Sept 25, 2002 news

September 25, 2002 News

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 25 September — Israel yesterday shrugged off mounting pressure and a new UN resolution calling for an end to its siege of Yasser Arafat’s West Bank headquarters, after staging a massive raid into Gaza which left nine Palestinians dead. Calling the latest resolution unbalanced, it said it would continue to besiege Arafat’s ruined offices in the West Bank town of Ramallah until around 20 wanted people among the 250 men pinned down inside gave themselves up.

Israel’s defiance of the UN Security Council was all the more pronounced since its main backer Washington not only abstained from the 14-0 vote, instead of vetoing the resolution, but later made a blunt criticism of the siege. US President George W. Bush said the five-day-old siege, sparked by two bombings last week, was “not helpful” for Palestinian political and security reforms, but stopped short of calling on Israel to withdraw.

In response, Arafat’s adviser Nabil Abu Rudeina told reporters, “We welcome the statement of Mr. Bush and we consider it in keeping with Resolution 1435.” The UN resolution, hailed by the Palestinians, pointed the finger at both sides in demanding “the complete cessation of all acts of violence, including all acts of terror, provocation, incitement and destruction.”

An Israeli official said the US reaction was to be expected, as Washington needed to obtain the largest support possible to deal with Iraq. “The United Nations can do what it wants, but Israel will continue the operation until its aims are achieved,” the official said. “Either Arafat leaves his headquarters or the terrorists holed up there hand themselves over,” he said.

The Security Council said it was “gravely concerned at the reoccupation” of Arafat’s headquarters” and demanded “its immediate end.” Deputy US ambassador to the UN James Cunningham said he abstained because the resolution failed to explicitly condemn Palestinian bombings, but did not say why he refrained from vetoing it.

The Palestinians were quick to welcome the UN resolution but said Israel must be forced to comply, having ignored previous demands to quit occupied Palestinian lands.

The row over the siege blew up as Israeli troops launched one of their biggest invasions yet in the hunt for suspected militants in the Gaza Strip, killing nine people, six of them civilians, according to Palestinian officials. More than 80 armored vehicles, backed by helicopters, stormed into Gaza City early Tuesday, sparking gun battles which lasted five hours.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat called the operation “a war crime”, and told AFP it heralded Israel’s reoccupation of the Gaza Strip. Around 30,000 people turned out for the funeral of the nine people killed, shouting for revenge against Israel and firing assault rifles in the air.

Dossier on Iraq draws mixed response
By Omar Zobaidy & Roger Harrison, Arab News

RIYADH/LONDON, 25 September — British Prime Minister Tony Blair accused Iraqi President Saddam Hussein yesterday of hiding weapons of mass destruction, as he pressed the House of Commons to back a US bid to topple the Iraqi regime. Unveiling a much-anticipated report, he warned Iraq could deploy chemical and biological weapons in 45 minutes and might be only year or two from possessing a nuclear bomb.

British Ambassador to Riyadh Derek Plumbly said yesterday that his government has presented a copy of the intelligence report to Saudi Arabia. Speaking to Arab News, he said it was too early to predict the Kingdom’s reaction to the report, which gives an insight into the Iraqi regime’s weapons development program over the past four years.

The ambassador said the present situation in occupied Palestine would not prevent the world from exercising its right to deal with the Iraqi threat. “The pressure on Iraq will not be reduced because of its unconditional approval to allow in weapons inspectors,” he said, adding that military option would remain open.

In Washington, the White House welcomed the document, which it said contained “frightening” information. “This reinforces the very sizable doubts that people around the world have about whether Saddam Hussein has any interest in peace,” White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said.

But the report failed to convince allies and analysts. Military and political analysts said it had propaganda value but contained little new information. Iraqi presidential adviser Amr Saadi said the claim that Iraq could be as little as a year or two away from having a nuclear bomb was “absolute nonsense”. Saadi, however, said that Iraq will give UN arms inspectors “unfettered access” to suspected weapons sites, including those listed by Blair.

“Inspectors will have unfettered access” after practical arrangements are made for their mission, which is expected to start in mid-October “if there is no interference from outside parties,” he told a news conference in Baghdad. The inspectors would be asked to give priority to sites mentioned by Blair, said Saadi.

