Kuwait Govt eyes more freedom for the press: Abulhassan Arab News November 21, 2003 Kuait Education Ministry under fire over issue of schoolgirls hijab Kuwait City: The Ministry of Education has been criticised over the issue of schoolgirls in Farwaniya not being permitted to enter their classrooms for not wearing a hijab, reported Al-Seyassah. Undersecretary Dr Hamoud Al-Saadoun however, said despite the Ministry's high regard for Islamic dress code, the students were never forced to wear a hijab. He said the debate has to be taken to the families of students, which are the true nuturing grounds for such values. He denounced the satellite channels for playing up the baseless reports and they were allegedly trying to tarnish the democratic and free image of Kuwait. The reports about students being forced to wear hijab are baseless, he emphasised. The headmistress of the school said she asked students to reconsider the lengths of their skirts as they exposed their legs from knees downwards. The school administration got an undertaking from the girls to abide by the proposed dress code, she added. Meanwhile, the Ministry named the number of students involved in the issue as 12, contradicting its earlier statement of 200. The Minister and Undersecretary were informed by senior officials from the Education Department about the involvement of 55 students in the issue, yet the Ministry fabricated the numbers, sources alleged. However, the main contention of parents and MPs was the alleged imposition of headscarves and prevention of students from entering classrooms. The confirmation of the legal department of Farwaniya's Educational Zone about not receiving any request from the Ministry to investigate the matter, compounded the problems. Sources told Al-Seyassah Farwaniya Educational Director Bader Al-Shamrookh has been blamed by Education Ministry officials for his statement about the setting up of an investigation committee. Al-Shamrookh quoted the headmistress saying her actions were justified as the girls had come of age, the Ministry said. The sources expressed surprise at the shoddy move by Minister Al-Hamed of contacting the school principal without setting up an inquiry panel, despite being an educationist himself prior to his ministerial post. Pick-up detainee ill; Lawyer pleads for Ramadan mercy Kuwait City: Attorney Khalil Al-Qattan told the Criminal Court Wednesday his client - Egyptian citizen, Lotfi Mohammed Mahmoud Al-Barbari - could die in prison because he is suffering from a number of diseases and requested the court to have pity on him during the holy month of Ramadan. Meanwhile, Al-Barbari - accused of attempting to kill 13 US soldiers by driving a pick-up truck into them outside a store at Camp Udairi last March - once again told the Judge Mohammed Al-Khalaf he did not intend to kill the Americans. However, the judge renewed his detention until Dec 17, 2003. Another lawyer - attorney Azza Ibraheem Al-Tawfeeq - who has volunteered to defend the accused, has requested the court to release Barbari on any guarantee. Earlier, lawyer attorney Al-Qattan had argued in court his client's passport has been confiscated and there is no way he can escape. "So, there is no need to continue his detention.' He also said the court can slap a travel ban on his client if the court so desires. When the suspect 'drove' into the soldiers, he was shot by other soldiers several times and wounded in the left hand and as a result he cannot move three fingers. Al-Barbari was working at the camp as an electrician at the time of the incident and is facing an attempted murder charge. By Moamen Al-Masri Arab Times Staff Kuwait Govt eyes more freedom for the press: Abulhassan Kuwait : Information Minister Mohammed Abulhassan said that the Kuwait government wants to adopt a new press and publication law for sake of securing more freedom. 'We do not want to take a backward step in the discussion of the relevant bill with members of the committee and we have agreed with them to start the discussion (on the issue) during the current legislative term from the point where we finished in the previous term,' Abulhassan said, referring to the Parliamentary Committee of Education, Culture and Guidance, reported the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA). The Minister cautioned that debating the press law from the start 'means wasting time and creating loopholes in it.' He denied allegations the government wants to bring the press under its control, saying, 'the government does not want to control the press because it is after all the benefactor (from the freedom of press).' The government boasts, Abulhassan said, Kuwait is among the pioneer states at the Arab level in the realm of freedom of press and expression. He expressed hope the concerned authorities will reach 'a formula satisfactory to all' on settling this issue. MP Dr Mohammed Al-Basiri, the chairman of the committee, said this law was among priorities of the government after liberation of the country from the Iraqi occupation, adding a relevant bill has been repeatedly presented and withdrawn by the government. He disclosed the commission will hold a meeting with the Minister after Eid Al-Fitr to 'reopen the file again.' MP Hassan Jowhar said two basic points determine the importance of accelerating approval of the draft law; these are the rapid development of information technology, and that the dignity of any country in the world is measured by the size of political liberties and freedom of expression allowed in it. He added the press law was important, not only to fill the gap or make up for 'what we missed over the last decades, but also to help media and press for years to come.' Jowhar urged a modern and integrated law, and that potential disputes between newspapers and the Information Ministry will be settled by the judiciary. He also called for cancelling imprisonment as punishment for opinion-related cases, and for stiffening fines for some cases. He added 'a law like this one is a challenge for the information minister, the National Assembly and local papers in Kuwait, as licenses for establishing more newspapers in Kuwait will be issued.' Quoting Mohammad Al-Jassem, Al-Watan Newspaper editor-in-chief, KUNA said the reason behind not amending the Press Law was the differences in objectives between the government and local dailies. Al-Jassem, who was representing local dailies' editors-in-chief at the meetings, discussed the legal aspects of the law highlighting the variation of viewpoint on issuing more licenses for dailies, but said the final judgment will be that of the majority. He said several MPs will hold a meeting soon with editors-in-chief of local dailies, to study the dailies-sponsored suggestion, provide political support and convey a certain political message to the government related to the press law. 'Will the government give up the dream of dominating the press?,' Al-Jassem wondered, saying this is necessary to positively reflect Kuwait's reputation. UN News Clinton To Assess AIDS Work In India Nov 20: Former U.S. President Bill Clinton will arrive in India tomorrow to recognize three Indian companies that have agreed to help provide affordable HIV/AIDS drugs globally and to hold talks with the prime minister and external affairs minister on the work being done in India to combat HIV/AIDS, the Times of India reports. Last month, three generic drug companies in India and one in South Africa made a deal with the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation to slash the cost of antiretroviral drugs for people in developing countries. The initiative aims to offer treatment to 2 million people by 2008. After Africa, Asia has the second largest number of AIDS patients, with India as the most vulnerable country in the region, experts say (Times of India, Nov. 20). While the Indian government says that 4 million people in India have HIV or AIDS - just 0.4 percent of the population - most aid agencies say the figure is much higher. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, India will have 25 million cases by 2010, London's Independent reported yesterday. Women in particular are at risk of HIV/AIDS in India because of their low status in society, the Independent said, citing a report by the British charity Voluntary Service Overseas. Three-quarters of HIV-positive women were infected by their husbands, many of whom visit prostitutes. Many women have no power to enforce safe sex, and if they leave their husbands, they forfeit their rights to their home and dowry.The government has banned discussion of condoms in schools and colleges, even though many girls are married by the time they are 16. Girls are traditionally not supposed to learn about sex or contraception before they marry (Maxine Frith, London Independent, Nov. 19).   U.N. Secretariat Sets First China Office Nov 20: The U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific signed a landmark Host Country Headquarters agreement yesterday with the Chinese government, establishing the first office of the U.N. Secretariat in China (U.N. release, Nov. 19). Located in Beijing, the office will act as the headquarters for the Asian and Pacific Center for Agricultural Engineering, which both promotes research and development of agricultural engineering and machinery and strengthens cooperation between its 13 member states. Zhang Wanhai, permanent representative to ESCAP, said the new headquarters would improve "international cooperation in the fields of agriculture technology, farm mechanization, food processing and biotechnology." The new office is also expected to build public-private sector partnerships and encourage more international organizations to open bureaus in China, which could accelerate business growth (Xinhuanet/China View, Nov. 19). South Africa Approves Plan For Free AIDS Drugs Nov 20: In a decision that one AIDS activist called an "enormous victory," South Africa's Cabinet approved a plan yesterday to provide free antiretroviral drugs to nearly 5 million people suffering from the disease. The plan, drafted with the assistance of the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Foundation, will be administered by provincial governments and aims to use $45.4 million to treat 50,000 patients within its first year. Activists and others said they had been waiting five years for such a move from the South African government, which had previously refused to provide AIDS medicine through the health system, saying it would be too expensive and perhaps ineffective (Associated Press/USA Today, Nov. 20). Stephen Lewis, the U.N. special envoy on HIV/AIDS in Africa, welcomed the plan but added that many people had already died waiting for government action (BBC Online, Nov. 20). Yesterday South African Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said a start date had not been set and that the government still needs to take bids on supplying medicine, training health care workers and improving distribution centers before launching the program. "There is still a long way to go," she said. "I don't want to raise false hopes, but a decision has been made. There is hope" (AP/USA Today). ILO To Support Child Labor Eradication Program In Pakistan Nov 20: The International Labor Organization yesterday launched a four-year program in Pakistan aimed at boosting the government's fight against child labor. The ILO will provide technical support to an existing child labor eradication program administered by the agency's International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC), which has been operating in the country since 1994. IPEC has identified deep-sea fishing, coal mining, the glass-bangle industry, rag-picking and surgical instrument manufacturing as the most hazardous industries for child laborers. In 1996 Pakistan's census bureau found that 3.3 million of the country's 40 million children aged 5 to 14 years were working. U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Nancy Powell announced a $4 million grant from the U.S. Labor Department for the technical assistance program and said the department had thus far spent $12 million aimed at helping Pakistani children employed in hazardous industries (Integrated Regional Information Networks, Nov. 19). Claims Against UNFPA "Unfounded," Religious Leaders Conclude Washington Nov 20: Nine religious leaders who went to China in September on a seven-day mission to investigate accusations that the U.N. Population Fund cooperates with the government by allowing coercive abortions and sterilization released a report yesterday saying they have found no evidence of such allegations. The nine-member delegation, composed of Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant leaders, visited Beijing and three provinces, meeting with health officials, Chinese families, UNFPA staff members, religious groups and nongovernmental organizations. In the report, The United Nations Population Fund in China: A Catalyst for Change, the delegation says the agency promotes voluntary, high-quality reproductive health care in China, and is a major force in helping the country end coercive family planning programs. "The UNFPA in no way supports or participates in coercive practices in China," said Ronald Green, a member of the delegation and chairman of the Department of Religion at Dartmouth College, in a phone conference. "On the basis of our meetings with Chinese family-planning officials and ordinary citizens, we can say with confidence that all of the programs with which UNFPA is currently working are committed to avoiding any practice of forced abortions or involuntary sterilizations." A copy of the report has been sent to U.S. President George W. Bush, the delegation said, in an effort to convince the U.S. administration to restore funding for UNFPA, cut last year after right-wing Christian groups accused the agency of supporting abortions in China. According to the religious leaders who went on the mission, the report's release comes at a crucial moment, since the U.S. House of Representatives is due to approve the Foreign Operations Appropriations bill this week, which includes an amendment to restore up to $35 million in funding for the UNFPA. Ultimately, however, Bush can veto the amendment even if it passes the House and Senate. "Will president Bush turn a deaf ear to the voices of leaders of religious and faith-based organizations who are not right wing?" asked Frances Kissling, a delegation member and President of Catholics for a Free Choice. "Or will he be fair and take our first-hand experiences in China into consideration?" Kissing said the delegation was "positively impressed by the quality of care in Chinese clinics and by the UNFPA staff regarding family planning." The last time an amendment to restore UNFPA funding was presented to the House was in July, when it blocked $50 million in funding for the agency for the current fiscal year, which began Oct. 1. In a letter attached to the report sent to Bush, the delegation wrote, "We urge you to read and review