Sweden: Donors Pledge Over $900 Million for Lebanon

Swedish officials say donor countries meeting in Stockholm have pledged more than $900 million in emergency aid to begin rebuilding war-shattered Lebanon.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora had initially appealed to delegates from 60 governments and aid organizations for $500 million in urgent aid to help post-war recovery.

Speaking Thursday in the Swedish capital, Mr. Siniora said fighting between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah militia wiped out 15 years of post-civil war redevelopment.

The meeting comes amid growing Western concerns that cash handouts from Hezbollah to Lebanese with homes destroyed or damaged in the month-long war will strengthen the guerrilla movement.

But Mr. Siniora vowed that none of the funds he sought will be distributed by Hezbollah.

He said the war, which ended earlier this month, cost his country billions of dollars in lost revenue from tourism, agriculture and industry.

Mr. Siniora also repeated warnings that Lebanon's reconstruction will be severely undermined if Israel does not lift its air, sea and land blockade of the country. Israel has said the blockade will continue until United Nations peacekeepers are in place in southern Lebanon.

The European Union said today it will contribute $54 million to help Lebanon. Most of the 25 EU member states are expected to pledge additional funds.

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait previously have promised more than $1 billion in aid. The United States is donating $230 million, including 25,000 tons of wheat and training and equipment for Lebanon's military.

Sphere: Related Content

IAEA: Iran Violating Security Council Order






The U.N. nuclear watchdog agency has concluded that Iran is continuing its uranium enrichment work in defiance of a Security Council demand. Council members are likely to begin talks on possible sanctions against Tehran in the next few weeks.

bIn a six-page report, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director Mohamed ElBaradei bluntly says "Iran has not suspended its enrichment activities".

The report sent to the U.N. Security Council Thursday also says the agency has not been able to confirm the nature of Iran's nuclear program because of Tehran's lack of cooperation. It adds that "Iran has resumed enriching small amounts of uranium in recent days".

Washington's U.N. Ambassador John Bolton described the IAEA report as a warning signal to the international community about Iran's nuclear intentions.

"That's a red flag," said Mr. Bolton. "That says that the Iranian program contains much that should be worried about here in New York and underlies our concern that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons. There's simply no other explanation for the range of Iranian behavior, which we've seen over the years other than that they're pursuing a weapons capability."

The IAEA findings place Iran in clear violation of an earlier Security Council order that set an August 31 deadline for suspending enrichment activities. It also opens the way for the Council to impose sanctions against the Tehran government.

Bolton reiterated the U.S. intention to push ahead with sanctions. But he said the Security Council would not take up the question of possible penalties until after a meeting next week between European Union's foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani.

John Bolton
John Bolton
"There are a range of issues that we've been considering," he added. "I don't think there'll be discussions here until after Javier Solana meets with Mr. Larijani next week in Europe, so we'll see what happens after that meeting, but the United States has been considering this for some time and we've got a lot of thoughts on it."

The deputy chief of Iran's nuclear agency, Mohammed Saeedi was quoted Thursday as saying the IAEA report had shown that U.S. allegations about Tehran's nuclear program are, in his words, baseless.

In a report carried by Iran's official news agency IRNA, Saeedi said the report had shown that what he called "America's propaganda and politically motivated claims" are based on "hallucinations of U.S. officials".

The focus of negotiations on Iran shifts to Europe next week, where U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns will meet with other diplomats from Security Council nations and Germany on the sanctions issue. They are also expected to confer with E.U. foreign policy chief Solana before and after his meeting with the Iranian nuclear negotiator Larijani.

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy Thursday signaled the negotiations may be lengthy. He said that while his country deplores Iran's unsatisfactory response to the Security Council demand for an end to uranium enrichment, he remains convinced that the path of dialogue should remain open.

Sphere: Related Content

Bush Launches New Campaign to Gain Support For Iraq War



President Bush is making a new push to boost public support for the war in Iraq, casting it as a crucial component of a broader battle against terror. In a speech to a veteran's group in Salt Lake City, Utah, Mr. Bush intensified a crucial election year debate on his Iraq policy.

George W. Bush
George W. Bush
The president says Iraq is part of a wider war raging between the forces of freedom and Islamic fanaticism.

"When terrorists murder at the World Trade Center, or car bombers strike in Baghdad, or hijackers plot to blow up planes over the Atlantic, or terrorist militias shoot rockets into Israeli towns, they are all pursuing the same objective: to turn back the advance of freedom," said President Bush.

He says this is the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century, and vows America will stand firm against, what he calls, a worldwide network of radicals.

"And the unifying feature of this movement, the link that spans sectarian divisions and local differences, is the rigid conviction that free societies are a threat to their twisted view of Islam," he said.

The president spoke to the annual convention of the American Legion - one of the oldest and largest veterans' groups in the United States.

Many of these men and women served in combat roles in World War II, the Korean conflict and Vietnam. The president drew a link between the enemy they faced, and the enemy of today.

"They are successors to fascists, to Nazis, to communists, and other totalitarians of the 20th century," said Mr. Bush. "And history shows what the outcome will be."

This address to the American Legion was the first in a series of speeches the president will deliver in the days leading up to the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.

White House officials say the anniversary is a good time to remind the American people of the high stakes involved in the war on terror. The reminders are also coming in the weeks before congressional elections in the United States and during a campaign in which the conflict in Iraq is a central issue.

The president has denied that this latest round of speeches on the global war on terror - the third in less than a year - is politically motivated. But in his address in Salt Lake City, he took aim at critics of his policy.

"Some politicians look at our efforts in Iraq and see a diversion from the war on terror," he said. "That would come as news to Osama Bin Laden who proclaimed that the third world war is waging in Iraq."

Mr. Bush said those who are calling for a U.S. military pull-out from Iraq are patriotic but wrong, and he warned of dire consequences should the United States withdraw. He said supporters of Saddam Hussein would join with radicals and armed groups with ties to Iran to turn Iraq into a major base of terrorist operations.

"If we give up the fight in the streets of Baghdad, we will face the terrorists in the streets of our own cities," continued President Bush. "We can decide to stop fighting the terrorists in Iraq and other parts of the world, but they will not decide to stop fighting us."

Aides say Mr. Bush will sound similar themes over the next few weeks, culminating with a speech to the U.N. General Assembly on September 19.


Sphere: Related Content

Beijing magazine publishes controversial pictures

Alice Yan

A Beijing-based entertainment magazine has published controversial pictures of pop star Gillian Chung Yan-tung amid the furore in Hong Kong over whether they should be banned.

