Catholic priest says has legal aid for Tareq Aziz

ROME, Dec 13: A Catholic priest said he had put together a five-member Italian legal team to provide free legal counsel to Tareq Aziz, Saddam Hussein’s former deputy Prime Minister.

Father Jean-Marie Benjamin, who claimed to have tacit support from the Vatican, said he put together the team for Aziz, a Christian, after receiving a request for help in July.

"I talked with my Bishops and I informed the Vatican, my superior," Benjamin, who lives in the Italian town of Assisi, told in an interview.

"They said to me: ‘Morally you can do that. You have to do that, because Mr Aziz is a diplomat, he’s not military."’

Vatican spokesmen were not immediately available to comment.

Before the US-led invasion, Aziz travelled to Rome for a high-profile meeting with Pope John Paul — a trip that Benjamin helped organise. Aziz is now being held at a secret, high-security camp believed to be near Baghdad’s airport.

He appeared in court in July along with other of Saddam’s senior lieutenants. They were all accused of killings during the former President’s rule.

Benjamin said Aziz would meet with his main Iraqi attorney for the first time on Dec 18, where they hoped to learn about prison conditions, after October rumours — denied by the United States —that Aziz was sick and had died in custody.

"We are waiting for this meeting between this lawyer and Tareq Aziz on the 18th of December, to have more information ... Because he is not in very good condition," Benjamin said.

The Vatican strongly opposed the US invasion of Iraq, and avoided branding Saddam an oppressor in the months beforehand to maintain communications channels with Baghdad.

Privately, however, the Vatican was very critical of Saddam and hoped to the last that he would step down to avoid the war.

It was unclear what the significance, if any, there was of Benjamin’s legal aid to Aziz. Nor did Benjamin give details of the legal team he had put together. But he said Aziz needed "good lawyers, ready to work for free".

But Benjamin said, however, that Vatican Secretary of State cardinal Angelo Sodano "is informed and never asked me to stop, or to modify" the assistance. Still, he classified any Vatican support as unofficial.

Benjamin described Aziz as a friend, and his assistant said the two first met in 1998, when the French priest was producing a documentary called "Iraq: The birth of time."

The priest said he had asked Iraqi authorities, via Aziz’s Iraqi lawyer, to allow a meeting with the Italian legal team as soon as possible. Other clergy would likely accompany Benjamin on the trip to Baghdad, he said.

"(The lawyer) wrote to ask Iraqi authorities ... To authorise myself and the (Italian) lawyers to visit Tareq Aziz. We are waiting for the answer," Benjamin said.

"I also have other Bishops interested in going to Baghdad." (AGENCIES)

Baghdad bomber kills 7 yr after Saddam caught

BAGHDAD, Dec 13: A suicide car bomber killed at least seven Iraqis at an entrance to Baghdad’s green zone Government and US diplomatic compound today, a year to the day since US forces captured Saddam Hussein.

Nineteen were wounded, four seriously, civilian hospital staff said. The US military said no US soldiers were hurt in the bombing that came after seven US marines were killed yesterday in two separate incidents west of Baghdad.

"We had stopped in the car when all we felt was a car explode next to us," said one injured Iraqi civilian at the city’s busy Yarmuk hospital, his face caked with blood.

"A suicide bomber hit checkpoint 12. It’s pretty ugly," a US officer told .

The checkpoint, close to the main airport highway, is on a main entrance to the sprawling complex which was Saddam’s Presidential palace. It now houses the US and other embassies and the offices of the US-backed Iraqi interim Government.

Iraq’s figurehead Interim President warned before national elections due on Jan 30 that violence and continued occupation could create a new Hitler.

"This could in the long term create an environment in which an Iraqi Hitler could emerge like the one created by the defeat of Germany and the humiliation of Germans in World War one," Sunni tribal leader Ghazi Yawar told the London-based Asharq-al-Awsat newspaper.

Today’s blast, at 0900 hrs (1130 ist) when many Iraqis would be going to work in the zone, shook buildings across Baghdad.

Smoke poured from the site and helicopters circled overhead.

At the civilian Yarmuk hospital, senior doctor Sabah Aboud said he had received seven bodies and was treating 19 wounded, four of whom were in a serious condition. It was not clear if any Iraqi national guards, who man the checkpoint, were hurt.

