AP
President Bush

President Bush telephoned French President Jacques Chirac Friday saying he wants a "firm and effective" outcome to talks on a U.N. resolution forcing Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to disarm. 

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer says the president does not support the French leader's call for a two-step process at the U.N. - one that warns the Iraqi leader to comply with weapons inspections, the second approving the use of force if he does not. 

A spokeswoman for the French President says Mr. Chirac restated his commitment to the two-step approach considering what she called "the gravity of the decisions to be taken" and their consequences. 

The president's call came as a top U.S. diplomat travels to France and Russia seeking support for the American approach. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Marc Grossman heads to Moscow Saturday. Secretary of State Colin Powell says the United States and Britain are together on a U.N. resolution but it will be "difficult" to win acceptance from the other permanent members of the Security Council Russia, China, and France. 

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said Friday he has seen no clear proof that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. 

Campaigning in the western state of Colorado, President Bush pointed out the Iraqi leader is stockpiling chemical and biological weapons. Because of the threat, Mr. Bush says there will be no negotiating with the Iraqi leader over weapons inspectors. 

"He can either get rid of his weapons and the United Nations can act, or the United States will lead a coalition to disarm this man," said Mr. Bush. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the president has still not decided whether to use U.S. force in Iraq. Speaking in Atlanta Friday, he said the goal would be removing Saddam Hussein from power not necessarily killing him, saying that if the Iraqi leader is on the run, he is not governing Iraq. 

Some Senate Democrats have accused President Bush of politicizing his call for action against Iraq. Mr. Bush stressed that it is his job to protect America against another terrorist attack. "My job is to make sure that the world's worst leader is not able to blackmail or hurt America or our friends and allies with the world's worst weapons," he said. "We have got to make sure that these dictators aren't able to team-up with terrorist groups and use their weapons of mass destruction as a way to intimidate those of us who love freedom." 

He told voters in Colorado that he went to the United Nations earlier this month to ask the international community to act against Iraq because its credibility is on the line after Saddam Hussein has violated more than a decade of U.N. resolutions. 

"In order to secure the freedom in the 21st century, it is important to have an effective body. But you have been ineffective, I said. For 11 long years you have said one thing to the dictator in Iraq, and he has thumbed his nose," said Mr. Bush. "For 11 years, you have allowed this man to lie and deceive about weapons of mass destruction. And you have not held him to account. And now is the time." 

The president said he is close to agreement with Congress on a resolution authorizing the use of U.S. force in Iraq. He wants that authority before Congress leaves ahead of mid-term elections in November. 

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China and the United States are disagreeing over whether a U.S. Navy vessel broke international law by conducting research in waters off the Chinese coast. Beijing has lodged a protest with the United States over what it says is a violation of its territory. 

At issue is whether the USS Bowditch violated maritime law earlier this month by sailing within China's 200 nautical mile economic zone in the Yellow Sea. China maintains it did and has raised the matter with the United States. 

Washington acknowledges the oceanographic vessel was within the zone, but maintains it was fully within its rights to be there. State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher says the ship was conducting what he calls survey operations permitted under international law, not surveillance or spy activities. 

"U.S. ships have the right under international law to conduct military surveys in China's exclusive economic zone." 

Such operations, he says pose no harm to China's economic interests or the environment. And he says there is absolutely no truth that the ship collided with another vessel, as has been reported. 

The incident drew reminders of last year's collision between a Chinese fighter jet and a U.S. Navy reconnaissance plane that was forced to make an emergency landing on Hainan Island. 

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Demonstrators March in Beirut in Support of Arafat

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Edward Yeranian
Beirut
27 Sep 2002 18:29 UTC

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AP
Muslim clerics wave Hezbollah, Lebanese and Palestinian flags shouting anti-American and Israeli slogans in Beirut

The demonstrators shouted "death to America, death to Israel" as they marched through the streets. 

Organizers from the pro-Iranian Shi'ite Hezbollah guerilla group called the event "a victory march." Hezbollah is on the State Department's list of terrorist organizations. 