The cover of Banana Weekly's latest edition carried several photographs of the Twins pop star taken by a hidden camera and published in Easy Finder magazine in Hong Kong last week.

One Beijing magazine seller said the edition had been selling fast at his booth.

The China News Service quoted a Banana Weekly editor as saying the publication bought the copyright for the photographs from the Hong Kong magazine and did not think it was inappropriate to use them.

"We wrote the report from A Jiao's [Gillian Chung] standpoint ... There is no need to be surprised that these pictures have been published [in our magazine] - they can be found anywhere on the internet," the unnamed editor told the news service.

But Hong Kong's Ming Pao newspaper said Easy Finder had not sold the pictures to any other media outlet. Neither the author of the Banana Weekly story nor the publication's editor could be reached for comment yesterday.

The privacy issue has been widely debated on the internet, with some visitors expressing sympathy for Chung. But others were less concerned about the use of a hidden camera, saying it was not a big deal and "every star should give up his or her own privacy".

Sphere: Related Content

Bin Laden wants to marry Whitney Houston

BEIJING, Aug. 22 (Xinhuanet) -- Al-Qaeda chief and the world's most dreaded terrorist Osama bin Laden had a crush on American singer Whitney Houston and wanted to make her his wife after killing her husband Bobby Brown.

Al-Qaeda chief and the world's most dreaded terrorist Osama bin Laden had a crush on American singer Whitney Houston and wanted to make her his wife after killing her husband Bobby Brown. The suggestion is made by Sudanese poet and novelist Kola Boof, 37, who claims she was bin Laden's sex slave for four months 10 years ago.

Whitney Houston and her husband Bobby Brown
more photos>>

The suggestion is made by Sudanese poet and novelist Kola Boof, 37, who claimed she was bin Laden's sex slave for four months 10 years ago.

In her autobiography Diary of a Lost Girl, excerpted in the magazine Harpers' Bazaar, she writes: "He told me Whitney Houston was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen."

Boof, who claimed bin Laden raped her and held her prisoner in a Moroccan hotel, said he could not stop talking about the songbird, even though he disapproved of music.

"He said that he had a paramount desire for Whitney Houston, and although he claimed music was evil he spoke of someday spending vast amounts of money to go to America and try to arrange a meeting with the superstar."

"It didn't seem impossible to me. He said he wanted to give Whitney Houston a mansion that he owned in a suburb of Khartoum."

"He would say how beautiful she is, what a nice smile she has, how truly Islamic she is but is just brainwashed by American culture and by her husband -- Bobby Brown."

And bin Laden had a plan to deal with that little problem -- he discussed having Brown killed, said Boof.

Boof, who once claimed she had to take her son out of a Los Angeles school after rumours surfaced that bin Laden was his father, also claimed the Al Qaeda mastermind read more than the Koran.

"In his briefcase I would come across photographs of the Star magazine, as well as copies of Playboy," she writes. Enditem

(Agencies)

Editor: Zhu Jin

Sphere: Related Content

Locomotive falls into river after train-mountain crash in northern Thailand

BANGKOK, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The locomotive of a passenger train fell into the Yom river after the train derailed and crashed into a mountain in Thai northern province of Phrae on Thursday night, a local source told Xinhua.b

The accident occurred at about 8:00 p.m. local time (1300 GMT).The driver of the train and an engineman were missing after the accident, while the exact casualties were not available right now, the source said.

The Express 52 train was heading to Bangkok from northern city of Chiang Mai. After the accident, all the passenger carriages with some 100 passengers remained on the rail track and were later tolled to nearby Lam Pang station.

Thai railway authority has confirmed the accident and an official told Thai Radio FM100 that the heavy rain in the area maybe the cause of the accident.

The heavy rain on Thursday caused flooding at the site, which damaged the railt rack by landslide. Local officials have rushed to the scene but the rescue and repair operation has been delayed because of the bad weather, the official said.

Railway authority in Bangkok said the train service from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, which passes Phrae, has been closed temporarily. Enditem

Editor: Luan Shanglin

Sphere: Related Content

Over a dozen trapped in Pakistan hotel collapse

A hotel has collapsed in Pakistan's popular hill resort of Murree with more than a dozen people believed trapped in the rubble, police said.

Army teams with heavy cranes have joined police and the local administration in the rescue operation, and none of the victims have been recovered so far, the local police chief, Sajid Kiyani, told AFP by telephone.

The building was a nine-storey block and the whole structure came down, "trapping some 12-14 people," he said.

Tourists coming to enjoy the scenic beauty of Murree, 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Islamabad, used the hotel, he said.

The building's owner, his wife and daughter were inside.

"His daughter trapped in the rubble called police on her mobile phone and we are in touch with her," Kiyani said.

"We are very hopeful she will be rescued soon," he added.

Two families from the central city of Multan who had hired rooms Wednesday were also in the building when it collapsed before dawn, the officer said.

The hotel was "not fully occupied" as the flow of tourists had declined because schools had reopened after the summer vacation, he said.

Police and army rescue teams are trying to remove rubble and retrieve survivors, he said.

The cause of the collapse was not immediately clear. It came in the wake of frequent heavy rains in northern areas since last month.

More than 200 people have died in monsoon rains this year, most of them in roof collapses in mountainous North West Frontier Province and central Punjab province.

Sphere: Related Content

Italian tourist seized in Niger says not prisoner

DAKAR (Reuters) - An Italian tourist seized by a Saharan rebel group on the border between Niger and Chad told Reuters on Wednesday he was no longer a prisoner but was seeking a safe way to leave the rebels' remote desert hideout.

"I am not a prisoner ... I consider myself free," Claudio Chiodi told Reuters by satellite phone. He said a second Italian tourist taken with him was also safe.

"At this moment the problem is to find a road to leave," he said, adding there were land mines around the rebels' mountain hideout.

Chiodi said members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of the Sahara (FARS) who had been holding him hostage were sitting on carpets around him discussing the best way to ensure the safe release of the two men.

Italian diplomats have been working with Niger's armed forces to try to ensure the release of the two hostages, but their precise location remains unclear and the captors had threatened to kill the tourists if they were attacked.

"These people are guaranteeing our safety. Many people try to catch us, this is the problem," Chiodi said, speaking broken English. He added that Niger's authorities, who have washed their hands of the case, considered him a rebel sympathiser.

Sphere: Related Content

Rain wrecks havoc for second straight day at US Open

AFP


AFP Photo

Rain wrecked the second day of the US Open with only an hour of play possible by the evening.

A three and a half hour delay kept players off court to start the day as heavy showers swept through the New York area and when they did begin hitting balls it was women's top seed Amelie Mauresmo that got the action underway.

