IOF
Shoot Dead 3 Palestinians, Detain Dozens Others
Palestine Media Center, May 29, 2003
May 29, 2003 - Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) shot dead three Palestinians and
detained at least forty others in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, hours before the
expected meeting between Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen)
and his Israeli counterpart Ariel Sharon to discuss the implementation of internationally
adopted “roadmap” for peace.
IOF
Violates Human Rights, Prey on Press and Forcibly Seize Lands in OPT
International Press Center, May 29, 2003
NABLUS, Palestine, May 29, 2003 (IPC + WAFA)- - Israeli occupying forces (IOF)
committed a series of outrageous human rights violation during an invasion of
the city of Nablus, in which they tortured, with electric devices, a Palestinian
civilian, detained many others and wounded a journalist.
UN
rights panel slams Israel over treatment of Bedouin
Haaretz, May 29, 2003
The latest UN report on Israel's implementation of the international convention
on economic, social and cultural rights mixes harsh criticism of the gaps between
Jewish and Arab citizens and the failure to recognize Bedouin settlements in the
Negev, with praise for Israel's progress on women's rights, its treatment of migrant
workers and a new multiyear development plan for non-Jewish sectors of society.
19
held in wave of arrests in West Bank
Haaretz, May 29, 2003
Soldiers from the Duvdevan undercover unit yesterday apprehended three Tanzim
operatives in the town of Bitunya, west of Ramallah....An additional 16 wanted
Palestinians were arrested by IDF troops in the territories yesterday in the Jenin,
Nablus, Tul Karm, Ramallah, Bethlehem and Hebron areas of the West Bank.
In
Child Day: Israeli Forces Killed 452 Palestinian Children
International Press Center, May 29, 2003
Palestine, May 29, 2003, IPC-- In a special report released Wednesday on the occasion
of International Child Day, the World Movement for the Defense of Children (WMDC)
said that the Israeli practices and violations against Palestinian children have
already breached the International Convention for Children Rights, which was signed
in 1990.
Sharon
and Abbas meeting in Jerusalem on Mideast road map
Haaretz, May 29, 2003
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his Palestinian counterparts met for the second
time in as many weeks Thursday evening, to discuss the implementation of the internationally-brokered
road map to Middle East peace. The two met at 9 P.M. at Sharon's office in Jerusalem.
Abbas
hopeful of Hamas ceasefire agreement
The Guardian, May 29, 2003
The Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, today said he could reach a ceasefire
agreement with Islamic militant group Hamas as early as next week.
Hamas
and PA to discuss cease-fire with Israel next week
Palestinian Information Center, May 29, 2003
Occupied Jerusalem - The Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Islamic Resistance
Movement, Hamas, are to hold talks aimed at reaching a cease-fire with the Zionist
regime. PA premier Mahmoud Abbas said in an interview with the Israeli paper,
Yedeot Ahranot, published Thursday that he expected to reach an agreement to that
effect with Hamas within a week.
Palestinians
Accuse U.S. Of Sabotaging Roadmap
Palestine Chronicle, May 29, 2003
CAIRO - Palestinian factions lambasted the guarantees given by Washington to Israel
to coax it into accepting the internationally-backed roadmap, accusing the U.S.
of emptying the plan of its substance in favor of the Israeli vision.
Sharon
to offer Abbas gradual control of PA cities
Haaretz, May 29, 2003
Just hours after the White House formally announced that President George W. Bush
would meet with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud
Abbas next Wednesday, the two prime minsters confirmed they would meet for the
second time since Abbas formed a government, at an undisclosed location tonight.
IDF
allows draft resister to serve in his civilian clothes
Haaretz, May 29, 2003
The army has agreed to allow draft resister Rotem Ronen to serve in the Home Front
Command handing out gas masks - and he'll be allowed to wear civilian clothes
while serving. Nor will he have to swear allegiance to the army and the state
when he is formally inducted.
