[JURIST] The High Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change appointed by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan filed a report Wednesday containing over 100 suggestions for improving the role of the UN in preventing and managing global conflicts. Significantly, the report affirmed the right of nations to practice self-defence, including pre-emptive self-defense when an attack is imminent. The Panel also said that the UN Security Council will have to take steps to become involved earlier and more intensively than normal when dealing with situations involving terrorism and Weapons of Mass Destruction. The report also suggests the creation of a Peacebuilding commission that would identify areas at risk of developing conflicts and stepping in to prevent that result. The text of the Panel report and accompanying materials are available here. The UN News Centre has more…. The UN Security Council is poised to hold emergency meetings Thursday or Friday on the introduction of military troops by Rwanda into neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo. Rwanda has announced that it has sent troops across the DRC's border to track down Hutu rebels inciting conflict inside Rwanda. The Congolese government has asked the UN to condemn the introduction of troops across its border and to impose sanctions on Rwandan President Paul Kagame. The African Union, the European Union, and the United States have all called on both nations to settle the dispute peaceably, and senior US diplomat Donald Yamamoto has been sent to the area to attempt to find a peaceful solution. The alert follows a report yesterday that officials of the UN Mission in the DRC (MONUC) arrested over 100 individuals suspected of being Rwandan troops. AllAfrica has more on the MONUC arrests. BBC News has more on the Security Council's concerns…. Acting Attorney-General of Zimbabwe Bharat Patel Thursday applied to the Zimbabwe Supreme Court to have the acquittal of opposition MDC party leader Morgan Tsvangirai on charges of treason overturned. Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa had originally indicated following the acquittal that the Zimbabwe government would respect the court's decision. Tsvangirai was acquitted of plotting the assissination of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe. Tsvangirai still faces another treason trial in January for calling for street protests to eject Mugabe from office. JURIST's Paper Chase has background on the decision in Tsvangirai's trial. BBC News has more.
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