Following are the texts of declarations signed Saturday in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, at the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States, as distributed in translation by the Tass press agency. The first five declarations were signed by all 11 leaders of the republics joining the commonwealth, and the sixth, on nuclear arms, was signed by the leaders of the four republics that have nuclear arms on their soil.
PROTOCOL TO COMMONWEALTH PACT
The Azerbaijani Republic, the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Byelorussia, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Kirghizia, the Republic of Moldavia, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tadzhikistan, Turkmenia, the Republic of Uzbekistan and Ukraine, on an equal basis, and as high contracting parties, are forming a Commonwealth of Independent States.
The agreement on the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States comes into force for each of the high contracting parties from the moment of its ratification. Documents regulating cooperation in the framework of the commonwealth will be worked out on the basis of the agreement on the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States, taking into consideration reservations made during its ratification.
This protocol is a constituent part of the agreement on the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Done in Alma-Ata, on Dec. 21, 1991, in one copy in the Azerbaijani, Armenian, Byelorussian, Kazakh, Kirghiz, Moldavian, Russian, Tadzhik, Turkmen, Uzbek and Ukrainian languages. All texts are equally valid. The authentic copy is kept in the archive of the government of the republic of Byelorussia, which will send the certified copy of this protocol to the high contracting parties.
ALMA-ATA DECLARATION
THE INDEPENDENT STATES -- the Azerbaijani Republic, the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Byelorussia, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Kirghizia, the Republic of Moldavia, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tadzhikistan, Turkmenia, the Republic of Uzbekistan and Ukraine,
SEEKING to build democratic law-governed states, the relations between which will develop on the basis of mutual recognition and respect for state sovereignty and sovereign equality, the inalienable right to self-determination, principles of equality and non-interference in internal affairs, the rejection of the use of force, the threat of force and economic and any other methods of pressure, a peaceful settlement of disputes, respect for human rights and freedoms, including the rights of national minorities, a conscientious fulfillment of commitments and other generally recognized principles and standards of international law;
RECOGNIZING AND RESPECTING each other's territorial integrity and the inviolability of the existing borders;
BELIEVING that the strengthening of the relations of friendship, good neighborliness and mutually advantageous cooperation, which has deep historic roots, meets the basic interests of nations and promotes the cause of peace and security;
BEING AWARE of their responsibility for the preservation of civil peace and inter-ethnic accord;
BEING LOYAL to the objectives and principles of the agreement on the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States;
ARE MAKING the following statement:
Cooperation between members of the commonwealth will be carried out in accordance with the principle of equality through coordinating institutions formed on a parity basis and operating in the way established by the agreements between members of the commonwealth, which is neither a state nor a super-state structure. In order to insure international strategic stability and security, allied command of the military-strategic forces and a single control over nuclear weapons will be preserved, the sides will respect each other's desire to attain the status of a non-nuclear or neutral state.
The Commonwealth of Independent States is open, with the agreement of all its participants, for other states to join -- members of the former Soviet Union as well as other states sharing the goals and principles of the commonwealth. The allegiance to cooperation in the formation and development of the common economic space, and all-European and Eurasian markets is being confirmed. With the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ceases to exist.
Member states of the commonwealth guarantee, in accordance with their constitutional procedures, the fulfillment of international obligations stemming from the treaties and agreements of the former U.S.S.R. Member states of the commonwealth pledge to observe strictly the principles of this declaration.
ON THE MILITARY
Proceeding from the provision, sealed in the agreement on the establishment of a Commonwealth of Independent States and in the Alma-Ata declaration, for keeping the common military-strategic space under a joint command and for keeping a single control over nuclear weapons, the high contracting parties agreed on the following: The command of the armed forces shall be entrusted to Marshal Yevgeny I. Shaposhnikov, pending a solution to the question of reforming the armed forces. Proposals concerning this question shall be submitted by Dec. 30, 1991, for the consideration of the heads of state.
ON INSTITUTIONS
A supreme body of the commonwealth -- a "Council of the Heads of State" -- as well as a "Council of the Heads of Government" shall be set up with a view to tackling matters connected with coordinating the activities of the states of the new commonwealth in the sphere of common interests. The plenipotentiary representatives of the states of the new commonwealth shall be instructed to submit proposals concerning the abolition of the structures of the former Soviet Union, as well as the coordinating institutions of the commonwealth for the consideration of the Council of the Heads of State.
ON U.N. MEMBERSHIP
Member states of the commonwealth, referring to Article 12 of the agreement on the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States,
PROCEEDING from the intention of each of the states to fulfill its duties stipulated by the U.N. Charter and to take part in the work of that organization as equal members;
TAKING into account that previously the Republic of Byelorussia, the U.S.S.R. and Ukraine were members of the United Nations organization;
EXPRESSING satisfaction that the Republic of Byelorussia and Ukraine continue to be U.N. members as sovereign independent states;
BEING full of resolve to promote the consolidation of world peace and security on the basis of the U.N. Charter in the interests of their nations and the whole of the world community;
HAVE DECIDED:
1. Member states of the commonwealth support Russia in taking over the U.S.S.R. membership in the U.N., including permanent membership in the Security Council and other international organizations.
2. The Republic of Byelorussia, the Russian Federation and Ukraine will help other member states of the commonwealth settle problems connected with their full membership in the U.N. and other international organizations.
Done in Alma-Ata on Dec. 21, 1991, in one copy in the Azerbaijani, Armenian, Byelorussian, Kazakh, Kirghiz, Moldavian, Russian, Tadzhik, Turkmen, Uzbek and Ukrainian languages. All texts have equal force. the original copy will be kept in the archive of the Government of the Republic of Byelorussia, which will send the high contracting parties a certified copy of this protocol.
For the Azerbaijani Republic A. MUTALIBOV
For the Republic of Byelorussia S. SHUSHKEVICH
For the Republic of Armenia L. TER -PETROSYAN
For the Republic of Kazakhstan N. NAZARBAYEV
For the Republic of Kirghizia A. AKAYEV
For the Republic of Moldavia M. SNEGUR
For the Russian Federation B. YELTSIN,
For the Republic of Tadzhikistan R. NABIYEV
For Turkmenia S. NIYAZOV
For the Republic of Uzbekistan I. KARIMOV
For Ukraine L. KRAVCHUK ON NUCLEAR ARMS
Byelorussia, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation and Ukraine, called henceforth member states,
CONFIRMING their adherence to the non-proliferation of nuclear armaments;
STRIVING for the elimination of all nuclear armaments, and
WISHING to act to strengthen international stability, have agreed on the following:
Article 1: The nuclear armaments that are part of the unified strategic armed forces insure the collective security of all members of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Article 2: The member states of this agreement confirm the obligation not to be the first to use nuclear weapons.
