Helping Jenin Camp Should be U.N. Priority, U.S. Says [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- Text: Helping Jenin Camp Should be U.N. Priority, U.S. Says (Ambassador Negroponte's remarks to Security Council) (1140) Alleviating the situation in the Jenin refugee camp should be the U.N. Security Council's priority humanitarian objective at this time, said U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Negroponte April 19. Speaking April 19 during a Security Council debate on the Middle East, Negroponte outlined the progress U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell made during his ten-day trip to the region and urged council members not to press for any new resolutions that could complicate future negotiations. Powell found broad support for a comprehensive strategy that comprises security and freedom from terror, serious and accelerated negotiations, and economic and humanitarian assistance for the Palestinians, he said. "My country firmly believes that the Security Council is most effective and its resolutions most meaningful when its actions are focused on areas of convergence and agreement," the ambassador said. "When we speak with one voice and demonstrate cohesion, our words have real strength. Witness, for example, resolutions 1397, 1402 and 1403." The three resolutions passed during March and April set out a vision of two states, Israel and Palestine, and call for an end to the violence and acts of terror and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Palestinians towns. Council members have been discussing a resolution that would call for an investigation of the Israeli occupation of Jenin and a multinational peacekeeping force. "Our goal remains the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1402 and a just and lasting solution based on U.N. Security Council resolutions 242, 338, and 1397 ... Given the complexity of the tasks ahead, we must remain focused on the region," said Negroponte. Following is the text of the ambassador's remarks: (begin text) The United States is fully committed to peace in the Middle East and we are working with all the countries that have a stake in this conflict. Secretary Powell returned from the Middle East early Thursday morning after 10 days in the region. While there, he met with the leaders of Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Syria and Lebanon, some of them on more than one occasion. Yesterday, he met with President Bush to report on the progress achieved and on the difficult situation on the ground. Secretary Powell made progress during his mission, and I would like to take this opportunity to share some of his findings. First, Secretary Powell obtained an Israeli commitment to wind down its military operations. The Israeli Defense Forces have withdrawn from Jenin and will be pulling out of Nablus soon. President Bush publicly affirmed that the Israelis "must continue their withdrawals." Second, Secretary Powell obtained a clear statement from the Palestinian leadership condemning recent terrorist attacks, notably the horrific suicide bombings in Netanya and Jerusalem. And again, President Bush called on the Palestinian Authority to "act on its condemnation of terror." As he said yesterday, Secretary Powell found broad support among Israelis and Palestinians, Arab states, and members of the Quartet for a comprehensive strategy as a way forward that comprises three key elements: 1) Security and freedom from terror and violence for both Israelis and Palestinians; 2) Serious and accelerated negotiations to revive hope and lead to a political settlement; 3) Economic and humanitarian assistance to address the increasingly desperate conditions faced by the Palestinian people. I must emphasize that the progress achieved should be measured against our commitment to sustained engagement with the parties and our determination to make significant progress towards peace. Our goal remains the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1402, and a just and lasting solution based on UN Security Council resolutions 242, 338 and 1397. United States Assistant Secretary of State Burns remains in the region. The Secretary of State has stated his intention to return to the region to continue his diplomatic efforts. And Foreign Minister Shimon Peres is arriving in Washington as we speak. Mr. President, Given the complexity of the tasks ahead, we must remain focused on the region. As the Secretary-General said to the Security Council yesterday, "Through three recent resolutions, 1397, 1402, 1403 and the Presidential Statement of April 10, you have clearly outlined a vision of a final settlement and the steps that should be taken to enable political negotiations to resume." These resolutions demand an immediate cessation of all acts of violence, terror, provocation, incitement and destruction. They also contain comprehensive calls to action on the political, humanitarian and military aspects of the current crisis and provide a practical roadmap forward.
Chinese, Russian Leaders Talk Over Phone [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- Chinese President Jiang Zemin had a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the latter's request on Wednesday, according to China's Foreign Ministry. Chinese President Jiang Zemin had a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the latter's request on Wednesday, according to China's Foreign Ministry. Jiang, who is paying a state visit to Tunisia, discussed with Putin key issues of common concern, including world peace and security, the role of the United Nations, and a summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization which will be held in St. Petersburg, Russia. . . Global and Local Analysis & Action ... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] [Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ] . . --- 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 ==^
US Finds Strange Bedfellows in UN Vote on Torture [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Title: Message HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- Published on Friday, April 19, 2002 in the Christian Science Monitor US Finds Strange Bedfellows in UN Vote on Torture by Peter Ford PARIS – The United States has aligned itself with some of its fiercest and least democratic enemies in opposing efforts to strengthen an international treaty that outlaws torture, according to diplomatic sources. European negotiators do not understand why Washington has tried so hard to convince other countries not to sign the protocol. Washington has found itself on the same side as Cuba, Libya, and Syria, among other states, in trying to block a proposal before the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva designed to give more teeth to the Convention Against Torture. US diplomats insist they are not opposed to beefing up the 1987 UN convention, to which Washington is a party, but say they disagree with the international prison-inspection regime being proposed by their Latin American and European allies. Human rights activists, however, are disappointed with the US stand. "It's pretty scandalous that some states claiming to defend human rights are blocking this," says Mark Thomson, secretary general of the Geneva-based non-governmental Association to Prevent Torture. "If they succeed, it's really putting a spanner in the works in terms of implementing the convention in a meaningful way." The new protocol to the Convention Against Torture, which is due to come to a vote today, would establish national and international inspectorates to ensure that prisoners are not being tortured, through visits to places of detention. Washington has opposed the idea since it was first raised 10 years ago, arguing that the fourth amendment to the US Constitution prohibiting "unreasonable searches and seizures" meant it could not allow foreign prison inspectors to go where they pleased. "As a matter of principle, unrestricted authority granted to a visiting mechanism is incompatible with the need for checks and balances" argues Steve Solomon, head of the US delegation. European negotiators say they have no quarrel with US constitutional reservations, but do not understand why Washington has tried so hard to convince other countries not to sign the protocol. "The American arguments are fine for America, but we are disappointed that they have lobbied as hard as they have against adoption," says one European diplomat. US negotiators have found their influence over other governments limited by the fact that the US is not currently a member of the UN Human Rights Commission, having been voted off the 53-member body last year. But they have played a vocal and active role on the working group concerned with the torture protocol, which is open to all UN members. The US has proposed a weaker inspection mechanism by which inspectors would be sent to a country only through arranged visits at the individual government's request to discuss ways to prevent torture. Proponents of stronger mechanisms say the US idea would water down implementation to meaningless levels. "We have already compromised on the issue of ad hoc, surprise visits, which the protocol won't allow," says the European diplomat. "This text is as low as we can go." When the protocol comes up for a vote at the commission, probably today, India, Syria, Libya, Cuba, and Saudi Arabia are expected to vote against it. But 25 countries are cosponsoring it, just two votes short of the majority needed, so both supporters and opponents expect the protocol to pass. It will then be presented to the UN Economic and Social Committee in New York, and later go before the UN General Assembly. If the General Assembly adopts the protocol, it will recommend that member states ratify it. Copyright © 2002 The Christian Science Monitor --- 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 ==^ startquote.gif Description: GIF image endquote.gif Description: GIF image
Commemoration of Jasenovac this Sunday [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- You are all invited. Best regards, Petar THE JASENOVAC RESEARCH INSTITUTE PO BOX 608, MONROE, MI. 48162 Tel. (734) 242-3992 Fax (734) 242-4289 www.jasenovac.org [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Let the truth be known!" __ PRESS RELEASE FIRST ANNUAL COMMEMORATION OF JASENOVAC TO BE HELD AT HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL PARK IN NEW YORK CITY ON 21 APRIL 2002 On Sunday, 21 April 2002, a ceremony to honor the Victims and Survivors of the Jasenovac Concentration Camp and the Yugoslav Holocaust will be held from 2 to 3 PM at The Holocaust Memorial Park in Brooklyn, NY. A ceremony including a wreath laying, religious service and speeches by Survivors and scholars will accompany the placing of a plaque with a draft of the inscription for a future stone monument proposed for the park. The Holocaust Memorial Park, which is located at West End Avenue between Emmons Ave & Shore Blvd in the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn, is the only monument park commemorating the Holocaust in the New York City area. April 22nd marks the fifty-seventh anniversary of the breakout attempt by Jasenovac inmates. The memorial ceremony has been timed as closely as possible to mark this anniversary. The Jasenovac Research Institute intends to initiate an annual practice of holding commemorative ceremonies on this date. All those who support justice for and recognition of Yugoslav Holocaust Victims and Survivors are encouraged to enrich this ceremony with their participation. JASENOVAC Following the Nazi invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia in April 1941, the "Independent State of Croatia" was established as a pro-Nazi government. It was dedicated to a clerical-fascist ideology influenced both by Nazism and extreme Roman Catholic fanaticism. On coming to power, the Ustashe Party dictatorship in Croatia quickly commenced on a systematic policy of racial extermination of all Serbs, Jews and Roma living within its borders. >From August 1941 to April 1945, hundreds of thousands of Serbs, tens of thousands of Jews and Roma, as well as anti-fascists of many nationalities, were murdered at the death camp known as Jasenovac. Estimates of the total number of men, women and children killed there have been put at 700,000. Jasenovac was not the only death camp in fascist-occupied Yugoslavia, but it was by far the largest in the entire Balkans region and the one in which a majority of the some one million victims of the Yugoslav Holocaust perished. TRAVEL DIRECTIONS TO THE COMMEMORATION By Car From Manhattan: Take the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) Westbound to the Belt Parkway. You will travel on the Belt Eastbound and exit at Exit 8 (Coney island Ave.). Follow signs for Kingsborough. Be warned that Exit 8 follows closely upon Exit 7. The exit leaves you on Guilder Ave. You will take Guilder straight - past Coney Island Ave - and to its end at East 12th Street. Make a right turn on East 12th St. Then make an immediate left turn (at the light) onto Neptune Ave. You will then make another rapid turn - your first possible right - onto Cass Place (also at a light). Take Cass Place about 2 blocks past the light. West End Ave. and the Park are immediately on your left. You can find parking on the streets adjoining the park. Please follow posted parking regulations. By Car From New Jersey: Take any of the 3 or 4 bridges going to Staten Island and head onto the Verrazano's Narrows Bridge (no toll out of Staten Island). Exit the bridge onto the Belt Parkway going East. Now follow the directions from Manhattan. By Car From Queens or Long Island: Take the Belt Parkway West to Exit 8 (Coney Island Ave.). At the end of the exit turn right onto Voorhies Ave. Make another right from Voorhies onto Sheepshead Bay Road at the first light. Take Sheepshead Bay Road to the end (2 lights) and make a right turn. Make your first possible left turn at the second light onto West End Ave. The Holocaust Memorial Park is on this block on your left. You may park on any of the adjoining streets. Please follow posted parking regulations. By Bus: The B-49 Bus stops within one block of the Holocaust Park. Any bus connection to the B-49 bus is good. By Subway: The best lines to take are the D or the Q trains. Both go to Sheepshead Bay Station. Remember to get a transfer ticket at the token booth. In front of the train station is a bus stop for the B-49 bus. THE JRI - WHO WE ARE, WHAT WE DO, AND HOW TO SUPPORT OUR WORK >From the memory of those who survived, and from the passion of those >who wish the truth to be known, came the Jasenovac Research Institute, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to building public awareness about the Holocaust in Yugoslavia and the furthering the search for justice for its Victims and Survivors. JRI promotes research and activities designed to enlighten the
