| External Mediators Should Hold Off
Civil activists have suggested bringing in external mediators to end the stand-off between the authorities and the opposition, but NBCentralAsia analysts say both sides are still capable of holding talks and outsiders should keep their distance. On March 29, the head of the Association of Non-Government and Non-Commercial Organisations, Toktayim Umetalieva, called for outside mediation. “Kyrgyzstan has reached a point where international players like the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, or the European Union should intervene to preserve the peace," she told the 24.kg news agency. The opposition United Front for a Worthy Future for Kyrgyzstan headed by Felix Kulov is planning mass rallies for April 9-11 to demand the president's resignation and early presidential elections.
Landis suffers blow in attempt to clear name
Los Angeles - Embattled Tour de France winner Floyd Landis's attempt to clear his name of doping allegations was dealt a setback when an arbitration panel ruled that officials could re-test seven urine samples. In a release issued through his New York spokesperson Michael Henson, Landis confirmed that the the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), which is prosecuting the case against him, will conduct tests on urine samples which had already been declared clean. Furthermore, Landis is angered that the new tests are to be carried out at the French laboratory which processed his original, and disputed, positive test. Landis has charged the Labaratoire National Depistage de Dopage's (LNDD) laboratory at Chatenay-Malabry with mis-handling his original samples. .
Richland County Sheriff's Department sets up arbitration option ...
(Richland County) March 29, 2007 - The first class of youth arbitrators has graduated. Those 19 graduates are the start of a program designed to give students who are first-time offenders an alternative to the criminal justice system. For students who commit a non-violent offense and take responsibility for it, the program requires they atone for what they've done during a 90-day period. They may be asked to perform community service, make monetary restitution, charitable donations, educational field trips, tutoring, counseling, etc. If the youth successfully completes the program, then no charges are filed. The citizen-volunteers who completed the 21-hour training class will conduct arbitration hearings and determine guidelines the offenders must follow for restitution and restoration.
Yes and no to Zimbabwe mediation by Mbeki
The Southern African Development Community's (SADC) decision to appoint President Thabo Mbeki as mediator in Zimbabwe was both lauded and ridiculed.
"The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) welcomes SADC's decision to call on... Mbeki to lead efforts to promote discussions between rival political parties in Zimbabwe," said Ben Skosana, the IFP spokesperson, in a statement.
The party had recently called for an honest broker, such as Mbeki, to organise all relevant factions in Zimbabwe to start negotiating.
"We are therefore extremely pleased that the IFP's suggestions were echoed by SADC, and we hope to see constructive talks between Zanu-PF and [the opposition Movement for Democratic Change] MDC, so that democracy in one of the most troubled countries on the African continent can be restored," Skosana said.
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