September
1- 15
Italians,
Dutch Provide Security in Iraq
TALLI, Iraq, Troops from the 28 countries
that have committed forces to support the international coalition
in Iraq have begun assuming more and more duties. Dutch and Italian
forces are working together to provide internal security at a
key air base at Talli in southern Iraq.
The Dutch conduct roving patrols,
while the Italians man checkpoints and provide a quick-reaction
force.
"Although we have different
responsibilities, our area of responsibility is the same,"
said Italian Master Sgt. Gianni Pitzalis, who works in force security.
The quick-reaction force responds to immediate calls, while the
roving patrols conduct regular sweeps of the area. "We share
the same areas, but we don’t patrol together because of the language
barrier," Pitzalis said.
Dutch Air Force Capt. Wim Verschragen,
officer in charge of the Dutch security force, said, "Even
though both the Italians and our forces speak some English, during
training for emergency response the soldiers immediately began
working in their own language." (Full
Story)
Georgian
Police Say Blast was Act of Terror
TBILISI,
SEPTEMBER 6, 2003, /RIA NOVOSTI/ — The Georgian Interior Ministry
is referring to the September 5 explosion inside the Akhaltsikha
administrative building as a terrorist act.
Talking to RIA NOVOSTI on Saturday,
officials at the Georgian Interior Ministry’s press centre noted
that TNT was used to make a time bomb, which went off in Akhaltsikha.
Deputy Interior Minister Ruben Asanidze
talked to reporters, noting that this terrorist act was spearheaded
against the newly-appointed regional governor Gela Kvaratskhelia.
A powerful explosion reverberated
through the Samtskhe-Dzhavakhetia administrative building in Akhaltsikha
at about 7.50 p.m. Moscow time on September 5, seriously damaging
the building. Several people were injured as a result. Meanwhile
Gela Kvaratskhelia, who serves as presidential plenipotentiary
in that region, left the building only a few minutes before the
explosion.
Soldiers
on Patrol Constantly Reminded of Danger
MOSUL,
Iraq “..yeah I get scared,” said Pfc. Jaorge Cabrera,
mortarman, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion,
502nd Infantry Regiment, on the way out to an evening patrol here
last weekend. “Every night when we go out there in the open
I think, ‘Wow, this is real’.”
Cabrera, a tall, brawny Florida
native, spent his Labor Day weekend manning a 50-caliber machine
gun attached to a Humvee as his squad patrolled the streets of
Mosul. Soldiers on patrol know they face the danger of rocket-propelled
grenades, improvised explosive devices, car bombs and anything
else former regime loyalists and anti-Americans can conjure up.
They act as policemen, enforcing laws and ensuring peace. (Full
Story)
New
Zealand Forces Prepare to Take Over in Afghanistan
BAMIAN,
Afghanistan – Loud hammering and drilling is heard throughout
the Bamian Provincial Reconstruction Team site as the small outpost
is progressively ripped apart and put back together to make room
for the New Zealand team scheduled to take over Sept. 23 from
the U.S. team currently in command. The U.S. Army has had a presence
at the Bamian PRT since its official opening in March.
The New Zealand Defense Forces are
signed up to take over the Bamian PRT for the next 12 months because
“the New Zealand government saw it as a role that the NZDF
could get involved in as part of the coalition forces in support
of Operation Enduring Freedom,” said Maj. Sid McKissock,
the New Zealand Army operations officer for the incoming team.
(Full
Story)
Rumsfeld
Visits Multinational Division in Iraq
AL HILLAH,
Iraq – An assortment of uniforms greeted Defense Secretary
Donald H. Rumsfeld as he arrived at the headquarters of the Multinational
Division South-Central here today.
Polish Maj. Gen. Andrzej Tyszkiewicz,
the division commander, greeted the secretary. With the general
were staff officers from Hungary, Spain, Ukraine and the other
nations that have contributed forces to the division. U.S. Marines
are still at the base, but they will leave soon, officials said.
(Full
Story)
Italy
Study Sees Al Qaeda Link to Human Trafficking
ROME – (Reuters)
Italy’s secret services say they see increasing evidence militant
groups such as al Qaeda are moving into the smuggling of illegal
immigrants, a billion dollar trade they can use to fund other
activities.
An intelligence report released
at the weekend says "terror networks" and groups who
traffic in illegal immigrants share a natural overlap, often relying
on false documents and intricate logistics, transport and communication
setups. (Full
Story)
Catching
Up With Terror
Suspected
terrorists, also known as dangerous sleeper agents of al Qaeda,
are believed to be living in the U.S. or in countries that have
frequent visitor travel into the U.S and are waiting to carry
out a plot of terror. Therefore, officials from Homeland Security
and the F.B.I. have encouraged the public to be aware of their
surroundings and report unusual activities in order to provide
needed information that may help in saving lives. (Full
Story)
Britain
Sends Support to Iraq After UN Rejects the U.S.’s Newest Proposal
"To
the boys in Basra, hope you are all well and you are coping with
the heat, you are the rocks of Britain, so keep it up good luck
take care," writes fellow Briton Steve Sutton. The Ministry
of Defence message board is warming up with good tidings to the
troops in Iraq as more soldiers are being deployed to the former
fascist state.120 soldiers flew in to southern Iraq on Sunday
from Cyprus and it is being reported that the UK is planning on
sending over a thousand more after a governmental review of troop
levels.
