WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Gerald Ford and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger gave then Indonesian strongman Suharto (news - web sites) the green light for the 1975 invasion of East Timor (news - web sites) that left perhaps 200,000 dead, according to previously secret documents made available on Thursday.

Kissinger has maintained that he only learned of the plan at the airport as he and Ford prepared to fly home after meeting Suharto in Jakarta on the eve of the Dec. 7 thrust into East Timor, a former Portuguese colony.

Kissinger also has argued that any U.S. nod for the action should be seen in its Cold War context -- on the heels of the communist victory in Vietnam and amid U.S. fears that other ''dominoes'' might fall in Southeast Asia.

The incursion led to a bloody occupation that ended only after an international peacekeeping force took charge in 1999 and East Timor achieved independence.

At the time of the 1975 invasion, the United States supplied as much as 90 percent of Indonesia's weapons on condition that they be used only for defense and internal security.

Ford and Kissinger appear to have gone to considerable lengths to assure Suharto, a staunch anti-communist, that they would not oppose the invasion, which was designed to keep East Timor from breaking away from Indonesia.

``We want your understanding if we deem it necessary to take rapid or drastic action,'' Suharto told them during a stopover on their way home from meetings with Chinese leaders Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping in Beijing, according to a newly declassified Dec. 6, 1975, document.

``We will understand and will not press you on the issue,'' Ford replied, according to the State Department record of the conversation declassified by Ford's presidential library.

Kissinger pointed out that ``the use of U.S.-made arms could create problems,'' but added: ``It depends on how we construe it; whether it is in self-defense or is a foreign operation,'' according to the same document.

MANIPULATING PUBLIC OPINION

The private National Security Archive, a Washington-based research group that obtained the document under the Freedom of Information Act, said it showed that Kissinger's concern was not that U.S. weapons would be used offensively -- hence illegally -- but about how he might manipulate public opinion.

``It is important that whatever you do succeeds quickly,'' Kissinger told Suharto, according to the document. ``We would be able to influence the reaction in America if whatever happens, happens after we return.''

``We understand your problem and the need to move quickly but I am only saying that it would be better if it were done after we returned'' to Washington, Kissinger said, according to the document.

Ford's current chief of staff, Penny Circle, said the former president had no comment. Kissinger did not respond to requests for comment.

The National Security Archive released a package of East Timor-related documents, some of which had been made public before but had been heavily censored. They can be accessed at the National Security Archive's Web site (www.nsarchive.org).

In a March 19, 1999, interview with WNYC Radio in New York, Kissinger denied having held substantive talks with Suharto on the invasion plan, saying: ``We were told at the airport as we left Jakarta that either that day or the next day they intended to take East Timor.''

He added, ``And it happened in a year when southeast Asia, Indochina had collapsed. So it wasn't a question of approval but of not being able to do anything about it.''

The newly disclosed material could raise new questions about President Bush (news - web sites)'s drive to resume sales of non-lethal weapons to Indonesia. Former President Bill Clinton cut off most military cooperation after Indonesia's armed forces and paramilitary units attacked East Timor in response to an Aug. 30, 1999, U.N.-sponsored referendum in favor of independence.

``This is a critical time in relations between the West and the Muslim world, and Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim country,'' said Frida Berrigan of the New York-based World Policy Institute, author of an October report on U.S. weapons sales to Indonesia.

``This new information should force the Bush administration to move cautiously in its dealings with an Indonesian government still largely dependent on the military to retain power,'' she said.

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Ex-Beatle Harrison Dies at 58 LOS ANGELES (AP) - George Harrison, the Beatles' quiet lead guitarist and spiritual explorer who added both rock 'n' roll flash and a touch of the mystic to the band's timeless magic, has died. He was 58.
Harrison died at 1:30 p.m. Thursday at a friend's Los Angeles home following a battle with cancer, longtime friend Gavin De Becker told The Associated Press late Thursday. Harrison's wife, Olivia Harrison, and son Dhani, 24, were with him.

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U.S. Policy Towards Taliban Influenced by Oil - Say Authors
By Julio Godoy, Inter Press Service
PARIS, Nov 15 (IPS) - Under the influence of U.S. oil companies, the government of George W. Bush initially blocked U.S. secret service investigations on terrorism, while it bargained with the Taliban the delivery of Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) in exchange for political recognition and economic aid, two French intelligence analysts claim.

In the book ''Bin Laden, la verite interdite'' (''Bin Laden, the forbidden truth''), that appeared in Paris on Wednesday, the authors, Jean-Charles Brisard and Guillaume Dasquie, reveal that the Federal Bureau of Investigation's deputy director John O'Neill resigned in July in protest over the obstruction.

Brisard claim O'Neill told them that ''the main obstacles to investigate Islamic terrorism were U.S. oil corporate interests and the role played by Saudi Arabia in it''.

The two claim the U.S. government's main objective in Afghanistan (news - web sites) was to consolidate the position of the Taliban regime to obtain access to the oil and gas reserves in Central Asia.

They affirm that until August, the U.S. government saw the Taliban regime ''as a source of stability in Central Asia that would enable the construction of an oil pipeline across Central Asia'', from the rich oilfields in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan, through Afghanistan and Pakistan, to the Indian Ocean.

Until now, says the book, ''the oil and gas reserves of Central Asia have been controlled by Russia. The Bush government wanted to change all that''.

But, confronted with Taliban's refusal to accept U.S. conditions, ''this rationale of energy security changed into a military one'', the authors claim.

''At one moment during the negotiations, the U.S. representatives told the Taliban, 'either you accept our offer of a carpet of gold, or we bury you under a carpet of bombs','' Brisard said in an interview in Paris.

According to the book, the government of Bush began to negotiate with the Taliban immediately after coming into power in February. U.S. and Taliban diplomatic representatives met several times in Washington, Berlin and Islamabad.

To polish their image in the United States, the Taliban even employed a U.S. expert on public relations, Laila Helms. The authors claim that Helms is also an expert in the works of U.S. secret services, for her uncle, Richard Helms, is a former director of the Central Intelligence Agency (news - web sites) (CIA (news - web sites)).

The last meeting between U.S. and Taliban representatives took place in August, five weeks before the attacks on New York and Washington, the analysts maintain.

On that occasion, Christina Rocca, in charge of Central Asian affairs for the U.S. government, met the Taliban ambassador to Pakistan in Islamabad.

Brisard and Dasquie have long experience in intelligence analysis. Brisard was until the late 1990s director of economic analysis and strategy for Vivendi, a French company. He also worked for French secret services, and wrote for them in 1997 a report on the now famous Al Qaeda network, headed by bin Laden.

Dasquie is an investigative journalist and publisher of Intelligence Online, a respected newsletter on diplomacy, economic analysis and strategy, available through the Internet.

Brisard and Dasquie draw a portrait of closest aides to President Bush (news - web sites), linking them to oil business.

Bush's family has a strong oil background. So are some of his top aides. From the U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites), through the director of the National Security Council Condoleeza Rice, to the Ministers of Commerce and Energy, Donald Evans and Stanley Abraham, all have for long worked for U.S. oil companies.

Cheney was until the end of last year president of Halliburton, a company that provides services for oil industry; Rice was between 1991 and 2000 manager for Chevron; Evans and Abraham worked for Tom Brown, another oil giant.

Besides the secret negotiations held between Washington and Kabul and the importance of the oil industry, the book takes issue with the role played by Saudi Arabia in fostering Islamic fundamentalism, in the personality of bin Laden, and with the networks that the Saudi dissident built to finance his activities.

Brisard and Dasquie contend the U.S. government's claim that it had been prosecuting bin Laden since 1998. ''Actually,'' Dasquie says, ''the first state to officially prosecute bin Laden was Libya, on the charges of terrorism.''

''Bin Laden wanted settle in Libya in the early 1990s, but was hindered by the government of Muammar Qaddafi,'' Dasquie claims. ''Enraged by Libya's refusal, bin Laden organised attacks inside Libya, including assassination attempts against Qaddafi.''

Dasquie singles out one group, the Islamic Fighting Group (IFG), reputedly the most powerful Libyan dissident organisation, based in London, and directly linked with bin Laden.

''Qaddafi even demanded Western police institutions, such as Interpol, to pursue the IFG and bin Laden, but never obtained co- operation,'' Dasquie says. ''Until today, members of IFG openly live in London.''

The book confirms earlier reports that the U.S. government worked closely with the United Nations (news - web sites) during the negotiations with the Taliban.

''Several meetings took place this year, under the arbitration of Francesc Vendrell, personal representative of UN secretary general Kofi Annan (news - web sites), to discuss the situation in Afghanistan,'' says the book.

''Representatives of the U.S. government and Russia, and the six countries that border with Afghanistan were present at these meetings,'' it says. ''Sometimes, representatives of the Taliban also sat around the table.''

These meetings, also called ''6+2'' because of the number of states (six neighbours plus U.S. and Russia) involved, have been confirmed by Naif Naik, former Pakistani Minister for Foreign Affairs.

In a French television news programme two weeks ago, Naik said during a ''6+2'' meeting in Berlin in July, the discussions turned around ''the formation of a government of national unity. If the Taliban had accepted this coalition, they would have immediately received international economic aid.''

''And the pipe lines from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan would have come,'' he added.

Naik also claimed that Tom Simons, the U.S. representative at these meetings, openly threatened the Taliban and Pakistan.

''Simons said, 'either the Taliban behave as they ought to, or Pakistan convinces them to do so, or we will use another option'. The words Simons used were 'a military operation','' Naik claimed.

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"بسبب التطورات المستجدة في العالم"

مؤتمر رجال الأعمال اللبنانيين ينعقد في بروكسيل بدلاً من بيروت



بسبب التطورات المستجدة في العالم، ينعقد مؤتمر رجال الاعمال اللبنانيين في العالم في بروكسيل - بلجيكا في 19 من الجاري، بعدما كان مقررا عقده في بيروت.