The French woman shrugged off the gathering gloom to bolt out into a 4-1 lead against Germany qualifier Kristina Barrios before the skies opened again sending them scurrying for shelter.

They were back 20 minutes later with Mauresmo wrapping up the set 6-1.

But with her right thigh heavily strapped and looking rusty after a long layoff following her Wimbledon triumph in July, the world No.1 started to struggle in the second set and was 5-2 down when the rain came down again.

This time there was no letup as heavier rain poured down and organisers were left with their worst scheduling headache since the bad weather that hit the 2003 tournament.

By 2300 GMT, there was still no sign of the rain relenting and most of the day's scheduled games were called off although play had not yet been abandoned for the day.

In other games that saw the light of day, 2001 champion Lleyton Hewitt, who has struggled all year with injuries, was level 5-5 with Spain's Albert Montanes and French hope Gael Monfils took the first set 6-2 against American qualifier Michael Russell.

Monday's opening day was also hit with a 90 minutes delay at the start of the programme before the players finally managed to get on court.

The bottom half of the women's draw was completed with straight wins for former winners Lindsay Davenport and Justine-Henin Hardenne.

All but eight of the ties in the bottom half of the men's programme were also concluded.

Andre Agassi's four sets win over Andrei Pavel of Romania was the pick of the action, extending his stay in what he has said would be his last tournament before retiring.

He is not due back on court again before Thursday when he will take on rising Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, the eighth seed, for a place in the third round.

Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic was the first top seed to fall, going down in straight sets to Spain's Feliciano Lopez.

Top seed and title-holder Roger Federer was not scheduled to play until Wednesday when he takes on Taiwan's Wang Yeu-Tzuoo in what will be a first meeting between the two.

His main rival on the men's tour, Rafael Nadal of Spain, was one of those who was put on hold on Tuesday.

He will have to hope for a clearing of the skies on Wednesday before opening his campaign against the dangerous former US Open finalist Mark Philippoussis of Australia.

Sphere: Related Content

Rain wrecks havoc for second straight day at US Open

AFP


AFP Photo

Rain wrecked the second day of the US Open with only an hour of play possible by the evening.

A three and a half hour delay kept players off court to start the day as heavy showers swept through the New York area and when they did begin hitting balls it was women's top seed Amelie Mauresmo that got the action underway.

The French woman shrugged off the gathering gloom to bolt out into a 4-1 lead against Germany qualifier Kristina Barrios before the skies opened again sending them scurrying for shelter.

They were back 20 minutes later with Mauresmo wrapping up the set 6-1.

But with her right thigh heavily strapped and looking rusty after a long layoff following her Wimbledon triumph in July, the world No.1 started to struggle in the second set and was 5-2 down when the rain came down again.

This time there was no letup as heavier rain poured down and organisers were left with their worst scheduling headache since the bad weather that hit the 2003 tournament.

By 2300 GMT, there was still no sign of the rain relenting and most of the day's scheduled games were called off although play had not yet been abandoned for the day.

In other games that saw the light of day, 2001 champion Lleyton Hewitt, who has struggled all year with injuries, was level 5-5 with Spain's Albert Montanes and French hope Gael Monfils took the first set 6-2 against American qualifier Michael Russell.

Monday's opening day was also hit with a 90 minutes delay at the start of the programme before the players finally managed to get on court.

The bottom half of the women's draw was completed with straight wins for former winners Lindsay Davenport and Justine-Henin Hardenne.

All but eight of the ties in the bottom half of the men's programme were also concluded.

Andre Agassi's four sets win over Andrei Pavel of Romania was the pick of the action, extending his stay in what he has said would be his last tournament before retiring.

He is not due back on court again before Thursday when he will take on rising Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, the eighth seed, for a place in the third round.

Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic was the first top seed to fall, going down in straight sets to Spain's Feliciano Lopez.

Top seed and title-holder Roger Federer was not scheduled to play until Wednesday when he takes on Taiwan's Wang Yeu-Tzuoo in what will be a first meeting between the two.

His main rival on the men's tour, Rafael Nadal of Spain, was one of those who was put on hold on Tuesday.

He will have to hope for a clearing of the skies on Wednesday before opening his campaign against the dangerous former US Open finalist Mark Philippoussis of Australia.

Sphere: Related Content

Singapore Science Centre redesigns exhibits on Pluto after reclassification

Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE : With Pluto being re-classified as a 'dwarf planet', the Singapore Science Centre is now busy at work to update their exhibits.

Staff at the centre also held a simple ceremony to mark Pluto's new status.

Redefining Pluto's status is not an event that will have much impact on everyday Singaporeans.

But taking Pluto off the celestial chart of planets does affect the way scientific information is presented to them.

With new information being put up, the old Pluto charts are expected to become collector's items.

"I was surprised that the scientists threw away their sentimentality for the planet Pluto and decided to go with something more rational," remarked Dr Chew Tuan Chiong, chief executive of Singapore Science Centre.

As textbooks are being rewritten, the Science Centre is also redesigning its section on Pluto.

Pluto now joins two other heavenly bodies, Ceres and Xena, in their own section of dwarf planets in the solar system.

The science centre says the new definition of Pluto is good for science in general, because it's generating interest.

"It also shows that it's important to allow science to take its course because nothing is certain. What is considered to be cast in stone, such as there being 9 planets or more, can suddenly be redefined. And even serious science can be subject to change," said Dr Chew.

With the solar system re-arranged, the science centre will continue its mission of education the public.

Its astronomy programmes such as the weekly observatory sessions and school visits will of course incorporate updated information on Pluto.

Sphere: Related Content

Rice Says Premature US Iraq Pullout Would Cause Immeasurable Harm





Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told a war veterans group Tuesday that a premature U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq would cause immeasurable harm to U.S. interests. Domestic political pressure for at least a timetable for removing troops has been mounting with the approach of elections in November.

Condoleezza Rice at the American Legion convention
Condoleezza Rice at the American Legion convention
The Bush administration is using the conservative-leaning veterans group, the American Legion, to mount a defense of its Iraq policy, amid growing calls for a withdrawal timetable from opposition Democrats and even some Republicans in the run-up to the November congressional elections.

Addressing the organization's annual convention in Salt Lake City, Utah, Secretary Rice insisted the joint crackdown by Iraqi and U.S. forces against sectarian violence in Baghdad is showing some success, as are so-called clear, hold and build security operations in outlying areas.

