http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/commo...55E1702,00.html

US military nuke deterrent: Rice

China tries to patch its torn image
After weeks of anti-Japanese protest, China, Japan leaders may meet
this weekend. By Robert Marquand
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0422/p01s03-woap.html?s=hns

Saudi democratic experiment ends on a flat note
Low turnout Thursday marred the last of three municipal elections in
Saudi Arabia's first national vote. By Faiza Saleh Ambah
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0422/p07s01-wome.html?s=hns

Sept. 11 trial will gauge Spain's ability to confront terrorists
Europe's biggest court case against suspected Islamist militants begins
Friday. By Lisa Abend
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0422/p07s02-woeu.html?s=hns

Potemkin Politics in Russia
Russia's pro-Putin political party looks to be moving in a democratic
direction. Don't believe it. The Monitor's View
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0422/p08s02-comv.html?s=hns

New Asian-African ties will be forward-looking: Manmohan Hindu

Spain Parliament Passes Gay Marriage Bill ABC News

--------------------
Pro-Israel Group Reportedly Fires Pair
--------------------

The dismissals come amid an FBI probe into whether the lobbying organization shared classified U.S. data with the Jewish state.

By Richard B. Schmitt
Times Staff Writer

April 22 2005

WASHINGTON; A powerful pro-Israel lobbying organization has dismissed its long-time policy director and a top analyst, signaling that prosecutors may be close to resolving a probe into whether the group obtained and shared classified U.S. information with Israel, people familiar with the case said Thursday.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...0,3027624.story

--------------------
Ousted Leader Granted Asylum in Brazil
--------------------

From Times Wire Reports

April 22 2005

Brazil has granted asylum to deposed President Lucio Gutierrez, who was ousted by Congress amid street protests calling for his removal for abuse of power.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...headlines-world

--------------------
Bus Carrying Veterans Crashes, Killing 31
--------------------

From Times Wire Reports

April 22 2005

Twenty-nine Vietnamese veterans, a driver and a tour guide en route to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War were killed in a bus crash, police said.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...headlines-world

--------------------
Premier Apologizes for Corruption Scandal
--------------------

From Times Wire Reports

April 22 2005

In a televised address, Prime Minister Paul Martin apologized to Canadians in connection with a corruption scandal that has shaken his Liberal Party.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...headlines-world

--------------------
Mexico's Bracero Fund Advances
--------------------

From Associated Press

April 22 2005

MEXICO CITY; Congress' lower house Thursday approved a $27-million fund for former migrant farmworkers who labored in the United States, many of whom had funds deducted from their paychecks for pension and savings plans they never received.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...headlines-world

--------------------
Rice Meets With Belarus Opposition Figures
--------------------

On fringes of a NATO gathering, the secretary pledges support for efforts to open the former Soviet republic's political system.

By Tyler Marshall
Times Staff Writer

April 22 2005

VILNIUS, Lithuania; Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice turned the spotlight Thursday on political oppression in Belarus, meeting with opposition figures from a country she earlier had labeled "the last true dictatorship in the center of Europe."

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...headlines-world

--------------------
New Pope Reappoints Curia Chiefs
--------------------

Benedict XVI opts not to immediately reshape a bureaucracy he sees as bloated. But some experts suspect an overhaul is coming.

By Richard Boudreaux
Times Staff Writer

April 22 2005

VATICAN CITY; Pope Benedict XVI reappointed the entire leadership of the Roman Curia on Thursday, avoiding any immediate shake-up of a Vatican administration whose growth under his predecessor he had criticized as "alarming."

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...,0,821223.story

--------------------
Israeli Military Supports a Delay in Gaza Pullout For Jewish Holiday
--------------------

Proposed postponement underscores anxiety about reaction to an evacuation of settlers, who vehemently oppose the withdrawal plan.

By Laura King
Times Staff Writer

April 22 2005

JERUSALEM; Israel's defense minister urged Thursday that this summer's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip be delayed by three weeks in deference to a solemn Jewish religious commemoration.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...0,4959176.story

--------------------
Afghan Battles Heat Up in Spring
--------------------

By Halima Kazem
Special to The Times

April 22 2005

KABUL, Afghanistan; U.S. troops fired artillery and called in airstrikes as they battled Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters this week, another sign that spring weather might bring stepped-up attacks against American forces.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...0,4207276.story

Visit latimes.com at http://www.latimes.com

--------------------
Moscow's Gilded Ghetto
--------------------

The billionaires who share a suburb with Putin have learned to keep a low profile. It doesn't mean they've lost a taste for glamour.

By Kim Murphy
Times Staff Writer

April 22 2005

MOSCOW; The billboard appears at mile 3 of the post- Soviet boulevard of big-ticket dreams that is the Rublyovka Highway. "Any house," the sign by a prestigious homebuilder proclaims. "Helicopter as a bonus."

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/f...lines-frontpage

--------------------
AIDS Patients See Life, Death Issues in Trade Pact
--------------------

By Marla Dickerson and Evelyn Iritani
Times Staff Writers

April 22 2005

GUATEMALA CITY; Carmina Garcia rises before the sun each morning, taking pleasure in the first yellow rays of dawn. But it's the pink and white tablets that keep her going.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-caft...0,5166917.story

--------------------
Many Corpses, but Few Details
--------------------

Weeks of Iraqi sectarian killings--not a single episode--appear to be behind bodies in river.