Druze
council heads quit to protest cuts
Haaretz, May 29, 2003
The Druze and Circassian local authorities heads resigned yesterday to protest
against the budget cuts imposed by the government's austerity plan and the government's
violation of an agreement with them. "We're fed up with the discriminatory policy
and the government's contempt and failure to keep agreements and carry out decisions,
first and foremost, the decision to grant equality to its Druze and Circassian
citizens," the forum of Druze and Circassian local authorities told Interior Minister
Avraham Poraz.
Kharrazi:
Israeli Nuclear Arsenal Main Threat Against Regional Peace
Palestine Chronicle, May 28, 2003
TEHRAN - Iran's Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi here on Wednesday called the nuclear
arsenal of Israel as the main threat against peace and security in the region.
Kharrazi told a meeting of foreign ministers of the Organization of the Islamic
Conference (OIC) that the “Zionist regime must be brought under pressure”
to disarm and to join international conventions against weapons of mass destruction.
Conscientious
objector gets to present his case for pacifism
Haaretz, May 29, 2003
The trial of Yonatan Ben-Artzi, the conscientious objector who refuses to be drafted
into the Israel Defense Forces, began yesterday morning in the Jaffa Military
Court. Ben-Artzi's trial went ahead in a military court after the High Court of
Justice rejected his petition to be tried in the civil justice system.
IOF
Kills Two Palestinians in Khan Younis and Jenin
International Press Center, May 29, 2003
JENIN, Palestine, May 29, 2003, IPC-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) killed two
Palestinian citizens in two separated incidents, Saed Fahmawi, 23, in the West
Bank city of Jenin and Mohammed El-Qidra, 25, in the town of Al-Qarara, south
of Gaza Strip. In the meantime, Israeli bulldozers destroyed five houses in Rafah.
The
Israeli military court in Erez is to hold a session to consider the case of Dr.
Fadel Abu Hain
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, May 28, 2003
On Thursday, 29 May 2003, the Israeli military court in Erez will hold a session
to consider the case of Dr. Fadel Abu Hain, after the Israeli military prosecution
had prepared a bill of indictment against him, although he did not confess the
charges he is accused of, which include the possession of weapons, leaflets and
unlicensed declarations.
Extrajudicial
Execution by Israeli occupying forces in Khan Yunis
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, May 29, 2003
PCHR strongly condemns today's extrajudicial killing by Israeli occupying forces
in al-Qarara village in the Gaza Strip. An alleged Hamas activist was killed in
the attack. This latest killing is part of the ongoing Israeli policy of
extrajudicial killing of Palestinians in direct contravention of international
human rights and humanitarian law.
Weekly
Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
(22-28 May 2003)
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
Israeli occupying forces have continued to conduct illegal actions and human rights
violations against Palestinian civilians, including collective punishment, shelling
of and incursions into Palestinian areas, house demolitions and agricultural land
leveling. This week, 22-28 May 2003, 5 Palestinian civilians, including 3 children
and a handicapped man, were killed by Israeli occupying forces.
Occupation
Chronicle Events in Palestine May 29, 2003
Palestine Media Center, May 29, 2003
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) killed 3 Palestinians in the West Bank and the
Gaza Strip. IOF also detained at least forty Palestinians in Ramallah, Nablus
and Khan Younis. Israeli Bulldozers Demolish 5 Houses in Rafah.
Tom
Hurndall to return to UK tomorrow
Palestine Monitor/ISM London, May 29, 2003
On 11th April Tom Hurndall - a young photographer observing and recording
the work of a peace group in Gaza and the activities of the Israeli army
was shot in the head by the Israeli army in the town of Rafah at the border
between Gaza and Egypt. He currently lies in a deep coma in hospital in
Saroka Hospital in Beer Sheva - Israel and has suffered severe brain damage
from which he is not expected to recover.
