{"id":16281,"date":"2009-02-18T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2009-02-18T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/18-fevrier-2009\/"},"modified":"2009-02-18T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2009-02-18T00:00:00","slug":"18-fevrier-2009","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/18-fevrier-2009\/","title":{"rendered":"18 f\u00e9vrier 2009"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><html><head><meta content=\"text\/html\" description=\"La situation \u00e0 Lampedusa continue \u00e0 se d\u00e9t\u00e9riorer. \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCe matin une r\u00e9volte s\u2019est d\u00e9clench\u00e9e au centre \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\td\u2019Identification et d\u2019Expulsion de l\u2019Ile o\u00f9 sont \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tretenus plus de 1000 \u00e9trangers dont 863 \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tressortissants tunisiens. La tension \u00e9tait grande \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsuite \u00e0 des informations publi\u00e9es par un journal \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttunisien (Assabah), confirmant un accord conclu ces \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tderniers jours entre les autorit\u00e9s italiennes et \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttunisiennes en vue de l\u2019expulsion vers la Tunisie de \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1200 immigr\u00e9s (Voir d\u00e9claration de l\u2019AG de la FTCR \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdu 7 f\u00e9vrier 2009). \" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\/><\/head><body><body><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\" dir=\"ltr\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tunisnews.net\/\"><span>Home<\/span><span lang=\"FR-CH\"> &#8211; Accuei<\/span><\/a><span lang=\"FR-CH\">l<\/span><\/b><\/font><\/p>\n<div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><\/p>\n<div><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><\/p>\n<div align=\"justify\"><font><\/p>\n<div align=\"justify\">\n<div><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\">\u00a0 <\/p>\n<div align=\"center\" dir=\"ltr\"><span lang=\"SV\"><strong><font face=\"Book Antiqua\"><font face=\"Bookman Old Style\">TUNISNEWS<\/font><font size=\"2\"><\/font><\/font><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"center\" dir=\"ltr\"><font><\/p>\n<div><strong>8\u00a0\u00e8me ann\u00e9e, <span lang=\"FR\">N\u00b0\u00a03193 du 18.02.2009<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<p><\/font><\/div>\n<div align=\"center\" dir=\"ltr\"><span><font><strong><font>\u00a0archives<\/font> : <\/strong><\/font><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><font><strong>www.tunisnews.net<\/strong><\/font><\/a><\/span><font>\u00a0<\/font>\u00a0 <\/div>\n<div align=\"center\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<hr\/>\n<p><span><span lang=\"FR\"><font><span lang=\"FR\"><\/span><\/font><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<p><\/font><font size=\"3\"><\/p>\n<div><strong><span lang=\"FR\"><font size=\"2\">FTCR: Lampedusa\u00a0: 1200 Tunisiens risquent l\u2019expulsion<\/font><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<div><strong><font size=\"2\">Liberation.fr: Niger: les deux diplomates canadiens ont \u00e9t\u00e9 enlev\u00e9s par Al-Qaeda<\/font><\/strong><\/div>\n<div><strong><span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"color: red;\"><font size=\"2\">Afrik.com: Al-Qaida Maghreb revendique une s\u00e9rie d\u2019enl\u00e8vements au Niger<\/font><\/h2>\n<p><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<div><strong><font size=\"2\"><span>AFP: UE: Bruxelles propose une assistance pour traiter les demandes d&rsquo;asile<\/span><\/font><\/strong><\/div>\n<div><strong><span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"color: red;\"><font size=\"2\"><span>RFI:<\/span>Vingt ans apr\u00e8s sa cr\u00e9ation, triste bilan pour l\u2019UMA<\/font><\/h2>\n<p><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<div><strong><span><font size=\"2\">Maghreb Arabe Presse: L&rsquo;Alg\u00e9rie se sert de la question du Sahara comme pr\u00e9texte pour entraver l&rsquo;\u00e9dification du Maghreb (diplomate)<\/font><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<div><strong><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"color: red;\"><font size=\"2\">Menassat: Lutfi Hajji: \u00ab\u00a0Tunis does not tolerate independent media\u00a0\u00bb<\/font><\/h2>\n<p><\/strong><\/div>\n<div><font size=\"2\"><strong>The Washington Post: Will Barack Obama unconditionally embrace the Middle East&rsquo;s autocrats? Hosni Mubarak hopes so<\/strong><\/font><font face=\"Arial\"><\/font><\/div>\n<div>\n<hr\/>\n<div>\n<div align=\"center\"><b><span lang=\"FR\">Liste actualis\u00e9e des signataires de l&rsquo;initiative du Droit de Retour : <\/span><span lang=\"FR\"><font><a>http:\/\/www.manfiyoun.net\/fr\/listfr.html<\/a><\/font><\/span><\/b><span lang=\"FR\"><strong> Celles et Ceux qui veulent signer cet appel sont invit\u00e9s \u00e0 envoyer leur: Nom, Pays de r\u00e9sidence et Ann\u00e9e de sortie de la Tunisie sur le m\u00e9l de l&rsquo;initiative : <\/strong><a><font><strong>manfiyoun@gmail.com<\/strong><\/font><\/a><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><font face=\"Arial\"><\/p>\n<div><strong><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><\/strong><\/div>\n<div><font><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><b><span lang=\"FR\">F\u00e9d\u00e9ration des Tunisiens pour une Citoyennet\u00e9 des deux Rives<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><span lang=\"FR\"><font