NO, NOT THE OIL! #93 (1/2)
R Kym Horsell
Reserch Senter(*)
OIL THE NEWS THAT FITS MY VIEWS
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In the Run-Up to World War III, Reliably Reporting the News Relevant
to Extreme Right-Wing Democratic Socialists Everywhere
(validated for RiteThink(tm) by the Office of Our Man in Can-berra).
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UN Mailing List: http://www.kymhorsell.com/UN/
Iraqi Body Count: http://www.iraqbodycount.net/ [6,118+ as at 01 Sep 2003].
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Selecting latest news stories and other data for you...
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I have the utmost respect for women.
-- Arnold Schwarzenegger, 10 Sep 2003.
Arnie says you shouldn't think he's just another dumb
blonde because he has good T and A.
The best way to protect the American people is to remain on
the offensive... to remain on the offensive at home... and
to remain on the offensive overseas.
-- Pres Bush Jr, 10 Sep 2003.
Pres Bush is lobbying for a big funding boost for military
operations in Iraq.
The problem is the war isn't over.
-- Dep Def Sec Paul Wolfowitz, committee hearing, 09 Sep 2003.
Ted Kennedy said this was "very interesting" news for the
American men and women in uniform still stuck in Iraq.
We are now in a situation that confirms... war creates instability and
terrorism.
-- French For Min Dominique de Villepin, 11 Sep 2003.
France feels vindicated in its pre-GWII analysis. Damn Frogs!
They are still in the middle of that process [of searching for WMD in
Iraq]... and... [it] will eventually produce some results.
-- Air Commodore Graham Bentley, Canberra, 10 Sep 2003.
What about those WMD? At least the head of the AUS AF thinks
there are nukes still to be found in Iraq.
I did not give [Andrew Wilkie] the right to call me a liar without rebuke.
-- PM John Howard, Parliament, 11 Sep 2003.
Former ONA officer Wilkie said the govt had mis-represented
Iraqi intel. Mr Howard appears to have taken it personally.
Freudian slip? Don't tell the voters!
The infrastructure in that country is in worse shape than we would
have guessed.
-- Donald Rumsfeld, PBS "News Hour", 10 Sep 2003.
Mr Rumsfeld says we're winning.
He's very happy... he's very happy... because he's preparing for it.
-- Imam Samudra's lawyer, Bali, 11 Sep 2003.
Although the Bali bomber supposedly wants to be martyred, and
was delighted with his death sentence, his lawyers are
preparing an appeal.
Obsequious lackeys! We are following America into more violence!
-- Interjector, Parliament, 11 Sep 2003.
PM Howard was interrupted while reading a letter from his boss,
Pres Bush Jr. He told the Parliament it proved free speech was
not yet dead.
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Wed, 10 Sep 2003.
Markets jittery amid US budget concern
NY. The US commitment in Iraq is causing renewed jitters on global
financial markets.
With Pres Bush Jr asking Congress for $US87 bn to police and rebuild
Iraq and Afghanistan, there are concerns about the impact on the US budget.
At the same time, there is speculation that going into an election y,
the Bush Admin might want to stimulate employment in a so-far jobless
economic recovery, that could place added pressure on the budget position.
Overnight, there has been across-the-board weakness in the USD that
has helped fuel a jump in gold prices and one-cent surge in the value
of the AUD.
The local currency has been as high as 66.06 US cents in NY trade --
the strongest it has been in 3 wk.
The AUD was being quoted at around 65.98 US cents at 7.00 am AEST.
On Wall Street prices have finished lower in the latest session.
The world's leading mobile phone maker, Nokia, has warned about a
possible decline in revenues and broking house Goldman Sachs has
lowered its recommendation on home improvement chain, Home Depot.
On the NY Stock Exchange, the Dow Jones industrial average has
finished 79 points down at 9,507.
Prices on the high-tech Nasdaq market have also been in decline.
The Nasdaq composite index has lost 15 points to 1,873.
The Brit sharemarket has retreated after finishing at its highest
level in a y in the previous session.
London's FT-100 index has surrendered 28 points to 4,264.
Yesterday in AUS, the market made more modest headway.
The big miners made major gains, while Qantas shares tumbled almost 5
per cent in value to $3.36 after the AUS Competition and Consumer
Commission (ACCC) knocked back its proposed alliance with Air New Zealand.
The All Ordinaries index finished just four-and-a-half points higher
but that was enough for a new 14-m high of 3,238.
The gold price has surged to its highest level since Feb on the US
dollar weakness, Middle East tensions and jitters ahead of the Sep 11
anniversary. It was being quoted at $US382.65/oz.
West Texas crude oil had risen to $US29.22/bbl.
Oil: Price rises ahead of US fuel stocks report
NY (Reuters). Oil prices edged higher on Tue, looking for fresh
direction from US supply data due on Wed that will show whether
retailers are building up heating oil stocks ahead of winter.
NY light sweet crude was up 26 cents at $US29.11/bbl while
Brent crude in London traded 13 cents higher at $US27.30/bbl.
Prices have held steady since falling heavily last wk on expectations
of lower US petrol demand following the end of the summer vacation season.
Crude's strength had been underpinned for wks by low US petrol stocks,
but traders have shifted their attention to the US oil sector's
readiness for winter heating needs.
US distillate stocks, including heating oil, should show an average
seasonal build of 2.2 mn barrels to about 127 mn when weekly govt fuel
inventory data are released on Wed, an analysts' survey by Reuters showed.
The govt's Energy Info Admin (EIA) said on Mon it expected US
distillate fuel inventories to hit 129 mn barrels by Oct 1, as demand
for winter heating kicks in.
This is below the 5-y average of 133.4 mn at the start of winter.
"It's a concern, but I don't think it will be impossible to build
stocks fairly quickly as long as [refiner] throughput levels stay were
they have been over the last m," said Aaron Brady, an oil products
expert at Energy Security Analysis Inc in Boston.
He said refiners should keep running at high rates because margins for
processing crude are still high despite falling after petrol prices
tumbled after Labor Day.
The market was also watching OPEC ahead of the oil cartel's meeting to
discuss output policy on Sep 24, with recent remarks by ministers
suggesting that OPEC is unlikely to change its output ceiling.
The EIA said on Mon it expected OPEC to maintain oil production levels
for the rest of the y, but that it could begin trimming output in Apr
2004 when Iraqi production could return to prewar levels.
US efforts to restore crude exports to prewar levels of 2.2 mn bpd
have been hampered by repeated acts of sabotage on Iraqi oil
infrastructure since Saddam Hussein was toppled in Apr.
Iraq was hoping to reach a mn bpd of exports by Oct,
Iraq's top oil official Thamir Ghadhban, said on Tue.
US Army officials said on Mon that Iraq's main N export line to Turkey
would need another 5 wk work before it exports again following recent attacks.
Meanwhile, concern over supplies from West African oil producer
Nigeria eased as the country's white-collar oil union said it hoped a
10-day lockout at the local offices of Royal Dutch/Shell will end
after the company agreed to hold talks to avert a total strike.
Consumer confidence close to 9-y high
Canberra. The share market recovery and rising house prices look to
have lifted confidence among AUS households this m. The Westpac/MEL
Institute Index of Consumer Sentiment is up 3.2 per cent. After a dip
last m, the latest increase in confidence brings it almost back to a
9-y high. The improving outlook for the global and local
economies has had a bearing. So too have low interest rates in AUS,
despite a realisation they are probably unlikely to fall any further.
Westpac's global head of economics, Bill Evans, says there has been a
very sharp rise in the measure of how households see their own
financial position compared with a y ago. "I think that is partly to
do with the improvement in the share market we've seen in the last m
-- up about 2% and, of course, further evidence that house prices
continue to rise," he said. Despite the pick-up in confidence and the
gathering momentum in the local economy, Mr Evans does not expect a
pre-Christmas rise in official interest rates.
Coal slump drags mineral and energy export earnings down
Canberra. There has been a 2% decline in export earnings by AUS's
mineral and energy sector in the latest financial y. Figures for
2002/2003 from the AUS Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics
show offshore earnings slipped to $54.9 billion. The greatest impact
has been from a $842 million, or 16%, slump in earnings from steaming
coal. Other commodities for which there have been significant
declines include coking coal, alumina, aluminium, copper and zinc.
Apart from copper, the slide in export earnings has resulted from
lower average export prices, partly as a result of the rising AUD. By
contrast, there have been sharply higher receipts over the y from iron
and steel, nickel, gold, LPG and diamonds.
Twin suicide bombings kill 15 Israelis
Rishon Letzion, Israel (AP). Twin Palestinian suicide bombings -- one
at a bus stop crowded with soldiers nr Tel Aviv, the 2nd 5 hr later
at a popular Jerusalem nightspot -- killed at least 15 Israelis and
wounded and maimed dozens as the region grappled with a new wave of
savage bloodletting.
Nobody claimed responsibility, but the Islamic militant group Hamas,
which has carried out most of the roughly 100 suicide bombings against
Israelis over the last 3 y, had been expected to avenge Israel's
attempt on the life of its spiritual leader on Sat.
Israel Radio reported that the 2 bombers were Hamas activists from
Rantis village W of Ramallah in the West Bank. The Tel Aviv bombing
killed 8 Israelis and the Jerusalem bombing 7, one of whom died in
a hospital early Wed.
In one Gaza neighbourhood, Palestinians fired assault rifles in the air
and about 100 took to the streets in celebration after the attack on
the cafe. In the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, some
Hamas supporters celebrated by distributing candies to the families of
those killed in previous violence.
Israel's military has relentlessly targeted Hamas militants since the
group claimed a suicide bombing last m that killed 22 people on a
Jerusalem bus. Earlier Tue, Israeli troops in Hebron killed two Hamas
members -- including the group's leader in the West Bank town -- and a
12-yo bystander, and blew up a 7-storey apartment building where
the militants were hiding out.
The day's violence underscored the collapse of US-backed peace efforts
and came amid political uncertainty after the resignation of
Palestinian PM Mahmoud Abbas.
An increasing number of Israeli officials were calling for the
expulsion of Yasser Arafat, and expectations were mounting that Israel
will step up military strikes and possibly invade the Gaza Strip --
which Israel has not yet re-occupied -- to root out the Hamas leadership.
The attacks came as PM Ariel Sharon was away on a visit to India. Rep
Raanan Gissin said he would shorten the visit by a day and return to
Israel Wed.
Security was extremely tight throughout the country, especially in
Jerusalem, in anticipation of a Hamas attack.
The 1st bombing came about 6 pm, as soldiers were waiting for rides home
outside the Tsrifin army base nr the Tel Aviv suburb of Rishon Letzion.
Cpl Eyal Schneider, 20, was walking toward the bus stop when he heard
the explosion and saw a fireball. "People were running from the bus
stop shouting 'bomb! bomb!'" he said.
Ambulances from nearby Assaf Harofeh hospital quickly lined up at the
scene, rescue workers rushing to aid screaming victims.
"I saw the bodies, the body parts strewn around, heard the screams,
and tried to help," said one witness, who gave his name only as Roy.
Police and hospital officials said 8 were killed in addition to the
bomber. Fifteen people were being treated at the hospital, all but one
of them soldiers, rep Nurit Nehemia said. Others were treated for
minor injuries and released. Hours later, the aluminium walls of the
bus shelter remained splattered with blood.
Leaders of Hamas praised the attacks but stopped short of claiming
responsibility. "This operation, whoever is behind it, is a natural
reaction for the bloody aggression against our people," said Hamas rep
Abdel Aziz Rantisi, who survived an Israeli attempt on his life in Jun.
Israeli govt rep Avi Pazner said "the responsibility is shared between
the organisation that carried out the atrocity and the Palestinian
Authority that did nothing to prevent it, and Israel will react accordingly."
Daniel Seaman, another govt rep, said Israel will try to continue with
the peace process. "But at the same time we will not allow our
civilians to be murdered."
More than 5 hrs later, about 11.20 pm, another suicide bomber entered
the Hillel Cafe, a popular bistro in the posh German colony neighbourhood
of Jerusalem.
Police said the bomber managed to get into the cafe even though 2
security guards were posted at the entrance -- one inside the door and
one outside. Jerusalem police commander Mickey Levy told Israel Radio
that one of the guards saw the bomber and tried to stop him, and that
he then set off the bomb.
7 Israelis died and more than 30 were wounded.
"I have a store next to the cafe. I arrived just a few moments after
the blast. I saw things that just can't be described, there are no
words," said a witness who identified himself only as Shavi.
The blast set off the siren alarms of dozens of parked cars nearby.
Police were breaking windows of cars to check if they contain bombs as
rescue workers led the wounded away on stretchers. A dazed, wounded
man sat on the street, holding a bloody T-shirt to his head.
White House rep Scott McClellan, speaking outside a fund raiser for
Pres Bush in Fort Lauderdale, Fla, called the bombings "vicious
attacks" and condemned them in the "strongest possible terms."
McClellan said Bush remained committed to the "road map" peace plan,
but he said the bombings "underscore the need to fight terrorism and
the need to dismantle terrorist organisations and groups like Hamas."
State Dept rep Richard Boucher emphasised "the urgency with which the
Palestinian Authority needs to take immediate and effective steps to
dismantle and disarm the terrorist capabilities."
Abbas, the outgoing Palestinian premier, refused to do this by force,
appealing to the militants to voluntarily lay down their arms. Abbas
resigned on Sat, frustrated with 4 m in office in which he repeatedly
wrangled with Arafat and failed to persuade Israel to ease security
measures imposed on Palestinians.
Ahmed Qureia, whom Arafat has asked to become the new Palestinian
prime minister, expressed "our regrets and pain for the innocent lives
[lost] as a result of violence and counter-violence" and called on
Israeli leaders to "search for ways to end this killing."
Qureia -- a former top peace negotiator -- has sought guarantees that
if he accepts the post, Israel would do more to implement its
obligations under the "road map." Israel has not frozen settlement
building or withdrawn from most Palestinian towns, saying the Palestinians
must 1st dismantle militant groups as called for by the plan.
A snr Israeli official said on condition of anonymity that Qureia's
terms were not acceptable.
"We will judge any Palestinian prime minister by his actions," For Min
Silvan Shalom said in a statement. "He will have to decide whether he
stands with Arafat or whether he stands against terrorism."
Qureia said he will "not be under an Israeli dictate" but reiterated
that the Palestinians are "committed to the road map" -- a blueprint
for ending violence and establishing a Palestinian state by 2005.
He and other Palestinian leaders accuse the Israelis of making the
situation worse by carrying out a series of airstrikes against Hamas
militants following last m's suicide bombing aboard a Jerusalem
bus. Those strikes have killed 12 Hamas members and 5 bystanders.
Aussies injured in Jerusalem bombing
Jerusalem (AFP). 2 MEL women remain in an Israeli hospital after
being hurt in a suicide bombing in Jerusalem this morning.
7 people died in the attack, which followed an earlier suicide
bombing in Tel Aviv which killed 7 soldiers.
The militant group Hamas has claimed responsibility for both bombings,
saying the attacks were to avenge what it called Israeli crimes.
The Dept of Foreign Affairs says a 24-yo MEL woman suffered shrapnel
wounds to the leg in the bombing of the Jerusalem cafe.
She and another MEL woman have been hospitalised but are not in a
serious condition.
The AUS embassy is trying to confirm details of a 3rd AUS woman
injured in the attack.
For Min Alexander Downer has condemned the bombings.
"There can be no doubt that innocent people have very deliberately
been targeted," he said.
"There is absolutely no justification, there is no political
justification at all for such murderous or vile acts and they are
condemned in the strongest possible terms by the AUS Govt."
The embassy is working with local authorities to find out if any other
Aussies have been affected by the attacks.
- - -
The internat'l peace plan for the Middle East, known as the road map,
is in tatters following the twin suicide bomb attacks.
The Israeli Govt says the Palestinian Authority has again failed to
rein in militants.
The chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeeb Erekat, condemned the bombings
and says the only way to stop the violence is to revive the peace process.
Israeli troops launched 2 incursions into the N West Bank at dawn
today, moving into Jenin and a refugee camp in Tulkarm, Palestinian
security sources say.
The sources say explosions and exchanges of fire could be heard during
the operations, but they are unable to give any casualties figures.
US has no idea when troops will pull out of Iraq
Washington. Under fierce grilling from both Democratic and Republican
Sens yesterday, snr US officials admitted they had no idea how long
American troops would be staying in Iraq, or when the extra internat'l
forces sought by Pres Bush Jr would be deployed to help them.
In further attacks against US troops, a car bomb exploded outside an
office used by American soldiers in N Iraq, killing one Iraqi and
wounding 6 Americans and 41 Iraqis.
A US soldier was killed and one wounded when a homemade bomb exploded
nr a military vehicle on a supply route NE of Baghdad, US Central
Command said today.
Testifying to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Paul Wolfowitz, the
Deputy Def Sec, and General Richard Myers, the chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, delivered the 1st defence on Capitol Hill of Pres
Bush's $87 bn funding request, for the US military and reconstruction
effort in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Their appearance coincided with reports that some 20,000 Nat'l Guard
personnel and reservists will have their tours of duty in Iraq and
other Gulf countries extended to 12 m to relieve pressure on the
130,000 soldiers on active duty in Iraq. These have already seen their
stay extended far longer than expected.
At the same time, claims of poor planning for the post-war period have
been reinforced by a new report that US intel had warned the Admin
before the invasion to expect considerable armed resistance to
occupying forces.
But according to The Washington Post, such sombre predictions seem to
have been brushed aside by the Pentagon's civilian leadership. In Feb
for instance, General Eric Shinseki, who was the Army Chief of Staff
at the time, told Congress that "several hundred thousand" troops
might be needed in the aftermath -- only to have Mr Wolfowitz call his
estimate "wildly off the mark". Yesterday Mr Wolfowitz was in the hot
seat, trying to explain his previous assurances that Iraq would soon
be paying for its own reconstruction. He also had to square Pentagon
assertions that US commanders in Iraq believe they have sufficient
troops with Pres Bush's call for an extra foreign division to share
the burden.
The $87bn request, on top of the $79bn allocated by Congress last
spring, was "a bitter pill for the American people to swallow", said
the Michigan Sen Carl Levin, the top-ranking Democrat on the
panel. John McCain, the Arizona Republican and supporter of the war,
said the Pentagon "clearly underestimated" the extent of the difficulties.
Forced to return to the UN, the Bush Admin has submitted a new draft
Sec Council resolution enlarging the role of the UN in post-war Iraq,
which it hopes will persuade others, especially Islamic countries such
as Turkey and Pakistan, to send forces. This weekend the Secretary of
State Colin Powell travels to Geneva to meet the foreign ministers of
Brit, France, Russia and China, the 4 other veto-wielding members of
the Council, in an attempt to reach a deal before Mr Bush addresses
the General Assembly on 23 Sep. But, under insistent and sceptical
questioning from Mr McCain, Marc Grossman, under-secretary for
political affairs at the State Dept conceded he had "no idea" when
forces for this internat'l division would be going to Iraq. However
unhappily, Democrats are likely to join Republicans in approving the
$87bn package when it comes up for a vote, probably early next m. But
further intense questioning is certain.
But Mr Wolfowitz insisted the spending was essential, to train Iraqi
and internat'l troops, and to give US forces what they required to win
the war. He claimed that 55,000 Iraqi soldiers were fighting alongside
the Allied forces. General Myers added that by 2005, that number would
grow to 184,000.
Canada, now in Afghanistan, won't send troops to Iraq
Montreal (AFP). Canada is too deeply involved militarily in
Afghanistan to consider sending troops to Iraq, Defence Min John
McCallum said. "The secret to success is to focus ... Our soldiers
cannot engage in every effort around the world no matter how important
it is, we have to make choices," McCallum told CTV television network.
"I believe a country of Canada's size will have most impact if it
focuses. And our focus today is in Afghanistan," McCallum said in an
interview from China, where he is currently on a visit. Canada has
sent 2,000 troops to boost the Internat'l Security Assistance Force
(ISAF) in Afghanistan, which has 5,000 troops. Last wk during a visit
to Kabul, Canadian Foreign Affairs Min Bill Graham made clear that
Canada does not expect to participate in a multinat'l force in Iraq.
Bush Calls Indian PM to Discuss Iraq, WTO
New Delhi (Reuters). Pres Bush called Indian PM Atal Behari Vajpayee
Mon to discuss Iraq, hrs after Bush urged the UN to bury differences
and play a broader role in stabilising the war-torn country. India
had in Jul rejected Washington's request for contributing
peacekeepers to Iraq saying New Delhi could consider such a move only
in the event of an explicit UN mandate. A rep for Vajpayee merely
said the 2 leaders "exchanged views on the situation in Iraq" but
refused to give details. Vajpayee's rep also said that Bush and the
Indian prime minister discussed "WTO-related issues" and agreed that
the 2 sides would remain in touch with each other at a meeting of
trade ministers from 146 countries in the Mexican city of Cancun
starting on Sep 10.