Hear
Palestine, May 29, 2003
Hear Palestine
NEWS: Khan Younis: Youth Assassinated during Invasion of Al-Qarara / Jenin: Youth
Shot Dead at Dawn in Wide-Scale Military Invasion / Tulkarem: Ongoing Military
Operation and Curfew for 6th Day Running / Rafah: 5 Homes Demolished in Tel-Zu'rub
/ Qalqilya: Home Raids and Arrests / Nablus: Israeli Army Invades Villages, Arrests
Residents / Hebron: New Settlement Units West of City / Salfeet: Deir Ballout
Closed with Cement Blocks / Khan Younis: 200 Olive Trees Uprooted
FEATURES: Jenin: Hoshiya Tells Details of the Killing of his Friend Nawahda /
452 Children Killed and 320 detained Since Beginning of Intifada / 7 Girls Became
Orphans that Night / Israeli Military Roadblocks: A Daily Struggle for Palestinians
A
family tragedy
Palestine Monitor, May 28, 2003
On the 26th of May, the day Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced his
acceptance of the so-called ‘Road Map’, Tamer Arar (11 years old)
was killed in the West Bank village of Qarwet Bany Zead (North of Ramallah). An
Israeli sniper shot him in the head and the bullet penetrated into his skull and
killed him instantly.
Palestinian
Infants not Spared by the Israeli Killing Machine
International Press Center, May 29, 2003
In mid-sunny-day of 7th of May, 2003, a 16-month-old, Palestinian child I’lyyan
Bashiti, and his elder brother Wa’el, 3 years, were - for the last time-
playing in the courtyard of their house when an Israeli soldier shot I’lyyan
with a live bullet in his head, in the neighborhood of Batn -Assamen, in the southern
Gaza Strip city of Khan-Younis.
Sharon
prepares for Abu Mazen talks
BBC, May 29, 2003
The Israeli Government has confirmed Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will meet his
Palestinian counterpart on Thursday to discuss the US-backed Middle East peace
plan. The meeting will be the first between Mr Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister
Mahmoud Abbas - better known as Abu Mazen - since Mr Sharon persuaded his cabinet
to approve the so-called roadmap for peace.
Details
Set for Meeting With Bush in Mideast
New York Times, May 29, 2003
WASHINGTON, May 28 — President Bush will hold a three-way meeting in Jordan
next week with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel and Mahmoud Abbas, the new
Palestinian prime minister, White House officials said today.
Bush
Steps Into Bumpy Mideast Peacemaking
The Guardian, May 29, 2003
WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House is warning that the road to peace between Israel
and the Palestinians still is a long and bumpy one, but that's not stopping President
Bush from attempting to speed up the process.
Mideast
Peace Plan Gets Surprising Push
Forward, May 30, 2003
Elliott Abrams Urges Acceptance of 'Road Map' Despite Reservations -- WASHINGTON
— As Israel debated in recent weeks whether to endorse the American-led
"road map" peace initiative, Jerusalem and its allies in the United States received
a surprising push — from Elliott Abrams, the National Security Council's
senior director for Near East and North African affairs.
Sharon
Battling To Save Plan From Right's Blows
Forward, May 30, 2003
Settlers Call Vote For Peace 'Map' 'National Treason' -- JERUSALEM —
Prime Minister Sharon was scrambling this week to head off a civil war within
his Likud party after his embrace of the American-sponsored "road map" to Middle
East peace left supporters accusing him of giving in to pressure and endangering
Israel's future.
Israelis
to offer limited army withdrawal
Financial Times, May 29, 2003
Israel is considering a limited military withdrawal from the northern Gaza Strip
and a West Bank city as part of efforts to implement the "road map" aimed at ending
32 months of conflict. The offer was on the agenda of Thursday night's talks between
Ariel Sharon, Israeli prime minister, and Mahmoud Abbas, his Palestinian counterpart,
to prepare the ground ahead of a three-way summit with US President George W.
Bush in Jordan on Wednesday.
Abbas
takes part in Sharm Esh Sheikh Summit with Bush and Arab leaders
Arabic News, May 29, 2003
For his part, the founder of the Hamas movement, Sheikh Ahmad Yassin said he does
not pin great hopes on the Bush - Abu Mazin summit. -- US National Security Advisor
Condoleezza Rice announced that US President George W. Bush will hold a summit
meeting in the Jordanian city of al-Aqaba on June 4th including the Palestinian
Prime minister Mahmoud Abbas and his Israeli counterpart Ariel Sharon.
