November 1999 Military News

XANANA GUSMAO - JAKARTA Voice of America 30 November 1999 -- Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid and East Timorese leaders say they want to put the past behind them and cooperate as neighbors.
W-F-P / U-S / SUDAN Voice of America 30 November 1999 -- The U-N World Food Program, W-F-P, says a U-S measure that would allow direct food aid to rebel soldiers in Southern Sudan could put U-N aid workers and their humanitarian operation at risk.
U-N-H-C-R / SRI LANKA Voice of America 30 November 1999 -- The U-N Refugee Agency, U-N-H-C-R, says it is negotiating a local cease-fire in northern Sri Lanka's Madhu area to enable thousands of displaced people to return to their villages.
U-N-H-C-R / CHECHNYA Voice of America 30 November 1999 -- The U-N refugee agency, U-N-H-C-R, says it has not received security guarantees from Russia which would permit its aid workers to help civilians displaced by the war in Chechnya.
RUSSIA / CHECHNYA Voice of America 30 November 1999 -- Russian forces are pounding the Chechen city of Urus-Martan with artillery rounds and rockets as part of their campaign to encircle the Chechen capital, Grozny.
SECURITY COUNCIL DECIDES TO ESTABLISH UNITED NATIONS OBSERVER MISSION IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO Press Release SC/6766 - 30 November 1999 -- The Security Council this evening established the United Nations Observer Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC). The Mission will be composed of personnel authorized earlier under resolutions 1258 (1999) and 1273 (1999), including a multidisciplinary staff of personnel in the fields of human rights, humanitarian affairs, public information, medical support, child protection, political affairs and administrative support personnel, which will assist the Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, until 1 March 2000.
Fact Sheet: Sanctions Against the Taliban in Afghanistan USIA 29 November 1999 -- Taliban-controlled mass media in Afghanistan, regional, and international media are distorting the content and expected effects of the sanctions against the Taliban unanimously imposed by the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1267.
Conflict in Afghanistan risks spinning out of control, Kofi Annan warns. UN News Service 29 November 1999 -- Secretary-General Kofi Annan has warned that the on-going conflict in Afghanistan risks spinning out of control unless the international community awakens to its effect on the peace and security in the region
US Department of State Daily Press Briefing 29 November 1999 -- SUDAN - New legislation provides authority to change policy, but does not require policy change. US has made no decision on how to implement the legislation. US has long wanted its allies to press Sudan on human rights standards. US believes IGAD process is proper way to pursue serious peace agreement.
RUSSIA / CHECHNYA Voice of America 29 November 1999 -- Russian forces have suffered a series of setbacks in Chechnya, amid mounting international criticism of Moscow's military offensive in the breakaway region.
INDONESIA - EAST TIMOR Voice of America 29 November 1999 -- East Timorese leader Xanana Gusmao blames a top Indonesian general for the destruction of East Timor that followed its vote for independence.
U-N / HOLBROOKE / TIMOR Voice of America 29 November 1999 -- Richard Holbrooke, the United States' ambassador to the United Nations, says the world community must take action immediately to re-settle refugees from East Timor, who are now living in fear in Indonesia's adjoining province of West Timor.
U-S / SUDAN AID Voice of America 29 November 1999 -- President Clinton has signed a wide-ranging budget bill that includes a provision authorizing the Administration to provide direct food aid to Sudanese rebels, who have been fighting the government in Khartoum for more than a decade.
MEXICO / STRIKE TALKS Voice of America 29 November 1999 -- Only a small fraction of UNAM's more than 250-thousand students are involved in the strike.
AFGHANS SURVIVING Voice of America 29 November 1999 -- Few places have suffered as long as Afghanistan, where 20 years of war and isolation from the rest of the world has wrecked the country's economy and left its infrastructure in shambles.
INDONESIA - ACEH Voice of America 29 November 1999 -- In his policy toward Aceh, President Wahid is walking a very fine line between the need to quell Acehnese separatist unrest and the concerns expressed by Indonesia's powerful military.
NORTHERN IRELAND Voice of America 29 November 1999 -- Selection of the 12-member cabinet was delayed several months by a dispute over the timing of disarming the Irish Republican Army.
NORTHERN IRELAND Voice of America 28 November 1999 -- British Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Mandelson says he is confident the Irish Republican Army will hand in its weapons and comply with a U-S mediated peace deal.
RUSSIA - CHECHNYA UPDATE Voice of America 28 November 1999 -- Russian forces are intensifying attacks on the Chechen capital, Grozny, as they try to isolate the city and cut off the main supply routes.
SPAIN-ETA Voice of America 28 November 1999 -- Spain's Basque separatists have announced the end of their 14-month-old ceasefire. The announcement follows a stalemate in peace negotiations.
UN-HUMAN RIGHTS MEXICO Voice of America 27 November 1999 -- United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson said one of her chief concerns in Mexico is what she called "the deep impact of militarization." She said soldiers in various parts of the country are taking on duties normally assigned to civilian police.
EAST TIMOR FUNERALS Voice of America 27 November 1999 -- More than two-thousand people gathered today (Sat.) in the East Timorese capital Dili for the funerals of three Roman Catholic priests killed when anti-independence militias took over the territory for two weeks in September.
NIGERIA / VIOLENCE Voice of America 27 November 1999 -- A dusk-to-dawn curfew has been imposed in parts of Lagos, Nigeria, following two days of ethnic riots that left up to 50 people dead.
LANKA SPEECH Voice of America 27 November 1999 -- The leader of Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels says he wants to open negotiations with the government that could bring an end to the nation's 16-years of ethnic warfare.
NORTHERN IRELAND Voice of America 27 November 1999 -- Northern Ireland's largest Protestant party has voted to support a U-S mediated peace deal.
CHECNYA FIGHTING Voice of America 27 November 1999 -- The capital city of Russia's breakaway Chechen republic, Grozny, is coming under renewed heavy bombardment as Russian troops press forward with their offensive in the region.
TIMOR - MASS GRAVES Voice of America 26 November 1999 -- Indonesian human rights investigators say they have found the bodies of 26 people in mass graves in West Timor. Officials say the bodies of women and children as well as three priests were among those found in three mass graves.
SRI LANKA HEROES Voice of America 26 November 1999 -- Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels are releasing seven government soldiers, Saturday, to commemorate their annual rememberance week.
NORTHERN IRELAND Voice of America 26 November 1999 -- The Leader of the pro-British Ulster Unionist party, David Trimble, is predicting victory in a key vote set to take place in Northern Ireland Saturday.
CONGO / REBELS / U-N Voice of America 26 November 1999 -- The United Nations observer mission to Congo-Kinshasa is expected to open its first office on Friday in the rebel-held east of the country.
RUSSIA / CHECHNYA Voice of America 26 November 1999 -- A fresh wave of refugees is flooding the roads out of Chechnya as Russia unleashes a withering offensive aimed at two large population centers.
EAST TIMOR - HUMAN RIGHTS Voice of America 25 November 1999 -- A human rights team from the United Nations has arrived in East Timor to investigate atrocities committed when anti-independence militias rampaged through the territory in September.
OCALAN SENTENCE UPHELD Voice of America 25 November 1999 -- A Turkish appeals court has upheld the death sentence handed down to Kurdish rebel chief Abdullah Ocalan.
RUSSIA / CHECHNYA Voice of America 25 November 1999 -- A human rights group is charging Russia with bombing a Chechen village used as a safe haven by civilians fleeing the current military offensive.
INDIA - AFGHAN REFUGEES Voice of America 25 November 1999 -- Thousands of Afghan refugees, living in India for more than a decade, say they are left without any means of survival because the Indian government is not recognizing them as political refugees.