Israelis Reject Visit From Bay Area 'Shields' [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Title: Message HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- Published on Friday, April 19, 2002 in the San Francisco Chronicle Israelis Reject Visit From Bay Area 'Shields' 8 Planned to Witness Events in Territories by Ilene Lelchuk Eight Americans, most from the Bay Area, who tried to reach the Palestinian territories this week to act as "human shields" were turned away at the Tel Aviv airport by Israeli officials, relatives and friends said yesterday. The eight had boarded an Air Canada flight Tuesday from San Francisco International Airport and were promptly detained by Israeli officials upon touching down early Wednesday. Stream Weir, daughter of traveler Alison Weir of Sausalito, said her mother called to say the group was scheduled to be deported back to the United States last night. "I'm really upset that they are being held without being told why," Stream Weir said. "They weren't going to do anything wrong. They were just going to be eyes." In interviews before they left, the travelers refrained from calling themselves pro-Palestinian. But they said they wanted to see firsthand the effects of Israel's hunt for terrorists and the military occupation of Palestinian territory. They also hoped their presence in Palestinian homes, hospitals and on the streets would discourage the Israeli army from attacking those locations for fear of killing Americans. The trip was well publicized, with Alison Weir giving interviews on radio and television, which might explain why Israeli officials were on the lookout for them at the airport. An official of the U.S. Embassy in Israel confirmed that eight Americans had been detained Wednesday. The Israeli Consulate in San Francisco did not return calls. The group was pulled together by Iman Farajallah of Daly City, who said she grew up in a refugee camp in Gaza and still has family there. Farajallah, who did not travel along, created the Muslim Grassroots Protection Program after Israel began its military assault on suspected terrorists in Palestinian towns and villages. She has been recruiting other activists for another trip to the Palestinian territories in May. "It seems critical that some American citizens be there on the ground to participate in nonviolent actions," Alison Weir, 54, said before leaving the Bay Area. "Our massive amount of tax money sent to Israel that literally has no strings attached . . . is preventing peace from being reached." The travelers were an eclectic mix. Weir is a community journalist. Regina Carey, 50, of Terra Linda, described as herself as a civil rights activist working for a high-tech firm. Others were artists and political activists. The travelers received little or no training and had few plans except to meet with a peace activist group called International Protection Program for Palestinians, also known as the Solidarity Movement. They were told the group would train them and shuttle them to Palestinian territories. ©2002 San Francisco Chronicle --- 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 ==^
"The Future of NATO and Enlargement" [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- Text: Brookings Scholar Says NATO Remains Key Security Vehicle (NATO enlargement is a unifying force in Europe, he says) (2270) The 19-member NATO Alliance remains the primary vehicle for keeping the United States engaged in European security affairs, says a Brookings Institution scholar, and further enlargement remains critical for the continent's security needs. Through its enlargement process, NATO "is playing a critical role in unifying a continent that had been divided for almost 50 years," Philip Gordon, a senior fellow in foreign policy studies at the Brookings Institution, said April 17 in testimony before the U.S. House International Relations Subcommittee on Europe. "NATO brought peace to the Balkans, and continues to deploy tens of thousands of troops to the Balkans, without which [that region] could easily revert to the horrible conflicts of the 1990s," he said. The International relations subcommittee was conducting hearings on the proposed enlargement of NATO and its transformation into the 21st century. Gordon, who is also director of the Center on the United States and France at Brookings and a former director for European Affairs at the National Security Council, said that instead of giving up on NATO as some have suggested, the North American and European allies should use the Prague summit in November to continue to adapt the Alliance to the most important security challenges of the day. Following is the text of Gordon's remarks: (begin text) [U.S. House International Relations Subcommittee on Europe Washington, D.C. April 17, 2002] TESTIMONY OF DR. PHILIP H. GORDON SENIOR FELLOW, THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION "The Future of NATO and Enlargement" I am delighted to provide testimony to this subcommittee on the important subject of NATO and its future. The ongoing war on terrorism, an expected enlargement at the November 2002 Prague summit to 5-7 new members, the European Union's own emerging security and defense policy, and a new NATO-Russia relationship all raise fundamental questions about the roles NATO can play and how it should serve American interests. It is thus right that members of Congress begin to think about these issues well before the Prague summit, so that they can help shape American policy toward the most successful Alliance in history. NATO will probably never again be the central security institution it was during the Cold War, but it remains a vital tool for the defense of important American interests. Let me try to explain how recent developments challenge the Alliance, and how I think we should use the Prague summit to enhance its future effectiveness. Less than 24 hours after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, America's allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) came together to invoke the Alliance's Article 5 defense guarantee -- this "attack on one" was to be considered an "attack on all." When it came time to implement that guarantee, however, in the form of the American-led military campaign in Afghanistan, NATO was not used. The Americans decided not to ask for a NATO operation for both military and political reasons -- only the United States had the right sort of equipment to project military forces half-way around the world, and Washington did not want political interference of 18 allies in the campaign. In the wake of these decisions, some observers have begun to wonder whether NATO has any enduring role at all. And there are, in fact, serious reasons to be concerned about the future of the Alliance if leaders on both sides of the Atlantic do not take the steps necessary to adapt it to changing circumstances. The Afghanistan campaign revealed significant gaps between the war-fighting capabilities of the United States and its allies, and reinforced the perception in some quarters in Washington that it is easier to conduct operations alone than with allies who have little to offer militarily and who might hamper efficient decision-making. Moreover, the U.S. decision in the wake of the terrorist attacks to increase its defense budget by some $48 billion [$48,000 million] for 2003 -- an increase larger than any single European country's entire defense budget -- will only make this capabilities gap worse. To the extent that the war on terrorism leads the United States to undertake military operations in other distant theaters, and to the extent that the Europeans are unwilling or unable to come along, NATO's centrality will be further diminished. Yet to conclude that NATO no longer has any important roles to play because it was not used for a mission that it was not designed for would be perverse and mistaken. The Alliance remains the primary vehicle for keeping the United States engaged in European security affairs. Through its enlargement process, it is playing a critical role in unifying a continent that had been divided for almost 50 years. NATO b
Li Peng Meets Iraqi, Saudi Arabian, Kuwaiti, Iranian Parliamentary Leaders. [WWW
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- China's top legislator Li Peng met with Chairman of the National Assembly of Iraq Saadoun Hamadi,President of the Saudi Arabian Consultative Council Sheikh Mohammed Ibrahim Bin Jubair, Speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly Jasim Mohmmad Al-Kharafi and Vice-Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Mohsen Armin, on separate occasions Thursday in Chongqing. China's top legislator Li Peng met with Chairman of the National Assembly of Iraq Saadoun Hamadi, President of the Saudi Arabian Consultative Council Sheikh Mohammed Ibrahim Bin Jubair, Speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly Jasim Mohmmad Al-Kharafi and Vice-Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Mohsen Armin, on separate occasions Thursday in Chongqing, a municipal city in southwest China. Li, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC), extended a warm welcome to the guests attending the third annual meeting of the Association of Asian Parliaments for Peace (AAPP). Li expressed hope that the AAPP meeting would further promote cooperation and exchanges between China and the four countries within the framework of the AAPP. Li said he agreed with the positive comments by the parliamentary leaders on their countries' relations with China and the relations between Islamic and Arab countries and China. He thanked the guests for their briefing on the Middle East situation. Islamic and Arabic countries are important forces in the international arena, Li said, adding that China attaches great importance to friendly relations with these countries. China welcomes and supports the achievements made in the recent Arabic summit meeting, he said. This is a reflection of further solidarity in the Arab and Islamic world, according to the chairman. China consistently opposes unilateralism, hegemonism and power politics, and stands for multipolarization, Li said. China hopes the Arab countries would play an even more important role in regional and international affairs, he said. China is deeply concerned about the impasse in the Middle East peace process, Li said. The international community has the responsibility to help realize peace and stability in this region, he said. China appreciates and supports the efforts made by Islamic and Arab countries in pushing forward the Middle East peace process and the Arabic peace initiative passed at the Arab League summit meeting, Li said. The initiative accords with the United Nations resolutions and the land-for-peace principle in raveling Palestine-Israel issue, he said. China strongly hopes that relevant UN resolutions be strictly implemented and is willing to make efforts for an early solution of the Middle East issue together with the international community, he said. On China-Iran relations, Li said as an important country in the region, Iran plays an important role in safeguarding the peace and security of the Middle East and the Gulf Region. China has kept good relations with Iran in many fields, which not only serves the interests of the two peoples, but is also conducive to the peace and stability of the region and the world at large. Hamadi said that relations between Iraq and China have kept developing since the two countries forged diplomatic ties, and Iraq hopes to further cooperation on economy and trade with China. He voiced hope that China, a permanent member of the Security Council of the United Nations, would play a more important role in advocating justice and safeguarding world peace and stability. He also expressed hope that the parliaments of the two countries would strengthen cooperation and exchanges. Jubair said that the relations between Saudi Arabia and China have developed smoothly. On the regional situation, he said that the current situation in the Middle East continues to deteriorate, and Saudi Arabia is concerned about it. He spoke highly of the just stance China has taken on the Middle East issue, and said that Saudi Arabia appreciates China's support for peace in the Middle East region. Al-Kharafi said that the Kuwaiti people would never forget China's support to Kuwait in safeguarding its independence and sovereignty. He praised China's consistent just stance in international affairs. He said he hoped that China would play an even more important role in resolving the conflict between Palestine and Israel. Kuwait hopes for further cooperation with China in all fields, he said. Armin said that the world has changed greatly after the September 11 incident, and unilateralism and hegemony have intensified, which is detrimental to world peace and stability. He said that Iran attaches importance to its relations with China, and is willing to further cooperation with China in all fields. . . Global and Local Analysis & Action ... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] [Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ] . . --- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^=
Chinese President Arrives in Shiraz for State Visit to Iran. [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.U
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- Chinese President Jiang Zemin Thursday flew in the ancient city of Shiraz from Tunis, kicking off his state visit to Iran, as guest of Iranian President Mohammad Khatami. In a written statement issued upon arrival, Jiang said his visit is to increase mutual understanding and trust, deepen friendship and expand cooperation. Chinese President Jiang Zemin Thursday flew in the ancient city of Shiraz from Tunis, kicking off his state visit to Iran, as guest of Iranian President Mohammad Khatami. In a written statement issued upon arrival, Jiang said his visit is to increase mutual understanding and trust, deepen friendship and expand cooperation. Visit to play positive role in enhancing bilateral relations He is convinced the visit will play a positive role in promoting the overall growth of the China-Iran friendly relations of cooperation in the new century. He added bilateral friendly relationship can be traced back 2,000 years ago or ever longer. The two countries have enjoyed a continuous friendly ties of cooperation in the political and economic sectors, with which China is satisfied, Jiang said. He noted that through joint efforts, bilateral friendly cooperation is sure to score greater promotion. Also arriving aboard the special plane were Jiang's wife Wang Yeping and Vice-Premier Qian Qichen. Jiang and his entourage were warmly received at the airport by Amin Zadeh, Iranian deputy foreign minister, and Mohammad Ebrahim Ansari Lari, governor-general of Fars. Jiang will leave here for Tehran Friday to continue his state visit. During his stay in Tehran, Jiang will exchange views with Khatami and other Iranian leaders on further strengthening bilateral friendly ties of cooperation, and on international and regional issues of common concern. Iran is the last leg of Jiang's two-week five-nation trip, which will finally take him home on April 22. Jiang had just ended his state visit to Germany, Libya, Nigeria and Tunisia. Iran highlights Chinese President's visit Iran on April 16 highlighted the significance of the upcoming visit by Chinese President Jiang Zemin to the Islamic Republic, saying that the visit scheduled to begin on Thursday would lay ground to boost constructive cooperation between the two countries. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told the official IRNA news agency that Tehran and Beijing could diversify relations in all fields relying on their historical antiquity and the two countries could further develop ties given their significant standing in the world. President Jiang Zemin's visit to the Islamic Republic would also be an opportunity to exchange views on regional developments, including the Palestine-Israel issue and the reconstruction of war-shattered Afghanistan, Asefi said. . . Global and Local Analysis & Action ... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] [Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ] . . --- 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 ==^
"China opposes hegemonism and won't seek hegemony itself," he declared. [WWW.STO
