|
|
July 16, 2004 |
|
||
|
|
|
|
||
|
|||||
A LARGE NUMBER OF DEAD AND WOUNDED AND THE MASSACRE OF THE GOVERNOR OF MOSSUL ON IRAQ'S NATIONAL DAY. BLAIR ACCEPTS BUTLER'S REPORT THAT IRAQ WAS FREE FROM WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION. A MESSAGE TO THE CROWN PRINCE FROM THE PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT. OFFICIAL PALESTINIAN PROTEST AGAINST LARSEN REPORT AND ISRAEL FEARS AN ATTACK AGAINST THE KNESSET. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minsiter and Commander of the National Guard, sent a message to Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Salih. The message dealt with the brotherly and distinguished relations and cooperation between the two countries; ways of enhancing them for the joint interests of the two countries and their peoples; and the latest developments at regional, Arab and international arenas. The message was delivered to the Yemeni president during his meeting with Saudi Minister of State and Cabinet's Member Dr. Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Eiban. President Salih handed the minister a reply message to the Monarch and the Crown Prince, wishing them permanent health and happiness and the Saudi people steady progress and prosperity. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz has sent a cable of congratulations to French President Jacques Chirac on his country's National Day. In his cable, the King wished the President excellent health and constant progress and prosperity for the friendly people of France. King Fahd also affirmed the strong relations between the two countries and their friendly people as well as noted developments in various fields. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, received a telephone call from Palestine's President Yasser Arafat. During the conversation, they discussed the latest developments at the Palestinian arena particularly Israeli daily aggressions against the Palestinian people . President Arafat thanked the Kingdom for its continual support to the Palestinian people and their issues. On the Iraqi scale a suspected suicide car bombing killed 11 people and wounded 30 on Wednesday in the first big guerrilla attack in Baghdad since an interim Iraqi government took over from U.S.-led occupiers on June 28. "This is naked aggression against the Iraqi people," said Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, standing by burnt-out vehicles near a main entrance to the heavily defended "Green Zone" compound. "We will bring these criminals to justice," he vowed. A U.S. military spokesman said 11 Iraqis had been killed, including four National Guards, and 30 wounded. The blast occurred hours after news that Islamist militants led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi had killed one of two Bulgarian truck drivers held hostage in Iraq. They threatened to kill the second within 24 hours unless U.S.-led forces freed prisoners. Bulgaria said it would not pull its 470 troops out of Iraq despite the killing of the driver and the plight of the other. In stark contrast, the Philippines was preparing to bring its soldiers home early to save the life of a Filipino hostage. "He is safe and there is no more risk of him being executed," said a Foreign Ministry official in Manila, referring to kidnapped truck driver Angelo de la Cruz. The Baghdad blast occurred at a checkpoint where cars queue for access to the sprawling Green Zone beside the Tigris River. It houses government buildings, the U.S. and British embassies, and the offices of many foreign contractors. Also assailants gunned down the Mosul governor and two of his bodyguards and a suicide car bomb killed 11 people outside the Iraqi government's compound here in the most serious strikes since the return of sovereignty. Speaking to reporters as he toured the site of the Baghdad carnage, Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said: "This is a naked aggression against the Iraqi people. We will bring these criminals to justice." The bomb blast occurred near the heavily guarded entrance to Iraq's main government offices in the central Baghdad compound known as the Green Zone that also houses the US Embassy. "We believe it was a suicide bombing," said US Col. Mike Murray, adding that an American soldier was among the 40 injured. The attack killed three national guardsmen and seven civilians, according to the Iraqi Interior Ministry. It was not clear if the toll counted the bomber. The vehicle was packed with 300 to 320 kilograms (660 to 700 pounds) of explosive material, a police officer said. Black smoke billowed into the air above the blast site, crammed with cars of people traveling to the compound, and sirens wailed as ambulances sped in and out of the carnage ferrying the injured and dead to nearby hospitals. "We think this is a response to recent arrests in the last couple of days," Allawi said, apparently referring to a police sweep in the capital last Monday that snared more than 525 suspected outlaws. "We have caught some prominent criminals. They are under investigation. They are cooperating and have been divulging important information (on criminal activities)," the premier said. Allawi is struggling to restore security to the war-ravaged country after the US-led coalition handed over control to him on June 28. Last Wednesday his government passed a tough security law that arms the premier with a range of