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Security was tight during the morning military parade down the Champs Elysees in Paris, with almost 5,000 policemen on hand. Last year's Bastille Day was marred by an apparent assassination attempt targeting President Chirac. This year, authorities took no chances.

 National and international crises marked the first year of Mr. Chirac's second term in office. Earlier in the year, the French president weathered rocky diplomatic relations with the United States over his staunch opposition to the war in Iraq but basked in widespread popular approval of that policy in France.
 
 

Jacques Chirac, left

 Then came strikes by French performing artists over plans to cut their unemployment benefits. Many prestigious arts festivals have since been canceled. 

And last week, Corsicans defied Mr. Chirac, and voted against a plan to grant the Mediterranean island wider governing powers.

 In his traditional, televised Bastille Day interview, Mr. Chirac warned his people not to resist change.
 
 

 Mr. Chirac's nationally televised interview was his first in four months, and marked the president's most thorough defense of his prime minister, and the proposed domestic reforms.

 But the French president also touched on European issues. He refused to comment on the controversial debut of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi as the head of the European Union. But he did suggest that the EU's three percent budget deficit cap should be softened. France again risks surpassing that cap. 

Mr. Chirac also reiterated his call for the United Nations, and not the United States, to head Iraq's postwar reconstruction.

 The notion of having any country play world policeman is over, Mr. Chirac said. He said current international problems - from poverty to environmental degradation - demand a global authority.

 With Mr. Chirac's re-election last May, beating far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen by a landslide, and with his center-right UMP party controlling the parliament, the French president is in a very strong position to leave his mark on what could be his last term in office. Some analysts praise Mr. Chirac and his government for embarking on bold reforms. But critics suggest Mr. Chirac's second term has so far produced few, positive achievements. 

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Jack Straw, left, Ariel Sharon

According to a British official, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw stressed in his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that London would continue to deal with Yasser Arafat, if and when it was judged to be useful. 

Mr. Straw made it clear that the British position is with the wider European Union. Therefore, Foreign Secretary Straw says Britain will continue to maintain contacts with Mr. Arafat.

 Israel believes breaking links with Mr. Arafat would help Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas pursue peace. 

The talks between Mr. Straw and Mr. Sharon largely focused on the implementation of the Middle East road map for peace. They also touched on the issue of Jewish settlements. 

A senior Israeli official described the atmosphere at the talks as "very good." Both sides made an effort to put the past behind them and open a new chapter. 

Later, Mr. Sharon held talks during dinner with British Prime Minister Tony Blair at Number 10 Downing Street.
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Sharon in London to Urge Britain to End PLO Ties Israel Questions Member of Irish Guerrilla Group Survey: Many Palestinians Not Anxious to Return to Israel

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President Bush says he is getting good information from the CIA and other intelligence agencies. The comments were part of a White House campaign to defuse a controversy that dates back to January and statements made by the president on Iraq. 

In his State of the Union address, Mr. Bush said Iraq was seeking to buy uranium in Africa to make nuclear weapons. 

The claim was based, in part, on questionable evidence. Critics say the White House used it to bolster its case for military action against the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein. 

President Bush says the CIA looked at the speech before it was delivered and cleared the reference to uranium and Africa. But he says overall, the intelligence agencies do a good job. 

"I think the intelligence that I get is darn good intelligence. And the speeches I have given were backed by good intelligence," he said. 

Mr. Bush went on to say the allegation was relevant at the time the speech was written. He said then, as now, he remains convinced that under Saddam Hussein, Iraq was trying to build a weapons program that threatened the world. 

"The larger point is, and the fundamental question is, did Saddam Hussein have a weapons program," he said. "And the answer is, absolutely!" 

The president said the United States made the right decision to meet the threat and take military action. He noted teams are on the ground looking for evidence of weapons of mass destruction and predicted proof will be found. 

"I firmly believe that when it is all said and done, the people of the United States will realize that Saddam Hussein had a weapons program," he said. 

Earlier, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer took strong issue with allegations the president tried to mislead the public about Iraq's nuclear intentions. He called the accusations "absolute total nonsense." 

Some leading congressional Democrats are calling for an investigation of all the evidence the White House made public in its effort to win support for military action. But Bush administration officials, from the president on down, say they consider the matter closed and emphasize it is time to move on.
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Bush Aides Claim Iraq Weapons Evidence was Not Misused Controversy Over Iraq Uranium Charge Leads to New Fingerpointing CIA Chief Takes Blame for False Accusation on Iraq Weapons

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An Indonesian man, who confessed to terrorist bombings in the Philippines, has escaped from a Manila jail. The escape came as the Australian prime minister and Philippine president met in Manila to sign a new pact to combat terrorism. 

AP
Fathur Rahman al-Ghozi June 18, 2003 Photo

Philippine police spokesman Colonel Leopoldo Bataoil told VOA that the circumstances for the escape are under investigation. "As to how the suspects got away, that is exactly being investigated. … The detention cells are equipped with metal grills and there is a set of guards who are supposed to be checking on these detainees from time to time. It is being investigated as to possible connivance of officers," Colonel Bataoil said. 

Al-Ghozi was set to be arraigned next Monday on new terrorism-related charges.

 Police have said al-Ghozi admitted involvement in five deadly bombings in Manila in December 2000 and confessed to membership in Jamaah Islamiyah, a regional Islamic terrorist network, blamed for last year's bombings in Bali, which killed 202 people.

 Al-Ghozi is alleged to have conspired with members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, or MILF, to carry out the Manila bombings. The MILF has been waging an insurgency for a separate Muslim state in the southern Philippines. Al-Ghozi also led police to a cache of explosives that officials say was intended for attacks on Western interests in Singapore, including embassies. 

His escape from police custody was especially embarrassing to the government because it came while Australian Prime Minister John Howard was in Manila to discuss counter-terrorism aid to the Philippines.

 Mr. Howard met with Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in his opening leg of an eight-day swing through Asia. Countering terrorism is high on Mr. Howard's agenda. Nearly one half of the people killed in the October bomb attack on the Indonesian resort island of Bali were Australian.

 Mr. Howard said Australia wants to help the Philippine government battle terrorism and its causes. "The Philippines has suffered from terrorism, parts of it have suffered very severely, and we are very conscious of that. And we want in every way we possibly can to work together," he said. 

The two countries signed a new pact Monday that includes an Australian security assistance package for the Philippines, increased police cooperation and training.
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Philippines Tightens Security Following Deadly Market Bombing Market Bombing in Philippines Kills 3

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