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Date Posted: Thu, Nov 13 2003, 6:05:21
Author: Johnny Wizard's Bitch
Subject: AHAHA

Middle East - AP


Bush Speeding Up New Iraqi Government
1 hour, 35 minutes ago


By BARRY SCHWEID, AP Diplomatic Writer

WASHINGTON - Under the pressure of increasing U.S. casualties,
President Bush (news - web sites) is moving to speed up establishment
of an Iraqi government to take charge in Baghdad.

With 396 U.S. casualties, shrinking support
from the American public, a troubling
intelligence report and a stony silence from
nations that have been asked for more
peacekeeping troops, Bush wants to
shorten the U.S. occupation.

That involves accelerating efforts by Iraqis to
take charge of security, write a constitution,
hold elections and assume control over
government institutions.

"We're looking at all sorts of ideas and we
do want to accelerate the pace of reform,"
Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web
sites) told reporters.

The administration does not intend to
abandon the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing
Council, officials said, but was exploring
new scenarios. One option called for
creating a smaller body within the
24-member council — perhaps 10 people
with expanded roles — or establishing one
person as a strong leader of the council, a
senior administration official said
Wednesday.

Another administration official said an
interim Iraqi leader could have authority to
govern the country until a constitution was
written and elections held.

For months, the Bush administration has
been saying Iraq (news - web sites) must
first have a constitution in place and hold
elections before the U.S. would relinquish
sovereignty.

In Baghdad, there was disagreement among
governing council members about whether
to push for an interim government with more
power before a constitution is written.

The administration refused to discuss
publicly what was under consideration,
saying the Iraqi council had to be consulted
first. U.S. officials said decisions would not
be imposed by the United States, but would
be agreed upon with the council.

The top U.S. administrator in Iraq, L. Paul Bremer, who was called to
Washington for a quickly arranged visit with Bush and other top
administration officials, was taking back to Baghdad several scenarios
for discussion, an official said. Some of the ideas that were reviewed by
Bush originated from the council itself while others were suggested by
Bremer to the council, the official said.

Bremer said he would tell the council that "we need to pull this all
together and integrate it into a plan going forward" and that Bush was
steadfast in his determination to defeat terrorism and to give Iraqis
authority over their own country.

The U.S.-appointed council faces a Dec. 15 U.N. deadline for producing
a new constitution and holding elections. Privately, administration
officials have complained that the council was not making enough
progress toward that goal.

Another attack Wednesday on occupying forces underlined the need to
stabilize Iraq. A suicide bomber blew up a truck packed with explosives
at an Italian paramilitary base in southern Iraq, killing at least 26 people,
including 18 Italians. It was the deadliest toll suffered by non-American
coalition forces since the occupation began in April.

The United States struck at the Iraqi insurgency hours later, destroying a
warehouse in Baghdad and chasing attackers who were seen firing
mortars.

Powell described the security situation as difficult, but said, "We are
confident that our commanders will be able to get on top of it, and that
our intelligence experts will be able to penetrate these remnants of the
old regime who are trying to destroy the hopes and aspirations of the
Iraqi people."

On Capitol Hill, Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle of South
Dakota called on the CIA (news - web sites) to brief Congress on "just
what, if anything, can be done to change the deteriorating set of
circumstances." A top-secret intelligence report that came to light
Wednesday warned that Iraqis were losing faith in U.S.-led occupation
forces, two senior U.S. officials said.

After the attack on the Italian base Wednesday, Bush, who has refrained
from reacting to American casualties on a daily basis, expressed
remorse. "We appreciate their sacrifices," he said. "I appreciate the
steadfast leadership of Prime Minister (Silvio) Berlusconi, who refuses to
yield in the face of terror."


