http://ping.fm/ON7VI
25 February 2010
Londonderry is to compete against three other cities for the UK City Of Culture crown
Celebrations were in full swing last night as it emerged Derry City has been shortlisted for the UK City of Culture 2013.
The Maiden City was one of only four cities to make it through from an initial list of 14 which had submitted bids.
Londonderry will now go head-to-head with Birmingham, Norwich and Sheffield for the title of the first UK City of Culture, with the winner due to be announced in July.
Branded the “fantastic four” by judges, the final line-up was revealed by the UK’s Culture Minister Margaret Hodge yesterday at lunchtime. Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph last night, Ms Hodge said she was thrilled for Northern Ireland’s second city.
“I am delighted Derry/Londonderry got through because in 2013 this is going to be the first time we have a UK City of Culture and it is also the 400th anniversary of the Plantation of Ulster and the links between the city and London.
“It is a chance to bring people together with the diaspora as well, and what they showed was the importance for local people that their city is put firmly on the national and international map.”
Ms Hodge added: “I sincerely hope this will provide a real boost to the international image of Derry/Londonderry and a boost to tourism and confidence as well.
“The city already has a host of great annual festivals and this will help to expand those.”
Welcoming the city's success yesterday, mayor of Derry Paul Fleming said: “This is a great statement of confidence in the city's cultural wealth and an endorsement of the commitment and effort so far.
“We look forward to building partnerships to progress through to the final stage.”
Aideen McGinley, chief executive of Derry’s Urban Regeneration Company, Ilex, vowed: “We're in this to win.”
She said: “The energy and commitment galvanised by the bid process to date will now re-double in the final push to bring |together in a compelling way our cultural champions, venues, organisations and artists to showcase the unique talents of the city and region.”
Derry town clerk and chief executive Valerie Watts added: “This is a unique opportunity to create a lasting legacy for the city and for Northern Ireland”.
Phil Redmond, chair of the Independent Advisory Panel which made the selection, said: “In deciding on the four cities recommended — Derry/Londonderry, Birmingham, Norwich, and Sheffield — the panel was influenced by the expected step change each city was asked to envisage, if they gained the title and subsequent media spotlight.
“It was a hard choice but also heartening that all bidders had recognised the power of culture to bring people together; to work collectively within existing resources for a common goal and bring into being networks that may not have existed before.”
The other members of the judging panel included TV presenter Lauren Laverne; former BBC Northern Ireland controller Anna Carragher; Margaret Evans, former director of Culture in the Welsh Assembly; Derek Anderson, chief executive of Lambeth Council, and Robert Palmer, chair of Visiting Arts in London.
Derry will now submit its final bid by the end of May, followed by presentations by local civic and cultural leaders. People can get behind the bid by registering on www.cityofculture2013.com or follow progress on Facebook.
Read more: http://ping.fm/Lj8kN#ixzz0gaDSAriu
25 February 2010
17 February 2010
A shared future (Derry Journal)
EDITORIAL
5 February 2010
Sectarianism is, without doubt, the biggest single obstacle to progress and the creation of a democratic and prosperous society in Northern Ireland.
Whether in the form of rioting in North Belfast or cowardly attacks on people and property in Derry, sectarianism is a legacy of bitterness and division.
People must recognise that the failure to confront sectarianism has led directly to the present unprecedented levels of bigotry, hatred and intolerance which dominate so much of our lives and threaten all our futures.
The suffering and human misery which it has extracted and continues to extract from our people cannot be underestimated.
The scale of the problem of sectarianism is not fully appreciated. Take, for example, the housing situation. Thirty years ago there were significant mixed residential areas. Now the trend is towards single religious areas.
Numerous studies carried out by academics point to the predominance of sectarian attitudes and stereotypes throughout society.
But more worrying still has been the strength of sectarian attitudes and prejudice among young people, even four to five-year-old children as some studies have shown.
Unless urgent steps are taken to resolve the present malaise, the cancer of sectarianism will continue to eat away at society.
At the very heart of this is the question: what sort of society do we want to be?
We have a stark choice: a society divided permanently with a continuing legacy of hatred and bitterness or a society united as a common people with shared beliefs.
The only choice we have is the latter and to achieve this will require a fundamental change. However, the question is: do we have the will to do so?
5 February 2010
Sectarianism is, without doubt, the biggest single obstacle to progress and the creation of a democratic and prosperous society in Northern Ireland.
Whether in the form of rioting in North Belfast or cowardly attacks on people and property in Derry, sectarianism is a legacy of bitterness and division.
