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. Arafat, Fatah To Back New Palestinian Cabinet .

. VOA News 28 Apr 2003, 14:33 UTC x x

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Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement says it will support the new cabinet proposed by the Palestinian prime minister-designate, Mahmoud Abbas. 

A senior Fatah member, Nabil Shaath, says Mr. Arafat and Fatah will give the cabinet all the backing it needs to win a vote of confidence in the Palestinian legislature. 

The vote is scheduled for Tuesday. A "yes" vote would open the way for the United States to present a Middle East peace plan that envisions Palestinian statehood within the next three years. President Bush has tied release of the so-called "roadmap" plan to installation of a new Palestinian government with a strong prime minister. 

The Abbas cabinet needs to win a simple majority of 43 out of 85 legislators. Fatah commands a solid parliamentary majority, and Palestinian officials say Mr. Abbas appears to have the necessary votes. However, some pro-reform lawmakers have criticized the new cabinet, saying it does not have enough new faces. 

Israel says it will allow all Palestinian lawmakers to attend the parliamentary session in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Over the past two years, Israeli travel restrictions have blocked some lawmakers in Gaza from entering the West Bank to attend parliamentary meetings. 

On Sunday, Mr. Abbas said he will not travel abroad to meet with foreign leaders until Israel removes all travel restrictions on Mr. Arafat. 

The prime minister-designate accused Israel of mounting a siege against Mr. Arafat by imposing conditions that have kept the Palestinian leader under virtual house arrest in his Ramallah compound for more than a year. 

Mr. Abbas' declaration is seen as an obstacle to President Bush's Middle East peace efforts. Mr. Bush has said he wants to invite the new Palestinian government chief to the White House for talks. 

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. Blair Warns Against Cold War-Style Division Between Europe and America .

. VOA News 28 Apr 2003, 16:02 UTC x x

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British Prime Minister Tony Blair says it would be disastrous if the differences over Iraq spawn a Cold War-style trans-Atlantic division between Europe and the United States. 

Mr. Blair told a London news conference Monday he fears divisions reminiscent of the Cold War could emerge if Europe and the United States fail to deal with the world on the basis of partnership. Mr. Blair said it would be dangerous if the two became rival centers of power. 

In an earlier interview, Mr. Blair warned against French President Jacques Chirac's call for a strong European Union to act as a counterweight to "unilateral" U.S. foreign policy. Mr. Blair stressed that he wants a stronger Europe, but not one that sets itself against the United States. 

Mr. Blair said the quickest way to push America toward solitary action is to set up a rival center of power. Mr. Blair said Britain, France, Germany and other European nations need to debate what their relationship with the United States should be. 

Sharp divisions between European countries and the United States arose following disagreements over the war in Iraq. Britain and Spain backed the U.S.-led war, while France, Germany and Belgium were some of the most outspoken critics of the conflict. 

The prime ministers of Belgium, France, Germany and Luxembourg - most of whom opposed the U.S.-led war in Iraq - hold a mini-summit in Brussels Tuesday on security issues. Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhoftstadt told the daily Le Soir Monday the summit is not directed against NATO or the United States but aims to improve European defense cooperation. 

Mr. Blair called for Britain to maintain both trans-Atlantic ties and a leading role in the European Union. He said that for Britain to remove itself from the strategic alliance of Europe would be an act of "self-mutilation as a country." 

The British prime minister's comments Monday came ahead of a trip to Moscow, where he hopes to repair some of the damage to the United Nations caused by the conflict in Iraq. Russia was an opponent of the war. 

Mr. Blair said he will talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the role of the United Nations in relation to Iraq. He said he believes there is a "better atmosphere" developing among members of the United Nations. 

Some information for this report provided by AFP and AP.

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. Colombia rebel leader surrenders .

. BBC -- Monday, 28 April, 2003, 17:06 GMT 18:06 UK x x

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Uribe wants more rebels to lay down their arms

A Colombian guerrilla commander has been presented to the country's media by President Alvaro Uribe as the first rebel leader to join the government's demobilisation programme.