By Raheem Salman and Patrick J. McDonnell
Times Staff Writers

April 22 2005

SUWAYRAH, Iraq; The young woman clad head-to-toe in black glanced through dozens of police mug shots of slain victims Thursday looking for signs of her husband, missing now for six days.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...0,7610564.story

--------------------
Bird Flu Hits Vietnam Right Where It Hurts
--------------------

Chicken soup is king, and raising poultry is a way of life. Culling the animals affects millions.

By Charles Piller
Times Staff Writer

April 22 2005

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam; To know the effect of avian influenza here, order a steaming bowl of pho ga, or chicken noodle soup — if you can find one.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci...0,2665260.story

--------------------
Vital Nuclear Parts Missing
--------------------

Investigators worry that some components of a weapons factory ordered by Libya have fallen into the hands of another nation.

By Douglas Frantz
Times Staff Writer

April 22 2005

ZURICH, Switzerland; Critical components and specialized tools destined for Libya's nuclear weapons program disappeared before arrival in 2003 and international investigators now suspect that they were diverted to another country, according to court records and investigators.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...0,7993491.story

Pope thanks cardinals for support CNN International

US Is Wrong About Belarus, Lukashenko Says MOSNEWS

Accused Terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui to Plead Guilty

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D09D5D:2F72C9D

Moussaoui is the only person indicted in the US in connection with
September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington

Zacarias Moussaoui Accused September 11th conspirator Zacarias
Moussaoui is expected to plead guilty to charges that could bring him
the death penalty. Government sources also expect him to admit to his
role in the deadly hijacking plot.

Zacarias Moussaoui is the only person indicted in the United States in
connection with the September 11, 2001 attacks that killed nearly
3,000 people in New York and Washington. His decision to plead guilty
to the charges against him is the latest twist in a bizarre three-year
legal drama.

The case has been characterized by delays, protracted arguments over
access to al-Qaida members in U.S., custody, and erratic behavior by
Mr. Moussaoui.

He has already pled guilty once but changed his mind in the middle of
a hearing a week later. At that hearing, Mr. Moussaoui did admit to
being a member of al-Qaida and said he had pledged his allegiance to
Osama bin Laden.

Mr. Mousaoui's bizarre behavior has included mocking the judge,
insulting his own attorneys and trying to represent himself in court,
leading many to question his mental competence.

Earlier this week U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled Mr.
Moussaoui was mentally fit to enter the guilty plea.

Several news sources report Mr. Moussaoui's defense attorneys plan to
appeal the judge's ruling arguing he is not competent. Legal scholar
Stephen Saltzburg, of The George Washington University Law School in
Washington, believes Mr. Moussaoui's attorneys will have a difficult
time.

Stephen Saltzburg"He doesn't have to be a genius, he doesn't have to
be a lawyer, doesn't have to understand the nuances and
sophistications. He just has to understand what the charges are and
what the consequences of pleading guilty are,” Mr. Saltzburg said.

Mr. Moussaoui's decision to plead guilty comes amid growing questions
about whether he really was involved with the 2001 terrorist attack on
New York and Washington.

The September 11th Commission revealed that suspected 9/11 mastermind
Khalid Shaikh Mohammed "denies ever considering Moussaoui" for the
operation.

Mr. Moussaoui has told investigators he was being considered for a
second wave of attacks still in the early planning stages. He is
expected to receive the death penalty.

Annan Urges Asian, African Leaders to Back UN Reform

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D09D5F:2F72C9D

UN Secretary-General made impassioned plea at opening of Asian-African
Summit in Jakarta, Friday

Kofi Annan (File photo)U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan Friday asked
a gathering of African and Asian leaders to back his historical
proposals to reform the United Nations.

Mr. Annan made his impassioned plea at the opening of the
Asian-African Summit being held in the Indonesian capitol of Jakarta,
where more than 40 heads of state and officials from some 100
countries have gathered.

The U.N. chief says the developing world stands to gain from his
reform proposals to improve security and human rights.

"Your peoples pay the highest price for inaction in the face of
massive violations of human rights, and for the strains placed on the
U.N.'s peacekeeping, peace building, and human rights machinery," he
said.

Mr. Annan's proposals to overhaul the global body where unveiled in
March - at a time when the United Nations is reeling from the effects
of the oil-for-food program scandal in Iraq and sexual abuse charges
against U.N. peacekeepers.

But his plan faces objections from many nations - large and small -
and Mr. Annan is calling for a spirit of compromise to achieve shared
objectives.

Among the most controversial ideas are to expand the membership of the
Security Council and to create two new peace bodies. Mr. Annan argues
this would allow developing nations a greater voice in international
affairs.

"I also believe they should create two new intergovernmental bodies,"
he said. "These intergovernmental bodies, a peace building commission,
which would bring together the various actors involved in helping
countries move from war to lasting peace, and a human rights council
in which states from all regions would be represented."

The U.N. secretary-general is also pushing for increased spending by
wealthy nations - calling for them to contribute .7 percent of their
gross national income on foreign aid programs.

Mr. Annan implored African and Asian leaders to go to New York in
September for a summit to endorse his reform proposals.

"The success of this agenda depends heavily on you, the leaders of
three-quarters of the world's population," he said. " For the sake of
your people's, this is the time to be creative and to be bold."

Mr. Annan is discussing his proposals privately with Asian and African
leaders while in Jakarta.

