January 15, 2003

80 people killed in Yemen Boat Tragedy -Qatari Emir's Wife Named Special Envoy For Education

IRAQ: Inspections Continue Amid Mounting International Tension;

U.N. arms inspectors visited a presidential palace for a second time in the heart of the Iraqi capital today amid warnings yesterday from London and Washington that they will not necessarily be deterred from a possible attack on Iraq if the U.N. Security Council fails to agree on military action. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said yesterday he saw no reason for an invasion, saying U.N. weapons inspectors are "just getting up to full speed." Chief U.N. inspector Hans Blix said yesterday that the inspectors would need months to finish their search for Iraq's suspected nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, although he is expected to issue a report on the situation to the Security Council Jan. 27. "There are a great many open questions as to their possession of weapons of mass destruction," he said, adding that "we need to have more evidence supplied to us."

U.S. President George W. Bush yesterday said "time is running out" for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, adding that he had not seen any evidence the Iraqi president was disarming. "He must disarm," Bush said. "I'm sick and tired of games and deceptions. And that's my view of timetables."
The United States is deploying about 100,000 troops to the Persian Gulf and has told a group of Iraqi exiles who have volunteered to serve with U.S. forces to assemble at marshaling centers in the next few days. Up to 3,000 Iraqi exiles are expected to be utilized as translators, guides, military police and liaisons between U.S. forces and the Iraqi population.

Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, warned Baghdad of growing international impatience over the U.N.-mandated inspections, urging it to cooperate more actively in demonstrating that it has no weapons of mass destruction. He said world leaders "should make every effort" to resolve the standoff peacefully," adding that "the resort to force should be the very last option and it is the worst option" (AFXpress, Jan. 15). "We still need further cooperation on the part of Iraq," he said yesterday in Moscow. ElBaradei is planning to visit Baghdad this weekend with Blix, as Iraq continues to contend that it has nothing to hide (Wilson/Hafidh, Reuters, Jan. 15).

Qatari Emir's Wife Named Special Envoy For Education

Mozah Bint Nasser Abdullah al-Misnad, the wife of Qatari Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, was appointed Monday as a special envoy for basic and higher education by UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura.

"Your Highness has initiated pioneering projects embedded in the philosophy that people are the most valuable asset of a nation and that knowledge in all its forms should be placed at the service of society," said Matsuura, citing the new envoy's "tireless action" to make her country a regional center and "home to prestigious and high-quality educational institutions." "The sharing of knowledge, ideas and values is the noblest way to transcend barriers," said the appointee, adding that she will focus her efforts on promoting education for women and girls in Arab countries. "Education is for everybody," she said

80 people killed in Yemen Boat Tragedy

At least 80 people are dead after a boat carrying Somali refugees bound for Yemen caught fire earlier this month in the Gulf of Aden and capsized, BBC reported. According to James Alemi, a local official with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, a passing vessel was able to rescue 23 survivors who claimed to have been adrift for eight days (BBC Online, Jan. 15). Alemi said the sinking took place earlier this month and that the boat was carrying up to 120 people on Jan. 4 (Reuters, Jan. 15). BBC calls the accident one of the worst tragedies ever in the gulf, which separates conflict-torn Somalia from its Arab neighbor to the north. Last April, over 90 people died when another Somali boat bound for Yemen sank. Thousands of Somalis have attempted to flee their country, which is still ruled by rival warlords and a weak transitional government in the capital, Mogadishu (BBC Online). UNHCR official Nabeel Moussa said Yemeni authorities have registered 43,000 Somalis who have entered Yemen illegally and that thousands have yet to be tallied (Reuters).