Human Rights Watch Weekly Digest

Israel: Investigate 'White Flag' Shootings of Gaza Civilians Internal Israeli Military Investigations Inadequate During Israel's recent Gaza offensive, Israeli soldiers unlawfully shot and killed 11 Palestinian civilians, including five women and four children, who were in groups waving white flags to convey their civilian status.

US: Students With Disabilities Face Corporal Punishment at Higher Rates ACLU and Human Rights Watch Seek Ban on Physical Discipline at School. Students with disabilities face corporal punishment in public schools at disproportionately high rates. The physical discipline, which often includes beatings, can worsen these students' medical conditions and undermine their education.

UN Security Council: Create Senior Post on Women and War. The UN Security Council should urgently establish a high-level post to fill a leadership gap relating to women and armed conflict. A special representative of the secretary-general assigned to this issue would be able to push for protection against sexual violence and to promote equal participation by women in peace talks.

Karzai has made an unthinkable deal to sell Afghan women out in return for the support of fundamentalists in the August 20 election. So much for any credentials he claimed as a moderate on women's issues.

Burma: Aung San Suu Kyi Verdict 'Reprehensible' This trial was a farce, a brutal distortion of the legal process. By silencing prominent opponents through bogus trials, the generals are clearly showing why the elections they have been touting for next year won't bring change.

DRC: Clinton Should Highlight Rape and Justice IssuesKillings and brutal sexual violence against women, girls and also men have massively increased in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo since the start of military operations in January 2009.

Russia: Ensure Independent Inquiry Into Activists' KillingsThis is a ghastly crime, and its authors must be brought to justice. These killings, less than a month after the murder of Natalia Estemirova, make it absolutely clear that anyone trying to help the people of Chechnya is in mortal danger.

Mexico: Calderon Denies Military Impunity. The claim by President Felipe Calderón of Mexico today that army abuse cases are effectively prosecuted in Mexico flies in the face of all available evidence.

UK/Iraq: UK War Inquiry Should Cover Rights Investigate Allegations of Serious Abuses Committed Against Civilians, DetaineesThe British Government's Inquiry into its Iraq War policies should include human rights abuses as part of its investigation.

Saudi Arabia: Counterterrorism Efforts Violate RightsIndefinite Detention, Inappropriate Reeducation, and Flawed Trials Saudi Arabia's response to terrorism for years has been to lock up thousands of suspects and throw away the key. The authorities made believe that religious counseling could replace trials, and now they are pretending that convictions after secret trials can legitimize continued detention.

FIRST GROUP OF REFUGEES LEAVE CHAD FOR NEW LIVES IN US – UN

As part of a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees programme, the first group of refugees has left Chad to begin new lives in the United States.

The 11 refugees are the first of a total of 1,800 resettlement cases – mostly Sudanese refugees from the war-torn Darfur region living in camps in eastern Chad – the agency plans to identify this year.

The group – who are heading for Kentucky, Texas, Iowa and Utah – which departed for the US by air from the Chadian capital N'Djamena on 21 June comprise refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Sudan and the Central African Republic (CAR).

Currently, 250,000 refugees from Darfur are sheltering in 12 UNHCR-run camps in Chad's east. Additionally, 70,000 CAR refugees are living in five camps in southern Chad.

The US is the first country to promote resettlement for refugees in Chad, the agency said.

"Resettlement requires a very meticulous process and usually takes seven to nine months per individual case," said UNHCR spokesperson William Spindler.

The process includes interviews, medical screenings, counseling and cultural orientation sessions, and agency staff are trained to detect fraud to ensure they do not select refugees who are not eligible for resettlement.

"Resettlement is considered one of UNHCR's durable solutions for protracted refugee solutions, along with voluntary repatriation and local integration," Mr. Spindler said.