Article 3: The member states of this agreement are jointly drawing up a policy on nuclear matters.
Article 4: Until nuclear weapons have been completely eliminated on the territory of the Republic of ByeloRussia and Ukraine, decisions on the need to use them are taken, by agreement with the heads of the member states of the agreement, by the R.S.F.S.R. [ Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic ] President, on the basis of procedures drawn up jointly by the member states.
Article 5:1: The republics of Byelorussia and Ukraine undertake to join the 1968 nuclear non-proliferation treaty as non-nuclear states and to conclude with the International Atomic Energy Agency the appropriate agreements-guarantees,
Article 5:2: The member states of this agreement undertake not to transfer to anyone nuclear weapons or other triggering devices and technologies, or control over such nuclear triggering devices, either directly or indirectly, as well as not in any way to help, encourage and prompt any state not possessing nuclear weapons to produce nuclear weapons or other nuclear triggering devices, and also control over such weapons or triggering devices.
Article 5:3: The provisions of paragraph 2 of this article do not stand in the way of transferring nuclear weapons from Byelorussia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine to R.S.F.S.R. territory with a view to destroying them.
Article 6: The member states of this agreement, in accordance with the international treaty, will assist in the eliminating of nuclear weapons. By July 1, 1992 Byelorussia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine will insure the withdrawal of tactical nuclear weapons to central factory premises for dismantling under joint supervision.
Article 7: The Governments of Byelorussia, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation and Ukraine undertake to submit a treaty on strategic offensive arms for ratification to the Supreme Soviets of their states.
Article 8: This agreement requires ratification. It will come into force on the 30th day after the handing over of all ratification papers to the government of the R.S.F.S.R. for safekeeping.
Done in Alma-Ata in one certified copy in Byelorussian, Kazakh, Russian and Ukrainian languages, all texts being equally authentic.
Source: New York Times
Monday, December 23, 1991
Saturday, October 12, 1991
U.N. Assembly Calls for the Restoration of Haiti's Ousted President
Strongly condemning the military coup in Haiti, the General Assembly called today for the immediate restoration of the democratically elected Government of the exiled President, the Rev. Jean-Bertrand Aristide, but made no move to request that peacekeeping forces be sent to the area.
After delegates from around the world denounced the military takeover in Haiti and expressed support for Father Aristide, who was ousted Sept. 30, the Assembly unanimously approved without a vote a resolution demanding his immediate return to office, full application of the Constitution and full observance of human rights in Haiti.
The resolution, introduced by the Foreign Minister Roberto Flores Bermudez of Honduras, as chairman of the Latin American and Caribbean Group, also declared "unacceptable" any entity resulting from the illegal situation and expressed support for measures taken by the Organization of American States.
Later, Haiti's delegate to the United Nations, Fritz E. Longchamp, said at a news conference that he was very satisfied with the resolution, which he said "from a moral and political standpoint, is very important. We're not looking for military action to solve the problem," the Haitian delegate said. He stressed that Father Aristide wanted a peaceful solution to the problem and had called on the people to resist by nonviolent means.
In the Assembly debate, the United States delegate, Thomas R. Pickering, declared that his Government "does not and will not recognize the self-appointed junta which has illegally usurped power in Haiti." He said the United States strongly supported efforts by the Organization of American States to resolve the crisis and restore Father Aristide's "legitimate, constitutional rule."
There was no indication in Mr. Pickering's statement that the United States was moving away from its unequivocal support of the ousted President. Some Administration officials last week criticized Father Aristide for what they said was his condoning of mob violence by his supporters.
The French delegate here, Jean-Bernard Merimee, called the recent move by the military leaders in Haiti to name a provisional President "a second coup d'etat." He said President Aristide, who was elected with a large majority through free, United Nations-supervised elections, respresented "the only legitimate constitutional order."
In a strong statement of support for the Aristide Government, Canada's Secretary of State for External Affairs, Barbara McDougall, expressed "anxiety and outrage" over the evolving tragedy in Haiti. "We cannot accept that military intervention is the means to an end and that the people's will is overturned by the interests of a few," the Canadian official said. She urged all countries to join the O.A.S. in its effort to restore constitutional stability in the region, including a trade embargo on Haiti except for humanitarian aid.
Haiti's provisional President moved to form a new government today, announcing the appointment of Jean-Jacques Honorat as Prime Minister. Mr. Honorat is a civil rights leader and staunch foe of the deposed President, Father Aristide.
A terse announcement on the national radio said only that "Jean-Jacques Honorat is named Prime Minister."
The provisional President, Joseph Nerette, issued a call for Parliament to meet on Saturday to ratify the appointment of Mr. Honorat, a lawyer, agronomist and leader of the Haitian Center for Human Rights.
He was known to be the most popular choice among lawmakers, who met privately all day on Thursday to consider canidates from a list sumbitted by Mr. Nerette. Parliamentary approval is considered to be virtually assured.
Source: New York Times
After delegates from around the world denounced the military takeover in Haiti and expressed support for Father Aristide, who was ousted Sept. 30, the Assembly unanimously approved without a vote a resolution demanding his immediate return to office, full application of the Constitution and full observance of human rights in Haiti.
The resolution, introduced by the Foreign Minister Roberto Flores Bermudez of Honduras, as chairman of the Latin American and Caribbean Group, also declared "unacceptable" any entity resulting from the illegal situation and expressed support for measures taken by the Organization of American States.
Later, Haiti's delegate to the United Nations, Fritz E. Longchamp, said at a news conference that he was very satisfied with the resolution, which he said "from a moral and political standpoint, is very important. We're not looking for military action to solve the problem," the Haitian delegate said. He stressed that Father Aristide wanted a peaceful solution to the problem and had called on the people to resist by nonviolent means.
In the Assembly debate, the United States delegate, Thomas R. Pickering, declared that his Government "does not and will not recognize the self-appointed junta which has illegally usurped power in Haiti." He said the United States strongly supported efforts by the Organization of American States to resolve the crisis and restore Father Aristide's "legitimate, constitutional rule."
There was no indication in Mr. Pickering's statement that the United States was moving away from its unequivocal support of the ousted President. Some Administration officials last week criticized Father Aristide for what they said was his condoning of mob violence by his supporters.
The French delegate here, Jean-Bernard Merimee, called the recent move by the military leaders in Haiti to name a provisional President "a second coup d'etat." He said President Aristide, who was elected with a large majority through free, United Nations-supervised elections, respresented "the only legitimate constitutional order."
In a strong statement of support for the Aristide Government, Canada's Secretary of State for External Affairs, Barbara McDougall, expressed "anxiety and outrage" over the evolving tragedy in Haiti. "We cannot accept that military intervention is the means to an end and that the people's will is overturned by the interests of a few," the Canadian official said. She urged all countries to join the O.A.S. in its effort to restore constitutional stability in the region, including a trade embargo on Haiti except for humanitarian aid.
