.
Page 1: daybydaywithVOA_1-01Aug2002.html
. DAY BY DAY WITH VOA . . . Britain, Russia React to Iraqi Invitation VOA News 2 Aug 2002 11:22 UTC  
Britain is expressing doubts about Iraq's invitation for the chief U.N. arms inspector to visit Baghdad, a move that Russia is hailing as an "important step" in resolving Iraqi differences with the United Nations. A British Foreign Office spokesman says Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has, in his words, "a long history of playing games," and continues to violate at least 23 of 27 conditions placed on it by the U.N. Security Council. According to the official, the requirement for Iraq is clear and unchanged, complete access for international weapons inspectors. The reaction in London is in sharp contrast to a Russian foreign ministry statement, also issued Friday, praising the Iraqi invitation. The Russian statement says the invitation offers a peaceful way to resolve the crisis. The statement also notes the move came after a delegation headed by a Russian official Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov visited Baghdad for talks on resolving the dispute. In a letter Thursday to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Iraq's foreign minister Naji Sabri, invited the chief arms inspector Hans Blix to Baghdad for talks, hinting that weapons inspections may resume after a break of almost four years. U.N. arms experts left Iraq in December 1998, citing lack of cooperation by the Baghdad government. Soon after, U.S. and British planes delivered air strikes meant to punish Iraq for not cooperating. Iraq has since barred the inspectors from returning. The inspections, ordered by the U.N. Security Council, are aimed at determining if Iraq has or is trying to develop chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. Such inspections would meet a condition by the United Nations to lift sanctions imposed 12 years ago after Iraq invaded Kuwait. Iraq's foreign minister and Mr. Annan have held three rounds of talks this year about resuming the inspections, with no agreement. Mr. Annan has said he is open to technical talks, but did not want any more meetings, unless Iraq showed willingness to renew inspections. Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
Indonesian Security Forces to Receive $50 Million in US Aid Patricia Nunan Jakarta 2 Aug 2002 12:19 UTC
Secretary of State Colin Powell says he has full confidence in the abilities of Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri to deal with any threats to her nation. Mr. Powell announced that the United States expects to provide $50 million over the next few years to help Indonesia improve its security forces, including its military, called the TNI.
The decision may generate some controversy. The U.S. Congress suspended ties with the Indonesian military after it was implicated in the violence that wracked East Timor following its independence vote in 1999. Most of the aid will go to the Indonesian police, who are not included in the suspension. But about $4 million will go to the military, because it is part of a defense bill not covered by the ban. An additional $400,000 in assistance for education for the Indonesian military is expected to be disbursed in 2003, pending approval by Congress. Mr. Powell said, however, that restoring full military ties remains a long way off. Indonesia was one of 10 nations to sign an anti-terror pact with the United States at the meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Brunei earlier this week. But some ASEAN leaders say Indonesia is the "weak link" in regional efforts to combat terror, in part because it is home to some small groups of hardline Islamists. Indonesia is the seventh country Mr. Powell has visited on his eight-nation tour of Asia. He arrives in the Philippines late Friday. The trip is intended to boost support for the war on terror.
Iraq Proposes Chief UN Arms Inspector Visit Tetiana Anderson Cairo 2 Aug 2002 13:02 UTC
Iraq says it has invited the chief U.N. arms inspector for Iraq to visit Baghdad for talks about the possible resumption of weapons inspections.
Mr. Sabri said the proposed visit of chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix would review steps that were taken to disarm Iraq between May 1991 and December 1998. He said the talks would also cover what he called outstanding issues regarding Iraq's weapons programs. Iraq sent the invitation to the United Nations on the same day the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee concluded hearings on whether the United State should seek to oust Iraqi leader Sadaam Hussein. The United States has maintained that Iraq is a threat because of its chemical and biological weapons. The Iraqi letter also was sent on the eve of the 12th anniversary of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. The invasion lead to U.N. sanctions on Iraq that are to be lifted only after weapons inspectors have made sure Iraq is free of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and the missiles that could deliver them. In Moscow, Russia welcomed Iraq's invitation as an important step in solving the Iraqi weapons dispute. But in London, Britain responded skeptically, saying Iraq has a long history of what it called "playing games." A British foreign office spokesman said Iraq continues to ignore 23 of the 27 obligations placed on it by the U.N. Security Council.
