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| September 18, 2005 | Sunday | Sha'aban 13, 1426 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Musharraf urges U.S. Jews to help make peace NEW YORK, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf told U.S. Jewish leaders on Saturday that granting the Palestinians statehood would help stop Islamic terrorism and lead to full diplomatic ties between Pakistan and Israel. Speaking to the American Jewish Congress at a groundbreaking dinner that opened with the sharing of bread and Quranic verses, Musharraf said his Muslim country had "no direct conflict or dispute with Israel" but that Pakistanis had deep sympathy for Palestinian aspirations for a separate state. "Israel must come to terms with geopolitical realities and allow justice to prevail for the Palestinians," he said, describing a Palestinian settlement as the key to security for Israel and an end to Middle East terrorism. "As the peace process progresses towards the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, we will take further steps towards normalization and cooperation, looking to full diplomatic relations," Musharraf said to lengthy applause. In conciliatory comments that Pakistani analysts called strikingly candid in the Muslim world, Musharraf recalled the tragedy of the Holocaust and acknowledged compassion shown by Jewish groups in helping stop ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and in combating anti-Islamic prejudice after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Pakistan has been one of Israel's harshest critics in the Muslim world. But Musharraf said the strife since the creation of Israel in 1948 was an "aberration in the long history of Muslim-Jewish cooperation and coexistence." Islam, Judaism and Christianity shared prophets and spiritual practices, but were now needlessly "pitted against each other" -- a situation it would take courage to reverse, he said. His remarks received several standing ovations from the audience of about 350 people. (Posted @ 12:32 PST)
About 200 go on hunger strike in Guantanamo: report WASHINGTON, Sept 18 (AFP) - A hunger strike at the US military's prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has unsettled senior commanders and produced the most serious challenge yet to the military's effort to manage hundreds of terrorism suspects, The New York Times reported Sunday. Quoting unnamed lawyers and officials, the newspaper said as many as 200 prisoners -- more than a third of the camp's population -- have refused food in recent weeks to protest conditions and prolonged confinement without trial. While military officials put the number of those participating at 105, they acknowledge that 20 of them, whose health and survival are being threatened, are being kept at the camp's hospital and fed through nasal tubes and sometimes given fluids intravenously, the report said. The military authorities were so concerned about ending a previous strike this summer that they allowed the establishment of a six-member prisoners' grievance committee, said the Times. But the committee was quickly disbanded. The reports quotes Major Jeffrey Weir, a spokesman at the base, as saying the prisoners who are being fed at the hospital are generally not strapped to their beds or gurneys but are in handcuffs and leg restraints.The paper said one law enforcement official who has been fully briefed on the events said senior military officials had grown increasingly worried about their ability to control the situation. A senior military official, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, described the situation as greatly troublesome for the camp's authorities and said they had tried several ways to end the hunger strike, without success, The Times reported. (Posted @ 10:50 PST)
Musharraf breaks new ground in meeting with Jewish leaders NEW YORK, Sept 17 (AFP) - Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf held an unprecedented meeting Saturday with leaders of the American Jewish Congress as part of his campaign to press for moderation in the Muslim world. He was given a standing ovation and big round of applause as he stepped into the conference room. "I cannot imagine that a Muslim and that too a Pakistani and more than that a man in uniform would ever get such a warm reception and such an applause from the Jewish community," Musharraf said, as he gave a military salute to the audience, which included Pakistani Americans. Jack Rosen, the chairman of the American Jewish Congress, described the function as "an unprecedented evening." It resulted from two years of secret talks, culminating with a May meeting with Musharraf in Islamabad. "President Musharraf's decision to be with us tonite is an act of individual courage, leadership and vision," said Rohen, who is also chairman of the Council for World Jewry, which includes the American, French and Russian chapters of the Jewish community. Sharing the dais with Musharraf, senior US legislator Tom Lantos greeted the Pakistani leader as "a man of vision." "At a time when the civilized world is engaged in a global war against extremist Islamic terrorism, you have emerged as the quintessential Muslim leader of moderation, decency, reason, and acceptance of pluralism," said the Democratic Representative of California. (Posted @ 09:00 PST)