French President Jacques Chirac said France opposed any new UN resolution that would allow the use of force against Iraq, adding that only a minority of states would back such a resolution. Chinese Prime Minister Zhu Rongji warned of “severe consequences” if military action was launched against Iraq without a UN mandate.

Blair told the British Parliament Iraq’s pursuit of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons was “active, detailed and growing” and that it was seeking uranium for nuclear weapons from Africa. “The policy of containment is not working,” he said. The Blair file said that if Baghdad obtained fissile material “and other essential components from foreign sources ... Iraq could produce a nuclear weapon in between one and two years”.

It said Saddam Hussein had continued producing chemical and biological agents and has military plans to use them in weapons, including against Iraq’s own Shia Muslim population.

Iraq a threat to world: Blair
Baghdad promises 'unfettered access' to UN

Khaleej Times, 9/25/02

LONDON/BAGHDAD - Britain, seeking to show why it backs possible military action against Iraq, issued a long-awaited dossier yesterday saying Iraq could launch a chemical or biological warhead with as little as 45 minutes' notice.

Baghdad branded the document "scaremongering, exaggeration and lies". A senior Iraqi official said UN arms inspectors, due to return to Iraq in mid-October after a four-year absence, would have 'unfettered access' to establish the truth.

The British dossier, intended to bolster Prime Minister Tony Blair against critics at home and abroad of his pro-American stance, said President Saddam Hussein was building up stocks of chemical and biological weapons and was 'ready to use them.' But it said that while Iraq sought nuclear weapons it could not produce them if current UN sanctions held.

Mr Blair told an emergency session of the British parliament that he would like to make Baghdad disarm peacefully through a new UN resolution, but use of force must be held in reserve. "Our case is simply this. Not that we take military action come what may. But that the case for ensuring Iraqi disarmament is overwhelming," Mr Blair said. "Alongside the diplomacy there must be genuine preparedness and planning to take action if diplomacy fails."

In a preface to the 50-page dossier, Mr Blair said that "Saddam Hussein is continuing to develop WMD (weapons of mass destruction), and with them the ability to inflict real damage upon the region, and the stability of the world".

"His military planning allows for some of the WMD to be ready within 45 minutes of an order to use them." Iraq's foreign minister rejected the allegation. "(Mr Blair) said that he would announce evidence, but this is just scaremongering, exaggeration and lies," Naji Sabri told reporters in Cairo.

Iraqi presidential adviser Amir Al Saadi urged Mr Blair to hand over the dossier to UN weapons inspectors for verification. He also told a news conference in Baghdad that the inspectors "would have unfettered access" to go "wherever they want".

"If there is a treasure of evidence on the alleged existence of these weapons, then we are ready to facilitate a visit by British experts so that they can tell the world where these weapons are," Mr Sabri was quoted by Egypt's official Mena news agency as saying. "Nuclear weapons and arms of mass destruction cannot be hidden in pockets," he added.

Mr Sabri said the motive of the report was "to spread fear" about Iraq. He charged that British prime minister already resorted to such tactics "in late 1997 when he said one of the Iraqi presidential sites was larger than Paris."

In Washington, US President George W. Bush oyesterday praised British prime minister for telling the truth about Iraq, in what the White House called a frightening dossier of Saddam Hussein's 'murderous ways.'

"We shouldn't deceive ourselves about this man," Mr Bush told reporters after a Cabinet meeting. "He has poisoned his people before, he has poisoned his neighbourhood. He is willing to use weapons of mass destruction. And the prime minister continued to make the case, and so will I." - Reuters, AFP

Israel defies UN, continues siege
Khaleej Times, 9/25/02

RAMALLAH (West Bank) - Israel yesterday defied a UN Security Council demand to end the six-day siege of Yasser Arafat's devastated West Bank headquarters in Ramallah, and nine Palestinians were killed in a powerful Israeli strike against alleged munitions factories and other targets in Gaza City.

