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. Analysts Say China's Role in Korean Nuclear Talks Motivated by Self-interest .

. Stephanie Mann Washington 01 May 2003, 21:55 UTC Listen to Stephanie Mann's report (RealAudio)  Mann report - Download 689k (RealAudio)  x x

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Delegates leave Beijing talks on North Korea, Friday

China, which hosted the recent meeting on North Korea's nuclear-weapons program, is increasingly acting as a diplomatic mediator between the United States and North Korea. Analysts say Beijing is playing an active role because it has a strong interest in preventing the stalemate from escalating and causing insecurity inside China. 

The United States has praised China for its help in getting North Korea to sit down at talks last month in Beijing. White House spokesman Ari Fleisher told reporters China played a significant role. 

"During these talks we made clear to the North Koreans our policy, which is the policy of our allies in the region; that North Korea must verifiably and irreversibly dismantle its nuclear weapons program," he said. "This is the goal of our allies. This is the stated policy of China, which played a very productive role in these talks and a very helpful role through the active participation of the Chinese government." 

This was not the first time China mediated talks between Pyongyang and Washington. In the 1990s, China hosted the two sides at talks on North Korean missile proliferation at the Chinese embassy in Berlin.

 The director of Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, Elizabeth Economy, says China was not enthusiastic about taking a lead role in the North Korea nuclear issue when the crisis began last October. But she says the U.S. invasion of Iraq changed that. 

"We did not see China sort of leaping to the foreground to take the initiative in setting up these negotiations four or five months ago. It really was I think in the wake of the U.S. invasion of Iraq that China thought, 'Okay, North Korea could well be on the United States' list, and that is to be avoided at all costs.'

 Ms. Economy says China is in a unique position to play a powerful role in the North Korea nuclear dispute. "China's role is critical because it signals to the North Koreans primarily that they are taking seriously the threat that North Korea is posing to the entire region with its alleged development of nuclear weapons," she said. "China is the single largest provider of energy assistance and one of the largest providers of food aid to North Korea, and it is the one country that really has any leverage at all, I think, in this situation with North Korea." 

China apparently used its leverage over North Korea by temporarily stopping the flow of oil to the North for a few days in February, but Chinese officials say their leverage is limited. 

And Beijing has pressed Washington to continue using a diplomatic approach with North Korea, arguing that economic sanctions or military action would cause instability and massive refugee flows into China.

 Chinese foreign policy specialist Lyman Miller says China is trying to navigate a middle ground that keeps nuclear weapons out of Korea, but does not lead to instability. 

"I think they see themselves caught in between a situation in which pursuit of a military option by the United States, regime change, or something more limited than that, would have terrible consequences for security in the region," he said. "On the other hand, it does not want to see a nuclearized North Korea and the rest of Northeast Asia. And so, its problem, dilemma is to try to find some route back to stability in between those two alternatives." 

Mr. Miller, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University in California, says China is worried that if North Korea builds a nuclear arsenal, then South Korea and Japan would follow suit, creating what he calls a nightmare security problem for China. 

Some analysts say China may have felt almost betrayed when North Korea told the U.S. delegation in Beijing that Pyongyang has nuclear weapons.

 Elizabeth Economy thinks that is not the case, because Chinese intelligence probably already knew about some aspects of the North's nuclear program. She says China put a good face on the first round of talks because it has a real interest in seeing the negotiations go forward. 

Not only do China and the United States share a desire for a nuclear free Korea, but Ms. Economy says, "China has the added concern, that is not shared by the United States, of millions of North Korean refugees potentially fleeing over the border into China. So, I think that it is only in China's interest at this point to sit down at the table and to get both sides talking." 

Lyman Miller says Japan and South Korea are comfortable with China playing a facilitating role in the North Korean nuclear issue in the early stages. But he says there is a limit to that. 

"I would expect at some point the South Koreans and the Japanese will want their voices represented at the table so that whatever deal is arrived at, hopefully one can be, Beijing does not advance its own influence on the Korean peninsula at the expense of the others," he said. 

Elizabeth Economy says the countries of East Asia used to fear the rising influence of China, but in recent years China has played a positive role in many regional and international issues. She says the negotiations over North Korea's nuclear program fit into that positive pattern and have served to ease the concerns among China's neighbors.

US Orders Probe Into N. Korea's Nuclear Ability

S. Korea Leaves Empty Handed After Talks with North

Bush Talks with Regional Allies About N. Korea Standoff

Powell: N. Korea Made Offer to End Nuclear Program

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. 'Appeal for peace' on US-French trade .

