News, Prophecy and other

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The Times     April 10, 2006

Saudis plan to fence off border with chaos
By Michael Theodoulou

SAUDI ARABIA has invited bids for the construction of a security fence along the entire length of its 900km (560mile) desert border with Iraq in a multimillion-pound project that will attract interest from British defence companies.

The barrier is part of a package to secure the Kingdom’s 6,500km of borders in an attempt to improve internal security and bolster its defences against external threats.

Saudi Arabia is concerned that the chaos in Iraq could cause an overspill of sectarian violence and terrorism. The kingdom claims to be winning the battle against al-Qaeda’s Saudi wing but wants to protect itself against Saudi insurgents returning from Iraq.

“There’s no suggestion that the border isn’t secure at the moment, so it could be a bit of an expensive white elephant,” a European diplomat in Riyadh said. Saudi militants join ing the insurgency use other routes, such as Syria.

Riyadh is worried by the rise to power in Iraq of the Shia majority, with its close links with Iran, which Saudi Arabia mistrusts. It is concerned that its Shia minority, which is concentrated in the oil-producing eastern province, may become radicalised.

Saudis plan to fence off border with chaos

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Bush: Iran Strike Plans 'Wild Speculation'

By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer 1 minute ago

WASHINGTON - President Bush said Monday that force is not necessarily required to stop Iran from having a nuclear weapon, and he dismissed reports of plans for a military attack against Tehran as "wild speculation."

Bush said his goal is to keep the Iranians from having the capability or the knowledge to have a nuclear weapon.

"I know we're here in Washington ... (where) prevention means force," Bush said. "It doesn't mean force necessarily. In this case it means diplomacy."

Bush, speaking Monday at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, and other administration officials have said repeatedly that the military option is on the table.

Several reports published over the weekend said the administration was studying options for military strikes, and an account in The New Yorker magazine raised the possibility of using nuclear bombs against Iran's underground nuclear sites.

Bush did not directly respond to that report but said, "What you're reading is just wild speculation."

But Bush said he was correct to include Iran in the "axis of evil" with Iraq and North Korea and he's glad to see other countries taking the threat from Iran seriously, too.

"I got out a little early on the issue by saying axis of evil," Bush said. "But I meant it. I saw it as a problem. And now many others have come to the conclusion that the Iranians should not have a nuclear weapon."

The White House sought to minimize speculation about a possible military strike against Iran while acknowledging that the Pentagon is conducting "normal military contingency planning" to deal with Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

White House press secretary Scott McClellan repeatedly stressed that the administration's focus is on working with other nations to come up with a diplomatic solution to get Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment program. He refused to confirm or deny the New Yorker magazine report.

"I'm not going to engage in all this wild speculation," McClellan told reporters.

"Those who are seeking to draw broad conclusions based on normal military contingency planning are misinformed or not knowledgeable about the administration's thinking," he said.

Bush counselor Dan Bartlett made a similar statement to The Associated Press on Sunday, saying "those who are drawing broad, definitive conclusions based on normal defense and intelligence planning are ill-informed and are not knowledgeable of the administration's thinking on Iran."

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corp. on Sunday, called the idea of a nuclear strike "completely nuts."

Straw said Britain would not launch a pre-emptive strike on Iran and he was as "certain as he could be" that neither would the U.S. He said he has a high suspicion that Iran is developing a civil nuclear capability that in turn could be used for nuclear weapons, but there is "no smoking gun" to prove it and rationalize abandoning the plodding diplomatic process.

"The reason why we're opposed to military action is because it's an infinitely worse option and there's no justification for it," Straw said.

Defense experts say a military strike on Iran would be risky and complicated. U.S. forces already are preoccupied with Iraq and Afghanistan, and an attack against Iran could inflame U.S. problems in the Muslim world.

The U.N. Security Council has demanded Iran suspend its uranium enrichment program. But Iran has so far refused to halt its nuclear activity, saying the small-scale enrichment project was strictly for research and not for development of nuclear weapons.

Bush has said Iran may pose the greatest challenge to the United States of any other country in the world. And while he has stressed that diplomacy is always preferable, he has defended his administration's strike-first policy against terrorists and other enemies.

Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Mark Ballesteros would not comment Sunday on reports of military planning for Iran. "The U.S. military never comments on contingency planning," he said.

Bush: Iran Strike Plans 'Wild Speculation'

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Immigration Advocates Rally Around U.S.

By GIOVANNA DELL'ORTO, Associated Press Writer 35 minutes ago

ATLANTA - Tens of thousands of immigrants spilled into the streets of Atlanta and other cities Monday in a national day of action billed as a "campaign for immigrants' dignity."

