The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| Iran window shops at airshow in hope of sanctions relief Posted: 21 Nov 2013 07:31 AM PST Senior Iranian aviation executives were at the Dubai Airshow in a discreet campaign to update their ageing passenger jets this week, even as Iran negotiated with international powers to ease economic sanctions over its nuclear programme. Under moderate President Hassan Rouhani, there has been increasing hope the talks in Geneva could secure a breakthrough in the decade-long nuclear stand-off, leading to relief from embargoes that have crippled Iran's airlines. Iranian airlines are banned from buying new passenger planes from the world's two manufacturing giants, Airbus and Boeing, and limp on through purchases from third parties. Easing the ban on sales of spare parts has been on the agenda of nuclear talks since 2006 and, according to Western diplomats, remains part of a package of sanctions relief if an agreement is reached on curbing Iran's nuclear activities. The West says the nuclear programme is aimed at developing atomic weapons, but Iran says it is solely for the purpose of power generation and medical research. Dozens of Iranian executives made private visits to the Middle East's largest aviation show in Dubai this week, their gaze on everything from Airbus's US$400 million (RM1.2 billion) double-decker A380s to smaller essentials such as life jackets, inflight entertainment systems and coffee-makers for catering services. It is mostly a case of window-shopping, as big purchases are still beyond the reach of Iranian carriers. "Iran's aviation industry is in desperate need for new planes and spare parts and other technology necessary for travel in Iran and abroad," said Theodore Karasik, research director at Dubai think-tank INEGMA. "If sanctions are lifted in this industry, it would be an outstanding humanitarian gesture to the Islamic Republic." A large country rich in natural resources and boasting one of the largest populations in the Middle East, the Islamic Republic would in normal circumstances be a flourishing market for air travel. Instead, Iran's air industry tells a story of worsening safety, grounded aircraft and fare rises, which in turn are curbing demand. Some Iranian visitors have negotiated deals at the show, but are reluctant to talk openly, industry sources said. "There area lot of Iranians here who are interested in all sectors of the industry. The big Iranian airlines are also here to do business," said an Iranian visitor at the airshow who called himself Mr. Fa'al. He works for a servicing and spare parts company in Iran. "The situation is difficult, but not impossible. We hope it's going to get better under Rouhani, but it depends on whether they accept Iran's nuclear rights," he added. There are more than a dozen large airlines operating in Iran and several more fledgling carriers. The state carrier Iran Air has a fleet of about 40 planes, including nine Boeing 747 jets, some of which were built before the Islamic Revolution in 1979. The safety record for the carriers has resulted in most Iranian flights no longer being able to land within the EU. There were about 14 aircraft crashes involving Iranian planes reported in the decade to January 2011, with hundreds of civilians killed and many more injured. In October 2011, the pilot of an Iran Air plane averted disaster by landing without the forward landing gear. But for his skill, the tragic statistics could have been worse. The head of one private Iranian airline recently said most of Iran's passenger planes were out of service. "More than 60% of Iran's (passenger) airplanes in the country, which have an average age of 22 years, are grounded because of technical and logistical problems," Cyrus Baheri, director general of Iran Airtours airline, told student news agency (ISNA). Airline officials periodically announce the purchase of second-hand Airbus aircraft, mostly older A320 and A340 models, and are also reliant on Russian-built passengers planes. The airline sanctions were put in place under President Bill Clinton in 1995. During nuclear negotiations last year, the international powers - United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany - held out the prospect of relief from the airline sanctions if Tehran curbed its nuclear programme. Since the election of Rouhani, there has been talk of attempts to resume direct flights to the United States. Earlier this week, the head of Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation, Ali Reza Jahangirian, said everything was ready for the resumption of direct flights and it was a question of waiting for the government's approval. "We are waiting for the cue from the country's political authorities to put the flight into operation," he said, Fars news agency reported. However, such statements overlook the myriad issues that need to be ironed out before such a route could be re-established. Safety is likely to be a significant obstacle, as are sanctions that bar all financial transactions between US and Iranian companies, unless given exemption. Some remain upbeat and await the green light. "Upon lifting of sanctions there will not only be aircraft orders but various purchases ... a vast spending spree on life jackets for the existing fleet, landing gear, aircraft engines, training and even flight maps, to name a few," said an aviation consultant whose clients include Iranian carriers. Mahan Air, one of the leading Iranian airlines, said it was hopeful of the ongoing talks. "We are encouraged by the diplomatic discussions taking place. Sanctions have made the purchase of spare parts and new aircraft challenging," the airline spokesman said. "Hopefully, the easing of sanctions will give us an opportunity to offer more destinations to our passengers." - Reuters, November 21, 2013. |
