Israel
Kills Hamas Activist,
Seals Off Palestinian
Territories
Islam Online, April
16, 2003
Israeli occupation
forces thrust into
Palestinian-ruled
areas and abducted
a number of civilians
-- OCCUPIED JERUSALEM,
April 16 (IslamOnline.net
& News Agencies)
– Israeli occupation
forces gunned down
Wednesday, April 16,
a Hamas activist near
the West Bank town
of al-Khalil (Hebron)
and completely sealed
off the Palestinian
territories for fear
of attacks during
the Passover holidays.
IOF
Seal off the Occupied
Palestinian Territory
Palestine Media Center,
April 16, 2003
Palestinian Killed
in Renewed Israeli
Aggression
-- April 16, 2003
- Israeli Occupation
Forces (IOF) killed
a Palestinian man
on Wednesday near
the southern West
Bank town of Hebron
hours after the Jewish
state announced a
strict closure on
the Palestinian territory,
thus confining thousands
of Palestinians to
their cities and villages.
Breaking
News: Palestinian
Civilian Succumbs
to IOF-Inflicted Wounds
International Press
Center, April 16,
2003
21:00—Palestinian
medical sources in
Gaza said Palestinian
civilian, Adham Al-Katari,
died of wounds he
sustained after being
shot in the chest
and the abdomen by
Israeli occupation
forces in Gaza two
months ago.
One
More Palestinian Civilian
Dies of Wounds
International Press
Center, April 16,
2003
GAZA, April 16, 2003,
(IPC)--One Palestinian
civilian died Wednesday
of wounds he sustained
last month after being
injured in an Israeli
raid on the Al-Zaitoon
neighborhood east
of Gaza City,
Palestinian medical
sources said. Mohammed
Totah, 21, died after
one week of suffering
from critical wounds
sustained after being
injured with shrapnel
of an Israeli missile
shot by helicopter
on the 8th of the
current April, Dr.
Abu Hassanain, Director
General of emergency
services in Shifa
hospital in Gaza said.
US
Activist: Matter not
closed
News24, April 16,
2003
Washington - The United
States on Tuesday
registered dissatisfaction
with an Israeli military
probe into the death
of a US peace activist
who was crushed last
month by an army bulldozer
while trying to prevent
the destruction of
Palestinian houses...."We
do not consider this
matter closed with
the reception of the
internal IDF report,"
[a department spokesperson]
said. "We are going
to press for a full
and transparent investigation."
UN
Human Right Commission
Decries Israeli Mass
killing Against the
Palestinians, and
affirm the Palestinian
right to resist
International Press
Center, April 16,
2003
United Nation, 16,
April, 2003, (IPC+Agencies)
- UN commission on
Human Rights adopted
Tuesday a resolution
strongly condemned
the war launched by
the Israeli army against
the Palestinian towns
and camps which had
so resulted in the
deaths of hundreds
of Palestinians, including
women and children;
and the practice of
“liquidation”
or “extrajudicial
executions”
carried out by the
Israeli army against
Palestinians.
Freeze
on settlements is
non-negotiable, insists
Powell
Sydney Morning Herald,
April 17 2003
The United States
Secretary of State,
Colin Powell, has
said the long-awaited
"road map" for Middle
East peace will be
published soon without
any changes, despite
concerns expressed
by Israel.
Road
map talks fail to
yield accord
Haaretz, April 16,
2003
Meetings in Washington
between the prime
minister's bureau
chief Dov Weisglass
and U.S. administration
officials on the road
map, ended without
any agreements yesterday.
PLO
Warns Against Changing
‘Roadmap,’
Calls for Arab Meeting
Palestine Media Center,
April 16, 2003
Powell: Freezing Israeli
Settlement Non-negotiable
-- April 16, 2003
- The Palestine Liberation
Organization (PLO)
on Tuesday warned
against any changes
to the internationally-adopted
“roadmap”
to peace in the Middle
East and called for
an Arab meeting on
the highest level
to discuss the latest
regional developments,
as the US reiterated
that the “roadmap”
would not be changed
in response to reactions
from either Palestinian
or Israeli sides.
