- DAWN - Latest Stories; 19 February, 2005


19 February 2005	Saturday	09 Muharram 1426

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Authorities Arrests 27 Amid Fears of Attacks: QUETTA, Feb 19: Police have arrested at least 27 Sunni Muslims suspected of planning attacks on Shi'ite Muslim religious processions in Quetta, an official said today. Rafi Pervez Bhatti, a deputy inspector general of police, said the arrested men belonged to two extremist groups, both of which were planning separate assaults. Other officials said security had been stepped up in major cities, with helicopters, hidden cameras and hundreds of intelligence personnel being deployed to prevent attacks. In Quetta, Pakistan army also patrolled the streets as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi warned that it would attack Shi'ite processions despite the killing of its two members a day earlier. "We will carry out more attacks on their (Shi'ite) processions," Mohammed Zarar, a Lashkar-e-Jhangvi spokesman said in a telephone call to journalists at the Quetta Press Club. "Our mission has not ended with their martyrdom. We will continue the mission," he said. (Reuters) (Posted @ 18:30 PST)

Suicide bombers target Iraq's Shia mosques: BAGHDAD, Feb 19: Suicide bombers turned the eve of a Shia holy day into a bloodbath when they infiltrated worshippers in Baghdad and detonated explosives, killing and maiming dozens of people. Loudspeakers on minarets appealed for blood donations as scenes of carnage unfolded below, with men, women and children caught up in Iraq's deadliest day since last month's election. Explosions at three mosques, a religious procession and an army checkpoint targeted Shias on the eve of their holiest day in an apparent attempt by insurgents to provoke a sectarian backlash. (Guardian) (Posted @ 14:30 PST)

Abbas rejects use of force to disarm Palestinian militant groups: BERLIN, Feb 19: Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas said he opposes any use of force to disarm Palestinian militant groups, in an interview with the German weekly Der Spiegel to appear in Monday's edition. "We don't want conflict with the armed organisations, but agreement," he said. The president of the Palestinian Authority said militants from Hamas, Fatah and Islamic Jihad must be integrated into the Palestinian security forces. "After that, there will be no illegal arms, because the fighters must first hand them over," he told Der Spiegel. Abbas also pledged that the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza would be free of violence. (AFP) (Posted @ 23:35 PST)

Polynesian government dismissed in no confidence vote: PAPEETE, Feb 19: A nearly two decades' reign as leader of French Polynesia has come to an end for Gaston Flosse after a no confidence vote called by a party seeking independence for the Pacific territory. A longstanding ally of President Jacques Chirac, 73-year-old Flosse and his government were forced to stand down after the no confidence motion was adopted by 30 votes in the territory's 57-seat assembly. "The no confidence vote was adopted with 30 votes. As a result, the activity of the government has immediately come to an end," assembly chairman Hiro Tefaarere announced to applause and cries of "taui roa!" (great change). Hundreds of people gathered outside the assembly welcomed the results with shouts of joy. Only the 28 representatives of the pro-independence Union for Democracy (UPLD) and two from the centrist Alliance for a New Democracy (ADN) took part in the vote after the 27 delegates from Flosse's Tahoerra Huiraatira party walked out, calling for a postponement. The assembly immediately fixed February 28 for the election of a new president. Candidates have to submit their names by February 23. The no confidence vote was called after the UPLD, led by Oscar Temaru, swept to victory in by-elections held on Sunday in the Polynesian islands of Tahiti and Moorea. The islands send 37 members to the territorial assembly. (AFP) (Posted @ 18:30 PST)

NKorean diplomat says nuclear talks possible if US drops hostility: report - SEOUL, Feb 19: A top North Korean diplomat said Pyongyang would return to dialogue should Washington promise peaceful coexistence and non-interference, a news report here said today. Han Song-Ryol, North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations, also said if the United States dropped its "hostile" policy toward Pyongyang, the communist state would abandon its nuclear weapons and befriend the United States, the report said. He said North Korea must also be convinced that any such talks would result in substantial outcomes in "denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and renouncing hostile US policy (towards Pyongyang)". North Korea said in a foreign ministry statement on February 10 that it had manufactured nuclear weapons, accusing the United States of seeking to topple its Stalinist regime. It said it was "compelled to suspend" its participation in six-nation talks on dismantling its nuclear programmes but added that Pyongyang's wish to "solve the issue through dialogue and negotiations" remain unchanged. (AFP) (Posted @ 10:55 PST)

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