APwire ~ Affiliated Press News Agency

[Polesia]

পররাষ্ট্র মন্ত্রক
Ministry of External Affairs

The People's Republic applauds the newly elected government of Belmont's decidedly reconciliatory and amiable new foreign policy and Vangala will help facilitate the growth of a new friendship between Vangala and Belmont. However, the decision to maintain and improve ties with members of the League of Free States is a cause of serious consternation considering the alliance's recent belligerent actions, history and human rights record.

 

[Großlausitz]

Die Staatskanzlei
The State Chancellery

On behalf of His Majesty King Alfred and His Loyal Government I would like to congratulate the newly elected government and wish them Godspeed for their plans.

Peter Comes
Graf Peter Solms
Ministerpresident of His Majesty's Government

 

[Shinryeo]

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Republic of Shinryeo

On behalf of the government of the Republic of Shinryeo, we would like to congratuate the newly-elected Prime Minister of Belmont and government.

 

[Calidia]

Royal Office of External Affairs

We congratulate the newly chosen premier Shahrazad Martinique. We trust that the Queen has made a wise decision and hope that the relations between our two fine nations will continue to progress.

 

[Batavië]

Eerie Calm Envelopes Country; Martial Law Declared
AP, Målmöholm

An odd calm as set upon the communist country of Batavië today as protesters and rioters set out to the streets to discover that no police officers or soldiers were to be found. Mulling about for a few hours in Vlaanderen, most went home without incident. In Spa, the city that has been completely put in the control of the Batavian Republican Army, lines of troop lorries and tanks were being organised around the city limits, but no pushes into the streets were made today.

Many people associated with the BRA fear that this might be a calm before the storm. Locals have noticed an increased air presence with the Air Force frequently flying MiGs are low altitudes over the city and roads.

'Our limited intelligence suggests that the government and military are planning large-scale offensive operations to smoke us out of Spa. We are preparing for the worst.' said one unidentified member of the BRA, carrying a foreign-made rifle.

Satellite images from AP-friendly countries also showed the regime's sole aircraft carrier, the De Graaf pull out of Windhoek Naval Base yesterday evening on a northern heading, that is towards the Batavian mainland. Despite the calm the BRA was active today in their stronghold of Spa running urban combat drills with their fast-growing militia. They are expecting a bloody fight and they don't know when it is coming.

As usual, the local press has mentioned little of the latest events only instructing citizens to remain indoors as often as possible and to not be found with BRA propaganda. The Associated Press will continue its duty to report on the civil unrest in Batavië.

 

[Wazistan]

Dozens reportedly injured in Eastern Wazistan following sectarian clashes
AP International

Opposition websites are reporting more than 24 people have been injured in a volatile city of eastern Wazistan following clashes between between a government-backed Islamist militia and Christian protesters late Saturday, the Associated Press has learned. According to an account posted on the opposition Jamas website, Bahj forces stormed a gathering of about 500 Christians in Sidon who were protesting the recent arrest of two Catholic missionaries on charges of attempting to commit Apostasy, illegal under the country's Islamic constitution.

The group reportedly demanded the release of the two missionaries, both whom are women, and called on the government to respect religious rights.

Sidon officials did not return calls from the Associated Press seeking comment on the opposition's claims. The office of the city's chief prosecutor has declined a request for a statement.

Wazistan has been under a state of alert since the assassination of a senior intelligence official and the movements of journalists have been heavily restricted. As such, the AP cannot independently verify the claims of the opposition websites.

 

[Wazistan]

Reports: Yassin brother seen positioned as Wazistan's new supreme leader
AP International

The younger brother of Wazistan's revolutionary leader has been appointed to a senior position within a body of aging revolutionaries, a move Wazistan analysts show he is being positioned to succeed his ailing brother when is passes. In a statement read out on Wazistan's Islamic Radio, the government announced that 70-year old Ayatollah Mahmud Esfandiari had been elected deputy chairman of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution, declaring his elevation to the position a "important day for the Islamic Republic and the ideals of the revolution."

The council is a constitutional body comprised of senior figures of the Islamic Revolution that is described in the constitution as the "highest decision-making authority." Under constitutional changes passed by the regime late last year, it is among its members under the age of the 75 in which revolutionary leader Mohammad Abdul Yassin's successor will be elected by the cleric-dominated Assembly of Experts.

Yassin, who is believed to be 81, has been in poor health for years and has largely kept to his home in central Wazistan since 2008.

