Sarkozy and Obama to address rocketing global food prices at talks

President Nicolas Sarkozy arrives in Washington Monday for talks with US President Barack Obama. The visit comes as France takes the helm of both the G8 and G20, with food price regulation and currency stability high on Sarkozy’s agenda.

By FRANCE 24 (text)

When French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrives in Washington Monday, he’ll have plenty of ammunition to argue his case for greater global food price and currency stability.

In the past four weeks, several people have been killed in Algeria and Tunisia in violent riots over soaring food prices and unemployment.

During his meeting with US counterpart Barack Obama, Sarkozy will argue that an agreement on currencies and global imbalances will help prevent further swings in commodity prices to avoid a veritable world food crisis, like the one that hit in 2008, when riots broke out in dozens of countries across the world.

Coordination on global concerns

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon underlined the point last week when he told a conference that one of France's top G20 priorities was to find a collective response to "excessive volatility" in commodity prices, notably for food and energy.

Washington is Sarkozy’s first stop in seeking support for the planned reforms. France is the current rotating president of both the G8 and the G20, and is hoping to push through the changes by the end of the year.

The two leaders will also discuss a range of security issues such as the NATO-led war against the Taliban in Afghanistan, Iran’s nuclear developments, the increasing terror threat from Pakistan, and the ongoing post-election crisis in Ivory Coast.

In the French and Lebanese press, relatively more attention has been paid to the discussion the two leaders will have about the upcoming indictment by the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL).

Both France and the US support the tribunal, which is charged with investigating the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. But global leaders fear that that the findings could unleash widespread violence in the Middle East.

Shaky relations?

Sarkozy will meet Obama for the first time since documents leaked by whistle-blower website Wikileaks revealed that US diplomats found the French president "viscerally" pro-American but also touchy, thin-skinned, and with a complicated private life.

Sarkozy will travel with his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, who is supposed to have a separate lunch with Michelle Obama.

Clinton says Iran sanctions 'are working'

10 January 2011 - 16H38

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, pictured on January 6, said that international sanctions have made it "much more difficult" for Iran to pursue its nuclear ambitions, as she kicked off a Gulf tour.

A picture taken in October 2010 shows the reactor building at the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant, 1200 kms south of Tehran. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Monday in the Emirati capital that international sanctions have made it "much more difficult" for Iran to pursue its nuclear ambitions.

AFP - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Monday in the Emirati capital that international sanctions have made it "much more difficult" for Iran to pursue its nuclear ambitions.

Kicking off a three-country Gulf tour, the chief US diplomat also accused Iran of opposing a negotiated Palestinian-Israeli settlement to distract attention from fears it is bent on becoming a nuclear-armed country.

"The most recent analysis is that the sanctions have been working," Clinton told university students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital of Abu Dhabi in a programme to be broadcast on Arab television channel MBC.

"They have made it much more difficult for Iran to pursue its nuclear ambitions. Iran has technological problems that has made it slow down its timetable," the chief US diplomat said.

"So we do see some problems within Iran. But the real question is how do we convince Iran that pursuing nuclear weapons will not make it safer and stronger but just the opposite?" she said.

Clinton has in the past said sanctions have begun to hurt Iran economically, forcing it to return to negotiations, but she has not previously said Iran's nuclear programme has been affected.

Iran says its aims are peaceful, denying charges by Israel and the West that its uranium enrichment work masks a drive for nuclear weapons.

Clinton's remarks echoed those made in Israel about Iran's nuclear timetable slowing down.

On the troubled Middle East peace process, she gave an upbeat assessment.

"Let's seize this moment while we have President (Barack) Obama, while we have progress on state-building by the Palestinians, while we do have an Israeli government that will be able to deliver a peace if they can agree to the terms."

Clinton, however, expressed concern over attempts to "destabilise" Lebanon amid tensions linked to a UN probe into the 2005 murder of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri.

"I'm deeply worried about the efforts to destabilise Lebanon," Clinton said during the taping of a television talk show. "We should do everything we can to make sure those warnings are not accurate."