Asian, African Leaders Call for Greater Cooperation

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D09D62:2F72C9D

Leaders are calling for greater economic and political cooperation
between their two continents to boost competitiveness in an
increasingly globalized world Asian and African leaders have opened a
two-day summit in Indonesia Friday calling for greater economic and
political cooperation between the two continents.

The leaders are calling for greater economic and political cooperation
between their two continents to boost competitiveness in an
increasingly globalized world.

The calls for cooperation came Friday during the opening of the
two-day Asian-African Summit in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta,
where 40 heads of state from more than 100 countries on both
continents have gathered.

South African president, Thabo Mbeki, says this summit should build on
the spirit of the first Asian-African summit held 50 years ago in the
Indonesian city of Bandung.

"We have made great strides, significant strides towards giving real
meaning to the critical

Leaders and their delegation members representing Muslim nations of
Asia and Africa offer prayers together during the Asia-Africa Summit
in Jakarta summit brought together leaders from newly independent
countries to make their mark of the world stage. It was the forerunner
of the nonaligned movement, which provided an alternative alliance to
the super power struggle between the Soviet Union and the United
States during the Cold War.

This summit, leaders will endorse a declaration called the New
Asian-African Strategic Partnership, which aims to bring the two
continents closer economically, politically, and socially by promoting
trade and tackling problems such as terrorism and global crime.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono says the declaration
will emphasize the need for practical cooperation to boost the global
influence of nations hosting 73 percent of the world's population.

"Through the strategic partnership Asia-Africa can be transformed," he
said. "No longer just as a geographical expression but as a true
geopolitical and economical reality."

Chinese President Hu Jintao says his country's economic might should
serve as a model for the two continents. Speaking in Jakarta he said
China will always be a champion of the Third World and is eager to
share its experience with African and Asian nations.

Since liberalizing its economy two decades ago, Communist China is now
a powerhouse, posting economic growth topping nine percent.

Togo Interior Minister Fired

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D09D61:2F72C9D

Francois Boko dismissed after sudden call to cancel Sunday's election,
amid fears of violence The interim leader in the west African nation
of Togo has replaced Interior Minister Francois Boko, after Mr. Boko's
sudden call to cancel Sunday's election, amid fears of violence.
Voters are to choose a successor to four-decade ruler Gnassingbe
Eyadema, who died earlier this year, and was briefly replaced in a
coup by his son, now the ruling party's candidate.

Speaking on international radio, interim leader Abass Bonfoh says he
was taken aback by the surprise announcement by Mr. Boko. He said,
despite the warning, the elections should go ahead.

He also hinted that it was maybe Mr. Boko himself who was preparing
violence. The interior minister was then dismissed, and his functions
taken over by Justice Minister Foli Basi-Katari.

Speaking to journalists and diplomats at two in the morning Friday,
Mr. Boko said it would be, "suicidal" to hold the election on time.

Instead, he suggested the interim president name an opposition prime
minister, and that proper elections be held in one to two years time.
After his announcement, Mr. Boko's phone was cut off, and he did not
go to his offices.

The main opposition candidate, Emmanuel Akitani-Bob, campaigning on a
platform of what he says is emancipation, has also called for a delay,
saying conditions are not right for a free and fair vote.

Opposition supporters armed with sticks speed past a sign for
ruling-party candidate Faure Gnassingbe But on the final day of
campaigning in Lome, his supporters took to the streets wearing yellow
headscarves and waving palm leaves, some of them also wielding
machetes, including English-speaker Michael, who said it was important
to go ahead with voting. "I like elections, let's just vote," he said.
"We are going to vote. We are not slaves, we are human beings, we want
our country to be a good country."

Opposition supporters sang that, unlike ruling party supporters, they
are not paid to vote.

Nearby, a shoe salesman, Joseph, said the situation seemed very
unstable. "We are expecting the election, and today is the final
campaigning. So, now, unfortunately, we now hear some story this
morning, there's nothing we can do," he said. "Well, I have to be
afraid like this, I am a human being."

With French chants of "Faure is strong," the son of the late ruler
Gnassingbe Eyadema, Faure Gnassingbe, has been campaigning on a
platform of youth power. He says the youth owe everything to their
parents, but that they now have to take over. He has also appealed for
calm, following deadly street violence in the aftermath of his
father's death.

The opposition has accused authorities of rigging voter lists and
ordering different types of ink to allow multiple voting, charges
officials have denied.

Mr. Gnassingbe gave up power after being installed by the military in
February, and accepted calls by the regional West African grouping,
ECOWAS, to have quick elections. More than 150 election monitors from
the grouping are in Togo to observe proceedings. The European Union,
which has cut off aid since the 1990s, said it did not have enough
time to send its own observers.

US Appeals for Ecuadoreans to Reject Violence in Political Crisis

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D09D5A:2F72C9D

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice appealed for calm and respect for
constitutional procedures in Ecuador

Lucio GutierrezThe United States Thursday called on Ecuadoreans to
reject violence and respect the rule of law in that country's
political turmoil. U.S. officials are in touch with leaders in Quito,
though the State Department says the Organization of American States
has the lead role in crisis diplomacy.

The ouster of Ecuador's former President Lucio Gutierrez Wednesday
after a vote by Congress marked the third time that an Ecuadorean
president has been forced from office in crisis circumstances in eight
years.

