade deficit grew by more than expected in March, official data showed on Wednesday.

The deficit -- the difference between goods exported and imported -- expanded to £7.7 billion (8.8 billion euros, $12.6 billion) in March, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement.

That compared with a deficit of £7.0 billion in February, which was upgreaded from the previous estimate of £6.8 billion.

The March figure overshot market expectations for a smaller deficit of £7.5 billion, according to analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires.

Exports fell 0.5 percent to hit £24.9 billion in March, while imports rose 1.7 percent to £32.6 billion.

"The widening in the UK trade deficit in March was all but inevitable after such a sharp narrowing in the previous two months," said Capital Economics senior UK economist Vicky Redwood.

"The big picture is that the trade position is still looking a lot better than a few months ago.

"The trade in goods deficit rose from £7.0 billion to £7.7 billion -- but that compares to almost £10 billion at the end of last year."

EU to look at new Syria sanctions this week

A photo released by the Syrian Arab News Agency on Tuesday shows Syrian pro-government demonstrators holding portraits of President Bashar al-Assad. The EU is to look at fresh sanctions this week against Assad's regime after already honing in on his inner circle, EU diplomacy chief Catherine Ashton says.

AFP - The EU is to look at fresh sanctions this week against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime after already honing in on his inner circle, EU diplomacy chief Catherine Ashton said Wednesday.

Asked by members of the European Parliament to explain why Assad's name was not on a list of 13 Syrian officials hit by European Union sanctions, Ashton said "we started with 13 people who were directly involved" in cracking down on protests.

"We'll look at it again this week," she added.

"I assure you that my intention is to put the maximum political pressure that we can on Syria."

The 27-state EU on Tuesday issued a range of sanctions including an arms embargo along with a travel ban and assets freeze targeting Assad's brother, four of his cousins and others in his inner circle.

Ashton had warned the Syrian leader that he could be next.

She faced a barrage of hard questions from Euro-MPs in the parliament over why the European Union had spared Assad.

"Who in Europe is against putting Assad on the list? Which are the countries opposed to the EU taking the only decision possible? Tell us!" said Greens leader Daniel Cohn-Bendit.

"There will be a solution in Syria only once Assad has quit office in Syria, so it's clear that Assad and his entire family must be put on the list not tomorrow, but today," he added.

Ashton said there had been "lots of debate" among the 27 states and that there were "lots of different views" but that she could not give the MEPs a list of countries for or against including Assad on the sanctions.

Former Belgian premier Guy Verhofstadt, of the liberal-democrat group, said "Let's be honest, Syria is an Arab Tiananmen," with Assad "the world's most brutal dictator."

In a statement issued this week as the EU sanctions took effect, Ashton had said the measures aimed to achieve an immediate change of policy, ending the cycle of violence and swiftly introducing "genuine and comprehensive political reform."

"Failing that, the EU will consider extending the restrictive measures in light of the developments, including at the highest level of leadership," she said.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle had warned Syria it would face stronger EU action if the brutality does not end.

"The sanctions decided are a first step," he said. "If Damascus continues its crackdown, we will step up the pressure."

For almost two months, near-daily protests have railed against Assad's regime, while troops and security forces have repressed the uprising brutally.

Between 600 and 700 people have been killed and at least 8,000 arrested since the start of the protest movement in mid-March, rights groups say. But six prominent opposition figures were freed Monday and Tuesday.

Diplomats told AFP that as the human rights picture blackened by the day in Syria, Britain, France and Germany had wanted a swift and strong response from their partners.

But southern states -- notably Cyprus, Portugal, Greece and even Italy, with traditionally stronger ties with Damascus -- have been reticent to target Assad.

Estonia for its part has been concerned for seven of its nationals kidnapped in Syria's neighbour Lebanon, and possibly now on the Syrian side of the border.

Uganda 'blocks return of opposition leader'

Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye arrives at Nairobi hospital for treatment on April 29. The Ugandan government has blocked opposition leader Kizza Besigye from flying back into the country from neighbouring Kenya on Wednesday, according to his party.

AFP - The Ugandan government blocked opposition leader Kizza Besigye from flying back into the country from neighbouring Kenya on Wednesday, his party said.