face=\"Calibri\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 3, rue de Nantes 75019 Paris \u2013 Tel\u00a0: 01.46.07.54.04 \u2013 Fax\u00a0: 01.40.34.18.15<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/font><\/div>\n<div><font>\u00a0 <\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><b><span lang=\"FR\"><font size=\"2\">Lampedusa\u00a0: 1200 Tunisiens risquent l\u2019expulsion<\/font><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><b><span lang=\"FR\"><font size=\"2\">Le gouvernement italien poursuit la Guerre aux migrants<\/font><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><b><span lang=\"FR\"><font size=\"2\">avec la complicit\u00e9 du gouvernement tunisien<\/font><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"FR\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"FR\">La situation \u00e0 Lampedusa continue \u00e0 se d\u00e9t\u00e9riorer. Ce matin une r\u00e9volte s\u2019est d\u00e9clench\u00e9e au centre d\u2019Identification et d\u2019Expulsion de l\u2019Ile o\u00f9 sont retenus plus de 1000 \u00e9trangers dont 863 ressortissants tunisiens. La tension \u00e9tait grande suite \u00e0 des informations publi\u00e9es par un journal tunisien (Assabah), confirmant un accord conclu ces derniers jours entre les autorit\u00e9s italiennes et tunisiennes en vue de l\u2019expulsion vers la Tunisie de 1200 immigr\u00e9s (Voir d\u00e9claration de l\u2019AG de la FTCR du 7 f\u00e9vrier 2009). <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"FR\">Un incendie s\u2019est d\u00e9clench\u00e9 ravageant la majeure partie du Centre. Les forces anti\u00e9meutes sont intervenues brutalement et \u00a014 bless\u00e9s ont \u00e9t\u00e9 transf\u00e9r\u00e9s vers les services hospitaliers de la ville.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"FR\">Sur place, la population de Lampedusa continue \u00e0 r\u00e9clamer la fermeture de centre. Quant au maire, il d\u00e9pose plainte pour s\u00e9questration ill\u00e9gale contre le ministre de l\u2019Int\u00e9rieur. Ce dernier a d\u00e9clar\u00e9 qu\u2019\u00ab<i>apr\u00e8s l\u2019incendie provoqu\u00e9 par quelques immigr\u00e9s retenus au centre,\u00a0il a \u00e9t\u00e9 d\u00e9cid\u00e9 de proc\u00e9der par\u00a0 anticipation au transfert d\u2019une partie des immigr\u00e9s sur la base du plan du minist\u00e8re d\u00e9j\u00e0 mis en place et qui reste inchang\u00e9.\u00a0(&#8230;)Apr\u00e8s la r\u00e9volte de ce matin, la situation est revenue \u00e0 la normalit\u00e9. (&#8230;)Cependant, une partie du CIE a subi des grands d\u00e9g\u00e2ts ce qui le rend inexploitable actuellement. Des travaux de restauration vont imm\u00e9diatement commencer<\/i>\u00bb.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"FR\">A l\u2019heure actuelle, pr\u00e8s de 900 Tunisiens sont encore en r\u00e9tention au centre d\u2019Identification et d\u2019Expulsion de Lampedusa.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"FR\">La F\u00e9d\u00e9ration des Tunisiens pour une Citoyennet\u00e9 des deux Rives\u00a0:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"FR\"><font face=\"Calibri\">&#8211;<\/font><span><font size=\"2\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/font><\/span><\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"FR\">R\u00e9it\u00e8re son alerte et sa forte pr\u00e9occupation concernant la situation \u00e0 Lampedusa <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"FR\"><font face=\"Calibri\">&#8211;<\/font><span><font size=\"2\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/font><\/span><\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"FR\">Demande la fermeture du centre, la lib\u00e9ration et la r\u00e9gularisation de tous les retenus.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"FR\"><font face=\"Calibri\">&#8211;<\/font><span><font size=\"2\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/font><\/span><\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"FR\">Salue la r\u00e9sistance des migrants contre cette injustice et exprime sa solidarit\u00e9 avec leurs familles, qui s\u2019inqui\u00e8tent en Tunisie. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"FR\"><font face=\"Calibri\">&#8211;<\/font><span><font size=\"2\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/font><\/span><\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"FR\">D\u00e9nonce l\u2019accord d\u2019expulsion conclu entre les gouvernements italiens et tunisiens. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"FR\"><font face=\"Calibri\">&#8211;<\/font><span><font size=\"2\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/font><\/span><\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"FR\">Attire l\u2019attention sur la pr\u00e9sence parmi les retenus d\u2019un grand nombre d\u2019originaires du Bassin minier de Gafsa qui ont fuit la mis\u00e8re et la r\u00e9pression dans le sang du mouvement de protestation sociale qu\u2019a connu leur r\u00e9gion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"FR\"><font face=\"Calibri\">&#8211;<\/font><span><font size=\"2\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/font><\/span><\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"FR\">Condamne l\u2019approche du \u00ab\u00a0tout s\u00e9curitaire\u00a0\u00bb pr\u00f4n\u00e9e par l\u2019Europe sur la question des migrants.