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As the Paris-brokered peace accord in Ivory Coast appears on the verge of collapse, papers in the country vent fury at the French for an agreement they describe as serving France's interests, not that of Ivorians.

The media in neighbouring countries considers what lessons the Ivorian crisis and its attempted resolution have for the rest of Africa.

Dishonourable peace?

The Abidjan independent daily Soir Info criticises France for what it calls its "ambiguous" stance on the Ivorian crisis.

By putting pressure on Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo to sign the peace deal with the rebels, which promised them the defence and interior ministers' positions, France has "legitimised" the Ivorian rebellion, the paper argues.

This precedent is likely to encourage a leap back to the period when power was acquired through coup d'etats Soir Info (Ivory Coast)

"The [Paris] summit has given a tacit go-ahead to any armed group to use military means to conquer power from any legal authority," it says.

France's aim, the paper believes, was to balance its relations with the government and the rebels so as to safeguard its commercial interests in the country.

As far as the rebel leader Guillaume Soro is concerned, he "decided to enter history through the back door, choosing the shortcut of weapons".

"This precedent," the paper warns, "is likely to encourage a leap back to the period when power was acquired through coup d'etats by armed groups."

France no, America yes

More anger towards France is expressed by the ruling Ivorian Popular Front's daily Notre Voie.

Anti-French demonstrations in Ivory Coast calling on "President Bush and the American people for help to confront Jacques Chirac's France, which is seeking to murder Ivorian democracy," the paper argues, "is a reflection of the deep feelings of the majority of Ivorians who want to sever the umbilical cord that ties them to France."

[The French-brokered accords] show the incapacity of African leaders to find African solutions to African problems Le Republicain (Mali)

The paper appeals to the US to rescue the Ivorians "the way it did for France and the whole of Europe in the Second World War".

"Doesn't history teach us that France, which throws its weight around here, owed its salvation at the time only to the help of the Americans?"

"It is that same help the Ivorians ask for now, in the name of democracy and human rights," the paper says.

In neighbouring Burkina Faso, the weekly Bendre uses sarcasm to make a point about French involvement in Ivory Coast.

It features a photo of French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin and President Gbagbo. "My saviour!" Mr Gbagbo says to Mr de Villepin, who replies, "My cocoa!" - referring to France's economic interest in Ivory Coast's main export.

'African incapacity'

However, papers outside Ivory Coast take a very different view of France's efforts to end the conflict.

Mali's Le Republicain believes that the French-brokered accords "open the way to the return of peace".

But, the paper regrets, they "show the incapacity of African leaders to find African solutions to African problems".

Observers of the Ivorian scene are whispering that President Gbagbo can begin to count his days L'Observateur Paalga (Burkina Faso)

"President Chirac, no doubt, is considered a hero by many people in the west Africa sub-region," Accra's Daily Mail says. "And why not? He has earned it."

If France had not intervened the country would have broken apart, the Ghanaian paper believes.

"The inability of sub-regional leaders to put together a force to keep the combatants apart meant that the French initiative was crucial."

"Chirac's timely intervention has saved the West Africa sub-region another round of bloodletting," it says. "For that we say 'Ayekoo' [well done] to the French president."

'But will it last?'

The paper also urges the Ivorian president to ensure the peace agreement succeeds.

"Laurent Gbagbo must stamp his authority and make the Paris peace accord stick," it argues, "or history will put him down as the man under whose watch one of the most promising African countries was destroyed. There can be no nobility in that!"

But, according to L'Observateur Paalga in Burkina Faso, which highlights the opposition to the peace deal within Laurent Gbagbo's party, it may already be too late:

"Some observers of the Ivorian political scene are whispering that President Gbagbo can begin to count his days."

Once the politics of the gun takes root, it takes extraordinarily skilled leadership to get rid of it The Monitor (Uganda)

And the consequences of the Ivorian crises could spread beyond Ivory Coast, according to an African security expert on Ghana's Joy FM radio.

He argues that the Ivorian peace deal will deepen the crisis in the long term because it has legitimised insurrections, thereby encouraging rebels to resort to arms.

"Because the governance processes are undermined," he warns, "we will see more factions arising, a deepening of the violence, and the conflict spilling over into Guinea, Liberia and certainly also Ghana."

The Monitor, a Ugandan daily, steps away from the minutiae of the Ivorian situation to take a more philosophical view.

