Deutsche Welle
English Service News
October 1st , 2001, 16:00 UTC
New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani told the United Nations on Monday to
isolate and hold accountable any nation supporting terrorism, saying
the Sept. 11 attacks left the world body "no room for neutrality."
A total of 12 anti-terrorism resolutions are to be discussed during
the five-day terrorism debate at the UN General Assembly, towards
creating a global strategy against terrorism. The hijack attacks on
the World Trade Center, located 3 Km from UN headquarters in New
York, left nearly 5,800 people dead or missing from more than 80
nations. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the attack had
wounded the entire world and urged tighter international measures
against nuclear, chemical and biological arms. The UN chief said the
attacks on the United States would have been far more devastating if
weapons of mass destruction had been used. The General Assembly
debate began three days after the 15-nation U.N. Security Council
unanimously approved a sweeping U.S.-drafted resolution demanding
that all nations crack down on terrorism and groups helping them.
With Afghans fleeing their cities by the thousands in fear of US
attacks, the United Nations continues to work feverishly to avert a
humanitarian crisis. On Monday morning, 8 trucks carrying over 200
tonnes of wheat crossed the Chyber Pass. Half of the grain is
enroute to Kabul, and the over half is destined for Herat, the site
of one of the largest refugee camps in the world.
Afghanistan's ruling Taliban were poised on Monday for a showdown
with the United States as they displayed no sign of surrendering
Saudi-born fugitive Osama bin Laden and even their closest ally said
their days were numbered. Pakistan, the only country still to
recognise the Afghan leadership -- distanced itself further from
Kabul when President Pervez Musharraf said in a television interview
that it appears that the United States will take action in
Afghanistan. He added that because of the stand the Taliban have
taken confrontation will take place. Meanwhile, the aircraft carrier
USS Kitty Hawk has left Japan to support "Operation Enduring
Freedom".
British authorities have frozen bank accounts in the UK containing
$88 million dollars of funds linked to the al-Qaeda terrorist
network. British officers citing a 1999 UN Security Council
resolution that prohibits financial dealings with Afghanistan's
ruling Taliban started freezing the accounts last Wednesday. In
Germany, at least 13 banks accounts with a total of $1 million on
deposit have also been seized.
German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was guest speaker at the ruling
Labour Party annual congress on Monday in Brighton, England.
Schroeder
used the opportunity to urge for a strenghtening of European security
capablities within NATO. At the same time he called for a more
self-confident engagement against the new form of terrorist threats.
The trans-atlantic partnership remained the solid basis for security
in Europe even under the changed political conditions.
Iran's defence minister said on Monday its forces would confront any
U.S. aircraft that used its airspace during possible strikes on
neighbouring Afghanistan. Though Iran, branded a sponsor of terrorism
by Washington, has condemned last month's attacks on the United
States it has ruled out cooperating with the USA on retaliatory
strikes. Tehran has said it wants a U.N.-led coalition to fight
terrorism.
A car bomb packed with bullets and nails exploded in a car park near
a Jerusalem shopping district on Monday, injuring no one but dealing
a seirous blow to hopes that an Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire would
take hold. Al-Jazeera television in Qatar said the Islamic Jihad
claimed responsibility. It was the first car bomb in Israel since
both sides vowed to implement a truce last Wednesday to help
Washington forge an anti-terror alliance. Despite the bombing, the
army said Israeli commanders and Palestinian security chiefs met at
the Erez border crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip to discuss
security cooperation. It gave no details. Israel accused Arafat of
not doing enough to end the violence and on Sunday gave him 48 hours
to implement the ceasefire.
Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres defended Palestinian President
Yasser Arafat against mounting criticism in Israel on Monday, saying
the alternatives if he were ousted would be much worse for the Jewish
state. Peres said Arafat's removal or departure would open the way
for
militant groups, like Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, and a more radical
leadership. The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said Peres was
"convinced" that Israeli army deputy chief of staff Moshe Yaalon had
decided to "liquidate Arafat", but Peres's spokesman said the report
was simply "not true".
At least 21 people died in a suicide bomb explosion and gunfire at
the assembly building in Kashmir on Monday in the biggest attack by
suspected Islamic militants since last month's assault on two
U.S. cities. Guerrillas of the Pakistan-based militant group,
Jaish-e-Mohammad, drove up in a car laden with explosives to the main
gate of the assembly in Srinagar, summer capital of India's
Muslim-majority Kashmir and Jammu state, and detonated the blast, the
group and police said. At least 17 people died in that explosion.
Several guerrillas entered the heavily-guarded assembly complex right
after after the explosion and hurled grenades, a paramilitary
spokesman said. More than 30,000 people have died since the revolt
erupted in Muslim-majority Kashmir in late 1989. India blames
Pakistan
for fomenting the rebellion, but Islamabad says it only gives
moral and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people.
The salvage team preparing to raise Russia's ill-fated Kursk
submarine said on Monday it hoped to hoist the vessel within the next
three days. Russia lost the nuclear-powered Kursk and its 118 crew in
August last year when two mysterious explosions ripped open its bow,
sending it crashing to the bottom of the sea some 100 km off the Kola
peninsula. President Vladimir Putin has promised to raise the Kursk
to allow for a proper investigation into the tragedy and to hand
sailors' remains to relatives for burial.
Former President Bill Clinton was suspended on Monday from the
practice of law before the U.S. Supreme Court. In another humilition
for the ex-president, the Supreme could disciplined Clinton after he
admitted giving false testimony about his relationship with
former White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. As part of the deal with
the independent counsel, Clinton accepted a five-year suspension of
his license to practice law in Arkansas and paid a $25,000 fine.
Clinton has 40 days to respond to possible disbarment.
A bomb exploded early Monday morning outside of the courthouse in
Vitoria, the capital of Spain's Basque country. Hospital officials
said one person had been treated for injuries caused by flying
debris. The authorities confirmed that a warning call was made
before the explosion an although ETA was not mentioned, the style of
the call was similiar to previous warnings of bomb attacks by the
separatist group.
Serbian News Network - SNN
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.antic.org/
