247 lines
7.6 KiB
Plaintext
247 lines
7.6 KiB
Plaintext
WAR DATABASE
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by Ronald Bleier (rbleier@igc.apc.org)
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I'd like invite contributions from the on-line community
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to this compilation of ongoing and incipient wars, war
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related situations and war related information.
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I have seen the statistic that there are about 30 ongoing
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wars and I have managed to come up with a list of about 20
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so far. Please feel free to supply missing information,
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and to make corrections and additions. If you email me
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information I will include it in periodic updates.
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Also, readers are invited to share their knowledge of
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sites on-line where relevant information is available.
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***
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ONGOING WARS
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EUROPE
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1. Former Yugoslavia; 200,000+ deaths, 1 million+
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refugees, began in summer 1991 and heated up in March
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1992. Siege of Sarajevo begins April 1992. Successful
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September 1995 Croatian attack on Krajina has led to a new
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wave of 150,000 to 200,000 refugees (WarReport, Sept 95).
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10,000 dead in Sarajevo (NYT, by Kit R. Roane, 11.2.95).
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SOUTH ASIA
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2. Kashmir -- Indian government vs. Muslim separatist rebel
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group, Al Faran.
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3. Sri Lanka -- Tamils vs Sinhalese; fighting began in
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1983; 36,000+ deaths. Head of state: President Chandrika
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Bandaran aike Kumaratunga. Population 17.6 million; nearly
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three-quarters Sinhalese and Buddhist. Guerrilla
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organization led by Vellupillai Prabhakaran claims to
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represent 2.2 million mostly Hindu Tamils in north and
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east. (from NYT, 27 October 95, by Barbara Crossette)
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NORTH AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST
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4. Algeria --civil war; 40,000 killed since government
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annulled elections in 1992 that Muslim militants were
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poised to win. Algeria achieved independence in 1962. At
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that time nearly 2 million descen dants of Fr. settlers
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("pieds noirs") returned to France as did 700,000
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Algerians. Today there are about 5 million Muslims (of 75
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million French population) living in France. France is
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providing abo ut $1 billion to Algeria in loans and grants
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and importing about $1 billion worth of natural gas. (NYT,
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25 Oct. 95, by Craig R. Whitney)
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5. Egypt -- civil war with Islamist militants
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6. Afghanistan -- civil war. Began with Russian
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intervention of 1979; Soviets left in April 92. Tens of
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thousands killed; hundreds of thousands of refugees.
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Siege of Kabul (pop. 750,000) began in Jan 94 by Taliban
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forces, mostly Pushtuns, the majority ethnic group that has traditionally provided Afghanistan's rulers. Kabul govt is dominated by ethnic Taj
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iks, a minority in Afghanistan. (NYT, 16 Oct. 95; by John
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Burns)
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7. Turkey vs. Kurds -- hostilities began in 1984. 18,000
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killed, 2,000 Kurdish villages razed, hundreds of
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thousands displaced; a cost of an estimated $7 billion/yr.
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U.S. provides billions in militar y aid to Turkey -- $5.1
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billion over last decade and about $120 million a year in
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economic aid. (Covert Action Quarterly, Fall '95 and NYT,
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29 Oct. 95, by Celestine Bohlen.)
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8. Kurds vs. Iraqis and Iranians
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9. Shiites in Southern Iraq vs Iraqis
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10. Israel in South Lebanon. Party of God guerillas
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(Hezbollah: Arabic for Party of God). Earliest Israeli
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interventions go back to 1975. Major interventions in
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1978 and 1982. Since 1982 Israel has occupied at least a
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portion of South Lebanon. Tens of thousands killed;
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hundreds of thousands of refugees. The U.S. provides
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Israel with about $6 billion a year in economic and
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military aid and loa n guarantees and arms transfers.
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AFRICA
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11. Sudan civil war between Muslim north and African
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south; began in 1983; 100,000 refugees in Zaire and
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Central African Republic; (IPS, October '95)
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12. Sierra Leone; civil war; guerrilla movement began in
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1991 to overthrow a dictatorship. Population 4 million;
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more than half are refugees; 1.2 million internal
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refugees; tens of thousands of casualties; currently
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severe malnutrition; countryside empty because of lack of
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security. South African mercenaries help military
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Government fight bush insurgency.
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13. Shahel Pastoralists (Moors and Tauregs) vs. Black
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Africans
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14. Somalia -- Civil war; began in 1991.