Middle East - AP


U.S. Hits Iraqi Insurgents After Blast
2 hours, 6 minutes ago


By SLOBODAN LEKIC, Associated Press Writer

NASIRIYAH, Iraq - A suicide bomber blew up a truck packed with
explosives at an Italian paramilitary base Wednesday, killing at least 26
people. The United States struck at the Iraqi insurgency hours later,
destroying a warehouse in Baghdad and chasing attackers who were
seen firing mortars.

The Nasiriyah attack was the deadliest
against an American ally since the
occupation began and appeared to send a
message that international groups are not
safe anywhere in Iraq (news - web sites). It
came on the same day the chief U.S.
administrator for Iraq went to the White
House to put forth proposals on transferring
more authority to the Iraqis.

Col. Gianfranco Scalas said 18 Italians were
killed: 12 Carabinieri paramilitary police, four
soldiers, a civilian working at the base and a
documentary filmmaker. A spokesman for
the U.S.-led coalition said at least eight
Iraqis also died. The bomber — whose
nationality was not known — also died.

The blast wounded 79 people, 20 of them
Italians, hospital sources and Italian officials
said.

Italians were stunned by their nation's single
worst military loss since World War II and
its first in the Iraq campaign. At Rome's
tomb of the unknown soldier, the
green-white-and-red flag rippled at half-staff,
and parliament held a minute of silence.

Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi pledged
that Italy's mission in Iraq would not be
derailed. Opposition leaders who opposed
the deployment to postwar Iraq called on the
government to withdraw the contingent.

Jalal Talabani, the head of the Iraqi
Governing Council, called the slain Italians
"martyrs of the fight for the freedom of Iraq."

There were conflicting accounts of the
attack, which took place about 10:40 a.m.
at a three-story building used by the
Carabinieri's multinational specialist unit in
Nasiriyah, 180 miles southeast of Baghdad.

Witnesses said the decoy car ran a roadblock in front of a square where
the Italian barracks was located. Guards opened fire but as the vehicle
sped away, the fuel tanker approached from the opposite direction and
rammed into the gate of the building before exploding.

Italian Defense Minister Antonio Martino said the truck, followed by an
armored car, approached the compound at high speed. Gunmen inside
one of the vehicles opened fire at Italian troops guarding the entrance, he
said. The guards returned fire, but the vehicle plowed through the gate,
and then exploded, he added.

It was the 13th vehicle bombing in Iraq since Aug. 7, when a car
exploded at the Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad, killing at least 19
people. Wednesday's blast from the estimated 650 pounds of explosives
collapsed all three stories of the building, gouged a 6-foot-deep crater in
front of it, and set fire to parked cars. Secondary explosions from stored
ammunition shook the area.

The scorched, twisted remains of military jeeps littered the parking lot,
and bulldozers cleared rubble. Chunks of concrete and wiring hung from
partly destroyed walls.

"This is terrorism, pure and simple," Scalas said.

The attack was affecting deployment plans among U.S. allies. Portugal
said it was sending 128 elite police officers originally slated for Nasiriyah
to Basra instead. A Japanese government spokesman also indicated
that the attack will likely force to postpone its dispatch of troops to Iraq
until sometime next year.

After nightfall in Baghdad, forces from the 1st Armored Division attacked
a warehouse used by insurgents, setting off explosions that reverberated
through the capital.

"The facility is a known meeting, planning, storage and rendezvous point
for belligerent elements currently conducting attacks on coalition forces
and infrastructure," the Pentagon (news - web sites) said.

The mission was part of "Operation Iron Hammer," a new "get tough"
policy for confronting insurgents.

Also Wednesday, troops in Baghdad spotted attackers firing mortars, a
statement from the 1st Armored Division said. The attackers fled in a
van, making several stops as they tried to evade pursuing ground troops.

An Apache helicopter gunship discovered the van heading out of the city
near the Abu Ghraib suburb and opened fire, disabling the vehicle and
killing two of the occupants, the statement said. Three occupants were
wounded and five others were captured.

Troops searching the first place where the van stopped found an 82mm
mortar launch tube, the statement said. Searches of the other sites
continued.