our report in which you will find evidence that UNFPA is not involved in coercion. We believe that the work of UNFPA is critical and found that it is highly consistent with our core religious and ethical values." The report also noted that like the UNFPA, the Chinese government has been taking active steps to end the use of coercion in its family-planning programs and that abortion and sterilization rates are declining in the country as contraceptive choices increase. "More than 160 monitoring missions have found no incidents of involuntary abortion in any UNFPA-assisted counties since the agency began its work," the report says. "At 30 per 100 live births, the Ministry of Health's national abortion rate figures now approach the U.S. rate." "In UNFPA-supported counties, the rate at which women under 35 choose voluntary sterilization as their preferred contraceptive method has decreased from 36 to 26 percent. The overall rate for women and men in China has fallen from 45 percent to 30 percent in those counties. This compares with a U.S. rate of 30 percent," the report adds. The report also cites various Chinese health authorities and citizens as stressing the importance of the agency in helping the population. "If UNFPA [was] not here, progress would be slower and more painful," said a Chinese director of a family-planning commission cited by the report. "UNFPA makes it possible to do it faster, less painfully, cheaper and better ... it's a window on the world and a catalyst for transformation." The delegation will present the report to the UNFPA on Monday in New York. By Patricia Kowsmann U.N. Wire Fresh Look At Data Supports Human Link To Climate Change Nov 20: Scientists re-examining several decades of data from weather satellites have found that temperatures are rising in the atmosphere's lower layer at a rate consistent with that of the earth's surface, underming evidence some politicians have used to question global warming. The difference between the two analyses can be easily explained, the New York Times reported Tuesday, by the fact that data was adjusted differently to account for the replacement of one weather satellite with another in the mid-1980s. The resulting data strengthens the argument that human activities, such as the emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, are altering the climate. But the new study, conducted by private satellite experts at Remote Sensing Systems for NASA and the Commerce Department, also shows that the influence of greenhouse gases may be less extreme than some experts have predicted. John Christy, a University of Alabama at Huntsville scientist and a longtime critic of dire climate predictions, said, "We've had enough years of this human-induced forcing to get some boundaries on it, and it's just not going in the dramatic and catastrophic direction." The new data shows temperatures just a sixth of a degree higher per decade than original findings. But that adds up over time to a trend that matches what some computer simulations have said would occur as a result of greenhouse gas emissions, said Frank Wentz, who authored the study.The report appears in the current issue of The Journal of Climate (Andrew Revkin, New York Times, Nov. 18). Kazakhstan Fines Oil Firms For Polluting Nov 20: Kazakhstan's government announced this week it had fined several foreign-led oil firms, including ChevronTexaco's TCO, South Korea's Kazakhmys and China's Aktobemunaigaz, for damaging the environment. "This is a new fine, this time imposed bypassing court proceedings, and which I believe they will pay," said Environment Protection Minister Aitkul Samakova of the $1 million leveled against TCO. The Aktobemunaigaz oil firm has been asked to suspend work at five oil wells in northwestern Kazakhstan, while the Ust Kamenogorsk Titanium and Magnesium Plant has been slapped with the largest fine, set at $5.88 million.The government's action has worried foreign investors, Reuters reports, who fear the terms of their contracts might be in danger. Kazakhstan has the ambitious goal of tripling its crude oil output to 3 million barrels per day by 2015, but Samakova said her country was also committed to protecting the fragile ecosystem of the oil-rich Caspian Sea, which Kazakhstan shares with four other states. "If polluting plants do not take proper measures to protect ecological safety, they must be either shut or modernized completely," she said (Reuters/PlanetArk, Nov. 19). Mbeki Calls On Africans To Use Resources To Generate Wealth Nov 20: Africa must alter its "frame of mind" and use its natural resources to create wealth rather than perpetuate the continent's traditional subservient relationship with Western countries, South African President Thabo Mbeki said yesterday. Speaking at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), he said that reversing the process of "marginalization" requires commitment and new ideas. "Africa needs a new political order and system of governance that would ... enjoy the support and loyalty of the African masses," Mbeki said. "It is also important for the rest of the global community because it would ensure that stable and predictable conditions exist in Africa." According to Mbeki, the continent is still recovering from the loss of human capital incurred during periods of slavery and colonialism. He said countries have been forced to use their natural resources to finance state institutions and meet the social needs of their populations rather than to generate wealth. Africans must change their conceptions of their continent as only having no "place in the world economy except as a supplier of raw materials." "We conceptualize NEPAD in part as a response to the ideological internalization of conditions of inferiority of ourselves, thus it signals a break with Africa's own complicity in its oppression, in perpetuating what I called the self-fulfilling prophecy," Mbeki said (UNESCO release, Nov. 19). U.N. Report Shows Internet Use Growing In Developing World Nov 20: A U.N. report released today shows growing Internet use but uneven growth of e-commerce in developing countries.The E-commerce and Development Report 2003, by the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development, shows that developing countries account for 32 percent of the world's 591 million Internet users, up from 28 percent in 2002. The report predicts that developing countries will account for half the world's Internet users by 2008.For developing countries to catch up in the area of e-commerce, it says, governments in those countries must show greater political commitment, tackle implementation issues and strike a balance between private and public sectors in the development of information and communications technologies. The report finds no direct link between a country's income level and Internet usage rate but notes that Internet penetration rates in developing countries with comparable income levels vary as much as 25 times.In terms of e-commerce, the report says more than 95 percent takes place in developed countries, with Africa and Latin America combined accounting for less than 1 percent of the total (UNCTAD release, Nov. 20). Global IT Access Rankings Show Asian, European Dominance Nov 20: South Koreans enjoy greater access to information and communication technology (ICT) than their U.S., British, Japanese, German and French counterparts, according to the first global digital access index, released yesterday by the International Telecommunication Union. South Korea ranked fourth, behind