. Israeli Forces Kill 5 Palestinians in West Bank, Gaza
Operations Palestinians say Israeli military incursions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip overnight have killed five Palestinians, including an activist with the militant group Hamas. More than 100 tanks and armored vehicles swept into the center of Nablus, the largest city in the West Bank. Witnesses say two Palestinians died during an exchange of gunfire. In the nearby village of Salem, Israeli troops shot dead Hamas member Amjad Jabur at his home. Local residents say he was killed after being handcuffed and detained. Israeli officials say he was shot while trying to flee. The Israeli military says troops are trying to root out a local terrorist network in the Nablus area. The operation follows Wednesday's bombing at a university in Jerusalem, which killed seven people including five Americans. Hamas claimed responsibility for the bombing. A senior Hamas official, Abdul Aziz Rantissi, said Friday that Americans were not the target of the attack, and that the group regrets killing non-Israelis. President Bush says he is furious about the bomb attack, but he still believes peace is possible in the Middle East. Elsewhere in the West Bank overnight, Israeli forces destroyed the family homes in Tulkarm and Hebron of two militants killed during deadly attacks against Israelis last year. In Gaza, residents of Rafah say a Palestinian was killed in a gunfight when Israeli troops moved to destroy buildings along the border with Egypt. And the Israeli army says it checking a report that an 85-year-old Palestinian woman was killed by Israeli fire at her home near the Kissufim border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel. Meanwhile, Israel is preparing to expel from the West Bank to Gaza two male relatives of militants suspected in deadly attacks against Israelis last month. Late Thursday, the men were given 12 hours to appeal the expulsion. They are among more than 20 fathers and brothers relatives Israel arrested late last month for possible deportation. Israeli officials approved the use of such expulsions Wednesday as a new deterrent against Palestinian suicide bombings. The plan has brought strong international criticism. Some information provided by AFP and Reuters.
Israeli Troops Clash with Palestinians in West Bank, Gaza Sonja Pace Jerusalem 2 Aug 2002 09:15 UTC  Listen
to Sonja Pace's report (RealAudio) Pace
report - Download 333k (RealAudio)
Israeli troops have moved into areas of the West Bank and Gaza, killing five Palestinians, including an activist from the militant Islamic group Hamas, and destroying Palestinian homes. Israeli troops, armored vehicles and tanks moved into the center of the West Bank city of Nablus in the early morning hours Friday. Witnesses reported clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen in the town. Israeli officials said Nablus remains a hub for terrorist activity, and they said the army's mission is to root out what they termed a local terrorist network. In the nearby village of Salem, a Hamas militant was shot dead in his home. Local residents say Amjad Jabur was killed after being handcuffed and detained. Israel says he was shot while trying to flee. Clashes also took place around Rafah in the Gaza Strip. Israel's action comes just two days after Hamas took responsibility for detonating a bomb in a crowded cafeteria at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, killing seven people, among them five Americans. The bodies of two of the American victims were flown back to the United States early Friday. A senior Hamas official said Americans were not targeted at the university. Hamas says the bombing was in retaliation for an Israeli air strike on Gaza City last week, which killed a senior Hamas official, along with 14 other Palestinians, including nine children. Israel's defense minister promised swift and harsh retaliation for the university bombing, and both sides have been bracing for further violence. Israeli forces are also reported to have blown up and destroyed the homes of Palestinian militants in Hebron and Tulkarem in the West Bank. Israeli authorities also signed expulsion orders for the brothers of two Palestinian militants accused of attacks against Israel. The two brothers are to be taken from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip. Israel has long used the destruction of Palestinian homes as a tool to try to deter militant activity. Officials also say they hope deportation of family members will deter potential attackers, by making them realize their families will also pay a price for such attacks. Palestinians and human rights advocates criticize the Israeli policies, calling them collective punishment that is neither acceptable nor legal. In particular, Israel's deportation plans have drawn widespread international criticism, including from the United States.
