In Brief

Talk to al–Qa'eda
On 15 March, Tony Blair's most influential adviser for over a decade, Jonathan Powell, revealed that he believes that "at some stage you're going to have to come to a political solution as well as a security solution" to the threat from al–Qa'eda. Powell added: "And that means you need the ability to talk." Lines of communication should be kept open – as in Northern Ireland, where Powell had a leading role in the peace process.

Elections in peril
Nepal's hopes of a successful peace process depend on constituent assembly elections scheduled for 10 April. These are in doubt as the result of violence and intimidation. The Maoists have been accused of such activities.
More seriously, on 16 March, nonMaoist armed groups from the lowland Terai region threatened bombings and attacks on candidates should the government not agree to talks. Two days later Kamal Prasad Adhikari of the communist National People's Front Nepal was shot dead. The Terai armed groups are planning a three–day strike in the region from 7 April, and have threatened to prevent people leaving their homes on the day of the vote.

Gaza truce offered
Israel continues to lay siege to Gaza, collapsing the Gazan economy and causing a rising death toll.
On 12 March Hamas leader, Ismail Haniya, set out conditions for a truce. "There must be a commitment by Israel to end all its aggression against our people, assassinations, killings and raids, and lift the siege," he said, stipulating that a ceasefire deal must be "reciprocal, comprehensive and simultaneous", and apply to both Gaza and the West Bank.
A delegation of Hamas and Islamic Jihad officials is set to meet with Egyptian officials to discuss a possible truce with Israel. Israel is yet to reply.

Galloway vs Tatchell
On 13 March, Respect Renewal MP George Galloway commented in relation to the now–halted deportation of a gay Iranian man, Mehdi Kazemi: "All the papers seem to imply that you get executed in Iran for being gay. That's not true."
Kazemi's boyfriend was hung by the Iranian regime but Galloway maintained this was "not for being gay", but for "committing sex crimes against young men." He offered no evidence for this allegation.
The MP's comments were denounced by gay rights activist, Peter Tatchell, who accused Galloway of "mouthing the propaganda of the homophobic dictatorship in Tehran."