INDONESIA-WIRANTO Voice of America 25 November 1999 -- The former head of the Indonesian Armed Forces has admitted some human rights abuses were committed by Indonesian soldiers in Aceh province.
POLISARIO / MOROCCO PRISONERS Voice of America 24 November 1999 -- The Polisario Front that has been seeking independence for Western Sahara says it has released nearly 200 Moroccan prisoners of war.
SRI LANKA OPPOSITION Voice of America 24 November 1999 -- Sri Lanka's opposition leader, and President Chandrika Kumaratunga's main rival in next month's presidential elections, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has denied government allegations of conniving with the Tamil Tiger rebels.
TURKEY / OCALAN Voice of America 24 November 1999 -- A Turkish appeals court is to rule Thursday on the death sentence imposed on imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan.
U-S - RUSSIA - RELATIONS Voice of America 24 November 1999 -- U-S Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has repeated American concern over Russia's actions against Chechnya, but says that should not be linked to efforts to bring economic stability to Russia.
RUSSIA / CHECHNYA ECON Voice of America 24 November 1999 -- Russia's Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, has marked his 100th day in office with a speech citing what he called recent successes on the economic and military fronts. Mr. Putin pledged solid financial support for the war in Chechnya.
RUSSIA / CHECHEN REFUGEES Voice of America 24 November 1999 -- Russian military officials say they control nearly half of Chechnya and want refugees to return to live in Russian-controlled zones.
AFGHANISTAN - U-N APPEAL Voice of America 24 November 1999 -- The United Nations has launched an appeal (Wednesday) for 221-million dollars for humanitarian aid for Afghanistan, which the U-N says is one of the most impoverished nations on earth.
ACEH / POLICE Voice of America 24 November 1999 -- The Indonesian government is sending hundreds of police reinforcements to the northern province of Aceh.
AUSTRALIA-E.TIMOR Voice of America 23 November 1999 -- Australia is strengthening its military commitment in East Timor, and increasing defense spending by one-billion dollars a year for the next three years.
THE IRISH PEACE ACCORD REVITALIZED Voice of America 23 November 1999 -- The peace talks between Republicans and Unionists in Northern Ireland appear to be making progress again after grinding to a halt just months ago.
RUSSIA / REFUGEES Voice of America 23 November 1999 -- Russia's migration office says 215-thousand people have fled fighting in Chechnya by crossing into neighboring Ingushetia.
RUSSIA / CHECHNYA Voice of America 23 November 1999 -- Russian forces are pounding a strategic town south of the Chechen capital, Grozny, in a drive to cut off the capital's largest remaining rebel supply and escape route.
BURUNDI ATTACK Voice of America 23 November 1999 -- At least 20 people have been killed in Burundi (Tuesday) in fighting between the army and rebels and in a grenade attack in the African nation's capital, Bujumbura.
ALGERIA ISLAMIST / BURIAL Voice of America 23 November 1999 -- Supporters of a slain Algerian Islamic leader gathered for his funeral in Algiers Tuesday. Analysts fear the murder could undermine efforts to end a seven-year insurgency by Islamic militants.
CONSENSUS ELUDES LEGAL COMMITTEE IN FINAL ACT OF SESSION AS IT RECOMMENDS BLANKET CONDEMNATION OF TERRORISM Press Release GA/L/3140 - 23 November 1999 -- The General Assembly would ask States to enact legislation to ensure that violators of United Nations anti-terrorism instruments are brought to trial, according to a draft resolution approved by the Sixth Committee (Legal) this morning as it concluded its work for the session.
EGYPTIAN NEWSPAPER INTERVIEW WITH ISLAMIC GROUP LEADER Date Reported: Tuesday, November 23, 1999 U.S. Embassy Cairo submits the following report: Taha states that he and other IG leaders are committed to a universal cease-fire. While he says the killing of Muslim civilians is religiously forbidden, he is less forthright about the killing of non-Muslim civilians.
ASSESSING THE WINNERS AND LOSERS FROM OSCE SUMMIT IN ISTANBUL USIA Issue Focus November 23, 1999 -- The breach between Russian President Yeltsin and Western leaders over Chechnya dominated European media coverage. Editorials in Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Belgium cast doubt on the value of the documents signed in Istanbul--given Moscow's perceived flouting of their principles--and further asserted that the Western leaders' "lukewarm protests" against Chechnya fell short, leaving Mr. Yeltsin to conclude that he can "continue his war" without fear of "punishment."
HOLBROOKE / EAST TIMOR Voice of America 22 November 1999 -- The U-S Ambassador to the United Nations Richard Holbrooke is putting pressure on the Indonesian government to help East Timorese refugees in camps in West Timor to return home.
RWANDA / WAR CRIMES PROSECUTOR Voice of America 22 November 1999 -- Rwandan officials say they have refused an entry visa to the U-N's chief war crimes prosecutor to protest the release of a prominent Rwandan genocide suspect.
LANKAN CHURCH Voice of America 22 November 1999 -- The death toll in Saturday's artillery attack on a 17th century Dutch church in northern Sri Lanka has risen to 44.
COLOMBIA-EXTRADITION Voice of America 22 November 1999 -- Columbia is preparing to extradite more accused drug traffickers to the United States following the transfer Sunday of a suspected heroin dealer to Florida.
RUSSIA / CHECHNYA Voice of America 22 November 1999 -- Russia's army chief of staff says he expects federal troops to capture the Chechen capital, Grozny, without a fight.
ANGOLA / NAMIBIA Voice of America 22 November 1999 -- Angolan government troops appear to be making a major push on UNITA rebel positions in the southeast of the country along the Namibian border.
ALGERIA ISLAMIST KILLED Voice of America 22 November 1999 -- Unknown gunmen in Algeria have shot to death the third-ranking leader of the banned Islamic Salvation Front.
ACEH / ASEAN Voice of America 22 November 1999 -- When leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations sit down this week, there will be no discussion of the calls for independence coming from Aceh.
RETOOLED AAVS FILTERING IN Marine Corps News 11/21/99 -- Reliability Availability Maintainability/Rebuild to Standard, will cost about $6 million to complete. It will improve and maintain the current fleet of Amphibious Assault Vehicles until the new Advanced AAVs arrive around 2012. I Marine Expeditionary Force currently has 30 of the improved RAMRS vehicles and will receive another 193 by December 2002. The Marine Corps will maintain a total of 680 by that time.
SRI LANKA CHURCH ATTACK Voice of America 21 November 1999 -- At least 35 civilians were killed and more than 60 wounded in an attack on a 400-year-old Catholic shrine in Northern Sri Lanka.
RUSSIA/CHECHNYA Voice of America 21 November 1999 -- Russian forces have moved closer to Chechnya's capital city, amid signs they will soon try to capture it. There are also signs that Russia's strategy involves much more than bombing.
ALGERIA / MASSACRES Voice of America 21 November 1999 -- Security forces in Algeria report 15-people have been killed and eight wounded in an Islamist militant attack.
INDONESIA - EAST TIMOR Voice of America 20 November 1999 -- Human rights investigators in East Timor say the Indonesian military planned the systematic destruction of East Timor last September, when armed anti-independence militia groups overtook the territory.
WHAT NEXT FOR INDONESIA? Voice of America 20 November 1999 -- Indonesia's first free elections led to the selection in October of Abdurrahman Wahid, a leading Muslim intellectual, as president. He now must preside over a nation that is still in serious economic difficulty, in grave need of reform, and is facing separatist movements in several provinces. This month over a half million people demonstrated in Aceh, demanding independence, which was recently granted to East Timor.
CONGO REBELS Voice of America 20 November 1999 -- Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo are reporting renewed clashes with government forces in the north of the country.