The next group of refugees, made up of mostly people who fled fighting in Darfur, is slated to leave for the US in July.
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US: Act to Prevent Rape in War

Senate and Administration Should Provide Leadership to End Violence and Bring Accountability

May 13, 2009

(Washington, DC) - The United States Senate should move beyond collecting testimony in its commitment to help prevent and punish rape in conflict, Human Rights Watch said today in a written submission to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The US is in a strong position to provide active global leadership and to press for international action, Human Rights Watch said.

Senators Barbara Boxer of California and Russ Feingold of Wisconsin are co-sponsoring a hearing today on violence against women in conflict, featuring witnesses from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Darfur. The Obama administration's new ambassador-at-large for global women's issues, Melanne Verveer, will also testify.

"It is heartening to see the Senate and the administration come together to exchange views on this critical issue," said Marianne Mollmann, women's rights advocate at Human Rights Watch. "But sexual violence in conflict is nothing new. We know it happens. We know it goes unpunished. Now is the time for action, not words."

Sexual violence against women and girls has been a horrifying characteristic of all recent armed conflicts and many post-conflict situations. Human Rights Watch has documented this violence in countries ranging from Darfur and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the former Yugoslavia. The research also shows that the perpetrators of these crimes rarely are brought to justice. In many conflict areas, seeking justice for sexual violence is difficult, often dangerous, and frequently very costly.

"Victims of violence often confront a gutted, corrupt, or untrained police force and justice system," said Mollmann. "In some cases, the police are afraid of investigating crimes committed by soldiers or militia, and certainly can't provide protection for the victims of abuse."

The hearing in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is meant to generate concrete action points for the United States and will consider detailed submissions from Human Rights Watch and other organizations. The United States is in a particularly strong position to engage other countries on this issue, both because of its permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council, and because of its substantial foreign aid to conflict-ridden countries.

Last June, the Bush administration led the Security Council in a resolution that, for the first time, unequivocally mandated the United Nations to address sexual violence as a weapon of war and a threat to international peace and security. Advocates hope that the Senate hearing will consolidate US leadership on this issue, specifically by pushing the United Nations to establish a senior special representative on sexual violence.

"Stopping rape in war is as bipartisan as it gets," said Mollmann. "Here, the Senate really can come together and speak with one voice to benefit women worldwide by urging the United Nations to put its money where its mouth is and appoint a special representative to tackle this issue head on."

Afghanistan: NATO Should "˜Come Clean" on White Phosphorus

Release Report on Attack in Which Child Burned

May 8, 2009

(New York) - NATO forces in Afghanistan should immediately release the results of their investigation into a March 14, 2009, incident in which an 8-year-old girl in Kapisa province was burned by white phosphorus munitions, Human Rights Watch said today. A NATO spokesperson has denied allegations from the girl's father that NATO forces had fired the rounds that caused her injuries.

"White phosphorus causes horrendous burns and should not be used in civilian areas," said Marc Garlasco, senior military analyst at Human Rights Watch. "NATO should immediately make public the results of its investigation into this incident."

The girl's family brought her to the US military base in Bagram on March 14 for medical treatment for severe burns. US military doctors say they found white phosphorus on her face and neck. The incident took place in Alahsay district in eastern Kapisa Province, where there had been a series of fierce firefights in March involving NATO forces and insurgent groups.

NATO officials have said that according to their records, no rounds were found to have landed near the house, though have not denied using white phosphorus during this engagement. They have suggested that the Taliban may have fired the rounds, but have not provided any evidence for their claim. Today the International Security Assistance Force released information on four isolated incidents dated between December 2007 and May 2009 where they say insurgents used white phosphorus munitions.

Under international humanitarian law, chemicals such as white phosphorus can legitimately be used as "obscurants" to hide military operations and, in certain circumstances, as a weapon. However, white phosphorus munitions have a significant incendiary effect that can severely burn people and set alight fields, buildings, and other civilian objects in the vicinity. Human Rights Watch believes that the use of white phosphorus munitions in densely populated areas violates the requirement under international humanitarian law to take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian injury and loss of life.

