Fatah backs Arafat as Palestinians signal unity

RAMALLAH, Nov 8: Palestinian President Yasser Arafat’s Fatah faction backed him retaining control of security services, as Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie signalled a possible end to a power struggle undermining a US-backed peace plan.

"You decide on the names (for a new Government) and I will accept your decision," Qurie was quoted as telling the Fatah central committee by a Palestinian official today.

Officials said Fatah — the dominant party in the Palestinian Parliament — voted last night for an Arafat loyalist, Hakam Balawi, to become the security chief in a new cabinet and rejected Qurie’s nominee.

Fatah attempted to soften the blow to Qurie’s power by appointing his man, General Nasser Yousef, to a National Security Council headed by Arafat that has overarching authority over security services.

Arafat’s refusal to cede security powers to his Prime Minister’s choice is likely to anger the United States and Israel. They have attempted to sideline Arafat and Israel has accused him of fomenting violence, a charge he denies.

The power struggle between Arafat and Qurie over control of Palestinian security forces has been delaying the formation of a Government and any chance of talks with Israel to revive the so-called peace "road map".

The United States and Israel have said Arafat must hand over security powers to a new independent Government for any peace talks to move forward.

In Ramallah, the two Palestinian leaders took their dispute to Fatah’s central committee. Arafat had opposed Qurie’s choice of Yousef to the Interior Minister post with consolidated control over security forces.

"The Fatah central committee has tonight approved that Hakam Balawi would be named Interior Minister and would only be in charge of internal security affairs," a senior Palestinian official to Reuters.

"It has also approved that the national security council headed by Arafat would be in charge of overall security," the official said. "This decision was taken while Qurie was at the meeting."

Arafat had converted Qurie’s emergency cabinet into a caretaker Government on Tuesday, hours before a deadline for a more permanent Government, to allow time to resolve the dispute.

In fresh violence yesterday, Israeli troops killed a 10-year-old Palestinian boy and three militants in the Gaza strip and in the West Bank they shot and killed two militants who had opened fire on them.

In an apparent attempt to Bolster Qurie, Israel eased a West Bank blockade yesterday. Palestinians said the removal of the Ein Arik checkpoint was the first sign Israel was implementing a pledge to ease a blockade around West Bank cities.

Israel says it erects such blockades to stop suicide bombers, who have killed hundreds of Israelis in a three-year-old uprising, from reaching its cities. Palestinians and human rights groups call such actions collective punishment.

The road map envisages a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza by 2005 and security guarantees for Israel.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell sent a letter to Israeli and Palestinian architects of a symbolic peace accord to welcome their initiative, but said washington remained committed to the road map.

Ministers in Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s right-wing Government dismissed the accord as a "virtual agreement" and accused its authors of harming Israeli national interests.

The architects of the so-called Geneva agreement, Israeli left-winger Yossi Beilin and former Palestinian Cabinet Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo, said they would hold a ceremony in Geneva on December 1 to launch their plan and gather public support. (AGENCIES)

2 gunmen killed after attempt to seize control tower in Manila

MANILA, Nov 8: A former Civil Aviation Official and an accomplice tried to seize a control tower at Manila’s international airport before dawn today and were killed in a gunfight with airport security officers.

Former air transportation office Chief Panfilo Villaruel and another armed man, Ricardo Gatchaliar, entered the airport control tower office at Ninoy Aquino International Airport shortly before midnight, said Airport Security Chief Angelo Atutubo.

Villaruel was motivated by a "personal grievance," said Ignacio Bunye, spokesman for president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who praised the response by authorities.

Brandishing handguns, the two men ordered the controllers out, Airport General Manager Edgardo Manda said.

The pair had turned off the lights and cut telephone lines in the tower, Atutubo said. Security officers tried to persuade the two to surrender but they refused. Atutubo said the two men were killed in the subsequent gunbattle.

"To prevent the disruption of airport operations and flights, we decided to do something," Atutubo told ABS-CBN television.

Gunfire was heard in a Dzbb Radio report.