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CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA
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15. Mexico - Rebellion in Mexican state of Chiapas by Mayan
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rebels, known as Zapatistas; began in January 1994.
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16. Guatemala; war began in 1961 vs. leftist guerillas,
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the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unit; 100,000 dead;
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40,000 missing; (NYT, 27 August 95; story by Larry
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Rohter). CIA coup against democratic government led to
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military dictatorship in 1954.
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EX-SOVIET UNION AND CHINA
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17. Russia vs. Chechen rebels began in December 1994;
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thousands killed, tens of thousands displaced. Head of
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State: Boris Yeltsin. Population: 148 million.
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18. Armenia - Azerbaijan -- undeclared war began in 1988
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prompted an exodus that has reduced Armenia's population
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of 3.5 million by 20 to 30 percent (Steve LeVine, NYT, 24
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Oct. '95)
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19. Georgia (ex Soviet Republic); war with Abkhazian
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rebels began in 1993. Thousands died and hundreds of
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thousands displaced. Population of Georgia: 5.5 million.
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(NYT, 19 Oct. '95)
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SOUTH ASIA
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20. Philippines -- guerrilla insurgency; head of state:
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Fidel V. Ramos. Population: 67 million.
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MILITARY OCCUPATIONS
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1. China in Tibet
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2. Israel in the former Palestine and South Lebanon
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3. Serbian occupation of Kosovo -- Albanians make up 90% of
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the population.
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4. East Timor invaded December 7, 1975 by Indonesia;
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estimated 200,000 killed, about a third of the population.
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Population transfer program began in the 90s. U.S. gave
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green light for 1975 invasion a nd has supported the
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Suharto government with military and economic aid. The
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Clinton administration has expressed its willingness to
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sell General Suharto 20 F-16's and approve $60 million in
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weapons sales.
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SIMMERING
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1. Rwanda -- April 6, 1994: date of plane crash
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precipitating 1994 war between Hutus and Tutsis: 1 million
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dead; 2 million refugees. 57,000 prisoners in Rwandan
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jails; built to hold 12,000; prison po pulation has gone up
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from 53,000 to 57,000 in less than a month. Some 2,300
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inmates have died from disease over the past 15 months
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NYT, Reuters, Oct 29, '95)
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2. Burundi
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3. Liberia -- by the time of the shaky cease-fire of
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August 1995, 150,000 Liberians killed in war by 5 warring
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factions. 3/4 of Liberia's population (2.7 million, 1991
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estimated) are refugees. 60,000 -80,000 armed soldiers in
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Fall 95.
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4. Cambodia -- Pol Pot controls about 50% of Cambodia (The
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Nation, October 2, '95)
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5. Cyprus --
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6. China and Taiwan
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7. India and Pakistan
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8. Northern Ireland
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9. Angola
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10. Myanamar (Burma); currently under military rule.
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Population 45 million. Hundreds killed by military in
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1988. Ayn San Sue Kye released from house arrest in summer
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1995.
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11. Suriname (pop. 400,000) rainforests under attack by
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foreign investors. 6 year civil war between indigenous
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Indian peoples and Maroons broken by an unsteady peace in
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1992. Ongoing skirmishes bet ween settlers and native
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peoples.
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COLD WAR
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1. Israel and Syria
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2. U.S. vs. Cuba
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3. North and South Korea
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OPPRESSION OF MINORITIES OR WEAKER MEMBERS
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(If not listed previously)
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1. Gypsies (Roma) in Romania, Germany, Albania, Czech
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Republic, Bulgaria, ex-Yugoslavia, Poland. 8 million
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Gypsies in Europe; 12 million in world.
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2. Latvia -- One third of the country's 2.5 million people
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are ethnic Russians live under restrictive laws which make
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them ineligible for citizenship; nor can they vote.
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3. Nigeria -- Muslim government of General Sani Abacha is
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criticized for oppression of minority tribes including the
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5 million Ogoni peoples. In October 95, several leaders of
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Ogonis were sentenced to death on charges of murder.
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PEACE TALKS/NEGOTIATIONS ONGOING
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1. Bosnia
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2. Angola
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3. Mexico vs. rebels in Chiapas
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4. Israelis and Palestinians
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5. North and South Korea
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6. Northern Ireland/England
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7. Guatemala -- Rebels announce unilateral cease-fire to
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coincide with Nov. 12, 1995 elections due to progress in
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the peace talks.
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THE END
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