The spokesman for the commander of NATO and US troops in Afghanistan, Brig. Gen. Richard Blanchette, confirmed that white phosphorus munitions are used in Afghanistan. He told Human Rights Watch: "We do not target personnel with white phosphorus, which is a conventional weapon in the arsenals of many nations, generally used for screening, marking, and illumination."

"NATO has not denied using white phosphorus during the Kapisa incident, nor have they provided evidence that the insurgents fired these rounds," said Garlasco. "NATO and US forces need to reassure the people of Afghanistan, already alarmed by high civilian casualties, that these munitions are not being used unlawfully."

US: Review Cases of Guantanamo Detainees Imprisoned as Juveniles

(Washington, DC) - The US Department of Justice should expedite the review and provide education and other rehabilitation assistance for five detainees at Guantanamo who have been held there since they were children, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder. The detainees were brought to Guantanamo between the ages of 15 and 17, and have now been in detention there for more than six years.

"The United States has consistently flouted its international obligations on the treatment of children in detention," said Jo Becker, children's rights advocacy director for Human Rights Watch. "Obama's team should make these cases one of its first priorities."

The five detainees are:

• Mohammed el Gharani - a Chadian who was brought to Guantanamo at the age of 15. Although a federal court ruled in January 2009 that the government's evidence is too weak to justify el Gharani's continued confinement, he remains in Guantanamo.
• Mohammad Jawad - an Afghan brought to Guantanamo at the age of 16 or 17, who has been charged with attempted murder by a military commission. He was reportedly subjected to torture and other abuse while in US custody, and has attempted suicide at least once.
• Omar Khadr - a Canadian brought to Guantanamo at the age of 15, who has been charged with murder by a military commission. Previously held in prolonged solitary confinement, he also reports having been subjected to torture and abuse.
• Mohammad Khan Tumani - a Syrian brought to Guantanamo at the age of 17, who has as reportedly subjected to physical and psychological abuse . He has not been charged with an offense.
• Fahd Abdullah Ahmed Ghazni - a Yemeni brought to Guantanamo at the age of 17. Although he was cleared by the US government to leave Guantanamo more than a year ago, he remains in detention.

32 Years on Death Row

This week, the Supreme Court refused to hear William L Thompson's claim that his execution after more than 30 years on death row would violate the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. Normally when the Court declines to hear a case it does so without comment, but this case sparked lively debate.

Justice Clarence Thomas ridiculed the idea that a prisoner who challenges his death sentence can then complain about the length of time he has spent on death row. Justices Stephen Breyer and John Paul Stevens, however, took Thompson's claim far more seriously. Breyer noted that the delay was hardly all Thompson's fault. The judge at his trial had excluded certain mitigating evidence, which the Supreme Court later ruled was unconstitutional, resulting in a new sentencing hearing 13 years after the crime. Stevens pointed out the "dehumanizing effects" of the conditions under which Thompson has been confined for more than half of his life and argued that such a prolonged delay diminishes any possible benefit society may receive from carrying out a death sentence.

While Justices Breyer and Stevens are decidedly in the minority on the US Supreme Court, other courts have recognized that extended periods under sentence of death can be unacceptably cruel. In 1989, the United States asked the United Kingdom to extradite Jens Soering, a West German facing murder charges and a possible death sentence in the state of Virginia. The United Kingdom agreed, but the European Court of Human Rights blocked the extradition.

Noting that the average condemned prisoner in Virginia spent six to eight years on death row in "extreme conditions," the Court ruled that extraditing Soering to Virginia would violate the European Convention on Human Rights, which provides that no one should be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. (After Virginia authorities agreed not to seek the death penalty, Soering was extradited and convicted of murder, and received two life sentences).

Similarly, in 1993 the Judicial Committee of the British Privy Council - at that time the final court of appeal for some Caribbean nations -- considered the case of Earl Pratt and Ivan Morgan, who had been under sentence of death in Jamaica for 14 years. The Committee concluded that confinement on death row for more than five years presumptively constituted "inhuman or degrading punishment or other treatment" prohibited by the Jamaican Constitution.