. BBC -- Thursday, 1 May, 2003, 14:17 GMT 15:17 UK x x

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US consumers may boycott French goods

French and US business leaders have warned of dire economic consequences - including recession - if the two nations' differences over Iraq spill over into trade. 

Calls for consumer and commercial boycotts have come from politicians and campaigners in both countries since the US and France fell out over President Bush's decision to attack Iraq. 

The appeal came in an open letter signed by 11 top executives from firms that included the French operations of Microsoft, IBM and McDonalds and published in the financial daily Les Echos. 

US Secretary of State Colin Powell has said France would suffer consequences for having opposed the war on Iraq and that all aspects of Franco-US relations were under review. 

'Stop the sniping'

Issuing an "appeal for peace", the 11 multinationals warned on Wednesday that trade relations would be damaged "if the wave of criticism or negative reaction continues". 

We've had some near misses; we've yet to see substantial damage  Jack Andersen, Ernst & Young

"You cannot attack a Frenchman without wounding a American and vice-versa," the appeal said. 

Pressure has been building inside the US Congress to deny government contracts to French companies.

One signatory to the letter was caterer Sodexho Alliance, whose share price fell in March after a Congressional campaign against granting it a $1bn contract with the US military. 

The threat was only seen off "with the help of the American ambassador to France", said Jack Andersen, a partner in the Paris office of US audit firm Ernst & Young, who also signed the appeal letter. 

He said pressure from the 11 firms persuaded President Bush to write to Congress asking lawmakers "to refrain from legislation that was retribution on a commercial basis against French companies".

"We've had some near misses; we've yet to see substantial damage," said Mr Andersen. 

Job fears

The group is particularly concerned about future investment decisions by firms from both countries if the hostile mood continues. 

Mr Powell expressed anger at France

It estimates three million jobs rest on investment by US and French firms in each others' countries. 

"The interdependence is much more than most people realise," said Mr Andersen. 

Group members have asked their staff - one million in total - to write to politicians and government bodies pointing out how many jobs rest on these investment ties. 

The US is the top foreign investor in France, which ranks fourth among foreign investors into the US.

Almost 40% of France's leading stock market index, the CAC-40, is owned by international pension funds, most of them US-based, according to Mr Andersen. 

The letter says any deterioration in bilateral relations "could spark a technical recession in France and place the American economy in an even more fragile position".

 

 

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. Bush Arrives on USS Abraham Lincoln .

. Scott Stearns San Diego 01 May 2003, 19:33 UTC Listen to Scott Stearns' report from San Diego (RealAudio)  Stearns report - Download 226k (RealAudio)  x x

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President Bush lands on USS Abraham Lincoln

President Bush will give a nationwide address later Thursday declaring that major combat operations in Iraq are over. The president is aboard an aircraft carrier returning from the war in Iraq.

 Onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, President Bush meets with officers and crew returning from more than nine months at sea. As the aircraft carrier moves closer to the Californian port of San Diego, Mr. Bush will make a televised address where he will say most of the fighting in Iraq is finished.
 
 

President George W. Bush on deck of USS Abraham Lincoln

White House officials say the president's comments will not be a formal, legal end to the conflict, as U.S. troops in Iraq are meeting some armed resistance. The wording of the speech appears designed to avoid declaring the war over, which, under the Geneva Convention, would compel the United States to release prisoners of war and stop targeting specific leaders.

 U.S. troops have already released some prisoners of war, but they are still searching for many members of the former government, including Saddam Hussein. 

President Bush greets crew of USS Abraham Lincoln

Flanked by some of the sailors and pilots who helped topple that government, Mr. Bush is expected to discuss how Saddam's fall has freed the Iraqi people and made the United States safer by removing what he says was the threat that Iraq would help terrorists use weapons of mass destruction.

 Because the aircraft carrier is still so far off the coast of California, it is too great a distance for the president to travel in his "Marine One" helicopter. Instead, Mr. Bush flew to the ship in a small, fixed-wing aircraft which was known for the flight as "Navy One." 

The USS Lincoln is ending the longest naval deployment by a nuclear powered aircraft carrier in history, having traveled more than 100-thousand miles as part of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

 President Bush will spend the night on board the ship, then leave by helicopter before it arrives in San Diego, so as not to interfere with families' reunions.