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- China Puts Forward Proposals on Peace, Development in Asia. Zhou Guangzhao, head of the China's Parliamentary Delegation to the ongoing annual meeting of the Association of Asian Parliaments for Peace (AAPP), Wednesday put forward a four-point proposal on peace and development in Asia. Introduction of Association of Asian Parliaments for Peace (AAPP) Created in September of 1999, the AAPP is the largest inter-parliamentarian organization in Asia with 36 member states and 15 non-member states. In line with the theme of "peace and development", lawmakers every year will discuss a wide spectrum of issues including multi-polarization in the world politics, world peace, economic globalization and its ensuing impact upon developing nations and how to strengthen international cooperation for a new international political and economic order. Zhou Guangzhao, head of the China's Parliamentary Delegation to the ongoing annual meeting of the Association of Asian Parliaments for Peace (AAPP), Wednesday (April 17) put forward a four-point proposal on peace and development in Asia. Zhou, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, announced the proposal at the first Plenary Session of the Third annual meeting of the association. The proposals are as follows: -- We must cherish and safeguard the hard-won peace and stability in Asia. History and reality both demonstrate that a peaceful and stable regional surrounding environment is vital to the development, prosperity and security of countries in the region. Therefore, the countries should all proceed from long-term and strategic interests and make further efforts to preserve the current situation. -- All countries in the region should respect each other and treat each other as equals on the basis of Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. We should respect the fact that Asia is diversified and give full play to the advantage of diversity and seek diversified development so as to create a new Asia in which various kinds of culture and civilization coexist and make common development. -- To further deepen the multi-facet economic cooperation of various forms in Asia. In the spirit of mutual benefit and common development, countries should learn from each other while competing with each other, draw upon each other's advantages and make up for deficiencies. Thus, the economic power of countries and Asia as a whole will be increased and the ability to deal with the challenge of economic globalization enhanced. -- We should actively advocate the new security concept with mutual trust, mutual benefit and equitable cooperation as the core. All bilateral disputes and disagreements should be resolved through consultation and negotiation. We should strengthen security by increasing cooperation and expanding common interests. We should enhance the cooperation in non-traditional security fields and fight collectively against terrorism, smuggling, drug-trafficking, piracy and illegal immigration and other transnational crimes. China's efforts on peace, development in Asia Zhou said China has a long-time good neighborly friendship and cooperation with other Asian countries, citing efforts China have been making to develop friendly relations and cooperation of good neighborliness and good partnership with surrounding Asian countries. Mutual understanding and trust has been deepened as a result, he said. At present, China has established a framework for cross-century good-neighborly and friendly relations and cooperation with most Asian countries, he said. "The cooperation in economic, trade, scientific and technological and cultural fields continued to deepen." "China has, along with Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, established the 'Shanghai Cooperation'," Zhou said. China also took an active part in the ASEAN Regional Forum, promoted the dialogue in the Korean peninsula, supported relevant countries in the Middle East and south Asia in their efforts to peacefully resolve disputes and supported the rebuilding of Afghanistan, said Zhou. "All these fully demonstrate our good wishes to safeguard regional and world peace and development," he said. China to make greater contribution on peace, development in Asia He also talked about the country's three major tasks for the new century, including the goal of doubling the country's gross domestic product (GDP) of 2000 in the 2010, gradually accomplishing common prosperity in the country, striving for the peaceful reunification of the country, and safeguarding world peace and promoting common development. Zhou stressed that the development in China cannot be separated from the support of people in Asian countries, and a stable, developed and prosperous China will not pose any threat to any country at any times. "On the contrary, China will make greater contribution to peace and developme
"AXIS OF EVIL" IS OUT OF DATE [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- pravda.ru April 19, 2002 "AXIS OF EVIL" IS OUT OF DATE. THE NEW POLITICAL NOTION FROM VLADIMIR PUTIN George Bush introduced the new notion to the world political vocabulary in the beginning of the current year: "axis of evil." This word combination implies Iran, Iraq, and North Korea - the countries, which allegedly pose the biggest threat to the whole "civilized community." Russian President Vladimir Putin introduced another political notion - "the curve of stability," which should be created in the world. Putin expressed his initiative to journalists after negotiations with President of Iceland Olafur Ragnar Grimsson. It goes about the new "very perspective organization for security in the world," which will appear within the framework of the mentioned "curve of stability," incorporating a lot of countries. Russia's closer cooperation with NATO countries on the one hand, and with Asian countries on the other hand (with rapidly developing China in particular) is supposed to assist in the establishment of the new organization. Here is an important aspect: Putin said that all members of the new organization, or of "the curve of stability," must be equal. In other words, there should not be the predominance of one particular country in the organization. Putin said: "We proceed from the necessity to strengthen the UN, the Security Council of the UN, the OSCE, realizing that these structures are supposed to keep their key role in guaranteeing the security. We have to act quickly and in a balanced way for the efficient reaction on several problems, including terrorism, and the mass destruction weapons issue." However, you can set forth an idea, and it is ok, but the way that you are going to realize this idea - this is a completely different thing. Especially if this idea touches upon Washington's interests - the restriction of America's supremacy in the world. The newspaper Kommersant wrote that the Russian president used the notion of the "curve of stability" as an opposition to the theory of the former assistant to American president for national security affairs Zbignew Bzhezinsky, who called the Asian-Pacific countries the "curve of instability." Sergey Stefanov PRAVDA.Ru Translated by Dmitry Sudakov --- 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 ==^
What Israel Has Done [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Title: Message HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- Published in the May 6, 2002 issue of The Nation What Israel Has Done by Edward Said Despite Israel's effort to restrict coverage of its destructive invasion of the West Bank's Palestinian towns and refugee camps, information and images have nevertheless seeped through. The Internet has provided hundreds of verbal as well as pictorial eyewitness reports, as have Arab and European TV coverage, most of it unavailable or blocked or spun out of existence from the mainstream US media. That evidence provides stunning proof of what Israel's campaign has actually--has always--been about: the irreversible conquest of Palestinian land and society. The official line (which Washington has basically supported, along with nearly every US media commentator) is that Israel has been defending itself by retaliating against the suicide bombings that have undermined its security and even threatened its existence. That claim has gained the status of an absolute truth, moderated neither by what Israel has done nor by what in fact has been done to it. Phrases such as "plucking out the terrorist network," "destroying the terrorist infrastructure" and "attacking terrorist nests" (note the total dehumanization involved) are repeated so often and so unthinkingly that they have given Israel the right to destroy Palestinian civil life, with a shocking degree of sheer wanton destruction, killing, humiliation and vandalism. There are signs, however, that Israel's amazing, not to say grotesque, claim to be fighting for its existence is slowly being eroded by the devastation wrought by the Jewish state and its homicidal prime minister, Ariel Sharon. Take this front-page New York Times report, "Attacks Turn Palestinian Plans Into Bent Metal and Piles of Dust," by Serge Schmemann (no Palestinian propagandist) on April 11: "There is no way to assess the full extent of the damage to the cities and towns--Ramallah, Bethlehem, Tulkarm, Qalqilya, Nablus and Jenin--while they remain under a tight siege, with patrols and snipers firing in the streets. But it is safe to say that the infrastructure of life itself and of any future Palestinian state--roads, schools, electricity pylons, water pipes, telephone lines--has been devastated." By what inhuman calculus did Israel's army, using dozens of tanks and armored personnel carriers, along with hundreds of missile strikes from US-supplied Apache helicopter gunships, besiege Jenin's refugee camp for over a week, a one-square-kilometer patch of shacks housing 15,000 refugees and a few dozen men armed with automatic rifles and no missiles or tanks, and call it a response to terrorist violence and a threat to Israel's survival? There are reported to be hundreds buried in the rubble, which Israeli bulldozers began heaping over the camp's ruins after the fighting ended. Are Palestinian civilian men, women and children no more than rats or cockroaches that can be attacked and killed in the thousands without so much as a word of compassion or in their defense? And what about the capture of thousands of men who have been taken off by Israeli soldiers, the destitution and homelessness of so many ordinary people trying to survive in the ruins created by Israeli bulldozers all over the West Bank, the siege that has now gone on for months and months, the cutting off of electricity and water in Palestinian towns, the long days of total curfew, the shortage of food and medicine, the wounded who have bled to death, the systematic attacks on ambulances and aid workers that even the mild-mannered Kofi Annan has decried as outrageous? Those actions will not be pushed so easily into the memory hole. Its friends must ask Israel how its suicidal policies can possibly gain it peace, acceptance and security. The monstrous transformation of an entire people by a formidable and feared propaganda machine into little more than militants and terrorists has allowed not just Israel's military but its fleet of writers and defenders to efface a terrible history of injustice, suffering and abuse in order to destroy the civil existence of the Palestinian people with impunity. Gone from public memory are the destruction of Palestinian society in 1948 and the creation of a dispossessed people; the conquest of the West Bank and Gaza and their military occupation since 1967; the invasion of Lebanon in 1982, with its 17,500 Lebanese and Palestinian dead and the Sab
American foreign policy [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Title: Message HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- It works at home Apr 19th 2002 From The Economist Global AgendaAfter suffering reverses in Afghanistan, Venezuela and, above all, the Middle East, President George Bush’s foreign policy is going through a difficult phase. But trouble abroad has not yet translated into serious political difficulty at home IT HAS seemed like a week of drift and failure in American foreign policy. Most obviously, Colin Powell returned from the Middle East without a ceasefire. Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president loathed by the White House, swept back into power after a bumbling coup of which America—alone in the western hemisphere—had approved. The administration says it pleaded with the coup leaders not to suspend the National Assembly, but that merely raised questions about whether the administration was cynically stage-managing the dismal attempt to kick Mr Chavez out. Meanwhile, the administration had to admit that it had almost certainly let Osama bin Laden slip through its fingers during fighting around Tora Bora at the end of last year. It concluded, according to the Washington Post, “that failure to commit US ground troops to hunt him was its gravest error in the war against al-Qaeda.” And to top it all off, George Bush seemed to be facing, for the first time, some significant public opposition to his foreign policies. Tens of thousands of people gathered on the steps of Congress to demand that the administration back Ariel Sharon more strongly and not negotiate with Yasser Arafat. They even booed Paul Wolfowitz, one of the most hawkish members of the administration. Yet against this confused background, Mr Bush chose to make one of the strongest defences yet of his post-September 11th foreign policy. At a speech to a military academy in Virginia on April 17th, he repeated and justified his criticism of the “axis of evil”. He reiterated his view that Mr Arafat not only had to denounce “homicide bombers” but take action against them. And he warned Saddam Hussein that the Taliban was merely the first government to fall in the war against terror. Yet Mr Bush’s diplomacy has not yet provoked serious domestic political opposition. The president has always said there would be setbacks in his foreign policy but that he would not be put off by them. This week showed not only that he meant what he said, but that—at the moment—he retains public support for his stance. The trick that Mr Bush is currently pulling off is typified, paradoxically, by that rally in Washington—the largest pro-Israel demonstration (its organisers claim) since the foundation of Israel in 1948. For America’s allies, this underlines their growing differences with the United States. Everywhere else, the large demonstrations have been in favour of the Palestinians. A new transatlantic poll by the Pew Research Centre shows that Americans sympathise with the Israelis by a three-to-one margin, while Europeans support the Palestinians by up to two to one. And while over half of America thinks the administration is doing enough to bring about peace in the region, in European countries roughly two-thirds do not. The rally was seen as a problem in America, too, but for a different reason. The administration, some feared (and others hoped), would be pushed into a more pro-Israeli stance by the pressure of domestic politics, undermining its efforts as go-between in the region. That is also the fear outside America, where Mr Bush is seen as bending over backwards to give Mr Sharon the benefit of the doubt. On April 18th, he said that the Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank was going quickly and on schedule, and, more remarkably still, that Mr Sharon is “a man of peace”. The following day, the Israeli army did indeed loosen its grip on Jenin, scene of the worst of the most recent bloodshed. But Israeli incursions continued elsewhere, including in the south of the Gaza strip, after a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up near an Israeli settlement in the strip. It is true that the American administration has felt domestic pressure, though not just from the fabled Jewish lobby. Rather, it comes from two groups which in the normal course of events have less to say about Israel: the religious right, and the neo-conservatives, who want America to play a more forceful role in the world. These Republican groups have their differences. Neo-cons are obsessed with the grand design of foreign policy, the religious right with social concerns, such as abortion and cloning. Some neo-cons backed John McCain, whom the religious right abhors. But they have things in common. Both see the world in Manichean terms, as a struggle between good and evil. Both think that no-holds-barred combat is the best way to conduct that struggle. Both have concluded that Israel is engaged in a war against terrorist evil, so the Bush administr