"Once the politics of the gun takes root in a country," the paper notes, "it takes extraordinarily skilled leadership to get rid of it."

"Africa is very short of such leaders," it concludes.

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.

By Peter Greste BBC correspondent in Buenos Aires

Almost 58% of Argentines now live on or below the poverty line according to the government's own figures.

The country's economic statistics agency, Indec, released new details which showed a sharp increase in the number of poor between May and October last year.

POVERTY LINE

Earnings of $200 a month per family 19 million people fall below standard

"The one good thing about being poor in Argentina," a street cleaner told me, "is that you are not alone".

In fact, that man who was picking through the rubbish in Buenos Aires to survive now has 19 million countrymen who are, to a greater or lesser extent, in a similar position.

Officially, 57.5% of the population meet the government's definition of living in poverty.

They earn less than the 625 pesos a month - a little under $200 - deemed the amount an average family must find to meet their basic needs.

This is happening in a country that used to boast one of the world's highest standards of living.

In truth, Argentina always had a relatively large underclass of rural poor, but the catastrophic four-year recession which finally tore the heart out of the economy last year has dragged millions more into economic hardship.

The government statistics show that in the six months from May to October 2002, the number of poor shot up by more than 9%.

'Recovery' rubbished

In recent weeks the government has been arguing strongly that the downturn is now over and the recovery under way.

It points to a more stable exchange rate, increases in exports and growth projected at 3.5% next year.

The street cleaner laughed when I told him about the figures though.

The government might be right, he said, but the only growth he could see was the number of people fighting over the thinning rubbish.

President George W Bush has said a US-led coalition can move against Iraq without a second United Nations resolution, and no delay over disarmament will be tolerated.

Baghdad "is not disarming" and remains a "danger to the world," Mr Bush warned.

He was speaking at a joint news conference with UK Prime Minister Tony Blair after the two leaders held talks at the White House.

SECURITY COUNCIL

For military action: United States, United Kingdom, Spain and Bulgaria Sceptics or opposed: France, Russia, China, Germany and Syria In doubt: Angola, Cameroon, Chile, Guinea, Mexico and Pakistan Nine votes and no veto required to pass a resolution

Security Council quick guide

They are trying to rally international support to make Iraq disarm - using force if necessary.

"Should the United Nations decide to pass a second resolution, it would be welcomed if it is yet another signal that we're intent upon disarming Saddam Hussein," Mr Bush said.

But, he added, the original UN vote "gives us the authority to move without a (second) resolution".

The president insisted on bringing the disarmament standoff to a head "in a matter of weeks and not months".

His comments were echoed by Mr Blair, who said time was "running out".

The BBC's Andrew Marr says there is some disagreement between the two leaders on strategy.

Our correspondent says President Bush wants to resolve the Iraqi crisis through force if need be - but Mr Blair wants to ensure that any war is backed by a large international consensus.

Before heading for Washington, Mr Blair shored up support among several European countries for the tough US line.

Their summit came after Mr Blair and seven other European leaders backed the tough American stance on Iraq in a joint letter published on Thursday.

The statement backed a transatlantic alliance to disarm Iraq - a move which underlined a split from France and Germany's determination to avoid war.

The Turkish Government, for its part, is to ask the parliament in Ankara for permission to allow foreign troops to use Turkish bases.

US allegations rejected

The UN's chief arms inspectors Mohamed ElBaradei and Hans Blix have deferred a decision on whether to return to Baghdad for more talks with officials.

KEY DATES

5 Feb - Powell to address UN Security Council 14 Feb - Further report from weapons inspectors 27 Mar - Blix submits new report to UN

Next steps in full

Iraq has asked them to visit before they make another progress report to the Security Council on 14 February but a spokesman for Mr Blix said "certain understandings" needed to be reached first.

Mr ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, added that Iraq must, for instance, allow inspectors to interview scientists in private and agree to the use of U-2 surveillance planes.

"We need to make sure before we go that they are ready to move forward... on these issues," he said.

Although the inspectors have found fault with the level of Iraqi co-operation, Mr Blix has rejected allegations raised by the Bush administration that his inspectors are being deliberately deceived.

In an interview with the New York Times, he challenged the accusation that Iraqi officials were moving illegal materials to prevent their discovery.

And he said there was no evidence to back US suspicions that scientists were being sent to Syria and other countries to avoid interviews with inspectors, nor that agents were posing as scientists for questioning.