 The president speaks about the economy Friday, in northern California, before traveling to his Texas ranch for meetings with Australian Prime Minister John Howard.

Bush to Deliver Speech on USS Abraham Lincoln

Bush Praises Pakistan For al-Qaida Arrests

Bush Hopeful 'Roadmap,' New Palestinian PM Can Bring Peace to Middle East

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. Bush Declares End to Major Fighting in Iraq .

. Scott Stearns San Diego 02 May 2003, 00:54 UTC Listen to President Bush's Iraq speech 1 May 2003 (RealAudio)  x x

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President Bush says most of the fighting in Iraq is over and the U.S. led coalition there is now beginning the difficult job of rebuilding the country. Mr. Bush gave a nationwide address Thursday from the deck of an aircraft carrier returning from the war in Iraq.

 In the battle of Iraq, President Bush says the United States and its allies have prevailed. With major combat operations now finished, Mr. Bush spoke of the challenges ahead.
 
 

"We have difficult work to do in Iraq. We are bringing order to parts of that country that remain dangerous," he said. "We are pursuing and finding leaders of the old regime, who will be held to account for their crimes."

 The president says U.S. forces are searching for weapons of mass destruction, which was one of the reasons he gave for invading Iraq. He says the fall of Saddam Hussein has made the United States and its allies safer because he says the Iraqi leader was helping terrorists acquire chemical and biological weapons.
 
 

"The liberation of Iraq is a crucial advance in the campaign against terror," he said. "We have removed an ally of al-Qaida and cut off a source of terrorist funding. And this much is certain: no terrorist network will gain weapons of mass destruction from the Iraqi regime because the regime is no more."

 The president again sought to link the war in Iraq with the broader fight against terrorism which started following the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington.

 "The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that began on September the 11th 2001 and still goes on. That terrible morning, nineteen evil men, the shock-troops of a hateful ideology, gave America and the civilized world a glimpse of their ambitions," he said.

 In that attack, Mr. Bush says the terrorists declared war on the United States. And war, he says, is what they got.

 In Iraq, the president says the transition from dictatorship to democracy will take time but is "worth every effort." He says the U.S.-led coalition will stay until its work is done and leave behind a free Iraq.

 "We are helping to rebuild Iraq where the dictator built palaces for himself instead of hospitals and schools. And we will stand with the new leaders of Iraq as they establish a government of, by, and for the Iraqi people," he said.

 The wording of his speech aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln did not declare a formal end to the war, which, under the Geneva Convention, would compel the United States to release prisoners of war and stop targeting specific leaders.

 U.S. troops have already released some prisoners of war, but they are still searching for many members of the former government, including Saddam Hussein.

Bush Arrives on USS Abraham Lincoln

Search for Iraq's Banned Weapons Continues

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. Coalition Operations in Afghanistan to Shift, Says Rumsfeld .

. Jim Teeple Kabul 01 May 2003, 17:03 UTC Listen to Jim Teeple's report from Kabul (RealAudio)  Teeple report - Download 244k (RealAudio)  x x

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AP

U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, says coalition military efforts in Afghanistan will shift from major combat operations to efforts to improve security. The U.S. defense secretary met in Kabul with Afghanistan's interim president, Hamid Karzai, on Thursday.
 
 

AP
Donald Rumsfeld

Secretary Rumsfeld says coalition military activities in Afghanistan will enter a new phase, shifting away from major combat operations, to stability operations designed to improve security and help reconstruction efforts in the war-devastated nation.

 "We are at a point where we clearly have moved from major combat activity to a period of stability and stabilization and reconstruction activities," he said. "The bulk of this country is permissive, it is secure, it is clear that is the case by virtue of the fact that we see people returning to their country from all across the globe, in large numbers."

 Secretary Rumsfeld says pockets of resistance still remain in Afghanistan and coalition combat operations will continue to target the remnants of the Taleban and al-Qaida. There are currently about nine thousand U.S. troops in Afghanistan. They make up the bulk of coalition forces in the country.

 The defense secretary says a key component of future coalition military activities in Afghanistan will be so-called Provincial Reconstruction Teams that will focus on reconstruction and development projects.

 "Our hope is that by taking into the important parts of this country, teams of people that can contribute to security - but even more importantly, contribute to the lives of people in those provinces, by way of hospitals or schools or medicines or roads, all the things that might be needed - we hope that these PRT's can play a constructive and useful role."
 