CHECHNYA - REFUGEES Voice of America 20 November 1999 -- United Nations officials say they would not describe the plight of Chechen refugees in Ingushetia as a "humanitarian catastrophe" but stressed the need for humanitarian aid before cold weather sets in.
CHECHNYA/REFUGEES Voice of America 20 November 1999 -- The United Nations' High Commissioner for Refugees is wrapping up a visit to Russia with more meetings with government officials in Moscow.
CHECHNYA/TROOPS Voice of America 20 November 1999 -- Russian forces are continuing their assault on the Chechnya capital, Grozny, and military officials say they have nearly surrounded the city.
AFGHAN / U-N AID Voice of America 20 November 1999 -- Afghanistan's Taleban movement says it will allow the United Nations to move humanitarian aid across the country's frontlines to help refugees stranded in the Panjsher Valley north of the capital.
EAST TIMOR - JUSTICE Voice of merica 19 November 1999 -- The out-going head of the United Nations mission in East Timor says Indonesian military officers responsible for the September campaign of violence in the territory should be brought to justice.
SRI LANKA TOWNS Voice of America 19 November 1999 -- Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels say they have wrested control of more northern towns from the government army.
CLINTON / AHERN / IRELAND Voice of America 19 November 1999 -- President Clinton is praising a new proposal aimed at breaking the deadlock in the Northern Ireland peace process.
RUSSIA / OSCE Voice of America 19 November 1999 -- Russia's mass media has heaved a collective sigh of relief when the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ended its summit meeting in Istanbul.
RUSSIA / CHECHNYA / U-N Voice of America 19 November 1999 -- The U-N High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadako Ogata, is urging Russia to improve assistance programs for those fleeing the military offensive in Chechnya.
RUSSIA / CHECHNYA Voice of America 19 November 1999 -- Russian military units are pressing ahead with their assault in Chechnya, apparently unaffected by sharp criticism at the European security summit. Russian officials are continuing to reject outside mediation.
CHECHNYA REFUGEES Voice of America 19 November 1999 -- Russian President Boris Yeltsin has agreed to allow observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to visit Chechnya.
INDONESIA DEFENSE MINISTER Voice of America 19 November 1999 -- Indonesia's Defense Minister says people in the northern province of Aceh will not have the option of voting for independence in a referendum proposed by President Abdurrahman Wahid.
Text: UNHCR Ogata Phones Annan from Moscow on Chechnya Trip 19 November 1999 -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Sadaka Ogata, told UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan by telephone from Moscow that she had "good discussions" about the humanitarian crisis in the North Caucasus with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and Minister of Civil Defense, Emergencies, and Natural Disasters Sergey Shoigu.
UN, East Timor leaders pledge commitment to dialogue and cooperation. UN News Service 19 November -- United Nations officials and East Timorese political leaders today stressed their commitment to dialogue and cooperation, putting aside media reports of friction between the two sides.
UN panel set to visit East Timor to probe alleged atrocities UN News Service 19 November -- A United Nations expert panel to investigate human rights violations in East Timor is set to travel to the territory on Sunday, a UN spokesman in New York announced today.
Sadaka Ogata reports "good" talks with Russian officials on humanitarian aid in northern Caucasus UN News Service 19 November -- The head of the United Nations refugee agency said in Moscow today that her talks with Russian officials on the northern Caucasus had laid the groundwork for future cooperation between the UN and Russia on humanitarian aid.
PRESS BRIEFING BY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR SAMUEL "SANDY" BERGER November 18, 1999 -- President Yeltsin said that Russia is under the threat of what he described as "merciless terrorists;" that they were in favor of peace, but that that was only possible by eliminating the terrorists.
'TALIBAN DOES NOT SUCCUMB, UN IMPOSES SANCTIONS ON AFGHANISTAN' ISSUE FOCUS November 18, 1999 Foreign commentators split along the fault line of the global Muslim community on one side and the rest of the world on the other regarding the UN's November 14 decision not to heed the Taliban's plea to delay sanctions on Afghanistan for the Islamic militia's failure to hand over Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden.
Transcript: Asst. Secretary Rice on Democratic Republic of Congo 18 November 1999 -- The United States "strongly" supports the implementation of the Lusaka Accords because it believes that agreement is "the only viable way to end the conflict" in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DROC) and bring "stability and development to the other countries in the region," says U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Susan Rice.
Transcript: SecState Albright Press Briefing on OSCE, Chechnya 18 November 1999 -- Regarding Chechnya, Albright said President Clinton was very forceful during his meeting with Russian President Boris Yeltsin in expressing the U.S. view that the Russian approach is wrong and that "it would be leading to a cycle of violence and needed a political solution."
Chechnya Dominates Opening Session of OSCE Summit By Wendy S. Ross Washington File 18 November 1999 -- Russia's military campaign in Chechnya, which has killed a growing number of civilians and caused a massive refugee flow out of the area, dominated the opening session of the summit here of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
LEGAL COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS NEW ANTI-TERRORISM CONVENTION MAKING IT A CRIME TO PROVIDE FUNDS FOR TERRORIST ACTS Press Release GA/L/3138 -- 18 November 1999 -- Member States would be urged by the General Assembly to sign and ratify an international convention designed to cut off the sources of funding for terrorist activities, according to a draft resolution approved without a vote this morning by the Sixth Committee (Legal).
NATO Commander Cites Success of U.S.-African Partnership By Jim Fisher-Thompson Washington File 18 November 1999 -- General Wesley Clark, supreme allied commander in Europe (SACEUR) for U.S. and NATO forces, presided over the closing of the first African Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS) seminar, terming it "a remarkable educational endeavor."
LANKA / OPPOSITION Voice of America 18 November 1999 -- In Sri Lanka, the leader of the main opposition party and a candidate for president, has pledged to open talks with the Tamil Tiger rebels if he is elected.
COLOMBIA REBELS Voice of America 18 November 1999 -- Colombia's Army says it has beat back a major guerrilla offensive in the southern part of the country. The Army claims it killed as many as 86 guerrillas in the counterattacks on Tuesday and Wednesday, while nine police were killed.
CLINTON - YELTSIN Voice of America 18 November 1999 -- President Clinton has joined world leaders at a summit of the Organization of Security and Cooperation Europe in condemning Russia's bloody military campaign in Chechnya, and calling for a political solution to the crisis.
O-S-C-E / CHECHNYA Voice of America 18 November 1999 -- The Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe, the O-S-C-E, has opened a two-day summit in Istanbul. Russian President Boris Yeltsin is at the summit to defend his government's tough policy on Chechnya.
OSCE SUMMIT/RUSSIA Voice of America 18 November 1999 -- Russia will now allow the chairman of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe to visit Chechnya so he can study how to resolve the conflict there peacefully.
RUSSIA / CHECHNYA Voice of America 18 November 1999 -- Russian troops have captured a key town in western Chechnya without firing a shot. Russian jets are keeping up a punishing aerial blitz on the Chechen capital, Grozny.
RUSSIA / U-N / REFUGEES Voice of America 18 November 1999 -- The United Nations high commissioner for refugees, Sadako Ogata, says refugees fleeing what Russia calls its anti-terrorist operation in Chechnya need more humanitarian assistance.
CLINTON - PIPELINE Voice of America 18 November 1999 -- The United States, concerned about potential instability in Russia and potential hostility in Iran, has long sought an oil pipeline that bypasses those two countries while tapping the rich fields of the Caspian Basin for international markets. Still, U-S officials insist Russia was not intentionally excluded from the Baku-Ceyhan project.