In North Carolina and Dallas, immigrant groups called for an economic boycott to show their financial impact. In Pittsburgh and other cities, protesters gathered at lawmakers' offices to make their voices heard as Congress considers immigration reforms.

"We all know pay is not the same everywhere and lot of people won't work for the minimum here, so if they won't take the job, what's the problem?" said 47-year-old Jose Salazar, who joined about 100 people outside Sen. Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record)'s office in Pittsburgh early Monday.

In Atlanta, police estimated at least 40,000 people, many in white T-shirts and waving signs and American flags, had gathered Monday morning for a two-mile march from a largely immigrant neighborhood in Atlanta.

The protesters had a dual purpose in Georgia: supporting immigrant rights nationally and protesting state legislation awaiting Gov. Sonny Perdue's signature that would require adults seeking many state-administered benefits to prove they are in the country legally.

Nineth Castillo, a 26-year-old waitress from Guatemala, said she has lived in the United States for 11 years "without a scrap of paper."

Asked whether she was afraid to parade her undocumented status in front of a massive police presence, she laughed and said: "Why? They kick us out, we're coming back tomorrow."

Carlos Carrera, a construction worker from Mexico, held a banner that read: "We are not criminals. Give us a chance for a better life."

"We would like them to let us work with dignity. We want to progress along with this country," said Carrera, who said he has been in the United States for 20 years.

In North Carolina, hundreds of Latinos prepared to skip work or boycott all purchases on Monday to demonstrate the financial impact of the Latino community on area businesses. In Charlotte, some employees planned to skip work, including some with the blessing of their Latino bosses.

"We're hoping that employers stop to consider what this is all about," organizer Adriana Galvez said. "That if you need people here to do the work, to buy, then give them a legal channel to get here."

In Dallas, where a march Sunday drew between 350,000 and 500,000 people, activists also were urging immigrants to showcase their spending power by not buying anything during an economic boycott. Rallies also were planned Monday in Houston, El Paso and Austin.

Several hundred people gathered in Lexington, Ky., where demonstrators waved American flags and signs that read "We were all immigrants once," and "We are not terrorists."

In downtown South Bend, Ind., several thousand people marched.

The demonstrations Monday followed a day of rallies in 10 states. In Salt Lake City, 20,000 turned out on Sunday, far more than expected, police said, and 50,000 rallied in San Diego. Other demonstrations were held in Minnesota, New Mexico, Michigan, Iowa, Alabama, Oregon and Idaho.

With an overhaul of immigration law stalled in Congress, demonstrators urged lawmakers to help an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants settle legally in the United States.

In Birmingham, Ala., demonstrators marched along the same streets where civil rights activists clashed with police in the 1960s and rallied at a park where a statue of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. stands as a reminder of the fight for equal rights and the violence that once plagued the city.

The rallies also drew counter-demonstrators.

In Salt Lake City, Jerry Owens, 59, a Navy veteran from Midway wearing a blue Minuteman T-shirt and camouflage pants, held a yellow "Don't Tread on Me" flag.

"I think it's real sad because these people are really saying it's OK to be illegal aliens," Owens said. "What Americans are saying is 'Yes, come here. But come here legally.' And I think that's the big problem."

Immigration Advocates Rally Around U.S.

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EU Ministers Back Palestinian Aid Freeze

By ROBERT WIELAARD, Associated Press Writer 48 minutes ago

LUXEMBOURG - European Union foreign ministers on Monday endorsed a freeze of EU aid to the Palestinian government, but said they would seek alternative ways of providing money for humanitarian projects, Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot said.

"There will be no aid to (Hamas) government organizations, but we will maintain humanitarian aid," said Bot. "The Palestinian people have opted for this government, so they will have to bear the consequences."

Earlier, EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said Europe continues to "stand by the Palestinian people." It will continue to provide money for electricity, food, education and other projects, so "their basic human needs will be met in the future," she added.

Hamas, which won January's Palestinian legislative elections, is on the EU's list of terrorist organizations, a designation that bars EU officials from any dealings with the group.

But officials said humanitarian aid could continue to reach the Palestinian people through international organizations and bypass the Palestinian Authority.

The international Red Cross on Monday, warning of a possible humanitarian and security crisis, said the U.S. and EU cannot expect aid organizations to fill in for the Palestinian government if it is unable to maintain services.

"Humanitarian organizations simply cannot replace the range of services that a public administration has to deal with," said Pierre Kraehenbuehl, director of operations for the International Committee of the Red Cross. "It's neither our role, nor do we have the range of capacities."

The ICRC, which is mandated by the Geneva Conventions on warfare to protect civilians in combat and under occupation, said Israel — as the occupying power — is responsible under international law to ensure that the basic needs of civilians in the Palestinian territories, including food and medical attention.