People must recognise that the failure to confront sectarianism has led directly to the present unprecedented levels of bigotry, hatred and intolerance which dominate so much of our lives and threaten all our futures.
The suffering and human misery which it has extracted and continues to extract from our people cannot be underestimated.
The scale of the problem of sectarianism is not fully appreciated. Take, for example, the housing situation. Thirty years ago there were significant mixed residential areas. Now the trend is towards single religious areas.
Numerous studies carried out by academics point to the predominance of sectarian attitudes and stereotypes throughout society.
But more worrying still has been the strength of sectarian attitudes and prejudice among young people, even four to five-year-old children as some studies have shown.
Unless urgent steps are taken to resolve the present malaise, the cancer of sectarianism will continue to eat away at society.
At the very heart of this is the question: what sort of society do we want to be?
We have a stark choice: a society divided permanently with a continuing legacy of hatred and bitterness or a society united as a common people with shared beliefs.
The only choice we have is the latter and to achieve this will require a fundamental change. However, the question is: do we have the will to do so?
8 February 2010
Northern Ireland soldiers for Cyprus UN mission (BBC News)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8503047.stm
8 February 2010
More than 270 soldiers from Northern Ireland are to be deployed to Cyprus for six months, as part of the United Nation's peace-keeping effort.
The Territorial Army troops are with 40 (Ulster) Signal Regiment Group, which is based in Belfast.
Using the reservists means that regular forces will be able to concentrate on Afghanistan, the Army said.
They are to maintain security along a 30-kilometre stretch of the Green Line on the divided island.
Cyprus was split in a Turkish invasion in 1974, which was triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup.
The Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides re-started peace negotiations in September 2008.
Training is under way for the tour, with the deployment beginning at the end of next month at a crucial time in political talks regarding re-unification of the island.
Map
The NI soldiers take up duties on the Green Line buffer zone in the capital, Nicosia, and will be working with regular troops from Argentina as well as Slovak and Hungarian troops who will be manning other sections of the frontier.
The section controlled by the NI soldiers starts at Mammari, west of Nicosia and ends at Kaimakli to the east of the capital.
Lieutenant Colonel Stewart McConnell, Commanding Officer of 40 Signal Regiment Group said: "The reservist soldiers themselves bring a lot to the mission; they are mature, have a wealth of skills and experience and approach things in a slightly different light to their regular counterparts."
This is only the second time in the 100 history of the Territorial Army that an entire unit has deployed on a peacekeeping mission.
However, of the 270 soldiers to be deployed, more than 30% have already undertaken previous operational tours in the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan and Cyprus, the Army said.
8 February 2010
More than 270 soldiers from Northern Ireland are to be deployed to Cyprus for six months, as part of the United Nation's peace-keeping effort.
The Territorial Army troops are with 40 (Ulster) Signal Regiment Group, which is based in Belfast.
Using the reservists means that regular forces will be able to concentrate on Afghanistan, the Army said.
They are to maintain security along a 30-kilometre stretch of the Green Line on the divided island.
Cyprus was split in a Turkish invasion in 1974, which was triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup.
The Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides re-started peace negotiations in September 2008.
Training is under way for the tour, with the deployment beginning at the end of next month at a crucial time in political talks regarding re-unification of the island.
Map
The NI soldiers take up duties on the Green Line buffer zone in the capital, Nicosia, and will be working with regular troops from Argentina as well as Slovak and Hungarian troops who will be manning other sections of the frontier.
The section controlled by the NI soldiers starts at Mammari, west of Nicosia and ends at Kaimakli to the east of the capital.
Lieutenant Colonel Stewart McConnell, Commanding Officer of 40 Signal Regiment Group said: "The reservist soldiers themselves bring a lot to the mission; they are mature, have a wealth of skills and experience and approach things in a slightly different light to their regular counterparts."
This is only the second time in the 100 history of the Territorial Army that an entire unit has deployed on a peacekeeping mission.
However, of the 270 soldiers to be deployed, more than 30% have already undertaken previous operational tours in the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan and Cyprus, the Army said.
Feith: 'New Beginning' for Mitrovica (BalkanInsight.com)
http://ping.fm/uNext
Lawrence Marzouk
5 February 2010
The International Civilian Representative in Kosovo, Pieter Feith, has said the appointment of a team to create a new Serb-majority municipality in the divided city of Mitrovica could herald a 'new beginning'.
