Extracts.
US Accused of Conducting Continuous Aerial Espionage Against DPRK. The United States conducted over 160 cases of aerial espionage against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ( in September with strategic and tactical reconnaissance planes, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Sunday. The agency quoted the DPRK military sources as saying that over 40 espionage flights were made by U-2 and RC-135 strategic reconnaissance planes, and tactical reconnaissance planes, including RC-12, RC-7b, RF-4C and helicopters EH-60 for electronic warfare, were mobilized for aerial espionage on front-line areas and coastal areas of the DPRK. In another development, the United States staged aerial war exercises against the DPRK almost everyday with the sky above South Korea as field of operation, said the agency. **** US and Britain to Strike Terror Camps within Days: Reports. The United States <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/usa.html> and Britain plan to attack bases controlled by Osama bin Laden, prime suspect of the terrorist assaults on New York and Washington, within 48 hours, newspapers reported on Sunday. The Observer, quoting unidentified US and British sources, said the attack was designed to kill bin Laden and would be carried out alongside strikes against air and ground forces of Afghanistan <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/afghanistan.html> 's Taliban regime. According to the weekly, sources said that air and missile strikes could begin as early as Sunday and that US and British Special Forces would offer support in the attack. The Mail on Sunday tabloid meanwhile quoted the military leader of Afghanistan's opposition Northern Alliance as saying that his men would launch a new offensive against the Taliban within two days and with the support of the US. "We hope and believe our offensive, in a number of places throughout the country, will be backed by America attacking from the air," Soleh Muhammad Registani was quoted as saying. The Observer also said that it had obtained crucial evidence linking bin Laden to the September 11 strikes on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. It said it had seen a secret intelligence dossier compiled by an Arab state with a long-standing interest in bin Laden, which revealed that at least one of the 19 hijackers involved in the terrorist attacks was trained by the Saudi-born militant's network, al-Qaeda. **** Iran Closely Watching US Warships in Persian Gulf. Iran <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/iran.html> is closely watching the activities of US-British warships deployed in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, the official IRNA news agency reported Sunday. Hamid Valamanesh, an Iranian navy commander, was quoted as saying that among the 41 warships arriving in the waters so far, 21 are moored between the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, and the 20 others are in the Gulf of Oman, some 72.4 kilometers from the coast of Iran's southeastern city of Chabahar in the Sistan Baluchestan Province. He added that two other American aircraft carriers are also stationed in the waters belonging to Pakistan <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/pakistan.html> . The worships have been called upon to participate in possible retaliatory strikes on Afghanistan <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/afghanistan.html> , whose ruling Taliban regime is accused by the United States <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/usa.html> of harboring Saudi-born Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect of the terror attacks in New York and Washington on September 11. "The Islamic republic's navy is observing their activities day and night," Valamanesh noted. Iran, which has not had diplomatic relations with the U.S. for the past 21 years, has condemned the terrorist attacks, while warning against possible U.S. reprisals against Afghanistan. **** Iranian FM Calls for Distinguishing Between Terrorism And Resistance Force. Iran <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/iran.html> ian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi Sunday called on the international community to distinguish between terrorists and those fighting for national legitimate rights. Kharazi made the remarks in Cairo at a news conference following a meeting with Egypt <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/egypt.html> ian President Hosni Mubarak, saying that both Egypt and Iran hold identical viewpoint on fighting global terrorism and the two countries are determined not to have contact with terrorists. He stressed that what is important at the moment is to determine what is terrorism and to differentiate between terror actions and the fighting for national legitimate rights, such as the Palestinian struggle against Israel <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/israel.html> i occupation. Kharazi said that he and Mubarak discussed the Mideast situation following the September 11 terror attacks in the United States <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/usa.html> , particularly the Palestinian-Israeli violent, the anti-terrorism campaign, as well as bilateral relations. The Iranian foreign minister called on the Arab and Muslim nations to take actions to probe into the causes of terrorism and differentiate between terrorism and the struggle for national legitimate rights. He also called for the dialogue of civilizations under the auspices of the United Nations, and the holding