Staff wheeled in a wounded man as doctors sewed up the bloodied hand of a young woman whose head was bandaged.

Just north of Baghdad, at Tarmiya, witnesses said a car bomb went off on a main highway and US troops sealed the area.

Today is the first anniversary of the capture of Saddam by US forces after eight months on the run. At that time, US President George W Bush and US military commanders hoped the former President’s arrest would puncture guerrilla activity among his former supporters in the Sunni Arab minority.

However, violence has continued unabated and the death rate among US troops has risen since Saddam was dragged from a hideout dug in farmland near his home town of Tikrit.

In yesterday’s attacks, the US military said the seven marines were killed in Anbar province, a region which includes the violent towns of Falluja and Ramadi, but it gave no further details of the heaviest daily death toll for US troops since the end of their all-out offensive on Falluja last month.

US and Iraqi officials fear violence could increase, despite the offensive against rebel strongholds in Falluja, in the run up to the January national election.

The vote, Iraq’s first fully free election, is expected to consolidate power for the long-oppressed 60-percent Shi’ite Muslim minority at the expense of Saddam’s fellow Sunnis.

There were sharp clashes in the east of Falluja yesterday and US officers say the city is still not safe enough for some 200,000 local people to return home. US jets bombed the east of the city yesterday and residents heard sustained gunfire.

The nearby town of Ramadi remains a bastion of the insurgency, where clashes with US troops are frequent.

"There has been some sporadic fighting in Falluja," marine captain Brad Gordon told after yesterday’s fighting.

"There is no telling at this time if it is fighters that had eluded the (US) forces to this point or if they are insurgents that have found a way to get back into the city.

"(US) forces have secured the city, but still have not deemed it ‘completely safe’."

At least 1,015 US troops have been killed in action since the invasion of Iraq 21 months ago. In all, 1,290 have died.

Some of Saddam’s old lieutenants went on hunger strike on Saturday over access to lawyers and fears of being handed over to Iraqis after the election, their lawyers said.

The 67-year-old former President, held separately from his former aides, was not among those who were refusing some food.

Former deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz, once Saddam’s urbane envoy to the outside world, and former Vice-President Taha Yassin Ramadan were among dozens refusing food, Aziz’s lawyer said. Nearly all of the 55 "most wanted" Iraqis sought by US troops after the war are held at a secret location. (AGENCIES)

Defence, trade, maritime issues to figure in India-S Korea meet

SEOUL, Dec 13: Defence cooperation between the two countries, maritime naval joint action and trade, political and cultural issues of common interest will figure prominently during the third India-South Korea Joint Commission meeting beginning here tomorrow.

External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh, accompanied by senior officials, will represent the Indian side at the three-day meeting of the commission, set up to strengthen ties between the two countries.

An agreement to establish a joint commission at the level of Foreign Ministers to discuss political, economic, cultural, consular and other matters of mutual interest for the promotion and expansion of co-operation between the two countries in all fields was signed in February, 1996.

The first meeting of the commission was held in Seoul in April, 2002.

"Politically, the relations between the two countries are excellent. There are no disputed issues as the two countries do not have a common border," India’s envoy to South Korea P Ray told PTI here.

"Economically there has been a giant leap in the trade ties between the two countries with South Korea becoming the fifth largest investor in India," Ray added.

During his visit, Singh would call on the South Korean President Roh-Moo-Hyun, who visited India in October, besides meeting his counterpart, Ray added.

The External Affairs Minister is also scheduled to call on the Speaker of the National Assembly, considered the ‘number two’ in the Korean political hierarchy.

The commission meeting will also take up issues like cooperation in infrastructure projects, civil aviation, information technology and science and technology, sources said.

Matters regarding the status of agreements on issues like customs cooperation, maritime shipping and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters could also come up during the talks, the sources said.

To boost economic cooperation, both the countries had set up a joint study group to look into the possibilities of concluding a free trade agreement.

"India-South Korea trade will cross USD 5 billion in 2004-05 from USD 4.1 billion in 2003-04. In the next three to four years the trade between India and Korea can touch USD 10 billion," sources told PTI.

Singh, who is visiting the east Asian nation for the first time after taking over as the External Affairs Minister, will also receive a honorary doctrate degree from the Korean Kyung Hee university, considered one of the top universities in South Korea.