The comments came as he announced that the 14-strong team Municipal Preparation Team had been appointed and would now prepare all the necessary resources, properties and administrative structures for the creation of the new municipality, before elections are held in the autumn.
He said: "This has the potential to be a new beginning for everyone in the new municipality, with the final aim to make Mitrovicë/Mitrovica North a municipality with a positive, sustainable future, safe and prosperous for the people living there."
Mr Feith heads the International Civilian Office, which is charged with implementing the Comprehensive Proposal for the Kosovo Status Settlement, otherwise known as the Ahtisaari package.
The settlement, which has been opposed by Serbia and its allies, led to Kosovo’s declaration of independence in February 2008.
The package also includes a programme of decentralisation and the creation of new, Serb-majority municipalities - Graçanicë/Gracanica, Kllokot-Vërbovc/Klokot-Vrbovac, Partes/Parteš, Ranillug/Ranilug, and Mitrovicë/Mitrovica North, as well as the expansion of the existing municipality Novobërdë/Novo Brdo.
Just Mitrovicë/Mitrovica and Partes/Parteš were excluded from the November 2009 local elections because of delays in appointing the municipal teams. Serbs turned out in relatively high numbers during the poll to elect mayors and municipal assembly members to their new town halls.
Mr Feith said: “I commend these men and women for joining the team that will set foundation stones for a new, positive future for their community. They will prepare for the establishment of a new municipality that will have serving citizens as its top priority. They will have full support from the International Civilian Office.
“Creating the new municipality of Mitrovicë/Mitrovica North as part of a single system of local government across Kosovo will bring municipal government closer to the community, promote economic development and facilitate solutions to concrete problems and access to greater resources.
“In the new municipality, the citizens will have a real say over where the budget will be spent and how public services will be organized.”
The city of Mitrovica, in north Kosovo, has been divided along ethnic lines since the end of the conflict in 1999, with ethnic Serbs in the north and ethnic Albanians in the south.
The area surrounding Mitrovica and north of the river Ibar, including the municipalities of Zubin Potok, Leposavic and Zvecan, which all border Serbia, remains under the control of Belgrade, which provides for most public services through its own institutions.
Elections to the new municipality, and its creation, are a key plank of the ICO’s controversial plan to bring the north of Kosovo under the control of Pristina. The strategy has been met by fierce opposition from the Serbian government.
The appointed members of the municipal preparation team will be joined by one representative of the Ministry of Local Government Administration, one representative of the ‘mother municipality’ and one representative of the International Civilian Office.
A spokeswoman for the ICO said that the names of the appointees could not yet be released as the paperwork had not been completed.
Lawrence Marzouk
5 February 2010
The International Civilian Representative in Kosovo, Pieter Feith, has said the appointment of a team to create a new Serb-majority municipality in the divided city of Mitrovica could herald a 'new beginning'.
The comments came as he announced that the 14-strong team Municipal Preparation Team had been appointed and would now prepare all the necessary resources, properties and administrative structures for the creation of the new municipality, before elections are held in the autumn.
He said: "This has the potential to be a new beginning for everyone in the new municipality, with the final aim to make Mitrovicë/Mitrovica North a municipality with a positive, sustainable future, safe and prosperous for the people living there."
Mr Feith heads the International Civilian Office, which is charged with implementing the Comprehensive Proposal for the Kosovo Status Settlement, otherwise known as the Ahtisaari package.
The settlement, which has been opposed by Serbia and its allies, led to Kosovo’s declaration of independence in February 2008.
The package also includes a programme of decentralisation and the creation of new, Serb-majority municipalities - Graçanicë/Gracanica, Kllokot-Vërbovc/Klokot-Vrbovac, Partes/Parteš, Ranillug/Ranilug, and Mitrovicë/Mitrovica North, as well as the expansion of the existing municipality Novobërdë/Novo Brdo.
Just Mitrovicë/Mitrovica and Partes/Parteš were excluded from the November 2009 local elections because of delays in appointing the municipal teams. Serbs turned out in relatively high numbers during the poll to elect mayors and municipal assembly members to their new town halls.
Mr Feith said: “I commend these men and women for joining the team that will set foundation stones for a new, positive future for their community. They will prepare for the establishment of a new municipality that will have serving citizens as its top priority. They will have full support from the International Civilian Office.
“Creating the new municipality of Mitrovicë/Mitrovica North as part of a single system of local government across Kosovo will bring municipal government closer to the community, promote economic development and facilitate solutions to concrete problems and access to greater resources.