Officials here, while not labeling the change in Quito illegal, say
the objective of diplomacy by the United States and other Hemisphere
countries is to help bring about the "re-institutionalization" of
Ecuadorean politics while avoiding violence.

Condoleeza RiceSecretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in the Lithuanian
capital, Vilnius Thursday for a NATO meeting, appealed for calm and
respect for constitutional procedures in Ecuador.

The comments were echoed here by State Department Deputy Spokesman
Adam Ereli, who stressed the United States' close friendship with
Ecuador and its desire to work with regional partners to "help Ecuador
work its way through" its political impasse.

"We think it's important that in doing so, a couple of principles be
followed," he said. "One, that violence be rejected. Number two that
the rule of law be respected, and that the principles of Ecuador's
constitution and the Inter-American Democratic Charter be followed."

Alfredo Palacio is sworn in as country's new president Spokesman Ereli
said U.S. recognition of Ecuador's new president Alfredo Palacio, the
country's former vice president who assumed office Thursday, was not
in question and that relations with Ecuador would continue
uninterrupted.

A senior diplomat who spoke to reporters here said U.S. officials had
not spoken with Mr. Palacio since his swearing-in, but that there had
been contacts with his close associates and members of the Ecuadorean
Congress of various factions.

The diplomat, under questioning, declined to call the latest change of
government in Ecuador unconstitutional.

But he did describe the turn of events as unorthodox, and said the
hope of the United States and other concerned countries is to help
bring things back to "established institutions and procedures."

The U.S. diplomat said the Organization of American States is taking
the lead role in consultations on Ecuador.

Permanent ambassadors of the 34-nation regional grouping met on the
Ecuadorean crisis at its Washington headquarters late Wednesday and
again Thursday.

Ecuador's delegate defended the removal of former President Gutierrez
as a constitutional act, but the OAS Permanent Council demanded a
further explanation of the ouster by Friday.

The OAS approved the Inter-American Democratic Charter in 2001 which
would sanction or suspend countries in which there is an interruption
of the democratic order.

Officials here say the "fluid" situation in Ecuador will be a major
issue in Secretary of State Rice's Latin American trip next week. She
is due to visit Brazil, Colombia, Chile and El Salvador.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/a...gence_service_3

Iraq Leaders May Recruit Ex Saddam Agents

Examining the new pope's old comments on Turkey's entry into the European Union.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0422/dailyUpdate.html

http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?Stor...21-011437-3961r

Analysis: EU enlargement fatigue

http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?Stor...21-040512-8741r

Kazakhstan leader unfazed by revolutions

http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?Stor...21-013615-9159r

UK: The battle for the Muslim vote

http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?Stor...21-125838-8366r

Analysis: Funds, priests Vatican priorities

http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.php?Stor...21-050120-7643r

Commentary: Benedict abused as 'nazi pope'
Uwe Siemon-Netto

CRS ON MIDDLE EAST AID

Some recent reports of the Congressional Research Service include
the following:

"United States Aid to the Palestinians," March 4, 2005:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RS21594.pdf

"Israel: U.S. Foreign Assistance," updated March 7, 2005:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/IB85066.pdf

"U.S. Foreign Assistance to the Middle East: Historical Background,
Recent Trends, and the FY2006 Request," updated February 17, 2005:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RL32260.pdf

Strict Construction: The empirical case for Benedict XVI.
http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=w050418&s=douthat042105

Great Post Snuffy.

some excerpts for Israel

.
And the Palestinians, the people whose land we help Israel steal, and continue to occupy...

So we help a militaristic expansionist state founded by terrorists based on a racist princple whose economy is not even sustainable without your money, and we wonder why the planet has such a dim view of the US and Israel?

The Arab scene:

There is not a shadow of doubt that Iran will be next on the current US administration's hit list -- Washington's threats against it are too similar to the buildup to the war against Iraq. There are some differences, however.
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/739/op15.htm

http://snipurl.com/e6qb

--------------------
Videos Show Downing of Helicopter, Killing in Iraq
--------------------

Footage on the Internet and TV shows crash and the slaying of crewman who survived it.

By Solomon Moore
Times Staff Writer

April 23 2005

BAGHDAD; Video recordings showing the downing of a commercial helicopter in central Iraq and the execution of the sole surviving crew member emerged Friday on the Internet and an Arab satellite news channel.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...headlines-world

--------------------
U.S. Looks to China to Rein In North Korea
--------------------

Washington, concerned about hostile rhetoric and the shutdown of a reactor, asks Beijing to persuade Pyongyang to forgo atomic arms tests.

By Sonni Efron
Times Staff Writer

April 23 2005

WASHINGTON; Concerned about increasingly threatening statements from North Korea, the United States has asked China to emphasize to Pyongyang that a nuclear weapons test would be unacceptable, U.S. officials confirmed Friday.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...headlines-world

Hu, Koizumi Meet in Bid to Salvage Bilateral Relations

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D0D17A:2F72C9D

Junichiro Koizumi meets Saturday with Hu Jintao, in bid to mend
growing rift between two nations

Junichiro Koizumi, left, shakes hands with Hu Jintao, in Jakarta,
Saturday

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Chinese President Hu
Jintao, are meeting in Jakarta in a bid to mend a growing rift between
the two countries.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan told a news conference at the
Asia-Africa Summit Saturday, he hopes the talks will ease tensions and
set relations back on track.