On Thursday, UK Defence Secretary
Geoff Hoon requested a review of forces and resources needed to
sustain operations in Iraq. Currently, over 10,000 British troops
are serving in Iraq, and according to The Daily Telegraph, Foreign
Secretary Jack Straw called for Prime Minister Blair to send an
extra 5,000 troops to Iraq to avoid "strategic failure".
(Full
Story)
Dual
Terror Attacks Strike Israel
15 innocent
young people were killed as they went about their daily lives
and over 80 were wounded when two Palestinian terrorist bombings
struck within the space of six hours on Tuesday.
Eight IDF soldiers, five of them
between the ages of 19 and 21, were killed and 30 people were
wounded in a homicide bombing at 5:40 p.m. at a hitchhiking post
for soldiers outside a main entrance to the Tzrifin army base
and Assaf Harofeh Hospital, near Rishon Lezion. The Hamas bomber
wore civilian clothes and carried a leather bag containing a 3-4
kilogram bomb. He got out of a car at the bus stop, and almost
immediately blew himself up. (Full
Story)
Putin
on Russia’s, Bulgaria’s Tasks in Trade and Economic Sphere
SOCHI,
September 6, 2003. (RIA Novosti) – Russian president Vladimir
Putin believes the main task of his interaction with the Bulgarian
president is "to transform political revival into contacts
in the trade and economic sphere," he announced opening a
meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart.
In Vladimir Putin’s words, there
are certain changes in bilateral relations, for example, a trade
turnover of 1.4 billion dollars, which is not bad. "There
remain some problems with the content and structure of this turnover,"
Putin stressed. He noted that though its Russian element is way
more substantial, "on the part of Bulgaria it is more civilised."
The president stressed the two countries "have joint projects
in the fields of power and mechanical engineering, as well as
light industry." Vladimir Putin reaffirmed that Russia is
expecting Georgi Purvanov once again in late September, when he
is supposed to take part in the ceremony of opening the Days of
Bulgarian Culture in Russia. "This is another important trend
of our relations," the head of state emphasised. Putin also
invited Georgi Purvanov to pay a routine visit to Russia in 2004.
Japanese
Orthodox Church Delegation to Attend Kremlin Divine Service
MOSCOW,
SEPTEMBER 6, 2003 — Metropolitan Daniel (Nushiro) of Tokyo and
All Japan is to attend a patriarchic divine service in the Kremlin,
as well as yet another service near a monument to prince St. Daniel
of Moscow, here today.
A Japanese Orthodox Church delegation
headed by Metropolitan Daniel arrived in Moscow on September 4,
the Moscow patriarchy told RIA Novosti. Metropolitan Daniel visited
the cathedral of Christ the Saviour on September 5. (Full
Story)
We
Will Never Forget
To honor the
memory of the heroes and all the innocents that lost their lives
on September 11th, 2001 we remember the first 12 days. Actual
video shot on a work day like any other, but in an instant everything
dramatically changed… A camera man working with New York firefighters
on a documentary captured first the sounds of a low flying passenger
jet and then the images of the first terrorist attack on U.S.
soil, as the passenger jet plunged into the tower at 8:46am on
9-11.. (A
Tribute)
Russia
Backs Lifting of Sanctions From Libya
MOSCOW,
September 12, 2003. (RIA Novosti correspondent Alexei Bogdanovski)
– Russia has backed the lifting of sanctions from Libya, a statement
of the Press and Information Board of the Russian Foreign Ministry
says.
"Our position is that sanctions
imposed by the UN Security Council should be lifted when the reason
for their imposition disappears," the Foreign Ministry says.
"We hope that the lifting of
sanctions against Libya will promote the restoration of Libya’s
status as a full-fledged members of the international community,"
says the ministry.
Russia will continue to carry out
a constructive policy in the UN Security Council in favour of
a further perfection of international sanction regimes, the Russian
Foreign Ministry said.
Erie,
Pennsylvania, Murder-Bombing Mystery: Information Sought
On
August 28, pizza delivery man Brian Douglas Wells was allegedly
locked into a bombing device by a stranger and ordered to rob
a bank branch just outside Erie, Pennsylvania. When he was detained
by state police following the robbery, the bomb exploded, killing
him instantly.
Following a preliminary investigation
of the case by a multi-agency law enforcement task force, many
questions remain. Specifically, information is sought about any
aspect of the triple-banded metal collar that was locked around
Wells’ neck and about the lock that kept it in place.
On behalf of the task force, the
FBI requests the public to carefully scrutinize the pictured photographs
of these objects. By clicking on the photos, they can be enlarged
to see fine details. If you have any information at all about
the devices, please immediately call the toll-free number 1-866-219-2008.
Iraqi
Civil Defense Forces Graduates in Tikrit
TIKRIT,
Iraq – Soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division graduated their
first class of Iraqi Civil Defense Corps trainees early last week
in Tikrit.