"They are killing us. ... We surrender," Villaruel told Dzbb. Radio listeners then heard him gasping for breath.

Villaruel earlier said other people had joined him in taking over the 11-story tower, but it was unclear if any others were involved. No other casualties were reported from the standoff.

Villaruel had expressed despair over alleged Government corruption and what he described as the country’s aimless drift.

"If one engine goes to the left and the other goes to the right, we will surely crash," he told Dzbb radio before police stormed the tower. "Despite all my efforts to call the attention of the Congress, the senate and the military no one listens, so now maybe they will listen. ... I am not here to grab power. I just want to tell you that the Philippines will not go anywhere."

Arroyo condemned the men’s action.

"Nothing will ever justify the taking over of an international airport control tower and prejudice the lives of our passengers," she said in a statement. "There can be absolutely no excuse to terrorise the public in this manner." (AP)

S Lankan PM to take time to respond to President

COLOMBO, Nov 8: Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe may take several days before responding to the President’s call for an all-party Government to resolve the island’s political crisis, a spokesman said today.

The call for a new Government is part of a power struggle that began when President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s sacked three Cabinet Ministers and suspended Parliament this week, threatening a peace process with Tamil rebels.

"There will be no immediate response. The Prime Minister met the cabinet before the President’s speech and will have to meet them again," Government spokesman Gairuka Perusinghe told .

"It might take two or three days," he said.

Kumaratunga delivered a hard-hitting television address yesterday in which she said a grave threat to national security had forced her hand.

She asked Wickremesinghe to join her in a unity Government — an idea that has surfaced repeatedly over the past decade but has never been attempted because of deep policy and personal differences between the main parties.

"I call upon all parties in Parliament...To join me to form a grand alliance...With the objective of forming a Government of national reconciliation," she said.

Kumaratunga spoke hours after Wickremesinghe received a jubilant welcome after returning from the United States, where he received fresh backing for his peace plans from US President George W Bush.

Tens of thousands of well-wishers lined the highway from the airport chanting his name, dancing and waving banners as his convoy travelled at a walking pace into the capital.

While he was away, Kumaratunga, who has bitterly criticised his handling of peace moves with the rebels, sacked the ministers and suspended Parliament until November 19, plunging the island into crisis.

"Parliament must re-assemble. It is the only body with a mandate for negotiations," Wickremesinghe said.

The crisis has been looming since Wickremesinghe won Parliamentary elections in late 2001, campaigning on a platform of peace talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), defeating Kumaratunga’s party.

The Norwegian embassy said Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen would go ahead with a visit from Monday aimed at paving the way for resuming direct talks between the rebels and the Government after they stalled in April.

A Norwegian-brokered ceasefire has mostly held since February 2002, but Kumaratunga said Wickremesinghe’s handling of the peace process was faulty.

"During the last two years, the sovereignty of the state of Sri Lanka, its territorial integrity and the security of the nation have been placed in grave danger," said Kumaratunga, who was seriously wounded by a rebel suicide bomber in 1999.

But kumaratunga denied she was trying to scuttle the peace process, saying the ceasefire would stand and that wickremesinghe would continue pursuing peace.

The LTTE had no immediate comment, spokesman Daya Master said today. But on Friday, LTTE military leader Colonel V Karuna called for calm.

"We have to observe the political turmoil in Colombo quite soberly...We can remain patient as long as we are strong," he was quoted as saying by the pro-reble Tamil net web site.

Political observers said the political standoff could end in a general election, the third in four years. (AGENCIES)

India, Nepal sign agreement on first rail link

KATHMANDU, Nov 8: India and Nepal have signed an agreement to set up the first ever rail link between the two countries.

A railway agreement for the operation of the multi-million dollar Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Birgunj, bordering India, was signed here yesterday.

The agreement, inked by the Indian Ambassador to Nepal Shyam Sharan and the Nepalese Commerce Secretary Dinesh Chandra Pyakurel, clears the plying of cargo trains between the two countries, to and from Birgunj, according to sources in the Commerce Ministry here.

India has constructed a 5.4 Km long railway line from Raxaul to Birgunj at a cost of Rs 170 million, according to Indian embassy sources here.