Haiti's provisional President moved to form a new government today, announcing the appointment of Jean-Jacques Honorat as Prime Minister. Mr. Honorat is a civil rights leader and staunch foe of the deposed President, Father Aristide.
A terse announcement on the national radio said only that "Jean-Jacques Honorat is named Prime Minister."
The provisional President, Joseph Nerette, issued a call for Parliament to meet on Saturday to ratify the appointment of Mr. Honorat, a lawyer, agronomist and leader of the Haitian Center for Human Rights.
He was known to be the most popular choice among lawmakers, who met privately all day on Thursday to consider canidates from a list sumbitted by Mr. Nerette. Parliamentary approval is considered to be virtually assured.
Source: New York Times
Monday, October 7, 1991
IN POLICY SHIFT, U.S. CRITICIZES HAITIAN ON RIGHTS ABUSES
Administration officials have begun to move away from the unequivocal support they have voiced for the ousted Haitian President, the Rev. Jean-Bertrand Aristide, citing concerns over his human rights record.
After Father Aristide was ousted in a coup last Monday, President Bush and Secretary of State James A. Baker 3d both demanded his reinstatement as President with no conditions. But today, officials said they had concluded that Father Aristide must publicly disavow mob violence and work toward sharing power with the Parliament. Such acts, Administration officials said, are necessary if he is to gain the Haitian and international support he needs to return to office.
With this shift, the officials, who had said his reinstatement was necessary for the hemisphere's democracies to resist a comeback of military rule, are now hinting that Father Aristide is at least in part to blame for his fall from office. While strongly criticizing the Haitian military for carrying out the coup, these officials now concede that Father Aristide's condoning and even encouragement of vigilante justice by mobs of his supporters in the streets has jeopardized his moral authority and popularity. Aristide Denounces Violence
After meeting with a high-level delegation from the Organization of American States here this morning, Father Aristide made a short statement in French to reporters, in which he denounced violence in Haiti by all parties, including, specifically, vigilante killings in which tires are placed around the necks of victims and then set on fire.. He also called on Haitians to respect the Constitution and human rights, thanked the O.A.S. for its efforts and said he would welcome some sort of presence by the organization in Haiti.
Father Aristide, a 38-year-old Roman Catholic priest, became the nation's first democratically elected president in December when he won 67 percent of the vote in a popular election.
In Haiti tonight, the Parliament moved toward naming an interim president to form a coalition cabinet and negotiate the return of Father Aristide. The goal was apparently not only to reinstate him but also to put conditions on his return that would force him to work with other Haitian institutions and leaders and to avoid any human rights violations. The reasons for the sudden refocusing of Administration concerns from placing full blame for the current crisis on the military to criticism of Father Aristide were not immediately clear. The new criticism of Father Aristide would put the Administration in a more favorable position to negotiate with the Haitian Army.
Underscoring the change in attitude, American officials are beginning to quietly disclose a thick notebook detailing accounts of human rights abuses that took place during Father Aristide's rule. The Administration has apparently been aware of the human rights violations for some time, but officials are only now beginning to emphasize them in their remarks to reporters. That point was driven home in meetings that the O.A.S. delegation held in Haiti last week with business and political leaders who complained that Father Aristide had failed to nurture the country's new democratic institutions. Several suggested that he was trying to develop another dictatorship with his own militia, and that he was at least indirectly responsible for scores of political killings.
The eight members of the O.A.S. delegation, which includes Bernard W. Aronson, Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American affairs, returned to Washington this morning to meet with Father Aristide for nearly three hours. The members told Father Aristide that they had heard widespread concerns in Haiti from people who accused him of excesses in his rule.
An official close to the delegation said the members had strongly suggested that he speak out against mob violence and in favor of constitutional rule. The official said they had also advised him to "begin a dialogue" with Haitian parliamentary leaders to discuss the outlines of what kind of O.A.S. presence Haiti would accept to avert future human rights violations. "Part of the equation for putting him back in his rightful place and reaching a solution," a State Department official said, "is for him to assure all Haitians that he will not tolerate or condone the mob violence that has taken place."
The official added, "There is a generalized fear down there that the mobs that sometimes act for President Aristide's Lavalas movement have been tolerated or condoned by him." Officials stressed that while Haitian soldiers had used violence against crowds, Father Aristide's forces had also used force and murdered.
In a speech Father Aristide made late last month on the steps of the Presidential Palace, he appeared to agree to the lynching of opponents with tires placed around their necks then set afire. He said burning rubber produced "such a nice smell."
The small cracks that are beginning to emerge in American support for Father Aristide underscore the quandary the Administration faces in Haiti. For years Father Aristide complained bitterly that United States support had maintained the Duvalier family dictatorship in power. Despite Father Aristide's anti-Americanism and socialist inclinations, when he won overwhelmingly in Haiti's first free election, the Administration embraced him as an agent for democratic change.
Mr. Bush has placed less emphasis on the Caribbean basin than did President Ronald Reagan, but a number of senior officials including Vice President Dan Quayle and Mr. Aronson have given special attention to the island. These officials have expressed concern that the failure of democracy in Haiti could embolden other militaries in the region, while it could set off a civil war and a quickening migration of Haitians to the United States.
When Father Aristide was overthrown last week, the Administration was faced with the first test of Mr. Bush's new world order in the Western Hemisphere. It quickly intervened to demand that the army protect Father Aristide's life and allow him to leave the country. And some senior American officials would not discount the possibility that military force might have to be employed to put Father Aristide back in power.
Source: New York Times
After Father Aristide was ousted in a coup last Monday, President Bush and Secretary of State James A. Baker 3d both demanded his reinstatement as President with no conditions. But today, officials said they had concluded that Father Aristide must publicly disavow mob violence and work toward sharing power with the Parliament. Such acts, Administration officials said, are necessary if he is to gain the Haitian and international support he needs to return to office.
With this shift, the officials, who had said his reinstatement was necessary for the hemisphere's democracies to resist a comeback of military rule, are now hinting that Father Aristide is at least in part to blame for his fall from office. While strongly criticizing the Haitian military for carrying out the coup, these officials now concede that Father Aristide's condoning and even encouragement of vigilante justice by mobs of his supporters in the streets has jeopardized his moral authority and popularity. Aristide Denounces Violence
After meeting with a high-level delegation from the Organization of American States here this morning, Father Aristide made a short statement in French to reporters, in which he denounced violence in Haiti by all parties, including, specifically, vigilante killings in which tires are placed around the necks of victims and then set on fire.. He also called on Haitians to respect the Constitution and human rights, thanked the O.A.S. for its efforts and said he would welcome some sort of presence by the organization in Haiti.