والهدف من الاجتماع، مناقشة امكانات العمل للاستثمار في لبنان، وتحفيز المغتربين اللبنانيين على العودة الى وطنهم .

رئيس المجلس الاغترابي اللبناني للاستثمار في بلجيكا المهندس مارون كرم قال ان المؤتمر كان مقررا عقده في بيروت بين 11 و13 من تشرين الاول الماضي "الا انه بسبب الظروف الدولية التي رافقت احداث 11 ايلول، تقرر نقله الى بروكسيل، على امل ان يعقد المؤتمر المقبل في لبنان".

وتوقع ان يشارك في المؤتمر عدد كبير من اللبنانيين العاملين في الخارج "ونأمل عدم حصول اي عراقيل". واوضح ان الهدف الرئيسي من المؤتمر "جمع شمل رجال الاعمال اللبنانيين المغتربين، والعمل على جلب المستثمرين الى لبنان، فضلا عن الحفاظ على التواصل مع الوطن الام".

ودعا جميع المستثمرين والمغتربين اللبنانيين الى "العمل لاعادة الدور الوطني والعالمي والاقتصادي والسياحي لوطنهم، "الذي بقي، رغم كل الاحداث التي عصفت به، وطن التعايش والتسامح والمحبة".

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Naharnet News Desk

Rifle Duel of Century: Mullah Omar VS Bush, Blair
Taliban's Mullah Mohammad Omar has challenged President Bush and British Premier Tony Blair to the duel of the 21st century: a winner-take-all shootout by automatic rifles anywhere in Afghanistan to settle the outcome of the war.
"That's a better way, a more dignified way to decide who is right and who is wrong, who is the brave and who is the coward, and finally who wins the war," said Taliban's Foreign Minister Wakil Ahmed Mutawakil.

" Mullah Omar is ready and willing to take both Bush and Blair single-handed. He uses a Kalashnikov, they use M-16s. They meet in a fair and square duel, with each having two seconds to watch," Mutawakil said. " As his first second I am throwing the glove in the Mullah's behalf. Let's see who dares to pick it up."

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PILGER: THIS WAR IS A FARCE By John Pilger, Former Mirror chief foreign correspondent
http://mirror.icnetwork.co.uk/news/allnews/page.cfm?objectid=11392430&method=full

The war against terrorism is a fraud. After three weeks' bombing, not a single terrorist implicated in the attacks on America has been caught or killed in Afghanistan.

Instead, one of the poorest, most stricken nations has been terrorised by the most powerful - to the point where American pilots have run out of dubious "military" targets and are now destroying mud houses, a hospital, Red Cross warehouses, lorries carrying refugees.

Unlike the relentless pictures from New York, we are seeing almost nothing of this. Tony Blair has yet to tell us what the violent death of children - seven in one family - has to do with Osama bin Laden.

And why are cluster bombs being used? The British public should know about these bombs, which the RAF also uses. They spray hundreds of bomblets that have only one purpose; to kill and maim people. Those that do not explode lie on the ground like landmines, waiting for people to step on them.

If ever a weapon was designed specifically for acts of terrorism, this is it. I have seen the victims of American cluster weapons in other countries, such as the Laotian toddler who picked one up and had her right leg and face blown off. Be assured this is now happening in Afghanistan, in your name.

None of those directly involved in the September 11 atrocity was Afghani. Most were Saudis, who apparently did their planning and training in Germany and the United States.

The camps which the Taliban allowed bin Laden to use were emptied weeks ago. Moreover, the Taliban itself is a creation of the Americans and the British. In the 1980s, the tribal army that produced them was funded by the CIA and trained by the SAS to fight the Russians.

The hypocrisy does not stop there. When the Taliban took Kabul in 1996, Washington said nothing. Why? Because Taliban leaders were soon on their way to Houston, Texas, to be entertained by executives of the oil company, Unocal.

With secret US government approval, the company offered them a generous cut of the profits of the oil and gas pumped through a pipeline that the Americans wanted to build from Soviet central Asia through Afghanistan.

A US diplomat said: "The Taliban will probably develop like the Saudis did." He explained that Afghanistan would become an American oil colony, there would be huge profits for the West, no democracy and the legal persecution of women. "We can live with that," he said.

Although the deal fell through, it remains an urgent priority of the administration of George W. Bush, which is steeped in the oil industry. Bush's concealed agenda is to exploit the oil and gas reserves in the Caspian basin, the greatest source of untapped fossil fuel on earth and enough, according to one estimate, to meet America's voracious energy needs for a generation. Only if the pipeline runs through Afghanistan can the Americans hope to control it.

So, not surprisingly, US Secretary of State Colin Powell is now referring to "moderate" Taliban, who will join an American-sponsored "loose federation" to run Afghanistan. The "war on terrorism" is a cover for this: a means of achieving American strategic aims that lie behind the flag-waving facade of great power.

The Royal Marines, who will do the real dirty work, will be little more than mercenaries for Washington's imperial ambitions, not to mention the extraordinary pretensions of Blair himself. Having made Britain a target for terrorism with his bellicose "shoulder to shoulder" with Bush nonsense, he is now prepared to send troops to a battlefield where the goals are so uncertain that even the Chief of the Defence Staff says the conflict "could last 50 years".

The irresponsibility of this is breathtaking; the pressure on Pakistan alone could ignite an unprecedented crisis across the Indian sub-continent. Having reported many wars, I am always struck by the absurdity of effete politicians eager to wave farewell to young soldiers, but who themselves would not say boo to a Taliban goose.

In the days of gunboats, our imperial leaders covered their violence in the "morality" of their actions. Blair is no different. Like them, his selective moralising omits the most basic truth. Nothing justified the killing of innocent people in America on September 11, and nothing justifies the killing of innocent people anywhere else.

By killing innocents in Afghanistan, Blair and Bush stoop to the level of the criminal outrage in New York. Once you cluster bomb, "mistakes" and "blunders" are a pretence. Murder is murder, regardless of whether you crash a plane into a building or order and collude with it from the Oval Office and Downing Street.

If Blair was really opposed to all forms of terrorism, he would get Britain out of the arms trade. On the day of the twin towers attack, an "arms fair", selling weapons of terror (like cluster bombs and missiles) to assorted tyrants and human rights abusers, opened in London's Docklands with the full backing of the Blair government.

Britain's biggest arms customer is the medieval Saudi regime, which beheads heretics and spawned the religious fanaticism of the Taliban.

If he really wanted to demonstrate "the moral fibre of Britain", Blair would do everything in his power to lift the threat of violence in those parts of the world where there is great and justifiable grievance and anger.

He would do more than make gestures; he would demand that Israel ends its illegal occupation of Palestine and withdraw to its borders prior to the 1967 war, as ordered by the Security Council, of which Britain is a permanent member.

He would call for an end to the genocidal blockade which the UN - in reality, America and Britain - has imposed on the suffering people of Iraq for more than a decade, causing the deaths of half a million children under the age of five.

That's more deaths of infants every month than the number killed in the World Trade Center.

There are signs that Washington is about to extend its current "war" to Iraq; yet unknown to most of us, almost every day RAF and American aircraft already bomb Iraq. There are no headlines. There is nothing on the TV news. This terror is the longest-running Anglo-American bombing campaign since World War Two.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the US and Britain faced a "dilemma" in Iraq, because "few targets remain". "We're down to the last outhouse," said a US official. That was two years ago, and they're still bombing. The cost to the British taxpayer? £800 million so far.

According to an internal UN report, covering a five-month period, 41 per cent of the casualties are civilians. In northern Iraq, I met a woman whose husband and four children were among the deaths listed in the report. He was a shepherd, who was tending his sheep with his elderly father and his children when two planes attacked them, each making a sweep. It was an open valley; there were no military targets nearby.

"I want to see the pilot who did this," said the widow at the graveside of her entire family. For them, there was no service in St Paul's Cathedral with the Queen in attendance; no rock concert with Paul McCartney.

The tragedy of the Iraqis, and the Palestinians, and the Afghanis is a truth that is the very opposite of their caricatures in much of the Western media.

Far from being the terrorists of the world, the overwhelming majority of the Islamic peoples of the Middle East and south Asia have been its victims - victims largely of the West's exploitation of precious natural resources in or near their countries.

There is no war on terrorism. If there was, the Royal Marines and the SAS would be storming the beaches of Florida, where more CIA-funded terrorists, ex-Latin American dictators and torturers, are given refuge than anywhere on earth.

There is, however, a continuing war of the powerful against the powerless, with new excuses, new hidden agendas, new lies. Before another child dies violently, or quietly from starvation, before new fanatics are created in both the east and the west, it is time for the people of Britain to make their voices heard and to stop this fraudulent war - and to demand the kind of bold, imaginative non-violent initiatives that require real political courage.

The other day, the parents of Greg Rodriguez, a young man who died in the World Trade Center, said this: "We read enough of the news to sense that our government is heading in the direction of violent revenge, with the prospect of sons, daughters, parents, friends in distant lands dying, suffering, and nursing further grievances against us.

"It is not the way to go...not in our son's name."