These rulings are consistent with psychology and with common sense. As the Judicial Committee said in the Pratt and Morgan case, "The statement of these bare facts is sufficient to bring home to the mind of any person of normal sensitivity and compassion the agony of mind that these men must have suffered as they have alternated between hope and despair in the 14 years that they have been in prison facing the gallows." Even without the threat of impending execution, it is well known that prolonged solitary confinement can inflict great suffering; indeed, the US Supreme Court has identified it as one of the techniques of "physical and mental torture" that have been used by governments to coerce confessions.

The suffering can be particularly unbearable for the many prisoners who have brain damage, mental illness, or mental retardation. One federal judge wrote that putting such prisoners in isolated confinement "is the mental equivalent of putting an asthmatic in a place with little air to breathe." Thompson shows signs of brain damage, and as a child consistently scored in the mid-70s on IQ tests.

In the United States today, the average condemned prisoner awaits execution for nearly 13 years - far longer than the delays found to be intolerably cruel in the Soering and Pratt and Morgan cases. Some might argue that the solution is to reduce appellate review of death sentences, but that cure would be worse than the disease. More than 30 percent of death sentences imposed between 1973 and 2000 have been overturned, and 130 persons have been released from death row after they were found to be innocent of the crimes for which they had been sentenced to die. Cutting back on judicial review would increase the risk of executing an innocent person - a risk no civilized society should tolerate.

Justice Stevens has served on the Supreme Court since 1975 - that is, for the entirety of the modern death penalty era in the United States, during which more than 1,150 persons have been put to death. From that vantage point he has come to see, as he wrote this week, "the fundamental inhumanity and unworkability of the death penalty as it is administered in the United States." The Thompson case, like so many others, shows how right he is.

US: Cluster Bomb Exports Banned

(Washington, DC) - Legislation signed into law on March 11, 2009 by President Obama will make permanent a ban on nearly all cluster bomb exports by the United States, Human Rights Watch said today. The United States should review its stance on joining the international treaty prohibiting cluster munitions in light of this action, Human Rights Watch said.

"This permanent export ban is a major turnaround in US policy," said Steve Goose, arms division director at Human Rights Watch. "It brings Washington into closer alignment with international opinion on this terrible weapon."

Congress included the export ban in an omnibus budget bill (HR 1105) that passed the Senate on Tuesday. The legislation states that cluster munitions can only be exported if they leave behind less than 1 percent of their submunitions as duds. Cluster submunitions often fail to explode on initial impact, leaving duds that act like landmines and pose danger to civilians. The legislation also requires the receiving country to agree that cluster munitions "will not be used where civilians are known to be present." Only a very tiny fraction of the cluster munitions in the US arsenal meet the 1-percent standard.

This export ban was first enacted in a similar budget bill in December 2007, but that law mandated it for only one year.

"The passage of this measure is yet another indication that the president should initiate a thorough review of US policy with respect to cluster munitions," said Goose. "If it is unacceptable for foreign militaries to use these weapons, why would it be acceptable for the US military to use them?"

US policy on cluster munitions was last articulated in a three-page policy directive issued by Defense Secretary Robert Gates in July 2008. The directive described cluster munitions as "legitimate weapons with clear military utility." Under the policy, the US will continue to use cluster munitions and, after 2018, will use only munitions with a tested failure rate of less than 1 percent.

In December 2008, a spokeswoman for the Obama transition team said that the next president would "carefully review" the new treaty banning cluster munitions and "work closely [with] our friends and allies to ensure that the United States is doing everything feasible to promote protection of civilians."

On February 10, Human Rights Watch joined leaders from 66 other national nongovernmental organizations in signing a joint letter calling on President Obama to join the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Human Rights Watch co-chairs the Cluster Munition Coalition, which it helped found in November 2003. It is also a founding member of the United States Campaign to Ban Landmines and Cluster Bombs.