Father Aristide, a 38-year-old Roman Catholic priest, became the nation's first democratically elected president in December when he won 67 percent of the vote in a popular election.
In Haiti tonight, the Parliament moved toward naming an interim president to form a coalition cabinet and negotiate the return of Father Aristide. The goal was apparently not only to reinstate him but also to put conditions on his return that would force him to work with other Haitian institutions and leaders and to avoid any human rights violations. The reasons for the sudden refocusing of Administration concerns from placing full blame for the current crisis on the military to criticism of Father Aristide were not immediately clear. The new criticism of Father Aristide would put the Administration in a more favorable position to negotiate with the Haitian Army.
Underscoring the change in attitude, American officials are beginning to quietly disclose a thick notebook detailing accounts of human rights abuses that took place during Father Aristide's rule. The Administration has apparently been aware of the human rights violations for some time, but officials are only now beginning to emphasize them in their remarks to reporters. That point was driven home in meetings that the O.A.S. delegation held in Haiti last week with business and political leaders who complained that Father Aristide had failed to nurture the country's new democratic institutions. Several suggested that he was trying to develop another dictatorship with his own militia, and that he was at least indirectly responsible for scores of political killings.
The eight members of the O.A.S. delegation, which includes Bernard W. Aronson, Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American affairs, returned to Washington this morning to meet with Father Aristide for nearly three hours. The members told Father Aristide that they had heard widespread concerns in Haiti from people who accused him of excesses in his rule.
An official close to the delegation said the members had strongly suggested that he speak out against mob violence and in favor of constitutional rule. The official said they had also advised him to "begin a dialogue" with Haitian parliamentary leaders to discuss the outlines of what kind of O.A.S. presence Haiti would accept to avert future human rights violations. "Part of the equation for putting him back in his rightful place and reaching a solution," a State Department official said, "is for him to assure all Haitians that he will not tolerate or condone the mob violence that has taken place."
The official added, "There is a generalized fear down there that the mobs that sometimes act for President Aristide's Lavalas movement have been tolerated or condoned by him." Officials stressed that while Haitian soldiers had used violence against crowds, Father Aristide's forces had also used force and murdered.
In a speech Father Aristide made late last month on the steps of the Presidential Palace, he appeared to agree to the lynching of opponents with tires placed around their necks then set afire. He said burning rubber produced "such a nice smell."
The small cracks that are beginning to emerge in American support for Father Aristide underscore the quandary the Administration faces in Haiti. For years Father Aristide complained bitterly that United States support had maintained the Duvalier family dictatorship in power. Despite Father Aristide's anti-Americanism and socialist inclinations, when he won overwhelmingly in Haiti's first free election, the Administration embraced him as an agent for democratic change.
Mr. Bush has placed less emphasis on the Caribbean basin than did President Ronald Reagan, but a number of senior officials including Vice President Dan Quayle and Mr. Aronson have given special attention to the island. These officials have expressed concern that the failure of democracy in Haiti could embolden other militaries in the region, while it could set off a civil war and a quickening migration of Haitians to the United States.
When Father Aristide was overthrown last week, the Administration was faced with the first test of Mr. Bush's new world order in the Western Hemisphere. It quickly intervened to demand that the army protect Father Aristide's life and allow him to leave the country. And some senior American officials would not discount the possibility that military force might have to be employed to put Father Aristide back in power.
Source: New York Times
Tuesday, October 1, 1991
Haiti's Military Assumes Power After Troops Arrest the President
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Haiti's first freely elected president, was ousted tonight by the military, the army commander said. A Government official said Mr. Aristide was taken to the airport to be deported to France, adding that the United States Ambassador, Alvin Adams, accompanied Mr. Aristide to the airport.
Brig. Gen. Raul Cedras announced in a broadcast at 11 P.M. that the military had assumed control, following a day of violence in which at least 26 people were killed. "Today, the armed forces find themselves obligated to assume the heavy responsibility to keep the ship of state afloat," General Cedras said. "After seven months of democratic experience, the country once again finds itself a prey to the horrors of uncertainty," he added. "With all Haitians we will bring the ship to port."
The takeover began with mutinies at an army base and a police station Sunday night. Rebellious soldiers fired on Mr. Aristide's private residence at daybreak and on his entourage as it later headed to the National Palace. The soldiers later seized the palace and captured Mr. Aristide. His foreign minister, Jean-Robert Sabalat, said the President was taken to army headquarters. Diplomatic sources said Venezuelan, French and United States officials had negotiated to save the President's life.
A prominent Haitian politician, who spoke on condition that he not be identified, said Prime Minister Rene Preval and Information Minister Marie-Laurence Jocelyn Lassegue also had been arrested.
General Cedras, 42, became provisional Commander-in-Chief of the army on July 3, when Mr. Aristide named him to replace Lieut. Gen. Herard Abraham. The retirement of General Abraham was described at the time as bolstering Mr. Aristide's control over the military. "The armed forces of Haiti insist on reaffirming that it is an apolitical institution at the service of the Haitian people," General Cedras said in his statement, carried on Radio France Internationale. "It will respect constitutional order, guarantee democratic liberty and will not condone any act of pillage and even less so the flaming tire necklace execution."
General Cedras urged the population to help create a "serene climate favorable to the next election." A powerful sector of Haiti's 7,000-member army has long opposed the leftist policies of Mr. Aristide, a Roman Catholic priest who draws much of his popularity from the impoverished masses. The leaders of the military takeover today charged that Mr. Aristide was interfering in army affairs.
At least 26 people were killed and 200 wounded as Aristide loyalists battled soldiers. The sounds of gunfire continued late into the night. International Reaction The United States and Canada condemned the coup attempt and demanded Mr. Aristide's release. The Organization of American States demanded that Mr. Aristide be returned to office and said those who arrested him would be held accountable. It called a meeting of leaders within the next 10 days to consider options that could include the use of force.
The United Nations Security Council convened in a late-night session. The uprising occurred four days after Mr. Aristide addressed the United Nations General Assembly his first trip to the United States since becoming president of this coup-prone Caribbean nation. He said at the time that he was certain Haiti had left the dark days of dictatorship behind.
Mr. Aristide's visit to New York, a city where there are 300,000 people of Haitian descent, the largest population outside the Caribbean nation itself, touched off carnival-like celebrations. In his address to the United Nations, he stressed peace and human rights themes.
Among those killed when the unrest first flared Sunday night was Sylvio Claude, an evangelical preacher and two-time presidential candidate. Only one of more than a dozen radio stations in Haiti, Radio Soleil, which is run by the Catholic Church, continued to broadcast news after Mr. Aristide was seized. Some stations shut down after being strafed by gunfire, and others switched to music-only formats.