"(Ugandan) state security told Kenya Airways that if Besigye was on board they would not be given landing rights," Anne Mugisha, a leading official in Besigye's party told AFP.

Besigye had been receiving medical treatment in Nairobi after being assaulted by police during a demonstration against rising food and fuel prices in Kampala. A series of such protests last month left at least five people dead.

There was no immediate comment from Kenya Airways.

"We are made to understand that Ugandan authorities threatened not to allow the aircraft to land at Entebbe Airport if he (Besigye) was on board the flight," said a source at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta airport, who asked not to be named.

Another official from Besigye's Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) told journalists in Kampala that the party's leader might after all be allowed to fly later in the day.

"Right now I am being advised that he might be coming on the next flight," FDC vice president Salaamu Musumba said.

The incident comes on the eve of the swearing-in ceremony for President Yoweri Museveni, who won re-election after February polls in which Besigye mounted the strongest challenge yet to his 25-year rule.

Besigye, 50, won 37 percent of the vote, while Museveni, 62, took 59 percent according to official election results challenged by the FDC, which claimed widespread fraud.

At Entebbe airport outside Kampala, Besigye's destination, journalists including an AFP reporter were forcibly ejected by airport security and police and driven into Entebbe town.

The Ugandan government said it would hold a press conference about Besigye later Wednesday.

Speaking from his Nairobi hospital on Sunday, Besigye vowed to press on with protests in his country despite the injuries he sustained last month.

He said he would continue to organise "peaceful demonstrations" to press for government action.

Besigye was first taken to hospital in Kampala at the end of April after Ugandan police smashed the windows of his car and sprayed him with tear gas in an incident caught on camera. He was then transferred to a Nairobi hospital.

Strike against austerity plan halts traffic, state services

A general strike called by Greece's main unions in protest at government austerity measures went into effect on Wednesday, disrupting transport and state services even as international creditors debated whether to give the country a new aid package.

By News Wires (text)

AFP - Greece came to a standstill on Wednesday as a general strike took effect against new austerity measures by a government seeking to get a new package of help and avoid a damaging debt overhaul.

The strike, the second this year called by the country's main unions, paralysed maritime and intercity train traffic, shut down state services and temporarily halted flights through the country, respective operators said.

A four-hour stoppage by air traffic controllers from 0900 to 1300 GMT also caused the two main Greek operators, Olympic and Aegean, to scrap or reschedule some four dozen flights at the start of the busy tourist season.

"We strongly protest against the unfair and harsh policies that have pushed up unemployment, widen false employment and trample on worker rights," the leading Greek union GSEE said.

Separate street protests by unions are scheduled later in the day against a new wave of cutbacks expected from the Socialist government which is struggling to limit slippage on tough austerity targets during a deep recession.

The mobilisation is held while experts from the European Union, International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank (ECB) are conducting in Athens a scheduled audit of finances and reforms in Greece to determine if it merits a critical new slice of funding from a bailout package agreed last year.

Greece last year pledged to put its economy in order after taking a 110-billion-euro ($158-billion) loan from the EU and the IMF to avert insolvency.

But despite a huge effort in 2010, it eventually overshot its deficit reduction goals because the economy shrank faster than expected.

The government has now rolled out a new programme to economise some 26 billion euros over three years to help bring down the country's enormous debt.

It also plans to sell a first batch of state assets worth 15 billion euros including stakes in several public corporations.

Athens' overall debt has exploded to 340 billion euros, leading to mounting speculation -- even from Greek officials -- that it will need alternative options to keep up with repayments when the EU-IMF loan runs out in 2013.

"The most possible scenario is that additional measures are going to be taken," said Michael Vassiliadis, a researcher at the Greek foundation for economic and industrial research (IOBE).

"We have already heard of additional measures of about 3 billion euros both on the revenue and the expenditure side of the fiscal balance," he told AFP.

Senior EU and Greek officials have denied that any debt restructuring is on the agenda, although eurozone officials have begun to admit that Greece is likely to need more aid in some form.

At the weekend the head of the Eurogroup of eurozone finance ministers Jean-Claude Juncker said that "we think that Greece does need a further adjustment programme".

And an EU source told AFP on Monday that eurozone ministers were considering extra help for next year which would be in exchange of new budget constraints from Greece.