TURKEY / PIPELINE Voice of America 18 November 1999 -- The proposed Baku-to-Ceyhan pipeline lies at the heart of a fierce battle for regional influence being waged between Turkey and the United States on the one hand, and Russia and Iran on the other.
US-RUSSIA-OSCE Voice of America 18 November 1999 -- Russia has bowed to international political pressure and will allow a representative of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to visit Chechnya to seek a political solution to the conflict.
ANGOLA / UNITA SUPPLIERS Voice of America 18 November 1999 -- Angolan authorities have allegedly uncovered evidence that could show where and how the UNITA rebel movement has been acquiring arms and equipment in defiance of U-N sanctions.
AFGHAN / U-N Voice of America 18 November 1999 -- The United Nations says the Taleban movement in Afghanistan has guaranteed security for UN facilities in the country.
INDONESIA / ACEH Voice of America 18 November 1999 -- Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid was in Parliament Thursday, defending his controversial plan to hold a referendum in the northern province of Aceh.
IS INDONESIA DISINTEGRATING? Voice of America 18 November 1999 -- Indonesia's president is standing by his idea of holding a referendum in the northern province of Aceh. But critics fear such a step may lead to Aceh's independence and a clamor by other provinces to follow.
RUSSIA / CHECHNYA Voice of America 17 November 1999 -- : Russia, bowing to international pressure, has agreed to allow a top United Nations official to visit the northern Caucasus, including parts of breakaway Chechnya.
Fact Sheet: U.S. Anti-Torture Initiative 17 November 1999 -- OSCE states have committed themselves to take measures to prevent torture and punish those responsible for it. In 1997 the OSCE established an Advisory Panel for the Prevention of Torture, based on a U.S. proposal, and more recently a coalition of human rights organizations developed minimum standards for states to ensure effective investigation and documentation of torture.
LANKA/ VAVUNIYA Voice of America 17 November 1999 -- Sri Lanka's Tamil rebels have asked civilians who fled the northern town of Vavuniya to return to their homes.
EDITORIAL: RUSSIA'S POLICY IN CHECHNYA Voice of America 17 November 1999 -- The Russian army has used indiscriminate force. It has attacked civilians and bombed homes and marketplaces. When the fighting began some six weeks ago, Russia said its objectives were limited to subduing bandits hiding in Chechnya's mountains. The Russian army, however, is doing more than this.
CONGRESS-RUSSIA/CHECHNYA Voice of America 17 November 1999 -- The U-S Congress is speaking out on the situation in Chechnya. The House has condemned Russian attacks on Chechen civilians, while key members of the Senate have urged specific action by President Clinton.
O-S-C-E SUMMIT Voice of America 17 November 1999 -- O-S-C-E officials insist the summit should demand a timetable from Russia on the withdrawal of troops from Chechnya. The increased number of Russian military in the area counters the Conventional Weapons Treaty ceiling for troops and equipment along Russia's southern flank.
RUSSIA / GEORGIA ATTACK Voice of America 17 November 1999 -- Georgia has protested to Russia about an air attack on Georgian territory along its border with Chechnya.
RUSSIA REFUGEES Voice of America 17 November 1999 -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata is due to arrive in Ingushetia on Thursday to witness the plight of nearly 210-thousand Chechen refugees.
ANGOLA / UNITA / BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS Voice of America 17 November 1999 -- Angolan authorities are allegedly considering the use of biological agents against fugitive UNITA rebel leader Jonas Savimbi. But regional analysts suspect the purported secret plan is just part of an ongoing Angolan misinformation effort.
ACEH VS EAST TIMOR Voice of America 17 November 1999 -- Aceh is important to Indonesia's economic prosperity. Aceh accounts for two percent of Indonesia's population but provides about 13 percent of the country's revenues. For example, Indonesia is the world's leading exporter of liquified natural gas, and one third of that gas comes from Aceh.
ACEH SEPARATISM Voice of America 17 November 1999 -- The guerilla "Free Aceh Movement" declared an independent Islamic state in 1976 -- which was never recognized by the Indonesian government or the international community. But the group has gained greater support across Aceh, since the Indonesian military crackdown.
INDONESIA / ACEH Voice of America 17 November 1999 -- One day after Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid announced he thought a referendum could be held on the future status of the northern province of Aceh, other government officials are questioning his statement.
RUSSIA'S WAR IN CHECHNYA LIKELY TO DOMINATE OSCE SUMMIT IN ISTANBUL USIA Foreign Media Reaction 17 November 1999 -- Russian papers also stressed that the meeting "is a make-or-break point" in terms of Moscow's relations with the West. Reformist Izvestiya held that "it will probably end as a stalemate, with both sides sticking to their guns," adding that "flogging Russia in public will hardly have any serious political effect" since it wouldn't force Russia to "give up its stand on Chechnya." And indeed, Russia's print media, with few exceptions, continued the drumbeat of support for their goverment's military campaign.
Text: Russian Operation in Chechnya Clouds OSCE Meetings 16 November 1999 -- Josiah Rosenblatt, deputy chief of the U.S. mission to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), said November 16 that Russia's "disproportionate" military campaign in Chechnya "hangs over our deliberations."
SOMALIA / LOCAL GOVERNMENTS Voice of America 16 November 1999 -- After nine years of anarchy, parts of Somalia are taking tentative steps toward restoring law and order.
LANKA PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATIONS Voice of America 16 November 1999 -- A record number of candidates have registered to run for president in December's elections in Sri Lanka. But the real contest is expected to be between the incumbent, Chandrika Kumaratunga, and opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. li> NORTHERN IRELAND Voice of America 16 November 1999 -- In Northern Ireland, Unionist and Republican leaders have issued public statements denouncing violence and promising cooperation to implement the 1998 Good-Friday agreement.
RUSSIA / O-S-C-E Voice of America 16 November 1999 -- Russia has launched a heated defense of its military offensive in Chechnya in advance of an expected barrage of international criticism at this week's European security summit.
RUSSIA / CHECHNYA Voice of America 16 November 1999 -- President Yeltsin has vowed to continue the military offensive in Chechnya despite international pressure to scale down the campaign.
ANGOLA RELIEF WORK Voice of America 16 November 1999 -- A United Nations official who recently returned from Angola says progress is being made in providing relief services there but that the need for help is great and is expected to grow.
ANGOLA / UNITA Voice of America 16 November 1999 -- Angola's top army officer says the government knows where UNITA rebel leader Jonas Savimbi is and suggests his capture or death could be imminent.
U-N-TALEBAN SANCTIONS Voice of America 16 November 1999 -- The United Nations Security Council today (Tuesday) condemned recent attacks on U-N offices in Afghanistan, but urged a continuation of humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.
AFGHAN SANCTIONS Voice of America 16 November 1999 -- The leader of Afghanistan's Taleban movement has asked for an end to protests against the sanctions the United Nations has now put in place against the Taleban.
INDONESIA/SEPARATISM Voice of America 16 November 1999 -- The president's backing for a referendum on Aceh's future places him at odds with the country's military, which fears such a vote will lead to the breakup of Indonesia.
INDONESIA / ACEH Voice of America 16 November 1999 -- Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid says it is likely that a referendum on the future of the troubled northern province of Aceh will be held in seven months.
SIERRA LEONE-U-N Voice of America 15 November 1999 -- A leading U-N humanitarian official said today (Monday) that the peace process between the government of Sierra Leone and rebel forces is at a critical juncture.
NORTHERN IRELAND Voice of America 15 November 1999 -- In Northern Ireland, former U-S Senator George Mitchell is keeping peace hopes alive with expressions of confidence that Unionists and Republicans will break the deadlock over disarming Irish Republican Army paramilitaries.
