UPDATE 1-CAR rebels halt advance, agree to peace talks

BANGUI Jan 2 (Reuters) - Rebels in Central African Republic said they had halted their advance on the capital on Wednesday and would start peace talks, averting a clash with regionally-backed troops in the mineral-rich nation.

The announcement gave only a limited reprieve for President Francois Bozize as the insurgents told Reuters they might insist on his removal in the negotiations in Gabon's capital Libreville.

Seleka rebels, who accuse the president of reneging on an earlier peace deal, had advanced to within striking distance of the capital Bangui after a three-week onslaught.

"I have asked our forces not to move their positions starting today because we want to enter talks in Libreville for a political solution," Seleka spokesman Eric Massi told Reuters by telephone from Paris.

"I am in discussion with our partners to come up with proposals to end the crisis, but one solution could be a political transition that excludes Bozize," he added.

View the original article here

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

EU and Russia agree end to trans-Siberian flight fees

BRUSSELS | Fri Nov 25, 2011 4:19am EST

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union and Russia have agreed to phase out the fees paid by EU air carriers in order to fly trans-Siberian routes, potentially reducing the cost of flying from Europe to East Asia.

The fees had been a long-standing source of disagreement, and the accord followed a deal struck in October between the EU and Moscow for Russia to join the World Trade Organisation. Russia is now expected to join the 153-member group in December.

"The arrangement abolishes the obligation for EU carriers to enter into commercial agreements with, and pay fees to, Russian air carriers for the use of those routes as from 1 January 2014 at the latest," the Council of the European Union said in a statement. The Council represents the EU's 27 national governments.

With their abolition, any charges paid by EU airlines to the Russian authorities will have to be cost-related and transparent and must not lead to discrimination against foreign airlines, the Council said.

The new arrangement will enter into force on January 1 next year, so long as Russia is formally admitted to the WTO next month. It was based on principles initialled by the EU and Russia in 2006, but Russia had only now agreed to implement them, the Council said.

(Reporting By Sebastian Moffett; Editing by Helen Massy-Beresford)

View the original article here