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New Step for East African Common Market. A long-awaited aspiration of launching the East African Legislative Assembly and the East African Court of Justice came true when the three East African leaders met here Friday. A long-awaited aspiration of launching the East African Legislative Assembly and the East African Court of Justice came true when the three East African leaders met here Friday. At the inauguration ceremony, presidents Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and Daniel arap Moi of Kenya hailed the launching of the two institutions as a major milestone in their countries' efforts to develop the East African Community (EAC) to a regional integration, calling for a speedy conclusion of negotiations towards the next crucial step of forging a common market for about 80 million people in the region. The revival of the legislative assembly and the court follows the formal launch of the new EAC in January 15 this year in Tanzania's northern town of Arusha where its secretariat sits. Hundreds of people braved a scorching sunshine to witness the launching of the two regional bodies at Sheikh Amri Abeid stadium,which has been decorated by floral tributes and balloons with the symbolic official colors of the community's blue, white, black, yellow and red. The East African Legislative Assembly consists of 32 members with Tanzanian former Defense Minister Abdulrahman Kinana as its speaker, which will legislate on economic and political issues related to the EAC. The court of justice is made up of president, vice president, six judges and registrar. Each of the three member states nominated two judges to the court. The court will accept and adjudicate upon all matters relating to the EAC Treaty of 1999. At a later date its jurisdiction should be expanded. Both the court and the assembly will temporarily hold its sessions at the Arusha International Conference Center (AICC) pending construction of a permanent EAC building in Arusha. The government of Tanzania has allocated to the community about 10 acres of land adjacent to the AICC. In their separate speeches at the inauguration ceremony, the three leaders expressed the belief that with the formation of the two important institutions which will be conducive to providing a powerful guarantee for both democracy and rule of law within the three member states, the EAC will surely realize its ultimate goal for regional integration. To this end, they particularly stressed a need of balanced economy, education and common market among the people in the region, warning that past mistakes that led to the collapse of the former East African Community in 1977 should not be repeated. The Kenyan president said that East African people should translate the aspiration of the new community into tangible benefits. He said that as discussions of a customs union proceed, member states should rise above their national interests and conclude the negotiations for dismantling trade barriers and establishing a common market. "We have to build a strong East Africa based on a determination to make our region prosperous and peaceful so that we can attract investors to come to this part of the world," he said. Moi cracked a joke by saying that African people have to admire their own continent, just like one has to love her or his mother, no matter how ugly she is. The Ugandan president said that the basic goal of the EAC is to make cross-border trade easier, where goods and services can move freely within the region. Museveni noted that it was high time for Africans awakened to venture for common market, science and technology and human resource development. The people of the EAC are "the agents of force for revolution in development, but they are also provide a very big market. A bigmarket is a potent antidote to many economic woes," he said. By forming a common market, he said, East Africa would have a bigger voice and stronger negotiating power. The Tanzanian president urged the private sector to play a leading role in developing the region and reaping the benefits of the dismantling of tariff and non-tariff trade barriers that are to follow within the next four years. "The success of the EAC hinges on the private sector. Where there is a will, there is a way. Play your part!" he said, urging the business community in the region to work closely to ensure that they don't let outsiders to benefit more than the EAC citizens. Mkapa said that birth of a new East Africa should be used as a potent weapon to enable the people in the region to talk proudly and confidently. He stressed that the launching of the community's institutions should be the beginning of ending poverty and disease in the region. It is known to all that the EAC was reborn on November 30, 1999 when the three states signed a treaty to replace the then East African Cooperation. The original EAC was collapsed in 1977, mainly because of political, ideological and economic differences among the three neighbors. The new EAC will expand and deepen economic, political and social cooperation among the three member countries with combined territories of 1.8 million square kilometers. The 153-article Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community says that a Customs Union will be established as the entry point of the community, followed by a Common Market, subsequently a Monetary Union and ultimately a Political Federation of the East African States. The three countries have already agreed that a customs union would be established by 2004, but there have been concerns at the speed of the ongoing negotiations. So the three leaders all agreed that leading to the formation of customs union and ultimately to a common market, where goods can be traded freely within the community, there is still much to be done in dismantling tariffs and a host of other barriers to trade. ***** China to Become World's Biggest Market in 21st Century: Long Yongtu. China's accession to the WTO will benefit Singapore, ASEAN and the world as a whole as China will become the world's biggest market in the 21st century and play an important and constructive role in the biggest world trade body, said a Chinese official Friday in Singapore. China's accession to the WTO will benefit Singapore, ASEAN and the world as a whole as China will become the world's biggest market in the 21st century and play an important and constructive role in the biggest world trade body, said a Chinese official Friday in Singapore. Long Yongtu, Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation and chief negotiator for WTO-related talks, made the remarks while delivering a public lecture under the theme "China in the WTO: New Opportunities