 

Mr. Rumsfeld met with Afghanistan's interim president Hamid Karzai and pledged continued U.S. support to train Afghanistan's new national army. Mr. Karzai says Afghan government security efforts are improving, especially operations monitoring Afghanistan's porous border with Pakistan.

Rumsfeld Thanks Kuwait for Help in Iraq War

Rumsfeld Promises Freedom, Stability for Iraq

Rumsfeld: US Forces Leaving Saudi Arabia

Rumsfeld Says U.S. To Reduce its Presence in Persian Gulf

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. Dane to run southern Iraq .

. BBC -- Thursday, 1 May, 2003, 14:18 GMT 15:18 UK x x

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Mr Olsen is said to understand the Arab world to his fingertips

A veteran Danish diplomat has been appointed post-war head of one of Iraq's four administrative regions, the key southern province of Basra.

Ole Woehler Olsen has worked in several Arabic countries in more than 30 years with the Danish foreign service.

Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller said that Mr Olsen, who is currently ambassador to Syria, knew the Arab world "to his fingertips" and would "create the foundation to the new Iraq".

Mr Moeller made the appointment jointly with his UK counterpart, Jack Straw, because British troops currently control the region.

It is not clear when Mr Olsen will take up his post.

Denmark has been involved in plans for the post-war redevelopment of Iraq because of its support for the US-led war.

Less resistance

It sent a submarine and escort ship to the Gulf as part of the coalition's war effort.

It is now also considering leading a 3,000-man mainly Eastern European peacekeeping force.

Mr Olsen, who is a fluent Arabic speaker and a Muslim, began his diplomatic career in 1969.

Mr Moeller said his background was an advantage, adding that it had been agreed that a Danish leader would meet less resistance than an American or Briton regarded as a representative of the occupying powers.

Among other posts, Mr Olsen served as ambassador in Saudi Arabia for six years and has been ambassador to Syria since 1999.

He is described as a keen traveller and adventurer.

 

The BBC's Richard Bilton
"In the centre of Falluja, anti-American views are clear to see"

 

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. Earthquake Rocks Southeastern Turkey .

. Amberin Zaman Bingol, Turkey 01 May 2003, 14:14 UTC Listen to Amberin Zaman's report from Bingol, Turkey (RealAudio)  Zaman report - Download 517k (RealAudio)  x x

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Turkish rescuers are working to free dozens of people, many of them children, trapped in the rubble after a strong earthquake rocked the southeastern part of Turkey. Reporter Amberin Zaman went to the quake area and visited the site of a school dormitory that collapsed in the quake. She spoke to VOA's Al Pessin in London.

PESSIN: Amberin, I understand you are right there at the site of the dormitory that collapsed. Tell us what you are seeing and what is going on there.
 
 

AP
Member of Turkish rescue team carries a child rescued from under the debris of a damaged building, in Bingol, Thursday

ZAMAN: Well, it was a four-story building. It looks like a pancake right now. It is completely destroyed, collapsed. I see rescue workers on top of the building. Scores of rescue workers trying to pull out survivors. We do not know how many there may be. There were a total of 190 boarders, schoolboys, who were sleeping in this building when the earthquake struck at 3:27 a.m. local time. There are hundreds of people here. Hundreds of people awaiting the news of loved ones. We see hundreds of Turkish soldiers here. They have formed a human chain to keep those relatives away from the rubble, away from the building because it's very risky and we still are experiencing aftershocks here. A lot of crying people, wailing. It is a very tragic scene. And of course, it is raining now so that will probably hamper rescue efforts.

PESSIN: Have they got the type of equipment they need, perhaps rescue dogs, special teams, and other things to help in the effort?
 
 

AP
People walk past a building damaged as a result of the earthquake in Bingol, Thursday

ZAMAN: We have all kinds of rescue workers here from various organizations. The military in particular has been very active. We also see firemen and rescue teams who came in from neighboring provinces all working very hard since this earthquake struck. But there appears to be very little hope of many survivors in this earthquake because the building is completely destroyed. And, of course, it struck when people were sleeping, when the boys were asleep. 

PESSIN: Well, they did pull one 12-year-old out of the rubble. It seemed to be quite a dramatic moment. 