Israel's siege of Mr Arafat was criticised yesterday by US President George W. Bush - who in recent months has been understanding of Israel's military actions - and many Israelis also questioned the operation's wisdom amid signs it might have restored some of the beleaguered Palestinian leader's lustre among his own people. Sporadic pro-Arafat demonstrations continued yesterday despite Israel's curfews in the West Bank towns it seized about three months ago in what appears to have been an only partly successful effort to step terror attacks in Israel.

With the United States abstaining, the Security Council demanded early yesterday that Israel end its operations, "including the destruction of Palestinian civilian and security infrastructure." The resolution also called on the Palestinian Authority to ensure "those responsible for terrorist acts are brought to justice."

In Washington, Mr Bush said: "We've got to end the suffering. I thought the actions the Israelis took were not helpful in terms of the establishment and development of the institutions necessary for a Palestinian state to emerge."

Unmoved, Israeli Defence Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said that "no resolution, and no person, can take from us our exclusive right to defend our homes, our people." Cabinet Secretary Gideon Saar said the siege would continue until some 200 people inside the compound give up. Palestinians took heart from the UN resolution, after recent similar efforts were thwarted by a US veto.

Earlier yesterday, dozens of Israeli tanks moved deep into Gaza City, exchanging fire with Palestinian gunmen and killing nine people, including six civilians.

The Israeli military said its forces blew up 13 weapons workshops and the house of a Hamas militant who killed five Israeli teenagers in a shooting rampage in a Jewish settlement in Gaza earlier this year.

Palestinians said it was the largest Israeli operation in Gaza during two years of fighting, involving about 60 tanks and armoured vehicles. - Reuters

Iraq can build nukes in a year: UK dossier
Khaleej Times, 9/25/02

LONDON - Iraq is as little as a year away from having a nuclear bomb, and it could deploy chemical and biological weapons in no more than 45 minutes, the British government alleged yesterday. In a 55-page dossier, it alleged that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein "attaches great importance to possession weapons of mass destruction (and) does not regard them only as weapons of last resort".

"Despite sanctions, the policy of containment has not worked sufficiently well to prevent Saddam from developing these weapons," wrote Prime Minister Tony Blair in the dossier's foreword. Baghdad greeted the British report - the product of the government's secretive Joint Intelligence Committee - as "baseless," and military analysts in London said that on first reading, it offered little new information.

"It does not produce any convincing evidence, or any 'killer fact', that says that Saddam Hussein has to be taken out straight away," said Charles Heyman, editor of Jane's World Armies. "What it does do is produce very convincing evidence that (United Nations) weapons inspectors have to be pushed back into Iraq very quickly," he said.

The report alleged that Iraq has continued, since the 1991 Gulf War, to produce chemical and biological agents for eventual use in weapons. The report states that Iraq has "military plans for the use of chemical and biological weapons, including against its own population," and that "some of these weapons are deployable within 45 minutes of an order to use them."

Iraq could produce a nuclear weapons in "between one and two years" if it could get fissile material, such as uranium, and "other essential components" from foreign sources, according to the report. (That is a more conservative time frame from the one given on September 9 by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a London-based think-tank, which said Iraq could make nuclear weapons "within months" with foreign help.)

The dossier also states that Iraq has sought "significant quantities of uranium from Africa" and recalled specialists to work on its nuclear programme derailed by UN inspectors prior to their departure four years ago. It has "illegally" retained up to 20 Al Hussein missiles capable of hitting Israel or Cyprus, where Britain has military bases, and is developing longer-range missiles that could reach as far as Oman, the Iran-Aghan border and most of Turkey.

The reoprt adds that Iraq has "learnt lessons from previous UN weapons inspections" and begun already to hide "sensitive equipment and documentation" even after telling that United Nations last week that it will accept a return of inspectors.

Giving Iraq's first reaction, Culture Minister Hamad Yussef Hammadi said the dossier was "baseless". - AFP

China, Muslim countries 'unconvinced' by report
Khaleej Times, 9/25/02

PARIS - British Prime Minister Tony Blair's detailed dossier on Iraq's weapons programme and claims it poses an immediate world threat failed yesterday to convince wavering allies and analysts - and stirred sharp opposition from China and in Muslim states.