Kraehenbuehl warned of a possible humanitarian and security crisis if the newly elected government is unable to provide basic services and ensure law and order.

Earlier, Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister Nasser Shaer had appealed to the EU not to cut off aid.

"I ask the European Union not to make a decision that will hurt the Palestinian people," he said. "We need the money they have been sending, for hospitals, schools, paving roads."

Ferrero-Waldner reiterated that if the new Palestinian leadership wants all aid resumed the Islamic militant Hamas must "renounce violence, recognize the existence of Israel and also stand by the agreements" previous Palestinian governments have signed with Israel.

In a draft of a statement to be issued later Monday, the EU said it "noted with grave concern that the program of the new Palestinian government does not contain a clear commitment to (these) three principles."

The EU's executive Commission last Friday suspended direct aid — crucial budgetary funding typically used for road-building and other infrastructure projects and to meet the Palestinian Authority's payroll.

"It is right we attach consequences to the fact the Palestinian government is not responding to our expectations" that it commit to peace with Israel, said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Monday the EU had "responsibilities not to see the Palestinian people suffer."

"But so, too, does the Hamas government," Straw said, "because democracy carries with it responsibilities ... not to go in for violence as a way of resolving arguments.

Aid to the Palestinians from the EU and its 25 member nations usually totals around $615 million a year. Funds that have been suspended amount to about half of that, while the remainder comes from bilateral programs — some of which have also been suspended.

The United States, Canada and non-EU member Norway have also cut off payments. The cut in foreign aid comes on top of a decision by Israel to withhold some $50 million a month in tax revenues it collects on behalf of the Palestinians.

The annual Palestinian budget is about $1.9 billion. The $1.3 billion in foreign aid last year accounted for 32 percent of Palestinian gross domestic product, making Palestinians the biggest per capita recipients of foreign aid in the world.

EU Ministers Back Palestinian Aid Freeze

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US backs proposed NATO role in Darfur: report

Mon Apr 10, 2:17 AM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States backs a proposal to send several hundred NATO advisers to support the African Union peacekeeping mission to halt violence in Darfur, The Washington Post reported on Monday.

Citing unidentified Bush administration officials, the newspaper said the move under consideration calls for fewer than 500 NATO advisers, including some U.S. troops, to be assigned to African Union headquarters units.

The AU's 7,000 poorly equipped troops in Sudan's western province of Darfur have been unable to stop violence in which tens of thousands of people have died and 2 million have fled in the last three years.

The NATO forces would assist in logistics, communications, intelligence and other areas but would not intervene on the ground in Darfur, the officials told the Post.

The proposed deployment is intended as an interim measure until a larger UN force, with a broader mandate than the African Union force can be sent, the newspaper said.

However, UN officials and diplomats told Reuters that sending in any Western military advisors would be difficult without a major diplomatic offensive.

There has not been approval from NATO yet and the Sudan government has objected to a UN force, particularly one that has U.S. or European military personnel.

The African Union, under pressure from its Arab members, many of whom back Khartoum, has been hesitating in folding in its forces into a UN operation, despite earlier commitments.

And Western advisors on equipment given to the African Union to date have been forced to do training outside of Darfur, Juan Mendez, the UN special envoy for the prevention of genocide, said at a Friday news conference.

Jan Pronk, the UN representative for Darfur, told Netherlands Radio last week that mentioning NATO was like waving a red flag to the Muslims in Sudan and elsewhere.

US backs proposed NATO role in Darfur: report

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NATO says has no plans for Darfur ground force

Mon Apr 10, 11:00 AM ET

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO is discussing its possible future involvement in Sudan's violent Darfur region but has no plans to send a military ground force, an alliance spokeswoman said on Monday.

The spokeswoman, Carmen Romero, declined to comment on a report by the Washington Post newspaper that said the United States backed a proposal to send several hundred NATO advisers to support an African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur.

"We are not talking of a NATO force in Darfur, this is out of the question," she said, adding any personnel would be involved only in logistical support or training.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has asked NATO to study how it could support the cash-strapped African Union, which has sent 7,000 troops to the region to try to stop violence in which tens of thousands of people have died.

Romero said NATO's military authority would prepare its recommendation about the scope of the alliance's involvement in Darfur within "days or weeks." A final decision rests with a council of ambassadors from NATO's 26 member states.

NATO already has some officials in Darfur. Some had been training African Union troops until March, while several others are supporting the rotation of the AU troops.

The Washington Post cited unidentified U.S. administration officials as saying NATO was considering sending fewer than 500 advisers to Darfur, including some U.S. troops, to be assigned to African Union headquarters units.

