When Prime Ministers from other countries like Israel, Norway, UK and many others visit America, they meet President Bush. How come Prime Minister Raila only meets the Secretary of State Rice and other junior officers in the Bush administration?

It is possible Bush and his men are being carefull not to show President Kibaki anything that may be seen as being favouritism towards a prime minister when it is known that Kibaki has the executive power in Kenya. He is the commander in Chief just like Bush and Raila is not. This may be one of the reasons. API

Raila reaps more goodies for Kenya

By Brian Adero and PMPSPrime Minister Raila Odinga reaped more goodies for Kenya during his American trip when he signed an agreement that opens the route for Kenya Airways direct flights to the US.

Raila and American Secretary of Transport Mary Peters signed the US-Kenya Open Skies Agreement for direct flights for airlines from both countries.

Kenya Airways, the only airline in Kenya with the capacity to fly across the Atlantic, can now reap from the lucrative opportunity.

The US also announced that its American Delta Airlines would fly direct to Nairobi from next year.

The agreement, internationally known as the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (Basa), is subject to upgrading of main airports to what is termed Category One Standard.

In anticipation of the agreement, the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), which attained ISO certification last week, on Thursday confirmed it was upgrading Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to Category One Status.

Transport Permanent Secretary Abdulrazaq Adan Ali told The Standard that by November, the airport would have attained the status.

Raila signed the agreement with Peters just a day after the approval by congressmen, agencies and key US financiers to endorse Sh5.8 billion funding for rehabilitation following post-election violence.

Speaking at the US Transport Department in Washington, DC, Peters said America was keen to work with Kenya�s Transport ministry on aviation.

Saying �open skies� were the standard for modern aviation, Peters pointed out: “We want to remove regulatory barriers to facilitate this aviation accord between Kenya and the US.”

The US has already signed 90 open-sky accords, 20 with African countries, she said.

Raila said Kenya would use the opportunity to link the national airline directly with New York, among other US cities.

“This will make it easier for horticulture and flower businesses,” said the PM.

Benefits

He indicated that the agreement would help Kenya acquire Category One air status and provide 24-hour services so that travellers would not have to go through Europe.

The PM said the agreement was a crucial link between transport and prosperity of Kenya and the US and noted it would increase the number of American tourists to Kenya.

“Our concentration has traditionally been in the European market,” said Raila.

Transport minister Chirau Mwakwere, who is in Raila�s entourage, said the agreement would provide a vital alternative for the business community and help market Kenya�s tourism.

“It�s been a long process of negotiations,” said Mwakwere.

In Nairobi, KAA Managing Director George Muhoho said: “The authority now joins organisations that have demonstrated full commitment to provide a service that consistently conforms to acceptable global standards.”

He went on: “The process to attain Category One Status is on and we are committed to that.”

Category One rating is a privilege for a country whose aviation standards conform to those set by International Civil Aviation Organisation.

Meanwhile, the US Corporate Council on Africa hosted Raila to a dinner in Washington attended by business people.

The PM told the meeting that one objective of the trip was to promote trade between Kenya and the US.

Corporate Council director Asfaw Alemayehu said its more than 180 members were looking for investment opportunities in Kenya, among them General Motors and Microsoft.

Earlier, the PM met US officials, among them Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, Assistant Secretary for Africa Jendayi Frazer, congressmen and senators.

The Prime Minister held discussions with Rice at her office in Capitol Hill.

Raila and other officials return home on Friday night.

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African Press International – api source.standard.ke

The Kenyan cabinet is considering the re-opening of the Kenyan border with Somalia to exercise better control over the influx of refugees who have continued to cross the border despite the closure for 18 months, state owned Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) quoted the country�s minister for Immigration, Otieno Kajwang on Thursday.

Speaking during a visit to the Dadaab refugee camp in north-eastern Kenya, the minister said the government closed the border since January last year, when the Ethiopian forces drove away the Islamist militants who had ruled southern Somalia for six months, prompting the Kenyan government to close the border to block any attempts by the combatants to cross over with their weapons.

Minister Kajwang had accompanied the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres on a tour of the refugee camp.

Kenya is home to more than 230, 000 refugees, many of them from Somalia which has seen an exodus since January last year.

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API. source.apa

A heavy gun battle between Islamist insurgents and government soldiers aided by Ethiopian troops rocked the north of Mogadishu on Thursday afternoon, killing 10 civilians and wounding 20 others, residents and officials told APA.

The fighting began after the heavily armed Islamists attacked Gulwada Yasha camp, north of Mogadishu, where government soldiers are stationed, and after at about the same time, another gun battle rocked at the former soccer stadium in north Mogadishu, where the Ethiopian soldiers are stationed.

The fighting was followed by mortar shells which rained down on districts which are far from the areas of fighting. But both sides used heavy weapons including mortar shells, rocket propelled grenades and automatic weapons.

“Two women died and 8 others, including six children of one of the dead women were seriously injured as they were sitting in front of their home and a mortar shell hit them,” Osman Olow, the uncle of the injured children, told APA by telephone.

This incident occurred at Laba Dhagah district of north Mogadishu.

The death toll is expected to rise as the clash took place when it was getting dark and all Mogadishu streets were blocked by government soldiers and Ethiopian troops for security purposes and no one was allowed to go anywhere near the affected areas.