State television broadcast test patterns. The international airport was closed Monday afternoon. Mr. Aristide, a 38-year-old parish priest, had been at home with aides and a bodyguard at the time of the first attack, the government said.
Radio Cacique, an independent station, said an armored personel carrier was attacked when it went to Aristide's home to take him to the National Palace from his residence in La Plaine, six miles from Port-au-Prince.
The trouble began Sunday night with mutinies at an army training camp at Freres, just outside Port-au-Prince, and at an army-run police station in the downtown area of the capital. Shortly before midnight Sunday, the head of Radio Nationale, Michel Favard, went on the air to say a government official told him a coup was believed under way. Mr. Favard is a longtime Aristide aide. Minutes later, six soldiers burst into the station, handcuffed Mr. Favard and took him away, sources at the radio station said. An unidentified soldier, speaking on Radio Soleil, said the rebels had issued seven demands. One was that the Government disband a unit of 50 civilians reportedly being trained by the Swiss as a commandos. Some in the army feared the unit was being trained as an elite militia under Mr. Aristide's direct command.
The rebels also demanded that the Government confirm the appointment of nine officers assigned on an interim basis to the Army High Command. Mr. Aristide had been scheduled to pay a call on President Bush next week in the Oval Office, according to an official traveling with Mr. Bush on a campaign trip in New Orleans.
Mr. Aristide has moved since the first day of his administration to shake up the notoriously corrupt army, historically an agent of repression in Haiti. Upon assuming office, he replaced generals from the Army High Command with younger officers more inclined toward democracy, but has not made the appointments permanent. Delay of Confirmation
Dissident soldiers say Mr. Aristide has been withholding permanent assignment to ensure the generals remain under his control. Mr. Claude, the 57-year-old former presidential candidate, was set upon by a mob in the southern provincial town of Cayes as he was leaving a political meeting Sunday night. Assailants burned him in the streets, according to Radio Antilles, an independent station.
Prime Minister Rene Preval blamed the unrest on remnants of the Tonton Macoutes, the outlawed militia that brutally enforced the rule of the late President Francois Duvalier and his son, Jean-Claude Duvalier.
Street demonstrations in support of Mr. Aristide turned violent here tonight as hundreds of people in the "Little Haiti" neighborhood threw rocks and bottles at police officers and looted stores. The police, who dispersed the demonstrators with tear gas, said crowds in the neighborhood seized several cars and set them on fire, broke into stores and carried away furniture and other items, which were then used to keep bonfires burning.
The Police Chief, Calvin Ross, said that there had been some arrests and that one patrol car had been burned, but he reported no deaths or serious injuries. Demonstrators had taken to the streets upon hearing reports that Mr. Aristide was in military custody. The Haitian President visited Miami on Thursday to thank the large community of Haitians and Haitian-Americans for its support of him and his reform program.
The police, fearing violence like that which broke out in 1986 here during a similar period of political instability in Haiti, were called in quickly. But the police were under orders not to use live ammunition to break up the crowds. "We want Aristide," chanted demonstrators as they marched down the main street of "Little Haiti." Others shouted slogans blaming President Bush, who was in Miami today, and the C.I.A. for the military uprising. Some demanded American intervention to restore Mr. Aristide to power.
About 2,000 angry Haitians demonstrated outside the United Nations building in New York City last night in response to the arrest of President Aristide. A police spokesman, Officer Andrew McInnis, said the demonstration began at about 6 P.M. and lasted until past midnight. There were no arrests. "We want to challenge the U.N. to back up our President," said one of the protesters, Marie D. Volny, who has lived in Brooklyn since 1970. The protesters sang, danced, chanted and waved banners denouncing the coup.
Source: New York Times
Brig. Gen. Raul Cedras announced in a broadcast at 11 P.M. that the military had assumed control, following a day of violence in which at least 26 people were killed. "Today, the armed forces find themselves obligated to assume the heavy responsibility to keep the ship of state afloat," General Cedras said. "After seven months of democratic experience, the country once again finds itself a prey to the horrors of uncertainty," he added. "With all Haitians we will bring the ship to port."
The takeover began with mutinies at an army base and a police station Sunday night. Rebellious soldiers fired on Mr. Aristide's private residence at daybreak and on his entourage as it later headed to the National Palace. The soldiers later seized the palace and captured Mr. Aristide. His foreign minister, Jean-Robert Sabalat, said the President was taken to army headquarters. Diplomatic sources said Venezuelan, French and United States officials had negotiated to save the President's life.
A prominent Haitian politician, who spoke on condition that he not be identified, said Prime Minister Rene Preval and Information Minister Marie-Laurence Jocelyn Lassegue also had been arrested.
General Cedras, 42, became provisional Commander-in-Chief of the army on July 3, when Mr. Aristide named him to replace Lieut. Gen. Herard Abraham. The retirement of General Abraham was described at the time as bolstering Mr. Aristide's control over the military. "The armed forces of Haiti insist on reaffirming that it is an apolitical institution at the service of the Haitian people," General Cedras said in his statement, carried on Radio France Internationale. "It will respect constitutional order, guarantee democratic liberty and will not condone any act of pillage and even less so the flaming tire necklace execution."
General Cedras urged the population to help create a "serene climate favorable to the next election." A powerful sector of Haiti's 7,000-member army has long opposed the leftist policies of Mr. Aristide, a Roman Catholic priest who draws much of his popularity from the impoverished masses. The leaders of the military takeover today charged that Mr. Aristide was interfering in army affairs.
At least 26 people were killed and 200 wounded as Aristide loyalists battled soldiers. The sounds of gunfire continued late into the night. International Reaction The United States and Canada condemned the coup attempt and demanded Mr. Aristide's release. The Organization of American States demanded that Mr. Aristide be returned to office and said those who arrested him would be held accountable. It called a meeting of leaders within the next 10 days to consider options that could include the use of force.
The United Nations Security Council convened in a late-night session. The uprising occurred four days after Mr. Aristide addressed the United Nations General Assembly his first trip to the United States since becoming president of this coup-prone Caribbean nation. He said at the time that he was certain Haiti had left the dark days of dictatorship behind.
Mr. Aristide's visit to New York, a city where there are 300,000 people of Haitian descent, the largest population outside the Caribbean nation itself, touched off carnival-like celebrations. In his address to the United Nations, he stressed peace and human rights themes.
Among those killed when the unrest first flared Sunday night was Sylvio Claude, an evangelical preacher and two-time presidential candidate. Only one of more than a dozen radio stations in Haiti, Radio Soleil, which is run by the Catholic Church, continued to broadcast news after Mr. Aristide was seized. Some stations shut down after being strafed by gunfire, and others switched to music-only formats.
