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Date Posted: 14:04:40 11/01/07 Thu
Author: part 2
Subject: Re: November 1, 2007
In reply to: part 1 's message, "November 1, 2007" on 14:03:13 11/01/07 Thu

ECO-FIN

GERMAN-CHINESE COOPERATION EXPANDING, IN SPITE OF MERKEL

Oct. 31, 2007 (LPAC) -- A source with the German railway
consulting branch said yesterday, that it speaks for the Chinese
that in spite of all recent provocations by Chancellor Angela
Merkel, (receiving the Dalai Lama at the Kanzleramt, and the
like), they gave the go-ahead for the German role in the
modernization of the Wuhan-Guangzhou route, -which is about the
same distance as Berlin-Paris.
Although maglev projects are not moving ahead at this
moment, railway and subway projects are. For rail track upgrading
and new routes, China invests the equivalent of 30 billion
euros, annually, plus 6 billion euros for rolling stock.
Germany's rail-tech sector could not produce that, even if it
wanted to, the source said.
A highly interesting project, the source also said, is the
construction of the new modern railway central station in
Nanjing, which will be Asia's biggest, with 28 tracks -- even
bigger than the new Berlin Central Station. Other projects,
already being looked into by German railway experts, include rail
links to altogether 140 airports in the inland of China -- this
being a crash program to be completed by 2050, according to the
latest railway development plan of the Chinese government.
The source also confirmed that German experts are presently
looking into the Indian project of a rail freight corridor from
New Delhi to Mumbai, a route of more than 1,200 kilometers.
(rap)

DENMARK FEARS U.S.-STYLE SUBPRIME COLLAPSE

COPENHAGEN, Oct. 31, 2007 -- Under banner headlines, the Danish
daily {Jyllands Posten} today reports that hundreds of Danish
real estate properties are over-mortgaged to such an extent that
several housing experts fear a collapse like that in America.
Especially threatened are rental properties.
Noting the existence of properties that have increased
several fold in value in just a few months, Prof. Hans Helge Bech
Thomsen of Aarhus University says that a number of medium-sized
banks face along with some private investors, will take some big
losses if this balloon bursts. That can then cause a domino
effect, which would give banks and private investors large
economic losses. The professor thinks that many banks are getting
cold feet, and trying to get out of the mortgage markets. He
encourages the authorities to increase the control over mortgage
sellers.
Another professor, Jens Lunde from Copenhagen Business
School, speaks of a bubble, made up of greatly inflated real
estate prices, which can cause a new bank crisis when it bursts.
The newspaper reports the use of trading clubs, in which
speculators artificially pump up real estate prices in order to
to borrow more money from banks, enabling them them to buy more
property -- all dependent on continuing the spiral. The article
states that the Danish bank authority has no control of this
market, and no way of knowing if there is security for these
loans. [mr]

MORTGAGE INSURERS POST FIRST-EVER LOSSES

Oct. 3, 2007 (LPAC) -- Forced to pay more to bail out lenders
from bad loans, the top two U.S. mortgage insurers reported their
first-ever quarterly losses as publicly traded companies.
PMI Group, the second-largest, posted a net loss of $86.8
million, its first quarterly loss since its 1995 public offering,
saying the default rate "significantly worsened" in September.
MGIC Investment Corp., the largest, also reported its first
quarterly loss, and said it expected not to be profitable in
2008.
Defaults on privately insured mortgages jumped 22% in
September from a year earlier. Some 54,699 privately insured
homeowners were more than 60 days late on their mortgage
payments, up from 44,791 in September 2006, and an increase of
4.9% from August, according to Mortgage Insurance Companies of
America. [ajt]

CERBERUS' CHRYSLER GIVES TRICKS, NOT TREATS, TO EMPLOYEES

Oct. 31, 2007 (LPAC) -- Only one day after a new contract,
Chrysler today began firing about 1,100 contract workers
(employees hired via a separate company), according to the
{Detroit News}.
Today's terminations amounted to about one-third of the
contract workers, with another round to be let go at the end of
November and December.
The automaker will also cut 1,000 salaried workers beginning
in November; and reduce factory shifts at some assembly plants,
as it drops four models from its vehicle line-up amid falling
sales.
The lay-offs come only a day after a new contract,
supposedly promising that jobs were safe from the chopping block,
was ratified by the United Auto Workers. Chrysler, now under the
ownership of private-equity firm Cerberus Capital Management,
already had eliminated 11,000 hourly workers and 2,000 salaried
employees through buy-outs/early retirements, as part of its
self-described "recovery and transformation" plan.
Cerberus, the hound of hell, was the three-headed dog with a
snake for a tail who guarded the entrance to Hades. [ajt]