BA. ARGENTINA DEFAULTS! Argentina has defaulted on a $A4.6 bn debt to
the IMF -- the biggest single default payment in the organisation's
history. Argentina's cabinet chief's office says it's defaulted on
the payment because it would have compromised 25% of the Central
Bank's reserves. The default comes nearly 2 y after Argentina racked
up the biggest sovereign debt default ever, when it was in the throes
of economic collapse.
We can do many things together, Sharon tells India
Israel offers to share terror war expertise
New Delhi. India and Israel today discussed the need for closer
cooperation in the global war against terrorism.
The terrorism issue figured prominently in the 75-minute-long dialogue
between External Affairs Min Yashwant Sinha and Israeli PM Ariel Sharon.
Developments relating to the Middle East peace process also came up
during the parleys, where the 2 leaders mulled over ways to enhance
bilateral cooperation and explore the possibility of joint ventures in
various areas, including info technology Earlier today, Sharon was
given a ceremonial reception at the forecourts of the Rashtrapati
Bhawan in New Delhi.
"We are very much interested in developing and strengthening our
relations with India because India is one of the most important
countries in the world," he said.
Sharon said that Israel and India could do "many things together,"
setting the tone for a historic visit to this country that both
countries hope would strengthen their growing ties.
"We can do many things together in many fields," a beaming Sharon told
reporters after PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee accorded him a ceremonial
welcome in the red, gravelled forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan, the
imposing presidential palace, in balmy weather conditions Vajpayee,
while welcoming his Israeli counterpart, said he was confident that the
'historic' visit would further cement ties between New Delhi and Tel Aviv.
"We believe in democracy. I hope my visit will contribute to
strengthening our relations with India," said the Israeli Prime Min
after inspecting a tri-service guard of honour.
Sharon also called on Pres A P J Abdul Kalam who emphasised the need
for lasting peace in the Middle East. During the 40-minute meeting,
they discussed bilateral cooperation and the situation in the region.
The Israeli PM is leading a 150-member delegation including top
representatives of Israeli defence industries. Israel is India's 2nd
largest market for defence equipment after Russia. But New Delhi
insists trade, and not defence, will define Sharon's visit.
6 new agreements are expected in areas of environment, drug
trafficking, visas for officials and medical research.
This is the 1st visit by an Israeli PM since India and Israel
established diplomatic ties 11 y back. It is expected to yield defence
deals, including the sale of the Phalcon Israeli airborne early
warning radar system, worth over $US1 bn, and the Arrow missile
defence system.
Incidentally, Israel on Tue offered to share with India its expertise
in combating terrorism and warned that if the scourge was not
eliminated, it could wipe out civilisations.
Israeli Deputy PM Joseph Lapid made the offer when he called on M S
Bitta, Chairman of the All-India Anti-Terrorist Front (AIATF), at his
residence here.
Lapid is among 3 snr ministers accompanying PM Ariel Sharon on his
three-day visit to India.
He told reporters later that he had assured India of "utmost support"
in combating terrorism. "We can train and teach and supply materials
we have developed in fighting terrorism. We have developed a very
advanced technology," he said.
He spoke about the common problems faced by the 2 countries and said
they could help each other in resolving them. He said the 2 countries
had a great deal of experience in fighting terrorism that had become
an important issue in the 21st century.
If terrorism was not fought tooth and nail, it would wipe out
civilisations one day, he warned. Lapid said Europe could well be the
next major target of terrorists after the US learnt a "very bitter
lesson" on Sep 11, 2001.If Europe did not fight terrorism, it might
fall prey to the menace in another 5 y, he warned.
He spoke about Iran's nuclear programme and said Tehran should not be
allowed to possess nuclear weapons. The internat'l community should
make efforts in preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear power, he added.
However, it may be noted that Sharon's ongoing visit to India is not
without controversy. Left parties and Muslim groups have planned
protest rallies against Sharon's trip. They accuse human rights
violations and atrocities committed by its security forces in the West
Bank and Gaza Strip.
Home to the world's 2nd largest Muslim population after Indonesia --
India is still careful about dealing with Israel. No wonder why New
Delhi hosted Palestine For Min Nabil Sha'sath just before Sharon came
to the Indian capital.
The Arab world in particular -- and the entire diplomatic corps here
-- would be keenly watching Sharon's path-breaking journey that would
seek to greatly boost diplomatic, economic and military ties between
the 2 democracies.
Bilateral trade now totals $1.2 bn, a far cry from the times when
businessmen from India avoided going to Tel Aviv so as not to offend
their Arab partners.
Officially, of course, India still remains a friend of Palestine and
is all for a free independent Palestine.
India is also a good friend of Iran, a country Israel has no love for,
and has 100s of 1000s of its citizens employed all over the Middle
East -- a large group whose remittances have helped boost foreign
exchange reserves.
Indians protest Sharon's visit
New Delhi. 1000s of demonstrators in major cities protested the visit
by Israeli PM Ariel Sharon on Tue, calling him a murderer who has no
place in the land of Mohandas K Gandhi.
From the Indian capital of New Delhi to the financial hub of Bombay,
in Kashmir and Calcutta, protesters called on the govt to be true to
India's longtime support for the Palestinian struggle for self-rule.
Sharon is making the 1st visit by an Israeli prime minister since
Israel established diplomatic ties with India in 1992. Though an
ardent supporter of the Palestinian cause, New Delhi also intends to
buy more weapons systems from Israel and wants to boost bilateral trade.
Sharpshooters placed on rooftops and armed riot police in blue helmets
and bulletproof shields ringed the capital. About 800 members of
India's communist parties marched to India Gate, the huge archway in
the centre of the city which commemorates Indian soldiers who died in WWI.
They shouted slogans against Sharon, while beating their chests.
"Israeli Hitler Go Home," read one placard. "Weapon of mass
destruction: A Sharon," read another.
Ranjit Abhigyan, a rep for the Communist Party of India
(Marxist-Lenin), said PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his ruling Bharatiya
Janata Party should be ashamed of Sharon's presence.
"On the anniversary of 9-11, the BJP govt has rolled out the red
carpet for the Israeli prime minister," he said. "We the democratic
people of India can neither accept the BJP's communally distorted
vision of our country, nor the alliance with Ariel Sharon, who is the
leader of one of the most racist, colonial regimes in existence today."
About 250 of the communist party members courted arrested and
voluntarily climbed into police vans. They were likely to be released
later in the day. In Srinagar, summer capital of the disputed
Himalayan province of Kashmir and India's only Muslim-majority state,
nearly 1,000 anti-Sharon protesters marched through the streets.
"He is the man who has consistently crushed the legitimate demands of
the Palestinians and has sabotaged every peace initiative," said
Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami, a Kashmiri lawmaker.
In Bombay, about 60 Muslims staged a sit-in, waving black flags and
signs that said: "Sharon: Killer of humanity. "Why has the govt
invited terrorist No. 1 of the world?" said Mohammed Noori, who
organised the protest. "They have invited him to learn how to suppress
the Muslim people here."
The US is applauding the state visit, the 1st by an Israeli leader
since India opened ties with the Jewish state in 1992, and may be
looking toward a three-way strategic alliance in the region. "We are
always glad when our friends make friends with each other and work
together," US State Dept rep Richard Boucher told reporters.
However, Washington might oppose Israeli efforts to provide India with
technology -- some developed jointly with the US -- that could tilt
the military balance in the region and upset US allies, such as
Pakistan, in the global war on terrorism.
Sharon's entourage of 3 Cabinet ministers and more than 30 business
and defence leaders can expect street protests by leftist and Muslim
groups who say the Israeli leader has no place in the land of Gandhi.
State Dept out-flanks Pentagon on Iraq, N Korea
Washington (Reuters). The State Dept appears to have scored key
victories over hard-liners in the Pentagon and elsewhere in the Bush
Admin by persuading the White House to shift its approach on N Korea
and Iraq.
After initially insisting it would not offer N Korea any "quid pro
quos" to terminate its suspected nuclear weapons program, the Bush
Admin this wk signalled it was willing to consider offering some
incentives to Pyongyang.
And after m of refusing to give the UN a major role in Iraq, the US
this wk said it would seek a new UN resolution to authorise a
multinat'l force there, albeit under US command.
In changing its approach on N Korea, the White House appears to have
resigned itself to the prospect that it is unlikely to persuade the
secretive, communist country to end its nuclear ambitions without
giving it something in return.
And while it is far from clear that the UN will acquire significant
influence in Iraq, the Pentagon seems to have accepted it needs more
foreign troops to provide security and was unlikely to get them
without a new UN resolution.
"The realities and especially the political realities have caused the
White House to recognise that sticking with the intransigent line the
Pentagon and others have been advocating in both cases carries
political risk as well as foreign policy risk," said Jim Steinberg, a
former deputy nat'l security adviser to Pres Bill Clinton who said he
did not have inside info on the Admin's deliberations.
"This is turning foreign policy into a potential liability for him
rather than a plus," the Brookings Institution scholar added,
suggesting US casualties in Iraq and threats from N Korea could hurt
Bush's 2004 re-election prospects.
* VICTORY FOR POWELL
The Bush Admin is loathe to admit it is changing tack on North Korea
or on Iraq and the State Dept, which has often lost battles to the
Pentagon, is reluctant to crow about having won a round against the
hard-liners.
Indeed Secretary of State Colin Powell denounced as "total fiction" a
Washington Post story suggesting he and the US military Joint Chiefs
of Staff together persuaded the White House to go back to the UN on
Iraq despite misgivings among the Defence Dept's top civilian officials.
"There is absolutely no substance to this mischievous, fictional story
about Colin Powell and the Joint Chiefs of Staff colluding in some
way. We didn't do it," Powell said.
The story, however, is widely believed in Washington.
"It's a victory for Colin Powell and probably the Joint Chiefs as
well, who have been looking at these issues and see no way out," said
Edward Walker, a former top State Dept official now at the Middle East
Institute think tank.
Walker also suggested that the beginning of the political season, with
the presidential election 14 m away and Democrats hammering Bush over
the persistent casualties in Iraq, may have played a role in the White
House's thinking.
"You can see in Congress a growing recognition that people are
beginning to question this commitment, the costs of it and the lives,"
he said, suggesting lawmakers were "reminding the Admin it needs to
take a hard look at its policy."
Agencies warned US govt of post-war Iraq resistance
Washington. The CIA and other US intel agencies warned the govt before
the Iraq war that the post-war period would pose more problems than
the war itself, and that there would be significant resistance to a
US-led occupation, The Washington Post reported on Tue.
The post-war scenarios presented by the Central Intel Agency and its
counterpart agencies in the Pentagon and State Dept were more
pessimistic than snr Pentagon officials expressed before the war, but
their views generally remained submerged, congressional and Admin
officials familiar with the reports told the daily.
"Intel reports told them at some length about possibilities for
unpleasantness," said a snr Admin official, who like others spoke on
condition of anonymity. "The reports were written, but we don't know
if they were read," he added.
"The post-war threats outlined by the intel community included the
possibility that the Iraqis probably would resort to obstruction,
resistance and armed opp'n if they perceived attempts to keep them
dependent on the US and the West," a snr congressional aid said.
The CIA believed that members of deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam
Hussein's elite Republican Guard and his Baath party had plans to
carry on resistance efforts after the war, said a snr intel official.
"They had been given instructions should the regime fall," the
official added.
Based on the pessimistic view of post-war Iraq, then army chief of
staff Eric Shinseki told lawmakers in Feb that several hundred
thousand occupation troops would be needed to stabilise Iraq following
a US-led war.
Deputy Def Sec Paul Wolfowitz, however, rejected Shinskei's estimate
at the time as "wildly off the mark."
2 killed in N Iraq bomb blast
Arbil [AKA Irbil]. A car bomb has exploded in a residential district of the N
Iraqi city of Arbil nr an office used by US soldiers. Security
officials say 2 Kurdish civilians were killed and nearly 40 injured
including a number of children. An American official has confirmed
that an explosion took place and that Americans were among the
injured. The interim Iraqi For Min, Hoshyar Zebari, said the car bomb
was a terrorist attack aimed at broadening a campaign of
destabilisation, previously focused in the S, to the whole of Iraq.
6 US troops injured in car bombing
Arbil (AP). A car bomb exploded outside an office used by US soldiers
in N Iraq, killing one Iraqi and wounding 6 Americans, the US military said.
Another 41 Iraqis were wounded.
The wounded included children from nearby houses and Iraqi Kurdish guards.
Firefighters battled to put out car fires at the scene of the blast in
Arbil, the largest city in Kurdish-controlled N Iraq.
Staff Sgt Shane Slaughter, US military rep in Baghdad, said that the
6 injured Americans were Dept of Defence personnel. He did not say if
they were military or civilian.
He said that the military was investigating the bombing, which
occurred last night.
There were no claims of responsibility.
US soldiers flew to the site by helicopter and cordoned off the area
together with local Iraqi Kurdish fighters, reported CNN-Turk, a
Turkish subsidiary of US-based CNN.
A Turkish reporter at the scene said by telephone that the blast
collapsed the front of the 2-storey building.
He said that most of the injured were from nearby houses.
TV footage showed Kurdish women wailing and men running in panic with
a burning car behind them.
A Kurdish man could be seen carrying a toddler with a bleeding head in
his arms.
The footage also showed the four-wheel-drive vehicle that apparently
carried the bomb was intact but badly burned.
Authorities in Arbil, about 320 km N of Baghdad, called to residents
over loudspeakers to donate blood for the wounded, CNN-Turk said.
Northern Iraq has been the most stable part of the country since the
ouster of Saddam Hussein.
US soldier killed in Iraq attack
Baghdad (Reuters). 1 US soldier was killed and another wounded in an
attack on their vehicle in Iraq, according to the US military.
Attackers used a crude bomb to ambush the military vehicle along a
major supply route NE of Baghdad, US Central Command said in a
statement on its web site. "One 3rd Corp Support Command soldier was
killed and one was wounded in an improvised explosive device attack,"
the statement said. US-led forces have come under attack almost every
day since they ousted Iraqi president Saddam Hussein 5 m ago. But
this was the 1st US death reported in the past wk. Sixty-eight US
soldiers have now died in hostile fire since major combat operations
were declared over on May 1. US officials mostly blame Saddam
loyalists for the attacks and a spate of bombings on other targets in
recent wks.
Iraqi tribal leader arrested
Basra. A tribal leader in the S Iraqi region under Brit army control
has been arrested on suspicion of sheltering ousted president Saddam
Hussein, members of the tribe said Tue. Sabah al-Maliki, who heads
the Bani Malek, was taken from his home in the Qorna district, 80 kms
N of Basra, said Majed al-Maliki. Brit troops backed by helicopters
searched the tribal leader's residence and took away certain objects
and some money, according to Majed al-Maliki. About 100 Bani Maliki
men demonstrated outside Brit forces' headquarters in Basra on Tue
demanding the chieftain be freed. "Brit officers promised to free him
today. If they don't keep their promise we will no longer use peaceful
means. We will ask members of the tribe to pull out from the security
forces and stop all cooperation with the coalition," warned Majed
al-Maliki.
5th Iraqi oil pipeline hit in a month
Kirkuk (AP). Saboteurs hit a critical oil pipeline in the N of Iraq
in the fifth such attack on the oil delivery system in less than a
month. The attacks have shut the export pipeline to Turkey and are
costing the country an estimated $US7 mn a day.
Adel al-Qazzaz, the director general of the N Oil Co, said the line
hit Mon had been carrying 35,000 bpd from the Jabour oil
field 30 kms SE of Kirkuk to the main pipeline that originates in the
NE Iraqi city.
The official said the saboteurs struck at 10.30 am, setting the line
afire at a valve. Huge flames and clouds of smoke rose into the air. 4
firefighting teams had the fire under control by nightfall and hoped
to have it completely extinguished Tue morning. About 300 m of the
line were damaged.
L Paul Bremer, the US civil administrator for Iraq, has estimated the
country is losing $7 mn daily because of damage to the major
Turkish-bound pipeline that carries oil from the Kirkuk fields to a
Mediterranean port at Ceyhan in Turkey.
Iraq has the world's second-largest proven crude reserves, at 112
bn barrels, but its pipelines, pumping stations and oil
reservoirs are dilapidated after more than a decade of neglect. The
giant Kirkuk oil fields account for 40% of Iraq's oil production, but
attempts to resume exports have been crippled by sabotage.
Income from oil exports were crucial to the American plans for
rebuilding Iraqi infrastructure. The Kirkuk-Ceyhan line was expected
to remain closed 5 more wk.
In Najaf, 180 kms S of Baghdad, members of the Badr Brigade burned the
house of a former Baath member, residents said. There were no
casualties, but a man close to the brigade, ordered disbanded by the
US shortly after Iraq was occupied by US forces, said the militia
would continue to pursue former Baath Party members. The party was the
bulwark of support for ousted dictator Saddam Hussein.
The Badr Brigade is the armed wing of the Supreme Council for the
Islamic Revolution in Iraq. The group's leader, a highly respected
ayatollah, was assassinated late last m in a car bombing that also
killed between 85 and 125 other people in Najaf, Iraq's holiest Shiite
Muslim city.
Meanwhile, a deputy of a radical Shiite Muslim cleric, Moqtada
al-Sadr, said his group would not heed a Fri ultimatum set by US-led
coalition forces to hand over weapons. Members of the al-Sadr group
had also been seen patrolling in Najaf after the assassination of Ayatollah
Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim who was the leader of the Supreme Council.
The 2 groups are at odds over the direction Iraq will take and on the
US-led occupation. The Supreme Council had urged patience with the
Americans. Al-Sadr wants them out now.
For the 7th day in a row, the US military reported no combat deaths
Mon in a rare period of calm. [Since broken].
Nevertheless, Brit announced plans to bolster its force in the
south. London said it would send 2 additional battalions to Iraq,
adding 1,200 troops to its 11,000-strong force on the ground in the
region around Basra, 450 kms, SW of Baghdad.
Straw defends dossier demand
London. Jack Straw, the For Sec, yesterday defended his request for a
"killer paragraph" to be included in the govt's dossier of evidence
against Iraq, amid new concerns over the way the govt was dealing with
the aftermath of the war.
Details of how Mr Straw wanted the dossier hardened emerged in memos
submitted to the Hutton Inquiry which also included the revelation
that Foreign Office officials agreed to Dr David Kelly's name being
made public.
Mr Straw has not been called to give evidence to Lord Hutton's inquiry
into the events surrounding Mr Kelly's death, but the senior law lord
may want the For Sec to testify when he begins the 2nd phase next wk.
Asked whether he had requested through his private secretary Mark
Sedwill, that a "killer paragraph" be inserted into the Sep 2002
dossier, Mr Straw said: "This is an accurate reference to an e-mail
that was sent on my behalf by a private secretary, and what I wanted
was to raise the prominence of Saddam Hussein's defiance of the UN
over 12 y. I still do."
Mr Straw's comments came as Tony Blair prepared to publish tomorrow
the long-awaited report by parliament's intel and security committee
(ISC) on events leading up to the war in Iraq.
The committee, whose members were hand picked by the Prime Min, has
been investigating the intel basis for the war and was given access to
top-secret info.
Yesterday's revelations about Mr Straw's influence on the shape of the
final dossier, overshadowed a pledge by Geoff Hoon, the Def Sec, that
Brit troops will remain in Iraq for "as long as is required" to
restore stability to the country.
In the face of criticism from MPs from all parties, Mr Hoon denied
that the coalition was "losing the peace" after the overthrow of
Saddam. He said the govt was committed to achieving a "stable, united
and law-abiding" Iraq. "We will maintain the necessary military forces
in Iraq for so long as is required to achieve it."
On Mon, Mr Hoon announced the deployment of 1,200 extra troops to the
region. However, his assurances yesterday that the coalition was
making "real progress" did little to quell the criticism.
Bernard Jenkin, the shadow defence secretary, said the need to send
extra troops highlighted the failure of govt to plan properly for
post-conflict Iraq.
He said: "While increased military capability is clearly necessary to
deal with the increased terrorist threat and the continuing burden of
so many civilian tasks in Iraq, this reinforcement underlines that the
post-conflict plans -- if there were any -- have gone wrong."
The Liberal Democrat defence rep, Paul Keetch, said that while the
govt planning had been "hopelessly over-optimistic", Brit now had a
duty to "stay in Iraq and sort it out".
However, the most outspoken criticism came from Labour left-wingers
who opposed the war. One, Jeremy Corbyn, called for an end to the
"colonial occupation" of Iraq.
In a sign of the increasing pressure on the US military, it was
announced yesterday that 20,000 part-time soldiers and reservists have
been ordered to serve in Iraq for a full y.
When training is taken into account, many Nat'l Guard and reserve
troops will have been mobilised for up to 18 m, say defence officials.
