Asia and the Pacific, diplomatic affairs

Around the end of the month, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held its annual summit. There was an agreement between ASEAN and China to create a free trade area by 2010. ASEAN members also agreed to begin free trade talks with Japan, Australia and New Zealand (CNN.com).

1 NOVEMBER 2004

Israel

The PFLP claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv that killed three (CNN.com).

2 NOVEMBER 2004

United States, politics

Elections were held. Republican President George W. Bush defeated Democratic challenger John Kerry by a slim margin. The Republicans added some seats in both the Senate and the House of Representatives; they already had a slight majority in both bodies. The country is divided over the Administration’s interventionist foreign policy and has become increasingly polarized on economic and social issues. However, evident in recent years, and featured in this election, was the Republicans Party’s fresher approach to economic issues and the Democratic Party’s inept handling of social issues.

2-4 NOVEMBER 2004

United Arab Emirates, politics

President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan died on the 2nd. On the 4th the Federal Council chose his eldest son and ruler of the Abu Dhabi emirate, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, to succeed him (CNN.com).

3 NOVEMBER 2004

Asia and the Pacific, diplomatic affairs

Taiwan announced the establishment of formal diplomatic relations with Vanuatu (AP).

4 NOVEMBER 2004

Diplomatic affairs

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the Kyoto Protocol, completing Russia’s ratification of the pact. Kyoto now has the ratifications of 55 states accounting for 55% of global 'greenhouse' gas emissions in 1990, allowing it to enter into force. The signatories will now have until 2012 to cut their emission of six ‘greenhouse’ gasses to a level 5.2% below the 1990 level (AP).

4-7 NOVEMBER 2004

Ivory Coast

Government forces conducted airstrikes on Bouake and Korhogo on the 4th; some French peacekeeping forces were caught in the attack. The French then raided Yamoussoukro Airport and destroyed most of the country’s small air force. Pro-government mobs then began attacking Westerners in major cities. There were clashes between pro-government elements and French troops in the Abidjan area which continued until the 7th (Reuters, CNN.com).

7 NOVEMBER 2004

Iraq

A major operation by US and Iraqi forces to take rebel-held Falluja began. About 10,000 US and 2,000 Iraqi troops were involved. Early on the 7th, Iraqi special forces seized the main hospital on the western edge of the city. Also on the 7th, US forces seized two bridges over the Euphrates, also on the west side (Reuters, CNN.com).

8-9 NOVEMBER 2004

Iraq

In the Falluja operation, major assaults on rebel positions began. By the next day, US forces had reached the city center (CNN.com).

10 NOVEMBER 2004

Iraq

US and Iraqi forces had taken about 70% of Falluja (CNN.com).

11 NOVEMBER 2004

Israel, West Bank and Gaza Strip

Palestinian Authority (PA) president Yasser Arafat died in a Paris hospital at the age of 75. Rauhi Fattouh became acting president (CNN.com, www.rulers.org).

Iraq

Iraqi and US forces attacked rebels in the Mosul area (CNN.com).

12 NOVEMBER 2004

Diplomatic affairs

British Prime Minister Tony Blair met with US President Bush in Washington (CNN.com).

13 NOVEMBER 2004

Iraq

US commanders said their forces had ended organized resistance in Falluja and that about 1,200 insurgents had been killed in the operation (CNN.com).

South Korea

There was a small but violent protest in Seoul by farmers opposed to the easing of rice import restrictions (Reuters).

15 NOVEMBER 2004

United States, politics

Secretary of State Colin Powell announced his resignation (CNN.com).

Diplomatic affairs

The UN Security Council imposed an arms embargo on Ivory Coast. The African Union (AU) reportedly supported the move (CNN.com).

15-16 NOVEMBER 2004

Namibia, politics

Presidential and parliamentary elections were held. Hifikepunye Pohamba of the ruling South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO) won the presidency with 76.3% of the votes. In the National Assembly, SWAPO won 55 of the 72 seats. Electoral officials said turnout was 95%. Regional observers said the elections were fair (AP, IFES).

16 NOVEMBER 2004

Diplomatic affairs

The UN Security Council renewed the mandate of the U.N. Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET) "for a final period of six months until 20 May, 2005" (Reuters).