"The export ban moves the US one step closer to the position taken by nearly 100 nations - including its closest NATO allies - that have signed the treaty banning cluster munitions," said Goose. "A US decision to sign would certainly signal President Obama's commitment to multilateral diplomacy."

The 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions was opened for signature in December. It prohibits the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of cluster munitions, and provides strict deadlines for clearance of affected areas and destruction of stockpiled cluster munitions. A total of 95 states have signed the convention, including most NATO members and other close US allies. The Bush administration chose not to participate in the development or negotiation of the convention, which was modeled on the 1997 treaty banning landmines.

While the historical record is incomplete, the United States has transferred hundreds of thousands of cluster munitions containing tens of millions of unreliable and inaccurate submunitions to at least 28 countries: Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Egypt, Denmark, France, Greece, Honduras, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.

Several of these states have joined the Convention on Cluster Munitions and are in the process of destroying their stockpiled cluster munitions. Cluster munitions exported by the US have been used by other states in Lebanon, Iraq, the former Yugoslavia, and Western Sahara.

Cluster munitions can be fired by artillery and rocket systems or dropped by aircraft and typically explode in the air and send dozens, even hundreds, of tiny bomblets over an area the size of a football field.

$50 MILLION US CONTRIBUTION WILL BOOST WOMEN’S RIGHTS, SAYS UN

$50 MILLION US CONTRIBUTION WILL BOOST WOMEN'S RIGHTS, SAYS UN
New York, Mar 12 2009 12:00PM

United States President Barack Obama's release of $50 million to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) will help curb poverty and improve the health of women and children in over 150 nations, the agency said today, lauding an action it said will help it continue its "life-saving" work.

Mr. Obama signed legislation yesterday to restore US funding for UNFPA which has been suspended since 2002.

"This is a great day for women, girls and their families around the world," said Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, the agency's Executive Director. "We warmly applaud this action by President Obama, which underlines his support to the protection of the lives and human dignity of women and girls in the poorest countries."

The US contribution will allow UNFPA to "maintain its life-saving work, particularly improving maternal and reproductive health in the world's poorest communities, especially during this financial crisis," she said.

Yesterday's action fulfills a pledge Mr. Obama made during his first days as US leader to resume support for UNFPA and join 180 other donor nations in working towards slashing poverty, boosting the health of women and children, preventing HIV/AIDS and providing family planning assistance to women in 154 countries.

"We are delighted that the United States will once again take a leading role in championing women's reproductive health and rights, alongside all other countries and partners that have supported us over the years," Ms. Obaid noted.
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UN OFFICIAL ‘ENCOURAGED’ BY NEW US STANCE ON REACHING CLIMATE CHANGE PACT

UN OFFICIAL 'ENCOURAGED' BY NEW US STANCE ON REACHING CLIMATE CHANGE PACT
New York, Mar 6 2009 3:00PM

There is "enthusiasm" in the current United States Government to pass laws to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and a willingness to work towards a new global climate change pact, a top United Nations official said today.

Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), was speaking to journalists in New York after returning from his recent trip to Washington, D.C., where he met with leaders in US President Barack Obama's administration, as well as members of Congress.

"I must say I come back from those meetings very much encouraged," Mr. de Boer stated.

"There is, I believe, a huge enthusiasm and energy in both the House and the Senate to put cap and trade climate change legislation in place in this country," he added.

Mr. de Boer also underscored the willingness in the current US administration "to work towards an agreement in Copenhagen, to come with an ambitious domestic policy [and] to engage with international partners" to come to an accord.

At the UN climate change conference slated for December in Copenhagen countries are expected to reach agreement on a successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol, the legally binding regime for reducing greenhouse gas emissions whose first commitment period ends in 2012.

Mr. de Boer noted that the US administration realised that financial support for developing countries to help them adapt to becoming more environmentally friendly and mitigate their carbon emissions is going to be an essential part of the Copenhagen "puzzle."

"The new administration with the full backing of the House and the Senate is working towards and ambitious agreement in Copenhagen," said Mr. de Boer.