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نساء الغرب لهن رأى آخر: أسامة بن لادن "فالنتينو" ورمز للجاذبية الجنسية!
منذ الحادي عشر من سبتمبر الماضى، وأسامة بن لادن شاغل الناس في الغرب. وعلى عادة الغرب تحول "المجرم" الى "بطل" ايضا. وهذه الملاحقة والمتابعة التي تديرها الاجهزة الاعلامية الغربية، لا تفصل بين الشخص الكريه.. والشخص المحبوب. مما يورث اختلاطا كبيرا لدى الناس. وصار بن لادن وفق هذا المنظار، موضع احاديث النساء بصفة خاصة. على اعتبار ان حياته مليئة بالمتناقضات، إضافة الى الشخصية الكاريزمية التي يتصف بها.
تقول الصحفية البريطانية جين ماكارتني في "التلجراف" اللندنية انها مثلها مثل غيرها من النساء الغربيات مشدودة الى النظرة الصارمة التي تحملها عينا اسامة بن لادن، اكثر رجل مطلوب حيا او ميتا للعدالة في الولايات المتحدة.
وقالت الصحفية إن "أسامة بن لادن ليس تشي جيفارا، فهو رجل مختلف تماما في الشكل والمنظر والهيئة والكلام، انه مثل فالنتينو (رجل الحب الاسطوري) ولولا أفعاله التي عرفناها في الأسابيع الأخيرة، فإنه مثال الاسطورة الرومانسية، ولكن بعد ما سمعنا انه فعله في أمريكا، فإنه لو جاء الى غرفتي فسأطلب الشرطة في الحال لاعتقاله".. (ولم تقل الصحفية ماذا ستفعل معه قبل تسليمه للشرطة!!).
وأضافت الكاتبة ماكارتني "لقد كتبت سيلفيا بلاث في زمن مضى: كل امرأة تعشق الفاشيين، كل امرأة تعشق الازدراء والاهمال حتى انه تود الركوع عند قدم الحبيب لو كان ادولف هتلر".. وقالت ماكارتني " لقد كانت بلاث محظوظة في الاعجاب بهتلر فقط".
واستطردت: "هؤلاء هم قادة حرب القبائل في عصرنا الحاضر"، وهذا واقع حالنا نحن نساء اليوم وكما كنا دائما " فإننا نرغب ان نكون دائما سبايا لمقاتل، وكما تؤيده اتفاقية ستوكهولم القائلة فإن المختطفين دائما يكونون معجبين بخاطفيهم، وهذا حالنا نحن نساء الغرب مع أسامة بن لادن".

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Balance or bias? CNN tells its staff to 'blame Taliban' for the conflict Thursday, November 01, 2001 (Reuters)


In an effort to balance reports of significant civilian casualties in Afghanistan, CNN began emphasizing to viewers on Wednesday that the Taliban leadership is to blame for the situation.
An internal memo from the network's standards and practices department was issued to all CNN staffers on Tuesday suggesting "we must remain careful not to focus excessively on the casualties and hardships in Afghanistan that will inevitably be a part of this war, or to forget that it is the Taliban leadership that is responsible for the situation Afghanistan is now in."
The memo - which was circulated after CNN News Group chairman/CEO Walter Isaacson raised the issue of editorial balance - said that since it could be difficult for correspondents inside dangerous areas in Afghanistan to make these points, anchors should be sure to follow each of the reports with a comment.
Standards and practices suggested that while reporters should put the commentary in their own words, they might want to note that "these US military actions are in response to a terrorist attack that killed close to 5,000 innocent people in the US"
On CNN's Web site, transcripts of reports from Nic Robertson in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and Bill Delaney in Islamabad, Pakistan, both had a new editor's note at the bottom, which read:

"The Pentagon has stressed that it is trying to minimize civilian casualties in Afghanistan. The US-led coalition launched its offensive on October 7 after Afghanistan's ruling Taliban refused to hand over members of the Al Qaeda terror network, which is suspected of orchestrating attacks in the United States that killed close to 5,000 people."

Reminder

After Robertson's report was aired, CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer instructed viewers that the Taliban restricted Robertson's access.

A CNN spokeswoman noted that "this is certainly something we were doing even before the memo," adding that the memo served as a reminder to staffers since Robertson was going to be in Kandahar when the US was likely going to increase collateral damage.

In recent days, US media have begun to put increased pressure on the Bush administration to explain civilian deaths and injuries in Afghanistan. The administration has, no doubt, noted that worldwide support for the US-led military action has been eroding as international TV channels carry images of relentless bombing raids in Afghanistan.

One Capitol Hill insider says the Bush administration is especially skittish about CNN, since journalists around the globe rely on the 24-hour channel as a source for breaking news. CNN has been carrying footage provided by the Arab satellite news channel Al-Jazeera, which is one of the few networks up and running in Afghanistan.

TV media have been on the frontlines in the propaganda wars, with the Bush administration asking news executives to think twice before airing Taliban or Al Qaeda statements.

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U.S. delivers a clear message to a host of Israeli visitors

By Aluf Benn




Foreign Minister Shimon Peres returned yesterday from a trip to the United States with many impressions. "The Americans have moved from one era to another," concluded Peres. "We haven't even begun to understand what happened there. They aren't thinking about how to defend Israel, but how to defend themselves in a crazy war."

Peres was the most senior of Israeli visitors to hold meetings with U.S. officials in Washington this past week. Among others were Minister without Portfolio Dan Meridor, envoy Zalman Shoval, national security adviser Uzi Dayan, director-general of Israel's Atomic Energy Commission Gideon Frank and about a dozen other officials and senior officers.

The U.S. administration was prepared for the air convoy from Israel and formulated a political message that was relayed to Jerusalem in numerous ways. The Israelis were told that America has changed. It is under attack from the anthrax bacteria and is busy attacking Afghanistan so it does not have time to deal with localized problems between Israel and the Palestinians. The administration is convinced Osama bin Laden is planning another big attack in the United States, and it is preparing to absorb the blow. The main parts of the three-pronged message are:

l Calmness. At this moment, U.S. President George W. Bush supports Israel, and the U.S. government has no intention to harm Israel or to "pay the Arabs with Israel." Bush promised Peres: "Even if you want to, you won't be able to ruin our relations." U.S. officials said they know Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat and do not consider him trustworthy. They also don't plan to give him any special breaks. Bush also will not meet with Arafat before the PA leader takes some tangible steps against terrorism and changes his ways. Washington had hoped that Arafat would improve his behavior after the June terrorist attack at the Dolphinarium in Tel Aviv, which led to the declaration of a cease-fire.

The United States expects to win the war against terrorism and impose a new international order, from which Israel can benefit. America has no illusions that the accomplices of terrorism in the Arab world have turned over a new leaf. Washington is continuing to carefully monitor Syria and Iran, and in coming days, new names will be added to the list of terrorist organizations and wanted terrorists. Among the newly listed will be those fighting against Israel, such as members of Hezbollah.

U.S. officials tried to calm Israeli fears that a new diplomatic plan will be released, with guidelines for a final status agreement, a move that would put Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in a corner. What the Americans are thinking about is not a detailed plan but only general ideas, such as the vision of a Palestinian state.

l Concern: All senior U.S. officials expressed concern of an escalation in Israeli-Palestinian violence and worry that Israel is trying to cause the PA to collapse. Jerusalem was sent a strong warning that the United States would not support such a move, which it believes would endanger the region's stability. That is America's "red line" vis-a-vis Israel. Sharon has tried to assure U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell that Israel will not bring down the PA or harm Arafat. The Americans considered the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to be a serious problem even before the September 11 attacks, because it caused friction in its standing among moderate Arab states. The administration's greatest fear is of regional deterioration and the danger of a war that would threaten American strategy.

l Expectations: Washington believes that Ze'evi's assassination cut short positive developments between Israel and the Palestinians that had emerged from the Peres-Arafat meeting at Gaza's Dahaniyeh Airport a month ago. This week's Israeli guests in Washington were asked to return the situation to the way it was before the assassination and to discuss ways to implement the Tenet understandings and the Mitchell Report.

According to Peres, "They [the Americans] had three requests: Get out of Area A, be careful of human life and create a cease-fire. They are anxious to get back to the Dahaniyeh process. They don't understand what we want, and here we live on another planet." The Americans explained to the visiting Israelis that comparisons between Palestinian terror and that of Osama bin Laden are not appropriate. The explanation for this is simple: The Americans fly thousands of kilometers to strike Afghanistan, but when all is said and done they come home. But Israelis will have to continue living alongside the Palestinians in the future and therefore they cannot afford to break the rules.

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اعتبر الزعيم الكوبي فيديل كاسترو أمس ان جرثومة الجمرة الخبيثة التي أشاعت الذعر في الولايات المتحدة، أقل خطورة من نزلة البرد العادية.

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Ha'aretz - Article The Knesset Constitution Law and Justice Committee on Tuesday approved by a large majority a bill banning supporters of terror organizations from standing for Knesset. MK Azmi Bishara (National Democratic Alliance) criticized the bill, saying that, "the authorization of this bill proposal is the beginning of a McCarthy era."

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جدد الرئيس الجزائري عبد العزيز بوتفليقة تأييده للضربات الأميركية البريطانية على أفغانستان. ودافع عن سقوط عشرات الضحايا في صفوف المدنيين الأفغان من جراء القصف المكثف، وقال إنه لا يزال في حجمه المقبول.

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Gaddafi Says U.S. Anthrax 'Worst Form of Terrorism'

TUNIS (Reuters) - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi (news - web sites) condemned the use of anthrax in the United States on Thursday as ``the worst form of terrorism'' and called for international action to tackle the ``very dangerous'' situation.

``We are facing genuine terrorism this time, the worst form of terrorism, because this weapon is the worst weapon of mass destruction,'' he said in a statement received in Tunis.

``I cannot imagine that humans can use germs against other humans, whatever the degree of animosity between them,'' he said. ``It is a cowardly, evil and irresponsible action putting in danger the whole of humanity.''

Anthrax scares spread across the world on Thursday, and the first case of attempted contamination by the potentially deadly bacteria outside the United States was reported in Kenya.

Concern rose dramatically after 31 U.S. congressional staffers tested positive for exposure to anthrax. Five other people in the United States have been infected or contaminated and one has died.

Gaddafi, who has often assailed the United States for its policies in the Middle East and elsewhere, urged world leaders to put aside their differences and come together to ``pay whatever the price needed to stop the danger.''

``The situation warrants an international conference to express the conscience and the wisdom of the world... All rifts and animosities must be put aside to face this sheer danger,'' Gaddafi said.

Washington suspects, but has no firm evidence, that the anthrax scare is linked to Osama bin Laden (news - web sites), its chief suspect for the September 11 suicide attacks on the United States, which killed around 5,400 people.

Gaddafi has said Washington has the right to seek revenge for the September 11 attacks and offered his condolences for the victims.

