UN mapping report on Congo: Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle Hopes for a Hearing   Posted March 3rd, 2011 On March 2, 2001, on Capitol Hill,  in the House of the Representatives, the African Great Lakes Advocacy Coalition (Africa Faith and Justice Network, Friends of the Congo, Foreign Policy in Focus, African Great Lakes Action Network,Foundation for Freedom and Democracy in Rwanda, Congo Global Action Coalition, International Humanitarian Law Institute of St. Paul, Mobilization for Peace and Justice in Congo) held a congressional briefing for Members of the Senate and House and their staffs in order to raise the profile of the UN Mapping Report exercise released on October 1, 2010.    Representative Ann Marie Buerkle of the 25th Congressional District of New York (pictured, second from left) came and briefly addressed the audience in these terms: "I am on three committees, but I am on Foreign Affairs and I am on the Subcommittee on Africa a...

  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1363166/Forget-Gaddafi-Blairs-NEW-best-friend-despot-guilty-bloodier-slaughter.html#ixzz1IahWVDD0 Forget Gaddafi. Blair's NEW best friend is a despot guilty of even bloodier slaughter Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1363166/Forget-Gaddafi-Blairs-NEW-best-friend-despot-guilty-bloodier-slaughter.html#ixzz1Fn7AnVms By Paul Scott Last updated at 12:49 AM on 5th March 2011 One morning a month ago, amid the kind of hearty backslapping and synthetic bonhomie at which he is so adept, Tony Blair played host to a select group of bankers for what is known in the business as a 'billion dollar breakfast'. As is so often the case these days, the principal criterion for gaining admission to the event at a luxurious Swiss hotel — and some much sought-after 'face time' with the great man himself — was that you should be very seriously rich. Mr Blair, tight-grinned and tanned in a trademark open-necked white shirt and dark...

It is good news that UK has now re-focused their foreign aid to poorer countries. UK must acknowledge the negative impacts of their foreign aid to developing countries: Over the last    decade, UK has campaigned for promoting the budget support which has contributed to fuel wars and ethnic violence in the African Great lakes Region starting from Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda to Democratic Republic of Congo. UK foreign aid has been used to buy weapons to fight these wars. UK does not recognise the political opposition voices based in the UK and in aid recipient countries. UK aid budget support is used to run foreign governments, the military apparatus and the Parliament whose members are not chosen on the basis of democratic principles. UK   has been campaigning for the   removal of foreign aid conditionalities and the current revolt and   un unrest in several countries is the result of this UK policy. Where the condition of human rights have been clearly specify ...

UN Mapping report on Crimes in D.R.Congo; Capitol Hill Advocacy objectives Posted on February 27, 2011 In an interview with Ann Garrison of KPFA radio on the upcoming congressional briefing on March 2, AFJN Policy Analyst, Bahati Jacques said: "Our goal is to rally U.S. support for justice for the crimes committed by the Rwandan, Ugandan, and Burundian armies and their Congolese collaborators in the war against Congo in 1996 to 2003.  Also we want the U.S. to take a clear stand on this issue, supporting the UN Mapping Report recommendations to set up an investigation to determine whether the targeted and massive killing of Congolese, Burundian, and Rwandan Hutu were a genocide." Listen or read the full interview here ( http://afjn.org/focus-campaigns/promote-peace-d-r-congo/71-policy-objectives/935-un-mapping-report-on-crimes-in-drcongo-capitol-hill-advocacy-objectives.html )