COMMODITIES HIT RECORD HIGHS; U.S. DOLLAR RECORD LOWS

Oct. 31 (LPAC)--The hyperinflationary bail-out of the collapsing
world financial system, being directed by the Bank of England,
the U.S. Federal Reserve Board, and other banker-run
institutions, is producing, as Lyndon LaRouche forecast, a
"shock-front" explosion in commodity prices. The UBS/Bloomberg
CMCI Index of the prices of 26 commodities, soared to 1,271.7 on
Oct. 31, its highest level ever. This commodity index rose by
3.9% during the month of October, following a 7.8% increase
during September.
Several commodities are at or near their all-time highs. The
price of an oil contract for December delivery, closed at $94.53
per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), up 55%
for the year 2007. The price of wheat closed at $8.06 per bushel
not far from its record high registered during September, and up
61% for the year. The price of copper, for delivery in three
months on the London Metal Exchange, was $7,760 per metric ton,
up 21% for the year. The price of gold closed at $800.80 per
ounce on the NYMEX, the first time it has gone above $800 since
Jan. 21, 1980, and up 21% for the year.
With the hyperinflationary shock front generated by hedge
fund speculation, as LaRouche describes it, the primary force in
the commodity price spike, a powerful secondary force is the fall
in the dollar driven by the world financial collapse. The U.S.
dollar, as measured against the currencies of 17 leading nations
by the U.S. Dollar Index, closed at 76.45 on Oct. 31, a stunning
fall of 34.2% since Jan. 1, 2002. The dollar closed at one euro
equals $1.45, its lowest level ever. [ref]

FINANCIAL CRACK HITS NEW YORK CITY AND STATE BUDGETS WITH REVENUE
GAPS, AND BUDGET BLOOD-LETTING

Oct. 31, 2007 (LPAC) -- As the Wall Street fantasy world of paper
hyper-profits is put through the shredder, the New York City and
State governments are projecting burgeoning budget gaps for the
next several fiscal years, revising upward gap projections made
only three months earlier.
Never have two large entities depended so much on the fruit
of speculation. While financial firms account for only 5% of the
City's employment, they generate 23% of the City's personal
income, and thus, approximately the same percent of its personal
income tax. As well, taxation of Securities Industry profits
accounts for almost 9% of the City's tax revenue. In the case of
New York State, taxation of Securities Industry profit accounts
for 20% of the State's tax revenue (according to a report
released by New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli).
New York City Budget Director Mark Page wrote in a
memorandum to City Department heads Oct. 30, that New York's
budget shortfall would reach $2.7 billion in Fiscal Year 2009.
But Page's loss projection is $1.15 billion greater than he
projected only this past July. For the fiscal years 2010 and
2011, Page projects budget shortfalls of $4.8 billion and $6.5
billion, respectively, which are upward revisions by Page of the
projected budget gaps since July, of $1.4 billion, and $2.1
billion, respectively.
New York State projects a $4.3 billion budget gap for Fiscal
Year 2009, an $0.7 billion revision upward from its projection of
the gap during July.
Mad-dog New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered on
Oct. 30, budget cuts of 2.5% this fiscal year (2008) and 5% for
fiscal year 2009. He also ordered a hiring freeze for "jobs with
an immediate impact upon health and safety," according to Oct. 31
{Bloomberg.com}.
Yet, New York City and State might be accused of using "too
cheerful" projections. The housing collapse is just now gathering
force, and the fall in Wall Street's revenues has a long, long
way to go. [ref]