Meanwhile, a Scots part-time soldier killed by a mob in Iraq was
buried in Bearsden yesterday. Fusilier Russell Beeston, 26, a member
of the 52nd Lowland Regiment, died after a crowd surrounded his patrol
vehicle and opened fire with guns and RPGs.
Arms fair fails to stop promotion of controversial weapons
London (The Guardian). If you want to find WMD, come down to the
London docks! Cluster weapons were on show yesterday at the opening
of Europe's largest arms fair in London Docklands despite an appeal
from the organisers to hide them away.
The controversial weapons, which pose a potential threat to civilians
because they contain many bomblets which can fail to explode in the
initial attack, were on offer at the stand of an Israeli arms company,
Israel Military Industries Ltd.
The firm said it could provide new types of cluster weapons, now
described as "cargo ammunition". One is called Bomblet M85, which,
IMI's catalogue says, has been tested successfully in England.
The company has manufactured tens of millions of the bomblets for
NATO, central and E European, and Asian countries.
Another IMI weapon on display, the Anti-Personnel, Anti Materiel
Cartridge, or APAM, with assorted ammunition designed to hit armour
and bunkers as well as soldiers in the open, is described as providing
a "real breakthrough in anti-personnel warfare".
IMI's catalogue recognises that "hazardous duds normally constitute a
very serious problem for users of cargo ammunition". These duds, it
admits, are "in essence mines".
But it adds that IMI has the "safest self-destruct bomblets in the
world, the best penetration, and the widest lethal area".
A salesman for IMI told the Guardian that he could not speak about the
supply of the controversial weapons to the Brit army, which fired 100s
of them during the war against Iraq. However, asked how many weapons
his company sold to Brit, he replied: "Officially none."
A rep for BAE Systems, Brit's largest arms company, said last night
that it had bought 26,000 rounds of Israeli L20 artillery cluster
shells in a contract agreed shortly before the Iraqi war. The Ministry
of Defence has admitted that the army fired more than 2,000 Israeli
cluster munitions from howitzers during the battle for Basra.
Israeli coyness may be explained by a request from Spearhead, the
company organising the Defence Systems and Equipment Exhibition
Internat'l, for companies not to show off cluster weapons. "We
suggested it was inappropriate. Though they are not illegal there is a
very strong feeling in this country about cluster bombs," said Paul
Beaver, exhibition rep.
Cluster weapons contain multiple small bomblets, a significant number
of which fail to explode leaving a potentially fatal attraction for
civilians, children in particular.
Unexploded cluster weapons have maimed and killed civilians in Kosovo
and Afghanistan as well as Iraq. Charities and humanitarian agencies
say they should be declared illegal along with anti-personnel landmines.
Richard Lloyd director of the campaign, Landmine Action, said
yesterday dozens of Iraqis had been killed and maimed in S Iraq and
there was a "high probability" some unexploded bomblets were those
fired by Brit guns.
The UN children's fund, Unicef, says more than 1,000 children have
been injured by cluster bomblets and other unexploded munitions since
the official end of the war in Iraq.
The MoD said yesterday its policy was one of buying the most effective
weapons for the best value for money. Brit defence officials said with
Israeli cluster weapons "the legacy problem is reduced".
They say that Israeli cluster weapons have a failure rate of 2%,
compared with between 5% and 10% for older types of cluster weapons
dropped by Brit and US aircraft and fired by American rocket systems
during the Gulf war.
Each L20 shell is believed to contain 49 bomblets. With 2,000 fired
from Brit guns around Basra that would leave about 2,000 unexploded bombs.
The MoD said during the war that Brit howitzers with a range of 30 km
fired Israeli-made L20 cluster shells on targets "in the open".
Adam Ingram, the armed forces minister, said after the war: "Cluster
bombs are not illegal. There were troops, there was equipment in and
around the built-up areas...the bombs were used accordingly to take
out the threat to our troops."
The arms fair was opened yesterday by Geoff Hoon. There are about 950
companies showing their wares, half of them Brit.
[Speaking of WMD and nuclear proliferation:]
H-bomb pioneer Edward Teller dead at 95
Stanford, Calif (Reuters). Edward Teller, a pioneer in molecular
physics dubbed the "father of the H-bomb" for his role in the early
development of nuclear weapons, died on Tue, a Stanford University rep
said. He was 95.
Elaine Ray, a rep for the Stanford University news service, said
Teller had suffered a stroke earlier this wk and died at his home on
the university campus on Tue.
A naturalised US citizen born in Hungary, Teller was a key member of a
group of top scientists who fled Hitler's Germany and ended up working
on the Manhattan Project, the secret program that developed the atomic bomb.
After the war, Teller pressed the case for a continued strong nat'l
defence, persuading Pres Harry Truman of the need for the far more
powerful hydrogen bomb.
The US detonated the 1st H-bomb on the Pacific atoll of Eniwetok in
Nov 1952. It was 2,500 times more powerful than the atomic weapons
dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, which prompted Japan's
surrender and brought WWII to a close.
"It wasn't a choice. Nuclear energy existed," Teller told a newspaper
interviewer shortly before his 80th birthday. "We would have found it
no matter what we did. It's sheer arrogance to say we created the bomb."
Earlier in his career Teller also taught physics and helped set up a
graduate dept in applied sciences at the U Cal.
"Edward Teller was one of the world's leading scientific minds of the
20th century, and he made a major contribution to the security of our
nation and world peace," University of California Pres Richard C
Atkinson said in a statement.
At the time of his death, Teller was a snr research fellow at the
Hoover Institution at Stanford, specialising in defence and energy policy.
- - -
Although he had retired from his post as director emeritus of the
Lawrence Livermore Nat'l Laboratory, a major US nuclear weapons labs,
he continued up until his death to come into his office there, about
an hr away from his home, 3 or 4 times a wk, a rep for the lab said.
Born in Budapest in 1908, Teller completed his Ph.D. in physics under
Werner Heisenberg in 1930 at the University of Leipzig and did
post-graduate work in Copenhagen with pioneering Danish nuclear
physicist Neils Bohr.
Teller was director of the Livermore lab from 1958 to 1960 and
professor of physics at the University of California from that time
until his retirement in 1975.
The H-bomb, never used in warfare, was the linchpin of the "MAD"
(mutually assured destruction) defence doctrine that kept the US
and Soviet Union at bay during the Cold War.
Teller said he regretted Truman's decision to drop the A-bomb on
Japanese cities, saying he felt the weapon should have been tried
first in a demo in hopes Japan's leaders would have been impressed
enough to end the war.
Considered too hawkish by many of his colleagues, Teller argued that
the absence of defence can bring disastrous results, citing Hitler's
takeover of Hungary as evidence.
He came under fire in the 1980s when he helped convince Pres Ronald
Reagan the US should spend billions of dollars on a space-based
defence umbrella that came to be know as "Star Wars."
Critics said the system, based partly on laser-equipped satellites
designed to shoot down enemy missiles, was infeasible and too
expensive. Teller won the day, but the ambitious defence umbrella
remains a work in progress.
Teller is survived by a son and a daughter, 4 grandchildren and one
great grandchild.
CIA says Al Qaeda leadership at risk of "breaking apart"
Washington (AFP). 2 y after its executed its most ambitious terrorist
strike, the leadership of the Al Qaeda terror network is facing the
"growing risk of breaking apart", but the group continues to pose a
threat, the US Central Intel Agency (CIA) has warned.
The assessment was contained in an unclassified brief the CIA gave US
Deputy Def Sec Paul Wolfowitz for his testimony before the Senate
Armed Services Committee.
"The central leadership of Al Qaeda is at growing risk of breaking
apart as our blows against the group create a level of disarray and
confusion throughout the organisation that we have not seen since the
collapse of the Taliban in late 2001," the agency said.
It pointed out that more than two-thirds of known snr Al Qaeda
leaders, operational managers and key facilitators were now dead or in
custody, while others were being actively hunted down.
Those neutralised included 10 key Al Qaeda financiers who were
involved in raising funds for the organisation by using charities and
other non-govt'l organisations, according to the CIA.
The names of the fundraisers have not been released.
As a result of multiple counterterrorism operations, Al Qaeda founder
and mastermind of the Sep 11 attack Osama bin Laden has been
practically "isolated from the group" as he hides in a rugged
mountainous area along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan,
said a US official who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity.
"It's difficult for him to communicate with his people because they
are scattered," the official pointed out.
"That structure is no longer intact."
Democrats curb politeness at debate
Baltimore (AP). The time for polite banter is over in the Democratic
presidential race. With the start of primary elections now 4 m
away, the 9 candidates are throwing elbows in an effort to force their
way to the front.
In previous appearances together, the candidates have looked more like
a ragtag team of underdogs hankering to make the big leagues and take
on Pres Bush. The sharpest barbs have aimed at the president, while
the candidates largely have avoided challenging each other by name.
Not so Tue night at a debate sponsored by the Congressional Black
Caucus. Some of the sharpest exchanges were between front-runner
Howard Dean and Sen Joe Lieberman, the Democratic vice presidential
nominee in 2000.
Lieberman said comments Dean made last wk about the Middle East "break
a 50-y record in which presidents, Republicans and Democrats,
members of Congress of both parties have supported our relationship
with Israel."
The former Vermont governor responded that his position was the same
as former Pres Clinton's, and Lieberman, who is Jewish, interrupted by
saying, "Not right ... not right." "It doesn't help, Joe, to
demagogue this issue," Dean replied.
And so the gloves were off.
Several other Democrats said Lieberman's performance illustrated why
his rivals shied away from attacking Dean, even at the risk of
allowing Dean to build on the momentum he developed over the summer.
"It basically sounded shrill to me," said Joe Shanahan, veteran
Democratic activist in Iowa. "Lieberman didn't make his point well,
and Dean responded strongly."
One candidate who didn't take on Dean was the one who may be most
threatened by him, Massachusetts Sen John Kerry. Dean has taken over
Kerry's early lead in the early primary state of New Hampshire. Kerry
has decided not to go negative now, although some of his supporters
and even some advisers have been pressing him to do so.
The debate was at Morgan State University, a historically black
college, and the Democrats took pains to stress their support for
civil rights and other concerns to blacks -- although Al Sharpton said
black voters shouldn't allow themselves to be taken for granted.
"We need to correct the party so we can beat Bush with one expanded
pie," he said in remarks critical of what he sees as Democratic
inattentiveness to black concerns.
But internat'l affairs dominated the debate. It opened with questions
on Iraq, and some of the candidates tried to maintain their focus on
Bush by criticising his handling of the postwar reconstruction.
But those who opposed Bush's attack on Iraq put some of the blame on
their fellow Democratic candidates who voted for the war resolution --
Kerry, Lieberman, Sen John Edwards of North Carolina and Missouri Rep
Dick Gephardt.
Without mentioning any names, Sen Bob Graham of Florida said they
handed Bush "a blank check." Former Illinois Sen Carol Moseley Braun
said they gave the president "the right to go on a free-for-all."
Sharpton threw one of Gephardt's favourite lines -- that Bush's foreign
policy is a "miserable failure" -- back at him and the other war
supporters.
"I've never heard of people acting like they didn't know we needed an
exit when we gave him an entrance," Sharpton said. "That is a miserable
failure for us to allow this president to play these kinds of games."
Gephardt was the Democratic leader of the House at the time of the
vote and helped negotiate passage of the war resolution. He said he
had tried to get the president's assurance that he would get help from
other nations before launching an attack.
"It is an abomination that he has not gotten our country and our
troops the help that we need," Gephardt said.
Peace candidate Dennis Kucinich, a congressman from Ohio, shot back:
"Dick, I just want to say that when you were standing there in the
Rose Garden with the president and you were giving him advice, I wish
that you would have told him no."
Michael Coleman, Democratic mayor of Columbus, Ohio, said he's not
sure whether the candidates are effective when they attack each
other. He said they are at their best when going after Bush.
"The sparks were flying between Dean and Lieberman and they're all
trying to distinguish themselves," he said.
In 90 minutes of debate, not all the issues were weighty. One
questioner asked the 9 would-be presidents to name their favourite
song. "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes," said Graham,
referring to a Jimmy Buffett tune.
The debate was interrupted several times by protesters in the hall;
university police arrested 4 people. "This is crazy," said Sharpton, a
man who 1st rose to prominence as a civil rights street activist.
AUS Govt launches inquiry into Customs computer theft
Canberra. The Fed Govt says it has launched an independent inquiry
into the theft of computer equipment from a Customs office in SYD last
month. The Opp'n has accused the Govt of having an "open door policy"
on security after another break-in at a Govt office. On Aug 22
thieves broke into the offices of the Fed Transport Dept in CBR. A
laptop computer, a bottle of scotch and other items were stolen.
Labor fears the computer held classified info. The Transport Min,
John Anderson, says it did contain info on maritime security, but it
was all publicly available. "The thieves did not have access to any
secure info or material," Mr Anderson said. The Govt has announced a
private company will review the theft of two computer servers from
Customs 5 days after the transport dept break-in. It will examine how
thieves breached Customs security and how to prevent future break-ins.
US Judge: Iran liable for Beirut blast
Washington (AP). A fed judge has ruled that the govt of Iran was
responsible for the 1983 bombing of the US Embassy in Beirut that
killed 63 people, including 17 Americans, and awarded $123 mn in
damages to some of the US victims and their families.
US District Judge John D Bates said the bombing on Apr 18, 1983 was
carried out by the terrorist group Hezbollah with funding, weapons and
training provided by snr Iranian officials.
In the 165-page opinion released late Mon, Bates concluded the bombing
was part of Iran's campaign to remove the US presence in Lebanon by
killing American diplomats and servicemen and kidnapping civilians.
The bombing was the 1st major attack against any American embassy in
the world and was followed only 6 m later by a massive suicide bombing
of the US Marine barracks in Beirut that killed 241 American servicemen.
That attack led then-Pres Reagan to withdraw US troops from Lebanon.
The lawsuit is one of dozens filed against Iran under a 1996 US law
that allows Americans to sue nations that sponsor terrorism for
damages suffered in terrorist acts. The Iranian govt has not formally
responded to any of the lawsuits.
In the embassy bombing case, Bates issued his ruling after holding a
6-day evidentiary hearing in Apr.
Iran says it may review nuclear cooperation
Tehran. Iran will be forced to review cooperation with the UN nuclear
watchdog if it is denied the right to a peaceful nuclear program, For
Min Kamal Kharrazi has told the official news agency. Kharrazi made
the comments to the IRNA news agency as diplomats said the Internat'l
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board in Vienna appeared ready to approve
a US-backed resolution giving Tehran until Oct 31 to reveal the full
extent of its nuclear program. "If the hawks gain the ground and
ignore our legitimate rights for peaceful nuclear activities, we will
be forced to review the state of play and the current level of
cooperation with the agency," Mr Kharrazi said.
Afghanistan could be clear of mines in 10 y
NY (UN release). Afghanistan, the most mine-affected country in the
world, could be free from the threat of landmines in 10 y if clearance
operations continue at current levels and donor support is sustained,
according to a report published today by the Mine Action Programme for
Afghanistan, which is overseen by the UN Mine Action
Service. Since the programme started in 1989, it has cleared
landmines and unexploded ordnance from 754 square kms of land,
including former battle areas. An estimated 850 square kms remain
affected. An estimated 17,000 deaths or injuries could be averted over
10 y through an accelerated programme. If the recently accelerated
pace continues, about 400 square kms will be cleared in 5 y. A total
of $300 mn will be needed for the 1st 5 y to remove mines and
unexploded ordnance (UXO) from "high impact areas," the report notes.
Another $200 mn will be needed for the remaining 5 y to clear the
remaining areas, where mines and UXO have less of an immediate impact
on communities.
Iran, Syria hold Israel responsible
Damascus (Xinhua). Syria and Iran on Mon agreed in viewpoints that
Israel is responsible for the current deterioration witnessed in the
occupied Palestinian lands, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.
Syrian For Min Faruk Al-Shareh and his visiting Iranian counterpart
Kamal Kharazi made the remarks during their official talks about the
latest developments in the Middle East.
During the talks, the 2 sides blamed devastating Israeli policies for
ruining peaceful initiatives, namely the "roadmap" peace initiative
for the Middle East.
The 2 sides stressed the necessity of joining efforts with the
internat'l community, giving a bigger role for the UN and Iraq's
neighbouring countries to achieve stability in Iraq.
They also called for withdrawal of foreign troops from the war-
ravaged country to restore full sovereignty of Iraq through a
legitimate govt with free choice of the Iraqi people.
Speaking at a press conference after the talks, Kharazi said " any
peaceful solution in Palestine would not work out in light of the
continuing Israeli aggression".
North Korean leader vows to develop nukes
Beijing (AFP). N Korea's top leaders vowed Tue to push ahead with
nuclear weapons development in a defiant gesture at a massive parade
celebrating the 55th anniversary of the Stalinist govt. Up to one mn
people, including strongman Kim Jong-Il, gathered in Pyongyang's Kim
Il-Sung Square as N Korea's army chief took a swipe at the US and
extolled the nation's nuclear weapons drive.
Fears that the Stalinist state would go a step further and test a
missile or a nuclear bomb proved unfounded.
Neither did the regime showcase any new missiles or military hardware
in the 90-minute parade of civilians and soldiers. "There was no
military technical hardware in the parade. Only uniformed military
units marching in columns," said Poland's ambassador to North Korea
Wojciech Kaluza, who attended the ceremony. Kim Yong-Chun, chief of
the general staff of the Korean People's Army, said in a speech at the
start of the parade that N Korea would build up its nuclear arsenal,
according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), monitored here.
The US believes N Korea has up to 2 nuclear weapons and could build
half a dozen more from spent nuclear fuel within ms.
"The DPRK (North Korea) will continue to increase its nuclear
deterrent force as a means for just self-defence in order to defend
the sovereignty of the country as the US has not yet shown its will to
drop its hostile policy toward the DPRK despite the DPRK's good faith
and magnanimity," Kim was quoted as saying.
The parade was lower key than some commentators had predicted.
Speculation mounted ahead of it that Pyongyang could unveil a new
intermediate range ballistic missile capable of targeting US bases on
the Pacific island of Guam and the Japanese island of Okinawa.
Most analysts and S Korean officials dismissed reports that the regime
would carry out its threat to test a nuclear bomb.
Bali mastermind Samudra sentenced to death
Bali (Reuters). The convicted mastermind of the Bali bombings has
been sentenced to death in a court in Denpasar. Imam Samudra shouted
"God is greatest" and shook his fist in the air as the chief judge
read out the sentence. The panel of 5 judges took less than 6 hr to
find Imam Samudra guilty of planning an act of terrorism in Bali to
attack the US and its allies. Judge Ifa Sudewi described Samudra as
inhuman and despicable. The court was told that Samudra was the field
coordinator who recruited and incited other bombers to mount the twin
attacks on the Sari and Paddy nightclubs. In delivering their
verdicts, the judges said 33-yo Samudra had shown no remorse for what
amounted to a crime against humanity. Samudra jeered and shouted "God
is great" as he was taken away under heavy guard.
[Another one from the MJ3 files:]
Call for ethanol-damaging vehicle list be made public
Govt under pressure to reveal secret list
Canberra (AFP). The Fed Govt's Ethanol Working Group (EWG) is facing
a call to release a list of vehicles that manufacturers say can not
use ethanol-blended fuel.
The Chamber of Automotive Industries (CAI) says it has assisted the
EWG to compile the list of vehicles in which ethanol is likely to
cause damage to the fuel system.
The CAI says motorists should phone their car's manufacturer to find
out if they can safely use ethanol blended fuel.
But the Fed Opp'n and the AUS Automobile Association (AAA) have
condemned that approach and demanded the list be made public.
AAA executive director Lachlan McIntosh says many newer cars are on
the list and it should be released.
"The Govt has this info -- it has an obligation, a very clear
obligation to let motorists know," Mr McIntosh said.
"I mean this is a very important consumer issue and it seems to me
that if you [have] that something shouldn't be used, you have an
obligation to tell people that's the case."
The fed Transport Min, John Anderson, has sought to play down concerns
about the list.
Mr Anderson says manufacturers are being super cautious.
"There must have been 1000s of cars in the SYD basin using this fuel
that in a practical field test have not been the result of
complaints," he said.
Nevertheless, Mr Anderson says he wants to see the list released soon.
Govt to talk to car makers before releasing ethanol list
Canberra. The Fed Govt says further talks are needed with car makers
before it releases a list of vehicles that should not use ethanol
blended fuel.
The Govt has been criticised for not releasing the list, prepared for
its ethanol working group.
The group asked manufacturers to tell it which of their cars they
believe should not use a blend of 10% ethanol.
The AUS Automobile Association's Lachlan McIntosh says owners of the
estimated mns of cars affected should be told. [Whhaaat!?]