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"FR\"><font face=\"Calibri\">&#8211;<\/font><span><font size=\"2\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/font><\/span><\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"FR\">D\u00e9nonce la recrudescence inqui\u00e9tante de discours politiques et m\u00e9diatiques \u00e0 caract\u00e8re x\u00e9nophobe en Italie, et s\u2019alarme de la banalisation de propos publics qui rel\u00e8vent de l\u2019appel au lynchage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"FR\"><font face=\"Calibri\">&#8211;<\/font><span><font size=\"2\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/font><\/span><\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"FR\">Rend un hommage appuy\u00e9 \u00e0 la population de Lampedusa dans son ensemble. Celle-ci r\u00e9siste magnifiquement aux appels \u00e0 la haine, et a su faire preuve d\u2019une solidarit\u00e9 et d\u2019une humanit\u00e9 remarquable alors m\u00eame que ses propres droits sont mis en danger par la politique de militarisation de l\u2019\u00eele d\u00e9cid\u00e9e par le gouvernement italien.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span lang=\"FR\"><font face=\"Calibri\">&#8211;<\/font><span><font size=\"2\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/font><\/span><\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"FR\">Lance un appel au mouvement d\u00e9mocratique, aux d\u00e9fenseurs des droits humains et des droits des migrants en Italie, en Europe et dans tout le pourtour m\u00e9diterran\u00e9en pour riposter contre la guerre aux migrants.<\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"right\"><span lang=\"FR\">Paris, le 18 f\u00e9vrier 2009.<\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"right\"><span lang=\"FR\">Pour le Bureau de la FTCR<\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"right\"><b><span lang=\"FR\">Mouhieddine CHERBIB<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"color: red;\"><font size=\"2\"><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Niger: les deux diplomates canadiens ont \u00e9t\u00e9 enlev\u00e9s par Al-Qaeda<\/font><\/h2>\n<p align=\"justify\"><font size=\"2\">La branche au Maghreb du r\u00e9seau terroriste a revendiqu\u00e9 le kidnapping de Robert Fowler, \u00e9missaire de l\u2019ONU, de son coll\u00e8gue Louis Gay, de leur chauffeur nig\u00e9rien et de quatre touristes europ\u00e9ens.<\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><small><\/small><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><font size=\"2\">(Source AFP)<\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">La branche nord-africaine d\u2019Al-Qaeda a revendiqu\u00e9 l\u2019enl\u00e8vement des deux diplomates canadiens et de quatre touristes europ\u00e9ens au Niger ce mercredi. Dans un enregistrement sonore diffus\u00e9 par la cha\u00eene satellitaire Al-Jezira, le groupe assure \u00eatre <em>\u00abheureux de transmettre \u00e0 la nation islamique la bonne nouvelle du succ\u00e8s des moujahidine dans la r\u00e9alisation de deux op\u00e9rations de qualit\u00e9 au Niger\u00bb<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Selon le porte-parole d\u2019Al-Qaeda au Maghreb, Salah Abou Mohammed, les moujahidine <em>\u00abse r\u00e9servent le droit de g\u00e9rer le cas de ses six otages selon la loi islamique\u00bb<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Les disparitions de Robert Fowler, envoy\u00e9 sp\u00e9cial du secr\u00e9taire g\u00e9n\u00e9ral de l\u2019ONU pour le Niger, de son coll\u00e8gue Louis Gay et de leur chauffeur nig\u00e9rien, Soumana Moukaila,<a _counted=\"undefined\" href=\"http:\/\/www.liberation.fr\/monde\/0101314914-enigmatique-prise-d-otages-au-niger\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><font>ont \u00e9t\u00e9 signal\u00e9es \u00e0 la mi-d\u00e9cembre<\/font><\/strong><\/a>, \u00e0 l\u2019ouest de Niamey. Ils avaient au pr\u00e9alable effectu\u00e9 une visite priv\u00e9e dans une mine d\u2019or exploit\u00e9e par une soci\u00e9t\u00e9 canadienne \u00e0 Samira, le 14\u00a0d\u00e9cembre.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><a _counted=\"undefined\" href=\"http:\/\/www.liberation.fr\/monde\/0101314138-quatre-touristes-enleves-au-niger\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><font>Quatre touristes europ\u00e9ens ont aussi \u00e9t\u00e9 enlev\u00e9s<\/font><\/strong><\/a>, le 22\u00a0janvier, dans la zone frontali\u00e8re Mali-Niger. Il s\u2019agit d\u2019un couple de ressortissants suisses, d\u2019une Allemande septuag\u00e9naire et d\u2019un Britannique.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Al-Qaeda au Maghreb s\u2019efforce d\u2019unifier les groupes islamistes en Tunisie, Alg\u00e9rie et Maroc, et de s\u2019\u00e9tendre vers le Sud, comme en Mauritanie, au S\u00e9n\u00e9gal, au Mali et au Niger. En 2008, la branche nord-africaine du r\u00e9seau d\u2019Oussama ben Laden a perp\u00e9tr\u00e9 plusieurs attentats suicide en Alg\u00e9rie.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><strong><font>(Source: \u00ab\u00a0Liberation.fr le 18 fevrier 2009)<\/font><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><\/font><\/div>\n<div>\n<hr\/>\n<\/div>\n<div><font><\/p>\n<div align=\"center\"><strong><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"color: red;\"><font><span>Al-Qaida Maghreb revendique une s\u00e9rie d\u2019enl\u00e8vements au Niger<\/span> <\/font><\/h2>\n<p><\/strong><span><strong><font>L\u2019organisation terroriste a envoy\u00e9 un enregistrement audio \u00e0 la cha\u00eene al-Jazira<\/font><\/strong> <\/span><\/div>\n<div>\u00a0<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">\u00a0par<strong><font> St\u00e9phane Ballong<\/font><\/strong><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"> <span>Dans un enregistrement audio post\u00e9 sur le site internet de la cha\u00eene de t\u00e9l\u00e9vision qatarie, al-Jazira, la branche nord-africaine d\u2019al-Qa\u00efda a revendiqu\u00e9 l\u2019enl\u00e8vement, en d\u00e9cembre et en janvier, de deux diplomates canadiens et de quatre touristes europ\u00e9ens au Niger. L\u2019enregistrement a \u00e9t\u00e9 diffus\u00e9 dans la nuit de mardi \u00e0 mercredi.<\/span><!-- LIEN VERS DOSSIER & ENGLISH VERSION --><!-- LIEN BEAUTE D'AFRIK --><!