Mobs have attacked Japanese diplomatic missions and businesses across
China in recent weeks. In most cases, protesters said they were
angered by Tokyo's approval of history texts that downplay Japan's
wartime atrocities.

On Friday, Mr. Koizumi repeated an apology for the atrocities, even as
80 lawmakers in Tokyo visited a controversial shrine, which honors war
dead, including war criminals.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Beijing welcomed the
apology, but added that Tokyo must back its words with action.

Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.

Annan Hopes for Improvement in China-Japan Relations

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D0D175:2F72C9D

UN Secretary-General says he hopes meeting will help set relations
'back on track'

Kofi Annan talks to reporters at the Asian- African summit in Jakarta,
Saturday U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan says he hopes the talks
scheduled between China and Japan will help ease tensions between the
two countries.

After weeks of rising tensions between the two Asian powers, U.N.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan welcomed news that the leaders of China
and Japan will meet later Saturday.

"I hope that the meeting between the two leaders will help reduce the
temperature a little bit and set their relations back on track," he
said.

Mr. Annan made the remarks Saturday at a news conference in Jakarta
where he is attending the Asian-African Summit. He has spent much of
his time at the summit building support for United Nations reforms.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Chinese President Hu
Jintao are expected to meet after the two-day summit closes.

China is angry over Japanese textbooks that many critics say gloss
over Japan's wartime atrocities.

On Friday, Mr. Koizumi apologized for Japan's behavior in Asia during
the 1930s and '40s.

North, South Korean Officials Meet at Highest Level Since 2000

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D0D170:2F72C9D

Wide range of issues discussed but no breakthroughs on Pyongyang's
nuclear weapons programs

South Korea's Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan ® talks with North Korea's
No.2 leader Kim Yong Nam North and South Korean officials have had
their highest face-to-face contact since 2000 on the sidelines of the
Asian-African Summit in Jakarta. The officials discussed a wide range
of issues, but did not announce any breakthroughs on the dispute over
North Korea's nuclear weapons programs.

South Korean Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan and North Korea's number-two
leader, Kim Yong Nam, met on Friday and Saturday at the Asian-African
summit in Jakarta. The two meetings were the highest-level contacts
between the two governments since South Korean President Kim Dae-jung
met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il five years ago.

News reports quoted South Korean and Indonesian diplomats as saying
the two men agreed to restart inter-Korean talks on economic
cooperation and infrastructure. Those talks have been on hold since
last year, when South Korea angered Pyongyang by airlifting 460 North
Korean defectors from another country to Seoul.

The two Korean leaders also reportedly discussed the North Korea's
nuclear weapons programs. The North's delegation, however, did not
commit to returning to talks on ending those programs.

Kofi Annan talks to reporters at the Asian- African summit in Jakarta,
Saturday U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, also at the Jakarta
summit, expressed hope the talks would resume soon.

"On the North Korean issue - attempts are being made to resolve the
issue diplomatically through the six-party talks," Mr. Annan said. "I
know attempts are being made to bring everybody back to the table."

South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia have tried
since last June to coax the North back to the talks. Timothy Savage,
who monitors the nuclear issue in Seoul for the European research
group, International Crisis Group, is skeptical the Jakarta meetings
will lead to any breakthroughs.

"If the North Koreans want to come back to the six-party talks, I
think they'll come back," he said. "If they don't want to come back,
then they're not going to come back. I don't know what South Korea's
going to be able to say to them that's going to persuade them one way
or the other."

North Korea says it possesses nuclear weapons, and intends to build
more, despite having signed several agreements in the past to not
acquire such weapons.

The chief U.S. delegate on the nuclear issue, Assistant Secretary of
State Christopher Hill, will be in Asia to confer in the coming week
with South Korean, Japanese and Chinese officials on ways to get the
talks restarted.

There were reports Friday in U.S. media that Washington has seen
indications Pyongyang may be preparing for its first nuclear test.
Washington has reportedly sent messages to Beijing, urging China to
dissuade North Korea from a test.

Experts say a North Korean test would be very likely anger China, its
main ally and economic patron. They also say it would make it very
difficult for the South to maintain its current policy of engagement
and cooperation with the North.

Annan Calls for Democratic Reforms in Burma

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UN chief met with Burma's leader, General Than Shwe in Jakarta

Kofi AnnanThe head of the United Nations pushed Burma's military
government to institute democratic reforms. The comments came at the
Asian-African Summit in the Indonesian capital.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan met with Burma's leader,
General Than Shwe in Jakarta on the sidelines of the Asian-African
Summit.

Than Shwe is making a rare overseas visit to Jakarta to attend the
two-day gathering of Asian and African leaders, which ends Saturday.

Burma's ruler Senior General Than ShweMr. Annan says he urged Than
Shwe to proceed with democratic reforms and expressed concern over the
fate of Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the opposition National League
for Democracy, who has been detained for nearly two years.

"I did raise the question of Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD and the fact
that it was important that all citizens are able to participate in the
constitutional process in the national discussions, to be able to do
it freely, without restriction, and to be able to organize themselves
and exercise their individual and democratic rights," Mr. Annan said.

Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD overwhelmingly won elections in 1990 but
the military never allowed the party to take power.

Since then, she has spent much of the time in jail or under house
arrest, as have many other NLD members.