State television broadcast test patterns. The international airport was closed Monday afternoon. Mr. Aristide, a 38-year-old parish priest, had been at home with aides and a bodyguard at the time of the first attack, the government said.
Radio Cacique, an independent station, said an armored personel carrier was attacked when it went to Aristide's home to take him to the National Palace from his residence in La Plaine, six miles from Port-au-Prince.
The trouble began Sunday night with mutinies at an army training camp at Freres, just outside Port-au-Prince, and at an army-run police station in the downtown area of the capital. Shortly before midnight Sunday, the head of Radio Nationale, Michel Favard, went on the air to say a government official told him a coup was believed under way. Mr. Favard is a longtime Aristide aide. Minutes later, six soldiers burst into the station, handcuffed Mr. Favard and took him away, sources at the radio station said. An unidentified soldier, speaking on Radio Soleil, said the rebels had issued seven demands. One was that the Government disband a unit of 50 civilians reportedly being trained by the Swiss as a commandos. Some in the army feared the unit was being trained as an elite militia under Mr. Aristide's direct command.
The rebels also demanded that the Government confirm the appointment of nine officers assigned on an interim basis to the Army High Command. Mr. Aristide had been scheduled to pay a call on President Bush next week in the Oval Office, according to an official traveling with Mr. Bush on a campaign trip in New Orleans.
Mr. Aristide has moved since the first day of his administration to shake up the notoriously corrupt army, historically an agent of repression in Haiti. Upon assuming office, he replaced generals from the Army High Command with younger officers more inclined toward democracy, but has not made the appointments permanent. Delay of Confirmation
Dissident soldiers say Mr. Aristide has been withholding permanent assignment to ensure the generals remain under his control. Mr. Claude, the 57-year-old former presidential candidate, was set upon by a mob in the southern provincial town of Cayes as he was leaving a political meeting Sunday night. Assailants burned him in the streets, according to Radio Antilles, an independent station.
Prime Minister Rene Preval blamed the unrest on remnants of the Tonton Macoutes, the outlawed militia that brutally enforced the rule of the late President Francois Duvalier and his son, Jean-Claude Duvalier.
Street demonstrations in support of Mr. Aristide turned violent here tonight as hundreds of people in the "Little Haiti" neighborhood threw rocks and bottles at police officers and looted stores. The police, who dispersed the demonstrators with tear gas, said crowds in the neighborhood seized several cars and set them on fire, broke into stores and carried away furniture and other items, which were then used to keep bonfires burning.
The Police Chief, Calvin Ross, said that there had been some arrests and that one patrol car had been burned, but he reported no deaths or serious injuries. Demonstrators had taken to the streets upon hearing reports that Mr. Aristide was in military custody. The Haitian President visited Miami on Thursday to thank the large community of Haitians and Haitian-Americans for its support of him and his reform program.
The police, fearing violence like that which broke out in 1986 here during a similar period of political instability in Haiti, were called in quickly. But the police were under orders not to use live ammunition to break up the crowds. "We want Aristide," chanted demonstrators as they marched down the main street of "Little Haiti." Others shouted slogans blaming President Bush, who was in Miami today, and the C.I.A. for the military uprising. Some demanded American intervention to restore Mr. Aristide to power.
About 2,000 angry Haitians demonstrated outside the United Nations building in New York City last night in response to the arrest of President Aristide. A police spokesman, Officer Andrew McInnis, said the demonstration began at about 6 P.M. and lasted until past midnight. There were no arrests. "We want to challenge the U.N. to back up our President," said one of the protesters, Marie D. Volny, who has lived in Brooklyn since 1970. The protesters sang, danced, chanted and waved banners denouncing the coup.
Source: New York Times
Wednesday, September 25, 1991
Corruption and Governance
Corruption and governance are increasingly becoming topical issues in African politics. Donors and international financial institutions are also increasingly utilizing the concepts of corruption and governance as conditionalities for granting financial aid.
Recent scholarly research has also found these concepts to be key determinants of a country’s global competitiveness. Although related, governance and anti-corruption are distinct notions. While corruption is defined by instances of abuse of entrusted power for private gain, governance embodies the traditions and institutions by which authority in a country is exercised for the common good. Compared to corruption, the scope of the concept of governance is generally broader, spanning issues of public policy and decision-making, transparency and access to information, enhancing state performance, and matters relating to social justice, rights and the rule of law.
The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) was originally established as the Institute for Defence Policy by Dr Jakkie Cilliers, and Mr PB Mertz in 1991 and has offices in Pretoria, Cape Town, Nairobi and Addis Ababa.
Source: Institute for Security Studies
Recent scholarly research has also found these concepts to be key determinants of a country’s global competitiveness. Although related, governance and anti-corruption are distinct notions. While corruption is defined by instances of abuse of entrusted power for private gain, governance embodies the traditions and institutions by which authority in a country is exercised for the common good. Compared to corruption, the scope of the concept of governance is generally broader, spanning issues of public policy and decision-making, transparency and access to information, enhancing state performance, and matters relating to social justice, rights and the rule of law.
The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) was originally established as the Institute for Defence Policy by Dr Jakkie Cilliers, and Mr PB Mertz in 1991 and has offices in Pretoria, Cape Town, Nairobi and Addis Ababa.
Source: Institute for Security Studies
Saturday, September 14, 1991
Liberian Rebels Said to Seize A Sierra Leone Border Bridge
Guerrillas of the Liberian rebel leader Charles Taylor have taken control of an important border bridge in neighboring Sierra Leone, a Taylor spokesman said today. The spokesman, Ernest Eastman, said the Taylor troops had pushed up to 15 miles inside Sierra Leone to block an attack by remnants of forces loyal to the slain Liberian President, Samuel K. Doe.
Sierra Leone says Mr. Taylor is trying to force it to end support for a six-nation peacekeeping force that has blocked him from advancing on Monrovia, the Liberian capital. Mr. Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia invaded Liberia on Dec. 24, 1989, from the Ivory Coast to bring down the Doe Government. The rebels met little resistance from Government forces until they reached the outskirts of Monrovia.
Source: New York Times
Sierra Leone says Mr. Taylor is trying to force it to end support for a six-nation peacekeeping force that has blocked him from advancing on Monrovia, the Liberian capital. Mr. Taylor's National Patriotic Front of Liberia invaded Liberia on Dec. 24, 1989, from the Ivory Coast to bring down the Doe Government. The rebels met little resistance from Government forces until they reached the outskirts of Monrovia.