Moreover he rejected suggestions his teams had been infiltrated by Iraqi agents and that intelligence was being leaked.

It has been suggested that some of these allegations may be brought up by US Secretary of State Colin Powell when he presents the Security Council next week with what he says will be new evidence of Iraq's failure to comply with UN demands.

By Helen Sewell BBC science correspondent

Scientists say they have been shocked to discover that four dormant volcanoes in South America are in fact active.

Researchers used satellite imaging techniques to look at movements in the ground, and they say their results have implications for volcanic areas around the world.

For most of the world's volcanoes, we have no idea of their level of activity Professor Mark Simons

Nine hundred volcanoes in the Andes mountains in Chile were scrutinised.

Satellites took pictures of the same landscape at different intervals and researchers compared them.

Any geological changes between the pictures were shown as what is called a radar interference fringe.

That looks rather like the patterns made by a drop of oil in a puddle, and tells scientists that the ground is moving.

'Census needed'

Professor Mark Simons of the California Institute of Technology said what they saw was quite alarming.

"This suggests that, for most of the world's volcanoes, we have no idea of their level of activity," he said.

"[It] really promotes the idea that we need to start developing a census of the world's volcanoes to look at their level of their activity."

More accurate forecasting of eruptions could help aid efforts

It is possible that many more supposedly dormant volcanoes around the world could be active.

But although scientists can tell when the ground is deforming underneath a volcano, it does not necessarily mean it will erupt.

If there is an eruption however, or even an earthquake, researchers hope the same satellite technology could one day be used to locate the worst affected areas more quickly, enabling emergency services to get help to those most in need.

The United Nations is urging the Guatemalan Government to take emergency action to tackle "an uncontainable spiral of violence".

The criminal justice system is incapable of responding to the violence committed by criminals, drug-traffickers and organised gangs, the head of the UN's Guatemalan mission Tom Koenigs says.

He urged the authorities to spend more money on security-related institutions.

Police say at least 3,630 people died violently in Guatemala last year - 400 of them in December alone.

Data from the police suggest a clear and marked pattern of deterioration in the field of public security during these recent years UN report

This death toll was the highest since 1997.

In 2001, there were 3,210 violent deaths.

Mr Koenigs cited poor training of personnel and corruption as reasons for the rise in violence.

Police are unable to "prevent and punish crimes", he said.

The UN warning comes as the United States says it no longer considers Guatemala an ally in the battle against the drug trade.

Guatemala had "failed demonstrably" during 2002 to fulfil international drug control standards, officials said.

Aid to continue

It is the first time Guatemala has been classified in the survey of 23 countries as not co-operating in the drugs war, unlike Haiti and Burma, which were also singled out for poor performances.

By law, President George W Bush can impose economic sanctions against countries which fail the drug standards.

However, sanctions on both Guatemala and Haiti have been waived on national security grounds.

"These two countries will receive assistance, notwithstanding their counter-narcotics performance," a White House representative said.

A treaty signed in 1996 ended Guatemala's 36-year civil war.

Thousands of farmers have gathered in the Mexican capital to demand their government renegotiate a regional trade pact, which they say is destroying their livelihoods.

A big mistake was made in the phasing out of tariffs for imports. Farmers are worse off now than before NAFTA was signed Rafael Galindo, farmers leader

The farmers say the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) has led to a flood of cheaper imports from the United States and Canada - the two other members of the treaty.

They say a treaty clause - which came into force in January, allowing agriculture and livestock imports to enter Mexico free of duty - will have an especially devastating effect.

The protesters say the government of President Vicente Fox must come up with a new agriculture and livestock policy and withdraw from Nafta.

They have already warned that unless their demands are met, they will step up their actions by blocking ports and border crossings with the US.

But the BBC's Nick Miles in Mexico City says the farmers' demands put Mr Fox in bind, as the president does not want to sour ties with the country's most important trading partner.

Rural crisis

Carrying banners and machetes as a show of defiance, the farmers travelled in from across the country.

President Fox has ruled out NAFTA renegotiation

Leaders of the march said they expected up to 40,000 people to take part in the demonstration.

Our correspondent says their message is clear - the Mexican countryside is in crisis and free trade is making it worse.

About a quarter of Mexico's 100 million people live off the land, and since Nafta was signed in 1994 many farms have gone bankrupt, unable to compete with cheaper foreign imports.