With Greece unlikely to be able to raise money on financial markets next year as initially planned, there has been increasing speculation it will need another 60 billion euros.

European Union Economic Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn, who is the top EU official behind bailout negotiations, said a decision on further aid is a few weeks away pending the result of the joint audit.

The EU bloc's economic frontrunner Germany has also called for decisions to be taken after the EU-IMF mission delivers its report.

"We'll have to wait until June and the handing over of the report," German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told journalists in Berlin.

EU to open Benghazi office to support rebel council

The European Union will open an office in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi to offer support to the Libyan rebels' political body, the Interim Transitional National Council, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton (pictured) said Wednesday.

By News Wires (text)

REUTERS - The European Union plans to open an office in the rebel-held Libyan city of Benghazi to facilitate assistance to the rebel council based there, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said on Wednesday.

"I intend to open an office in Benghazi so that we can move forward on the support we've discussed to the people... to support civil society, to support the Interim Transitional National Council," Ashton told the European Parliament, meeting in Strasbourg.

Ashton said EU support would include help for security sector reform and institution-building.

"We want to help with education, with health care, with security on the borders," she said.

Ashton reiterated an EU call for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to step down.

"Let us ... be clear, Gaddafi must go from power -- he must end his regime."

Syria drops bid for seat on top UN human rights body

Syria dropped its bid for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council Tuesday following pressure from UN members. As Syria’s crackdown on anti-government protests continues, France's UN ambassador said it was "really not the time" for Syrian membership.

By News Wires (text)

REUTERS - Under pressure from fellow U.N. member states, Syria dropped plans to run for a seat on the top U.N. human rights body and allowed Kuwait to replace it as a candidate, U.N. diplomats said on Tuesday.

Several U.N. diplomats told Reuters on condition of anonymity that Kuwait had confirmed to Western officials that it planned to declare its candidacy for a spot on the 47-nation Human Rights Council in the Asian category.

SYRIA Journalist released from Syrian detention describes harrowing ordeal

They said Syria planned to trade candidacies with Kuwait, which was slated to run for the rights council in 2013, and drop out of the 2011 race for one of the four spots available to Asian countries. Other Asian candidates running this year are India, Indonesia and the Philippines.

There was no immediate confirmation from Syrian officials. Syria's U.N. Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari, asked by Reuters if Damascus had agreed to trade places with Kuwait and postpone its candidacy until 2013, said there was "so far nothing."

One diplomat told Reuters that an "Asian group meeting will have to be called to confirm these changes." Other envoys said the Asian voting group, which includes Asia and the Middle East, would meet to discuss the issue on Wednesday.

Another Western diplomat said Syria's withdrawal from the 2011 race and Kuwait's candidacy was "great news."

The 192-nation U.N. General Assembly will hold its annual elections for one third of the seats on the Geneva-based Human Rights Council on May 20.

France: not the time for Syria

The council is the main U.N. body charged with monitoring member states' compliance with international human rights norms. Critics say it spends too much time bashing Israel while ignoring violations by countries such as Sri Lanka, Bahrain, China, Russia and others.

The original slate of Syria, India, Indonesia and the Philippines had been endorsed by Asia's U.N. voting group and the Arab League.

But Syria's violent crackdown against anti-government protesters prompted some Western, Arab and Asian U.N. member states to suggest that Damascus should not be on the rights body when it was facing accusations of gross violations, Western envoys said.

"It is not really the time for Syria to become a member of the council of human rights," French U.N. Ambassador Gerard Araud told reporters on Monday.

The United States under former President George W. Bush had shunned the rights council, considering it a tool of anti-Israeli forces at the United Nations.

President Barack Obama reversed that policy two years ago, saying the United States could improve the rights council from within. The United States ran for and secured a seat.

Had Syria won a seat on the council, it would have followed other states accused of human rights abuses by rights watchdog groups including China, Russia and Saudi Arabia.

Muammar Gaddafi's Libya is a member of the rights council, but the General Assembly suspended its membership rights in response to its violent crackdown this year against anti-government demonstrators that sparked a civil war.