"This list shows that [for] large numbers of cars up to the y 2000,
the manufacturers are saying that 10% ethanol is unsuitable in their
cars," Mr McIntosh said.
But Environment Min David Kemp has questioned the accuracy of the list.
"The advice in this document, I'm advised, does not align with advice
currently in the marketplace and advice on similar vehicles in other
countries," Dr Kemp said.
Transport Min John Anderson says he would like to see the list
released soon, but Dr Kemp says that can not happen until
discrepancies are checked.
Meanwhile, disgruntled Qld sugar cane growers have accused car
manufacturers of an "orchestrated campaign" to discredit the benefits
of ethanol blended fuel.
Canegrowers chairman Jim Pedersen says the latest report is another
example of the scare mongering tactics being used by car manufacturers.
"Ethanol is being used right across America, Brazil, in Europe," Mr
Pedersen said.
"Same cars, but for some reason or another in AUS they say it will
damage them.
"I mean they even fly planes over in Brazil, crop dusting, with
ethanol in an aeroplane engine.
"Now [you] don't take risks up in an airplane."
[Which is why you get the engine converted unless you're Brazilian!]
Canberra. ADF REVIEWING SOLOMONS FORCE! The AUS Def Force is
reviewing its Solomon Islands contingent to assess whether more, less
or different troops are required. ADF rep Big Mike Hannan says a
review of the 1,400 personnel in the Solomons is underway to ensure
there are not too many people on deployment. He says the review of
the force structure is a normal part of ADF operations and aims to
check whether some members need to be replaced with those with
different skills.
Defence Force intel helping police in Solomons gun search
Honiara. The AUS Defence Force says many operations are being planned
in the Solomon Islands as the regional intervention force continues to
search for guns. There are more than 1,400 military servicemen and
women assisting AUS Fed Police restore order to the Solomons. Defence
rep Brigadier Mike Hannan says the military has a wide range of
capabilities to support the police. "Many operations are being
planned but as I said, these are police operations," he said. "If
they require the gathering of evidence to substantiate charges under
the Solomon Islands legal code that's the business at hand at the
moment and obviously the info we provide from our intel is a valuable
part of that."
Howard pressures states on new terror legislation
Canberra. The PM, John Howard, has stepped up pressure on the states
to support plans to increase the Fed Attorney-General's powers to ban
terrorist organisations. The Commonwealth's proposal would give the
Attorney-General power to list organisations as a threat, regardless
of whether the UN has recognised them as such. The issue was to be
discussed at last m's heads of Govt meeting, which the Labor premiers
and chief ministers walked out of. Mr Howard says the proposed
changes would have safeguards, including judicial review and a sunset
clause. "That represents a belts and braces protection of civil
liberties and people who oppose that kind of measure ... aren't
serious about a legislative framework for dealing with terrorism," Mr
Howard said.
Fate of Hicks and Habib still unknown
Adelaide (AAP). More than 6 wk after high-level negotiations with
Washington, the govt revealed it did not know when AUS al-Qaeda
suspects held in Cuba might be charged.
David Hicks is listed as eligible for trial before a US military
commission for his involvement in the Afghanistan war.
But no charges had yet been laid against Hicks or the other AUS held
at Guantanamo Bay, Mamdouh Habib, A-G Daryl Williams said in a
question on notice.
"AUS officials will visit Mr Hicks as soon as practicable to ensure he
understands military commission procedures," Mr Williams said.
Mr Habib had not been listed as a person eligible for trial.
"At this time, there is no indication if, or when, he will be tried,"
Mr Williams said.
Mr Williams said he did not know how long the men would be detained
before charges were laid.
"However these matters are the subject of ongoing discussions between
the govt and the US," Mr Williams said.
The last discussions were on Jul 23 when the US made a string of
concessions on Hicks' prosecution including that he would not face the
death penalty and that he could be returned to AUS if convicted.
100s flee as rebels and govt troops clash in Liberia
Monrovia. West African peacekeepers have intervened during heavy
fighting between rebels and govt troops in Liberia, with 100s of
civilians fleeing the unrest outside the capital Monrovia. Rebels
armed with mortars stormed the town of Kakata, 50 kms NE of Monrovia.
The members of the rebel group, Liberians United for Reconciliation
and Democracy (LURD) fired shells and automatic weapons as they took
control of the town. Govt soldiers were forced to abandon their
positions. West African peacekeepers were deployed to restore order.
More than 600 troops from Guinea Bissau ordered the rebels to
withdraw. The fighting is the worst since a peace deal was signed
last m. The rebels and the ruling party have agreed to form a power
sharing govt, which will be installed next m.
Immigration from Africa, Middle East growing fastest
Canberra. New statistics show AUS's fastest growing immigrant
groups are from Africa and the Middle East. Between 1996 and 2001 the
fasting growing birthplaces for AUS residents were Botswana, Oman,
Kazakhstan and Sierra Leone. But people born in these countries still
make up only a very small percentage of the population. The Bureau of
Statistics' figures reveal the largest immigrant groups are from
England, New Zealand, Italy and Vietnam. The Multicultural Affairs
Min, Gary Hardgrave, says the info will shape future policy. "We
should not allow people from culturally and linguistically diverse
backgrounds to be excluded from reasonable access to the range of
services we all think are given," Mr Hardgrave said. The fastest
growing religions in AUS are Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam.
Ruddock slams Labor for blocking migration changes
Canberra. Immigration Min Philip Ruddock has attacked Labor's
decision to block changes to migration regulations. The Opp'n says it
will oppose the changes because they include a provision broadening
the Min's powers of discretion to grant permanent visas. But Mr
Ruddock says Labor will end up disadvantaging a large number of people
on temporary protection visas as it seeks to unwind the Govt's border
protection measures. "The people who are in AUS affected by this know
that it's Labor who opposed the measure that would have enabled them
to apply for a permanent protection visa," Mr Ruddock said. "They're
doing it to advantage those people who may like to come and use the
asylum system to obtain a migration outcome."
Jakarta. INDON TO RE-VAMP VISA SYSTEM! The Indonesian govt is
expected to re-instate its visa-on-arrival facilities for more than 20
countries -- incl AUS. Earlier this y Indon cancelled the facility in
a move which drew criticism from an already-hurting tourism industry.
Local news reports say starting on Dec 1 this y the govt is expected
to allow visas-on-arrival for tourists from 23 big-spending countries
such as AUS, France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the US.
SA culture not to blame for Snowtown murders: Govt
Adelaide. SA A-G Michael Atkinson has dismissed claims by an Adel
criminologist that the state is a social hothouse that creates the
right conditions for people like the Snowtown killers to commit their crimes.
Adel University criminologist Allan Perry blames the Snowtown killings
on a malignant sub-culture created by family breakdown, poverty,
unemployment and drug and alcohol abuse.
Mr Perry says anyone who believes AUS's worst serial killings happened
in the state through bad luck or coincidence is burying their head in
the sand.
He blames a thriving sub-culture of violence.
"I think it is a fairly good indication about the cultural and social
stagnation that SA has undergone," Mr Perry said.
But Mr Atkinson says that is nonsense.
"There's a lot more to SA than that and I wouldn't take those comments
to heart -- SA's a fine place to live," Mr Atkinson said.
It is not the 1st time SA has been given a less than glowing reference.
Last y Brit's Channel 4 television network was forced to withdraw a comment
in a TV documentary that Adel is the "murder capital of the world".
Perth. WA NATIVE TITLE CLAIM! A huge native title claim covering most
of WA's SW -- incl Perth -- has been lodged with the fed court. The
so-called Single Nyoongar claim involves 250 Nyoongar family groups.
It is aimed at breaking the current impasses over native title in WA.
SW Aboriginal Land and Sea Council chief Darryl Pearce says the goal
of the claim is to secure negotiated native title outcomes for Nyoongars.
Claim youth binge drinking figures lower than reported
Melbourne. The findings of a Salvation Army report into binge
drinking by young Aussies has been disputed by youth workers. The
Salvation Army study released yesterday indicated 22% of teenage girls
and 19% of teenage boys binge drink. The Youth Substance Abuse
Service (YSAS) says those findings were based on a sample of just 40
young people and paint a picture far worse than the true statistics.
YSAS executive director David Murray says a more reliable survey
indicates binge drinking among teenagers is considerably lower at
around 11 per cent. He says skewed statistics are having an
unfortunate impact on the way the drinking issue is being addressed by
govt and other authorities. "Instead of relying on data and good
research to form our views of the strategies we should be putting into
place, we're actually relying on moral and ideological positions and
unfortunately [in] this report there's a fair degree of moral and
ideological fervour," Mr Murray said.
Textual harassment on the increase
London. 2 out of 3 young people have been pestered with text messages
by someone of the opposite sex, according to a survey commissioned by
electrical retailer Comet. Mobile phone users aged 15 to 24 were most
likely to receive nuisance messages and children's charity NCH said it
believed the use of text messages to harass people is on the increase.
The survey of 1,472 mobile users across Brit found that 66 per cent of
15 to 24-yos had received a message which they considered a nuisance
from someone of the opposite sex.
Climate change threatens environment: WWF
Durban, S Africa (AFP). A radical change in global climate patterns is
causing irreversible damage to the environment, the WWF ecology group
warned at an internat'l conservation conference in South Africa.
"It has become abundantly clear that climate change is a new and major
threat to protected areas," WWF Internat'l Director General Claude
Martin said at the World Parks Congress in the E port city of Durban.
"World leaders must take steps immediately to reduce carbon dioxide
emissions if the world's protected areas are to avoid irreversible
damage," he told reporters on the 2nd day of the event attended by
some 2,500 environmentalists from more than 170 countries.
Delegates at the once-a-decade conference hosted by the World
Conservation Union (IUCN) will take stock of the world's 44,000
protected areas and set priorities to safeguard them.
A study by the WWF shows that climate change is threatening coral
reefs due to bleaching from warmer sea temperatures.
It is also causing glaciers to melt and is forcing species and communities
to migrate, which has already resulted in losses of rare species.
The phenomenom is caused by the burning of fossil fuels for energy,
the WWF has said, and accounts for over 80% of global warming pollution.
The atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide are currently the highest in
the past 420,000 y, according to scientific tests.
"This parks congress must recognise that climate change is going to
have a severe impact on the implication of parks management and the
future of protected areas," Martin said.
"It will be very shortsighted if we do not consider what we have to do."
The 10-day conference opened here Mon.
The fifth of its kind and the 1st to be held in Africa, the congress
will address a range of issues related to protected areas such as nat'l
parks, UNESCO World Heritage sites, nature reserves and marine sanctuaries.
Previous congresses played an important role in helping govts create
new protected areas and direct more resources toward the conservation
of local bio-diversity.
This y the focus will extend to communities living in the protected
areas, which cover more than 10% of the Earth's land surface.
Killer sheep disease heads N as climate warms
Manchester (Reuters). A killer sheep disease as dangerous as
foot-and-mouth but previously confined to Africa has jumped into
Europe and is heading steadily N as the climate warms, a scientist
said on Tue.
Bluetongue disease, which is carried by midges, weakens blood vessels
causing heavy hemorrhaging and blindness, making it hard for the sheep
to feed, see or move.
"Sheep that can't eat, see or walk very well do however die very
well," Philip Mellor of the Institute of Animal Health told reporters
at the annual meeting of the Brit Association for the Advancement of Science.
He said the disease, spread by the Culicoides imicola biting midge,
had caused the death of more than half a mn sheep since it crossed the
Mediterranean into S Europe 8 y ago and was galloping northwards.
Not only was the midge now being found in areas where it had never
previously lived, it had now overlapped with other species of midge
whose natural habitat was even further N, speeding the spread of the
disease into colder climes.
"This is almost certainly caused by climate change," Mellor said,
adding that with every one degree rise in temperature, the midge
expanded its range 90 km further N.
He said bluetongue -- named because of the hemorrhaging in the
animals' mouths -- killed up to 70% of infected flocks.
While sheep in continental Europe which had survived infection were
now immune, within 5 y they would either be dead or have had lambs and
the new generation would not be.
In Brit, where mns of cattle and sheep were slaughtered 2 y ago as
foot-and-mouth devastated the countryside, all sheep were at risk,
Mellor said.
The good news was that there was no animal to animal infection.
But the bad news was that cattle could harbour the bluetongue virus
without showing any symptoms and act as a disease time bomb waiting for
a midge to come along and start the sheep reinfection process all over again.
Vaccination did help, but current vaccines were live and conversely
could actually spark off an epidemic. Because cattle could harbour the
disease they too would have to be included in any vaccination program,
Mellor said.
However, he said scientists were hard at work to find a safer vaccine
which he hoped would be ready within 5 y.
Sydney (close). MARKETS! The All Ords has closed down 17 pts to
3,220. In Japan, the Nikkei lost 66 pts to end at 10,856. The Hang
Seng dived 237 to 10,810. Gold is up 7.40 at $US382.65. The AUD is
higher on a weaker greenback, and is presently trading around 65.85 US c.
{{
9.30 pm
Abu Allah says he's ready to take the risk and form a "crisis govt" of
6 to 8 people. His words come after a retaliatory attack by Israel
that killed at lest 3 people and injured 20 others. The missiles
didn't find their intended targets.
While demolitions and assassinations will continue, Israel says it's
seriously looking at the expulsion of Pal Pres Yassar Arafat.
PM Howard today said a leaked report has been seen by at least 300
people to his knowledge. The AFP are investigating how the report made
its way into the hands of a Senator and a newspaper reporter so that it
could be used in an attempt to discredit former ONA analyst Andrew Wilkie.
Former AMA chief Dr Peter Woodruff says he's had to quit surgery
because he can no longer afford to pay the insurance premiums. He
says he's paid 100s of 1000s in indemnity insurance during his career,
and he would need to pay $200,000 more on his retirement to cover the
last 5 y.
The AUD continued to gain ground as the USD weakened. It's presently
trading around 65.85 US c. The All Ords closed down 17 pts, following
a lead from Wall St. Earlier today the Dow closed down 79. In Japan,
the Nikkei also closed down 66 pts. Oil is holding steady around
$US29.18/bbl. A short time ago the FTSE was down 14 pts.
Officials say the straits between Singapore and Malaysia appear to
have become increasingly violent. The region, which sees the heaviest
shipping in the world, has long been the haunt of pirates. But a
pattern appears to be emerging of a change in tactics. In Mar armed
attackers boarded a ship and spent 1 hr steering the ship -- not
normally done by pirates. And last m a group of suspected Muslim
extremists held hostages on an oil tanker for ransom. Analysts say
these and similar incidents may be training exercises for terrorists,
and warn an oil tanker steered into a port could go off "like an
atomic bomb".
11 pm
A leaked parl'y report says Def Sec Geoff Hoon misled parliament and
at least one inquiry over his role in beefing up the Iraqi dossiers
used to justify GWII.
The report was leaked to the Evening Std.
It was written by the Def and Intel Committee and is due to be
published tomorrow.
It accuses Hoon of misleading MP's and of ignoring the objections of
Def staff over the spin put on Iraqi intel.
It describes Hoon's evidence as "misleading and unhelpful".
Before the subsequent Hutton inquiry Hoon presented himself as an
innocent party, and tried to distance himself from spin.
The leaked report has cleared Alastair Campbell, accused by a BBC
report of inserting the "45 minutes" claim. That claim should never
have been incl but was an honest "muddle", says the report.
Calls are tonight increasing for Hoon to resign, and he's yet to face
the findings of the Hutton inquiry.
He may not last that long, say observers.
}}
=== end 1/2 ===
R Kym Horsell
Reserch Senter(*)
===============================
In the Run-Up to World War III, Reliably Reporting the News Relevant
to Extreme Right-Wing Democratic Socialists Everywhere
(validated for RiteThink(tm) by the Office of Our Man in Can-berra).
Visit Our Home Page At: http://www.chickenhead.com/loserscopes/
See the Undeniable Evidence At: http://www.evil-doers.org/evidence
This Stuff Blogged At: http://kymhorsell.blogspot.com/
Also Kindly Archived At: http://www.kymhorsell.com/OIL/
US Centcom News Releases: http://www.centcom.mil/CENTCOMNews/release_list.asp
UN Mailing List: http://www.kymhorsell.com/UN/
Iraqi Body Count: http://www.iraqbodycount.net/ [6,120+ as at 12 Sep 2003].
------------------------------------------------------------
Selecting latest news stories and other data for you...
------------------------------------------------------------
I regret any misunderstanding. I hope that the committee accepts that
I did not in fact mislead them.
-- Brit Def Sec Geoff Hoon, 11 Sep 2003.
One inquiry down, the Big One to go!
The events of these last few days have proved again that Yasser Arafat
is an absolute obstacle to all attempts at reconciliation between the
Israelis and the Palestinians. Israel will act to remove this
obstacle in a manner and at a time which will be decided afterwards.
-- Israeli Security Cabinet statement, 11 Sep 2003.
We are dealing with a country that can really finance its own
reconstruction, and relatively soon.
-- Dep Def Sec Paul Wolfowitz, Mar 2003.
The good old days!
I won't tie my tongue, nor should any American tie his tongue, because
our secretary of defence thinks dissent encourages terrorists.
-- Sen Joseph I Lieberman (Dem-CT), 11 Sep 2003.
Lieberman agreed with GWII, but disagrees with Rummy. Mr
Rumsfeld has said dissent only encourages the terrorists.
It's clear to me that [Iraq] is the next battleground in the global
war on terrorism that we have been on now for 2 years. It's a war
that will continue for some time. But there's absolutely no question
in my mind that the American people are committed to winning this war.
-- CiC Iraq Lt Gen Ricardo Sanchez, 11 Sep 2003.
Can anyone spell self-fulfilling prophecy?
It would be delightful if one could do that but one can't do that ...
We have invested too much to consider such a proposal.
-- US Sec of State Colin Powell, 11 Sep 2003.
French For Min de Villepin has called for a provisional Iraqi
govt to be established in 1 m and a draft constitution by the end
of the y, and elections next spring.
The JIC assessed that al-Qaeda and associated groups continued to
represent by far the greatest terrorist threat to W interests, and
that threat would be heightened by military action against Iraq. ...
[It] assessed that any collapse of the Iraqi regime would increase the
risk of chemical and biological warfare technology or agents finding
their way into the hands of terrorists, not necessarily al-Qaeda.
-- Brit Intel and Security Committee statement, 11 Sep 2003.
Apparently the Brit Joint Intel Committee released a report --
"International Terrorism: War with Iraq" -- on Feb 10, 2003.
It's been hidden until now.
In my travels I get this feeling that it's not that Canada has
blinders on, but it's just not fully aware of what's going on in the
rest of the world.
-- Robert Ebel, dir of energy and nat'l security at the Centre for
Strategic and Internat'l Studies, 12 Sep 2003.
People in glass houses?
----------------------------------------
Fri, 12 Sep 2003.
Terrorism fears fail to subdue US markets
NY (ABC TV). US stocks have chugged higher after software maker Adobe
Systems Inc posted surprisingly strong earnings and the 2nd
anniversary of the Sep 11 attacks passed without incident.
Michael Murphy, head of equity trading at Wachovia Securities, says
investors are brushing off fears of terror attacks and focusing on the
upcoming earnings season.
"There's still a lot of cash on the sidelines -- investor psychology
is more positive than it was a while back," Mr Murphy said.
The stock market is on track to close higher after 2 straight days of
declines.
Adobe surged almost 10%, offering a boost to technology stocks and
helping re-ignite investor optimism over the outlook for corporate profits.
US stocks strengthened throughout the day as Wall Street marked the
2nd anniversary of the Sep 11 attacks.
Traders paused for moments of silence 4 times during the morning to
mark the moments when airplanes hit the twin spires of the World Trade
Centre and the moments when the towers collapsed.
The blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average rose 67 points, or 0.72%,
to 9,488.
The technology-laced Nasdaq Composite Index climbed 25 points, or
1.39%, to 1,849.
Expectations for improvement in the economy and corporate profits in
the months ahead have fuelled a sharp rally in stocks.
For the y, the Nasdaq is up about 37%.
Adobe surged $US3.45, or 9.5%, to $US39.85.
The company posted a quarterly profit that topped Wall St
forecasts along with a 12% rise in sales stemming from strong demand
for its electronic document and digital publishing software.
TriQuint Semiconductor Inc also rose, surging $US1.03, or 18.3%, to
$US6.70 after it said it was raising its financial outlook for the
3rd and 4th quarters, citing strong demand from the wireless
phone market.
Pessimistic comments from investment house Smith Barney, which cut its
investment rating on a number of technology stocks, had pressured the
market earlier in the session.
US recovery fails to create jobs
Washington. The US jobs market today showed unexpected weakness as
the number of workers filing initial claims for unemployment benefits
rose last wk.
The number of people filing for state benefits rose by 3,000 to
422,000 in the wk ending on Sep 6, the labour dept said. The increase,
bringing claims to their highest level since early Jul, confounded Wall
St expectations for a drop to 400,000 from the previous wk of 413,000.