Mexican farms are generally smaller and less efficient then their northern neighbours.

But the protesters say the main reason they are going under are the subsidies US cereal growers and livestock rearers receive.

The farmers demand that import tariffs on Mexico's main crops - corn and beans - must be kept in place indefinitely.

"With this march, we want to push the government to reach real accords on farm policy," farmers' leader Rafael Galindo told local radio.

"A big mistake was made in the phasing out of tariffs for imports. Farmers are worse off now than before Nafta was signed."

Flat refusal

The farmers also said they wanted the Mexican Government to put more pressure on Washington to reduce farm subsidies.

But experts say the US is by far Mexico's most important trading partner, and Mr Fox does not want to put that relationship under pressure.

Mr Fox has offered a sop to the farmers in the form of increased funding to reduce rural poverty.

Agriculture Minister Javier Uabiaga has also admitted that the government policy for the countryside needed an overhaul.

But talks between the government and the farmers broke down after President Fox refused to withdraw from Nafta, saying renegotiating the deal was out of the question.

The United States has expressed concern about illicit drugs flooding in from Canada and the Netherlands.

President George W Bush says Washington maintains good relations with both the allies, but expects them to do more to stem the trade.

Yet neither Canada nor the Netherlands was included on the "majors list" of drug producing or trafficking countries in an annual White House report.

We expect Dutch authorities to move effectively and measurably in the coming year US President George W Bush

Mr Bush criticised Burma, Guatemala and Haiti for failing to co-operate in the global battle against the drugs trade.

Elsewhere in the report he put the same 23 countries on its "majors list" as last year.

They included Afghanistan, Bolivia, Colombia, Laos, Nigeria, Venezuela and Thailand, but the White House statement stressed that inclusion did not necessarily mean criticism of their governments' efforts to stop the drugs trade.

Mr Bush highlighted an "alarming increase" in the quantity of synthetic drugs entering the US, especially ecstasy from the Netherlands.

"We expect Dutch authorities to move effectively and measurably in the coming year against the production and export of this drug, including dismantling labs and proceeding against trafficking organisations.

"Early in the year, we plan to discuss specific steps we can take together to reduce drug trafficking," Mr Bush wrote in the statement which will be submitted to Congress.

Canada cited

He said his administration was "concerned" that Canada was a primary source of pseudoephedrine and an increasing source of high-potency marijuana.

"Over the past few years there has been an alarming increase in the amount of pseudoephedrine diverted from Canadian sources to clandestine drug laboratories in the United States, where it is used to make methamphetamine," the statement said.

Mr Bush said Canadian authorities had not done enough to regulate the sale and distribution of various chemicals, though he praised other work by the law enforcement agencies.

Canada's foreign ministry spokesman Rodney Moore expressed surprise at the criticism.

"This issue has not been raised during any of the recent meetings between Canadian ministers and their US counterparts," he said.

Venezuelans are marching through the streets of the capital, Caracas, in a show of support for the country's radio and television stations and newspapers.

The demonstration comes a day after President Hugo Chavez started legal proceedings against a private television channel.

The legal move is seen as a crackdown by the president on those who oppose him.

The television channel is the third of the four private companies to be placed under investigation.

The president is accused of a media crackdown

The government accuses it of violating telecommunication laws.

The BBC's correspondent in Venezuela, Adam Easton, says the media has given wide coverage to the opposition-led general strike against Mr Chavez, which has been going on for three months.

Leading newspapers in Venezuela however have started to question the wisdom of continuing the general strike.

The dailies widely read by the middle class, many professionals and the wealthier sectors of society, argue that the strike has run its course and is now doing more harm than good.

'Irreparable damage'

A commentary in the right-leaning El Universal on Thursday expressed the fear its continuation will "cause the country irreparable damage".

On the same day, the centre-left El Nacional warns that the opposition strategy has "serious limitations" and that instead of weakening the government, had "strengthened the Chavistas' convictions".

When the strike began, they were generally optimistic the opposition would prevail and the president would be forced to step down or call a referendum on his rule imminently.

Two representatives from the human rights group Amnesty International have begun a landmark visit to Burma and met with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

It is the first official visit by the group, which has consistently criticised Burma's military government for its human rights record.

Burma invited Amnesty to visit as part of the government's efforts to convince the international community it is serious about improving its human rights record.

