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Deutsche Welle English Service News 25-09-2002, 16:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: EU Loosens Belt, Gives German Budget Breathing Room Acknowledging the fact that Europe's biggest economies -- including Germany's -- are very sick, Brussels delayed a 2004 deadline to balance budgets. The move draws sharp critique from countries in compliance. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1431_A_643400_1_A,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Rumsfeld denies Germany snub U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld tried to play down reports of a deep split between Washington and Berlin on Wednesday after he walked out of a NATO meeting in Warsaw on Tuesday night, minutes before his German counterpart, Peter Struck, was due to speak. Rumsfeld ruled out bilateral talks with German Defence Minister Peter Struck in Warsaw, pointing to the "poisoned" relations between the two countries, but on Wednesday he sought to play the spat down. The White House said on Tuesday it would take some time to repair U.S.-German relations. Struck declined at a news conference to comment on Rumsfeld's hole-digging comment. US enlists support on the threat posed by Iraq The United States said on Wednesday it had enlisted support from NATO allies on the threat posed by Iraq, but Germany was still not among them and alliance partner Russia flayed the "propaganda furore" over Baghdad. U.S. Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld said the United States had presented evidence to its allies proving that there was a link between Baghdad and the al Qaeda network, which was blamed for the September 11 attacks on U.S. cities last year. Meanwhile Washington is still trying to prepare a Security Council resolution to stiffen a weapons inspections regime that will be acceptable to veto-wielding United Nations partners. German Defence Minister Peter Struck later told a news conference that there was nothing new in the information presented to the ministers and there was no evidence pinning down links between al Qaeda and Baghdad. He said Germany's priority was to enable quick weapons inspections on the ground in Iraq, he said. Germany to work 'patiently' to repair US ties German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said on Wednesday he hoped to visit the United States as soon as possible to help repair Berlin's relationship with Washington. Flanked by Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, Fischer said he wanted to go to Washington at the earliest possible opportunity, saying that Berlin needed to resolve what he called "irritations" that had surfaced. At a press conference Fischer said he believed relations were stable and good in themselves. "We will try to continue on that basis," said Fischer. Russia dismisses 'propaganda fuss' over Blair report Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov on Wednesday dismissed what he called a "propaganda fuss" surrounding British Prime Minister Tony Blair's dossier on Iraq's arsenal, and said the return of UN weapons inspectors to the country was the priority. Moscow received a copy of the British report, but Ivanov said it was important "not to make a big propaganda fuss" over the issue, RIA Novosti news agency reported. Russia was "actively working to obtain the speedy return of inspectors to this country," added Ivanov. Unveiling a long-awaited dossier, Blair told the British parliament Tuesday that Iraq may be only a year or two away from possessing a nuclear bomb, and has "military plans" for the use of chemical and biological arms. US opposed to Russian attack on Georgia: Rumsfeld NATO Secretary-General George Robertson and the US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld have expressed concern about developments in Georgia. Speaking after talks with NATO Defense Ministers in Poland, Robertson said that the territorial integrity of the country should remain intact. The United States is opposed to any move by Russia to bomb Georgia in a bid to stop rebels using the country's territory to mount raids against its troops, US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said. Rumsfeld stressed however that Washington had understanding for Russia's situation. Moscow has accused Tbilisi of turning a blind eye to rebels allegedly using Georgian territory, particularly the lawless Pankisi Gorge region bordering breakaway Chechnya, as a rear base for raids against Russian troops. Russia has threatened to launch a military operation into the gorge. Israel's Brussels embassy evacuated in white powder scare The Israeli embassy in Brussels was evacuated as a precautionary measure Wednesday after a letter was received containing an unidentified white powder, a spokesman said. The substance, found by a secretary in a letter addressed to the ambassador, was being analysed by Belgian authorities. A police spokesman confirmed that the interior ministry had launched what it called an "anthrax procedure" after being alerted by the embassy. Israel refuses to lift siege on Yasser Arafat's compound Israel stood defiant on Wednesday against pressure from Washington to lift a siege of Yasser Arafat's compound that could hurt U.S. efforts to contain Middle East tensions ahead of possible war with Iraq. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government did not respond publicly to a U.S. request to abide by a U.N. resolution calling for an immediate end to the six-day-old siege of the Palestinian president's headquarters. But Israeli diplomatic sources said Israel had no intention of complying. Israeli tanks entered Arafat's presidential compound in the West Bank city of Ramallah last Thursday after suicide bombings killed seven Israelis within 24 hours, and then reduced all but one of its buildings to rubble. Israel is demanding Arafat surrender 50 wanted militants it says are among some 200 Palestinians in the compound. Arafat has refused to hand anyone over or provide a list of people inside. Meanwhile Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said Israeli military representatives planned talks with Palestinian officials later in the day to address ways of breaking the stalemate. Temple Complex Siege Ends A special commando force in Indian Kashmir has ended a seven-hour siege at a Hindu temple where at least 29 worshippers were shot dead by three gunmen. More than 70 people were wounded. Forces ended the attack in Gujarat by killing the three militant gunmen. A police official said one National Security Guard commando was also killed in the siege. India said on Wednesday that it believed Pakistan may have been behind the assault, an allegation which Pakistani officials have denied. The attack occurred as devotees gathered for evening prayers on Tuesday and were fired upon by the gunmen. Security in the region has since been boosted. Six killed in attack on Pakistan Christian group The death toll from people killed during an attack on a Christian welfare organisation in Karachi has risen to seven. One of the victims of the attack died later in hospital. Police and witnesses said two gunmen burst into the Organization for Peace and Justice and began shooting randomly. The victims included both Christians and Muslims. The assault was the latest in a series of deadly attacks on Western targets in Pakistan. Muslim militants are believed to be behind the latest bloodshed. U.S. troops to sent to Ivory Coast A contingent of U.S. troops has arrived in West Africa to help evacuate American citizens trapped in the Ivory Coast where rebels and government soldiers have been fighting since Thursday. Security personnel at the school in the city of Bouake, where some 170 children were trapped, said rebels fired directly at the boarding school on Tuesday, but no one was hurt. Rebels have been in control of Bouake since Thursday. Six African leaders are planning to meet in Morocco on Thursday in search of a peaceful solution to the crisis, in which at least 270 people have reportedly been killed. Social Democrats and Greens begin coaliton talks on future German government Three days after their victory in the German national elections, the Social Democrats and the Greens Party have begun coalition talks. At the first meeting in SPD headquarters in Berlin a timetable and framework were discussed. Both sides said they were confident that they could finalise a coalition agreement by the middle of October. The Greens will discuss the agreement at party congress scheduled for October 18, a day later the Social Democrats are to hold a party congress. Despite the Green Party's strong showing in Sunday's election, senior Green politicians have said they are focusing their interests on policy issues, not ministerial posts. Newly installed SPD party general secretary Franz Muntefering has announced that Hamburg's SPD leader Olaf Scholz, will replace him as party general secretary. Swedish PM suspends government talks with Greens Swedish Prime Minister Goeran Persson on Wednesday broke off talks with the Greens aimed at building a parliamentary majority, after they rejected his offer of increased influence in government affairs and demanded cabinet posts. Persson has been seeking informal support from the Greens to obtain control of parliament, after legislative elections on September 15 left his Social Democrats the biggest party but still in a minority. But the Greens have insisted on a coalition government. And in a move seen as an attempt to increase pressure on Persson, they have entered into parallel negotiations with the centre-right opposition to try to form a government on that side as well. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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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