Globes - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX, TradingMarkets.com, Feb. 04, 2010
Yitzhak Tshuva-controlled Delek Group Ltd. (TASE: DLEKG) subsidiary Delek Europe BV is in negotiations with BP Group plc (NYSE; LSE: BP) subsidiary BP France SA to acquire all its 416 petrol stations in France for ae180 million. Delek Group expects to close the deal during the second half of the year.
Delek Group has already paid BP France ae10 million for negotiations exclusivity, which is valid through October 15. Delek Group will pay an additional ae10 million down payment when a contract is signed.
In addition to the gas stations, the deal includes 300 convenience stores and 200 carwashes. Delek will continue to operate the gas stations under the BP brand. The deal will probably also include a long-term agreement for the use of fuel cards.
If a deal is closed, Tshuva will hold a 3 percent share of the French gas stations market.
Delek Group owns Delek Europe through wholly-owned subsidiary Delek Petroleum Ltd. (TASE: DLKP.B7; DLKP.B8) (80 percent) and Delek Israel Fuel Corporation Ltd. (TASE: DLKIS) (20 percent). Delek Europe owns Delek Benelux BV, which operates 870 Texaco brand gas stations in the Netherlands and Belgium.
A deal will boost Delek Europe's gas stations in Europe to over 1,250. Delek Israel operates 1,000 gas stations in Israel.
Delek Group's share rose 0.5 percent by mid-afternoon to NIS 809.60, giving a market cap of NIS 9.2 billion. Delek Israel's share fell 0.1 percent to NIS 159.50, giving a market cap of NIS 1.81 billion.
Showing posts with label France. Show all posts
Showing posts with label France. Show all posts
A Year After The Gaza Massacre: The Struggle For Palestine - pt. 1
Dr. Adel Samara, Editor-In-Chief of the quaterly magazine Kanaan
Introduction by Joyce Chediac, International Action Center
A Year After The Gaza Massacre: The Struggle For Palestine - pt. 2
Dr. Adel Samara, Editor-In-Chief of the quaterly magazine Kanaan
'Israel may attack Iran after December'
By JPOST.COM STAFF, Jerusalem Post, Oct. 15, 2009
Israel is making preparations to carry out military attacks in Iran after December, a French magazine reported overnight Wednesday.
According to a report in Le Canard Enchainé quoted by Israel Radio, Jerusalem has already ordered high-quality combat rations from a French food manufacturer for soldiers serving in elite units and has also asked reservists of these units staying abroad to return to Israel.
The magazine further reported that in a recent visit to France, IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi told his French counterpart Jean-Louis Georgelin that Israel is not planning to bomb Iran, but may send elite troops to conduct activities on the ground there.
These, according to the magazine, could involve sabotage of nuclear facilities as well as assassinations of top Iranian nuclear scientists.
Israel has recently toned down rhetoric against Iran so as not to hinder US diplomatic efforts at bringing Teheran to become transparent regarding its nuclear program, but neither Jerusalem nor Washington have so far made any unequivocal statements to the effect that the military option against Iran was no longer being considered.
Israel has maintained that it has the military capability to tackle Iran on its own if sanctions against the Islamic Republic prove ineffective.
Israel accuses Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. Teheran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful.
The Jerusalem Post could not confirm Le Canard Enchainé's report.
Israel is making preparations to carry out military attacks in Iran after December, a French magazine reported overnight Wednesday.
According to a report in Le Canard Enchainé quoted by Israel Radio, Jerusalem has already ordered high-quality combat rations from a French food manufacturer for soldiers serving in elite units and has also asked reservists of these units staying abroad to return to Israel.
The magazine further reported that in a recent visit to France, IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi told his French counterpart Jean-Louis Georgelin that Israel is not planning to bomb Iran, but may send elite troops to conduct activities on the ground there.
These, according to the magazine, could involve sabotage of nuclear facilities as well as assassinations of top Iranian nuclear scientists.
Israel has recently toned down rhetoric against Iran so as not to hinder US diplomatic efforts at bringing Teheran to become transparent regarding its nuclear program, but neither Jerusalem nor Washington have so far made any unequivocal statements to the effect that the military option against Iran was no longer being considered.
Israel has maintained that it has the military capability to tackle Iran on its own if sanctions against the Islamic Republic prove ineffective.
Israel accuses Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. Teheran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful.
The Jerusalem Post could not confirm Le Canard Enchainé's report.
3 U.S. Soldiers Killed By Afghanistan Bomb
Toll Continues to Rise After Deadly July
By Joshua Partlow, washingtonpost.com, August 2, 2009
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 1 -- After the deadliest month yet for U.S. troops in Afghanistan, three American soldiers were killed Saturday in a bombing in a southern province, and a French soldier died in a separate attack north of Kabul.
The U.S. servicemen were killed when two roadside bombs exploded while they were on patrol in Kandahar province, the military said in a statement. The increased use of such powerful bombs by Taliban insurgents has been a major factor in the U.S. military's rising death toll, which reached 43 in July, the highest level since the war began in late 2001.
A U.S. military spokeswoman in Afghanistan said no other details about the blasts would be available until the families of those killed had been notified.
"Their sacrifices, although very difficult to accept, were not made in vain," Brig. Gen. Eric Tremblay, a military spokesman, said in a statement.
In a separate incident in a valley north of the capital, a French soldier was killed and two others were wounded during sustained fighting with insurgents. The soldiers came under attack by the Taliban while patrolling with Afghan soldiers, the French military said, according to news services.
The killing raised France's death toll in Afghanistan to 29 soldiers, and President Nicolas Sarkozy's office issued a statement that reiterated "France's determination to fight, alongside the Afghan people," against terrorism.
U.S. casualties have risen since President Obama ordered tens of thousands of additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan to stage an offensive against the Taliban in the southern province of Helmand. Military analysts have predicted more violence as the soldiers push into areas long held by the Taliban. The insurgents have fought back with a range of weapons, including mortars and rocket-propelled grenades, in addition to the bombs planted for passing convoys.
Some observers say violence could spike before this month's presidential election, a test for Afghanistan's fragile democracy. With five months to go in the year, 2009 is already the second-deadliest year for Americans in the Afghan war: So far, 133 Americans have died, compared with 155 in all of 2008, according to the Web site icasualties.org, which tracks military deaths.
By Joshua Partlow, washingtonpost.com, August 2, 2009
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 1 -- After the deadliest month yet for U.S. troops in Afghanistan, three American soldiers were killed Saturday in a bombing in a southern province, and a French soldier died in a separate attack north of Kabul.
The U.S. servicemen were killed when two roadside bombs exploded while they were on patrol in Kandahar province, the military said in a statement. The increased use of such powerful bombs by Taliban insurgents has been a major factor in the U.S. military's rising death toll, which reached 43 in July, the highest level since the war began in late 2001.
A U.S. military spokeswoman in Afghanistan said no other details about the blasts would be available until the families of those killed had been notified.
"Their sacrifices, although very difficult to accept, were not made in vain," Brig. Gen. Eric Tremblay, a military spokesman, said in a statement.
In a separate incident in a valley north of the capital, a French soldier was killed and two others were wounded during sustained fighting with insurgents. The soldiers came under attack by the Taliban while patrolling with Afghan soldiers, the French military said, according to news services.
The killing raised France's death toll in Afghanistan to 29 soldiers, and President Nicolas Sarkozy's office issued a statement that reiterated "France's determination to fight, alongside the Afghan people," against terrorism.
U.S. casualties have risen since President Obama ordered tens of thousands of additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan to stage an offensive against the Taliban in the southern province of Helmand. Military analysts have predicted more violence as the soldiers push into areas long held by the Taliban. The insurgents have fought back with a range of weapons, including mortars and rocket-propelled grenades, in addition to the bombs planted for passing convoys.
Some observers say violence could spike before this month's presidential election, a test for Afghanistan's fragile democracy. With five months to go in the year, 2009 is already the second-deadliest year for Americans in the Afghan war: So far, 133 Americans have died, compared with 155 in all of 2008, according to the Web site icasualties.org, which tracks military deaths.
Officials investigate Argentina bomb threat as pilot claims Air France Flight 447 was blown out of the sky by terrorists
By Peter Allen, Ian Sparks and David Williams, Mail Online, June 3, 2009
Investigators are examining a bomb threat called in on a flight from Buenos Aires to Paris just days before Flight 447 disappeared over the Atlantic ocean, it has been revealed.
Aviation authorities are examining the possibility of a link between the threat to the Buenos Aires flight and the mysterious disappearance of Flight 447 with 228 people on board, a source has claimed.