North Korea Seeks Talks With UN Military Command VOA News 2 Aug 2002 11:47 UTC
North Korea is asking for military talks with the U.S.-led United Nations Command next week, to discuss a naval duel between North Korean and South Korean forces five weeks ago that killed nearly 20 sailors. Pyongyang's call for a meeting with the U.N. military command came as a delegation of South Korean diplomats was traveling to North Korea Friday, to resume talks aimed at improving relations between the two Koreas. Those discussions have been stalled since November, but many South Korean observers say they expect progress from the weekend talks at North Korea's Mt. Kumgang resort. Pyongyang reportedly is seeking a meeting with the U.N. Command next Tuesday, August 6 in the border town of Panmunjom. North Korea had previously refused to discuss its June 29 skirmish in the Yellow Sea, despite offers from the U.N. Command and South Korea. The brief sea battle left five South Korean sailors and an estimated 13 North Koreans dead. Last week, Pyongyang expressed regret for the battle, but its did not accept blame for the clash. North and South Korea are still technically at war, because the Korean conflict 50 years ago from 1950 to 1953 ended with an armistice instead of a peace treaty. Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.
Pakistani Leader Confers With Chinese Counterpart Leta Hong Fincher Beijing 2 Aug 2002 08:07 UTC Listen
to Leta Hong Fincher's report (RealAudio) Fincher
report - Download 261k (RealAudio)
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has conferred with his Chinese counterpart during a brief stopover in Beijing. Friday's meeting is seen as part of a campaign to strengthen relations between the traditional allies, amid tensions with India.
Mr. Musharraf is said to have briefed Mr. Jiang on tensions between Pakistan and India, as well as other regional issues. Beijing has had a close relationship with Islamabad, dating back to China's border war with India in 1962. China has provided economic aid, as well as help with Pakistan's missile and nuclear weapons development. But security analysts say that, since the September 11 terror attacks on the United States, Islamabad has leaned closer to Washington in the U.S.-led war on terrorism. Taylor Fravel is an expert on China's international relations at Stanford University in California. "China's importance, in Pakistani eyes, probably decreased with the arrival of the U.S. in the war in Afghanistan," he says. China has pledged its support for the American-led fight against terrorism, but it is uncomfortable with the U.S. military presence on its western borders. Mr. Fravel says Beijing may have used Mr. Musharraf's visit to help offset the growing American influence in Pakistan. But, he says, Pakistan also needs to bolster ties with China, as long as tensions continue with nuclear rival India. "Musharraf might be seeking Chinese support vis-à-vis India, especially given events in the last six months, where China did not seem to strongly support Pakistan, as it might have done in the past," he says. Beijing has steadily improved its ties with New Delhi in recent years. It has called on both Pakistan and India to exercise restraint in their dispute over the Kashmir region.
. Pope
Leaves Mexico After Beatification of 2 Mexican Indians
|
||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||
|
A mariachi band serenaded Pope John Paul II as he left the Papal Nunio in Mexico City early Thursday en route to the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe. There, he presided over a ceremony beatifying two Mexican Indians from the southern state of Oaxaca, who worked to stamp out non-Christian religious practices and who were killed by angry villagers in the year 1700.
|
|
| Pope John Paul II | |
Even so, the beatification of the two Zapotec Indians, one of several steps towards sainthood, is viewed by many Mexicans as an honor for the country's indigenous people. Arturo Reyes traveled to Mexico City from Oaxaca to witness the ceremony.
|
|
| Beatification ceremony in Mexico City | |
The ceremony was Pope John Paul's final official act before departing Mexico, completing his fifth visit to the overwhelmingly-Catholic country. From the moment he arrived Tuesday, millions of faithful followed his every move; among them, a weeping Beatriz Sanchez, who said the pontiff's visit was a miracle.
Ms. Sanchez says her granddaughter has waited for years for a kidney transplant. This morning, she says, her family got word of a donor and that she gives thanks to the pope and to the Virgin of Guadalupe.
