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Deutsche Welle English Service News 30-08-2002, 16:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD: Earth Summit Enters Decisive Phase Ministers of the more than 100 countries taking part in the earth summit arrive this weekend for the crucial final phase of the 10-day conference. Among them is German Environment Minister J�rgen Trittin. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1430_A_619822_1_A,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Russia tells UN summit it may not ratify Kyoto Protocol There are increasing fears that the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg will fail to reach any key agreements before heads of state arrive next week. The European Union on Thursday evening briefly withdrew delegates in an attempt to increase the tempo of the talks. Some delegates expressed doubts about the summit's priorities. The Europeans have a list of 14 topics they think should be referred to the ministerial level. Jeffery Sachs, an economist and close advisor to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, believes rich nations have behaved irresponsibily. On Friday, Russia warned it may decide against ratifying the Kyoto Protocol, a move that would effectively kill the pact. Moscow believes billions of euros it had expected to earn by selling "rights to pollute" under the treaty's quota trading mechanism are in doubt. Moscow said since it's biggest potential customer, the United States, has pulled out of the treaty, the pact's economic stimulus has also been eliminated. EU Foreign Minister discuss Iraq-US situation The Arab league has again strongly criticised any prospect of an American attack on Iraq. The League's ambassador to the United Nations said a change of regime in any country must come from within. Opposition to an American military strike has grown. Against the backdrop of international criticism, US Vice President Dick Cheney said it was unlikely, the US would go it alone. At the same time he said there has to be a change of regime in Baghdad. Saddam Hussein and his officials have dismissed calls to allow back UN weapon's inspectors, which it calls 'spies' adding the Americans have already made up their mind to attack. In Iraq on Friday, US warplanes did attack an anti-aircraft missile site in the southern no-fly zone. US Central Command, in Tampa Florida said surface-to-air missiles destroyed the site nar An Kut, 150 kilometers southeast of Baghdad. It's the second such attack this week by American warplanes. EU Foreign Ministers discuss Iraq, Middle East and ICC EU foreign ministers began two days of talks in Denmark on Friday, with international concern about Iraq high on their agenda. The ministers will also discuss the situation in the Middle East and the growing dispute with the United States about the newly established International Criminal Court. On Thursday evening, Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller said he would travel to Saudia Arabia, Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian terrorities next week with a road map for peace. He said EU ministers will be briefed about his plan during the meeting, which he described as informal and just an opportunity for discussion. WTO gives EU green light to impose upto $4 bln of sanctions on US The World Trade Organisation,(WTO), has given the European Union permission to impose sanctions worth $4 billion on US products in retaliation for illegal tax breaks to U.S. companies. The WTO decision could stoke trans-Atlantic trade tensions and if implemented would be by far the highest level of retaliation ever authorised by the international trade body. The $4 billion figure met exactly the EU calculations, U.S. officials had argued that just under $1.1 billion would be a fairer estimate. The Foreign Sales Corporation (FSC), as the tax system is known, has been ruled in violation of WTO rules four times when past Washington efforts to reform it were deemed insufficient. European Union officials in Brussels welcomed the decision but declined to say if and when the tariffs would be imposed. Tense stand off in Macedonia continues A tense stand off continues in Macedonia where gunmen continue to hold 5 hostages. The kidnappers, believed to be former members of the officially disbanded National Liberation Army, said they would kill their prisoners unless the authorities released two former fellow militants. The hostages were taken from a bus 60 kilometers west of the capital Skopje, late Thursday. Three hostages were released unharmed shortly after the incident started. Police said one ethnic-Albanian was shot and killed and other injured during a clash near a security check point early Friday. A heavily-armed special police convoy arrived at the scene Friday afternoon as the deadline set by the hostage takers passed without incident. Japanese PM to visit No. Korea Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will visit North Korea on September l7. It would be the first visit to North Korea by a Japanese Prime Minister since the end of World War II. Koizumi told a Tokyo press conference he would offer President Kim Jong-il avenues to normalise their strained relationship. He said the possibility of full diplomatic relations is just one issues they'll discuss. Rail and road links between the two Koreas to be reopened Officials from both North and South Korea on Friday announced an agreement to reconnect one railway line by the end of this year and a second by early next year. In a joint statement issued after three days of economic talks in Seoul, the governments said work would begin on September 18th to rejoin railways and roads severed, since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. South Korea also said that it had also agreed to send 400,000 tonnes of rice to the North. Kenya's President Moi fires his vice-president Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi fired his vice-president on Friday, in a move designed to crush an unprecedented revolt from within once-trusted allies. Vice President George Saitoti had been at the forefront of a rebellion in the ruling Kanu party over Moi's bid to hand the reigns of presidential power to businessman Uhuru Kenyatta, the son of the country's first president. Moi is struggling to control a backlash against his backing of Kenyatta by senior Kanu party members who see his support for the politically inexperienced businessman as a gambit to extend his influence even when he has left office. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For more information please turn to our internet website at http://dw-world.de/english Here you'll find out what's happening in Germany, Europe and the rest of the world. News and background reports from the fields of current affairs, culture, business and science. And of course the DW website also has information about DW-RADIO and DW-TV programmes: topics, broadcast times and frequencies. 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