Meanwhile an Air France pilot said it was 'highly likely' the jet was blown out of the sky by a bomb.
The long-haul captain said he believed Flight 447 was the victim of terrorist attack. No terrorist group has yet come forward to claim responsibility for such an attack, but the French government - baffled by the disappearance of the aircraft - has not ruled such an attack out.
Speaking under condition of anonymity to Le Figaro newspaper the pilot said: 'It is highly likely a bomb went off on board.
'I have flown these jets for Air France for more than ten years, and the chances of an electrical fault seem unfeasible to me.'
Ezeiza International Airport officials in Buenos Aires delayed an Air France flight from the city to Paris on the evening of May 27 after the bomb threat was called in.
Federal Police and airport safety officers inspected the plane and it was cleared for take-off, Argentine media reported. The search lasted about an hour and a half, and passengers were not evacuated from the plane.
Just four days later, Flight 447 dropped out of the sky so quickly that pilots did not even have time to make a Mayday call.
All 228 on board are believed to have perished.
‘Investigations are in process to see if the Argentina bomb threat was linked to what happened with the Brazil flight,’ said an Air France source.
‘Terrorism cannot be ruled out as we search for the reason for this tragedy.’
Investigators found debris from the wreckage of the doomed plane floating in the Atlantic yesterday - including a life jacket and a plane seat.
Now it's a race against time for the Brazilian Air Force to reach the crash site before the remaining debris sinks into the ocean - taking any chance of discovering what happened to Flight 447 with it.
They are desperate to recover the plane’s two black-box flight recorders which are now likely to be at the bottom of the ocean. They emit location signals for only 30 days.
But officials said there was virtually no chance of finding any of the 228 crew and passengers, including five Britons.
Distraught relatives who had prayed for a miracle gave up hope as experts were certain that all aboard died on the flight, which left Rio de Janeiro on Sunday night bound for Paris.
'I just want to find my son's body so that he can have a dignified burial,' said Aldair Gomes, the father of Marcelo Parente, who was the head of the Rio mayor's cabinet.
So far no bodies have been sighted on flyovers by the air force, which spotted evidence of the catastrophe yesterday, allowing the navy to mount a retrieval operation.
'The ships are equipped to arrive and pick up pieces of the Airbus,' Nogueira said.
'Each ship has two divers on board and smaller ships to throw into the ocean to try and get pieces.'
Helicopters would then be used to take wreckage of the Airbus A330 from the ships to a base on the Brazilian archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, 430 miles (700 km) from the crash site.
Today armed forces spokesman Christophe Prazuck said that the French army had no doubt that the debris belonged to the stricken plane.
Authorities are at a complete loss to explain why the four-year-old Airbus disappeared 400 miles off Brazil without issuing a Mayday.
A former Air France pilot said the aircraft might have hit a military jet or a plane used by drug smugglers.
‘Anything could have happened. Maybe a collision with another aircraft, maybe a military aircraft, maybe a drugs-smuggling aircraft which nobody reports missing,’ said Cedric Maniez.
Herve Morin, France’s defence minister, admitted last night there was ‘no evidence whatsoever’.
He added: ‘We cannot, by definition, exclude a terrorist attack, because terrorism is the main threat for all Western democracies.’
But it was significant that no terror group had claimed responsibility, he said.
The last radio message from Flight AF447 as it cruised at 522mph between Rio de Janeiro and Paris early on Monday reported heavy turbulence.
This raises the possibility of a catastrophic lightning strike – even though planes are built to withstand one.
‘It would be very unusual to have all the communications systems fail at once,’ said David Gleave, of Aviation Safety Investigations, a UK-based airport and air traffic control risk management consultancy.
‘That would tend to indicate that something catastrophic happened.’
An automatic message sent from the plane just before it disappeared said that it was losing pressure and had experienced an electrical failure.
French officials said bad weather was making the search difficult, with heavy cloud forcing planes to fly low over the water, limiting their line of vision.
A plane seat, a life jacket, metallic debris and signs of fuel were found by Brazilian military pilots yesterday about 410 miles north of the Brazilian island of Fernando de Noronha, roughly along the jet’s flightpath.
Investigators have confirmed they were from Flight 447.
There were no signs of life in two sightings of debris about 35 miles apart, Brazilian air force spokesman Jorge Amaral said.
‘The locations where the objects were found are toward the right of the point where the last signal of the plane was emitted,’ Mr Amaral said.
‘That suggests that it might have tried to make a turn, maybe to return to Fernando de Noronha, but that is just a hypothesis.’
Mr Amaral said authorities will not be able to confirm that the debris is from the plane until they can retrieve some of it from the ocean. Ships are not expected to arrive in the area until later today.
Air France is considered to be one of the world’s safest airlines and its A330 is one of the most secure passenger jets.
Jean-Louis Borloo, the French minister overseeing transportation, said: ‘There really had to be a succession of extraordinary events to be able to explain this situation.’
The chance of finding survivors was ‘very very small, even non-existent’, Mr Borloo added.
The five Britons, including an 11-year-old boy, were among passengers who numbered 61 French citizens, 58 Brazilians, 26 Germans, nine Chinese and nine Italians.
The 12-member crew included three pilots.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1190307/Pilot-claims-Air-France-Flight-447-blown-sky-terrorists-officials-investigate-Argentina-bomb-threat.html
Investigators are examining a bomb threat called in on a flight from Buenos Aires to Paris just days before Flight 447 disappeared over the Atlantic ocean, it has been revealed.
Aviation authorities are examining the possibility of a link between the threat to the Buenos Aires flight and the mysterious disappearance of Flight 447 with 228 people on board, a source has claimed.
Meanwhile an Air France pilot said it was 'highly likely' the jet was blown out of the sky by a bomb.
The long-haul captain said he believed Flight 447 was the victim of terrorist attack. No terrorist group has yet come forward to claim responsibility for such an attack, but the French government - baffled by the disappearance of the aircraft - has not ruled such an attack out.
Speaking under condition of anonymity to Le Figaro newspaper the pilot said: 'It is highly likely a bomb went off on board.
'I have flown these jets for Air France for more than ten years, and the chances of an electrical fault seem unfeasible to me.'
Ezeiza International Airport officials in Buenos Aires delayed an Air France flight from the city to Paris on the evening of May 27 after the bomb threat was called in.
Federal Police and airport safety officers inspected the plane and it was cleared for take-off, Argentine media reported. The search lasted about an hour and a half, and passengers were not evacuated from the plane.
Just four days later, Flight 447 dropped out of the sky so quickly that pilots did not even have time to make a Mayday call.
All 228 on board are believed to have perished.
‘Investigations are in process to see if the Argentina bomb threat was linked to what happened with the Brazil flight,’ said an Air France source.
‘Terrorism cannot be ruled out as we search for the reason for this tragedy.’
Investigators found debris from the wreckage of the doomed plane floating in the Atlantic yesterday - including a life jacket and a plane seat.
Now it's a race against time for the Brazilian Air Force to reach the crash site before the remaining debris sinks into the ocean - taking any chance of discovering what happened to Flight 447 with it.
They are desperate to recover the plane’s two black-box flight recorders which are now likely to be at the bottom of the ocean. They emit location signals for only 30 days.
But officials said there was virtually no chance of finding any of the 228 crew and passengers, including five Britons.
Distraught relatives who had prayed for a miracle gave up hope as experts were certain that all aboard died on the flight, which left Rio de Janeiro on Sunday night bound for Paris.
'I just want to find my son's body so that he can have a dignified burial,' said Aldair Gomes, the father of Marcelo Parente, who was the head of the Rio mayor's cabinet.
So far no bodies have been sighted on flyovers by the air force, which spotted evidence of the catastrophe yesterday, allowing the navy to mount a retrieval operation.
'The ships are equipped to arrive and pick up pieces of the Airbus,' Nogueira said.
'Each ship has two divers on board and smaller ships to throw into the ocean to try and get pieces.'
Helicopters would then be used to take wreckage of the Airbus A330 from the ships to a base on the Brazilian archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, 430 miles (700 km) from the crash site.
Today armed forces spokesman Christophe Prazuck said that the French army had no doubt that the debris belonged to the stricken plane.
Authorities are at a complete loss to explain why the four-year-old Airbus disappeared 400 miles off Brazil without issuing a Mayday.
A former Air France pilot said the aircraft might have hit a military jet or a plane used by drug smugglers.
‘Anything could have happened. Maybe a collision with another aircraft, maybe a military aircraft, maybe a drugs-smuggling aircraft which nobody reports missing,’ said Cedric Maniez.