The World Bank has provided a soft loan of USd 13 million for the construction of the ICD, Pyakurel said.

It is estimated that Nepal will save 16 million dollars in transport cost annually as a result of the ICD.

"Nepal’s international trade as well as bilateral trade with India is expected to increase manifold after the ICD comes into operation.

This will reduce the transport cost of raw materials imported by Nepal from a third country by 30-40 per cent, which will ultimately help increase Nepal’s export trade," Pyakurel told PTI.

The Nepalese Government is considering proposals from private companies to operate the ICD, which will come into operation within four months, Pyakurel said.

Some eight to nine joint venture companies are participating in the global tender to operate the dry port on lease basis and Nepal’s multimodal transport board will soon hand over the management to an Indo-Nepal joint venture company, he said.

Though the ICD was ready in 2000, the agreement could not be inked due to some differences between Nepalese and Indian officials regarding the modalities of operation of the railway service, a source close to the Commerce Ministry here disclosed.

However, now both the sides have sorted out the differences and agreed to operate the railway service compatible to the laws of both the countries. Nepal will soon formulate an appropriate railway act that is compatible with the Indian Railway Act to facilitate the service, Pyakurel said.

Under the agreement, Indian and Nepalese officials will carry out joint inspection of the containers being transported from Calcutta port to Birgunj customs in Nepal.

The two Governments have also agreed to meet every six months to review the operations of the railway service and resolve problems arising in the functioning of the ICD. (PTI)

Al-Qaeda intends to use cargo planes to target US nuke plants

NEW YORK, Nov 8: American law enforcement agencies went on a alert today following "credible intelligence" reports that Al-Qaeda may be planning to hijack cargo planes and then crashing them into US targets such as nuclear plants and other critical infrastructure.

Washington also decided to shut down its missions in Saudi Arabia for an undetermined period from today after receiving intelligence that Al-Qaeda operatives have progressed from planning to operational stage.

In Afghanistan, officials warned journalists to be careful as there were reports that Taliban were looking out for American media persons.

Homeland security department officials said the most imminent threats were aimed at US targets overseas but the possibility of attacks on American soil could not be ruled out.

The threat was strikingly similar to September 11, 2001 attacks in which 19 Al-Qaeda operatives had hijacked four planes, crashed two into the twin towers of the World Trade Center and one into Pentagon in Washington. The fourth plane had crashed as passengers struggled with the hijackers, they said.

The New York State Advisory said "soft targets" such as shopping malls, power plants, nuclear power plants and marine facilities and vessels reachable by SCUBA were of primary concern. Similar warnings were also sent to law enforcement agencies in other parts of the country.

Patrols along bridges, tunnels and airports have been increased and security across the state strengthened.

"The US intelligence community remains concerned about Al-Qaeda’s interest in carrying out attacks on US overseas. We also remain concerned about threats to the aviation industry and the use of cargo planes to carry out attacks on critical infrastructure," an official of the Homeland Security Department was quoted by NBC television network as saying.

The officials, however, decided against raising the terror threat level from yellow or elevated to orange or high. Instead, they sent out warnings to local law enforcement agencies across the country.

They reportedly received intelligence early Thursday indicating that terrorists might be planning to hijack cargo jets in Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean and then simultaneously crashing them into domestic targets. (PTI)

Police arrest students at New York Gay high school

NEW YORK, Nov 8: Five boys who attend a New York high school for Gay and Lesbian students are accused of dressing as female prostitutes and robbing unsuspecting customers, police said yesterday.

Dressed as women, the five approached men seeking prostitutes in Manhattan’s west village, a popular spot for the illicit sex trade. They then posed as undercover police as they stripped their victims of their wallets, credit cards, bank cards and cash, police said.

The youths, all aged 17 except for one 16-year-old, are charged with robbery and criminal impersonation of a police officer and will be charged as adults, police said.

Wearing wigs, earrings and makeup, the youths robbed five men, flashing phony police badges and handcuffing their victims, police said.