Bush Throws US Support Behind Israel [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Title: Message HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- Published on Thursday, April 18, 2002 by Agence France Presse Bush Throws US Support Behind Israel President George W. Bush again threw US support behind Israel, calling Prime Minister Ariel Sharon a "man of peace" as aid workers picked through the rubble of his army's attack on the West Bank. Palestinian officials condemned the remarks as a "reward" for Sharon's "war crimes" as the troubled Middle East appeared no closer to peace despite an intensive peace mission by US Secretary of State Colin Powell. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan meanwhile asked the Security Council on Thursday to consider sending an armed multinational force to help end violence in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory. The UN Middle East envoy said the devastation was "horrific beyond belief" as he toured the blood-soaked ruins of the West Bank, still mostly in the grip of Israeli troops despite Bush's calls for an immediate withdrawal. "I do believe Ariel Sharon is a man of peace," Bush told reporters in the Oval Office as he was briefed by Powell on his Middle East tour, which ended without a ceasefire agreement to end almost 19 months of bloodshed. Bush said Sharon was on schedule for pulling back his troops, who launched a ferocious assault on the West Bank three weeks ago in what Israel said was a bid to crush the "infrastructure of terrorism." Powell told reporters before leaving Jerusalem after six days of shuttling between Sharon and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat that there was a schedule for the pullback but gave no specifics. "He gave me a timetable and he's met the timetable," the US president said. The Palestinians had told Powell there could be no hope of a long-sought truce until there was a full withdrawal from the West Bank, where Arafat has hoped to create an independent Palestinian state. "This is a reward for state terrorism and the war crimes committed by Sharon," top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told AFP after the Bush statement. Israel launched its assault on March 29, two days after a suicide bomber killed 28 people on the Jewish Passover holiday. A suicide attack killed six people in Jerusalem last Friday, hours after Powell began his peace mission. Sharon has repeatedly blamed Arafat for the waves of attacks which have left scores of Israelis dead. Under heavy pressure from Powell, Arafat issued a statement condemning terror attacks against civilians during Powell's trip and Bush said he would hold the Palestinian leader to his words. "Mr Arafat did condemn terror, now we hold him to account," Bush said. The Palestinian Authority "must act on its condemnation of terror." UN chief Annan for his part said, "I believe the deployment of a multinational force deserves serious consideration." Israel has repeatedly rejected calls for international troops on the ground but Annan said, "The situation is so dangerous that the international community has an obligation to provide this assistance." Erakat hailed the call, saying, "This idea is the only right way to start fighting Israeli aggression." Annan's special envoy to the Middle East, Terje Roed-Larsen, toured the remains of the shattered Jenin refugee camp, site of the fiercest battles in Israel's West Bank campaign, and denounced the horror he saw. "It is totally unacceptable and horrific beyond belief," he told AFP as he toured the Jenin camp. "The stench of death is horrible," he said. "We have expert people here who have been in war zones and earthquakes and they say they have never seen anything like it." The Palestinians claim around 500 people were massacred in Jenin, many of them women and children, and that some were summarily executed after surrendering. There were also claims of mass graves dug by Israeli bulldozers. "The international community and the press believe these lies and don't ask for proof from the Palestinians. Where is the proof?" said Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Gideon Meir said Thursday. Israel said the camp was a hotbed of Palestinian militants and closed off all access after invading on April 3, refusing access to aid groups and the media. The Israeli army announced it had begun a "partial withdrawal" from the northern West Bank town of Jenin overnight but did not give further details. Copyright 2002 AFP --- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^===
MAYOR TO LIFT LID ON KOSOVO CORRUPTION [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- * VISIT IWPR ON-LINE: www.iwpr.net MAYOR TO LIFT LID ON KOSOVO CORRUPTION The western administrator of Pristina has caused a storm by threatening to publicise the names of officials involved in an epidemic of illegal house building. By Nehat Islami in Pristina The international official heading the Pristina administration has alarmed Albanian colleagues by threatening to publish a list of politicians who built homes without planning permission or engaged in other forms of corruption. Ivo Sanc, from the Czech Republic, last week announced he had "accurate and reliable information on corruption within the city municipality" and said an investigation was under way. The gauntlet he has thrown down nettled the local administration, dominated by members of Ibrahim Rugova's Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK. Berim Ramosaj, the Albanian leader of the city council and a LDK member, admitted individual cases of fraud but insisted it did not apply to the authority as a whole. Corruption over building permits is nothing new in Kosovo. Illegal construction was widespread in Pristina long before the international community deployed in the region three years ago, after Serb forces were forced out. But the problem has visibly got worse, largely because of a huge influx of people from the countryside. The city housed about 250,000 before the 1999 conflict. The population has now soared to half a million, causing an accommodation crisis. Illegal house construction is not the only problem. Large-scale immigration has had a knock-on effect on all local utilities. The demand for electricity has jumped and drinking water is in short supply. About 150,000 cars clog roads designed for far less traffic, leading to gridlock. Pollution is severe. The city's sanitation infrastructure was unprepared for such an influx, as a result of which Pristina is coated in outpourings from the nearby power station, which releases up to 20 tonnes of dust a day - 70 per cent more than is allowed. The burden of solving all these problems falls on the local authority. The international personnel are there to monitor or correct the council's decisions. The western administrator can veto them but rarely does so. Since 2000, local building inspectors have noted some 4,000 buildings without planning permission. There are suspicions that many were built after the owners bribed municipal officials not to interfere. Others lack permits because their applications were not processed properly. One illegal builder, Enver Sadiku, an electrical power worker, said he went ahead without a permit because the delays were too long. "The municipality is inefficient," he said. "I waited a whole year for a permit and when I saw everyone else building without one, I decided to do the same". Sanc said unauthorised use of government properties was a particular problem and that Ramosaj had failed to give him a list of appropriated premises. Naser Krasniqi, an official dealing with municipal property, estimated that about 10,000 buildings had been illegally occupied, though most had not been built on. Little effort has been made to stop the rot. Sanc has already complained of a widespread nepotism in the municipal administration. A report on illegal construction in the Pristina daily Koha Ditore revealed that Nebih Zariqi, a deputy leader of the municipality, co-owned a building company that had put up an illegal extension. But more mundane factors also play a part. The local administration is short of staff and low salaries encourage a culture of bribery and corruption. Although city officials have warned they will demolish illegal buildings, few take the threat seriously. The authorities seem hardly likely to flatten 4,000 properties in a municipality where housing is in such short supply. The council has, in fact, obtained demolition equipment. But the machinery has a habit of breaking down when used - which is not often. Only 30 buildings have been levelled so far. Given the fact that wholesale demolition is unfeasible, the council is considering alternative strategies. One is to impose a tax on buildings erected without a permit on privately-held land, and to only get rid of structures built on state property. In the meantime, Sanc and the local council trade accusations about who is to blame. The former wants more qualified professionals to join the administration. "I know people at Pristina University and within many companies who could help solve the municipality's problems," he said, "but they don't like the politics and will not take part in the existing structures." He said council inertia was also to blame for lack of foreign investment, "Nothing is being achieved because of the municipality's lack of interest." So far, the local government has blamed all its problems and shortcomings on the legacy of the 1999 conflict. But this may not wo
Israel 'Morally Repugnant,' U.N. Envoy Says [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
Title: Message HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- Israel 'Morally Repugnant,' U.N. Envoy Says By Nazir MajallyArab News JERUSAELM, Apr 19, 2002 -- The United Nations' Middle East envoy yesterday denounced Israel as "morally repugnant" for blocking aid to the wounded at the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank. In contrast, US President George W. Bush lauded Israel for "meeting the timetable" it promised for withdrawing from the West Bank even as troops stayed put in all reoccupied Palestinian towns. And Bush warned Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat that he "will now hold him to account". At the United Nations, the United States threatened to veto any resolution calling for a UN probe into the Jenin massacre. UN Middle East envoy Terje Roed-Larsen toured the devastated Jenin camp and said afterward: "It is totally unacceptable and horrific beyond belief." "It is totally unacceptable that the government of Israel for 11 days did not allow search and rescue teams to come. This is morally repugnant," said Roed-Larsen. "The stench of death is horrible," he said. "We have expert people here who have been in war zones and earthquakes and they say they have never seen anything like it." The Palestinians say around 500 people were massacred in Jenin, many of them women and children, and that some were summarily executed after surrendering. Bush indicated he was satisfied with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's withdrawal of troops from some Palestinian villages. "Israel started withdrawing quickly after our call, from smaller cities on the West Bank. History will show that they've responded," said Bush. Sharon "gave me a timetable and he's met the timetable." "I do believe Ariel Sharon is a man of peace. I'm confident he wants Israel to be able to exist at peace with its neighbors," added Bush, who discussed the timetable in a Monday telephone call with the Israeli leader. But he had harsh words for Arafat. "Terrorist acts will forever and constantly undermine the capacity for peace," he said. Arafat "did condemn terror and we will now hold him to account," the president added, demanding that actions follow words. The Palestinians reacted angrily to those comments, with chief negotiator Saeb Erekat saying they amounted to "a gift, a reward from Bush for Sharon's policy of state terrorism and war crimes." Diplomats said the United States told other members of the Security Council that it would veto an Arab-sponsored call for a UN investigation of deaths in the Jenin refugee camp. The Council scheduled a public debate to start at 1900 GMT on the crisis in the Palestinian territories, but it was unclear whether Arab states would push for an immediate vote on their draft resolution. Two Council diplomats said that the US ambassador to the United Nations, John Negroponte, gave "a loud and clear" message to the Council that he would veto the draft. Secretary-General Kofi Annan earlier asked the Council in a private session to consider sending an armed multinational force to help end violence in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory. An Israeli government spokesman later rejected Annan's appeal, saying such a force was inappropriate and would be in danger from Palestinian fighters. Annan quoted Terje Roed-Larsen as saying the scene at the Jenin camp was "horrific". "They witnessed people digging out corpses from the rubble with their bare hands," Annan said. "The destruction is massive and the impact on the civilian population is devastating." Asked later whether he supported the idea of an official inquiry, Annan told reporters: "We haven't initiated a formal investigation as such; for the moment, I would prefer we concentrate on getting assistance to those in need." He said: "A time will come for the investigation to be undertaken. That is not my first priority; at this stage it is to get help to the people, to get the dead buried and move the wounded." At the Jenin refugee camp, residents gouged at a wasteland of destruction in a desperate search for missing loved ones as the stench of rotting corpses wafted over the scene. The Israeli Army admitted late yesterday that "dozens" were buried under the rubble of about 100 houses destroyed in the camp. "Until now, we have transferred 25 bodies to the Palestinians. We believe that without doubt there are dozens of other dead buried under the ruins," said army spokeswoman Sharon Feingold. "There has not been a massacre, but it
US: 100 bicycle riders detained by Police [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- by Jen O 6:48pm Fri Apr 19 '02 phone: 202 483-3700 According to an eyewitness report, Critical Mass bikers detained during peaceful bike ride in Washington DC. According to an eyewitness report, Critical Mass bikers detained during peaceful bike ride in Washington DC. THe bikers in the group of 200 had been close to the end of their march and were at the corner of 21st st. and L st. NW. They had ridden around downtown DC with no problems up until that point. Approximately 100 bikers were detained at that point by DC police. Their bikes were being piled up and confiscated. The source witnessing the police using violence against the bikers, kicking and hitting the bikers. The detained bikers were then led away in handcuffs. Critical Mass is a loose collective of activist who bike around urban areas en masse to draw visibility to issues ranging from specific environmental policies to sweatshop labor. Their use of bicycles represents a choice to live in a cleaner environment free of pollution caused by copious car usage. . . Global and Local Analysis & Action ... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] [Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ] . . --- 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 ==^
IRISH FILMMAKER'S EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT OF VENEZUELAN COUP =?w