John Paul's pilgrimage to the Americas began last week in Canada and continued in Guatemala before his arrival in Mexico. Mexico appears to occupy a special place in the pontiff's heart. Before departing, he said he is leaving Mexico but will never be absent.
Email this article to a
friend. Printer Friendly
Version
.
Powell Expresses Full Confidence in Indonesian President
Megawati
VOA
News
2
Aug 2002 12:59 UTC
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell says he is fully confident Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri can deal with any threats to her nation.
At the end of a visit to Jakarta Friday, Secretary Powell said the United States and Indonesia are on their way to restoring full military ties. He also said Washington will provide $50 million in assistance to Indonesian security forces.
Most of the aid will go to Indonesian police, who are not included in a U.S. congressional decision to suspend ties with the Indonesian military. The military was implicated in violence that wracked East Timor following its independence in 1999.
Pending approval by Congress, an additional $400,000 in education assistance for the Indonesian military is expected to be disbursed in 2003. Indonesia was one of 10 nations earlier this week to sign an anti-terror pact with the United States at the meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Brunei.
Secretary Powell's next meetings are Saturday in the Philippines, where U.S. troops just completed a six-month training mission for anti-terrorism operations.
It is the last leg of his eight nation Asian tour that began last week with visits to Pakistan and India.
Mr. Powell already has made stops in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Brunei where he attended a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). He is scheduled to return to the United States on Saturday.
Some information for this report provided by AP.
Email this article to a
friend. Printer Friendly
Version
.
Several North Korean Asylum Seekers Expected to Leave China
Soon
Leta
Hong Fincher
Beijing
2
Aug 2002 09:50 UTC
Listen
to Leta Hong Fincher's report (RealAudio) Fincher
report - Download 275k (RealAudio)
China is expected to allow a group of North Korean asylum-seekers to leave soon for South Korea. The North Koreans have spent more than a week in Seoul's Beijing embassy complex.
A South Korean diplomat said the group of North Koreans will likely arrive in Seoul this weekend via a third country in Southeast Asia. But the diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Friday, some of the asylum-seekers will likely stay behind in Beijing.
Last week, the South Korean embassy official said Chinese police allege that a number of the North Koreans have committed crimes in China. Chinese authorities apparently want to investigate their backgrounds further. The diplomat did not reveal how many would remain at Seoul's mission in Beijing.
A North Korean refugee aid group in Seoul, Good Friends, says it expects 13 defectors to arrive there in the next few days. Erica Kang, a coordinator for the group," said "one of them has a new-born baby, as far as we know. And there's one child, an 8-year-old child, with them."
Ms. Kang's group helps run a cultural education program for the refugees after they reach South Korea. She said the North Koreans need several months of legal and emotional counseling before they can adjust to their new life in Seoul. "Once any North Korean defectors arrive in South Korea, they have to go through an institution," she said. "It's sort of like a school to get to know South Korean culture."
Ms. Kang said tens-of-thousands of North Koreans have fled to neighboring China, escaping famine and persecution at home. Dozens of North Koreans have sought refuge at foreign diplomatic compounds in Beijing and northeast China this year.
Beijing has a treaty with ally Pyongyang requiring it to return North Korean asylum-seekers. But it has allowed most of those who enter diplomatic missions to leave China for South Korea via a third country.
China has responded to the surge of asylum-seekers by carrying out mass arrests of North Koreans living in the country illegally. Beijing has also increased security in its embassy districts by hiring more armed guards and putting up barbed wire fences.
Email this article to a
friend. Printer Friendly
Version
Sudan's Civil War: A Conflict Also Centered on Oil Wealth
Dale Gavlak
Sudan
1 Aug 2002 21:07 UTC
Listen
to Dale Gavlak's Report from Sudan (RealAudio) Gavlak
Report - Download 633k (RealAudio)
|
|
|
Sudan produces about 250,000 barrels of oil a day in a $300 million a year business. And the potential is even greater. Sudan has proven reserves of about 700 million barrels, with another two billion barrels estimated.
|
|
| AP | |
| Sudan child soldiers | |
The current phase of the conflict has continued for 19 years. And the human toll is immense, an estimated 1.5 million people have died in the fighting and accompanying famine. About four million people have been displaced.