AP
Crews work to rescue students, still buried in what remains of school building, in Bingol

ZAMAN: I was not here to witness that, but I know that at least 20 or so boys were rescued. I spoke to one who described that moment. He spoke of his great fear. He was trapped under the rubble for seven hours. And, of course, there are these steel closets in these dormitories, lockers where the boys would put their clothes. And miraculously, those lockers were pushed against the walls, so they managed to hold up the first floor. And, in fact, the bulk of the survivors came out of that first floor where those closets helped keep up the ceiling at least on the sides of that floor. 

PESSIN: It sounds like quite an incredible scene at that dormitory. What else have you seen in your drive through that area? 

ZAMAN: Well, I saw several buildings again that had collapsed completely, very reminiscent of the scenes we saw in that major quake that shook Turkey in 1999 when 17,000 people were killed in western Turkey. Again, of course, shoddy construction materials were blamed for the high death toll then, as now. And some of these buildings that collapsed were brand new. This is a very impoverished region. People are already suffering a lot in this part of Turkey from a 15-year-long separatist rebellion that ended in 1999. But a lot of people were forced out of their villages and were only just beginning to return. And I met many villagers who were sent their boys to this boarding school who said there was quite a bit of devastation in the villages too. And that is the big concern because we have no idea yet, a clear picture, of the extent of the damage in these very remote mountain hamlets and villages. 

PESSIN: Amberin, have you had a chance to visit any hospitals or other medical facilities to check on the injured?

ZAMAN: I have not visited any hospitals yet, but I did attend one funeral. Again, a very sad scene. And it is raining right now.

Red Cross Providing Shelter for Turkey Earthquake Victims

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. Israel, Palestinians Express Opposing Views on Peace 'Road Map' .

. Ross Dunn Jerusalem 01 May 2003, 14:50 UTC Listen to Ross Dunn's report (RealAudio)  Dunn report - Download 296k (RealAudio)  x x

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AP
Presentation of the 'roadmap' for peace after Palestinian Prime Minister Abbas' swearing in

Israel and the Palestinians are expressing different views on whether the new international peace plan to end their conflict is open to amendment. The Palestinians say the original text should be implemented immediately but Israel says the document is merely a draft subject to change. 

An advisor to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat says the Palestinian leadership is ready to adopt the new international peace plan.

 The advisor, Ziyad Abu Zayyad says the proposals are far from perfect as far the Palestinians are concerned.

 At the same time, he says the Palestinian leadership decided not to raise any objections at this stage for fear this would delay implementation of the plan. "This document, we don't like it," he said. "We have many reservations on it but we accept it as it is."

 Mr. Abu Zayyad, who is also a member of the Palestinian parliament, was reacting to the publication of the so-called "roadmap" to peace.

 The plan, presented to both sides Wednesday, sets out three phases leading to the end of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the establishment of a Palestinian state in 2005. It is sponsored by the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia.

 A spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Daniel Taub, says the proposals are general in nature, and meant to form the basis for further discussion.

 He says what will really determine the speed of the plan's implementation is whether the Palestinians stop their attacks against Israelis. "I think we just want some sort of reassurance that some of the principles that we think are necessary to move forward are enshrined in the road map," he said. "And the first one of those is that we cannot move ahead until the Palestinian leadership does what it promised to do over the past 10 years but has never done, which is immediately, unconditionally stop violence and terrorism and don't regard them as being a tool to be used in negotiation."

 The road map does require the Palestinian Authority to crack down on militant groups that carry out the attacks. 

The plan was made public Wednesday following the swearing-in of the new Palestinian Prime Minister, Mahmoud Abbas, and his Cabinet.

 President Bush has praised Mr. Abbas for his stand against terrorism, and promised to invite the Palestinian Prime Minister to the White House. At the same time, Mr. Bush continues to shun Mr. Arafat, who he says should be replaced.

Bush Hopeful 'Roadmap,' New Palestinian PM Can Bring Peace to Middle East

Middle East Quartet Reveals "Roadmap to Peace"

US Renews Push for Mideast Peace with Release of 'Roadmap'

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. May Day marked across Europe .

. BBC -- Thursday, 1 May, 2003, 16:20 GMT 17:20 UK x x

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Unionist rallies were held all over Spain

Major demonstrations are being held in many European countries to mark international labour day.

Trade unionist marchers have been joined in some cities by anti-war protesters and supporters of other causes.

Fears of anarchist violence in the UK had gone unrealised by late afternoon though there were overnight clashes in Germany.

Opponents of pension reforms took to the streets in France and Austria, while eurosceptics protested in Sweden and the Czech Republic.

