Ethiopia

There were violent clashes in Addis Ababa between anti-government protesters and police over the May elections. There were numerous arrests of opposition leaders and others who the government said were inciting violence and disobedience of the post-election ban on demonstrations. The government later acknowledged that almost 200 civilians were killed by police during the clashes (CNN.com, Reuters, AP).

Asia and the Pacific, diplomatic affairs

Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow (AP).

Iraq

According to American CENTCOM commander Gen. John Abizaid, more foreign fighters were entering Iraq than six months before (CNN.com).

1 JUNE 2005

Afghanistan

A bombing attack at a mosque in Kandahar killed at least 10 people (CNN.com).

5 JUNE 2005

Iran

The government announced it was extending its suspension of uranium enrichment through the end of July (AP).

6-9 JUNE 2005

Bolivia

On the 6th, President Carlos Mesa announced he had decided to resign in the face of protests which had virtually shut down La Paz. On the 9th Congress accepted his resignation and appointed Eduardo Rodriguez as president of a caretaker government (AP).

10 JUNE 2005

Diplomatic affairs

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun met US President Bush in Washington. Afterward they expressed agreement on the desirability of pursuing the ‘six-party talks’ as the means of negotiating with North Korea regarding its nuclear weapons program (CNN.com).

11 JUNE 2005

Economic affairs

Finance ministers from the Group of Eight – Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States – agreed, at a meeting in London, that the $40 billion in debt owed by 18 countries to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the African Development Bank should be canceled. Those 18 countries were Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guyana, Honduras, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Twenty more countries could be eligible for debt relief if they met targets for political reform and for fighting corruption, which could bring the value of the relief to over $55 billion (CNN.com).

Philippines

About 5,000 people demonstrated in Manila against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (AP).

12 JUNE 2005

Iran

Four bombs struck government buildings in Ahvaz, killing seven people (Reuters).

17-24 JUNE 2005

Iran, politics

The first round of a presidential election was held on the 17th. Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani came in first place with about 21% of the vote, with Tehran mayor Mahdi Ahmadinejad a close second (AP). In the runoff on the 24th, Ahmadinejad won 61.6% of the vote. Turnout was reportedly about 63% in the first round and 49% in the runoff. The elections were criticized by reformists in Iran and by the West on the grounds that many candidates were prevented from running and for some alleged voting irregularities.

Ahmadinejad has said that "Acquiring peaceful nuclear technology is the demand of the whole Iranian nation” and that Iran should take a tougher negotiating stance in its talks with the West (CNN.com).

19 JUNE 2005

Guinea-Bissau, politics

In a presidential election, former president Malam Bacai Sanha won 35.5% of the vote, former president Joao Bernardo Vieira won 28.9%, and former president Kumba Iala won 25%. Turnout was 87.3%. A runnoff was scheduled for 24 July (www.rulers.org).

21 JUNE 2005

Israel

Prime Minister Sharon and PA President Mahmoud Abbas discussed further cooperative steps. Also, Abbas asked for the release of more Palestinian prisoners, while Sharon said the PA needed to take more concrete action against terrorist elements (CNN.com).

Lebanon

George Hawi, former secretary general of the Lebanese Communist Party, was killed by a bomb in Beirut (CNN.com).

22 JUNE 2005

Haiti

The UN Security Council extended the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force in Haiti to 15 February 2006 "with the intention to renew for further periods" (Reuters).

22-23 JUNE 2005

Iraq

Three car bombs killed 18 people in a predominately Shiite neigborhood in northwestern Baghdad on the 22nd. The next day there were four car bomb attacks in the north-central part of the city against Shiite and police targets (CNN.com).

23 JUNE 2005

Asia and the Pacific, diplomatic affairs

Delegates from North and South Korea held talks in Seoul. Afterwards they issued a joint statement which said, "The South and the North have agreed to take real measures for peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue through dialogue as the atmosphere is created with the ultimate goal of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” It also said that South Korea would provide aid to the North on a humanitarian basis and that the two sides would engage in agricultural cooperation (CNN.com).

24 JUNE 2005

Diplomatic affairs

Iraqi Prime Minister Abraham al-Jaafari met US President Bush in Washington (CNN.com).

25 JUNE 2005

Bulgaria, politics

Parliamentary elections were held. The Coalition for Bulgaria (KzB), led by Sergei Stanishev’s Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), won 83 of the 240 seats. Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg's ruling National Movement for Simeon II (NDSV) won 53 seats. The mostly ethnic-Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) won 33 seats while the nationalist Attack coalition won 21 seats. The Socialists have promised economic prudence and continued pursuit of EU membership (www.rulers.org, CNN.com, IFES).

25-26 JUNE 2005

Iraq

Four suicide bombing attacks struck targets in the Mosul area, including Jamahoori Hospital (CNN.com).

30 JUNE 2005

Lebanon, politics

Former finance minister Fuad Saniora was named Prime Minister (AP).

Democratic Republic of Congo

There were clashes in Kinshasa between security forces and thousands of protesters who were calling on the government to resign because of delays in the holding of elections (Reuters).