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Schroeder, Jospin Say Inequality Breeds Terrorism

PARIS (Reuters) - Rich countries should aim to ease the global economic inequalities that act as a breeding ground for terrorism, French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said on Friday.

Speaking at a Franco-German discussion forum in Paris, the two left-leaning leaders said more initiatives like the 1999 agreement on debt relief for poor nations were needed, as well as a greater commitment to solving existing conflicts.

``You have a situation which is favorable to terrorism if you do not deal with these problems, such as the Middle East and inequalities of development,'' said Jospin, whose theme was sustainable economic development.

``Terror does not have poverty as its root cause,'' said Schroeder. ``But the idea of sustainability has got to include the people of the Third World, otherwise these people become radicalized.''

Schroeder noted that reforms under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative launched at the summit of G8 wealthy nations in Cologne two years ago had already resulted in billions of dollars' worth of debt relief.

``It's not enough, but it's something,'' he said.

The two leaders reiterated support for American action following the September 11 attacks on targets in New York and Washington, dismissing suggestions that Washington was not adequately communicating its plans to its allies.

``We are adequately informed for the decisions that we have to take,'' noted Jospin.

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Ha'aretz - Article The White House on Friday called "unacceptable" Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's comments that the United States risked appeasing Arab nations at the expense of Israel.

"Those comments made by the prime minister are unacceptable in the president's opinion," President George W. Bush's spokesman, Ari Fleischer, told reporters.

He said the U.S. view had been communicated to Sharon through the U.S. Embassy in Israel and the National Security Council.

Sharon called Thursday night for the United States and the West not to seek Arab support for a war against global terrorism at Israel's expense, citing the "dreadful mistake of 1938" when Europe "decided to sacrifice Czechoslovakia" to the Nazis.

Sharon stressed that "all of our efforts to reach a cease-fire were foiled by the Palestinians and the fire did not stop, not even for a single day. We can only rely on ourselves."

The prime minister's comments reflected the growing disappointment in the American administration's position regarding terrorism in the region, in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington. Particularly disturbing is the fact that Syria and Iran - who back the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah - are not being held accountable for their role in sponsoring terrorist activities against Israel.

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CNN.com - Russian jet hit by missile: theory - October 4, 2001
MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- A Russian plane flying 77 people from Israel to Russia has exploded before crashing into the Black Sea, Russian officials have said.
U.S. officials say they have "convincing" evidence that a Ukrainian surface-to-air missile shot down a Russian airliner Thursday that was en route from Israel to Siberia with 77 people aboard.
One informed U.S. source told CNN that "initial analysis indicates" that it is believed at least one SA-5 surface-to-air missile was fired from a shore-based, air-defence system during the Ukrainian exercise and appears to have downed the airliner.

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اكد رئيس الجمهورية اميل لحود ان "لبنان هو رسالة تقوم على المحبة والتسامح والعيش المشترك وتعيش فيه 17 طائفة مسيحية واسلامية في تناغم وانسجام قل نظيرهما.

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واشنطن تطالب قطر
التدخل لدى <<الجزيرة>>
لتعديل مواقفها
اعترف امير دولة قطر الشيخ حمد بن خليفة آل ثاني ضمناً امس بأن واشنطن طلبت من حكومته التدخل لدى شبكة <<الجزيرة>> الفضائية التلفزيونية التي تتخذ من قطر مقراً لها، لكي تكون تغطيتها الاعلامية اكثر تأييداً للولايات المتحدة.
ورداً على سؤال حول تدخل بهذا المعنى مع هذه الشبكة لتكون تغطيتها اكثر <<توازناً>>، اعلن الشيخ حمد، للصحافيين في ختام لقاء مع وزير الخارجية كولن باول في واشنطن، <<صحيح اننا استمعنا الى هذه الادارة كما استمعنا الى الادارات الاخرى حول هذا الموضوع>>. واضاف <<بمجرد ان يأتي ذلك من قبل اصدقاء، فإننا نعتبره بمثابة مشورة ودية ونستمع اليها>>.
واشار الشيخ حمد ايضاً الى الجهود التي تبذلها بلاده في مجال الديموقراطية، مؤكداً انه ستكون لقطر <<حياة سياسية برلمانية في غضون السنتين المقبلتين>> مع <<ديموقراطية تطبق حرية الصحافة>>.

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Bush2 Bush Speaks of Palestinian State
By BARRY SCHWEID, AP Diplomatic Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush (news - web sites) said Tuesday the idea of a Palestinian state has always been part of the peace process ``so long as the right to an Israeli state is respected.''
The Sept. 11 attacks on the United States sidetracked an initiative by the Bush administration to launch Israel and the Palestinians into a new peacemaking process that only now is beginning to take shape again, a senior U.S. official said Monday night.
It was understood by Israel as well as the Palestinians that the outcome, if successful, would include creation of a Palestinian state, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Bush addressed the issue after a meeting with congressional leaders Tuesday morning. ``The idea of a Palestinian state has always been a part of a vision so long as the right to an Israeli state is respected,'' he said.
First things first, he said - reducing the level of violence that has wracked the region this year. ``I fully understand that progress is made in centimeters in the Middle East,'' Bush said. ``And we believe we're making some progress.''
The administration planned to make its efforts public at the special session of the U.N. General Assembly set for Sept. 24, but the Sept. 11 attacks in New York and Washington temporarily sidetracked the plan.
At the U.N. meeting, which was postponed indefinitely, the Bush administration had planned to outline its overall view of a final settlement, including important questions about borders, the right of Palestinians refugees to return to Israel and possibly the future of Jerusalem, according to The New York Times, which first reported the initiative.

The newspaper also said Bush planned to meet with Arafat during that U.N. gathering in New York.

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بن لادن قبل الهجمات: " حدث جلل سيقع"
أفادت الأنباء بأن المنشق السعودي أسامة بن لادن الذي تتهمه الولايات المتحدة بالضلوع في تفجيرات نيويورك وواشنطن قد أجرى مكالمة هاتفية مع والدته أبلغها خلالها بأن شيئا عظيما على وشك الوقوع، وأنه لن يتمكن من رؤيتها لفترة طويلة.
ونقلت شبكة التلفزيون الأمريكية أن بي سي عن مصدر بارز في الحكومة الأمريكية قوله إن المكالمة الهاتفية التي تنصتت عليها أجهزة الاستخبارات أجريت قبل يومين من شن الهجمات الانتحارية على نيويورك وواشنطن.
وفي حالة التأكد من حدوث هذه المكالمة الهاتفية المشار إليها فإنها تصبح من أقوى الأدلة التي تربط بين أسامة بن لادن والهجمات الانتحارية.
وتفيد الأنباء بأن أسامة بن لادن أجرى المكالمة مع والدته خلال وجودها في العاصمة السورية دمشق.
ويقال إنه قال لها إنها ستسمع أخبارا ذات شأن كبير وإنه لن يتمكن من الاتصال بها أو رؤيتها لفترة غير قصيرة.
ويقال إن أفراد عائلة بن لادن عادوا إلى وطنهم في السعودية وإن السلطات السعودية استجوبتهم عقب الهجمات الانتحارية في الحادي عشر من الشهر الماضي.
وقالت صحيفة نيويورك تايمز إن والدة بن لادن أكدت تفاصيل المكالمة للشرطة السعودية ، ويذكر أن غالبية عائلة أسامة بن لادن قد تبرأت منه على أن أمه أبقت على الاتصالات مع ابنها، ويقال إن العائلة تتعاون مع المحققين.

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نفي للوعد بعدم ضرب أي دولة عربية
نفى المسؤولون الأردنيون والأمريكيون الأنباء التي ذكرت أن الرئيس الأمريكي بوش وعد العاهل الأردني الملك عبد الله بأن أمريكا لن تهاجم أي بلد عربي انتقاما للهجمات على نيويورك وواشنطن

وكانت وسائل الإعلام الأردنية قد ذكرت من قبل عن الملك عبد الله قوله أن الرئيس بوش أكد له أن الدول العربية ومن بينها العراق لن تتعرض للهجوم

وكان قد نقل عن العاهل الأردني أيضا القول بأن محادثاته مؤخرا في واشنطن ركزت على قضيتين هما إبعاد الدول العربية عن قائمة الدولة المستهدفة، وإيجاد حل للنزاع الإسرائيلي الفلسطيني

ولكن البيت الأبيض ومسؤولا في السفارة الأردنية في واشنطن قالا إن الرئيس بوش لم يقدم هذا الوعد

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Ha 08:14 26/09/2001Last update - 10:08 27/09/2001


U.S. officials weigh proposal to halt all civilian aid to Israel

By Ora Coren, Ha'aretz Correspondent




American officials are reviewing a proposal to end all civilian aid to Israel immediately, in the context of a general review of America's foreign aid priorities, according to a senior Western diplomat.

However, the Bush administration has not yet formulated its stance on this question, the diplomat said.

The diplomat explained that America's foreign aid policy will have to change following the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, and one possibility is phasing out civilian aid to Israel sooner than planned.

However, he added, the increase in military aid to Israel that was slated to accompany the reduction in civilian aid would not be affected.

Under a deal reached with the U.S. government three years ago, civilian aid to Israel - then $1.2 billion a year - was to decline by $120 million a year for 10 years, until it was eliminated completely.

Over the same period, military aid would increase by $60 million a year, rising from $1.8 billion to $2.4 billion at the end of the 10-year period. Thus this year, Israel is slated to receive $840 million in civilian aid and $1.980 billion in military aid.

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Ha'aretz - Article
Wednesday, September 26, 2001 Tishrei 9, 5762Israel Time: 04:42 (GMT 2)




Last update - 01:45 26/09/2001


Two Odigo workers received messages predicting WTC attack

By Yuval Dror, Ha'aretz Correspondent




Odigo, the instant messaging service, says that two of its employees received messages two hours before the Twin Towers attack on September 11 predicting the attack would happen. The company has been cooperating with Israeli and American law enforcement, including the FBI, in trying to find the original sender of the message predicting the attack.