President Bush (news - web sites) met with his top foreign advisers and
chief Iraq administrator L. Paul Bremer on Wednesday to discuss the
strategies to accelerate the transfer of power in Baghdad and the
deteriorating security situation.

"We have said from the outset that we wanted to transfer authority to the
Iraqis as quickly as they were able to assume it and that is what we
have done," Bremer said in Washington. "We have been moving forward
on ways to continue to transfer authority to the Iraqis as they are ready
for it."

Bremer is taking back to Baghdad several scenarios for discussion,
officials said without elaborating.

A top-secret U.S. intelligence report warned that Iraqis were losing faith
in the U.S.-led forces, which is increasing support for the insurgents.

Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) said there will be "ups
and downs in attitudes and feelings. We will remain long enough to
make sure the Iraqi people have the opportunity to put in place a
government that is democratic."

Members of the Governing Council dismissed a report that Iraqi political
leaders had decided against writing a new constitution and would
propose to immediately assume the powers of a provisional government.

"Such news is nonsense. The process of preparing the constitution is
under way and it is going on," said Entifadh Qanbar, spokesman of
Governing Council member Ahmad Chalabi. "There should be the spirit of
cooperation not pressure. Exerting pressure will not lead to any positive
results."

Mahmoud Othman, a Sunni Kurd member of the Governing Council, said
the council was considering a provisional government among other
options, but no decision would be made until Bremer returned.

"The process of writing the constitution could take some time so during
this period a government should be established to run the country. Those
options are still under consideration and we have not reached any
decision yet," Othman said Thursday.

Bremer's talks came as Iraqi insurgents have stepped up their attacks
and U.S. and Iraqi leaders appeared to be making no progress in drafting
a new constitution for Iraq.

White House press secretary Scott McClellan said the Bush
administration expressed its condolences to Italy for "standing with the
United States and the rest of the coalition in the war against terrorism."

Italy has sent about 2,300 troops to help rebuild Iraq. About 340
Carabinieri are based in Nasiriyah, along with 110 Romanians. No
Romanians were reported wounded in Wednesday's attack.

Carabinieri are paramilitary police under the Defense Ministry, and have
serve in Afghanistan (news - web sites) and the Balkans.

In other developments:

_U.S. troops in Baghdad on Wednesday accidentally fired on a car
carrying Mohammed Bahr al-Uloun, a member of the Iraqi Governing
Council, wounding his driver.

_U.S. paratroopers killed six attackers and wounded four others in a
shootout Tuesday near the hospital run by the Jordanian government
near Fallujah, the 82nd Airborne Division said.

The shootout began when troops were fired on with automatic weapons
from a vehicle stopped near the hospital. When the soldiers returned fire,
the attackers tried to flee to a second car, the military said.

_Assailants fired rocket-propelled grenades and small arms at an
American military compound in Mosul on Wednesday, killing an Iraqi
paramilitary guard.

_An American soldier was killed when a roadside bomb exploded near a
patrol by the town of Taji northwest of Baghdad, and another died of
wounds suffered in a roadside bombing in Baghdad.

The deaths bring to 153 the number of U.S. soldiers killed by hostile fire
since Bush declared an end to active combat May 1.

___
Middle East - AP


Palestinians, Israelis Hopeful for Peace
25 minutes ago


By MOHAMMED DARAGHMEH, Associated Press Writer

RAMALLAH, West Bank - Both Palestinian and Israeli leaders talked
about the need for peace as Yasser Arafat (news - web sites) swore in
the Cabinet he wanted, a move that ended two months of stalemate and
could revive contacts over the U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan.

The Palestinian parliament approved Prime
Minister Ahmed Qureia's new Cabinet on
Wednesday by a vote of 48 to 13 with five
abstentions. The posts had been empty since
the first premier, Mahmoud Abbas, resigned
on Sept. 6.