The Iraqi Civil Defense trainees
experienced three weeks of extensive training, which consisted
of instruction in manning traffic control points, conducting raids
and working to keep Tikrit safe from insurgents.
The graduating class consisted of
32 Iraqi men who will work with Coalition forces to provide security
in Iraqi communities.
The ICDC will have officers and
non-commissioned officers. The trainees earned their ranks during
the training.
George
Bush Sr. Visits Memorial to Leningrad’s Defenders
ST
PETERSBURG, September 12, 2003 – George Bush Sr. and his spouse
have visited the memorial to Heroic Defenders of Leningrad (the
name of St Petersburg under the Soviets).
The 41st U.S. President was accompanied by French ex-President
Giscard d’Estaing, former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger,
former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and prominent Sovietologist
Zbigniew Brzezinski. (Full
Story)
Two
Years After 9-11, Officials Cite Progress in
War on Terror
WASHINGTON
– Two years after terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center
and the Pentagon, Defense leaders said America has heeded "that
wake-up call to the real threat of international terrorism,"
and is making solid progress in the war on terrorism.
"We’ve had great success in
the last two years," Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told morning show reporters on the
second anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. (Full
Story)
Death
Toll Still Rising From Palestinian Terrorist Attack on Bus
23 people were
killed and over 130 wounded when a Palestinian suicide bomber
detonated a five-kilogram device packed with ball-bearings on
a crowded city bus in Jerusalem’s Shmuel Hanavi neighborhood.
The youngest victims were still infants, some were from the U.S.
and the most recent victims are a 27 year old that died last week
and a 37 year woman that died over the weekend.
Many of the passengers were returning
from prayers at the Western Wall when they were killed. Hamas
claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack. (Full
Story)
New
York City Firefighter, Now Guard Soldier in Kuwait, Remembers
9-11
CAMP ARIFJAN,
KUWAIT, Sept. 11, 2003 – A New York Army National Guard soldier,
who is also a New York City firefighter, helped American soldiers
engaged in Operation Iraqi Freedom observe the second anniversary
of the terrorist attacks against America during a memorial service
here today. (Full
Story)
Bin
Laden Tape Surfaces; Proves Threat Continues
WASHINGTON
— While emphasizing that its authenticity still remains in question,
top Defense officials said last week a newly released videotape
depicting al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden reinforces the threat
the terrorist organization continues to pose. (Full
Story)
Bush:
FBI ‘Fully Engaged’ in Anti-Terror War
WASHINGTON,
Sept. 10, 2003 – America has been on the offensive at home
and overseas against global terrorists in the two years since
the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, President Bush told FBI employees
today at the agency’s crime laboratory at Quantico, Va.
In his address, the president praised
the FBI, noting the agency "is fully engaged" in the
war on terror, helping the nation make progress against would-
be terrorists.
Efforts by the Departments of Justice
and Homeland Security on the home front, he added, also are helping
to protect Americans from terrorists. (Full
Story)
Russia-Iran
Nuclear Cooperation Meets International Regulations, Says Ivanov
LJUBLJANA,
September 12, 2003. (RIA Novosti correspondent Yuri Nikolayev)
– Russia’s nuclear cooperation with Iran follows accepted international
rules and regulations, Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov pointed out
at a Friday press conference in the Slovene capital of Ljubljana.
"The facilities now being constructed
in Iran in association with Russia are under IAEA supervision,"
Mr. Ivanov said, referring to the nuclear power station at Busher.
According to him, the Russian side has received no reprimands
from the International Atomic Energy Agency in connection with
this project.
Russia is going to continue nuclear
cooperation with Iran and other countries in full compliance with
effective regulatory norms and in close cooperation with the IAEA,
the minister said.
First
Lady Visits Wounded Troops at Walter Reed
WASHINGTON
– President Bush and his wife, Laura, paid a visit to troops
being treated here for wounds received in the global war against
terrorism.
Bush presented Purple Heart medals
to wounded service members at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
Afterward, he declared to reporters that those service members
are "people who are willing to sacrifice in order to make
sure that attacks like Sept. 11 don’t happen again." (Full
Story)
Al
Qaeda ‘Under Pressure,’ Yet ‘Still Dangerous’
WASHINGTON
– U.S. and coalition efforts against al Qaeda since the
Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on America have put that terror network
under "enormous pressure," DoD’s top civilian said here.
A "good many" Al Qaeda
operatives have been captured or killed and the terror network’s
"ability to function has been significantly affected,"
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told television host Jim
Lehrer on "The News Hour" show. (Full
Story)
Friendship
and Cooperation between India and Israel
At
the invitation of the Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee,
the Prime Minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon, paid a State visit
to India from September 8-10 2003, the first-ever by an Israeli
Prime Minister. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon decided to cut short
his state visit to India though when twin terror attacks hit Israel.
Prime Minister Sharon was accompanied
by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice, Yosef Lapid,
Minister of Culture, Education and Sport, Limor Livnat (-together
with a cultural delegation) and Minister of Agriculture, Israel
Katz. The large accompanying business delegation underscored the
importance the two countries attach to expanding their economic
relations. (Full
Story)
Checkpoint
Runners Lead to Odd Weapons Cache
MOSUL,
IRAQ – Six Iraqis were detained after they attempted to
run a checkpoint near the towns of Saff At Tuth Isfia and Talul
An Nasir in the 101st Airborne Division’s area last Wednesday.