Arafat
Meets Spanish FM, Urges Israel to Implement Roadmap
International Press Center, May 29, 2003
RAMALLAH, Palestine, May 29, 2003, IPC-- President Yasser Arafat met yesterday
in his besieged Muqata’ compound in Ramallah with Ana Palacio, the Spanish
Foreign Affairs Minister, and Both discussed the latest developments in the Middle
East peace process.
Analysis
/ A long list of demands for Sharon
Haaretz, May 29, 2003
Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) today will demand from his
Israeli counterpart Ariel Sharon to implement the road map immediately without
any further changes or excuses and without deviating from the plan's time-frame
(which is already somewhat behind schedule).
Washington
wants summit to end with joint statement
Haaretz, May 29, 2003
The U.S. administration expects the upcoming summit between President George W.
Bush, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas
to end with a joint statement in which both sides recognize a two-state solution
and vow to renounce violence to solve the conflict through peaceful means.
Jewish
settlers prepare for provocative march in Al-Quds
Palestinian Information Center, May 29, 2003
Occupied Jerusalem - Zionist occupation authorities have adopted additional precautionary
measures in Al-Quds to protect Jewish settlers planning a provocative march on
the anniversary of what they call the reunification of Jerusalem.
Zionist
entity to buy 10% of oil needs from Iraq!
Palestinian Information Center, May 29, 2003
Occupied Jerusalem - Hebrew sources have disclosed that a Zionist company would
soon purchase around 10% of the total oil needs of the Hebrew state from American-occupied
Iraq. Director general of the Bazan company, which operates oil refineries, Yishar
Ben Mordechai has said that his company was planning the purchase of crude oil
from Iraq that would be transferred to the Zionist entity through Turkey.
Amnesty:
IDF guilty of war crimes, Palestinians of crimes against humanity
Haaretz, May 29, 2003
The human rights group Amnesty International accused the Israel Defense Forces
of war crimes and Palestinian militants of crimes against humanity in its annual
report released yesterday. It recommended that international human rights monitors
be sent to the region, noting that their presence "could have saved both Palestinian
and Israeli lives."
Policewomen
posted at roadblocks to help spot female bombers
Haaretz, May 29, 2003
The Israel Defense Forces has recently begun deploying military policewomen at
roadblocks along the Green Line to try spotting potential female suicide bombers.
The army's decision followed last week's suicide bomb attack at an Afula shopping
mall in which Hiba Da'arma, from the village of Tubas in the northern Jordan Valley,
killed three Israeli citizens.
Analysis
/ Both premiers want an achievement today
Haaretz, May 29, 2003
A senior government source said yesterday that the second meeting of Prime Ministers
Ariel Sharon and Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), scheduled for this evening, would
actually be their first. The first time the two met, about two weeks ago, didn't
yield a serious discussion between them.
Knesset
vote on economic plan goes into night
Haaretz, May 29, 2003
The Knesset continued its debate and vote on the second reading of the government's
economic austerity plan late into the night last night. Barring any unforeseen
changes, parliament is expected to approve the third reading of the bill today,
thereby passing it into law.
Globes-Smith
survey: The economic plan is unjust
Globes, May 29, 2003
57% of respondents said that the government was right to adopt the Road Map for
peace. -- In these dramatic times, when the big headlines repeatedly batter the
public, it is very important to take into account a survey’s exact date.
At the time of the latest Globes-Smith survey last Tuesday evening, the heated
argument over the cabinet’s crucial - some say historic - decision to accept
the Road Map, and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s declaration that the occupation
was bad had already erupted, as well as his disavowal the following day.
Israeli
parliament passes budget
BBC, May 29, 2003
Israel's parliament has backed a controversial economic package aimed at reducing
the country's vast budget deficit and alleviating a punishing recession. The vote
to cut 10bn shekels ($2.2bn; £1.4bn) took hours as legislators worked through
thousands of opposition amendments.
An
artistic 'road map' to progress
Christian Science Monitor, May 28, 2003
In a Palestinian art show in Houston, some see a promise beyond pictures -- HOUSTON
– After a gruesome week of bloodshed, fractured road maps, and sputtering
hopes for peace in the Middle East, another vision of Palestine and its people
is drawing a steady stream of visitors to a small Houston art museum.
