Malaysia’s Anwar starts campaign

Mr Anwar received an ecstatic welcome Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has launched his bid to return to parliament. Mr Anwar was cheered by thousands of supporters as he filed papers to contest a seat in the northern province of Penang. The opposition alliance headed by Mr Anwar enjoyed unprecedented support in a general election in March. But he has since been charged with sodomising a male aide – an accusation he says is politically motivated. In spite of the charge, Mr Anwar has vowed to press ahead with his effort to end the 51-year reign of Malaysia’s Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition. Wife’s seat At least 15,000 of Mr Anwar’s supporters escorted him to the nomination office to register his candidacy for the by-election in the semi-urban constituency of Permatang Pauh. It’s no longer a by-election. It’s more than that Anwar Ibrahim They shouted “reformasi!” (“reform!”), and held aloft banners reading “Road to parliament”, reports said. Some 3,000 police were drafted to ensure there were no clashes with about 4,000 people who had gathered to support the government candidate, Arif Shah Omar. Mr Anwar, 61, is the favourite to win the Permatang Pauh seat, which he held from 1982 until he was jailed on charges of sodomy and corruption in 1999. His wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, then stood for and won the seat, recently resigning in order to trigger this by-election and pave the way for her husband’s return to formal office. “I feel good,” Mr Anwar told reporters, smiling. “Barisan Nasional is clearly overwhelmed. It’s no longer a by-election. It’s more than that,” he said. Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak admitted the ruling party was the underdog in the contest. “It is going to be an uphill task but nothing is impossible in politics,” he said. Familiar charge Recent political twists and turns in Malaysia have had a familiar air, correspondents report. An accusation of sodomy, along with corruption charges, saw Mr Anwar put into jail from 1999 until 2004, when a court overturned the sodomy conviction. The corruption conviction stood, meaning Mr Anwar was barred from office until April this year – but only two months later he was again accused of homosexual sex, this time with a 23-year-old male aide. Sodomy, whether consensual or otherwise, is illegal in mostly Muslim Malaysia. Mr Anwar stoutly rejects the sodomy claims, and says they are a ploy by a ruling party rattled by growing support for his opposition alliance.

Pakistan’s Musharraf steps down

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7567451.stm Pakistan’s Musharraf steps down

President Pervez Musharraf announces his resignation Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, facing impeachment on charges drawn up by the governing coalition, has announced that he is resigning. He went on national TV to say that while he was confident the charges would not stand, this was not the time for more confrontation. He is accused of violation of the constitution and gross misconduct. The Speaker of the Pakistani Senate, Muhammad Mian Sumroo, automatically took over as caretaker president. Mr Musharraf has been a key ally of the US in its “war on terror” since he took power in a bloodless coup in 1999. Reaction in Pakistan is overwhelmingly one of relief that a bruising and lengthy impeachment battle has been avoided, the BBC’s Mark Dummett reports from Islamabad. I leave myself in the hands of the people Pervez Musharraf Musharraf’s mixed legacy Strongman and war on terror Musharraf in pictures India fears power vacuum   The key issue now is whether the ruling coalition, which had pushed for Mr Musharraf’s exit since winning the February election, can stay united and deliver on its promises, he says. It will have to agree on a new president, then persuade allies like the US and