TIME EUROPE
May 29, 2000 VOL. 155 NO. 21
World Watch
Belfast
Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble postponed a crucial meeting of his party's council, hoping to reverse a well-organized campaign by hard-liners against rejoining Northern Ireland's executive. He had unsuccessfully sought concessions from London, including a reversal of its plan to rename the Royal Ulster Constabulary. Now he must concentrate on selling the virtues of the Irish Republican Army's recent offer to allow inspections of some of its arms dumps, which the I.R.A. promises will begin a process to "completely and verifiably put I.R.A. arms beyond use."
Vienna
The Austrian government announced a settlement giving one-time payments of $7,000 to former concentration camp inmates forced into labor by the Nazis. The $393.4 million fund will benefit the estimated 150,000 surviving victims. Under pressure from the U.S., Chancellor Wolfgang Scheussel also said a commission of historians would investigate claims by people whose property was seized by the Nazis. The government still faces an $18 billion classaction in New York City filed on behalf of those who claim to have been dispossessed.
Belgrade
In a brazen crackdown on free expression in Serbia, President Slobodan Milosevic ordered the takeover of Studio B, the country's largest opposition television station. The government raided the offices of other independent media outlets, including B2-92 Radio and the daily newspaper Blic. Studio B had been run by the city government of Belgrade, which is controlled by the opposition Serbian Renewal Movement. The crackdown was seen as a response to the growing strength of the anti-government student movement Otpor. In the wake of the government's moves, 30,000 opposition supporters clashed with riot police in Belgrade.
Ramallah
As Israeli and Palestinian negotiators in Sweden struggled to reach agreement on the outlines of a peace treaty, the worst skirmishes in four years erupted in the West Bank. Early last week, demonstrators calling for the release of 1,650 Palestinian prisoners clashed with Israeli troops, leading to gun battles which left three Palestinians dead. Further disturbances continued through the week, with another outbreak of live cross-fire on Friday in the Gaza Strip. Prime Minister Ehud Barak said the government's planned handover of three villages near Jerusalem would depend on the Palestinian Authority's ability to curb further violence.
Barentu
The U.N. reported that as many as 1 million people fled incursions by Ethiopian troops deep into the southwest region of Eritrea. Another 50,000 refugees crossed into Sudan, with thousands more expected to arrive. Ethiopia consolidated its control of the strategic town of Barentu and conducted aerial bombardments on towns along the Eritrean coast, 200 km northeast of the main area of fighting. The crisis threatened international attempts to avert famine for some 16 million people suffering because of a prolonged drought in the region. The U.N. Security Council imposed an arms embargo on both countries for a period of one year.
Freetown
A force of 800 British paratroopers managed to secure key positions in Freetown, including the Lungi Airport, as international forces continued their standoff with rebels from the Revolutionary United Front. The paratroopers killed four rebels and assisted in the airlift of rebel leader Foday Sankoh, who last week was captured and placed in the custody of the Sierra Leone government. Sankoh's arrest put the R.U.F. on the defensive and the government army, along with bands of irregulars, have stepped up their offensive. The rebels freed some 240 U.N. hostages, but are believed to be holding at least 250 more. The U.N. Security Council voted to increase the size of the peacekeeping force from 11,100 to 13,000.
Jaffna
Tamil rebels renewed their attacks on army defences on the Jaffna peninsula, saying they had captured the strategic Kaithady garrison town, 3 km east of Jaffna city. The government confirmed that 43 soldiers had been wounded and rushed weapons to a northern Jaffna airbase. The Tamil Tigers shelled the airbase, which provides the main supply source for government troops in Jaffna, and there were reports of attacks by Sri Lankan aircraft on rebel artillery positions. The U.S.-based Human Rights Watch expressed concern about the safety of about 500,000 civilians on the Jaffna peninsula, saying shelling by both sides was in violation of international humanitarian law.