The man, identified as Fidel Romero, said he had given himself up because he was tired of fighting a war that had no visible end.

He urged fellow fighters from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to turn themselves in. 

Mr Uribe said last week that he believed the FARC - Colombia's biggest rebel group - was split between those who back political negotiations with his government and those who only want more violence.

The latest developments come as the government and the FARC are trying to reach agreement on a crucial element of any peace moves - the conditions for an exchange of prisoners.

Life as a fighter 

Mr Romero, also known as Rafael Rojas Zuniga, was in charge of the FARC's 46th Front in the southern Santander department, Colombian media reported.

Addressing a news conference, he said he had spent 20 years as a guerrilla and had not been able to see his daughters for the past three years. 

The decision to give himself up was "voluntary", he said, adding that he hoped other guerrillas would follow his example. 

Defence Minister Martha Lucia Ramirez said all the necessary guarantees were in place for all those rebels who wanted to demobilise.

Mr Uribe came to power on a promise to crack down on the guerrilla groups who have waged a left-wing insurgency for nearly 40 years. 

But during the recent Easter holiday, the security forces were unable to prevent rebel attacks and more than 20 people died in heavy fighting.

The BBC's Jeremy McDermott in Colombia said the rebels' aim was simple - to show Colombians that Mr Uribe's promises to restore order was a pipe-dream. 

 

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. Iraqi Reconstruction Leaders Disagree Over US Role .

. VOA News 28 Apr 2003, 17:08 UTC x x

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Delegates of Iraqi groups meeting in Baghdad have voiced sharp disagreement over how big a role the United States should play in rebuilding the war-torn country. 

Some leaders of Iraqi exile groups say the United States should stay in the background and allow only Iraqis to run the country. However, representatives of groups who stayed and suffered under the Baathist regime say they want more U.S. supervision. They say they are concerned about threats posed by pockets of Saddam loyalists still inside Iraq. 

Both sides aired opinions during Monday's conference in downtown Baghdad with U.S. and British officials. 

In his opening remarks, the U.S. official in charge of rebuilding post-war Iraq, Jay Garner, said the goal of the one-day session is to start the process of democracy in Iraq. 

The retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General exchanged views with more than 250 delegates representing Sunni and Shi-ite Muslim, ethnic Kurdish and tribal groups. 

A senior U.S. official says another session will be held within three weeks in northern Iraq, most likely in the city of Mosul. 

Meanwhile, Reuters news agency quotes Iraqi National Congress spokesman, Zaab Sethna, as saying six Iraqi faction leaders plan to meet Wednesday to discuss proposals made by General Garner at Monday's session, as well as a joint position on an interim Iraqi government. 

The spokesman says the six Iraqi faction leaders include Iraqi National Congress chief Ahmad Chalabi, Jalal Talabani of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Massoud Barzani of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and Abdel-Aziz al-Hakim of the Iran-based Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq. 

Reuters says none of the four attended the Monday meeting. 

The spokesman says General Garner gave his support to the Wednesday meeting but declared it could go ahead only if the United States provided security. 

Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.

Can Religious Extremist Groups Have a Role in Iraqi Democracy?

Women Wonder What Role They'll Play in Iraq's Political Future

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. Italy attacks EU defence summit .

. BBC -- Monday, 28 April, 2003, 15:34 GMT 16:34 UK x x

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A force without the UK would be unthinkable, says Italy

Italy has warned against the creation of a mini-military alliance within the European Union, on the eve of a defence summit between four nations.

Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said any attempts by France, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg to forge closer military ties would be viewed "with a very critical eye".

Belgium announced in March that it was calling the summit to discuss boosting defence co-operation between the participants.

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If the embyro of an increased military co-operation were to develop in Brussels, I would regard it with a very critical eye  Franco Frattini Italian Foreign Minister

But the apparent exclusion of the EU's pro-war nations - including the biggest military power, the UK - prompted accusations that the move would only deepen the union's divisions on the issue.