NEW JERSEY FORECLOSURES OVER 41,000

Oct. 31, 2007 (LPAC)--Analysis and charts prepared by LaRouchePac
using the latest information from RealtyTrak, show that
foreclosure filings in New Jersey in 2007 topped 41,000 well
ahead of the total for 2005, which was 35,125, and ahead of the
the equivalent period in 2006 when foreclosures reached a little
over 26,000.
Two New Jersey Metropolitan areas are included in the just
released ACORN study on the impact of foreclosures. They are
Trenton and Newark, with 2,174 of the "high-cost" loans made in
Newark in 2006 likely to go into foreclosure, and 314 of the
high-cost loans made in the Trenton area likely to go into
foreclosure.
The worsening crisis has resulted in grass roots protests
similar to those in Lancaster, Pa. On Oct. 19, the New Jersey
Herald News reported on a rally of 100 Paterson, N.J. residents
to protest property tax hikes and foreclosures.
The residents are calling for the resignation of Paterson's
mayor for his mishandling of the tax revaluation process, the
first revaluation in 34 years, and also warning that foreclosures
are inevitable if the new valuations stand. Several protesters
stated that they cannot pay the new rates and are about to loose
their houses.
{The Press} of Atlantic City ran a human interest story Oct.
20 on an EMT worker from Ocean County who is now facing
foreclosure on his home due to the disability he suffered from
work at the World Trade Center following 9/11. (pds)

UNITED STATES

WHILE CHENEY AND GIULIANI RAVE, WHITE HOUSE DENIES PLAN FOR IRAN
AIR STRIKES

Oct. 31 (LPAC) -- The beating of the war drums and outright
threats of bombing and other attacks aagainst Iran by Vice
President Dick Cheney and Republican Party Presidential candidate
Rudy Giuliani, have compelled George W. Bush to issued a
statement that such an attack is not being planned.
"There's no reason for people to think that the President
is about to attack Iran. I think that we need to make that
clear," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said. "He doesn't
want people to fear that, because what he is doing is pursuing a
diplomatic track."
Perino pointed to Bush's meetings next week with French
President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel as
evidence.
"He believes it's important for him to pursue every possible
diplomatic means in order to persuade Iran to stop its pursuit of
a nuclear weapon," Perino said. "I'm positive of that, and we're
pursuing the diplomatic track.... Secretary [of State
Condoleezza] Rice said we would meet with her Iranian counterpart
anytime, anywhere." [dea]

SUPREME COURT APPROVED EMERGENCY BAN ON ALL FORECLOSURES BY
MINNESOTA

Oct. 31, 2007 (LPAC)--Minneapolis attorney Marshall H. Tanick has
published the legal precedent, approved up to and through the
U.S. Supreme Court for a legislative ban on home foreclosures.
Writing in the {Minneapolis Star-Tribune} today about the demand
for a City Council foreclosure moratorium in that city, Tanick
compared the situation there -- 340 foreclosed homes in the seven
counties surrounding the Twin Cities, among the nearly 9,000
foreclosed properties in the metro area -- to the Great
Depression. "The Minnesota Legislature, a month after the
inauguration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, enacted a
measure known as the Minnesota Mortgage Moratorium Law," he
writes. "The measure was widely hailed as the type of bold
legislation necessary to help overcome the throes of the
country's economic catastrophe."
Article I, Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution forbids
states from enacting laws "impairing the Obligation of
Contracts." Mortgage holders asserted that the moratorium statute
violated the provision by retroactively altering their rights
under mortgage arrangements voluntarily entered into by
homeowners.
"The case reached the U.S. Supreme Court in 1934 ... The
high court at that time was no friend of intervention in the
economic forces of the free marketplace.... But by a 5-4 vote,
the Justices in Washington upheld the moratorium law. Writing for
the majority, Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes reasoned, as did
the state Supreme Court, that the law was constitutionally valid
and did not infringe the contract `impairment' clause.... He
declared that it was permissible because it was `clearly so
reasonable as to be within the Legislative competency.'
"The court deemed the law to be a `rational compromise' that
did not impair the `integrity' of the mortgage industry because
homeowners were required to maintain payments during the freeze,
and because the mortgagees could exercise their rights after the
two-year period."
Sound like the Homeowners and Bank Protection Act in local
miniature?
"Forget about voluntary foreclosure freezes," attorney
Tanick concludes. "Lawmakers should heed the edict of the Supreme
Court in the Blaisdell case: `While emergency does not create
power, emergency may furnish the occasion for the exercise of
power.'|" [pbg]