Title: Message HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- URL for this article: http://emperors-clothes.com/news/witness.htm Join our email list at http://emperors-clothes.com/f.htm. Receive articles posted on emperor's clothes. Click here to email the link to this article to a friend. www.tenc.net * [Emperor's Clothes] ===IRISH FILMMAKER'S EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT OF VENEZUELAN COUP D'ÉTATMichael McCaughan speaks to Kim Bartley, who witnessed last weekend's coup attempt in VenezuelaReprinted from Irish Times 16 April 2002[Posted 18 April 2002](Thanks to Karl Sanchez for this article)=== Ms Kim Bartley and Mr Donnacha O'Brien have spent the past three months filming a documentary on Venezuelan President Mr Hugo Chavez for Power Productions, an independent film company based in Galway. "I arrived in the centre of town just as the shooting started," says Kim. "I filmed a while then took cover in a doorway. Whoever was firing aimed directly at the crowd, which was pro-Chavez. I filmed two dead bodies, both of them beside the podium set up to rally Chavistas to defend the presidential palace. "A woman working in the vice-president's office identified the bodies as a legal secretary and an archivist, both working inside the building. A 10-year-old girl was then taken away, fatally injured. "More shots. We ran for cover like everyone else. We made it to the palace through back streets as the firing continued and as soon as we got in the gate another sniper started aiming at the crowd. We were all thrown to the ground behind a wall and later ran for cover into the building. Three of the snipers were arrested . . . "Chavez was about to explain what was happening in a live television broadcast but the state channel's signal was cut just as he began to speak. "The army generals arrived and went off for a meeting with Chavez. The evening passed in a flash as we waited for news inside the presidential palace. A tearful Environmental Minister, Ms Analisa Osorio, emerged in the early hours of Friday, announcing the end of an era. 'He's under arrest,' she said. Chavez emerged, barely visible with all the bodyguards and junta soldiers jostling both to protect and arrest him. "The atmosphere turned ugly. Radio and television immediately announced the resignation of Chavez and began broadcasting upbeat messages: 'Venezuela is finally free' was the banner across all private TV channels. "The government went into hiding. Everyone fled for their lives. The witch-hunt began. We decided not to go home, checking into a hotel instead, for safety . . . "The media kept repeating footage of the swearing-in ceremony of the interim president [Pedro Carmona] which was followed by images of empty streets, everything in perfect tranquillity. We were about to book a ticket to Panama when a well-dressed passer-by told us to get off the streets. 'The Chavistas are coming' he said. It was Saturday afternoon. "We took a taxi to the centre, where huge crowds had surrounded the palace, demanding the return of Chavez. We managed to get inside and found several Chavez deputies calling round the country to find out what was going on. A dozen people who were working for the interim government had been taken to a room in the basement for their own safety. "Reports came in from around the country, barracks by barracks, like a Eurovision song contest jury, that the military was rebelling against the coup. Then came the rumours that a commando had been sent to kill Chavez at the army base where he was being kept. "The television continued to broadcast a steady diet of soap operas, saying nothing about the huge mobilisation, which was now making a deafening racket outside. Then came the news that Chavez had been freed and was taking a helicopter to Miraflores. The crowds went wild. The presidential guard made a tunnel from the palace gates to a helicopter pad across the street. The sound of choppers buzzing overhead. "Then he was there, striding toward the palace, mobbed by supporters. It was like a dream, it's still hard to believe it really happened." © The Irish Times * Reprinted for Fair Use Only Join our email list at http://emperors-clothes.com/f.htm. Receive articles posted at Emperor's Clothes. Click here to email the link to a friend. ===EMPEROR'S CLOTHES IS UNDER ATTACK! === We need your hel
Fwd: [AfricaT] Le complot Mbeki-Kagame contre Joseph Kabila [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- --- 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 ==^ --- Begin Message --- Title: Le complot Mbeki-Kagame contre Joseph Kabila Le complot Mbeki-Kagame contre Joseph Kabila Ludo Martens, Bruxelles, 17 avril 2002 Chez tous les nationalistes congolais habitant Bruxelles, l¹indignation était à son comble après la lecture des « propositions » du président sud-africain Mbeki. Ainsi, jusqu¹à la fin de cette guerre d¹agression sanglante qui a déjà fait plus de 3.500.000 morts, l¹Afrique du Sud se tiendra aux côtés des Rwandais et Ougandais et de leurs commanditaires. Nous avons écrit dès le mois d¹août 1999 que l¹Accord de Lusaka contenait le programme d¹un coup d¹état « parlementaire » contre le pouvoir nationaliste de Mzee Laurent-Désiré Kabila. Le coup d¹état militaire des Rwandais ayant échoué en août 98, c¹est bel et bien un coup d¹état « parlementaire » que Mbeki veut réussir après trois ans et huit mois d'occupation. C'est un secret public que l'Afrique du Sud a été de mèche avec les Etats-Unis, le Rwanda et l'Ouganda dès le début de la guerre. Se rendre à Sun City pour négocier le destin du Congo, était se mettre dans la gueule du loup. Si les « rebelles » et opposants voulaient réellement un « dialogue » entre Congolais, Kinshasa s¹imposait d¹emblée comme seul choix possible. C¹est à Kinshasa que se sont déroulés ces autres Dialogues appelés Conclave de Lovanium et Conférence Nationale et Souveraine. Les scènes grotesques et humiliantes qui se sont déroulées à Sun City n¹auraient jamais pu avoir lieu à Kinshasa. La population n¹aurait pas supporté l¹intolérable. Manoeuvres de la dernière minute Le 10 avril, quelques jours avant la fin du "dialogue", Mbeki a fait des propositions qui imposent de nouvelles concessions à Joseph Kabila. Le Président congolais est dépouillé de l¹essentiel de son pouvoir par la création d¹un « Conseil d¹Etat » composé par le Président de la République, le chef du RCD, le chef du MLC et le Premier ministre qui vient de l¹opposition. Mais le RCD refusa les propositions de Mbeki, exigeant la capitulation pure et simple du gouvernement légal et légitime du Congo. Pendant 44 jours, le RCD, le MLC et une partie de l¹opposition ont tenté de faire table rase de toutes les institutions congolaises. Malgré les (trop) nombreuses concessions du gouvernement, le « Dialogue » allait droit à l¹échec. Alors, le 11 avril, Masire a proposé que le « Dialogue », qui devait prendre fin le lendemain, soit prolongé jusqu¹au 18. Il l¹a fait après concertation avec Mbeki « pour permettre de finaliser les avances réalisées sur les institutions de la Transition ». Cela participait déjà du complot entre Mbeki et le RCD-Rwanda. Le gouvernement a protesté contre cette modification des termes de l¹Accord de Lusaka : le « facilitateur » n¹a pas compétence en la matière. Le RCD, en revanche, a immédiatement « salué l¹annonce de Masiri qui se justifie pour le bien du peuple congolais ». Le RCD, Mbeki et Masire espéraient pousser Joseph Kabila et le gouvernement à la capitulation intégrale. Mbeki profita du délai supplémentaire pour rédiger une seconde version de son Plan, qui vise à réaliser les conditions de la victoire des agresseurs et de la liquidation de tout pouvoir nationaliste à Kinshasa. Une « Transition » sous occupation rwandaise ? Le plan inqualifiable de Mbeki a comme premier objectif de justifier l¹occupation permanente de l¹Est par les armées de Kagame. Son texte dit : « La période de la Transition sera utilisée afin d¹initier le processus qui va mener à la réunification de la RCD et afin de faciliter le retrait des forces étrangères. » Tous les nationalistes congolais avaient affirmé qu¹il ne pouvait y avoir de dialogue intercongolais sous la menace des fusils des agresseurs. Mais la soi-disant Communauté Internationale les a obligés de dialoguer avec les marionnettes de Kagame et Museveni et cela sous la présence continue des agresseurs sur la moitié du territoire national. C¹était déjà une concession que les nationalistes jugent inacceptable, mais que le gouvernement a faite pour que le peuple se rende compte que si le « dialogue » tourne en farce et échoue, ce ne sera pas de sa faute. Cette concession humiliante, les agresseurs l¹ont transformée en nouvel argument pour rester indéfiniment au Congo, pendant toute la période de la « Transition », s¹il le faut. Dans les propositions que Ruberwa a remises à Mbeki, nous lisons parmi les « principes fondamentaux de la transition » au point 7 : « Le désarmement immédiat des groupes armés étrangers sui
News, 19.4.2002, 16:00 UTC [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- Deutsche Welle English Service News 19th April, 2002, 16:00 UTC -- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Between Past Crimes and Present Duties Germany is debating Israel's assault on the Jenin refugee camp. The country has good relations with the Palestinians but also a special responsibility for Israel's security. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1430_A_501564_1_A,00.html -- Saudi accuses Israel of Jenin war crimes Saudi Arabia's foreign minister accused Israel on Friday of committing war crimes in the Jenin refugee camp and said it was to blame for U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's failure to secure a Middle East ceasefire. Prince Saud al-Faisal, speaking after talks in Moscow said that an independent fact-finding mission must be dispatched as soon as possible to Jenin. He also emphasised that Saudi Arabia would never resort to using oil as a weapon in the conflict to support the Palestinian cause, and pledged to maintain present production levels. The Israeli army left Jenin on Friday ,as Palestinian residents of the town's devastated refugee camp dug up corpses. An army statement said Israeli forces had completed their mission in Jenin, but tanks have taken up positions around the city. A senior hospital official there said that they had recovered about fifty corpes, but the the death toll could rise to 400, once all corpses were extracted from rubble. Germany says Mideast tension threatens Europe Germany warned on Friday that a failure to find peace in the Middle East would hurt European security and that U.S., Israeli, British and Jewish institutions were now at risk of attack. Interior Minister Otto Schily said that failure to stop the terror and the bloodshed will have unforeseen consequences in which many people will also suffer outside the Middle East. Germany's BKA federal crime agency also warned of security risks and has notified the 16 German states of a risk both inside Germany and for Germans abroad. Afghan refugees return in droves The United Nations refugee agency said on Friday that 300,000 Afghans had gone home from Pakistan and Iran in just seven weeks. The flood was shaping up to be the largest and fastest return since 800,000 ethnic Albanians went back to the Serbian province of Kosovo in the summer of 1999, a UNHCR spokesman said.The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees now hopes to help 800,000 Afghan refugees return home this year, double its initial planning target, as well as 400,000 internally displaced people within Afghanistan itself. Iran and Pakistan host about three-and-a-half million Afghans, who fled war, drought and lack of food over more than 25 years. North and South Korean parliamentary leaders exchange warm handshake Parliamentary leaders from North and South Korea formally shook hands at a meeting in the southern Chinese city of Chonqing, a move which China's official news agency said symbolized the hope for peace and reunification oof both countries. The handshake follows an ice-breaking visit to the communist capital Pyongyang earlier this month by South Korea's special envoy Lim Dong-Won. During that visit, the two Koreas agreed to resume family reunions and open tourism and economic cooperation talks. South Korea Awards Multi-Billion Dollar Fighter Jet Deat to Boeing South Korea has awarded a multi-billion dollar fighter jet contract for 40 planes to the U.S. Boeing concern. The deal is expected to generate almost 3 billion dollars in jobs and technology for South Korea, which hopes to develop its own fighter by 2015. Seoul is expected to take first delivery of the new F 15 jets in 2005. Plan Crash in Milan Still Leaves Many Open Questions Investigators in Italy are still trying to discover what caused yesterday's crash of a private plane that slammed into Milan's tallest building, killing 3 people, including the pilot and injuring more than 90. The incident, which initially was thought to be a terrorist attack is currently being called an unbelievable accident, after it was disclosed that the pilot told air controllers minutes before impact that he was having technical problems. The Italian authorities are now speculating that the 67-year-old may have committed suicide. The plane struck the building near the top and blew out windows on both sides. About 300 people were believed to have been in the building at the moment of impact. Spanish customs seize 500 kilos of cocaine Spanish customs seized 500 kilos of cocaine and arrested two
The Soviet threat was a myth [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,2763,686956,00.html Comment The Soviet threat was a myth Stalin had no intention of attacking the west. We were to blame for the cold war Andrew Alexander Friday April 19, 2002 The Guardian On a long and reluctant journey to Damascus, as I researched the diaries and memoirs of the key figures involved, it dawned on me that my orthodox view of the cold war as a struggle to the death between Good (Britain and America) and Evil (the Soviet Union) was seriously mistaken. In fact, as history will almost certainly judge, it was one of the most unnecessary conflicts of all time, and certainly the most perilous. The cold war began within months of the end of the second world war, when the Soviet Union was diagnosed as inherently aggressive. It was installing communist governments throughout central and eastern Europe. The triumphant Red Army was ready and able to conquer western Europe whenever it was unleashed by Stalin, who was dedicated to the global triumph of communism. But "we" - principally the US and Britain - had learnt from painful experience that it was futile to seek accommodation with "expansionist" dictators. We had to stand up to Stalin, in President Truman's phrase, "with an iron fist". It was a Manichean doctrine, seductive in its simplicity. But the supposed military threat was wholly implausible. Had the Russians, devastated by the war, invaded the west, they would have had a desperate battle to reach the Channel coast. Britain would have been supplied with an endless stream of men and material from the US, making invasion virtually hopeless. And even if the Soviets, ignoring the A-bomb, had conquered Europe against all odds, they would have been left facing an implacable US: the ultimate unwinnable war. In short, there was no Soviet military danger. Stalin was not insane. Nor was he a devout ideologue dedicated to world communism. He was committed, above all else, to retaining power, and ruling Russia by mass terror. Stalin had long been opposed to the idea that Russia should pursue world revolution. He had broken with Trotsky, and proclaimed the ideal of "socialism in one country". Foreign communist parties were encouraged to influence their own nations' actions. But it was never Stalin's idea that they should establish potentially rival communist governments. Yugoslavia and China were to demonstrate the peril of rival communist powers. The cold war began because of Russia's reluctance to allow independence to Poland. Stalin was held to have reneged on promises at Yalta. Roosevelt and Churchill had demanded that Poland be allowed a government that would be "free" and also "friendly to Russia". It was a dishonest formula. As recently as 1920, the two countries had been at war. No freely elected Polish government would be friendly to the USSR. Furthermore, as Stalin pointed out at Yalta, Russia had been twice invaded through Poland by Germany in 26 years, with devastating consequences. The invasion of 1941 had led to the deaths of 20 million Russians. Any postwar Russian government - communist, tsarist or social democratic - would have insisted on effective control at least of Poland, if not of larger areas of eastern Europe, as a buffer zone against future attacks. The cold war warrior Harry Truman came to office in April 1945. The existing White House, including the belligerent Admiral Leahy, convinced him that he must make an aggressive start. In May, Churchill told Anthony Eden, the foreign secretary, that the Americans ought not to withdraw to the lines previously agreed. There had, he said, to be a "showdown" while the Allies were still strong militarily. Otherwise there was "very little prospect" of preventing a third world war. Churchill's iron curtain speech at Fulton, Missouri, in March 1946 - the phrase originated with Dr Goebbels, warning of the same red peril - reflects the great warrior's view of the Soviet menace. Not surprisingly, however, it was seen by the Russians as a threat. Referring to the new "tyrannies", Churchill said: "It is not our duty at this time when difficulties are so numerous to interfere forcibly in the internal affairs of countries." The inevitable implication was that there would be a time when difficulties were not so numerous. Truman had adopted an aggressive attitude to Russia the previous October. He produced 12 points which he said would govern American policy, including the importance of opening up free markets. The programme would be based on "righteousness". There could be "no compromise with evil". Since half his points were aimed at Soviet rule in eastern Europe, the evil he had in mind was plain. He added that no one would be allowed to interfere with US policy in Latin America. So Russian interference in countries essential to its safety was evil. But exclusive US domination of its own sphere of
