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Miss Afghanistan
Wins Award at Miss Earth;
Miss Costa Rica Comes in Third Place
Miss Afghanistan
Vida Samadzai, condemned in her homeland for parading in a bikini at the Miss Earth contest, won the pageant's first "beauty for a cause" award on
Sunday.
The event was held in the Philippines.
The 23-year-old Samadzai, the first Afghan in three decades to take part in a beauty contest, failed to make it to the contest's semifinals.
But judges announced that, for the first time, they were handing out a "beauty for a cause" prize. They awarded it to Samadzai for "symbolizing the newfound confidence, courage and spirit of today's women" and "representing the victory of women's rights and various social, personal and religious struggles."
They said the award would be given annually from now on — and it was not clear if it was created especially for Samadzai.
Samadzai could face prosecution if she returns to her native country because of her attire at the Manila pageant, a senior Afghan justice official said Saturday.
Fazel Ahmad Manawi, deputy head of Afghanistan's Supreme Court, told The Associated Press that Samadzai, a college student in California, had betrayed Afghan culture by appearing at the Miss Earth contest in a bikini — and may have also broken the law.
"I hope that this lady regrets her actions," Manawi said. He added that Afghan prosecutors may open an investigation, but refused to say what charges or penalties Samadzai could face.
Regardless of any legal action, Samadzai's parading down a catwalk in a red bikini during the contest's qualification last month was a radical departure from the traditional image of Afghan women.
Samadzai left Afghanistan in 1996 to study in the United States.
The Miss Earth crown went Sunday to Miss Honduras Dania Prince. Brazil's Pricila Zandona was selected first runner-up,
Costa Rica's Marianela Zeledon Bolanos was chosen second runner-up, and Miss Poland Marta Matyjasik was third runner-up.
Guatemala's Portillo: US-Central America free trade pact to be delayed
Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo told AFP that a US-Central America free trade deal would not be signed in December as scheduled.
The negotiators' timetable called for the deal to be signed next month, but Portillo ruled that out.
"I think that in December the free trade deal won't be signed, it's too late," the president said, noting there were still sensitive issues to be worked out, including opening Costa Rica's telecommunications industry.
"The next government will approve it, along with those of the rest of Central America," said Portillo. Guatemala holds an election for his successor on Sunday.
Central American countries are expected to reach such a deal with Washington ahead of the planned creation of a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), due to be negotiated by 2005. It would stretch from Canada to Argentina.
Israel warns of possible terrorist attacks in Latin America
Israeli Minister without Portfolio Uzi Landau has
warned the Latin American countries of possible
terrorist attacks during a recent tour in the
region, the daily La Nacion reported on
Sunday.
In an interview with the local daily, Landau said
that he was convinced terrorist groups like al Qaida
have branches in the region, although he was not
sure where they were exactly.
The minister said that during his visit he discussed
with Latin American officials "numerous
atrocities" in recent years, such as the Sept.
11 attacks in the United States, the bombing on Bali
Island and blasts of the US embassies in Kenya and
Tanzania.
He blamed these attacks on terrorists from the
Middle East.
He said that "Israel is serving as the
laboratory for these terrorists. They are testing
arms, such as those for suicide attacks, and it will
not take long before these arms are exported to
other free countries."
On the situation in the Middle East, the minister
blamed Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat for the
stalled peace process.
He said that to bring the Road Map peace plan into
effect, "a new and different Palestinian
leadership" ready to eliminate terrorists is
needed.
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Berger most likely to
win Guatemala's presidential election outright
Oscar Berger, a former Guatemala City mayor, is mostly likely to win Guatemala's presidential election outright as preliminary results showed Monday that he has gained 47.6 percent of the vote.
The results, with slightly more than 20 percent of the vote counted, also showed that candidate Alvaro Colom garnered 26.4 percent of the vote and former coup leader General Efrian Rios Montt trailed a distant third, with 11 percent.
The official result of the presidential elections will be announced later Monday.
Over 8,000 observers including some 400 from foreign countries have been stationed throughout Guatemala on the election day Sunday amid fears of irregularities and violence.
During the elections, voters will choose a president, a vice president, congress representatives, Central American Parliament legislators and municipal officials.
If none of the presidential candidates can get 50 percent of the votes, the two front runners will move on to a run-off scheduled for Dec. 28.
Guatemala gets through peaceful election, with high turnout
Guatemalans got through their election day Sunday mostly peacefully, with the turnout being so high that the voting time was extended for five more hours.
Guatemalans cast their ballots in 8,885 polling stations acrossthe country, where 27,200 troops and the 22,000 members of the national police have been deployed to maintain the order and over 8,000 observers including some 400 from foreign countries be stationed to prevent possible irregularities and violence.
Feared unrest did not appear although there were some reports about individual election-related incidents.
During the elections, voters will choose a president, a vice president, congress representatives, Central American Parliament legislators and municipal officials.
There were 11 candidates running for the presidency, including Oscar Berger of the Grand National Alliance (GANA), Alvaro Colom of the National Unity for Hope (UNE) and former coup leader Efrain Rios Montt of the ruling party Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG).
To win Sunday's election outright, one candidate must receive more than 50 percent of the vote. If none of the presidential candidates can get 50 percent or more in the official results that are to be announced later Monday, the two front runners will move on to a run-off scheduled for Dec. 28.
The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) announced early Monday that the preliminary results, with slightly more than 20 percent of the votes counted, showed that Berger, the 57-year-old former Guatemala City mayor, garnered nearly 48 percent of the vote, inching toward gaining enough votes to win the presidential election outright.
The preliminary results also showed that Colom got slightly over 26 percent of the vote as Rio Montt trailed a distant third, with 11 percent.
Whoever wins the presidential election, the second since end ofthe internal civil war in 1996, has to face serious economic, political and social problems.
How to secure the smooth implementation of the peace accords with guerrillas, how to tackle the problems of drug trafficking, corruption and human rights violations, and how to combat poverty that affects 60 percent of the country's 11.5 million population will be the major challenges to the next president.
The peace accords signed in 1996 between the government and theguerrillas ended the 36-year-long civil war in the country, in which at least 150,000 people have been killed.
In addition, the future president will also face risks of an economy recession due to the decreases in global trade and the touchy Central American Free Trade Agreement, which also involves the United States and Guatemala's neighboring countries of El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras and Costa Rica.
Peru to participate in UN peace-keeping missions
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo will sign on Tuesday a memorandum of understanding for the Peruvian troops to take part in the UN peace-keeping operations.
Diplomatic sources said Sunday the signing will be during Annan's visit in Peru from Monday. The UN chief is currently on a Latin American tour.
The document will define the participation of the military in the UN-led peace-keeping missions, with equipment and personnel, as well as the number of troops, the equipment and supplies.
The government of Peru plans to dispatch 1,183 troops from navymarines, engineering squads, ranger platoons and a missile frigate.
A total of 86 countries are currently involved in the UN peace-keeping operations.
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