One of them is 57-year-old Apet Mal, who said she is tired of running from bombs and attacks by troops loyal to Sudan's government, known as the Popular Defense Forces.
Ms. Mal spoke to VOA in her native language, Dinka, and an interpreter explained why she came to the southwestern Bahr-el-Ghazal area for refuge.
She said that she does not have any shelter. She was always displaced because there was always insecurity in that place. Sometimes, the PDF comes and they are displaced. She says now two of her children are killed because of running. So they move from one place to another.
Both the Sudanese government and the rebels blame the other for the war's terrible human toll.
The rebel Sudan Peoples' Liberation Army says government forces and government-backed militias often attack in the oil-rich area to clear it of people in order to secure existing or potential oilfields.
Philip Aguir is with the SPLA's relief arm. "Khartoum is trying to create a buffer zone between the oil companies that are digging oil and the SPLA, and this is by pushing the population very far away. We now have more than 300,000 among the civil population that is on the move in the Western Upper Nile and they are not stable since two-years ago," Mr. Aguir said.
The rebels also say that the government uses its oil revenue to buy more sophisticated weapons to increase the intensity of fighting.
In Khartoum, the government has said it is the SPLA that is to blame for fighting in the oil region and for the loss of life. The head of Sudan's humanitarian aid commission, Salaf al Din Saleh, says the government is urging people to settle in the area and is expanding the services it can provide them.
"From the oil revenues, the government has paved roads. It has made electricity, water facilities, schools, clinics; and we are inviting the people to come to the area. People have come to other places within the oil exploration area, and we are welcoming people to come there," Mr. Saleh said. "All these towns are in the oil production areas: Bentiu, Mayom, Rapkona, and they are staying there," he said.
But relief agencies operating in southern Sudan, like the London-based Christian Aid, say the Sudanese government's "scorched earth" policy is well documented. The agencies say that since oil pumping began three-years ago, homesteads have been destroyed and the land cleared of people in order to increase oil exploration and production by foreign firms from China, Malaysia, France, and Canada.
They say oil companies build roads and airstrips, and government troops use them to tighten their control of the region. But Christian Aid also says rebel forces attack oil facilities and areas under government control. The group's spokeswoman, Judith Melby, says the latest fighting only reinforces the need for international monitors in the area to ensure the protection of civilians.
"Now, if we have some kind of cease-fire, some kind of peace process going on, the whole issue of oil sharing must be looked at carefully. Oil is a natural resource. It is tremendously interesting to both sides, and both sides are interested in having the greater share, if you like, of the oil potential of Sudan," Mr. Melby said.
A key architect for peace in Sudan, U.S. special envoy John Danforth, agrees. He says there can be no enduring peace settlement in southern Sudan unless oil is shared.
Some progress is being made. The Sudanese government recently agreed to let the south hold a referendum on self-determination after a six-year interim period.
But that leaves the oil question, and the matter of power-sharing, among issues to be resolved. Further peace talks are scheduled in Kenya later this month.
Email this article to a
friend. Printer Friendly
Version
.
US
Beach Report Gives Bad News to American Vacationers
Rosanne Skirble
Washington
2
Aug 2002 05:40 UTC
Listen
to Rosanne Skirble's report (RealAudio) Skirble
report - Download 594k (RealAudio)
As millions of Americans head to the beach this summer, they might encounter something they had not expected. The water is too polluted for swimming. A new survey of American beaches finds that offshore contaminants have increased significantly in recent years, turning many of these popular vacation spots into public health hazards.
|
|
|
Author Sarah Chasis says the survey details 13,410 thousand beach closures and advisories in 2001, compared to 11,270 in 2000, an increase of nearly 20 percent over the previous year. "The overwhelming majority of these closings was due to monitoring results showing elevated bacteria levels in the water and these elevated bacteria levels indicate the presence of human or animal waste. There are of course a number of studies that show that people can get sick swimming in sewage polluted waters. The bottom of our report is this: We don't let our kids play in garbage dumps. Why should we let our children swim in sewage? It doesn't have to be that way," she says.
| NRDC Beach Buddies |
|---|
| Branford, Connecticut |
| Key West, Florida |
| Salem, Massachusetts |
| Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board |
| San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board |
The survey looks at 2,100 American beaches. The Natural Resources Defense Council singles out 'beach buddies', those communities doing a good job at monitoring water quality, notifying the public and taking steps to reduce pollution. It also lists 'beach bums', those communities that do not have water quality programs in place.