RUSSIA / CHECHNYA Voice of America 15 November 1999 -- President Boris Yeltsin has vowed to defend Russia's military offensive in Chechnya against a chorus of international criticism at this week's European security summit in Turkey.
E-U / CHECHNYA Voice of America 15 November 1999 -- European Union foreign ministers have condemned what they call Russia's use of indiscriminate force in Chechnya.
Text: Rubin: Sanctions on Taliban are Now in Effect 15 November 1999 -- The UN Security Council President announced November 15 that sanctions imposed on the Taliban by Security Council Resolution 1267 are now in effect.
SECURITY COUNCIL ANNOUNCES MEASURES AGAINST TALIBAN FOR FAILURE TO HAND OVER USAMA BIN LADEN Press Release SC/6756 - 15 November 1999 -- On 15 October, the Security Council at its 4051st meeting adopted resolution 1267 (1999) by which it demanded that the Taliban turn over Usama bin Laden without further delay to appropriate authorities in a country where he has been indicted.
ANGOLA / MBEKI Voice of America 15 November 1999 -- South African President Thabo Mbeki has rejected allegations that he had ever been detained in Angola in the early 1980s.
AFGHAN SANCTIONS Voice of America 15 November 1999 -- Demonstrations continued for a second day against U-N sanctions imposed on the Taleban in Afghanistan, for its failure to hand over suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden.
SUDAN/AMNESTY Voice of America 14 November 1999 -- Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has announced a measure aimed at pacifying human rights critics and attracting exiled opposition leaders into the country's political process.
CHECHEN FIGHTING Voice of America 14 November 1999 -- Prime Minister Putin says he's confident the Chechnya offensive IS succeeding despite growing international concern about civilian casualties.
AFGHANISTAN / SANCTIONS Voice of America 14 November 1999 -- Thousands of angry demonstrators have taken to the streets in the Afghan capital to protest U-N sanctions against the Taleban government for failing to hand over terrorism suspect Osama bin Laden.
PAKISTAN ATTACKS Voice of America 13 November 1999 -- Authorities in Pakistan have stepped up security at diplomatic missions in the country after a series of rocket attacks against U-S and United Nations offices in the capital.
CUBA - DISSENT Voice of America 13 November 1999 -- Around forty disidents have been detained in recent days and a number of others have been prohibited from traveling to Havana from various parts of the island nation.
RUSSIA / CHECHNYA Voice of America 13 November 1999 -- Russian troops continue to advance into the breakaway Chechen Republic amid a massive aerial bombardment.
EAST TIMOR REFUGEES Voice of America 12 November 1999 -- The U-N refugee agency (U-N-H-C-R) says it still is facing problems in organizing the return of thousands of East Timorese refugees.
PAK / BLASTS Voice of America 12 November 1999 -- Unidentified attackers fired several rockets at American and United Nations facilities in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, Friday.
TAJIKISTAN-U-N OBSERVERS Voice of America 12 November 1999 -- The United Nations Security Council today (Friday) unanimously approved a six-month extension of the U-N Observer Mission in Tajikistan.
RWANDA / TRIBUNAL Voice of America 12 November 1999 -- The chief prosecutor of the U-N's war crimes tribunal says she will visit Rwanda even though the government there has decided not to meet with her.
LESOTHO / AGREEMENT Voice of America 12 November 1999 -- Civil disturbances coupled with a mutiny in Lesotho's military eventually led the country's government to appeal for outside help. Troops from South Africa and Botswana intervened to restore order, triggering bloodshed and widespread property destruction.
AHERN - NORTHERN IRELAND PEACE Voice of America 12 November 1999 -- The largest of the groups favoring continued British rule, the Ulster Unionist Party, wants the Irish Republican Army to begin turning over its weapons before its political wing, Sinn Fein, takes up its leadership positions in the new Northern Ireland Assembly.
NORTHERN IRELAND Voice of America 12 November 1999 -- Former U-S Senator George Mitchell is trying to break an impasse over disarming the Irish Republican Army paramilitaries.
COLOMBIA EXPLOSION Voice of America 12 November 1999 -- Bombs revived fears that the possible extradition of several suspected drug traffickers to the United States may lead to a terror campaign reminiscent of the Pablo Escobar days.
RUSSIA / CHECHNYA Voice of America 12 November 1999 -- Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says federal forces have captured one of Chechnya's largest cities.
U-N-BURUNDI Voice of America 12 November 1999 -- The United Nations Security Council heard a report today (Friday) that conditions in the African nation of Burundi are at a critical stage.
AFRICAN REFUGEE SUNDAYS Voice of America 12 November 1999 -- The U-N High Commissioner for Refugee has begun a campaign to raise public awareness of the African refugee problem among Americans.
EDITORIAL: AFRICAN CRISIS RESPONSE Voice of America 12 November 1999 -- Originally proposed by President Bill Clinton in 1996, the African Crisis Response Initiative already involves Senegal, Mali, Ghana, Benin, Malawi, Uganda and Cote d'Ivoire.
PROTEST AGAINST TALEBAN SANCTIONS Voice of America 12 November 1999 -- A small group of Afghan-Americans gathered outside United Nations headquarters today (Friday) to protest impending sanctions against the Taleban rulers in Afghanistan.
INDONESIA / ACEH Voice of America 12 November 1999 -- The speaker of the national assembly Amien Rais believes that Indonesia will disintegrate if Aceh is allowed to become independent.
PRESS BRIEFING ON THE PRESIDENT'S TRIP TO EUROPE November 12, 1999 -- Clearly are terrorist elements in Chechnya.In our view -- sooner rather than later, we hope -- there needs to be a political dialogue that leads to some kind of a political resolution of this, that a purely military solution will come at great cost and not be durable.
BURUNDI SITUATION `PRECARIOUS', STEPS NEEDED TO STRENGTHEN PEACE PROCESS SECURITY COUNCIL TOLD DURING DAY-LONG DEBATE ON CRISIS 12 November 1999 Press Release SC/6753 -- The survival of Burundi's political partnership was threatened. Positions had hardened, and opposing camps approached the Arusha partnership differently. They were no longer on the same wavelength with respect to the guidelines of the process. This in turn might impact the next round of the negotiations and defer further the final signing of a possible Arusha agreement.
Text: State Dept. Issues Worldwide Caution on Taliban Sanctions 12 November 1999 -- The U.S. State Department issued a worldwide caution to U.S. citizens traveling abroad that United Nations sanctions against the Taliban Faction in Afghanistan will go into effect on November 14.
U.S. Defense Official Rates African Seminar Successful Partnership By Jim Fisher-Thompson Washington File 12 November 1999 -- Nancy Walker, the U.S. Defense Department official who strove for more than two years to establish a permanent U.S.-African seminar on civil-military relations, says she is happy to see this dream of "partnership" finally come true.
PRESS CONFERENCE BY PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF RWANDA 11 November 1999 -- "The ends of justice are not served by penalizing once again the people of Rwanda for the shortcomings of a United Nations prosecutor", Joseph W. Mutaboba, Permanent Representative of Rwanda to the United Nations, told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference this morning.
RUSSIA / POLICE TORTURE Voice of America 11 November 1999 -- An international human rights group says police torture is reaching epidemic proportions in Russia.
SECURITY / DEVELOPMENT Voice of America 11 November 1999 -- Investors say political stability is an important factor when looking for business opportunities. As a result, the military may be looked upon more and more as an economic asset for emerging democracies.
LANKANS FLEEING Voice of America 11 November 1999 -- Thousands of civilians are fleeing a town in Northern Sri Lanka, after warnings of new attacks by Tamil Tiger rebels.
ISLAMIST REVOLUTION Voice of America 11 November 1999 -- Some Westerners fear the world is threatened by a unified, cohesive revolutionary Islam. But there is no such thing, asserts Mark Katz, Professor of Government at George Mason University.
