1 AUGUST 2005

Saudi Arabia, politics

King Fahd died and was succeeded by his half-brother, Crown Prince Abdullah. No significant change in the kingdom’s policies was expected (CNN.com).

Colombia

About 2,000 members of the AUC anti-Marxist militia laid down their arms in return for amnesty. President Uribe has pursued a policy of granting reduced punishment to AUC commanders who demobilize their troops, confess to crimes and pay reparations to victims; most rank-and-file fighters are receiving complete amnesty. About 8,500 AUC fighters have been demobilized over the last two years (AP).

2 AUGUST 2005

Zimbabwe, civil affairs

The government dropped its remaining treason case against MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai (Reuters).

3-7 AUGUST 2005

Mauritania

The military announced that it had taken over the government of the country, deposing President Maaouya Taya, who was out of the country attending Saudi Arabian King Fahd’s funeral. The coup was led by Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall and a new Military Council for Justice and Democracy. The Council said it would rule “transparently and democratically” for a maximum of two years. The coup was criticized by the AU, UN, EU and US but appeared to have considerable domestic political support (CNN.com).

On the 7th Prime Minister Sghair Ould M'Bareck and his cabinet resigned; Vall replaced M’Bareck with Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar (AP).

4 AUGUST 2005

Western Hemisphere, diplomatic affairs

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe met US President Bush in Crawford, Texas (CNN.com, Reuters).

Israel, politics

Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu resigned over Prime Minister Sharon’s plans to withdraw from the Gaza Strip (CNN.com).

8 AUGUST 2005

Iran, research

The government announced it was restarting the Isfahan facility for uranium conversion (but not enrichment). The ‘EU-3' – Britain, France and Germany – had recently made a proposal to Iran which would have essentially given Iran considerable assistance with its civilian nuclear program and other incentives in return for Iran giving up the pursuit of mastery of the complete nuclear fuel cycle. Iran rejected the proposal, with senior negotiator Hussein Mousavian saying Iran would under no circumstances "barter its right to the enrichment process" (CNN.com).

Cambodia, civil affairs

Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) members Cheam Channy and Khom Peseth were convicted of plotting to overthrow the government in a trial heavily criticized by human rights groups (Reuters).

11 AUGUST 2005

Diplomatic affairs

The IAEA Board of Governors passed a resolution calling on Iran to “reestablish full suspension of all enrichment related activities”. The resolution reiterated that implementation of the suspension is essential to resolve outstanding issues, which “have yet to be resolved...the Agency is not yet in a position to conclude that there are no undeclared nuclear materials or activities in Iran...” Director General ElBaradei is to report on Iran’s compliance with its NPT Safeguards Agreement and this latest resolution by 3 September (www.iaea.org, CNN.com).

Malaysia, environment

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi declared a state of emergency in Selangor after the air pollution index exceeded 500 for the first time in Malaysia. The pollution is from the burning of fires for land clearing on Sumatra in Indonesia, an annual occurrence. Within days weather dispersed most of the haze (Reuters).

Peru, politics

Prime Minister Carlos Ferrero resigned after President Alejandro Toledo appointed Fernando Olivera foreign minister (Reuters).

13 AUGUST 2005

Sri Lanka

Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was killed by unidentified snipers outside his home in Colombo. The Liberation Tamil Tigers of Elam (LTTE) rebels denied responsibility for the attack (CNN.com).

15 AUGUST 2005

Indonesia

Representatives of the government and the Free Aceh Movement (Gerekan Aceh Merdeka or GAM) signed a peace agreement in Helsinki, Finland. The GAM agreed to disarm and give up its demand for complete independence for Aceh, settling for limited autonomy. The government granted Aceh 70 percent of the revenue from its oil and gas resources and the ability to levy local taxes. GAM members will receive amnesty and be allowed to run in local and national elections. The government is to reduce its 30,000 ground forces in the province to 14,700 and reduce its police to 9,100 by the end of the year. A 250-strong Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM), consisting of personnel from the EU and ASEAN, will monitor implementation of the agreement (Reuters, CNN.com).

