I. YAHOONEWS - Promises, Promises: US fails to punish Sudan
The words of the Obama administration were unequivocal: Sudan must do more to fight terror and improve human rights. If it did, it would be rewarded. If not, it would be punished. Nine months later, problems with Sudan have grown worse. Yet the administration has not clamped down. If anything, it has made small conciliatory gestures. Activists say the backtracking sends a message that the United States is not serious about confronting Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, whom an international court charged with genocide on Monday. "They had a fine strategy. They just haven't implemented it," said Amir Osman, a senior director at the Save Darfur Coalition. "Nobody will take them seriously until they do what they said they would do." The White House denies it has abandoned the strict course it set. It says there have been signs of progress in Sudan despite a recent rise in violence in Darfur and a crackdown on opposition by the government.U.S. officials have been divided about how to deal with Sudan. Some argue that only a tough line can end Sudan's violence. Others, notably White House envoy Scott Gration, say it is critical to work with the government to ensure that any secession by the south occurs peacefully. President Barack Obama settled on something of a compromise. On Oct. 19, his administration announced that the Sudanese government would be rewarded for making progress, but punished if it failed to do so. It did not say what the punishments or rewards would be, but it explained how they would be determined. It planned to establish indicators by which changes in Sudan could be measured. The White House would regularly review the indicators, which would trigger the rewards or penalties. "There will be no rewards for the status quo, no incentives without concrete and tangible progress," said the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice. "There will be significant consequences for parties that backslide or simply stand still. All parties will be held to account." Since then, there has been backsliding, as the administration has acknowledged. It issued a statement Friday, together with Norway and the United Kingdom, criticizing Sudan for worsening human rights violations throughout the country and for breaking cease-fires in Darfur, noting its use of aerial bombardment and the deployment of local militias. Yet the U.S. has not punished Sudan. Instead, it has offered small incentives. The State Department recently expanded visa services for Sudanese citizens in its embassy in Khartoum. It also sent a low-level representative to al-Bashir's inauguration.
An International Criminal Court prosecutor says he hopes three new genocide charges against Sudan's president will strengthen the chances that the African leader will be tried for crimes in Darfur. Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, who won re-election to a new five-year term this year, refuses to recognize the court's authority and has insisted he will not turn himself in to stand trial. Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo appealed to three key U.N. Security Council members that are not members of the ICC — the U.S., China and Russia — to press harder to stop the ongoing conflict in Sudan's Darfur province.
The ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee said Monday he favors an investigation into the funding of a proposed mosque near ground zero. In an interview with The Associated Press, Rep. Peter King raised concerns about the sources of funding for the proposed $100 million mosque, just blocks away from the site of the Sept. 11 attacks, where nearly 3,000 Americans died at the hands of Islamic terrorists. "I think the 9/11 families have a right to know where the funding comes from; I think there are significant questions." The mosque is a project of the American Society for Muslim Advancement and the Cordoba Institute, which promotes cross-cultural understanding between Islam and the West. Cordoba's director, Imam Faisel Abdul Rauf, has refused to disclose the sources of funding for the mosque and once suggested in a television interview that U.S. policies contributed to the 9/11 attacks. King's views differ sharply from those of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who said Monday it would be un-American to investigate the mosque. Bloomberg, a Republican-turned-independent, has backed the mosque since the project came under development, as do numerous other community and political leaders including Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, the Democratic nominee for governor. King is a supporter of Republican Rick Lazio's campaign for governor. Lazio opposes the mosque and has called on Cuomo to look into its funding. Lazio was scheduled to testify Tuesday on the mosque at a hearing of the New York City Landmarks Commission. Even though a mosque is supposed to be a religious setting, ground zero may not be an appropriate spot for this or any proposed mosque, King said. "Right at this moment in history, it's bad form to put it there," he said. "There are things you are allowed to do, but that aren't appropriate to do."
The remains of half of the missing Greek Cypriots might never be found because of the Turkish troops’ unwillingness to cooperate. The relatives of people who went missing during the Turkish invasion in 1974 claim that the Turks deliberately mark large regions as military zones to prevent excavation works. Up to now the remains of some 600 missing people have been found. It is possible to discover the remains of 200-300 more people. A total of around 1,400 Greek Cypriots are missing.