The demonstration coincided with the second anniversary of the outbreak of the most recent Palestinian Intifadah, or "uprising," and with Israel's continuing siege of Yasser Arafat's compound in Ramallah. 

AP
Protesters carry Palestinian flags as they step over U.S. and Israeli flags during a demonstration in Beirut

Hezbollah's leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, told the crowd, "the continuation of the Intifadah is a great victory." 

Sheikh Nasrallah said Palestinian fighters have carried out 1,400 attacks during the last two years. 

The Hezbollah group, which receives support from both Iran and Syria, enjoys a certain prestige in the Arab world because Israel withdrew from Southern Lebanon in June of 2000 after 22 years of Hezbollah resistance. 

Israel has frequently accused Hezbollah of providing support for the Palestinian uprising. 

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Europe Takes Narrow Lead at Ryder Cup

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Jim Stevenson
Sutton Coldfield, England
27 Sep 2002 19:22 UTC

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AP
Scotland's Colin Montgomerie of the European Ryder Cup team

The U.S. team is loaded with players who hit the longest balls in professional golf. But at the Belfry, the course is set up to favor the slightly shorter and precise game of the European team. That helped the Europeans to win the first three points on Friday. 

AP
Thomas Bjorn, left, and Darren Clarke watch U.S. team, Friday

"You just got to hit it to the position off the tee where there is a wide enough area to hit the ball into and just go from there," he said. "You know, it is obvious they did not want this to become a long drive contest or who can hit it the farthest in the fairway contest. But it is very narrow out there." 

Paul Azinger and Tiger Woods lost by one hole to Darren Clarke of Ireland and Thomas Bjorn of Denmark. Woods is the number one player in the world, but Azinger said even he is having trouble at the Belfry. 

AP
Tiger Woods tees off on 17th during second round

The United States has not won a fourball session since 1995, but won two out of the three Ryder Cup titles during that time. 

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G-7 Policymakers Meet in Washington Amid Street Protests

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VOA News
27 Sep 2002 20:35 UTC

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Top policymakers from the seven leading economic democracies known as the G-7 are meeting in Washington in a bid to jumpstart the flagging global economic recovery. 

Financial markets turmoil, Iraqi war fears and thousands of anti-capitalism demonstrators on the streets of Washington provided the backdrop for Friday's ministers' meeting near the White House. 

Security in Washington is especially tight leading up to Sunday's meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. 

In the streets of Washington, police arrested hundreds of protesters after anti-capitalist groups said they would try to bring the city to a standstill. The groups oppose financial hardships for developing nations and the environmental impact of industrialization. 

As the G-7 ministers conferred, World Bank Chief Economist Nicholas Stern issued a statement lecturing rich countries for keeping their markets partly closed, while demanding that many poverty-stricken developing nations open theirs. 

And shortly after noon, local time, two U.S. Air Force fighter jets thundered over Washington, flying at about 500 meters toward the White House. A Pentagon spokeswoman told VOA the jets were rushed to the scene after a small plane unintentionally violated restricted air space. 

Some information for this report provided by Reuters and AFP. 

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Hundreds of Protesters Arrested as IMF, World Bank Ministers Set Financial Policies

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Barry Wood
Washington
27 Sep 2002 17:46 UTC

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AP
Demonstrator protesting International Monetary Fund-World Bank meetings is arrested in Washington, Friday

The seven officials from Europe, Canada, Japan and the United States are meeting at Blair House, the presidential guest residence next to the White House. The main topics are exchange rates, the subdued pace of global recovery, oil prices, and African development.

Paul O'Neill

"Putting in place a system for preventing financial crises and when they do occur to identify them early and resolve them in a predictable way and to prohibit them from spreading to other nations," Mr. O'Neill said. 

The most recent financial crisis has been in Argentina with the threat of it spreading to Brazil. Mr. O'Neill says the Group of Seven is also concerned about making the results of foreign assistance measurable and going after the financial assets of terrorist organizations. 