Among the 70 beach bums in the report is the West Coast State of Oregon, which does not regularly monitor beach water for swimmer safety or notify the public when water quality violates health standards. "Specifically you would find that our waters are cold compared to other states and the usage of our waters would be relatively limited. Therefore when you look at the other (state) issues that we had to face, the recreational piece most certainly fell rather low on the priority list, says Mike Holcomb, who is with the Oregon Department of Human Services, the state agency that has recently begun to develop a beach-monitoring program.
"We're working with any one who is willing to assist us, including volunteers. And with that in mind, I would say within the next year we should have a solid program in place and hopefully the label 'beach bum' will no longer be used."
|
|
| Sewer line construction in Key West, Florida | |
Skirble: "Why
does this move make sense for Key West?"
Fernandez: "In addition to
protecting the environment for all of us, Key West's livelihood is based on our
surrounding waters. The tourists enjoy coming to Key West for a number of
reasons, but one of them is to enjoy our natural resources."
Skirble: "So you're
saying that it makes public health sense and also economic
sense."
Fernandez: "Absolutely!"
Author Sarah Chasis says while Key West stands out as a model for other coastal communities, much work still needs to be done elsewhere to stop pollution from sewage spills, urban and agricultural runoff. "We need to take steps, and we need not just state and local authorities to take steps such as Key West has done which is certainly important but we need national standards," she says. "So if you are swimming in California or Florida or New York you can be afforded the same level of protection."
Congress took action to remedy this problem in 2000 when it passed the Beach Act, which was designed to ensure consistent health standards by 2004. Sarah Chasis notes that guidelines have not yet been issued for implementing the law. When those guidelines are finally developed, Ms Chasis says she hopes they will be strong enough to protect public health and the environment.
Email this article to a
friend. Printer Friendly
Version
.
US
Lawmakers Receive Mixed Opinions on Iraq
Deborah Tate
Capitol Hill
2
Aug 2002 00:41 UTC
Listen
to Deborah Tate's Report from Capitol Hill (RealAudio)
Tate
Report - Download 470k (RealAudio)
|
|
|
Amid news reports that the Bush administration is considering a range of options to oust Saddam Hussein, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is considering the costs to the United States of forcing a regime change in Iraq and supporting a new government.
Former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger said the mission would be a daunting one. "The American people must be prepared for a more challenging mission: urban combat, [Iraqi] chemical weapons attacks, Saddam's use of human shields, and an American presence in Iraq measured in years when we succeed," Mr. Berger said.
Retired Colonel Scott Feil, who served in 'Desert Storm,' the U.S.-led mission to oust Iraqi troops from Kuwait more than a decade ago, says a large U.S. presence in Iraq would be necessary as a follow-up to Saddam Hussein's ouster.
"I would see a significant force of about 5,000 people for about five to six years," Mr. Feil said.
|
|
| Joseph Biden< FONT> | |
He said U.S. troops would would have a variety of tasks in the rebuilding effort. "The mission is providing security for the largest eight cities, the mission is securing weapons of mass destruction facilities we are going to go around looking for them, the mission is patrolling the Iranian border and the Kurdish areas, securing the oil fields, monitoring the region along the Tigris-Euphrates river along the Syrian border because there is a lot of smuggling there, conducting integrated disarmament and demobilization," Mr. Biden said.
|
|
| Richard Lugar | |
"There is an enormous expense and commitment of people as well as treasury for a number of years, and for just one country, and a country in a neighborhood of countries that may in fact feel threatened by democracy if it did evolve in Iraq. Democracy does not necessarily prevail all around this new Iraq," Mr. Lugar said.