“In the new municipality, the citizens will have a real say over where the budget will be spent and how public services will be organized.”
The city of Mitrovica, in north Kosovo, has been divided along ethnic lines since the end of the conflict in 1999, with ethnic Serbs in the north and ethnic Albanians in the south.
The area surrounding Mitrovica and north of the river Ibar, including the municipalities of Zubin Potok, Leposavic and Zvecan, which all border Serbia, remains under the control of Belgrade, which provides for most public services through its own institutions.
Elections to the new municipality, and its creation, are a key plank of the ICO’s controversial plan to bring the north of Kosovo under the control of Pristina. The strategy has been met by fierce opposition from the Serbian government.
The appointed members of the municipal preparation team will be joined by one representative of the Ministry of Local Government Administration, one representative of the ‘mother municipality’ and one representative of the International Civilian Office.
A spokeswoman for the ICO said that the names of the appointees could not yet be released as the paperwork had not been completed.
A Pristina daily on the formation of a Northern Mitrovica municipality (Radio Srbija)
http://ping.fm/iQAsc
7 February 2010
A Pristina daily in Albanian, Koha Ditore, writes that Pristina institutions believe they will manage to form a Northern Mitrovica municipality, while Belgrade is announcing measures to prevent this process. The state secretary in the Serbian Ministry for Kosmet, Oliver Ivanović, said that the team, appointed by the head of the international civilian office, Peter Feith, to form that municipality, will not be successful, as Serbs in northern Kosmet recognize only the UNMIK’s authority. The Serbian government announces elections in Mitrovica for April, he is quoted as saying. Kosovo institutions are also preparing for elections, the date of which has not been set yet.
7 February 2010
A Pristina daily in Albanian, Koha Ditore, writes that Pristina institutions believe they will manage to form a Northern Mitrovica municipality, while Belgrade is announcing measures to prevent this process. The state secretary in the Serbian Ministry for Kosmet, Oliver Ivanović, said that the team, appointed by the head of the international civilian office, Peter Feith, to form that municipality, will not be successful, as Serbs in northern Kosmet recognize only the UNMIK’s authority. The Serbian government announces elections in Mitrovica for April, he is quoted as saying. Kosovo institutions are also preparing for elections, the date of which has not been set yet.
Arabs and Turkmen angry over joint force (niqash)
http://ping.fm/ksR2M
Yaseen Taha
8 February 2010
The first active cell of a new joint security force was established on 3 February in Kirkuk province. The force, made up of Iraqi police, US and Iraqi soldiers, security forces from the two main Kurdish political parties and the Peshmerga will eventually total 600 troops.
“The troops will start their operations on the 7th of March before the upcoming elections and will be located outside the city around the outskirts of the province,” said Brigadier Jamal Taher, the police commander. “They will stay outside the city and will be called to areas where there are security problems. There will be 6 units, each with 99 armed men, 33 Iraqi police, 33 Iraqi soldiers and 33 Peshmerga, under the command of an American officer, ” he said.
Kurdish leaders praised the new force while Arabs and Turkmen demanded that the force immediately cease its operations.
Muhammad Kamal, from the Kurdish Brotherly list, said,
“The Kurds are optimistic about the formation of joint forces,” continuing to add that forces will “protect voters during the voting process in Kirkuk.”
Kamal who is also one off the leading members of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) said, “The joint force is an element of relief for the Kurdish people proving that security forces are not monopolised by one party, but rather all Kurdish forces have been integrated.”
However, Muhammad Khalil, who represents the Arab Republican Gathering List on the provincial council in Kirkuk was far less positive about the new force, arguing that, “Kurds occupy the majority of security positions in the city and the formation of these forces will negatively impact on Arab citizens and their feelings.”
He promised that his bloc would stand strongly against the new formation and demand an immediate end to their operations.
Turkmen opposition, meanwhile, focused on their exclusion from the joint force. In a statement issued by the Tukmeneli Party, they demanded Turkmen participation, adding, “If this demand is not met, the operations of these forces should be immediately halted.”
Hassan Turan from the Turkmen Front told Niqash that deploying Peshmerga in Kirkuk violated their duties under Article 121 of the Iraqi constitution, which states they are supposed only to guard the Kurdistan Region’s borders. He demanded “strengthening the capacity of the Iraqi army in the province and the formation of an Iraqi force in the name of Kirkuk instead of these joint forces.”
The views were echoed by the National Turkmen Movement which described the formation of the forces as “an indication of the weakness of security forces in Kirkuk.” They continued to warn that this extension of Kurdish influence indicated that “Kirkuk will be handed over to the Kurds on a golden plate.”