Within the ruling establishment, Ayatollah Esfandiari's rise would be welcomed by hardliners who have grown restive over Yassin's liberal leanings. Aside from his seat on the Supreme Council, Esfandiari also serves as Yassin's personal representative to the Islamic National Guard and the country's intelligence services.

 

[Wazistan]

Wazi opposition meets to discuss election position
AP International

The leadership of Wazistan's main opposition bloc met Tuesday in southern Wazistan to map out a common agenda towards the government's decision to hold early parliamentary elections in February and other longstanding policy matters, opposition websites reported. According to a report posted on the Nawaz website, opposition leader Jamal Bishara convened the meeting of the executive committee of the Wazi People's Democratic Organization in Sine following calls from some member parties to take part in the elections despite opposition from other groups.

The site says the committee adjourned for the day without a decision and that further discussions were expect tomorrow.

Analysts say the WPDO is divide on whether members should take part in the upcoming poll, seen by critics as an attempt by the regime to legitimize anticipated election of Abdul Ali Jatani as president. The Wazistan Islamic National Movement, the largest party in the alliance, has signaled it will not participate in the elections and has hinted it may even call its supporters to the streets over the weekend if parliament makes good on its threat to dissolve itself on Thursday.

However, smaller parties, including the influential Pashtun-dominated Azadagi party, warned a boycott would leave the opposition completely shutout of the only body in which they have been able to speak out against the country's regime.

 

[Papal States]

Secretary of the Holy Office

Dominici ask at once information about the whereabouts of the two missionaries and condemns strongly the actions taken towards them.

 

[Wazistan]

Statement from the Office of the Chief Prosecutor of Sidon

The Chief Prosecutor's Office will not bother commenting on the lies of foreign news outlets.

 

[Wazistan]

Opposition leader: I have no information on Yassin's death
AP International

Wazistan's opposition leader Jamal Bishara said Wednesday that he has heard nothing from his sources within the government on the reported death of the country's supreme leader Mohammed Abdul Yassin, though he added he did not expect the regime to make sure "dramatic news" public so soon. Reuters International News Services, quoting reports from opposition websites, reported earlier in the day that Yassin had died in hospital in the city of Rabat at the age of 81 from an undisclosed illness. The death of Yassin, who sits a top the country's Islamic establishment, would mark the end of era in Wazistan and could lead to a period of instability.

Wazistan's state-run media has yet to make any statement on the report from Reuters and calls to Yassin's office and the presidency for comment went unanswered. Opposition officials in Rabat said there has been no noticeable rise in security around Yassin's home and offices.

Analysts say the death of Yassin, who has largely tolerated the country's fledgling opposition movement, could open the way for brutal crackdown by security forces. The Wazistan Islamic National Movement, the country's main opposition party, has warned the establishment will attempt a show of force by arresting key dissidents in the wake of Yassin's death to assert its authority.

Yassin's younger brother, Ayatollah Mahmud Esfandiari, has been tipped to succeed him in the event of his death. Esfandiari is said to have secured the support of the country's clerical elite and powerful security establishment.

 

[Wazistan]

Diplomat: Esfandiari seen as taking charge in wake of Yassin death.
AP International

Ayatollah Mahmoud Esfandiari appears to be in firm control of the government institutions in the capital despite having not formally been named the successor of brother Mohammed Abdul Yassin following his sudden death, international diplomats who spoke to the Associated Press from the capital Ijad. One diplomat, speaking on the condition of anonymity given fluidity of the situation, says Esfandiari's representatives have been in contact with numerous institutions including the Defense Ministry and powerful Assembly of Experts and that they have been directed to "continue to function as normal."

At the presidency, where President Hamid Najibullah held talks with the country's top government officials to reportedly discuss the question of succession, diplomatic sources say Esfandiari's top aide was present.

While the regime has already laid the groundwork to formally designate a successor to Yassin, the charges have yet to be approved in a nationwide referendum, which was due to take place alongside early parliamentary elections in February. Analysts say Yassin's sudden death appear to have caught many in the government and clerical establishment off guard and are concerned that the power void left could spark violence.

Conservatives within the Experts' Assembly, which would be responsible electing the country's next supreme leader the reforms are passed, have reportedly called on the Najibullah and Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution to declare a state of national emergency and simply enact the changes via a presidential decree.

 

[Polesia]

Communist Party rules out power of arrest for Anti-Corruption Commission
AP International

In what many see as a setback in the fight against corruption, the Communist Party of Vangala announced today it would not grant the country's Anti-Corruption Commission, citing fears it would undermine the authority of the National Police Service and other law enforcement agencies. A number of anti-corruption NGOs showed shock at the decision, especially after a critical report released by the Association of Foreign Businesses in Vangala (AFBV) described corruption as one of the 'biggest obstacles' to greater economic growth together with rumours that several leading Communists, including Justice Minister Tajuddin Sattar, supported the proposal.

