Extracts. Official Calls for Development of Social Sciences Li Tieying, head of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Friday, August 10 called on social sciences workers to make more contribution to the development of the country. Li, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remark at a meeting of the academy. Participants of the meeting discussed the major theoretical problems China faces in the 21st century, the prospects of China's social sciences research, and personnel fostering. Li recalled that Jiang Zemin, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, said at a meeting with a number of social science experts on August 7 that philosophy and social sciences are as important as natural science, and role of social science experts must be brought to full play. Li said Jiang's remarks are of great importance and his academy is to launch research programs on the major theoretical and practical subjects concerning the development of the CPC and the whole country in the 21st century. **** Science Officials Study Jiang's Speech Officials of the Ministry of Science and Technology held a meeting to exchange their understandings after learning the July 1 Speech made by Secretary- General Jiang Zemin of Communist Party of China Central Committee. They considered the spirit of the thought of "three represents' ", which was fully embodied in the speech, is favorable to the development of high and new sciences and technology. Xu Guanhua, minister of science and technology, said that the speech reflects a far-reaching insight and demonstrates the courage and spirit of pursuing truth and making innovations, which have always been held by the Communist Party of China. He called on science officials to take the lead in carrying out the essence of the speech into their works. **** Suicide Bomber Killed, 40 People Injured in Explosion in Israel One man was killed and at least 40 people injured on Sunday in an apparent suicide bombing attack in a cafe near the northern Israeli coastal city of Haifa, Israeli government press office said. The man who was killed was suspected to be the suicide bomber. Meanwhile, local media reports said that up to 50 people have been treated for injuries on the scene. No group has claimed responsibility for the blast. Police have blocked off the streets in the area of the explosion, and Magen David Adom first-aid workers have arrived at the scene. The Israeli security establishment received warnings in recent days of possible terror attacks in the Haifa area. The explosion took place in Kiryat Motzkin, three days after a suicide bombing attack killed 15 people and injured more than 100 others in Jerusalem. Both the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and the Islamic Jihad (Holy War) have claimed responsibility for the blast on Thursday. **** Sharon Authorizes Peres to Negotiate Ceasefire with Palestinians Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Sunday authorized Foreign Minister Shimon Peres to discuss a ceasefire with the Palestinians, Israel Radio reported. Sharon directed a senior Israeli army officer to join Peres in such meetings on the implementation of a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians. Sharon held a two-hour meeting with Peres in the prime minister's residence in Jerusalem after a cabinet meeting, and decided to continue the discussions, the radio said. Both of them agreed that no political negotiations will take place with the Palestinians before the end of the violence, which has been rocking the region since its eruption last September. Peres told Sharon that the current Israeli policy cannot continue endlessly and that all ministers from his center-left Labor Party insist that the government hold serious deliberations on ways to achieve a ceasefire. "You cannot fight fire with fire," Peres said. "You must show a strong and determined will to end the violence, but we demand that the discussions on the ceasefire take place not only in military deliberations, but also in civilian discussions." He said that closing the Orient House, the unofficial headquarters of the Palestine Liberation Organization in East Jerusalem, and other Palestinian institutions strengthened the need for negotiations, as without the moves, there is "little chance of reducing the level of violence." Israeli Defense Minister Binjamin Ben Eliezer also supports this stance, expressing belief that there is no military solution to the violence. Sharon and Peres also reportedly discussed "preserving the national unity and that Peres has no intention of resigning or threatening to resign." The foreign minister has been under pressure from his supporters to resign from Sharon's government as Sharon has repeatedly expressed opposition to holding discussions with the Palestinians while the violence persists. At a Labor Party meeting on Sunday, Peres said that Israel is not fulfilling its obligations to the Palestinians regarding an easing of economic sanctions on the Palestinian territories. He called for a reduction of Palestinian incitement, easing of the Israeli closure on the Palestinians, a ceasefire agreement, and a reopening of talks between the two sides. Following a suicide bombing attack in Jerusalem on Thursday, which killed 15 people and injured more than 100 others, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat called on Israel to declare a joint ceasefire. Israel, in retaliation for the bombing, attacked a police station in the West Bank city of Ramallah and closed several Palestinian institutions in East Jerusalem. **** Palestinian Telecommunications Employees to Return to Abu Dis Office Employees of the Palestine Telecommunications Company (PalTel) will be allowed to return to their office in Abu Dis, Israel's coordinator of activities in the Palestinian territories said on Sunday. "It is not the intention of the (Israeli) defense establishment to disrupt the business of the company. It wishes to permit the normal management of the business," the coordinator said. Israeli troops closed the PalTel office on the outskirts of East Jerusalem Sunday morning. The office, which handles Palestinian telephones in the Jerusalem area, is part of a Palestinian compound in Abu Dis. But the Israeli coordinator did not specify when the PalTel will be reopened. Israeli troops seized other buildings in the compound, alongside the Orient House, the representative office of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Jerusalem, on Friday, one day after a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up and killed 14 other people and injured more than 100 in a Jerusalem restaurant. Palestinian officials have accused Israel of violating its commitment that the Orient House, which symbolizes Palestinian sovereignty over East Jerusalem, enjoys immunity. Israel, however, has charged that the Palestinians have been carrying out "illegal activities" in the Orient House rather than directing cultural activities and providing social services for Palestinians in East Jerusalem as they were supposed to do. Israel occupied East Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast War and later annexed it in a move that is not internationally recognized. The Palestinians have been striving for an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital. Israel has banned the Palestinian National Authority to have formal offices in the city. **** One Iraqi Killed, 11 Injured in US, British Airstrike: Spokesman One Iraqi was killed and 11 others injured Friday in the US-British warplane attacks in the no-fly zone in southern Iraq, an Iraqi military spokesman was quoted as saying by the official INA agency. Some 50 aircraft participated in the attack, which targeted Iraq's air defense installations. This was the largest attack against Iraq since February when US and British jets bombed southern outskirts of the Iraqi capital. Baghdad said two people were killed and 20 others injured in that attack. Friday's airstrike was in response to Iraq's stepped-up campaign to shoot down a U.S. or British plane patrolling the two no-fly zones over northern and southern Iraq. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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