WASHINGTON, Dec 18: Russia has recalled its Ambassador to the United States to protest US President Bill Clinton’s decision to....more

Iraq strike set dangerous precedent: China

BEIJING, Dec 18: China’s ruling party mouthpiece, the people’s daily, today blasted US air strikes on Iraq, saying the military ..more

Fayed settles suit with
bodyguard in Diana crash

LONDON, Dec 18: Mr Mohamed Al Fayed has agreed to pay an unspecified amount to a former bodyguard who claims.....more

Lanka’s concern over
US attack on Iraq

COLOMBO, Dec 18: Sri Lanka has expressed ‘grave concern’ over the unilateral action of launching air strike on Iraq and called....more

Muslim watchers prepare
to sight Ramadan moon

DUBAI, Dec 18: Muslims scan the skies tonight in search of the new moon to proclaim the start of Islam ‘s holiest month ...more

WASHINGTON, Dec 18: Speaker-elect of the US House of representatives.....more

Most Nato allies support
US airstrikes on Iraq

UNDATED: Fear of greater instability in West Asia and a surge of sympathy......more

Chief Weapon Inspector
defends report on Iraq

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 18: Facing sharp criticism from Russia and China, Chief UN.....more

Attack on Iraq to be
over by weekend: Report

WASHINGTON, Dec 18: The US-led military strike on Iraq will be concluded by the weekend....more

Bill Clinton

Clinton will not resign:
White House

WASHINGTON, Dec 18: US President Bill Clinton has....more

Russia recalls Ambassador to protest attack on Iraq

WASHINGTON, Dec 18: Russia has recalled its Ambassador to the United States to protest US President Bill Clinton’s decision to launch air attacks against Iraq, the State Department said.

Ambassador Yuli M Vorontsov is flying home to Moscow for "consultations," the State Department’s spokesman James P Rubin said. He called the development "unfortunate."

"The Russians have informed us that is their decision, but we expect to continue to work with Russia on a variety of levels on the many issues of importance to Russia and to US around the world," Mr Rubin said.

Mr Clinton was expected to telephone Russian President Boris Yeltsin today in another effort to persuade him to back the United States on the attack. Vice-President Al Gore called Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov yesterday with the same appeal.

Mr Clinton, Mr Gore and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright reached out yesterday for wider support around the world for a sustained military assault on Iraq. They also failed to sway China and France, in addition to Russia.

"One thing is clear," Ms Albright said after talking with leaders in more than 20 countries. "The international community is firm in its determination the way forward is for Iraq to comply fully" with UN Weapons Inspectors.

Mr Yeltsin said in Moscow that "Russia demands an immediate end to military action, to show common sense and restraint and not to allow further escalation of the conflict."

Mr Rubin said the United States had long had differences with Russia on the question of using force against Iraq. "Their reaction is not a surprise," he said.

As US and British forces struck again at Iraqi targets, Mr Clinton telephoned President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, King Hussein of Jordan, President Jacques Chirac of France and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Mr Gore, meanwhile, talked to Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov in what appeared to be an unsuccessful pitch.

The Vice-President told Mr Primakov the administration had "gone the last mile" to get President Saddam Hussein to comply with UN Security Council resolutions that authorise the rebuffed inspections, but the Russian Minister said the Kremlin opposed the use of force in Iraq and there had to be a new UN resolution to authorise it, a Gore aide said.

White House national security spokesman David Leavy declined to characterise what Mr Clinton said to the leaders. "They were all good, constructive conversations," Mr Leavy said. (AP)

Iraq strike set dangerous precedent: China

BEIJING, Dec 18: China’s ruling party mouthpiece, the people’s daily, today blasted US air strikes on Iraq, saying the military action set a dangerous precedent.

The unilateral move by the United States has set a dangerous and odious precedent and shocked the entire world, the newspaper said in a commentary.

The strongly worded editorial added that the attack had no just rationale and was based on a flawed report delivered to the UN Security Council by Richard Butler, UN Special Commission (UNSCOM) Chief Arms Inspector for Iraq.

In reality, the UNSCOM report is only an excuse for the United States, the newspaper said. There is no legal basis for the strikes.

The attacks have led to a serious deterioration of global peace and stability and have fueled a rise in ethnic tensions, it added.

The paper also lashed out at Washington for ignoring United Nations’ charters and international norms.

At the turn of the century, the US action impels the international community to make a solemn choice: Do we want a peaceful 21st century, or one of hegemonic menace?

President Jiang Zemin sent a written message to the White House, urging US President Bill Clinton to immediately cease the military operation, state television reported yesterday.

Jiang also discussed the crisis by telephone with Russian President Boris Yeltsin, the television added. (REUTERS)

Fayed settles suit with bodyguard in Diana crash

LONDON, Dec 18: Mr Mohamed Al Fayed has agreed to pay an unspecified amount to a former bodyguard who claims he was pressured to quit after refusing to appear in a documentary about the Paris car crash that killed Princess Diana and Mr Al Fayed’s son.

Mr Alexander Wingfield had testified during a hearing this week that the billionaire owner of the harrods department store wanted him to help advance the theory that Princess Diana and boyfriend Dodi Fayed were murdered.