| Uganda’s Joseph Kony: altar boy to elusive rebel leader Posted: 20 Nov 2013 11:08 PM PST Combining religious mysticism with an astute guerrilla mind and bloodthirsty ruthlessness, Kony has turned scores of young girls into his personal sex-slaves while claiming to be fighting to impose the Bible's Ten Commandments. While battling the Ugandan government, he and a dwindling band of expert guerrilla fighters have earned a grim reputation for the abduction of children and mutilation of civilians. Currently believed to be hiding out in a remote jungle area of Central African Republic (CAR), in recent years Kony has seen his forces dwindle to a few hundred as regional armies - backed by US special forces - have come together to hunt him down. On Wednesday, it emerged Kony had tried to negotiate food and safe passage from CAR's leader, amid indications he is seriously ill. Forces of the self-proclaimed prophet, accused of overseeing the abduction of tens of thousands of children, roam border regions between the Democratic Republic of Congo, CAR, South Sudan and Sudan. In 2005 he - along with four of his deputies - were the first people indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Two of the deputies were later killed. A member of the Acholi ethnic group, Kony was born in April 1963 in northern Uganda, according to US advocacy group Enough. After a basic primary school education, he took up arms in around 1987, following in the footsteps of another messianic rebel, Alice Auma Lakwena, a former prostitute who is believed to have been either his cousin or aunt. Lakwena, who died in exile in Kenya in early 2007, believed she could channel the spirits of the dead, and also told her followers that holy oil she gave them could stop bullets. Kony claims the Holy Spirit issues orders to him on everything from military tactics to personal hygiene, terrifying his subordinates into obedience. Lakwena - and then Kony's - rebellion claimed to be defending the Acholi people against President Yoweri Museveni, who seized power from northern military rulers at the head of a rebel army in 1986. Despite widespread northern resentment against Museveni, Kony's policy of abductions soon lost him the support of local groups, who suffered in the government's brutal war against the LRA. Hunted by multiple armies At the height of the conflict, the government had forced some 2 million people into camps. Kony, 50, who speaks broken English and Acholi, has only rarely met outsiders but in an interview with a western journalist in 2006 he declared that he was "not a terrorist" and had not committed atrocities. "We want the people of Uganda to be free. We are fighting for democracy," he said. Despite that, ex-LRA abductees say they were forced to maim and kill friends, neighbours and relatives, sometimes by biting them to death, and participate in gruesome rites such as drinking their victims' blood. In the mid-nineties, the LRA conflict spilt into neighbouring countries after the Sudanese government in Khartoum began backing the group in retaliation for Uganda's support of southern Sudanese rebels battling for independence. When Sudan signed a peace deal with the southern rebels in 2005 support for the LRA dried up and, after being forced into neighbouring DR Congo by the Ugandan army, Kony agreed to peace talks. But negotiations dragged on and, amid mutual distrust and anxiety over the ICC warrant, Kony repeatedly failed to turn up to sign a deal. In December 2008, the Ugandan army - backed up by other regional armies and US financial support - launched airstrikes against the LRA's bases in Garamba national park in northeast DR Congo. The attack failed to capture or kill Kony and his top commanders and the LRA splintered into small groups, butchering and abducting its way across a vast area. In late 2011, following pressure from US campaigners, President Barack Obama deployed around 100 US special forces troops to the area to help regional armies track down Kony. Kony surged to unexpected worldwide prominence in March 2012 on the back of a hugely popular internet video that called for his capture. Made by US-based advocacy group Invisible Children, the Kony2012 film became one of the most fastest-spreading internet videos in history after more than 100 million users across the globe clicked on to watch it in just a few days. Despite the increased pressure, after more than 25 years in the bush Kony remains a master of evasion, ditching satellite telephones in favour of runners to communicate and living off wild roots and animals. – AFP, November 21, 2013. |
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