-- DATE ET AUTEUR ET BOUTONS --><span><\/span><\/div>\n<p align=\"justify\"><span>L<\/span>es autorit\u00e9s nig\u00e9riennes soup\u00e7onnaient les rebelles touaregs. Mais dans la nuit de mardi \u00e0 mercredi, la branche nord-africaine d\u2019al-Qa\u00efda a revendiqu\u00e9 les r\u00e9cents enl\u00e8vements survenus au Niger. \u00ab\u00a0Nous sommes heureux de transmettre \u00e0 la nation islamique la bonne nouvelle du succ\u00e8s des moudjahidines dans la r\u00e9alisation de deux op\u00e9rations de qualit\u00e9 au Niger\u00a0\u00bb, a d\u00e9clar\u00e9, sur une bande transmise \u00e0 la cha\u00eene satellitaire du Qatar, al-Jazira, Salah Abou Mohammed, le porte-parole du groupe islamique arm\u00e9.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><span><script language=\"javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><script src=\"http:\/\/googleads.g.doubleclick.net\/pagead\/test_domain.js\"><\/script><script src=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/render_ads.js\"><\/script><script>window.google_render_ad();<\/script><\/span>Le 14 d\u00e9cembre dernier, Robert Fowler, envoy\u00e9 sp\u00e9cial du secr\u00e9taire g\u00e9n\u00e9ral de l\u2019Onu pour le Niger, son assistant Louis Gay et leur chauffeur nig\u00e9rien, Soumana Moukaila, ont disparu \u00e0 l\u2019ouest de Niamey, la capitale du Niger. Ils venaient de visiter une mine d\u2019or exploit\u00e9e par Semafo, une soci\u00e9t\u00e9 canadienne. Les autorit\u00e9s nig\u00e9riennes ont, entre temps, \u00e9voqu\u00e9 la piste des rebelles touaregs. \u00ab\u00a0Toutes les investigations men\u00e9es portent \u00e0 croire qu\u2019ils [les diplomates canadiens, Ndlr] sont otages de groupes terroristes\u00a0\u00bb, avait affirm\u00e9, en janvier, le pr\u00e9sident Mamadou Tandja alors qu\u2019il pr\u00e9sentait ses v\u0153ux de nouvel an au corps diplomatique pr\u00e9sent dans son pays. Il faisait ainsi<a href=\"http:\/\/www.afrik.com\/article15951.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">allusion aux rebelles touaregs<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><strong>Un sommet sur la s\u00e9curit\u00e9 dans le Sahel<\/strong><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">D\u00e9but f\u00e9vrier, une vid\u00e9o montrant les deux diplomates canadiens vivants aurait \u00e9t\u00e9 envoy\u00e9e au gouvernement canadien par leurs ravisseurs. Mais cette information n\u2019a pas \u00e9t\u00e9 confirm\u00e9e par le Canada, et Marie-Christine Lilkoff, une porte-parole du minist\u00e8re canadien des Affaires \u00e9trang\u00e8res avait d\u00e9clar\u00e9 \u00e0 la presse\u00a0: \u00ab\u00a0nous ne partagerons pas d\u2019information qui pourrait compromettre nos efforts ou qui pourrait mettre en danger les individus impliqu\u00e9s\u00a0\u00bb. Un mois apr\u00e8s l\u2019enl\u00e8vement des Canadiens, le 22 janvier dernier, des touristes europ\u00e9ens\u00a0: deux Suisses, un Allemand et un Britannique, ont disparu dans la zone frontali\u00e8re entre Mali et Niger. Ils rentraient \u00e0 Niamey d\u2019un festival ethnique auquel ils avaient assist\u00e9 au Mali.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Dans l\u2019enregistrement parvenu \u00e0 al-Jazira, dans la nuit de mardi \u00e0 mercredi, Salah Abou Mohammed indique que les moudjahidines \u00ab\u00a0se r\u00e9servent le droit de g\u00e9rer le cas de ces six otages selon la loi islamique (Charia)\u00a0\u00bb.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Les probl\u00e8mes de s\u00e9curit\u00e9 dans le Sahel constituent un des th\u00e8mes d\u2019un sommet qui se tient, jeudi, \u00e0 Bamako, dans la capitale malienne, indique ce mercredi<a href=\"http:\/\/www.liberte-algerie.com\/edit.php?id=109231\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Libert\u00e9<\/a>. Cette rencontre r\u00e9unira les dirigeants de six pays de la r\u00e9gion du Sahel\u00a0: le Mali, le Burkina Faso, le Niger, l\u2019Alg\u00e9rie, la Libye et le Tchad. Ces chefs d\u2019Etat se pencheront sur les conflits entre les Touaregs et les diff\u00e9rents gouvernements, et aussi sur la menace terroriste repr\u00e9sent\u00e9e par le r\u00e9seau Al-Qa\u00efda pour le Maghreb islamique. Le groupe utiliserait la zone d\u00e9sertique du Sahel pour son trafic d\u2019armes et commettre des rapts.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Le r\u00e9seau d\u2019Oussama ben Laden qui a sign\u00e9 plusieurs actes terroristes dans le Maghreb notamment en Alg\u00e9rie, tente d\u2019unifier les diff\u00e9rents groupes islamistes en Tunisie, en Alg\u00e9rie et au Maroc. Al-Qa\u00efda est m\u00eame en passe de d\u2019installer dans la partie subsaharienne du continent.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><strong><font>(Source: \u00ab\u00a0Afrik.com\u00a0\u00bb le 18 f\u00e9vrier 2009) <\/font><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><\/font><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<h2 style=\"color: red;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><strong>UE: Bruxelles propose une assistance pour traiter les demandes d&rsquo;asile<\/strong><\/font><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0<\/div>\n<div><font face=\"Arial\">AFP \/ 18 f\u00e9vrier 2009 16h14<\/font><\/div>\n<div><font face=\"Arial\"><font>BRUXELLES &#8211; La Commission europ\u00e9enne a propos\u00e9 mercredi la cr\u00e9ation d&rsquo;un bureau europ\u00e9en d&rsquo;appui pour aider les pays du sud de l&rsquo;UE dans le traitement des demandes d&rsquo;asile des migrants d\u00e9barqu\u00e9s sur leur territoire et limiter les diff\u00e9rences de traitement d&rsquo;un pays \u00e0 l&rsquo;autre. \u00ab\u00a0L&rsquo;une des missions de ce bureau sera de fournir une assistance op\u00e9rationnelle ou technique d&rsquo;experts form\u00e9s aux techniques de l&rsquo;entretien\u00a0\u00bb, a expliqu\u00e9 le commissaire europ\u00e9en \u00e0 la Justice, Jacques Barrot, qui traite les questions touchant \u00e0 l&rsquo;immigration. \u00ab\u00a0Ce bureau n&rsquo;aura pas de pouvoir d\u00e9cisionnel, car il faut le dire et le r\u00e9p\u00e9ter, en mati\u00e8re d&rsquo;asile, ce sont les autorit\u00e9s nationales qui prennent la d\u00e9cision de l&rsquo;accorder ou de le refuser\u00a0\u00bb, a-t-il insist\u00e9. La proposition montre les limites de l&rsquo;action de la Commission europ\u00e9enne en mati\u00e8re de droit d&rsquo;asile. Mais Jacques Barrot ne d\u00e9sesp\u00e8re pas de parvenir \u00e0 d\u00e9voiler la face \u00ab\u00a0g\u00e9n\u00e9reuse\u00a0\u00bb de l&rsquo;UE et, pas apr\u00e8s pas, pose les jalons d&rsquo;une politique commune. Dans les prochains mois, il va proposer une \u00ab\u00a0harmonisation des proc\u00e9dures d&rsquo;asile\u00a0\u00bb puis une \u00ab\u00a0qualification du r\u00e9fugi\u00e9\u00a0\u00bb dans l&rsquo;UE. La cr\u00e9ation de ce bureau d&rsquo;appui a \u00e9t\u00e9 pr\u00e9vue dans le pacte europ\u00e9en pour l&rsquo;immigration et l&rsquo;asile propos\u00e9 par la France et adopt\u00e9 en 2008 par les dirigeants de l&rsquo;UE. Mais certains ont refus\u00e9 de lui accorder des comp\u00e9tences et ont limit\u00e9 ses moyens. \u00ab\u00a0Ce bureau sera une agence de r\u00e9gulation. Il ne sera pas charg\u00e9 de d\u00e9cider et son budget sera modeste\u00a0\u00bb, a soulign\u00e9 M. Barrot. Si sa cr\u00e9ation est approuv\u00e9e par le Parlement europ\u00e9ens et par les Etats, il commencera ses activit\u00e9s en 2010 avec une \u00e9quipe de 24 personnes et un budget de 5 millions d&rsquo;euros. \u00ab\u00a0L&rsquo;objectif est un budget de 15 millions d&rsquo;euros en 2013 pour une \u00e9quipe de 60 \u00e0 100 personnes\u00a0\u00bb, a pr\u00e9cis\u00e9 le commissaire. \u00ab\u00a0Comme la Commission sera en premi\u00e8re ligne, je pense qu&rsquo;il devra \u00eatre bas\u00e9 \u00e0 Bruxelles\u00a0\u00bb, a-t-il d\u00e9clar\u00e9. \u00ab\u00a0Les demandes d&rsquo;asile ont recommenc\u00e9 \u00e0 progresser dans l&rsquo;UE avec pr\u00e8s de 230.000 requ\u00eates\u00a0\u00bb, a-t-il indiqu\u00e9, \u00ab\u00a0mais les situations sont tr\u00e8s diff\u00e9rentes selon les Etats\u00a0\u00bb. \u00ab\u00a0Force est de constater que dans certains pays, il est difficile d&rsquo;obtenir une protection\u00a0\u00bb, a-t-il reconnu, citant notamment l&rsquo;Espagne, \u00ab\u00a0tr\u00e8s prudente en mati\u00e8re d&rsquo;asile\u00a0\u00bb. \u00ab\u00a0Il faut mettre fin \u00e0 ces distorsions et cr\u00e9er une Europe plus solidaire face \u00e0 l&rsquo;asile\u00a0\u00bb, a-t-il soutenu. Jacques Barrot a admis que la solidarit\u00e9 entre les pays de l&rsquo;UE peinait \u00e0 se traduire en actions concr\u00e8tes. \u00ab\u00a0Mais ne soyez pas trop s\u00e9v\u00e8res. Nous avons obtenu des normes minimales\u00a0\u00bb, a-t-il soulign\u00e9, en r\u00e9f\u00e9rence au Pacte pour l&rsquo;imigration et l&rsquo;asile. Deux pays, l&rsquo;Italie et Malte, sont confront\u00e9s \u00e0 de r\u00e9elles difficult\u00e9s, car ils sont les portes d&rsquo;acc\u00e8s \u00e0 l&rsquo;Europe pour les milliers de candidats \u00e0 l&rsquo;immigration partis des c\u00f4tes de la Libye et de la Tunisie. Souvent peu coop\u00e9ratifs, d\u00e9munis de papiers (d\u00e9truits sur les conseils des passeurs), pr\u00e9tendant \u00eatre originaires de pays en guerre, les candidats \u00e0 l&rsquo;immigration rendent la t\u00e2che difficile aux fonctionnaires charg\u00e9s de d\u00e9terminer s&rsquo;ils doivent \u00eatre renvoy\u00e9s dans leur pays ou s&rsquo;ils sont \u00e9ligibles au droit d&rsquo;asile.<\/font> \u00a0<\/font><\/div>\n<hr\/>\n<\/div>\n<div><font><\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<h2 style=\"color: red;\"><font face=\"Arial\"><strong>Lutfi Hajji: \u00ab\u00a0Tunis does not tolerate independent media\u00a0\u00bb<\/strong><\/font><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><font face=\"Arial\"><strong>In the past few weeks, Tunisian authorities have tightened their grip on independent media. Among the government actions have been lawsuits against opposition newspapers &#8211; Al-Mawqaf and Mouwatinoun &#8211; and the closure of an independent satellite radio station &#8211; Radio Kalima. In an attempt to uncover the reasons behind this media crackdown, MENASSAT met with Lutfi Hajji, the AlJazeera correspondent in Tunisia.<\/strong> <\/font><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><font face=\"Arial\"><strong><font>By MOHSEN MIZLINI<\/font><\/strong><\/font><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><font face=\"Arial\">TUNIS, February 16, 2009 (MENASSAT) &#8211; Once again in Tunisia, the government is cracking down on independent and private media outlets that don&rsquo;t tow the official state line.  Lutfi Hajji, AlJazeera&rsquo;s correspondent in Tunis, spoke to MENASSAT about the government&rsquo;s latest attempt to suppress opposition voices in the media, calling it a \u00ab\u00a0systematic\u00a0\u00bb governmental policy of media harassment that is only occasionally exposed. \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0   Over the past few years Hajji has produced a number of reports on the state of journalism and freedom of expression in Tunisia, participating in international and regional conferences to discuss Tunisia&rsquo;s performance on the issues.  In 2004, he became the president of the first independent syndicate for Tunisian journalists, and although he no longer holds the title, Hajji has been denied a work permit in Tunisia since. <\/font><strong> <font face=\"Arial\">MENASSAT: How do you describe the current media situation in Tunisia?<\/font><\/strong><font face=\"Arial\"> <strong><font>LUTFI HAJJI:<\/font><\/strong>\u00ab\u00a0There are two different, contradictory, types of journalism being practiced right now in Tunisia.