Gâmbia: Barrow tomou posse

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) -- A new Gambian president has been sworn into office in neighboring Senegal, while Gambia's defeated longtime ruler refuses to step down from power, deepening a political crisis in the tiny West African country.

Adama Barrow was inaugurated Thursday in a hastily arranged ceremony at Gambia's embassy in Senegal. The small embassy room held about 40 people, including Senegal's prime minister and the head of Gambia's electoral commission.

A jumbo TV screen broadcast the swearing in ceremony to several hundred watching outside the embassy

Also at the event were officials from West Africa's regional bloc, ECOWAS, which is threatening to invade Gambia to force outgoing president Yahya Jammeh to step down.

The U.N. Security Council was set to vote later Thursday on a draft resolution endorsing the West African regional force's efforts to remove Jammeh.

© 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Bissau: Helder Vaz já é embaixador

Bissau, 17 Jan 17 (ANG) – o novo embaixador extraordinário e Plenipotenciário da Guiné-Bissau em Portugal, Helder Vaz entregou hoje ao presidente português, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, as cartas credencias que lhe investem nessas funções.

 

Na sua conta no facebook,  o antigo deputado da Nação e ex-ministro da Economia e Desenvolvimento Regional escreveu que  *Portugal e Guiné-Bissau, de tão longe vêm a relação secular e o conhecimento mútuo, que muito perto e estreito devem ser os laços do presente e do futuro*.

Ex-dirigente da Resistencia da Guiné-Bissau/Movimento Bah-fata considerou que os dois países têm tudo a ganhar estando cada vez mais Juntos na realização dos objetivos de cada um , ajudando-se e   complementando-se um ao outro ,

*Que DEUS ilumine os nossos passos na construção de um futuro partilhado*, pediu.

O agora embaixador da Guiné-Bissau em Portugal, entre outros serviços prestados, foi Diretor-geral da CPLP durante vários anos, e alto funcionário da  UCCLA(União das Cidades Capitais de Língua Portuguesa).

ANG/SG

Timor-Leste explorado pela Austrália

East Timor says it wants to tear up a controversial 2006 maritime border treaty with Australia which has soured relations between the two countries.
The treaty dealt with how oil and gas beneath the Timor Sea should be shared, but has been disputed ever since.
East Timor, one of Asia's poorest nations, argues the way territory has been divided was not fair.
It is now hoping for a fresh deal that gives it a larger share of revenues from natural resources.

What was the treaty about?

After East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste, gained independence from Indonesia in 2002, no permanent maritime boundary was established between Australia and the new nation.

     Instead, the two sides agreed on the "Certain Maritime Arrangements in the Timor Sea" treaty (CMATS) that set a temporary border and put off a final agreement for another 50 years.

The location of that permanent border is crucial to both sides, because there is an estimated $40bn (£32.85bn) worth of oil and gas beneath the sea that divides the countries.
Under the 2006 treaty, revenue from the Greater Sunrise oil and gas field would be split evenly between the two countries.

Why is East Timor unhappy?

Australia played a pivotal role in helping East Timor get independence, through military support and then providing post-independence aid.
But the small country believes its large, rich neighbour is getting far more than it actually is entitled to under the United National Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). While Australia is a signatory to UNCLOS - it refuses international arbitration on maritime boundary matters.
Many in East Timor feel that they were essentially bullied into the treaty at a time when the young country was desperate for money and would have signed pretty much anything.

               

The anger at Canberra was heightened when it was alleged that Australia had planted spying devices in East Timor's cabinet office during the negotiations ahead of the 2006 treaty.
"Having that as an advantage for you to negotiate something that is a matter of death and life for a small country, I think it's - at least morally - it's a crime," East Timor's Prime Minister Rui Maria de Araujo told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 2015.

What next?

Australia has signalled that it will accept East Timor's move to end the deal that marks out the maritime border.
There's a three month notice period until the treaty will actually cease to be in effect, and things will revert to an earlier agreement from 2002.
East Timor says that line should be drawn midway between the two coastlines, which would mean that most of the oil and gas reserves would lie on Timor's side.
But Australia argues the border should be at the edge of its continental shelf, which would put it closer to East Timor.
In September 2016, East Timor also took the case to the international court of arbitration in the Netherlands, but Australia has denied the court has any jurisdiction on the matter.
East Timor's Ambassador to Australia, Abel Guterres, says reaching an agreement in line with international law would be "very important for both countries in our bilateral relations as well as regional stability and security".  BBC

Bissau: Pelo regresso de Cadogo Júnior

Bissau, 06 Jan 17 (ANG) - Um grupo de cidadãos, coordenados pelo ex-ministro Fernando Gomes, lançou quinta-feira, em Bissau, uma petição pública para o regresso de políticos exilados no estrangeiro, destacando-se entre eles o ex-Primeiro-ministro e candidato Presidencial Carlos Gomes Júnior.