Egypt's trial by fire

Arab leaders will be watching Hosni Mubarak's trial closely to see the possible repercussions of autocracy. Omar Rahman Last Modified: 11 May 2011 08:26

Habib el-Adly, former president Hosni Mubarak's interior minister, could be facing the death penalty if he is proven guilty of murder in his upcoming trial on May 21 [EPA] Hosni Mubarak, the man who ruled Egypt for three decades, has been declared healthy enough to be transferred from his hospital in the luxury resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, to the infamous Tora prison on the outskirts of Cairo, the capital. Although the relocation may take weeks as the prison is outfitted with the necessary medical equipment, the move signifies a dramatic escalation in the possibility that Mubarak will face trial, a turn of events most Egyptians never dreamed possible. Mubarak is being held on charges of corruption, amassing wealth in the tens of billions during his 30-year reign, which has potentially made him one of the richest men in the world. Mubarak's wife, Suzanne, and two sons, Gamal and Ala'a, face similar charges. The most serious accusation, however, is documented in the report of the official state fact-finding mission responsible for investigating the deaths of over 800 protesters during Egypt's revolution that began on January 25 and led to the ouster of Mubarak and his government. It contends that the former Egyptian president bares ultimate responsibility for the killings, after his Minister of Interior, Habib el-Adly, directly ordered security forces to quell the uprising with live ammunition, among other brutal and subversive tactics. El-Adly, one of the most loathed officials in Mubarak's regime, was convicted of profiteering and money laundering on Thursday and sentenced to 12 years in prison, a sign of the seriousness of Egypt's new leaders to carry out the people's demands for justice. If el-Adly is convicted of murder in an upcoming trial set to commence on May 21, he could potentially face the death sentence. Implications of justice The trial of Hosni Mubarak represents an epic fall from power worthy of a Greek tragedy, and the reactions of people inside Egypt and abroad, remain mixed. Some Arab Gulf nations are said to have offered the Egyptian military authority now in power billions of dollars if Mubarak was given amnesty. Hence, the long-term consequences of this event, unprecedented in the Arab world, may transcend far beyond the crimes and punishment of one man. "At the beginning, when the idea first came out, I did not think it was necessary," says Ziad Mokhtar, an investment banker living in Cairo. "However, when I saw a lot of the presidential candidates coming forward, I thought it would be a useful reminder to them that this is what will happen if you go wrong. That the presidency is not a gift, it is a responsibility, and it is a tough one." Contenders to Mubarak's crown including Amr Moussa, the secretary general of the Arab League, and Mohamed ElBaradei, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, were both initially against the trial, saying it was unwarranted after Mubarak stepped down from power. However, when the Egyptian public began mobilising once again in Tahrir Square to demand the accountability of their former leaders, both men quickly changed their tune. "Punishment is the proper treatment for people who committed bad acts, its completely natural," says Nariman Rouschdy, a law student at Cairo University. "It makes me happy because this money that was stolen will eventually be returned to the people." Looking to the future The prosecution of corrupt officials has spread beyond Mubarak and el-Adly, and now includes a network of bureaucrats and businessmen that profited from the regime, including Mubarak's former prime minister, finance minister, chief of staff, and the former head of his political party, the NDP. All are being held in Tora Prison along with Mubarak's two sons, Ala'a and Gamal, who are being investigated for using their father's position to enrich themselves. Only a few months ago, Gamal Mubarak was considered the likely successor to his father. Despite the widespread desire for accountability, some Egyptians are more concerned with looking forward than at what happened in the past, and are wary of those who may try to turn this trial into a public spectacle. Yasmin El-Rifae, an Egyptian journalist, believes that what is most important for the country lies ahead. "I think that el-Adly and Mubarak, and all other corrupt officials, should see trial for their crimes. However, I think it's important that we not place too much emphasis on this in terms of Egypt's future - we should be aware that this is often used to distract the public from ongoing injustices or the failure of the military council to deliver on its promises," says El-Rifae, echoing a wariness common in Egypt with the current military authorities. Indeed, many in Egypt share the concern that the military should be watched closely. Mubarak just turned 83 years-old and is suffering from health problems, including an alleged heart attack that occurred during the first round of questioning with investigators. Even if taken before a court, the case could be drawn out for years, with Mubarak not lasting long enough to serve his sentence, if found guilty. Families of the victims of the revolution are prepared to prevent this from happening and have made this apparent in one of the cases already under way against Habib el-Adly. Their protests outside the courtroom in the preliminary hearing of el-Adly pressured the judge presiding over the case to relocate the trial to a courtroom capable of accommodating their presence when the trial commences on May 21. Setting a precedent How the trials against el-Adly and Mubarak are handled will be extremely important. In a region of autocrats, the fate of Hosni Mubarak could have a tremendous impact. The broad symbolic outcomes of this trial are not exclusive to Egypt and its people. It is an event that will have repercussions well beyond the North African country as other leaders and nations observe how it unfolds. If Mubarak is convicted, and potentially sentenced to death - as the current foreign minister Nabil al-Araby has said is possible - it could serve as a precedent and deterrent for other dictators on the abuse of power. In particular, as revolutions continue in the Middle East region and beyond, regimes may take greater consideration when using violence to curb peaceful protests. On the other hand, it might also cause them to cling to power more forcefully, as with the case of Bashar al-Assad of Syria, or Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen, who is seeking an immunity package as part of any deal to step down from power. One thing is for certain, everyone - people and leaders alike - will be watching closely to this experiment in Egyptian justice, the outcome of which could play a deciding role in the region's future. "We have to admit one fact, that all institutions here are corrupt," warns Rouschdy. "We must keep our eyes open and think about everything in a logical way. If people lose attention, the government could play their games again."

