Military

SHAPE News Morning Update

13 August 2004

KOSOVO

• Criticizing plans by the Serb minority to boycott elections, Kosovo’s UN administrator warned Thursday against “anti-democratic” actions that could damage attempts to return the province to post-war normality. Charles Brayshaw, the acting head of UNMIK, made the comments after Serb political parties appeared to be leaning toward embracing a boycott call issued by Serbia’s prime minister. (AP 121950 Aug 04)

WAR ON TERRORISM

• U.S. Defence Secretary Rumsfeld thanked Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev for his country’s support in the war on terrorism. He spoke with President Aliev on Thursday in Baku on a trip to visit U.S. allies in the region. Azerbaijan is the only predominantly Muslim country that has contributed troops to the multinational coalition in Iraq. Azerbaijan has also troops in Afghanistan. (AP 130014 Aug 04)
  
  
• The United States will give an additional US $21 million in military aid to Uzbekistan to prevent the proliferation of biological weapons, a senior Foreign Ministry official said Thursday in Tashkent. Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov said the decision was announced by visiting U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard B. Myers, who met with President Islam Karimov on Thursday to discuss regional security and the situation in Afghanistan. (AP 121219 Aug 04)

RUSSIA

• Russia will boost defence spending by 40 percent next year, with some extra money aimed at increasing monetary allowances for soldiers, Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said in Moscow. Mr. Kudrin, who addressed President Putin during a meeting also attended by defence and law enforcement ministers, said an extra US $24.1million will be allocated next year, according to remarks broadcast on Russian television. This year’s budget set aside around US $13.5 billion for the military. Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said that the number of contract soldiers will increase to about 50,000 people by 2005, ITAR-Tass reported. Meanwhile, President Putin said that a new federal program, called “Anti-Terror” would be implemented in 2005, with about US $79 billion allocated toward it. He gave no further details about what the program would entail. (AP 121753 Aug 04)

SUDAN

• Several African countries have indicated their willingness to send troops to Darfur provided they are requested by the African Union (AU), an official of the pan-African organisation said on Thursday. “Tanzania, Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Senegal and Mali are among countries which have indicated their willingness to contribute troops to serve as peacekeepers under the aegis of the African Union,” said Assane Ba, in charge of communication at the Peace and Security Council Department of the AU. (Reuters 121426 GMT Aug 04)