On Thursday morning, Israel's foreign
minister, Silvan Shalom, said Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon (news - web sites) will meet
Qureia, possibly within 10 days.

Qureia and Arafat, addressing parliament
before the vote, blamed Israel for three years
of violence, but both called for an end to the
bloodshed.

Qureia said Israel and the Palestinians must
implement the road map, which calls for a
halt to violence and leads through three
stages to Palestinian statehood in 2005. It
requires the Palestinians to dismantle violent
groups and the Israelis to halt settlement
construction in the West Bank — steps
neither has taken.

"We call on both sides to stop targeting civilians and work to bring about
a mutual cease-fire with clear and agreed upon terms," Qureia said.
"Let's help each other stop this cycle of hell."

Speaking to Canadian fund-raisers Wednesday evening, Sharon did not
refer directly to the new Palestinian Cabinet, but he repeated his peace
offer.

"We are prepared to make painful compromises for the sake of real
peace," he said. Sharon ruled out compromises over security issues, but
did not elaborate.

Arafat's presence as the power behind the Qureia government troubled
both Israel and the United States. They had wanted Arafat to be
sidelined and for Qureia to have full authority, but Arafat retained control.

Arafat appealed directly to the Israelis. "The time has come between us
and you ... to get out of this cycle of destructive war," he said. "The last
three years of this destructive war are enough."

Qureia had tried fruitlessly to form a Cabinet for a month, then ruled by a
decree from Arafat for another month. He finally gave in to Arafat's
demands for indirect control over the Palestinian security forces, which
would be responsible for dismantling militant groups.

The Israelis did not write off prospects for working with the new
Palestinian team, possibly reflecting impatience within Israel for the
Sharon government's inability to restore calm.

"If the new Palestinian government is serious about pursuing peace and
takes action to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism, they will find
Israel to be a real partner," Shalom said Wednesday.

He went a step further Thursday with the announcement to Israel's Army
Radio that Sharon and Qureia would meet. Israeli media reported that
Sharon would not meet Qureia before he returns from a trip to Italy,
planned for early next week.

Raanan Gissin, Sharon's spokesman, urged Qureia to help end militant
attacks on Israelis and consolidate the security forces under one
authority. "We're prepared to give Ahmed Qureia a grace period and
judge him by the results," Gissin said.

One official said that while Israel cannot agree to an explicit amnesty for
terrorists, it would be willing to be more flexible with Qureia and judge
him primarily by any success in enforcing an end to the attacks.

On Wednesday, both the Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups — which
have staged more that 100 suicide bombings over the last three years —
indicated they were considering Qureia's call to halt attacks.

Adnan Asfour, Hamas spokesman in the West Bank, said the group
was "was ready to study any new hudna (cease-fire) offer." And Nafez
Azzam, a senior Islamic Jihad leader in the Gaza Strip (news - web
sites), said the group welcomes "any dialogue with our brothers in the
Palestinian Authority (news - web sites)" and that a truce depended on
whether Israel stopped its "bloody aggression."

An Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that in
exchange, Israel would be prepared to resume implementing the road
map and ease its grip on the Palestinians — eliminating many
roadblocks, withdrawing from occupied cities and allowing more
Palestinian workers into Israel.

Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said in Washington that defense
officials would continue to evaluate the outposts along with Israel's
security needs.

Mofaz met with Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) on
Wednesday and told reporters afterward he conveyed Israel's
commitment to President Bush (news - web sites)'s "vision" and to the
road map.

In another development, a Palestinian was sent from the West Bank to
Gaza by the military. Moshref Bethor arrived in Gaza early Thursday,
Palestinians said, the second to be expelled this week.

Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he was not
among 18 who received expulsion orders; rather, he agreed to go to
Gaza for two years instead of serving time in an Israeli prison. But
Bethor told The Associated Press he had no idea he was being taken to
Gaza. He said he thought he was being taken to a different detention
facility for further questioning.

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