Musharraf says AJC address ‘high point’ of his visit NEW YORK, Sept 18 (APP): President Pervez Musharraf on Sunday called his address to the American Jewish Congress (AJC) the ‘high point’ of his visit, but said that Pakistan would carefully consider when to recognise Israel. "In doing so, we will safeguard our national interests," he told Pakistani newsmen at the end of his first leg of the current visit to the United States. The President said there were always some "fleeting opportunities" on the diplomatic horizon, and he believed in acting and not reacting to the situation. "We will keep reviewing our diplomatic stance." In assessing such opportunities, he always took into consideration what would be the worst that could happen- so that all aspects of the situation be perceived. Replying to questions, he said there would be direct and indirect advantages for Pakistan as a result of his landmark move to open dialogue with Israel. At the same time, he said the move would greatly benefit the Palestinian cause.(Posted @ 23:40 PST)
Afghanistan holds landmark voting ISLAMABAD, Sep 18 (APP): Voting has ended for the first parliamentary and local elections held in Afghanistan in more than 30 years. More than 12 million voters had a choice from almost 6,000 candidates. Voting was steady throughout the day. Thousands of foreign and Afghan security forces were on high alert in a campaign marred by violence, BBC reported. According to BBC despite reports of queues in various parts of the country, there are signs that turn-out was low than for last year's presidential vote(75 per cent). President Hamid Karzai was one of the early voters in the capital, saying it was a good day for Afghanistan whatever the result. "We are making history," he said as he cast his ballot. Reports from Kandahar in the south said that women voted in large numbers. BBC report said more women than men voted in Jalalabad. Illiteracy is also a factor and there were fears many people may find it difficult to choose candidates by their picture and symbol. In Kabul, voters had to work their way through a seven-page ballot paper with almost 400 candidates for the parliament alone. Final results of elections are due in late October.(Posted @ 23:20 PST)
Opposition wins in German election PARIS, Sept 18 (AFP) - Germany voted Sunday in a tightly-fought election that saw the conservative opposition under Angela Merkel grab a narrow victory over Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's centre-left coalition but not enough to form a ruling majority. The result will probably give Germany the first female chancellor in its history, but the narrowness of victory also ushers in a period of uncertainty over Europe's biggest economy.(Posted @ 23:05 PST)
Nine killed in Afghan election violence KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Sept 18 (AFP) - Nine people were killed in violence around Afghanistan's landmark elections Sunday, including a civilian hit by a US air strike and a French soldier struck by a bomb, officials said. Two would-be suicide bombers were also wounded when explosives strapped to their bodies detonated before they could attack a polling station in eastern Afghanistan, the interior ministry said. Near Kabul, two rockets were also fired at UN warehouse but they only caused minor damage and slightly hurt an employee. The first French soldier to die in Afghanistan was killed in a bomb blast near the Pakistani border. A second soldier in the same vehicle was seriously wounded, a statement said. The Afghan civilian was killed overnight when US-led coalition forces came under attack in the eastern province of Khost and called in air support to bomb the area. "One civilian's residence in Khalsas district was also bombed, which resulted in the one civilian death. Five people from the same house were wounded,". Separately in Khost, rebels attacked a security post overnight and killed two policemen. The US military said one US soldier and two Afghan soldiers were wounded. Three Taliban fighters were killed in the firefight in Yaqobi district 130 kilometres southeast of Kabul. A suspected Taliban militant was killed in an assault on a polling station late Saturday in the southern province of Helmand, provincial governor Mullah Shir Mohammed said. The polling station was not damaged. An Afghan soldier was killed and seven were wounded in Nuristan province in eastern Afghanistan. The failed suicide bombing was in the village of Ghaziabad near Khost city. "Two men who had strapped explosives to their bodies were wounded as they were attempting to enter a polling station in Ghaziabad...,". "Their bombs went off just before they were attempting to get into the centre. They were both wounded," he said. No one else was hurt. In the rocket strike on the UNICEF warehouse near Kabul, two projectiles were fired but only one exploded. "There was a small fire, one local staff member was slightly injured,". Militants threw a hand grenade into the house of a candidate in the eastern province of Nangarhar province and wounded five family members. Police also defused a bomb near a polling station in the northern province of Baghlan, and in Khost they arrested two people with bombs trying to enter another voting centre, officials said.The violence had little affect on voting.(Posted @ 20:55 PST)