O chamado *Movimento Nô Djuna mon pa fidjus di tchom riba cassa* que em português significa, unamo-nos para o regresso a casa dos filhos desta terra, pretende recolher 50 mil assinaturas .

“Pretende, de imediato, a recolha de 50.000 assinaturas de cidadãos que, assumindo o compromisso de acolhimento e de proteção de políticos no exílio, consigam, por sua vez, junto dos Órgãos da soberania da Guiné-Bissau igual responsabilidade perante não só os subscritores  da petição pública, como perante todos os guineenses e a comunidade internacional”, disse Fernando Gomes .

Acrescentou  que só juntos é que se possam contribuir para a construção de um País democrático, tolerante, Estado responsável, seguro, credível e respeitado, um Estado cujo desenvolvimento assente na paz, na justiça social, no respeito de todos e de cada um.

“O exílio é uma situação absolutamente inaceitável em qualquer país, porque é a expulsão da pátria, é o desterro, é o degredo, por isso viver no exílio é um sentimento de perda e de vazio constante”, considerou o coordenador do referido movimento.

Sublinhou que uma pessoa exilado pode até estar junto de amigos e familiares, mas o exílio faz nascer uma saudade especial  dos que ficaram para trás e da sua pátria em particular.

A campanha decorrerá de 5 de Janeiro à 31 de Março do corrente ano em todo o território nacional e na diáspora.

O Movimento Nacional Cívico denominado “Nô djunta Mom pa Fidjus di Tchom riba Casa”  foi  criado  congregando  elementos da sociedade civil organizada, entidades religiosas, partidos políticos e líderes tradicionais e cidadãos em nome individual, no País, e  na diáspora.