The climate change official also found encouragement in the US economic stimulus package, saying that "What I believe President Obama is trying to do is use the recovery money to create the clean economy of tomorrow instead of trying to prop up the economy of yesterday."
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UN EXPERT URGES US NOT TO DEPORT THOUSANDS BACK TO HURRICANE-RAVAGED HAITI

UN EXPERT URGES US NOT TO DEPORT THOUSANDS BACK TO HURRICANE-RAVAGED HAITI
New York, Mar 6 2009 12:00PM

An independent United Nations human rights expert today asked the United States Government to reconsider deporting tens of thousands of Haitian immigrants in light of the physical and financial damage inflicted on the impoverished Caribbean nation by a series of hurricanes last August.

In a news release issued in Geneva, Michel Forst voiced deep concern at reports that the US Department of Homeland Security, and its Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, is planning to deport the immigrants.

According to a recent evaluation cited by the Secretary-General's Special Representative in Haiti, Hédi Annabi, the four back-to-back storms that struck the country from mid-August to mid-September "comprehensively destroyed what little infrastructure there was."

A total of some 800,000 Haitians either lost their homes entirely or were badly affected by the storms which also left 800 people dead.

In addition, the global financial crisis has worsened a food emergency brought about by the widespread destruction of the country's crops during the hurricanes, and critical infrastructure, including bridges and roads, have been wiped out. The storms are believed to have destroyed around 15 per cent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP).

"Considering the extent of the damage to homes, schools, roads, bridges and businesses in Haiti, it is highly unlikely that sufficient repairs can be carried out in time for this year's hurricane season, and as a result many thousands of Haitians will be left without protection," Mr. Forst said.

Mr. Forst has written to the Secretary of Homeland Security, urging the Government to reconsider its decision. "While acknowledging that the hurricanes and storms that drowned low-lying parts of Haiti in mud and misery had been 'severe,' you have concluded on the basis of recommendations provided by the US administration that 'Haiti does not currently warrant a Temporary Protected Status (TPS),'" he noted.

When other countries in the region have been struck by natural disasters, such as earthquakes and hurricanes, with similar devastating impact to the destruction inflicted on Haiti, those countries have been granted TPS, Mr. Forst added.

"It would therefore be normal to continue to provide support and assistance to all undocumented Haitian migrants living in the US, until the situation has improved in their homeland," he said.

According to many experts, TPS is the least expensive and most immediate form of humanitarian assistance the US could provide to Haiti, since it would allow the Haitian Government to invest all its limited resources in reconstruction, and the redevelopment of its struggling economy.
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Democracy, Human Rights, Refugees: The US State Department's 2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

The State Department's 2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Secretary of State

Washington, DC

February 25, 2009

SECRETARY CLINTON: You know, human progress depends on the human spirit, and this inescapable truth has never been more apparent than it is today. The challenges of this new century require us to summon the full range of human talents to move our nation and the world forward. Guaranteeing the right of every man, woman and child to participate fully in society and to live up to his or her God-given potential is an ideal that has animated our nation since its founding.

It is enshrined also in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and was reflected in President Obama’s Inaugural Address when he reminded us that every generation must carry forward the belief that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

Our foreign policy must also advance these timeless values which empower people to speak, think, worship and assemble freely, to lead their work and family lives with dignity, and to know that dreams of a brighter future are within their reach. Now, the promotion of human rights is essential to our foreign policy, but as a personal aside, I have worked for many years and in various capacities on the issues that are encompassed under the rubric: human rights. It is of profound importance to me and has informed my views and shaped my beliefs in ways large and small.

As Secretary of State, I will continue to focus my own energies on human rights, and I will engage as many others as I can to join me, both through traditional and untraditional challenges. I am looking for results. I am looking for changes that actually improve the lives of the greatest numbers of people. Hopefully, we will be judged over time by successful results from these efforts.