Many experts immediately reacted to the 55-page report, culled from British intelligence data and presented to Britain's parliament, by saying that, although the charges were grave, none of them were new and the case had not been made for the sort of imminent military action being sought by the United States.

Chinese Prime Minister Zhu Rongji warned that any attack on Iraq without a UN mandate would lead to unspecified "severe consequences". Malaysia and several other Muslim nations reiterated their warning against Washington and London going it alone against Baghdad without UN authorisation.

Powerful Arab nations such as Egypt are keen to see Iraq's offer to accept UN weapons inspectors taken up instead of relying on the unverifiable information put out by US and British authorities. While insisting that Iraq should comply with UN weapons inspections, Mr Zhu, who was at the summit in Copenhagen, said: "We also ask that Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected. Without authority or mandate from the United Nations or without firm evidence any actions will lead to severe consequences."

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, also present, said sanctions must be lifted now that Saddam had agreed to readmit UN weapons inspectors. - AFP

US bid to turn UN into 'war council'
Iraq urges Security Council to resist US design

Khaleej Times, 9/25/02

BAGHDAD - The UN Security Council should resist US attempts to turn it into a "War Council" by refusing to issue a new resolution sanctioning a US war against Iraq, Baghdad's official Press said yesterday.

"The Security Council faces a test: it can either reject America's evil and aggressive policies or become a War Council which the US administration summons at will in order to decide to wage war on the countries and peoples of the world," wrote the daily Al Iraq.

The administration of US President George W. Bush, whose avowed goal is the overthrow of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, is seeking a tough Security Council resolution that sets out what Baghdad must do to comply with disarmament and possibly other obligations and authorises the use of force in the event of non-compliance. But Iraq, which last week reversed a nearly four-year refusal to readmit UN arms inspectors, has served notice that it will not accept a new resolution imposing fresh conditions on its disarmament.

Al Jumhuriya, another official Iraqi daily, called on UN chief Kofi Annan and Iraq's "friends" to help in the return of arms inspectors as part of a comprehensive settlement leading up to the lifting of 12-year-old UN sanctions and an end to US and British policing of "no-fly" zones in the north and south.

Mr Annan and world governments should "thwart any US bid to pass a new Security Council resolution authorising the use of force and aimed at serving the evil American agenda," the paper said. Urging "the Arab masses and regimes" to "confront the wicked (US) plot," Al Jumhuriya said the United Nations should assume its responsibilities following Iraq's decision to readmit inspectors by ridding it of sanctions and putting an end to US-British "aggression."

Jordan says 'no'

WASHINGTON - Jordan, opposed like other Arab states to an attack on Iraq, on Monday ruled out any use of Jordanian bases for a military operation. Foreign Minister Marwan Al Muasher, speaking at an event organised by the Council on Foreign Relations, also dismissed the idea that the United States could quickly make Iraq democratic after overthrowing President Saddam Hussein.

"We have not been asked to use our bases. We will not (let others) use our bases and we have made that absolutely clear. That will result in destabilising Jordan, that will result in internal trouble and no country, certainly not the United States, is interested in doing that," he said. The US military has started planning for an attack on Iraq and US media reports have quoted US officials as saying that Jordan might be a point of access to neighbouring Iraq.

But Mr Muasher, whose government is one of Washington's closest friends in the Arab world, indicated that Jordan was deeply sceptical about US plans, especially on the idea of imposing a 'democratic' government in Baghdad. White House national security adviser Condoleezza Rice said in an interview published on Monday that the United States would expect a post-Saddam government to be "at least on the road to democratic development".

She said the United States also wants to encourage "reformist elements" in Arab countries such as Qatar, Bahrain and Jordan, all of which are friendly to Washington. But Mr Muasher said: "I haven't yet seen a plan of the day after (the overthrow of Saddam) that looks even halfway credible. It's going to be much easier to change the regime in Iraq than to install a new one."

"You don't inject democracy in a country. It is a culture that evolves. This notion of somehow rearranging the region and changing regimes and systems of government in a way that fits the interests of the United States is indeed a very scary notion and I hope that it does not become US policy at any time in the future," the minister added.