"The US labour market has become a cause for concern lately, as
recovery in business activity does not appear to be generating new
jobs," said Andrij Halushka, economist with the Centre for Economics
and Business Research in London.
Recent economic data have indicated a pickup in US economic
growth. For the 2nd Q, gross domestic product expanded at 3.1%
and private investment, led by continued spending on equipment and
software, has risen at the fastest pace since early 2000, indicating
an upturn in capital spending.
The European Commission today said that the US was set to lead a
global economic recovery in the 2nd half of this y and growth would
gather further pace in 2004.
"The US economy should lead the global recovery with a gradual pick up
in the rest of the world expected for the 2nd half of 2003. Growth is
expected to gather further pace in 2004," the commission said in a
document used as preparation for this wk's meeting of European finance
ministers in Italy.
Yet despite signs of a pickup in economic activity in the US, firms
have been reluctant to hire, leaving the unemployment rate stuck above
6%. In all, 2.8 mn people have lost their jobs in the so-called
jobless recovery under the Bush presidency.
In other economic data, the US trade deficit expanded in Jul to $40.3
bn as imported goods from China and the quantity of overseas crude oil
sold to the US each hit record highs.
Imports of goods and services came to $126.5 bn, the second-highest
level on record, and a 1.6% increase from Jun. As the US economy
strengthens, so has the appetite for imports.
America's politically sensitive trade gap with China widened by 13.5%
from Jun to Jul to a record $11.3 bn. Imports from China came to $13.4
bn, an all-time monthly high. The Whitehouse is coming under pressure
from US manufacturers to persuade Beijing to revalue its currency, the
renminbi, because of the influx of cheap Chinese products on to
American markets.
Smoking killed 5 mn worldwide in 2000
London (Reuters). Smoking killed nearly 5 mn people in 2000,
accounting for almost equal numbers in the developed and developing
nations and painting a bleak picture for the future, scientists said on Fri.
Men accounted for 3/4 of all the deaths, a figure rising to 84% in the
developing nations where 930 mn of the world's 1.1 bn smokers are to
be found, researchers from Harvard School of Public Health in Boston,
Massachusetts and Qld University, AUS said in the Lancet medical journal.
The main causes of the tobacco-related deaths were heart and lung
diseases, they noted.
The news comes as the major tobacco companies, increasingly under
siege in the industrialised world, switch their sales efforts to emerging
nations with their expanding populations and rising spending power.
"Our findings mark the beginning of an era when the majority of
smoking-caused deaths occur in developing countries," lead author
Majid Ezzati of Harvard said.
"Smoking-related deaths will rise substantially, especially in
developing countries, unless effective intervention and policies to
curb and reduce smoking among men and prevent rises among women are
implemented," he added.
Ezzati said that although anti-smoking policies were being widely
implemented in the developed world, they were lagging far behind in
the poorer nations, which consequently faced a rising hazard.
The WHO estimates that tobacco-related
deaths will at least double by 2030 as smoking takes its toll of men
in the developing world and more women start to take up the habit.
"This should provide a motivation to strengthen the case to implement
tobacco control programs and policies, which have generally lagged in
developing countries, worldwide," Ezzati said.
Earlier this y the WHO adopted a sweeping anti-tobacco treaty in a bid
to curb the product that it said is a death warrant for 1/2 its
habitual users.
Santiago. CHILDREN OF SEP 11TH COMMEMORATE 3,000 MISSING! Children
have marked the 30th anniversary of the coup that deposed Pres
Salvador Allende and brought the regime of Gen Augusto Pinochet to
power. Violent protests erupted late in several of Santiago's
working class suburbs after a day of mainly peaceful remembrances of
the only democratically elected Marxist president. More than 50
people were detained and at least 1 police officer was wounded as
police and protesters clashed. An official rep by the first
post-Pinochet civilian govt says some 3,200 people were killed for
political reasons during Pinochet's regime.
Big aircraft makers line up at Air Canada's door
Montreal (Reuters). The world's 4 largest commercial aircraft makers
landed at Air Canada's HQ on Thu, vying for a piece of an
order potentially worth more than $3 bn.
The fact that Air Canada is in bankruptcy protection and struggling to
avoid liquidation did not faze top officials from Boeing, Airbus,
Bombardier Inc and Embraer SA.
All had the same message for Air Canada chief executive Robert Milton:
buy our planes and you will start to make money like never before.
[How often have we all heard these words?!]
"The message we are sending to the Canadians and the world is that
Airbus believes in the future of Air Canada. Let's think of the future
instead of the past," said Airbus N America chief Henri Courpron.
Air Canada wants to buy up to 100 regional aircraft, with between 70
and 120 seats, to expand its regional services, the only segment of
the airline industry that has grown since the Sep 11 attacks.
"It's good news for Bombardier because there is going to be more
regional jets in operation because that's the most efficient way for
an airline to make money," said Bombardier aerospace division chief
Pierre Beaudoin.
Montreal-based Air Canada plans to buy the planes as part as
collective purchase of more than 200 planes to be made along with
Germany's Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and Scandinavian carrier SAS,
all members of the Star Alliance partnership.
The 4 partners hope to get better terms by buying planes that are all
configured the same way, instead of each getting customised
aircraft. Being considered are the Boeing 717, the 107-seat Airbus
A318, Bombardier's 70-seat CRJ 700 and 90-seat CRJ 900 and Embraer's
170/190.
Air Canada executives said the order could be split between more than
one manufacturer, but all will be asked for hard bargains.
If all goes to plan, Air Canada expects to exit bankruptcy protection
by year's end after wringing concessions from workers, lessors and
creditors.
* Bombardier pleads for Canadian support
Bombardier could have a head start on the other manufacturers as Air
Canada already flies 25 of its 50-seat regional jets.
"The incumbent aircraft always has an edge," said Embraer's Mark Hale.
Bombardier, one of Canada's leading industrial groups, also has the
home-turf advantage. A big Bombardier plant sits right next to Air
Canada's HQ.
"This is an open field, an open game, but we know these guys well
obviously," Milton said as he was standing beside Beaudoin in front of
a Bombardier CRJ-900.
Air Canada has already lined up financing for up to 43 new planes from
GE Capital Aviation Services, which is Air Canada's largest aircraft
lessor and also a key financial backer in the airline's court-supervised
restructuring.
The rest of the financing is likely to come from govt help, as all the
manufacturers can ask their respective govts for export loans to their
customers.
That's where Bombardier says it is treated unfairly because it could
not enlist govt support for a sale to Air Canada.
"Selling to a neighbour is not an export. Canada should put in place a
program tailored for Air Canada," Beaudoin said. "It's a bit strange
that the local manufacturer who creates jobs locally has a
disadvantage over a manufacturer who is in Brazil."
US warns of al-Qaeda attacks
Washington (AP). The State Dept is warning of possible al-Qaeda
attacks against Americans overseas in connection with the 2nd
anniversary of Sep 11.
"We are seeing increasing indications that al-Qaeda is preparing to
strike US interests abroad," the State Dept said in a statement.
American officials played down the relevance of the new Osama bin
Laden videotape, aired on the Arab Al-Jazeera television network, in
the new warning.
Some taped messages from al-Qaeda leaders are thought to announce a
coming attack; however, intel officials said the latest message
appeared to be a propaganda effort.
Pres Bush Jr said the tape "reminds us that the war on terror goes on."
"You can't negotiate with these people," Bush said. "The only way to
deal with them is to find them and bring them to justice." [bang!]
Despite the warning about possible attacks abroad, US officials had no
plans to raise the level of the terrorism threat alert at home.
"The info and analysis that we are dealing with mostly in this report
was the possibility of attacks overseas," State Dept rep Richard
Boucher told a media briefing.
One intel official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said a
recent report suggested Americans in Europe could be a target, but
provided no specifics.
In past months, al-Qaeda and its affiliates have been blamed for
bombings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Casablanca, Morocco, and Bali,
Indonesia, the State Dept said.
"We therefore assess that European or Eurasian locations could be
venues for the next round of attacks, possibly to closely coincide
with" the anniversary, the dept said.
The latest caution updates a Jul 29 warning about possible hijackings
of commercial aircraft by terrorists.
The domestic terrorist threat level in the US remains at yellow,
signifying an elevated risk of attacks.
The FBI, in its nationwide weekly bulletin to law enforcement
agencies, cautioned officials to watch for signs of terrorist activity
to coincide with the Sep 23-Oct 3 UN Gen Assembly meeting in NY.
The bulletin said the FBI has no specific info about a possible attack
or violent protest, but did note that UN operations were the target of
an Aug 19 truck bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, that killed 22 people.
"The high-profile and internat'l character of the event, the recent
violence in Iraq, and the current threat environment in the US
increases the potential for terrorist or civil disturbance activity,"
the bulletin said.
al-Qaeda still at work in US: LA Times
LA. 2 y after the Sep 11 attacks, al-Qaeda maintains a largely
invisible but extensive presence in the US that includes logistical
support, recruiting and fund-raising operatives and financial conduits
linking them to the terrorist organisation's global network, LA
Times reported Thu.
"Several snr US officials confirmed that they are only now realizing
the full extent of al-Qaeda operations in the US," a LA Times
report said, adding that the officials' new insight is based largely
on intel-gathering investigations into terrorist financing underway
here, in Saudi Arabia and other countries, as well as interrogations
of al-Qaeda detainees.
The new info indicates that while al-Qaeda has been battered by the
US-led war on terrorism, it remains a resilient and deadly
organisation, with a deep bench of leaders and field cmdrs and a
steady stream of funds and new recruits worldwide,according to the report.
US officials also believe that in some ways, al-Qaeda is more
dangerous than ever, with a broad base of supporters willing to
participate in bombings and other attacks against US interests.
By interviewing dozens of US officials and terrorism experts,
LA Times found that of particular concern to them are recent
indications that many of these so-called holy warriors are incensed by
the US occupation of Iraq and appear to be more intent than ever on
launching attacks on US soil.
One snr US counter-terrorism official told the paper that authorities
are tracking "at least several dozen people" believed to be involved
in al-Qaeda plots in the US and that Joint Terrorism Task Force
investigations are active in as many as 40 states.
Those investigations have found that as authorities have cracked down
on known al-Qaeda methods of funding its attacks, such as petty crime
and document fraud, the organisation has begun using new tactics to
help its rapidly regenerating network of cells, the paper quoted an
unnamed snr counter-terrorism official as saying.
Those tactics include the bootlegging of cigarettes, the
counterfeiting of music CDs and movies and other products, drug
trafficking and even the smuggling of humans for profit.
As the anniversary of Sep 11 approached, there were also indications
that al-Qaeda operatives in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and
the US were plotting attacks that could cause widespread casualties
and profound economic and psychological fallout, the paper said,
quoting a US official based in the Middle East.
Al-Qaeda has orchestrated recent terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia,
Morocco and perhaps even in Iraq and has continued to infiltrate
operatives into the US, the report said.
"This is an organisation that was very much off balance a y ago, but
that has significantly gained ground in the past year," said Kenneth
Katzman, a terrorism analyst for the research arm of Congress.
Larry Mefford, the FBI's chief counter-terrorism official,
told Congress in a recent hearing that al-Qaeda remains an extremely
deadly organisation capable of mounting simultaneous and large-scale
terrorist attacks, including within US borders.
From safe harbour in Iran, new front planned in Iraq
Berlin (WashPost). 2 y after the attacks on the US, a weakened
al-Qaeda is determined to open a new front in Iraq, according to
European, American and Arab intel sources.
The decision was made in Feb, as US forces were preparing to attack,
the sources said. 2 seasoned operatives met secretly in E Iran. One
was Mohammed Ibrahim Makawi, the military chief of al-Qaeda, who is
better known as Saif al-Adel. He welcomed Abu Musab Zarqawi, who had
recently fled Iraq's Kurdish N region after the US targeted a radical
group with which he was affiliated, Arab intel sources said.
The encounter reportedly resulted in the dispatch of Zarqawi to become
al-Qaeda's man in Iraq, opening a new chapter in the history of the
group and a serious threat to American forces there.
When Osama bin Laden was trapped at Tora Bora in the Afghan mountains
in 2001, he and his Egyptian deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, dispatched Saif
al-Adel to Iran to negotiate a safe harbour for some of al-Qaeda's
scattering ranks.
A deal was struck. The elected Iranian govt, led by Pres Mohammad
Khatami, repeatedly denied that snr al-Qaeda figures were in the
country, and pointed to the extradition of some fighters to Saudi
Arabia. But Khatami has no control over security organs such as the
Revolutionary Guard, which answer to the office of the supreme
religious leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, say Arab officials who deal
with the country.
Among those who made it to Iran with al-Adel and bin Laden's son were
Mahfouz Ould Walid, also known as Abu Hafs the Mauritanian and head of
the religious committee that issued fatwas justifying attacks, and Abu
Mohammed Masri, an Egyptian who is wanted in the 1998 bombings of US
embassies in East Africa and who has been al-Qaeda's chief financial
officer, setting up its illicit diamond trade as a way to hide funds.
With the capture of other top-tier al-Qaeda leaders around the world,
the group in Iran -- accompanied by numerous low- and mid-ranking
Saudis, including some who would later participate in the May 2003
Riyadh bombings -- became the core of al-Qaeda's functioning leadership.
After the Riyadh bombing, the Iranians, under pressure from the
Saudis, detained the al-Qaeda group. But it was too late to snare
Zarqawi, recently released from an earlier house arrest. He had
returned to Iraq.
Meanwhile, 100s of foreign fighters, crossing Iraq's borders with
Syria, Iran and Saudi Arabia, and to a lesser extent Jordan and
Turkey, have begun to flow into the country, according to both US and
Arab officials.
The occupation of Iraq -- once the home of the caliph, or universal
leader, of Muslims -- is a galvanising symbol for radical Islamic
groups. On Web sites and in mosques across the Islamic world, 1000s of
potential fighters are hearing -- and heeding -- calls to go to Iraq
to fight the infidel, according to European and Arab intel sources who
have tracked some of the recruits' movements.
Zarqawi, a 42-yo Jordanian, was the head of a cluster of Arabs who had
attached themselves to Ansar al-Islam, a Kurdish fundamentalist group
vowing to establish an Islamic state in N Iraq. Ansar is believed to
be closely allied with al-Qaeda, according to the US govt. Zarqawi also
is believed to have a network of contacts in the Middle East and Europe.
Zarqawi became more widely known when Sec of State Colin Powell
said at the UN in Feb that he was a key link between the govt of
Saddam Hussein, then Iraq's president, and al-Qaeda.
Zarqawi had had a leg amputated at an exclusive Baghdad clinic in
2002, suggesting he had connections to govt figures in Iraq, but
European officials scoffed at the larger allegation. Zarqawi was an
independent operator, they said, citing the interrogation of some of
his allies in Germany.
By the time Zaraqawi returned to Iraq this y, US and Brit forces were
occupying the country. The sources said Zarqawi then became what the
Americans had charged but never proved to the satisfaction of others
on the UN Sec Council: al-Qaeda's man in Iraq.
A recent internal German law-enforcement report on al-Qaeda described
Zarqawi as someone who has "assumed leadership responsibilities" that
have been delegated "from the original centre to the regional level."
Zarqawi "would be a logical person to control things there," said
Matthew Levitt, a Middle East analyst formerly with the FBI
counterterrorism section and now at the Washington Institute for Near
East Policy. "He has a fantastic relationship with other groups -- the
Baathists, radicals in Kurdistan, in Germany."
Firm numbers on foreign fighters in Iraq are impossible to come by,
but estimates in the intel community in Washington on how many have already
entered the country range to several 1000s. US military officers in
Iraq, and officials with the occupying authority led by L Paul Bremer,
say the figure is much lower but don't deny the potential threat.
US officials said there is no evidence that al-Qaeda or other foreign
fighters were behind the recent bombings in Iraq, including the attack
on the UN HQ. "Most intel agencies think the Baathists are
behind the current violence," said a rep for the State Dept, referring
to Saddam's party.
But concern over al-Qaeda is apparent. "I don't feel they have the
capacity right now where they're sitting and organising and being very
strategic," said a snr US official in Baghdad. But, he added, it
"could be a threat down the line."
Terror expert rejects bin Laden tape
Paris (AFP). A videotape showing Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda's 2IC
Ayman al-Zawahri walking down a rocky slope is a cut-and-paste job
with old footage, a top French terrorism expert says.
"These images are probably old ... I've already seem them several
times and some of them date back to before the American intervention
in Tora Bora" in Dec 2001, said Roland Jacquard, head of the
Internat'l Observatory on Terrorism.
"This is a good piece of editing that's been done," Jacquard
concluded, noting it was doubtful that bin Laden would say nothing on
the tape were it new, as he had not appeared in a video recording for ms.
Qatar-based satellite TV network al-Jazeera, which broadcast the tape
on Wed -- the eve of the 2nd anniversary of the Sep 11 attacks in the
US -- said it had probably been recorded in late Apr or early May.
It was accompanied by an audiotape, purportedly of the voice of
Zawahri, saying the battle with the US had yet to begin in earnest.
Jacquard said he believed the recording of Zawahri was "recent", but
said bin Laden's praise of the Sep 11 suicide hijackers was "exactly
the same message broadcast on a videotape by al-Jazeera on Dec 26, 2001."
Washington. BUSH SAYS WORLD "OBLIGED" TO HELP US! US Pres Bush Jr
says all UN members are obliged to help the US rebuild Iraq -- even
those that opposed the war. Wrapping up a 2-y commemoration of the
Sep 11 attacks, Pres Bush Jr says a free Iraq will make the world more
peaceful and secure. Think of the oil! He says Sec of State Colin
Powell will embark on a weekend European trip to promote a new,
US-backed UN resolution aimed at winning more global support for Iraqi
reconstruction. Meanwhile, anti-US violence has escalated in Iraq,
with a gun-battle reported W of the flash-point town of Fallujah.
The truth about Iraq (or what Bush didn't dare say)
Washington. US Pres Bush Jr gave a sombre address on Iraq last
Sun. Compared with his testosterone-induced "Top Gun" stunt atop an
aircraft-carrier on May 1, when he announced the end of the "combat
phase" of operations in Iraq, his Sun sermon was relatively
modest. But sadly, it was still economical with the truth.
What Mr Bush said:
"The war on terror would be a lengthy war, a different kind of war,
fought on many fronts in many places. Iraq is now the central front."
The US was "rolling back the terrorist threat to civilisation, not on
the fringes of its influence, but at the heart of its power".
Truth barometer:
Iraq only recently became "the central front". Saddam Hussein was a
menace, but not because he was the palpitating "heart" of terrorism.
Regime change, and a botched occupation, created the new "front".
What Mr Bush said:
"Our strategy in Iraq has 3 objectives -- destroying the terrorists,
enlisting the support of other nations for a free Iraq and helping
Iraqis assume responsibility for their own defence and their own future."
Truth barometer:
Mr Bush had started off with very different objectives: Destroy
Saddam's cache of weapons of mass destruction -- not so much as a
teaspoon of anthrax has been found -- and force civilisational change
on Arabs by planting a model of democracy right smack in the middle of
the Middle East. As for "enlisting the support of other nations for a
free Iraq" -- shouldn't that have been done before Iraq was freed?
What Mr Bush said:
"Members of the UN now have an opportunity, and the responsibility, to
assume a broader role in assuring that Iraq becomes a free and
democratic nation." They have a "duty" to help.
Truth barometer:
6 m ago, the Bush Admin had dismissed the UN as an "irrelevance". 4 m
ago, it had refused the UN a role in post-war Iraq because it didn't
want to share lucrative post-war contracts with un-deserving
war-profiteers like the French. Now that those profits have proven a
mirage, it is offering the UN "responsibility". But who in the world
will accept "responsibility" without power? Would the US? But Admin
officials continue to speak of America's "dominant role" in Iraq,
suggesting that the UN will function as a fig-leaf for the continued
exercise of US power.
What Mr Bush said:
"We will do what is necessary, we will spend what is necessary, to
achieve this essential victory in the war on terror..." Americans must
"sacrifice".
Truth barometer:
Mr Bush speaks of sacrifice now, but he went out of his way before the
war to deny that any would be necessary. When a snr economic adviser
estimated that the war and its aftermath would cost $US200 bn, he was
squelched. The Admin assured Congress that Iraq could easily finance
its reconstruction with its own oil revenue. And soon after Baghdad
fell, Mr Bush went to Congress and wrested yet another tax cut from
that supine body. As a result, the budget deficit next y is projected
to reach $US535 bn, about 35% of which will be financed by Asians.
Some sacrifice.