A meeting with the UAE president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan, was called off after he broke his arm on Monday while exercising, officials said.

Before heading on to Dubai, Clinton also visited Masdar City outside Abu Dhabi, a special economic zone that will eventually be home to companies and researchers from around the world to develop solar and other clean energies.

As her plane landed in Abu Dhabi late on Sunday, she urged Arab states in the oil-rich Gulf to stay focused on sanctions against their neighbour Iran over its nuclear programme.

"We don't want anyone to be misled by anyone's intelligence analysis," Clinton told reporters.

At the end of December, Israel's strategic affairs minister, Moshe Yalon, said Iran's nuclear programme has been beset by difficulties, leaving Tehran still about three years away from being able to build nuclear weapons.

Clinton accused Iran of complicating efforts for Arab-Israeli peace.

"There is very little doubt that Iran does not want to see any kind of negotiated peace between the Israelis and Palestinians for its own purposes," Clinton said.

"It wants to keep its attention off of what is the big concern for the future, which is a nuclear-armed Iran with weapons that threaten its neighbours and beyond," she said.

The secretary of state also defended Obama's administration against charges it has failed to deliver on its promises to revive the Palestinian-Israeli peace process.

"The United States is committed to a two-state solution," she said, adding Washington sought a Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel. "And we are pursuing that every single day."

Clinton's five-day tour is also to take her to Oman and Qatar.

GM's Volt named North America car of the year

10 January 2011 - 16H44

GM executive Tom Stephens accepts the 'Car of the Year' award for the Chevrolet Volt during the 2011 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan. The 'Volt' beat out Nissan's fully electric 'Leaf' to be named car of the year at the Detroit auto show by a panel of automotive journalists.

AFP - The Chevrolet Volt, General Motors's flagship plug-in hybrid, beat out Nissan's fully electric Leaf Monday to be named car of the year at the Detroit auto show by a panel of automotive journalists.

Ford's updated Ford Explorer sport utility vehicle was tapped as truck of the year.

"The Volt, it really represents the soul or the essence of the new General Motors," said Tom Stephens, GM's head of global product planning.

The prestigious award is a recognition of the perseverance of GM's engineers who "even during GM's darkest days they kept their focus on delivering this amazing car," Stephens said.

The Volt can operate on electric power for 55 kilometers (35 miles) and then automatically switches over to a gasoline powered engine which extends its range for another 550 kilometers (340 miles) on a single tank.

The first Volts were delivered to US customers in December. GM said it is boosting production to 45,000 Volts from the originally scheduled 30,000 vehicles due to strong demand.

Ford's new Explorer is the most fuel efficient full-sized SUV sold in the United States and the automaker has high hopes for strong sales.

"Winning this honor for the third consecutive year confirms our One Ford plan is working to deliver vehicles people truly want and value, with industry-leading quality, fuel efficiency, safety and smart technology," said Mark Fields, Ford president of The Americas.

Mourinho 'poised to win FIFA coach award'

10 January 2011 - 16H51

Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque attends a press conference at the Kongresshaus prior to the FIFA coach of the year ceremony in Zurich. The three finalists for the 2011 Men's World coach of the Year are Spanish Vicente Del Bosque, Spanish Pep Guardiola and Portuguese Jose Mourinho. AFP PHOTO / FRANCK FIFE.

AFP - While Barcelona teammates Xavi, Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta face off for the FIFA-backed Ballon d'Or award for player of the year, Spanish sports magazine Marca reported on Monday that Real Madrid would get in on the act with Jose Mourinho pipping Spain's Vicente Del Bosque as best coach.

Just hours before the winners were unveiled at a ceremony in Zurich, Marca said it had exclusive details on Mourinho getting the nod.

"Marca can exclusively reveal that Jose Mourinho has won the accolade of best coach of the year," said the magazine on its website.

The report ran counter to one carried in Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport on Sunday that Del Bosque would win on the basis of leading Spain to their first World Cup triumph.