Reports say France and Germany are now attempting to back-pedal on the original proposals - including a European defence force run from a military command centre in Belgium - fearing further damage to their relationships with the US.

The two countries were now only "reluctant supporters" of the summit, said the UK's Financial Times newspaper on Monday, and would seek to water down proposals for the independent European force.

We won't accept, and neither will the rest of Europe, anything that either undermines Nato or conflicts with the basic principles of European defence we've set out  Tony Blair UK Prime Minister

"The timing could not have been more unfortunate. The French and the Germans want as low a profile as possible. The less we talk about it the better," one EU diplomat said, quoted by Reuters news agency.

Hopes that Europe was ready to move towards a common defence and foreign policy have been left in tatters by the Iraq war, which polarised the EU into pro- and anti-war camps.

Neither the EU's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, nor the current EU president, Greece, is attending the summit, being held in Brussels on Tuesday.

And UK Prime Minister Tony Blair attempted on Monday to play down the summit's significance.

"We won't accept, and neither will the rest of Europe, anything that either undermines Nato or conflicts with the basic principles of European defence we've set out," he said at his monthly live news conference.

Italian anger

Mr Frattini's comments to a German newspaper on Monday highlighted the depth of opposition to the idea of a breakaway defence force involving only a handful of EU members.

The Iraq crisis has perhaps played the role of a catalyst, in the sense that it has once again shown that, if Europe is not coherent in defence and foreign policy matters, it will not play a large role  Guy Verhofstadt Belgian PM and summit host

"If the embyro of an increased military co-operation were to develop in Brussels, I would regard it with a very critical eye," Mr Frattini told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

The event could give the impression of a "micro-territory" under formation within the EU - signalling a "return to the logic of the recent past", he said, referring to the bitter splits over Iraq.

And any military alliance without the UK would be unimaginable, Mr Frattini said.

Mr Frattini's views are shared by the governments of the UK and Spain, which supported the war in Iraq. 

France wants to heal its damaged relationships

Despite the opposition, supporters of the mini-summit say European defence ties must be boosted, warning that the danger is "in doing nothing," said one diplomat.

Belgian PM Guy Verhofstadt, who called the summit, has insisted that it is not directed against Nato or the US, but says the Iraq crisis underlined the need for a stronger European defence and foreign strategy.

"The Iraq crisis has perhaps played the role of a catalyst, in the sense that it has once again shown that, if Europe is not coherent in defence and foreign policy matters, it will not play a large role," he told Belgium's Le Soir newspaper.

Mr Verhofstadt is still believed to support the creation of a European military command headquarters at Tervuren outside Brussels, where a 50-strong European defence general staff would run EU defence operations when Nato was not involved.

'Plans dropped'

However, diplomatic sources quoted by Reuters news agency said the idea had been shredded.

Proposals for defence spending targets and common European military units had also been dropped, the diplomats said.

Instead, the four are thought more likely to stick to less contentious ground - with a final communique expected to contain only those ideas which are under discussion by the convention examining Europe's future.

Those include a solidarity clause offering support to fellow nations under terrorist attack, and plans for an EU arms procurement and strategic research agency.

Separate plans for a European rapid reaction force, which would operate under the auspices of Nato military planners, have the support of all 15 EU members.

Planners hope the 60,000-strong force will be fully operational by the end of the year. 

In March, the EU launched its first military mission, when it took over from Nato in charge of the peacekeeping operation in Macedonia. 

 

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. Meeting of Asian Leaders Aims to Unite Fight Against SARS .

. Ron Corben Bangkok 28 Apr 2003, 11:54 UTC Corben report - Download 312k (RealAudio)  Listen to Ron Corben's report (RealAudio)  x x

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Asian leaders will soon gather in Bangkok to find a united way to combat the spread of SARS. They aim to restore confidence in a region hard hit economically by the respiratory virus. The Bangkok meeting takes place amid hopeful signs that Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome can be contained. 