The BBC's Ray Furlong in Berlin says that a number of anarchists were arrested in the early hours, but several thousand union activists later marched peacefully through the city.

Whoever believes that it's enough to cling to tradition misjudges the challenges  Gerhard Schroeder  May Day pictures from around the world

He says speakers at a union rally condemned economic reforms proposed by Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, accusing him of dismantling the welfare state and betraying his Social Democrat principles.

Mr Schroeder himself came out to defend the reforms at a rally in the state of Hesse.

"Whoever believes that it's enough to cling to tradition misjudges the challenges," he told the mostly trade unionist crowd, which responded with boos and whistles.

The far-right NPD party also marched through part of Berlin.

Turkish arrests

More anarchist marches are taking place, and our correspondent says there is a fear of more violence at the main one in Kreuzberg district where traditionally most May Day disturbances occur.

In the Greek capital Athens, thousands took to the streets in two separate marches by communists and trade union groups, both towards the US embassy.

Marchers chanted anti-US slogans and carried banners saying "work, not bombs" and "no to the occupation of Iraq".

Peace protesters unfurled a huge flag in Vienna

Spain's two main trade unions marched in several cities under one banner: "For peace, for work. No to war."

One union leader Jose Maria Fidalgo was carried bleeding from the Madrid rally after being hit on the head by a placard.

In Turkey it is reported that some 30 left-wing protesters have been arrested in Istanbul, at what authorities described as an "illegal" rally.

The NTV television channel showed officers hitting protesters with truncheons and dragging one away by the hair.

An authorised rally by trade unions was also planned in Istanbul, and in other Turkish cities.

Anti-euro message

In Moscow, Russia, around 15,000 people turned out for the traditional Communist Party May Day march, while rival rallies organised by the pro-government United Russia bloc and the centre-right Union of Right-Wing forces were reported to have attracted 25,000.

The day began with a rally in support of the leader of the radical National Bolshevik party, the writer Eduard Limonov, who was sentenced to jail last month for illegal possession of arms.

In Norway demonstrators are opposing the US presence in Iraq and the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

In Sweden the Left Party is calling on Swedes to reject a propsal to join the euro currency in a referendum on 14 September - though an equal number of demonstrators turned out to support the pro-EU Social Democratic Party.

In Switzerland protests are focusing on support for women's rights.

In Paris, far-right National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen drew a smaller crowd than a march last year ahead of his presidential challenge to Jacques Chirac.

 

 

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. New Light Shed on SARS Virus .

. Jessica Berman Washington 01 May 2003, 19:59 UTC Listen to Jessica Berman's report (RealAudio)  Berman report - Download 242k (RealAudio)  x x

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AP
Chinese military police wear masks to protect against the deadly SARS virus as they march in front of Beijing's Tiananmen Gate

U.S. and Canadian researchers have shed some light on the virus that causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS. Scientists say the additional information should aid in the development of a treatment and vaccine to fight the pneumonia-like illness. 

Researchers have come up with the entire genetic sequence of two strains of the SARS virus. 

Worldwide, nearly 5,700 people have come down with the previously unknown illness and at least 370 have died.

 The studies describing the molecular structure of the two strains are being published in the journal Science.

 SARS originated in China, where it is taking its biggest toll. Scientists are actively working to find out whether the illness there is caused by yet another viral strain.

 Researchers say their work provides some clues as to how the virus enters cells. They hope this will speed the development of screening tests, drugs and vaccines to fight SARS.

 But Mark Pallansch of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, says the difference in viral strains could make vaccine development more challenging.

 "It's too early to know whether these differences would have an effect that would make vaccine development more or less difficult; whether it would be something like influenza, where the vaccine would have to be changed on a routine basis, or something like polio virus, where the same vaccine is used for nearly 50 years," he said.

 Scientists say the SARS virus started in animals and jumped to humans. But they say it is highly unlikely vaccines used successfully to treat the animal version of the disease will work in people. 

Researchers also confirmed that the microbe is not a mutation of other so-called corona viruses that cause the common cold and other respiratory illness, but rather a new variety.

Beijing Implements Emergency Measures to Contain SARS

China Reveals Plan to Combat SARS

Mexico Guards Against SARS

W.H.O. Says Outbreak of SARS is Easing, Except in China.

W.H.O. Says Outbreak of SARS is Easing, Except in China.

SARS Baffles Health Community

SARS Situation 'Severe' Says Beijing's New Mayor

WHO Cancels Travel Advisory for Toronto