Meanwhile representatives of 24 developing countries are meeting at IMF headquarters two blocks away. Nearby, protesters were demonstrating against the IMF and World Bank, accusing both organizations of promoting poverty. 

The financial meetings continue Saturday and Sunday. 

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International Council for Science to Focus on Sustainability

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Bill Rodgers
Rio de Janeiro
27 Sep 2002 18:16 UTC

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An international science organization plans to expand into developing nations and focus on balancing economic development with the environment. The action comes in the wake of the recent Johannesburg sustainable development summit. The organization's general assembly is taking these measures at a meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

The International Council for Science, known as ICSU, plans to pass several resolutions at the conclusion of its meeting in Rio de Janeiro Saturday, including one focusing the organization's energies on sustainability. 

Jane Lubchenco (photo Oregon State University)

The International Council for Science, founded in 1931, is a Paris-based non-governmental organization, whose 98 country members represent the national academies of sciences of each nation. The Council's membership also includes organizations such as the International Union of Biological Sciences and other disciplinary international unions. 

At the Rio meeting, delegates also will decide to establish offices in four regions of the developing world: Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. The offices would act as clearinghouses for scientific information and also promote scientific capacity in those regions. 

Incoming Council head Lubchenco said the impetus for the organization's new emphasis on sustainability is coming from what she called the disappointing results of the Johannesburg summit. "I personally think, and I think this is shared by many individuals as well, that the political outcomes from the World Summit on Sustainable Development were very disappointing," she said. "At the same time I know full well from having attending meetings like that, that much of what is actually accomplished may be below the surface in terms of the new commitments, the new partnerships, the new awareness that developed out of the conversations and it's that latter new awareness, new willingness to roll up our sleeves and get more engaged that is providing a lot of the energy for this particular general assembly of ICSU." 

Members of the council include the science academies of industrial countries such as the United States, Canada, Germany, and Sweden. In the developing world, national members include Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Iran and Iraq. 

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Ivory Coast Rebels Take Over Northern Town

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Luis Ramirez
Abidjan
27 Sep 2002 17:15 UTC

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AP
Rebel soldier holds his fist up in front of crowd chanting anti-Ivorian government slogans

Residents and town officials in the northern Ivory Coast town of Odienne, near the border with Guinea, said rebels moved into the town, and fired shots into the air. 

Residents say the anti-government forces appeared to have met little resistance, as they took over public buildings, including police stations in the town. Witnesses said paramilitary police and soldiers in Odienne ran from their posts, when they heard word that rebel forces were approaching. 

Odienne is the latest town to fall to mutinous soldiers, who led initial attacks on various parts of the country on September 19. Bouake in the center and Korhogo in the north were among the first cities attacked. They have remained under rebel control. Abidjan, which was the scene of heavy fighting on the first day of the mutiny, remains under the control of loyalists. 

The initial battles left 270 people dead. The death toll rose this week. Witnesses in Bouake reported counting an additional 100 bodies, following intense fighting in the city between loyalist forces and rebels. 

Other towns along the border areas with Burkina Faso have also fallen to rebels in recent days. 

In a televised speech late Thursday, Ivory Coast's defense minister, Moise Lida Kouassi, declared the areas a war zone, and said a major offensive by loyalist forces was imminent. 

Nations in the region are urging the Ivory Coast government to find a peaceful solution to the crisis. 

Ministers of the Economic Community of West African States were due to meet in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, on Sunday to discuss the crisis. 

The conflict has cut off commercial links between the more populated south and the north, where much of the country's food is grown. The effects of the conflict were felt in Abidjan Friday, where prices of meat and some other food items that usually come from the north nearly doubled. 

Ivory Coast, the world's top cocoa producer, was once seen as one of the most stable and prosperous in West Africa until it experienced its first-ever military coup in 1999. 

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Milosevic Trial Focuses on Croatia and Bosnia

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Lauren Comiteau
The Hague
27 Sep 2002 20:06 UTC

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Slobodan Milosevic

According to Slobodan Milosevic, it was all one big plot to make the world hate the Serbs. 