Source: New York Times
Friday, September 6, 1991
SOVIETS RECOGNIZE BALTIC INDEPENDENCE, ENDING 51-YEAR OCCUPATION OF 3 NATIONS
The Soviet Union's new ruling council recognized the independence of the three Baltic states, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, today at its first meeting. The move formally freed the three small republics, which were incorporated forcibly into the Soviet Union in 1940 but renewed their drive for independence in the era of glasnost. Their campaign was bitterly resisted by Moscow until last month, when central controls unraveled in the wake of the failed coup and a procession of foreign governments granted the Baltics diplomatic recognition. In matching proclamations for the three republics, the council also called for negotiations on disentangling the complex economic, political and military ties between the new states and the rest of the Soviet Union.
The declarations were the first action by the State Council, a committee of republic leaders and President Mikhail S. Gorbachev that was granted sweeping emergency powers by the national Congress on Thursday to control the rapid disintegration of the Soviet Union. The proclamations were read later in the day by Foreign Minister Boris D. Pankin. Other changes continued to reverberate in the wake of the failed coup, with the city of Leningrad winning a battle to change its name back to the original St. Petersburg. The move, approved by residents in a referendum in June, was formally affirmed today in a decree of the Russian federated republic's Parliament, the press agency Tass reported.
Mr. Pankin reported, for example, that the chairman of the Georgian Parliament had attended part of the session, although Georgia had not necessarily been expected to take part. The Soviet news reports indicated that the main order of business, aside from independence for the Baltic states, was to initiate action on the nation's two most urgent concerns: the economy and the military. The decision on the Baltic republics effectively acknowledges a fait accompli, since more than 60 nations, including the United States, had already recognized the three states since the coup and Western ambassadors were already taking up residence.
Official Soviet recognition of the Baltic states had been expected at the Congress of People's Deputies, but republic leaders evidently decided not to raise the issue in the assembly for fear of increasing the momentum for secessionist moves in other regions.
The proclamations declared that Moscow would support the entry of the three republics into the United Nations. All three declared their hope of becoming integrated into Europe and the "world community."
Source: New York Times
The declarations were the first action by the State Council, a committee of republic leaders and President Mikhail S. Gorbachev that was granted sweeping emergency powers by the national Congress on Thursday to control the rapid disintegration of the Soviet Union. The proclamations were read later in the day by Foreign Minister Boris D. Pankin. Other changes continued to reverberate in the wake of the failed coup, with the city of Leningrad winning a battle to change its name back to the original St. Petersburg. The move, approved by residents in a referendum in June, was formally affirmed today in a decree of the Russian federated republic's Parliament, the press agency Tass reported.
Mr. Pankin reported, for example, that the chairman of the Georgian Parliament had attended part of the session, although Georgia had not necessarily been expected to take part. The Soviet news reports indicated that the main order of business, aside from independence for the Baltic states, was to initiate action on the nation's two most urgent concerns: the economy and the military. The decision on the Baltic republics effectively acknowledges a fait accompli, since more than 60 nations, including the United States, had already recognized the three states since the coup and Western ambassadors were already taking up residence.
Official Soviet recognition of the Baltic states had been expected at the Congress of People's Deputies, but republic leaders evidently decided not to raise the issue in the assembly for fear of increasing the momentum for secessionist moves in other regions.
The proclamations declared that Moscow would support the entry of the three republics into the United Nations. All three declared their hope of becoming integrated into Europe and the "world community."
Source: New York Times
Tuesday, April 9, 1991
SECESSION DECREED BY SOVIET GEORGIA
The republic of Georgia declared its independence today, further confounding President Mikhail S. Gorbachev's uncertain hold on the deeply troubled Soviet nation. The unanimous decision by the southern republic's Parliament was made in a surprise session in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, nine days after a plebisicite in the republic in which more than 98 percent of the voters favored independence. The Parliament's action was timed to coincide with the second anniversary of the killing of 19 civilian protesters at the hands of Soviet troops in Tbilisi.
The declaration turned the anniversary day of mourning into a street festival that continued long into the night as Georgians congratulated one another and celebrated a further step in regaining a freedom they counted lost since 1921, when Bolshevik troops first occupied the republic. But the parliamentary vote was not the final step, as the Georgian President, Zviad Gamsakhurdia, conceded in his celebration speech when he declared that "this act of independence is not a de facto withdrawal from the Soviet Union." He said it would have to be followed in the next two or three years by a series of legal steps to fully establish self-rule.
Still, for President Gorbachev, the declaration was another blow against his campaign to preserve the Soviet Union as a nation of heavily centralized authority and not as the federation of largely sovereign or independent republics that a dozen separatist movements are demanding of him. Georgia is a proud, ancient land of five million people, many of whom have long made clear their animus toward Communism and the Kremlin's central rule. Its long-established, long-suppressed independence drive gained considerable momentum in elections last year, when the Communists lost control of the Parliament to an insurgent coalition led by Mr. Gamsakhurdia.
As a practical matter, the declaration did not radically alter the current state of confusion over power sharing between the Kremlin and the republics, and in fact only compounded it. Mr. Gorbachev has been trying to interest the republics in his proposal for a new union treaty, which he has promised would insure greater self-rule, but many republics are skeptical, particularly in the face of the Gorbachev Government's continuing resort to central authority in dealing with the Soviet Union's deepening economic and political crisis.
Georgia is following the lead of the Baltic republics of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in making a unilateral claim to restoration of a state of independence that was forcibly ended by Soviet military power, rather than pursue the formal, drawn-out secession process theoretically permitted under the Soviet Constitution. Mr. Gamsakhurdia said Georgia would need support from other nations to secure its claim. He pleaded for recognition of its historic state of independence, which is rooted in an ancient culture whose previous peak was as a Caucasian empire presided over by Queen Thamar at the end of the 12th century.
Modern Georgia is an economically shaky land, clearly dependent to some degree on aid from Moscow. It recently became a hotbed of Soviet nationalist clashes, with the Georgian majority represented by the Gamsakhurdia government trying to put down a separate independence claim within its borders by the no less ancient South Ossetian minority of 65,000. Fighting in Breakaway Region More than 60 people have been killed in South Ossetia in factional fighting as Mr. Gamsakhurdia has demanded that Mr. Gorbachev withdraw Soviet troops dispatched to the region, in northern Georgia, after a state of emergency was declared by the Soviet Parliament.
There was no Kremlin reaction to he Tbilisi declaration of independence, although by coinicidence President Gorbachev today offered his latest "anti-crisis" plan for holding the nation together. He emphasized the importance of last month's referendum endorsement by the Soviet nation at large of his vague call for a "renewed" Soviet Union in which he has promised greater sovereignty for the 15 republics.