World Health Organization officials say that SARS outbreaks may have peaked in Canada, Singapore, and Hong Kong. They also say it appears Vietnam has successfully stemmed the spread of SARS, which has claimed the lives of more than 300 people worldwide, and has infected more than 5,000. 

But leaders of the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations think more work is needed. The spread of SARS has crippled the region's tourism industry and cut consumer spending. 

They are meeting Tuesday in an unusual emergency session, and have invited the prime minister of China and the leader of Hong Kong. Mainland China and Hong Kong account for more than half the world's SARS cases. 

Sihasak Phuangketkeow is a spokesman for Thailand's Foreign Ministry. He said the conference aims to boost confidence in the region. "Hopefully, if we can put in place measures individually and collectively to deal with this problem, then we will be able to restore the confidence of the international community in the region. And hopefully, we will be able to contain not only the SARS epidemic but also its affects on our economic growth," he said. 

The Asian Development Bank cut its forecast for regional economic growth slightly on Monday - but warns that if the virus is not contained quickly, growth could slow dramatically. 

"The SARS epidemic is a serious challenge to the region as a whole, because some countries are affected more than others. We see it as a challenge to our economic growth, a challenge to the confidence that people have in our region," he said. 

Mr. Sihasak said any measures that come out of the Bangkok conference will work to keep trade moving throughout the region. 

The meeting follows a gathering of regional health ministers a few days ago in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur . 

The health ministers agreed on measures to slow the spread of SARS, including improved health checks at international airports, a ban on travelers showing signs of the virus, and health declaration forms for visitors from affected countries.

Vietnam Free of New SARS Cases

SARS Remains Big Story in Asia Business

Finding Drugs to Combat SARS Could Take a Long Time

Medical Expert Calls SARS an 'Evolving Epidemic'

Containing SARS 1st Priority, says WHO

Taiwan Reports 1st SARS Death

New Book Explores Old Epidemic With Striking Parallels to SARS

WHO Mobilizes to Curb Spread of SARS

WHO Urges East Asian Government to Act Against SARS

Canadian Officials Sharply Critical of WHO Travel Warning

 

VOA SARS Coverage

US Center for Disease Control (CDC) Site on SARS

World Health Organization

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. Dod News Index Page .