UK, and its neighbours like India and Afghanistan, that it will be committed to defeating militancy and terrorism, our correspondent adds. International reaction to Mr Musharraf’s resignation was mixed, with the US hailing him as strong ally against terrorism but Afghanistan welcoming his departure as a boost to democracy. ‘No bravado’ Looking calm and dressed soberly in a dark suit and tie, Mr Musharraf said he had decided to resign after consulting his allies and advisers. Pakistan faces hope and risk In a defiant speech, he said he had believed it was his destiny to save Pakistan, helped by God, and that he had prevented it from being declared a terrorist state. In a clear reference to his political opponents, he accused unnamed elements of putting themselves above the country and seeking to betray it. “Not a single charge can be proved against me,” he said, while conceding he had made mistakes. An impeachment process would have plunged the country into more uncertainty, he said, and it was no time for “individual bravado”. The outgoing president listed social, economic and infrastructural improvements made during his rule. “I leave myself in the hands of the people,” he concluded. After making his speech, the former military leader inspected a guard of honour outside his white palace in Islamabad, stepped into a black limousine and left the presidency. Cheering crowds poured into the streets of Pakistan’s big cities to celebrate Mr Musharraf’s departure. In Karachi, lawyers danced in jubilation. ‘A friend to the US’ The caretaker president is a member of the pro-Musharraf faction of the Pakistan Muslim League. MUSHARRAF KEY DATES 12 Oct 1999: Deposes PM Nawaz Sharif in coup 20 June 2001: Names himself president while remaining head of the army 12 Jan 2002: Declares war against extremism in Pakistan 14 December 2003: Survives first of several assassination plots 3 November 2007: Declares state of emergency before judiciary can rule on his re-election as president 28 November 2007: Steps down as army chief to become a civilian president 18 August 2008: Announces he will resign as president Resignation speech excerpts Reaction in quotes The eventual new president must be elected by both houses of Pakistan’s parliament and the four provincial assemblies. Reacting to news of the resignation, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice praised him as a “friend to the United States and one of the world’s most committed partners in the war against terrorism and extremism”. She said the US would work with Pakistan’s new leaders, pressing on them the need to stem “the growth of extremism”. The UK government wished Mr Musharraf well but stressed that relations did not depend on one individual. India said it had no comment to make on the resignation since it was an internal matter for Pakistan. Neighbouring Afghanistan, whose own president, Hamid Karzai, had a very fraught relationship with Mr Musharraf, hoped his departure would boost democracy in both countries. Mounting pressure Mr Musharraf’s resignation followed more than a year of turbulence.   HAVE YOUR SAY This is shame for Pakistan; Musharraf was cleaning the 49 years old mess. Salman lalwani, Houston, USA Send us your comments The unrest began last March when he confronted the judiciary, suspending the chief justice. After widespread strikes and protests, his decision was overturned by the Supreme Court. Mr Musharraf won the presidential election in October – but the Supreme Court refused to confirm the result. In November, he declared a state of emergency, citing increasing attacks by militants but eventually stood down as head of the army, giving up his main power base. The parliamentary election this February, handed a clear victory to the two main opposition parties. The coalition struck a deal to impeach the president earlier this month and finalised their charges against him hours before he stepped down.