If Mr Bush had been inclined to level with Americans, he would have
said something along these lines:
"My fellow Americans, weapons of mass destruction were not the cause
of the Iraqi invasion, but the occasion. Even if Saddam did have WMDs
-- and there is no doubt he did have them at one time, and may again
have acquired them if we had not gone in -- there was no imminent
threat. Our real aim, folks, was to kick ass and change souls.
"But this is turning out to be far more difficult than we thought.
Souls are pretty recalcitrant out there, and butts rather
adamantine. Iraqis are happy to see Saddam go, but they are not
deliriously happy we are there.
"Unfortunately, we cannot just walk away from the mess. If we leave
before stabilising the place, we would hand jihadists a bigger victory
than they scored driving the Soviets out of Afghanistan.
Iraq will become the mother of all terrorist incubators.
"This is my 3-fold plan. It is a realistic plan born of desperation.
"One, I'll go to the UN to seek a new resolution placing Iraq under
its political authority. It is the UN which should handle
reconstruction, set a clear timetable for self-govt, and chaperone the
new Iraqi govt to legitimacy. If we handle any of these ourselves, the
new Iraqi govt will be painted as anti-nat'list, and its leaders
possibly assassinated, as Ayatollah Hakim was recently.
"Two, we'll invite the UN to contribute a multinat'l force, but place
that force under US command. If the French want this command, they can
have it, but they will have to do the bulk of the fighting too. Since
they won't, but we will, we will command. Politics -- UN. Military -- US.
"Three, we can't ask our military to make sacrifices, and the world to
cough up money for Iraqi reconstruction, while living like drunken
sailors at home. I'll ask Congress to scrap all 3 Bush tax cut
packages, keeping only what is necessary for immediate stimulus, but
jettisoning anything that will contribute to long-term structural
deficits. Asians will not finance our binges forever, and we must
learn to pay our own way."
Mr Bush, of course, would never say any such thing. But sooner or
later, America will have to accommodate itself to the truth, and there
is little doubt the accommodation will have to run more or less along
the lines of the speech Mr Bush dared not give.
Masked men battle US soldiers in Iraq
Baghdad (Reuters). Masked guerrillas have attacked US soldiers
repairing a broken-down truck, prompting a firefight that left
buildings burning in a town in Saddam Hussein's former heartland,
witnesses say.
The US military could not immediately give details of the incident,
which took place in the so-called "Sunni Triangle", and it is unclear
if anyone is hurt.
The attackers fired 2 RPGs at soldiers working on the truck.
2 US tanks then arrived and fired at nearby buildings in Khaldiya,
about 70 km W of Baghdad in a Sunni Muslim area where anti-US
resistance has been strongest.
Witnesses say there was also heavy machine-gun fire on both sides.
"This is a warning to any army which wants to come and take over our
country," one local man shouted as flames blazed from the vehicles and
a building behind him.
"Any troops coming here, we will attack them like we attack Americans."
US troops occupying Iraq are attacked 15 times a day on average and
have lost nearly 70 soldiers in combat since major hostilities were
declared over on May 1 after the toppling of Saddam Hussein.
Saddam's heartland was in the Sunni Muslim areas to the N and W of Baghdad.
After the incident in Khaldiya, a crowd of Iraqis gathered chanting
"we sacrifice our blood and soul for you Saddam".
Attackers target US intel HQ in Iraq's Kurdish area
Arbil (AP). A suicide car bomber struck the US intel HQ
here, a Kurdish security official said yesterday. He said 4 Iraqis
were killed, including the bomber and a 12-yo boy.
The US military in Baghdad said 4 "Defence Human Intel Service" officers
were wounded along with a Kurdish peshmerga guard at the building.
The Kurdish official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said 3 of
the wounded Americans suffered serious abdominal injuries from flying glass.
The official said the attack was the work of al-Qaeda. He gave no
reason for that assessment, but said he was certain Osama bin Laden's
organisation was behind the attack.
The Ansar al-Islam terrorist organisation, with suspected ties to
al-Qaeda, was formerly based nr Sulaymaniyah, about 50 km east of
Arbil and nr the Iranian border.
Ansar HQ was bombed by US jets during the war and surviving
members of the group were thought to have fled to Iran. They are now
believed to have returned to Iraq.
41 Iraqis were hurt, the Kurdish official said, adding that the
suicide-bomb vehicle was packed with TNT. He said several homes in the
neighbourhood, which was cordoned off by US soldiers, were destroyed.
- - -
Near Baghdad, a US soldier was killed and one was wounded when a
homemade bomb exploded nr a military vehicle on a supply route NE of
the capital, Centcom said yesterday.
The attack occurred at about 5 pm Tue, Centcom said in a
statement posted on its Web site. The soldiers were from the US Army's
3rd Corp Support Command, it said. The wounded soldier was evacuated
to a field hospital.
The death was the 1st to be reported by the US military in 8 days,
although sporadic attacks had continued against occupying forces.
A witness to the Arbil attack, Jafar Marouf, a 31-yo teacher, was
visiting a friend Tue night on the quiet residential street when he
saw a white KIA 4-wheel drive approach quickly and then explode
with the driver inside.
Marouf was slightly injured and spoke from the hospital.
US soldiers at the scene yesterday refused to give any info. Dozens of
what appeared to be Americans in civilian clothes and wearing flak
jackets were coming and going from the scene of the blast in GMC
4WD vehicles.
US soldiers had flown to the site by helicopter and were guarding the
area together with local Iraqi Kurdish fighters.
US soldier hurt in Fallujah firefight
Baghdad (AP). Attackers fired RPGs at a US military convoy W of
Baghdad Thu, touching off an intense firefight that left at least
1 American soldier wounded, the military said.
Tanks and other vehicles from the 3rd Armoured Cavalry Regiment came
under attack in Fallujah, part of the dangerous "Sunni Triangle"
region about 100 km W of the capital, US Army Capt Jeff Fitzgibbons,
coalition rep in Baghdad, told AP Radio.
Other "US forces responding to the scene came under fire and returned
fire at houses nearby," Fitzgibbons said.
1 US soldier was wounded, said Fitzgibbons. There was no info
regarding casualties among attackers.
2 US military trucks were also destroyed during the fighting along
Highway 10, Fitzgibbons said.
The Fallujah region has been one of the most dangerous for US
soldiers. Support for ousted dictator Saddam Hussein runs strongest in
the region.
AP TV News pictures from Khaldia, 30 km W of
Fallujah, showed a burning tank transport truck, a burning 5-tonne truck
and at least 1 burning Humvee.
Kanaan Ali Ibrahim, a witness, said the convoy was moving from
Habaniya to Ramadi when Iraqi "mujahedeen" ambushed it with RPGs.
A small crowd gathered at the scene of the attack and began shouting
jubilantly "Allahu Akbar," or God is great, and "Oh, Iraq, we
sacrifice our lives and blood for you."
An Abrams tank could be seen on the APTN video and there was the sound
of a prolonged gun-battle, with the shooting appearing to be coming
mainly from the tank and other heavy guns. The Iraqi guerrillas that
carry out such ambushes normally carry only Kalashnikov automatic
rifles and RPGs.
Earlier, an American soldier died Thu in a highly unusual accident,
the military reported. The soldier was killed and 2 others were
slightly injured when a tire they were changing on a "heavy expanded
mobility tactical truck" exploded, Centcom said. The
incident occurred nr Balad, 70 km N of Baghdad.
Meanwhile, the top American military man in Iraq said Thu the country
was becoming the key battlefield for the US-led war on terrorism -- a
war he said would not end quickly.
"It's clear to me that this is the next battleground in the global war
on terrorism that we have been on now for 2 years," Lt Gen Ricardo
Sanchez told reporters. "It's a war that will continue for some
time. But there's absolutely no question in my mind that the American
people are committed to winning this war."
He said the increasing threat of terrorist attacks in Iraq was "a natural
follow-up battle in that war on terrorism" that began with the US-led
ouster of the Taliban regime and its al-Qaeda allies from Afghanistan.
Problems in Iraq put Rumsfeld on defensive
Secretary of defence accused of mishandling post-war situation
Washington. Def Sec Donald H Rumsfeld is once more on the defensive.
Pres Bush has brushed aside his opp'n to seeking a UN role in Iraq,
while some fellow Republicans are saying he bungled the post-war
planning. Even one of the most ardent Democratic supporters of the war
is attacking the def sec.
"Now is it a perfect situation? No," a seemingly relaxed Rumsfeld said
yesterday of conditions in Iraq. "Is it a tough situation? You bet it is.
Is it going to take some time? Indeed, it is. It's going to take patience."
Before the Sep 11, 2001, attacks, there was talk that the prickly
Rumsfeld, who alienated Congress and the Pentagon brass with his
overbearing views on defence spending and weapons systems, was losing
favour with the Whitehouse. Then, the terrorist attacks transformed
him into a resolute leader.
He was again on the ropes in the 1st few days of the war against
Saddam Hussein when US troops appeared to be bogged down. Retired
generals and active-duty officers faulted him for not sending enough
troops and armour. But Baghdad soon fell, and Rumsfeld and his
supporters chortled about "armchair generals."
Now, he is facing sharp criticism once more from both sides of Capitol
Hill. Rumsfeld was firmly in control of the post-war planning and
resisted talk of seeking UN assistance, a view quietly advanced by
Sec of State Colin L Powell. Then last wk, Bush sided with
Powell -- just as Rumsfeld was jetting off to war-torn Iraq.
Sen Chuck Hagel, a Nebraska Republican, said there was a "a miserable
job of planning for a post-Saddam Iraq," while Sen John McCain, an
Arizona Republican, said this wk that the Admin "underestimated" the
challenge there.
Sen Joseph I Lieberman of Connecticut, among the Admin's closest
Democratic allies on the Iraq war, yesterday called for an internat'l
administrator to take over Iraq within 60 days.
Lieberman, a Pres'l aspirant, also chided Rumsfeld for saying
this wk that terrorists "take heart" from dissent at home.
"I won't tie my tongue, nor should any American tie his tongue,
because our secretary of defence thinks dissent encourages
terrorists," said Lieberman.
Rumsfeld said some news reports did not fully report his comments.
"The part that tended to get dropped off is that debate is healthy,
that we understand that," he said.
Even leaked portions of an internal report by the Joint Chiefs of
Staff reportedly says the Pentagon did not adequately plan for the
post-war period.
"They overestimated how welcome we would be among the Iraqi population,
and they underestimated the tenacity of Saddam's supporters," said
Loren Thompson, an analyst with the Lexington Institute.
Thompson said that it amounts to a "brief setback" for Rumsfeld, and
that he will rebound. Bush mouth Scott McClellan said this wk,
"Secretary Rumsfeld is doing a terrific job."
But Michael O'Hanlon, a defence analyst with the Brookings
Institution, said that while Rumsfeld's job is not in jeopardy, he has
lost some of his power and his "special relationship" with Bush.
Yesterday, the 71-yo Rumsfeld breezed into the Nat'l Press Club
without an outward hint of worry. He was his usual charismatic self,
charming his audience while sidestepping questions about Iraq.
He calmly watched 2 demonstrators in the balcony shout for his removal
and get dragged off by security guards, barely missing a beat in his speech.
He cited statistics to show progress in Iraq, saying attacks are
dropping from about 25 a day to about 15 a day. And he recalled the
words of US cmdrs, saying there is no need for more US troops. Yet he
could not remember his deputy's well-publicised pre-war prediction
about Iraq oil revenues paying for reconstruction.
In March, Deputy Def Sec Paul D Wolfowitz told Congress, "We are
dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction,
and relatively soon." Asked yesterday what had changed, Rumsfeld
replied, "I have, at my advanced age, developed a policy of not
commenting on quotations I haven't seen myself or seen in context."
As for criticism of postwar planning, Rumsfeld said the banks,
currency and police in Iraq were re-established in months, compared
with y in post-World War II Germany. "I think the biggest difference
is that we now have 24-hr news, and everyone is examining everything
every second, and it feels like its been about 4 y since the end of
the conflict, and it was May 1," he said.
Brit PM warned of heightened terror risk
London. Tony Blair was warned by the intel agencies that the invasion
of Iraq would heighten the terrorist threat to Brit from al-Qaeda, it
was disclosed today.
The powerful intel and security committee (ISC) said the intel agencies
advised that the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime would increase
the risk of terrorist groups obtaining chemical or biological weapons.
An assessment prepared by the joint intel committee (JIC) on Feb 10,
entitled "Internat'l Terrorism: War with Iraq", concluded that there was
no intel that Iraq had provided CB materials to al-Qaeda.
Nor was there any suggestion of any intention by Saddam Hussein's
regime to carry out chem or bio terror attacks using Iraqi
intel officials or their agents.
However the JIC did judge that in the event of the regime's collapse,
there would be an increased risk that terrorist groups would be able
to get their hands on CB materials.
"The JIC assessed that al-Qaeda and associated groups continued to
represent by far the greatest terrorist threat to W interests, and
that threat would be heightened by military action against Iraq," the
ISC said.
"The JIC assessed that any collapse of the Iraqi regime would increase
the risk of chemical and biological warfare technology or agents finding
their way into the hands of terrorists, not necessarily al-Qaeda."
In his evidence to the ISC, Mr Blair acknowledged that in launching
the invasion of Iraq there was "obviously a danger" of provoking the
very consequences that he had hoped to avoid.
"On the other hand I think you had to ask the question 'could you
really, as a result of that fear, leave the possibility that in time this
developed into a nexus between terrorism and WMD in an event?'," he said.
"This is where you've just got to make your judgement and it remains my
judgement and I suppose time will tell whether it's true or it's not true."
Kelly: I might have said "sexier".
Kelly: "It is a word I would use, I use it on occasions"
London. David Kelly admitted to the intel and security committee he
might have used the word "sexier" in his conversations with BBC
reporter Andrew Gilligan about the Iraq weapons dossier.
It is the 1st evidence that links Dr Kelly to the exact phrase
Gilligan used to describe the central allegation made by his source --
that Tony Blair's director of communications, Alastair Campbell,
"sexed up" the dossier.
It directly contradicts statements made by Dr Kelly's friend, Sun
Times journalist Nicholas Rufford, who said the weapons expert "was
not a man to use words like 'sexed up'."
Under intense questioning from the ISC on Jul 16 -- the day before he
disappeared -- Dr Kelly was asked whether "sexier" was a word he would use.
"It is a word I would use, I use it on occasions," the scientist conceded.
Committee member James Arbuthnot, the Tory MP for NE Hampshire,
pressed Dr Kelly further, asking him: "Is it a word you did use?"
"I cannot recall on that occasion," said Dr Kelly, referring to his May
22 meeting with Gilligan at London's Charing Cross hotel.
"But you might have done?" asked Mr Arbuthnot, to which the scientist
replied: "It's possible, yes."
The transcript of Dr Kelly's evidence to the ISC became public today
when the committee passed it to the Hutton inquiry.
It also revealed Dr Kelly told the ISC he had agreed to the MoD's
press statement saying an official had come forward to
admit meeting Gilligan. The statement led to Dr Kelly being named.
ISC member Michael Mates, the Conservative MP for E Hampshire, asked
Dr Kelly: "Are you surprised at the public MoD reactions or was it
that the statement [was] made with your agreement?"
Dr Kelly replied: "The MoD press statement was made with my agreement, yes."
However, his statement contradicts evidence given to the Hutton
inquiry by the scientist's widow, Janice Kelly, who said her husband
felt "betrayed" by the MoD, which had assured him his name would not
be put into the public domain.
Mrs Kelly told Lord Hutton: "He had received assurances and that is
why he was so very upset about it."
* The 45 minute claim
During the course of the ISC interview, Dr Kelly admitted he might
have told Gilligan the 45 minute claim was included in the dossier
"for impact" and he might also have given the journalist the impression
it was "unwise" for the claim to have been included in the document.
"I think I may well have said the 45 minute mention was there for
impact, yes," Dr Kelly told the committee.
He went on: "I can't really say that I thought it should not be there
[in the dossier] because I'm actually not aware of the intel behind it."
Mr Arbuthnot asked him: "Did you think, when you were speaking to
Andrew Gilligan, that you gave him the impression you felt it was
unwise for it to have been there?"
Dr Kelly replied: "I have to admit it's a possibility, yes."
The scientist said he and others involved in weapons inspection in
Iraq had been baffled as to the meaning of the 45 minute claim when
they 1st read it and he had said this to "many people".
Dr Kelly said it would take to long to assemble the necessary
ingredients and munitions to deploy a chemical weapon within that
time-frame, particularly because it is impossible to store large
quantities of chemical weapons as the agents degrade over time. [In a matter
of months!]
* Alastair Campbell's influence
He also said it was Gilligan who brought up Mr Campbell's name at the May
meeting, not him.
Mr Arbuthnot asked Dr Kelly: "Did Andrew Gilligan say 'why was it
there?' and then did he say 'was it Campbell who put it in?'."
Dr Kelly replied: "I mean that's the sequence that occurred, I mean
the exact phrasing I regret I cannot remember, on this occasion this
was not something of deep significance to me."
He also denied using the word "transformed", which Gilligan used to
described the allegations his source made about Mr Campbell's
influence over the dossier.
The scientist went on to tell the ISC he did not discuss the 45 minute
claim or even the dossier with Gilligan "at any great length at all"
because their conversation centred on why weapons could not be found
in Iraq and Gilligan's visit to the country.
* Unauthorised and authorised meetings
Dr Kelly's evidence presents a portrait of a man under pressure and a
man desperate to demonstrate his respect for the govt and his MoD superiors.
He repeatedly told the committee he regretted meeting Gilligan --
although he said he was comfortable to do so at the time.
Michael Mates, a former member of the defence select committee, showed
some sympathy with the scientist's plight when he asked why the MoD
made such an issue out of his meeting with Gilligan, given that Dr
Kelly had been briefing journalists since 1991.
"What is the difference to person like you to have an authorised
meeting with him and an unauthorised meeting?" asked Mr Mates.
"Surely in the olden days you didn't get authority every time you
spoke to a person of the press?"
Dr Kelly replied "Yes".
* Kelly not involved in dossier
Dr Kelly also played down his role in compiling the Iraq intel dosser,
telling the committee he was not involved.
"My contribution to the dossier was in May/Jun of last y, after that I
had no involvement in the compilation of the dossier, the drafting of
it, the synthesis of it," he said.
However, info that has emerged subsequently during Hutton inquiry
showed Dr Kelly was involved in a meeting about the dossier on Sep 19
with "7 or 8" intel officers.
He was concerned about claims involving a chemical factory and
suggested 12 to 14 changes, which were adopted for the final version.
The intel services and Dr Kelly believed the factory was used for legitimate
purposes and the "spin merchants" were to blame for its insertion.
In an email to Dr Kelly, intel officer "Mr A" described the reference to
the factory as "another example supporting our view that you and I should
have been more involved in this than the spin merchants in this Admin".
Hoon regrets "misunderstanding"
London. Geoff Hoon today told MPs he had "no intention whatsoever
other than to be open and straightforward" with the intel and security
committee [ISC] over the Iraq dossier.
"I regret any misunderstanding," the def sec added. "I hope
that the committee accepts that I did not in fact mislead them."
His statement to the House of Commons follows the publication this
morning of the ISC report, which concludes that Mr Hoon did not fully
disclose concerns among intel staff about the govt's Iraq dossier, but
stops short of accusing him of being "misleading".
The unanimous [?!] report says the ISC was "disturbed" about Geoff Hoon's
failure to give full disclosure and that the fact that the MoD
did not initially disclose concerns among defence intel staff
was "unhelpful and potentially misleading".
The ISC also judged that the way the "45-minute claim" was presented
in the dossier was "unhelpful to an understanding of this issue".
But the committee's report concluded that the dossier was "not 'sexed
up' by Alastair Campbell or anyone else".
The For Sec, Jack Straw, today said Mr Hoon would not be resigning.
Responding to the report, he said Mr Hoon would "continue in his post".
"He retains every confidence of the prime minister and his cabinet colleagues."
Mr Straw said Mr Hoon would be answering for the govt in the Commons
debate this afternoon, and that the govt would respond to the ISC more
fully later in the y.
He conceded that there was "a number of criticisms which the govt will
take on board" but he was keen to stress that the committee found that
there was no "sexing up" of the Sep dossier.
However, despite having the PM's backing, the committee's
findings leave Mr Hoon in an extremely delicate position. The
under-fire Def Sec, who has been in the media spotlight from
the moment Dr Kelly's body was found, is due to defend the govt this
afternoon in the Commons during a Liberal Democrat debate on Iraq.
Yesterday the PM praised Mr Hoon's leadership of the MoD
during the war, but refused to comment on -- let alone back -- the def
sec in advance of today's ISC publication.
But it is hard to see how opp'n MPs will find the accusation that he
was "potentially misleading" the committee as anything other than a
resigning issue.
Mr Hoon could try to brazen it out, but he is still at the mercy of
the Hutton inquiry, which is likely to recall him next wk to explain
omissions in his initial testimony to them.
