Vol. 8 Issue 7 - Public International Law & Policy Group

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"There's no alternative to peace, that is why I'm calling (on) the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) leadership to go back to the negotiating table to resolve our differences peacefully," Razon said in statement. He said the government was also committed to "review and propose enhancements to the nature and structure of the facilitation process." Razon did not elaborate, but the MILF had said previous government negotiators were not prepared to address key rebel demands, including the proposed expansion of a Muslim autonomous area that was to have fallen under its control. That proposed land deal was blocked by the courts late last year, leading to subsequent attacks by two MILF commanders across several towns and provinces on Mindanao island. President Gloria Arroyo subsequently cut off peace talks, and demanded that the MILF surrender two of its commanders. That demand was rejected by the MILF. The fighting that followed led to the displacement of over half a million people and the deaths of some 300 rebels, soldiers and civilians. On Monday, the government said 124 people, mostly children, had also died in squalid evacuation camps. The Brussels-based <strong>International</strong> Crisis <strong>Group</strong> (ICG) said on Monday both sides should focus on reaching an interim ceasefire since a "broader settlement of the conflict seems out of reach" until Arroyo's six-year term ends in 2010. "As it stands, the two sides are too far apart, the potential spoilers too numerous and the political will in Manila too weak to hope for a negotiated peace anytime soon," said Sidney Jones, the ICG's senior adviser in Asia. The ICG said however that it was possible for both sides to move towards restricting movements of the commanders involved in the attacks, while at the same time agreeing to a ceasefire. Learn about PILPG’s work in the Philippines Return to Table of Contents
Somalia Overcrowding at Kenya refugee camp must be tackled Agence France Presse, 2/13/09 The UN refugee agency said Friday that the population of one of the world's largest refugee camps in Kenya, home to nearly 250,000 people, needs to be be reduced because of health risks. The comments by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees came after a cholera outbreak in north-eastern Kenya's Hagadera, one of the three sites that form the sprawling and overcrowded Dadaab camp that houses mainly Somalis. "Hagadera itself was designed for 30,000 people but now holds some 100,000 refugees and that's really overstretching water and sanitation," UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond said. "Doctors at the camp saw extreme overcrowding at the settlement poses major health problems," he said. "We need to get the camp decongested." Redmond said there was not even enough space to build new latrines while water supplies were insufficient to cope with the continuing flow of Somali refugees. About 8,000 have sought refugee in Dadaab so far this year. Fourteen cases of cholera were confirmed in the outbreak since January 29, including a three year-old boy who died after recently arriving from Somalia. Redmond said all but one of the patients were discharged from hospital after swift action to tackle the outbreak. Somali parliament endorses new prime minister Agence France Presse, 2/14/09 Somalia's parliament in exile endorsed Saturday the choice of Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke, a dual Canadian and Somali national, as the war-torn country's new prime minister, assembly speaker Aden Mohamed Nur said. Nur said the parliament, meeting in Djibouti, approved Sharmarke's nomination by President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, by 410 votes in favor, with nine against and two abstentions. The new prime minister, the son of a former president but a relative newcomer to Somalia's political scene, will face the daunting task of forming an inclusive government and restoring stability to the Horn of Africa country.
Page 1 and 2: PEACE NEGOTIATIONS WATCH Thursday,
Page 3 and 4: Kosovo marks 1 year of independence
Page 5 and 6: Whitman said he could not discuss p
Page 7 and 8: "Now that we have realized this is
Page 9 and 10: "However, the aforesaid statements
Page 11 and 12: The court has linked the former Bos
Page 13 and 14: The military regime has promised to
Page 15 and 16: Former US President George W. Bush'
Page 17 and 18: "How can we go on without the main
Page 19 and 20: "I don't want to be on the side of
Page 21 and 22: EU enlargement commissioner Olli Re
Page 23 and 24: "Have I said that Bosco Ntaganda ha
Page 25 and 26: The first victim of the operation h
Page 27 and 28: The five-day war and Russia's subse
Page 29 and 30: Tengku Syamsuddin, a spokesman for
Page 31 and 32: India and Pakistan have fought thre
Page 33 and 34: New Delhi has noted with strong app
Page 35 and 36: Serbs consider Kosovo to be the hea
Page 37 and 38: "The key to our success is in unity
Page 39 and 40: Macedonia EU mulls economic support
Page 41 and 42: "As for the content of the document
Page 43 and 44: The UN Security Council has called
Page 45: Moro Islamic Liberation Front which
Page 49 and 50: "We are happy with that," he said,
Page 51 and 52: "With a growing number of children
Page 53 and 54: Dr. Thurairaja Varatharaja, the top
Page 55 and 56: Without a borehole, water was colle
Page 57 and 58: The New York Times reported on Wedn
Page 59 and 60: The talks mediated by Doha are the
Page 61 and 62: Aid workers and human rights activi
Page 63 and 64: "They have no way out of these swam

Vol. 8 Issue 7 - Public International Law & Policy Group

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