This was the latest in his long list of conspiracy theories poured out in court to explain why he's on trial for genocide and what happened in the country he once led. 

Mr. Milosevic says the French secret service colluded with Muslim leaders to make the massacres in Bosnia look like Serbian crimes. He says it was all a pretext for foreign military intervention in Bosnia. Mr. Milosevic spoke through an interpreter. 

"I want the truth to be revealed about this insane crime," he said. "In the interest of justice, it has to be explained before the world public." 

Radovan Karadzic

He said the same is true of former Bosnian Serb General Radislav Krstic, who the Hague court convicted of genocide last year. 

But prosecutors say Mr. Milosevic committed genocide in Srebrenica and other parts of Bosnia in his effort to create a Greater Serbia. The prosecutors say they can link Mr. Milosevic to the Srebrenica crimes. They say they have proof that when General Krstic was arrested three years after the crimes, he was still carrying his ID card from the Yugoslav army. 

Prosecutors maintain that the army, under Mr. Milosevic's control, supported and financed the Bosnian Serbs and their attacks on Muslims throughout the war. They say Mr. Milosevic also supported the Croatian Serbs, who wanted to become part of his Greater Serbia. 

On Friday, prosecutors called their first witness in this part of the trial, a former ethnic-Serb political leader from Croatia. The protected witness, known only as C-037, was a moderate Serb politician in a part of Croatia that was taken over by more extreme Serbs when Croatia declared independence in 1991. 

He testified that moderates like himself were seen as traitors, and that sentiments were whipped up by nationalist Serbs in Croatia supported by Belgrade. He said the extremists incited violence by telling Croatian Serbs they were in danger in Croatia, when in fact they were not. 

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Moroccans Vote in Parliamentary Election

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VOA News
27 Sep 2002 10:53 UTC

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Moroccans are heading to the polls in the first parliamentary elections since King Mohammed succeeded his father to the throne in 1999. Friday's balloting is widely viewed as a test of the North African kingdom's move toward greater democracy. 

In an unprecedented move, women are guaranteed at least 30 seats in the 325-member Parliament. Only two women were in the outgoing legislative body. 

Morocco's constitution places real power in the hands of the monarch, but the king has gained a reputation as a leader interested in modernization and democratic reforms. 

Observers say voter turnout could indicate whether that message has been accepted by the country's 14-million registered voters. The last elections - in 1997, before King Mohammed came to power - were marked by voter apathy and complaints of irregularities. 

The king has urged the government to ensure that poll results reflect the true political map of the country. Moroccan officials have vowed to make the elections free and fair. Twenty-six parties are vying for seats in the lower house of Parliament. 

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. 

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Opposition to Bush UN / Iraq Plan Grows

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VOA News
27 Sep 2002 21:38 UTC

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French President Jacques Chirac has rebuffed President Bush's arguments for a single United Nations resolution on Iraq. 

Mr. Chirac told Mr. Bush by phone that France wants one resolution on returning U.N. inspectors to Iraq to search for banned weapons, and another authorizing force if Iraq blocks inspections. 

Washington wants one resolution demanding Iraq disarm or face military action, and has said if the United Nations fails to act, the United States will. 

Washington wants approval of the one-resolution approach from the four other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, which all have veto power. 

Britain backs the U.S. position. China has spoken out against the idea of an imminent attack. Prime Minister Zhu Rongji, in Paris Friday, said any military assault without prior U.N. approval would have incalculable consequences. 

Russia says it has no clear proof Iraq has banned weapons. But Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said Friday Russia said U.N. weapons inspectors must return to Iraq. 

Three U.S. lawmakers who oppose a U.S. attack are in Baghdad hoping to persuade Iraq to allow in U.N. inspectors. The lawmakers are all members of the Democratic party. They held talks Friday with Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri. 

The congressmen say they want the Bush administration to make every effort to avoid war, adding, the United States should never make a first strike. In Washington, one of the leading members of the Democratic Party echoed that sentiment. 