US forces to deliver Georgia aid

Russia ’starts Georgia pull-back’ Russian troops are expected to pull out of Gori and other Georgian towns There is disagreement between Moscow and Tbilisi over whether or not Russia has begun withdrawing troops from Georgia, as promised. Announcing a “pull-back” from Georgia proper into South Ossetia, a Russian general made clear he did not regard the province as Georgian territory. According to Russian media, some combat units inside South Ossetia were withdrawn to Russia during the day. A top Georgian official said there was no evidence of any Russian withdrawal. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev earlier promised to abide by the terms of a ceasefire brokered by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. We are talking about pulling back to the territory of South Ossetia Col-Gen Anatoly Nogovitsyn deputy chief of the Russian General Staff The conflict over South Ossetia erupted 11 days ago, when the Georgian army tried to wrest back control and Russia sent in its troops to drive them out. Russian troops remain stationed near the Georgian capital Tbilisi, with Moscow saying it has the right to keep some troops as peacekeepers in a buffer zone around South Ossetia. The West has repeatedly urged Russia to withdraw its troops and France has said it will call a special EU summit if Russia does not comply. Mr Medvedev, who was in North Ossetia to decorate Russian soldiers for valour during the recent fighting, has promised to “do whatever is necessary” to maintain security in the region. “If anyone thinks he can kill our citizens without being punished, or kill our soldiers and officers, who are peacekeepers, we will never allow this,” he said. He added that Russian soldiers had demonstrated that they had recovered from the crisis of the 1990s and were now a fighting force again. ‘Pulling back – not withdrawing’ “The pull-back of peacekeeping forces started today,” the deputy chief of the Russian General Staff, Col-Gen Anatoly Nogovitsyn, said in Moscow. Georgian TV has shown video of what it says is Russian armour pushing aside police cars in Igoeti, around 48km (30 miles) from Tbilisi, on 18 August “We are talking about pulling back to the territory of South Ossetia. There should be no troops on the territory of Georgia.” Gen Nogovitsyn said that President Medvedev had agreed with President Sarkozy by telephone on Sunday on a “pull-back, not a withdrawal” of Russian troops. Russian news agencies reported that several Russian military units, each mounted in five to 10 vehicles, left the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali on Monday for North Ossetia. The reports could not be confirmed independently. A spokesman for the Russian defence ministry, Lt-Gen Nikolai Uvarov, told BBC News that troops were being withdrawn from Georgia and the process would take “days not weeks”. Confirming that Russia would retain its pre-conflict peacekeepers in South Ossetia, Gen Uvarov suggested that they would also be beefed up. “We used to have there one light infantry battalion, less than 600 people, certainly it will be more soldiers but not just soldiers… [the] force must be credible to prevent any further escalation of conflict there,” he said. No move north Alexander Lomaia, secretary of the Georgian National Security Council, told the BBC he had seen no evidence of Russian troops leaving Georgian soil on Monday. PEACE PLAN No more use of force Stop all military actions for good Free access to humanitarian aid Georgian troops return to their places of permanent deployment Russian troops to return to pre-conflict positions International talks about security in South Ossetia and Abkhazia Day-by-day: Georgia-Russia crisis In pictures: Russians in Georgia Georgia left reeling As of Monday evening, there was no sign of a withdrawal on the highway from the Georgian capital Tbilisi to Gori, a town close to South Ossetia which Russian forces now control, the BBC’s Gabriel Gatehouse reports. The BBC observed five Russian armoured personnel carriers, each with around a dozen men, heading in the direction of the capital. However, there was no suggestion that they ventured any further than the village of Igoeti, where the furthest Russian checkpoint is located. Military hostilities may have ended, our correspondent adds, but the diplomatic war looks set to continue. See map of the region   Earlier on Monday, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili appeared to take a conciliatory approach to Moscow. “Let’s then start thinking, negotiating, how can we prevent the definitive estrangement of our two countries,” he said in a televised speech.   HAVE YOUR SAY The sight of GWB [US President George Bush] complaining about Russia’s “disproportionate use of force” is hilarious Max, London Send us your comments Previously, Mr Saakashvili and Russian leaders had engaged in a fierce war of words, accusing each other of atrocities against civilians during the fighting. Several aid agencies have complained of difficulties in getting access to South Ossetia, where entry points are controlled by Russian troops. This month’s fighting devastated towns and villages and forced nearly 160,000 people to flee their homes, according to the UN refugee agency. An official from the 56-nation Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe said no agreement had yet been reached on increasing the OSCE’s observer mission in Georgia. Moscow has said it would support having more OSCE monitors deployed. In another development, Russia has denied US reports that it has moved short-range SS-21 missile launchers into South Ossetia. Nato foreign ministers are expected to meet on Tuesday to discuss the Georgian crisis. The US is backing efforts by both Georgia and Ukraine to join the alliance.   US forces to deliver Georgia aid