The proposed deployment would be intended as an interim measure until a larger U.N. force, with a broader mandate than the African Union force, could be sent, the newspaper said.

The possible U.N. force would aim to end mass killing and rape in a three-year-old war between the government and rebels, which has displaced about 2 million people, causing a humanitarian crisis.

NATO says has no plans for Darfur ground force

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Iran Dismisses Western 'Bullying'

By NASSER KARIMI, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 27 minutes ago

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's hard-line president told his nation Monday not to be frightened by Western "bullying" over the country's nuclear ambitions, and his government dismissed as "psychological warfare" reports that the United States was drawing up plans for military action.

In Washington, President Bush said force is not necessarily required to stop Iran from having a nuclear weapon, and he dismissed reports of plans for a military attack as "wild speculation."

The comments by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Bush came after several American media reports said the Bush administration was studying options for military strikes against Iran to stop its nuclear program.

An account in The New Yorker magazine said U.S. officials were looking at the possibility of using nuclear bombs against Iran's underground nuclear sites.

Ahmadinejad said Iran would not be dissuaded from its nuclear goals. Tehran insists its nuclear program aims to develop energy, denying U.S. and Western accusations it intends to build nuclear weapons.

"Our enemies know that they can't cause a minute's pause in our nation's motion forward," Ahmadinejad told thousands of people gathered in Mashad, capital of Razavi Khorasan province in northeastern Iran.

"Unfortunately, today some bullying powers are unable to give up their bullying nature. The future will prove that our path was a right way."

"They have pinned their hope to create differences among our nation," Ahmadinejad said. "There are some weak people who intend to frighten our nation. I do advise people not to be afraid when some international power frowns."

It was not clear if Ahmadinejad's speech was referring to the reports of U.S. military planning and of operatives stirring dissent in Iran's ethnic minorities. His comments also came after European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana recommended Monday that the 25-nation bloc consider sanctions against Iran, including a visa ban on some officials, because of Iran's rejection of U.N. demands it end uranium enrichment.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi dismissed the reports of U.S. military planning.

"We see it as psychological warfare, resulting from the Americans' anger and despair" over stopping Iran's nuclear ambitions, he told journalists when asked Sunday about the reports.

Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran's supreme National Security Council, also played down the reports.

"If the U.S. commits such a mistake, it would receive a convenient answer," Larijani said, according to a Monday report by the state news agency IRNA.

Bush said his goal is to keep the Iranians from having the capability or the knowledge to have a nuclear weapon.

"I know we're here in Washington (where) prevention means force," Bush said during an appearance at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. "It doesn't mean force necessarily. In this case it means diplomacy."

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corp. on Sunday, called the idea of a nuclear strike on Iran "completely nuts."

The U.N. Security Council has demanded that Iran suspend all enrichment of uranium — a key process that can produce either fuel for a reactor or the material for a nuclear warhead — and gave Tehran until April 28 to comply before the International Atomic Energy Agency reports back to the council on its inspection progress.

Iran has rejected the demand, saying the small-scale enrichment it began in February was strictly for research and was within its rights under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

On Sunday, five IAEA inspectors visited Iran's Uranium Conversion Facility in Isfahan that reprocesses raw uranium into hexafluoride gas, the feedstock for enrichment.

The team was next due to visit the Natanz uranium enrichment plant, where Iran resumed small-scale research enrichment in February. The inspectors, who arrived in Tehran on Friday, will stay in Iran for five days.

Iran Dismisses Western 'Bullying'

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Out of my own newspaper.........................

Students marching too; attendance drops in some schools

Karina Bland
The Arizona Republic The Arizona Republic
Apr. 10, 2006 01:22 PM

Mesa police Sgt. Jim Schweisthal, who supervises some of the Police Department's school resource officers, estimated that a few hundred students at Mesa, Kino and Powell junior highs were absent on the west side of Mesa.

But Schweisthal said there were no reports of students leaving class to march through the city's streets like they did two weeks ago.

Attendance in high schools did not appear to be down as much, he said.

Kathy Bareiss, spokeswoman for Mesa Public Schools.

At Lowell Elementary School, which has grades K-6 and is next to Mesa Junior High, 285 children were absent, according to Principal Sandi Kuhn. Typically, about 40 to 60 miss class on a given day at Lowell, where nearly 90 percent of students are Hispanic.

Students marching too; attendance drops in some schools

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Canada priest excommunicated for breakaway church

By Jennifer Kwan Mon Apr 10, 6:20 PM ET

TORONTO (Reuters) - A Canadian priest, who fell afoul of the Catholic church after he backed the ordination of female clergy, was formally excommunicated on Palm Sunday after he held services in his own breakaway church.