Iraq

US and Iraqi troops launched an operation against rebels in the Mosul area (CNN.com).

18 NOVEMBER 2004

Europe, diplomatic affairs

French President Jacques Chirac met with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Afterwards Chirac said, "We should look forward not back -- to a unified, democratic and peaceful Iraq....There is no disagreement here" (CNN.com).

19 NOVEMBER 2004

Myanmar, civil affairs

The government released a number of political prisoners including pro-democracy activist Min Ko Naing (CNN.com).

21 NOVEMBER-11 DECEMBER 2004

Ukraine, politics

The runoff for the presidential election was held on 21 November. Election authorities said that Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych had won slightly more votes than Viktor Yushchenko. There were allegations by international observers and by Yushchenko of irregularities, including state media bias, violence against opposition supporters and questionable additions to voting lists shortly before the election. From the 22nd there were large pro-Yushchenko demonstrations in Kiev.

On 3 December, the Supreme Court recognized Yushchenko’s claims of fraud in eight of Ukraine’s 25 administrative districts, ruled that the Central Election Commission’s decision to declare Yanukovych the winner was unlawful, and set 26 December as the date for a new runoff.

On 11 December, doctors in Europe, after examining Yushchenko at a hospital in Vienna and having tests run, announced that he had ingested dioxin and that it was present in him at a level 1000 times greater than normal. In September, Yushchenko had fallen ill and begun to show symptoms of chloracne (CNN.com).

22 NOVEMBER 2004

Pakistan, civil affairs

Asif Ali Zardari, leader of the Pakistan People’s Party, was released on bail by the Supreme Court; he had been in state custody on corruption charges (CNN.com).

26 NOVEMBER 2004

Equatorial Guinea, civil affairs

About a dozen foreigners, including four South Africans, were convicted of plotting to overthrow the government (Reuters).

28 NOVEMBER 2004

Romania, politics

Presidential and parliamentary elections were held. A bloc composed of the Social Democratic Party (PSD, previously the Party of Social Democracy in Romania or PDSR) and the Humanist Party of Romania (PUR) won 57 seats in the 140-seat Senate and 132 seats in the 345-seat Chamber of Deputies. This was a slight drop in support compared to the November 2000 elections. The Justice and Truth Alliance (DA), composed of the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Democratic Party of Romania (PD), won 49 Senate seats and 113 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. In November 2000 the PNL and PD won 13 seats each in the Senate and 31 seats each in the Chamber of Deputies. The DA accused the government of electoral fraud.

In the presidential election, Prime Minister Adrian Nastase of the PSD won 40.1% of the vote, Traian Basescu of the DA won won 33.9% and four other candidates split the rest. Nastase and Basescu were scheduled for a runoff on 12 December (IFES, Reuters).

29 NOVEMBER 2004

Diplomatic affairs

The IAEA Board of Governors passed a resolution calling on Iran to resolve unanswered questions about its nuclear program.

The resolution noted that “Iranian practices up to October 2003 resulted in many breaches of Iran’s obligations to comply with its Safeguards Agreement, but that good progress has been made since that time in Iran’s correction of those breaches and in the Agency’s ability to confirm aspects of Iran’s current declarations..." It stated the Agency’s assessment “that all the declared nuclear material in Iran has been accounted for, and that such material is not diverted to prohibited activities, but that the Agency is not yet in a position to conclude that there are no undeclared nuclear materials or activities in Iran...” The resolution welcomed “the fact that Iran has decided to continue and extend its suspension of all enrichment related and reprocessing activities...” Iran had in recent weeks agreed to this continuation after negotiations with Britain, France and Germany. While the resolution recognizes that the suspension “is a voluntary confidence building measure, not a legal obligation”, it was widely understood during the negotiations that if Iran had failed to continue it, Iran could have been referred to the UN Security Council.

The resolution said that the implementation of the suspension “is essential to addressing outstanding issues....in particular the origin of contamination and the extent of Iran’s centrifuge programme, as well as the full implementation of Iran’s Safeguards Agreement and Additional Protocol, with a view to providing credible assurances regarding the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran...” (www.iaea.org, CNN.com).

Also, the UN Security Council extended the mandate of the U.N. Stabilization Mission in Haiti until 1 June 2005 “with the intention to renew for further periods” (AP).