But Mike Jendrzejczyck, of the campaign group Human Rights Watch, warned that the invitation could be a cosmetic gesture.

"Clearly the Burmese government will use this for maximum publicity benefit, to try to demonstrate that it is co-operating on human rights when its' human rights record remains dismal," he said.

There are also concerns that the two Amnesty representatives will not have enough time to make a thorough assessment, as they have only been granted visas for ten days.

Little progress

Hopes were raised of meaningful progress in Burma last year when the government released Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, but there has been little progress since.

Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won 1990 elections by a landslide, but the military government ignored the result.

The United States and European Union have imposed sanctions on Burma, which is isolated politically and economically.

Amnesty International's representatives are hoping to speak to a range of people from the government and the opposition.

But fears have been expressed for the safety of any Burmese people they interview, who could become targets for state harassment after the international observers leave.

China is gearing up for the Lunar New Year on 1 February, with hectic scenes of last-minute buying before cities virtually shut down. And millions of people are on the road, travelling home for the festive season.

The Japanese Government has asked the Supreme Court in Tokyo to overturn a ruling which casts doubt on the future of a controversial nuclear reactor.

Trade Minister Takeo Hiranuma said he could never accept Monday's high court ruling that operations at the troubled Monju reactor should remain suspended.

The $6bn fast-breeder reactor, which has been out of commission since a leak was discovered in 1995, is regarded by the government as essential to Japan's long-term energy needs.

But the high court judge in Nagoya in central Japan ruled that Monju's operating permit should not be reissued.

He said he had to take into account the danger of radiation escaping into the environment.

'Serious mistakes'

Monday's ruling came as a surprise to the government, which had already given approval for construction work to begin at the site.

Japanese nuclear accidents

1995 Monju: major sodium leak July 1999 Tsuruga: internal radiation leak at 11,500 times the safety level Sept 1999 Tokaimura: Japan's worst nuclear accident, killed two and injured 40

"The ruling departs from preceding judgments at the Supreme Court... and contains serious mistakes in the interpretation of the law," said Mr Hiranuma.

But people living near the controversial reactor welcomed Monday's decision.

Aileen Mioko Smith, an activist who has been campaigning on the issue for many years, said it was an "epoch-making decision".

She said it was a significant strike at "the whole raison d'etre" of the Japanese nuclear industry.

Nuclear needs

With few natural resources, Japan relies heavily on its 51 nuclear power plants to supply about a third of its electricity.

The government wants to raise that to 42% by the year 2010.

The reactor at Monju is central to that plan.

The government has already spent 780bn yen ($6.56bn) on the project, including 580bn yen to build the experimental fast-breeder reactor, which is designed to produce more nuclear fuel than it consumes.

But with public fears high since an accident at Tokaimura in 1999, the government faces many hurdles in its plans for nuclear growth.

The owner of an independent Cambodian radio station has been charged with inciting this week's anti-Thai riots in the capital, Phnom Penh.

Mam Sonando is accused of inciting hatred

Mam Sonando, of Beehive Radio FM 105, is accused of using his radio station to broadcast false reports of attacks in Thailand against Cambodians and spreading hatred against Thais.

The station owner was among nearly 150 people arrested during the disturbances, which have strained relations between Cambodia and Thailand.

The anti-Thai rampage began after rumours circulated that a Thai actress had suggested the ancient temple complex at Angkor Wat - a Cambodian national symbol - really belonged to Thailand. The actress has denied the comments.

Tensions have now eased. Cambodia has apologised and offered compensation for the incident, and the Thai leader has welcomed the gesture.

'False reports'

If convicted of all three charges of relaying false information, inciting discrimination, and inciting crime, Mam Sonando faces a maximum combined sentence of nine years in prison and a fine of 20 million riels (US$5,000).

ANGKOR WAT

Symbol on national flag World heritage site Built from 879 - 1191AD 'Lost' for centuries until rediscovered in 1860

Crossing Continents: Cambodia's temples of hope

Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said on Thursday that Mam Sonando had broadcast a listener wrongly saying that nine to 10 Cambodian embassy officials were killed in Bangkok.

"They blame me for broadcasting an opinion of a listener which turned out to be untrue. But if I have to go to jail to allow people to express their opinion I am happy," Mam Sonando, who is on remand undergoing further questioning, told reporters.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has blamed the violence on "extremists" exaggerating reports of the attacks.