`NANCY PELOSI'S PARTY IS TURNING ON HER': POLL

Oct. 31, 2007 (LPAC) -- A leading California newspaper which
published a poll Oct. 27 on leading officeholders in the state,
found that "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's own party is turning on
her, apparently because of a perception among California
Democrats that she has not done enough to shake up the status quo
in Washington, D.C." The {Sacramento Bee} was reporting a Field
Poll released Nov. 26.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein's approval rating of 51% was down 10
percentage points since March; Sen. Barbara Boxer's job approval
among voters went from 54% in March to 44%. But still, both were
approved by more voters than disapproved.
But for Pelosi, the poll showed more people disapproving of
her performance, 40%; than approving of it, 35%; with 25% having
no opinion of Ms. Pelosi at all.
As recently as March, California Dems approved of Pelosi by
a 5-to-1 ratio. Now it's less than 2-to-1, and nonpartisan voters
have soured on her.
The Congress, overall, now has an approval rating with
California voters of less than 30%; nationwide, other polls have
shown that approval down to a dismal 11%. [pbg]

SENATE PASSES AMTRAK BILL, BUT WITHOUT CAPITAL BUDGET

Oct. 31 (LPAC) -- Yesterday, the Senate passed the Amtrak
reauthorization bill by a veto proof majority of 70 to 22.
The bill authorizes $1.4 billion to $1.7 billion a year
for the next six years for Amtrak, to be split between operating
costs and capital projects. It also includes extensive reforms of
Amtrak and establishes an intercity rail policy.
However, the bill did not include a provision in the 2005
bill that would have authorized "rail infrastructure bonds" in
the amount of $1.3 billion a year for ten years to raise money
for capital improvements for either state passenger rail projects
or capital improvements under Amtrak's five year plan. This
year's bill was not even introduced with the bond plan. In 2005,
the bill, with the bond provision, passed the Senate Commerce
Committee, but was not taken up on the Senate floor. Instead, it
was attached, without the bond provision, to an omnibus
appropriations bill.
A companion bill was introduced in the House, last January,
but has not yet been acted on by the Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee.
Also languishing is the Water Resources Development Act,
which would authorize $23 billion in all types of water
infrastructure projects, and passed by both the House and the
Senate by veto proof majorities. That bill sits on President
Bush's desk awaiting a threatened veto. Bush has until Nov. 3 to
decide what to do about it. [cjo]

As Bush Escalates Veto Threat:
21 STATES WILL EXHAUST FEDERAL MONEY FOR CHILDREN'S HEALTH
INSURANCE IN 2008

Oct. 31, 2007 (LPAC) -- Without more support, 9 states (Alaska,
Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island, New Jersey,
Georgia, Illinois, and Iowa) will run out of money for their
children's health insurance program by March of next year. By the
end of 2008, 12 more states will follow. This according to a
Congressional Research Study reported in the {New York Times},
Oct. 31.
Child health program officials in California say they are
"adopting rules to allow the state to create a waiting list and
to remove some of the 1.1 million children already on the rolls,"
at a rate of 64,000 per month, starting in January.
President Bush told Republican lawmakers, in a closed door
meeting on Tuesday, that he will not agree to legislation
expanding children's health insurance if it includes a tobacco
tax increase. According to Associated Press, Bush's renewed
threat to veto "has led to a hurried round of negotiations among
lawmakers in both parties and both houses," who may be feeling
the heat from constituents insisting on federal support for the
health of the nation's children. [jd_]

BIDEN LANDS A GOOD ONE ON GHOUL-IANI

Oct. 31, 2007 (LPAC) -- "There's only three things he mentions in
a sentence -- a noun, a verb, and 9/11," presidential hopeful Joe
Biden said of Republican opponent Rudy Giuliani in last night's
Democratic presidential debate.
The Delaware Senator also called Giuliani "probably the most
underqualified man since George Bush to seek the presidency,"
stirring laughter and applause. [lmh]

PRESS GIVES MASS ADVERTISING TO THE "MOST VIOLENT VIDEO GAME
EVER"