The service was the second held by Reverend Ed Cachia under his new Christ the Servant Catholic Church and was attended by about 250 people at a town hall in Cold Springs, a village about 130 km (80 miles) northeast of Toronto.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Peterborough promptly declared a "schismatic church" and said Cachia had "incurred automatic excommunication by virtue of the law of the Church."

"The Christian faithful should not frequent this breakaway church, nor support the disobedience of Fr. Cachia," Peterborough Bishop Nicola De Angelis said in a letter read out in churches in the diocese.

"The bishop had to respond lest there be more confusion on the part of the people," Reverend Tom Lynch, spokesman for the diocese said on Monday.

The rift stems from Cachia's support for nine women ordained on a boat on the St. Lawrence River last July in defiance of the Church, which says women cannot be priests.

Cachia could not be reached for comment on Monday. He told a Canadian newspaper he felt sadness after learning he had been excommunicated. "I never in my whole lifetime ever dreamt it would come to this," he said.

Many parishioners have followed him to the breakaway church.

"The reason we left was out of protest over the way the bishop is handling this and how he is attempting to crush Father Ed over such a simplistic thing," parishioner Mark King said by telephone.

Lynch said the presence of a so-called "schismatic community" in Canada is rare and this may be the first time a community here has taken such a step.

Canada priest excommunicated for breakaway church

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China makes push to restart N Korea talks

47 minutes ago

TOKYO (AFP) - China made a last-minute push to re-start diplomatic talks with North Korea over its nuclear weapons programs, but Pyongyang remained firm on demanding an end to US sanctions before coming back to the bargaining table.

China, impoverished North Korea's main ally, has hosted five rounds of six-nation talks since 2003 to disarm the communist regime, which declared last year it had nuclear weapons.

China is hoping to use a private conference in Tokyo, the first gathering of the six chief envoys since talks broke down in November, to eke out progress ahead of President Hu Jintao's visit to Washington next week.

"I am not certain but there is still some time left," said Chinese envoy Wu Dawei, who reportedly extended his stay by one day until Wednesday.

"There is still a tough situation. Each side intends to make efforts," Wu told reporters after a dinner late Monday with his North Korean counterpart.

South Korean Chun Young-Woo also hoped for a meeting between the two main players in the nuclear crisis.

"We are continuing to make efforts to realize US-North Korea contact. We will have to wait and see. It is premature to make a judgment at this stage," Chun said.

But US chief delegate Christopher Hill has refused to meet bilaterally with North Korea in Tokyo unless Pyongyang returns to the six-way talks.

Hill, the assistant secretary of state for East Asia, later opened one-on-one talks with China's Wu.

"We'll talk and see how and when he can get the Beijing talks going," Hill told reporters.

"This is a big month for our relationship with China. President Hu Jintao is coming to Washington. So we'll have a lot to discuss, a lot of issues in Asia, especially the six-party talks."

North Korea has refused to return to the negotiations -- involving China, Japan, the two Koreas, Russia and the United States -- since Washington blacklisted a bank for allegedly counterfeiting dollars and money-laundering.

The ban against US institutions dealing with the Macau-based bank are believed to have badly hit the fragile North Korean economy, which is heavily dependent on Chinese aid.

Hill said he felt no need to meet here with North Korean envoy Kim Kye-Gwan as the United States has already met with Pyongyang in Beijing and New York to explain the sanctions.

"I don't have any plan because meetings should have a purpose and we've already discussed our positions," Hill said. "So I'm not sure of the purpose to have a meeting, besides (that) I'm in Tokyo."

The Tokyo conference, which stretches over five days with the main session Tuesday, was organized by the University of California at San Diego to bring together officials and academics from the six nations to brainstorm informally.

It is extremely rare for North Korean officials to visit Japan, which maintains no relations with Pyongyang due to the communist regime's kidnappings of Japanese civilians to train its spies in the 1970s and early 1980s.

US President George W. Bush in 2002 declared North Korea part of an "axis of evil" along with
Iran and Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

His administration later confronted the North with allegations it is pursuing a secret uranium enrichment program in violation of a 1994 accord to give up nuclear development in exchange for light water reactors.

The North responded by kicking out weapons inspectors, pulling out of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and last year declaring that it had nuclear weapons.

China makes push to restart N Korea talks

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Mubarak's questioning of Shiites' loyalty draws sharp Iraqi criticism

SALAH NASRAWI Sun Apr 9, 8:16 PM ET

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - President Hosni Mubarak angered Iraqi leaders Sunday by saying Shiites there and across the Middle East are more loyal to Iran than to their own countries as he gave a startlingly frank warning about possible civil war in Iraq.

