Deutsche Welle
English Service News
08th January, 2001, 16:00 UTC
German Peacekeeping Troops to Afghanistan While Search for the
World's Most Wanted Men Contiues
The first contingent of 70 German soldiers has begun its journey to
Afghanistan to join 18 other countries participating in the
international peacekeeping operation ISAF. Two Luftwaffe planes took off
from Germany earlier today en route to the Netherlands where the German
paratroopers were joined by 30 Dutch soldiers. The contingent is
expected to arrive in Kabul on Wednesday evening, said German Defence
Minister Rudolf Scharping. Meanwhile, in another development in
Afghanistan, three ministers from the deposed Taliban regime have
surrendered while the hunt for the Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar
and fugative Osama bin Laden continued. The whereabouts of both men
remained unknown, but U.S. warplanes continued to pound a suspected bin
Laden training camp in eastern Afghanistan thought to be a hotbed of
terrorist activity.
Somalia and Yemen Are New Focus in Washington's War on Terrorism
In the next phase of Washington's war on terrorism, the United States
said it could focus on keeping terrorists out of places like Somalia,
Yemen, Indonesia and the Philippines. U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense
Paul Wolfowitz said in an interview with the New York Times, the
Pentagon was now working with friendly countries like the Philippines
and others not equipped to root out terrorists on their own. Wolfowitz
also told the newspaper that the Pentagon had not ruled out military
action against any country, including Iraq. The U.S. Defence official
added that America's devastating bombing campaign in Afghanistan had
already persuaded many nations that have supported terrorism to change
their ways.
Iraq Condemns Israel for Seizing Arms Ship
Iraq has condemned Israel's seizure of a ship thought to be smuggling
weapons to the Palestinians, Iraqi newspapers reported on Tuesday. The
papers said Iraqi officials, including Saddam Hussein, called the
vessel's seizure a "piracy crime" as well as a blatant violation of
international conventions. Israel said commandos seized the ship in the
Red Sea last week and found 50 tonnes of Iranian-supplied weapons on
board destined for the Palestinian-ruled Gaza Strip, an allegation both
the Palestinians and Iran deny. In the meantime, Israel also said it was
set to release documents later this week proving Palestinian President
Yasser Arafat direct involvement in the incident. Israeli Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon has accused Arafat of ordering the arms purchase, but
Palestinian officials say Israel contrived the incident to undermine a
U.S. mission aimed at ending more than 15 months of bloodshed.
China's Zhu to Visit India Amid Regional Tension
Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji is due to make a six-day visit to India amid
a tense military face-off between New Delhi and its nuclear rival,
Pakistan. Mr. Zhu's trip, due to begin on Sunday, was planned before the
current crisis in the region began. He will be the first Chinese premier
to visit India in more than a decade. On the diplomatic front, Zhu has
called on India to end its stand-off with Pakistan and, during the
visit, he is to meet with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.
Islamabad, in the meantime, has put its military on alert along the
entire stretch of its border with India, raising fears among some that
the two countries could go to war for the fourth time since gaining
independence from Britain in 1947.
Israel Declares Support for India and Peace
Israel has declared its unqualified support for India's war against
terrorism and warned Pakistan it must not harbour terrorists on its
soil. On his current visit to India, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon
Peres said Israel was on the side of India in the struggle for peace,
which India wants, he said. Without naming Pakistan, Peres also said the
country must take real steps against anti-Indian Islamic militants,
drawing parallels between India and Israel in their fight against armed
rebels.
Turkish Hunger Striker Dies, Toll Reaches 46
In Turkey, a 27-year-old woman has starved to death in protest to prison
conditions in the country. The young woman's death brings to 46 the
number of hunger strikers who have died for the cause. Hundreds of
leftist prisoners and a few of their supporters started the hunger
strikes more than a year ago, protesting plans to introduce new prisons
with small cells for one to three inmates. The protesters say the small
cells isolate prisoners
Greek Drugs Squad Seizes 200 Kilos of Cocaine
Police in Greece have seized 200 kilos of cocaine which was hidden
inside a rice container at the port of Piraeus. Officials said the
container was on a vessel that had arrived from Colombia a few days ago.
They said the drugs had a total street value of more than 17 million
euros ($15 million).
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