new powers such as declaring a state of emergency, slapping down curfews and restricting movement to control the lawlessness that has raged since the US-led invasion more than 15 months ago. He has yet to flex these new muscles and it is unclear how he would pull off a major offensive against the insurgents without major US support. The rebels delivered a second blow to Allawi as Mosul Gov. Osama Kachmula and two of his bodyguards were gunned down by four attackers while traveling south to Baghdad, a spokesman for the governorate said. In an exchange of fire after the convoy escorting Kachmula was ambushed, the four assailants were also shot dead. The attack was the second assassination in two days. In Baghdad, unknown gunmen shot dead Sabir Karim, a director general at the Industry Ministry, last Tuesday as he left his home to go to work, a spokesman said. Insurgents have murdered dozens of Iraqi government employees as part of their campaign against the post-Saddam Hussein political order. Iraqi interim President Ghazi al-Yawer threatened to use a "very sharp sword" to fight insurgents and anyone else threatening the security of the country. Also, France and Iraq restored diplomatic relations that were severed before the Gulf War 13 years ago. Al-Yawer spoke two weeks after the United States handed sovereignty over to an interim Iraqi government. The handover, however, has not quelled the violence that has wracked the country since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime nearly 15 months ago. Foreign and local insurgents have launched numerous attacks in Iraq in an effort to create chaos and attempts to thwart the country's postwar reconstruction. The attacks have killed scores of U.S. troops and hundreds of Iraqi civilians. "Terrorism isn't just killing and blowing up bombs, whoever threatens the ordinary life of the people is a terrorist," al-Yawer told reporters. "We have a very sharp sword ready for anyone who threatens the security of this country." Al-Yawer, who was meeting with Defense Minister Hazem Shaalan and National Guard Brigadier General Muther al-Rashardi, said the roughly 160,000 coalition forces led by the United States were required to stay here to fight the insurgents, but violent groups should not use this as an excuse to continue attacks. "Those who claim they are resisting the occupation, the occupation is over now," he said. "We want to tell anyone who wants to threaten the security of this country: 'Enough,' I say, 'Enough. Stop.'" Security officials also sought to reassure Iraqis they were trying to restore order. Al-Rashardi said the national guard has divided the capital, Baghdad, into eight sectors to make it easier to control. "We have very big plans to follow this up," Shaalan said. "We are ready to sacrifice ourselves for our people." Al-Yawer appealed to insurgents to accept the amnesty and lay down their weapons. "This is your last chance, otherwise there will be the sword," he said. In London the Butler report lambasted the state of pre-war intelligence on Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction but said Prime Minister Tony Blair had not deliberately misled the nation into going to war. Blair immediately accepted responsibility for any mistakes but insisted the US-led war to remove Iraqi president Saddam Hussein last year had been justified. "Iraq, the region, the wider world is a better and safer place without Saddam," a defiant Blair told parliament. He said that while it seemed "increasingly clear" Saddam might not have had weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) ready to deploy before the war, that did not make the conflict wrong. The long-awaited report from a panel headed by former top civil servant Lord Robin Butler effectively found that Britain joined the war based on evidence that was at times "seriously flawed" and "unreliable". However, a key government dossier on alleged WMDs, published in September 2002, showed "no evidence of deliberate distortion or of culpable negligence", the inquiry concluded. Butler reiterated at a news conference that while there had been intelligence failures, there was "no deliberate attempt on the part of the government to mislead". The 196-page report, seen as crucial to the future of Blair's premiership, nonetheless contained some serious rebuffs, notably concluding that Iraq almost certainly did not have significant stocks of WMDs before the conflict. Hans Blix, the former head of United Nations weapons inspectors in Iraq, said he telephoned Blair in Febuary 2003 to warn him of his serious reservations over Britain's intelligence on Iraq and called the dossier "hyped". "I think it was a spin that was not acceptable," the Swedish diplomat told the BBC. "They put exclamation marks where there had been question marks and I think that is hyping, a spin, that leads the public to the wrong conclusions." The report's harshest criticism was directed at intelligence efforts, mirroring a US Senate report published last week which exonerated the administration of US President George W. Bush. Blair's decision to strongly support the war hinged almost entirely on his claims that Saddam's stockpiles of illegal weapons were an immediate threat to the West. Butler said the intelligence on this was notably poor. The report said: "Validation of human intelligence sources after war has thrown doubt on a high proportion of those sources