Deutsche Welle English Service News February 13th 2004, 17:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Democrats Abroad Mobilize Against Bush Through Expat Primaries The last U.S. election saw George Bush win partly due to large numbers of Republican absentee ballots. This year, Democrats have swiftly mobilized members abroad to help determine the party's presidential candidate. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1432_A_1113677_1_A,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The East is Calling! On May 1st the EU expands to include 10 new members. Join DW-WORLD on a cultural and political journey across thousands of kilometers by participating in our online quiz. You'll come out a winner -- whether it's picking up a prize or expanding your mind. http://dw-world.de/go-east ---------------------------------------------------------------------- UN envoy wants no poll deadline in Iraq, Seoul clears troop dispatch A United Nations envoy said Friday elections in Iraq sought by the Shiite majority should not be tied to a deadline. Lakhdar Brahimi, a senior adviser to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, is in Iraq this week attempting to resolve a dispute over how a provisional government could be formed in Baghdad before the U.S.-led occupation hands over power to Iraqis. Meanwhile, South Korea's parliament overwhelmingly approved dispatching more than 3,000 troops to the war-torn country. Seoul's boost to the US-led occupation administration was dented by news of the death Thursday of another US soldier in Iraq. The soldier, a military policeman, was on patrol when the blast occurred. He is the 258th American serviceman to be killed in Iraq since US President Bush declared major combat over on May 1 last year. Schroeder and Blair say they're not seeking to dominate Europe German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and British Prime Minister Tony Blair have rejected criticism that they were seeking to dominate the European Union, together with France. After meeting with Schroeder in Berlin, Blair said no one in the EU is excluded from cooperating closely with the larger countries. Italy and a number of smaller EU members expressed concerns on Thursday about a Big Three triumvirat. At their talks, Schroeder and Blair called for a Europe-wide economic offensive to create jobs and improve European competitivenesss. Schroeder also said Germany would maintain its presence in Afghanistan, but urged that NATO play an important role. German FM ready to compromise on EU constitution Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer has called the upcoming enlargement of the European Union a historic step for Germany. Speaking during a parliamentary debate on the future of Europe, Fischer said the division of Europe would finally be overcome when ten new members join the EU in May. For the first time, he said, Germany would be free of the burdensome problem of being surrounded by potential enemies. The foreign minister also suggested that Germany was willing to compromise on certain disputed issues for an EU constitution. Opposition speakers in the Bundestag blamed the Social Democrat-Green government for the current crisis in the EU. Many criticized that Germany was no longer the mediator between the large and small members. Others said the numerous bilateral talks with France and Britain had generated distrust rather than build confidence. EU downplays US claim that European anti-Semitism now rivals 1930s The European Commission on Friday played down criticism by the US ambassador to the European Union that anti-Semitism in Europe had reached levels not seen since Nazi Germany. But the EU did underline its own concerns by pointing out that next week it would be holding a Brussels conference with Jewish groups aimed at finding ways to tackle anti-Semitism. In a speech Thursday night at the opening of the new Transatlantic Institute, an initiative of the American Jewish Committee to foster US-European ties, US Ambassador Rockwell Schnabel said anti-Semitism was "getting to a point where it is as bad as it was in the 30s". A poll commissioned by the EU last November suggested Europeans viewed Israel as the biggest threat to world peace, leading to two influential Jewish leaders to denounce Brussels for fueling anti-Semitism in Europe. Relations between the EU and the Jewish community have been strained by the bloc's alleged favoritism of the Palestinians in the Middle East conflict. Exiled Chechen figure killed in Qatar An exiled former Chechen president sought by Russia has been killed in the Gulf Arab state of Qatar. Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev died after his car exploded in Doha. Al Jazeera TV said he had just left a mosque. Qatar's interior ministry said Yandarbiyev's 13-year-old son was injured. According to news agency Interfax, Chechnya's current pro-Kremlim president Akhmad Kadyrov said Yandarbiyev as a "chief ideologue" among Chechen rebels whose death would not be regretted. Russia's foreign intelligence service SWR denied any involvement. Yandarbiyev had lived in Qatar for three years. Russia sought his extradition, alleging that he was a fundraiser in the Arab world for Chechen rebels. He was also wanted for links to al-Qaeda. In 1996 and '97 Yandarbiyev was Chechen president. He was also a poet. Cyprus talks stalled - yes-or-no, says Annan Facing another stalemate over Cyprus, UN chief Kofi Annan has urged Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders to respond yes-or-no to his plan for reunifying the Mediterranean island. Marathon talks ground to a halt early Friday, with Greek Cypriots demanding that the European Union join the talks at UN headquarters in New York. That's been rejected by Turkish Cypriot leader Ralf Denktash, and Turkey. Today, the EU said it was ready to join in. Cyprus is one of 10 nations to be included in EU enlargement from May. If the island remains divided, membership would only apply to the Greek Cypriot segment. UN food aid to Haiti collapses amid violence U.N. food aid distribution to northern Haiti has collapsed due to an armed revolt that erupted in the impoverished country a week ago. The World Food Programme, which operates school feeding programs in the Caribbean island state, said clashes between armed groups and police had resulted in the partial closure of the road between the capital, Port-au-Prince, and the north. The armed revolt broke out last Thursday against the government of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, whose opponents accuse him of political oppression and economic mismanagement. Haiti is one of the world's poorest countries. Blizzards lash Turkey, 20 missing as ship sinks Blizzards cut off thousands of Turkish villages, blocked roads and kept air and sea routes closed on Friday, while rescue workers battled high seas to search for lost sailors. Neighboring Greece and Bulgaria were also hard hit by storms that disrupted air, sea and road transport. Athens reported 50 centimeters of snow. Since the storms began on Thursday, two ships have sunk and two have run aground in the Bosphorus and Dardanelles. Maritime officials said rescue workers were searching for 20 sailors missing after their cargo ship sank in the Black Sea 14 kilometers from the Bosphorus. German men's relay wins World Biathlon title At the World Biathlon Championships in Oberhof, Germany, the German men's relay team took gold on Friday with near perfect shooting in front of a wildly exuberant home crowd. The team relegated Norway to silver and France to bronze. Germany, so far, has won six medals at the event - two golds, two silvers and two bronze. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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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