The Star Online: World Updates
The Star Online: World Updates |
- Libya risks extremism if war drags on - World Bank
- US Senate confirms Petraeus as CIA director
- Venezuela's Chavez says was treated for cancer
| Libya risks extremism if war drags on - World Bank Posted: 30 Jun 2011 08:53 PM PDT REUTERS - A protracted struggle for Libya could leave it in the hands of extremists instead of the liberal economic technocrats who now lead its rebel movement, the World Bank's representative for Libya said on Thursday.
"If this civil war goes on, it would be a new Somalia, which I don't say lightly," said Marouane Abassi, World Bank country manager for Libya who has been in Tunisia since February. "In three months we could be dealing with extremists. That's why time is very important in this conflict, before we face problems in managing it." Abassi, who is Tunisian, said the World Bank had been working with Libya since 2006 on plans for economic reforms led by leader Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam, although many of those reform plans were scuppered by Gaddafi. He described some of the leaders of the rebel Transitional National Council as among those most strongly associated with economic reform plans. "...We know them, we did good work with them," Abassi said, citing Ali Issawi, a former economy minister and ambassador, and Mahmoud Jebril, who resigned from a state economic think-tank after Gaddafi overruled his suggestions for liberalising the economy. "These guys tried inside (Gaddafi's government). In 2009 Gaddafi stopped the connection between us and them," said Abassi. Nevertheless, parts of Gaddafi's government and local councils were still seeking World Bank advice up to February, when pro-democracy protests broke out, he said. "In the last two years it was a battle between reformists and the old guard. But even the last minister of economy who was against us ... accepted the rules of the game," he said. The rebellion, which began with an uprising in February and has been backed by Western air strikes since March, has so far failed to dislodge Gaddafi, raising pressure on Western countries to take more decisive action. France said on Wednesday it had sent arms to the rebels, which some countries believe violates an arms embargo. Gaddafi says the Western intervention is a plot to steal Libya's oil. Abassi said he left the World Bank's Tripoli office on Feb. 20 after government forces began suppressing protesters. "Now we are trying to understand how we can help Libya after the conflict," he said. Tunisia, where he is now based, is also suffering financially, losing some $200 million a month in remittances and other revenue from Tunisian expatriates who have returned. "Over 65,000 Tunisians have returned out of 125,000 who were living in Libya. They are like refugees in Tunisia without revenue. Tunisia gave them some cash handouts and we are trying to provide funds and grants," Abassi said. "Over 1.7 million Libyans come each year to Tunisia and for the Tunisian economy it's very important. They spend a lot of money on health -- maybe 50 percent of the revenue in clinics in the south is from Libyans," Abassi said. (Editing by Peter Graff) Copyright © 2011 Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. | ||
| US Senate confirms Petraeus as CIA director Posted: 30 Jun 2011 08:53 PM PDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to confirm General David Petraeus to be the new director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, was nominated by President Barack Obama to replace Leon Panetta, who is leaving the CIA to become Pentagon chief. Petraeus is expected to start his new job in September. Copyright © 2011 Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. | ||
| Venezuela's Chavez says was treated for cancer Posted: 30 Jun 2011 08:53 PM PDT CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Thursday he had undergone a successful operation in Cuba to extract cancerous cells and was on the road to full recovery.
Chavez, in a televised speech, said the medical process was "slow and careful" and he was on the road to "full recovery". It was the first address by the 56-year-old socialist leader since he underwent surgery in Havana on June 10, triggering widespread speculation he might be seriously ill. Chavez said he was determined to "overcome" the battle for his health and ended his speech with the revolutionary slogan "Until victory forever." Fans and critics alike had been poring over the latest video of Chavez for clues to his health after the scrapping of a regional summit he had been due to host kept the guessing game going. Analysts said his prolonged absence was fueling tensions between factions in his ruling Socialist Party, although it is unclear whether his opponents can capitalize on the situation. Hours after releasing new video on Wednesday of the president walking and chatting with his friend and mentor, Cuba's Fidel Castro, Venezuela canceled a July 5-6 summit coinciding with its 200th anniversary of independence. That was a heavy blow for supporters who wanted the charismatic but authoritarian president -- who loves to grandstand at such big events -- back home in time for the national party. "Uncertainty is now intensifying in Venezuela," said Diego Moya-Ocampos, a Venezuelan analyst at IHS Global Insight. "A prolonged absence by Chavez could encourage a likely political crisis of unprecedented levels." Inheriting Castro's mantle as Washington's main irritant in Latin America, Chavez has become one of the world's most well known leaders during his 12 years in power. The official line had been that he was recovering well from an operation to remove a pelvic abscess and will return soon. Venezuela's benchmark dollar-denominated 2027 global bond rose 1.000 point in price to bid 74.500 with a yield of 13.070. That followed a 2.8 percent rally on Monday. Local analysts say some in the market appear to have decided a weakened Chavez is better than no Chavez at all -- which would imply a power vacuum and potential for chaos. A government program to repurchase sovereign bonds and ones from state oil company PDVSA may also be supporting prices. (Editing by Mohammad Zargham and Sandra Maler) Copyright © 2011 Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
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