Zionist
occupation uproots
800,000 trees in two
years
Palestinian Information
Center, April 16,
2003
Bethlehem - Dr. Jad
Isaac, director of
the applied research
institute in Jerusalem,
has said that Zionist
occupation forces
had uprooted around
800,000 trees in the
West Bank over the
past two years.
Israeli
occupation forces
carry out more repression
of Palestinians on
eve of Jewish holiday
Palestinian Information
Center, April 16,
2003
Occupied Jerusalem
- Israeli occupation
forces have stepped
out repressive measures
against Palestinian
population centers
in the West Bank and
Gaza Strip as Jews
begin observing a
major Jewish holiday.
UN
rights body adopts
resolutions on Palestine,
Western Sahara, mercenaries
United Nations News,
April 15, 2003
15 April – The
United Nations Commission
on Human Rights has
adopted four resolutions
under its agenda on
self-determination
and racism and racial
discrimination –
reaffirming the Palestinians’
right to a state,
supporting a referendum
in Western Sahara,
condemning the use
of mercenaries and
deploring the stereotyping
of religions.
Solo
US Vote Against Harsh
UN Resolutions Condemning
Israel
Palestine Media Center,
April 16, 2003
The United Nations
Human Rights Commission
(UNHCR) on Tuesday
vehemently condemned
Israel for its “mass
killing” of
Palestinians and for
its illegal settlement
policy in the occupied
territory. The United
States was the only
member to oppose all
four resolutions condemning
Israel’s repressive
measures and calling
for an immediate halt
to settlement activity
in the West Bank and
Gaza Strip.
PLO
allowed to keep US
base
Courier-Mail, April
17, 2003
A SIX-month waiver
allowing the Palestine
Liberation Organisation
to keep its US offices
open and access its
US funds has been
signed by President
George W. Bush. "The
waiver will permit
the United States
to avoid damaging
our current diplomatic
efforts on the Israeli-Palestinian
front and in the Middle
East region more broadly,"
said White House spokeswoman
Claire Buchan.
Palestinian
sources: Fatah attempting
to save Arafat from
worst political defeat
ever
Al-Bawaba, April 16,
2003
A Palestinian official
confirmed to Al Bawaba
that Fatah’s
central committee
will be making a final
attempt in the next
few hours to prevent
the transfer of the
ongoing dispute between
Palestinian president
Yasser Arafat, and
the newly appointed
prime minister Mahmoud
Abbas (Abu Mazen),
to the Palestinian
Legislative Council.
Free
Abbas, Palestinian
Authority tells US
Al-Jazeera, April
16, 2003
The Palestinian Authority
on Wednesday demanded
that the United States
free Palestinian guerrilla
leader Abu Abbas,
saying his detention
by US forces in Iraq
violated a Middle
East peace deal signed
by Washington.
Israeli
Troops Extra-Judicially
Execute One Palestinian
in Hebron
International Press
Center, April 16,
2003
HEBRON, April 16,
2003, (IPC)--Israeli
occupation forces
(IOF) extra-judicially
executed one Palestinian
Tuesday overnight
in the village of
Yatta, near the West
Bank city of Hebron,
Palestinian sources
said.
Hamas
member killed; Palestinian
territories under
full closure
Al-Bawaba, April 16,
2003
Meanwhile, the Israeli
army imposed a complete
closure on the Palestinian
territories Wednesday
morning that will
be in effect over
the Passover holiday..
-- Israeli troops
killed a Hamas member
in the West Bank village
of Yatta early Wednesday
morning, Israel Radio
reported, a day after
the resistance movement
claimed responsibility
for an attack in the
Gaza Strip that killed
two Israelis.