After questioning the detainees Subsequent operations resulted
in the discovery of a large weapons cache in one of their homes.
Warning shots were fired by soldiers
of the 1st Brigade Combat team when a van and motorcycle refused
to slow down and began speeding through the checkpoint. The van
stopped and the motorcycle crashed into concertina wire. No one
was hurt. During a search of the van soldiers found an AK-47 in
the van, at that point soldiers knew they had to take them in
for questioning. (Full
Story)
Steps
to Stop Weapons of Mass Destruction Traffickers
WASHINGTON
— A Japanese-flagged commercial merchant vessel is suspected
of carrying items related to weapons of mass destruction. Military
and law enforcement assets from Australia, France, Japan and the
United States trail the vessel. The Japan coast guard, working
with its French, U.S. and Australian law enforcement counterparts,
boards the vessel on the high seas and conducts a search.. (Full
Story)
Powell
Seeking Broader International Effort in
Iraq
Halabja,
Iraq — Powell visited a mass grave in Halabja Monday, a city
where Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons to murder thousands
on March 16, 1988. The secretary arrived from Baghdad to participate
in the dedication of a museum and memorial to remember those murdered
in the city. Iraqi Kurds called the attack "Bloody Friday."
At least 5,000 Iraqi Kurds died from a lethal mixture of mustard
gas and the nerve agents Sarin, Tabun and VX. Another 10,000 were
reported injured. Saddam’s cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as
"Chemical Ali", ordered the gas attack against the Kurds.
Ali was captured in August by coalition troops and Iraqi Kurds
had stressed he should go on trial in Halabja and pay for his
crimes against the innocent civilians attacked in an anti-Kurd
campaign during the Iran-Iraq war. (Full
Story)
September
16-30
Abortion
Pill May Be Cause of Teen’s Death
(Oakland Tribune) An 18-year-old Livermore woman died this week
due to possible complications from taking the RU-486 abortion
pill, and her family is urging parents to talk with their children.
The Alameda County Coroner’s Office
said it is conducting toxicology tests on Holly Marie Patterson
and will not have an official cause of death for at least three
weeks.
"We hope with Holly’s passing
that other families can come together and take care of issues,"
said Patterson’s mother, Deborah Patterson, 51, of Cathedral City.
"We want to save other girls from the same demise and heartbreak.
It was so needless, so needless." (Full
Story)
Spanish
Police Make More Al-Qaida Arrests
(AP) MADRID,
Spain – Police have arrested several suspects on orders of a Spanish
judge who is investigating al-Qaida links, the government said
Thursday, a day after he issued the first known indictment against
Osama bin Laden in the Sept. 11 attacks.
The Interior Ministry said the arrests
were made in the southern region of Andalusia and elsewhere in
Spain, but it gave no details. (Full
Story)
Powell’s
Remarks at Halabja Mass Grave Site
Last
week in Halabja, Iraq U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell visited
a mass grave site that had been filled with innocent people that
Saddam and his regime had slaughtered.
With Powell at the site were Mr.
Masud Barzani, Mr. Jalal Talabani, Mr. Barham Salih and Ambassador
Bremer.
Powell was deeply moved by the loss
of innocent lives and gave these remarks at the memorial ceremony:
":Thank you so much, Mr. Barzani, for your words and for
that kind introduction. It’s a great honor for me to be
here today and to see the assembled citizens of this town that
is now marked in history forever, and to see this beautiful monument.
(Full
Story)
Coalition
Engineers Work on Baghdad’s Sewer System
BAGHDAD,
Iraq – Soldiers from the 1st Armored Division took to the
streets Sept. 18 to fix the city sewage system in the Baghdad
neighborhood of Berea.
Although the engineers are playing
a major role in the reconstruction of Berea’s sewage system,
the Coalition’s effort is focused on support. The Coalition’s
role is one of oversight, to help the Iraqis help themselves.
(Full
Story)
New
Iraqi Army to Finish Training
WASHINGTON,
Sept. 17, 2003 — The first battalion of the new Iraqi army should
finish training the first week of October, according to the senior
adviser for security sector and defense affairs to the Coalition
Provisional Authority for Iraq.
There should be four operational
battalions by early next year, continued Walt Slocombe during
a Pentagon briefing here today. The goal, he added, is to have
27 battalions "trained up" in about a year. (Full
Story)
Kisik
Refinery on the Road to Recovery
MOSUL,
Iraq – Coalition forces have hired approximately 70 Iraqi
citizens to begin cleaning the Kisik Oil Refinery under the supervision
of soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), while
employees of the Bayji Oil Company fix the facility’s equipment.
(Full
Story)
1st
Armored Division Soldiers Help Clean Up Iraqi Schools
BAGHDAD,
Iraq—Soldiers from 1st Armored Division’s 1st Squadron,
1st Cavalry Regiment are working to help improve the quality of
life from Iraqi children.
Led by Squadron commander Lt. Col.