As a result of his reluctance, Mr Wingfield said yesterday, he felt pressured to resign. He then sued one of Mr Al Fayed’s companies, Hyde Park residence, for breach of contract.

The settlement was announced on the second day of a hearing on the suit.

During the hearing, Mr Wingfield also testified that Mr Al Fayed had introduced him to the maker of the documentary as the person responsible for the August 31, 1997, crash.

Mr Al Fayed has publicly blamed Mr Wingfield and bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, the sole survivor in the wrecked mercedes, for the accident.

He has said they should have insisted on a backup car and should not have allowed driver Henri Paul, who also died, to take the route he did. He also said Mr Rees-Jones should have insisted Princess Diana and his son wear a seat belt, as the bodyguard did.

"The parties accept that in good faith their recollections differ about the circumstances leading to Mr Wingfield’s resignation," a joint statement on the settlement said. (AP)

Lanka’s concern over US attack on Iraq

COLOMBO, Dec 18: Sri Lanka has expressed ‘grave concern’ over the unilateral action of launching air strike on Iraq and called upon the United States and Britain to exercise restraint in the situation and immediately return to diplomacy and negotiations.

"The Government and the people of Sri Lanka have been gravely concerned about the turn of events in Iraq and the air attack by the US and Britain," a Foreign Ministry statement said.

It further stated that any action towards the settlement of all complex issues in respect of Iraq should be in accordance with the irrelevant UN resolutions and on the basis of the principles of the United Nations charter, and not through unilateral action. "Sri Lanka has consistently opposed the use of force in the resolution of international disputes."

The efforts of the UN Secretary-General have not been successful in resolving the crisis in Iraqi, it pointed out.

Further, Sri Lankans who have historic ties with the people of Iraq are particularly concerned about the grave situation of civil casualties. The innocent people of Iraq must not become victims in this conflict.

The statement urged the international community to move decisively towards the review and removal of sanctions place don Iraq. (UNI)

Muslim watchers prepare to sight Ramadan moon

DUBAI, Dec 18: Muslims scan the skies tonight in search of the new moon to proclaim the start of Islam ‘s holiest month of Ramadan — a sensitive time for the faithful reflecting on U.S and British attacks on Iraq.

As devout Muslims began the first of their five daily prayers today and awaited the new moon’s slim crescent after nightfall, Iraqis ended two nights under sustained missile attack and bombardment.

A second U.S Aircraft Carrier Battle Group was due in the Gulf region today, with expectations of a continued assault on Iraq.

All the signs from Washington are that, while wary of initiating military action during Ramadan, the Clinton administration is less concerned about continuing its campaign as Muslims observe the most sacred month in their calendar.

Religious authorities appointed to moon-sighting committees in Muslim countries begin scanning the skies tonight for the first glimpse of the new moon.

Once sighted, they will declare that Ramadan begins the next day. If cloud cover or bad weather obscures their view of the new moon, then Ramadan would likely begin on Sunday.

The imminence of Ramadan concentrated the minds of U.S President Bill Clinton and his national security advisers. And it presented a narrow window of opportunity for action against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. (REUTERS)

US House Speaker -elect offers to reign

WASHINGTON, Dec 18: Speaker-elect of the US House of representatives Bob Livingston admitted to several sexual affairs today and offered to resign even before taking over.

In a letter to House Republicans, Livingston said he had never had an affair with an employee and has never been asked to testify under oath.

He, however, admitted to a past extra-marital relationship after the media started investigating reports suggesting the same.

Some reports said the Republican leadership is likely to stand behind him.

Livingston’s revelation is going to affect his moral authority during impeachment proceedings against President Clinton which are due to begin later today. (PTI)

Most Nato allies support US airstrikes on Iraq

UNDATED: Fear of greater instability in West Asia and a surge of sympathy for the Iraqi people has led many to oppose US and British air strikes on Baghdad. Most Aato allies, however, backed the attacks.

Russian President Boris Yeltsin yesterday denounced the attack with a warning that it could shatter regional security, while China and France appealed for an immediate end to the strikes. They, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, can Veto resolutions. Britain and the United States are the other two permanent members, leaving that body deeply divided.

The security council makes the final decision on when to lift the sanctions imposed after Iraq’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait, which sparked the Gulf war. The council has said it will not do so until inspectors certify the destruction of Iraq’s weapons programmes.

During the 1991 Gulf war, the West and part of the Muslim world lined up against Iraq. Now, there is little consensus even on the question of whether the United States and Britain had the right to attack without council approval. That would have been nearly impossible to get, with China, Russia and France urging adoption of a more conciliatory line.

France, which had a good trade relationship with Iraq before sanctions were imposed, blamed both sides. But Saddam Hussein is the person who bears the main responsibility for the conflict, French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine said.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, a strong US ally, said the Iraqi President had only himself to blame.

Italian premier Massimo D’Alema was quoted in newspapers yesterday as saying that "the strikes were legitimate but useless."

Others urged US President Bill Clinton to end the military operation quickly.