Algerian minister arrives to attend 2-day JMC meeting ISLAMABAD, September 18 (PPI) The Algerian Minister for Small and Medium Enterprises and Handicraft Mr. Mustapha Benbada arrived here on Sunday morning to attend the first 2-day Pak-Algeria Joint Ministerial Commission meeting. He was warmly greeted by the Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Mr. Amanullah Khan Jadoon at the Islamabad International Airport. Senior officials of the Economic Affairs, Foreign Office and Algerian Ambassador were also present.(Posted @ 20:44 PST)
Security incidents in Iraq, Sept 18 BAGHDAD, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Six insurgents were killed by U.S forces in Tal Afar, west of Mosul, the U.S military said in a statement. - Four insurgents were killed by U.S forces in Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, on Saturday, U.S military said in a statement. - A U.S soldier was killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his patrol in Balad, north of Baghdad, on Saturday, the U.S military said. - Four bodies were found in Khalidiya, 85 km west of Baghdad. Police said they were blindfolded and shot dead. Two of the bodies were wearing army uniforms. - At least three Iraqi soldiers were killed and three wounded when a roadside bomb exploded near their patrol in Kirkuk, 250 km (150 miles) north of Baghdad, hospital sources said. - One civilian was killed and four wounded when gunmen attacked a food ration shop in western Baquba, police said. - A member of Iraq's parliament was killed along with three bodyguards, and another member was wounded, on Saturday night near the town of Dujail, north of Baghdad, as he was travelling to Baghdad, the National Assembly spokesman said. Faris Hussein was a member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan political party.(Posted @ 19:18 PST)
Putin says Iran cooperating, sanctions could cause new 'problems' WASHINGTON, Sept 18 (AFP) - Russia's President Vladimir Putin said Iran was cooperating "sufficiently" with the UN's nuclear watchdog over its suspect atomic programme and warned UN sanctions could cause new "problems", in an interview with US television broadcast Sunday.(Posted @ 19:04 PST)
Two more bird flu cases suspected in Indonesia as Jakarta closes zoo JAKARTA, Sept 18 (AFP) - Two more Indonesian children are suspected of having been infected with bird flu as authorities closed the Jakarta zoo after 19 birds there were found to be carrying the deadly virus, officials said Sunday. Agriculture Minister Anton Apriantono said that Jakarta's Ragunan zoo will be closed to the public through October 17, during which a complete sterilization of the area and treatment of infected animals will be completed.(Posted @ 17:40 PST)
North Korea willing to try to resume talks with Japan BEIJING Sept 18 (APP/AP) _ North Korea has expressed willingness to work to ease tensions and resume a dialogue with Tokyo aimed at normalizing ties, a Japanese envoy said Sunday on the sidelines of talks in Beijing on Pyongyang's nuclear program. The chief Japanese delegate, Kenichiro Sasae, said he met North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan on Sunday to discuss the nuclear issue and other common concerns, including Tokyo's demands for information about Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s. "The North Korean side said it understands the Japanese position and wants to make further efforts toward resuming the dialogue," said Sasae, who is director of the Asia and Oceania Bureau at Japan's Foreign Ministry.(Posted @ 17:08 PST)
British driver killed in world championship rally CARDIFF, Sept 18 (AFP) - British rally co-driver Michael Park was killed on Sunday when the car he was in crashed into a tree during a special stage of the Rally of Great Britain, race organisers said. Park, 39, had been the co-pilot in a Peugeot 307 driven by top Estonian Markko Martin when the car veered off the road. They were competing in the 15th special stage of the rally, the 12th leg of the world championships and were in sixth place at the time of the crash.(Posted @ 16:50 PST)
We need more arms to take on militants: Palestinians GAZA CITY, Sept 18 (AFP) - Palestinian security forces are caught in the ultimate Catch 22. Expected to enforce law and order in the newly "liberated" Gaza Strip, they complain they are too weak to carry out the task. Officers in the Palestinian Authority paint a picture of a force that has been battered by Israeli attacks during the five-year intifada and the defection of its own men into armed militias. They worry openly about the spectre of civil war following Israel's historic pullout of Jewish settlers and soldiers from the Gaza Strip after 38 years of occupation. (Posted @ 14:15 PST)