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola is a further contender.

Mourinho guided Inter Milan to an historic treble last season of the Champions League, Serie A title and Italian Cup and this season hopes to become the first man ever to coach three different clubs to the Champions League, having first won the competition with Porto.

In typically punchy fashion he insisted last month that he was truly deserving of the honour.

"Me, I've made my choice. 11 months work, 57 matches played, three titles including the most important of all, 'THE' tournament, the Champions League. I have won everything, I could not do any more than that, equally so for the players."

French envoy heads to Niger for talks on hostage killings

French Defence Minister Alain Juppe (photo) heads to Niger Monday for talks with senior officials following the deaths of two kidnapped French nationals during a failed French-Niger rescue mission near the Mali border.

By FRANCE 24 (text)

French Defence Minister Alain Juppe heads to Niger Monday for talks with senior Niger officials following the killing of two kidnapped French nationals over the weekend during a failed rescue mission by French and Niger troops.

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The two French hostages were abducted Friday night in a restaurant in Niamey, the capital of Niger, by four armed men wearing turbans, according to witnesses in Le Toulousain, a popular eatery frequented by Niger and Western nationals.

While no group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping, Juppe said there was “little doubt” about the involvement of al Qaeda’s North Africa branch, also known as al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

The bodies of the two 25-year-old friends - Antoine de Leocour and Vincent Delory - were found Saturday near the Niger-Mali border after a fire fight between the kidnappers and French and Niger troops. De Leocour, an aid worker, was to marry a local woman in one week’s time, and Delory was to be his best man.

Three Niger troops and some of the kidnappers were killed during the operation, according to Nigerien officials.

Zone of influence of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb

It was the second failed rescue mission in six months in the Sahel, a hostile, forbidding terrain that straddles the borders of Niger, Mali, Algeria and Mauritania and has traditionally afforded shelter to smugglers, traffickers, insurgents and militants of various stripes.

In July 2010, AQIM announced that it had executed another French hostage, 78-year-old Michel Germeneau, “in retaliation” for the killing of six AQIM militants during a failed rescue mission in the Sahel by French and Mauritanian troops.

Did the military operation seal the hostages’ fates?

But as the French defence minister arrived in the West African nation for talks Monday, questions were raised about whether the hostages’ fates were sealed by the joint French-Niger intervention, and if France should play an active role in hunting down militants in the vast, largely ungoverned region.

French officials have defended the military option, stressing France’s resolve to fight terrorism. "This heinous crime reinforces the resolve of France to fight against terrorists and terrorism ... democracies cannot accept this," said French President Nicolas Sarkozy during a visit to the French overseas territory of Guadeloupe over the weekend.

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Jean-Vincent Brisset, a French military expert at the Paris-based IRIS (Institut de Relations Internationales et Stratégiques) said it was critical, in such situations, to react quickly.

TERRORISM Key figures in al Qaeda's North African branch

“It’s a very viable technique to act as quickly as possible,” said Brisset. “Experience shows that if we react quickly, we’re more likely to rescue hostages than if we wait.”
International fight against militancy in the region.

France, the former colonial power in the region, faces a growing threat from al Qaeda’s North African branch with recent AQIM statements warning of increased attacks against French interests in the region.

In a purported AQIM audiotape released in November, the group’s media-savvy chief, Abdelmalek Droukdel said France would have to personally negotiate with al Qaeda head Osama bin Laden for the release of five French citizens kidnapped in a uranium mining town in Niger in September.

Amid increasing concerns about terrorism and trafficking in the remote northwest African region, the governments of Algeria, Mauritania, Mali and Niger opened a joint military headquarters deep in the desert in April 2010. The goal has been to establish a collective response to militant threats.

But while experts view countries such as Algeria and Mauritania as relatively strong in their fight against militants, poverty and chronic political instability in nations such as Niger and Mali have hindered their ability to tackle terrorism in the region.