Gore Vidal explains it all in San Francisco [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/04/19/BA196769.DTL Vidal's analysis of Sept. 11 gets warm reception Ryan Kim, Chronicle Staff WriterFriday, April 19, 2002 -- With warm approval from a packed house last night, author Gore Vidal dissected the Sept. 11 attacks and returned to his basic theme: America is not without blame. The acclaimed political and historical essayist spoke to about 1,300 people at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco, elaborating on his latest book, "Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace," which examines the federal government's role in Sept. 11. Speaking in a wry tone that brought laughter from the audience, and often relying on understatement, Vidal said the United States had in more than 200 instances attacked other countries. "We've been like this rogue elephant going around the world, attacking this country and that," said Vidal. He said the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, while lamentable, were not completely inexplicable. "Sooner or later, someone was going to get irritable," said Vidal. "The first rule of physics is that for every act, there is reaction." He belittled the Bush administration, which he said was beholden to business interests. And he said the war in Afghanistan amounted to an oil grab, rather than a desire to root out terrorists. "It's Central Asian oil that we have our eyes on," Vidal said. Stanford history Professor Barton Bernstein, one of three panelists, echoed some of Vidal's thoughts while examining the history of what he said was America's military aggression. Based on its history, he said, the United States could be considered a terrorist state. Other panelists were Roberg Higgs of the Independent Institute of Oakland and Thomas Moore of the Hoover Institution at Stanford. _ E-mail Ryan Kim at <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> = Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace. Weekly peace walks around Lake Merritt in Oakland. Starts & ends at the colonnade between Grand & Lakeshore Avenues, 3 P.M., every Sunday. Info: (510)763-8712, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or http://www.webwm.com/LMNOP __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ --- 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 ==^
Nuclear Terror: US Ships High-Radiation Device to China by Mistake [WWW.STOPNAT
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200204/19/eng20020419_94374.shtml Home>>World Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, April 19, 2002 Nuclear Terror: US Ships High-Radiation Device to China by Mistake Recently the US reported two losses of high-radiation devices which strained the nerve of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. One is a measuring instrument containing Cs-137 high-radiation material lost by a paper plant in Wisconsin, which was later found shipped to China, but fortunately kept untouched in a safe place. Nuclear terror has been a focus of public concern since the "September 11" incident. Recently the US reported two losses of high-radiation devices which strained the nerve of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. One is a measuring instrument containing Cs-137 high-radiation material lost by a paper plant in Wisconsin, which was later found shipped to China, but fortunately kept untouched in a safe place. The other is a box containing Ir-192 found in a shop of second-hand articles, and disastrous results would had been caused if the shop owner haven't called police quickly. Cs-137 shipped to China by mistake The North America StoraEnso, with its headquarter in Wisconsin, is a subsidiary company of Sweden-Finland StoraEnso, a world famous paper producer. Last year the company sold equipment of a factory to a Chinese paper plant. The equipment, according to agreements, should be dismembered entirely and then shipped to China. However, workers in charge of this didn't notice the eye-attracting yellow alarm mark and didn't adopt any measure for the Cs-137 measuring instrument fastened on a metal tube. As a result, it was loaded and shipped to China together with other devices. Last January inspectors of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission found the high-radiation device was missing. On January 31 representatives of StoraEnso rushed to the Chinese plant, finding the device still fastened on steel beam, untouched. StoraEnso has 10 to 20 such instruments containing Cs-137, mainly used to measure pulp density and paper thickness, according to the company spokesman. The one shipped to China, camara-sized, may cause harm to human body in many aspects if carelessly opened, even death. Cs-137 is a kind of high-radiation material which brings great harm if improperly used, experts say. If seeped into soil, it could remain centuries in natural environment, even join in food chain. The reporter tried to contact South America StoraEnso by telephone to learn how the company dealt with the case, but couldn't get through. The device didn't cause harm since it was fastened in a sheltered place, according to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The company, after finding the device, sealed it immediately and put it in safe place. Now concerned parties are talking how to ship it back safely to Wisconsin. __ By PD Online Staff Li Heng = Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace. Weekly peace walks around Lake Merritt in Oakland. Starts & ends at the colonnade between Grand & Lakeshore Avenues, 3 P.M., every Sunday. Info: (510)763-8712, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or http://www.webwm.com/LMNOP __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ --- 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 ==^
UN High Representative Nixes Bosnian Election [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- High Representative Delays Bosnian Election Announcement SARAJEVO, Apr 19, 2002 -- (dpa) The international community high representative in Bosnia late Thursday postponed announcement of Bosnia's general elections, just two hours before the notification deadline expired. After the parliaments of Bosnia-Herzegovina's Moslem-Croat and Serbian entities failed to adopt certain constitutional reforms that would have further altered the election rules, Austrian diplomat Wolfgang Petritsch decided to reduce the statutory time period for notification to be sent by the Election Commission to all competent authorities from 170 days prior to the election, as set by the law, to 169 days. The high representative's decision, according to his office, would apply only to the elections scheduled for October 5, 2002, as the first elections to be organized and held by the Bosnian authorities. The previous elections in Bosnia were administered by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The forthcoming Bosnian general elections were planned to be held in accordance with constitutional reforms proposed early this month in the so-called Sarajevo Agreement, signed by three Bosnian reform parties, out of nine parties that negotiated the reforms. Under the Sarajevo Agreement, the parliaments of Bosnia's two entities - the Moslem-Croat Federation and the Serb-run Srpska Republic - were supposed to adopt amendments to the entities' constitutions. Based on a two-year old decision by Bosnia-Herzegovina's Constitutional Court, the agreement was designed to give the same rights on all Bosnia territory to the country's three ethnic groups - Croats, Moslems and Serbs. Neither the Bosnian nationalist Croat Democratic Union (HDZ) nor the Moslem Party of Democratic Action (SDA) signed the agreement, nor most Bosnian Serb political parties. Postponing the elections notification deadline by one day, the high representative gave an opportunity to Bosnian political parties to reconsider their standings, change their earlier decisions and adopt the constitutional reforms, so that the October 5 elections could be officially declared on Friday. The office of the high representative did not comment on possible measures if Bosnian political parties that hold the seats at the entities' parliaments again fail to adopt the reforms. (C)2002. dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ --- 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 ==^
Facing Foreign-Backed Attacks, Communist Support Grows Massively [WWW.STOPNATO.O
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty April 18, 2002 Moldova: Are Democracy And Statehood In Peril? By Eugen Tomiuc -[T]his week's survey...indicates that pro-Moscow Communists, who won more than 50 percent of the vote in general elections last year (February 2001), now enjoy the support of 73 percent of Moldovans. -The Communists came to power promising to return living standards in Europe's poorest country to Soviet-era levels by bringing Moldova closer to Russia, and into the Russia-Belarus Union. An opinion poll in Moldova this week came to the surprising conclusion that the popularity of the ruling Communists is on the rise, despite a three-month, antigovernment protest led by the main opposition party. Analysts say the protesters' calls to overthrow a democratically elected government have, in fact, only strengthened the Communists' position. They also say the current political turmoil and absence of stable political parties threaten Moldova's young democracy, as well as the very existence of a Moldovan state. Prague, 18 April 2002 (RFE/RL) -- Moldovan protesters have been staging mass antigovernment demonstrations in the center of the capital Chisinau since January. But an opinion poll published on 16 April found that the popularity of the Communists was rising, despite -- or even as a result of -- the protests. At the same time, analysts say the current political turmoil and lack of stable political parties are posing a threat to democracy in Moldova. Demonstrations organized and led by the opposition Christian Democratic People's Party (PPCD) began on 9 January after the government imposed the mandatory study of Russian in Moldovan schools and announced plans to make Russian an official language alongside Moldovan. The plans were subsequently dropped, but demonstrators continued to gather, pressing for the resignation of the country's Communist government. Protests peaked last month, with an estimated 50,000 people rallying in Chisinau on 31 March. However, this week's survey -- conducted by IMAS, an independent polling organization in neighboring Romania -- indicates that pro-Moscow Communists, who won more than 50 percent of the vote in general elections last year (February 2001), now enjoy the support of 73 percent of Moldovans. Commentators say the poll's findings are not surprising. Moldovan-affairs analyst Charles King of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., told RFE/RL that the protesters are in the minority. "My view -- and the view of many analysts, I think, outside Moldova -- is that [the protesters] probably aren't terribly representative. In fact, the current demonstrations may have the long-term undesirable consequence of actually strengthening the position of the Communist government. This was a government that was elected in elections that were deemed by all parties -- even the current opposition -- to be free and fair," King said. The PPCD won only 9 percent of the vote in last year's election. The current opinion poll found the party's popularity to have dwindled even further, with the support of only about 6 percent of Moldovans. The Communists came to power promising to return living standards in Europe's poorest country to Soviet-era levels by bringing Moldova closer to Russia, and into the Russia-Belarus Union. Communist President Vladimir Voronin also pledged to step up efforts to resolve a decade-long dispute with Moldova's separatist Transdniester Republic -- a pro-Russian region near the eastern border with Ukraine. Moldova and Transdniester -- which declared independence in 1990 -- fought a short but bloody war in 1992, and have yet to reach an agreement. Most of Moldova was part of Romania until World War II and some two-thirds of its 4.5 million people speak what is officially called Moldovan -- virtually the same language as Romanian -- while most of the rest speak Russian. Pro-Romanian circles in Moldova, primarily represented by the PPCD, have seen the Communists' pro-Russian rhetoric as an attempt to bring the country back into the Russian sphere of influence -- something they have vowed to oppose. With only 11 seats in Moldova's 101-seat parliament, the PPCD has limited political power. But its leaders pledged to resort to civic actions to prevent what they call "the re-Russification" of Moldova. Many analysts, however, say Moldovans are indifferent to both the pro-Russian rhetoric of the Communists and the pro-Romanian stance of the PPCD. With an average income of less than $1 per day, Moldovans may favor the Communists only out of nostalgia for the more prosperous days of the Soviet Union. Analyst Vladimir Socor of the U.S.-based Jamestown Foundation said the country's endemic poverty is the result of a decade of failed economic reforms that compromised the very idea of a market economy. Socor told RFE/RL that the PPCD is losing support because it has failed to present credible s
Georgian Troops Threaten Abkhazia; Turkey Backs Azeris Against Armenians, To Pro
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty April 18, 2002 ABKHAZIA THREATENS TO DEPLOY TROOPS AND ARTILLERY IN KODORI GORGE Abkhaz Defense Ministry officials issued a statement on 17 April claiming that some 700-900 Georgian troops remain deployed in the Kodori Gorge despite Tbilisi's assurances to the contrary, the "Georgian Times" reported. The statement adds that if Georgian troops remain in the gorge, Abkhazia will "introduce troops there, including artillery." Abkhazia has been protesting for nearly a week that Georgia has violated the 2 April protocol calling for the complete withdrawal of Georgian troops form the gorge by 10 April (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 3 April 2002). RG 2)Turkey's ambassador to Azerbaijan pledged on 17 April that, despite recent Armenian comments suggesting an easing of tensions with Azerbaijan, Turkey will continue to withhold diplomatic relations with Armenia until "Armenia reconsiders its policy toward Azerbaijan" and the Karabakh conflict is resolved, the Turan news agency reported, cited by Groong. The Turkish diplomat added that Ankara remains committed to the planned Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline for exporting Azerbaijani oil and pledged that Turkey will ensure the security of any pipeline from Baku. RG __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ --- 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 ==^
Russian Defense Official Objects To US Military Buildup In Georgia [WWW.STOPNATO
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20020418-0759-russia-georgia.html "The presence of American divisions in Georgia should worry any Russian soldier." ASSOCIATED PRESS April 18, 2002 Russian defense official objects to planned U.S. military training in Georgia MOSCOW A Russian defense official objected Thursday to the planned U.S. military training in Georgia, saying that American influence in the Caucasus Mountains region was growing and cause for alarm. "The presence of American divisions in Georgia should worry any Russian soldier," Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Kosovan told the ITAR-Tass news agency. The United States announced in February that it would send military instructors to help train Georgian troops to fight terrorists. U.S. officials have said they suspect fighters linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network are hiding in Georgia's Pankisi Gorge. President Putin reacted calmly to the announcement, but many other Russian officials have expressed anger at Washington's plans. Kosovan said Georgia had rejected earlier Russian offers of help in clearing out the Pankisi Gorge, according to ITAR-Tass. Russia has said Chechen rebels are using the gorge bordering Chechnya to rest, regroup and rearm. __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ --- 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 ==^