One
Israeli officer, two
Palestinians killed
in clashes
Arabic News, April
16, 2003
One Israeli army officer
and two soldiers were
wounded in clashes
that took place yesterday
between the Palestinian
resistance men and
the Israeli forces
in Rafedya quarters
in Nablus, where an
Israeli armored force
broke into a building
in the city.
Alert
lowered in Sharon
area; IDF imposes
Passover closure
Haaretz, April 16,
2003
Police lowered a terror
alert in the Sharon
area early Wednesday
afternoon, after receiving
a specific warning
that a suicide bomber
was planning to strike.
Roadblocks were set
up on the roads leading
into main cities in
the region, as well
as along the 1967
Green Line border.
General
closure imposed on
West Bank, Gaza Strip,
and Jordan valley
Jerusalem Post, April
16, 2003
Due to the Passover
holiday and the numerous
threats of terror
attacks, a general
closure imposed by
the army on the West
Bank, Jordan Valley
and the Gaza Strip
went into effect early
this morning.
IDF
kills Hamas man in
West Bank; two Israelis
killed in Gaza
Haaretz, April 16,
2003
IDF troops killed
a Hamas member in
the West Bank village
of Yatta early Wednesday
morning, Israel Radio
reported, a day after
the militant group
claimed responsibility
for an attack in the
Gaza Strip that killed
two Israelis.
Israel
turns up heat on Syria
BBC, April 15, 2003
Israel has stepped
up the war of words
on Damascus amid US
warnings to Syria
over Iraq, as well
as Syria's alleged
possession of chemical
weapons. Israeli Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon
told the newspaper
Yediot Aharonot on
Tuesday that Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad
had made an error
of judgment by not
siding with the US
in the Iraqi conflict.
Sharon
criticized for public
statements on US -Syria
tension
Jerusalem Post, April
16, 2003
Israel should keep
a low profile in the
current US-Syrian
tension, just as it
kept a low profile
throughout the Iraqi
war, a ranking Israeli
diplomatic officials
said Tuesday, criticizing
Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon for enumerating
what he thinks the
US should now demand
of Syria.
Occupation
Chronicle Events in
Palestine April 16,
2003
Palestine Media Center,
April 16, 2003
Israeli Occupation
Forces (IOF) closed
the occupied Palestinian
territory during the
Jewish Passover holidays.
Meanwhile, IOF killed
a Palestinian activist
in Hebron and raided
several towns and
cities in the West
Bank and Gaza Strip.
IOF Seal Off the Palestinian
Territory / Activist
Killed in Hebron /
IOF Raid Jenin / IOF
Storm Nablus, Carry
House Raids / IOF
Invade al-Shijaya
Neighborhood
Road
Map's success depends
on Israelis, Palestinians
staying the course
- UN official
United Nations News,
April 16, 2003
16 April – The
Israelis and Palestinians,
along with the international
community, must be
prepared to stay the
course on a plan to
settle the Middle
East crisis, however
strewn with obstacles
that course may be,
a senior United Nations
official told the
Security Council today.
Palestinian
human rights organisations
call for LAW to continue
human rights work
Alternative Information
Center, April 16,
2003
Al-Haq, Addameer,
PICCR, PCHR: We the
undersigned Palestinian
organizations express
our grave concerns
regarding recent developments
with the investigations
of LAW’s financial
affairs and the alleged
misconduct of management
by LAW. We condemn
any misuse of funds
or other resources
where this has been
proven, and we demand
that any individual
found responsible
for such activities
be held accountable
according to the rule
of law, including,
where appropriate,
criminal proceedings.
Relatives
of Nativity Church
deportees insist on
right of return
Palestinian Information
Center, April 16,
2003
Bethlehem - Relatives
of the Palestinian
deportees from the
Church of Nativity
in Bethlehem have
told European Union
representatives that
all world political
forces and groupings
should work for the
return of those deportees
to their homes.