Sweden, Denmark and Iceland. The 10 countries with the highest scores were all Asian and European, except for No. 10, Canada. The top countries by region were: Seychelles (sub-Saharan Africa), Canada (North America), South Korea (developed Asia-Pacific), Malaysia (developing Asia-Pacific), United Arab Emirates (Arab region), Sweden (Western Europe) and Slovenia (Central and Eastern Europe). The 178 countries included in the U.N. telecommunications agency's Digital Access Index were ranked according to composite scores in the areas of infrastructure availability, affordability, educational level, quality of ICT services and Internet usage. Author Michael Minges of the ITU said that because the index went beyond the measure of infrastructure, it was able to reveal new areas for improvement. "Until now, limited infrastructure has often been regarded as the main barrier to bridging the digital divide," Minges said. "Our research, however, suggests that affordability and education are equally important factors."The index is part of the ITU's forthcoming 2003 World Telecommunication Development Report, which will be released around the time of the World Summit on the Information Society, Dec. 10 to 12 (ITU release, Nov. 19). Oil-for-Food Assets Ready For Transfer, Program Director Says United Nations Nov 20: The U.N. oil-for-food program will have transferred $3 billion in cash and another $4 billion in goods and projects to the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq by the time it expires tomorrow, Benon Sevan, the director of the program said yesterday. Speaking at a closed-door briefing of the Security Council, Sevan said, "Assets, facilities and installations purchased by U.N. agencies and programs are being transferred to the CPA … and from the CPA to the relevant Iraqi authorities." After the briefing, Sevan said his office was "doing a good job working closely with the CPA." The provision of food and other essentials will continue to be delivered to Iraqi civilians, he added, since 44,000 private distribution agencies have been contracted to do the job. "That system is still there and will continue this under the CPA" until June 2004, he said, adding, "Whatever changes are introduced, they will be introduced gradually." According to his prepared text, Sevan said the $4 billion in assets include $2.1 billion covering 268 completed projects, 159 incomplete projects worth $1.5 billion, and $384 million of goods stored in Iraq. In addition, there are $8.2 billion worth of goods in the pipeline heading for Iraq, he said. As of Nov. 17, Sevan said, "An additional 2,937 approved and funded contracts worth some $6.51 billion had been classified to have relative utility" in sectors including food, electricity, water and sanitation, agriculture, health, education and oil industry spare parts. Speaking to journalists after the briefing, Sevan said the program, which began in November 1996, "managed to mitigate the unintended consequences of sanctions" on Iraqi civilians. "We were caught up between different groups at different times, shifting political interests, shifting economic interests," he said. "We did a good job." He added, "Nobody has been able to point a finger at any corruption with all that money involved." Since the program began, about $65 billion of oil has been exported by Iraq, and more than $46 billion of that amount has been spent on oil-for-food program operations, according to statistics compiled by the program. Under the oil-for-food program, Iraq was permitted to sell oil and buy civilian needs under U.N. control. With the fall of Saddam Hussein and the control of Iraq falling to the United States and United Kingdom as occupying powers, the council adopted Resolution 1483 in May, calling for the termination of the oil-for-food program by Nov. 21 and the transfer of remaining funds, unfulfilled contracts for oil and imported goods, and other programs to the CPA.The council will meet again this afternoon on the program, at which time Secretary Kofi Annan will make a statement. By Jim Wurst U.N. Wire North Korea In "Chronic Emergency," U.N. Says Nov 20: The United Nations is launching an appeal for more than $200 million in aid to deal with a "chronic emergency" in North Korea, which still faces tremendous food shortages, poverty and a precarious health care system, according to a U.N. coordinator cited by BBC Online. About 70,000 children among the population of 23 million are malnourished and could die without medical care, said UNICEF's North Korea representative, Pierrette Vu Thi. "By all measures, (North Korea) remains a country in need of massive humanitarian support. The consequences of doing nothing are very substantial," said Rick Corsino of the World Food Program's Pyongyang office. "If there's no response, or too weak a response, parts of the country will very likely revert to a food crisis." Corsino said contributions from traditionally large donors such as the United States and Japan had declined since 2001. Only 57 percent of the $225 million requested this year by 15 U.N. agencies has so far been pledged (BBC Online, Nov. 20).   Shevardnadze Party Declared Winner In Georgia Elections Nov 20: Georgia's election commission today validated parliamentary elections that put President Eduard Shevardnadze's For a New Georgia party in first place. Crowds of opposition and anti-opposition groups in Georgia's capital Tbilisi had awaited the final results from the country's Nov. 2 parliamentary elections, with the leader of the opposition protests vowing to block a new Parliament from convening. Opposition groups and Western observers both cited widespread voting irregularities in the polls, and protestors continuing to rally in front of government buildings, calling for the Shevardnadze's resignation. Pre-election polls suggested Shevardnadze's For a New Georgia party would struggle, but the party took 21.3 percent of the vote. Mikhail Saakashvili, leader of the National Movement party, which finished third in the polls with 18 percent of the vote, said that demonstrations would continue until either Shevardnadze resigns or invalidates the Nov. 2 vote and calls for new elections. "We won't join the new Parliament and we will try to prevent it from holding its session," he said, adding that thousands more protesters were headed toward the capital. Supporters of the Ajaria-based Revival party, which is aligned with Shevardnadze's bloc and finished second in the voting with 18.8 percent of the vote, have staged anti-opposition rallies outside the national Parliament building, and the mix of factions could create a dangerous situation in the coming days. Saakashvili has appealed to his supporters to avoid violence, but he claimed that the Revival contingency had armed special forces members in its ranks (Misha Dzhindzhikhashvili, Associated Press/Yahoo! News, Nov. 20). In a blow to Shevardnadze's authority, Zaza Shengeliya, the head of state television and radio, resigned today, saying in a statement that the president was living in a "vacuum" without a "clear and accurate picture of what is happening in the country." Shevardnadze had criticized Shengeliya in a Cabinet meeting, saying state television was not fully supporting the government. Yesterday, Shevardnadze said Georgia was "one step away from civil war" and that until the unrest in the capital ends "it will not be possible to pay pensions (and) finance state institutions, the army, and the police." The country's chief prosecutor announced Tuesday that he had opened a case against the protestors, saying they had not obtained the appropriate permission before taking to the streets (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo! News, Nov. 20). Istanbul Bomb Blasts Kill 26, Including British Consul General Nov 20: A pair of bomb blasts rocked Istanbul today, killing at least 26 people and wounding as many as 450. The first occurred in the financial district, shearing the facade off the Turkish headquarters of the London-based HSBC bank. The second took place about five minutes later outside the gates of the British consulate in an older section of the city. Among the dead was Roger Short, the British consul general. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw suggested the al-Qaeda terrorist network was responsible for the bombings. A man calling a Turkish news agency said that al-Qaeda and the Islamic Great Eastern Raiders' Front (IBDA-C), a Turkish militant group, claimed responsibility for the attacks. Both British Prime Minister Tony Blair and U.S. President George W. Bush denounced the attacks. Speaking from London, where he is meeting with his British counterpart, Bush said that the "terrorists hope to intimidate, they hope to demoralize" but that "they are not going to succeed." "Once again we are reminded of the evil these terrorists pose to people everywhere and to our way of life," Blair said. "Once again we must affirm that in the face of this terrorism there must be no holding back, no compromise, no hesitation in confronting this menace, in attacking it wherever and whenever we can and in defeating it utterly" (Esra Aygin, Associated Press/Yahoo! News, Nov. 20). U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan also condemned the attacks, saying, "Those who carried out these attacks have no respect for human life and we should condemn utterly their actions" (U.N. release, Nov. 20). Turkish society is reeling from the attacks, which followed two others on synagogues in Istanbul on Saturday. The Istanbul State Security Court imposed a ban on news coverage of the attacks, the Turkish stock market suspended trading, and troops have been deployed on the streets of Istanbul. The army has in the past declared martial law in times of crisis, the last time in 1980, which led to three years of military rule (Aygin, AP/Yahoo! News). Authorities arrested six people yesterday in connection with Saturday's synagogue bombings, but opposition leaders have accused the ruling pro-Islamic party of Prime Minister Recep Erdogan of being too lenient toward radicals. Turkish newspaper Hurriyet said the suspects were members of Beyyiat el-Imam, a little-known group formed in al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan. The IBDA-C also claimed responsibility. Criticism of the government is based on Erdogan's decision to release hundreds of Islamic militants from prison under a four-month-old amnesty. "There is a risk that potential terrorists may be brought back with this amnesty," Mehmet Agar, leader of the conservative True Path Party, said yesterday. "We should never loosen our fight against terrorism, otherwise the cost would be very high." Five of the suspects were charged with "attempting to overthrow the constitutional structure," with the sixth charged with "helping illegal organizations" (Aygin, AP/Yahoo! News, Nov. 19). According to an unreleased U.N. report prepared by the al-Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions Committee, attacks such as those seen in Istanbul are in line with the network's new strategy of attacking "softer" targets. "They don't have today the capacity to attack the World (Trade Center) towers as they did on the 11th of September, 2001," said Heraldo Munoz, the head of the committee. "That capacity they don't have, that has been destroyed. But they do have the capacity to hit a synagogue in Istanbul, or to hit a hotel in Bali or in Jakarta, as we have seen." The report also said the group likely posses portable surface-to-air missiles and may use them to target military transport planes, and that a biological or chemical attack was just a "matter of time" (CNN.com, Nov. 20). Slain U.N. Worker Buried In Afghanistan; Demining Halted Nov 20: Bettina Goislard, the 29-year-old French U.N. worker who was gunned down Sunday in a crowded bazaar in Afghanistan, was buried today in a British cemetery in the capital Kabul, in accordance with her wishes. A white U.N. vehicle brought her body to the cemetery and her coffin was draped in a blue U.N. flag as her family grieved the death of a daughter and her colleagues mourned the murder of the first foreign U.N. aid worker to be killed in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. Afghan government officials attended the ceremony, for which Goislard's family flew in from Paris. U.N. Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees Kamel Morjane will attend a larger memorial on Sunday. Goislard's murder prompted the agency to withdraw its foreign staffers from the south and east of the country and spurred the United Nations to suspend all road travel for staff in Afghanistan. Some humanitarian agencies are reportedly considering pullouts. Associated Press reports that the graveyard in which Goislard is buried holds the remains of Afghanistan's would-be British conquerors, who attempted three times in the 19th and 20th centuries to subjugate the country. Goislard had said she wanted to be buried in Afghanistan if anything happened to her (Paul Haven, AP/Yahoo! News, Nov. 20). U.N. De-Miners Suspend Operations; World Bank Issues Security Warning The carjacking Tuesday of a vehicle belonging to a mine-clearing agency in Ghazni, the same province in which Goislard was shot, led the U.N. Mine Action Center in Afghanistan to suspend operations throughout the province "until adequate security measures are put in place," the United Nations announced yesterday (U.N. release, Nov. 19). The Afghan driver of a vehicle belonging to the Mine Detection Dog Center, a U.N. partner organization, was stopped, abducted, robbed and beaten. The assailants made off with the vehicle. The abduction took place a day after aid agencies alarmed over Goislard's killing met in Kandahar to consider their options, including withdrawal. "The situation continues to deteriorate. We do not believe that measures taken so far, including the planned PRTs (U.S.-led provincial reconstruction teams), will effectively address the deepening crisis," Mercy Corps International Senior Area Coordinator Anne Wood said (Integrated Regional Information Networks, Nov. 18). The World Bank warned today that the worsening security situation would "lead to the disruption or even stall ongoing reconstruction and development works in Afghanistan," adding that it "would like to see that all necessary security arrangements are in place throughout the country" (Agence France-Presse, Nov. 20). New U.S. Ambassador To Afghanistan Airs Security Fears Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. ambassador designate to Afghanistan, Tuesday gave voice to his concerns about security there. Khalilzad's comments came a week before his scheduled departure for the country where he was born and where he is again to make his home. Khalilzad warned that resurgent Taliban and al-Qaeda forces, drug traffickers and common criminals were threatening the transition to democracy and urged Pakistan to step up its border operations to stem the flow of rebels into Afghanistan. "There are Taliban leaders and people that are using