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Deutsche Welle English Service News March 13th, 2001, 16:00 UTC ----------------------------------------------------------- German Forces in the Crossfire Sweeping reforms are necessary to prepare outdated German forces for a modern combat role. Stretched to the limit and ill-equipped, missions and lives are at the mercy of in-fighting politicians. http://dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1432_A_472687_1_A,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------- Middle East - UN Resolution, Journalist shot and killed Israel and the Palestinians were in rare agreement on Wednesday in welcoming the first U.S.-drafted U.N. Security Council resolution to refer to a Palestinian state existing alongside the Jewish state. The resolution also demanded an "immediate cessation of all acts of violence, including all forms of terror, provocation, incitement and destruction" and called on Israelis and Palestinians to work together towards a ceasefire with an eye to resuming peace negotiations. US envoy Anthony Zinni will travel to the Middle East on Thursday with the hope of putting an end to the violence. However, the Palestinian Authority has said a truce would be impossible as long as Israeli tanks and soldiers are in Ramallah and other Palestinian areas. On Wednesday, an Italian photographer and an officer in Palestinian President Yassar Arafat's Force 17 were killed. The Italian was shot six times in the chest and is the first foreign journalist to be killed in the Middle East during the 17 month long uprising. French FM Vedrine blames Europe and the US for the violence in the Middle East French Foreign Minister, Hubert Vedrine, has told a french newspaper that both the United States and Europe share part of the blame for the never ending cycle of violence in the Middle East. Mr. Vedrine told Le Monde, that Israeli policy has been accepted far too long and it was time to stop blaming Yassar Arafat for the failure of the Camp David peace talks. Mr. Vedrine said it was also wrong to insist on a period of calm before the launch of new peace talks, saying 1400 deaths and almost a year and half later, the policy has not worked. He also called on EU leaders who will meet in Spain this weekend to make concrete contributions to solving the conflict. Mugabe Wins - Official Claim Incumbent Robert Mugabe has been declared the winner of last weekend's presidential election in Zimbabwe. However, the opposition and critics including foreign election monitors have condemned the election as neither free nor fair. 2.9 million votes were cast during the three days of voting. The election commission announced Mugabe won 56 percent and MDC challenger Morgan Tsvanigirai 42 percent of the vote. The army had been deployed in several cities overnight to quell any sign of trouble. Riot police were also deployed into Harare's black townships and set up roadblocks on all major highways leading into the capital. The central business district was uncharacteristically quiet on Wednesday with most people refusing to speak to reporters. Indians greet prayer ruling but fear remains Indians welcomed a court ruling on Wednesday barring Hindu activists from holding a ceremony near a site claimed by Muslims and said the two communities should seek a compromise. The Supreme Court on Wednesday rebuffed a plea by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's government that a Hindu prayer ceremony be allowed at the site in the city of Ayodhya, which is considered holy by both Hindus and Muslims. However, while there was hope the court ruling might head off more violence there was also still much caution and fear throughout the country, but especially in Gujarat state, scene of the recent bloodshed. More than 700 people have been killed in Hindu-Muslim clashes sparked by the controversy over the Ayodhya site in recent weeks. Karzai to Visit Germany Afghan interim leader, Hamid Karzai, is due to arrive in Germany this evening for a three visit, which will focus on the next steps in the reconstruction process in Afghanistan. Accompanying Mr. Karzai will be six of his ministers. Mr. Karzai told a German radio station that his people would welcome German leadership of the ISAF troops currently deployed in Kabul. Britian is currently in charge but has repeatedly said they will hand over the command role to another country after six months. On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered Karzai Russian help to defuse Soviet-era weapons scattered throughout Afghanistan. Last week, 3 Danish and 2 German soldiers were killed when a former Soviet era missile exploded during a "clean up operation". Paddy Ashdown arrives to testify against Slobodan Milosevic International Balkans envoy Paddy Ashdown has arrived at a court in the Hague to testify against Slobodan Milosevic at his war crimes trial. The former British opposition Liberal Democrat leader is the first major international figure to testify at the war crimes tribunal. Mr. Milosevic on Wednesday resumed his vigorous cross examination of a former Kosovo railway worker challenging details of his account of the mass deportation by Serb forces of the Albanian majority during a 1999 crackdown. Wednesday is the 22 day of Milosevic's trial. Nudists seek permission to stage a Berlin rally And finally something from the lighter side. Police in Berlin are pondering a rather unusual request. All rallies in Germany are required by law to be approved by the local police authority. Peter Nieherke, has applied for permission to allow 300 nudists to demonstate in the central Tiergarten park this summer. Nieherke a nude activitist said hundreds of people often sunbathe topless or nude in the park so to have a nudist rally shouldn't be any problem. Nieherke for years has jogged through his neighbourhood in Freiburg everyday wearing nothing but a smile. --------------------------------------------------------------- For more information please turn to our internet website at http://dw-world.de/english Here you'll find out what's happening in Germany, Europe and the rest of the world. News and background reports from the fields of current affairs, culture, business and science. And of course the DW website also has information about DW-RADIO and DW-TV programmes: topics, broadcast times and frequencies. You can even listen to all programmes as audio-on-demand. --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