UN's
Iraq envoy criticises US
BBC, May 29, 2003
The United Nations special representative to Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, has
said America has shown a lack of clarity in advancing the political process in
Iraq. Mr de Mello, who will go to Baghdad in the next few days, said he will use
his new position to influence the British and American authorities in Iraq "in
the right direction". He said power should be devolved to the Iraqis as quickly
as possible.
WMD
emphasis was 'bureaucratic'
BBC, May 29, 2003
The decision to highlight weapons of mass destruction as the main justification
for going to war in Iraq was taken for "bureaucratic reasons", according to the
US deputy defence secretary....The other factor he describes as "huge" was that
an attack would allow the US to pull its troops from Saudi Arabia, thereby resolving
a major grievance held by al-Qaeda.
Leukaemia
peril of the 'Iraqi Chernobyl'
The Times, May 29, 2003
MORE than 1,000 villagers could die of leukaemia after the looting of tonnes of
radioactive material from Iraq’s atomic plant, the country’s national
nuclear inspector said....Initial tests by Iraqi scientists suggest that entire
villages are contaminated with radiation, including the buildings, water supply,
lakes, crops and livestock.
Symptoms
will show in 3 months
The Times, May 29, 2003
URANIUM is mined as a low-grade ore that is often as little as 0.1 per cent uranium
by weight. That crude ore is processed into “yellow cake”, an oxide
of uranium, with each molecule containing three uranium atoms and eight oxygen
atoms. This yellow, granular substance is the raw material that is then refined
in nuclear processing plants to make enriched uranium that can fuel either a power
station or a bomb.
Middle
East more secure, PM tells troops
The Guardian, May 29, 2003
The Middle East is already benefiting from the regime change in Iraq as the region
escapes its history of instability and terrorism, Tony Blair told 400 British
troops on the outskirts of Basra today.
US
soldier killed in Iraq
BBC, May 29, 2003
An American soldier has been killed by "hostile fire" in Iraq, the US military
reports. He was the 20th US serviceman to die in fighting or accidents in Iraq
since 1 May, the date President George W Bush declared the war effectively over.
US Central Command said the soldier was travelling along a main supply route in
Iraq on Thursday when he came under fire. He was pronounced dead in hospital.
Iraqi
attacks on US: isolated acts?
Christian Science Monitor, May 29, 2003
Military analysts say there is danger in dismissing the incidents as random. --
FALLUJAH, IRAQ – At the intersection here where two American soldiers were
attacked and killed Tuesday, a crowd of about 40 Iraqis spoke with a unanimous
voice: This would not be the last deadly assault on the US military in Iraq.
Blair
faces revolt as US admits doubts
The Guardian, May 29, 2003
Tony Blair's postwar tour of Iraq today ran into trouble before he had even set
foot in the country when Robin Cook served notice that the prime minister faces
a growing crisis over the failure to uncover weapons of mass destruction.
Iraq
weapons dossier 'rewritten'
BBC, May 29, 2003
A dossier compiled by the government on Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction
was rewritten to make it "sexier", a senior British official has told the BBC.
The claim - hotly denied by Downing Street - came as Prime Minister Tony Blair
became the first Western leader to visit post-conflict Iraq.
Inquiry
into Saddam arms dossier claims
The Times, May 29, 2003
BRITISH intelligence service claims that Saddam Hussein had a huge stockpile of
weapons of mass destruction are to be investigated by a parliamentary inquiry.
Iraq's
'weapons' doubts
BBC, May 28, 2003
The US Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, has acknowledged for the first time
that Iraq may have destroyed its weapons of mass destruction before the US launched
its offensive to topple Saddam Hussein's regime. So is the Bush administration
backing away from its insistence that Iraq did indeed have weapons of mass destruction
on the eve of the war?
US
aware of efforts to split Europe over Iraq
Financial Times, May 28, 2003
The US administration was informed of and approved two European declarations earlier
this year designed to isolate France and Germany over Iraq. The involvement of
officials in the White House and a consultant working with the administration
in Washington came at a critical moment in the diplomacy in the weeks before the
invasion of Iraq.