\u00a0\u00bb  \u00ab\u00a0There are the authority-ruled media institutions, which act as a mouthpiece for the government, and the independent media, which many professionals and local press freedom associations ascribe to.\u00a0\u00bb  \u00ab\u00a0Because the powers are not balanced between the government and independent media, journalism remains under the rule of the authorities and the government attempts to control every aspect of it &#8211; from the content to distribution.\u00a0\u00bb  \u00ab\u00a0Despite the laws Tunisia occasionally implements to address press freedoms &#8211; and only because of external pressures I might add &#8211; most media outlets remain under their control.\u00a0\u00bb  \u00ab\u00a0There are a few opposition newspapers that challenge this censorship but they are still forced to rely on the government for advertisements, funding and distribution, which ends up limiting their growth.\u00a0\u00bb <\/font><strong><font> <\/font><font face=\"Arial\"><font>MENASSAT: What is your opinion on the harassment of Tunisian journalists and private media institutions?<\/font> <\/font><\/strong> <font face=\"Arial\"><strong><font>LUTFI HAJJI:<\/font><\/strong> \u00ab\u00a0It is not a coincidence that all of the journalists working with private and opposition media outlets complain about government interference in the sector.\u00a0\u00bb \u00a0  \u00ab\u00a0For example, in the past few months, the government has presented over 10 cases against two newspapers, Al-Mawqaf and Mouwatinoun, in an attempt to have them shut down.\u00a0\u00bb  \u00ab\u00a0International labor organizations, known for their professionalism and subjectivity, including the International Federation for Journalists, have called the media situation in Tunisia degrading, and ranks the Tunisian government in one of worst countries in respect to the press freedoms.\u00a0\u00bb   \u00ab\u00a0But this repression is not limited to the media. It is in fact part of Tunisia&rsquo;s systematic policy of muzzling all of the critical voices in the country, whether it&rsquo;s journalists, labor organizations or media institutions.\u00a0\u00bb <\/font><strong><font> <\/font><font face=\"Arial\">MENASSAT: What do you think are the factors of what you called \u201cthe systematic policy\u201d of the government?<\/font><font> <\/font> <font face=\"Arial\">LUTFI HAJJI:<\/font><\/strong><font face=\"Arial\"> \u00ab\u00a0There are actually many different interlacing factors.\u00a0\u00bb  \u00ab\u00a0One of the major issues is the government&rsquo;s authority over media licenses.\u00a0\u00bb  \u00ab\u00a0According to the Tunisian Media Law, before issuing a publication the manager needs to obtain a stamped receipt from the Interior Ministry. If the Interior Ministry refuses to present the receipt, the owner of the printing house is not able to print.\u00a0\u00bb  \u00ab\u00a0A few years ago, the government decided it would no longer accepts applications for media licenses, which means it has become impossible for anyone to start a media institution.\u00a0\u00bb  \u00ab\u00a0Applicants that tried to obtain a license were refused by administrative officials, including Sihem Bin Sedrine who is involved with (recently closed) Radio Kalima.\u00a0\u00bb  \u00ab\u00a0The latest attempt took place on February 9th when a group of journalists demanded a license for a newspaper entitled &lsquo;Al-Nasseriya.'\u00a0\u00bb  \u00ab\u00a0Interior Ministry officials refused to accept the file.\u00a0\u00bb <\/font><font> <\/font><font face=\"Arial\"><strong><font>MENASSAT: That about independent journalists?<\/font> <\/strong><\/font><font> <\/font><strong> <\/strong><font face=\"Arial\"><font><strong>LUTFI HAJJI:<\/strong><\/font>\u00ab\u00a0Every once in a while the government steps-up the pressure on independent journalists, especially on those who work on issues considered taboo.\u00a0\u00bb  \u00ab\u00a0Independent journalists are faced with expulsion, harsh security controls, and police investigations, such as what happened last week with journalists from <\/font><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><font face=\"Arial\">Radio Kalima<\/font><\/a><font face=\"Arial\">, and <\/font><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><font face=\"Arial\">Al-Hiwar Attounsi<\/font><\/a><font face=\"Arial\">.\u00a0\u00bb  \u00ab\u00a0There is also the issue that the government uses their monopoly to deprive opposition newspapers from their right to public advertising and funding as well as judicial authorities to raise complaints against the opposition newspapers, weaken them and limit their distribution.\u00a0\u00bb  \u00ab\u00a0This governmental policy is preventing the establishment of a diverse media in Tunisia.\u00a0\u00bb <\/font><strong><font> <\/font><font face=\"Arial\"><font>MENASSAT: For more than four years, you have been banned from working as a correspondent for Al Jazeera, and have been harassed continuously by authorities.<\/font> <\/font><\/strong><font face=\"Arial\"><font><strong>LUTFI HAJJI:<\/strong> \u00ab\u00a0<\/font>I can&rsquo;t separate what I have been subjected to &#8211; censorship and intimidation- because it is what every independent journalist is going through. When you broadcast news as it is, without erasing any facts or embellishing them, there is a consequence.\u00a0\u00bb  \u00ab\u00a0In summary, I say there is no tolerance in Tunisia for independent media whether coming from individuals or institutions.\u00a0 Anyone that doesn&rsquo;t abide by this official rule, faces what we have been dealing with for years.\u00a0\u00bb  \u00ab\u00a0But our only comfort is that the world is moving towards freedom, and no matter how those who want to control the media try to do so, they won\u2019t succeed in hiding the truth.