for Singapore and ASEAN". Long arrived here Thursday night for a two-day visit at the invitation of George Yeo, Minister for Trade and Industry of Singapore. Addressing a large audience about 700 strong including government officials, business personalities, scholars and diplomats, he said that China has a huge population of 1.3 billion, which accounts for one fifth of the world population. Given that 400-500 million Chinese will enjoy middle income in the next 10 years, China will stand as a market much bigger than that of the U.S., he said. He pointed out that China's entry into the WTO, which is based on its rapid economic development during the past 20 years, will bring about a lot of valuable business opportunities for Singapore, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the world as a whole and will pose no threat to other countries as it is in the interest of both China and the world. On business opportunities for Singapore following China's entry into the WTO, he said Singapore has contributed to China's development during the past decades of China's reform and opening-up and will benefit more after China is embraced in the WTO. For example, he elaborated, besides directly involving in China's market, Singapore can also serve as a middle-man to businesses from various part of the world who wants to enter the China market, to become a supply base for those operating in China and function as a major source of expertise and knowledge to China. Long reiterated that China will fulfill its promised commitment on entering the WTO, namely to follow international rules and gradually open up its domestic market to the outside world, adding that China will lower its tariffs, try its best to improve its legal and administrative systems and establish a good market order which are taking priority in the government work. "China has always been as good as its word," he underlined while answering a question. "It is one of the most important ethnic standards in China that promises must be kept and action must be resolute." Long also impressed the audience with a humorous account of a story related to his family name "Long", saying the literal translation of his family name in English happens to be the same as the spelling of the word 'long', which might help explain, said some of his colleagues jokingly, why China has struggled for such a long time trying to get into the WTO. A long time negotiation is good for China, as it gave China more time to get well prepared, Long said, amid the laughter of the audience. China will become a full WTO member on December 11, one month after its admittance into the world trade body on November 11 in Doha, the capital city of Qatar, where the Fourth WTO Ministerial Conference was held. **** Iran Opposes Bilateral Accord on Sharing Caspian Resources. Iran on Saturday reiterated its call for adopting a comprehensive legal regime on sharing Caspian resources, saying that any bilateral accord in this regard will only prolong the process of sharing the resources. Iran on Saturday reiterated its call for adopting a comprehensive legal regime on sharing Caspian resources, saying that any bilateral accord in this regard will only prolong the process of sharing the resources. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi made the remarks in response to a report that Azeri President Geidar Aliyev and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev have planned to sign an accord in Moscow on sharing the Caspian Sea resources between the two countries, the official IRNA news agency said. On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Nazarbayev said in Moscow that they have made "very serious progress" over the distribution of the Caspian Sea resources, which may pave the way for signing a bilateral pact on exploiting rich oil and natural gas reserves on the bottom of northern Caspian Sea. The Iranian spokesman said that any bilateral accord between the Caspian littoral states will not help achieve a collective agreement on the legal regime for sharing its resources. He added that a working group of deputy foreign ministers of the five Caspian littoral states is holding talks to work out a comprehensive legal regime. Asefi reiterated that Iran views treaties it signed with the former Soviet Union in 1921 and 1940 as the basis for formulating the legal regime, and it is ready to hold consultations in this respect. The Caspian states should avoid unilateral and provocative actions on matters concerning the legal regime, he stressed. The Caspian Sea is estimated to contain the world's third largest reserves of oil and gas after the Persian Gulf and Russia's Siberia. Among the five coastal states, Iran and Turkmenistan have pushed for the division of the sea into five equal sectors, while Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia have claimed that the sea floor should be divided into national sectors, which would leave Iran with the smallest sector. **** At Least 12 Killed and 180 Injured Jerusalem Blast. Two suicide bombers detonated nail-studded explosives in a downtown Jerusalem pedestrian mall crowded with young weekend revelers Saturday. The blasts killed the assailants and ten bystanders and wounded 180 people. Two suicide bombers detonated nail-studded explosives in a downtown Jerusalem pedestrian mall crowded with young weekend revelers Saturday. The blasts killed the assailants and ten bystanders and wounded 180 people. Minutes after the back-to-back suicide bombings, another bomb went off in a car parked nearby, sending panicked, screaming pedestrians running in all directions. Eyewitness Eli Shetreet, said he saw bodies being hurled in the air. ``A lot of people were crying, falling, and there was the smell of burning hair,'' said Shetreet, 19. The attacks - coming after a week in which seven Israelis were killed in other incidents - increased pressure on the Palestinian Authority to take decisive action against militants groups waging a terror campaign against Israel and caused Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to cut short a U.S. visit, according to an aide. Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said it was ``one of the worst (attacks) we have ever seen.'' There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the militant Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups have threatened to carry out attacks in Israel to avenge the killing of Hamas' military leader in the West Bank in an Israeli missile attack last week. In a statement, the Palestinian Authority condemned the terror attacks, expressing its ``deep anger ... and pain'' and accusing those behind it of trying to derail a U.S. peace initiative. The Palestinian Authority has said that in recent days it has arrested several militants. Israel has charged that Yasser Arafat's government bears responsibility for the attacks against it by doing little to rein in the radicals. Israeli Cabinet minister Dan Meridor said Israel was ``tired of words... (Arafat) needs to take action immediately now because this cannot continue.'' U.S. envoy Anthony Zinni said in a statement that he had spoken to Arafat and ``made absolutely clear that those responsible for planning and carrying out these attacks must be found and brought to justice. This is an urgent task and there can be no delay nor excuses for not acting decisively.'' Zinni, a retired Marine Corps general, arrived here last week, hoping to secure a cease-fire. He has said he would stay in the region as long as it takes. In a statement issued from his retreat in Camp David, Md., President Bush said he was horrified by the bombings and issued a strong admonition to Arafat to fight terrorism with actions and not just words. ``I strongly condemn them as acts of murder that no person of conscience can tolerate and no cause can ever justify. On behalf of the American people I extend my deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and my friend Prime Minister Sharon and to all the people of Israel,'' Bush said. The bombs went off around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, an hour when the Ben Yehuda mall is usually crowded with young people strolling and sitting at sidewalk cafes. The bombers were standing about 30 yards from each other, police said. ``There were lots of limbs and dead bodies,'' said Michael Perry, 37, who ran out of a bar along the pedestrian mall after hearing the explosions. ``I saw three dead and what looked like the remains of the suicide bomber. It was just a lump of something,'' Perry said. The blasts were so powerful that they shattered the windows of cars parked a block away. Blood was splattered across store fronts, and bits of flesh and metal bolts from the explosives were strewn on the ground. Patrons of cafes huddled indoors, behind closed doors. A young man and woman sitting in the corner of one cafe held on to each other. Teen-age girls and boys were screaming and crying into mobile phones, talking to their parents, trying to find their friends in the chaos. Shortly after the suicide bombings, an explosion went off in a car parked near the mall, said Police Chief Mickey Levy. Apparently no one was hurt in that explosion. At the sound of the third explosion, pedestrians ran up the street in a panic. Police spokesman Gil Kleiman said eight people were killed and 150 were wounded, many of people in their late teens and 20s. Among the wounded were several in very serious condition. ``This is a great catastrophe. There are many, many casualties,'' said Health Minister Nissim Dahan, who was touring area hospitals. ``We are almost at the limit of our capacity to take in the wounded.'' The Ben Yehuda mall is usually packed with young Israelis on Saturday evening. The mall has been the target of suicide attacks in the past, including in 1997. Just up the block, on the corner of King George and Jaffa streets, a suicide bomber blew himself up last summer in a crowded pizzeria, killing himself and 15 diners. An Israeli official traveling with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in New York, speaking on condition on anonymity, said Sharon was cutting short his planned five-day visit to the United States. Sharon's meeting with President Bush, which had been planned for Monday, was being rescheduled for Sunday at noon, and the premier would return to Israel immediately after that, the official said. Fighting that broke out some 14 months ago has killed 781 on the Palestinian side and 213 on the Israeli side. In recent days Israeli forces surrounded Nablus and Jenin, two of the main autonomous Palestinian towns in the West Bank, in an effort to prevent more attacks. Abdel Aziz Rantisi, a Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, did not claim responsibility on behalf of the group, but said Hamas would continue carrying out attacks. ``We have said several times that we are not going to accept the occupation to remain in our land,'' Rantisi said. ``We are fighting Jewish terrorism, we are fighting the killers and defending our freedom, our stability and our dignity.'' Earlier Saturday, two Palestinians, ages 11 and 19, were killed near the West Bank town of Jenin in what doctors said was Israeli machine gun fire. The 11-year-old and other youngsters had been throwing stones and a homemade sound bomb at soldiers, witnesses said. The 19-year-old was a passenger in a taxi. The army said troops returned fire at armed Palestinians, wounding two. Shortly after that, two explosive devices were activated near the troops. The army said it knew nothing about youngsters being in the area. **** Chinese PLA Chief of General Staff Arrives in Kenya for Official Visit. General Fu Quanyou, chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) arrived here on Saturday kicking off his three-day official visit to Kenya. General Fu Quanyou, chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) arrived here on Saturday kicking off his three-day official visit to Kenya. In a written statement released at the airport, Fu, who is also a member of the Chinese Central Military Commission, said that although China and Kenya are far from each other geographically, the two countries are closely linked with each other by their common historical experience and current task of seeking peace and development. Over the past years, the relations between the two countries have been developing smoothly, with increasingly-enhanced exchanges and cooperation in various fields, Fu noted, adding thathis visit aims to further mutual understanding, broaden common ground, promote friendship and cooperation. "It is the common aspiration of the two countries and armed forces to continue the development and consolidation of friendshipand cooperation between China and Kenya," the Chinese general said. Fu's entourage include Zhang Dingfa, deputy commander of the PLA Navy, Wang Chaoqun, deputy commander of the Chengdu Military Region and commander of the region's Air Force, and Yuan Xinghua, commander of the Zhejiang Provincial Military Area Command. Fu came here at the invitation of General Joseph Kibwana, chief of General Staff of the Kenyan Armed Forces. Fu and his party were warmed welcomed at the airport by Lt. General John Koech, deputy chief of General Staff of the Kenyan Armed Forces. Kenya is the last leg of Fu's four African-nation tour. He had visited South Africa, Zambia and Tanzania. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