Serbs in Bratunac, eastern Bosnia, are today marking the 1992 killings of their compatriots in the region of that village and Srebrenica. This commemoration comes a day after that held for the Muslim victims in Srebrenica, killed in 1995. The Serb republic in Bosnia, RS, data shows that Muslim forces commanded by Naser Orić killed several hundred Serb civilians in this area from May until December 1992. The murders happened in the municipalities of Srebrenica, Bratunac and Skelani. The Hague Tribunal tried and found Orić guilty for not stopping the killings. In the appeals process, however, his two-year jail sentence was overturned and he was acquitted. On June 12, 1992 - a day marked by Orthodox Serbs as the holiday of St. Paul and Peter - Orić's forces stormed the Serb villages of Zalazje, Biljača, Sase and Zagone and killed and massacred 69 civilians. More than 70 peole were wounded that day, while 19 are still listed as missing. The villages were pillaged and burned, and have never been repopulated or rebuilt. Just as no RS representatives were in Srebrenica on Sunday, no officials from the Muslim-Croat Federation will show up in Bratunac.
Talks on Georgian NATO membership are impossible as long as Georgia does not recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Russia's ambassador to NATO said on Monday. "While the problems surrounding South Ossetia and Abkhazia remain unresolved (and they will not be resolved until Georgia recognizes the republics' independence) Georgia's road to NATO is closed," Dmitry Rogozin said. "NATO cannot allow itself the luxury of accepting a state with uncertain borders." Long-standing tensions between Russia and the former Soviet republic of Georgia turned violent during a five-day war in August 2008 when Tbilisi attacked South Ossetia, where most residents are Russian passport holders, in an attempt to bring it back under central control. Russia recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia shortly after the military conflict with Georgia. The two former Georgian republics are also recognized by Nicaragua, Venezuela and the tiny island state of Nauru.
Marie and her daughter, Lovely, make a 4-hour, round trip journey each day from their home in the Delmas 10 area of Port-au-Prince to reach Foyer d'Amour ("House of Love"), a school for the developmentally disabled operated by the Orthodox Church that Marie calls, "a gift from God." It is one of only five such schools in a country of 10 million, and International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) is equipping it with everything it needs – from teacher's salaries to basic school supplies – to stay open. As Haitians pass the six-month mark since the earthquake that devastated their country, such support is crucial for children, allowing them to continue their education and regain some normalcy. On January 12, when the earthquake struck, Foyer d'Amour's teachers and parents streamed in all night to check on the school. "So many schools had been destroyed, but Foyer d'Amour was special," says Roseline, a teacher who has been with the school for 10 years. "Here we not only teach students skills they need to survive in society, but we provide a safe place that they do not have anywhere else." The school was severely damaged by the quake, so teachers built a temporary facility across the street. One hundred of the school's 150 students returned when the school reopened in April. The school completely waived the tuition fees and is committed to accepting any student who can benefit from its curriculum. "My home was destroyed in the earthquake and I live in a tent in my old neighborhood, but Foyer d'Amour gives me motivation and hope," says Rose, a teacher who instructs students in sewing. Students learn other occupational skills like cooking, and they can join a music band that plays for dignitaries and special events. "We were so afraid that the teachers would leave to find jobs to support their families, and they are so important to the work we do here. We were even afraid the school would have to close," says Matushka Rose May Legouté, the Director of Foyer d'Amour. "We do not know what we would have been able to do without this support from IOCC." In addition to operating funds, IOCC is providing the school with equipment for its temporary classrooms and installing proper sanitary facilities. Along with Foyer d'Amour, IOCC is also helping two other schools operated by the Orthodox Church in Haiti: Notre Dame des Petits, a school for 300 children that was completely destroyed and is now operating in makeshift wood-and-tarp shelters and St. John Chrysostom, located in a rural village whose population has doubled since the earthquake. IOCC's overall aid to Haiti recently topped $3 million and includes the delivery of medicines and hospital supplies, water purification and sanitation equipment, wheelchairs and crutches, tents and shelter materials, hygiene kits, fuel, food, blankets and mattresses. Marie and Lovely continue to make their long journey every day, except now Marie has been hired by Foyer d'Amour. She checks on students who miss school or who need medical attention, and she started a support network for parents. Perhaps she can devote energy to a new job and worry a little less about Lovely, knowing that the school that has so helped her daughter will stay open. You can help the victims of disasters around the world, like the Haiti Earthquake, by making a financial gift to the IOCC International Emergency Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief as well as long-term support through the provision of emergency aid, recovery assistance and other support to help those in need. To make a gift, please visit www.iocc.org for details.