\u00a0\u00bb<script src=\"http:\/\/www.google-analytics.com\/urchin.js\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\">_uacct = \"UA-3273187-1\";urchinTracker();<\/script> <\/font><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><strong><font face=\"Arial\">(Source: \u00ab\u00a0Menassat .com\u00a0\u00bb February 16th, 2009)<\/font><\/strong><\/div>\n<p><font face=\"Arial\"><\/p>\n<div align=\"justify\">\n<hr\/>\n<\/div>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<p><font><strong>L&rsquo;Alg\u00e9rie se sert de la question du Sahara comme pr\u00e9texte pour entraver l&rsquo;\u00e9dification du Maghreb (diplomate)<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><font><strong>Maghreb Arabe Presse\u00a0<\/strong><\/font>  18\/02\/2009 15:11<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">Rabat- Un ancien diplomate tunisien a imput\u00e9 \u00e0 l&rsquo;Alg\u00e9rie la responsabilit\u00e9 du blocage de l&rsquo;\u00e9dification du Maghreb arabe, en se servant de la question du Sahara comme pr\u00e9texte. Dans une d\u00e9claration diffus\u00e9e par la cha\u00eene \u00ab\u00a0Al Arabiya\u00a0\u00bb, dans le cadre de son journal de mardi soir, \u00e0 l&rsquo;occasion de l&rsquo;anniversaire de la cr\u00e9ation de l&rsquo;Union du Maghreb Arabe, M. Ahmed Mounif, ancien ambassadeur de Tunisie, a affirm\u00e9 que \u00ab\u00a0le complexe de l&rsquo;Alg\u00e9rie qui utilise la question du Sahara comme pr\u00e9texte pour entraver l&rsquo;\u00e9dification du Maghreb arabe, est bien la principale cause du blocage de cette union\u00a0\u00bb. Il a fait valoir, \u00e0 ce propos, que \u00ab\u00a0m\u00eame avant 1976, lorsque la question du Sahara n&rsquo;\u00e9tait pas encore pos\u00e9e, c&rsquo;est la partie alg\u00e9rienne qui s&rsquo;ing\u00e9niait \u00e0 dresser des obstacles pour entraver l&rsquo;\u00e9dification du Maghreb et, par cons\u00e9quent, bloquait toute tentative d&rsquo;union \u00e9conomique des pays de l&rsquo;UMA. Il a relev\u00e9 un autre obstacle qui contribue au pi\u00e9tinement de l&rsquo;\u00e9dification maghr\u00e9bine, en l&rsquo;occurrence \u00ab\u00a0la conception que se font les pays du Maghreb arabe de la souverainet\u00e9 nationale dans son le sens \u00e9troit\u00a0\u00bb. Le diplomate tunisien a pr\u00e9cis\u00e9, dans le m\u00eame ordre d&rsquo;id\u00e9es, que le Maroc et la Tunisie sont les deux pays qui ont une perception plus \u00e9volu\u00e9e quant \u00e0 la relativit\u00e9 de ce concept.<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">\n<hr\/>\n<p>Vingt ans apr\u00e8s sa cr\u00e9ation, triste bilan pour l\u2019UMA<\/p>\n<h2 align=\"left\" style=\"color: red;\"><font size=\"2\">par\u00a0<span>\u00a0RFI<\/span><\/font><\/h2>\n<p align=\"left\">L&rsquo;Union du Maghreb Arabe (UMA) f\u00eate ce mardi ses 20 ans. Le 17\u00a0f\u00e9vrier 1989, les dirigeants de la Tunisie, de la Libye, de l&rsquo;Alg\u00e9rie, du Maroc et de la Mauritanie signaient \u00e0 Marrakech le trait\u00e9 constitutif de l&rsquo;UMA. Objectif\u00a0:construire une vision politique et un espace \u00e9conomique communs. Vingt ans apr\u00e8s, les buts sont loin d\u2019\u00eatre atteints. Principale raison\u00a0: le diff\u00e9rend entre le Maroc et l&rsquo;Alg\u00e9rie sur le Sahara occidental. <\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00ab\u00a0<i>Nous avons d\u00e9cid\u00e9, de fa\u00e7on spontan\u00e9e, que lorsque ce Maghreb aura pris corps, c&rsquo;est-\u00e0-dire dans les six mois qui vont venir (\u2026), d\u2019avoir avec nos voisins africains des relations tr\u00e8s privil\u00e9gi\u00e9es<\/i>\u00a0\u00bb, d\u00e9clarait il y a vingt ans le roi du Maroc, Hassan II. <\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<div>A cette date, \u00e0 Marrakech, tout le monde y croyait\u00a0: la Libye saluait \u00ab\u00a0<i>un jour immortel et de fiert\u00e9 pour la nation arabe<\/i>\u00a0\u00bb, \u00a0l&rsquo;Alg\u00e9rie, \u00ab\u00a0<i>un r\u00e9sultat au-del\u00e0 de toute esp\u00e9rance\u00a0<\/i>\u00bb et le Maroc, \u00ab\u00a0<i>un choix irr\u00e9versible<\/i>\u00a0\u00bb.<\/p>\n<p>Au cours d\u2019une conf\u00e9rence de presse, Hassan II projetait m\u00eame d\u2019accueillir d\u2019autres pays au sein de l\u2019UMA<i>. \u00ab\u00a0Dans un des articles du trait\u00e9,<\/i> affirmait alors le roi du Maroc, <i>il est stipul\u00e9 que cette Union maghr\u00e9bine reste ouverte \u00e0 d\u2019autres pays qui voudraient s\u2019y adjoindre.\u00a0\u00bb<\/i> Et d\u2019ajouter que la question du Sahara occidental n&rsquo;aurait pas d&rsquo;incidence sur le Maghreb. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Pas de sommet depuis 1994<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Vingt ans plus tard, un constat s&rsquo;impose\u00a0: le diff\u00e9rend du Sahara est le principal obstacle au d\u00e9veloppement de l&rsquo;UMA. <\/p>\n<p>Les cinq dirigeants de l&rsquo;organisation n&rsquo;ont pas r\u00e9ussi \u00e0 tenir de sommet depuis 1994, date \u00e0 laquelle la fronti\u00e8re entre l&rsquo;Alg\u00e9rie et le Maroc a \u00e9t\u00e9 ferm\u00e9e. <\/p>\n<p>De son c\u00f4t\u00e9, le secr\u00e9taire g\u00e9n\u00e9ral de l&rsquo;UMA se veut confiant et assure qu&rsquo;il n&rsquo;y a aucune mauvaise volont\u00e9 politique de la part des Etats.<\/p>\n<p>Et pourtant, sur le plan \u00e9conomique, l&rsquo;union douani\u00e8re et le march\u00e9 commun annonc\u00e9s n&rsquo;ont jamais vu le jour. Il s\u2019agit donc d\u2019un \u00e9chec qui ferait perdre chaque ann\u00e9e aux pays du Maghreb des milliards de dollars.