Apologies

A statement from Cambodia was broadcast on national media on Thursday. It expressed "most profound regret" and promised to compensate for the destruction of the Thai embassy and to safeguard the property of Thais who had fled the country.

Thais have been looking down on Cambodia and invading our territory, but we never had a good chance to show our anger Piseth, Cambodia

Click here to read other views on the dispute

Thailand welcomed the offer and said it would set up a committee to determine how to compensate Thai businesses.

"That is a very good and quick response gesture from the Cambodia side," Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said.

The incident began on Wednesday when anti-Thai protesters burned down the Thai embassy and vandalised dozens of businesses in the Cambodian capital.

The riots sparked counter-demonstrations in Bangkok on Thursday.

Thailand downgraded diplomatic ties with Cambodia and suspended all economic co-operation and business dealings.

CAMBODIAN-THAI TENSIONS

Thais overran Khmer empire in 15th century Angkor Wat briefly held by Thai army at end of WW2 Border disputes continue Cambodians wary of Thailand's more powerful army Also resent Thai companies exploiting Cambodian natural resources

Thai officials have estimated the damage at 1 billion baht (US$23 million), including lost business opportunities.

One Cambodian man died in the riots and seven were injured.

Analysts say it is unclear what really prompted the rioting, though Cambodian politicians may have been hoping to stir up nationalist sentiment ahead of July elections.

The Angkor Wat complex - Cambodia's national symbol and represented on its flag - sits well inside its borders and has not been disputed by the Thai Government.

A Russian cargo aircraft has crashed while attempting to land in thick fog on the northern coast of East Timor, killing all six crew members.

The plane crashed in the mountains near the airport at Baucau, about five kilometres ( 3 miles) from the runway.

The plane was carrying telecommunications equipment.

The IL-76 is a four-engined transport aircraft, originally used a military cargo aircraft but also used widely as a civilian plane.

The crash happened at about 4:30 pm local time (0930 GMT) as the plane was approaching the airport.

Wilton Fonseca, a spokesman for the UN force in East Timor, told the Associated Press news agency that a rescue plane had already been sent to the Baucau, which is about 100 kilometres (60 miles) east of the capital Dili.

There is a heavy UN presence in East Timor.

The UN governed the country between 1999, when it seceded from Indonesia, until last year when the territory voted for independence.

UN troops and police still provide assistance to the fledgling country.

The detention of suspects after last October's Bali nightclub attack stopped them from carrying out another atrocity, Australian police have claimed.

Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty said the militant group Jemaah Islamiah, widely blamed for the Bali bombing, had plotted a second attack in Indonesia late last year.

It's clear that they were not only sophisticated but they were very determined in what they were going to do Mick Keelty, Australian Federal Police Commissioner

But he told Australian public radio that police action had prevented a repeat of the Bali atrocity which killed nearly 200 people, around half of them Australian tourists.

Thirty suspects have been arrested in connection with the twin bomb blasts on Kuta Beach, including the reputed mastermind Imam Samudra and Ali Imron, who police say drove one of the vans packed with explosives.

Mr Keelty declined to say where in Indonesia the second attack was to have occurred.

"The attack was a second attack in Indonesia that has been foiled through the arrest of the people responsible, particularly Samudra and Ali Imron," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"It's clear that they were not only sophisticated but they were very determined in what they were going to do," he said.

Officials say evidence is growing against Abu Bakar Ba'asyir

"If it wasn't for the work of the Indonesian national police, helped by Australian police, I think we would have probably had another event occur using the skills and the knowledge that Jemaah Islamiah has accumulated over time."

Mr Keelty added that there was growing evidence linking a senior Islamic cleric, Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, to the Bali bombing.

Earlier this week, Indonesian authorities said the alleged spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiah was likely to be charged in connection with the attack.

But first the cleric will be tried or released on charges linked to a series of church bombings in Indonesia in December 2000 and an alleged assassination plot against Megawati Sukarnoputri before she became Indonesian president.

The commander of United States forces in the Pacific has asked for additional troops, aircraft and ships in the event of a US-led war with Iraq, US defence officials said.

Admiral Thomas Fargo asked the Pentagon to strengthen the US military presence in the region to deter North Korea from engaging in any "adventure" while a conflict was underway, they said.