Senator Ted Kennedy said Friday that war against Iraq should be a last resort, not a first response. He said Washington's top priority should be getting U.N. weapons inspectors back into Iraq. 

Some information for this report provided by Reuters and AP. 

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Political Debate Intensifies Over Iraq

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Jim Malone
Washington
27 Sep 2002 20:18 UTC

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AP
Senator Edward Kennedy

In a Washington speech, Senator Kennedy said the Bush administration has so far failed to make the case that Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction poses an immediate threat to the United States. 

Saying that war should be a last resort and not a first response, Senator Kennedy urged the president to exhaust all other options through the United Nations to force Saddam Hussein to give up his weapons before moving toward military action. 

"It is possible to love America while concluding that it is not now wise to go to war," he said. "The standard that should guide us is especially clear when lives are on the line. We must ask what is right for our country, and not [political] party." 

Senator Kennedy's comments urging caution echo the views of other prominent Democrats who have spoken out this week including former Vice President Al Gore and Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle. 

Despite those doubts from Democrats, President Bush continued to press his case against Iraq during a speech in Colorado on behalf of Republican congressional candidates. 

"I am willing to give peace a chance to work," he said. "I want the United Nations to work. I want him to do what he said he would do. But for the sake of your children's future, we must make sure that this madman never has the capacity to hurt us with a nuclear weapon or to use the stockpiles of anthrax that we know he has." 

Congress is expected to begin debate next week on a resolution that would authorize the president to use military force to disarm Iraq if necessary. Although that resolution is expected to pass, the debate has been complicated in recent days by escalating partisan rhetoric on both sides. 

AP
Bill Clinton

Former President Bill Clinton made that case on NBC's Today program. "And the resolution should also say that if he [Saddam] doesn't allow that or later he stops them, then the United Nations is authorized to use force," he said. "I believe that would get us not only the support of the British, but a great deal more unity at home and the support of our NATO allies and huge numbers of people throughout the world." 

Trent Lott

Senate Republican leader Trent Lott says he is confident the Bush administration will not be alone in its willingness to use force against Saddam Hussein. 

"We are going to get international support," he said. "It is not just going to be the United States and Great Britain. There will be a lot of others who will be involved." 

Public opinion polls indicate the debate over Iraq has now joined the economy as one of the major campaign issues in the November congressional elections. 

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Rebel Soldiers Take Another Town in Ivory Coast

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VOA News
27 Sep 2002 18:22 UTC

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Rebellious soldiers in Ivory Coast have taken control of the northern town of Odienne as residents from another rebel-held city brace for a government offensive. 

Frightened residents are trying to escape the central town of Bouake, the nation's second largest city, but some of them are being turned back by rebels manning checkpoints. Earlier Friday, French troops wrapped up their efforts to evacuate more than 1,000 foreigners. 

Residents and officials in Odienne - near the border with Guinea - say rebels moved in late Thursday, firing shots into the air. They say the soldiers met little resistance, as they took over public buildings, including police stations, while security forces fled. Odienne is the latest town to fall since hundreds of mutinous soldiers launched an uprising in several parts of the country last week. Other towns along the border with Burkina Faso have also fallen to rebel troops in recent days. 

Ivory Coast has warned it will soon attack rebel positions. Fighting between troops loyal to the government and mutinous soldiers has left about 400 people dead. Ivory Coast's interior minister and a former military ruler are among those killed. 

A regional summit to discuss the crisis is being prepared for Sunday in Ghana's capital, Accra. Organizers are hoping Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo will attend. 

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Senegalese Ferry Sinks, Hundreds Feared Dead

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VOA News
27 Sep 2002 21:52 UTC

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Senegalese officials say the fear there are nearly 700 dead bodies still inside a ferry that capsized and sank during a fierce storm off the West African coast late Thursday. 

Senegal's government says 60 people have been rescued and 88 bodies have been recovered. The ferry was carrying nearly 800 people. 