of an international conference on anti-terrorism within the framework of the U.N.. Kharazi denied the reports saying that Iran will join in the US-led anti-terrorism coalition. The minister said that he has conveyed to Mubarak a letter from Iranian President Mohammad Khatami on the Mideast crisis, but did not reveal the details. Kharazi, who arrived in Cairo late Saturday, is on the last leg of an Arab tour that has already taken him to Syria <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/Syria.html> and Lebanon <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/lebanon.html> . The tour is aimed at preparing for a meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference on October 9 in Doha, Qatar <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/qatar.html> , to discuss the aftermath of the terror attacks on the United States. **** Saudis: Don't Use Us to Attack Muslims. The fragile United States <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/usa.html> coalition being constructed for the fight against terrorism was weakened somewhat Sunday, as Saudi Arab <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/sa.html> ia's defense minister said that his country would not be used to launch attacks on Arabs or Muslims. "We will not accept in our country even a single soldier who will attack Muslims or Arabs," Defense Minister Prince Sultan bin Faisal bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud said in an interview published in the government-controlled Okaz newspaper. It is possible Sultan's comments might have been intended only for domestic consumption. U.S. officials said on condition of anonymity Friday that they have been discreetly assured that U.S. commanders will be allowed to use Saudi bases to stage military actions against Saudi exile Usama bin Laden, thought to be responsible for the Sept. 11 terror attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., and his Taliban hosts in Afghanistan <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/afghanistan.html> . A compromise might be that attack forces might be launched from other countries while the entire operation would be conducted from the Prince Sultan Air Base in al-Kharj, a vast compound in a remote stretch of desert south of the Saudi capital of Riyadh. Bin Laden's Al Qaeda organization is made up largely of Arabs from Saudi Arabia and Egypt <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/egypt.html> , and while Afghans themselves are not Arabs, the ruling Taliban militia follows an extreme interpretation of Islamic law similar to the that followed by the Saudi royal family. The Taliban's ambassador to Pakistan <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/pakistan.html> on Sunday declared that bin Laden was being hidden by the Taliban for his own safety, reversing earlier declarations that they did not know where he was. The presence of U.S. forces in Saudi Arabia is one reason bin Laden, a Saudi national by birth, has declared war on the United States. Saudi officials have in the past simply denied there is a U.S. military presence in their nation. In the Okaz interview, Sultan, a prince of the ruling al-Saud family, said there are 40 U.S., British and French airplanes in the kingdom as part of the U.N.-approved patrols of the southern Iraq <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/iraq.html> "no fly" zone. He did not acknowledge that foreign soldiers are in the kingdom as part of the patrols. About 4,500 U.S. soldiers and an undisclosed number of U.S. warplanes involved in the patrols are based at the Prince Sultan Air Base. **** China to Further Strengthen Ties With Brunei: Chinese President. Chinese President Jiang Zemin said on Sunday that China will make unremitting efforts in further strengthening the relations of good neighborliness, friendship and cooperation with Brunei Darussalam. Jiang made the statement in a congratulation message to Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, Sultan & Yang Di- Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Jiang said China and Brunei Darussalam are friendly neighbors across the sea. Friendly exchanges between the two peoples can be traced back to a thousand years ago. "The establishment of the diplomatic relationship between China and Brunei Darussalam ten years ago opened a new chapter for the development of our bilateral relations," he said. "The past ten years have witnessed the rapid progress in friendly exchanges and cooperation in various fields like politics, economy, culture, health, education and etc. on the basis of the five principles of peaceful coexistence," Jiang said. "The Joint Communique that China and Brunei Darussalam issued in 1999 on the direction of the future bilateral cooperation has charted a new course for the long-term development of our relationship," he added. Also on the occasion in a congratulation message to Prince Mohammed Bolkiah, minister of foreign affairs of Brunei Darussalam, Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan said he is ready to work with his Brunei Darussalam's counterpart to carry out the cooperative programs as stipulated in the Joint Communique. Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen said in his message to Prince Mohammed Bolkiah that he is fully convinced that under the guidance of the principle of the Joint Communique, the relations between the two countries will be further developed. _________________________________________________ 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] __________________________________________________