Herve Morin, France’s defence minister, admitted last night there was ‘no evidence whatsoever’.
He added: ‘We cannot, by definition, exclude a terrorist attack, because terrorism is the main threat for all Western democracies.’
But it was significant that no terror group had claimed responsibility, he said.
The last radio message from Flight AF447 as it cruised at 522mph between Rio de Janeiro and Paris early on Monday reported heavy turbulence.
This raises the possibility of a catastrophic lightning strike – even though planes are built to withstand one.
‘It would be very unusual to have all the communications systems fail at once,’ said David Gleave, of Aviation Safety Investigations, a UK-based airport and air traffic control risk management consultancy.
‘That would tend to indicate that something catastrophic happened.’
An automatic message sent from the plane just before it disappeared said that it was losing pressure and had experienced an electrical failure.
French officials said bad weather was making the search difficult, with heavy cloud forcing planes to fly low over the water, limiting their line of vision.
A plane seat, a life jacket, metallic debris and signs of fuel were found by Brazilian military pilots yesterday about 410 miles north of the Brazilian island of Fernando de Noronha, roughly along the jet’s flightpath.
Investigators have confirmed they were from Flight 447.
There were no signs of life in two sightings of debris about 35 miles apart, Brazilian air force spokesman Jorge Amaral said.
‘The locations where the objects were found are toward the right of the point where the last signal of the plane was emitted,’ Mr Amaral said.
‘That suggests that it might have tried to make a turn, maybe to return to Fernando de Noronha, but that is just a hypothesis.’
Mr Amaral said authorities will not be able to confirm that the debris is from the plane until they can retrieve some of it from the ocean. Ships are not expected to arrive in the area until later today.
Air France is considered to be one of the world’s safest airlines and its A330 is one of the most secure passenger jets.
Jean-Louis Borloo, the French minister overseeing transportation, said: ‘There really had to be a succession of extraordinary events to be able to explain this situation.’
The chance of finding survivors was ‘very very small, even non-existent’, Mr Borloo added.
The five Britons, including an 11-year-old boy, were among passengers who numbered 61 French citizens, 58 Brazilians, 26 Germans, nine Chinese and nine Italians.
The 12-member crew included three pilots.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1190307/Pilot-claims-Air-France-Flight-447-blown-sky-terrorists-officials-investigate-Argentina-bomb-threat.html
Another Air France plane got bomb threat
UPI, June 3, 2009
PARIS, June 3 (UPI) -- Aviation authorities said an Air France Buenos Aires-to-Paris flight was was grounded temporarily because of a bomb threat that turned out to be false.
Officials at Buenos Aires' Ezeiza International Airport delayed an Air France flight from the Argentine city to Paris May 27 after the bomb threat was called in, The Daily Mail reported Wednesday.
Federal police and airport safety officers inspected the plane and cleared it for take-off, Argentine media reported. The search lasted about 90 minutes, and passengers were not evacuated from the aircraft.
Air France Flight 447, with 216 passengers and 12 crew members, went off radar about three hours after departing Rio de Janeiro for Paris Monday. French investigators said wreckage presumably from the plane was found in the Atlantic off the northeastern coast of Brazil.
PARIS, June 3 (UPI) -- Aviation authorities said an Air France Buenos Aires-to-Paris flight was was grounded temporarily because of a bomb threat that turned out to be false.
Officials at Buenos Aires' Ezeiza International Airport delayed an Air France flight from the Argentine city to Paris May 27 after the bomb threat was called in, The Daily Mail reported Wednesday.
Federal police and airport safety officers inspected the plane and cleared it for take-off, Argentine media reported. The search lasted about 90 minutes, and passengers were not evacuated from the aircraft.
Air France Flight 447, with 216 passengers and 12 crew members, went off radar about three hours after departing Rio de Janeiro for Paris Monday. French investigators said wreckage presumably from the plane was found in the Atlantic off the northeastern coast of Brazil.
France is ignoring EU rules on arms sales to Israel, new study reports
by Katherine Orwell, IMEMC, May 30, 2009
The French arms trade with Israel breaks the rules that the European Union has set out for the defense industry, according to a new study brought out this week. Between 2003 and 2007 France licensed for more than 446 million euros for arms exports to Israel, making France the largest EU supplier of weapons to Israel.
The EU code for the defense industry forbids arms sales in cases where they may exacerbate regional tensions or are used in violations of human rights.
Patrice Bouveret from the French Center for Research on Peace and Conflicts in Lyon dismissed the claims from the French government that the "weapons" in question are generally only components of military goods instead of complete weapons systems. "Even if they are only components, they are used directly by the Israeli army," he added.
Amnesty International reported in February that after the Gaza war ceased electrical components were found in the ruins of buildings Israel destroyed, that had "Made in France" written on them.
The French arms trade with Israel breaks the rules that the European Union has set out for the defense industry, according to a new study brought out this week. Between 2003 and 2007 France licensed for more than 446 million euros for arms exports to Israel, making France the largest EU supplier of weapons to Israel.
The EU code for the defense industry forbids arms sales in cases where they may exacerbate regional tensions or are used in violations of human rights.
Patrice Bouveret from the French Center for Research on Peace and Conflicts in Lyon dismissed the claims from the French government that the "weapons" in question are generally only components of military goods instead of complete weapons systems. "Even if they are only components, they are used directly by the Israeli army," he added.
Amnesty International reported in February that after the Gaza war ceased electrical components were found in the ruins of buildings Israel destroyed, that had "Made in France" written on them.
French still rally to Abu-Jamal's cause
Mary Papenfuss, Chronicle Foreign Service, May 17, 2009
(05-17) 04:00 PDT Paris - -- An ardent group of activists who meet weekly to protest the imprisonment of a death-row inmate, chanted slogans, shouted into microphones and held up printed banners. They could have been Bay Area residents in front of San Quentin before an execution, but they wore Chloé flats, spoke French, gathered near the Seine River and yelled liberté for a man languishing 3,700 miles away in a Pennsylvania prison.
While Mumia Abu-Jamal, 55, has been excoriated as a vicious cop killer in Philadelphia, he has been a cause-celebre in France for years.
In 2001, Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe declared him an honorary citizen, adding Abu-Jamal to a list of notables such as Pablo Picasso and the Dalai Lama. In 2006, the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis named a street after him, prompting the city of Philadelphia to file a "crime of denial" grievance under an 1881 French law.
Late last year, Abu-Jamal's San Francisco attorney, Robert R. Bryan, received a medal from the city of Lyon for his work against the death penalty. At a news conference, Bryan joined Danielle Mitterrand, the widow of former President Francois Mitterrand, to speak to Abu-Jamal by cell phone at a palatial 17th century city hall.
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to order a new trial 27 years after Abu-Jamal's 1982 conviction for killing 25-year-old Philadelphia police Officer Daniel Faulkner. Faulkner's widow, Maureen, who now lives in Southern California, said she wept after the decision. "I've been haunted by the Free Mumia movement," she has told reporters. "He murdered my husband in cold blood."
Her sentiment and the court's decision, however, haven't discouraged Abu-Jamal's European supporters, whose rallies often eclipse those held in New York and San Francisco. Along with Paris, he has been given the status of honorary citizen in some 20 other cities, including Palermo, Sicily, and is an honorary member of Berlin's Association of Those Persecuted by the Nazi Regime.
Most of his ardent European backers believe he didn't receive a fair trial and is innocent. Others are simply against the death penalty. Currently, Belarus is the only European country that still uses capital punishment.
"He's innocent," said Abdel Chaoui, a 56-year-old resident of Saint-Denis. "If he's not, he shouldn't be put to death ... he has served enough time."
Although French activists have lobbied for the release of other U.S. prisoners - at last month's rally, protesters also collected signatures demanding a new trial for American Indian activist Leonard Peltier, who is serving a life sentence for the murder of two FBI agents - no other inmate galvanizes the French public like Abu-Jamal.
Some observers attribute such support to France's love affair with African Americans who sought refuge from U.S. racism, such as dancer Josephine Baker, writer Richard Wright, singer Paul Robeson and poet Langston Hughes. Many French supporters are convinced American institutions are inherently racist.
In addition, Abu-Jamal "is uniquely articulate for a death-row inmate," said UCLA political science Professor Mark Sawyer. "The idea of someone of his intellectual heft on death row makes some think of him as a condemned philosopher."
Before his arrest, Abu-Jamal had no previous criminal record. He had been a member of the Black Panther Party and had worked as a cab driver and radio journalist. He has continued writing behind bars and recently published his sixth book -"Jailhouse Lawyers" published by San Francisco's City Lights Publishers, making him a compelling poster child for death-penalty protesters.