Suspicion is rife around Westminster as to who leaked the highly
secret report -- copies are delivered to Downing Street and the
Cabinet Office, and in the possession of the 9 MPs on the committee.
The ISC is appointed by, and answerable to, the PM alone, unlike
other committees which scrutinise the executive on behalf of parliament.
Launching the report this morning, committee chairwoman Ann Taylor
revealed that in his ISC evidence Mr Hoon "did say there had been a
dispute" among intel officials, but "didn't tell us that 2 members had
written with their concerns".
She suggested this only became apparent later.
But reporters at the press launch pointed out that without the Hutton
inquiry the ISC may never have learnt of the intel officials' doubts.
Ms Taylor said this was one of the reason why their conclusion was
merely "potentially misleading" rather than "misleading".
Yesterday's Evening Standard leak of the report claimed the committee
had found Mr Hoon had "misled" them through flatly denying there was
any discontent among defence officials regarding the govt's Sep dossier.
The Hutton inquiry has since heard 1st-hand testimony that there was
such unease from at least 2 officials, one of whom is a current member
of the Iraq survey group in Baghdad and could not be named even before
the inquiry for security reasons. They claimed there were specific
points they queried, but their worries were not "adopted" into the
dossier, and concluded that portions of the document were "over-egged".
Conservative committee member Michael Mates said the "genie was out of
the bottle now" and that govt would be forced to make intel info
public ahead of future conflicts.
Ms Taylor exonerated her own committee from leaking the report, joking
that her MPs did not leak, and if they did, they "did not leak inaccurately".
She and colleagues had studied 12 y of intel material on Iraq's
WMD before producing their report today.
Ms Taylor stressed their report on the role of intel in the war on
Iraq was unanimous [!].
She told a news conference at Westminster: "This report does not judge
whether the decision to invade Iraq was correct.
"The purpose of this report is to examine whether the available intel
which informed the decision to invade Iraq was adequate and properly
assessed and whether it was properly reflected in govt publications."
She said her committee had passed some relevant documents to Lord
Hutton to assist him in his inquiry into the death of weapons expert
Dr David Kelly.
On the wider issue of the war and its build-up, the report concludes:
"Based on the intel and the JIC assessments that we have seen, we
accept that there was convincing intel that Iraq had active chemical,
biological and nuclear programmes and the capability to produce
chemical and biological weapons.
"We are content that the JIC has not been
subjected to political pressures, and that its independence and
impartially has not been compromised in any way. The dossier [on
Iraq's weapons programmes] was not "sexed up" by Alastair Campbell or
anyone else.
"The SIS [Secret Intel Service] continues to believe that the Iraqis
were attempting to negotiate the purchase of uranium from Niger. We
have questioned them about the basis of their judgement and conclude
that it is reasonable.
"We regard the initial failure by the MoD to
disclose that some staff had put their concerns in writing to their
line managers as unhelpful and potentially misleading. This is not
excused by the genuine belief within the DIS [Defence Intel Staff]
that the concerns has been expressed as part of the normal lovely debate
that often surrounds draft JIC Assessments within the DIS. We are
disturbed that after the 1st evidence session, which did not cover all
the concerns raised by DIS staff, the defence secretary decided against
giving instructions for a letter to be written to us outlining the concerns."
Ms Taylor described Mr Hoon's ISC testimony as "calm" and revealed
that his evidence would be published on the Hutton inquiry website today.
The Conservative leader made his conclusion clear while the ISC press
conference was still running -- calling on Mr Hoon to resign.
Iain Duncan Smith said: "Mr Hoon is hanging in the wind. The committee
has found him guilty of misleading them. The prime minister needs to
reassert authority at the top."
Another damning conclusion of the report is paragraph 115, stating:
"We are disturbed that after the first evidence session, which did not
cover all the concerns raised by the DIS staff, the defence secretary
decided against giving instructions for a letter to be written to us
outlining the concerns."
Hoon survives -- but not for long
London. [Warning: sarcasm ahead!] So now we know: Geoff Hoon did not
lie to the intel and security committee (ISC) when he failed to let on
that members of the intel community were worried about the govt's
dossier on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. He was just being a
little misleading.
We know this because Mr Hoon and the committee chairman, Ann Taylor,
say so. Neither of them sees any need for the defence secretary to
resign. On a day of high drama, a day many thought would be Mr Hoon's
last in govt, he managed to wriggle off the hook -- yet again.
Mr Hoon's critics, however, believe that his time is almost up. He may
not have been caught lying, but yet again he has been more economical
with the truth than those examining his conduct would have liked.
It has been a tough y for Mr Hoon, the former MEP who rose without a
trace to find himself at the head of one of the most important depts
in govt. Even before the war started, he was in trouble, facing
stinging criticism for taking his family off on a skiing holiday while
Brit forces sat waiting in the sands of Kuwait.
When the dossier row 1st broke, it did not take long for him to be
dragged in. The death of Dr David Kelly, the govt weapons inspector,
brought new problems. After initially claiming he had nothing to do
with the decision to make Dr Kelly's name public, his story began to unravel.
In front of the Hutton Inquiry, he played down his role in the naming
strategy, but the evidence told another story. Mr Hoon had been at one
of the key meetings at which the strategy was discussed. He now faces
being recalled by the inquiry to explain why he failed to share this
info with Lord Hutton at the 1st opportunity.
Now, he has been caught out by a 2nd inquiry. Yesterday, Mr Hoon told
the Commons he had "no intention whatsoever other than to be open and
straightforward" with the ISC.
"I regret any misunderstanding," he said, but his critics were not convinced.
Unlike the open and transparent Hutton Inquiry, the full details of
what Mr Hoon told the committee are not available.
Instead, those interested in finding out how Mr Hoon dealt with
questions about concerns within the intel community will have to read
between the lines of an ISC report.
According to the committee, it was "disturbing" Mr Hoon did not tell
them everything he knew about concerns among defence intel staff with
regard to the Sep dossier. Why he did not do so is not clear: evidence
presented to the Hutton Inquiry states quite clearly he had been
briefed on those concerns before appearing before the committee, and
had been advised to pass on that info to the committee, while at the
same time attempting to play it down.
Whatever he chose to do instead, the committee was not impressed. Ms
Taylor described his evidence as "potentially misleading". However,
instead of calling for his resignation, she pulled her punches: "He
did not tell us lies," she said.
"It was potentially misleading, events overtook it. We got the info in
the end."
Why she chose to go easy on Mr Hoon is not certain, but perhaps the
Def Sec's fellow Labour MP had more insight into the production of the
dossier than most. After all, she was shown the dossier in the days
before it was published and invited to make comment. E-mails released
by the Hutton Inquiry yesterday show she made several suggestions
about changes that could be made, including the need to address the
question of why Saddam Hussein had been singled out at that particular
point in time.
Whatever her reasons, there was intense disappointment on the opp'n
benches that, having apparently cornered Mr Hoon, the Labour-dominated
committee let him go.
Bernard Jenkin, the shadow defence secretary, went so far as to
suggest it was time to rethink the practice of allowing MPs to
investigate such matters. "No committee in this House can carry out
the kind of impartial and forensic cross-examination that we have seen
in Lord Hutton's inquiry," he said. "No committee in this House can
reach impartial conclusions that are properly insulated from the
party-political battle in order to command the public support that is
so necessary."
Mr Jenkin and his party leader, Iain Duncan Smith, have good reason to
be annoyed. If Mr Hoon were to have fallen on his sword yesterday, it
would have left the govt looking around for a new scapegoat for when
the Hutton Inquiry publishes its report. "It is absolutely clear that
Geoff Hoon's position is quite untenable," said Mr Duncan Smith.
"Either he should resign or the PM should dismiss him at once."
But Mr Blair is clearly not ready to shove his colleague overboard
just yet. His rep said Mr Blair continued to have confidence in Mr
Hoon. "He continues to do an effective job," he said.
What must be worrying Mr Hoon is the fear that the effective job he is
doing is simply shielding those above him from the fallout of the
Hutton report until they need him no more. [stab!]
* Sympathy spin
Labour spin doctors suggested using statements of sympathy for the
family of Dr David Kelly as a way of heading off embarrassing
questions about the events surrounding the death of the govt weapons
inspector, new evidence released by the Hutton Inquiry revealed yesterday.
No sooner had Dr Kelly's death been announced than Downing St
officials started work on a list of stock responses intended to enable
MPs to sound sympathetic, while at the same time taking the heat off
the govt.
The plan also involved using the setting-up of the Hutton Inquiry as
an excuse for refusing to answer questions about the back-ground to Dr
Kelly's death.
The document was drawn up by Tom Kelly, the PM's rep, who was later
forced to apologise for describing Dr Kelly as a Walter Mitty figure.
The document is dated 19 Jul -- the day after Dr Kelly's death -- and
was addressed to a number of snr Downing St staff, including
Alastair Campbell, the PM's former dir of communications.
Under the heading "Lines re independent Lord Hutton inquiry and Dr
David Kelly", it suggested that MPs mix sympathy with the family with
an attempt to forestall calls for a recall of parliament.
Among its suggested responses are: "No-one pretends that this hasn't
been a difficult period for everyone involved -- the govt, parliament
and I accept, the BBC. Equally, I know that no-one wanted this
controversy to end the way it has. But we should all recognise and
keep at the forefront of our minds that today a family is mourning the
loss of a husband, a father and a friend."
Mr Kelly suggests that MPs use the Hutton Inquiry as an excuse for not
getting drawn into arguments about the background to Dr Kelly's death,
while again referring to the family of Dr Kelly.
The suggested line was: "So we should let Lord Hutton establish the
facts and do nothing or say anything that pre-empts his investigation
... Because most of all the people we should consider are the family
of David Kelly."
Mr Kelly's final suggestion is that they should urge people to wait
before jumping to conclusions.
US: N Korea nuke plant activity stops
Washington (AP). Plutonium reprocessing activity at a key N Korean
site has apparently ceased, US officials said Thu.
It is unclear why the N Koreans stopped work at their reprocessing
plant at Yongbyon, the officials said, speaking on the condition of
anonymity.
Presumably, they either chose to stop or had technical problems at the
plant. Unless something broke, the plant could be restarted at any time.
The plant turns spent nuclear fuel rods into plutonium that can be
used in nuclear weapons. It's the only one the N Koreans are known to
have. At the same site is a nuclear reactor that can make the spent
fuel rods.
Also Thu, officials said N Korea appears to be developing a new
intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of reaching the US. The
missile hasn't been tested.
The N Korean move at its nuclear site in Yongbyon was 1st reported in
Thu editions of the LA Times.
The US officials declined to say precisely when activity at the
Yongbyon stopped, although other officials had said as recently as
last m that low-level reprocessing was under way.
The N Koreans restarted the reactor at Yongbyon in late Feb. They are
also thought to have accessed some 8,000 ready-to-reprocess spent fuel
rods that had been in storage.
Reprocessing work may have begun sometime in the late spring or summer.
It is unclear whether N Korea could have reprocessed enough spent fuel
to make a nuclear weapon. Washington estimates they already have at
least 1 or 2.
Experts had previously estimated that running the plant at full speed
could make 5 or 6 new nuclear weapons out of the 8,000 rods at the
rate of 1 per m. But officials had previously described the
activity at Yongbyon as small in scale.
The N Koreans claimed they finished reprocessing the rods in Apr, but
W intel officials don't believe them.
Their new missile may have a range of 15,000 km, a distance within
the range of any US state or territory, 2 US govt officials said.
Until now, the limit of N Korea's missile range was thought by US
defence experts to have been Alaska or Hawaii for heavier payloads and
the W half of the continental US for lighter payloads.
Whether Pyongyang could reach US targets with a nuclear warhead is not
clear; officials are not certain whether their nuclear weapons are
small enough to fit on their missiles.
Some officials said the new missiles based on Russia's SS-N-6 "Serb,"
a Soviet-era, submarine-launched ballistic missile. This suggests
cooperation, at a minimum, from Russian scientists or other entities,
the officials said.
The Admin has raised the issue with Russian govt officials, who
indicated surprise and disapproval of the activity, according to the
US officials.
However, other US officials said the N Korean missile may be based on
an indigenous design, rather than a Russian one.
North Korea's possession of missiles with a range covering almost half
the planet could add a troubling dimension to its dispute with the US
over its nuclear weapons program.
In the absence of a proliferation agreement, the N could cap its
missiles with nuclear warheads, leaving US cities vulnerable to attack.
North Korea has maintained a moratorium on missile tests since 1998.
But the country is believed to be obtaining info about the viability
of its missiles from Iran, which has been receiving missile technology
from N Korea and carrying out missile tests.
Two weeks ago, officials from N Korea and the US, along with China, S
Korea, Japan and Russia, met in Beijing to discuss ways of surmounting
an impasse over the North's nuclear weapons programs.
State Dept rep Richard Boucher said the Admin hopes to deal with
Pyongyang's missile program at a later stage of the talks. The
discussions are expected to resume next m.
Boucher declined comment on the reported N Korean activity but
cautioned Pyongyang against "any further provocative steps or
difficulties."
"It's important for N Korea to think about moving in the right
direction and not take steps in the wrong direction," Boucher said.
North Korea once again rejected the US demand that it give up its
nuclear weapons program, saying it has no intention of disarming
itself completely.
In a commentary Fri, N Korea's official newspaper Rodong Sinmun also
accused the US of "seeking to mount a pre-emptive nuclear attack,"
according to the official KCNA news agency.
North Korea wants the US to 1st sign a nonaggression treaty and
normalise relations before it can feel safe enough to scrap its
nuclear program. Washington says it could consider security guarantees
and economic help if Pyongyang abandons the program first.
Israeli troops roll into West Bank
Tulkarem. Israeli troops have entered the West Bank town of Tulkarem,
embarking on a series of house-to-house searches and imposing a
curfew. Palestinian security sources and witnesses say around 15
tanks and jeeps entered the town early in the afternoon, local time,
and imposed the curfew by loud hailer. They say Palestinian youths
began throwing stones at the troops who returned fire, although it is
not immediately clear if the soldiers used rubber-coated bullets or
live rounds. There are no immediate reports of injuries. An Israeli
military source has confirmed Israeli Defence Forces went into the
town in what he has called a routine operation, but he has denied a
curfew has been imposed.
Palestinians urged to protect Arafat from exile
The Israeli Cabinet has approved, in-principle, Mr Arafat's removal.
Ramallah (AFP). Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement is urging Palestinians
to stay at his HQ around the clock, to protect the
Palestinian Pres from any Israeli attempt to force him into exile.
The US has joined a growing chorus of opp'n to Israel's decision to
remove Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat, after the security
cabinet described him as an absolute obstacle to peace.
While a cabinet statement does not explicitly mention the expulsion of
Mr Arafat, a Govt rep says various options are being explored.
The statement says Mr Arafat is an absolute obstacle to the process of
reconciliation between Israel and the Palestinians.
It says Israel will act to remove the obstacle.
"The events of these last few days have proved again that Yasser
Arafat is an absolute obstacle to all attempts at reconciliation
between the Israelis and the Palestinians," the statement said.
"Israel will act to remove this obstacle in a manner and at a time
which will be decided afterwards."
The army has been asked to draw up plans, although a rep for Israeli
PM Ariel Sharon says this does not only include expulsion.
The statement is intended as a strong warning to Mr Arafat, following
this week's suicide bombings in Israel, which left 15 people dead.
* Palestinians rally
10s of 1000s of Palestinians have taken to the streets of the West
Bank and Gaza Strip in defiant rallies protesting against Israel's decision.
"It is true the Palestinians do not own tanks but they own the
determination to resist this Israeli decision," Ahmed Ghneim, a snr
official in Arafat's mainstream political movement, said.
"We call on the Palestinian people to be present at Abu Ammar's [Mr
Arafat's] compound day and night so the [Israeli] occupiers realise
that the people will defend their leadership."
Mr Arafat addressed the crowd at his headquarters, saying "no-one can
kick me out".
"They can kill me kill me with bombs but I will not leave."
Palestinian prime minister-designate Ahmed Qurie has threatened to
call off efforts to form a new govt in further protest at the decision.
"If the Govt of Israel doesn't revise its position, if it continues to
use the principle of force and violence against the Palestinian people
and its leadership, in this case any composition of any Palestinian
govt will become an issue without substance," he said.
"This is the reason why I will study the possibility of suspending any
efforts to form a Palestinian govt under such pressure and such threats
that only benefit the enemies of peace."
But a Whitehouse official says expelling the chairman would give him
a wider internat'l stage.
Egypt has warned it would be a monumental error that could lead to
fresh violence.
Pres Jacques Chirac, of France, says it would be a mistake to sideline
Mr Arafat.
Fatah urges Palestinians to shield Arafat
Gaza (Reuters). Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement urged Palestinians to
stay around the clock at his headquarters to protect the Palestinian
Pres from any Israeli attempt to force him into exile.
"It is true the Palestinians do not own tanks but they own the
determination to resist this Israeli decision," Ahmed Ghneim, a snr
official in Arafat's mainstream political movement, told reporters in
the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Using Mr Arafat's nom de guerre, he said, "we call on the Palestinian
people to be present at Abu Ammar's [Arafat] compound day and night so
the [Israeli] occupiers realise that the people will defend their
leadership".
10s of 1000s of Palestinians took to the streets of the West Bank and
Gaza Strip in defiant rallies after Israel's cabinet decided in
principle to expel Mr Arafat as an obstacle to peace, a charge he denies.
Mr Arafat vowed to crowds outside his presidential offices he would
stay put, come what may.
About 200 people were at Mr Arafat's headquarters late in the evening,
singing and waving posters of the Pres and Palestinian flags.
Some said they would sleep there.
Mr Arafat was receiving and shaking hands with many of the supporters.
Canadian freed in Lebanon
Beirut. Amid increased internat'l and media attention, Bruce Balfour,
the brother of a Smithers man, was released from prison last wk in
Beirut, Lebanon, and ordered out of the Middle Eastern country.
Balfour, a 52-yo Calgary resident, was working as the field director
of the Cedars of Lebanon Reforestation Project when he was arrested in
Beirut on Jul 10.
He was held in prison for close to 2 m on a charge of collaborating
with an enemy state, in this case, Israel. At his 3rd appearance
before a Lebanese military tribunal on Sep 1, Balfour was convicted of
a lesser charge (inciting sectarian sentiments), fined and banned from
Lebanon for 5 years.
Balfour told reporters at London's Heathrow Airport Sep 3 that his
conditions in prison were horrible, with 5 or 10 people jammed into
a 3-m space with a hole in the corner for a toilet.
Balfour also told reporters that Canadian consular officials in Beirut
were instrumental in speeding up his release.
"The embassy has been working very, very closely with me," he told CBC
TV. "They helped me get through this a little quicker than otherwise."
Once he returns to Calgary, Balfour will continue his work with the
Maranatha Evangelistic Association, which oversees the Cedars of
Lebanon project. The group has been attempting to replant Lebanon's
ancient cedars.
Although anything could have happened to his brother while in custody,
Ken Balfour of Smithers told The Interior News in Aug that he was
optimistic about the situation
Copycat neck bomb bank theft in US
Lathrop (AP). A woman arrested for robbing a Missouri bank appeared
to have copied an earlier robbery that left a pizza delivery man dead.
Police said the 49-yo woman left the bank in Lathrop with an
unspecified amount of cash after warning the teller she was "wired" to
a device around her neck.
FBI rep Jeff Lanza said the case bore similarities to an Aug 28
robbery in Pennsylvania.
Pizza delivery man Brian Douglas Wells was captured with a bomb locked
around his neck and told police he had been forced to rob the bank. He
was killed when the bomb exploded minutes later.
Lanza said the woman robbed the bank while wearing a device around her
neck, dark glasses and an earpiece that appeared to be attached to a
mouth microphone
She demanded money and said she did not have much time, Lanza said.
"She didn't say it was a bomb, but she alluded to the fact that she
was wired and pointed to the device around her neck," he said.
The woman also said a van with explosives was in front of a school,
but no explosives were found.
The woman was arrested and the money recovered after police traced her
licence plate to a home NE of Kansas City.
Lanza said he did not know what the woman had around her neck, but it
was not a bomb.
Authorities said they believe the woman acted alone. Lanza said he
expected fed charges to be filed against her Fri.
Meanwhile, authorities working on the Pennsylvania case released a
sketch of someone they wanted to question: a man seen walking out of
the woods behind a store where police stopped Wells.
Officials did not call the man a suspect.
4 sailors disciplined over "Nottingham" grounding
London (AFP). 4 Brit naval officers have been given reprimands or
dismissed from their ship at a court martial over their handling of
HMS Nottingham off Lord Howe Island off Qld last y.
All 4, including the captain, remain in the Royal Navy despite the
costly and embarrassing error that caused the vessel to run aground.
The Nottingham hit rocks just off Lord Howe Island, leaving a 30-m
rip in the hull.