The Bush administration has resisted setting any withdrawal schedule before Iraqi forces are able to handle security on their own. Rice told the veterans the strategy can and will succeed, and warned that if the United States quits before the job is done, the cost of failure will be, in her words, "severe, indeed immeasurable":

"If we abandon the Iraqi people before their government is strong enough to secure the country, then we will show reformers across the region that America cannot be trusted to keep its word," said Condoleezza Rice. "We will embolden extremists, enemies of moderation and of democratic reform. We will leave the makings of a failed state in Iraq like that one in Afghanistan in the 1990's which became the base for al-Qaida and the launching pad for the September 11th hijackers."

Rice said that terrorists in Iraq, if they are not defeated, would continue to attack U.S. interests, which is why, she said, President Bush has called Iraq a central front in the war on terrorism.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld addressed the American Legion gathering earlier Tuesday and President Bush is scheduled to speak there later in the week.

In his remarks, Rumsfeld said the world faces what he termed a new type of fascism in Islamic extremism and likened critics of U.S. war strategy to those who tried to appease Hitler's Germany before the Second World War.

The defense chief questioned whether today's extremists can be appeased, and portrayed administration critics as suffering from moral or intellectual confusion.

The Rumsfeld remarks drew quick condemnation from leading Democrats. Senator Jack Reid said he took particular offense to Rumsfeld's suggestion that his critics are unpatriotic, and called the Secretary's address a political rant to cover up his own incompetence.

Sphere: Related Content

1 dead, 13 injured in hit-and-run spree

JULIANA BARBASSA,

Associated Press Writer

The driver of a sport utility vehicle plowed across sidewalks and crosswalks throughout the city Tuesday, killing one man and injuring at least 13 people in a series of attacks on pedestrians and motorists, police said.

The man struck people in 12 locations until police surrounded him with squad cars, authorities said.

The spree began around noon in Fremont, where a man walking along the side of the road was hit by an SUV. He was thrown into a field and killed, police Sgt. Chris Mazzone said.

Witnesses said the driver did not slow down.

The driver then crossed the bay into San Francisco, where he injured at least 13 people during a 20-minute hit-and-run spree, police said.

The victims were taken to three hospitals. One was in critical condition.

The rampage ended when police arrested the man in the Presidio Heights district. The black SUV was still in the middle of the street an hour later, its front end and windshield smashed in.

"These are the things, these are so senseless," Mayor Gavin Newsom said after meeting with victims and their families. "They're utterly inexplicable. They're impossible to rationalize."

The driver's name was not immediately released, but state motor vehicle records show the license plate on the SUV registered to Omeed A. Popal of Fremont.

An aide to the mayor, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the open investigation, said Popal was the suspect in custody. Court and property records list Popal's age as 29.

A woman who identified herself as his cousin said he was having recurring nightmares about someone coming to kill him and had been taking medication.

"He thought the devil was coming to him," said Zargona Ramish, who went to the family's home Tuesday afternoon while Popal's relatives were speaking with police. "He is a very good person. He is not like that. What's wrong with him?"

The mayhem left a trail of debris on sidewalks and streets. White sheets covered a bloodstained patch of concrete. A broken pair of eyeglasses lay in the middle of the road. And a lone running shoe sat on the asphalt cordoned off by yellow tape.

No weapons were found on the suspect, though the car had not been searched, said Sgt. Neville Gittens. There was no information on whether drugs or alcohol were involved, and it was unclear how fast he was driving, he said.

"It was very chaotic," Gittens said.

Daniel Fulford, a bartender at Frankie's Bohemian Cafe, was tending to customers when he heard tires screeching and saw the black SUV careening around a corner.

"I heard his tires," he said. "Then I heard a couple of thuds. I looked out and saw a couple of people lying in the middle of the street. They were just pedestrians walking."

As bystanders began gathering around the victims, the SUV came back around, swerving and knocking over newspaper boxes on the sidewalk, Fulford said.

"Everybody started freaking out, getting out of the street," he said. "That car was like a weapon. He could have come right at us."

Sphere: Related Content

NTSB: Lexiington controller had turned back

JEFFREY McMURRAY,

Associated Press Writer

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The lone air traffic controller on duty the morning Comair Flight 5181 crashed cleared the jet for takeoff, then turned his back to do some "administrative duties" as the aircraft veered down the wrong runway, a federal investigator said Tuesday.


The jet stuggled to get airborne and crashed in a field after taking off Sunday from a 3,500-foot runway instead of an adjoining one that was twice as long. Experts said the plane needed at least 5,000 feet for takeoff.

The air traffic controller had an unobstructed view of the runways and had cleared the aircraft for takeoff from the longer runway, said

National Transportation Safety Board" type="hidden"> SEARCH
News | News Photos | Images | Web

" type="hidden">

National Transportation Safety Board member Debbie Hersman.

Then, "he turned his back to perform administrative duties," Hersman said. "At that point, he was doing a traffic count."

Earlier Tuesday, the

Federal Aviation Administration
" type="hidden"> SEARCH
News | News Photos | Images | Web

" type="hidden">

Federal Aviation Administration acknowledged violating its owns policies when it assigned only one controller to the airport tower that morning. The policy is outlined in a 2005 directive requiring that control tower observations and radar approach operations be handled separately.

FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said the controler had to do his own job — keeping track of airplanes on the ground and in the air up to a few miles away — as well as radar duties.

The controller had been working at the Lexington airport for 17 years and was fully qualified, Hersman said.

Polehinke was flying the plane, but it was the flight's captain, Jeffrey Clay, who taxied the aircraft onto the wrong runway, Hersman said. Clay then turned over the controls to Polehinke for takeoff, the investigator said.

Polehinke was pulled from the burning plane after the crash but has not been able to tell investigators why the pilots tried to take off from the wrong runway.

Both crew members were familiar with the Lexington airport, according to Hersman. She said Clay had been there six times in the past two years, and Polehinke had been there 10 times in the past two years — but neither had been to the airport since a taxiway repaving project just a week earlier that had altered the taxiway route.

Sphere: Related Content

The Violent Underground

Kevin Sites,

The tunnels of Cu Chi played a critical role in North Vietnam’s war effort, and were possibly an inspiration for Hezbollah's bunker system. Today, they are a tourist draw.

Editor's note: Though Vietnam is not an active conflict, Kevin Sites in the Hot Zone believes it is important to examine the impact of the Vietnam War. In this series, we'll feature the perspective of civilians and soldiers, Vietnamese and Americans, to reflect on Vietnam's past and present.

CU CHI, Vietnam - When U.S. troops first deployed in large numbers to Vietnam in the mid-1960s, one of the first steps of the Army's 25th Division was to build a large base in the Cu Chi District.