Belarus Humanitarian Visit To Iraq; US Smears Continue [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- Belarus officials to on humanitarian visit to Iraq MINSK, April 18 (AFP) - An official delegation from Belarus will visit Iraq next week to promote humanitarian ties between the two countries, the foreign ministry said Thursday. The delegation, led by deputy chief of President Alexander Lukashenko's administration Leonid Kozik, would include officials from the health and trade ministries, as well as representatives of Belarus's Belavia airlines. "The delegation also includes a group of surgeons, who would perform charity surgeries in Iraqi hospitals," foreign ministry spokesman Pavel Latushka said, adding that Belarus was ready to train Iraqi doctors as well. The group is scheduled to meet with Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Khikmat Al-Azavi and other ministers, Latushka added. Belarus, which already sells tractors, trucks, spare parts and tyres, would like to establish a tractor factory, rebuild a bottle manufacturer and restore a water system in the capital Baghdad, officials in Minsk said earlier. Belarus and its authoritarian leader are viewed with disfavour by the United States, which accuses Minsk of being implicated in arms sales to countries that support terrorism. Last October, the German newspaper Die Welt reported that some 30 Iraqi officers from anti-aircraft defence forces were in Belarus to familiarise themselves with S-300 anti-aircraft missiles, which Minsk denied, saying there was no military component to the Belarus-Iraqi ties. __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ --- 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 ==^
War Criminal Clark On NATO Expansion, New Order, Privatization, War, Globalizati
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty April 19, 2002 East: Former NATO Supreme Commander Reviews Expansion, Russia, And Terrorism By Elena Nikleva and Jeremy Bransten -"I think it's [September 11]actually facilitated the enlargement issue and coming to terms with it in two ways. Number one, it's enabled NATO to show its appreciation for the United States through the declaration of NATO Article 5 and the support to the United States that NATO has given as an institution. But it's also given the opportunity for individual NATO member countries to send their forces to work with the United States -- work that's been greatly facilitated by the years of NATO inter-operability and standardization of procedures. U.S. General Wesley Clark, who retired in May 2000 after serving as NATO's supreme allied commander in Europe, has been closely associated with the Balkans for the past several years. As a military adviser to U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke in 1995, Clark took part in the Dayton negotiations that brought peace to Bosnia. In 1999, he commanded alliance forces during the Kosovo conflict -- NATO's first-ever combat mission. Clark has championed the idea of a broad second wave of NATO expansion -- including Bulgaria and Romania -- an idea that has appeared to gain favor in recent months. Seven months before NATO leaders are due to meet in Prague to announce their future plans, Clark spoke to RFE/RL in a broad-ranging interview on NATO expansion, relations with Russia and membership prospects for "southern flank" nations. Prague, 18 April 2002 (RFE/RL) -- Retired U.S. General Wesley Clark was first asked to enumerate what he sees as the main rationale for continuing NATO's eastward expansion. The key benefits, he says, are not only military but political. "I think NATO recognizes that first, the prospect of membership is an important incentive in helping nations cope with the stresses and difficulties of transformation. And secondly, NATO would like to see the stability of Western Europe extended eastward. It's a stability not marked only by democratic change but by the expectations in people's lives, the settling down, the recognition that the old ways are things of the past. There will be no more wars. There will be no more conflicts. There will be no more armed revolts. There will be no more killing in the streets. This is Europe. This is the heartland of civilization. It's going to be settled. People can count on the future, and they can build their lives." Specifically, in the case of Romania and Bulgaria, Clark sees NATO membership as an anchor that will once and for all ensure the two countries' place in the community of Western European nations, after centuries of existence on its turbulent political fringe. "I think the most important advantage of bringing Bulgaria and Romania in [NATO] is that it settles the question of their future alignment and orientation. They're going to be democratic countries. They're going to be Western-oriented countries. They're going to increasingly become integrated into the mainstream of Europe and not be isolated and their people isolated on the southeastern fringe. It moves further to the recesses of the past, the legacy of the Ottoman Empire and of the armies that have tramped back and forth across the boundaries of the Black Sea -- invasions and massacres and so forth. They're going to be part of Western Europe." Clark's heavy emphasis on the political significance of NATO expansion stems from his belief that, at heart, the alliance in the post-Cold War era has become more important as a political organization rather than as the military pact it was once solely designed to be. Instead of judging applicants by rigid criteria, such as whether their armies are up to NATO standards or whether their governments have the necessary funds or fully established democratic institutions expected of current NATO members, the alliance -- according to Clark -- should act as a facilitator. Expansion, he says, should be seen as part of an ongoing process that will require a certain leap of faith from both the alliance and future members. "Fundamentally, it's a political issue. NATO is a political alliance before it's a military alliance. But when people in Eastern Europe talk about being poor, this is part of the transformation process. Wealth is created by people's imagination and industry. People have to create wealth by having ideas and then they need the institutions to support those ideas -- whether it's micro-scale loans or whether it's something else. And those micro-scale loans and easier credits from larger banking institutions and technical services and strong copyright and patent-protection provisions that are still accessible and relatively low trade barriers -- all of these features have to developed by the state. But they also require a transformation of mind set. Wealth can't be created by the state. I
Russian FM Opposes NATO Eastward Expansion [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- http://www.russiajournal.ru/news/rj_news.shtml?nd=1997 The Russia Journal April 19, 2002 Ivanov opposes NATO eastward expansion -But despite the prospect of a new, closer relationship, NATO's interest in welcoming more former Soviet republics as members continues to irritate the Kremlin. The three Baltic countries of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are expected to win coveted invitations to join the U.S.-led alliance this year, and U.S. President George W. Bush said last week that he envisions an alliance stretching "from the Baltic to the Black Sea." MOSCOW (Associated Press) - Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov reiterated on Thursday the Kremlin's opposition to the eastward expansion of NATO, saying it would lead the alliance in the wrong direction. "A mechanical expansion of the North Atlantic alliance will not help solve the problems facing the world community today," Ivanov said, according to ITAR-Tass news agency. "Therefore we suggest a new formula for solving such problems - the establishment of the Russian-NATO twenty," ITAR-Tass quoted Ivanov as saying while fielding questions from readers of the daily Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper. Ivanov was referring to a new Russia-NATO council that is close to be agreed between the former Cold War foes. Under the plan, Russia would sit alongside the 19 NATO member nations to cooperate in tackling terrorism and the spread of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. Russia and NATO are expected to wrap up the agreement during a May 14-15 meeting in Reykjavik, Iceland. But despite the prospect of a new, closer relationship, NATO's interest in welcoming more former Soviet republics as members continues to irritate the Kremlin. The three Baltic countries of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are expected to win coveted invitations to join the U.S.-led alliance this year, and U.S. President George W. Bush said last week that he envisions an alliance stretching "from the Baltic to the Black Sea." Ivanov was quoted by ITAR-Tass as saying Friday that the expansion eastward was "a road in the wrong direction." Meanwhile, Ivanov said that Russia is eager to continue building its partnership with the United States, according to ITAR-Tass. "The United States is a partner with which Russia wants to solve problems such as world security and stability," he said. __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ --- 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 ==^
Caucasus: NATO 1, Russia 0 [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=7279251 Georgia to get back its military bases soon -Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said last month that Moscow could revise the date of the troop withdrawal as a result of the expected deployment in Georgia of 200 US troops to train security forces in anti-terrorism methods. AFP [ THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2002 6:58:15 PM ] MOSCOW: Moscow is prepared to hand back two military bases to Georgia within 10 years, or four years earlier than originally planned, a senior Russian defence official said on Thursday. "This new Russian offer has been well received by the Georgian side," news agencies quoted Russia's deputy defence minister, General Alexander Kosovan, as saying. However, while the offer should still be regarded as informal and had "not yet been officially extended," to Tbilisi, negotiations on the bases should nevertheless start next month, Kosovan said. The two bases, Akhalkaladi and Batumi, located in south and southwest areas of Georgia, have long been a source of tension between Moscow and Tbilisi. Georgia insists Moscow hand back the two bases within three years at the latest but Russia is pressing Georgia to accept its new offer, with Kosovan saying Moscow will not withdraw 1,500 of its troops stationed near Tbilisi "until an agreement has been reached on the date of the handover of Akhalkadi and Batumi." Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said last month that Moscow could revise the date of the troop withdrawal as a result of the expected deployment in Georgia of 200 US troops to train security forces in anti-terrorism methods. __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ --- 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 ==^
Kyrgyzstan: 6 US Jet Fighters, 3,000 Western Troops Deployed [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.U
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=7282566 The Times Of India April 19, 2002 Six US jets in Kyrgyzstan for Afghan operation AFP -In addition, some 1,500 troops from countries including the United States, France, Spain and South Korea are deployed at the airfield and this number could grow to up to 3,000 soldiers. BISHKEK: Six US FA-18 fighter jets have arrived at the Manas airport in Kyrgyzstan to take part in US-led anti-terror operations in Afghanistan, a spokesman said on Thursday. The six US Hornet jets landed at the airfield outside the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek on Tuesday evening, said a spokesman for the US airforce contingent at the airfield, Richard Essary. Refuelling aircraft and six French Mirage 2000 jets, which have been taking part in the US-led operation against pockets of al Qaeda resistance, are already based at Manas in this Central Asian nation. In addition, some 1,500 troops from countries including the United States, France, Spain and South Korea are deployed at the airfield and this number could grow to up to 3,000 soldiers. __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ --- 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 ==^
Terror Bombing In Southern Serbia [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- http://www.serbianna.com/news/04_18/02.shtml Multiethnic police facility in southern Serbia damaged in attack April 18, 2002 Bujanovac, 18 April: At about 2135 [1935 gmt] last night, an explosive device was thrown at the facility housing multiethnic police in the village of Lucane, on the Bujanovac road towards Kosovo-Metohija, after which several rounds were fired from automatic weapons, the Bujanovac press centre has reported. At the time of the attack, members of the multiethnic police were inside the facility, but no one was hurt. The explosion damaged the roof and the room in which the policemen were staying, while the barrage fire damaged a truck that was parked near the facility... Source: Tanjug __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ --- 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 ==^
BBC: Boeing wins disputed Korean deal [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- Friday, 19 April, 2002, 08:09 GMT 09:09 UK Boeing wins disputed Korean deal http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/business/newsid_1938000/1938795.stm There were protests at US pressure to buy from Boeing By Caroline Gluck BBC Seoul correspondent Boeing, the US aerospace giant, has won a contract to provide South Korea with 40 new fighter jets, beating off rival bids from three European makers. We considered security, foreign policy and economic factors South Korean Defence Ministry statement After a two-year evaluation, Boeing was chosen over Eurofighter, Dassault and Russia's Soi, to fulfil a contract worth more than $4bn. The battle to win the contract, codenamed FX, had become hotly disputed. A few weeks ago the French company Dassault applied to the South Korean courts in an effort to block the deal, which it said was biased in favour of Boeing. Lucrative deal But, as had been widely expected, South Korean defence officials announced that Boeing had been awarded a multi-billion dollar contract to provide the air force with a fleet of new jet fighters. Boeing's latest version of its F15 fighter was chosen over the Rafale, produced by France's Dassault Aviation in a second round evaluation. A statement by the Ministry of Defence said that it had considered security, foreign policy and economic factors in making the final decision. For the past half-century South Korea has bought most of its defence equipment from the United States, a close military ally with more than 37,000 US troops stationed on its territory. The battle to win the FX contract has proved increasingly controversial. Lawsuit Earlier this month Dassault filed a court injunction against the South Korean Government to try to stop the competition. The company said it believed the process lacked transparency and was biased in favour of Boeing. The court has not yet made its ruling. Meanwhile, defence officials have also announced that the American company, General Electric, has been chosen to build engines for the Boeing jet, beating Pratt and Whitney which had supplied engines for every F15 sold for nearly 30 years. The news came after a Defence Ministry investigation which concluded this week that the crash of a fighter jet in February was due to a problem with a Pratt and Whitney engine. It was the third crash due to engine failure since 1997. --- 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 ==^ <<_1938795_afp_protest300.jpg>> nothing.gif Description: GIF image grey_pixel.gif Description: GIF image startquote.gif Description: GIF image endquote.gif Description: GIF image
