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Israeli women’s group monitors soldiers at checkpoints BEIT UMAR CHECKPOINT, WEST BANK, Nov 26: A Palestinian taxi driver, his keys confiscated by Israeli soldiers at an Army checkpoint, .....more Gun inventor Kalashnikov dreams of world peace DELFT, NETHERLANDS, Nov 26: The inventor of what has been described as the world’s most important and widespread weapon says he has...more Unsung
US soldiers TIKRIT, IRAQ, Nov 26: When American soldiers fighting in Iraq swell with pride .....more ‘Lanka Govt should see that there is no return to war’ COLOMBO, Nov 26: Sri Lanka’s Tamil tiger rebels have told visiting EU External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten ......more |
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Young Vietnamese are main landmine victims -Survey HANOI, Nov 26: Landmines kill and maim the young in Vietnam and most of the victims are male, poor, ethnic minorities living in a remote area, the .....more China warns Taiwan again, but backs off war talk BEIJING, Nov 26: China warned Taiwan today it would respond strongly if the island moved closer to a popular vote on independence when its ....more Africa has more than 11 million AIDS orphans - UNICEF JOHANNESBURG, Nov 26: Aids has already orphaned more than 11 million children across Africa, and the worst....more Thai
PM plays down BANGKOK, Nov 26: Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra Wednesday ...more |
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Israeli women’s group monitors soldiers at checkpoints BEIT UMAR CHECKPOINT, WEST BANK, Nov 26: A Palestinian taxi driver, his keys confiscated by Israeli soldiers at an Army checkpoint, looked with weary eyes for help from an Israeli woman observing the scene. Neta Efroni, a retired television director, belongs to "machsom (checkpoint) watch", a group of Israeli women who monitor soldiers at checkpoints and try to persuade them to smooth the way for Palestinians hoping to pass. Trying to help the stranded taxi driver, described by the Army as suspicious, Efroni turned to the soldier and told him: "The driver didn’t understand you." The soldier, speaking in even tones, replied: "He understood me. We will give the keys back in two hours." Unlike most human rights organisations helping Palestinians, Machsom watch is an all-Israeli group of nearly 200 women, many of them in their 60s, who converse freely and comfortably with soldiers. "It’s a peculiar relationship between the soldiers and us, being Israeli women who can be friends of their mothers or their grandmothers. They can’t just push us away," said Yehudit Elkana, who served in Israel’s Army in 1952. Israel has kept Palestinians under tight travel restrictions during a three-year-old uprising in the Gaza Strip and West Bank and says checkpoints are necessary to prevent attacks on Jewish settlements and Israeli cities. Palestinians say they are a form of collective punishment on civilians not involved in militant activities. The taxi driver stopped at the beit umar checkpoint got his keys back as promised after what the Army said was a security check. Machsom watch says its numbers are increasing, a reflection of growing public criticism in Israel over tough military measures against Palestinians. Israel’s biggest newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, profiled the group a week after the tabloid featured an unprecedented joint interview with four former security chiefs who attacked the government’s hard line in the West Bank and Gaza. "The roadblocks spawn so much hate...(Palestinian life) is impossible, with the daily humiliation and arbitrariness faced at checkpoints," said Rachel Freudenthal, a college history lecturer who volunteers for Machsom watch. "What we are doing is horrible, not just for Palestinians...Misconduct (by soldiers) translates into misbehaviour in society, and it is ruining us," said Rina, who declined to give her family name, after watching a soldier order a Palestinian to lift his shirt in a search for weapons. Machsom watch began in Jerusalem with a few volunteers four months after the outset of the Palestinian uprising in 2000. Two months ago, the group expanded to Tel Aviv with some 70 more women volunteering to monitor checkpoints in the central and northern West Bank. Jewish settlers have called the women "traitors" who help "terrorists". But the women partly blame Israeli policies for Palestinian attacks. "Our friend was killed in a terrorist attack at (Jerusalem’s) Hebrew University," Freudenthal said. "As long as there is occupation, there is a bad seed producing a rotten situation." Most machsom watch volunteers grew up in socialist youth movements, entrenched in the zionist ideals of the early days of Israel before it seized the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the 1967 W Asia war. Many served in the Army before the Israeli occupation. "We didn’t really know (Palestinians) were there," said freudenthal, who was raised on a kibbutz, or collective farm, in central Israel. On daily machsom watch patrols — about once a week for each volunteer — women speak with Palestinians and document their hardships on videotapes and published reports distributed to the Israeli media. At a roadblock near Bethlehem, Murad Karaja, a 28-year-old Palestinian doctor, was waiting for a ride to Jerusalem’s Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, where he was to start a new job. "Who are you?" a surprised Karaja asked the women. A smile crept across his face as they voiced their opposition to the barrier blocking his journey. "Yery good," he said. (AGENCIES) |