They hoped to counter the strength and influence of the Viet Cong or VC (Vietnamese communists allied with the north) in the region, who were in easy striking distance of Saigon only 60 kilometers away.

But it wasn't until many weeks later that the Army realized they had built the camp on top of part of the Viet Cong's underground tunnel network — allowing VC to pop up from camouflaged hatches inside the American perimeter and attack them while they slept. It was if they had set up their tents on the mounds of stinging ants.

Video

At Cu Chi, visitors can explore the Viet Cong tunnels. » View

Having difficulty finding and fighting the VC in their elaborate tunnel network that spider-webbed through the countryside for 200 kilometers, the U.S. began using chemicals like the infamous herbicide, Agent Orange, to defoliate the area.

When that failed, they began sending soldiers called "tunnel rats" into the underground network to find and destroy the VC, but more often than not, it was the tunnel rats who ended up dead.

Toward the end of the 1960s the U.S. carpet-bombed the region with B-52s, destroying almost everything in the district — including most of the tunnels. By that time it was too late. The tunnels had already done their job, including helping to facilitate the 1968 Tet Offensive, which many historians believe turned the tide of the war.

But the legacy of the tunnels has not just been relegated to the history books. Intelligence analysts familiar with the military tactics of Hezbollah say the guerrilla group studied the VC tunnel network in creating their own bunker system in south Lebanon and used it successfully against the

Israel
" type="hidden"> SEARCH
News | News Photos | Images | Web

" type="hidden">

Israel Defense Forces during the recent conflict.

Today, the tunnels of Cu Chi have become one of the most popular tourist destinations near Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon).

A tourist brochure inviting visitors to the site reads, "in order that you understand how arduous and protracted the struggle was, and to understand our profound aspiration for peace, independence, happiness and living a comfortable life forever."

Guides, clad in the VC's black "pajamas" and traditional conical straw hats, escort more than 400 visitors through the grounds each day, beginning with a viewing of an old black and white propaganda film — a North Vietnamese version of the newsreel, extolling the exploits of the VC fighters who used the tunnels.

In a classroom setting, the guides explain the history of the tunnels and how they were built over a period of 25 years, beginning in the late 1940s by the Viet Minh, the rebel army fighting French colonialism in Vietnam.

The early tunnels were simply bunkers hewn out of the hard red clay, with picks and straw baskets to remove the soil. The VC repaired and expanded the tunnels in an effort to fight a technically superior military force during the "American War."

They are a marvel of engineering, weaving underground for several stories and linking together living, dining and meeting areas, as well as weapons factories and subterranean hospitals, complete with operating rooms.

But perhaps their most significant function was to allow the VC to coordinate their operations in the south, both by utilizing surprise attacks then disappearing underground, while also inserting agents and saboteurs into the south.

Because of their strategic value, the entrances to the tunnels were well-protected both by camouflage and booby traps.

Photos

Guides explain the intricacy of the Cu Chi tunnels and some of the Viet Cong's booby traps.» View

A tour guide nicknamed Jackie (because he looks like Jackie Chan, he says) pulls up the lid of one of the well-concealed wooden hatches to a small hideaway. It fits perfectly flush with a square-framed box, sealing out rain water. Surprisingly, when Jackie kicks dirt and leaves over the top, it disappears.

"When the U.S. soldier opens," he says, "it is very narrow, he cannot enter."

Jackie invites people on the tour to try and fit down the hole. One man from Ireland removes everything in his pockets but still can't get his hips through the opening.

Next Jackie shows the group a series of primitive but effective booby traps designed to stop the tunnel rats and search dogs the U.S. Army set down into the systems.

The largest is the size of a door and is a variation on a Vietnamese tiger trap. The door is suspended on an axle through its center. Jackie steps on one end of the door which gives way, spinning on its axle, allowing the unfortunate soldier to fall several feet below onto a deadly bed of sharpened bamboo stakes. The tour group flinches as the spikes are revealed in what's clear would be a particularly gruesome death in an agonizing, immobilizing trap.

Continuing on the dirt path, Jackie leads the group past the remains of an American tank, its main gun drooping to one side. He stops for a moment to allow people to take pictures.

At another stop he demonstrates a series of smaller but no less debilitating booby traps, including one that gives the men in group an uncomfortable moment of contemplating its emasculating consequences.

It's an entrance booby trap; a rake of wooden spikes that swings down on a hinge from the top of a doorway if soldiers tried to force entry. But the rake is double-jointed with a second hinge.

"So if soldiers tried to stop it like this," says Jackie, grabbing the rake staff to stop its momentum, "the second hinge would continue up." He shows the second set of spikes landing in the region of his groin.

I ask him how the VC didn't fall prey to their own booby traps.

"They knew them very well," he says, "but also they would only set them when Americans or their collaborators were in the area."

Finally, we get a chance to experience what it was like to move through the tunnel system itself. Jackie shows us into an entrance enlarged for tourists. Those who want can enter the tunnels and emerge 15 minutes and a few hundred feet away.

These tunnels at Cu Chi are not for the claustrophobic. The passageways are hot, dark and tiny, a little more than 3 feet high and 2 feet across. With all my camera gear, I can only negotiate it crawling on my hands and knees. There are a few dim lights along the way, which illuminate only a few feet of the tunnels. Once you pass them you are moving in almost total darkness. Emerging near the end, dirty and drenched in sweat from the crawl, I wonder how anyone could have spent months in the tunnels when even a few minutes seems a difficult ordeal.

The tour ends at a shooting range. Visitors are offered a chance to fire some of the some weapons used by both American and Viet Cong forces for $1.60 a bullet. Everything from Kalashnikov rifles to M-60 machine guns are available.

Some tourists find the finale disappointing.

"We expected it to be about the ingenious ways used to escape detection," says Nicky Ashby, 26, from London. "But instead, it's more about techniques of torture with all the booby traps."

Tourists at the Cu Chi tunnels

"It seems to me like it's celebrating the violence rather than the idea of their perseverance," says another, who doesn't want to be identified. "As a tourist attraction, ending with the guns is a little crude."

But regardless of whether all customers leave satisfied or not, the tunnels are a significant historical landmark, as well as a big tourist draw for Vietnam today.

And despite their strategic value to the North Vietnamese war effort, they also signify the sacrifice of those committed to that cause. Of the 16,000 VC that lived in and fought from the tunnels, only 6,000 survived the war.

Sphere: Related Content

Dozens killed in Iraq oil blast


Scene of oil pipeline blast, Iraq
The oil pipeline explosion caused a huge fire

At least 34 people have been killed and others injured by an explosion at a disused oil pipeline in southern Iraq.