Charles E. Williams, the soldiers have focused their efforts on
25 schools around the rim of Baghdad. The schools, neglected by
the former Iraqi regime, were in a sad state when 1AD forces arrived
in Baghdad four months ago. (Full
Story)
Goal:
Zero Troops in Iraq, Rumsfeld Says
WASHINGTON
— Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld reiterated that the goal
or the "end state is to have no U.S. and no international
forces in Iraq … because it is their country" in a
briefing with Pentagon reporters.
Rumsfeld, joined by Marine Gen.
Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Iraqis
will have to "ultimately" take over the responsibility
for securing their country. (Full
Story)
Polish
Forces Key Aid to War on Terror
WARSAW, Poland,
-The Polish-led Multinational Division in Iraq has impressed U.S.
military officials by its leadership, professionalism and competence,
Joint Chiefs Chairman Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers said in
Warsaw last Friday.
Myers and Gen. Czeslaw Piatas, chief
of the Polish General Staff, held a press conference following
a series of meetings here. Myers used the occasion to thank the
Polish government and military for their contributions to the
global war on terror. (Full
Story)
Iraqis
and Coalition Forces Provide Legal Due Process to Oil Smugglers
at Sea
MANAMA, Bahrain – The chaos of war sometimes creates openings
for opportunists in search of quick riches. In the case of Iraq,
the opportunists are smugglers who are trying to illegally smuggle
oil – oil that belongs to the Iraqi people. Coalition efforts
since the end of major combat operations have been directed at
intercepting the smugglers, then detaining them and the oil until
Iraqi authorities can pass down judgement.
Coalition naval forces have conducted
maritime intercept operations in the Arabian Gulf since 1990.
Prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom, MIO was focused on enforcing
United Nations sanctions against Iraq. More recently, those intercept
operations have been focused on stemming the flow of contraband
goods, including smuggled Iraqi oil. (Full
Story)
U.S.
and French Foreign Legion Join Forces
ARTA PLAGE,
Djibouti — Marines of Task Force Rawhide, 4th Marine Expeditionary
Brigade (Anti-terrorism), participated in training with the French
Foreign Legion, 13th Half Brigade, at the French Commando Training
Center this month.
The Maries were deployed to provide
Marine Central Command at Camp Lemonier with antiterrorism security.
The camp is the headquarters for Combined Joint Task Force Horn
of Africa, whose mission is to detect, deter and defeat terrorists
in the Horn of Africa region. (Full
Story)
FM
Shalom Meets with Norwegian FM Jan Petersen
Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom met with
his Norwegian counterpart Jan Petersen mid-week in Tel Aviv. The
two ministers discussed bilateral relations, the war on terror
and the Middle East peace process.
Shalom thanked his counterpart for
the historic role that Norway has played in the quest for peace,
and for his personal, continued willingness to contribute to peace
and security in Israel. (Full
Story)
Bosnia
Stable, but Peace Still ‘Brittle’
EAGLE BASE,
Bosnia – The military jobs mandated by 1995’s Dayton Accords
are just about completed, but stability in Bosnia is "brittle"
and still requires the Stabilization Force, military officials
here said.
Joint Chiefs Chairman Air Force
Gen. Richard B. Myers toured Eagle Base and Camp McGovern Sept.
18. He met with Stabilization Force commander Army Lt. Gen. William
Ward and with the American contingent commander, Army Brig. Gen.
Ron Mason. (Full
Story)
Russia
is Expected to Produce More than 400 Mln Tons of Oil This Year
MOSCOW,
September 20, 2003.RIA Novosti. The estimated volume of oil production
in Russia this year is 415-418 million tons, which is higher than
last year, Russian Vice-Premier Victor Khristenko told journalists
at the end of the meeting of governmental committee on the use
of trunk pipelines.
According to Mr. Khristenko, the
volume of oil exports this year will reach 216-217 million tons.
In the 4th quarter of 2003, the
export of Russian oil is estimated at 56-57 million tons. Approximately
33.5 mln tons will be exported to foreign countries and 11.8 million
tons to former Soviet republics.
Mr. Khristenko pointed out that
in the 4th quarter Russia would introduce a new route for its
oil exports – through the seaport Yuzhny in the Ukraine. Estimated
750,000 tons of oil will be exported through this port.
U
S
Seeking Assistance as Terror Attacks Continue
"One
of the problems with Iraqi security is that the borders have been
essentially open," Walt Slocombe of the Coalition Provisional
Authority with Di Rita told the press during questioning on the
situation in Iraq. Iraqi police, leaders and Coalition soldiers
have been targeted by terrorist type tactics since the end of
major combat in Iraq and the U.S. is seeking assistance from other
nations, most importantly from Russia, who has been hit with several
terrorist attacks this year.
On
Monday, in Baghdad a homicide bomber with 50 pounds of TNT in
his car struck at an Iraqi police security checkpoint outside
the UN building, killing an Iraqi police officer who tried to
stop him, and wounded 19 others.
Saturday, two soldiers from the
205th Military Intelligence Brigade were killed at 9:46p.m. when
mortars struck the Abu Ghraib prison, 12 miles away from Baghdad.