Micha Macover, CEO of the company, said the two employees received the messages and immediately after the terror attack informed the company's management. Management immediately contacted the Israeli security services, which brought in the FBI.

"I have no idea why the message was sent to these two workers, who don't know the sender. It may just have been someone who was joking and turned out they accidentally got it right. And I don't know if our information was useful in any of the arrests the FBI has made," said Macover. Odigo is a U.S.-based company whose headquarters are in New York, with offices in Herzliya.

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بعد ان يختفي الدخان في نيويورك وواشنطن

سيظهر حجم الخسائر السياسية لاسرائيل

واشنطن - من وفيق رمضان:

بعد اسبوعين تماماً من تفجيرات نيويورك وواشنطن، لا يزال الدخان يتصاعد من الموقع الذي كان يقوم عليه برجا مركز التجارة العالمي، والغبار يغطي معظم مدينة نيويورك ومحيط "البنتاغون" في واشنطن. ولكن عندما يتوقف الدخان ويزول الغبار سيظهر ان اسرائيل هي من بين خسائر ذلك الثلثاء الشهير الذي هز الولايات المتحدة والعالم.

بالنسبة الى يهود الولايات المتحدة، وعاصمتهم نيويورك لأن فيها من اليهود اكثر من عدد سكان اسرائيل، فانهم اختاروا الاختفاء قليلاً، ولا يظهر منهم الا رجال دين مع ممثلي جميع الاديان والمعتقدات في الولايات المتحدة في احتفالات تأبين، وعدد قليل من "المحللين" السياسيين في برامج التلفزيونات الاميركية التي انفتحت على تغطية الاحداث طوال الليل والنهار.

مضى اسبوعان على التفجيرات و12 يوماً منذ طلب الرئيس جورج بوش من رئيس الوزراء الاسرائيلي ارييل شارون ان يجتمع موفدون اسرائيليون مع موفدين فلسطينيين للتوصل الى اتفاق لوقف النار، علماً ان الفلسطينيين اعربوا لوزارة الخارجية الاميركية بعد الاتصال الاول بين بوش وشارون عن استعدادهم لعقد اجتماع مع اي مندوب اسرائيلي.

وبحسب مصادر عدة، بدا بوش غاضباً جداً آنذاك، وكذلك في الايام التي تلت والتي اجرى فيها اتصالات عدة مع شارون وخصوصاً بعدما جمع حوله اكثر الدول العربية والاسلامية ووعدها بأنه "سيضغط" على شارون للاجتماع مع الفلسطينيين ووقف القتال.

وأظهر تسلسل الاتصالات التي أجراها بوش ووزير الخارجية كولن باول وسفير الولايات المتحدة لدى اسرائيل، ان شارون استخف بـ"ضغط" بوش عليه. وبدا الرئيس الاميركي من خلال اتصالاته مع زعماء دول عربية واسلامية محرجا، بسبب مقاومة شارون لما طلبه منه لأن سياسة ادارته الابتعاد عن النزاع الاسرائيلي - الفلسطيني (حتى لا نكرر القول بانحيازها اللفظي اليها)، انهارت فجأة وصار على بوش ان يدفع أكثر في اتجاه شارون، لئلا يصاب التحالف الدولي الذي يأمل في تشكيله ضد الارهاب، بصدع نتيجة موقف شارون، او ما قد يقوم به عند بدء العمليات العسكرية التي تعد لها الولايات المتحدة.

ونظرا الى عدم وجود عملية سلام في الشرق الاوسط، يمكن ان تلزم الاسرائيليين او الفلسطينيين شيئا، وجد بوش نفسه فجأة من دون نفوذ او "لوبي" في اسرائيل يؤثر على رئيس وزراء دولة صغيرة دافع عنه منذ دخل البيت الابيض، ويقول اميركيون كثر ان تفجيرات 11 ايلول هي نتيجة دفاع بوش عن شارون.

ولجأ بوش الى حلفائه الاوروبيين ليتدخلوا في منطقة الشرق الاوسط بعدما كان كل تدخل اوروبي مثار سخرية الادارات الاميركية الواحدة تلو الاخرى. وطلب من رئيس الوزراء البريطاني طوني بلير عندما كان في واشنطن الاسبوع الماضي ان يرسل وزير الخارجية جاك سترو الى المنطقة. وكان ما كان في المشكلة التي اثارتها اسرائيل احتجاجا على تصريحات لسترو.

كل هذا يقلق بوش وادارته الى ابعد حد، خصوصا ان اميركيين كثيرين قالوا علنا في الصحف او الاذاعات او التلفزيونات ان عدم الانتباه الذي ابداه بوش حيال النزاع الاسرائيلي الهب المشاعر.

وامس ايضا تحدث باول هاتفيا مع وزير الخارجية الاسرائيلي شمعون بيريس الذي لا ينظر اليه الاميركيون غالبا نظرة الاحترام ويصفونه بأنه "خاسر دائم"، كما اتصل بعرفات وشارون. ولكن لم يظهر دليل بعد على تغيير في موقف شارون الذي كان بدوره يعتبر دائما شخصا "غير مرغوب فيه" لدى مسؤولين اميركيين سابقين ويعتبرونه "شخصا معاديا لاميركا".

كان بوش طلب من شارون ان يجتمع بيريس وعرفات في 14 ايلول، لكن شارون كان يقدم كل يوم حجة جديدة مثل: مرور ساعة من الهدوء الكامل قبل حصول هذا الاجتماع.

واعتبر الاميركيون ان ما اعلنه بيريس عن نيته اخذ اجازة اذا لم يعقد الاجتماع بينه وبين عرفات، اداة ضغط من ممثل حزب العمل الضعيف في الائتلاف الحكومي الذي يقوده "الليكود".

وامس، طلب شارون من الجانب الاميركي "هدوءا كاملا" و"جدد اتفاق وقف النار" لفترة لم يحددها، لكن الاميركيين كانوا في اقصى الغضب ضده، خصوصا انهم اعتبروا شرطه السابق اي "48 ساعة هدوءا" علامة ايجابية منه.

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Tuesday September 25 9:13 AM ET
Text of Saudi Break With Taliban
By The Associated Press,
Text of Saudia Arabia's announcement that the kingdom has severed ties with Afghanistan (news - web sites)'s Taliban regime, released by the official Saudi news agency. Message opens with a reference to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s:
The kingdom of Saudi Arabia stood with all of its ability beside the Afghani people while they were struggling for their independence, which gave Afghanistan a special status in the hearts of those who champion nations' rights of freedom and independence, until Afghanistan regained its independence.
It is unfortunate to see that the Taliban have used that special status for Afghanistan not for building the ties of brotherhood and for building and development and enforcing the lofty aims which Islam represents, but has made its land a center for attracting, training and recruiting a number of gullible men from different lands, especially citizens of the kingdom, in order to carry out criminal acts that violate all faiths and creeds, besides continuing to reject handing over those criminals to justice.
In spite of what happened and what is happening, the Taliban government is still continuing to use its land to harbor, arm and encourage those criminals in carrying out terrorist attacks that horrify those who live in peace and the innocent and spread terror and destruction in the world. (It) leads to defaming Islam and defaming Muslims' reputation in the world.

Since the Taliban have ignored all of the contacts and the attempts by the kingdom to persuade them to stop harboring criminals and terrorists and training them and inciting them and making its land a refuge and haven for them, (since) it did not respond to all exerted efforts and attempts in that concern, the last of which is the Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's call to the Taliban government, the government of the kingdom announces it is cutting all of its relations with the Taliban government while affirming that it will keep standing by the Afghan people and will continue its support for everything that will achieve security, stability and prosperity for Afghanistan.

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أفاد تقرير أعدته المنظمة الفلسطينية لحقوق الإنسان أن عدد الصبية الفلسطينيين دون الـ 18 الذين استشهدوا في العام الأول من الانتفاضة بلغ 140 شهيدا. وأضاف التقرير أن العدد الإجمالي لشهداء انتفاضة الأقصى حتى أمس وصل إلى 560 شهيدا.

وشمل التقرير الأولاد الذين سقطوا بنيران قوات الاحتلال إبان انتفاضة الأقصى من 29 سبتمبر/ أيلول عام 2000 وحتى 23 سبتمبر/ أيلول عام 2001. وأوضح التقرير أن عدد الشهداء ينقسمون إلى فئتين الأولى تشمل الرضع من يومهم الأول حتى سن الـ 15 حيث سقط من هذه الفئة 59 طفلا.

والفئة الثانية تشمل الصبية من سن 15 حتى 18 وعددهم 81 شهيدا. وأشار التقرير إلى أن عددا كبيرا من الأولاد الذين شملتهم قائمة الشهداء لم يشاركوا في المواجهات مع قوات الاحتلال عندما أصيبوا إصابات قاتلة.

وأضافت المنظمة الفلسطينية أن إسرائيل تزعم بأنه يمكن للفلسطينيين دون سن 18 عاما أن يشكلوا تهديدا على الجنود الإسرائيليين وبالتالي فإنهم يعتبرون أهدافا شرعية. وبحسب اتفاقية الأمم المتحدة الخاصة بحماية حقوق الطفل التي تم اعتمادها في 20 نوفمبر/ تشرين الثاني 1989 وصدقت عليها معظم دول العالم بما فيها إسرائيل يحدد سن الرشد بـ 18 عاما.

ومن جهة أخرى أكد التقرير أن عدد الفلسطينيين الذين استشهدوا إبان الانتفاضة على أيدي قوات الاحتلال بلغ 560 بينهم 88 من عناصر أجهزة الأمن الفلسطيني و26 قتلوا في عمليات استشهادية ضد إسرائيل. ولا يشمل الرقم الإجمالي ضحايا التفجيرات الغامضة التي لم تتضح ملابساتها ويعتقد الفلسطينيون أن جزءا منها كان عبارة عن عمليات اغتيال وسقط نتيجتها 51 شهيدا.