Abu
Mazen’s cabinet
formation still controversial
Palestinian Information
Center, April 16,
2003
Ramallah - Ahmed Qrei,
speaker of the Palestinian
legislative council,
has said that no final
agreement was yet
reached on the formation
of the Palestinian
Authority government
under premier-designate
Mahmoud Abbas (Abu
Mazen).
Ranteesi:
We refuse any government
adhering to Oslo agreements
Palestinian Information
Center, April 16,
2003
Gaza - The Islamic
Resistance Movement,
Hamas, has affirmed
that the political
program and not individuals
should be the basic
concern of any Palestinian
government.
Italy
to call for Abbas
extradition
The Guardian, April
16, 2003
Italy today said that
it would ask for the
Palestinian faction
leader who masterminded
the 1985 hijacking
of the Italian cruise
ship Achille Lauro,
and was seized by
US forces in Baghdad
last night, to be
extradited to face
trial.
US
forces detain Abu
Abbas in Baghdad;
PA demands his release
Al-Bawaba, April 16,
2003
Abu Abbas, a Palestinian
who led the hijacking
of the Achille Lauro
cruise ship in 1985,
has been captured
by US-led forces in
Baghdad, a US official
said.
US
rules out immunity
for Abbas
BBC, April 16, 2003
Palestinian militant
Abu Abbas, captured
this week in Baghdad,
does not have immunity
under a peace accord
between Israel and
the Palestinians,
the US says.
Sharon
promised Tshuva: Israel
won't buy Gaza gas
Haaretz, April 16,
2003
Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon promised businessman
and Delek group controling
shareholder Yitzhak
Tshuva that Israel
will not purchase
natural gas from Egypt
or the Palestinians,
according to reliable
gas sector sources.
W.
Bank-Gaza weapons
smuggling ring busted
Haaretz, April 16,
2003
A network of arms
smugglers operating
between the West Bank
and the Gaza Strip
has been captured,
the Judea and Samaria
police and the Shin
Bet security service
announced yesterday.
Education
on international humanitarian
law to be introduced
in Palestinian schools
Alternative Information
Center/ICRC, April
16, 2003
The International
Committee of the Red
Cross (ICRC) signed
on Wednesday 16 April
2003, a memorandum
of understanding with
the Palestinian Authority
aimed to introduce
its educational program
on international humanitarian
law in the Palestinian
educational system.
Government
will not appeal bail
order for two suspects
Sarasota Herald-Tribune,
April 16, 2003
Two men accused of
being members of a
terrorist organization
will be allowed to
post bond after federal
prosecutors said they
will not appeal their
release as they await
trial. Last week,
U.S. Magistrate Mark
Pizzo ruled that Hatem
Fariz and Ghassan
Ballut could be released
on bond, but refused
to give bail to former
University of South
Florida professor
Sami Al-Arian and
Sameeh Hammoudeh.
OUTRAGE!
A call to action
International Solidarity
Movement, April 15,
2003
On March 16, 2003,
Rachel Corrie was
murdered by an Israeli
soldier driving an
American made bulldozer.
She was killed by
the Israeli Army,
she was killed by
the state of Israel,
she was killed by
the United States,
she was killed by
Caterpillar. But mostly
she was killed by
Silence!! Our governments
are not responding
to our cry!
Poll:
70% of Palestinians
and 67% of Israelis
believe peace talks
will resume soon
Jerusalem Post, April
15, 2003
A joint Israeli-Palestinian
poll showed that people
on both sides are
optimistic about returning
to peace talks after
30 months of deadly
violence. The survey
found that 70 percent
of Palestinians and
67 percent of Israelis
believe peace talks
will resume after
Palestinian prime
minister-designate
Mahmoud Abbas forms
a Cabinet and takes
office.
Lebanese
PM submits resignation
Al-Bawaba, April 15,
2003
Hariri is widely expected
to be asked to form
the next government.