Though no prisoners were injured, thirteen additional soldiers
were wounded in the shelling. The prison itself has been a frequent
target of such attacks, being hit with mortars, small arms and/or
rocket-propelled grenades about 16 times a month. Being converted
into a model prison, equipped with new medical supplies and machinery,
the jail house used to be a house of horrors where Saddam utilized
it as a torture and execution center. (Full
Story)
Earthquake
Brings No Casualties in Krasnoyarsk
KRASNOYARSK,
September 27 (RIA Novosti-Siberia correspondent Boris Ivanov)
– The earthquake that shook Krasnoyarsk (an administrative center
in Siberia) on Saturday brought no casualties. A duty officer
in the regional civil defense and emergencies service didn’t report
any damage inflicted on the city.
According to him, no emergencies
occurred either in the Krasnoyarsk energy system, or at such a
significant facility as the dam of the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric
power station.Evidently the epicenter of the earthquake was located
in the Altai mountains; the underground tremors in the epicenter
were equal to a 7 magnitude on the Richter scale, 4-5 in Novosibirsk,
and over 3.4 – in the republic of Khakassia.
Strong tremors were felt in Novosibirsk,
Krasnoyarsk, Barnaul, Tomsk and a number of other Siberian cities.
Winning
the Peace in Iraq Vital to Winning War on Terror
WASHINGTON
— Brave young Americans who liberated Iraq from the clutches
of one of the bloodiest, most sadistic tyrants in modern history
created the possibility of a major victory in the war on terrorism,
Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul D. Wolfowitz told the House Armed
Services Committee here today.
Completing this victory, he added,
requires "winning the peace" as well. This is the "best
way to honor the memories of the heroes who have sacrificed to
bring us and the Iraqi people to this point. (We’re) here today
to ask Congress to give us the tools so we can finish the job."
(Full
Story)
MPs
Get Iraqi Canine Unit Underway
BAGHDAD,
Iraq – U.S. Army Military Police soldiers renovated an abandoned
torture chamber, and the cells are now air conditioned, clean
and filled with dogs.
Reservist Sgt. Emily Frasca, a police
academy instructor with the 382nd Military Police Battalion, from
San Diego, Calif., helped kick start the new Iraqi canine unit.
Along with other soldiers in her unit, Frasca teaches classes
at the police academy in Baghdad. When someone asked her to help
with the canine unit, she jumped at the opportunity. (Full
Story)
Iran
is Eager to Develop Scientific Cooperation with Russia
TEHRAN,
September 27 (RIA Novosti correspondent Nikolai Terekhov) – Mohammad
Aref, vice-president of the Islamic Republic of Iran stated at
the meeting with Nikolai Dobretsov, chairman of the Association
of Asian Academies of Sciences who attended a scientific conference
in Tehran that Russia occupied a particular place in the Iranian
foreign policy.
The statement of Aref published
on Saturday declared that "in its foreign policy strategy
Tehran considers Moscow to be a good cooperation partner and companion
in various spheres." The Iranian vice-president specially
stressed Russian-Iranian scientific interaction and stated that
"Russian-Iranian scientific relations are the basic component
of all areas of bilateral relations." In the opinion of Aref,
presently countries of the East were as technologically developed
as Western countries and the East started to intensively study
scientific technologies then in the future it would not be inferior
to Western states.
The vice-premier of the Islamic
Republic of Iran also stated that Iran was prepared to cooperate
with Russian scientific and research institutes and academies
to increase its scientific potential.
Soldiers
Aid Koreans After Typhoon
WASHINGTON
— At almost the same time Hurricane Isabel was causing havoc
on the East Coast, U.S. Soldiers were aiding Korean citizens who
had been devastated by a typhoon.
"We’ve lost everything,"
sobbed South Korean Kim Keah-weol, as she pointed to the devastation
that Typhoon Maemi caused when it swept through her village in
September.
This is the second year a typhoon
has hit Kim’s home and other villagers of Bongjung-Ri in Kangwon
Province. (Full
Story)
Russian
Peacekeeper Kidnapped in Western Georgia
TBILISI,
September 27 (RIA Novosti correspondent Marina Kvaratskhelia)
– A Russian serviceman from the peacekeeping contingent in the
area of the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict was kidnapped in downtown
Zugdidi (Western Georgia) under unknown circumstances at noon
today.
Mamuka Shonia, head of the municipal
police of Zugdidi stated with reference to witnesses that a peacekeepers’
car was approached by a Zhiguli car with no numberplates; four
armed people got out and forced the Russian peacekeeper to get
in their car. After that the Zhiguli car left the site and disappeared.
Shonia said: "At the moment
the police are unable to definitely state that the peacekeeper
was kidnapped. We are carrying out a search operation and gathering
operative information."
UN
Urges Russia to Ratify Kyoto Protocol
MOSCOW, September
29, 2003 /RIA Novosti correspondent/ – Russia’s ratification of
the Kyoto protocol will make it possible "to launch the mechanism
of its fulfillment", Klaus Toepfer, executive director of
the UN Environment Programme, UNEP, said on Monday at the opening
of the World Conference on Climate Change currently held in Moscow.
