Deutsche Welle English Service News 04.09.2003, 16:00 UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's highlight on DW-WORLD:
Germany, France Still Skeptical of American U.N. Proposal The leaders of France and Germany say a new U.S. security resolution currently circulating in the United Nations still does not give the organization a large enough role. To read this article on the DW-WORLD website, just click on the internet address below: http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1430_A_963054_1_A,00.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Washington proposes draft resolution on Iraq The United States is trying to drum up support for a new resolution on Iraq, which would pave the way for a United Nations multinational force. Under the proposal the international force would be under US command. Diplomatic sources say tough negotiations are ahead. But Washington hopes the draft resolution will be adopted by the 15-member United Nations Security Council later this month. The proposal marks a major shift in policy for the administration of US President George W. Bush, which had previously rejected an increased UN role in Iraq. France, Germany slam US draft resolution on Iraq Meanwhile, Germany and France have said that the new US draft resolution on Iraq doesn't go far enough in terms of ensuring a swift transfer of power to Iraqis. At a joint press conference in Dresden this Thursday, both Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and President Jacques Chirac of France said the new proposal was some way off the principal aim of handing over power to an Iraqi government as quickly as possible. Earlier a spokesman for the foreign office in Berlin denied media reports that Washington had asked Germany to send Bundeswehr soldiers to Iraq. Britain may send more troops to Iraq An advance contingent of troops from Thailand has left for Iraq to join a multinational force that is now under Polish command. The Thai troops are to help cover an area stretching east from Karbala to the Iranian border and including the holy city of Najaf. Meanwhile, Britain's Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, has reportedly told Prime Minister Tony Blair that more troops will have to be sent to Iraq given the unstable situation there. Straw said around 5,000 additional troops could be deployed joining the more than 10,000 British troops already there. Bush wants at least 60 billion dollars more for Iraq According to a report in the Washington Post, the White House is preparing to ask Congress for between 60 billion to 70 billion dollars more to finance the reconstruction efforts in Iraq and US forces based there. The figure is reportedly nearly double what Congress was expecting. President George W. Bush has been accused of underestimating the costs involved in restoring order in Iraq. He's also facing the prospect of presiding over the highest budget deficit in US history with some predicting the deficit to reach 500 billion dollars next year. Palestinian prime minister seeks to overcome power struggle Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas has addressed Palestinian lawmakers in a bid to seek new powers he sees as vital to diplomacy. In a speech to the 85-member legislative council, Abbas said power-sharing problems within the Palestinian Authority needed to be urgently addressed and he would quit if he did not get his way. He also blamed Israel for a lack of progress in peace moves and said the United States had done too little to restrain the Israeli army. A group of 18 Palestinian deputies, in the meantime, have filed an application for a vote of confidence against Abbas, but there was no indication when or if such a measure would take place. Thousands flee shooting in central Liberia Tens of thousands of people are reportedly fleeing refugee camps in central Liberia after unconfirmed reports of more fighting in spite of last month's peace deal. According to a U.N. official, the US has been asked to deploy helicopters from offshore warships to reassure Liberians that the area is still safe. West African peacekeepers have ended fighting in the capital Monrovia, but clashes have flared sporadically outside the city despite an accord signed by the government and rebel groups last month. Freak weather in China kills 86 Chinese authorities are saying that freak weather has left at least 86 people dead. Many more are said to be missing. The combination of a typhoon, floods and landslides has reportedly caused economic losses of more than 700 million dollars. Typhoon Dujuan, which passed over southern China earlier this week killing 43 people, was the strongest to hit the country in over 25 years. The Xinhua news agency said over 1,000 people were injured in the southern Guangdong province. German finance minister admits deficit problems Germany's finance minister has admitted that it would be difficult to rein in the country's huge public deficit bringing it in line with EU limits. In an interview on Thursday, Hans Eichel said there was a possibility that the federal budget next year could breach the 3-percent ceiling of gross domestic product as defined by the EU. The government has already warned the EU Commission that its deficit is likely rise to 3.8 percent this year following a ratio of 3.5 percent last year. Eichel's admission comes a day after leading German economic institutes predicted that the public deficit could even reach 4 percent both this year and next. Slight improvement in German unemployment figures The German Labour office has released the latest employment statistics. The figures show a slight drop in the seasonally unadjusted number of unemployed in August. There are now around 4.3 million people without work in Germany, or 10.4 percent of the workforce. This represents a slight improvement on the number of unemployed in July, but is around 300 thousand higher than it was in August 2002. Leading German journalist caught up in Stasi claims One of Germany's leading investigative journalists has once again denied that he worked for the former east German secret police. Guenter Wallraff said the latest allegations that he was an unofficial informant for the Stasi were unfounded. Earlier the head of the Stasi archives said new information had been uncovered which showed that Wallraff was recruited by the secret police. Wallraff, who is highly regarded left-leaning intellectual, made a name for himself in the 1970s and 1980s following several spectacular media scoops. He once spent a year disguised as a Turkish immigrant worker to highlight the shortcomings of the German welfare state. Germany airliner cancels flights to Kabul The German airliner LTU has cancelled its direct flights to the Afghan capital Kabul due to security concerns. Specific warnings to the airline were not detailed. LTU had restarted its flights to Afghanistan in August, after a twenty-four year hiatus. Polluted ships to pass through world's busiest shipping lanes A fleet of 13 polluted US ships is set to pass through one the world's busiest shipping lanes as it makes its way to a British scrapyard. The navy ships are reportedly polluted with asbestos, diesel oil and toxic materials. The British company that was awarded the contract to scrap the vessels has now confirmed that the fleet will pass through the English Channel before arriving at a special dock in the northeastern Teeside region later next month. Earlier reports had said the ships, some of whom are over 40 years old, would travel around the tip of Scotland. Environmental groups have warned of the hazards involved in such a mission. However a company spokesman said the environmental risk was "minimal." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. You can even listen to all programmes as audio-on-demand. Serbian News Network - SNN [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.antic.org/