He feels it would be a prudent step US defence official

"The admiral wants to be sure that the North Koreans don't launch any adventure to take advantage of what they might see as preoccupation with Iraq," said one of the unnamed officials.

Tensions between North Korea and the US have risen markedly in recent months after Washington reported the Stalinist state had announced its withdrawal from a 1994 pact on nuclear non-proliferation.

Bomber planes

On Friday Washington again expressed concern that North Korea was engaged in a secret nuclear weapons programme after reports that US spy satellites had detected lorries taking on cargo at the Yongbyon nuclear power plant.

The US is concerned about recent activity at Yongbyon

Admiral Fargo, who is based in Hawaii, is said to have urged Washington to beef up his forces in response to possible plans to move the USS Kitty Hawk to the Persian Gulf in the event of an attack on Iraq.

The aircraft carrier is currently based in Yokosuka, Japan.

According to reports from Reuters news agency Admiral Fargo, who oversees all US military in Asia and the Pacific Rim, had asked for B-1 and B-52 bombers as well as extra troops.

"He feels it would be a prudent step," one defence official said of Admiral Fargo's decision.

So far Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is reported to have not yet made a decision on whether to supply the extra troops.

The US already has 37,000 troops based in South Korea.

The White House has warned North Korea against moving to manufacture weapons-grade plutonium by reprocessing nuclear fuel rods.

Such a step would be a "provocative action... intended to intimidate and blackmail the international community", said spokesman Ari Fleischer.

About 8,000 nuclear fuel rods are said to be stored at Yongbyon

The warning came after reports that US spy satellites had detected lorries taking on cargo at the Yongbyon nuclear power plant.

The plant, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of Pyongyang, houses stockpiles of nuclear fuel rods.

Tension between the two states escalated late last year after the United States accused North Korea of abandoning a 1994 pact to forsake its nuclear ambitions.

North Korea's nuclear programme has come under intense international scrutiny since it expelled UN weapons inspectors in December.

Experts say that if North Korea really has begun moving the 8,000 fuel rods stored at Yongbyon, it could either be attempting to hide them or moving them to a reprocessing plant to produce bomb-grade plutonium.

Other commentators have suggested that North Korea is well aware the plant is under surveillance and it is trying to improve its bargaining position with the leverage afforded by the nuclear threat.

'Non-compliance'

North Korea pulled out of the global Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty on 10 January.

CRISIS CHRONOLOGY

16 Oct: US announces that N Korea has acknowledged secret nuclear programme 14 Nov: Oil shipments to N Korea halted 22 Dec: N Korea removes monitoring devices at Yongbyon nuclear plant 31 Dec: UN nuclear inspectors forced to leave North Korea 10 Jan: N Korea pulls out of anti-nuclear treaty 24 Jan: North-South talks end without making progress 28 Jan: President Bush urges the "oppressive" N Korean regime to give up its nuclear ambitions 30 Jan: N Korea responds with allegations of American hypocrisy and aggression 31 Jan: White House warns N Korea over suspected nuclear activity

Timeline of tensions

It insists it is the target of US "aggression" and that by halting oil shipments last year, the US has forced it to restart nuclear power stations.

Also on Friday, Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said the North Korean nuclear issue should be referred to the UN Security Council.

He said the 35 agency members had tentatively agreed to meet on 12 February to begin such proceedings.

The board could then declare North Korea in "non-compliance" of international obligations on nuclear weapons.

This would be a sensitive issue as it could then pave the way for the Security Council to impose sanctions on an already isolated and poverty-stricken country.

But, Mr ElBaradei said, "North Korea is in non-compliance, so we need to get the board to certify that conclusion".

By Habib Beary in Bangalore

Delhi has been blamed by the southern Indian state of Karnataka for the delay in clearing a $230m international airport project in Bangalore, the high tech capital of India.

The absence of an international airport is considered to be a major detterent for Bangalgore's growth.

Karnataka Chief Minister S.M.Krishna said on Friday that a similar airport project in neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh was also delayed and both the states would meet Prime Minister A.B.Vajpayee soon to speed up federal clearances for the two airports.

Mr Krishna's comments came on his return from Davos to Bangalore after attending the world economic forum.

Let down

The undue delay in getting the project operational is reported to have been an embarrassing topic of conversation during his interaction with foreign delegates at the business summit.

"It is intriguing why there is so much delay. It is all the more embarrassing as the Prime Minister himself had laid the foundation stone fo