and of their reports; and hence on the quality of the intelligence assessments received by ministers and officials in the period from summer 2002 to the outbreak of hostilities." Reports from one main source were later withdrawn as "unreliable", while another on Iraq's alleged production of biological agents was "seriously flawed". Britain's overseas intelligence agency MI6, officially called the Secret Intelligence Service, said later that it found the report to be "wise and good". "MI6 fully accepts Lord Butler's recommendations. The criticism are valid and correctly focused on processes, not individuals," a Foreign Office spokesman said on behalf of the organisation. Perhaps the most damning indictment was the conclusion on Iraq's WMDs, which Blair insisted, long after the fall of Baghdad in April 2003, did exist. None have been found by coalition troops. While Iraq might have been developing missiles with a longer range than allowed under United Nations sanctions, it "did not have significant -- if any -- stocks of chemical or biological weapons in a state fit for deployment, or developed plans for using them", the report said. Blair told parliament that he accepted the findings and took full responsibility, while stressing that Butler saw no evidence of deceit. "No one made up the intelligence. No one inserted things into the dossier against the advice of the intelligence services," he said. He insisted: "I cannot honestly say I believe getting rid of Saddam was a mistake at all." Blair faced swift condemnation from Michael Howard, leader of the main opposition Conservative party, who wondered whether the prime minister could ever be trusted again. "I hope we will not face in this country another war in the foreseeable future but if we did and you identified the threat, would the country believe you?" he asked to boos from Labour lawmakers. In his report, Butler also criticised the "informality and circumscribed character" of Blair's style of government, saying many ministers were shut out of decision-making over Iraq. Former foreign secretary Robin Cook, who resigned from the government in March 2003 in disagreement with the looming war in Iraq, was astonished that nobody was made accountable by the inquiry. Sir John Walker, the former Deputy Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee told the BBC: "By the time it (the intelligence) left the experts, it was very highly caveated, and by the time it got to the Prime Minister, it was a certainty. "Someone should tell us where did the caveats go? Someone took the caveats out. "If it's a collective failure, then do a collective cull," he added. But overall, analysts said, the prime minister had escaped lightly. "I think in terms of his position it doesn't have any significant impact whatsoever," said Stephen Driver, an expert on Blair's government from the University of Surrey. "In fact I'm sure it allows him to draw a line under the affair and move on." British Prime Minister Tony Blair vehemently insisted the conflict was right anyway. "Iraq, the region, the wider world is a better and safer place without Saddam," Blair told parliament. The five-month-long inquiry, led by ex-civil service head Lord Robin Butler, had been "comprehensive and thorough ... and we accept the report's conclusions", Blair told lawmakers. If the evidence used to justify war was wrong, or had been misrepresented, the buck stopped with him, the prime minister said. Butler found that "no one lied. No one made up the intelligence. No one inserted things into the dossier against the advice of the intelligence services," the prime minister noted. "Everyone genuinely tried to do their best in good faith for the country in circumstances of acute difficulty. That issue of good faith should now be at an end." Blair's arguments for Britain to support the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 largely hinged on then-leader Saddam Hussein possessing stocks of chemical and biological weapons that posed an immediate threat to the West. The premier highlighted a conclusion in Butler's report that it would be "rash" to assume that no evidence of WMD programmes would ever be found. "But I have to accept, as the months have passed, it seems increasingly clear that at the time of invasion Saddam did not have stockpiles of chemical or biological weapons ready to deploy," Blair conceded, while insisting the war was correct anyway. In London and on the Palestinian scale Amnesty International called on the Israeli Parliament not to renew an "institutionally racist" law that bars Palestinians married to Israelis from obtaining their spouse's citizenship. The Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law, which was passed onto the statute books by MPs on July 31 last year, "formally institutionalizes a form of racial discrimination based on ethnicity or nationality," the London-based rights group said in a new report. The law, which has to be renewed after a 12-month period, has forced many Israeli Arab citizens and residents of Arab East Jerusalem who hold Israeli identification papers, to live illegally with their Palestinian spouses in Israel or move to the occupied West Bank and Gaza. For couples that decide to stay in Israel, their Palestinian spouses have no health insurance or other social rights and "every day fear arrest, expulsion and separation from their spouses or children." The report argues that