'Che-Leila' Youth Brigades Launched in Occupied Ramallah [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- 'Che-Leila' Youth Brigades Launched in Occupied Ramallah "Love the people, serve them and become a part of them" (Leila Khaled's Autobiography 'My People Shall Live') Founded in Ramallah, Palestine, April 5th 2002 Why the launch of Che-Leila? -- Che-Leila is a non party-affiliated organisation in Britain that will provide support to the international movements who are fighting imperialism, which is the source of poverty, hunger, destitution and humiliation in oppressed peoples' countries. It is unlike any other organisation in Britain as it seeks to concretely support those civil mass organisations of people who are seeing to the peoples basic human needs under imperialist exploitation and oppression. It has been too long in Britain that people have not been supported because a section of British people have been corrupted by the same system that they claim to fight. In Ramallah, we are meeting many peoples organisations who are arrogantly dismissed by these people in Britain. They are doing revolutionary work, and we as revolutionaries in the heartland of British Imperialism are duty bound to do our utmost to support them. Inspired by the unity in Palestine and the Arab world - In Ramallah we are following the tremendous international support that the people of occupied Palestine are receiving, especially the Arab youth. We were very much inspired by the youth of Jordan and Egypt (Cairo University students are heroically facing batons, water cannons and armoured trucks on their campus while striking against US and Zionist presence in their country). Living through the events in the Northern towns and cities last summer in Britain, we watched with mixed feelings our Asian youth fighting police and fascist provocation, a provocation which is always encouraged by the racist press and the racist Labour government. While seeing the defence of the Asian community as just, we were pained to see the division amongst the youth of our two communities - white and black. In Ramallah we are profoundly inspired by the unity of the 'National and Islamic Forces', where Islamic, Communist and Secular organisations are all united against a common enemy - the dark Zionist forces. This has to serve as an example to us in Britain. This unity, which is being steeled with every martyr and action of resistance in Palestine and South Lebanon, this is the most potent force against oppression. Repression increases, lets increase our resistance! Che-Leila Youth will never be intimidated! Youth who have founded Che-Leila have been supporting peoples movements for several years. Che-Leila activists have been to Cuba, Ireland, Libya, Algeria, Palestine, Colombia to see and help our people there. Under the Terrorism Act 2000 we are being criminalised for supporting these movements. We have no rights under this law. We can be imprisoned and/or fined upto £2,500 for simply refusing to answer questions. This is unjust and we must resist unjust laws. This law is also an attack on our own movement for our rights in this country. Any physical attack on the British infrastructure is seen as a terrorist action. This means a strike could be seen as a terrorist action. The brutal attack on leading trade unionist Bob Crow of the Rail and Maritime Transport Union is a signal from the powers that be that we will be repressed in defending our rights at work. Che-Leila activists have been detained and arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000, we are all targets and must prepare ourselves for the inevitable repressive actions that the British state will conduct against our peoples in Britain. We must support people who are against the Terrorism Act and the 'emergency terrorist laws' that treat foreign nationals even worse than under the Terrorism Act 2000. Ideological and organisational discipline! Lets Learn! - With increased repression and exploitation the only weapons we have, are first, understanding, (knowing what you are fighting against and fighting for), and then organisation so that we can be ready not only for defensive actions but also positive actions. The unity of these two will make us unstoppable. We must learn from movements who are showing, IN PRACTICE these strengths. Why the name 'Che -Leila'? The names comes from Che Guevara and Leila Khaled. Two names which are on the lips of revolutionary youth around the world. These names we have seen everywhere in Ramallah and occupied Palestine, on flags, on streets and in peoples names themselves. Che Guevara is the legendary revolutionary who fought with Castro in Cuba for freedom and also a great internationalist who also fought in other parts of Latin America and in Africa against imperialism. Leila Khaled, living in Jordan tod
'Deep Chill' With China As US Military Enters Asia 'With A Vengeance' [WWW.STOPN
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- http://www.hinduonnet.com/stories/2002041901231500.htm The Hindu April 19, 2002 Terrorism: U.S. not happy with China By Amit Baruah -It is evident that after a period of neglect, the Americans have woken up to the Asia-Pacific region with a vengeance. -...China expressed concern over Washington's plans to stay for a long time in Afghanistan and other parts of Central Asia. American troops are likely to linger in the Philippines longer than the six months scheduled -...Admiral Blair said the U.S. was interested in the use of the strategic Vietnamese base of Cam Ranh Bay, which the Russians are expected to return to Hanoi later this year. SINGAPORE April 18. At a time when China has said a "deep chill'' has set into its relations with the United States, Washington has called on Beijing to share more intelligence information with it to tackle the problem of terrorism. Admiral Dennis Blair, U.S. Pacific commander, told reporters in Hong Kong today that Beijing was coming up short on specifics when it came to polling information in the battle against terrorist groups. ``With other governments that we're operating with more closely, like the Philippines or Singapore and Malaysia, it's very detailed, tactical information of the type you need to take actionI think we need to get to that level with Beijing, and it's not quite there yet,'' the Admiral, who has been visiting the region, was quoted as saying. Beijing is critical of recent developments in ties with the U.S. and believes that Washington is undermining the basis on which the relations were restored the U.S. commitment to a "one China'' policy. ``When we have all countries doing that (sharing information) in a very effective way, we will go a long way towards winning this campaign,'' the U.S. official, who lays down office on May 2, said. ``You need specific information: what airplane flight is that person going to be flying from Beijing to Manila on and what alias is that person going to be using and let's have a picture,'' the Admiral said about the kind of cooperation the United States wanted from China. Apart from their criticism of the U.S. paying host to top Taiwan leaders, China expressed concern over Washington's plans to stay for a long time in Afghanistan and other parts of Central Asia. American troops are likely to linger in the Philippines longer than the six months scheduled; a policy option that has support from the Philippine President, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, herself. These developments are being closely watched by Beijing, which had expected more understanding from Washington in its battle against the Uighur separatists in Xinjiang province. Interestingly, Admiral Blair said the U.S. was interested in the use of the strategic Vietnamese base of Cam Ranh Bay, which the Russians are expected to return to Hanoi later this year. The Americans, however, are unexpected to receive any special treatment from the Vietnamese as far as the use of the Russian Cold War base is concerned given the past history of animosity between Hanoi and Washington. It is evident that after a period of neglect, the Americans have woken up to the Asia-Pacific region with a vengeance. There have been scores of visits to this part of the world the Americans are slated to begin a security dialogue with the Indonesians later this month and the Malaysian Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, will be in Washington in May. There is little doubt that underlying all this diplomatic activity is the dominant concern about tackling terrorism especially when it affects American nationals. In the weeks and months to come, American involvement in the Asia-Pacific region can only increase. Such developments will be closely watched in the capitals of the region especially in Beijing. __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ --- 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 ==^
Russians Turn Against Putin [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK]
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/04/19/wput19.xml&sSheet=/news/2002/04/19/ixworld.html The Daily Telegraph April 19, 2002 Hardliners turn against Putin the reformer By Marcus Warren in Moscow -"He is carrying out Gorbachev's policy: saying one thing and doing another," the Communist leader complained recently. "He talks of strengthening our influence in the world and Nato bases appear in Central Asia and American colonels in Georgia." PRESIDENT Putin issued a clarion call for bolder reforms yesterday, widening the gap between Russia's leader and his erstwhile supporters among the hardliners. In his annual "state of the nation" address, Mr Putin said that now political stability had been restored after a turbulent decade of change, improving living standards was the next big challenge. "I have already said that Russia needs more ambitious policies, a higher rate of economic growth," he told a special session of both houses of parliament. State institutions should work together to achieve this, he said. For Russia's communists and nationalists it was a further sign of how the president has fallen from favour. Like spurned lovers, they have swung from rapturous delight to wary approval to outright hostility. Where once they praised him for his backing of the military and championing of the old Soviet national anthem, now they heap abuse on him. His pro-Western stance and pursuit of economic liberalisation have even earned him sneering comparisons with two hate figures for the hardliners, Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin. "It was directed at the Americans and the Europeans rather than his own country," Gennady Zyuganov, the Communist Party leader, said of yesterday's speech in the Kremlin. "It was cheerless and uninteresting." At its most extravagant, the criticism portrays the former KGB officer as a helpless nonentity, the puppet of Russian tycoons, the Yeltsin-era ancien regime and the West. Highlighting the trend is a new novel by a nationalist guru, Alexander Prokhanov, a satire on Mr Putin's rise to power. Its title, Mr Hexogen, refers to the explosives used in bombs which destroyed several blocks of flats in 1999. The author, editor of the influential weekly Zavtra, joins some of the president's liberal enemies in blaming the blasts not on Chechen terrorists, the official culprits, but on those grooming Mr Putin to succeed Mr Yeltsin. "The Kremlin planned it all," he said recently. "There are various dots in a row. They needed a Chechen war for Putin to become president. But there is one mysterious dot in this line and that is the explosions." The end of the Yeltsin era is depicted in his book as a diabolic orgy of evil, peopled by half-man, half-beast reformers and grotesque oligarchs, all of them manipulated by KGB veterans. The vitriolic attack on Mr Putin is also noteworthy because its author, admittedly a maverick, was once an enthusiastic admirer of the then newly elected president. Emerging from a private audience with Mr Putin in the Kremlin two years ago, Mr Prokhanov described his host as "masterful". Now, he dismisses the president as "a zero, a hologram, one minute it's there, the next it isn't, a play of the light." He recalled: "Then, I didn't have the chance to stretch out my hand and prod him. If I had, I am sure that my hand would have passed straight through this cloud and come out the other side." Until now, Mr Zyuganov has been careful to condemn the Kremlin's policies or Mr Putin's entourage rather than the man himself. "He is carrying out Gorbachev's policy: saying one thing and doing another," the Communist leader complained recently. "He talks of strengthening our influence in the world and Nato bases appear in Central Asia and American colonels in Georgia." Halfway through his four-year term, a squeeze on living standards caused by cuts in housing subsidies and resurgent anti-American sentiment could, in theory, erode Mr Putin's astonishing popularity. And yet, despite their rhetoric and support among the victims of reform, the communists seem as ill prepared as any other political force to exploit discontent. __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ --- 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 ==^
US Parliament Of Whores Bans Visitors, Students From 7 Countries [WWW.STOPNATO.O
HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --- http://sg.news.yahoo.com/020419/1/2o95t.html Friday April 19, 2:16 PM US Senate passes ban on visitors from state sponsors of terrorism -The Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act, passed unanimously (97-0) in the Senate late Thursday, prohibits admission of people from Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Sudan and North Korea unless they are coming to the United States as immigrants. The US Senate, still reeling from the September 11 attacks, moved to bar visitors from countries formally declared sponsors of terrorism, and tighten control over foreign students coming to the United States. The Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act, passed unanimously (97-0) in the Senate late Thursday, prohibits admission of people from Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Sudan and North Korea unless they are coming to the United States as immigrants. However, the US secretary of state will have the ability to grant a waiver to those deemed not a risk to US national security. The measure marked another step by Congress to enhance domestic security in the wake of the September 11 attacks that were carried out by terrorists who managed to enter the United States legally, including on student visas. "We know the chances of another terrorist attack are great, and we know it is unconscionable for our systems to allow entry of another terrorist into the United States," warned California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, one of the sponsors of the bill, during the debate preceding the vote. "Unless we move on this bill, we cannot possibly remedy the faults in our system," she added. As many as 16,000 nationals from Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Libya, and Syria have entered the United States as students over the past 10 years, according to congressional officials. It was not immediately known how many come every year to visit relatives and friends living in the United States or as tourists. The measure also significantly tightens control over foreign students studying in US universities and colleges. It requires the State and Justice Departments to closely monitor these students' arrivals, enrolment into classes as well as their dropping out. If the bill becomes law, which is largely expected, universities will be asked to report foreign students not showing up for classes to immigration authorities. __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ --- 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 ==^