"We hope that the air operations will not last long," Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said. "No harm should come to the civilian populations."

Russia’s warning about the possibility of greater instability is a familiar concern. Mr Saddam’s bloody rule has left little in the way of successors outside his immediate family, and some fear that his removal could lead to Iraq’s disintegration into warring camps.

Iran fought a 1980-88 war against Iraq, yet opposed the American military strikes yesterday.

"Such unilateral attacks against Iraq will lead to even more pain and misery for the people of that country and will bring about insecurity in the region," Iranian television reported a Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying.

Supporters of the airstrikes said doing nothing could have been even more dangerous.

"The developing of mass-destruction weapons is a threat against stability and security in the whole region," Norwegian Foreign Minister Knut Vollebaek told local media.

In Yugoslavia, which narrowly avoided US airstrikes just two months ago, newspapers were clearly sympathetic to iraq. "US and British aggression against Iraq" blared a headline in belgrade.

Right-wing Pakistani religious groups burned effigies of Mr Clinton in Islamabad. Protest leader Sajjid Chaudhry warned that

muslims can strike anywhere, anytime.

And in the West Bank and Gaza, thousands of Palestinians quickly turned against Mr Clinton. The protesters chanted "death to America" and burned the same American flags they had waved just three days earlier during Clinton’s historic visit. (AP)

Chief Weapon Inspector defends report on Iraq

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 18: Facing sharp criticism from Russia and China, Chief UN Weapons Inspector Richard Butler defended his report that Iraq did not fully cooperate with UN monitors and said he had absolutely no intention of quitting.

"I want to say simply, slowly and plainly that any suggestion that that report was not factual, was not objective, is utterly false," he said yesterday.

Butler also dismissed as "utterly wrong" any suggestion that the report’s release Tuesday night was timed to suit the US Government and help President Bill Clinton deflect attention from impeachment proceedings.

Speaking hours after Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said Moscow would insist on his dismissal, Mr Butler was asked if he would quit. "Absolutely not," he shot back.

The UN Special Commission, known as UNSCOM, which Butler heads, is charged with verifying the destruction of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. Over the past month Inspectors tested the promise Iraq made on November. 14, under threat of US and British airstrikes, to resume full cooperation with UNSCOM.

Mr Butler’s report, which triggered US and British airstrikes Wednesday, concluded that Iraq had not cooperated fully and had placed new obstacles on the Inspectors’ work.

During a divisive UN Security Council meeting Wednesday night, China’s UN Ambassador Qin Huasun said Mr Butler had played "a dishonourable role in this crisis" and called the report "unfounded and evasive of the facts."

Russia’s UN Envoy, Sergey Lavrov, who called the formal council meeting, said the report’s conclusion was biased and he echoed Iraq’s contention that Mr Butler had cited only five incidents in 300 inspection operations.

Russia, China, Iraq and Kenya called for a cease-fire at Wednesday night’s council meeting but no action was taken because of divisions among the 15 members.

The council scheduled another meeting on Iraq for today.

Mr Butler said he expected the security council in the days and weeks ahead to again tell Iraq to cooperate with UNSCOM.

Mr Butler was asked why UNSCOM’s conclusions were in sharp contrast to the report of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which concluded that Baghdad had cooperated with nuclear inspectors.

He said the IAEA’s job was different because it was dealing with a nuclear weapons program "that was in the making" which is vastly different from UNSCOM’s work with already completed missiles, chemical and biological weapons.

Iraq’s UN Ambassador Nizar Hamdoon said the United States claims to be after Iraq’s weapons, but he said Washington’s real aim is to topple Mr Saddam Hussein.

"I don’t think it’s a question of those weapons," Hamdoon said on CNN’s "Larry king live". They know for sure that there is no more such weapons in the whole country of Iraq." (AP)

Attack on Iraq to be over by weekend: Report

WASHINGTON, Dec 18: The US-led military strike on Iraq will be concluded by the weekend, ABC television has reported quoting unnamed Pentagon sources.

The report gave no further details but quoted the sources as saying that it appears that the attack will be wrapped up by then.

US officials said they were mindful of the beginning and were hopefully ending the attack before the start of Ramzan, the Muslim holy month which begins this weekend.

But they also insisted that while that was their goal they would not be held to any artificial timetables for completing the military strikes. (AP)

Clinton will not resign: White House

WASHINGTON, Dec 18: US President Bill Clinton has no plans to resign if the house of representatives approves articles of impeachment against him, the White House has said.

You’ve heard from the President on this subject several times, White House spokesman Joe Lockhart told reporters yesterday.

Clinton has inisisted that he will never resign over the growing scandal surrounding him over the Monica Lewinsky sex-and-lies affair.

Asked whether the President thought he would be able to govern if the house — as expected — sends the articles of impeachment to the senate, Lockhart responded, Yes, he does.

The President belives, and I think you have seen a demonstration of it, that he can act in what he beleives is (in) the best interest of the country, and in the best interest of our national security and vital interests, he said.

Clinton still has a full 1999 legislative programme for lawmakers, he added.

He belives he should not have been sidetracked by the Republicans for their own partisan advantage. (AP)