Mr Bush says the US stands by Georgia’s ‘democratically elected government’ President George W Bush has said the US will use military aircraft and naval forces to deliver aid to Georgia following its conflict with Russia. Speaking in Washington, he expressed concern about reports of continuing Russian action in Georgia, and urged Russia to respect a ceasefire accord. Mr Bush hinted that Russia could be jeopardising its international ties. The first US C-17 military aircraft has landed in Tbilisi carrying medical and other supplies. The Kremlin said the US must choose between partnership with Moscow, or with the Georgian leadership. “At some time it will be necessary to choose between supporting this virtual project and [a] real partnership on questions which actually require collective action,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The BBC’s Caroline Wyatt, in Moscow, says the Kremlin’s reaction suggests they have been bitterly stung by Mr Bush’s comments. But she says Mr Lavrov spoke in the knowledge that the US is unlikely to back up its verbal support for Georgia with any more concrete action. See map of the region   The crisis erupted late on 7 August when Georgian forces bombarded South Ossetia to restore Tbilisi’s control over the region, where the majority of people hold Russian passports. Russia quickly became involved, bombing targets in Georgia and sending in troops. Some 100,000 people are estimated to have been displaced by the conflict. Russia must keep its word and act to end this crisis President George W Bush US sends aid, but rethinks policy In pictures: Tskhinvali in ruins Feeling vindicated in Moscow A French-brokered ceasefire has been in place between Russia and Georgia since Tuesday, but each side has accused the other of breaking the accord. Mr Bush said Russia’s actions had “raised serious questions about its intentions in Georgia and the region”. “To begin to repair the damage to its relations with the United States, Europe and other nations, and to begin restoring its place in the world, Russia must keep its word and act to end this crisis.” He said he had ordered a series of steps to demonstrate “solidarity with the Georgian people”, including sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Tbilisi later this week, and launching a “vigorous and ongoing” humanitarian mission. A C-17 aircraft with humanitarian supplies was already on its way to Georgia, Mr Bush said, and in the following days military aircraft and naval forces would deliver humanitarian and medical supplies. The BBC’s Natalia Antelava, in Tbilisi, says Mr Bush’s speech was the first piece of good news the Georgian government had received for days. But she said Tbilisi’s schools and nurseries were crammed with refugees, many of whom were angry with their leaders for dragging them into a conflict with Russia. ‘Dismantling artillery’ Following Mr Bush’s statement, Ms Rice, who will hold talks in France before heading to Tbilisi, also had tough words, saying Russia had “seriously overreached” itself. Russian and Georgian forces have been seen on the main Gori-Tbilisi road She told a news conference: “This is not 1968 and the invasion of Czechoslovakia where Russia can threaten a neighbour, occupy a capital, overthrow a government and get away with it. Things have changed.” Mr Lavrov responded robustly to US criticism of Russia’s continuing military action, admitting that his troops were still inside Georgia near both Gori and the town of Senaki, near the other secessionist region of Abkhazia. He said Russian peacekeepers were dismantling a “huge amount of armaments, ammunition and explosives” that had been left unattended. “This arsenal has to be defused of course so that it cannot pose any threat to civilians,” he said. ‘Massacres on our doorstep’ France, which currently holds the EU presidency, has been spearheading diplomatic efforts to solve the crisis. President Nicolas Sarkozy visited both Tbilisi and Moscow on Tuesday, and succeeded in getting both sides to agree to the principles of a peace plan. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had announced a halt to military action shortly before meeting Mr Sarkozy. EU foreign ministers have been discussing the peace plan, and have agreed to send a group of monitors or peacekeepers to Georgia to monitor the ceasefire – but they want the UN to back the proposal first. “The European Union cannot be indifferent to this war, these massacres on our doorstep,” said French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the UN was ready to facilitate international talks and contribute to possible peacekeeping arrangements in the region.

 

Nato wonders what to do about Russia

By Paul Reynolds World affairs correspondent, BBC News website Russian troops in Georgia: What now for Nato relations with Moscow? On the eve of a special meeting of their foreign ministers to discuss the conflict in Georgia, Nato governments are divided on what to do about Russia. There is a sense that a watershed has been reached. The fears of the last few years, that Russia is a new threat not a new friend, are, for some, being realised. All agree that a careful reconsideration of the relationship is needed. But not all agree on the way forward. Strong response side On the one side are the Americans, the British and many of the ex-Soviet states in Eastern Europe. They want the emphasis to be on slowing down co-operation. The British Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, who is going to Georgia after the meeting, has consistently described the Russian actions as “aggression”. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is making a strong statement that the US and those who think like it will not be deterred by the Russian mood. She is going to Warsaw on Wednesday and will sign an agreement under which 10 US anti-missile missiles will be stationed in Poland – a development that has led to Russia threatening Poland as a “legitimate target”. Cautious side On the other side are the more cautious members led by France and Germany. They do not blame Moscow for the fighting so clearly as the first group and who want lines to be kept open to the Russians. The German Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, said that Nato should not suspend the Nato-Russia Council, which exists to encourage dialogue – nor should the West, he went on, exclude Russia from the G8 group of industrial countries or the World Trade Organisation. “We need open channels for talks,” he said. Both sides might find common ground in demanding a quick Russian withdrawal from Georgian territory outside South Ossetia, in re-affirming their support for Georgian territorial integrity (even if that integrity is somewhat theoretical from now on) and for eventual Georgian membership of Nato. Russian agreement to international monitors in South Ossetia would reduce tension. Nato membership The ministers will not lay down a timetable for Georgian membership at this meeting. It has previously been agreed that they will look first at the necessary preliminary steps only when they meet at their regular session in December. The membership question is a delicate one. The last Nato summit in Bucharest in April agreed that both Georgia and Ukraine “will become members of Nato”. That commitment was reinforced by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel who visited Georgia over the weekend. Using a similar form of words, she said: “Georgia will become a member of Nato if it wants to – and it does want to.” However, crucially, there is no timetable for membership and first both Georgia and Ukraine will have to fulfil what are known as “membership action plans”. These lay down conditions for membership, one of which is “the settling any international, ethnic or external territorial disputes by peaceful means”.