The Associated Press quotes an official saying dive teams that recovered the 88 bodies saw only corpses when they looked through the windows of the sunken ferry. 

Officials say they hope there may still be survivors. Military divers with special equipment are expected to search the sunken vessel for air pockets where trapped people may still be alive. 

In Dakar, families and friends of the missing passengers have gathered at the main dock and have been pressing the government for news of their beloved ones. 

The ferry was traveling from Senegal's southern Casamance province to the capital, Dakar, when the accident occurred. 

Friday, the government declared three days of official mourning. 

Ferries are the main means of transportation between northern and southern Senegal. Travel by road is slowed by border checks passing through Gambia. 

Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters. 

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South Korean Movie Stirs Controversy

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Hyun-Sung Khang
Seoul
27 Sep 2002 18:59 UTC

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A South Korean film has become a hit at international film festivals but it has been essentially banned at home. The reason: the film includes a lengthy sex scene between an elderly man and woman. 

The movie, Too Young to Die by director Park Jin-Pyo, is based on a real-life love affair between a couple in their seventies. They meet, fall in love, he teaches her to write, she teaches him to sing, they hold a simple wedding ceremony, they make love. 

It is that last item that has South Korea's film community in a bit of an uproar. The movie has been all but banned at home, even though it received positive reviews at the Cannes film festival in France and has been invited to screen at other festivals around the world. 

The Korea Media Rating Board labels the movie "unfit for public viewing." The board objects to a seven-minute sequence of the couple making love. 

The board gave the movie a "restricted" rating, which amounts to a ban because, it can only be screened in an R-rated-movie theater and none exist in the country. 

The decision was far from unanimous - three members of the board resigned over it. But the Rating Board head defends the decision, saying the sex scene went beyond reasonable bounds. 

The director, Park Jin-Pyo refuses to cut or digitally blur the offending scene. A group of young filmmakers in the country issued a statement accusing the board of stifling freedom of expression and overstepping its duties. 

The rating board's decision also raised a debate about how the elderly are perceived in this strongly Confucian country. Traditionally, old people are treated as lofty and inaccessible, with needs different from those of the young. 

Dr. Kim Suk San, who is with the Korea Welfare foundation, praises the film for shaking up stereotypes of the elderly. 

Dr. Kim says that traditionally in Korea, people have never associated the elderly with sex. Even though, old people still have feelings of desire and longing, young people have not been able to understand this, basically because of ignorance. So the subject of the elderly having sexual feelings has been taboo. 

He thinks the movie educates people about the elderly and is a positive thing. 

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In India, police say they shot dead five suspected Muslim militants, who were wanted in connection with bomb blasts over the last several years in the south of the country. 

Police say the suspected militants were killed in a three-hour gun battle that followed a raid on their hideout in the southern city of Bangalore early Sunday. A 23-year-old woman was among the suspects who died in the shootout. Several policemen were injured. 

One of the suspects, Imam Ali, had been arrested in 1995 on charges of involvement in a bomb attack on the office of a Hindu nationalist group (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) nearly a decade ago. But he had escaped from police custody earlier this year, while being taken to court. 

Imam Ali and his associates were also suspected of involvement in several armed robberies. Some reports have also linked them to a a series of bomb blasts that rocked the southern Indian city of Coimbatore four years ago. At least 70 people were killed and scores injured in those explosions. 

Bangalore's deputy inspector general of police, Ashutosh Shukla , told reporters that Imam Ali was planning to assassinate top national leaders, including Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani. He did not offer any evidence to back the claim, but said it was confirmed by intelligence reports. 

"Imam Ali was trained by Hizbul Mujahideen in Jammu and Kashmir during 1991," said Mr. Shukla, referring to a pro-Pakistani Islamic militant group. "He has also visited Bangladesh for training." 

Police from two southern states, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, conducted the operation. They are calling it a major victory against terror. 

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Israeli army vehicles are seen around Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's besieged compound in Ramallah on Saturday

Israeli troops com