Meanwhile, San Francisco attorney Bryan is convinced that European support will help his client avoid the death penalty and win a new trial.
"International support is crucial. If protests on Mumia's behalf are heard on the other side of the Atlantic, it has a major effect," he said. "Judges try to be impervious to public sentiment. But they're not machines; fortunately, they're human."
The case of Mumia Abu-Jamal
On death row since a 1982 conviction for the murder of a Philadelphia police officer, Mumia Abu-Jamal has received much attention both at home and abroad.
Hollywood celebrities such as Martin Sheen, Whoopi Goldberg, Michael Moore, Ed Asner and Edward James Olmos have called for a new trial. The American rock band Rage Against The Machine have sung his praises in "Voice of the Voiceless." British actor Colin Firth produced a 2007 documentary about his case called "In Prison My Whole Life."
Abu-Jamal supporters say somebody else shot the police officer, his court-appointed lawyer was incompetent and several witnesses have contradicted themselves over the years. In a 2000 report, Amnesty International said trial evidence was "contradictory and incomplete,"
But critics say Abu-Jamal, born Wesley Cook, shot the police officer, four witnesses testified that he was the gunman, and shell casings from his .38-caliber gun were found at the crime scene. Moreover, police say he confessed to the crime while recuperating from his wounds in a hospital bed.
Few, however, argue that a police officer named Daniel Faulkner pulled over a Volkswagen driven by William Cook, Abu-Jamal's brother on Dec, 9, 1981, for a traffic violation. Faulkner soon called for backup, but was dead from gunshot wounds to the back and face by the time other officers arrived. Police found Abu-Jamal nearby in the cab he drove lying in a pool of his own blood from a gunshot wound to the chest. Abu-Jamal has long said he saw Faulkner beating his brother, and when he went to his aid the officer shot him.
Over the years, state and federal courts have denied various appeals for a retrial and a habeas corpus review. The courts have also denied claims that witnesses perjured themselves and that Abu-Jamal had ineffectual counsel. In the latest decision last month, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a federal appeals court ruling that upheld his conviction, rejecting the argument that prosecutors sought to exclude black people from the jury. Abu Jamal was convicted by a jury of 10 whites and two blacks.
Abu-Jamal's San Francisco lawyer, Robert R. Bryan has filed a petition for a Supreme Court rehearing in the case, and is considering challenging ballistics findings in a separate action. The court has yet to consider a lower court ruling that set aside the death penalty. That ruling has been appealed by Philadelphia authorities, leaving Abu-Jamal on death row.
"We're closer to meeting the executioner," said Bryan.
E-mail Mary Papenfuss at foreign@sfchronicle.com.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/17/MN4517CARS.DTL
This article appeared on page A - 8 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Questions and comments may be sent to claude@freedomarchives.org
(05-17) 04:00 PDT Paris - -- An ardent group of activists who meet weekly to protest the imprisonment of a death-row inmate, chanted slogans, shouted into microphones and held up printed banners. They could have been Bay Area residents in front of San Quentin before an execution, but they wore Chloé flats, spoke French, gathered near the Seine River and yelled liberté for a man languishing 3,700 miles away in a Pennsylvania prison.
While Mumia Abu-Jamal, 55, has been excoriated as a vicious cop killer in Philadelphia, he has been a cause-celebre in France for years.
In 2001, Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe declared him an honorary citizen, adding Abu-Jamal to a list of notables such as Pablo Picasso and the Dalai Lama. In 2006, the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis named a street after him, prompting the city of Philadelphia to file a "crime of denial" grievance under an 1881 French law.
Late last year, Abu-Jamal's San Francisco attorney, Robert R. Bryan, received a medal from the city of Lyon for his work against the death penalty. At a news conference, Bryan joined Danielle Mitterrand, the widow of former President Francois Mitterrand, to speak to Abu-Jamal by cell phone at a palatial 17th century city hall.
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to order a new trial 27 years after Abu-Jamal's 1982 conviction for killing 25-year-old Philadelphia police Officer Daniel Faulkner. Faulkner's widow, Maureen, who now lives in Southern California, said she wept after the decision. "I've been haunted by the Free Mumia movement," she has told reporters. "He murdered my husband in cold blood."
Her sentiment and the court's decision, however, haven't discouraged Abu-Jamal's European supporters, whose rallies often eclipse those held in New York and San Francisco. Along with Paris, he has been given the status of honorary citizen in some 20 other cities, including Palermo, Sicily, and is an honorary member of Berlin's Association of Those Persecuted by the Nazi Regime.
Most of his ardent European backers believe he didn't receive a fair trial and is innocent. Others are simply against the death penalty. Currently, Belarus is the only European country that still uses capital punishment.
"He's innocent," said Abdel Chaoui, a 56-year-old resident of Saint-Denis. "If he's not, he shouldn't be put to death ... he has served enough time."
Although French activists have lobbied for the release of other U.S. prisoners - at last month's rally, protesters also collected signatures demanding a new trial for American Indian activist Leonard Peltier, who is serving a life sentence for the murder of two FBI agents - no other inmate galvanizes the French public like Abu-Jamal.
Some observers attribute such support to France's love affair with African Americans who sought refuge from U.S. racism, such as dancer Josephine Baker, writer Richard Wright, singer Paul Robeson and poet Langston Hughes. Many French supporters are convinced American institutions are inherently racist.
In addition, Abu-Jamal "is uniquely articulate for a death-row inmate," said UCLA political science Professor Mark Sawyer. "The idea of someone of his intellectual heft on death row makes some think of him as a condemned philosopher."
Before his arrest, Abu-Jamal had no previous criminal record. He had been a member of the Black Panther Party and had worked as a cab driver and radio journalist. He has continued writing behind bars and recently published his sixth book -"Jailhouse Lawyers" published by San Francisco's City Lights Publishers, making him a compelling poster child for death-penalty protesters.
Meanwhile, San Francisco attorney Bryan is convinced that European support will help his client avoid the death penalty and win a new trial.
"International support is crucial. If protests on Mumia's behalf are heard on the other side of the Atlantic, it has a major effect," he said. "Judges try to be impervious to public sentiment. But they're not machines; fortunately, they're human."
The case of Mumia Abu-Jamal
On death row since a 1982 conviction for the murder of a Philadelphia police officer, Mumia Abu-Jamal has received much attention both at home and abroad.
Hollywood celebrities such as Martin Sheen, Whoopi Goldberg, Michael Moore, Ed Asner and Edward James Olmos have called for a new trial. The American rock band Rage Against The Machine have sung his praises in "Voice of the Voiceless." British actor Colin Firth produced a 2007 documentary about his case called "In Prison My Whole Life."
Abu-Jamal supporters say somebody else shot the police officer, his court-appointed lawyer was incompetent and several witnesses have contradicted themselves over the years. In a 2000 report, Amnesty International said trial evidence was "contradictory and incomplete,"
But critics say Abu-Jamal, born Wesley Cook, shot the police officer, four witnesses testified that he was the gunman, and shell casings from his .38-caliber gun were found at the crime scene. Moreover, police say he confessed to the crime while recuperating from his wounds in a hospital bed.
Few, however, argue that a police officer named Daniel Faulkner pulled over a Volkswagen driven by William Cook, Abu-Jamal's brother on Dec, 9, 1981, for a traffic violation. Faulkner soon called for backup, but was dead from gunshot wounds to the back and face by the time other officers arrived. Police found Abu-Jamal nearby in the cab he drove lying in a pool of his own blood from a gunshot wound to the chest. Abu-Jamal has long said he saw Faulkner beating his brother, and when he went to his aid the officer shot him.
Over the years, state and federal courts have denied various appeals for a retrial and a habeas corpus review. The courts have also denied claims that witnesses perjured themselves and that Abu-Jamal had ineffectual counsel. In the latest decision last month, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a federal appeals court ruling that upheld his conviction, rejecting the argument that prosecutors sought to exclude black people from the jury. Abu Jamal was convicted by a jury of 10 whites and two blacks.
Abu-Jamal's San Francisco lawyer, Robert R. Bryan has filed a petition for a Supreme Court rehearing in the case, and is considering challenging ballistics findings in a separate action. The court has yet to consider a lower court ruling that set aside the death penalty. That ruling has been appealed by Philadelphia authorities, leaving Abu-Jamal on death row.
"We're closer to meeting the executioner," said Bryan.