Jolo
A series of grenade blasts shook the southern Philippines, killing seven people and injuring dozens more. The Islamic militant group Abu Sayyaf was held responsible for the attacks, which targeted civilians near a police station, in a crowded alley and at a rice stall. The Abu Sayyaf continued to hold 21 Western and Asian hostages on the island of Jolo and eight more Filipino hostages on nearby Basilan island. Negotiators labored to secure agreement from the rebels on a framework for negotiations to end the crisis.
Jakarta
Champions of human rights in Indonesia won a muted triumph when a joint civilian-military tribunal convicted 24 soldiers and one civilian for last year's massacre of 57 villagers in Aceh. Though the trial was supposed to demonstrate the government's commitment to atoning for the military's history of abuse, the relatively light sentences handed down — eight to 10 years in prison for each perpetrator — disappointed activists. The soldiers and their civilian guide had been charged with killing a group of students and their teacher, a prominent advocate of Aceh separatism, at an Islamic boarding school in the village of Beutong Aceh.
Suva
Seven men armed with AK-47s stormed Fiji's Parliament and detained Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry and his ethnic-Indian-dominated government. Their leader, George Speight, a former timber industry official, said the group had executed a civil coup on behalf of the indigenous people of Fiji and named government M.P. Timoci Silatolu as the new Prime Minister. As rioters looted and burned shops in downtown Suva, President Ratu Sir Kamasese Mara declared a state of emergency. Speight and his accomplices did not appear to have the support of the military. Sitiveni Rabuka, the former army strongman who seized power in a 1987 coup and lost it to Chaudhry in free elections a year ago, asked the group to reconsider their action.
Bogotá
The brutal murder of a Colombian farmer placed ongoing peace talks in jeopardy. President Andres Pastrana suspended the next round of talks between international delegates and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, farc, guerrillas after Elvia Cortez, a 53-year-old dairy farmer, was killed by a collar bomb allegedly placed on her neck by farc soldiers in a botched extortion attempt. Pastrana called the killings "barbaric" and called on the farc to cease kidnapings, murders and extortions immediately. A public hearing is set to begin May 29 between the farc and representatives from 21 countries, including Canada, the U.S. and the European Union, to discuss crop substitution programs.
Lima
Presidential candidate Alejandro Toledo announced he would not participate in the May 28 run-off round of Peru's presidential elections, saying that doing so would only serve to legitimize a fraudulent election. Toledo requested that the national electoral board postpone the runoff, in which he was set to oppose incumbent candidate Alberto Fujimori, until June 18 to allow more time for improving conditions in what has been a widely criticized electoral process. Toledo's announcement came on the heels of increasing calls from international observer groups to postpone the date in order to review new vote-counting software, which was recently implemented by the office of electoral processes. The National Electoral Board rejected Toledo's request for a postponement.
Birmingham
Two former members of the Ku Klux Klan turned themselves in after a grand jury indicted them on murder charges for the 1963 bombing of a black Baptist church in Alabama which killed four young girls attending Sunday School. The bombing seared the South and galvanized the civil rights movement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has long believed that elements of the Klan were complicit in the bombing, but until last week only one suspect had been charged and convicted for the crime.
This edition's table of contents
TIME Europe home
More stories from TIME Europe and related links
E-mail us at mail@timeatlantic.com
COPYRIGHT © 2000 TIME INC.
|
|
|
|
May 29, 2000
COVER
Beyond 2000: A New World of Work
EUROPE
Shell-shocked
Angry Dutch residents want answers after a fireworks factory explodes in the middle of their neighborhood
Power Grab
Putin reveals his leadership plans
Rebel Yell
Serb protests against Milosevic's media crackdown kick-start opposition leaders into action
Campaign of Terror
Greece is second only to Colombia in its number of anti-American terrorist attacks
Viewpoint
The E.U. needs a constitutional framework
AFRICA
Ray of Hope
A warlord's capture sparks jubilation in Freetown
BUSINESS
BooHoo.com
A much-hyped dotcom has gone belly up. How many more will follow?
TIME FINANCE
The Pension Problem
As the number of workers to support retirees dwindles, Europe's governments must face a looming financial crisis
Your Money
Rules for planning your retirement
Viewpoint
The early bird can't always expect success
DEPARTMENTS
To Our Readers
World Watch
|
|
