POLITICS-LIBERIA: U.S. Hails Ceasefire Accord, Pledges Support

The administration on Tuesday ''applaud(ed)'' the cease-fire accord signed in Accra, Ghana that provides for the creation of a new Liberian government, excluding President Charles Taylor who was indicted for war crimes earlier this month, within 30 days.

POLITICS-LIBERIA: War-Weary Liberians Celebrate, as Foes Sign Ceasefire

Thousands of war-weary Liberians Tuesday took to the streets of the capital, Monrovia, to celebrate the signing of the much-awaited ceasefire aimed at ending the long-running civil war that has torn the West African country apart.

POLITICS-SOUTH AFRICA: Tight Budget Fails to Weaken Peacekeeping Missions

The South African military's ability to perform peacekeeping missions in Africa has not been compromised by tight defence budget, says a defence commentator.

POLITICS-DR CONGO: New Role for Rebel Forces in Transitional Government

If all goes according to plan, the Democratic Republic of Congo should have a government of national unity by Jun. 30.

POLITICS-DR CONGO: Illicit Small Arms Undermine Peace Efforts

A Kalashnikov, or an AK-47 riffle, costs as little as 15 U.S. dollars in Bunia, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

MEXICO: Transparency Law – a Vaccine Against Corruption

The Mexican government's traditional culture of secrecy was dealt a direct blow Thursday when a new ''transparency law'' making information available to the public, which observers say will also act as a vaccine against corruption, went fully into effect.

POLITICS-LIBERIA: Relative Calm Returns to Monrovia

There is now a relative calm in besieged Monrovia after the government agreed to a truce in the weeklong fighting that sent up to 600,000 people - more than half the capital's population - on the run.

AFRICA: Economic Elite Rank Corruption, Ignore Own Role – Critics

A leading global business group has issued a ''corruption index'' for African countries, but corporate governance watchdogs say the World Economic Forum (WEF) ignored the role that its members play in corrupting poor countries.

DEVELOPMENT: Do the Watchdogs Need Watching?

Now heading a U.N. panel on relations with civil society, former Brazilian president Henrique Cardoso was asked here last week how he viewed the role of non-state actors in global governance.

POLITICS: World Leaves Africa Peacekeeping to the Poor – Critic

The United Nations is trying to prevent a major humanitarian disaster in Central and West Africa by dispatching a battalion of diplomats and a contingent of peacekeepers to the politically troubled continent.

POLITICS-LIBERIA: Ghana Hosts Talks to End Civil War

Liberia's belligerents will meet in Ghana next week for the much-heralded peace talks designed to end the country's three-year-old civil war.

POLITICS: U.N. Helpless as Congo Threatened by Genocidal War

The United Nations remains in limbo waiting for member states to answer its call to assist one of the largest countries in Africa, the strife-torn Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which continues to be threatened by a genocidal war.

POLITICS-SUDAN: The Goal of Reaching Peace Accord by June Looks Unlikely

In an effort to hasten progress towards ending two decades of civil war in Sudan, mediator Lazaro Sumbeiywo is drawing up a final peace agreement to present to the two warring parties next week.

POLITICS-DR CONGO: U.N. Military Observers Role Under Fire

Recent killings of civilians and U.N. military observers in Ituri district have sparked a debate over the role of the U.N. Observer Mission to the Congo in seeking a solution to the ethnic unrest in the northeast Democratic Republic of Congo.

POLITICS: South Africa, Britain Differ on How to Bring Stability to Zimbabwe

While an economic and political meltdown in Zimbabwe is the most pressing issue in Southern Africa, it is not on the official agenda for talks between the South African foreign ministry and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw who jetted into Johannesburg on Tuesday.

POLITICS-COTE D’IVOIRE: New Ceasefire Fails to Signal an End to Conflict

Although a new ceasefire has been signed by rebel and government representatives in Cote d'Ivoire, there is little evidence that sustainable peace can be hoped for in the former French colony.

POLITICS-WEST AFRICA: Consulting Africa’s Elders On Conflict Issues

-Among the many pictures adorning the corridors and walls of the United Nations Office in New York is one of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and his wife Nane cuddling a three year old Sierra Leonean Girl who has both hands chopped off.

POLITICS-COTE D’IVOIRE: Efforts to End Civil War Take On an Int’l Tone

Wary political efforts to put a stop to more than seven months of civil war in Cote d'Ivoire took on an international tone this week, with government and rebel forces sitting down again for peace talks as war-torn Liberia weighed in and the United Nations asked for millions of dollars in aid for the region.

POLITICS-LIBERIA: Frantic Search for Peace

Liberia's warlords and politicians have agreed to meet soon to try to end the country's three-year civil war.

POLITICS-DR CONGO: Foreign Troops Pose Threat to Peace Accord

There are growing fears that the presence of Rwandan and Ugandan troops in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is posing a threat to the peace accord signed in Sun City, South Africa, last week.

POLITICS: Sudanese President Holds Rare Meeting with Rebel Leader in Kenya

President Omar el Bashir of Sudan held a rare meeting with rebel leader John Garang in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on Wednesday, boosting hopes of progress at peace talks, which resume on Sunday.