US
aware of plot to split Europe over Iraq
EU Observer, May 29, 2003
A US citizen with ties to the White House wrote the Vilnius 10 letter -- Washington's
relations with Germany and France appears to have hit a low point once again,
following revelations reported yesterday over Iraq. The US was aware of the two
European declarations earlier this year (designed to isolate France and Germany
over Iraq) before they were even published, the Financial Times claims.
Two
'clean' trucks - the evidence so far
The Guardian, May 29, 2003
The Bush administration has conceded for the first time that Iraq's alleged arsenal
of banned weapons, the principal justification for the US-led invasion, might
never be found after seven weeks of intensive searches and interrogations have
failed to produce any substantial evidence.
U.S.
Accuses Saddam Loyalists of Attacks
The Guardian, May 29, 2003
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The commander of coalition ground forces in Iraq said Thursday
that recent attacks on U.S. forces were orchestrated by Baath Party groups loyal
to ousted dictator Saddam Hussein.
War
takes its toll on the Garden of Eden
The Times, May 28, 2003
PARADISE is not what it used to be. Dozens of dead fish float by in a river that
reeks of sewage. Dirty sheep chew at the few tufts of grass that survive in the
baking earth. Litter swirls around in the dust. The graffiti screams in Arabic:
“Down with America! Down with Israel!” Welcome to the Garden of Eden.
Or, as the locals call it, Janat Adan.
Opec
snubs US over Iraqi delegation
Financial Times, May 28, 2003
The Opec oil cartel on Wednesday snubbed the US and its interim administration
in Baghdad by declining to invite an Iraqi representative to a meeting in Qatar
next month. Inviting Iraq to the meeting would have represented the tacit recognition
by Arab states of the country's US-backed interim administration. But the decision
came as an affront to the US because it was made by Washington's closest allies
in the region, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
Oil,
Bush Campaign Execs Help in Iraq
CommonDreams, May 28, 2003
WASHINGTON -- As Iraq struggles to get back on its feet after three major wars
and 35 years of as brutal dictatorship, it is being helmed by a group of American
executives and government officials handpicked by the Bush administration to rout
the Baathists and restore functions to the government, ministry by ministry.
A
question of trust
BBC, May 29, 2003
There is the nagging suspicion that with this war, as with so much else of New
Labour, the country was being spun. -- Tony Blair has flown into Iraq surrounded
by all the trappings of the liberating hero. As he arrived in Basra, he was met
by a population overwhelmingly grateful that he helped rid them of Saddam Hussein.
Unease
Grows in Washington Over Fruitless Weapons Search
CommonDreams, May 28, 2003
WASHINGTON - The failure of the U.S. military to find any strong evidence of Iraqi
weapons of mass destruction (WMD), let alone links between former President Saddam
Hussein and al-Qaeda, is creating growing unease within both Congress and the
administration of President George W. Bush.
BBC
defies Blair and families to show dead
The Times, May 29, 2003
THE BBC said yesterday that it was in the public interest to broadcast footage
of two British soldiers killed in the Iraq war, despite pleas from Tony Blair
and bereaved families to reconsider.
Inquiry
into missing ITN crew
BBC, May 27, 2003
A military investigation has been launched into the disappearance of ITN cameraman
Fred Nerac and translator Hussein Osman in Iraq. The two men went missing nine
weeks ago in a shooting incident during the war. Veteran ITN reporter Terry Lloyd
was killed in the same episode near Az Zubayr, which involved coalition and Iraqi
forces.
Iraq
Airways Plans to Resume Service
The Guardian, May 29, 2003
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraq's national carrier, hard-hit by two wars and 13 years
of U.N. sanctions, is preparing to resume service after a three-month hiatus,
its management said Thursday.
The
face of Saddam's regime looks for another job in TV
The Times, May 29, 2003
EVERY day Nadia Sabbagh sends her two children off to school, does a little cleaning,
considers life and then watches videos to remind her of her former glory. For
the past two years she was voted Iraq’s most popular television presenter
and last year was even named by colleagues as the “presenters’ presenter.
Britain
warns Iran not to meddle in Iraq
The Times, May 29, 2003
Speaking on the eve of his visit to Iraq, Tony Blair hardened his position amid
fears that religious fundamentalists were trying to influence the shape of the
future government of Iraq.