"Russia is one of the major
states that play a leading role in the world climate policy,"
he emphasised. Thus, the world community is looking forward to
Russia’s ratification of the Kyoto protocol, Toepfer added.
The UNEP executive director believes
that politicians, businessmen and industrialists should, without
awaiting the completion of the ratification process, "reduce
emissions of polluting substances to the atmosphere to avoid a
global catastrophe".
Bremer
Highlights Successes in Iraq
WASHINGTON
– Thanks to efforts by U.S. and coalition forces, electrical
services in Iraq will be at prewar levels within a month, Ambassador
L. Paul Bremer told members of the Senate Appropriations Committee
Sept. 22.
Bremer, who was on Capitol Hill
urging Congress to support the president’s $87 billion supplemental
budget request, spoke about the success America and its coalition
partners are seeing in post-Saddam Hussein Iraq. (Full
Story)
Oil
Refineries Running as Iraqi Leaders Survey Industry Power Facilities
MOSUL,
Iraq — The Army’s 101st Airborne Division escorted the civilian
leadership of the northern Nineveh province Sept. 22 on a survey
of the region’s industrial and power facilities, helping to broaden
the Mosul- based interim government’s influence here.
The tour began when Maj. Gen. David
H. Petraeus, the division’s commander, flew with Gov. Ghanim Al
Basso and other members of the Mosul City Council aboard Black
Hawk helicopters to the town of Sinjar for the reopening of the
largest cement factory in Iraq. (Full
Story)
Engineers
Teach Iraqis Construction, Build `Village of Hope’
MOSUL,
Iraq — National Guard engineers are building the first of five
"House of Hope" projects. Along the way, they’re teaching
former Iraqi soldiers construction skills they can use to find
new jobs.
Soldiers of the 52nd Engineer Company
— an Oregon Army National Guard unit attached to the 101st Airborne
Division (Air Assault) — believe in the adage "It’s better
to teach a man to fish and feed him for life," or in this
case teach him to build a home and house him for life.
Under the House of Hope project,
the former soldiers initially planned to build a house for a family
of displaced locals. (Full
Story)
Iraqi
Public Works Minister Seeks Continued Support
WASHINGTON
– Nasreen M. S. Berwari is thankful the United States led
the effort to free her country from one of the most brutal governments
in history.
Berwari is Iraq’s newly appointed
public works minister. The only female member of Iraq’s new cabinet
of 25 ministers heads a department of about 45,000 people.
The graduate of the John F. Kennedy
School of Government at Harvard University with a degree in public
policy and management has a Herculean task ahead of her: helping
her homeland recover from what she describes as "35 years
of neglect and bad management." (Full
Story)
Freedom
and Tyranny is Light and Dark in Korea
WASHINGTON
— A satellite picture in Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld’s
office starkly illustrates the difference between North and South
Korea.
The nighttime picture shows no lights
north of the Demilitarized Zone except for the area around the
capital, Pyongyang. In the south, the land is ablaze. "What
a difference between freedom and oppression, in one the light
of liberty outshines everything and in the other, the darkness
of the dictatorship is so obvious even from so many miles in outer
space," Rumsfeld said at the U.S./Korean Business Council
luncheon here yesterday.
The secretary said the Republic
of Korea illustrates the connection between security and prosperity.
Keeping the Korean peninsula secure will require change, he said.
"Together we’ve undertaken an important joint review of our
military posture with an eye toward how best to take advantage
of the new technologies and capabilities and strengthen our deterrence
for the 21st century security environment," he said. (Full
Story)
Khabarovsk
to Organize Amur Tiger Preservation
KHABAROVSK,
September 27 (RIA Novosti correspondent Yevgeny Bugayenko) – Participants
in the international ecological conference, over in Khabarovsk
(administrative center in Russia’s Far East) on Saturday, took
a decision to establish standing working groups for preserving
the Amur tiger population.
A
representative of the conference organizational committee Alexander
Kulikov, chairman of the Khabarovsk Public Wildlife Fund, said
that such public organizations are for the first time appearing
simultaneously on three levels – international, federal and regional.
Besides, an agreement was reached to set up standing working groups
on the same problem in Russia’s Khabarovsk and Maritime territories,
where the main groups of the extremely rare animal species live
in taiga forests.
The
three-day conference considered problems of preservation of the
Amur tiger population. Specialists from Russia, the United States,
the United Kingdom, India, the Netherlands and other countries
participated in plenary sessions and section sittings.
Specialists
see as one of the main goals the preservation of the habitat and
the forage reserve of the rare animal species. They have advised
the local authorities to engage in environment-friendly nature
management in places where the Amur tiger lives. Conferees have
also noted the need of completing laws on the protection of the
environment, particularly as regards the tiger.
Rules
of Engagement ‘Well In Place’ In Iraq, Sanchez Says
WASHINGTON
— U.S. combat troops in Iraq are trained to obey established
rules of engagement designed to protect their lives as well as
those of Iraqi noncombatants, Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez said
Sept. 25 at a Baghdad news conference.