Abdi Rahen Isee Adow, spokesmand of the Islamic Courts Union told APA by telephone that the insurgents killed 10 soldiers and chased them from their camp and he also confirmed that two of the Islamist militias died in the battle and three others were injured.

This ongoing violence in Mogadishu comes despite the new truce agreement recently signed between the Somali government and the opposition alliance based in Asmara, a group which included both moderates and hardliners, and which was meant to end the Iraq-style insurgency and usher in a ceasefire in the beleaguered capital city.

Somalia had been plunged in anarchy after the overthrow of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, when warlords used their clan-based militias to fall over the dictator then fought each other for power, leading to constant inter-clan war which left thousands killed and millions displaced.

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API.source.apa

The former Central African president Ange Felix Patasse has denounced his being sidelined from the all-inclusive political dialogue, a forum meant to bring about final peace in the Central African Republic after several military mutinies, said a release issued here Thursday.

“I denounce the tactics by the Bangui regime making every effort to keep me out of the political dialogue which, by the way, is a highly important national forum to restore lasting peace in the Central African Republic,” Patasse said in the release.

The document comes a few days ahead of the signing of a comprehensive peace agreement between the government and some armed groups.

The former head of state calls the national and international community to witness any consequences that would follow his exclusion from the political dialogue, a landmark forum that was initially billed to begin on 15 June.

The meeting was postponed to mid-July to allow the country�s authorities to seal a comprehensive peace agreement with the four rebel movements active in north-east of the country.

Another reason why it was put off was to pass a general amnesty law in accordance with the recommendations of the preparatory committee for the political dialogue and the international community.

Exiled in Togo since being ousted from power on 15 March 2005 through a putsch by incumbent president Fran�ois Boziz�, Patass�s leadership of his former party; � the CAR People�s Liberation Movement (MLPC) of which he was expelled last year, is currently being contested.

He has put great expectations on his participation in the all-inclusive political dialogue to regain political momentum and revive his manifesto.

Martin Zigu�l�, a former Prime Minister under Patass�, now leads the MLPC.

The signing of a comprehensive peace agreement is expected to usher into general amnesty allowing Patasse to take part in the talks – as he is a former convict – without fearing arrest.

His former defence minister Jean Jacques D�mafouth, former security commander Abdoulaye Miskine, and former spokesman Prosper N�doumba, who were also convicted, are expected to enjoy similar conditions.

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API.source.apa

The body of the renowned Egyptian film director Saad Ardash was laid to rest on Thursday after he died last Friday at age 84 years, in the United States while he was receiving treatment for cancer.

The body was returned to Egypt Thursday from USA and his funeral was attended by a large number of people from all walks of life, who included artists, politicians and journalists.

The late Saad Ardash was one of the most prominent artists in the Arab world in general and in Egypt in particular. He took part in several movies and television series during his career, which exceeded half a century.

He received a doctorate degree from the International Academy of Theatre in Rome in 1961.

The most important drama directed by Saad Ardash included “Fire and Olives” by the late playwright Alfred Faraj and “The Earth” taken from the novel “The Earth” by Abdel Rahman Al-Sharqawi, which was turned into a film by Youssef Chahin.

Ardash marked a milestone in Egyptian theatre and cinema. He addressed social and political issues through plays like “Road of Safety” or Sekat el-Salama by the late playwright Saad Eddin Wahba.

He directed “Caucasian chalk circle” a play which was one of the most important plays of German playwright Bertolt Brecht.

The late artist worked as professor and head of acting and directing department at the Institute of Drama and Arts in Egypt.

The late artist reaped numerous awards and medals including the Order of Arts and Sciences in 1967 and the State Award of the Supreme Council of Culture.

He published a lot of artistic studies and researches for artistic and cultural periodicals in Egypt and the Arab world.

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API.source.apa

Jean M. Tamba, special correspondent

Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on Wednesday availed himself to world leaders with his �rich ideas and experience � in a bid to end global terrorism and Islamophobia.

He observed that many people and particularly those in the fore-front in fighting these vices, still harbour profound confusion over what really terrorism entails and hence the difficulties in combating it.

President Museveni made the statement when addressing the opening session of the 35 session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in the Ugandan capital, Kampala.

�You cannot call an attack on a military convoy as terrorism, because the bomb or whatever the attackers used in carrying out the attack is a military weapon�America cannot attack and condemns attacks against it�we all including America can work it out,� Museveni, a one-time guerrilla commander-turned president said.

He recalled that there were pockets of inter-religious hatred and violent confrontations in the country but have all disappeared thanks to the advent of the political movements that swept across the country with him in the driving seat.

�In Uganda, Christians and Muslims worship in their houses and churches or mosques as they wish and it stays there�and when it comes to national issues, there is no religious sentiment whatsoever,� he said.

He enticed the richer member countries of the OIC to invest massively in the 5.5 trillion-dollar market that the organization has and thereby strengthen cooperation, economic prosperity and alleviate poverty within the member states.

�I do not believe in hypocrisy and that is why I prefer direct diplomacy. So, if we really want to overcome our common enemies including poverty, now is the time we need to do so using the huge potentials we have as members states of this organization,� he said.

Hundreds of delegates from all 57 member states including the Organisation�s Secretary General, Prof. Ekmeleddine Ishanoglu, as well as observer missions from about a dozen non member states and the United Nations are attending the two-day session at the Monyonyo resort in Kampala.

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API.source.apa