Source: Al Jazeera

Greek unions stage anti-austerity strike

Transport in Athens grinds to a halt as workers hold 24-hour walkout in protest against tough spending cuts. Last Modified: 11 May 2011 09:18

Transport has ground to a halt in Athens, the Greek capital, including at airports [Reuters] Greek unions have begun a 24-hour walkout in protest against the government's austerity measures aimed at curbing the country's high level of debt. Public services including trains, ferries and flights have been disrupted or halted by the strike, which began on Wednesday morning. The action comes as the Greek government seeks new terms for its $158bn joint European Union-International Monetary Fund bailout, and reports that the country may need additional support. The government has already brought in a range of tough spending cuts to comply with the bailout, but the unpopular measures have led to massive protests over the past year. 'Harsh policies' This month, the government is planning to pass further measures aimed at saving an estimated $33bn through 2015. "We strongly protest against the unfair and harsh policies that have pushed up unemployment, widen false employment and trample on worker rights," GSEE, the leading Greek union, said as the strike began. In Athens' port of Piraeus striking ferry electrician Athanassios Sidiropoulos said the government was trying to scrap rights won over the course of decades by working classes. "All seamen should have pension and healthcare rights, collective labour contracts, healthcare contributions,'' he told the AP news agency. Around 3,000 members of the Communist-led PAME union marched through the streets of Athens, and separate street protests by other unions are scheduled later in the day. Some banks were shut but others remained open for business, their fronts protected by rolled down shutters in anticipation of the demonstrations. Greece's overall debt has exploded to $490bn, leading to mounting speculation, including among some Greek officials, that it will need alternative options to keep up with repayments when the EU-IMF loan runs out in 2013. Senior EU and Greek officials have denied that any debt restructuring is on the agenda, although eurozone officials have begun to admit that Greece is likely to need more aid in some form. At the weekend, the head of the Eurogroup of eurozone finance ministers, Jean-Claude Juncker, said that "we think that Greece does need a further adjustment programme". Eurozone ministers are due to debate the crisis next week but no decision will be taken immediately, a German official told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday. European Union Economic Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn, who is the top EU official behind bailout negotiations, has said a decision on further aid is a few weeks away, pending the result of the audit.

Source: Agencies

FARC files 'show ties to Chavez'

Seized files suggest guerrillas may have tried to assassinate Venezuelan president's opponents, report claims. Last Modified: 11 May 2011 06:43