وأكد التقرير أن 16 فلسطينيا استشهدوا برصاص المستوطنين الإسرائيليين في الضفة الغربية منذ اندلاع الانتفاضة.

وأشار التقرير إلى زيادة عنف وجرائم المستوطنين إبان انتفاضة الأقصى. وأوضح أن روايات شهود العيان أكدت أن مرتكبي الجرائم هم نفس الأشخاص من مناطق الخليل وبيت إيل ونابلس, مما يدل على وجود تنظيم سري أو تنسيق في ارتكاب الاعتداءات ضد المواطنين الفلسطينيين. وترتكب هذه الجرائم تحت سمع وبصر الجيش الإسرائيلي دون أن يحرك ساكنا, وأحيانا يتولى الجيش حماية المستوطنين.

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A row has broken out between Israel and the UK ahead of Foreign Secretary Jack Straw's historic visit to Iran.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry issued an official statement expressing concern over remarks made by Mr Straw that have been published in the Iran press.
They include the words: "One of the factors which helps breed terrorism is the anger which many people in this region feel at events over the years in Palestine".

The term "Palestine" implies an element of statehood which Israel does not recognise.
But a BBC correspondent in Jerusalem says that what has really upset Israeli officials is the implication that Mr Straw blames Israel's policies for attacks on Israelis.
Mr Straw's tour of the Middle East is designed to help revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and to win Iran's support of a global fight against terrorism in the wake of the US attacks.
He has already made a brief stopover in Jordan, where he had talks with King Abdullah II and the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, whom he congratulated for the ceasefire statement he made four days ago "and the action which he and the Palestine authority have taken since to secure so far as possible, as they see it, a much greater degree of calm".

The foreign secretary, who is visiting Israel on Thursday and Egypt later in the week, has said he will seek ways to help revive Middle East peace negotiations.

'Abominable'

But his remarks in the Iranian press have already brought sharp criticisms from the Israeli media and politicians.

Israel Transport Minister Ephraim Sneh called his remarks "abominable" on Israel radio.

"The journey of the foreign minister who made these statements and is making the trip with the concurrence of the United States, to Tehran, the capital of Iran, is a stab in the back for Israel," Mr Sneh added.

The British Foreign Office later issued a clarification, saying that there can never be any excuse for terrorism, but the Israeli Government said that offence had been taken.

However they affirmed that Britain remains a key ally and Mr Straw's visit will go ahead as planned.

The foreign secretary's visit to the region was sensitive even before the row in Israel.

Iran and the UK have a history of rocky relations and Mr Straw, who is due to arrive in Tehran late on Monday, will be the first UK foreign secretary to visit the country since the Islamic revolution of 1979.

Many reformists in Iran welcomed the visit as a step towards a thaw in relations with the west.

But others believe Mr Straw is simply on a mission on behalf of the US, which still lists Iran as a state that sponsors terrorism and has no official diplomatic links with it.

Mr Straw will hold talks on Tuesday with Iran's President Khatami and Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi.

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Ha'aretz - Article Israel protests BBC coverage of Pal. reaction to U.S. attacks

By Sharon Sadeh, Ha'aretz Correspondent

The Israeli Embassy in London wrote to the British Broadcasting Corporation three days ago to protest what it calls, "the British network's caving in to the scare tactics of the Palestinian Authority." The letter criticizes the network's reporters in Israel for stressing a number of times that the images of Palestinians celebrating following the terror attack in the U.S. last week "did not reflect the general opinion of the majority of the Palestinian public."

The criticism is based on reports that the PA threatened foreign reporters, demanding that they not carry any reports of Palestinian celebrations. The embassy's press secretary David Schneeweiss says in the letter that Israel wants to verify whether the BBC's efforts to influence the viewers was the result of caving in to Palestinian pressures or a freely-made decision to act as the PA's propaganda apparatus.

This the third letter Israel has written to the BBC in the past year related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In May Israel demanded that the BBC take action against one of its reporters in Gaza that expressed his support of the Hamas. In October the embassy complained about the BBC's coverage of the Al Aqsa Intifada.

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Iran Wants 'Terrorists' Severely Punished TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi told his Pakistani counterpart Wednesday that he wanted those behind the attacks in the United States ``tracked down and severely punished,'' Iran's IRNA news agency reported.
``The terrorists must be tracked down and severely punished,'' Kharrazi told Pakistan's Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar in a telephone conversation, referring to the deadly attacks in New York and Washington last week.
Iranian leaders have strongly condemned the attacks and offered deep sympathy to the United States in ways unprecedented since the 1979 Islamic revolution which led to a break in their diplomatic ties.

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Mojo® says:
i chust realized that my plok has a lot of kaddafi related stories
Mojo® says:
maybe he deserves his dedicateds plok
Marwan® says:
ana mo3jab bi shakhseetoh
Marwan® says:
:-)
Marwan® says:
hoowweh plok mun
Mojo® says:
killo 3ala pa3to plokkaple

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Mullah Mohammed Omar, supreme leader of Afghanistan's ruling Taliban, told a meeting of clerics in Kabul on Wednesday that the United States was using the case against suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden as a "pretext" to destroy the "Islamic" (mojo:??????) system the Taliban has established.

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"Nimda" worm strikes Net, e-mail - Tech News - CNET.com
A computer worm that spreads to both servers and PCs running Microsoft software flooded the Internet with data Tuesday, prompting the FBI to create a task force to investigate the attack, sources said.

Known as "Nimda" or "readme.exe," the worm spreads by sending infected e-mail messages, copying itself to computers on the same network, and compromising Web servers using Microsoft's Internet Information Server (IIS) software.

"It is extraordinary how much traffic this thing has created in a couple of hours," said Graham Cluley, senior security consultant for antivirus company Sophos. "As far as we can see, it doesn't seem to be using any psychological tricks because it's all automated."
Mailing lists for the security community quickly generated news of the worm, as infected servers scanned the Internet for vulnerable servers.

Sources in the antivirus community told CNET News.com that the FBI has set up a "task force" to study the virus. The FBI held conference calls three times Tuesday night with antivirus experts to discuss the investigation, sources said.

"There was a task force set up today, and there were a lot of things discussed," said Vincent Gullotto, director of antivirus research at security software firm Network Associates.

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Reports of Suspicious Trading Probed CHICAGO (AP) - The world's largest options market is investigating reports of unusual trading activity before last week's terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
The statement Tuesday from the Chicago Board Options Exchange comes amid widespread international efforts by investigators and regulators to determine whether terrorists tried to profit from stock and option trading ahead of the Sept. 11 attacks.
In the days before the attacks, unusually high numbers of put options were purchased for the stocks of AMR Corp. and UAL Corp., the parent companies of American Airlines and United Airlines, which each had two planes hijacked. There was no such trend involving other carriers.
A put option is a contract that gives a holder the right to sell an asset at a specified price before a certain date.
On Sept. 6-7, when there was no significant news or stock price movement involving United, the Chicago exchange handled 4,744 put options for UAL stock compared with just 396 call options - essentially bets that the price will rise. On Sept. 10, an uneventful day for American, the volume was 748 calls and 4,516 puts, based on a check of option trading records.
On Monday, the first day of trading following the attacks, shares of AMR fell 39 percent and UAL stock plunged 42 percent. Other airline shares also were sharply lower and most rebounded modestly Tuesday.

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Yalla! Your Lebanese Portal Egyptian Born Business Man in US Is the Third Victim of Deadly Attacks Against Muslims
(19-09-2001)

The murder of an Egyptian born businessman in the Los Angeles suburb of San Gabriel is the latest in a series of attacks on US Muslims, prompting denunciation from US President George W. Bush.

Bush said during a visit to the Islamic Center in Washington, “Those who feel like they can intimidate our fellow citizens to take out their anger don’t represent the best of America. They represent the worst of humankind, and they should be ashamed”.

The FBI in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed Sunday it considered the attack on grocer Adel Karas, 48, to have been motivated by religious hatred.

Washington’s Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has recorded more than 350 incidents of anti-Muslim harassment, threats, discrimination and violence since last Tuesday

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Collateral Damage by Robert Wright
Collateral Damage

By Robert Wright
Posted Monday, Sept. 17, 2001, at 10:30 a.m. PT



This is war. On that everyone seems to agree—or, at least, they agreed for a while. In the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11, not just politicians but many pundits joined President Bush in declaring "war" on terrorism. But now, with the aid of some critical distance, a few observers have started asking whether that word doesn't obscure more than it illuminates.

After all, a conventional war—a conflict between states or groups of states—is pretty straightforward. There is a clear-cut objective (control the other guy's territory) and a clear-cut methodology (kill the other guy's soldiers—who, conveniently, are often dressed in distinctively colored uniforms). Once you've obtained the objective, you can relax: Your enemy surrenders, and the game is over.

That none of this is true of a "war" on terrorism has started sinking into the national consciousness. ("What Would 'Victory' Mean?" asked a headline in yesterday's New York Times.) But I think the most dangerously misleading thing about the "war" metaphor still hasn't dawned on many people. We by and large haven't reckoned with the possible new meaning of the phrase "American casualties."

Suppose that, as part of our metaphorical war against terrorism, we declare an actual, literal war on Afghanistan. The average American will realize that, this being war, the enemy will fight back, and American soldiers will come home in body bags. But the average American might not realize that the enemy could also fight back by parking truck bombs in American cities—that Americans who are already home may wind up in body bags.

A recent ABC News/Washington Post poll illustrates this blind spot. How many Americans favor responding to the terrorist attack by taking military action? 93 percent. And what if this means war? 86 percent. And what if it means civilian casualties abroad? 77 percent. And what if it means large numbers of U.S. troops getting killed? 69 percent. And what if it means large numbers of American civilians getting killed?

That's the question the pollsters didn't ask. They're still thinking about "war" in the conventional sense of the word.