<\/p>\n<p><strong><font>(Source: RFI Article publi\u00e9 le\u00a017\/02\/2009\u00a0<span>Derni\u00e8re mise \u00e0 jour le\u00a017\/02\/2009 \u00e0 09:07\u00a0TU)<\/span><\/font><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><font><span><strong>Lien:<\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rfi.fr\/actufr\/articles\/110\/article_78425.asp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>http:\/\/www.rfi.fr\/actufr\/articles\/110\/article_78425.asp<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/font><\/p>\n<p><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\"><strong><font>Watch That Welcome<\/font><\/strong> <strong><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"color: red;\"><font>Will Barack Obama unconditionally embrace the Middle East&rsquo;s autocrats? Hosni Mubarak hopes so.<\/font><\/h2>\n<p><\/strong><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"> <font>IT&rsquo;S BEEN nearly five years since Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak visited Washington. The strongman boycotted President George W. Bush&rsquo;s second term because of Mr. Bush&rsquo;s efforts to promote political liberalization in Egypt. Now, with the advent of an administration that seems skeptical of its predecessor&rsquo;s \u00ab\u00a0freedom agenda,\u00a0\u00bb the 80-year-old Mr. Mubarak is eager to turn back the clock to the relationship with Washington that he used to enjoy &#8212; in which Egypt collected $2 billion in U.S. aid each year and American administrations ignored the regime&rsquo;s persecution of all opposition, including pro-democracy and human rights activists. Mr. Mubarak is said to be seeking a date to meet President Obama in the next couple of months. Mr. Obama will not want to openly spurn the Egyptian leader. But it&rsquo;s vital that he not grant Mr. Mubarak an unconditional invitation. Governments throughout the Middle East, and the many Arabs working for democratic change in their countries, will be watching to see if the Egyptian ruler gets a free pass. If he does, the administration will send the region the message that the corrupt old status quo &#8212; in which the United States backed Arab dictators in exchange for help with U.S. strategic interests &#8212; has been restored. That would inflict crippling damage on Mr. Obama&rsquo;s attempt to restore U.S. credibility and prestige, particularly with the millions of secular, middle-class Arabs who chafe under corrupt autocracies. Mr. Mubarak&rsquo;s allies will argue that he deserves a reward for Egypt&rsquo;s efforts to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. But that diplomacy, which has yet to produce results, has been conducted entirely in line with Egypt&rsquo;s interests. Cairo seeks to avert further warfare on its border, but it has also resisted decisive measures to stop the trafficking of weapons to Hamas. Domestic opponents who have sought to peacefully protest the government&rsquo;s policy have been harshly suppressed. Persecution of other regime opponents also has noticeably increased since Mr. Obama&rsquo;s election. Government prosecutors recently filed treason charges in a state security court against dissident Saad Eddin Ibrahim, who was forced into exile after he shook Mr. Bush&rsquo;s hand at a 2007 conference of pro-democracy activists in Prague. The new charge reportedly cites articles that Mr. Ibrahim has written for The Post; his most recent, published on the opposite page on Dec. 20, called on Mr. Obama not to make Cairo the first Muslim capital he visits. There is a simple way for Mr. Obama to make it clear to Mr. Mubarak that he will not tolerate such persecution. He can follow Mr. Ibrahim&rsquo;s advice &#8212; and quietly let Mr. Mubarak know that he will be welcome at the White House as soon as the charges against Mr. Ibrahim are dropped and former presidential candidate Ayman Nour is released from prison. Those are small and simple steps that are within Mr. Mubarak&rsquo;s personal discretion. If he refuses, why should Mr. Obama accommodate an old strongman&rsquo;s wish to be seen with &#8212; and legitimized by &#8212; a popular new president?<\/font><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><strong>(Source: \u00ab\u00a0The Washington Post\u00a0\u00bb\u00a0\u00a0Monday, February 16, 2009; A14)<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n<p><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/font><\/div>\n<p><\/font><\/div>\n<p><\/font><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p align=\"center\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<h3 style=\"color: blue;\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><strong><b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.tunisnews.net\/\"><font face=\"Arial\"><span><font size=\"2\">Home<\/font><\/span><font size=\"2\"><span lang=\"FR-CH\"> &#8211; Accueil <\/span><span>&#8211; <\/span><\/font><\/font><span dir=\"rtl\" lang=\"AR-SA\"><font size=\"2\">\u0627\u0644\u0631\u0626\u064a\u0633\u064a\u0629<\/font><\/span><\/a><\/b><\/strong><\/font><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<p><\/body><\/body><\/html><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home &#8211; Accueil \u00a0 TUNISNEWS 8\u00a0\u00e8me ann\u00e9e, N\u00b0\u00a03193 du 18.02.2009 \u00a0archives : www.tunisnews.net\u00a0\u00a0 FTCR: Lampedusa\u00a0: 1200 Tunisiens risquent l\u2019expulsion Liberation.fr: Niger: les deux diplomates canadiens ont \u00e9t\u00e9 enlev\u00e9s par Al-Qaeda Afrik.com: Al-Qaida Maghreb revendique une s\u00e9rie d\u2019enl\u00e8vements au Niger AFP: UE: Bruxelles propose une assistance pour traiter les demandes d&rsquo;asile RFI:Vingt ans apr\u00e8s sa cr\u00e9ation, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22040,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[54,40,29],"class_list":["post-16281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-54","tag-40","tag-fr"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16281"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16281\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}