. DoD -- Updated Monday, 28-Apr-2003 x x

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Monday, 28-Apr-2003 Defense LINK News Index Page  News Articles 04/28/2003:  Rumsfeld Thanks CENTCOM Forward for Its Service DOHA, Qatar, April 28, 2003 - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld thanked the service members and civilians of U.S. Central Command here for the jobs they did as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. "You helped rescue a nation and liberate a... 04/28/2003:  Number of U.S. Forces in Gulf Will Decline, Rumsfeld Says DOHA, Qatar, April 28, 2003 – The number of U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf region will drop as a result of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here today. Rumsfeld spoke following meetings with Qatari leaders, U.S.... 04/27/2003:  Coalition Forces Detain Self-Proclaimed Mayor of Baghdad BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 28, 2003 - Coalition forces detained Mohammed Muslim Al Zubaidi today near the Coalition Civil Military Coordination Center, according to U.S. Central Command officials. Elements of 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, took Al Zubaidi into custody... 04/27/2003:  Study Needed Before Force 'Footprint' Changes in Gulf ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, April 27, 2003 - The footprint of U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf region will change in the coming months, but it is too soon to say how, defense leaders said following meetings with leaders of... 04/25/2003:  Tariq Aziz Brings Total of 'Top 55' in Custody to 12 WASHINGTON, April 25, 2003 – With Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and sometime-spokesman Tariq Aziz now in American custody, 12 of the 55 most wanted Iraqis are accounted for, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said today. Rumsfeld said during a noon Pentagon press... 04/25/2003:  Enemy Attack Kills 1, Injures 5 Americans in Afghanistan WASHINGTON, April 25, 2003 – One American service member was killed and five injured in an attack this morning in Afghanistan, defense officials said. About 20 enemy fighters attacked an American platoon that was responding to a report of suspicious activity... 04/25/2003:  DARPA-Developed Device Bridges Language Divides WASHINGTON, April 25, 2003 – Non-linguist U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq have been able to communicate with local citizens by using a paperback-book-sized device called the phraselator. Co-developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and private contractors, the phraselator... 04/25/2003:  Saddam Hussein 'May' Be Dead or Severely Injured, Bush Says WASHINGTON – "Some evidence" suggests Saddam Hussein may have died in air strikes that opened Operation Iraqi Freedom, President Bush said April 24. In an interview with NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw, Bush revealed that the same source who told U.S.... 04/25/2003:  TRICARE Complying With Stricter Rules on Healthcare Information WASHINGTON, April 25, 2003 – TRICARE, like all other healthcare providers nationwide, is working under stricter rules when it comes to protecting patients' rights and the privacy of their health information. And like its civilian counterparts, the TRICARE Management Activity implemented... 04/25/2003:  Army Col. Steven Bucci: The Secretary's Team Leader WASHINGTON, April 25, 2003 -- More than 20 years ago, U.S. Army 1st Lt. Steven Bucci was a team leader in the mountains of Greece near the Yugoslavian border. Now, the Special Forces colonel is serving a two-year tour behind a... 04/24/2003:  Bush Praises 'American Spirit of Enterprise' at Tank Plant WASHINGTON, April 24, 2003 – The United States' edge in warfighting comes, in part, from the "American spirit of enterprise, … from great companies and great workers," President Bush said this afternoon to a group of people who build Abrams tanks... 04/24/2003:  U.S., China Say 'No Nukes' to North Koreans WASHINGTON, April 24, 2003 – The North Korean government shouldn't feel threatened because the United States, China and other nations want the Korean peninsula to be nuclear- weapon-free, the top U.S. diplomat said here today. North Korea, which is suspected of... 04/24/2003:  Cooperation Key for Coalition Success, Hailston Says WASHINGTON, April 24, 2003 – The key to the success of Operation Iraqi Freedom was the outstanding cooperation among all of the services and coalition partners, the top Marine in the command said today. Speaking from his headquarters in Bahrain, Marine... 04/24/2003:  Iraqis Need Work, Paychecks, U.S. Administrator Says WASHINGTON, April 24, 2003 – American officials are working to reconstitute Iraqi government ministries and get employees back to work and receiving paychecks, the man charged with getting Iraq running again said today. Jay Garner, director of the Pentagon's Office of... 04/24/2003:  More Regime Leaders Captured, 3 Marines Die in Accident WASHINGTON, April 24, 2003 – The Iraqi deck lost three more cards April 23, and coalition special operations forces took into custody another regime member who might be able to name all the Iraqi spies in the United States. Also, three... 