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Gun inventor Kalashnikov dreams of world peace DELFT, NETHERLANDS, Nov 26: The inventor of what has been described as the world’s most important and widespread weapon says he has one wish before he dies — to live in a society without war. "What I want is to live to see that moment when there is peace and happiness on the planet," Mikhail Kalashnikov, who created the assault rifle that bears his name. "I want my legacy to be the spread of peace in the world that the murders stop, that the wars stop and that politicians learn to settle their problems in a peaceful way." Kalashnikov, 84, says that despite its proliferation in war zones around the world, he has never really viewed his invention as a killing machine, but as an instrument of peace. Nearly six decades of test-firing have left the sprightly Kalashnikov — now a decorated general — hard of hearing. But he speaks clearly and passionately of what led him to create the AK-47, literally the "automatic Kalashnikov, 1947". Kalashnikov says he envisioned the gun in the early years of World War 2 while recovering from combat wounds as his country reeled from the Nazi onslaught in a conflict that would claim the lives of more than 25 million Soviet citizens. "I created this weapon because of Germany and the war. I was a soldier then. Soldiers need a simple and reliable weapon," Kalashnikov, the rows of medals on his chest sparkling in the light, said in an interview. In the Dutch city of Delft for an exhibition on the AK-47, the former tank Commander rejected suggestions that he or his rifle were in any way responsible for the conflicts in which it has been used. "No single gun starts a war," he said. "All kinds of weapons are used in modern warfare. Therefore you can’t say there is any relationship between this weapon and any war." To enthusiasts, the Kalashnikov is a symbol of perfection. Sleek, light and simple, the gun has changed little since it was first manufactured and most professional soldiers who use it see no reason why it should have. The Kalashnikov is nearly impervious to sand, water and mud — unlike many analogues. It is cheap to produce and its compact size makes it easier to smuggle than many others, all of which has added to its appeal in certain circles. Jane’s infantry weapons describes the Kalashnikov as the most important and widespread weapon in the world and estimates that well in excess of 50 million have been sold. Kalashnikov, who lives on a pension worth less than 500 euros ( 593) a month, has not earned a penny from the weapon because soviet citizens were forbidden from patenting their inventions. He does not complain, saying instead that the Soviet — and later the Russian — state have given him ample rewards, including a modest summer cottage in the Russian countryside and a four-room apartment. "Why is everyone so concerned with all that green stuff... There is much more to life than money," he said. "How many people can tell you they’ve had a bronze bust dedicated to them during their lifetime?" Despite such sentiment, Kalashnikov earlier this year sealed an unlikely alliance with a German firm to which wants to use his name to produce goods such as watches, razors and umbrellas. They will all be as reliable as the guns, he says. The same simplicity and reliability of the Kalashnikov that helped a poorly-supplied Soviet army fend off the Nazi invasion makes it readily usable by child soldiers in Africa and Asia. It is a mainstay virtually — and quite often on both sides — every time war erupts in the developing world. In some parts of the globe, Kalashnikovs are more common than refrigerators, cell phones or even indoor plumbing. Kalashnikov is angered by questions about child soldiers, estimated by the United Nations at 300,000 in Government armies, rebel forces and guerrilla groups in more than 30 countries. "I know they exist but I have never seen one," he said, adding, "I am not the one who puts the gun in their hands. And perhaps that is a good thing." Kalashnikov says he sometimes wishes he had invented something more useful and less obviously linked to violence, "such as a lawn mower". But he is unapologetic and insists that his rifle has brought good into the world.’’ "Why do people always ask me about the damage it has brought? Many countries who have used the weapon have won themselves freedom. Look at Mozambique. On their flag they have the AK-47," Kalashnikov said. "Once, when I met the Defence Minister there, he told me that...Soldiers returning home started naming their children ‘Kalash’. Come and see, he said, in every village you will find 10 kids named Kalash. That is not an insignificant thing." (AGENCIES) |
