Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 16 - 22 November 2000 Issue No.508
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875

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The mouse's roar

FOR OVER a quarter of a century, the 2.5-mile-long Kitzsteinhorn funicular railway has provided a quaint nine-minute trip through the famous mountain for skiers. But on Saturday it was the site of one of Austria' s worst disasters, when a grisly fire trapped the train in the tunnel and killed 159 passengers. The fire was so powerful that it fused the wreckage into its surroundings and bodies of victims have had to be cut out of the melted debris. Only 12 people, seated at the back of the train, managed to escape.

Locals were stunned and the Austrian government announced that the country was in a state of mourning. Experts are baffled as to what might have caused the blaze, as the engine that pulls the cable is located on top of the mountain and the train was supposedly made of fire-proof materials. So far, a total of 66 bodies have been removed by recovery teams, but high winds and fear of the wreckage's collapse have hampered efforts. Most bodies were burned beyond recognition.

Back where they started

HOPES THAT general elections in Bosnia earlier this week would provide an opportunity for moderate parties to edge out dogged nationalism were fading fast when early results indicated that nationalists were leading the polls. The elections, orchestrated by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), could prove another snub to the West and its 20,000 NATO troops still stationed in Bosnia. Five years after the shaky peace that brought an end to the Bosnian war, the country is still virtually dependent on international aid and is no less ethnically divided.

The country's three main ethnic groups each seem to be pushing their nationalist candidates forward -- not a surprising result after years of Western interference and authority have yielded little in the way of progress. The nationalist Serb Democratic Party (SDS) was reported to be ahead in the Serb republic, and in the nation's other vehemently autonomous enclave, the Muslim-Croat federation, the nationalist Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) was leading the vote. Muslim votes were reportedly split, with the nationalist Party for Democratic Action (SDA) falling slightly behind the Western-backed Social Democratic Party (SDP).

A historic leader

SWEPT TO power with relative ease, the popular former actor Joseph Estrada, president of the Philippines, muscled his way onto the international stage with his exasperated and aggressive tactics in a long and drawn-out hostage crisis earlier this year. But on Monday he made Philippine history when he became the first president to be impeached.

The Philippine Congress is modelled on the American system. On Monday, the House of Representatives met in response to charges against Estrada that he has amassed millions of dollars through bribes and illegal gambling rackets. The meeting was a startlingly brief affair, with House Speaker Manuel Villar skipping all the formalities -- including a vote. With a quick bang of his gavel, the impeachment proceedings moved swiftly over the Senate, which has yet to vote. New Senate President Aquilino Pimentel (bustled into power after former President Franklin Dilon resigned from Estrada's party) has promised a fair and speedy trial, but on Tuesday more than 100,000 protesters in Manila called for Estrada to step down.

Dragging his feet

FORMER MILITARY leader Robert Guei showed Ivory Coast and the world that he still had what it takes to provide the unexpected this week. Several weeks after he was forced to flee Ivory Coast, Guei seemingly materialised out of thin air on Monday after a surprise meeting with newly-elected President Laurent Gbabgo. No one knows where Guei has been since angry Gbabgo supporters took to the streets protesting his dissolution of the commission overseeing presidential elections. Despite earlier claims that he would abide by the results, Guei declared himself the winner. Violence ensued and police fired into crowds of protesters, with a reported 177 killed. Guei was the picture of humility on Monday, announcing that he recognised Gbabgo as president and slyly indicating that he was returning to his home village -- as if this was simply the end of the matter. Gbabgo, equally tight-lipped about the genesis of the reconciliation, refused to say that he would bring legal proceedings against Guei, saying that he was "neither a judge nor a policeman". Of course, he is not one or the other -- just the president.

Compiled by Nyier Abdou

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