Mr Muasher predicted deep anger among ordinary Arabs if the United States does attack Iraq without UN support. "The (Arab) street no doubt will be very angry and very opposed to a war... because the street will look at this as a war between America and the Arabs, a war between America and Muslims," the Jordanian minister said.

"This is another reason why it is very important that it is the UN which takes these decisions. If the war goes on for a long time, our ability to deal with the street is going to become increasingly more difficult," he added. The Arab position is that only the United Nations has the authority to dictate Iraqi behaviour. - AFP, Reuters

Iraqis tread a long and desperate road to exile
Khaleej Times, 9/25/02

AMMAN - Iraqi nationals who choose exile as a means for survival must tread a desperate road, rife with tribulations, and pay a heavy price to escape the regime of Saddam Hussein.

Some of those who fled Iraq as US war drums beat in the distance have said in interviews that there is widespread speculation in Baghdad that the Iraqi authorities could confiscate the possessions of those leaving Iraq. And if leaving Iraq is an epic journey in itself, finding a host country for the thousands of Iraqi exiles is another arduous task. The hardships start at the border posts, where Iraqi civilians, civil servants or even retired army officers could be turned back with the blink of an eye, some travellers from Baghdad said.

For Iraqis desperate to leave the country, bribing a border officer has become the norm and can mean disbursing up to two million dinars ($1,000) - a fortune for the cash-strapped Iraqis, one of those leaving said. In addition Iraqis must pay for an exit visa priced at 400,000 dinars ($200). But some Iraqis who know that their names figure on a "wanted list" avoid the border post and chose to escape after a "family vacation" in summer resorts such as the northern city of Mossul.

From there they illegally cross the border into Turkey or seek the help of humanitarian organisations working in the autonomous Iraqi Kurdish towns to leave, another Iraqi who left his country said. Iraqis arriving in Jordan do not need an entry visa but after a six-month stay they must obtain a residence permit, which is only delivered to those who manage to secure a job in the kingdom. Otherwise they face expulsion.

Those unable to land a job or travel on to join relatives abroad turn to the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Amman, which will examine their case and decide whether they can have refugee status. Desperate Iraqis who want to build a convincing file have often turned to so-called "authors" who have specialise in writing fake "biographies" for the refugee status seekers, some Iraqis have said. But over the years the UNHCR has uncovered the ploy and bases its decisions on personal interviews with potential candidates.

Those accepted wait to be admitted to Canada, Australia or some European countries which have opened their doors to a certain number of refugees cleared by the UNHCR each year. But many Iraqis who fail to obtain a residence permit in Jordan or refugee status must live in hiding and work illegally to raise up to $8,000 to pay traffickers for a trip to Sweden or Thailand, some Iraqis have said. Those who flee Iraq for Turkey spend twice as much for a clandestine passage to Greece and then Denmark, they added.

"One must pay the traffickers in advance and they will inform you of the trip only two hours ahead of time," a young Iraqi who is waiting for an illegal passage to Europe said. "When the time comes, you must leave everything behind and can't even say your goodbyes lest you foil the trip," he added. - AFP

44 killed in temple attack
Khaleej Times, 9/25/02

GANDHINAGAR - Gunmen hurling grenades and wielding AK-47s stormed a Hindu temple in western India yesterday, killing 44 men, women and children and trapping others inside as Indian commandos laid siege to the building, according to PTI news agency, which said unofficial reports put the toll at 50.

About 100 other devotees were injured in the revered Akshardham temple in the Gujarat capital, Gandhinagar. Two holed-up terrorists on a suicide mission were engaged till late in the night in a gun battle with security forces joined by National Security Guards (NSG) commandos flown from Delhi to flush them out of the Akshrdham Temple complex spread over 23 acres in Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani's constituency.

At least 500 people have been rescued by security forces, Mr Advani said in Delhi before flying along with 50 NSG commandos to Ahmedabad to personally supervise the operation. A temple spokesman, Bhrama Biharidas, said about 100 people are believed to be inside the multi-media auditorium but they appeared to be safe. Official sources said 44 people have been killed and their bodies have been shifted to civil hospitals in Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad. The attack coincided with the second phase of polling in Jammu and Kashmir.