E-mail Mary Papenfuss at foreign@sfchronicle.com.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/17/MN4517CARS.DTL
This article appeared on page A - 8 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Questions and comments may be sent to claude@freedomarchives.org
French workers detain 4 Caterpillar executives
Reuters, March 31, 2009 11:12am EDT
LYON, France, March 31 (Reuters) - Dozens of workers facing the sack at a factory run by U.S. company Caterpillar Inc (CAT.N) detained four managers on Tuesday and demanded further talks on the announced layoffs, a union official said. The world's largest maker of construction and mining equipment plans to slash jobs in various countries and the union official said 733 workers were set to go at the site in south eastern France out of a total of 2,700 staff.
The plant's director, the head of human resources and two other managers had been locked in an office since Tuesday morning "in a good-natured atmosphere", said Alain Massy, a representative of the moderate CFDT trade union.
Locking up managers is becoming a common practice in France when mass lay offs are announced, with police apparently reluctant to intervene to avoid violence.
Managers at plants run by Sony (6758.T) and 3M (MMM.N) have been effectively been held hostage this month in disputes over planned redundancies. On both occasions, unions said they managed to wring concessions from the executives.
A senior police officer on Tuesday negotiated a resumption of talks between unions and management at Caterpillar, but it was not immediately clear if the bosses were free to leave.
One union representative told Reuters they could come and go as they wished, but a witness at the plant said that when one of the group tried to walk away he was harangued and forced to return to the building.
Staff at the factory in the city of Grenoble took action after management representatives failed to show up for a meeting with unions on redundancy terms that had been scheduled for Monday afternoon, Massy said.
Riot police were sent to the plant to keep order, but as in previous disputes they held back from direct intervention.
Workers at the Caterpillar site have been on strike since Monday to try to force more talks, Massy said.
"Yesterday, the whole day, the factory went on strike, including the white-collar workers, which is unusual," he said. (Reporting by Catherine Lagrange)
LYON, France, March 31 (Reuters) - Dozens of workers facing the sack at a factory run by U.S. company Caterpillar Inc (CAT.N) detained four managers on Tuesday and demanded further talks on the announced layoffs, a union official said. The world's largest maker of construction and mining equipment plans to slash jobs in various countries and the union official said 733 workers were set to go at the site in south eastern France out of a total of 2,700 staff.
The plant's director, the head of human resources and two other managers had been locked in an office since Tuesday morning "in a good-natured atmosphere", said Alain Massy, a representative of the moderate CFDT trade union.
Locking up managers is becoming a common practice in France when mass lay offs are announced, with police apparently reluctant to intervene to avoid violence.
Managers at plants run by Sony (6758.T) and 3M (MMM.N) have been effectively been held hostage this month in disputes over planned redundancies. On both occasions, unions said they managed to wring concessions from the executives.
A senior police officer on Tuesday negotiated a resumption of talks between unions and management at Caterpillar, but it was not immediately clear if the bosses were free to leave.
One union representative told Reuters they could come and go as they wished, but a witness at the plant said that when one of the group tried to walk away he was harangued and forced to return to the building.
Staff at the factory in the city of Grenoble took action after management representatives failed to show up for a meeting with unions on redundancy terms that had been scheduled for Monday afternoon, Massy said.
Riot police were sent to the plant to keep order, but as in previous disputes they held back from direct intervention.
Workers at the Caterpillar site have been on strike since Monday to try to force more talks, Massy said.
"Yesterday, the whole day, the factory went on strike, including the white-collar workers, which is unusual," he said. (Reporting by Catherine Lagrange)
Colombia refuses to rule out future military raids into Ecuador & Venezuela
Latin American leaders face border crisis
Second FARC leader Ivan Rios killed in Colombia by own security chief
AP, msnbc.com, March 7, 2008
BOGOTA, Colombia - A summit of Latin American presidents aimed at defusing a growing border crisis turned into an angry showdown Friday, with finger-jabbing lectures, passionate speeches and a plea for goodwill that prompted stiff hand shakes between the leaders of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela.
The presidents of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela later joined other leaders in approving a declaration to end the crisis triggered by Colombia's cross-border military attack on a leftist rebel camp in Ecuador.
The dramatic high point of the hours-long passion play came when Dominican President Leonel Fernandez tried to calm things down by urging Colombian President Alvaro Uribe to shake hands with his antagonists. Uribe then marched around the table and shared stiff handshakes with Ecuador's Rafael Correa and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez.
But the appeal for harmony quickly dissolved, as Correa made yet another appeal to Uribe to respect their border, and never again act unilaterally to send commandos into his territory to bomb another rebel camp. If such an act is justified, then no border will be safe, Correa said, to perhaps the day's loudest applause.
The declaration adopted by the 20-nation Rio Group noted that Uribe had apologized for the raid last Saturday, which killed a Colombian rebel leader inside Ecuador's border, and that he pledged not to repeat the violation of national sovereignty.
The declaration, read by Fernandez, also reiterated the firm commitment by member governments to fight threats to national stability from "irregular or criminal groups."
Violent Friday
Adding another crushing blow to Latin America's oldest and strongest guerilla movement was the killing of the top rebel leader by his own chief of security on Friday. The security chief gave troops the leader's severed hand as proof, Colombia's defense minister said Friday.
Ivan Rios was the second member of the ruling secretariat of FARC to be killed in a week.
The guerrilla force was already shaken by the death Saturday of its spokesman, Raul Reyes, in a cross-border raid by Colombian troops into Ecuador.
"The FARC has suffered a new, major blow," Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos said at a news conference.
Santos said troops launched an operation designed to capture Rios on Feb. 17 after receiving tips that he was in a mountainous area of the western province of Caldas.
On Thursday, he said, a guerrilla known as Rojas came to the troops with Rios' severed hand, laptop computer and ID, saying he had killed his boss.
It was unclear what motivated Rojas to kill his boss, but Santos said it was to "relieve the military pressure."
Santos did not say what happened to Rojas, and he didn't take questions.
The U.S. State Department had a standing bounty of $5 million for Rios, whose real name is Jose Juvenal Velandia. He has been charged with drug smuggling by the United States, and is on a U.S. Treasury Department list of terrorists and drug traffickers.
Youngest member of leadership
In a 1999 interview with The Associated Press, Rios said he joined the insurgency as a student in Colombia's second city of Medellin to avoid being killed by right-wing death squads that had attacked other student activists.
Rios became known across Colombia as one of the rebels' main negotiators in failed peace talks that ended in 2002. He was thought to be around 40 years old.
Rios commanded the FARC's central bloc, which operates throughout Colombia's northwestern coffee region. Security forces say he frequently accompanied the FARC's senior leader, Manuel "Sureshot" Marulanda, in recent years.
Rios "was the youngest member of the secretariat. He was very important to the rebels," said Alfredo Rangel of the Bogota-based think tank Security and Democracy. "This shows the army is capable of taking down the rebels' most important pillars and that any of the leaders can fall at any time."
Harsh words exchanged at summit
Meanwhile, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Uribe said Friday that Colombian rebels helped Correa get elected, citing as evidence a rebel's letter seized during the cross-border raid last week.
Correa walked out of the 20-nation Rio Group summit after the finger-wagging accusation, then returned and denounced the accusation as "infamy."
Uribe said his forces seized a letter during their raid Saturday on a rebel camp just across the border with Ecuador in which Raul Reyes — a rebel leader killed in the raid — told the guerrillas' top commander about "aid delivered to Rafael Correa, as instructed."
Uribe also said that he didn't give Correa advance warning of the attack on Ecuadorean soil because "we haven't had the cooperation of the government of President Correa in the fight against terrorism."
That prompted an angry exchange between the two, as other presidents sought to keep the dialogue civil.
Correa, who has broken off relations with Colombia and sent troops to the border over the incident, denounced Uribe as a liar, portrayed Ecuador as a victim of Colombia's conflict, and proposed an international peacekeeping force to guard their border.
"I reject this infamy that the government of Rafael Correa has collaborated with the FARC," Correa bellowed into the microphone as he accused Uribe of lying. His comments drew loud applause from other leaders, who met Uribe's speech with silence.
Crisis overshadows other summit issues
The summit was to have focused on energy and other issues, but those were overshadowed by the diplomatic crisis in the Andes after the deadly Colombian cross-border raid into Ecuador on Saturday that killed a senior Colombian rebel and 24 others.
It began quietly, with the host, Dominican President Leonel Fernandez, appealing for unity. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said it was time to cool tensions and predicted the summit "is going to be positive."
"People should go cool off a bit, chill out their nerves," Chavez said before the summit started. "I think the meeting today is going to be positive, because it is going to help the debate. We have to debate, talk, and this is the first step toward finding the road."