He will also address the members of the Korea-India friendship society.

India and South Korea established consular relations in 1962 and in 1973 it was upgraded to the ambassador level. (PTI)

West African oil gives US new security challenge

NIAMEY, Dec 13: Sent from China to hunt for oil under the Sahara desert, Wenhui Tan looked distinctly uneasy as the conversation turned to security fears ranging from the spread of Islamic radicalism to cold-blooded banditry.

"What have you heard?" asked the China national petroleum corp executive, lighting a cigarette and gesturing at a map of the west African desert country Niger, with two huge exploration blocks outlined in black ink.

The United States shares his concern as it ventures into remote corners of west and central Africa in search of alternative oil supplies to the turbulent west Asia which could also act as counterweight to OPEC’s monopoly power.

The world’s biggest energy consumer hopes the African region will provide up to a quarter of its oil imports within a decade, up from 14 percent now, and is working to guarantee stability in one of the most volatile parts of the planet.

From coup attempts inspired by dreams of petrodollars to concerns over Islamic extremists, political anarchy, civil war and piracy, the region around the Gulf of Guinea is seething with tensions that would faze the most intrepid investor.

"We are in no position to endure a serious oil supply disruption from the Gulf of Guinea today. The global oil market is stretched to capacity," said David Goldwyn, a former assistant Energy Secretary in the Clinton administration and head of a Washington-based strategy think tank.

"We are not ready for trouble, but trouble is on the horizon," he told a US senate committee earlier this year.

Washington is particularly concerned that militant islamists may gain a foothold in its new oil haven, where policing is often lax, millions of youths are unemployed and the sheer size of territories makes maintaining full control almost impossible.

"It’s a good place for people who want to be left alone to operate outside the reach of the law — to go unnoticed, to take time to recruit, to regroup," General Charles wald, deputy commander of US European Command (eucom), told .

Fearing that militants may exploit the lack of authority in vast countries on the southern fringe of the Sahara, Washington has sent marines and special forces to train troops in four states regarded as a secondary front in its "war on terror".

The state department’s Trans-Sahara Counter Terrorist Initiative (TSCTI) has trained troops in former French colonies Niger, Mauritania, Mali and chad to act on US-supplied intelligence about the movements of suspected extremists.

Privately, some officials acknowledge that the main concern in the region is protecting Nigeria, the continent’s biggest oil producer, the region’s only OPEC member and the main destination for US investment in sub-Saharan Africa after South Africa.

Crude from Nigeria accounted for almost 9 percent of US oil imports in 2003 — averaging 838,000 barrels per day according to the energy information administration — a figure which is expected to increase over the next decade.

"It’s one of those nations that’s teetering right now, economically, socially and militarily. It’s in everybody’s vital interests to make sure it teeters on the right side and doesn’t fall off," said a senior US military official.

A report published in August by the congressional research service said there was no evidence of international terror groups working in Nigeria but voiced concern that could change.

"It is possible that such actors could begin to view Nigeria, particularly its oil production and export facilities, as a strategic target both for armed attack operations and as a base for building political support," the report said.

"The potential for such an outcome is suggested by a comment attributed to Osama bin Laden, who, in a taped message, labelled Nigeria ... As being among ‘the most qualified for (religious and political) liberation’," it said.

An uprising by rebels demanding autonomy for the oil-rich Niger delta this year will have done little to calm nerves.

There are also fears that the rapid implementation of Sharia Law in Nigeria’s northern states could promote stricter versions of Islam elsewhere, especially in the Sahel, traditionally a religiously moderate region on the southern edge of the Sahara.

"There’s a lot of trouble (in Nigeria). We’re keeping an eye on it," Niger’s Defence Minister, Hassane Souley, told .

Some US officials and analysts, mindful of Al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan and networks in Pakistan, fear west Africa is a fertile hunting ground for religious radicals.

"There are a large number of Pakistani preachers all over Mali. There are some in Guinea, some in Niger and I believe some in Nigeria as well," said Mike Mcgovern, acting west Africa project director for think tank international crisis group.

Analysts are split on whether religious radicalism will necessarily translate into a threat against western interests, but point out that the oil infrastructure in much of the region was set up with no serious threat of sabotage in mind.