Venezuelan president Chavez has been accused by Colombia of harbouring FARC rebel camps [Getty] Colombian FARC guerrillas may have tried to assassinate rivals of Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela, and trained his supporters in urban warfare, according to a report examining documents seized from a rebel camp. The study of the files, obtained during a 2008 raid inside Ecuador, also showed that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) contributed some $400,000 to the election campaign of Rafael Correa, the president of Ecuador. Venezuela's embassy in London questioned the authenticity of the documents published by the British-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), calling them a "dodgy dossier" that could be exploited to sabotage warming ties between the ideologically-opposed neighbours. Correa dismissed the IISS findings as "absolutely false". Accusations have been swirling since Colombian authorities captured computer hard drives belonging to Raul Reyes, a FARC leader, after he and other rebels were killed in an air raid three years ago. Ronald K. Noble, the secretary general of Internpol, said in 2008 that Interpol's team of forensic experts discovered 'no evidence of modification, alteration, addition or deletion' in the user files of any of the seized hardware. "Based on our careful and comprehensive forensic examination of each of the eight seized FARC computer exhibits and on consideration of all the evidence reviewed by our experts, Interpol concludes that there was no tampering with any data on the computer exhibits following their seizure on 1 March 2008 by Colombian authorities," Noble said. 'Authentic confirmation' "A lot of this material has been travelling through the public domain one way or another over the last years but the utility of this dossier is it provides authentic confirmation from the FARC perspective," the IISS' Nigel Inkster told the Reuters news agency. Colombia turned over the complete files to the IISS, an independent think tank, for study after they were confirmed to be genuine by Interpol. The 2008 attack triggered a diplomatic dispute between Alvaro Uribe's conservative government in Colombia and both Ecuador and Venezuela, which escalated when Uribe confronted Chavez with what he said was evidence that Caracas had harboured and supported rebels. Ties have improved dramatically since the election of Juan Manuel Santos, Colombia's new president, last August. Venezuela has always disputed the alleged contents of the files seized in the raid. On Tuesday, its embassy in London said there was "serious doubt on the authenticity and validity of the information". "This could become part of an aggressive propaganda tool against Venezuela to undermine progress in the region, precisely at a time when relations between Venezuela and Colombia have reached a level of stable cooperation and friendly dialogue," the embassy said in a statement. According to the archives, the FARC responded to requests from Venezuela's intelligence services to provide urban warfare training to pro-Chavez groups when the socialist leader was feeling vulnerable following a brief 2002 coup. "The archive offers tantalising but ultimately unproven suggestions that FARC may have undertaken assassinations of Chavez's political opponents," Inkster said in a presentation. Complex ties The documents also show Ecuador's Correa receiving campaign cash from the leftist rebels, although this did not necessarily translate into government favours after he was elected, the report said. Correa adamantly denied receiving money from the guerrillas. "I have never in my life met anyone from the FARC, and would never have accepted even 20 cents from an organisation like that," Correa told reporters on Tuesday. Colombia's government said it would not comment on the new study. "[Relations with Venezuela] are very good and the position of the Santos government is to strengthen them even more," vice president Angelino Garzon told Colombian radio. The files reveal a complex relationship between Chavez and the FARC, with the charismatic Venezuelan leader sometimes making promises to the group and then not following through. According to the documents, Chavez met in person several times with leading FARC members. The FARC is at its weakest in decades following the deaths of top commanders and desertions, prompted by a government crackdown aided by billions of dollars in US support. But the rebels remain powerful in some areas of Colombia, helped by their involvement in the lucrative drug trade, kidnappings for ransom, and alliances with other armed groups.

Source: Agencies

Obama seeks immigration reform

US president says providing illegal immigrants with a path to citizenship will benefit US economy. Last Modified: 11 May 2011 03:05

Al Jazeera's Kimberly Halket reports from Washington DC on Obama's immigration reform President Barack Obama has issued an impassioned call for immigration reform in a speech at the US-Mexican border, sending a message to Hispanics whose votes he needs to win re-election next year. Obama, whose 2012 chances depend largely on the health of the US economy, made the case that immigration reform would have economic benefits for the middle class and for businesses, while also improving national security. Speaking on Tuesday, he said he wanted to provide illegal immigrants with a path to citizenship - which he said would benefit the US economy. "One way to strengthen the middle class in America is to reform the immigration system, so that there is no longer a massive underground economy that exploits a cheap source of labour while depressing wages for everybody else," Obama said. "That's why immigration reform is an economic imperative." Tightening immigration laws - and opposing the idea of giving "amnesty" to those who broke the law sneaking into the country - has become a rallying cry for many Republicans who want a clampdown to keep drug crime from crossing the border. Major overhaul unlikely Obama sought to portray Republicans' resistance to fixing problems with the US immigration system as evidence they were hostile to the interests of Latino voters. But he offered no concrete policy initiatives or timelines for introducing broad legislation, underscoring the fact that he is unlikely to advance any major overhaul before the 2012 presidential election. Efforts to tighten security along the US-Mexican border, including a $600 million bill signed in August to hire 1,500 border patrol agents, customs inspectors and law enforcement officials, have already had an impact, the president stressed. "The truth is, the measures we've put in place are getting results. Over the past two and a half years, we've seized 31 per cent more drugs, 75 per cent more currency, 64 per cent more weapons than ever before," Obama said. But Obama said opponents of immigration would never be happy, despite any tight controls that have been put in place. "They wanted a fence," he said, to boos from the crowd, speaking in shirt sleeves on a hot, sunny day at a park within sight of the border. "Well, that fence is now basically complete. Maybe they'll need a moat. Maybe they'll want alligators in the moat," he said.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Ugandan opposition leader barred from flight