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Unsung US soldiers try to feel part of Iraq war TIKRIT, IRAQ, Nov 26: When American soldiers fighting in Iraq swell with pride as commanders pin medals on their chests, spare a thought for staff sergeant James Hooks and the many other troops who plug away in non-combat roles. Hooks processes forms for soldiers at the US 4th infantry division base in Saddam Hussein’s home town of Tikrit who want mid-term leave or need other requests met. It might not be glamorous, but it can still be dangerous. Hooks, from Atlanta, Georgia, said some of his colleagues had been wounded in mortar attacks on the base. Like other non-combat soldiers who live inside dozens of Saddam’s former palaces across this base, Hooks said combat troops sometimes unload their frustrations on him. "They think we’re living better. We get a hot meal and they’re on Mres," said Hooks, 32, referring to meals ready to eat, the rations troops live on when off base. It was important for all soldiers to feel part of efforts to stabilise Iraq, Hooks and other non-combat troops said — even if most attention focused on the soldiers in the field. More than 3,000 American men and women soldiers live at this sprawling compound in Tikrit, a hub of anti-American sentiment about 150 Km north of Baghdad. Soldiers from postal workers to engineers carry M-16s or sidearms and wear their helmets outside. Women are no exception. Mortar attacks are common and small-arms fire is often heard near the base. With many soldiers on a year’s assignment to Iraq, maintaining unity and morale is vital. One woman who once had a specialised role but no longer does is private Andrea Zimmerman, from grafton, illinois. The 31-year-old, who calls herself Z, is the division’s representative on nuclear, biological and chemical threats. But since no such weapons have been found and troops no longer worry about them, she got bored and volunteered for postal duty. "I don’t feel I’m part of it," she said of her original role. Working in the postal unit made her feel better, she said. Some soldiers in support roles know how important they are. "If it wasn’t for US mechanics, they wouldn’t keep rolling," said staff Sergeant Patrick Wolf, 27, a swarthy, tobacco-chewing man from Crosby, north Dakota, referring to the broken-down humvees sitting in his motorpool. Wearing dirty green overalls, the motorpool foreman said he had little contact with combat troops, but said everybody had a sense of danger here. Wolf should know. Nearly every day he downs tools for a run through Tikrit to a supply yard south of the town, sometimes manning a 50-calibre machinegun mounted on a humvee. "Fortunately, of the convoys I’ve been in, we’ve never been attacked," said Wolf. Then there is specialist Jeremy King, 28, from Dallas, Texas. With an M-16 assault rifle slung over his shoulder, king explains he is a chaplain’s assistant. King does not preach but feels he helps meet the religious needs of troops, along with taking care of his boss. "We’re the ones who try to keep the Chaplain alive," he said. (AGENCIES) |
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‘Lanka Govt should see that there is no return to war’ COLOMBO, Nov 26: Sri Lanka’s Tamil tiger rebels have told visiting EU External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten that they were committed to peace but the onus of maintaining the current ceasefire rests on the island’s Government. "Our leader Velupillai Prabhakaran told Patten it is not at all in the hands of the liberation tigers to ensure that there is no return to violence," tiger political wing leader S P Thamilselvan said. "It is completely up to the Sinhala polity to see there is no return to war," he told reporters in the rebel-held town of Kilinochchi shortly after Patten’s talks with Prabhakaran who marked his 49th birthday today. Thamilselvan was quoted in the pro-rebel tamilnet.Com website as saying that Prabhakaran made it clear to Patten that they remained committed to resolving the conflict peacefully. Patten brushed aside protests in the capital to go ahead with his meeting with Prabhakaran. His three-day visit here began yesterday with a noisy protest by the Sinhalese hard-line Patriotic National Movement (PNM) which draws support from key members of President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s party. Patten had talks with President Kumaratunga yesterday and later told reporters that no leader he met that day objected to his travelling to the island’s north for talks with Prabhakaran. Patten said he would be seeking assurances from Prabhakaran that he was committed to implementing the ceasefire brokered and put into operation since February last year by Norway. (PTI) |