Than Shwe also met with other Asian leaders at the summit to discuss
the contentious issue of Burma's chairmanship in 2006 of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN.

Because of Rangoon's poor human rights record, the European Union and
the United States have objected to Burma taking the rotating
leadership of ASEAN.

Rangoon says any decision on the chairmanship is an internal matter
and that it will not be swayed by international pressure.

The issue has split ASEAN, with some countries calling for Burma to
withdraw from the chairmanship while others want to adhere to the
group's principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of its
members.

Mr. Annan says he hopes Burma's leader will take to heart their
discussion.

"I think he obviously listened to me, he got my message, and obviously
he'll go back, hopefully to think about it and do something about the
message I gave him," he said.

Burma's military seized power in 1962. Many Western nations have
placed economic sanctions against the country, hoping to push Burma
into making democratic reforms.

Europe's Largest Trial of Suspected al-Qaida Members Opens in Madrid

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Twenty-four defendants entered specially built courtroom in Madrid to
stand trial on charges of terrorism and other crimes Europe's largest
trial of suspected members of the al-Qaida network opened in Madrid on
Friday. The defendants include three men charged in connection with
the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.

In 2003, Spanish police arrested a number of Islamist extremists. As
early as 1996 the police had suspected that members of the Muslim
Brotherhood in Spain had ties to al-Qaida. Then, after the September
11, 2001 attacks in the United States, police learned that Spain might
have been a staging ground for those attacks.

Suspected Al-Qaida members sit behind glass screen in Madrid
courthouse, FridayOn Friday, 43 months after the attacks, twenty-four
defendants entered a specially built courtroom in Madrid to stand
trial on charges of terrorism and other crimes. Prosecutors say they
are members of an al-Qaida cell. Most are accused of aiding
preparations for the attacks. They are mostly Syrians and Moroccans
who have lived in Spain for many years.

Among the suspects is Syrian born Spaniard Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas,
who is suspected of leading the cell that provided logistical support
to the September 11 hijackers and two other men who allegedly helped
plan the attacks.

Some legal experts have concluded that evidence linking any of the 24
defendants directly to September 11 is weak.

Friday's court appearance was held under tight security and lasted
only three hours, but gave prosecutors enough time to question Spanish
defendant, Jose Luis Galan, who is accused of shooting video of the
World Trade Center and other targets in August 1997. His videos were
allegedly passed on to al-Qaida operatives to help plan the twin tower
attacks. Mr. Galan told prosecutors Friday that he condemns all
terrorist acts.

The links to Al-Qaida may be easier to prove. The defendants include a
correspondent for the Arabic television network al-Jazeera, Tayssir
Alluni. Mr. Alluni who interviewed Osama bin laden after the
September 11 attacks is accused of being an al-Qaida member, who was
allegedly asked by Mr. Yarkas to deliver $4,000 to other al-Qaida
members in Afghanistan.

His wife, Fatima Hamed Layazi says, "It is a political trial against
Tayssir for his role as a journalist in exposing what America had
committed against the civilians in Afghanistan as well as meeting Bin
Laden."

The trial is expected to last two months. Spain will conduct a
separate trial or trials for those arrested in connection with the
March 2004 bombing of commuter trains in Madrid. That attack has been
linked to al-Qaida, and there have been suggestions that it might have
been in retaliation for the arrests of the suspects now on trial.

Lone 9/11 Conspirator in US Pleads Guilty

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US court accepts guilty plea from French terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui,
who told judge he was also involved in planned attack on White House

Drawing of court hearing for Zacarias Moussaoui (in green) A U.S.
court has accepted a guilty plea from French terrorist Zacarias
Moussaoui, the only person charged in the September 11, 2001 attacks
in the United States killing nearly 3,000 people. Moussaoui told the
court he was also involved in a planned attack on the White House.

The self-declared Al-Qaida operative pleaded guilty to six conspiracy
charges in the attacks, ending a three-year hearing phase.

Judge Leonie Brinkema accepted the plea, despite concerns from his
court-appointed lawyer that he was mentally unfit to make decisions in
his own defense.

After entering his plea Friday, Moussaoui denied an actual role in the
September 11 attacks, saying he was involved in a broader terrorist
conspiracy to use airplanes as weapons. He said his plan was to crash
a plane into the White House to press for the release of Sheik Omar
Abdel Rahman, who was jailed for planning a separate attack on the
World Trade Center in 1993.

The French citizen of Moroccan descent also vowed to fight the death
penalty, which applies to four of the six charges in his case.

Alberto GonzalesU.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales says he is
happy with the outcome and says officials will work to apply the death
penalty in the sentencing phase. "There a lot of people who worked for
years on this case. We have achieved a successful verdict as to the
first phase of the trial, but it's not over. We look forward to
working on the second phase," he said.

At Friday's hearing, Moussaoui's lawyer did not challenge the plea as
he had earlier this week, saying he did not understand the law and the
charges against him.

Also at the trial were relatives of September 11 victims, including
Debra Burlingame, who praised the work of U.S. prosecutors. "I think
this is a great day for American justice. We have here an iron-clad
guilty plea on six counts of conspiracy in furtherance of the
September 11th plot which killed my brother and three-thousand other
Americans," she said.

When the trial opened in 2002, Moussaoui had initially tried to defend
himself, but the judge ordered him to accept a legal team after he
filed dozens of motions criticizing the court, the judge and the U.S.
government.