ANG/AALS/SG

Gâmbia: a ditadura prossegue

Justice Emmanuel Oluwasegun Fagbenle, a Nigerian and incumbent Chief Justice of The Gambia, is working behind the scenes to provide legal support for President Yaya Jammeh’s bid to perpetuate himself in office after being defeated at the polls, SaharaReporters has learnt.President Jammeh, who has ruled the country for 22 years, conceded defeat to the opposition candidate, Mr. Adama Barrow, but turned around to reject and unconstitutionally nullify Gambia's free and fair presidential election. His action has provoked widespread condemnation from the international community, with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) threatening to militarily evict him from power if he fails to respect the democratic wishes of Gambians.
President Jammeh used the excuse of errors in the vote tally, ignoring the insistence of the country's Independent Electoral Commission that the winner remains Mr. Barrow, who won with a revised count of 227,708 votes to President Jammeh's 208,487.
President Jammeh’s party, Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC), subsequently filed a legal challenge against the election results, a constitutional move complicated by the fact that Gambia's Supreme Court is not known to have a panel.
The Gambia Bar Association (GBA), in a statement dated  December 12, described President Jammeh’s declaration of the poll results a nullity as an act of treason and rejected his party’s announcement of its readiness to file an election petition against the result.
The GBA contended that given that the country’s Supreme Court has not had a sitting since May 2015 because of the absence of a panel, there is no legitimate legal mechanism available in The Gambia to hear and determine the election petition filed by President Jammeh. The association warned that it would be against the principles of natural justice for President Jammeh to appoint Supreme Court judges to hear a petition filed by him or on his behalf and called on him to respect the wishes of the Gambian people as expressed in the results of the election. It noted that a Supreme Court empaneled by President Jammeh for the purposes of his election is tainted
“That would be tantamount to one being a judge in his own case, considering that the outgoing President has already pre-empted the outcome of the court process by declaring the election results as a nullity,” the GBA wrote.
The GBA is, however, unaware that President Jammeh had been working in the background, with the support of the country’s Chief Justice, Nigeria’s Justice Fagbenle, to impanel the Supreme Court.
President Jammeh said top Gambian judiciary sources, since October, had secretly appointed judges to his country’s Supreme Court from Nigeria and Sierra Leone. The appointments made, said sources, was kept as top secret by Justice Fagbenle.
Of the six judges appointed, impeccable sources told SaharaReporters, five are Nigerians. They are Justices Habeeb A.O Abiru, Abubakar Datti Yahaya, Abubakar Tijani,
 Obande Festus and Akomaye Angim, a  former Chief Justice of The Gambia. The sixth judge is Justice Nicholas Colin Brown, Sierra Leonean.  The appointment of the Nigerian judges was based on request from Justice Fagbenle to the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar.
It remains unclear whether they have all accepted their appointment to seat on appeals before the Gambian Supreme Court.
 The judges were originally slated to sit from  January 11 to 19, 2017, but the current political developments, disclosed sources, have forced them to start considering a request for deferment of the sitting or rejection of their appointment.
A top source told SaharaReporters that Justice Abiru has decided to reject the appointment and already scheduled a meeting with other members who share his view so that they can communicate their position to the Chief Justice of Nigeria this week.
Justice Fagbenle did not just start working hand-in-gloves with President Jammeh. In a letter dated 12 December and exclusively obtained by SaharaReporters, the GBA called for Justice Fagbenle’s resignation from office, citing his conduct during the country’s presidential campaign as the basis.
“The position of the Chief Justice is a constitutional position, and as head of the third arm of government, you are expected to maintain and uphold certain standards. You have, in our considered view, woefully failed to adhere to these standards,” wrote the GBA.
Specifically, the GBA noted that Justice Fagbenle is in President Jammeh’s pocket, a situation that has brought disrepute to his office.
The GBA observed that before and during the campaigns, Fagbenle was appearing at the rallies of President Jammeh’s party.
“On the day of the nomination of the incumbent president, you were seen in front of the court premises waving and dancing in support of the incumbent presidential parade. Several members of the Bar saw you wearing APRC apparel on court premises. You were distributing APRC apparel to the court staff and making preparation for the victory celebration of the incumbent president,” stated the GBA.
In addition to these, the GBA said Justice Fagbenle’s tenure has been principally devoted to President Jammeh’s scheme to perpetuate himself in office. Notably, explained the lawyers’ association, Justice Fagbenle caused the dismissal of judicial officers presiding over cases involving the government of President Jammeh when they made decisions considered unfavorable to the state.
“In the case of the State v Ousainou Darboe & Ors, you caused the presiding judge to expedite the hearing of the case and their conviction. You transferred the case of the State v Lamin Sonko & Ors to the High Court sitting at Mansakonko. There was no basis for the transfer of the case, as the Mansakonko court had no jurisdiction to hear the case. This action was calculated to ensure that the defendants could not get legal representation, thus easing their conviction. You further failed to respond to the letter from the counsel representing the defendants protesting the transfer. You gazetted new rules for the Supreme Court without following due process. You further failed to respond to the GBA when it protested the action,” said the lawyers’ association.