But the accusations began quickly, with Correa criticizing "the aggression of Colombia" and Uribe saying that Correa is a dishonest partner in the fight against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.
"We didn't inform him (of the raid) because we have not had cooperation from the government of President Correa in the fight against terrorism," Uribe said.
Latin American foreign ministers on Thursday drafted a statement saying national sovereignty must be respected. The draft, to be submitted to the presidents on Friday, mirrors one earlier in the week from the Organization of American States, said Chilean Foreign Minister Alejandro Foxley.
Military buildup on border
Chavez has ordered thousands of troops and tanks to Venezuela's border with Colombia and threatened to slash trade and nationalize Colombian-owned businesses. Correa has also sent troops to the border, although Uribe has said he won't do the same.
The summit marks the first face-to-face encounters between Chavez, Correa and Uribe since the international crisis began.
Correa told reporters he wants Uribe to apologize for the attack in Ecuadorean territory and give his "formal and firm commitment" that Colombia will never "violate" the sovereignty of another country.
On his arrival in Santo Domingo late Thursday, Chavez claimed the strike was "planned and directed by the United States." Later, he said he had information that "gringo soldiers" participated in the attack, but provided no evidence.
U.S. Southern Command spokesman Jose Ruiz neither confirmed or denied this week that the U.S. military took part in the attack. The latest body was discovered Thursday, according to Ecuador's security minister, Gustavo Larrea.
Uribe is hugely popular among Colombians for cracking down on the FARC, which finances itself through kidnapping and drug trafficking.
Nicaragua, a leftist ally of Venezuela and Ecuador, broke relations with Colombia on Thursday.
France's contacts with rebels cut
The attack also cut off all contacts between the rebels and France, where the freedom of French-Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt has become a national cause, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Friday.
Uribe has refused to rule out future military incursions into Ecuador or Venezuela, saying he first needs assurances from Correa and Chavez that they are not harboring rebels.
One of the rare regional voices offering support for Colombia was Salvadoran President Tony Saca, who said the Colombian government should be able to defend its citizens.
"We need to understand Colombia has the legitimate right to go after terrorists ... wherever they may be, of course without harming the sovereignty of another country," Saca said.
This report includes information from Reuters and The Associated Press.
Second FARC leader Ivan Rios killed in Colombia by own security chief
AP, msnbc.com, March 7, 2008
BOGOTA, Colombia - A summit of Latin American presidents aimed at defusing a growing border crisis turned into an angry showdown Friday, with finger-jabbing lectures, passionate speeches and a plea for goodwill that prompted stiff hand shakes between the leaders of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela.
The presidents of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela later joined other leaders in approving a declaration to end the crisis triggered by Colombia's cross-border military attack on a leftist rebel camp in Ecuador.
The dramatic high point of the hours-long passion play came when Dominican President Leonel Fernandez tried to calm things down by urging Colombian President Alvaro Uribe to shake hands with his antagonists. Uribe then marched around the table and shared stiff handshakes with Ecuador's Rafael Correa and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez.
But the appeal for harmony quickly dissolved, as Correa made yet another appeal to Uribe to respect their border, and never again act unilaterally to send commandos into his territory to bomb another rebel camp. If such an act is justified, then no border will be safe, Correa said, to perhaps the day's loudest applause.
The declaration adopted by the 20-nation Rio Group noted that Uribe had apologized for the raid last Saturday, which killed a Colombian rebel leader inside Ecuador's border, and that he pledged not to repeat the violation of national sovereignty.
The declaration, read by Fernandez, also reiterated the firm commitment by member governments to fight threats to national stability from "irregular or criminal groups."
Violent Friday
Adding another crushing blow to Latin America's oldest and strongest guerilla movement was the killing of the top rebel leader by his own chief of security on Friday. The security chief gave troops the leader's severed hand as proof, Colombia's defense minister said Friday.
Ivan Rios was the second member of the ruling secretariat of FARC to be killed in a week.
The guerrilla force was already shaken by the death Saturday of its spokesman, Raul Reyes, in a cross-border raid by Colombian troops into Ecuador.
"The FARC has suffered a new, major blow," Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos said at a news conference.
Santos said troops launched an operation designed to capture Rios on Feb. 17 after receiving tips that he was in a mountainous area of the western province of Caldas.
On Thursday, he said, a guerrilla known as Rojas came to the troops with Rios' severed hand, laptop computer and ID, saying he had killed his boss.
It was unclear what motivated Rojas to kill his boss, but Santos said it was to "relieve the military pressure."
Santos did not say what happened to Rojas, and he didn't take questions.
The U.S. State Department had a standing bounty of $5 million for Rios, whose real name is Jose Juvenal Velandia. He has been charged with drug smuggling by the United States, and is on a U.S. Treasury Department list of terrorists and drug traffickers.
Youngest member of leadership
In a 1999 interview with The Associated Press, Rios said he joined the insurgency as a student in Colombia's second city of Medellin to avoid being killed by right-wing death squads that had attacked other student activists.
Rios became known across Colombia as one of the rebels' main negotiators in failed peace talks that ended in 2002. He was thought to be around 40 years old.
Rios commanded the FARC's central bloc, which operates throughout Colombia's northwestern coffee region. Security forces say he frequently accompanied the FARC's senior leader, Manuel "Sureshot" Marulanda, in recent years.
Rios "was the youngest member of the secretariat. He was very important to the rebels," said Alfredo Rangel of the Bogota-based think tank Security and Democracy. "This shows the army is capable of taking down the rebels' most important pillars and that any of the leaders can fall at any time."
Harsh words exchanged at summit
Meanwhile, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Uribe said Friday that Colombian rebels helped Correa get elected, citing as evidence a rebel's letter seized during the cross-border raid last week.
Correa walked out of the 20-nation Rio Group summit after the finger-wagging accusation, then returned and denounced the accusation as "infamy."
Uribe said his forces seized a letter during their raid Saturday on a rebel camp just across the border with Ecuador in which Raul Reyes — a rebel leader killed in the raid — told the guerrillas' top commander about "aid delivered to Rafael Correa, as instructed."
Uribe also said that he didn't give Correa advance warning of the attack on Ecuadorean soil because "we haven't had the cooperation of the government of President Correa in the fight against terrorism."
That prompted an angry exchange between the two, as other presidents sought to keep the dialogue civil.
Correa, who has broken off relations with Colombia and sent troops to the border over the incident, denounced Uribe as a liar, portrayed Ecuador as a victim of Colombia's conflict, and proposed an international peacekeeping force to guard their border.
"I reject this infamy that the government of Rafael Correa has collaborated with the FARC," Correa bellowed into the microphone as he accused Uribe of lying. His comments drew loud applause from other leaders, who met Uribe's speech with silence.
Crisis overshadows other summit issues
The summit was to have focused on energy and other issues, but those were overshadowed by the diplomatic crisis in the Andes after the deadly Colombian cross-border raid into Ecuador on Saturday that killed a senior Colombian rebel and 24 others.
It began quietly, with the host, Dominican President Leonel Fernandez, appealing for unity. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said it was time to cool tensions and predicted the summit "is going to be positive."
"People should go cool off a bit, chill out their nerves," Chavez said before the summit started. "I think the meeting today is going to be positive, because it is going to help the debate. We have to debate, talk, and this is the first step toward finding the road."
But the accusations began quickly, with Correa criticizing "the aggression of Colombia" and Uribe saying that Correa is a dishonest partner in the fight against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.
"We didn't inform him (of the raid) because we have not had cooperation from the government of President Correa in the fight against terrorism," Uribe said.
Latin American foreign ministers on Thursday drafted a statement saying national sovereignty must be respected. The draft, to be submitted to the presidents on Friday, mirrors one earlier in the week from the Organization of American States, said Chilean Foreign Minister Alejandro Foxley.
Military buildup on border
Chavez has ordered thousands of troops and tanks to Venezuela's border with Colombia and threatened to slash trade and nationalize Colombian-owned businesses. Correa has also sent troops to the border, although Uribe has said he won't do the same.
The summit marks the first face-to-face encounters between Chavez, Correa and Uribe since the international crisis began.
Correa told reporters he wants Uribe to apologize for the attack in Ecuadorean territory and give his "formal and firm commitment" that Colombia will never "violate" the sovereignty of another country.
On his arrival in Santo Domingo late Thursday, Chavez claimed the strike was "planned and directed by the United States." Later, he said he had information that "gringo soldiers" participated in the attack, but provided no evidence.
U.S. Southern Command spokesman Jose Ruiz neither confirmed or denied this week that the U.S. military took part in the attack. The latest body was discovered Thursday, according to Ecuador's security minister, Gustavo Larrea.