A police spokesman said people had been siphoning fuel from the pipeline in an industrial zone south of Diwaniya, 130km (80 miles) south of Baghdad.

The explosion caused a massive fire, which police said was hampering the rescue effort.

In a separate development, police found more than 20 bodies at two sites in Baghdad. All the victims had been shot.

There are conflicting reports on the number of dead in the pipeline explosion. A unnamed police source quoted by Reuters news agency said 50 people had been killed.

Police and other security forces have cordoned off the site. Officials say the cause of the blast is still being investigated.

Iraq map

Witnesses told Reuters the explosion happened at about 11pm local time (1900 GMT) on Monday, when a large group of people were taking fuel from two pools.

Government officials said the pipeline, which used to carry petrol to the capital, had been out of operation since 2003.

The BBC's Mike Wooldridge in Baghdad says the practice of siphoning fuel from pipelines is apparently not uncommon in Iraq.

Diwaniya was the scene on Monday of fierce clashes between Iraqi troops and Shia militiamen.

At least 19 soldiers were killed and more than 40 people were wounded in Diwaniya. Officials said some 40 gunmen from the Mehdi Army had also died.

Security operation

After the bodies were found in Baghdad, police said the victims had been bound and shot, and some bore signs of torture. Their identities are not known.

Eleven of the bodies were found near a school in a south-western district of the capital. At least 10 other bodies were dumped behind a Shia mosque in the west of the city.

The deaths come at a time when US and Iraqi security forces are engaged in a new security operation aimed at reducing the level of violence in the city.

Also on Tuesday, insurgents killed two Shia militiamen in the city of Baquba north of Baghdad.

Iraqi police told the AFP news agency the militiamen were killed in an attack on the office of radical cleric Moqtada Sadr.

The US military in Iraq announced on Tuesday that two US soldiers died in Iraq - one in fighting in Anbar province and the second from injuries sustained in a vehicle accident.

Sphere: Related Content

Italian Troops Begin Journey to Lebanon





29 August 2006



A naval task force with the first 1,000 Italian troops set sail for Lebanon Tuesday following a farewell ceremony in the waters off the southern coast of Italy. Up to 2,500 Italian troops will be deployed as part of the U.N. mission in Lebanon before the end of the year.

A woman holding her baby waves to Soldiers aboard of the Italian Navy ship San Giorgio leaving for Lebanon
A woman holding her baby waves to soldiers aboard of the Italian Navy ship San Giorgio leaving for Lebanon
A farewell ceremony for the first contingent of Italian troops headed to Lebanon as part of the U.N. peacekeeping mission was held Tuesday aboard the flagship of the Italian navy, the Garibaldi aircraft carrier.

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi and Defense Minister Arturo Parisi were flown aboard the aircraft carrier in the waters off the southern Italian port city of Brindisi.

The defense minister told the troops this is no doubt among the most delicate and demanding missions since the end of World War II. He said it would be a long, risky, costly and difficult mission. But, he added, this was a necessary United Nations deployment to stabilize the area.

Prime Minister Prodi said Italy, Europe and the international community could not tolerate another crisis in such a vital area as the Mediterranean. Since the center-left took power in Italy in the spring, Prodi's government has focused on increasing its role in the Mediterranean and said Europe needs to pay more attention to the Middle East.

Italy has taken a leading role in Lebanon pledging the largest contingent of any country with 2,500 men for the U.N. mission and agreeing to lead the peacekeepers on the ground from February. The government has attracted wide support for the deployment in Lebanon even from leftists and peace activists.

Italians see the mission as very different from the troop deployment in Iraq. Some see soldiers in Lebanon as necessary to stop Israeli aggression. Others see it as a necessary step to stop the violence and extremism of Hezbollah.

Addressing the troops, Mr. Prodi said Tuesday Italians would follow the work of the soldiers with pride and trust, because although they are carrying weapons, they are going to Lebanon exclusively to bring peace.

The naval task force that set sail from Italy's southern coast consisted in four navy ships and an aircraft carrier. The troops are expected to disembark starting Friday at the Lebanese port of Naqoura. Navy officials said that initially the ground troops would be deployed in the region of Tyre.

emailme.gif

Sphere: Related Content

Israel aims to end siege 'soon'


Israeli naval officer watches passenger ferry off Beirut - 18 July
Israel has maintained its air and sea blockade for weeks
Israel hopes to lift its air and sea blockade of Lebanon soon, Defence Minister Amir Peretz has told UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Mr Annan has made clear that he intends to press for an end to the blockade throughout his 24-hour visit to Israel.

He flew to Tel Aviv by helicopter after witnessing the scenes of devastation in south Lebanon wrought during a month of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

Mr Annan's regional tour is aimed at bolstering the two-week-old truce.

Before leaving Lebanon, Mr Annan described the embargo as "a humiliation and an infringement on [Lebanese] their sovereignty".

The issue was among the key points raised at his meeting with Mr Peretz, his first with a senior politician after arriving in Israel.

Mr Peretz did not specify what conditions would have to be in place before Israel lifted the blockade, but the government has previously made clear its concerns about the possible rearming of Hezbollah would have to be addressed first.

Embattled leaders

Mr Annan will have talks on Wednesday with embattled Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who - along with Mr Peretz - has been heavily criticised over the way the military action was conducted.

Kofi Annan meets Karnit Goldwasser, wife of captured soldier Ehud Goldwasser
Kofi Annan met families of the captured Israeli soldiers

He also held a meeting on Tuesday with the families of the two soldiers whose capture sparked the crisis.

Mr Annan has urged Hezbollah to free the men speedily.

The BBC's Matthew Price in Jerusalem says that it is highly unusual to see the UN chief in Israel - with several Security Council resolutions outstanding against it - and many Israelis view the organisation with suspicion.

But put simply, Israel currently needs the UN, he says.

Mr Olmert's only hope of regaining public support is a secure northern border - and that can only happen through the UN force, our correspondent says.

Before leaving Lebanon for Israel, Mr Annan met Lebanese leaders to discuss the force, which is to be expanded from 2,000 to 15,000.

He later flew by helicopter from Beirut to the UN peacekeepers' headquarters in the southern port of Naqoura, in an area still occupied by Israeli troops and tanks.

There he reviewed an honour guard of UN troops on the lawn of the white-walled UN compound.

After about two-and-a-half hours, Mr Annan set off on an airborne tour of some of the areas in southern Lebanon most heavily bombarded by Israel during the 34-day conflict.

After visiting Israel, Mr Annan will travel on to Iran and Syria, countries with close links to Hezbollah.

