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Deutsche Welle English Service News 09.24.2002, 16:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: U.S.-German Political Frost Starts to Thaw With conciliatory gestures from the German chancellor and his defense minister and assurance from the U.S. that Germany is one of its "closest friends," tensions appear to be easing between Berlin and Washington. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http: http://dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1430_A_642743_1_A,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- British House of Common debates Iraq in emergency session The House of Commons in London is meeting this hour in an emergency debate on Iraq. The debate follows the publication of a dossier on Iraq by British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Blair is hoping that the 50-page dossier, which is based on intelligence and United Nations Inspectors' reports, will convince sceptical MP's of the need to take tough action against Iraq. Among other things, the dossier says that Iraq could launch a weapon of mass destruction at 45 minutes' notice. Blair, how is facing stiff opposition on the issue from within his own Labour Party, added that diplomatic channels were being pursued, but preparation for military action must continue in case they failed. Not surprisingly, Washington has welcomed the publication of the dossier, while Baghdad has dismissed the evidence as lies. The Iraq crisis will be one of the topics of discussion when Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder meets with Blair at Downing Street later on Monday evening. Germany and Netherlands prepared to take command of Kabul mission Germany and the Netherlands have said they are prepared to take joint command of the international peacekeeping mission in Kabul, which is currently led by the U.S. contingent. Speaking in Warsaw, where NATO defence ministers are meeting, German Defence Minister Peter Struck said taking on this leading role in the Afghan capital would be one step that could help repair the currently strained relations between Berlin and Washington. U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has repeatedly snubbed Struck in Warsaw, and has described relations between Germany and the U.S. as having been poisoned by Germany's opposition to an attack on Iraq. SPD and CDU choose new parliamentary party leaders Two days after Germany's federal election, both the triumphant Social Democrats of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and the opposition Christian Democrats have chosen new parliamentary party leaders. Franz Muentefering, general secretary of the Social Democrats, will take over at that party's parliamentary leader from Ludger Stiegler, who had only held the job for a few weeks. The Christian Democrats chairwoman, Angela Merkel, was the only candidate for the CDU's parlamentary leadership, after Friedrich Merz stepped down from the post on Monday. Meanwhile, the Social Democrats and the Greens now plan to open negotiations on a new coalition agreement on Wednesday. Gunmen storm Indian Hindu temple, 29 dead Twenty-nine people were killed on Tuesday when gunmen attacked a Hindu temple in the western Indian state of Gujarat. Police said two or three gunmen entered the Akshardham Temple complex in the state capital Gandhinagar, and started firing indiscriminately at worshippers. Gujarat was hit by the country's worst religious bloodshed in a decade in late February and March after 59 Hindus were burned to death by a Muslim mob, sparking reprisals in which at least 1,000, mainly Muslims, died. U.S. to send troops to Ivory Coast The United States has announced that it is sending troops based in Germany into Ivory Coast, where rebels and government soldiers have been fighting since Thursday. A U.S. military spokesman said the soldiers were to help evacuate American citizens trapped in the city of Bouake, where fighting continues. French troops are already in the area, standing by to help rescue trapped westerners. Rebels have been in control of the city since Thursday, but government soldiers are reported to have been trying to retake Bouake, so far, apparently without success. Meanwhile, six African leaders are planning to meet in Morroco on Thursday to search for a peaceful solution to the crisis, in which at least 270 people are reported to have been killed. Israel refuses to comply with UN resolution The Israeli government has decided to ignore a U.N. resolution and continue its seige of the headquarters of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. After marathon talks Monday night, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution calling on Israel to end the siege immediately. It also called on the Palestinian leadership to bring those responsible for terrorist attacks against Israelis to justice. Israel has said its forces stormed Arafat's Ramallah compound last Thursday to isolate the Palestinian leader and force the surrender of suspected militants it says are holed up inside. One policeman killed, three others injured in bomb blast in Spain At least one policeman has been killed after another bomb blast in northern Spain. Three others were injured, when the bomb exploded on a motorway between Pamplona and San Sebastian. Government officials said the guards had walked into a booby trap when they tried to take down a Basque separatist banner. The blast follows the death on Monday night of two suspected members of the ETA Basque separatist group, who officials said had blown themselves up in a car while transporting of explosives in a suburb of the city of Bilbao. Violence overshadows Kashmir vote Indian officials have said that overall there has been a turnout of more than 40 percent of eligible voters for the second round of voting for the Jammu and Kashmir state assembly, despite violence aimed at disrupting the vote. However, Indian officials admitted that only a trickle of voters had turned out in the state's summer capital Srinagar, which is a tradition bastion of separatist support. Indian security officials said that nine Muslim extremists had been shot dead in election related violence. Separatist guerrillas have vowed to use all means available to de-rail the four-round vote. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. 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