-- Lebanon's Prime
Minister Rafik al
Hariri resigned Tuesday,
a statement from the
president's office
said.
Iraq
War News
Three
killed in Mosul shootout,
city relatively calm
after yesterday's
killings
Al-Jazeera, April
16, 2003
Mishaan Al-Juburi,
an Iraqi Arab Sunni
and self-appointed
leader in Mosul, told
Al Jazeera that Mosul
has been relatively
calm this morning,
after yesterday’s
shootings that resulted
in 17 deaths.
UN
food convoys converge
on Iraq
United Nations News,
April 16, 2003
16 April – United
Nations food convoys
were advancing on
Iraq from four directions
today as relief agencies
continued to report
issues of major humanitarian
concern.
American
fire kills three people
in Mosul; US forces
raid Baghdad home
of top microbiologist
Al-Bawaba, April 16,
2003
A shooting in the
northern city of Mosul
left three people
dead and at least
11 wounded Wednesday,
a day after at least
10 Iraqis were killed
by U.S. troops trying
to stop an angry crowd
from scaling a wall
and storming a government
complex.
Bush
gets $2.4bn down payment
on cost of peace
The TImes, April 16,
2003
Washington hopes that
by limiting its Iraq
rebuilding contribution
it will persuade other
countries to chip
in -- WASHINGTON has
limited its initial
funding for the rebuilding
of Iraq to less than
$2.5 billion (£1.6
billion), well below
the country’s
estimated needs, in
the hope that other
countries will also
provide money.
End
Iraq sanctions, says
Bush
BBC, April 16, 2003
US President George
W Bush has called
for the United Nations
to end sanctions on
Iraq following the
fall of Saddam Hussein's
regime. Speaking at
the Boeing complex
in Saint Louis, Missouri,
on Wednesday, Mr Bush
said: "Now that Iraq
has been liberated,
the United Nations
should lift economic
sanctions on that
country."
The
Shia of Najaf seethe
ominously, fearing
the yoke of US occupation
The Independent, April
16, 2003
The message could
not have been clearer
if the Grand Ayatollah
Sayyid Ali al-Sistani
himself had broadcast
it from the battery
of loudspeakers that
hang above the breathtaking
blue mosaics lining
the walls of his mosque.
Basra
bombing 'destroyed
my family'
BBC, April 16, 2003
The war in Iraq has
cost 72-year-old Abid
Hassan Hamoodi dear.
The large family he
once proudly headed
was all but wiped
out when aircraft
from the US-led forces
mistakenly bombed
his Basra home. "I
lost 10 of my family.
I once lived in that
house with six other
relatives, now I am
alone."
Baghdad
museum's greatest
treasures 'stolen
to order'
The Independent, April
16, 2003
Three of the most
important antiquities
in the history of
civilisation were
apparently "stolen
to order" from the
National Museum in
Baghdad in the looting
that greeted the toppling
of Saddam Hussein.
British
Museum rescue pledge
The Guardian, April
16, 2003
The British Museum
has announced a taskforce
of conservators and
curators, funded by
an anonymous private
donor, to go to the
rescue of Iraq's ravaged
museums.
War
Crimes Case Planned
Against US
Palestine Media Center,
April 16, 2003
Washington Says Groups’
Bid Proves ICC a Political
Tool -- A coalition
of lawyers and human
rights groups yesterday
unveiled a bid to
use the UN's new International
Criminal Court as
a tool to restrain
American military
power. In a move Washington
said vindicated U.S.
claims that the court
would be used for
political purposes,
the rights activists
are working to compile
war crimes cases against
the United States
and its chief ally
in Iraq, Britain.
"US
more keen on oil than
Iraqi people"
Al-Jazeera, April
16, 2003
Deeply concerned over
the anarchic turn
of events in
Iraq, Amnesty International
charged the US-led
forces on Tuesday
with being more concerned
about Iraqi oil well
than the Iraqi people.