Sphere: Related Content

Guilty of DWC — Woman teaching her dog how to drive

Who could have expected it? Car crashes when woman lets dog take wheel

AP BEIJING - You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

A woman in Hohhot, the capital of north China's Inner Mongolia region, crashed her car while giving her dog a driving lesson, the official Xinhua News Agency said Monday.

No injuries were reported, although the vehicles involved were slightly damaged, it said.
The woman, identified only be her surname, Li, said her dog "was fond of crouching on the steering wheel and often watched her drive," according to Xinhua.

"She thought she would let the dog 'have a try' while she operated the accelerator and brake," the report said. "They did not make it far before crashing into an oncoming car."

Xinhua did not say what kind of dog or vehicles were involved, but Li paid for repairs.

© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Sphere: Related Content

US Calls Iranian Nuclear Defiance Disappointing






The United States said Monday Iran's apparent intention to defy the U.N. Security Council on its nuclear program is disappointing, and that it expects the world community to follow through with sanctions against Tehran. The Security Council's deadline for Iran to stop reprocessing uranium and return to negotiations over its nuclear program is Thursday.

Officials here appear to be holding out no hope that Iran will reconsider its defiance of the Security Council before the deadline, and they say consultations on how the international community will respond are already under way.

Major world powers offered Iran a package of economic and political incentives in June for it to end uranium enrichment and other sensitive activities and return to negotiations about its nuclear intentions.

That offer was backed up by a Security Council resolution last month giving it until August 31 to respond positively or face sanctions.

Iran said last week it was prepared to have serious talks on the issue but would not suspend enrichment which it contends is a sovereign right.

In talk with reporters here, State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said it is disappointing that Iran has chosen the path of defiance not only of the Security Council but also the five permanent council member countries and Germany who presented the so-called carrots and sticks offer to Tehran nearly three months ago.

Sean McCormack
Sean McCormack
McCormack said that Iran is being asked for nothing more than the good-faith gesture of suspending enrichment as the price of admission to further negotiations:

"Let's be clear what is being asked of them by the international community," said Sean McCormack. "It is only to suspend their enrichment and reprocessing related activities in exchange for the beginning of negotiations and the suspension of activity and action in the Security Council. So that's what's being asked of them. Not to provide a final answer to the package that has been laid before them, which is a very attractive proposal. But only to begin negotiations."

McCormack said the demand that Iran stop enrichment is only reasonable, and that without such a commitment it could indefinitely drag out negotiations while continuing what U.S. officials believe is a covert nuclear weapons program.

The spokesman said U.S. concerns about Iran's intentions were only increased by its announcement Saturday it is opening a heavy-water reactor, which he said could be used to develop a plutonium-based nuclear weapon in addition to the uranium weapons project it is suspected of having.

Under questioning, the spokesman downplayed reported Russian reluctance to support U.N. sanctions against Iran, saying the United States expects all Security Council members to live up to what they agreed to in last month's resolution.

But he also said the United States and like-minded countries will be free to impose financial sanctions against Iran outside the U.N. framework and that active conversations on that track have been under way for some time.

He provided no specifics but suggested that Iran's economy - almost entirely based on oil exports - might be especially vulnerable to trade curbs imposed by multi-lateral and private financial institutions.

On another matter, McCormack confirmed that the Bush administration has decided to grant a U.S. visa to former Iranian President Mohamad Khatami, who has been invited to speak next month at a multi-faith seminar at Washington's National Cathedral.

Khatami, considered a moderate among Iranian religious leaders, had been an advocate of dialogue with the United States during his term in office which ended last year.

He would be the most senior Iranian figure to visit Washington since Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution and the takeover of the U.S. embassy in Tehran that led to the break in bilateral ties that continues today.

Sphere: Related Content

US Official Says Iran is 'Central Banker of Terror'



29 August 2006


A U.S. anti-terrorism official says Iran is providing money to finance terrorism carried out by the militant group Hezbollah - calling the country quote - "the central banker of terror".

Stuart Levey
Stuart Levey
In an interview with the Associated Press Monday, Stuart Levey said Iran is a country that has terrorism as part of its budget.

Levey - the U.S. Under-Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism - spoke as Iran faces a Thursday, August 31 U.N. deadline to stop enriching uranium or face possible sanctions.

Separately, the United States confirmed it will issue a visa to former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, who has been invited to speak next month at a multi-faith seminar in Washington.

Khatami, considered a moderate among Iranian religious leaders, had advocated dialogue with the U.S. during his term in office, which ended last year.

The U.S. and other Western nations accuse Tehran of secretly trying to build nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is for generating electricity.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

Sphere: Related Content

Mercy killing -Doctor to be probed in brain-dead patient case



An investigation has been ordered into the circumstances surrounding the removal yesterday of a patient from a ventilator at the San Fernando General Hospital which was said to be in breach of the established protocol for the diagnosis of brain stem death.

Imtiaz Ahamad, chairman of the Southwest Regional Health Authority, which is responsible for the San Fernando General Hospital, has called for written reports from doctors in the Accident and Emergency Department as well as the anaesthetist who took the patient off the ventilator and other medical personnel connected to the incident.

Abraham Knut, 56, of Princes Town, was removed from a ventilator at the Accident and Emergency Department which had kept him alive for 48 hours.

His wife Seeta and her four children were present when he was removed from the ventilator.

Hospital authorities are concerned that although Knut appeared to be brain dead, the doctors did not follow the established protocol to deal with brain stem death which was set by the Ministry of Health in January 1999.

Dr Anand Chatoorgoon, the anaesthetist who removed the patient from the ventilator said yesterday: "Ever since the patient came to the Accident and Emergency Department on Saturday we tried unsuccessfully to get the opinion or presence of a registrar in the department of medicine but we failed."

Chatoorgoon said he did not know if Knut's relatives were aware of the established procedure in dealing with brain stem death.

Knut was taken off the ventilator around 4.40 p.m. yesterday and declared dead.

Knut went to the hospital on Saturday afternoon with intra-cerebral bleeding (a burst blood vessel in his head) and was placed on a ventilator in the Accident and Emergency Department.

Two doctors diagnosed him as brain dead and later removed him from the ventilator without the opinion of a specialist trained in internal medicine.

The protocol for the diagnosis of brain stem death as approved by the Ministry of Health calls for "two doctors to perform the clinical tests. One of (them) must have no part in the clinical management of the case," states the protocol.

The doctor will be chosen from a list maintained by the Medical Chief of Staff.

Four sets of tests have to be conducted by each doctor and testing should not commence until at least 24 hours after the onset of coma.

The second set of tests is carried out 24 hours after the first and the time of death is recorded as that at the completion of the second set of tests.