"My soldiers on the ground
every day (in Iraq) are making decisions to engage or not engage,
and to capture or kill people," Sanchez pointed out to reporters,
noting that commanders and other leaders make those decisions
"based on the circumstances." (Full
Story)
Operation
Iraqi Freedom Troops Return for R&R
WASHINGTON
— Some came wanting little more than those creature comforts
they said they took for granted before deploying to Iraq: long,
hot baths, fast food restaurants and shopping malls.
For Pfc. Lindsay Clark it boiled down to basics like "flushing
toilets, taking a shower every day, and knowing that you’re not
going to have sand pelting your face." From the Dexheim,
Germany-based 123rd Main Support Battalion, she’s one of the first
270 U.S. service members to receive 15 days of rest and recuperation
leave under a U.S. Central Command program that began this week.
But for many of the Operation Iraqi
Freedom troops who arrived this morning in Frankfurt, Germany,
and Baltimore to begin 15 days of R&R, the return home had
a deeper significance. (Full
Story)
Spanish
Firm Signs Navy Deal
WINTER
PARK — The U.S. Navy signed a $3 billion contract Wednesday with
a Spanish information technology firm that will provide equipment
for aircraft and helicopter training simulators for U.S. pilots.
Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar
of Spain witnessed the signing of the agreement between Indra
Systems and the Naval Air Systems Command. Indra’s slice of the
contract should amount to between $100 million and $150 million
over eight years, said Robert Fink, president and CEO of Indra’s
Orlando-based subsidiary.
The contract could create 62 new
jobs, allowing Indra to increase its work force in Central Florida
to 120 over two years.
"You are helping us become the company we want to be,"
Javier Monzon, the company’s president, said at a signing ceremony.
(Full
Story)
The
World’s Task Is to Help Rebuild Iraq, Says Powell
WASHINGTON,
Sept. 26, 2003 — With 28 nations involved in support efforts
for Iraq now, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell talked to CBS’
David Letterman ( Late Show ) after his meetings at the UN (Sept.
25) about the need for various world leaders to put aside past
differences to help the Iraqi people.
"Every
leader that the president spoke to this week said, ‘Let’s move
forward, let’s not worry about the debate we had earlier. That’s
over. Let’s come together. Let’s show what the international community
can do to help this country, help these people,’" Powell
said during a Sept. 25 interview on the CBS "Late Show With
David Letterman." (Full
Story)
U.S.
Military Investigates Espionage and Syrian Link
WASHINGTON
— The Defense Department is continuing its investigations into
two cases associated with the confinement facility at Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba, in which an Air Force translator is charged with espionage
and an Army chaplain is being held pending charges.
Raul Duany, spokesman for U.S. Southern
Command, said the military has no information at this time that
the two cases are connected.
Both cases involve service members
assigned to Camp Delta on U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, where
the United States is detaining suspected al Qaeda and Taliban
members. (Full
Story)
New
Zealand Takes Reins in Bamian Reconstruction
BAMIAN,
Afghanistan – "Old Glory" came down to make room for
the New Zealand flag, which will fly over the Bamian Provincial
Reconstruction Team compound in Afghanistan.
The mission was transferred last
week to about 100 service members from New Zealand.
"Today is a day the people
of Bamian will never forget," said Gov. Muhammad Rahim Aliyar,
the Afghanistan Transitional Government’s leader in the province
and one of the many guest speakers at the ceremony. "We are
sad the U.S. is leaving, but we’re happy to have our new friends."
The "Kiwis," as the New
Zealand troops are affectionately called due to the kiwi bird
on their hats and unit patches.. (Full
Story)
Israel
to the UN, Arafat Prefers "Israeli Pain Over Palestinian
Gain."
Even as news that Egyptian-born Palestinian leader Arafat funneled
900 Million dollars into accounts and interests in other countries
such as Jordan and Algeria–a report in Forbes states he controls
300 million dollars and evidence reveals that over the years Arafat
has purchased weapons to use against Israel, some members of the
UN seem to be surprised when Israel told them that Arafat prefers
"Israeli pain over Palestinian gain."
"As the UN denounces terror
and wants to be known as a beacon of peace they jumped back into
blind support of Arafat who Israel says is ‘one of the world’s
icons of terror,’" Deputy PM Silvan Shalom said. "In
the ten years since Arafat declared his commitment to Israel –
and the world – that he would no longer use terror" there
have been 19,000 separate Palestinian terrorist attacks, that
have wounded thousands and killed 1,126 Israeli citizens.
And Deputy PM Silvan Shalom clarified
that a "vote for Arafat – like we saw in this Assembly just
last week – is to vote against the Palestinian people. When Arafat
wins – terrorism wins, and we all lose". (Full
UN Address)
Iraqi
Police Force and US Net Weapons
After
helpful tips from Iraqis the Iraqi police and U.S. troops were
able to carry out successful arrests and weapons cache finds in
their joint effort to stop the terrorist attacks against Iraqis
and the Coalition.
A
weapons cache found Saturday near Saddam Hussein’s hometown of
Tikrit included 23 Russian-made surface-to-air missiles, 1,000
pounds of plastic explosives, grenades, grenade launchers, rockets,
a mortar and mortar rounds. It was among the largest caches found
since American troops arrived in April, Maj. Mike Rauhut of the
4th Infantry Division told the Associated Press. (Full
Story)