Inside sources say that discontent amongst the lower ranks of the Communist Party forced the decision not to grant the Anti-Corruption Commission greater powers. With the Anti-Corruption Commission reliant on the Police for support, the focus of their investigations has moved away from law enforcement to junior Communist Party officials, who have been accused of embezzlement and accepting bribes from criminals and businessmen.

One member of the Anti-Corruption Commission describes how he and his team discovered how one party local administrator in a rural area had amassed a secret fortune through stealing public money, levying bogus taxes and accepting unauthorised gifts from foreign investors. While he was arrested, his release was ordered several days later, although he was forced to quit his position and accept a more low-key job elsewhere.

Cases like this are reportedly common, with the efforts of the Anti-Corruption Commission fustrated by the intricate web of friendships inside the Communist Party preventing any real headway in the fight against corruption and yet while it is a nominally independent body, free from official Party influence and control, members who speak out too strongly are forced to resign.

However, there is a glimmer of hope for anti-corruption activists in Vangala. The Ministry of Justice, who supervise the Anti-Corruption Commission, has said it was exploring other ways to tackle corruption. One suggestion is to give the Rapid Strike Battalion, the domestic special forces unit, greater policing powers. The RSB is widely perceived to be less corrupt than the police and has assisted the Commission in cases where it has been deemed too dangerous for the Police to participate. Another is to establish a new national law enforcement agency, where personnel are only admitted after being accepted by the Anti-Corruption Commission. More radical proposals include expanding the use of the death penalty to include embezzlement. Yet with the vested interests of many influential people at stake, all these ideas seem unlikely to realised anytime soon.

 

[Batavië]

Batavian Military Attacks Besieged City and Rebel Stronghold of Spa
AP, Målmöholm

Associated Press undercover reporters in northern Batavië have sent exclusive film footage to AP studios in Scania showing an intense attack on the city of Spa. Taken over by the rebel group, the Batavian Republican Army, the Batavian military has laid the city under siege for two weeks. Last night, air strikes by the Air Force targeted militia centres and other strategic points of interest. Shortly following the air strikes, artillery and mortar fire began to pummel the city.

According to reports, the barrage is continuing without letup. Smoke plumes can be seen rising from the city, famous for its canals and medieval architecture. Batavian military attachés say that the attack is aimed to cut the supply of the BRA and pressure them into negotiations in order to 'end this needless conflict'.

Rioters in the capital city of Vlaanderen and Hilversum have not turned out today, apparently not aware of the attacks in the north of the country. Police presence remains high in both cities and all land borders in the country remained sealed. The only way into and out of the country is through Jap de Graaf People's International Airport in Vlaanderen, which has heightened security.

 

[Batavië]

Batavian Foreign Commissariat Withdraws Diplomats from Belmont Embassy
AP, Paris

The Associated Press has confirmed reports from the Batavian government that Vlaanderen has withdrawn all but a skeleton staff from their embassy in Paris. This comes after the Belmonti government has thrown its full support behind Scania after media there broke a story claiming that the Batavian security forces assassinated a mayor. The Batavian government and the Staatsveiligheid, better known as the Staheid, have denied the claims and insist they were fabricated.

Reporters who managed to speak with those diplomats leaving Paris for Batavië said that the embassy staff were upset about the Belmonti government most recent 'flip flop'.

'Two months ago they said they would use terrorism against communist countries. Then they gave full support to Batavië, for economic deals, and now, with news of an incomplete investigation, they are withdrawing all support and rapport between the countries and are backing Scania. Clearly Belmonti politics remain flimsy and unstable.' said one high ranking diplomat before boarding his KLM flight home.

Stay with the Associated Press as we continue to follow this developing story.

 

[Confederal Republics]

"Business as usual", comments expat professor on recent Anbati arrests
AP Phezzan/Fjäderholmarna

"Everyone with a semblance of power does it", says Mohammed al-Assad, a research professor on Southern European studies in a major university in Fjäderholmarna. The implication of the powerful Moukattaf family in political corruption by the Anbati authorities is, he says, therefore not noteworthy in the fact that corruption has taken place. Rather, the noteworthiness is in that the Moukattafs have been called out and exposed to it, something which al-Assad attributes to their opposition to the continuing rivalry with President Dawud Zureiq and by extension the National Progress Party.