the law is motivated by the desire to maintain a Jewish majority in Israel where some 20 percent of the population is of Palestinian descent, rather than for security reasons. "The law constitutes a further step in Israel's long-standing policy aimed at restricting the number of Palestinians who are allowed to live in Israel and east Jerusalem," it says. "In recent years Israeli officials ... have increasingly expressed concern at the number of Palestinian citizens of Israel, using expressions such as 'demographic problem' ... and in some cases even calling for their expulsion." Amnesty also highlighted increased restrictions on the Palestinians' freedom of movement over the past three years, including the suspension of family unification procedures for Palestinian residents of the West Bank and Gaza married to citizens or residents of other countries. In China Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhang Qiyue said in a press conference that the International Court has expressed its opinion on the "separation walls" and proposed its authoritative opinions on whether it is legitimate for Israel to build "separation walls" in the occupied land and its legal consequence. The Chinese side has always maintained that relevant parties to the Middle East question should bear in mind the overall situation, adopt active steps and solve disputes and conflicts between Israel and Palestine through dialog and negotiation. We hope that relevant sides can treat seriously the opinion and that it will help promote positive progress in the Middle East peace process. Meanwhile the top UN envoy to the Middle East is no longer welcome in the Palestinian territories after he harshly criticized veteran leader Yasser Arafat, a senior adviser to the Palestinian president said. "Terje Roed-Larsen's statement is not objective. As of today he is an unwelcome person in Palestinian territories," Nabil Abu Rudeinah said, referring to the envoy's latest monthly briefing to the UN Security Council, given on Tuesday. Roed-Larsen accused Arafat of giving "only nominal and partial support" to Egyptian efforts to support Palestinian security reforms demanded by the international community. While Arafat remained confined to the West Bank, surrounded by Israeli forces, Roed-Larsen said, "this is not an excuse for passivity and inaction". He also criticized Israel, accusing the Jewish state of making "no progress" on international demands that it dismantle settlements built on Palestinian land since March 2001, and move toward a total freeze of settlement activities. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan issued a statement backing Roed-Larsen, saying he had expressed international concern "regarding a lack of implementation" by both Israel and the Palestinians of the road map peace plan introduced in 2003. Meanwhile, Israeli Premier Ariel Sharon continued his quest to form a new coalition with an invitation to an ultra-orthodox party after the main opposition Labour Party agreed to negotiate. Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei hit back at the UN Middle East envoy who harshly criticized Arafat's inaction, terming his criticism "non-objective". Qurei said in a statement that Terji Roed-Larsen's criticism was "non objective" for he "has equaled the Palestinian victim with the Israeli aggressor." When briefing the United Nations, Larsen harshly criticised Palestinian Yasser Arafat for his passivity and inaction in reforming the security apparatuses, a move called for by the international community as part of Palestinian efforts to revive the stalled Middle East roadmap peace process. Immediately following Larsen's remarks, Palestinians officials voiced anger, announcing Larsen an unwelcome person to the Palestinian territories. Qurei called upon UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan "to direct his employees that serve in the Palestinian territories to practice their job objectively and in harmony with the principle of the international organization." He noted that one objective action was taken by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague when the court ruled last Friday against the Israeli separation wall, demanding it be torn down. The UN General Assembly will convene on Friday to vote for the advisory decision by the ICJ. Palestinians officials expressed confidence that Larsen's criticism would not sway the UN decision on the barrier issue. The Palestinian UN Observer Nasser Al-Kidwa said that statements by Palestine Nation Authority (PNA) officials that the UN Middle East envoy Terje Roed-Larsen is not welcome in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) reflect "real anger" but there is no official decision to ban his entry, adding that it is "definitely" safe for Larsen to visit the OPT. Giving his monthly report to the Security Council, Al-Kidwa said, "No actions will be taken to prevent Mr. Larsen from entering the Palestinian territory." "We haven't taken any decision yet, pending a thorough discussion with the [UN] Secretary-General," he told reporters in New York Wednesday. Asked whether it would be safe for Roed-Larsen to go to Palestinian territory now, Al-Kidwa said: "Definitely. No Palestinian official will take any wrongful act with Mr. (Roed-) Larsen, and I'm sure - at least hope - that the Palestinian people, as usual, will demonstrate respect for the organization (the UN) and