The flap highlights the escalating tensions between predominantly Sunni Arab countries - alarmed by possible Kurdish and Shiite domination of their neighbour - and Iraqis who say they are not getting enough support from their Arab brothers.

"Definitely Iran has influence on Shiites," Mubarak said in an interview broadcast Saturday evening by Al-Arabiya television. "Shiites are 65 per cent of the Iraqis . . . Most of the Shiites are loyal to Iran, and not to the countries they are living in."

He also said civil war "has almost started" in Iraq.

"At the moment, Iraq is almost close to destruction," he warned.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, said Mubarak's comments were not accurate.

"It is true that there are some kind of clashes among Sunnis and Shias. But it is not civil war," he told Britain's Channel 4 News.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw reiterated that civil war in Iraq was neither imminent nor inevitable but accepted that the situation was "very serious."

Mubarak has rarely commented on the situation in Iraq and his statements usually are broad, vague expressions of concern over the violence and political turmoil there. Arab leaders also generally avoid pointed criticism of their fellow leaders.

So the interview startled not only Iraqis but also the Shiites who form large communities in a number of countries - particularly Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. Some of them said Mubarak's comments only fuel momentum toward civil war.

Mubarak's spokesman, Suleiman Awad, tried Sunday to soften the impact. He said the president was talking about Shiite sympathy with Iran "in view of its hosting of (Shiite) holy shrines."

"The president's statement about Iraq was only reflecting his increasing worries about the deteriorating situation and his keenness to maintain Iraq's national unity," Awad said in a statement carried by the state news agency MENA.

That did not seem to mollify Iraqi leaders.

"This is a stab in their (Shiites') patriotism and their civilization," Iraq's three highest-ranking Kurdish, Shiite and Sunni Arab leaders - Talabani, Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari and Parliament Speaker gotcha98 Pachachi - said in a joint statement Sunday.

"Reality and historical facts show that the Shiites always have been patriotic and genuine Iraqis. This unfair accusation against Shiites is baseless," Talabani, a Kurd, later told Iraqi television.

Mubarak's questioning of Shiites' loyalty draws sharp Iraqi criticism

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France Puts End to Controversial Jobs Law

By CHRISTINE OLLIVIER, Associated Press Writer Mon Apr 10, 7:08 PM ET

PARIS - President Jacques Chirac caved in to protesters on Monday, canceling a law on youth employment that fueled nationwide unrest and raising questions about France's ability to reform rigid labor laws in a globalized world.

Unions declared victory, but energized students decided to go ahead with a "day of action" Tuesday to try to knock down other measures — designed to reduce the 22 percent unemployment rate among youths — that are viewed as threatening coveted job protections.

In an announcement that amounted to a humiliating admission of defeat, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said on nationwide TV that the contested measure would be replaced.

Chirac had ordered the pullback after weighing the results of talks with students and unions, the debilitating political fallout for the right and the danger of increasingly daring student protests on railroad tracks and highways.

The announcement was a personal blow to Villepin, who was considered the president's preferred successor for presidential elections next year. Villepin designed the much maligned measure and had dug in his heels to save it.

"This sad adventure is an immense waste for our country," said Francois Hollande, leader of the opposition Socialist Party, in one of many jibes at the government.

Chirac said the measure would be replaced by one directed specifically at disadvantaged youths, many of them living in housing projects in poor, mainly immigrant suburbs. It would beef up measures already in place, rather than enact new ones.

The government has brought overall unemployment down from 10.2 percent to 9.6 percent. But joblessness among the nation's youth stands at 22 percent, soaring to nearly 50 percent in poor suburbs. Villepin looked to use the occasion to start whittling at labor laws that prevent French companies from streamlining and frighten some foreign firms from setting up shop here.

The rejected law would have allowed employers to fire workers under the age of 26 at any time during a two-year trial period without giving a reason.

The government had said the law was aimed at spurring the hiring of youth. Villepin had sought to add a dose of flexibility to France's rigid labor laws to prime the French economy for the challenges of globalization.

The effort "was not understood by everyone. I express my regret," a humbled Villepin said.

The crisis portrayed a government divided in a battle between the prime minister and the ambitious Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who is openly seeking the presidency. It also led to rumors that Villepin could resign and suggestions that any presidential ambitions of his own were cut short.

In a TV interview Tuesday evening, the prime minister, calm and focused, reiterated earlier denials that his goal was the presidency. But he showed no sign of sinking into the shadows after being forced to abandon his jobs law.

"I have always said that I have no presidential ambitions," he said. He vowed to "continue to fight, continue to produce answers, to draw lessons and perhaps to come out with more experience."