Source: New York Times
The declaration turned the anniversary day of mourning into a street festival that continued long into the night as Georgians congratulated one another and celebrated a further step in regaining a freedom they counted lost since 1921, when Bolshevik troops first occupied the republic. But the parliamentary vote was not the final step, as the Georgian President, Zviad Gamsakhurdia, conceded in his celebration speech when he declared that "this act of independence is not a de facto withdrawal from the Soviet Union." He said it would have to be followed in the next two or three years by a series of legal steps to fully establish self-rule.
Still, for President Gorbachev, the declaration was another blow against his campaign to preserve the Soviet Union as a nation of heavily centralized authority and not as the federation of largely sovereign or independent republics that a dozen separatist movements are demanding of him. Georgia is a proud, ancient land of five million people, many of whom have long made clear their animus toward Communism and the Kremlin's central rule. Its long-established, long-suppressed independence drive gained considerable momentum in elections last year, when the Communists lost control of the Parliament to an insurgent coalition led by Mr. Gamsakhurdia.
As a practical matter, the declaration did not radically alter the current state of confusion over power sharing between the Kremlin and the republics, and in fact only compounded it. Mr. Gorbachev has been trying to interest the republics in his proposal for a new union treaty, which he has promised would insure greater self-rule, but many republics are skeptical, particularly in the face of the Gorbachev Government's continuing resort to central authority in dealing with the Soviet Union's deepening economic and political crisis.
Georgia is following the lead of the Baltic republics of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in making a unilateral claim to restoration of a state of independence that was forcibly ended by Soviet military power, rather than pursue the formal, drawn-out secession process theoretically permitted under the Soviet Constitution. Mr. Gamsakhurdia said Georgia would need support from other nations to secure its claim. He pleaded for recognition of its historic state of independence, which is rooted in an ancient culture whose previous peak was as a Caucasian empire presided over by Queen Thamar at the end of the 12th century.
Modern Georgia is an economically shaky land, clearly dependent to some degree on aid from Moscow. It recently became a hotbed of Soviet nationalist clashes, with the Georgian majority represented by the Gamsakhurdia government trying to put down a separate independence claim within its borders by the no less ancient South Ossetian minority of 65,000. Fighting in Breakaway Region More than 60 people have been killed in South Ossetia in factional fighting as Mr. Gamsakhurdia has demanded that Mr. Gorbachev withdraw Soviet troops dispatched to the region, in northern Georgia, after a state of emergency was declared by the Soviet Parliament.
There was no Kremlin reaction to he Tbilisi declaration of independence, although by coinicidence President Gorbachev today offered his latest "anti-crisis" plan for holding the nation together. He emphasized the importance of last month's referendum endorsement by the Soviet nation at large of his vague call for a "renewed" Soviet Union in which he has promised greater sovereignty for the 15 republics.
Source: New York Times
Friday, February 1, 1991
BANKS ACT 94 OF 1990
The purpose of the Banks Act is to provide for the regulation and supervision of the business of public companies taking deposits from the public; and to provide for matters connected therewith.
Office for Banks
For the registration as banks of public companies desiring to conduct the business of a bank and for the other purposes of this Act there shall, as part of the Reserve Bank, be an office in Pretoria called the Office for Banks, and at the head of such office shall be a person to be styled the Registrar of Banks.
Source: SABINET
Office for Banks
For the registration as banks of public companies desiring to conduct the business of a bank and for the other purposes of this Act there shall, as part of the Reserve Bank, be an office in Pretoria called the Office for Banks, and at the head of such office shall be a person to be styled the Registrar of Banks.
Source: SABINET
Saturday, January 26, 1991
Insurgents Claiming Victory in Somalia
Rebels in Somalia said on Saturday night that they had won control of the capital, Mogadishu, and had forced President Mohamed Siad Barre to flee his palace. The rebels' assertions, monitored over radio about 600 miles to the southwest in Nairobi, were largely confirmed today by a team of French doctors who were treating the wounded in the Somali capital.Stevan van Praet, a representative in Kenya of a French humanitarian agency, Doctors Without Borders, said his team told him this morning by radio telephone that Mr. Siad Barre had fled the presidential palace in a tank 15 minutes before it was seized. Mr. van Praet said he had no information about the whereabouts of the President, who has held autocratic power in the eastern African nation for 21 years. Looting of Palace Mr. van Praet said his doctors had reported that civilians and rebels had looted the palace, known as Villa Somalia, after the President's escape.
One unconfirmed report in Nairobi said Mr. Siad Barre had fled to his well-fortified bunker at the Mogadishu airport, which the French doctors said was controlled by loyal troops. Another unconfirmed report suggested that the President had fled south toward the Kenyan border. In the broadcast, the United Somali Congress said: "The Government and the responsibility of the Somali people were taken over by the U.S.C. movement. We are addressing you from Radio Mogadishu, the voice of the Somali people."
The United Somali Congress is one of three clan-based insurgent groups that have been trying to oust Mr. Siad Barre, who during the cold war received weapons from the Soviet Union and then the United States. In the last two years, under pressure from Congress, Washington cut off military aid over human rights abuses by the Somali Government.
The French doctors, who are accompanied by an English ecologist and pilot, Murray Watson, are the only independent contact between Mogadishu and the outside world. Soon after intense fighting and looting started at the end of last month, all foreign embassies were evacuated. Two weeks ago, diplomats from Italy, the former colonial power in Somalia, were the last to leave. In a radio conversation this morning with the British Broadcasting Corporation, Mr. Watson graphically described the scene in the whitewashed, palm-fringed city on the Indian Ocean. "There are not so many bodies," on the street, Mr. Watson said, "because dogs have eaten most of them." "There are hands sticking up through the sand," he said in an apparent description of bodies still strewn on the beach. He said that in the last few days, the doctors had received about 60 severely wounded civilians and were performing "10 to 15 amputations a day." Mr. Watson told the BBC that shells fired from the area of the presidential palace were "going out 5 to 10 kilometers" and landing in civilian areas.
Last week, Mr. Siad Barre appointed a new Prime Minister, Umar Arteh Ghalib, a nationally known figure from the northern-based Isaaq clan, which has also been fighting the Government. The President also offered to step down if the rebels accepted a truce, but the deal was rejected. A stream of refugees has been pouring out of Somalia into both Ethiopia and Kenya, some of them highly placed military and political figures. With considerable rivalry between the clan-based insurgents, it seemed doubtful that the United Somali Congress would be able to restore stability to the country, both Somalis and Western analysts said. Many predicted that there would be persistent factional fighting.
Coveted by the superpowers during the cold war because of its strategic position on the Gulf of Aden and close to the Middle East, Somalia is a largely rural, Muslim country of six million people. The United States had an access agreement with the Siad Barre Government for use of the port at Berbera, but the internal situation had become so unstable that the port was not used during the build up for the Persian Gulf war.
Source: New York Times
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