Kizza Besigye prevented from boarding flight home following hospital treatment in Kenya, according to his party. Last Modified: 11 May 2011 10:53

Uganda opposition leader Kizza Besigye leaves Nairobi's airport after being turned away from his flight home. [Reuters] Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye has been stopped from boarding a flight home from Kenya, according to his party. Besigye was due to fly from Nairobi, where he had been receiving medical treatment after being assaulted by police during a demonstration last month in Kampala, Uganda's capital. Anne Mugisha, a leading official in Besigye's party, said Kenya Airways was told by Ugandan state security "that if Besigye was on board they would not be given landing rights." A Kenya Airways source at Nairobi airport ,who asked not to be named, told reporters: "We are made to understand that Ugandan authorities threatened not to allow the aircraft to land at Entebbe Airport if he (Besigye) was on board the flight." Journalists at the Ugandan airport were forcibly ejected by airport security and police, and the Ugandan government said it would hold a press conference about the incident later in the day. Besigye was being treated for injuries from a series of demonstrations against rising food and fuel prices, which left at least five people dead. He was first taken to hospital in Kampala at the end of April after Ugandan police smashed the windows of his car and sprayed him with tear gas in an incident caught on camera. He was then transferred to a Nairobi hospital. Besigye told Al Jazeera at the time that he remained committed to non-violent protest. This incident comes a day before Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni's swearing-in ceremony, following his re-election in February elections in which Besigye mounted the strongest challenge yet to his 25-year rule. Besigye, 50, won 37 per cent of the vote, while Museveni, 62, took 59 per cent according to official election results, which were challenged by the FDC for widespread fraud. Museveni has accused the opposition of trying to spread chaos in response to its loss in the election, saying on Tuesday that he would change the law to deny bail to people accused of rioting and economic sabotage.

Source: Al Jazeera and Agencies

FIFA accused as Qatar rebuffs 'false' claims

Executives alleged to have sought bribes from England 2022 team as Qatar respond angrily to allegations from newspaper. Last Modified: 11 May 2011 08:59

Al Jazeera's Laurence Lee reports as executives from the international governing body of football are accused of "improper and unethical" behaviour. Britain's former Football Association chairman, Lord Triesman, says four FIFA executives sought bribes or other favours in return for backing England's failed 2018 World Cup bid. The man behind Qatar's successful bid for 2022, Mike Lee, was also called to this inquiry where he had to answer an allegation from reporters at Britain's Sunday Times newspaper that the Gulf state had paid officials from several African countries for their support. Qatar's football association later released a statement, saying the allegations "will remain unproven, because they are false." "The evidence from The Sunday Times states that it did not publish the allegations themselves since 'none of the three people who made the allegations against us was ever likely to be willing to appear as a witness'," the QFA statement read. "In fact, the newspaper could easily have published the allegations had they thought that it could be shown that it was responsible and in the public interest to do so. In the event, they plainly concluded that the accounts of these people were not a reliable basis to publish these allegations. Indeed, these accounts are evidently wholly unreliable." The statement continued: "Many commentators keep pointing to the challenges Qatar 2022 faces. "Like any organiser of a major international sporting event, we indeed face many challenges, but we have managed as a nation to meet our challenges and overcome all of them and we will do so in the future. We will continue our journey with the utmost integrity as we did from the beginning and we will succeed. We will ensure that the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022 is a stunning success."

Source: Al Jazeera