Sarkozy, in a newspaper interview for publication Friday, made clear he was among the law's doubters but pledged unity with the government.

With unions banding together against the law, "one can only question the method and the fundamentals," Sarkozy said.

He said that as interior minister he had information showing that the protest movement was radicalizing, and "that alerted and concerned me."

Anger over the law was deepened by Villepin's tactics: ramming the bill through parliament with a special measure that does away with public debate.

The replacement bill was filed Monday at the National Assembly, the lower chamber, and officials said debate might start as soon as Tuesday. In a fast-track scenario, the four-point measure could be passed by both houses by the end of the week, before parliament's spring recess.

The new bill would expand existing job contracts with the government, for example, offering more state support for companies that hire young, less qualified workers.

Other measures would increase internships in areas where jobs are relatively plentiful — such as in restaurants, hotels, or hospitals for work as nurses — or guide jobseekers in their careers.

Villepin drew up the contract as part of his response to last fall's wave of rioting in France's impoverished suburbs, where many immigrants and their French-born children live.

A meeting Monday of 12 worker and student unions said they would "remain vigilant" until the new law was enacted.

France's most powerful union, the CGT, called the decision a "victory that builds confidence" to resolve the jobs problem.

Students were wary, saying they would push hard for other changes.

"We want to see how we can take advantage of this power struggle that is now in our favor to garner new victories," Bruno Julliard, the UNEF student association leader, told AP Television News.

France Puts End to Controversial Jobs Law

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Lebanese Army Arrests 9 in Alleged Plot

By JOSEPH PANOSSIAN, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 26 minutes ago

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Military intelligence arrested nine people suspected of planning terrorist acts, including the possible assassination of the leader of the Shiite Hezbollah guerrilla group, officials said Monday.

The plot against Sheik Hassan Nasrallah was "in the phase of intentions" and had not reached "the phase of implementation," said a senior Lebanese military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

He told The Associated Press that nine Lebanese and Palestinian suspects were detained and would be handed over to a military prosecutor Tuesday for more questioning and indictment.

A judicial official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said it was too early to say whether Nasrallah was a target pending an interrogation of the suspects.

In preliminary charges, the nine were accused of forming a gang with the intent of "carrying out terrorist acts" and trading in arms and bombs. The charges did not specifically mention a plot to kill Nasrallah.

The daily newspaper As-Safir reported Monday that military intelligence had arrested the plotters last week after they were seen acting suspiciously near Hezbollah's headquarters in the southern Beirut district of Haret Horeik. Authorities were looking for more members of the plot, the paper said.

The military official told the AP that some of As-Safir's details were true, "but others are not so accurate." He would not elaborate.

Nasrallah's political adviser, Hussein Khalil, confirmed the assassination plot and arrests.

Hezbollah, which the United States and the European Union brand as a terrorist group, is a major political force in Lebanon.

The foiled attack on one of Lebanon's top Shiite Muslim cleric and politician came as fears of sectarian strife have rippled through the Middle East.

Last week, Arab diplomats said intelligence officers from Iraq's mostly Sunni Muslim neighbors have been meeting secretly to coordinate their governments' strategies in case a religious civil war erupts in Iraq.

And on Saturday, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak all but blamed Shiites minorities in the Arab world of being disloyal to their states and following orders from Iran, the only country with a Shiite leadership.

"Definitely Iran has influence on Shiites. Shiites are 65 percent of the Iraqis ... Most of the Shiites are loyal to Iran, and not to the countries they are living in," said Mubarak in an interview broadcast by Al-Arabiya satellite TV station.

Mubarak's words have drawn fire from Shiites across the region.

Lebanese Army Arrests 9 in Alleged Plot

[Shammu]

Palestinians Ask Security Council for Help

1 hour, 3 minutes ago

UNITED NATIONS - The Palestinians called on the U.N. Security Council Monday to take urgent action to stop what it called an escalating military campaign by Israeli forces that has led to a dramatic increase in Palestinian casualties in recent days.

The Palestinian U.N. observor, Riyad Mansour, said in a letter to the council that at least 17 Palestinians have been killed since Friday and scores more wounded in a barrage of military attacks and "extrajudicial executions."

Mansour told reporters that Arab nations would meet to decide what action its members want the Security Council to take. The options range from holding an open meeting on the latest upsurge in violence, to adopting a council statement or a resolution.

"The bottom line (is) the Security Council has to take steps and measures in order to bring pressure on Israel to stop its aggression against the Palestinian people," Mansour told reporters after delivering the letter to the current council president, China's U.N. Ambassador Wang Guangya.

Wang said later that he circulated the letter to council members and so far no action has been requested.