Moussaoui is the only person charged in a U.S. court for the attacks
involving nineteen hijackers. They crashed two planes into the World
Trade Center, one into the Pentagon, and the fourth plane crashed in a
field in Pennsylvania.

US Concerned About Prospect of Vote-Rigging, Election Violence in Togo

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State department joins ECOWAS in "demanding" free and fair ballot The
United States Friday expressed deep concern about charges of
irregularities in the run-up to Sunday's presidential election in
Togo. The State Department said it joins the west African regional
grouping ECOWAS in "demanding" that the election be free and fair.

Plans for the Togo election are proceeding amid controversy,
underlined by Friday's firing of the country's interior minister, who
had called for a postponement because of alleged poll-rigging and the
threat of violence.

The interior minister, Francois Boko, had urged creation of a
transitional government to organize new elections in a year or two.
But the country's interim leader, Abbas Bonfoh, dismissed the cabinet
official and said the voting would go ahead as planned.

In a written statement, State Department Deputy Spokesman Adam Ereli
said the United States noted Mr. Boko's allegations questioning the
credibility of the election "with deep concern," and said he showed
integrity and courage in going public with them.

Mr. Ereli said the United States joins ECOWAS in "demanding" that
Togolese authorities conduct the elections in a free and fair manner,
and said the international community will "closely scrutinize" the
conduct of the balloting and vote-counting process.

The spokesman said peaceful national reconciliation in Togo, in
turmoil since the death of longtime leader Gnassingbe Eyadema in
February, requires an election that reflects the will of the Togolese
people.

Under questioning earlier at a news briefing, Mr. Ereli said he would
not "second guess" the decision of interim leader Bonfoh to have the
election Sunday. He said despite the difficulties, a credible vote was
still possible. "You can have it both ways. You can take the
allegations seriously. You can take steps to prevent the abuses that
may take place, or that allegedly may take place. You can have the
elections on time. The essential point is that this is Togolese
process, the Togolese body politic has decided on a course of action.
We not going to second-guess that. But at the same time, we're going
to speak about standards and expectations that the international
community shares," he said.

Mr. Ereli said the U.S. embassy in Lome and other diplomatic posts in
the capital would be sending out diplomats to observe the election,
and said U.S.-funded non-governmental organizations had conducted
training for local monitors.

Amid reports that activists were seen on the streets of Lome Friday
armed with clubs and machetes, the spokesman said the United States
calls on all Togolese political party leaders to insist on peaceful
conduct by their supporters.

He also cautioned government authorities that security forces must act
in strict compliance with international human rights standards.

The presidential contest is a four-candidate race including the ruling
party's Faure Gnassingbe, son of the man who ran the west African
country for nearly four decades.

The three other candidates have all alleged irregularities in the vote
registration process and urged a postponement, though none has
withdrawn.

2 New Drug Approaches Show Promise Against Malaria

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Giving intermittent treatment for people who are not yet sick with the
disease is gaining momentum A new study from Tanzania shows that
standard malaria drugs given to African babies as a precaution is
effective in preventing them from getting the disease. A second
African study shows that in older children, a combination of two
Chinese drugs is the best to way to treat the disease in areas where
older malaria drugs no longer work.

Giving intermittent malaria treatment for people who are not yet sick
with the disease is gaining momentum as a way to reduce infections. It
is already recommended for pregnant women, and now a study of 700
Tanzanian babies shows it works well for them, too.

The first phase of the study in 2001 showed that when the infants got
the drug sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine three times by the age of nine
months, they came down with 59-percent fewer malaria infections by 10
months of age than babies not given the drug. The drug was
administered when the children came in for routine vaccinations for
other diseases.

Now, a continuation of the same study shows that the malaria
protection continued long after 10 months. By the end of their second
year, the infection rate for the infants who received the drug was
still 36-percent lower than the other group.

Study leader David Schellenberg of the Ifakara Health Research and
Development Center in Dar Es Salaam says he is encouraged that
preventive malaria therapy works in infants. "We've managed to achieve
these reductions in the amount of malaria by delivering an available
and affordable anti-malarial at the time of routine contacts with the
health services," he said.

The work is hopeful because a previous strategy of dosing infants with
antimalarials weekly or monthly in their first year of life was not
long lasting. Dr. Schellenberg says it quelled malaria as long as the
drugs were given, but failed to protect when the drugs were withdrawn.

However the less frequent, intermittent approach apparently allows no
such malaria rebound, at least through the second year of life. Dr.
Schellenberg speculates that giving fewer drug doses requires the
infants' immune systems to do some of the work, which strengthens them
to fight the disease when drugs are no longer in their system. "It
seems to suggest that there may be even more marked public health
benefits with this approach to malaria control, although, of course,
we need to replicate these findings in different settings where there
is either more or less malaria transmission, greater or lesser use of
mosquito nets, and so on," he said.

Malaria kills one million people a year, mostly African children.
Cheap and effective treatment with one drug is no longer an option for
most African nations because of the rapid emergence of drug resistance
to standard drugs like the one used in this study.

This problem has led to calls for combination treatments, several
containing the Chinese herb Artemisinin. But there is little
information on their effectiveness. So another study published in the
Lancet compared three drug combinations available in Africa in another
group of 17 hundred Tanzanian children under five years old.