Oct. 31, 2007 (LPAC) -- The release this week of the video game
Manhunt 2, prominently reviewed on CBS Evening News last night
with other accompanying major publicity, is an escalation to
create a mass-based fascist movement as Lyndon LaRouche has
warned.
Manhunt 2 has the player take the role of a mad rapist and
killer. Like the participants in My Space and Facebook, the
player becomes the prisoner. Yesterday, on CBS Evening news,
anchor Katie Couric played the role of an offended reporter,
saying this is "the most violent game ever," but questioned
whether such video games can truly make the player violent. In
the game, the player becomes a mental patient who "tries to
escape from a bizarre insane asylum using everything from a
sickle to rip out a characters skull to a club to attack a police
officer."
Manhunt 2 is not a point and shoot video game, but something
worse. The game console, according to the CBS reporter, "has
motion-sensing controls, and therefore to stab you're going to
mimic a stabbing motion, to swing a sledgehammer or a shovel you
would do the same." CBS interviewed a few 20-year-old gamers who
were taken aback at the level of the game's violence. "This
definitely takes the cake as probably the most violent thing I've
played," said one player. With that, CBS is guaranteeing that
everyone will want to get one. [ddp]

EUROPE/RUSSIA

RUSSIA WILL NOT JOIN A NEW "HOLY ALLIANCE" AGAINST IRAN

Oct. 31, 2007 (LPAC) -- Russia will not join a U.S.-led "Holy
Alliance" to destroy the current regime in Iran, the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs in Moscow said in a statement today.
Instead, spokesman Mikhael Kamynin said, Russia holds firm
to the belief that the nuclear disagreements with that southwest
Asian country must be tackled collectively and exclusively
through persuasion in diplomatic talks. (rap)

RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY ACCUSES U.S. OF RUSHING TO DEPLOY
ANTI-MISSILE DEFENSES IN CENTRAL EUROPE

Oct. 31, 2007 (LPAC) -- "There is the impression that the United
States is trying to make the realization of its plans
irreversible," said Russian spokesman Mikhail Kamynin, in regards
to Washington's attempts to negotiate with Poland and the Czech
Republic for the deployment of 10 missile interceptors, despite
Moscow's requests for a freeze on the project.
Agence France Presse on Oct. 31 quotes Kamynin that the U.S.
talks with Poland and the Czech Republic "have not only not been
suspended, but additional measures are being taken to speed them
up." [jd_]

BBC INTERVIEW WITH KING ABDULLAH: ANSWERS WITHOUT QUESTIONS

Oct. 31, 2007 (LPAC) -- The BBC conducted an interview with Saudi
King Abdullah on Oct. 27, where the most interesting aspects
concerned the questions the interviewer was not allowed to ask.
The Saudis refused to allow the journalist to ask questions on
Iraq, on U.S. plans to attack Iran, and on the BAE "Al Yamama"
arms sales scandal.
The journalist made it clear that the King did not want to
answer questions on Iraq or Iran because he did not what to go on
record attacking the Bush Administration, which is what he would
have to do if he answered the questions honestly. He of course
did not want any questions on the BAE case for obvious reasons;
his royal family is in the middle of it, specifically Prince
Bandar.
In an obvious reference to why Abdullah did not want to
answer the three questions, the BBC journalist said at the end of
the interview, "King Abdullah said, `I have not spoken about some
subjects because I did not want either to be dishonest or
evasive with you.'|"
While the King would not be asked these questions, the BBC
journalist was given the opportunity to ask them of Saudi Foreign
Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, who was critical of the U.S
policy in Iraq. On Iran, he said Saudi Arabia opposed any
military attack on Iran, comparing the Bush Administration policy
to a bull in a China closet, and warned that bombing Iran would
create far more problems then it would resolve.
On the BAE scandal, al-Faisal answered with the question: Is
this a crime of Saudis taking bribes, or of BAE giving bribes? He
said that he thought it was the latter. [dea]

ITALIAN FAMILIES MORE INDEBTED AND THINNER

Oct. 31, 2007 (LPAC) -- Consumer credit rose 17.5% in the first
six months of 2007 in Italy, according to figures provided by the
Italian Banking Association.
Italian household debt is, nevertheless, still the lowest in
Europe (5.8% of GNP, compared to 16.5% in UK, 9.9% in Germany,
9.4% Spain, and 7.5% in France).
At the same time, however, food consumptions went down 10%
over five years (2001-2006), according to Ismea research
institute. [ccc]

