English
ItalianoCampaigning for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights, Democracy, the Rule of Law and International Justice
12 Dec 2011 - NPWJ News Digest on Middle East and North Africa Democracy
Articles
Libyan militia, army clash near Tripoli’s airport
Jordan Times (AP) , 12 Dec 2011
TRIPOLI (AP) - Revolutionary fighters clashed with national army troops near Tripoli's airport, leaving one person dead, officials said Sunday. The violence reflects the difficulties Libya's new leaders face as they try to stamp their authority on the disparate militias that overthrew Muammar Qadhafi.
The clashes highlight one of the biggest challenges facing Libya's new leaders - establishing functioning security services, including an army and border guards. Currently, semiautonomous militias that fought against Qadhafi still control key locations, including the capital's airport, and have proven reluctant to submit to the authority of the still weak interim national government.
Assembly set to elect Tunisian interim president
Associated Press, Bouazza Ben Bouazza, 12 Dec 2011
Tunisia's new constitutional assembly appeared set Monday to elect a veteran human rights activist to serve as the country's interim president. The election of the interim president follows the weekend approval of temporary bylaws to guide the nation until the assembly finishes a constitution.
The assembly is expected to choose as the interim president veteran rights activist Moncef Marzouki of the liberal Congress for the Republic Party, which is part of a ruling coalition led by the moderate Islamist Ennahda Party.
The new bylaws give most of the power to the prime minister, as opposed to the president under the old system — a change that worries the opposition. The bylaws also stipulate that the president must be Muslim with Tunisian parents.
The president is expected to appoint a prime minister from Ennahda. The centering of power in the hands of the prime minister especially created disquiet among the opposition. Nejib Chebbi of the left of center Progressive Democratic Party warned of "a new dictatorship."
Syrian troops and activists fight one of biggest battles since uprising began
The Telegraph, 12 Dec 2011
Syrian troops and army defectors have fought one of the biggest battles in the nine-month uprising while a protest strike shut businesses in a new gesture of civil disobedience, residents and activists said.
Arab foreign ministers will meet on Saturday to discuss a response to Syria's conditional acceptance of an Arab peace plan aimed at ending its crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.
In a major international development likely to raise Western pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, France's Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said Paris believed Syria was behind attacks that wounded French peacekeepers in neighbouring Lebanon on Friday.
In Sunday's fighting, Syrian troops mainly from the 12th Armoured Brigade based in Isra, 25 miles from the southern border with Jordan, stormed the nearby town of Busra al-Harir.
Arrests, skirmish between protesters, Syrian embassy employees in Jordan
CNN, Amir Ahmed, 12 Dec 2011
Tensions flared Sunday at Syria's embassy in Jordan -- an incident an embassy official described as an attack on Syrian employees, while an activist deemed it a peaceful demonstration before the protesters themselves were attacked.
The accounts of what transpired varied greatly, depending on the source. Syria's vice ambassador to Jordan, Mohammad Abu Serreah, claimed about a dozen protesters were involved. Jordanian-based opposition activist Omar Abdallah, meanwhile, said there were six men.
The group was dressed inconspicuously – some in suits and others casually – when they arrived as the embassy opened at 9 a.m., said Serreah. After entering the building, they took off their jackets to show that they were wearing T-shirts in support of the Syrian opposition, he said.
Grasping at Peace, War Zone of a City Tests Yemen
The New York Times (Taiz Journal), Kareem Fahim, 11 Dec 2011
TAIZ, Yemen — Armed tribesmen had finally retreated from a pocket of this city, handing back to the state an education building they had occupied in recent weeks. The governor, elated, called it a breakthrough.
Dozens of people had been killed during weeks of violence. Cease-fires had come and gone. Now, the building handover again raised the possibility of a truce. For eight hours, the streets were quiet.
Tunisian Islamists say Jews are full citizens
Al Arabiya, AFP news Agency, 10 Dec 2011
Tunisia’s moderate Islamist Ennahda party said in a statement Saturday that Jews living in the North African country were citizens with “all their rights and duties.”
The party, which emerged as a dominant force in October elections, criticized an invitation last week by Israel’s Deputy Prime Minister Silvan Shalom for Tunisian Jews to settle in Israel.
“Tunisia remains, today and tomorrow, a democratic state that respects its citizens and looks after them regardless of their religion,” Ennahda said. It added that “members of the Jewish community in Tunisia are citizens enjoying all their rights and duties."
Read More
Libyan Civilians Hold on to a Deadly Legacy
The New York Times (Misurata Journal), C. J. CHIVERS, 07 Dec 2011
[…] Guns, many Libyans say, set them free. And with the future uncertain and memories of persecution fresh, almost no one is yet sure how to give the guns up, even as they acknowledge that much of their former ruler’s arsenal would be better not loose.
“It is difficult to put down the guns right now, because I do not know who is my enemy and who is my friend,” Mr. Hameda said. “When we will have a new government, and it is strong and we trust it, then we will give them the guns. But not now, not to the N.T.C.”
The N.T.C., or Transitional National Council, is Libya’s interim government, which many Libyans have accepted as only the temporary authorities. [...]
Egypt military rulers say parliament won’t be representative after Islamists dominate election
The Washington Post, 07 Dec 2011
Egypt’s military rulers said Wednesday the next parliament will not be representative enough to independently oversee the drafting of a constitution, and they will appoint a council to check the influence of religious extremists on the process.
The announcement followed a surprisingly strong showing by Islamist groups who took the overwhelming majority in the first round of parliamentary elections. The outcome caused concern among the liberals who drove Egypt’s uprising and the military, which took power from ousted leader Hosni Mubarak.