Inquiry
demanded over US failure
to stop library looting
The Independent, April
16, 2003
The burning of Iraq's
National Library is
a "devastating loss"
and is the equivalent
of losing the British
Library, international
academics said. The
US military's failure
to prevent the calamity
must be investigated
to prevent it happening
again, they added.
Iran
says it won't recognize
U.S.-led interim administration
in Iraq, supports
Syria
New Jersey.com, April
16, 2003
TEHRAN, Iran (AP)
-- Iranian President
Mohammad Khatami said
Wednesday his country
will not recognize
a U.S.-installed interim
administration in
Iraq and will support
Syria if it is attacked.
Key
Shia leader returns
to Iraq
BBC, April 16, 2003
A top Iraqi Shia opposition
leader has returned
to the country from
Iran after 23 years
in exile. Abdelaziz
Hakim, the deputy
head of the Supreme
Council for the Islamic
Revolution in Iraq
(Sciri), arrived in
the southern Iraqi
city of Kut on Wednesday
morning.
US
admits Mosul killings
BBC, April 16, 2003
A US commander has
admitted that American
troops did shoot and
kill a number of Iraqis
during a protest in
the northern city
of Mosul. Brigadier-General
Vince Brooks said
US marines and special
forces soldiers fired
at demonstrators on
Tuesday after they
came under attack
from people shooting
guns and throwing
rocks.
Saddam's
missing billions and
link to al-Qaida
The Guardian, April
16, 2003
In the days before
the fall of Baghdad,
and the explosion
of looting on the
streets of the capital,
a far more damaging
form of looting was
already under way
as Iraqi bank accounts
were ransacked and
millions of dollars
were transferred into
private accounts abroad,
Middle Eastern banking
sources said yesterday.
Troops
Find Terror Training
Camp in Iraq
The Guardian, April
16, 2003
American troops raided
the home of the mastermind
of Saddam Hussein's
biological weapons
lab on Wednesday and
discovered a sprawling,
recently abandoned
terrorist training
camp south of Baghdad
as they dug for secrets
from a dead regime.
Republican
Guard commander cut
deal with US forces
Al-Jazeera, April
16, 2003
The mystery of what
happened to the Iraqi
Republican Guard defending
Baghdad appears to
have been solved if
a report in today's
Le Monde is to be
believed. The French
daily reports that
Maher Sufyan, Commander
of the Republican
Guard reached an agreement
with American forces
in which he ordered
his forces to surrender
in exchange for his
transfer via an American
Apache helicopter
to an undisclosed
safe haven.
Q&A
on International Law,
Occupation
The Guardian, April
16, 2003
GENEVA (AP) - The
United States contends
it is a ``liberating
force'' in Iraq, but
the International
Committee of the Red
Cross - the world's
chief authority on
the conduct of warfare
- says the coalition
forces are an ``occupying
power,'' with wide-ranging
responsibilities to
look after the Iraqi
people. Some questions
and answers on how
international law
relates to occupation
of foreign territory.
Tests
rule out suspect bio-labs
CNN, April 15, 2003
KARBALA, Iraq (CNN)
-- The buried labs
U.S. troops found
last week were not
the mobile chemical
and biological weapons
labs one U.S. Army
general suspected,
according to the head
of an expert team
brought in to examine
them.
EU
leaders to make Iraq
statement
The Guardian, April
16, 2003
Amid widespread anti-war
protests on the streets
of Athens, EU leaders
meeting to sign a
landmark enlargement
agreement today were
reported to be drawing
up a surprise joint
statement on Iraq.
Interim
administration process
gets under way
Al-Jazeera, April
16, 2003
The first talks on
the future of Iraq
attended by Iraqi
political and religious
leaders, as well as
US and British officials,
ended on Tuesday with
an agreement to meet
again in 10 days.