Bissau: O saque das florestas

SAQUE GENERALIZADO RECOMEÇOU O ASSALTO ÀS FLORESTAS DA GUINÉ-BISSAU - O GRITO DE SOCORRO VEM DE BISSAU DA DIREÇÃO GERAL DAS FLORESTAS Em 14/12/16, Constantino Correia escreveu: João, boa noite. Olha estou na Tunísia numa formação. Acabei de receber um grito de socorro de um colega florestal, Diretor de Serviços de Exploração Florestal da Direção Geral das Florestas da Guiné-Bissau o texto em baixo. > > *Caros colegas ambientalistas de todo o mundo, venham ao socorro da DGFF* > > *Venham ao socorro da Guiné-Bissau. Mais uma campanha de corte de madeiras > deu inicio com muita força nas regiões de Gabu e Bafata, Tombali e Quinara, > depois de o governo de Baciro Dja ter sido demitido em exportar os torros > apreendidos e estocados em Bissau desde 2015. O barco esta no porto de > Pindjiguite a carregar torros. Processo que esta sendo pilotado pelo > ministério do interior através dos serviços da guarda nacional e alfandegas > de Bissau, incluindo outros ministérios.* > > *Isto tudo apesar da transferência anunciada de espécie Pau sangue para o > apêndice II da CITES e o embargo da CITES a exportação de madeira da > Guiné-Bissau para o Estrangeiro.* > > *Para além das madeiras estocadas aqui em Bissau, agora os arrependidos que > não tinham entrado na dança de corte de madeira em 2012 a 2014 estão a > aproveitar para cortar e misturar com o atual estoque que foi autorizado > para ser transportado.* > > *Desta vez a DGFF foi posta simplesmente de lado por o facto da atual > equipa não estar alinhado com esta ideia e decisão do governo, alias nem > foi consultado, tudo quando o ministro demitido já tinha sido isolado do > processo. * > > *O que vai ser o futuro da floresta e ambiente da Guiné-Bissau. Estou > frustrado e arrependido por ter nascido aqui neste País e ainda ter optado > por ser florestal.* > > *Que a sociedade civil intervenha junto dos parceiros da comunidade > internacional para salvar o que resta das nossas florestas e fazer > respeitar os acordos e convenções internacionais que a Guiné-Bissau > assinou. Socorro, socorro, caros irmaos ambientalistas. Não sei o que dizer > vos. * > > *Os poderosos do Pais estão metidos no assunto, e recentemente vão para a > DGFF ameaçar os técnicos e obrigar que seja passados licenças para irem > fazer cortes com ameaças. * > > *estou impotente devido ao meu actual estatuto de para-militar pelo que > peço anonimato, mas descordo com tudo isso para o bem do País. Quero > dinheiro, mas não aquele que põe em causa o interesse e futuro do País.* > > *Não ha segurança para proteger as florestas e o ambiente na Guiné-Bissau.* > > *Favor, façam algo para evitar o desastre ecológico e ambiental com esta > nova vaga de cortes. Podem implicar as ONG sedeados nas regiões poderão ter > mais informações. cortes nas zonas de Xime, Xitole, Mafanco, Ghanadu, etc, > etc.* > > *Ha muitos chineses agora a circular em Bissau para compra e exportação > destas madeiras. dizem que não precisam de nenhum documento da DGFF e nem > da CITES. Interpelem o interpol para controlar o movimento dos tronqueiros > da Guiné-Bissau e Empresas chinesas que estão a violar as leis e acordos > internacionais.* > > *Obrigado*

 

 

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Israel, fazedor de guerras

The regime in Tel Aviv is continuing its illegal settlement expansion in the occupied territories despite international calls to stop them. More than half a million Israelis live in over 230 illegal settlement colonies built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds. It seems that Israel is taking advantage of the occupation due to the world’s distraction from the issue because of other conflicts in the Middle East.
Press TV has spoken to Kevin Barrett, American scholar and editor of Veterans Today, as well as Ian Williams, senior analyst at Foreign Policy in Focus, to discuss the issue.
Barrett believes the Tel Aviv regime is the biggest force behind the wars in the Middle East, adding that they have been created “consciously” as part of the Oded Yinon Plan which calls for balkanization of Israel’s neighboring countries along ethnic and sectarian lines.
He also stated that the Zionists have created these wars using their massive disproportionate influence in the Western financial structure and in the mainstream media.
“So using these kinds of assets, the Zionists have essentially taken over the West and stirred the West into a civilizational war against Islam and into this war in the Middle East that has busted up all of these countries around Israel and distracted the world from the ongoing crimes of Zionism,” he said.
The analyst also noted the 9/11 incident was a public relations stunt by hardline Zionists in order to launch the war on Islam and the so-called war on terror on behalf of Israel.
Barrett further pointed out that the Israeli control of US political system is the reason why international calls for Israel’s withdrawal to the pre-1967 borders have never been implemented.
He went on to say the there is no more viable two-state solution as Israeli settlers are increasingly “squatting permanently” on Palestinian lands.
According to the analyst, silencing people through laws and conspiracy theories that outlaw criticism of Israel as supposedly being anti-Semitic is an indication that the arguments are probably correct.
Meanwhile, the other panelist on Press TV’s program, Ian Williams, said the Israelis have put a huge amount of effort and money into what they call Hasbara propaganda in order to persuade people that “they are the nice guys” and that Palestinians are terrorists.
The analyst further mentioned that Israel is continuing with its settlement expansions because there are no possible repercussions, arguing that there needs to be serious sanctions.
Williams further criticized the United States for giving military assistance to Israel, arguing the regime should not get aid at all because it has nuclear weapons.
“There is an act of Congress that says that nuclear weapon states that are not declared and are not signatory to the NPT should not get military aid,” he added.
The analyst further asserted that anti-Semitism has increasingly been used by the Israel lobby across Europe and the US as a tactic to pander to political donors.