Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 18 sepTember 2018

US, EU and China vie for influence in Eastern Europe

By ALISON MUTLER are using regional leverage
Associated Press to attract the best deal for
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) the less developed part of
— President Donald Trump the bloc. It's something the
on Monday reaffirmed EU is watching closely.
Washington's support for Regional analyst Radu
a business summit that Magdin said Central and
aims to boost connectiv- East European countries
ity in Eastern Europe and are "bold enough to know
improve ties between the what they want and self-
region and the U.S. and Eu- aware enough to use great
ropean Union. power competition to their
But the West is not the only advantage." He said Hun-
major player in the region. gary was adept at playing
Shortly before European "a multiple game involving
Commission President the EU, some conservative
Jean-Claude Juncker and circles in the U.S. as well as
U.S. Energy Secretary Rick China and Russia."
Perry arrived in Bucharest Romania has traditionally
for the two-day Three Seas good relations with China,
Initiative Business Forum, dating back to the com-
Romanian Prime Minister Bulgarian President Rumen Radev poses with Romanian counterpart Klaus Iohannis and Mihai munist era, but has failed
Durban, the head of Romania's Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the opening of the Three
Viorica Dancila met a top Seas Initiative Business Forum in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. to capitalize on Chinese
Chinese official, saying Ro- Associated Press pledges such as building a
mania wanted to export rail network, Magdin said.
more to China and at- The timing of the visit by ple's Congress, may raise mania has hosted in recent As a result, China has done
tract more investment from Shen Yueyue, a senior of- eyebrows in the light of one years. Yet it shows how Ro- more business with Hunga-
there. ficial in the National Peo- of the biggest summits Ro- mania and its neighbors ry, Serbia and Ukraine.q

ICC sentences ex-Congo VP to 1 year for witness tampering

By MIKE CORDER atrocities in the Central Bemba's conviction on wit-
Associated Press African Republic. Appeals ness interference charges
THE HAGUE, Netherlands judges acquitted him of all has ruled him out of stand-
(AP) — Judges at the Inter- charges in that case earlier ing as a candidate in Con-
national Criminal Court on this year and ordered him go's Dec. 23 election. The
Monday re-imposed a one- freed. African nation's electoral
year prison sentence and Appeals judges in his wit- commission said that the
300,000-euro ($350,000) ness tampering trial upheld guilty verdict amounted to
fine on a former Congolese most of Bemba's convic- corruption. Congolese law
vice president for interfer- tions earlier this year but bars people convicted of
ing with witnesses at his war ordered trial judges to re- corruption from running for
crimes trial. consider his sentence and the presidency.
However, Jean-Pierre Bem- those of two of his lawyers. Bemba has accused both
ba will not have to go to At a brief hearing Monday, the commission and the
prison due to time he has the trial judges re-affirmed Constitutional Court, which
already spent in the court's Bemba's original sentence this month upheld the com- Former Congolese Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba poses for
custody. and sentenced his law- mission's decision, of being a photograph after being interviewed by The Associated Press
Bemba and members of his yers, Aime Kilolo and Jean- under "full control" of the in Waterloo, Belgium, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018.
legal team were convicted Jacques Mangenda, to 11 government of President Associated Press
in 2016 of corruptly influ- months — equivalent to Joseph Kabila, who after
encing witnesses in his trial the time they have already two years of deadly unrest step aside. leader Mobutu Sese Seko,
on charges of command- served. Kilolo was also fined amid the long-delayed Bemba, whose father was finished second to Kabila in
ing troops who committed 30,000 euros ($35,000). election has said he will close to former longtime the 2006 election.q