A team of Tanzanian and British doctors found that the best
combination was the Artemisinin derivative artemether used with
lumefantrine, a synthetic drug Chinese researchers developed in the
1970s. It is one of the pairings recommended by the World Health
Organization. In two weeks, it cleared the malaria parasite from
99-percent of the children who took it. "This outcome is stunning. It
is so high and so effective," he said.

This is Peter Gottfried Kremsner, a parasitic diseases expert at the
University of Tuebingen, Germany and the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in
Lambarene, Gabon. Dr. Kremsner says the finding is especially stunning
because the drugs were given to the children without supervision by
the study's researchers. Examination of their blood showed that the
children sometimes missed doses, yet the drug combination still
worked. "That means that there is enough therapeutic range that even
if you miss a little bit, it is still so effective, as shown in this
trial," he said.

Dr. Kremsner says this indicates that the artemether and lumefantrine
combination could be useful in poor areas where there are not enough
health care workers to administer the drugs.

France Launches Education Program for Muslim Clerics

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Classes part of larger government plan to put national stamp on Islam
Imams living in France will soon be going back to school, not to learn
about the Muslim religion, but to learn the French language, along
with civics, law, and the history of France. The classes are part of a
larger government plan to put a national stamp on Islam, France's
second most important religion, after Christianity.

More than 15 years after arriving here, 56-year-old Hocine Mahdjoub is
the first to admit that his command of the French language is not
perfect. When he preaches to the faithful at Cleremont-Ferrand's grand
mosque, an optimistic description of the tiny, run-down former
Catholic church that serves as a Muslim prayer hall here, Mr. Mahdjoub
normally uses the Arabic of his native Algeria and only occasionally
French.

Clad in an elegant purple gown and sitting in his second-floor office,
Mr. Mahdjoub says he can communicate in French to fellow Muslims, if
necessary. When he wants to make absolutely sure he is understood, he
has assistants who can translate.

But as far as the French government is concerned, broken French is not
good enough these days when it comes to preaching to the country's
five million Muslim community. For one thing, many second- and
third-generation French Muslims cannot speak Arabic. And among the
estimated 1,200 mostly foreign-born imams, less than half speak
French.

So cities like Cleremont-Ferrand, located among the rolling hills of
France's central Auvergne region, are launching new language classes
for Muslim clerics as early as this month. In September, imams will
also be offered lessons in French history, culture, and civics.

Jean-Luc Tronco is the cabinet director of the Auvergne prefecture.
Mr. Tronco says the government's goal is to teach imams here how
government institutions work and to teach the values of French
society. Secularity is one of them, he says.

France's secular creed clashed with the beliefs of devout Muslims last
year, when the government banned the wearing of Islamic head scarves
and other religious accessories in public schools.

But other concerns also helped shape the new education initiative.
French officials fear the preachings of a minority of fiery, largely
foreign-born clerics have turned some Muslim youths toward extremism.
France has expelled dozens of foreign-born imams since September,
2001, and not only for preaching political violence. Last year, for
example, an Algerian-born imam living near the city of Lyon was
expelled from France for advocating wife beating and other practices
deemed incompatible with French society.

Those problems do not exist everywhere, however. In the Auvergne
region, home to an estimated 31 thousand Muslims, Mr. Tronco says the
local government has good relations with Islamic leaders. In general,
Mr. Tronco says, Muslim clerics in the region want to work
constructively and to practice a peaceful form of Islam. There are
problems here and there, he says, but they are not common.
Nonetheless, he says, it is important that imams in France understand
French values like democracy, liberty, egality and fraternity.

At the grand mosque, imam Mahdjoub says he is enrolled in the French
language classes which are expected to start this month. He says he is
also looking forward to learning about French civics and culture. But
he has one favorite subject.

Its history. History, Mr. Mahdjoub says, is the key to a country's
culture. And he says he wants to understand French culture.

The president of Auvergne's regional Muslim council, Abdellah
Assafiri, agrees it is important the imams speak French. Mr. Assafiri
says many local clerics only know enough French to buy a loaf of
bread, or a newspaper. But not enough to talk about important topics,
like the interaction between Islam and the West.

That is the case of 38-year-old Melvut Yildirim, a Turkish imam in
Cleremont-Ferrand. Mr. Yildirim arrived in France last year. Unlike
imam Mahdjoub, he speaks no French at all. Mr. Yildirim says he would
like to learn more about French laws, along with learning the French
language. It's important to integrate, he says, since as a Turk he is
almost a European.

But Mr. Yildrim also believes that the Turkish government should
continue sending imams like himself to France, party to teach the
Turkish Muslim community living here the customs and beliefs of their
native country. The French government, however, thinks differently.

Indeed, the new lessons for imams are only part of a larger plan to
create a moderate, Western-oriented brand of Islam in France. French
officials also hope to institute university-level training programs
designed to school a new generation of native Muslim clerics.

France is not the only European country trying to put a national stamp
on Islam. Spain, Italy and Britain have all cracked down on radical
Islamic preachers and practitioners, while also trying to offer
assistance to those espousing moderate views.

But Europe's Muslims have their own concerns.

In Auvergne, Mr. Assafiri notes there is a dearth of Muslim prayer
halls, not only in the region, but across France. Many imams also work
free of charge. As a result, he says, young Muslims do not see a
future in becoming a Muslim preacher. As it transforms into the Islam
of France, Mr. Assafiri hopes his faith will gain more clout and
understanding along with more funding.