CONGO / U-N Voice of America 11 November 1999 -- In Congo-Kinshasa, a team of experts from the United Nations has begun a fact-finding tour of the country to prepare for the eventual deployment of a U-N peacekeeping force.
RUSSIA/CHECHNYA UPDATE Voice of America 11 November 1999 -- A European security organization mission has cut short a fact-finding mission to the northern Caucasus after being refused entry to Chechnya.
RUSSIA / CHECHNYA Voice of America 11 November 1999 -- Members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe mission left the Caucasus region Thursday, saying they were appalled by what they called the "alarming" plight of Chechen refugees.
SRI LANKA OPPOSITION Voice of America 10 November 1999 -- Sri Lanka's main opposition leader, and President Chandrika Kumaratunga's main rival in the next month's presidential elections, Ranil Wickremesinghe, says when he wins power he will begin talks with the Tamil Tiger rebels.
CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE RELIEF Voice of America 10 November 1999 -- The United Nations relief coordinator in Congo-Brazzaville, Bill Paton, says that although much suffering continues there, conditions are slowly starting to improve.
COLOMBIA DRUGS Voice of America 10 November 1999 -- The power of Colombia's drug mafias finally began to unravel three years ago, with the arrest of the Rodriguez-Orejuela brothers, the leaders of the Cali cartel. This time, there was no new mafia to take their place.
RUSSIA / FOREIGN Voice of America 10 November 1999 -- Russia is reacting forcefully to the growing chorus of international criticism of its military offensive in Chechnya. Russian officials are urging the West not to focus on Chechnya during next week's European security summit.
RUSSIA / CHECHNYA Voice of America 10 November 1999 -- Chechnya's leader has made an urgent plea for peace talks -- as Russian air and artillery forces continue to pound targets throughout the breakaway republic.
TURMOIL IN THE CAUCASUS Voice of America 10 November 1999 -- In Dagestan, Shamil Basayev's forces, including both Dagestani and Chechen Islamic militants, crossed the border. Russia's policy of maintaining instability keeps the West out and allows Moscow once again to project power. What's going on in Chechnya today is genocide. It compels us to think about serious measures to punish Russia.
ARMENIAN AFTERMATH Voice of America 10 November 1999 -- Allegations of external involvement in the shootings have been published in the press, but the sources of this violence are more likely domestic.
ANGOLA / UNITA Voice of America 10 November 1999 -- Authorities in Ireland appear to have suspended one of the last means of communication used by Angola's UNITA rebel movement.
INDONESIA ACEH Voice of America 10 November 1999 -- Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid is facing growing opposition within the government for the idea of holding an independence referendum in the troubled northern Aceh province.
ACEH / MEDIA Voice of America 10 November 1999 -- Journalists in Indonesia are facing prosecution for broadcasting interviews with the leader of separatist rebels in the troubled northern Aceh province.
Rwanda War Crimes Tribunal Working To Speed Up Trials By Judy Aita Washington File 10 November 1999 -- Concerned about the delays in bringing indicted war criminals to trial, the president of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda is now faced with the Rwandan government's refusal to cooperate with the tribunal.
PRESS BRIEFING BY UNITED NATIONS RESIDENT HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR FOR REPUBLIC OF CONGO 10 November 1999 -- Bill Paton, United Nations Resident Humanitarian Coordinator for the Republic of the Congo, said there were 810,000 displaced and recently returned persons in the country. About 100,000 of them had reached the coastal town of Port Noire, while a couple of hundred thousand others had reached the capital city of Brazzaville. He said about half a million were still in the interior of the country.
BRIEFING BY PRESIDENT OF RWANDA WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL 9 November 1999 -- The President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda told correspondents this afternoon that without Rwanda's cooperation, the Tribunal could not continue to try cases.
Text: Scheffer Delivers Albright Message to Hill Summit on Sudan 09 November 1999 -- The United States has worked intensely this year to revitalize the peace process led by Sudan's East African neighbors through the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). We now expect the warring parties to begin negotiations under this newly revitalized process this month.
UNHCR Concerned About Civilians in Chechnya By Wendy Lubetkin Washington File 09 November 1999 -- The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) expressed grave concern November 9 about the mounting toll of Russia's military actions on Chechnya's civilian population.
UNHCR / TIMOR Voice of America 09 November 1999 -- The U-N Refugee Agency says there has been a series of incidents in which militiamen in the Kupang and Atambua regions in West Timor harassed relief workers and refugees trying to return.
RWANDA STOPS COOPERATION Voice of America 09 November 1999 -- The government of Rwanda decided to suspend assistance to the tribunal as an apparent protest after the tribunal's appeals judges dismissed charges against Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza.
UNHCR / CHECHNYA Voice of America 09 November 1999 -- The U-N Refugee Agency says Chechen refugees are fleeing into neighboring Ingushetia at the rate of about four-thousand a day.
RUSSIA / CHECHNYA Voice of America 09 November 1999 -- Russia has banned flights between its southern regions bordering Chechnya and several Muslim countries in what appears to a bid to stop foreign mercenaries from joining Chechen forces.
CHECHNYA REFUGEES Voice of America 09 November 1999 -- The mass exodus of refugees from Chechnya is overwhelming the ability of aid agencies trying to help them. An estimated 200-thousand displaced Chechens have already fled to neighboring Ingushetia.
U-S / AFGHANISTAN Voice of America 09 November 1999 -- The letter written by Taleban leader, Mullah Omar, says the United States will be punished by god if it continues its campaign against the Taleban, which controls about 90 percent of Afghanistan.
AFGHAN / APPEAL Voice of America 09 November 1999 -- As the U-N deadline approaches, Taleban leader Mullah Omar has asked the United States to stop, what he calls - its hostile actions against the Afghan people.
INDONESIA/ ACEH / REBELS Voice of America 09 November 1999 -- Rebel leader Teungku Abdullah Syasfei says "it doesn't matter if the government decides to hold a referendum in Aceh "because, he says, "Indonesia is going to break apart."
SRI LANKA DEFEAT Voice of America 09 November 1999 -- Sri Lankan President, Chandrika Kumaratunga, has conceded losing towns in the country's north, in the recent fighting between Tamil Tiger rebels and government soldiers.
SAF - CONGO - ANGOLA Voice of America 09 November 1999 -- South Africa's Foreign Minister has voiced concern over the situation in Congo-Kinshasa, where a fragile cease-fire and peace agreement appear to be in danger.
INDONESIA - ACEH Voice of America 09 November 1999 -- The new president's stand on Aceh is bringing him into direct conflict with the Indonesian Armed Forces.
EAST TIMOR - INDONESIA OIL Voice of America 08 November 1999 -- The most promising potential source of revenue for East Timor comes from offshore oil and gas reserves.
U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing 08 November 1999 -- We remain extremely concerned about the indiscriminate use of force. Like other countries, Russia has assumed obligations under the Geneva Conventions and commitments under the OSCE Code of Conduct on political-military aspects of security. The conduct of Russia's current campaign is not in keeping with these commitments.
RWANDA GENOCIDE Voice of America 08 November 1999 -- Rwanda is suspending cooperation with the U-N war crimes court that is trying suspects in connection with Rwanda's 1994 genocide.
NORTHERN IRELAND Voice of America 08 November 1999 -- The transfer of home rule powers to Northern Ireland has been stalled by a dispute between pro-British Unionists and Republicans. At issue is the timing of disarming the Irish Republican Army paramilitaries.
RUSSIA / CHECHNYA Voice of America 08 November 1999 -- Russia is sending reinforcements to Chechnya, adding to the estimated 100-thousand troops stationed in and around the breakaway republic.