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Young Vietnamese are main landmine victims -Survey HANOI, Nov 26: Landmines kill and maim the young in Vietnam and most of the victims are male, poor, ethnic minorities living in a remote area, the country’s first comprehensive landmine survey shows. Conducted in Quang Tri province, the most heavily bombed region during the 10-year Vietnam war, the survey found that 2,540 people have died and 4,243 were injured from landmines and unexploded ordnance during the period from 1975 to 2002. The war between northern communists and the US-backed south Vietnam ended in April 1975 but left a legacy of mines, especially along the former demilitarised zone at the 17th parallel that divided the two sides. "This is the first ever comprehensive survey conducted on mine incidents in Vietnam," Tony Bloomberg, Vietnam representative for UNICEF, the United Nations’ agency for children, told today. "Many of the victims of mine incidents are children," he added, explaining why UNICEF had funded the study. Completed at the end of 2002, the study, partly sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund in America found that accidents were most common among those 21 years or younger, accounting for 53 percent of all injuries and fatalities. "Males, members of ethnic minority groups (PA Co and Van Kieu), the poor and those living in remote areas have suffered a disproportionately high number of casualties," the survey said. Agent orange, a defoliant used by US forces to deny their enemy food and cover, was also widely used in Quang Tri, but the survey focused only on leftover bombs. Project renew, which aims to restore mined lands for civilian use in Vietnam, conducted the survey that covered 12,000 households in Quang Tri province, spending a month on data collection and analysing the results this year. Such landmine surveys are common in other countries, but Vietnam up to now had not collated extensive data on injuries and locations of bombs. Having the results should make it easier to allocate funds and resources, landmine project experts say. One unexpected finding from the study was that most of the accidents occurred near residential areas and not around former military bases, said Chuck Searcy, Vietnam representative of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. "Less than six per cent of the accidents were around old military bases, and that’s where most of the money (for clearing mines) was going," he told . "I hope this will encourage donors to take a much closer look at the reality of the problem and find ways to solve it in a timely and cost-effective way," he said. (AGENCIES) |
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China warns Taiwan again, but backs off war talk BEIJING, Nov 26: China warned Taiwan today it would respond strongly if the island moved closer to a popular vote on independence when its Parliament debates a referendum bill this week that could shape relations for months to come. But it softened its tone after a string of bristly outbursts, urging its diplomatic rival to let Chinese airlines operate direct charter flights to the island over January’s Lunar new year holiday. China’s Taiwan affairs spokesman, Zhang Mingqing, speaking one week after a Chinese general spoke of possible war, dangled the olive branch of "peaceful reunification" and the carrots of brisk cross-strait trade. "If a referendum law without restrictions passes, we will make a strong response," Zhang told a regular Bi-weekly news conference. He refused to elaborate. But, while he accused Taiwan president Chen Shui-Bian of dragging the island down a path to disaster, he coupled his warning with a call for "direct, two-way and mutually beneficial" charter flights between the island and the mainland. Zhang’s comments reflected Beijing’s attempt to coax Taiwan to back off steps that could lead towards statehood and prevent simmering cross-strait tensions from boiling over two weeks before Premier Wen Jiabao heads to Washington. China considers Taiwan a renegade province to be brought back to the fold eventually, if necessary by force. Later this week, Taiwan’s Parliament is due to debate a referendum bill that could clear the way for the island’s people to vote eventually to declare formal independence from China. Washington shifted its diplomatic recognition to Beijing from Taipei in 1979. It routinely says it backs a "one-China" policy and does not support Taiwan independence, but it remains the island’s biggest ally and arms supplier. Pressed on whether China’s response might encompass military manoeuvres, Zhang declined to speculate. "In a few days, you will know. I’m not willing to make any speculative comments on matters that have not yet become reality." Chen has enraged China by aggressively asserting that the self-governing island is a separate country from the mainland, the key pillar of his campaign for re-election next March. Chen has proposed holding a referendum on a new constitution in 2006. Although he insists the aim of revising the constitution is to resolve a host of legislative issues, beijing suspects that it could nudge the island towards a permanent split. It demands that Taiwan leave independence off a list of topics votable by referendum. "If Chen Shui-Bian...Continues down the road toward Taiwan independence, he will inevitably harm the basic interests of the vast majority of the Taiwan people, and inevitably drag Taiwan compatriots to disaster," Zhang said. Asked if passage of an unrestricted referendum bill would impede the steady flow of cross-strait trade, he said: "Of course, it would bring about a temporary, partial impact. But overall, it cannot possibly obstruct