"You couldn’t put this in a book. Nobody would believe it," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a weekly radio appearance.

The teens attend the city’s Harvey milk high school for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and transgender students, police said.

They are suspected of committing other robberies as well, and police are asking other possible victims to come forward.

The youths were arrested Thursday by plainclothes police who recognized one of them from the victims’ descriptions. (AGENCIES)

China warns Kiribati to rethink new Taiwan ties

BEIJING, Nov 8: China has warned the Government of Kiribati to reconsider its move to drop ties with Beijing and establish diplomatic relations with arch-rival Taiwan, or take responsibility for the consequences.

"We express our extreme indignation and resolute opposition to the move," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said in a statement posted on the ministry web site, www.Fmprc.Gov.Cn, today.

The Government of Kiribati "must immediately correct its wrong decision to establish ‘diplomatic ties’ with Taiwan. Otherwise, it must take full responsibility for all serious consequences that will result from it," she said.

Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry announced on Friday that it had established diplomatic relations with the Republic of Kiribati, a tiny South Pacific island nation, bringing to 27 the number of countries to recognise Taiwan.

China regards self-governing Taiwan as a breakaway province that must eventually be politically reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary.

Taipei and Beijing accuse each other of using money — so-called "dollar diplomacy" — to sway potential allies back and forth between the two rivals, which split after a civil war ended in China in 1949.

Just last month, Liberia cut ties with Taipei and switched recognition to Beijing.

Zhang called the Kiribati’s move an "open betrayal" of the communique signed between the Pacific state and China in 1980 on establishing relations and said it interfered in China’s domestic affairs. (AGENCIES)

US Agriculture Secretary to tour Iraq farm regions

WASHINGTON, Nov 8: US Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman will travel to Iraq next week to get a first-hand look at efforts to rebuild food and agriculture sectors in that war-torn country, potentially an important market for American commodities.

The United States donated grain to Iraq earlier this year, when a US-led war to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein created fears of widespread food shortages.

More recently, the Bush administration awarded a 36.9 million dollars contract to an American consulting firm to help coordinate reforms in Iraq’s agriculture sector.

USDA did not indicate that Veneman’s trip would result in any announcements of near-term sales of farm goods to Iraq.

USDA said Veneman also will visit Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, other recipients of American food assistance.

"The visits will provide an opportunity to evaluate the progress being made in the food and agriculture sectors in Iraq and Afghanistan," according to a USDA statement.

Veneman will be the second Bush cabinet head to travel to Iraq in a month. (AGENCIES)

Western Sudan needs more aid after cease-fire-UN

UNITED NATION, Nov 8: A recent cease-fire has done little to ease suffering in western Sudan as few aid workers are in the area while those who are there cannot easily get to those in need, the United Nations said.

Some 500,000 to 600,000 people have been driven from their homes in western Sudan since the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army emerged in February as a fighting force in the arid and poor Darfur region, the world body’s office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs said yesterday.

That brings to 4 million the total number of Sudanese believed to have been forced from their homes in the strife-torn northeast African nation, making Sudan home to the world’s largest population of homeless people, the office said.

A second civil war, in southern Sudan, has raged for the past two decades, although peace talks between the Sudanese Government and the rebel group involved in that conflict are making progress in Kenya, with both sides pledging to reach a comprehensive peace deal by the end of December.

About 70,000 of the homeless in western Sudan have sought refugee in neighboring chad, while most of the others have fled to Kutum and Kebkabya in north Darfur, the office said.

New Government travel permit restrictions that took effect on Oct 1 have made it difficult for aid workers to get around, the office said.

Aid supplies have been insufficient, and what is available has in some cases reached only urban areas, it said, adding that clean water, sanitation gear, health care and educational materials were urgently needed.

The Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and the Government reached a cease-fire agreement in September, and a one-month extension of the pact was signed earlier this week.

As part of the deal, both sides agreed to allow humanitarian aid into conflict areas.

But the UN office called for a clause on humanitarian aid to be added to the accord that would provide for both unimpeded access to those in need and the protection of aid workers. (AGENCIES)

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