U-S - RUSSIA Voice of America 08 November 1999 -- The United States says Russia's use of indiscriminate military force in Chechnya is not in keeping with its commitments to the Geneva Conventions on humanitarian treatment in conflicts.
ANGOLA / HOSTAGE APPEAL Voice of America 08 November 1999 -- The wife of a South African metallurgist missing since unknown gunmen attacked the diamond mine where he was working in northeastern Angola one year ago has issued an impassioned appeal for the release of her husband and three other men.
ANGOLA / HOSTAGE APPEAL TEXT Voice of America 08 November 1999 -- Karen Larsen has issued a statement appealing for her husband's release and the release of three other men believed to have been abducted with him.
ACEH REFERENDUM Voice of America 08 November 1999 -- Up to 600-thousand people rallied in Indonesia's northern province of Aceh,(ah-chay) in the largest-ever show of support for an independence referendum.
SRI LANKA CENSORSHIP Voice of America 07 November 1999 -- The Sri Lankan government has imposed censorship on war news after major losses by the military in its civil war with the Tamil Tiger rebels. The government information department says imposition of censorship is in the national interest and to stop dissemination of false information.
EGYPT STUDENT DEMOS Voice of America 07 November 1999 -- In Egypt, hundreds of students at a university outside Cairo have demonstrated against the recent arrest of 20 Islamist union leaders.
CONGO REBELS Voice of America 07 November 1999 -- Rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba, of the Congolese Liberation Movement says the truce which went into effect in August has been violated so many times by the government that it no longer applies.
RUSSIA/CHECHNYA/POL Voice of America 07 November 1999 -- Senior Russian generals have served notice that they will not be stopped short of a complete military victory in Chechnya. Military commanders appear to be acting independently in the absence of strong political leadership in the Kremlin.
RUSSIA / CHECHNYA Voice of America 06 November 1999 -- Russia's defense minister and the Kremlin chief of staff say there is no disagreement between politicians and the defense ministry over the military campaign in Chechnya.
LANKAN FIGHTING Voice of America 06 November 1999 -- Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels are pushing to wrest control of key strategic towns from the military. The Tamil Tigers say their commando units have overrun Mankulam, killing and wounding hundreds of soldiers.
UNHCR / TIMOR Voice of America 05 November 1999 -- The United Nations Refugee Agency, U-N-H-C-R, is expressing alarm at what it says is the continued harassment by militiamen in West Timor of U-N staff and East Timorese refugees.
RWANDA WAR CRIMES Voice of America 05 November 1999 -- The U-N's Rwanda war crimes tribunal says a man accused of crimes against humanity during the 1994 Rwanda genocide should be released because his case took too long to come to trial.
MEXICO DEMO Voice of America 05 November 1999 -- After a tense standoff that lasted more than two and half hours, police and striking students in Mexico City avoided a violent clash on Friday through a negotiated compromise.
RESISTANCE GROUP OPERATIONS INCREASE 05 November 1999 -- The resistance staged 280 attacks in October, its highest number ever in a one-month period, according to UNIFIL. Almost all were carried out by Hizbullah and Amal, with a handful by the multi-faith Lebanese Resistance Brigades, a couple by the Communist-led National Resistance Movement and one by Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The monthly figures have climbed steadily since a brief lull in July; August recorded 190 attacks and September 220.
LANKAN FIGHTING Voice of America 05 November 1999 -- Fresh reinforcements are being moved to Sri Lanka's battlefront in the northern part of the country, as Tamil Tiger rebels and government soldiers continue to battle it out.
U-N-CONGO MANDATE Voice of America 05 November 1999 -- A cease-fire agreement has been in effect since last July involving the government of Congolese President Laurent Kabila, rebel groups and the governments which support the rebels. However, widespread violations of the cease-fire have occurred.
WAR IN CHECHNYA, KILLINGS IN ARMENIA: PUNDITS MULL OVER HOW TO 'COOL THE CAUCASUS' Foreign Media Reaction Issue Focus 05 November 1999 -- By its "reconquest" of Chechnya, Russia--according to some Moscow papers--has served notice to the U.S. that Russia "has stopped retreating from the...Caucasus," and intends to "scuttle" U.S. plans to "gain full control" over the region. Some editorialists also noted Washington's "hurry to settle the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia in time for the oil wells to become fully operational."
CHECHNYA VICTIMS Voice of America 05 November 1999 -- Reports from witnesses suggest thousands have been killed since the bombing began two months ago. Perhaps tens of thousands more have been wounded.
RUSSIA / CHECHNYA Voice of America 05 November 1999 -- Russian air and artillery attacks continue against suspected Islamic terrorists in Chechnya, but a top Russian official is urging refugees from the breakaway republic to return to their homes.
UNHCR / CHECHNYA Voice of America 05 November 1999 -- The U-N Refugee Agency reports about 10-thousand Chechens have crossed the border into Ingushetia over the past two days. Prior to that, the Russians allowed, at most, only a few hundred people to pass through.
Food Crisis Intensifies in Southern Somalia, U.N. Says 05 November 1999 -- The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization says that an upsurge in inter-clan fighting in southern Somalia has exacerbated already-disrupted food production activities and assistance to civil war and drought victims.
PRESS BRIEFING BY SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON HUMAN RIGHTS, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 5 November 1999 -- The cease-fire, achieved after many tortuous discussions between the various parties and countries concerned, was the result of African efforts, for it was mainly African countries such as Zambia, The Republic of South Africa, and Libya as well, that had thrown enormous effort into establishing a cease-fire. However, the cease-fire was a very fragile thing; it would appear that there were countries and groups on the lookout for an excuse to break it.
BRIEFING BY HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR IN KINSHASA 4 November 1999 -- The Democratic Republic of the Congo had suffered from the effects of 35 years of misrule and corruption, followed by wars in 1996 and 1997 and then, in August 1998, a second wave of conflict. Now, there were more than 800,000 internally displaced persons and some 150,000 refugees in other countries.
Text: Sestanovich Statement on Chechnya to Senate Committee 04 November 1999 -- While recognizing Russia's "obligation to protect itself and its citizens from terrorist and other attacks," U.S. Ambassador-at-Large Stephen Sestanovich told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee November 4 that "this obligation does not and cannot justify indiscriminate attacks on civilians, the blocking of borders to prevent civilians from fleeing, or other violations of human rights."
Text: Rubin: U.S. Is Concerned About Humanitarian Crisis in Afghanistan 04 November 1999 -- Up to 65,000 persons displaced by the military tactics of the Taliban in fighting since this summer are currently taking refuge in the opposition-controlled Panshir Valley. Another 80,000 have been displaced in the Kunduz/Takhar area to the north of the Panshir.
WHO / EAST TIMOR Voice of America 04 November 1999 -- The World Health Organization, W-H-O, warns that cholera, malaria and tuberculosis pose major health threats in East Timor.
LANKA ARTILLERY Voice of America 04 November 1999 -- Tamil separatists attacked two important strategic towns; Oddusuddan and Nedunkerni, under an operation code-named "Unceasing Wave Three" and took control of the areas Wednesday. A statement issued by the rebel headquarters in London says the army suffered more than one-thousand dead and injured in the battles.
KASHMIR ATTACK Voice of America 04 November 1999 -- Troops in Indian-administered Kashmir on Thursday closed down much of downtown Srinigar - the summer capital of India's Jammu and Kashmir state - following the first attack ever by Muslim militants on army headquarters.
KENYA / ETHIOPIA REFUGEES Voice of America 04 November 1999 -- Hundreds of Kenyan refugees are stranded along the border between Ethiopia and Kenya after the government of Kenya suspended a United Nations-sponsored operation to return them home.