Ecuador

Oil fields in the northeast were invaded and sabatoged by protestors demanding greater local benefits from oil production. Within days the government restored order, but production was severely reduced (Reuters).

Iraq

There were clashes in Najaf between supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr and Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, head of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (CNN.com).

Guatemala

There was violence and rioting in seven prisons as Mara Salvatrucha gang members attacked members of the rival M-18 gang (AP).

Russia, Chechnya

A car bomb in Grozny killed two people (AP).

15-22 AUGUST 2005

Israel, West Bank and Gaza Strip

The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) began the process of withdrawing settlers from all 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and four settlements in the northern West Bank. By the 22nd, the approximately 8,500 Israeli settlers in the Gaza Strip had been evacuated. The following day the settlers from the West Bank were evacuated, at times forcibly. Plans are for IDF elements to be gone from the Gaza Strip by early October (CNN.com).

16 AUGUST 2005

Chile

Congress amended the country’s 1980 constitution, enacted under the 1973-90 dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet. The changes included restoring the President’s power to fire top military commanders, eliminating appointive Senate seats given to retired military and police commanders, reducing the presidential term of office from six years to four (while maintaining the ban against immediate reelection) and reducing the power of the National Security Council (AP).

17 AUGUST 2005

Iraq

A series of car bombings in central Baghdad killed at least 43 people (CNN.com).

Bangladesh

Jamaat-ul-Mujahedeen, an outlawed Islamist group, set off over 100 small bombs around the country, killing three people and wounding at least 125.1

18 AUGUST 2005

Chad

The government and the Movement for Democracy and Justice in Chad rebel group signed a peace agreement. Former rebels are to be integrated into the government and security forces and prisoners of war are to be released. Other rebel groups did not sign the agreement. Two previous agreements in the last three years broke down (AP).

Western Hemisphere

The US federal and other law enforcement agencies began making arrests in connection with a ten month sting operation which they claimed had broken up three major methamphetamine transportation rings operating in Colombia, the Dominican Republic and the US. The US government claimed that US meth production had been greatly reduced, though trafficking from outside the country was a growing problem (AP, CNN.com).

19 AUGUST 2005

Burundi

Pierre Nkurunziza, former leader of the ethnic-Hutu rebel group Forces for the Defense of Democracy (FDD) was selected President by parliament. It was the culmination of a political process in which a constitution was adopted in February, there were popular elections for the lower house of parliament, local officials were then the electors for selecting the upper house of parliament, and then both houses selected the President. The system appears designed to assure majority rule and minority rights by carefully balancing the power of the Hutu majority and the Tutsi minority. The ethnic-Hutu Forces for National Liberation (FNL) rebel group is the only rebel group which has not joined the political process.

Nkurunziza said, ”The blood shed in the last twelve years is a lot and enough, we need to stop the war as soon as possible....We must fight against regional or ethnic divisions, combat poverty through improving health and education” (AP).

25 AUGUST 2005

Sub-Saharan Africa, diplomatic affairs

Officials from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda, meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, announced that the ethnic-Hutu Democratic Forces for Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebel group based in the DRC had until the end of September to voluntarily disarm. The DRC’s Minister for Regional Cooperation, Mbusa Nyamwisi said, “Our message will be: disarm now or face huge consequences” (Reuters).

Western Hemisphere, diplomatic affairs

The Haitian interim government recalled its charge d'affaires to the Dominican Republic following an attack on Haitian migrants there (AP).

29 AUGUST 2005

United States

Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and the surrounding area. New Orleans is situated on the Mississippi River delta, and much of the city is below sea level. Levees broke, causing most of the city to be flooded. It appeared that hundreds were killed and hundreds of thousands were displaced. There was some breakdown of law and order in New Orleans in the following days (CNN.com).

The affected area is important for oil production and distribution for the whole country, and there was some disruption of energy supplies.

Notes

1. "Bangladesh railway blasts signed 'al Qaeda'", Reuters, 1 May 2007.