The units were formed through discussions between the Commander of US Forces in Iraq, General Odierno, Masoud al-Barazani, the Kurdistan Region’s president, and Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki. According to the agreement, troops will be deployed in all areas where dispute exists between the central government and Kurdistan Region’s government. In Mosul, another disputed area, the provincial council denounced the proposed deployment of forces there as illegitimate and unconstitutional.
The commander of US troops in Kirkuk, Col. Larry Swift, stressed that the joint troops are responsible for security and stability and are not formed to stand against any of Kirkuk’s groups, adding that, as soldiers, they follow the orders of politicians. Sarhad Qader, the commander of police forces in Kirkuk province echoed this view, emphasising:
“These troops were formed with the approval of the central government in Baghdad, thus they are legal, and their constitutionality is not open to question.”
The controversy over the deployment of joint forces in Kirkuk is raised because Kirkuk province is one of the most important among the areas disputed by the central government and the Kurdish region. Kurds demand control of the province while Arabs and Turkmen oppose the idea, preferring control to remain with the central government.
Yaseen Taha
8 February 2010
The first active cell of a new joint security force was established on 3 February in Kirkuk province. The force, made up of Iraqi police, US and Iraqi soldiers, security forces from the two main Kurdish political parties and the Peshmerga will eventually total 600 troops.
“The troops will start their operations on the 7th of March before the upcoming elections and will be located outside the city around the outskirts of the province,” said Brigadier Jamal Taher, the police commander. “They will stay outside the city and will be called to areas where there are security problems. There will be 6 units, each with 99 armed men, 33 Iraqi police, 33 Iraqi soldiers and 33 Peshmerga, under the command of an American officer, ” he said.
Kurdish leaders praised the new force while Arabs and Turkmen demanded that the force immediately cease its operations.
Muhammad Kamal, from the Kurdish Brotherly list, said,
“The Kurds are optimistic about the formation of joint forces,” continuing to add that forces will “protect voters during the voting process in Kirkuk.”
Kamal who is also one off the leading members of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) said, “The joint force is an element of relief for the Kurdish people proving that security forces are not monopolised by one party, but rather all Kurdish forces have been integrated.”
However, Muhammad Khalil, who represents the Arab Republican Gathering List on the provincial council in Kirkuk was far less positive about the new force, arguing that, “Kurds occupy the majority of security positions in the city and the formation of these forces will negatively impact on Arab citizens and their feelings.”
He promised that his bloc would stand strongly against the new formation and demand an immediate end to their operations.
Turkmen opposition, meanwhile, focused on their exclusion from the joint force. In a statement issued by the Tukmeneli Party, they demanded Turkmen participation, adding, “If this demand is not met, the operations of these forces should be immediately halted.”
Hassan Turan from the Turkmen Front told Niqash that deploying Peshmerga in Kirkuk violated their duties under Article 121 of the Iraqi constitution, which states they are supposed only to guard the Kurdistan Region’s borders. He demanded “strengthening the capacity of the Iraqi army in the province and the formation of an Iraqi force in the name of Kirkuk instead of these joint forces.”
The views were echoed by the National Turkmen Movement which described the formation of the forces as “an indication of the weakness of security forces in Kirkuk.” They continued to warn that this extension of Kurdish influence indicated that “Kirkuk will be handed over to the Kurds on a golden plate.”
The units were formed through discussions between the Commander of US Forces in Iraq, General Odierno, Masoud al-Barazani, the Kurdistan Region’s president, and Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki. According to the agreement, troops will be deployed in all areas where dispute exists between the central government and Kurdistan Region’s government. In Mosul, another disputed area, the provincial council denounced the proposed deployment of forces there as illegitimate and unconstitutional.
The commander of US troops in Kirkuk, Col. Larry Swift, stressed that the joint troops are responsible for security and stability and are not formed to stand against any of Kirkuk’s groups, adding that, as soldiers, they follow the orders of politicians. Sarhad Qader, the commander of police forces in Kirkuk province echoed this view, emphasising:
“These troops were formed with the approval of the central government in Baghdad, thus they are legal, and their constitutionality is not open to question.”
The controversy over the deployment of joint forces in Kirkuk is raised because Kirkuk province is one of the most important among the areas disputed by the central government and the Kurdish region. Kurds demand control of the province while Arabs and Turkmen oppose the idea, preferring control to remain with the central government.
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