Extracts. China Again Urges Israel to Retreat From Palestinian Towns. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Sun Yuxi said Thursday that in order to avoid further worsening of the Middle East situation, China again urges Israel to stop military actions immediately and withdraw all troops from Palestinian-controlled areas as soon as possible. When asked for comments on the latest attacks by Israeli troops on some Palestinian towns, which caused severe casualties, Sun said that China condemns Israeli troops for their continuous invasion of Palestinian-controlled areas which have led to the deaths of many Palestinians. Sun also expressed concern for the current tension in that area. China Urges Israel to Retreat From Palestinian Towns Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Sun Yuxi said in Beijing Monday that China urges Israeli to withdraw troops from Palestinian areas as soon as possible. China is seriously concerned and worried about the escalation of violent conflicts between Israel and Palestine, he said. **** Italian PM Mets With Putin in Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday thanked visiting Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi for his work to improve bilateral relations, and the two leaders discussed cooperation in the international anti-terrorist campaign. Berlusconi arrived late Wednesday for a hastily arranged, one-day working visit. "Russia wants to develop its relations with Italy <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/Italy.html> , one of our principal partners," Putin said at the opening of the two leaders' Kremlin meeting. "We appreciate your efforts to develop bilateral relations. You have just been named premier but we remember very well your signature on the 1994 Russian-Italian friendship agreement." Berlusconi had equally kind words for Putin. "We follow your activities with a great deal of attention. We have noticed extraordinary progress in Russia's democratization and in the economic field," he said. Putin expressed hope that Berlusconi's brief visit, which was necessitated "by the tense international situation," would not supplant the premier's full-fledged visit planned for next year. In addition to terrorism, the two leaders were expected to discuss relations between Russia and the European Union and Russia and NATO, the conflicts in the Middle East and the Balkans, and the future of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, from which the United States <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/usa.html> wants to withdraw, Russian news agencies reported. Russian newspapers said Thursday that Berlusconi's visit reflected Moscow's cultivation of stronger relations with the European Union. "The Italian premier's visit to Moscow comes at a time of political regroupings and a search for new partners," the Kommersant business daily noted. "With that in mind, one can hardly consider coincidental a statement by Italian Foreign Minister Renato Ruggiero several days before Premier Berlusconi's visit to Moscow that EU expansion should also apply to Russia." **** Most Important Opposition Commander Arrested: Taliban. A spokesman for the Afghan Taliban claimed that Abdul Haq, the most important opposition commander, was arrested by the Taliban soldiers Friday morning after being besieged for two days, according to the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP). The spokesman said Abdul Haq and several opposition soldiers had been in a state of siege in Azra of Logar province for two days. They were arrested by the Taliban soldiers at 2:30 (local time) in the morning while trying to escape. Abdul Haq, 42, was the most well-known commander of Hizb Islam organization during the time of Afghan Jihad (Holy War) against Soviet invasion. **** Followers of Arrested Opposition Commander Still Besieged: Taliban. A spokesman for the Afghan Taliban Friday morning said that 25 followers of the arrested opposition commander Abdul Haq are still besieged by Taliban troops, according to the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP). The spokesman said Abdul Haq and 7 other arrested opposition soldiers have been shifted to Pul-e-Alam, capital of Logar province. Abdul Haq, considered by Taliban as "the most important opposition commander", was arrested in Azra of Logar province at 2: 30 (local time) Friday morning after being besieged for two days. According to the spokesman, a U.S. helicopter bombed Taliban position in Azra Thursday night, trying to rescue the commander and his team from the siege, but failed. Abdul Haq, 42, was the most well-known commander of Hizb Islam organization during the time of Afghan Jihad (Holy War) against Soviet invasion. **** China Firmly Opposes Human Cloning. The Chinese government pays great attention and gives full support to the research and development of biological technologies and close attention is also paid to the issues on bioethics and biological safety, according to Cheng Jinpei, Chinese Vice Minister of Science and Technology at a round-table conference in Paris on October 22. In recent years, some new issues on bioethics and biological safety have cropped up along with the booming of life sciences and biological technology. These issues have roused extensive attention from scientific circles, social public, and state governments in the world, said Cheng at the Round Table of Ministers of Science on "Bioethics: International Implications" of UNESCO held from 22-23 October 2001 at its Headquarters in Paris. Therefore, the Chinese government gives its backing to UNESCO's decision of putting scientific ethics, especially bioethics as one of the five subjects of UNESCO's 2002-2003 Plan that deserves the top-priority. And Chinese scientists have actively participated in UNESCO's activities in this connection. �� When talking about cloning technology, Cheng said, we subscribe to stem cell research of human embryo used for curing and preventing diseases but firmly oppose human cloning and any reproductive cloning experiments. He reiterated that all researches and application of cloning technology should not violate international rules on bioethics and China gives its consent to the setting up of international convention for the banning on human cloning. With regard to transgenic technology, Cheng said that China would actively make development, promote scientific renovation, and upgrade the agricultural transgenic technology as a whole. Meanwhile, China would strengthen safety management on transgenic lives, set up a control system and a scientific criterion for appraising safety of agricultural transgenic lives, protect ecological environment, and ensure human's health as well. Present at the conference were more than 120 delegates from over 70 countries and regions thought out the world, of whom nearly 50 are vice Ministers, Ministers, and state secretaries. And the Communiqu�| on bioethics of UNESCO was unanimously passed at the conference. This is the first international conference of such a high level in the world on suchlike topic. **** More Chinese Police to Leave for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ten Chinese policemen are to leave for Bosnia and Herzegovina on a peace-keeping mission Saturday, said sources with China's Ministry of Public Security Friday. This is the second time that China is to send peace-keeping police to the region since it first dispatched five police to Bosnia and Herzegovina in January 2001. Since January 2000, China has sent 124 peace-keeping police to East Timor and Bosnia and Herzegovina in six dispatches within the United Nations framework. China has been sending policemen to participate in peace- keeping missions of the United Nations over the past two years. _________________________________________________ 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] __________________________________________________