for international law." Al-Kidwa refused to say whether the PNA would ask for the UN envoy's removal. "We are not kicking out anybody," Al-Kidwa said. "No decision was taken whatsoever on this matter," he confirmed. He said that the PNA officials' statements reflected real anger at Larsen's report. "Several Palestinian statements were made to the effect that the Palestinian side is angry, and to the effect that Palestinian officials will not welcome Mr. Larsen," Al-Kidwa said. "Those statements do not reflect any position on the legal status of Mr. Larsen," he said. "Frankly, we expect the Secretary General (Annan) to find solutions. We will discuss options with him." Annan is on official visits abroad and not due back at the United Nations until next week. Al-Kidwa and a delegation of Arab diplomats met late Wednesday with Annan's top political advisor, Kieran Prendergast, to voice their unhappiness with Roed-Larsen's briefing to the Security Council. His office issued a rebuttal of Roed-Larsen's monthly report to the UN Security Council on Tuesday, stating that the report "completely ignored" Israel as the occupying power and made "scant mention" of last week's World Court ruling demanding Israel tear down the 684-kilometre Apartheid Wall it is building on occupied Palestinian territory. The PNA asked the United Nations chief Annan to investigate Roed-Larsen's statement to the Security Council and "is likely" to consider the top UN Middle East envoy persona non grata, President Yaser Arafat's media adviser Nabil Abu Rudeinah said. "We have demanded that Kofi Annan inquire about Roed-Larsen's actions. The Palestinian government will likely act on the basis that he is unwanted in the Palestinian territories," Abu Rudeinah said. Moreover, Abu Rudeinah told AFP, "Mr. Larsen's declarations at the Security Council are inaccurate, biased, unjust and unacceptable." He further criticized Roed-Larsen for speaking out at a time when "there is an unfair campaign launched by dubious circles as Palestinians are heading towards victory at the International Court of Justice (ICJ)." "What matters is what the ICJ said and what the countries meeting Friday at the UN General Assembly will say," he added. He also called on Annan to "look into Roed-Larsen's behavior" and suggested that he dispatch "neutral envoys" to the region. Earlier, the Palestinian Prime Minister's chief of staff Hasan Abu Libda voiced regret for Larsen's critique towards the PNA, saying: "We are sorry for these statements that come from an institution that is supposed to be objective and should monitor the situation on the ground." The Palestinian official noted that he does not expect Larsen's "surprising" statements to be related with the ICJ's decision about the illegality of the Israeli Apartheid wall. "Larsen's statements gave pretexts and excuses for the Israeli practices and spared Israel its responsibilities in the deteriorating situation on the different levels." Larsen is slated to retire from his UN job next year, after completing a five-year contract. He will then take over as the head of the International Peace Academy in New York. The Norwegian-born diplomat was a key player in setting up the secret Israeli-Palestinian peace talks that led to an interim peace accord in 1993. A decade earlier, he set up the Fafo Institute for Applied Social Science, where he started a research project into the living conditions of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, a UN statement said that Secretary-General Annan "wishes to express his full support and confidence" in the envoy. "The secretary-general wishes to express his full support," said a spokeswoman at UN World Headquarters in New York. "As his special coordinator for the Middle East peace process and personal representative of the secretary-general to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, Roed-Larsen speaks on his behalf." "Roed-Larsen's intention was to convey concerns within the Quartet and, more widely in the international community, regarding a lack of implementation by both parties of their road map obligations," said the spokeswoman, Marie Okabe. On the other hand the Israeli police force said it closed entrances to three cities in the green line fearing a Palestinian commando was trying to infiltrate into one of them to carry out a human-bomb attack. A police spokesman said that hundreds of policemen, border guards, special forcers and security teams with hound dogs trained on sniffing explosive materials were deployed in the central area of the Zionist entity. He said that the main and side roads were blocked after receiving information that "hostile" elements were planning anti "Israeli" raids in the area. For his part, the Israeli war minister Shaul Mofaz acknowledged that Palestinian resistance was still as solid as ever despite the strong blows recently leveled against it. On the other hand the Knesset is examining a plan to strengthen the ceiling of the main plenum so that it would be more effectively protected against Qassam rocket and mortar fire. Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin has scheduled a Wednesday press conference to reveal details of the considered plan. The matter was brought up for discussion last week in a meeting held by Rivlin with Knesset security officer Yitzhak Shadar and MKs Ehud Yatom (Likud) and Danny Yatom (Labor), both of whom have security backgrounds. They discussed various ways of strengthening the Knesset structure, including wrapping the roof of the building in a net or adding a layer of reinforced concrete to offer better protection against threats. A number of months ago, an illumination flare was fired at the Knesset from the direction of the nearby Supreme Court building. Knesset security called large forces to search the area but found nothing. The Knesset building may be bolstered to thwart the possibility of an airborne attack amid rising threats that a terror group may attempt to make a strategic attack by hitting the parliament. The recommendation follows consultations by Knesset security personnel, which convened to consider the structure of the Knesset following the recent earth quake that caused several cracks in the building. The roof of the building may be replaced or bolstered to cope with earthquakes and threats such as mortars, shoulder-held missiles and aircraft. Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Yuval Steinitz (Likud) said the Knesset and MKs are an "attractive target," for terrorists and must be protected. He noted that the security establishment had failed to protect Rehavam Ze'evi, leader of the National Union party who was assassinated by PFLP gunmen in October 2002. Meanwhile the defense establishment's ombudsman, retired Major General Yossi Beinhorn, said he is concerned over the way vital army bases are protected and the ease with which it is possible to enter them without permission. Beinhorn told members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee about an exercise held recently to test the alertness of those on guard duty at one of the bases. He said that numerous flaws were found with the security system. Committee members asked the ombudsman to concentrate his attention on this topic since it is potentially very hazardous. They also decided to establish a regular channel of communications with the ombudsman. It was decided that he, or his deputies, would appear regularly before the committee and report their findings to its members. At the same time, committee members will pass on to the ombudsman issues that they feel need his attention. This was the first time the ombudsman has appeared before the committee to formally describe the activities of his office. Meanwhile Prime Minister Ariel Sharon may appear to be holding all the cards as he starts formal negotiations for a new coalition on Sunday, inviting Labor, Shas and United Torah Judaism to separate meetings that day. But no matter which way he decides to turn to a purely secular government with Likud, Labor and Shinui; to a Likud, Labor, Haredi combination; or even to a typical Right wing government, of Likud, and all the religious parties, he faces tough obstacles. A purely secular government (which would also be almost entirely Ashkenazi) might be popular in the general public, say the polls, and even among Likud voters, but it runs counter to the conventional wisdom about Likud drawing is core strength from working and lower middle class traditional, if not observant, Jewry of Sephardi background. Inside the Likud, the opposition to such a government, on those grounds, is as great as opposition to bringing in Labor on the grounds that it is too dovish and will tilt Sharon policy toward kowtowing to the Arabs. Since as of right now the Haredim and Shinui agree on one thing they won't be found in the same coalition with each other Sharon could replace Shinui with Labor and then bring in the religious. He is telling both Haredim and Shinui that they both can be in the government, but Shinui, at least, is insisting that if the religious come in, they'd go out. But joining with the religious would bolster opposition to the move inside Labor, and since the Haredim would demand a dramatic change in government economic policy, Sharon could find himself with Netanyahu openly warring against him. Stripped of responsibility for the economy, Netanyahu could speak out on both the economy and on diplomatic-security issues, positioning himself as the 'true' leader of the Right, winking toward the Center, and trying to hammer together a 61-seat coalition of his own in the Knesset. Adding to Sharon's difficulties is a sudden new demand from the Haredim. For the first time, UTJ is demanding ministerial-level positions and not deputy minister-level positions, if it joins the government. In Lebanon security authorities unveiled the participation of a group in attacks and bombing against security centers in Saidon, south of Lebanon. The last of these attacks was conducted against the governmental palace in Saidon. A 27 year old and a 20 year old men were arrested. In Bahrain, Manama, Prosecutor General, Shaikh Abdul Rahman bin Jabir Al Khalifa, said the Prosecution General confirmed that charges are currently raised against the 6 suspects, Bassam Abdulrazaq Abdullah Bukhowah, Mohie Eddin Mahmoud Mohie Eddin Khan, Bassam Yousif Abdulkarim Al Ali, Mohammed Saleh Ali Mohammed, Yasser Abdullah Mohammed Kamal, and Omar Abdullah Mohmmed Kamal, who were arrested and held under investigation. Prosecutor General confirmed there is no 7th suspect who is wanted at present, unless other evidences might prove there are other suspects. He also denied press reports that a 7th suspect is wanted for investigation, and said the six suspects are still under investigation for charges proved by evidence. |
|||||