But former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger dismissed concerns that a mission to oust Saddam Hussein would be too risky and would require a huge commitment from the United States.
"I think a lot of this is a set of strawmen that are set up as a basis for arguing for inaction. We all agree the regime is terrible and Saddam Hussein is a beast of the worst kind and must go. But then everybody starts pointing out the enormous difficulties afterwards. The departure of Saddam Hussein does not guarantee chaos in the region," Mr. Weinberger said.
Mr. Weinberger said a quick and decisive U.S. operation could successfully remove Saddam Hussein from power. He said a significant post war American presence in Iraq would not be required because, he argued, Arab allies happy to see Saddam Hussein gone from power would be eager to help the nation rebuild.
Although President Bush has called for a regime change in Iraq, administration officials say no decision has been made on whether to invade Iraq.
Email this article to a
friend. Printer Friendly
Version
.
US
Official Issues al-Qaida Warning
VOA
News
2
Aug 2002 11:33 UTC
A senior U.S. Treasury official says an international dragnet has cut off millions of dollars destined for the al-Qaida terrorist network, but he says the group still has enough cash to stage further attacks.
U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Kenneth Dam appeared before a Senate subcommittee on international trade and finance Thursday. Now that al-Qaida does not have to prop up the ousted Taleban regime in Afghanistan, or run terrorist training camps there, Mr. Dam says, the group has adequate resources to carry out "at least a substantial number of attacks." Since September 11, the Treasury Department official says, the United States and other countries have frozen more than $112-million in assets linked to terrorist groups. U.S. agents also have seized nearly $23-million in cash inside the United States that was intended for overseas terrorist groups. But Mr. Dam says much more needs to be done. He said terrorists are still raising millions of dollars, mainly through Islamic charities that smuggle money to al-Qaida.
He stressed that preventing the abuse of charities by terrorists can only be successful with international cooperation and support. Mr. Dam says the United States needs the cooperation of foreign governments to investigate suspicious accounts and block the transfer of money from them. The September 11 attacks are believed to have cost al-Qaida only about $500,000.
Email this article to a
friend. Printer Friendly
Version
US Opposes Russia's Nuclear Cooperation with Iran
Rebecca Santana
Moscow
1 Aug 2002 20:46 UTC
Listen
to Rebecca Santana's Report from Moscow (RealAudio)
Santana
Report - Download 269k (RealAudio)
|
|
| Spencer Abraham | |
Following two-days of talks with Russian officials, Energy Secretary Abraham made clear Washington's opposition to Russia's plans to expand its nuclear cooperation with Iran.
"No one should be under any impression that we treat this as anything except of the utmost concern. And those concerns have been frankly and directly conveyed during our meetings here," Mr. Abraham said.
Russia is already helping Iran build a nuclear reactor in Bushehr, near the Persian Gulf, a project often criticized by the United States.
Last week, the Russian government announced plans to dramatically increase the number of nuclear power plants it would help Iran build.
Energy Secretary Abraham said Washington believes Iran is aggressively trying to develop weapons of mass destruction, as well as long-range missiles to deliver nuclear warheads.
"We have long been concerned that Iran's only interest in nuclear power, given its vast domestic energy resources, is to support its nuclear weapons program. For that reason we have consistently urged Russia to cease all nuclear cooperation with Iran," Mr. Abraham said.
Moscow has said repeatedly that it is working with Iran on a project that is entirely civilian and has no relation to the military.
Iran denies that it is trying to develop weapons of mass destruction.
During Mr. Abraham's visit to Moscow, he met with Alexander Rumyantsev, head of the Russian Atomic Ministry and one of the main backers of nuclear cooperation with Iran.
The energy secretary also met with representatives from Russian oil and gas companies.
President George Bush has said he would like to make the United States less dependent on oil from the Middle East. As part of that effort, the American President has welcomed greater cooperation with Russian oil companies.
Email this article to a
friend. Printer Friendly
Version
.
.
.