The ship was only just saved from sinking.
Commander Richard Farrington, the captain of the Type 42 destroyer,
pleaded guilty to delegating conduct of the ship without insuring a
sufficient navigational plan.
He was not on board at the time of the grounding and has been
reprimanded The officer of the watch, Lieutenant James Denney, pleaded
guilty to negligently causing Nottingham to be stranded off Lord Howe
Island in Qld on Jul 7, 2002.
He has been dismissed.
Lieutenant Andrew Ingham, the navigating officer, and Lieutenant
Commander John Lea, the executive officer, both pleaded guilty to
negligently allowing the Nottingham to be stranded off Lord Howe Is.
Lt Ingham has been reprimanded, while Lieutenant Lea has been dismissed.
A jr officer had accidentally left a navigational pointer on the chart
that obscured dangerous rocks.
The incident has cost the Brit navy more than $90 mn in repairs.
The vessel had to be taken back to the UK aboard a transport ship.
Work is still being carried out by a private contractor to repair
wiring and other internal structures affected by sea water which
poured into the vessel when it ran aground.
The warship is expected to be ready for sea trials in the 2Q04 before
it can re-enter service.
Swedish police hunt For Min's assassin
Anna Lindh was one of Sweden's most popular politicians
Stockholm (Reuters). Police in Sweden say they are hunting what they
describe as a stout and dishevelled assassin, who is likely to have
acted alone in the fatal stabbing of For Min Anna Lindh yesterday.
Doctors spent nearly 10 hours trying to stem Ms Lindh's severe
internal bleeding, but she died in the early hours of Thu morning.
She had been stabbed in the stomach, chest and arm while shopping in
an up-market dept store.
Police say initial inquiries suggest the attacker probably acted on
the spur of the moment.
Rep Stev Heckscher says while the likely murder weapon has been found,
film from surveillance cameras at the Stockholm dept store where Ms
Lindh was stabbed has not revealed any further clues.
"It's too early to say too much about the different possible motives,"
Mr Heckscher said.
"We need to see all doors open -- it's very important particularly at
this stage of this investigation not to close any doors, not to too
certain about any particular hypothesis."
It is believed the assailant escaped down and escalator, but a ground
and air search has failed to provide any leads.
* Condolences
Announcing the death of a woman many thought might one day be Sweden's
leader, PM Goran Persson says Anna Lindh's death was an attack on
Swedish society.
"It is with great sorrow that I received the news that Anna Lindh has
died of the injuries she suffered," Mr Persson told reporters.
"It feels unreal, it is hard to understand."
The attack brought back memories of the assassination of former prime
minister Olof Palme as he was leaving a cinema in downtown Stockholm
in 1986.
The AUS For Min, Alexander Downer, says he was saddened to learn of
the death of his Swedish counterpart.
Mr Downer says he knew Ms Lindh personally and considered her to be a
good friend of AUS.
French Pres Jacques Chirac has expressed his sadness, while the
European Parliament observed a few moments' silence in her memory.
Brit For Sec Jack Straw also expressed his "shock and condolences"
describing the stabbing as "an appalling event."
German For Min Joschka Fischer paid an emotional tribute Ms Lindh.
"Mrs Lindh was a great European, a great foreign minister and also a
very good friend," Fischer, clearly fighting back tears, told
reporters in Berlin.
"Our thoughts are with her family and her colleagues in the Swedish
Govt," he said.
Germany's Bundestag Lower House of Parliament held a minute's silence
after the news of her death was announced.
"I am only able to express our horror at this act and compassion for
her loved ones," said the Speaker of the House, Wolfgang Thierse.
"Our solidarity is with the Swedish people, Parliament and Govt."
US plans for mercy mission to sick Antarctic worker
Washington. US authorities are considering a potentially dangerous
mercy mission to rescue a sick worker stranded in Antarctica. The
Nat'l Science Foundation plans to launch the mission from either Chile
or New Zealand to the S Pole, which is shrouded continually in
darkness at this time of y making flying into the frozen continent
difficult. The Foundation says it is concerned that the individual's
condition could worsen and several rescue plans are being explored.
It has declined to disclose the name of the patient or the condition
other than to say the person was an employee of a polar services company.
US sues company for importing drugs from Canada
Washington (Reuters). The US Justice Dept on Thu sued the drug store
chain Rx Depot Inc and asked a court to stop the company from
importing discounted prescription drugs from Canada in violation of
fed law.
In a filing with the US District Court in Oklahoma, the Justice Dept
requested an injunction against Rx Depot Inc, Rx Canada, Rx Depot
Pres Carl Moore and Secretary David Peoples.
Moore said the lawsuit had been expected and said he and his company
would fight it.
Prescription drugs are usually cheaper in neighbouring Canada, often a
fraction of US prices. But the US govt has opposed efforts to create
an importation plan that supporters say would particularly help the
elderly pay for medicine.
Before filing for the injunction, the Justice Dept, at the urging of
the US Food and Drug Admin, sent Moore a letter asking the Tulsa,
Oklahoma-based company to stop its activity.
"The defendants cause the importation of prescription drugs from
Canadian pharmacies, which clearly violates the law and poses
significant risks to the public health," the govt said in the court
filing.
"Drugs that are imported from foreign countries do not have the same
assurance of safety and efficacy as drugs that are regulated by FDA,"
it said. "Because the drugs are not subject to FDA oversight and are
not continuously under the custody of a US manufacturer or authorised
distributor, their quality is unpredictable."
The govt said the drugs could be counterfeit or contain "erratic
amounts" of the active ingredient, or could have been held under
uncertain storage conditions.
"In addition, the defendants expose their customers to potentially
life-threatening problems by dispensing a greater quantity of drugs
than is requested by the prescribing physician."
The complaint charged that Rx Depot advertises and sells preset
quantities of drugs and dispenses those quantities regardless of how
much drug is prescribed. It said the company does not give directions
instructing patients to take the drug for only the number of days
prescribed by their doctor.
Moore said his company abides by the law, and he disputed the idea
that the imported drugs might be unsafe.
"Re-importation has been in place for years," he said. "We're just
simply not going to be slapped in the face like that."
Rx Depot does business in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and has stores in a number
of locations around the US. It imports US- and foreign-manufactured
prescription drugs from Canadian pharmacies and sells them to US
citizens, the Justice Dept said.
Rx Canada is a separate US entity owned by Moore's son. It is involved
in the same business.
In recent m a handful of big drug makers, led by GlaxoSmithKline Plc
and Pfizer Inc., have moved to block their drugs from being shipped
from Canadian pharmacies to US customers, citing safety concerns.
Asylum seekers more expensive than prisoners: Sen
Canberra. Fed Govt figures reveal it costs more than $600 a day to
keep asylum seekers at the Christmas Island detention centre. Figures
provided by Justice Min Chris Ellison to Greens Sen Bob Brown show it
costs $415 a day to detain asylum seekers at the Baxter centre in SA.
It costs $627 per day to hold detainees on Christmas Island. Sen
Brown says the costs are astonishing. "It costs a State Govt about
$177 a day to keep a murderer in a maximum security prison, but here
we've got innocent detainees costing the taxpayer $627 a day," he
said. The remote location of the detention centres increases the
costs. Sen Ellison says newly-arrived asylum seekers are taken to
Christmas Island so that they can be interviewed without coaching by
other detainees.
ACT prison services computers stolen
Canberra. ACT Corrective Services has confirmed its offices were
broken into on Tue night, with 1000s of dollars worth of computers and
other equipment stolen. The Govt agency is responsible for the
management of the Belconnen Remand Centre, and transports prisoners
between states. ACT Corrective Services head James Ryan believes the
burglary was merely about money. He says the stolen computer
contained no classified info. "There was nothing of consequence at
all on the hard drive," Mr Ryan said. "I can say fairly confidently
there was nothing of consequence on that that could cause any
embarrassment."
Suspicious transactions point to growing cash economy
Canberra. The fed agency responsible for monitoring suspicious money
transactions says the cash economy appears to have expanded
significantly in recent years. Austrac provides financial intel to
the tax office based on reports of suspicious transactions involving
amounts over $10,000. Its acting deputy director, Paul Ryan, today
told a Senate committee it is receiving more reports. He also says
the amounts involved are increasing. "From the Jul 1, 2000 to Jun 30,
2001 there was approximately about a 10 per cent increase in the
amount of cash transactions reported to... Austrac, that is the value
of those transactions," he said. "First of Jul 2001 to the 30th of
Jun 2002, the%age increase in cash reported to Austrac, that is the
value of the cash, was about 24 per cent." [In other reports, an ATO
official has told committee hearings that some "reasonably large
companies" have been found never to have filed tax returns].
Flight diverted as court orders toddler off plane
Sydney (Reuters). Singapore Airlines says it will participate in
investigations to see if a 3-yo boy could have been prevented from
boarding an aircraft in SYD, NSW, last night.
Airline rep Stephen Foreshaw says the Family Court ordered the flight
to be diverted to Darwin, in the N Territory, because the boy was the
subject of an order preventing him from leaving the country.
The boy boarded the flight with a woman.
Mr Foreshaw says the incident will be the subject of an investigation
to determine how airlines can work with the authorities in such cases.
"We are very interested in talking to the authorities about whether
something could be done to prevent this diversion from having to take
place, to prevent this boy from having to get on the aircraft in the
1st place," Mr Foreshaw said.
"Obviously it's very distressing for a very young child to be involved
in something like this.
"It's also very inconvenient for the other 370 passengers on the
aircraft to have to be diverted in to Darwin."
Mr Foreshaw says the aircraft had to make a wide diversion from its
intended flight path.
"The flight was on the ground only for a short time, only under an
hour," he said.
"That enabled the police to take the boy off the aircraft, to unload
the luggage that was accompanying that boy and for the pilot to file a
new flight plan to continue onto Singapore.
"The end result, however, will be that the aircraft will be around 2
hours late in to Singapore."
Mr Foreshaw says it cost 10s of 1000s of dollars to divert the Boeing
747 to Darwin.
"There's obviously a very high cost -- the cost of landing, of
handling the aircraft on the ground, the cost of fuel and so on, all
add up," he said.
"But fundamentally, the issue that the court is actually rightly
concerned about is the welfare of the child.
"To that extent, the extent that there is a cost, we'll obviously work
through what that cost is, we'll work through any processes that might
be available to recover that cost."
The airline will ask the AUS Fed Police how the boy was able to board
the flight.
Kids in hospital after cannabis overdose
Adelaide. Two young girls are in a satisfactory condition in Adel's
Women's and Children's Hospital, after suffering cannabis poisoning.
The girls' carers have been arrested. The 2 girls, aged 3 and 4, were
admitted to the intensive care unit of the Women's and Children's
Hospital last night. Police say they had eaten food laced with
cannabis and inhaled cannabis smoke. Their carers, Karen Leanne
Anderson, 33, and Anthony John Patten, 22, both from Elizabeth Park in
Adel's N, have been arrested and remain in police custody. Anderson
is facing 2 counts of acts to endanger life, and Patten is facing one
charge. The 2 will appear in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court this
afternoon. The incident comes at the end of Child Protection Week.
Legal action delays Ansett payments
Millions owning: former Ansett staff are still awaiting their entitlements
Sydney (ABC). [On the 2nd anniversary of the collapse of Ansett
airlines former employees are still waiting for $mns in back-pay and
other payments]. 1000s of former Ansett staff are still owed $mns in
entitlements, but the Ansett administrator must repay a $335 mn Fed
Govt loan before employees receive their share.
It is 2 y today since the airline collapsed.
AUS Services Union secretary Ingrid Stitt says 12,000 former Ansett
staff are still owed $335 mn in redundancy payments.
She says the $280 mn collected by the Fed Govt in Ansett ticket taxes
has not been passed on to workers.
Ms Stitt says the tax has been collected under false pretences.
"The reality was that sometime before that, the Fed Govt forwarded a
loan to the administrators of Ansett of some $335 mn and that was to
cover some basic entitlements, but all of that money must be paid back
by the administrators," Ms Stitt said.
"So the $280 mn raised by Ansett ticket tax is not part of any
equation whatsoever.
"I think that most reasonable Aussies would think that 2 y after the
collapse of a company, with staff having received only a small amount
of their entitlements, is not a satisfactory situation for any company
in this country."
Former Ansett employees say they are growing increasingly frustrated
by the delays in redundancy payments.
Former flight attendant Joe Galliano says he has $45,000 worth of
entitlements outstanding.
"The $10 ticket levy is still being kept by the Govt and so none of
that money is actually going to Ansett employees," he said.
"The Govt is actually keeping that ticket levy and they say any
surplus, supposedly after asset sales and payment to Ansett employees,
will go into the tourism industry."
Admin Mark Korda says the money is there but is subject to legal
action by the employees' superannuation fund.
He says the Govt is holding onto $280 mn collected in Ansett ticket taxes.
"If we are successful in the super case we will repay them a
substantial amount of the $335 mn and then there will be a surplus out
of their ticket levy," Mr Mentha said.
Man to stand trial over Monash Uni shootings
Melbourne. A man has been committed to stand trial over last y's
fatal shootings at Monash University, in MEL. Two students were
killed and 5 people were injured in the shooting. Huan Yun Xiang,
37, of Clayton, has been charged with 2 counts of murder and 5
counts of attempted murder. The MEL Magistrates Court has heard Xiang
was armed with a number of guns and believed it was his destiny to
kill fellow student William Wu and any other student like him. Monash
University staff told the committal hearing Xiang was a quiet and
successful student but was known to be abrupt, could become difficult
if things did not go his way, and may have been paranoid about other
students. The magistrate found there was sufficient evidence to
commit Xiang to the Supreme Court. He reserved his plea and did not
apply for bail.
Museums repatriate Aboriginal remains
Canberra. Aboriginal remains collected from museums across AUS will
be returned to their origins in Kimberley in W AUS, as part of a
repatriation program. The move has been welcomed by Indigenous
communities. The remains of about 60 people have been gathered from
AUS museums over the past 3 m as part of a nationwide program. They
are currently being kept by the WA museum before being returned to
communities in the Kimberley. Anthropologist Kim Ackerman says some
of the remains were taken by 19th Century collectors in the name of
science, but most have been uncovered from burial sites disturbed by
construction or cyclones. "There is a recognition now that it's not
appropriate for institutions to hold these remains," Ms Ackerman said.
"In some instances... they were removed in most dubious
circumstances." Aboriginal leaders have welcomed the return of the
remains but it is yet to be decided where they will now be kept.
Water tank rules to be simplified
Sydney. The state govt has unveiled the next stage in their plans to
curb NSW's water usage, moving to simplify the rules for using
rainwater around the home.
Energy and Utilities Min Frank Sartor said the current regulations
governing the use of rainwater tanks needed revising.
Residents needed to be empowered to make their own decisions about
using water tanks, because ultimately if a householder wanted to drink
water from a tank, they should be able to, he said.
The minister said it was important that the rules governing tanks take
into account effective measures to prevent rainwater flowing back into
the main supply.
"If I can streamline the plumbing arrangements for water tanks, it'll
make it much simpler and less costly for people to install rainwater
tanks," Mr Sartor told reporters.
"Rainwater tanks are really about harvesting rain water in SYD, which
has a much higher rainfall than in the Warragamba catchment area."
The plan comes the day after the govt announced the early introduction
of mandatory water restrictions.
From Oct 1, SYD Water customers in SYD, Illawarra and the Blue
Mountains will be banned from using sprinklers and watering systems or
hosing hard surfaces like driveways and cars.
Mr Sartor said the govt would continue to look at new ways of
addressing the state's growing water crisis, particularly with the
ongoing drought and rising water use.
"More and more we'll be looking to find means of finding alternative
sources of water, harvesting rainwater, recycling water and of course
conserving water," he said.
"We're approaching this problem from all angles."
Sydney. MARKETS! The ASX has ended the week with a 3rd session in the
red. The All Ords lost 2 pts to close at 3,195. The Nikkei added 166
pts to end the wk at 10,713. The Hang Send added 73 to close at 10,884.
{{
6 pm
Tokyo. Typhoon Maemi is heading toward the Korean peninsula after
slamming into Japan's S Okinawan islands, leaving 1 dead and 94
injured. Local authorities say the storm packed 144 kph winds and was
the worst to hit S Japan in 30 y. Maemi is now in the sea of Japan
and on a path to hit the Korean peninsula. 1 elderly woman died in
Okinawa and 94 people were wounded, 1 seriously.
Bris. Firefighters are battling several bushfires in SE Qld as gusty
winds fan flames in hot, dry conditions. The Qld Fire and Rescue
Service says a park burn-off which started Wed has spread and jumped
the Cunningham Hgwy nr Cunningham's Gap. The highway is expected to
remain closed for the rest of the day, with smoke hampering
visibility. A fire which began this morning in the Sunshine Coast
hinterland is burning over several ha along the Kenilworth-Eumundi rd.
Cancun. S Korean demonstrators at the WTO conf are demanding the 5-day
meeting end immediately following the suicide of a protester. Clad in
vests bearing the words "WTO kills", the anti-globalisation protesters
paid a moving tribute to Lee Kyang Hae -- a Korean farmer -- at the
spot where he stabbed himself during a demonstration on Wed. At the
WTO conf, SK Trade Min Hung Dae Yung says his delegation fully
understands Lee's message. He says they will make every effort to
advance their interests in ag negotiations at the WTO.
Yesterday, a Cambodian delegate told the BBC his country had been
forced to accept unfavourable conditions in order to secure membership
of the WTO. Cambodia and Nepal have just become full WTO members. The
Cambodian rep said it was better to join a club with a rich man than
not to join. If you joined the club, he said, there was at least the
possibility of benefiting from membership.
Cancun. Developing countries have rejected demands led by the EU and
Japan for new guidelines to govern foreign investment. Malaysia's
Trade Min, Rafidah Aziz, says the plan for investment rules is an
"exercise in futility". The rhetoric reflects the deep divisions on a
host of issues that Ministers meeting at the 146-member WTO conf in
Mexico need to narrow by Sun. It's hoped the talks will revive
stalled global trade negotiations.
Auckland. NZ's move to lift a ban on importing GMO's has angered
environmentalists. Many NZ-ers believe growing genetically modified
foods runs counter to their national identity. And an opinion poll
found 69% of Kiwis oppose it because not enough is known about the
long-term consequences of alerting the genetic composition of plants.
But PM Helen Clark's Labour govt is continuing preparations for
lifting the moratorium.
Stockholm. Swedish police have denied a report saying they're holding
a suspect in the killing of For Min Anna Lindh. Lindh was stabbed to
death yesterday while shopping in a Stockholm dept store. She was one
of the most outspoken supports of the euro. Analysts and markets are
betting her murder will bolster support for a "yes" vote in Sun's
referendum. The "no" position had been holding onto a lead until yesterday.
New Orleans. A drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico has collapsed,
plunging more than 40 workers into the sea. Vessels in the area
quickly rescued most of the people who went overboard, and 2 more were
picked up by Coast Guard choppers and flown to a Missouri hospital.
The cause of the collapse, about 45 km S of Horn Is, Mississippi, is
not yet known. The rig had 40,000 L of diesel fuel on board, and the
accident caused a sheen about 200 m wide and 6 km long.
Canberra. Veterans and war widows will receive more in their pension
packets from next m. Vet disability payments will increase by up to
$9.80 per fortnight. [Can they spare it!?] Vet Affairs Min Danna Vale
says the rises will take the Totally and Permanently Incapacitated
rate to $762.60 per fortnight. War widows will receive an extra
$12.50 per fortnight, taking their pensions to $477.80. Maximum rate
single service pensions will receive up to an addition $325 pa as
fortnightly pensions are increased to $452.80.
9.30 pm
SYD. Internat'l authorities have broken a transnational drug
trafficking ring after seizing AUS's biggest pseudoephedrine haul.
The drug was moulded into decorative wall plaques and shipped into AUS
from Thailand. AUS Customs officers found the haul, with a wholesale
value of $40.5 mn, in a 20-ft shipping containers on Sep 4. The
seizure and arrest of 4 Australians marks the 3rd and final stage of a
9-m operation headed by the AUS Crime Commission. [SBS TV later
reported the 750 kg of drug was worth $1.4 bn. It was found in a
container at the port of MEL].
It's been revealed millionaires are using the fed govt's $7,000 First
Home Buyer's grant to buy mansions in MEL's exclusive suburbs.
Canberra. A shipment of 50,000 live sheep prev rejected by Saudi
Arabia has now been rejected by a 2nd, un-named country. [But some
reports say it's the UAE]. With 100s of animals now said to be dead
on board the ship, the RSPCA and Green Sen Bob Brown are calling for
the animals to be put down. The Live Export Corp says the sheep -- on
board the SS Corvo Express -- are now on their way to a 3rd port, but
will not arrive for 3 to 5 days.
}}
=== end 1/2 ===