The protocol also calls for dialogue with the relatives.

"At all times the patient's condition must be discussed with the relatives."

The protocol came into force following the "pulling of the plug" by an anaesthetist in 1998 at the San Fernando General Hospital involving a patient, Joseph Dwarika, of Siparia.

C Pallis writing on Brain stem death - The evolution of a Concept defined the condition as "when the brain as a whole cannot function and if the brain has permanently lost the ability to function, the individual is dead".

The Express learnt that a meeting between the Medical Director attached to the Southwest Regional Health Authority, Dr Albert Persad, and the heads of department will take place on Wednesday regarding the adherence to established protocols by the Ministry of Health.

Sphere: Related Content

Tanya Stephens sues Lil' Kim


Observer Reporter


Tanya Stephens

Having just completed a sentence for a criminal offence, US rapper Lil' Kim now faces a civil action on a different matter, with Jamaican dancehall artiste Tanya Stephens at the centre.

Stephens claims in a suit filed in Manhattan federal court last week that Kim stole the lyrics from one of her songs, Mi And Mi God after flying her [Stephens] to New York, asking her to sing on one of her albums and belting out by heart the very song she pilfered to show what a big fan she was of Stephens, according to the suit.

Stephens and her representatives from the Royalty Network were shocked when they first listened to Lil' Kim's late-2005 album, The Naked Truth.

Lil' Kim

The lyrics of Kim's track Durty are said to match almost word for word with Stephens' Mi and Mi God recorded in Jamaica and released in 1997, on Stephens' album, Too Hype.

The Brooklyn-born Kim, aka Kimberly Jones, even sings the tune with a West Indian accent, the suit alleges. It further claims that the lyrics are so duplicative that Stephens is claiming she should own the song and receive all past and future royalties.

Kim reached out to Stephens in 1999 and flew her up to have her sing on one of her albums. She gushed over Stephens when they met in the New York recording studio, telling her that she was a "big fan" and that she owned several of the reggae artiste's albums, the suit says. Kim even sang her favourite Stephens song, which she knew by heart. It was Mi and Mi God, according to the lawsuit. Stephens then sang with Kim, but the vocals never made the album.

Lil' Kim's lawyer and agent are yet to comment on the suit, which was reported in the New York Post newspaper.
Stephens, 33, who played Radio City Music Hall last year, sings in a patchwork style of reggae, dancehall and R&B.

"It's about women's empowerment," said Andrew Henton, her manager in Jamaica. "She sings about sex, but not in a raunchy way. It's more thought-provoking, more political. I wouldn't say it's like Lil' Kim."

If anything, she rejects the rapper's sexy sales pitch. "I'm not a prude, and I'm not intimidated by sex or nakedness," Stephens told a British publication this month. "In fact, I find some of it appealing. But I don't feel that a marketing company needs to use sex to sell me a pack of flour! It's not relevant, 'cos I'm not making any sexy dumplings!"

The Naked Truth shot to No 3 on the hip-hop charts and rose to No 6 on the Billboard chart. It was nominated for album of the year for the BET Awards. Stephens' latest, Rebelution, (see review in this section) was recently released.

This latest legal predicament comes after Kim was released from a federal prison in Philadelphia on July 3. She had served 10 months for lying to a grand jury about a shooting incident that erupted outside radio station Hot 97 in lower Manhattan when her posse clashed with that of rapper Foxy Brown. Kim completed house arrest on August 3.

Sphere: Related Content

UN Chief Satisfied Lebanon Implementing Ceasefire Resolution





28 August 2006


Kofi Annan arrives in Beirut, Monday
Kofi Annan arrives in Beirut, Monday
After a meeting with the Lebanese Prime Minister and other top officials, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan says he is satisfied Lebanon is committed to the U.N. resolution that halted more than a month of fighting between Hezbollah militants and Israel. The U.N. chief began a tour of the Middle East in Beirut.

Mr. Annan says the August 14 ceasefire has been holding remarkably well, but he warned full implementation of the U.N. resolution that ended the fighting is necessary.

"Without the full implementation of Resolution 1701, I feel the risk is great for a renewal of hostilities," said Kofi Annan.

Interactive Map of UN Peacekeepers in Lebanon
Interactive Map of UN Peacekeepers in Lebanon
He reiterated the importance of the Lebanese government extending its control to south Lebanon, and said only the army and UNIFIL forces should have weapons.

"In Lebanon, there should be, as we all have agreed, one law; one authority; one gun," he said.

Mr. Annan goes to Israel on Tuesday, and said he will ask the government there to lift its six-week air, land, and sea blockade of Lebanon. Israel says the blockade is keeping new weapons from reaching Hezbollah terrorists; the Lebanese say it is choking their economy and causing humanitarian suffering.

"We are working for the lifting of the siege, and I have been discussing it with the Israeli authorities and other international partners, and I will discuss it when I am in Israel tomorrow," said U.N. Secretary-General. "And I would hope to see some movement on that in the not too distant future. I hope we will have some positive news."

Mr. Annan said he also expects a solution soon to the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah fighters, who triggered the month-long war with a cross border raid that also killed several Israeli soldiers.

European nations have committed nearly 9,000 troops to the U.N. force in south Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, and Mr. Annan says he expects the first phase of 3,500 troops to arrive very soon. A small contingent of French soldiers has already arrived in the country.

Mr. Annan says he expects Islamic countries to contribute troops to UNIFIL. Israel says it does not want Muslim countries to participate if they do not have diplomatic relations with Jerusalem. Malaysia and Indonesia have volunteered to take part but do not have diplomatic ties with Israel.

Kofi Annan (l) and Lebanon's Prime Minister Fuad Siniora
Kofi Annan (l) and Lebanon's Prime Minister Fuad Siniora
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora says he fully supports the U.N. resolution.

"Lebanon as well is committed that its army of 15,000 - strong will be deployed in the south, and we are very keen on our full control of our borders," said Fuad Siniora.

Israel has called for the UNIFIL force to deploy along the Lebanese-Syrian border, but Mr. Annan and Mr. Siniora said there are no plans for such a deployment. The Lebanese army will be responsible for security along the border and prevention of arms smuggling.

Mr. Annan said he hopes neighboring states will fully cooperate in resolving issues related to the borders. He said he would take this up during his tour of the region. He goes to Syria on Thursday.

After his meetings, Mr. Annan toured the southern Shiite suburbs of Beirut that sustained heavy damage during 34 days of Israeli airstrikes. He also paid a visit to the grave of slain former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The United Nations is leading an investigation into who is responsible for the car bomb attack that killed the former Lebanese leader in 2004.

Sphere: Related Content