Pakistani territory to come across and carry out attacks in Afghanistan," Khalilzad said. "We would like Pakistan to do more." Khalilzad, who previously served as the special envoy to Afghanistan for U.S. President George W. Bush, will retain that title after his swearing-in as ambassador on Monday. He departs the next day for Afghanistan, where, for security reasons, he will live in a metal container while his residence is built (Mike Allen, Washington Post, Nov. 19). During the Iraq War, Khalilzad also served as U.S. special envoy to Iraq (U.N. Wire, May 6). In related news, a senior adviser to the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said today that the interim government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai still faces a public skeptical of its legitimacy, an impediment to a crucial campaign to disarm the country's many semi-autonomous militias. "The problem of disarmament in Afghanistan is not like other disarmaments in other places of the world," said Sultan Aziz. "The problem of Afghanistan is the crisis of legitimacy." Aziz added that introducing the rule of law to the country was especially difficult because "the idea of governance essentially did not exist" during the previous two decades, which saw nearly non-stop conflict (AFP II, Nov. 20). Briton Eyed To Replace Brahimi The London Telegraph reports that Karzai's top aides are lobbying for one of the architects of the International Security Assistance Force to replace U.N. special representative to Afghanistan Lakhdar Brahimi when he steps down from his post next month. Major General John McColl of the United Kingdom set up the 5,700-strong peacekeeping force and lobbied for it to be expanded beyond the confines of Kabul. Washington is said to support the choice (Ahmed Rashid, London Telegraph, Nov. 20). U.S. Officials Criticize Afghan Constitution Officials testifying before a U.S. congressional subcommittee yesterday voiced fears that religious freedoms and women's rights are given short shrift in Afghanistan's draft constitution, scheduled to be debated, possibly altered and approved next month. John Hanford, ambassador at large for religious freedom, said the draft fails to "explicitly guarantee religious freedom" and said there was some confusion as to whether religious or international law would prevail. The constitution states that "no law can be contrary to the sacred religion of Islam." Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy and Human Rights Lorne Craner lauded the draft's inclusion of women in the legislature but said it should specifically outlaw discrimination against women (Brun-Rovet/Dinmore, Financial Times, Nov. 20). Iran Deflects Action On More Intrusive Nuclear Inspections Vienna Nov 20: In an abridged day of talks here at the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iranian delegates succeeded today in postponing the IAEA Board of Governors' discussion of more intrusive nuclear inspections in Iran, while the board failed to come closer to agreement on a European draft resolution on the country's acknowledged, longstanding concealment of nuclear activities. The panel is meeting following an agreement reached by European foreign ministers recently in Tehran under which Iran agreed to sign the Additional Protocol to its IAEA safeguards agreement - allowing for more intrusive nuclear monitoring - and to suspend its uranium enrichment activities. Last week, the IAEA submitted a report to the board detailing a long series of new Iranian acknowledgments about secret nuclear activities, including production of small amounts of plutonium and low-enriched uranium. In a related development, Associated Press reported, the IAEA has determined that Russia, China and Pakistan are the sources of equipment Iran claims was "contaminated" with traces of highly enriched uranium when the equipment was imported into Iran. The board was expected today to consider Iran's protocol, but Iran balked at broaching the subject before the board settles on language for the resolution, in which it is sure to be taken to task to at least some extent. France, Germany and the United Kingdom crafted the draft resolution, which the United States and others have criticized as too weak. "The Iranians upped the ante today by implicitly threatening not to sign the Additional Protocol," said a Western diplomat. According to a source familiar with this morning's proceedings, Iranian Ambassador Ali Akbar Salehi said in the closed-door meeting that Iran's vow to sign the protocol depends on arrangements it worked out recently with visiting European foreign ministers. The protocol is now scheduled to be taken up at the end of the board's meeting, which was initially scheduled for today and tomorrow but now appears likely to run into next week. "They played the whole thing brilliantly," the diplomat said of Iran's move today. Another diplomat characterized the move as a clever bluff by Iran, which is not a member of the board and is participating in the talks only as an observer. The board unexpectedly adjourned for the day at lunchtime today. Board members, including the three European countries that prepared the draft, the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the Netherlands, are now in talks aimed at finding resolution language amenable to a critical mass of the governors. Diplomats said the European draft is still technically the basis for the board's talks but stands to be changed substantially in key sections. The diplomats added that the changes will fall short of sending the matter to the U.N. Security Council, a measure the United States officially supports and which could lead to international sanctions against Iran. "The morphing EU-3 draft is still the basis for discussions," said one diplomat. According to interviews, however, the measure appears likely to shift toward the U.S. approach, which two diplomats said relies on "the stick" where the Europeans prefer to hold out "the carrot." One of the diplomats said the United States is focusing on "process" rather than "results" ? that is, favoring a more punitive approach and all but rejecting the Europeans' idea of offering economic and other incentives to Iran for its compliance ? because "the process is the example for the future." In one example provided by a diplomat here of controversial language in the original European draft, the board would limit itself to saying it "notes with serious concern" Iran's record of concealment. "That would be a godsend for Iran, to get away that lightly," the diplomat said, adding that the language raised objections from not only the United States but also some IAEA officials and even members of the Nonaligned Movement, which has in the past sought to soften the board's stance toward Iran. No less a figure than IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei appeared to question the European approach this morning. In an implicit correction of European officials' recent focus on Iran's new honesty, ElBaradei told the board that both "newly available information and an array of new technologies" have allowed the agency to "shed light on verification outcomes that contradicted the explanations provided [by Iran] and on questions that remained unanswered." ElBaradei said Iran is guilty of "many breaches and failures … to comply with its obligations under its safeguards agreement." Whether the board should cite Iranian "breaches," "noncompliance" or some other term is a matter of some disagreement among board members. One diplomat said