04/23/2003:  Ground Commander Lauds Land Troops' Success in Iraq WASHINGTON, April 23, 2003 – Coalition forces are nearing the end of combat operations, but the campaign will continue, the chief of coalition land forces said during an interview from Baghdad. In a videoconferenced briefing with Pentagon reporters, Army Lt. Gen.... 04/23/2003:  Murderer Killed in Coalition Raid in Kandahar Province WASHINGTON, April 23, 2003 – Coalition forces in Afghanistan believe they killed the man who murdered a Salvadoran Red Cross worker March 27, officials at Combined Joint Task Force 180 said today. The action occurred April 21 in Kandahar province in... 04/22/2003:  JPRA Helps Return Captives to Normal Life WASHINGTON, April 22, 2003 - It's going to take more than returning Pfc. Jessica Lynch to the United States for her to get back to a normal life. Much the same could be said about the seven prisoners of war -... 04/22/2003:  Coalition Takes "Queen of Spades," Continues Security Operations WASHINGTON, April 22, 2003 – The coalition has trumped the Queen of Spades in the Iraqi most-wanted deck. Muhammad Hamza Zubaydi, a former prime minister and member of the Revolutionary Command Council in Iraq, is in coalition custody, said U.S. Central... 04/22/2003:  New Act Seeks Flexibility in Military Personnel Decisions WASHINGTON, April 22, 2003 – If there's a single word that describes the Defense Transformation for the 21st Century Act, it is "flexibility," said David Chu, defense undersecretary for personnel and readiness. Coalition forces in Iraq have demonstrated what flexibility can... News Archive Press Advisories 04/22/2003:  Marine Corps Commander to Brief Live From Bahrain 04/22/2003:  Coalition Land Forces Commander to Brief Live From Baghdad Today in the Department of Defense Contracts Contracts for April 25, 2003 Contracts for April 24, 2003 Contracts for April 23, 2003 Contracts for April 22, 2003 Contracts for April 21, 2003 News Releases 04/28/2003:  General Officer Assignments 04/26/2003:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty 04/25/2003:  Secretary of the Army Thomas E. White Resigns 04/25/2003:  First Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense Formed 04/25/2003:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty 04/25/2003:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty 04/25/2003:  General Officer Assignments 04/25/2003:  Flag Officer Announcement 04/24/2003:  DoD Identifies Marine Casualties 04/24/2003:  General Officer Assignment 04/24/2003:  Defense Program Implementation Plan Approved 04/23/2003:  Flag Officer Assignments 04/23/2003:  DoD Identifies Air Force Casualty 04/23/2003:  National Guard and Reserve Mobilized as of April 23, 2003 04/21/2003:  General Officer Announcement 04/18/2003:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty 04/18/2003:  General Officer Assignments 04/18/2003:  General Officer Assignments 04/18/2003:  DoD Identifies Air Force Casualty Briefing Slides 04/25/2003:  DoD News Briefing, Friday, 25 Apr 2003 - 12:00 pm  04/21/2003:  DoD News Briefing, Monday, 21 Apr 2003 - 2:00 pm  04/16/2003:  DoD News Briefing, Wednesday, 16 Apr 2003 - 1:00 pm    News Archive News Transcripts 04/28/2003:  Rumsfeld Joint Media Availability with Australian MOD Hill 04/27/2003:  Rumsfeld and Franks at Abu Dhabi Stakeout 04/27/2003:  Rumsfeld with Abu Dhabi Television 04/26/2003:  Rumsfeld Enroute to Shannon, Ireland 04/25/2003:  Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz Briefing with Arab/Muslim Media 04/25/2003:  DoD News Briefing - Secretary Rumsfeld and Gen. Myers 04/24/2003:  MARCENT Briefing from Bahrain 04/24/2003:  Secretary Rumsfeld Interview with the Associated Press 04/23/2003:  Operation Iraqi Freedom Briefing with Lt. Gen. David D. McKiernan 04/22/2003:  Deputy Assistant Secretary Whitman Interview with Al Jazeera 04/21/2003:  DoD News Briefing - Secretary Rumsfeld and Gen. Myers 04/17/2003:  Briefing From Tallil Forward Air Base 04/17/2003:  Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz Interview with Fox News Channel 04/17/2003:  Pentagon Town Hall Meeting 04/16/2003:  DoD News Briefing - ASD PA Clarke and Maj. Gen. McChrystal 04/16/2003:  Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz Interview with Egyptian TV 04/16/2003:  Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) Briefing  04/15/2003:  DoD News Briefing - Secretary Rumsfeld and Gen. Myers 04/14/2003:  Deputy Assistant Secretary Whitman Interview with Egyptian TV 04/14/2003:  Deputy Assistant Secretary Whitman Interview with the Paul Berry Show 04/14/2003:  Secretary Rumsfeld Media Availability with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah 04/14/2003:  DoD News Briefing - ASD PA Clarke and Maj. Gen. McChrystal 04/13/2003:  Secretary Rumsfeld Interview on CBS Face the Nation  04/13/2003:  Secretary Rumsfeld Media Stakeout following NBC Meet the Press 04/13/2003:  Secretary Rumsfeld Interview with NBC Meet the Press 04/12/2003:  Vice Adm Timothy Keating Briefing via Satellite-Teleconference from Bahrain 04/11/2003:  Briefing Via Satellite-Teleconference on Medical Care Being Provided to Enemy POW's 04/11/2003:  Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz Briefing with Arab/Muslim Media 04/11/2003:  DoD News Briefing - Secretary Rumsfeld and Gen. Myers 04/10/2003:  DoD News Briefing - ASD PA Clarke and Maj. Gen. McChrystal 04/10/2003:  Brig. Gen. Kern Briefs on Iraqi Free Forces 04/09/2003:  Teleconference Briefing From Umm Qasr, Iraq on Enemy Prisoner of War Issues 04/09/2003:  DoD News Briefing - Secretary Rumsfeld and Gen. Myers 04/09/2003:  Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz Interview with Radio Sawa 04/08/2003:  B-1 Pilot Telephone Interviews 04/08/2003:  DoD News Briefing - ASD PA Clarke and Maj. Gen. McChrystal 04/07/2003:  DoD News Briefing - Secretary Rumsfeld and Gen. Myers 04/06/2003:  Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz Media Stakeout following Fox News Sunday 04/06/2003:  Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz Media Stakeout following NBC Meet the Press Archive: 2003