To begin, not only will we seek to live up to our ideals on American soil; we will pursue greater respect for human rights as we engage other nations and peoples around the world. Now, some of our work will be conducted in government meetings and official dialogues. That’s important to advancing our cause. But I believe strongly we must rely on more than one approach as we strive to overcome tyranny and subjugation that weakens the human spirit, limits human possibility, and undermines human progress. We will make this a global effort that reaches beyond governments alone. I intend for us to work with nongovernmental organizations, businesses, religious leaders, schools and universities as well as individual citizens, all of whom can play a vital role in creating a world where human rights are accepted, respected, and protected.

Our commitment to human rights is driven by our faith and our moral values, and by our belief that America must first be an exemplar of our own ideals. But we also know that our security and prosperity and progress is enhanced when people in other places emerge from the shadows to gain the opportunities and rights that we enjoy and treasure.

Thank you. Thank you all very much.

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* Secretary

PRN: 2009/156
US Department of State

Death of Eleven Burundian Soldiers in Mogadishu

US Department of State: Press Release

The United States strongly condemns the February 22 attack on African Union peacekeepers by a violent extremist fringe in Somalia. We offer our deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the eleven Burundian victims. Our thoughts are also with the fifteen individuals who were wounded. We commend the governments of Burundi and Uganda as well as the African Union for their courage and continued efforts to support the restoration of stability and effective governance in Somalia.

Such acts of terror are the refuge of desperate extremists who aim to strip from the Somali people an opportunity to determine their own future and achieve lasting peace and stability. These acts are also hindering the delivery of critical humanitarian assistance.

We call on all Somalis to support the new unity government led by President Sheikh Sharif and Prime Minister Omar Sharmarke and to reject the violence and extremism intended to prevent Somalia from regaining political and economic stability.

PRN: 2009/148

US Department of State

Appointment of Dennis Ross as Special Advisor for The Gulf and Southwest Asia

Appointment of Dennis Ross as Special Advisor for The Gulf and Southwest Asia

Robert Wood

Acting Department Spokesman

Washington, DC

February 23, 2009

The US State Department is pleased to announce the appointment of Dennis B. Ross to the position of Special Advisor to the Secretary of State for The Gulf and Southwest Asia. This is a region in which America is fighting two wars and facing challenges of ongoing conflict, terror, proliferation, access to energy, economic development and strengthening democracy and the rule of law. In this area, we must strive to build support for U.S. goals and policies. To be successful, we will need to be able to integrate our policy development and implementation across a broad range of offices and senior officials in the State Department, and, in his role as Special Advisor to the Secretary, Ambassador Ross will be asked to play that role.

Specifically, as Special Advisor, he will provide to the Secretary and senior State Department officials strategic advice and perspective on the region; offer assessments and also act to ensure effective policy integration throughout the region; coordinate with senior officials in the development and formulation of new policy approaches; and participate, at the request of the Secretary, in inter-agency activities related to the region.

Ambassador Ross brings a wealth of experience not just to issues within the region but also to larger political-military challenges that flow from the area and have an impact outside of the Gulf and Southwest Asia, and the Secretary looks forward to drawing on that experience and diplomatic perspective.

PRN: 2009/144

US Department of State

Press Releases: U.S. Welcomes Mauritanian President’s Proposed Dialogue

U.S. Welcomes Mauritanian President's Proposed Dialogue

Robert Wood

Acting Department Spokesman

Washington, DC

February 23, 2009

The United States welcomes the proposal made by President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheick Abdallahi to the International Contact Group that met in Paris on February 20, 2009 to discuss Mauritania. President Abdallahi proposed a dialogue that will develop a consensual and lasting solution predicated on restoring the President's constitutional functions, an honorable exit for the members of the junta, and early and transparent presidential and legislative elections. President Abdallahi's initiative conforms fully with the demands of the international community and offers an inclusive and democratic basis for a durable resolution of the current crisis. We call upon the people of Mauritania, as well as their international partners, to seize this opportunity to restore constitutional order and to end political paralysis and international estrangement.

PRN: 2009/142
US State department