The militants stormed the complex around 5pm, jumped over one of the gates and shot two employees of the temple before opening fire indiscriminately and lobbing grenades. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, who is cutting short a four-day state visit to the Maldives, called for patience and said New Delhi would not tolerate such attacks.

"We will deal with terrorism with a firm hand. The government is strong (enough) to tackle the scourge and it has the people's trust and faith," domestic news agencies quoted the Indian premier as saying in Male. - Reuters, PTI, AFP Our correspondent in New Delhi adds: A security red alert has been sounded off in several states, including Rajasthan, by the Union government here yesterday. Mr Vajpayee is cutting short his visit from Maldives and Mr Advani has appealed people to remain calm. Authorities stated that the death toll may increase as terrorists are still holed up inside the temple where many people are locked up in a hostage situation.

About 200 police commandos, including 50 from Delhi were air-dashed to Gandhinagar. Mr Advani said that the terrorist strike was undertaken to divert the attention of elections in Jammu and Kashmir. The strike at somewhat serene temple complex far away from Delhi was aimed at creating a fresh spurt of violence in the country between Hindus and Muslims, he said. "I request people to maintain calm and not react in haste. Any reaction from the people would only serve the very purpose of such terrorists," he said. The temple belongs to the Swaminarain Hindu sect.

Pakistan condemns temple attack
Khaleej Times, 9/25/02

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's government condemned an attack on an Indian Hindu temple in Gujarat on Tuesday, and denied any role in the violence. Information Minister Nisar Memon said the attack reflected the failure of Hindu nationalist leaders in India to build a tolerant society in the troubled state of Gujarat, where violence between Hindus and Muslims has flared this year.

"We condemn this attack on an Indian temple by whoever has done it," he told Reuters. "This is the kind of society that the leadership of the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) has built in Gujarat." India's ruling BJP said the attack, which killed at least 23 people, was aimed at stoking communal tension and could have been carried out by "Pakistan-supported terrorists" frustrated by the success of elections in disputed Kashmir. "I think the leadership of the BJP has Pakistan-phobia," Memon said. "Anything that goes wrong in their country they blame Pakistan."

"They would do better to solve the problems of their land," he added. Memon also rejected India's claim that the elections in Jammu and Kashmir had been a success, and pointed to the low turnout in the troubled state's summer capital Srinagar on Tuesday. Pakistan argues that a plebiscite should be held for Kashmir's people to decide between rule from New Delhi or Islamabad. "It has once again been proven that they want a plebiscite not an election," Memon said. "They have abstained totally from the elections despite the use of force. It is quite clear India has failed to convince the Kashmiri people to vote." - Reuters

20 die in Kashmir on election day
Khaleej Times, 9/25/02

JAMMU - Twenty people, half of them civilians, were killed in a series of attacks by militants and clashes with security forces on Tuesday in Kashmir, where three districts went to the polls to elect a new assembly, officials said.

In the southern Poonch district, Indian soldiers acting on a tip-off cordoned off a suspected rebel hideout in a southern Poonch district, an army spokesman said. The soldiers came under heavy fire as they began closing in on the rebel hideout in Saujian village, 240 kilometres west of Kashmir's winter capital Jammu, he said.

Indian troops returned fire, killing the four militants, he said. Police later reported that one civilian died in the crossfire. A large quantity of arms and ammunition were recovered from the dead rebels, the army said. The clash came amid an early-morning gunbattle in the summer capital Srinagar in which police raided a house of suspected militants. Two rebels were believed to have been killed, along with one policeman.

Rebels had vowed to attack anyone participating in the assembly elections, but only minor violence was reported against polling booths on Tuesday. However, in overnight violence, a militant barged into the house of an activist for the ruling National Conference party at Nalwana in southern Doda district, shooting him dead.

Habibullah, 65, is the 34th pro-poll activist to be killed since India on August 2 announced the dates of the election. The first round was held September 24, while two more rounds will be held October 1 and October 8.

Police said rebels also beheaded 50-year-old Abdul Rahim, the uncle of former militant Javed Hussain Shah, who ran in the first round of elections for a seat in the state assembly. Police said 10 another civilians were killed by militants around Kashmir, including two shepherds who were tending their sheep and goats in the Doda district. - AFP

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