Al-Qaida
'sheltered in shah's lodge'
The Guardian, May 29, 2003
The tough line on Iran contemplated by the Bush administration is partly driven
by intelligence reports that al-Qaida leaders are being sheltered by the Iranian
revolutionary guards at one of the former shah's hunting lodges, it emerged yesterday.
Iran's
youth seek future overseas
BBC, May 29, 2003
More than 100,000 students in Iran will be taking their final university exams
in the next few weeks. But while they may be looking forward to finishing their
studies, what comes afterwards is a different matter altogether. A population
boom in the 1980s means the country is now overwhelmingly young, with around 70%
under the age of 30.
Maher:
Egyptian- Iranian contacts to normalize relations
Arabic News, May 29, 2003
Egyptian foreign minister Ahmad Maher yesterday talked about contacts being held
between Egypt and Iran in order to normalize diplomatic relations between the
two countries. However, the matter requires time, he commented.
Easing
into Islamic democracy
Christian Science Monitor, May 29, 2003
WASHINGTON – As the US debated going to war in Iraq last fall, some American
Muslims were pursuing their own small antiterror campaign in the Muslim world.
As part of an ongoing effort to promote democracy in the region, they provided
an opening in three Arab countries for both Islamic and secular democrats to come
together for the first time to debate the compatibility of Islam and democracy.
Look
Who's Talking Iranian Democracy: Son of the Late Shah
Forward, May 30, 2003
Reza Pahlavi does not see any contradiction between being the son of a king and
a leading voice for democracy. On the contrary, said Pahlavi, the 42-year-old
exiled son of the late shah of Iran, his name recognition can help fuel the growing
tide of opposition to the mullahs who overthrew his father in 1979
Saudis
mount intense drive against terror
Christian Science Monitor, May 29, 2003
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – Under the watchful eye of FBI agents, the Saudi security
authorities are using an unorthodox - but apparently successful - interrogation
technique against suspected Al Qaeda militants to extract information on the deadly
suicide bombings in Riyadh earlier this month.
Riyadh
Blasts Mastermind, 10 Others Held
Arab News, May 29, 2003
JEDDAH, 29 May 2003 — Interior Minister Prince Naif yesterday announced
the arrest of 11 wanted persons including three religious men who allegedly instigated
terrorist attacks. The arrests took place in Madinah during the past two days.
Egypt
Withdraws from WTO GM Complaint
CommonDreams/Friends of the Earth International, May 28, 2003
US-led Trade War Coalition Starts to Crumble -- BRUSSELS - May 28 - Attempts by
the United States administration to force Europe to accept Genetically Modified
(GM) food and crops received a serious blow after Egypt announced that it would
not be part of a World Trade Organisation challenge to the European Union's de
facto moratorium on approving new GM licenses.
Islamic
Conference has key role in ensuring peace, fighting terrorism - Annan
United Nations News, May 28, 2003
28 May – The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) had "key contributions"
to make in safeguarding the interests of the Iraqi people, bringing peace to the
Middle East, rebuilding Afghanistan and healing the breach between faiths opened
by terrorism, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a message issued
today to a meeting of the 56-member body.
White
House Insider Cleans Up Bush's Image on Film
CommonDreams/Globe & Mail, May 28, 2003
Trapped on the other side of the country aboard Air Force One, the President has
lost his cool: "If some tinhorn terrorist wants me, tell him to come and get me!
I'll be at home! Waiting for the bastard!"...The histrionics, filmed for a two-hour
television movie to be broadcast this September, are as close as you can get to
an official White House account of its activities at the outset of the war on
terrorism. Written and produced by a White House insider with the close co-operation
of Mr. Bush and his top officials, the movie The Big Dance represents an unusually
close merger of Washington's ambitions with the Hollywood entertainment machinery.
'Anti
mogul' campaign targets Murdoch
The Guardian, May 29, 2003
Rupert Murdoch is being lambasted as "the man who wants to control news in America"
in a high-profile US campaign designed to stir up public opposition to controversial
plans to relax the country's media ownership laws.