various economic and trade exchanges across the Straits." Zhang reaffirmed statements last week by Premier Wen, who heads to the United States on December 7. Wen told the Washington post that China would "pay any price" to block Taiwan independence and demanded that the United States make clear it opposed Taiwan statehood. The issue is sure to top the agenda when Wen meets US officials, and could get entangled with the other issue heading the list, a brewing Sino-American trade row, said Yan Xuetong, head of the institute of international affairs at Tsinghua University. "The Taiwan issue has become so serious in the last week. It’s already poisoned the political atmosphere," he said. "The trade conflict was kicked up by the United States, not China. If the United States continues to take a very uncooperative attitude on the Taiwan issue, I think it could make the economic conflict worse." (AGENCIES) |
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Africa has more than 11 million AIDS orphans - UNICEF JOHANNESBURG, Nov 26: Aids has already orphaned more than 11 million children across Africa, and the worst is yet to come as more parents succumb to the epidemic, UNICEF said in a report today. The report called for swift international aid to families and communities struggling to support AIDS orphans, calling it a "crisis of Gargantuan proportions" with grave implications for African societies. "We must keep parents alive and ensure that orphans and other vulnerable children stay in school, and are protected from exploitation and abuse," United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) executive director Carol Bellamy said in a statement. Sub-Saharan Africa is the region worst affected by the world HIV/AIDS epidemic, with an estimated 26.6 million people infected with the disease. The report said that by the end of 2001 more than 11 million African children under the age of 15 had been orphaned by AIDS, up from fewer than one million in 1990. It said that by 2010, about 20 million African children will have lost one or both parents to the disease. In countries worst hit by the epidemic such as Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland, where HIV prevalence rates are higher than 30 percent, as well as in Zimbabwe, more than one in five children will be orphaned by 2010, 80 per cent of them by AIDS, the report said. UNICEF said that even countries like Uganda which have succeeded in stabilising or lowering HIV/AIDS prevalence rates, the orphan crisis will grow as parents already infected by the disease continue to die. The report said that extended families were caring for 90 per cent of Africa’s AIDS orphans, putting increasing burdens on family networks — more and more of which are headed by women and grandparents. "Most worryingly, it is precisely those countries where the extended family is already most stretched that will see the largest increase in orphans," UNICEF said. Noting that many of the most severely affected countries in sub-Saharan Africa had no national policies to deal with the needs of orphaned children, the UNICEF report called for immediate assistance for programmes designed to support, educate and care for the very vulnerable population. "(This) assistance can mean that many orphans who might otherwise be separated from their families are able to remain with them," Bellamy said. "The future of Africa depends on it." (AGENCIES) |
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Thai PM plays down royal rejection BANGKOK, Nov 26: Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra Wednesday played down the Thai King’s unprecedented decision not to approve an education bill after it was sent to him after passing both houses of Parliament. "This is nothing at all. It’s just a technical error," Thaksin told reporters at Government house. King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s secretary sent the Bill, which involves decentralization of the education ministry and teachers pay, back to Parliament today after it had been pushed quickly through both houses by the Thaksin Government. Royal approval of Government bills is required, but is generally routine, in the constitutional monarchy. Bangkok Senator Kaeowsan Atiphoti said the return of the bill without the King’s signature should be viewed as a "lesson" for the Government, which holds a commanding control of Parliament. "We should not allow (the Government) to put so much pressure (on Parliament) to pass a bill so quickly," he said. Opposition democrat party members said the bill was forced through parliament despite their efforts to include higher pay scales for teachers. But thaksin insisted the return of the bill was technical and did not amount to a snub of his government. He said the king’s secretary sent the bill back because it had ‘’some misspelling errors. So they sent it back. The government will discuss and re-draft the bill’’. He said he was optimistic the new draft would be finished before the next parliamentary session begins in three months. ‘’we’ll correct the errors,’’ he said. Education minister adisai bodharamik blamed the democrats for trying to make too many changes to the draft bill, which prevented the government from producing a clear and correct bill. ‘’in fact the king has assisted the government by proof-reading the bill,’’ he said. ‘’when he found something wrong, he told the government.’’(DPA) |
