Extracts. U.S. Has No Firm Evidence of Iraqi Weapons Efforts The U.S. Defense Department said on Tuesday, January 23, that it lacks firm evidence that Iraq has speeded up its efforts to rebuild a chemical and biological weapons arsenal. "We cannot say with certainty that we know exactly what's going on inside those facilities that we have seen, but it is a matter of concern to us," spokesman Craig Quigley said told reporters. He was referring to some infrastructure rebuilt by Iraq after the US and Britain carried out air attacks against the country in December of 1998. "It is the lack of knowledge," Quigley noted. On January 10, former Defense Secretary William Cohen released a report on the global spread of weapons of mass destruction. The report claimed that over the past two years Iraq may have reconstituted its efforts to build such weapons. **** Beijing Puts in 30Bn for Pollution Control in Three Years Aiming to build itself into an international metropolis, Beijing has, since it defined pollution-control targets and counter-measures in 1998, invested some 30 billion yuan and adopted dozens of measures to control atmospheric pollution. A survey shows that urban air quality of Beijing has experienced marked improvement and notable results have been achieved in environmental protection. Wang Guangtao, deputy mayor of Beijing, said that in order to hit the national standard target for the 2002 environment quality, Beijing has adopted these measures for improving the environment: popularizing the use of clean fuel such as natural gas, electricity, high-quality coal; renovating some 40,000 industrial furnaces and kitchen ranges and over 6,700 boilers, setting local standard, higher than State one, for tail gas emission of motor vehicles, and introducing comprehensive use of non-lead gasoline. The city has installed. **** China Opposes Foreign Interference in Taiwan Issue China is resolutely opposed to any foreign powers trying to interfere in China's settlement of the Taiwan <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/province/taiwan.html> issue, Chinese vice-premier Qian Qichen <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/leaders/Qianqichen.htm> said in Beijing <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/province/beijing.html> Monday. The Taiwan issue is entirely China's internal affairs and should be settled by the Chinese themselves, Qian stated at a forum marking the sixth anniversary of the issuance of the Eight- Point Proposals on Peaceful Reunification of the Motherland, put forward by Chinese President Jiang Zemin <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/leaders/jzm/jzmhome.htm> . The realization of China's reunification will benefit the stability and development of the Asia-Pacific region and will make greater contribution to peace and development of the world as a whole in the new century, Qian said. China hopes that all big powers that hold great responsibility for the cause of peace of the world earnestly abide by international laws and the basic principles governing international relations, implement their commitments made to the Chinese government on the Taiwan issue and should not do anything that would lead to the tension of the relations across the Taiwan Straits. The peace-loving Chinese people brook no foreign powers to obstruct or undermine China's peaceful reunification process, the vice-premier stressed. **** New U.S. Government to Face Challenges in Latin America The George W. Bush administration will face a series of challenges in its relations with Latin America and the Caribbean, said specialists on Monday. Main challenges will include the signing of a free trade agreement with Chile, negotiations on the Free Trade Area of the Americas (ALCA) and relations with Cuba, reported Caracas- headquartered Latin American Economic System (LAES) in a communique. Negotiations with Chile <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/Chile.html> could serve as a basis for future U.S. bilateral trade agreements in the region, said LAES specialists, who also noted that the Summit of the Americas, to be held from April 20 to 22 in Quebec, Canada <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/canada.html> , will be the first international commercial diplomatic experience for Bush. Negotiations with Chile and other South American countries will depend, to a large extent, on Bush's ability to negotiate a fast- track. Chile-U.S. negotiations on the signing of a free trade agreement resumed on December 6 last year, even though U.S. congressmen did not give Bush's predecessor Bill Clinton the faculty for a fast-track negotiation. The faculty for a fast-track negotiation would set special regulations for Congress's consideration of commercial agreements signed by the government. Under the fast-tack, the U.S. President could submit a decree of enactment of agreements to Congress, which would be considered under expedited procedures. LAES specialists assured that there are strong reasons to doubt that the Bush administration will continue with limited reforms, begun by Clinton, on the normalization of relations with the Cuban government. "Should sanctions against Cuba <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/cuba.html> continue to be lessened, there could arise a strong conservative Republican opposition in Congress, and the new president would need all available support from members of his party in the years to come," they said. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