Violence between Israel and the Palestinians has escalated in recent days with militants in northern Gaza launching homemade rockets into Israel and the Israeli army responding by pounding suspected launch sites with artillery. Israel has also carried out a wave of airstrikes against militants in Gaza in recent days.

Palestinians Ask Security Council for Help

My note; Maybe if they stopped attacking Israel, Israel would stop as well. The more the palestinians attack, the more Israel will have reprisals.

[Shammu]

Iraq Sunnis Reaffirm Opposition to PM

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Writer Mon Apr 10, 4:21 PM ET

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Shiite politicians failed Monday to persuade Sunni Arabs and Kurds to soften their opposition to a second term for Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, leaving the Shiites with little choice but to replace him if they want to break the deadlock on a new government.

But al-Jaafari's supporters within the Shiite alliance showed no sign of backing down. Representatives of the seven parties within the alliance planned to meet Tuesday to discuss the standoff, which has blocked formation of a government of national unity.

"For the alliance to make a change, it needs to have the support of five of the seven blocs within it," said Salam al-Maliki, an al-Jaafari supporter. "This is impossible to secure."

Names mentioned as possible alternate nominees of the alliance include Vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi, who lost the nomination to al-Jaafari by a single vote; deputy parliament speaker Hussain al-Shahristani, an independent; and Ali al-Adeeb and Jawad al-Maliki, members of the prime minister's party.

However, none of the alternatives was believed to have broad support among enough alliance factions to be guaranteed quick approval.

The Shiites, the largest bloc in parliament, are under strong pressure from the United States, Britain and their own clerical leadership to end the standoff with the Sunnis and Kurds, whom the Shiites need as partners in a new government.

"Forming a unity government is critical to defeating the terrorists and securing the peace,"
President Bush said Monday. "The terrorists and insurgents thrive in a political vacuum. And the delay in forming a government is creating a vacuum that the terrorists and insurgents are working to exploit."

The U.S. military reported the deaths of three more American troops, all of them a result of hostile action in Anbar province, a Sunni-dominated province west of Baghdad. At least 11 Iraqis were killed Monday, police said.

In addition, five bodies were found Monday, four in Baghdad and one south of the capital, but it was unclear when they died, police said.

Iraq's constitution states that the largest bloc in parliament gets first crack at the prime ministership, subject to majority approval in the legislature. The Shiites, who comprise the majority in the country, won 130 of the 275 seats in December, making them the biggest faction but without enough strength to govern without partners.

Al-Jaafari, who won the nomination for another term during a vote February among Shiite lawmakers, has refused to step aside. Shiite leaders fear that forcing him out will fragment their alliance.

A three-member Shiite committee met Monday with Sunni politicians, who insisted they would never accept al-Jaafari. The Sunnis urged the Shiites to present another candidate, said Naseer al-Ani of the Iraqi Islamic Party.

"We don't know when they will get back to us," al-Ani said.

Kurdish leaders delivered that same message during a meeting with the Shiites late Sunday.

Sunnis and Kurds blame al-Jaafari for the rise in sectarian tensions and for a high-handed leadership style since he assumed office last year.

The debate over al-Jaafari has been further complicated because of divisions within the Shiite alliance. His strongest support comes from radical anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose emergence as a key political figure has alarmed both U.S. officials and other Shiite leaders.

Some Shiite officials suggested al-Jaafari's Dawa party might be willing to abandon him if the replacement comes from its own ranks. But the main Shiite party, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, or SCIRI, is quietly promoting its own candidate, Abdul-Mahdi.

U.S. officials have been pressing Iraqi politicians to resolve the impasse and move quickly to form a national unity government to halt the country's slide toward chaos, including suicide attacks and car bombings targeting civilians — most of them Shiites.

In a statement Monday, a U.S. military spokesman said more than 90 percent of the suicide attacks in Iraq are carried out by terrorists and foreign fighters recruited, trained and equipped by al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Al-Zarqawi and al-Qaida in Iraq "are real threats to the citizens, security and stability of Iraq and we continue to conduct aggressive operations to eliminate the threat they pose not only to Iraq, but also to the rest of the region," Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch said in a statement.

The Washington Post reported Monday that the U.S. military was conducting a propaganda campaign to "magnify the role" of al-Zarqawi to turn Iraqis against him and to link the war in Iraq to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

According to the newspaper, some U.S. military intelligence officials believe the campaign has overstated al-Zarqawi's importance within the Iraqi insurgency.

Meanwhile, American troops killed a woman they said was an insurgent in a raid near Balad, north of Baghdad. Police also reported the incident, describing the woman as a farmer's wife.

Iraq Sunnis Reaffirm Opposition to PM