Uribe is hugely popular among Colombians for cracking down on the FARC, which finances itself through kidnapping and drug trafficking.
Nicaragua, a leftist ally of Venezuela and Ecuador, broke relations with Colombia on Thursday.
France's contacts with rebels cut
The attack also cut off all contacts between the rebels and France, where the freedom of French-Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt has become a national cause, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said Friday.
Uribe has refused to rule out future military incursions into Ecuador or Venezuela, saying he first needs assurances from Correa and Chavez that they are not harboring rebels.
One of the rare regional voices offering support for Colombia was Salvadoran President Tony Saca, who said the Colombian government should be able to defend its citizens.
"We need to understand Colombia has the legitimate right to go after terrorists ... wherever they may be, of course without harming the sovereignty of another country," Saca said.
This report includes information from Reuters and The Associated Press.
Ecuador, Venezuela demand condemnation
JORGE RUEDA, AP, March 5, 2008
CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuela is starting to block billions of dollars in Colombian imports and investment under orders from President Hugo Chavez, threatening economic havoc in both nations in response to a Colombian military attack on rebels hiding in Ecuador.
Chavez and Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa demanded international condemnation of Colombia's U.S.-allied government on Wednesday night, while Chavez predicted a sharp fall in the $6 billion in annual Colombia-Venezuela trade: "That's coming down."
"We aren't interested in Colombian investments here," Chavez said, standing beside Correa. "Of the Colombian businesses that are here in Venezuela, we could nationalize some."
He said Venezuela will search for other countries like Ecuador, Brazil and Argentina to replace products imported from Colombia. Noting that Colombia traditional supplies food to Venezuela, he said now "we can't depend (on Colombia) not even for a grain of rice."
Though Venezuelan officials express confidence they will quickly find replacements for Colombian goods, government critics says the move is bound to worsen shortages of basic foods from milk to chicken that were an annoyance in Venezuela well before a dispute that has ballooned into one of South America's most serious diplomatic crises in years.
Chavez and Correa warned on Wednesday that a regional diplomatic crisis would not end without clear international condemnation of Colombia's government for Saturday's deadly cross-border strike against leftist rebels.
In a bid to defuse a dispute that has seen Venezuela move tanks and troops to its border, the Organization of American States on Wednesday approved a watered-down resolution calling the raid on the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia camp a violation of Ecuador's sovereignty.
But Correa said that while welcome, the resolution was not enough and his government still wants explicit condemnation.
"The OAS resolution pleases us. We are pleased, but not satisfied," Correa said as he visited Chavez in Caracas. "This isn't going to cool down until the aggressor is condemned."
Chavez called the attack by Colombia's U.S.-allied government a "war crime." The bombing and raid killed a top rebel leader, Raul Reyes, and 23 other guerrilla fighters who had set up a base just over a mile from the border inside Ecuador.
Colombia has accused both Chavez and Correa of ties with the leftist rebels, and said that was shown by documents found on a laptop seized at the bombed rebel camp.
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe said he would not mobilize troops or allow his nation to be drawn into war with his neighbors.
Meanwhile, Venezuela said most of the 9,000 soldiers mobilized by Chavez had reached the Colombian border area Wednesday. Ecuador said it sent 3,200 soldiers to its border with Colombia on Monday.
Chavez blamed the crisis on the U.S. "empire and its lackeys" — Colombia's conservative government — saying they pose a constant threat of war in the region.
On Wednesday, the Washington-based OAS declared the attack a violation of Ecuador's sovereignty and called for OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza to lead a delegation to both countries to ease tensions. But the resolution stopped short of explicitly condemning the assault. The United States was the only OAS nation offering Colombia unqualified support.
Reyes' captured laptop was full of documents that indicate FARC political ties to both Chavez and Correa, officials said.
"This is the first time that we've stumbled across something coming from the FARC drawing such a straight line" between the rebels and Chavez, said Assistant Secretary of State Thomas A. Shannon, who said American experts would soon examine the computer's hard drive. "
Chavez laughed as he dismissed Colombian accusations that the laptop's documents show he gave $300 million to the FARC and conspired with the rebels to embarrass Colombia's government.
Other documents released by Colombia suggest Reyes was secretly negotiating with representatives of France and other European nations to win freedom for hostages including French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and three American defense contractors.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy appealed directly to the rebels in an interview broadcast Wednesday night on Colombia's RCN television. He said Betancourt's release could persuade countries to no longer consider the FARC a terror group.
"If they let Ingrid Betancourt die, of course, there will be no discussion about that," he said in comments dubbed over in Spanish. "If they free Ingrid Betancourt, maybe some place in the world will see them a little differently."
In the Venezuelan town of San Antonio on Wednesday, soldiers marched through sugarcane fields with assault rifles, watching children dressed in school uniforms splash their way across the river that separates the two countries.
While many cargo trucks from Colombia have been turned away in recent days, traffic continued to flow across border bridges. And the military said it had no orders to close the border.
"Any disruption in the significant trade between Colombia and Ecuador/Venezuela will be temporary," predicted David Scott Palmer, director of Latin American studies at Boston University. For Colombia, he said, "there is political fallout in bilateral relations with Ecuador, and a renewal of tension with Venezuela, but I would expect both to be temporary."
___
Associated Press writers Christopher Toothaker in San Antonio, Venezuela; Toby Muse in Cucuta, Colombia; Nestor Ikeda in Washington; Gonzalo Solano in Quito, Ecuador; and Fabiola Sanchez and Ian James in Caracas contributed to this report.
CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuela is starting to block billions of dollars in Colombian imports and investment under orders from President Hugo Chavez, threatening economic havoc in both nations in response to a Colombian military attack on rebels hiding in Ecuador.
Chavez and Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa demanded international condemnation of Colombia's U.S.-allied government on Wednesday night, while Chavez predicted a sharp fall in the $6 billion in annual Colombia-Venezuela trade: "That's coming down."
"We aren't interested in Colombian investments here," Chavez said, standing beside Correa. "Of the Colombian businesses that are here in Venezuela, we could nationalize some."
He said Venezuela will search for other countries like Ecuador, Brazil and Argentina to replace products imported from Colombia. Noting that Colombia traditional supplies food to Venezuela, he said now "we can't depend (on Colombia) not even for a grain of rice."
Though Venezuelan officials express confidence they will quickly find replacements for Colombian goods, government critics says the move is bound to worsen shortages of basic foods from milk to chicken that were an annoyance in Venezuela well before a dispute that has ballooned into one of South America's most serious diplomatic crises in years.
Chavez and Correa warned on Wednesday that a regional diplomatic crisis would not end without clear international condemnation of Colombia's government for Saturday's deadly cross-border strike against leftist rebels.
In a bid to defuse a dispute that has seen Venezuela move tanks and troops to its border, the Organization of American States on Wednesday approved a watered-down resolution calling the raid on the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia camp a violation of Ecuador's sovereignty.
But Correa said that while welcome, the resolution was not enough and his government still wants explicit condemnation.
"The OAS resolution pleases us. We are pleased, but not satisfied," Correa said as he visited Chavez in Caracas. "This isn't going to cool down until the aggressor is condemned."
Chavez called the attack by Colombia's U.S.-allied government a "war crime." The bombing and raid killed a top rebel leader, Raul Reyes, and 23 other guerrilla fighters who had set up a base just over a mile from the border inside Ecuador.
Colombia has accused both Chavez and Correa of ties with the leftist rebels, and said that was shown by documents found on a laptop seized at the bombed rebel camp.
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe said he would not mobilize troops or allow his nation to be drawn into war with his neighbors.
Meanwhile, Venezuela said most of the 9,000 soldiers mobilized by Chavez had reached the Colombian border area Wednesday. Ecuador said it sent 3,200 soldiers to its border with Colombia on Monday.
Chavez blamed the crisis on the U.S. "empire and its lackeys" — Colombia's conservative government — saying they pose a constant threat of war in the region.
On Wednesday, the Washington-based OAS declared the attack a violation of Ecuador's sovereignty and called for OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza to lead a delegation to both countries to ease tensions. But the resolution stopped short of explicitly condemning the assault. The United States was the only OAS nation offering Colombia unqualified support.
Reyes' captured laptop was full of documents that indicate FARC political ties to both Chavez and Correa, officials said.
"This is the first time that we've stumbled across something coming from the FARC drawing such a straight line" between the rebels and Chavez, said Assistant Secretary of State Thomas A. Shannon, who said American experts would soon examine the computer's hard drive. "
Chavez laughed as he dismissed Colombian accusations that the laptop's documents show he gave $300 million to the FARC and conspired with the rebels to embarrass Colombia's government.
