Extracts. Russia Sees No Reason for NATO Enlargement: Kasyanov. Visiting Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov said here on Tuesday that Russia could see no reason for NATO enlargement, the CTK news agency reported. "If NATO is not aimed against Russia, why should it then be further enlarged," Kasyanov made the remark after meeting Czech Senate chairman Petr Pithart. However, Russia does not perceive the United States and European countries as enemies, he added. Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman said earlier after meeting Kasyanov that NATO was not an organization aimed against any country and that in the current situation its priority was to fight against international terrorism. He said that the Czech Republic appreciated Russia's role in fighting terrorism. Kasyanov stressed that Russia was trying to consolidate its efforts at fighting international terrorism, which represents a worldwide threat. Meanwhile, Kasyanov said that an agreement on writing off 46 percent of the debt owed by the former Soviet Union to Czech Republic was reached here on Tuesday. **** China Closes Border with Afghanistan: Report. China has closed its border with Afghanistan due to the US retaliatory strikes on targets in the country, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday, according to a report by chinadaily.com.cn. "Against the current backdrop whereby the US has started its military actions against targets inside Afghanistan ... the Chinese government has decided to close, on a temporary basis, our borders with Afghanistan starting from October 8," foreign ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi said. The government has also closed Taxkorgan county, which borders Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikstan, to all foreign travellers and journalists, he said. The county houses part of the Karakorum highway, also known as the Sino-Pakistan friendship highway which links China's westernmost city of Kashgar with the Pakistani border. Foreign forces carried out a third day of bombing on Tuesday when jets bombed the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan -- the first daylight attack by US-led forces, the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) reported, adding one civilian was killed. The daylight raid followed a second consecutive night of US-led aerial attacks on Taliban positions around the Afghan capital Kabul, and the cities of Jalalabad, Kandahar and Mazar-e-Sharif. The attacks aim to punish the Taliban, sheltering Osama bin Laden named as the prime suspect in the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington. **** China Marks 90th Anniversary of 1911 Revolution. A commemorative meeting was held Tuesday morning at the Great Hall of the People to mark the 90th anniversary of the 1911 Revolution led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen which overthrew the feudal Qing Dynasty (1644--1911). Chinese President Jiang Zemin <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/people/jiangzemin.shtml> is delivering an important speech at the meeting. **** US to UN: Reprisals against Other Countries Possible. Attacks against other countries might be necessary in an international campaign against terrorism, US officials told the United Nations Monday. In a letter to the UN's Security Council, John Negroponte, the US ambassador to the world body, said the nation's inquiry into terror attacks could lead beyond Afghanistan <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/afghanistan.html> 's borders. "We may find that our self-defense requires further actions with respect to other organizations and other states," Negroponte said in the letter. The United States <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/usa.html> and Britain were scheduled Monday to brief the full Security Council on their military action, detailing the targets and aims of Sunday's air strikes on Taliban and al Qaeda facilities in Afghanistan. Negroponte's letter explained the reasons behind the aerial attacks on Afghanistan Sunday and Monday, said White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer. Its delivery to the UN was expected, as the world body's charter requires member nations defending themselves from attack to submit a letter explaining their actions. "The United States reserves the right to defend itself," Fleischer said. The contents of the letter, Fleischer said, were nothing new -- several recent speeches by President Bush have stated that the hunt for those responsible for the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon may lead to suspects outside Afghanistan. But Fleischer refused to say which other nations could be possible targets in the international terrorists hunt. The letter lays out what US officials consider clear and compelling information linking suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda organization to the September attacks. Investigators also believe Afghanistan's Taliban regime has supported them, and that al Qaeda continues to train and support terrorists who attack innocent people and target Americans, the letter said. **** Taliban leader, bin Laden Still Alive in Afghanistan: Ambassador. Ruling Taliban's leader Mullah Mohammad Omar and bin Laden were still alive in Afghanistan <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/afghanistan.html> after U.S. and Britain launched the first daylight bombing attacks on Afghanistan's southern city of Kandahar. This was disclosed by Taliban ambassador to Pakistan <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/pakistan.html> Abdul Salem Zaeef at a press conference here. U.S. and British warplanes early Tuesday conducted first daylight bombing raid on the Taliban's stronghold of Kandahar since the start of the strikes on Sunday night.Tens of Afghan civilians have been killed in U.S.led air strikes. _________________________________________________ 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] __________________________________________________
