Morocco king's reform team open to youth proposals The panel formed by King Mohammed to review Morocco's constitution has invited a youth-led protest movement to present its ideas in the course of consultations on democratic reform with political parties and trade unions. But youth leaders were wary, saying the April 16 date set for the meeting was too soon for them to draft a proposal and the head of the movement's affiliate in the capital Rabat said it would boycott the talks. The February 20 Movement has spearheaded some of the largest anti-government protests the North African state has witnessed for decades, unsettling a political elite desperate to prevent any spillover of popular revolt from Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. Algeria calls for immediate cease-fire in Libya The Algerian minister for Maghreb and Africa affairs, Abdelkader Messahel, on Tuesday called for an immediate cease-fire in conflict-torn Libya, where rebels were at a tug-of-war with forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Xinhua reported. Messahel made the appeal at a press conference following a meeting with visiting British Minister for Middle East and North Africa Affairs Alistair Burt. “I've reiterated the position of Algeria: we endorse an immediate cease fire, as proposed by the African Union in its road map,” Messahel told the press. “I've said also that we are for an inter-Libyans dialogue, and the Libyan people should be given the choice to express freely its opinion.” Tunisia, Italy sign deal to ease migrant crisis Italy and Tunisia signed an accord on Tuesday to stem a wave of illegal migrants arriving in Italy from North Africa. The immigration crisis, set off when the ouster of former Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in January removed previously strict border controls, has proved a political headache for Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right government. Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said the agreement included increasing police cooperation and compulsory repatriations, but he gave few details before a meeting with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Wednesday. “We have signed the minutes on a technical agreement on cooperation between our two countries against clandestine immigration,” he told reporters in Tunis. “Our intention is to turn off the tap,” he said. UK and U.S. accused as Libya defector has assets freed and may escape travel ban Britain and the U.S. were last night angrily accused of ‘rewarding terrorism' over the lifting of sanctions on Colonel Gaddafi's henchman, Musa Kusa. Foreign Secretary William Hague was pushing the EU to drop a strict travel ban and asset freeze against Libya's former foreign minister. Kusa, described as one of the masterminds of the Lockerbie bombing and allegedly linked to the deaths of hundreds of IRA bomb attacks, defected to the UK last week. Pressure on Britain to restore Kusa's perks mounted after America unlocked his bank accounts on Monday. Foreign Office and White House officials believe it will encourage others to quit Gaddafi's favoured circle. But relatives of those who died in the Lockerbie atrocity, victims of the IRA and MPs reacted with horror at the ‘appalling' decision to remove sanctions. Darfur rebel group suspends talks with Sudan govt Darfur's most powerful rebel group has suspended meetings with Sudan's government at peace talks in Qatar in protest at Khartoum's plan to hold a referendum in the war-torn region, the group's chief negotiator said on Tuesday. A brutal counter-insurgency campaign in Darfur in 2003 sparked one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, prompting more than two million people to flee. Violence has since subsided but several rounds of peace talks have failed to secure a truce due to rebel divisions and continued military action. Insecurity continues to plague the region. A U.N.-African Union (UNAMID) peacekeeper was killed on Tuesday when armed gunmen carjacked a mission vehicle during a patrol in North Darfur, the force said in a statement. BM