In recent months, France has increased its military cooperation with local forces in the region. While a number of French troops are deployed in the area, the US has been providing training for the local troops.

Despite the geographic difficulties, Brisset said he believed French troops were well equipped to handle the threat from the region.

Tracking devices and special forces in the desert

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French military capability in the region, according to Brisset, improved following the September kidnapping of five French nationals from a uranium mining town in Niger.
“Since the abduction of five French employees (of French firms) Areva and Statom in Niger in September, France has the means to react,” said Brisset. “It started at the time of the abduction of Michael Germaneau, but [at that time], France did not have sufficient resources. Today, we have special forces, surveillance aircraft, helicopters to transport troops quickly and most importantly, clear instructions to respond, which is often lacking in such situations,” he said.

Shortly after the two Frenchmen were kidnapped from Niamey over the weekend, their kidnappers were located by French Atlantic-2 (ATL-2) surveillance aircraft operating in the region.

“Potential kidnappers are only a few dozen men,” said Brisset. “We do not need thousands of men, we need helicopters, communication and surveillance devices and we are quite well equipped for this.”

ETA declares first-ever permanent, unilateral ceasefire

The Basque separatist group ETA announced a permanent ceasefire Monday in a statement published in the pro-nationalist newspaper Gara. It is the first time that ETA has unilaterally declared a ceasefire in its 40 years of existence.

By News Wires (text)

AFP- Armed Basque separatists ETA announced Monday a permanent, verifiable ceasefire after more than 40 years of bloodshed in their fight for a homeland independent of Spain.

"ETA has decided to declare a permanent and general ceasefire which will be verifiable by the international community," it said in a statement distributed to media in Basque, Spanish and English.

"This is ETA's firm commitment towards a process to achieve a lasting resolution and towards an end to the armed confrontation."

It is the first time that ETA has unilaterally declared a permanent ceasefire in its campaign of bombings and shootings, which has claimed the lives of 829 people in more than 40 years.

ETA had also announced what it described as a permanent ceasefire in March 2006 within the framework of negotiations with Madrid.

But in December 2006, ETA fighters set off a bomb in the carpark of Madrid-Barajas airport, killing two men. Six months later it formally called off the ceasefire.

"It is time to act with historic responsibility. ETA calls upon those governing Spain and France to end all repressive measures and to leave aside for once and for all their position of denial towards the Basque Country," the latest statement said.

"ETA will continue its indefagitable struggle and efforts to promote and to bring to a conclusion the democratic process until there is a truly democratic situation in the Basque Country."

Turnout at 20% in southern independence vote

Nationhood may be in the future for South Sudan after crowds of voters turned out on the first day of an independence referendum that is set to last all week. The vote is a centrepiece of the 2005 north-south peace deal.

By News Wires (text)

AFP - The commission overseeing Sudan's landmark referendum on southern independence announced on Monday voter turnout of 20 percent in the south on the first day of polling.

"The percentage of those who voted yesterday in the northern states was 14 and in the southern states it was 20 percent," Paulinoo Wanawilla Unango, of the South Sudan Referendum Commission (SSRC), told reporters in Khartoum.

Southern Sudanese flocked to polling stations in the south on Sunday for the week-long plebiscite that it is widely expected to see their country split with the Arab-Muslim north and put the seal on decades of north-south conflict.

But under the terms of the 2005 peace deal that ended the 22-year civil war, voter participation in the referendum must pass the 60 percent threshold for the results to be valid.

Wanawilla also gave an update on the timetable for the referendum results, saying that the preliminary results for the southern states, where the vast majority of the 3.93 million voters are registered, would be announced on January 30.

"And if there are no appeals, the final results will be announced on February 2," he added.

Some 3.75 million people are registered to vote in the south and around 117,000 in north Sudan, most in the capital Khartoum. Emigres are also able to vote in eight countries abroad.

Britain, Norway and the United States, the three main Western brokers of the Sudan's north-south peace process, on Sunday hailed the work of the SSRC and its "enormous efforts under significant pressure."