FW: BBC NEWS  Iraq war worries Africa

Africa's reaction to Bush's War

-----Original Message-----

Africa <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/default.stm>
<http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/email/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wo
rld/africa/2870367.stm>
<http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wo
rld/africa/2870367.stm>

Iraq war worries Africa

President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa
<http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38984000/jpg/_38984379_iraqpresbo
dy203.jpg>
Mbeki thinks UN should take lead on Iraq
There have been negative reactions across Africa to the start of the
US-led war against Iraq.

President Thabo Mbeki, whose country South Africa has been a prominent
opponent of attacks on Iraq, expressed regret saying he would have
preferred the matter to be dealt with by the United Nations.

KENYAN VOICES
Reaction in Nairobi to the war on Iraq
  <http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/inline_dashed_line.gif>
<javascript: void
window.open('http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/03/africa_war
_on_iraq0_kenyans_react/html/1.stm', '1048184233',
'toolbar=0,scrollbars=0,location=0,statusbar=0,menubar=0,resizable=0,wid
th=500,height=400,left=312,top=100');> In pictures

He said the war "is a blow to multilateralism", according to his
spokesman quoted in the Mail and Guardian newspaper.

Ex-president Nelson Mandela, who has already strongly and publicly
attacked US President George Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair
for their stance against Iraq felt he had nothing to add, according to
his spokesperson.

Demonstrations have begun in some cities across Africa, especially in
countries where there are large Muslim communities.

However, Nigeria, which has an election looming and a big Muslim
population, has banned public demonstrations.

But Reuters news agency reported that the country's national police
chief Tafa Balogun, told regional police officers: "Security reports
have revealed that some Nigerians have been recruited and are ready to
be taken to Iraq".

Main developments across Africa
*
 Protesters clash with police on the streets of Cairo chanting
anti-American slogans.

*
 The United States shuts its embassies in South Africa and Kenya.

*
  Kenya which suffered terror attacks in 1998 and 2002 is publicly
critical of the attacks. Foreign Minister Kalonzo Musyoka said full
scale war could have been avoided through dialogue.

*
 In Mauritania, a Muslim country, several hundred people
including MPs, take to the streets of the capital in a march against the
war.

*
In Somalia, which has denied links to a terrorist network,
people are glued to their television sets and businesses express concern
that goods from the Gulf region could be interrupted by the war.

*
 Eritrea, one of two African countries to join Mr Bush's'
"coalition of the willing", said in a statement that it did support the
war but added that it was not directly involved in actual conflict.
*
The other coalition partner, Ethiopia, has said it has given the
US the use of its airspace and also landing rights, as requested by the
USA in relation to the Iraq war.
*
Mauritius described Thursday as "a tragic day for Iraq and for
the rest of the world".

*
Cameroon's President Paul Biya, seen to be a close ally of
France, left on Thursday for a surprise trip to the US prompting the
press to put Cameroon's president "in the war camp".

*
 Algeria and Morocco regretted that military force had supplanted
diplomacy as the means to defuse the standoff.

*
African Union Secretary General Amara Essy said the launch of
the war had caused grief and deep regret among its members.

*
Tanzanian, also attacked in 1998 said it was saddened by America
and its allies for attacking Iraq.

*
Madagascar's Foreign Minister General Marcel Ranjeva told
national radio: "Our hope is that the war does not last because peace is
more important than anything else."

*  Burkina Faso's prime minister told parliament it "stands
resolutely on the side of the peace camp and calls for an end to
hostilities."

*  Ghana, chair of the west African regional body Ecowas has so far
said nothing although its president has cancelled a planned trip to
Britain.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~