Key
Developments in the
War Against Iraq
The Guardian, April
16, 2003
Key developments Wednesday
in the war in Iraq:
- Three Iraqis were
killed and 11 wounded
Wednesday during a
shooting in Mosul,
and some victims said
U.S. troops shot at
them. U.S. Central
Command said seven
Iraqis died a day
earlier when American
troops opened fire
to keep an angry crowd
from storming a government
complex...
Tikrit
Falls, Baghdad Residents
Want Water and Electricity
Palestine Chronicle,
April 15, 2003
BAGHDAD - Umm Qasr,
Basra, Baghdad, northern
Iraq, and now Tikrit.
All major strategic
points that have fallen
to US-led troops as
the US administration
moves closer to proclaiming
an end to the war.
Baghdad
quiet, dollar to drive
new money system
Al-Jazeera, April
16, 2003
As Baghdad turned
near-normal, and almost
all of Iraq has come
under the control
of US-led forces,
arrangements are being
made to have a dollar-driven
multilple currency
system. For
the first time, US
general Tommy Franks
paid a visit to Iraq
to meet his commanders.
Wounded
Iraqi Boy Undergoes
Skin Grafts
The Guardian, April
16, 2003
KUWAIT CITY (AP) -
Kuwaiti doctors performed
plastic surgery Wednesday
on a 12-year-old boy
who suffered severe
burns and lost both
his arms during the
U.S. bombardment of
Baghdad, becoming
a symbol of Iraqi
suffering during the
war.
Pro-Saddam
gangs challenge marines'
control of Tikrit
The Guardian, April
16, 2003
Gangs of Arab tribesmen
armed with Kalashnikovs
and machine guns were
still in control of
much of Tikrit last
night, a day after
US marines apparently
liberated the town.
Riots
greet would-be leader
of Mosul
The Guardian, April
16, 2003
US special forces
struggled to impose
order in Mosul yesterday
after a public address
by the self-styled
governor of Iraq's
third largest city
descended into a riot
involving several
thousand people, in
which 12 were reported
killed and at least
16 injured.
Recruitment
for Jihad in Iraq
Continues
The Guardian, April
16, 2003
DAMMAM, Saudi Arabia
(AP) - Yassin al-Bahar's
brother says the 27-year-old
Saudi car salesman
always wanted to die
a martyr, to fall
in battle defending
fellow Muslims against
the ``enemies of Islam.''
Iraq
war will cost the
region trillions,
UN
Arabic News, April
16, 2003
The United Nations
has predicted that
the Middle East region
will lose a trillion-dollar
over the next decade
because of war in
Iraq. Mervat Tallawy,
executive secretary
of the UN Economic
and Social Commission
for Western Asia (ESCWA),
said on Monday the
commission's 13 Arab
members had already
lost some $600 billion
in the nineties, "and
this amount could
have secured between
six to seven millions
job opportunities."
Egypt
says Israel behind
U.S. pressure on Syria
Reuters, April 16,
2003
CAIRO, April 16 (Reuters)
- A senior adviser
to Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak accused
Israel on Wednesday
of instigating a campaign
of U.S. threats against
Syria to force Damascus
to make political
concessions to the
Jewish state.
Syria
calls on UN to implement
bans on WMD in Middle
East
Haaretz, April 16,
2003
Syria, seeking to
shift world attention
from itself to Israel,
asked the United Nations
Security Council on
Wednesday to help
transform the Middle
East into a "zone
free of weapons of
mass destruction."
Western
Press Review: U.S.
Pressure On Damascus,
Postwar Iraq, And
Mideast Peace
Radio Free Europe/Radio
Liberty, April 16,
2003
Prague, 16 April 2003
(RFE/RL) -- A recent
increase in the bellicosity
of U.S. rhetoric toward
Damascus has caused
many to question whether
Syria may be next
on the U.S. list of
regimes to confront
in its attempts to
spur reform throughout
the Middle East. Several
editorials today discuss
this prospect, as
well as what it will
take to get Iraq up
and running in the
postwar period, and
the "road map" for
peace between Israelis
and Palestinians.