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. Rumsfeld heralds 'first strike' era .

. BBC -- Monday, 28 April, 2003, 14:25 GMT 15:25 UK x x

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Rumsfeld: 'We are not going to climb into holes and hide'

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said that his country has entered a new era in which it must pre-emptively seek out and prevent attacks by terrorists and terrorist states.

He told coalition troops at US Central Command in the Gulf state of Qatar that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq showed that America had made a good start.

He said the US-led invasion of Iraq would go down in military history because of its unprecedented combination of power, precision, speed and flexibility.

It was also notable for its compassion towards innocent civilians, he said.

His comments came after US military officials were reported as saying that American air operations in the region would be run from Qatar rather than Saudi Arabia for the foreseeable future.

BBC Middle East analyst Roger Hardy says the war in Iraq showed that Saudi Arabia was unwilling to accept a high-profile American presence on its soil.

Baghdad was liberated in less than a month, possibly the fastest march on a capital in modern military history  Donald Rumsfeld

He adds that the country's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Abdullah, is thought to have wanted to reduce the US military presence in Saudi Arabia for some time. 

In his address to the troops, Mr Rumsfeld said: "The task we have is a different one in the 21st century - it is not conventional, it is unconventional.

"It requires us to seek out and defend and prevent the attacks by terrorists.

"It may be an untidy world, but our country and our friends and allies are going to be able to preserve our way of life, continue our way of life, not climb into holes and hide."

'Be proud'

To cheers, Mr Rumsfeld told the troops that what they had done would go down in history.

"Those scenes we have all witnessed of free Iraqis pulling down statues of Saddam Hussein, greeting coalition forces and celebrating their new-found freedom - they will certainly take their place alongside the fall of the Berlin Wall and the liberation of Paris and each of you helped make that happen.

General Tommy Franks won plaudits from his civilian boss

"You can be very proud of it.

"You have helped rescue a nation and liberate a people.

"You have driven a repressive regime from power, ending a threat to free people everywhere, protecting our country from a growing danger and giving the Iraqi people a chance to build a free nation."

Mr Rumsfeld hit back at critics of the war in Iraq by paraphrasing Winston Churchill's comments about the Battle of Britain, saying: "Never have so many been so wrong about so much".

He praised General Tommy Franks, the commander of the coalition forces in Iraq, and all of the men and women who served under him.

"Baghdad was liberated in less than a month, possibly the fastest march on a capital in modern military history," he said.

Mr Rumsfeld is on a tour to thank Gulf leaders for their support during the war.

He is expected to visit Afghanistan later this week. A trip to Iraq could also be included in his schedule.

 

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. Schroeder contains party rebellion .

