(April 18, 2003) This paper argues Russia has rejected the American proposal for debt relief in Iraq, and favours using Iraq’s debt to drive negotiations to improve its own economic position in post-Saddam Iraq.
Forgiving Iraq’s Debts
(April 17, 2003)Chairman of the Duma’s Committee on the State Debt and Foreign Assets, Vladimir Nikitin, called the American proposals for debt relief "more than bizarre". Iraq’s debt to Russia – some "well verified and grounded" $8 billion – is not negotiable.
A country in ruin but rich in resources looks to rebirth
(April 17, 2003) Outside Iraq, the usual repositories of economic data, like the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund, have scant knowledge of what has been going on inside the country since the 1980s.
Probe International’s letter to AMEC
(April 17, 2003) Probe International tries to determine the extent of AMEC’s involvement with the Chalillo dam project in Belize.
Who can sell Iraq’s oil?
(April 17, 2003) Saddam Hussein used much of the borrowed money to pay for his wars against Iran and Kuwait and his repressive forces…But the rules are there: tyrannies may fall, but their debts live on.
Next spat over Iraq: Foreign debt relief
(April 17, 2003) Outstanding public-sector loans to Iraq are fast becoming another contentious issue between the US and the so-called coalition of the unwilling. Japan is also an interested player, holding a total of 673 billion yen in outstanding loans to Iraq.
Reservoirs of repression: Part One
[This article was written by Three Gorges Probe (English) editor Kelly Haggart and social scientist Yang Chongqing for China Rights Forum. The journal is published by Human Rights in China, a non-government organization formed in 1989 by scientists and scholars ‘to promote universally recognized human rights and advance the institutional protection of these rights in China.’]
Reservoirs of repression: Part Two
[This is the second part of an article that first appeared in the journal China Rights Forum, published by Human Rights in China. See also Reservoirs of repression: Part One]
No one asked the migrants
Reservoirs of repression
(April 16, 2003) Despite the questions raised around the world about the human and ecological impact of big dams, China remains committed to building them. The cost in human-rights abuses has been, and continues to be, high.
Deferring to a failing Europe
(April 16, 2003) There is no entitlement for France, Germany, Russia and the U.N. They did all in their power to keep Saddam Hussein in power, which makes them accessories to tyranny and war crimes.
Ex-water chief must serve 18* years
(April 15, 2003) The Lesotho Court of Appeal on Monday confirmed the conviction of the former head of the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority on 13 counts of receiving bribe money from international contractors and consultants.
Restructuring, not forgiveness
(April 15, 2003) If Mr. Snow’s remarks were muddling, those of Mr. Wolfowitz were mischievous. Iraq’s debt problem is a serious issue. It should not get mixed up in political point-scoring.
Appeal Judgment – Crown v. Masupha Ephraim Sole (PDF file)
(April 14, 2003) The Lesotho Court of Appeal judgment in full, confirming the conviction of Mr. Sole, the former head of the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority.
Shipping industry expects dam closure to have ‘huge impact’
Yichang, Hubei province: Shipping companies on the Yangtze River face a steep drop in income for the next two months while navigation is suspended near the Three Gorges dam.
Belize tour guide association asks Public Utilities Commission for fair hearing on Chalillo
(April 14, 2003) How can we know what
effects [the Chalillo dam] will have on our river, and potentially on
the safety of people, both those of us who live downstream and the
visitors we take up and down the river.
Patricia Adams
Dai Qing
Fan Xiao
Lawrence Solomon
Mu Lan
Probe International
Lisa Peryman
Probe Media
Other News Sources
Probe International 