TERROR BOMBING IN `RUSSIA'S DETROIT' IS SECOND IN TWO WEEKS

Oct. 31, 2007 (LPAC) -- A bomb ripped through a bus in the
Russian city of Togliatti in what is being seen as a terrorist
act. It is believed to have been caused by up to 2kg (4.4 lbs) of
explosives, local police sources said, according to Associated
Press. "We have reached the conclusion that this was an act of
terrorism," the Samara region governor Vladimir Artyakov said in
comments broadcast by Russia's Vesti-24 news channel. "We are
clarifying what type of explosive device was used and we are also
clarifying the possibility that there could be more victims."
It was not apparent who was responsible.
"Eight people are dead, fifty are injured, with ten rescue
groups involved. The first arrived within five minutes of the
explosion and more soon after," said Vladimir Markhin, the
Togliatti representative of the Russian investigation
committee. "There is reason to believe that the explosive was
planted either underneath or on the floor of the bus," the police
source was quoted as saying.
Togliatti, an industrial city on the banks of the Volga
river, and home to the country's biggest car maker, AvtoVaz, and
is sometimes called Russia's Detroit.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin phoned his envoy to the
Volga region, and ordered that "every possible measure to give
medical assistance to those injured and to help the families of
those killed," should be provided, Interfax said.
This was the second blast on a bus in Russia in just over a
week, following an explosion that killed one person and wounded
five in the turbulent province of Dagestan on Oct. 23, according
to RTE News. [dea]

SOUTHWEST ASIA

SYRIA AND IRAN SEEK TO DEFUSE KURDISH CRISIS, BUT KEY LIES WITH
WASHINGTON

Oct. 31, 2007 (LPAC) -- Syria and Iran have been coordinating
efforts to eliminate the threat of Kurdish PKK terrorists,
without a threatened intervention by Turkish military into
northern Iraq. But the key to solving the Kurdish problem lies in
Washington.
Iran told visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan on
Oct. 28 that they did not support such a military move. Following
a visit to Damascus the next day by Iranian Foreign Minister
Manuchehr Mottaki, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem praised
Iran's peacemaking efforts.
Mottaki was quoted by Turkish Daily News saying, "The PKK
terrorists threaten not only Turkey but also Iran and Syria,"
both of which have significant Kurdish communities. "The
terrorist operations from the north of Iraq create a
destabilizing effect throughout the region," he said.
Today, Mottaki is in Baghdad, for talks with the Iraqis.
The key to solving the Kurdish problem lies in Washington.
Were the U.S. serious about curbing the threat, it could disarm
the terrorists and extradite leaders to Turkey, or urge the Iraqi
government, to do the same. The U.S. is the occupying power and
therefore calls the shots. Attempts made in the past by the Iraqi
government, to move against the PKK, including on the basis of
intelligence provided by Iran, have been blocked by the United
States, which supports the PKK.
In this light, the visit of Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan to Washington will be important. Speaking at a
parliamentary group meeting of his Justice and Development Party
(AKP) yesterday, Erdogan said that he would ask President Bush,
whom he meets on Nov. 5, to "clearly define [the U.S.] road map"
to deal with the PKK. He said it was a "test of sincerity," and
that if the U.S. failed to act, "we will do our own job."
Erdogan also lamented the lack of international support for
the fight against terrorism, and mentioned in this context a
recent strategic partnership agreement struck with Great Britain.
He said the issue would be at the center of a meeting of foreign
ministers of the region, to be held on Nov. 2-3 in Istanbul.(mlm)

EX-NATO COMMANDER CRITICIZES U.S. ON KURDS

Oct. 31, 2007 -- Former NATO Supreme Commander in Europe Gen.
Joseph Ralston said on Oct. 29, that a diplomatic effort he had
led, to stop the terrorist PKK, had failed.
During his one-year tenure functioning as special envoy on
the PKK issue, Ralston had tried to set up a tripartite
mechanism, among the U.S., Iraq, and Turkey, to curb the PKK, but
failed, and therefore resigned. Attending a reception at the
Turkish embassy, Ralston said, "The United States needs to do
more."
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is off to
Ankara for talks with the government on the issue, the Turkish
Daily News reported. (mlm)

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