Admittedly, President Bush has stressed that this is a new kind of war. Still, he has singled out our men and women in uniform as the ones who must gird themselves for combat. So when he stresses that this war could go on for years and involve great national sacrifice, pretty much everyone imagines the "greatest generation" kind of national sacrifice: Troops go off to die, and the rest of us plant victory gardens—and arrive at airports three hours before scheduled departure. Almost no one is imagining America turning into Israel, a place where every loud noise scares you to death. But it could well happen if our "war" on terrorism sufficiently inflames Islamic radicals.

I can hear the replies to this column now: Don't you understand? They're already killing American civilians. That's why we have to stop them!

Yes, we do have to try to stop them, and this may well mean taking military action. But note that this whole line of rhetoric—they're already killing us, and we must stop them—is itself a warped byproduct of war-think. It uncritically assumes the binary nature of conventional war. In a conventional war, once the killing begins, the enemy is fully committed to your destruction, so there's no need to worry about further antagonizing him. And completely stopping the enemy—winning the war, once and for all—is plausible. Neither of these things is true today.

Radical Islamic hatred of the United States is a variable that can go up or down. The commitment of the "enemy" to killing us isn't now anywhere near its theoretical maximum, and it may never reach zero. So one of our main jobs, for years and probably for decades, is to manage that variable. As we proceed on the various fronts we must now proceed on—including the military front—we have to keep radical Islamic hatred as low as possible.

It may sound like we've reached the reductio ad absurdum of my argument. I seem to be talking about fighting a war while trying to avoid antagonizing the enemy! But I submit that this is the weird new reality we face. And if the language we're using to describe that reality makes it seem inconceivable, then it's time to find some new language.

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German Composer Stockhausen Apologizes German Composer Stockhausen Apologizes
HAMBURG, Germany (AP) - German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen apologized for calling last week's attacks on the United States a ``work of art'' - words that prompted the cancelation of four concerts in this northern city.
The 73-year-old Stockhausen, one of Germany's best-known postwar composers, had described the attacks as ``the greatest work of art one can imagine.''
Organizers of a music festival in Hamburg promptly canceled four concerts of Stockhausen's music.
The composer has since apologized for the comments, which he made Sunday during a press conference, Hamburg's top culture official Christina Weiss said Tuesday.

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إسرائيل تحفر خنادق
في القدس الشرقية




القدس المحتلة رويترز يتعين على ياسمين زاهر أن تتخطى خندقا للوصول إلى منزلها في القدس الشرقية وهي تمسك بطفلها في يد ورضيعها في اليد الأخرى.
فإسرائيل حفرت خنادق عبر طرق القدس الشرقية كجزء من إجراءات تقول إنها ضرورية للحيلولة دون وصول منفذي عمليات التفجير الاستشهادية إلى المدينة المقدسة بعد سلسلة من التفجيرات.
وتعني الخنادق الجديدة التي يصل عمقها إلى متر وعرضها الى مترين ببساطة خلق المزيد من المشكلات اليومية لياسمين وجيرانها الفلسطينيين الذين أصبح لزاما عليهم السير للوصول إلى منازلهم.
وقالت ياسمين، وهي تحاول مساعدة ابنتها التي لم تتجاوز عامين لعبور الخندق، <<هذه سياسة تمييز عنصري ضد الفلسطينيين في القدس الشرقية>>.
وعزلت الخنادق والكتل الصخرية الطرق الرئيسية قرب القدس التي غالبا ما يستخدمها فلسطينيون في مناطق منها العيزرية، وهي مدينة في الضفة الغربية تقع على حافة القدس. وستخلق هذه الخنادق مشكلات أيضا للحجاج المسيحيين الذين تقلصت أعدادهم منذ اندلاع الانتفاضة الفلسطينية ضد الاحتلال الإسرائيلي قبل عام لأنها حالت دون وصول السيارات الى عدد من الأماكن المقدسة.
وضايقت تلك الخطوة نحو 300 ألف فلسطيني يعيشون في القدس الشرقية التي احتلتها إسرائيل عام 1967 وضمتها في خطوة لا يعترف بها المجتمع الدولي، ويخشى الفلسطينيون من محاولة إسرائيل عزل القدس الشرقية عن باقي مدن الضفة الغربية.
وقال المتحدث باسم الشرطة الإسرائيلية شموئيل بن روبي ان الهدف من تلك الخنادق هو منع منفذي التفجيرات من استخدام الطرق الخلفية للعبور إلى القدس. والطرق الرئيسية مغلقة بالفعل بنقاط التفتيش التي يقيمها الجيش الإسرائيلي.
وبرغم تلك الإجراءات فجر فلسطيني نفسه في القدس الأسبوع الماضي مما أسفر عن جرح نحو 15 شخصا. وقتل آخر 15 شخصا حينما فجر نفسه في مطعم الشهر الماضي.

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Bin Laden right-hand man, wanted in Jordan, has asylum in Britain



AMMAN, Sept 14 (AFP) -
Omar Abu Omar, a right-hand man of the prime suspect of the US terror strikes Osama bin Laden, lives in London where he enjoys political asylum and is wanted in Jordan, a security source said Friday.
Abu Omar, who also goes by the name of Abu Kutada, "is a right hand man of Osama bin Laden who is chiefly responsible for financing terrorist operations," the source said on condition of anonymity.
He was arrested in London in February along with five others, accused of terrorist activities, but was released on bail a few days later.
A Jordanian of Palestinian origin, Abu Omar left Jordan for Pakistan in 1989 and from there went on to Afghanistan, where he spent two years as a close associate of bin Laden.
"He then travelled to Britain where he asked for and obtained political asylum, after claiming he had been persecuted in Jordan for his religious beliefs and his Palestinian origins," said the source, a terrorism expert.
"Abu Kutada is one of bin Laden's most trusted aides and plays a key role in setting up (terrorist) networks across the world, providing them with funds and recruiting members," the expert said.
The Jordanian authorities want him in connection with a group of Islamic militants, linked to bin Laden's military network Al-Qaeda (The Base), who were arrested in 1999 and accused of plotting terror attacks

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Ha'aretz - Flash news
French Ambassdor: 'Cannot compare terror in U.S., Israel'

France's ambassador to Israel, Jacques Huntzinger, told reporters yesterday that there could be no comparisons drawn between the act of terror perpetrated in the United States and Palestinian terrorism in Israel.

Speaking at a Rosh Hashanah reception held at the official residence of President Moshe Katsav, the French ambassador said: "First of all, we don't know who is responsible for the terror attack in the U.S. tragedy. We don't know whether this is an action committed by a state or individuals."

"Secondly," Huntzinger added, "here [in Israel], there is terror activity, and we denounce it. But terror here is connected to the Israeli-Palestinan conflict, which will not be resolved quickly, and it's an entirely different situation. We cannot confuse the Israeli-Palestinian situation and the tragedy that occurred in the United States."

Huntzinger added: "You [Israelis] are making the comparison. There is no comparison between the situation here and the very tragic one in the United States. It is completely irresponsible, politically, to make such a comparison."

While Arafat was committed to take firm steps against Palestinian terrorists, Huntzinger said, it was also true that Israel and the Palestinian were locked in a political conflict that had to be resolved by diplomatic means.

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نعوم تشومسكي: هدية لليمين الشوفيني
تشومسكي نعوم



هجمات اليوم تشكل فظائع كبرى. بالنسبة لعدد الضحايا لم يصل الى مستوى فظائع اخرى كقصف بيل كلينتون للسودان. على سبيل المثال، حيث دمّر نصف امدادات البلاد بالادوية الامر الذي ربما ادى الى مقتل عشرات آلاف الاشخاص (لا احد يبالي، طالما ان الولايات المتحدة منعت التحقيق الذي كان من المفترض ان تجريه الامم المتحدة). هذا من دون الحديث عن حالات أسوأ بكثير ترد الى الذهن بسرعة. لكن ما جرى جريمة مرعبة من دون شك. فالضحايا الأول هم، كالعادة، العمال: البوابون والسكرتيرات ورجال الاطفاء، الخ.
وستكون هذه الهجمات على الأرجح ضربة ساحقة للفلسطينيين وغيرهم من الشعوب الفقيرة المضطهدة. وستؤدي على الاغلب الى اتخاذ اجراءات امنية مشددة مع امكان فرض قيود تزعزع الحريات المدنية والحرية الداخلية.
وتكشف الاحداث بصورة مأساوية غباء الافكار عن <<الدفاع الصاروخي>>. فكما اعلن تكراراً عدد من المحللين الاستراتيجيين وكما اصبح جلياً، فإن من يريد ان يلحق اضراراً هائلة بالولايات المتحدة بما في ذلك عبر استخدام اسلحة الدمار الشامل، فعلى الأغلب لن يشن هجوماً صاروخياً مخاطراً بدمار فوري (للمهاجم).
وهناك العديد من الاساليب الابسط التي يمكن وقفها عملياً. لكن احداث امس تزيد مع ذلك الضغوط الرامية الى اقامة انظمة الدفاع الصاروخي ووضعها قيد العمل.
ويشكل <<الدفاع>> غطاء رقيقاً لخطط عسكرة الفضاء، ومن خلال اللجوء الى حملات العلاقات العامة، سيعطى بعض الوزن لأكثر الذرائع ركاكة وسط الجمهور المذعور.
باختصار، جاءت هذه الجريمة كهدية الى اليمين الشوفيني المتطرف الذي يأمل باستخدام القوة للسيطرة على مجالات مصالحه. بل انها تمد بالذخر الاعمال الاميركية المقبلة التي ستؤدي بدورها.. الى هجمات مشابهة لهذه التي وقعت وربما أسوأ.
ان الآفاق المستقبلية اشد سوداوية مما كانت تبدو قبل الفظائع الأخيرة.
(12/9/2001)
(عن موقع <<زد ماغ>>)

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Kadhafi condemns "terrible" attacks in United States Kadhafi condemns "terrible" attacks in United States



TRIPOLI, Sept 11 (AFP) -
Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi on Tuesday condemned the "terrible" attacks on the United States and said his country was ready to send aid to the American people, the official JANA news agency reported.
"Different policies and the conflicts with America shouldn't be a psychological obstacle to sending humanitarian aid to the American people and all people in America who were profoundly affected by these terrible attacks," Kadhafi said.