. BBC -- Monday, 28 April, 2003, 16:07 GMT 17:07 UK x x

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Schroeder is battling party opposition to reform plans

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has won party backing for key reforms, hours after hinting that a rebellion might lead him to resign.

The victory came as two new sets of economic figures brought more gloom for the chancellor.

Mr Schroeder is trying to push through changes to health, social security and employment systems.

Some left-wing members of his Social Democratic Party (SPD) have tried to block the reforms - known as Agenda 2010 - warning that they will hit some of society's more vulnerable members.

Major changes to the Agenda 2010 programme would remove the basis of my work and force me to take consequences  Gerhard Schroeder

Party leaders meeting on Monday backed Mr Schroeder by 28 votes to four, with four absentions.

Mr Schroeder welcomed the result, although correspondents pointed out that the left-wing rebellion had not been completely quashed.

Earlier, he had warned that he might quit if the reforms were blocked.

"Anyone who wants to vote for something other than that is in the Agenda 2010 programme has to know they are removing the contents of the government's work," Mr Schroeder told journalists.

"Major changes to the Agenda 2010 programme would remove the basis of my work and force me to draw certain conclusions."

Minor details could be discussed, he said, but the main pillars were essential.

"The basic line of Agenda 2010 cannot be called into question because it and its implementation are needed to keep Germany on the right track," he said.

"Those who are of a different point of view... must know that they put into question the ability of the SPD to govern."

Mr Schroeder, beset by ongoing high unemployment and a stagnant economy, wants to start introducing the reforms next January.

The changes include:

• cutting benefits for the long-term unemployed
• making it easier for employers to make people redundant
• reducing the level of service offered by the health system
• making changes to Germany's pension system.

The Social Democrats rebels have already managed to force Mr Schroeder to hold a special party congress in June, to discuss the reforms.

And 12 members of parliament have signed a petition opposing the package, demanding that Mr Schroeder put the plans to a ballot of the party's 700,000 members.

Mr Schroeder said after Monday's result that he was confident of victory at the congress.

Mr Schroeder has previously hinted that he might resign if controversial tax increases were blocked. On that occasion too, last December, the tactic appeared to put down a looming rebellion.

Monday's meeting came amid more economic gloom for Germany.

The Ifo index, which measures the business climate, showed an unexpected fall in April - dashing hopes of a surge after the end of the war.

And the German Government made a third cut in its 2003 growth forecast, down from 1% to 0.75%. Even the reduction, however, leaves the forecast above the 0.5% predicted by many experts and by the opposition.

Analysts said the news of the Ifo fall gave added urgency to Mr Schroeder's reforms.

"It really underpins the urgent need for comprehensive structural reforms," said economist Thomas Hueck.

 

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. Thai PM blames militants for attacks .

. BBC -- Monday, 28 April, 2003, 16:30 GMT 17:30 UK x x

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Mr Thaksin said the attackers were hoping for a reward

Four servicemen have been killed and three others wounded in twin attacks on military bases in southern Thailand.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra accused foreign-backed militants for the raids near the Malaysian border.

Unidentified gunmen entered the bases in Narathiwat and Yala and stole a total 31 automatic rifles, officials said.

The pre-dawn raids came in a Muslim-dominated area which has seen sporadic attacks on schools, transport facilities and the police over the past decade.

'Middle East link'

Mr Thaksin said he believed the attacks - on a marine psychological operations unit and an army base - were a continuation of work against the government of the mostly Buddhist country.

"They are well-trained militants crossing from Malaysia to Thailand to stir up chaos in exchange for financial reward from some Middle East countries," he said without elaborating.

"I think lack of co-ordination between our intelligence unit and local government officials has made them ill-prepared for the attacks by the militants," he added.

Chronic small-scale violence flared up last year with a wave of school arson attacks, bombings and killings of police officers.

Various reasons have been put forward for the unrest, including the possibility of religious strife. Separatist tension plagued the southern provinces in the 1980s. 

But some officials insist the crimes are carried out merely by bandits, possibly linked to drug-trafficking.

 

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