One Week Later...

Bush writes to Kim

In Kim's cat, we said North Korea might list its nuclear programmes in full at a forthcoming round of six-party talks.

• In what was hailed a new diplomatic and cultural outreach to North Korea, US President George Bush sent a personal letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong-il this week. It was delivered by Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill.
• So direct a communication will please Pyongyang, but should it judge it to be the sign of a weak president seeking to shore up a weak legacy, it may adopt a less flexible approach at negotiations to maximise its advantage.

Fujimori goes down

In  Fujimori trial opens,  we wrote that the trial of former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori on myriad corruption and human rights charges was due to begin.

• Last week a court sentenced Fujimori to six years in prison for abusing his powers.
• Fujimori continues to face charges of human rights violations and corruption, which could carry a 30-year prison sentence.
• The current trial that began this week will be far more complex, and has the potential to cause discomfort to numerous figures in contemporary public life.

End of the road for Kosovo

In Kosovo: two-time loser,  we wrote that it was the end of the road for Kosovo after months of seeking a negotiated solution for the troubled province.

• Pristina now appears prepared to delay its declaration of independence until the move is coordinated with the Western powers, which will reduce tensions in the region.
• Nevertheless, this is not likely to reduce Moscow's opposition to unilateral Kosovo independence, when the issue is discussed at this week's UN Security Council meeting.

Bosnia averts crisis

In Bother in Bosnia, we wrote a political crisis between divided communities may spiral out of control.

• But the country's Serb, Muslim and Croat leaders have agreed to internationally-backed parliamentary reforms, narrowly averting a political crisis.
• Bosnia has a history of reaching last-minute deals to keep political processes on track, which have a habit of unravelling over details later.

Political Masterstroke

The World Next Week Political Masterstroke award goes to Libya's leader, Colonel Muammar al-Qadhafi, who pitched his Bedouin tent in the gardens of the French presidential guest residence and stretched out his stay over six days. An editorial in the IHT described the visit thus: "The choreography of Colonel Muammar el-Qaddafi's visit to Paris this week was so thoroughly offensive that it might have been dreamed up by the most unsparing critic of French pretensions…Here was Libya's leader-for-life, now in his 39th year of running a nasty police state, being feted on International Human Rights Day by the leader of a country that authored the truly revolutionary Declaration of the Rights of Man."

Analytica™

Worthy of note, or news to us.

EU treaty inked in Lisbon

European Union leaders sign a reform treaty in Lisbon designed to replace the ill-fated EU constitution.

Mugabe endorsed

Zimbabwe's governing party endorses Robert Mugabe as its presidential candidate for next year's election.

And finally…

The prime minister of the Solomon Islands Manasseh Sogavare has been ousted in a vote of no-confidence.