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The spiritual leader of the Islamic militant group Hamas denied Tuesday that Hamas had any connection with the attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center towers in New York and struck the Pentagon (news - web sites) in Washington.

``We in Hamas, our battle is on the Palestinian land. We are not ready to move our battle out of the occupied Palestinian territories,'' Sheikh Ahmed Yassin told reporters in Gaza City.

He said U.S. policies against the weaker peoples of the world were to blame for the aircraft attacks on two major U.S. cities.

He urged the United States to change its policy toward the world's less fortunate countries.

``America plants injustice and hatred in the hearts of the weak people so it reaps what it plants,'' he said. ``The U.S. policy is racist and does not lead to justice, and the absence of justice leads to such problems.''

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Afghanistan's hardline Taliban rulers condemned the devastating terrorist attacks in New York and Washington on Tuesday and rejected suggestions that Osama bin Laden could be behind them.
``We never support terrorism. We too are targets of terrorism,'' Abdul Hai Muttmain, the Taliban's spokesman in the southern city of Kandahar, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

``What happened in the United States was not a job of ordinary people. It could have been the work of governments. Osama bin Laden cannot do this work, neither us,'' a Taliban spokesman, Abdul Hai Mutmaen, told Reuters from the southern city of Kandahar.

``We are not supporting terrorism. Osama does not have the capability. We condemn this.

``This could have been the act of either internal enemies of the United States or its major rivals. Osama cannot do this work...,'' he added.

``We do not allow Osama bin Laden to use the soil of Afghanistan against any other country,'' he said.

``He has no facility to carry out such activity,'' Zaeef said.

Asked if the Taliban feared a U.S. attack on Afghanistan after Tuesday's attacks, he said: ``We do not expect it from America to take such a speedy and tragic action without completing the investigation.''

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NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three hijacked planes crashed into U.S. landmarks on Tuesday, destroying New York's mighty twin towers and plunging the Pentagon in Washington into flames in an unprecedented assault on key symbols of U.S. military and financial power.

Loss of life was expected to be catastrophic from the collapse of the giant towers of the World Trade Center where some 50,000 people work. The two 110-story towers collapsed one at a time in a huge cloud of smoke and fire two hours after the initial impacts.

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السنغال تستدعي سفيرها في ليبيا
استدعت السنغال سفيرها في الجماهيرية الليبية احتجاجا علي محاولة فاشلة قامت بها عصابة تعمل في الدعارة الجنسية لترحيل مئة امرأة سنغالية عن طريق الجو إلي العاصمة الليبية

وقالت الحكومة السنغالية إنها بصدد تخفيض عدد العاملين في سفارتها في طرابلس وستفرض قيودا علي منح الليبيين تأشيرات دخول إلي السنغال

وقد وجه في داكار الاتهام رسميا لثلاثة أشخاص فيما يتعلق كما تقول السلطات السنغالية بمحاولة جرت يوم أمس الاثنين لنقل شابات سنغاليات علي متن طائرة مستأجرة إلي الجماهيرية الليبية ومن هناك إلي أوروبا للعمل في الدعارة الجنسية

وتقول الجماهيرية الليبية إنها لا يد لها فيما حدث بغض النظر عما تدعيه الشابات السنغاليات والشرطة السنغالية

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Separate overhead roads for Jews and Arabs in Gaza Strip Separate overhead roads for Jews and Arabs in Gaza Strip

Sept 4 (AFP)

Israel will soon build two flyovers in the Gaza Strip to allow Jewish settlers and Palestinians to drive along different routes, an Israeli official announced on Tuesday.
"The construction of the two structures is part of measures taken by the government to make life easier for Palestinian inhabitants," the top official, requesting anonymity, said.

6,500 Israeli settlers occupy around 15 percent of the Gaza Strip, among a hostile and poor population of around one million Palestinians.

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Cypriot arrested for putting donkey on water skies A Nicosia businessman, who tied his endangered Cyprus donkey to a raft in a water skiing stunt in hopes of setting a world record, faces jail for cruelty to animals, a veterinary official has told AFP.

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CNNfn - the financial network
Dow tumbles 200
2:09 p ET
The Dow Jones industrial average tumbled 200 points to about 9,890 Thursday, putting the world's most widely watched stock market gauge back to where it was in early 1999.

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A version of Microsoft XP which, it is claimed, uses the non-activated version that Dell is said to be installing on its machines, is now out on the world wild web. According to an email received by the INQUIRER, the Dell version which allows XP to install without either key or activation, the operating system became available on IRC yesterday. And, the same source claimed, by last night an internal build was available on the Internet requiring no CD key, no activation, and no need to contact Microsoft at all.

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شكر المحامي كريم بقرادوني <<مؤسسة القذافي العالمية للجمعيات الخيرية>> على تكليفه منذ يومين إعداد ملف قانوني لملاحقة رئيس الوزراء الاسرائيلي ارييل شارون قضائيا في جريمة صبرا وشاتيلا.
وقال في المناسبة: <<أقدر حق قدرة القرار الذي اتخذته <<مؤسسة القذافي العالمية للجمعيات الخيرية>> برئاسة سيف الاسلام معمر القذافي بتكليفي إعداد ملف قانوني لمقاضاة رئيس الوزراء الاسرائيلي ارييل شارون في جريمة صبرا وشاتيلا، وأشعر بحجم المسؤولية الملقاة على عاتقي في التوكل عن مثل تلك المؤسسة غير الحكومية المهمة في مثل تلك القضية غير العادية الشائكة.

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Tarek says:
Did u notice that the price of oil is dropping?
Mojo el-asleh® (Made in Japan) says:
eh, thank you Tarek for your efforts :-)

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CNN.com - Man gets 3 years for 'road rage' dog death - July 13, 2001

SAN JOSE, California (AP) -- A man who tossed a fluffy little dog to its death in a bout of road rage last year was sentenced to the maximum Friday: three years behind bars.

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Afghanistan's Taliban Bans Internet -Agency ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Afghanistan (news - web sites)'s ruling Taliban movement has banned the use of the Internet in the war-torn country to stop access to vulgar, immoral and anti-Islamic material, an Afghan news service said on Friday.
The Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) quoted Taliban Foreign Minister Maulvi Wakil Ahmad Muttawakil as saying the movement was not against the Internet as such but was opposed to obscenity, vulgarity and anti-Islamic ``stuff'' on it.
Most Taliban decisions and edicts on conduct are ruthlessly enforced by their powerful religious police working under the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.

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Gaddafi Sweeps Into Zimbabwe in 80-Car Convoy Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi arrived to cheering crowds in Zimbabwe's capital Harare on Thursday after driving 330 miles from neighboring Zambia in an 80-car motorcade with his female bodyguards.
Flanked by two armored cars and helicopters flying overhead, the motorcade passed by thousands of people lining the road to President Robert Mugabe's office in central Harare.

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نصحت شركات امريكية متخصصة في مجال العلاقات العامة الجيش الاسرائيلي بتلوين بنادق جنوده بألوان فاتحة وهادئة من أجل التخفيف من وطأة الصور التي تبثها شبكات التلفزيون عن المواجهات الجارية بينهم والمحتجين الفلسطينيين

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أفادت مصادر طبية فلسطينية بأن طفلا فلسطينيا ولد على حاجز عسكري إسرائيلي قرب نابلس بالضفة الغربية بسبب إعاقة أمه من المرور لمدة ساعتين. وبعد وصول الأم في حالة سيئة إلى مركز الشفاء التخصصي في مدينة طوباس القريبة من نابلس تبين أن الرضيع قد فارق الحياة. كما توفي المواطن الفلسطيني محمد خليفة (49 عاما) بعد أن أعاق الجنود الإسرائيليون نقله من قريته فقوعة إلى مستشفى جنين لتلقي العلاج رغم إصابته بنوبة قلبية.

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News: Breaking News In Brief

Los Angeles officials seeking to impose property taxes on space satellites were brought back down to Earth on Tuesday when a state board moved toward declaring satellites beyond the reach of even the tax collector. But Los Angeles County Assessor Rick Auerbach said he was not yet ready to scrap the proposed tax and would consider a court challenge if he finds that the California State Board of Equalization has circumvented state or federal law.

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thisiscyberia.com - News Center Article
The Lebanese wife of the Sri Lankan ambassador to Kuwait sparked controversy last week when she publicly attacked her husband in the press for psychologically abusing her.
Mirna Abdul-Rahim Ramadan told the Al Raei Al Aam newspaper that her husband, Ismail Mohammed Qouddous, wrongfully accused her of being insane when, in fact, she was suffering from psychological torture resulting from his strict rules and unwillingness to register their marriage in Sri Lanka and pay her legal dowry.
No comment by the ambassador on the allegations was reported.

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ActiveWin.com: Microsoft Windows XP Release Candidate 1 (RC1) - Preview

Windows XP comes with an integrated version of MSN Messenger called Windows Messenger.
The Windows Messenger is truly amazing. With this utility, you can initiate a Remote Assistance session, chat with someone, call them through the internet, Start a Whiteboard session with them, send email, and even share applications that are running on your machine.
Remote Assistance wizard gives you the ability to have someone “help you” solve a problem with your machine from a remote location.

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علقت الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم عضوية الاتحاد اللبناني بسبب ما وصفه بأنه تدخل من الحكومة اللبنانية في اللعبة.
ويأتي قرار الاتحاد الدولي بعد قرار الحكومة اللبنانية حل الاتحاد اللبناني لكرة القدم في الأسبوع الماضي واستبدال هيئة بديلة به.
ويحرم الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم أي تدخل حكومي في الرياضة.

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UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States on Monday accused a U.N. meeting on small arms trafficking of overreaching and warned that Washington was prepared to do battle to defend the rights of arms makers and private citizens who want to own weapons specifically designed for war.

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