Aznar
says Syria not a military
target, has no evidence
of chemical weapons
Jordan Times, April
16, 2003
WARSAW (AP) —
Spanish Prime Minister
Jose Maria Aznar insisted
Tuesday that Syria
will not become a
military target, despite
US allegations that
it is offering refuge
to fleeing Iraqi leaders
and possesses chemical
weapons.
Rumsfeld
stops Iraqi oil pipeline,
Damascus for end to
occupation, Sharon
uses US threats against
Syria
Arabic News, April
16, 2003
Israel yesterday assumed
the leadership of
the American threats
against Damascus and
even threatened to
launch a military
operation against
Syria, calling on
the US administration
to intensify its pressures
on the Syrian side
until it yields to
Israeli conditions
including halting
support for the Lebanese
Hizbullah Party and
the two Palestinian
movements of Hamas
and the Islamic Jihad.
Straw
challenge to Syria
on arms
The Guardian, April
16, 2003
Jack Straw distanced
Britain from America's
increasingly critical
stance towards Syria
yesterday but warned
that the government
in Damascus had "serious
questions" to answer.
If
Syria, Iran have chemical
weapons so do Israel…
and Egypt
Al-Jazeera, April
16, 2003
For close to a month
now, United
States-led forces
have been looking
for the weapons of
mass destruction (WMD)
that Iraq’s
Saddam Hussein government
had kept “hidden”.
Nothing has been found
so far, and the search
continues.
Russia
censures 'unfriendly'
US
Courier-Mail, April
17, 2003
THE Russian parliament
has accused the United
States of seeking
to increase its military
presence near Russian
borders, amid increasing
tension between the
two countries. Russian
deputies overwhelmingly
adopted a resolution
overnight calling
a recent military
agreement signed by
the United States
and the former Soviet
republic of Georgia
"an unfriendly step,
which does not correspond
to good neighbourly
relations".
Paris
takes pragmatic line
as poll shows isolation
fear
The Guardian, April
16, 2003
Nearly half the French
electorate believes
that France was isolated
diplomatically because
of its opposition
to the invasion of
Iraq, according to
an opinion poll yesterday.
PM's
visit enrages anti-war
Greeks
The Guardian, April
16, 2003
Tony Blair flew into
Athens for the historic
EU enlargement ceremony
last night, against
a backdrop of criticism
from one of the most
anti-war populaces
on the continent.
Anti-War
Front Collapses as
Iraq Gold Rush Begins
Arab News, April 16,
2003
BERLIN, 16 April 2003
— They couldn’t
prevent the war, but
that hasn’t
stopped the “Non-Nyet-Nein”
coalition of France,
Russia and Germany
from staking their
individual claims
to a role in shaping,
and profiting from,
the new Iraq.
As
the body count rises,
journalists covering
Iraq struggle to tell
the truth
Jordan Times, April
16, 2003
AMMAN — The
sight of an Iraqi
child cleaning a Western
reporter's shoe was
too much for Tareq
Ayyoub. He told his
cameraman to start
filming but the pictures
were never shown.
He wanted to create
a story tackling the
suffering of the Iraqi
people under Saddam's
regime in comparison
to circumstances under
the coalition. Ayyoub's
lost report is one
of many journalists
such as he were creating
when they came under
fire and were killed
or injured during
the war on Iraq.
US
protesters refuse
to pay war-tax
Al-Jazeera, April
16, 2003
Over 10,000 anti-war
protestors across
the United States
have decided not to
pay up taxes intended
to cover the expenses
involved in invading
Iraq.
video
Abu
Abbas: "He's a retired
terrorist with no
known links to al-Qaeda"
BBC, April 16, 2003
