Three Articles On This Breaking News Follow:
_________________________________________________________________
[1]Rumsfeld to Bypass Munich Conference
Deutche Welle, 21.01.2005
US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will not attend the Munich
Security Conference in February. Some say the cancellation is likely
due to a war crimes complaint against him that was filed in a German
court.
The head of the security conference, Horst Teltschik, said in Friday's
edition of the Mnchner Abendzeitung newspaper that Rumsfeld will
instead send the number three official at the Pentagon, Douglas J.
Feith, the undersecretary of defense for policy. "This will disappoint
many people in Europe, because there is a real need for discussions
about the Iran crisis," Teltschik told AFP.
Rumsfeld has excused himself from the high-profile talks on
international defense policy claiming prior commitments. However, some
have speculated that his decision not to attend the meeting was
influenced by a complaint filed against him by a New York-based human
rights group, the Center for Constitutional Rights.
In December, the group filed a complaint with the Federal German
Prosecutor's Office against Rumsfeld, accusing him of war crimes and
torture due to his involvement in the war in Iraq.
The defense secretary later sent a message to the German government
through the US embassy in Berlin that he would not attend the Munich
meeting if there is a chance a case will be launched against him in
Germany. However, when he informed the German government he would not
take part in the conference, he did not refer to the charges filed
against him.
Among the participants expected to attend the February 11 to 13
meeting of security experts from around the world are UN Secretary
General Kofi Annan, German President Horst Khler and German
Chancellor Gerhard Schrder. Teltschik said that many US senators
were expected to be in attendance.
[2]© Deutsche Welle
_________________________________________________________________
[3]Rumsfeld Scraps Munich Visit Over War Probe
Expatica "News for Expatriots in Germany"
21 January 2005
MUNICH - United States Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has cancelled
a planned visit to Munich. Rumsfeld has informed the German government
via the US embassy he will not take part at the Munich Security
Conference in February, conference head Horst Teltschik said.
The New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights filed a complaint
in December with the Federal German Prosecutor's Office against
Rumsfeld accusing him of war crimes and torture in connection with
detainee abuses at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison.
Rumsfeld had made it known immediately after the complaint was filed
that he would not attend the Munich conference unless Germany quashed
the legal action.
The organisation alleges violations of German legislation which
outlaws war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide independent
of the place of crime or origin of the accused.
The prosecutor's office in Karlsruhe reportedly is examining the
roughly 170-page complaint to see if an investigation is warranted.
The Center for Constitutional Rights said it and four Iraqis tortured
in US custody had filed a complaint with German authorities against
Rumsfeld, former CIA director George Tenet and eight other senior
military and civilian officials over abuses at Abu Ghraib and
elsewhere in Iraq.
The organization said it had turned to German prosecutors "as a court
of last resort" because the US government "is unwilling to open an
independent investigation" and had "refused to join the International
Criminal Court."
Several of those it wants investigated are stationed in Germany, it
added.
_________________________________________________________________
[4]Rumsfeld Cancels Trip After Accusations
Aljazeera
Friday 21 January 2005 8:27 AM GMT
US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld cancelled a planned visit to
Germany after a US human rights organisation asked German authorities
to prosecute him for war crimes, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) has
learned.
Rumsfeld has informed the German government via the US embassy that he
will not take part in the Munich Security Conference in February,
conference head Horst Teltschik told dpa on Thursday.
The New York-based Centre for Constitutional Rights filed a complaint
in December with the Federal German Prosecutor's Office against
Rumsfeld accusing him of war crimes and torture in connection with
detainee abuses at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison. Rumsfeld made it known
immediately after the complaint was filed that he would not attend the
Munich conference unless Germany quashed the legal action.
German legislation violations The organisation alleges violations of
German legislation, which outlaws war crimes, crimes against humanity
and genocide independent of the place of crime or origin of the
accused.
The prosecutor's office in Karlsruhe reportedly is examining the
roughly 170-page complaint to see whether an investigation is
warranted.
The Centre for Constitutional Rights said it and four Iraqis allegedly
tortured in US custody filed a complaint with German authorities
against Rumsfeld, former CIA director George Tenet and eight other
senior military and civilian officials over abuses at Abu Ghraib and
elsewhere in Iraq.
The organisation said it had turned to German prosecutors "as a court
of last resort" because the US government "is unwilling to open an
independent investigation" and had "refused to join the International
Criminal Court."
References
1. 3D"http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1465263,00.html";
2. 3D"http://www.dw-world.de"/
3. 3D"http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=52 4.
3D"http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/8EBCFED0-6677-4F9F-B0D0-699
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[1]TIME's ~ Man of the Year
[2]THE 14 IDENTIFYING
CHARACTERISTICS OF FASCISM
[3][ACLU4.gif]
[4]kcom.gif
References
1. http://www.knoton.com/den/pol/1938ManOfYear.html
2. http://www.knoton.com/den/pol/14Fascism.html
3. http://www.aclu.org/
4. http://www.knoton.com/
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