"The naval forces of the west African states do not have the capacity to protect oil rigs and facilities. The area is a soft target for any terrorist willing to attack," Goldwyn said, adding that Nigeria’s coast was second only to the Malacca Straits between Indonesia and Malaysia for piracy.

The domestic stability of some of the region’s most promising sources of crude is also a concern and only likely to get more volatile as political factions argue over oil wealth.

The lure of offshore deposits in sub-Saharan Africa’s third-biggest producer, equatorial Guinea, triggered a failed coup attempt in March. Sao Tome E Principe — a tiny Archipelago believed to hold large oil reserves — was rocked by a coup last year, sparked chiefly by concerns about future oil wealth.

Nigeria and Cameroon are bickering about who owns the potentially oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula. The region’s newest oil-producer, chad, had to crush an army mutiny this year and Mauritania, due to start pumping oil next year, has stifled three military uprisings since June last year.

None of which gives CNPC’s Tan much ground for optimism as he embarks on his quest for crude under the Niger desert, sandwiched between oil majors Nigeria and Libya.

"In other countries the Government will support you with the army and soldiers. Here you have to be self-sufficient," he said. "But at least it’s more secure than Nigeria." (AGENCIES)

Gaza violence dents hopes of Middle East peace

GAZA, Dec 13: Israel struck back with missiles at Gaza Strip militants today after five Israeli troops were killed in a resurgence of violence that has dented hopes of peace after Yasser Arafat’s death.

The bloodshed underlined the challenge facing moderate Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, whose victory in a January 9 election to replace Arafat is virtually assured after jailed uprising leader Marwan Barghouthi withdrew.

Israeli helicopters fired eight missiles at targets in Gaza city, cutting off electricity when they hit a generator. Another of the buildings hit was a metal foundry, which the army said was used to make weapons. There were no reports of casualties.

Hours later, Israeli troops in the West Bank city of Nablus killed a gunman from Islamic militant group Hamas — one of the factions behind yesterday’s attack on an Israeli military outpost at the border between Gaza and Egypt.

Militants have stepped up attacks in Gaza ahead of a planned Israeli withdrawal from the occupied strip next year, hoping to claim a pullout as a victory. The army aims to smash them first.

Growing violence in Gaza has dealt a blow to optimists who thought Arafat’s death on November 11. In a Paris hospital could usher in calm to end a 4-year-old uprising and bring peace to the Middle East after decades of conflict.

Israel has said it could talk to a new Palestinian leadership if it reins in militant groups, but will otherwise carry out its plan to withdraw troops and settlers from the Gaza strip alone.

"Our firm demand to the Palestinian authority, as a preliminary stage, is to stop terror," Israel’s deputy Defence Minister Ze’ev Boim told Israel radio. "Stopping terror as a condition to move on is justified."

Sunday’s carefully planned attack on the Israeli post was the army’s heaviest loss in seven months. Militants burrowed underneath and set off a 1,500 kg bomb, turning buildings to rubble and killing five soldiers of a bedouin Arab unit.

Israel closed the Rafah border with Egypt — the only real access to the outside world for residents of fenced-in Gaza, who are only very rarely allowed to cross into Israel.

Boim said Israel would respond to violence, but still try to ease conditions for Palestinians so that next month’s Presidential election goes smoothly.

Abbas, 69, was ensured a clear run after firebrand uprising leader Barghouthi pulled out on Sunday. Abbas has often condemned violence and is expected to try to revive talks with Israel that stalled before the uprising blew up in 2000.

Barghouthi is serving five life sentences in an Israeli jail for orchestrating attacks, but he has much more appeal on the street than Abbas and the two men had been even in opinion polls.

A good showing for Barghouthi — even if he had lost —could have undermined Abbas when it came to negotiating with Israel or cracking down on militant groups.

Abbas will have to deal quickly with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s plan to quit Gaza. Western countries hail it as a step to peace, but Palestinians fear it will cost them the West Bank. Both territories were captured in the 1967 Middle East war.

Sharon wants to evacuate all the settlements in the Gaza strip and four of 120 in the West Bank next year. Most Israelis want to part with impoverished Gaza, but Sharon faces opposition from rightists who say it would "reward terror."

(AGENCIES)

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