that "in [ElBaradei's] mind, 'breach' is tougher than 'noncompliance,' but 'noncompliance' in this forum has a specific meaning" ? potentially, a referral to the Security Council. "The agency continued to press systematically and professionally for the correct explanations and the right answers," ElBaradei said in his statement, "but the process remained slow, piecemeal and frustrating at times." ElBaradei nevertheless kept his distance from the tough U.S. approach, saying the IAEA should stick to "verification and diplomacy" in seeking to ensure Iran respects its commitments, and he praised Iran for opening a "new chapter of implementation" in the past month that has been "characterized by active cooperation and openness." "I am pleased to note that corrective actions have already been taken or are being taken. However, these breaches and failures are, of themselves, a matter of deep concern and run counter to both the letter and the spirit of the safeguards agreement," ElBaradei said. ElBaradei repeated the view expressed in the report that the IAEA has "no proof to date that Iran's past undeclared activities have been linked to a nuclear weapons program." "The report before you," ElBaradei told the board, "is factual and comprehensive. It is intended to enable the board to exercise its responsibilities, prerogatives and options. I trust that in doing so, you will continue to foster the joint efforts of member states and the Secretariat to do their utmost to ensure full respect for nonproliferation obligations, primarily through verification and diplomacy." "In the case of Iran," he concluded, "we have made a good start, but we need to stay the course." One diplomat placed the debate over how to handle Iran's behavior in the context of recent Western dealings with Iraq and North Korea, the other two countries in U.S. President George W. Bush's "axis of evil." "Iraq," the diplomat said, "showed the folly of military action [alone]. North Korea showed that diplomacy alone also doesn't get you anywhere. … Maybe Iran is the test case that brings the two together." By Joe Fiorill U.N. Wire Diplomats Differ Over Impact Of Resolution On Mideast Road Map United Nations Nov 20: The resolution unanimously adopted by the Security Council yesterday endorsing the road map for a peace settlement between Israelis and Palestinians was enthusiastically embraced by the Palestinians, but welcomed cautiously by the Israelis, while members of the council saw it as a useful step. "We don't of course think that this resolution would radically change everything on the ground, but given the overall trend which is emerging there, given the efforts undertaken by the parties themselves and by the international mediators, we think this resolution could play a very important role in promoting these trends and making it hopefully irreversible," said Ambassador Sergei Lavrov of Russia, which was the original sponsor of the draft resolution. By the time it was voted on, nine council members, including France and the United Kingdom, were co-sponsors. Speaking after the council meeting, Palestinian Ambassador Nasser al-Kidwa said, "This resolution could be a watershed in the history of the Middle East peace process." He added that he hoped "this signals the full engagement of the Security Council in the peacemaking process." The resolution means "the text of the road map is sacrosanct. …It is a text that is expected to be implemented as is," he added. Al-Kidwa also criticized Israel's construction of a controversial barrier separating it from the West Bank. He said no peace plan has a future "as long as Israel … continues with the construction of the expansionist wall and as long as there is expansion and continuation of settlement activities. The cessation of all such illegal actions is a condition for the survival of this road map" (Jim Wurst, U.N. Wire, Nov. 20). Israel's Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said during a radio interview that "Israel does not feel that it is bound by the resolution" (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo! News, Nov. 20). At U.N. headquarters, Israel's Deputy Ambassador Arye Mekel said, "We do not believe that the key thing now is additional resolutions or statements, there have been plenty of those. We need action, not words." He said Israel is ready to implement the road map "provided we have a Palestinian partner committed to eradicating terror and pursuing a peaceful, negotiated settlement as its top priority." Resolution 1515 marks the first time the council has endorsed the road map - as opposed to welcoming it - since it was formally presented to Israeli and Palestinian officials in April by the Quartet, consisting of the United Nations, United States, Russia and the European Union. The text calls on both sides "to fulfill their obligations" leading to a two-state solution. Using the language that has become standard for Middle East resolutions, Resolution 1515 demands "an immediate cessation of all acts of violence, including all acts of terrorism, provocation, incitement and destruction" and reaffirms the "vision" of a two-state solution within which Israel and Palestine "live side by side within secure and recognized borders." "We remain fully committed to the vision of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security," said U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte. "The road map is the way to realize this vision." However, he added, "Achieving peace in the region is not just a matter of pressuring one side or the other on the shape of a border or the site of a settlement, crucial as those issues are. As we negotiate the details of peace we must stick to the heart of the matter, which is the need for Palestinian democracy." Ambassador Ismael Gaspar Martins of Angola, the president of the council for November, said, "The resolution should be seen as an encouragement to the parties to move forward" on implementing the road map. Middle East Calm But Unstable, Prendergast Says Speaking in a session just before the council adopted Resolution 1515, U.N. Undersecretary General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast said yesterday that despite a month of "relative quiet, … nothing has been done to mitigate the underlying instability" in the Middle East. In the regular monthly briefing on the situation in the region, Prendergast said, "That quiet has been met not with positive steps but with inaction." He added, "Even if the Israelis and Palestinians are not engaged face to face across the negotiating table, there is much they can and should do to meet their road map obligations." Both sides still need to address the "core issues" of the other side, said Prendergast. "The threat of terrorism still hangs over the head of each Israeli," he said. "The Palestinian Authority has done little to address that core issue." As for the Israelis, "Palestinians continue to suffer from closures and Israeli military operations that kill and injure civilians," he said. "The humanitarian situation, largely caused by Israeli security measures in occupied Palestinian territory, continues to worsen," Prendergast said. "We call on the government of Israel to take immediate and practical steps to live up to its assurances that it will do all it can to facilitate humanitarian and emergency aid efforts." He also criticized the "separation barrier" Israel is building on the West Bank (Wurst, U.N. Wire). Prendergast's comments came the same day a Jordanian gunman opened fire on Ecuadorian tourists in Israel's southern resort town of Eilat, killing a 33-year-old woman and injuring four others. Israeli security forces killed the gunman (Jason Keyser, Associated Press/Yahoo! News, Nov. 20). Also yesterday, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia urged militant groups such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad and al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades to stop attacks on Israel. Israel has said a cease-fire is not a solution to the conflict but officials privately concede that Israel would stop military operations on Palestinians if the attacks ended (Harvey Morris, Financial Times, Nov. 19). Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian militant groups have agreed to attend a truce conference in Cairo Dec. 2, AP reports (Ramit Plushnick-Masti, AP/Yahoo! News, Nov. 20). U.S. May Seek U.N. Help In Iraq Transition Nov 20: A resolution the United States plans to introduce at the U.N. Security Council may ask the United Nations to oversee the transfer of power in Iraq, although Secretary General Kofi Annan could be hesitant to offer U.N. help because of security concerns, the Los Angeles Times reports today. According to the Times, the Iraqi Governing Council will send a letter to the Security Council asking for a resolution that blesses its agreement with the United States on the handover of power and seeks U.N. help in implementing the accord. "International cover and support will be very important to us," Governing Council member Mahmoud Othman said. "It's a deal between the Iraqis, the Governing Council and the Americans, but we need outside cover." Although Annan welcomes the change of heart by the United States in its desire to speed up the transfer of power, he is hesitant to bring the United Nations on board for both safety and political reasons. Annan said Monday he would soon name a special U.N. representative to Iraq, but insisted that conditions must improve dramatically before any U.N. employee would be sent back. A U.N. executive quoted by the Times said the United Nations must have a clearly defined and independent mission before it would participate in the transition. "The U.N. can't simply be the subcontractor - that's not going to work," said Annan adviser Danilo Turk. "That will not be credible. One can't just declare the Earth is flat and say that the U.N.'s special representative will make sure that it is flat" (Maggie Farley, Los Angeles Times, Nov. 20). >emailbreak/> Russia yesterday criticized the United States for negotiating its plan with the Iraqi Governing Council in a secret atmosphere, but also raised the possibility of the United Nations organizing an Afghan-style conference of Iraqi groups to choose a provisional National Assembly. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov said the U.S. plan was reached in "a secretive atmosphere and actually without regard for the view of the international community, neighboring countries and the United Nations Security Council." Fedotov suggested that all groups involved in the political process in Iraq be included in negotiations over a new government. "Only this would be able to provide a very powerful political incentive to the settlement process in Iraq, including giving it the proper legitimacy," he said (Edith Lederer, Associated Press/Yahoo! News, Nov. 20). Five Killed In Explosion Outside Kurdish Party Office; Politician Assassinated In Iraq today, five people were killed after an explosion at the offices of a Kurdish political party in the northern city of Kirkuk, and a pro-U.S. politician was assassinated in the southern port city of Basra. The bombing in Kirkuk occurred at the offices of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan - a political group that supports U.S. efforts in Iraq. All the casualties were civilians, and 40 people were injured in the blast, a party official said. No one had claimed responsibility. In Basra, the body of Sargoun Nanou Murado, a municipal council representative with the Assyrian Democratic Movement, was found yesterday after Murado had been abducted the previous day. It was the second assassination this week of people working with coalition authorities. The Assyrian Democratic movement also backs U.S. efforts in Iraq. In another attack at a U.S. ally, two people were killed late last night when a car bomb exploded outside the home of Sheik Amer Ali Suleiman, a tribal leader in Ramadi and the leader of the Duleim tribe, which is one of the largest Sunni Muslim tribes in Iraq In Samara, 60 miles north of Baghdad, U.S. troops yesterday killed 10 Iraqi gunmen after they attacked a coalition convoy (Mariam Fam, AP/Yahoo! News, Nov. 20). A former Iraqi general in Samara who claims to be part of the insurgency in the so-called Sunni Triangle said the fighting is being waged by small groups fighting on their own without direction from Saddam Hussein. AP quoted one of the men fighting under the general as saying that the groups were still waging war because they wanted to end the U.S.-led occupation, not because they wanted to return Hussein to power. "I am fighting for my country - not Saddam Hussein - to get rid of the infidels. Very few people are fighting for him. They gave up on him at the end of the war," said the man, an unemployed electrical engineer. AP said the men were loyalists of the ousted Baath ruling party (Scheherezade Faramarzi, AP/Yahoo! News, Nov. 19). Bush Calls Iraq War A "Duty" In London, U.S. President George Bush yesterday defended the Iraq war as a "duty" that required the participation of the United States in part because of the failure of the United Nations to resolve security threats. "In some cases, the measured use of force is all that protects us from a chaotic world ruled by force," Bush said in a foreign policy address before a handpicked audience in London. As many as 100,000 people were expected in the capital today protesting Bush's visit. In his speech, Bush invoked memories of World War II and the Holocaust, saying those events occurred because "free nations failed to recognize, much less confront, aggressive evil in plain sight." He also met privately with a dozen family members of some of the British citizens who died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks (Chen/Wallace, Los Angeles Times, Nov. 20). 300 Pro-Taylor Fighters Surrender Arms, U.N. Mission Says Nov 20: A total of 300 fighters loyal to former Liberian President Charles Taylor have surrendered their weapons to the U.N. Mission in Liberia, in both the capital region and the northern part of the country, UNMIL officials said. The deputy special representative of the U.N. Secretary General to Liberia, Souren Seraydarian, said UNMIL was seeking to register the 300 disarmed fighters for nationwide disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programs that will start Dec. 7."Meetings are taking place on a regular basis for those who are going to provide health and medical services, food, psycho-social advice for the combatants," Seraydarian said. "The preparatory work for the exercise is being undertaken in cooperation with the military command structure of the three parties," he added, referring to Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy, the Movement for Democracy in Liberia and pro-Taylor militias. Seraydarian also said cantonment sites for the fighters had been found in consultation with the three parties, raising hopes about progress toward disarmament (Integrated Regional Information Networks, Nov. 19).