Musharraf says India-Pakistan talks made ground ISLAMABAD, Sept 18 (Reuters) - India and Pakistan have made considerable progress on resolving border disputes in the Himalayan mountains and on the shores of the Arabian Sea, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has been quoted as saying. Pakistani media reported on Sunday that Musharraf said both he and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh showed commitment to the peace process begun in January 2004 when they met last week in New York. "We have made considerable progress on Siachen and Sir Creek issues," Musharraf told a gathering of American and Pakistani journalists during a one hour briefing with Time magazine. (Posted @ 14:14 PST)
Bangladesh communists enforce strike to protest fuel price rise DHAKA, Sept 18 (AFP) - Parts of Bangladesh came to a halt on Sunday as the country's leading leftist party called a nationwide strike to protest at a government decision to raise fuel prices. Workers of the Communist Party held rallies in Dhaka and the other main cities and towns but Chittagong port continued to operate without disruption, Chittagong police chief Mazeedul Haq added. Officials in Khulna reported little disruption. (Posted @ 12:41 PST)
Seven die in Malaysia when car hits police roadblock KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 (AFP) - Seven people, including three police officers, were killed Sunday when a speeding car crashed into a roadblock in Malaysia's northern Penang state, police officials said.The car went out of control on the rain-soaked road, hit the police roadblock on the motorcycle lane and overturned.Three people in the car died, and three police and a motorcyclist were killed, the Bernama news agency reported. (Posted @ 12:41 PST)
Johnson undergoes brain surgery after Vegas defeat LAS VEGAS, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Leavander Johnson was fighting for his life after losing his world lightweight title in an 11th-round technical knockout to Jesus Chavez at the MGM Grand Arena on Saturday. Johnson complained of headaches after referee Tony Weeks stopped the beating at 38 seconds of the 11th round. He collapsed in his dressing room before being taken to the University Medical Center where Doctor Bill Smith was operating on his brain in an attempt to stop bleeding on the left side. The 35-year-old American, 34-5-2 with 26 knockouts, was fighting at the MGM for the first time in 12 years. (Posted @ 12:09
N.Korean nuclear talks to continue Monday: Xinhua BEIJING, Sept 18 (AFP) - Talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear ambitions will continue for a seventh day on Monday, China's official Xinhua news agency reported. Xinhua cited the Chinese delegation, although this could not be immediately confirmed elsewhere. The chief envoys from the two Koreas, Japan, China, Russia and the United States met twice Sunday -- first for eight minutes and then for 45 minutes -- as they worked to strike a deal on a joint document to help resolve the deadlock. Disagreements remain over energy-starved North Korea's demand for the right to peaceful atomic power in return for giving up its nuclear weapons program. (Posted @ 11:09 PST)
Train derails in Chicago, killing one, injuring 83 CHICAGO, Sept 17 (AFP) - A woman was killed and 83 others were taken to hospital Saturday after a commuter train derailed in Chicago, local media reported. More than 180 passengers were aboard the train when it jumped the tracks in a residential neighbourhood. Firefighters had to cut through parts of the train cars to rescue three injured passengers and used fire truck ladders to reach the elevated tracks. Some passengers escaped through the windows, the Chicago Tribune reported. (Posted @ 09:31 PST)
Iran offers to bring foreign firms into nuclear program UNITED NATIONS, Sept 17 (AFP) - Iran on Saturday unveiled proposals to end a standoff over its suspected nuclear weapons program and thwart a move toward possible UN sanctions but the United States, France and Britain reacted coolly. In a much- awaited address to the UN General Assembly, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad outlined four proposals, including an offer to "engage in serious partnership with private and public sectors of other countries in the implementation of the uranium-enrichment program in Iran."Initial Western reaction to the Iranian package was downbeat. Senior officials from the United States, France, Britain and Germany were to meet Sunday to discuss the proposals, the US State Department said.Ahmadinejad also said that the UN General Assembly should create an ad hoc committee to study and report on "possible practical measures and strategies for complete disarmament." "Continued interaction and technical and legal cooperation with the IAEA will be the centerpiece of our nuclear policy," he further suggested. (Posted @ 09:22 PST)
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