The implication of Faoud Moukattaf, family patriarch and the former governor of the Southern province of Qamar, and his family members in embezzlement of public funds as well as the channeling of the Governorate's business to family business Moukattaf Construction could according to al-Assad well be true. He points out that political and economic power in the country is often held by the very same people, and mentions the many rumors and claims about similar practices persisting at the highest level of Anbati society.

Al-Assad also mentions the persistent rumors about such activities having been undertaken by the Zureiq family, especially during the formal privatization of Anbati state assets in the 1990s, which al-Assad claims wound up in the hands of the Zureiqs and other families of the political elite through various backchannels. President Zureiq alone is said to have ownerships measuring up to a billion.

The Moukattaf family have a historical reputation as strongmen of the Qamar Governorate, and a rivalry with the Zureiqs that stretches back to politics before Dawud Zureiq became the National Progress Party leader, and by extension involved the NPP in this rivalry. Though Faoud Moukattaf and his brother Yaqub Moukattaf, an independent member of the Anbati legistlature, have avoided openly siding with the opposition they have therefore steered an independent course. Al-Assad however claims that before being forcibly removed Governor Moukattaf was about to side with the opposition Social Workers' Party of Anbat.

 

[Wazistan]

Wazi police arrests deputy head of main opposition party
AP International

Prominent opposition leader Ibrahim Radwan was arrested early Sunday morning at his home and has been taken to an undisclosed location, officials from his party announced. Radwan, who was the deputy secretary of the Wazistan Islamic National Movement, has been a vocal critic of the country's Islamic rulers and is considered one of the opposition movement's most popular figures. The arrests comes as the country's security forces intensify a clampdown on Wazistan's restive Kurdish regions in the wake of the kidnapping of two army soldiers and the killing of several others.

The Interior Ministry announced yesterday it was banning on foreign journalists from traveling to the region and warned martial law could be imposed to find those responsible.

Critics warn the arrest of Radwan, a former justice minister who fell out with the regime in the 1980s over its policy towards Arabs, could be a sign that the government is preparing further arrests of prominent opposition figures. Security officials have warned in recent days the opposition leaders could face charges if it is founded they have been involved in "treasonous and sleazy activities" in the wake of the death of Wazistan's supreme leader Mohammed Abdul Yassin.

AP sources say Ayatollah Mahmoud Esfandiari, who has largely stepped into his older brother's shoes as Wazistan's ruler, is determine to stamp out the opposition movement at all cost.

 

[Confederal Republics]

Ministry of External Affairs of the Republic of Anbat

His Excellency the President Mr. Dawud Zureiq wishes to convey his concerns on behalf of the Anbati government over the arrest of Mr. Radwan and over the state of democracy and the rule of law in Wazistan, and requests that the Wazi authorities make public as soon as possible the nature of the charges being levelled against him.

Regards,
Mr. Mikheil Khoury,
Minister of External Affairs

 

[Hesperia]

Diwan of Foreign Affairs

The Sultanate views the latest acts by the Wazi government as more proof of the discriminatory policies implemented by Ijad against its citizens of Arab descent.

 

[Wazistan]

Party: Radwan charged with lying to parliament, holding Hajri citizenship
AP International

Wazi opposition leader Ibrahim Radwan has been charged with lying to immigration authorities and parliament for failing to disclose his holding of Hajri citizenship when he was elected a member of parliament, officials from his party have told Associated Press. Radwan, a former cabinet minister and a top associate of opposition leader Jamal Bishara, was arrested Sunday at his home in northern Ijad and has not been seen since.

Bishara, who heads the main opposition Wazi People's Democratic Organization, has slammed Radwan's reported detention and demanded his release, calling his arrests "a provocative attempt to intimidate the opposition and people."

The officials from the Wazistan Islamic National Movement say the decision to charge Radwan was made on the direct orders of Wazistan's new leader, Ayatollah Mahmoud Esfandiari. One official, a member of the party's governing committee, says sources inside the chief prosecutor's office are expected to try Radwan behind closed doors and that a guilty verdict "has already been determined."

Under Wazi law, lying to government authorities is punishable by a sentence of five years in prison.

Analysts say the charges against Radwan, while mainly seen as a warning to the opposition, also should be seen as a shot at Wazistan's chief regional rival. Tension between Wazistan and Hajr have risen dramatically in the past week, which international experts have said has increasingly dis-stabilize the region

Several party leaders say they went to the Central District Court in Ijad to demand answers from authorities, but that they were turned away.