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China cabinet-level group to spearhead bank reforms BEIJING, Nov 26: China has set up a cabinet-level group to push reforms of the top state banks that include plans to inject capital to help them float shares, Government sources said on Wednesday. "The group has already been set up," said an official at the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC), the industry regulator. It is called the leading group for comprehensive reforms of state banks. "It involves the people’s bank of China, Finance Ministry and CBRC and is headed by Central Bank Governor Zhou Xiaochuan," said the senior official who declined to be named. The regulator would push corporate governance at bank of China, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, China Construction Bank and Agricultural Bank of China while the other two agencies would focus on capital injection, the official said. ( 1=8.277 yuan) (AGENCIES) Sean penn may write from Iraq for S F Chronicle SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 26: Sean Penn may be joining the press corps in Iraq. The actor, who made a controversial visit to Iraq last winter, is considering going back, and this time publishing his accounts of life in the war-torn country for the San Francisco Chronicle, the paper’s editor Phil Bronstein said yesterday. "He brings a very keen Director’s and actor’s eye to slices of life in Baghdad," said Bronstein, an old friend of Penn’s who read some of the unpublished material Penn wrote during his last trip to Iraq. Bronstein said the arrangement with Penn remains informal, since he has not yet decided if and when to return to Iraq. Penn sparked controversy last winter when he traveled to Iraq to speak out against the planned US war to topple Saddam Hussein. But if he were to return, he would probably stay away from the most violent scenes and focus on everyday life, said Bronstein, who described Penn’s earlier dispatches from Iraq "as short vignettes that caught moments in people’s lives and what they were doing —kind of like a reporter’s notebook." (AGENCIES) US plan on N Korea involves 5 nuke states-Kyodo TOKYO, Nov 26: The United States is devising a plan for North Korea to dismantle its nuclear arms programme that would involve the five declared nuclear states — the United States, France, Russia, China and Britain — Kyodo news agency reported today. US officials and diplomats close to multilateral talks on North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme were quoted as saying that fundamental aspects of the plan could be presented to North Korea during a fresh round of talks, likely to take place around December 17-19. They said the expertise of all the declared nuclear powers was believed needed to verify the complete scrapping of the North Korean nuclear programme. Under the process, North Korea would first be required to make a declaration of all its nuclear activities. This would be followed by pyongyang rejoining the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, from which it withdrew in January, and allowing inspections of its nuclear facilities by the United Nations nuclear watchdog. Experts from the five nuclear powers would then monitor North Korea’s efforts at dismantling its nuclear programme, Kyodo said. According to the officials, North Korea’s compliance with the plan would be a pre-requisite for providing Pyongyang with the security assurances it wants. "When they take concrete steps towards scrapping their nuclear programme, the security assurance would become effective," a senior US official was quoted as saying. The first round of six-country talks in August, which were attended by the United States, North and South Korea, Japan, China and Russia, failed to make much headway towards resolving the crisis on Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme. In an attempt to defuse the crisis, Washington said last month it was willing to give Pyongyang unspecified security assurances in exchange for a verifiable and irreversible end to the north’s suspected weapons programme. (AGENCIES) British judge slams US on prison camp in Cuba LONDON, Nov 26: A high-ranking British judge has sharply criticized the United States’ Guantanamo prison camp in cuba for terrorist suspects. Lord Judge Johan Steyn called the camp lawless and a failure of justice. He further slammed the Government of British Prime Minister Tony Blair for failing to stand up for the rights of British prisoners kept there. Steyn, who is among the highest-ranking Judges in Britain, called on ministers to publicly and explicitly condemn the prison camp. The US holds about 660 terrorist suspects at Guantanamo bay. The prisoners have not been publicly identified or permitted to consult an attorney. US President George W Bush has decided to allow the Pentagon to conduct secret military tribunals for trying the suspects, but none has been tried so far. (DPA) |
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