CONGO-HUMANITARIAN AID Voice of America 04 November 1999 -- Darioush Bayandor, the representative in Congo for the U-N High Commissioner for Refugees, says close to one million people in Congo are either displaced or have become refugees as a result of fighting between the government and rebel factions.
SENATE-CHECHNYA Voice of America 04 November 1999 -- Elena Bonner, the widow of the late Andrei Sakharov and a human-rights activist herself, denounced the latest Chechen war as a crime against humanity.
RUSSIA / CHECHNYA Voice of America 04 November 1999 -- Russia's emergency situations minister, Sergey Shoigu, says Russian authorities will take action to alleviate refugee overcrowding in Ingushetia.
THREAT INFORMATION U.S. Embassy Luanda 04 November 1999 -- The success of the (Angolan) government's recent offensive may prompt UNITA to retaliate against vulnerable economic and political targets, markedly increasing the threat to U.S. and foreign interests in Angola.
UNHCR / ANGOLA Voice of America 04 November 1999 -- The U-N Refugee Agency reports there has been a sharp increase in the number of people fleeing Angola into Zambia during the past four weeks.
ANGOLA / UNITA Voice of America 04 November 1999 -- Authorities in Dublin say they are continuing their investigation into the apparent presence in Ireland of an office operated by Angola's UNITA rebel movement.
INDONESIAN PRESIDENT / ACEH Voice of America 04 November 1999 -- Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid gave his qualified support to the idea of an independence referendum in the troubled northern province of Aceh. But other officials in the government say such a referendum is still a long way off.
INDONESIA / ACEH Voice of America 04 November 1999 -- The Indonesian military has announced it will begin to withdraw troops from the troubled northern province of Aceh this month. But the move may not be enough to satisfy many Acehnese who want an independence referendum to be held in the province.
RUSSIA / YELTSIN Voice of America 03 November 1999 -- According to an opinion poll released Wednesday, Prime Minister Putin's popularity is reaching record highs because of the war with Chechnya, which many Russians support.
ARMENIA / POLITICS Voice of America 03 November 1999 -- Armenia's president, Robert Kocharian, has appointed Aram Sarkisian as the country's new prime minister. He replaces his brother, who was assassinated last week along with several other politicians.
PRESS BRIEFING ON AFGHANISTAN 3 November 1999 -- "We could have a serious humanitarian disaster on our hands come December, unless we gain access to the large number of displaced persons within the country", Eric de Mul, Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, told correspondents at a Headquarters press briefing this afternoon.
AFGHAN REFUGEES Voice of America 03 November 1999 -- The United Nations warned today (Wednesday) of a potential humanitarian disaster if humanitarian aid to refugees in Afghanistan is not provided by the end of November.
A 'NEW ERA' BEGINS FOR EAST TIMOR Foreign Media Reaction Issue Focus 03 November 1999 -- A number of European commentators worried that Indonesia's new president, Abdurrahman Wahid, might not be up to the "Herculean task" of keeping the "bleeding [Indonesian] giant together" in the aftermath of independence for East Timor.
EAST TIMOR HUMAN RIGHTS Voice of America 03 November 1999 -- The head of the international peacekeeping force in East Timor says roughly 80-thousand people remain unaccounted for after the murderous rampage by anti-independence militias across the territory in September.
SRI LANKA BATTLES Voice of America 03 November 1999 -- In Sri Lanka, Tamil tiger rebels have attacked two strategically important towns in the country's north. Both the government forces and the rebels are reported to have suffered hundreds of casualties in fierce fighting.
Human Rights Experts Discuss Atrocities Prevention By Stuart Gorin Washington File 03 November 1999 -- A just-concluded conference organized to create an atrocities prevention regime brought together 130 government and nongovernment human rights experts from 10 nations.
PRESS CONFERENCE BY AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER 2 November 1999 -- The mission of the Multinational Force in East Timor -- INTERFET - - was going well, and peace and security had been restored, Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer, told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference this morning.
BACKGROUND BRIEFING BY SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL November 2, 1999 -- We're very concerned that Russia is pursuing a strategy that could entail major and increasing civilian casualties in Chechnya, and we stressed that it's not in the interest of any country, for that matter, to try to resolve internal problems at the price of a major loss of life of innocent people.
Text: U.S. "Deeply Concerned" by Reported Military Movements in DROC 02 November 1999- The United States is "deeply concerned" by reports of military preparations, including the movement of troops and materiel deployed by forces on both sides in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DROC), the U.S. Department of State announced.
U-N-H-C-R / EAST TIMOR Voice of America 02 November 1999 -- The U-N refugee agency says anti-independence militias are obstructing the return of East Timorese refugees from camps in West Timor.
SIERRA LEONE SITREP Voice of America 02 November 1999 -- In Sierra Leone, cracks appear to be widening within the former rebel alliance. Troops from the rival factions have clashed sporadically since mid-October.
SRI LANKA KILLING Voice of America 02 November 1999 -- Two days of heavy fighting in the north of the country has killed more than 60 Tamil tiger rebels and government soldiers.
TURKEY / KURDS Voice of America 02 November 1999 -- Turkey's top military official says at least 700-rebels of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, the P-K-K, have withdrawn from Turkish territory in recent months.
CHECHNYA BORDER SCENE Voice of America 02 November 1999 -- Russia's current military offensive in Chechnya has triggered a mass exodus of civilians -- an estimated 200-thousand people.
RUSSIA - U-S Voice of America 02 November 1999 -- U.S. officials say President Clinton plans to make a personal appeal to Russia's prime minister during talks in Oslo to try to minimize civilian casualties in Russia's military campaign in Chechnya.
U-N-H-C-R / CHECHNYA Voice of America 02 November 1999 -- The United Nations refugee agency, U-N-H-C-R, is voicing continued concern about the thousands of people stranded along the border between Chechnya and Ingushetia (in Southern Russia).
POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN ARMENIA Voice of America 02 November 1999 -- Armenia has suffered comparatively little of the political violence that has ravaged other newly independent states.
ATROCITIES / ROBINSON Voice of America 02 November 1999 -- The U-N High Commissioner for Human Rights warns that atrocities are occurring or imminent in Africa's Great Lakes region and the former Yugoslavia.
INDONESIA / ACEH Voice of America 02 November 1999 -- Demonstrators in Indonesia's northern province of Aceh set fire to a local assembly-building and a police post during a protest to demand a referendum be held to allow the people decide whether the province should break free of Indonesia.
ATROCITIES / SCHEFFER Voice of America 01 November 1999 -- A top State Department official says the Rwandan genocide in the mid-nineties taught important lessons on how to respond to humanitarian crises.
CLINTON-CHECHNYA Voice of America 01 November 1999 -- U-S officials have watched the Chechnya fighting with increasing alarm. Aides say Mr. Clinton will express his personal concern to the Russian Prime Minister about the escalating violence.
ANGOLA / UNITA Voice of America 01 November 1999 -- The U-N Angola Sanctions Committee may order the closure of the UNITA rebel movement's internet website, one of the beleaguered rebel group's last remaining means of communication.
Overseas Security Advisory Council Annual Briefing U.S. Department of State November 1, 1999 -- This year's briefing will focus on the issues pertaining to cyber crime and terrorism and will be open for media coverage.
Aggressive extremism under cover of Islam: adventure in Dagestan, its consequences and lessons Morozov Y., Lutovinov V. 25.11.1999
Legal Assessment of the Actions of Persons Who Are in Power in the Chechen Republic from the Viewpoint of International Law Russian Federation Ministry of Justice information 20.11.1999