Deutsche Welle English Service News 07. 06. 2004, 16:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
UN Moves Toward Approving Iraq Resolution After weeks of talks, a UN resolution on the transfer of power in Iraq could come early this week, as the United States prepares to submit a final draft on Monday. But approval hinges on France and Germany. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,7489_A_1228301_1_A,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Enjoy our "World News" newsletter? Why not also subscribe to "Daily Bulletin", DW-WORLD's latest daily digest of the day's top German and European stories, delivered to you around 18:30 UTC. To find out more and sign up, please go to http://www.dw-world.de/english/newsletter ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Schroeder confident of deal on UN Iraq resolution Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder says the United Nations Security Council is close to reaching agreement on a new resolution on Iraq. Speaking to reporters in Berlin, the chancellor said he expected the resolution to be passed by Tuesday. The US ambassador to the United Nations, John Negroponte, has said he plans to present the latest version of the draft to the Security Council later this Monday. A major stumbling block was removed on Sunday, when the United States and Iraq agreed on a plan for a military partnership, after Washington hands over power to an interim Iraqi government at the end of this month. Russia has expressed reservations about the latest text, but Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov has also praised the changes made to the US-British sponsored draft. Sadr arms depot explodes in Iraqi town An arms depot inside a mosque in the Iraqi city of Kufa has exploded, killing at least three people and wounding 12 others. Kufa is a stronghold of radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al Sadr. The Great Mosque is where he usually delivers his Friday sermons. Al Sadr launched an uprising two months ago and his militia clashed with occupying troops in Kufa and Najaf. Last week, al Sadr and US-led troops agreed on a ceasefire. Al Sadr has blamed US forces for the explosion, but the US army said its forces were not in the area at the time. Meanwhile, the new Iraqi prime minister, Iyad Allawi, has said that he has convinced nine major political parties to disband their militias. Al Sadr's Mehdi Army militia is not among them. Sharon government could fall Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is said to be facing the possible collapse of his governing coalition, 24 hours after winning cabinet approval for his plan to pull out of the Gaza Strip. The National Religious Party was reported to be debating whether to withdraw from Sharon's coalition government. On Sunday, the cabinet approved Sharon's plan to withdraw all 21 Jewish settlements from the Gaza Strip and four from the West Bank. But no withdrawal is to take place until March of next year, and each pullout phase is to be subject to separate votes in cabinet. Sharon is holding on to a slim majority in parliament after he fired two ministers who oppose the plan, last week. Struck congratulates Sharon on Gaza vote Defence Minister Peter Struck has congratulated Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on winning Sunday's cabinet vote on his plan to pull out of the Gaza Strip. Speaking to reporters in Jerusalem, Struck said it was a brave move, and that he was sure the people of Israel stood behind the prime minister. Struck also said Germany remained one of Israel's best friends in Europe. Their talks were also expected to focus on Israel's wish to purchase two German submarines. Rockets fired from Lebanon at Israel The United Nations office in southern Lebanon says three rockets were fired from that area towards Israel early this Monday. A UN statement said the incident was being investigated. Israeli public radio said that the mortar rounds were aimed toward the Rosh Hanikra area along Israel's northern border with Lebanon. The rockets went into the Mediterranean Sea. It's unclear as to who fired them. Aid groups attacked in Afghanistan Five foreign aid groups have suspended work in a northwestern Afghan province after a grenade attack against the office of an Italian aid agency. Attackers threw a grenade at the offices of Alisei in Badghis province. There were no casualties. Medecins Sans Frontiers is one of the five aid groups stopping work in the region. Last week five aid workers were killed in attacks in Badghis. Meanwhile, in the southeastern province of Paktia, a US convoy carrying foreign election officials was attacked with rocket propelled grenades. Local authorities have blamed Taliban militants and their al Qaeda allies for the attacks. Saudis hunt gunmen who shot BBC crew Saudi forces have begun searching for the suspected Islamic militants who gunned down a television crew from the British Broadcasting Corporation. The Irish cameraman, Simon Cumbers was shot dead in the attack in Riyadh, as he was trying to film the home of a suspected militant. Correspondent Frank Gardner, of Britain is in critical but stable condition in a Saudi hospital after undergoing surgery for several gunshot wounds. British Prime Minister Tony Blair has expressed outrage at the shooting. It was the fourth deadly attack on Westerners in Saudi Arabia within the past five weeks. Rebel troops clash with government forces Rebel troops have clashed with government forces on the outskirts of the city of Bukavu in eastern Congo. This comes after a top renegade commander withdrew his troops out of the city. General Laurent Nkunda's rebel forces seized the UN-controlled city four days ago, sparking a crisis in the country. But the forces of another rebel commander Jules Mutebusi still remain in Bukavu. His troops clashed with government forces who were advancing towards the city. Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel who is in the capital Kinshasa to help stem the crisis has said the EU is considering sending peacekeepers to eastern Congo. The UN peacekeeping force or MONUC withdrew its staff from Kinshasa on Sunday after anti-UN protests there. US to withdraw 12,000 troops from S. Korea The United States is planning to withdraw about a third of the troops it currently has stationed in South Korea. A statement released by the US military in Seoul, said 12,500 of the 37,000 US servicemen in South Korea, were to be redeployed by the end of next year. About 3,600 of those troops are to be sent to Iraq. US troops have been statitioned in South Korea since the end of the Korean War, in 1953. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Attention: Due to e-mail manipulation, many e-mails are being sent from e-mail accounts that resemble Deutsche Welle mail accounts. Many of these mails contain viruses. We would like to inform you that Deutsche Welle (DW-WORLD) is not responsible for sending such mails. We are are doing our best to put an end to external e-mail manipulation. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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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