Other documents released by Colombia suggest Reyes was secretly negotiating with representatives of France and other European nations to win freedom for hostages including French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and three American defense contractors.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy appealed directly to the rebels in an interview broadcast Wednesday night on Colombia's RCN television. He said Betancourt's release could persuade countries to no longer consider the FARC a terror group.
"If they let Ingrid Betancourt die, of course, there will be no discussion about that," he said in comments dubbed over in Spanish. "If they free Ingrid Betancourt, maybe some place in the world will see them a little differently."
In the Venezuelan town of San Antonio on Wednesday, soldiers marched through sugarcane fields with assault rifles, watching children dressed in school uniforms splash their way across the river that separates the two countries.
While many cargo trucks from Colombia have been turned away in recent days, traffic continued to flow across border bridges. And the military said it had no orders to close the border.
"Any disruption in the significant trade between Colombia and Ecuador/Venezuela will be temporary," predicted David Scott Palmer, director of Latin American studies at Boston University. For Colombia, he said, "there is political fallout in bilateral relations with Ecuador, and a renewal of tension with Venezuela, but I would expect both to be temporary."
___
Associated Press writers Christopher Toothaker in San Antonio, Venezuela; Toby Muse in Cucuta, Colombia; Nestor Ikeda in Washington; Gonzalo Solano in Quito, Ecuador; and Fabiola Sanchez and Ian James in Caracas contributed to this report.
Rioting in Belgrade; Grenades thrown in Kosovo
China 'concerned', Australia backs Kosovo split
AFP, Feb. 17, 2008
PARIS (AFP) - Australia on Monday became the lastest nation to welcome Kosovo's declaration of independence, joining the United States and several European powers, despite fierce objections from Serbia and Russia.
But China was among countries unhappy with Kosovo's breakaway from Serbia, declaring it was "deeply concerned" about the future of peace in the region.
"The unilateral approach by Kosovo may cause a series of consequences and lead to severe negative influences on the peace and stability of the Balkan region," foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said in a statement.
"China expresses deep concern about this."
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said diplomatic recognition of the new state would be offered soon.
"We've already indicated to our diplomatic representatives around the world that this (independence) would be an appropriate course of action," Rudd told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Russia angrily condemned Kosovo's announcement, and called an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council late Sunday to discuss the issue.
But it failed to get backing for its call to declare "null and void" the decision by Kosovo's Albanian majority on Sunday to break away.
Russia has been Serbia's strongest backer in opposing Kosovo's independence, which President Vladimir Putin said last week would be "idiotic and illegal."
The United States, Britain, France, Germany and Italy have all indicated that their formal recognition will come on Monday.
Those countries around the world with separatist problems however -- from Spain to Sri Lanka -- have expressed concern at Kosovo's split.
The United States and most European nations gave a cautious initial reaction to the independence declaration ahead of a crucial EU foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels on Monday.
But even as the international community called for calm, rioting broke out on the streets of Belgrade, and grenades were thrown at EU and UN buildings in the northern Kosovo town of Mitrovica late Sunday.
US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the United States "calls on all parties to exert utmost restraint and to refrain from any provocative act."
A significant minority in the 27-nation EU -- Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Spain -- oppose recognising Kosovo. Others like Malta and Portugal would prefer Kosovo's future be decided at the UN Security Council.
Czech President Vaclav Klaus warned that Kosovo's independence could unleash a domino affect in Europe.
"Some parties in other states could realise that they do not feel completely at ease within a big state in which they are now," he said in a television interview.
As if on cue, the breakaway Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia immediately seized on Kosovo's break, saying they would ask Russia and the UN to recognise their independence, Russia's Interfax news agency reported.
"In the near future Abkhazia will appeal to the Russian parliament and the UN Security Council with a request to recognise its independence," self-declared Abkhaz President Sergei Bagapsh was quoted as saying by Interfax.
South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity made a similar appeal.
Some states see Kosovo as setting a dangerous precedent for other separatist movements. Cyprus is already split, with a Turkey-recognised statelet in the north. Spain has long struggled with radical Basque nationalists.
And the Sri Lankan government, which is battling separatist Tamil Tiger rebels, warned Kosovo's declaration could set an "unmanageable precedent" and was a violation of the United Nations charter.
The foreign ministry said it "could set an unmanageable precedent in the conduct of international relations, the established global order of sovereign states and could thus pose a grave threat to international peace and security."
Others are reluctant to recognise Kosovo because of their close ties to Serbia.
Slovakia said Sunday it would not recognise independence for the time being. Romania, which is traditionally close to Serbia, said its opposition was unchanged.
There is also anxiety on Kosovo's borders. Macedonia, which has a significant ethnic Albanian minority, said it was closely watching events.
Government spokesman Ivica Bocevski told AFP: "Whatever decision we are going to take, we will take care of the interests of our citizens, as well as the state and national interests of Macedonia."
Ethnic Albanians account for around 25 percent of Macedonia's two-million population. In 2001, the government and ethnic Albanian rebels waged a brief fight mostly in the northern and western parts of the country.
burs/jj/tha
AFP, Feb. 17, 2008
PARIS (AFP) - Australia on Monday became the lastest nation to welcome Kosovo's declaration of independence, joining the United States and several European powers, despite fierce objections from Serbia and Russia.
But China was among countries unhappy with Kosovo's breakaway from Serbia, declaring it was "deeply concerned" about the future of peace in the region.
"The unilateral approach by Kosovo may cause a series of consequences and lead to severe negative influences on the peace and stability of the Balkan region," foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said in a statement.
"China expresses deep concern about this."
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said diplomatic recognition of the new state would be offered soon.
"We've already indicated to our diplomatic representatives around the world that this (independence) would be an appropriate course of action," Rudd told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Russia angrily condemned Kosovo's announcement, and called an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council late Sunday to discuss the issue.
But it failed to get backing for its call to declare "null and void" the decision by Kosovo's Albanian majority on Sunday to break away.
Russia has been Serbia's strongest backer in opposing Kosovo's independence, which President Vladimir Putin said last week would be "idiotic and illegal."
The United States, Britain, France, Germany and Italy have all indicated that their formal recognition will come on Monday.
Those countries around the world with separatist problems however -- from Spain to Sri Lanka -- have expressed concern at Kosovo's split.
The United States and most European nations gave a cautious initial reaction to the independence declaration ahead of a crucial EU foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels on Monday.
But even as the international community called for calm, rioting broke out on the streets of Belgrade, and grenades were thrown at EU and UN buildings in the northern Kosovo town of Mitrovica late Sunday.
US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the United States "calls on all parties to exert utmost restraint and to refrain from any provocative act."
A significant minority in the 27-nation EU -- Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Spain -- oppose recognising Kosovo. Others like Malta and Portugal would prefer Kosovo's future be decided at the UN Security Council.
Czech President Vaclav Klaus warned that Kosovo's independence could unleash a domino affect in Europe.
"Some parties in other states could realise that they do not feel completely at ease within a big state in which they are now," he said in a television interview.
As if on cue, the breakaway Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia immediately seized on Kosovo's break, saying they would ask Russia and the UN to recognise their independence, Russia's Interfax news agency reported.
"In the near future Abkhazia will appeal to the Russian parliament and the UN Security Council with a request to recognise its independence," self-declared Abkhaz President Sergei Bagapsh was quoted as saying by Interfax.
South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity made a similar appeal.
Some states see Kosovo as setting a dangerous precedent for other separatist movements. Cyprus is already split, with a Turkey-recognised statelet in the north. Spain has long struggled with radical Basque nationalists.
And the Sri Lankan government, which is battling separatist Tamil Tiger rebels, warned Kosovo's declaration could set an "unmanageable precedent" and was a violation of the United Nations charter.
The foreign ministry said it "could set an unmanageable precedent in the conduct of international relations, the established global order of sovereign states and could thus pose a grave threat to international peace and security."
Others are reluctant to recognise Kosovo because of their close ties to Serbia.
Slovakia said Sunday it would not recognise independence for the time being. Romania, which is traditionally close to Serbia, said its opposition was unchanged.
There is also anxiety on Kosovo's borders. Macedonia, which has a significant ethnic Albanian minority, said it was closely watching events.
Government spokesman Ivica Bocevski told AFP: "Whatever decision we are going to take, we will take care of the interests of our citizens, as well as the state and national interests of Macedonia."
Ethnic Albanians account for around 25 percent of Macedonia's two-million population. In 2001, the government and ethnic Albanian rebels waged a brief fight mostly in the northern and western parts of the country.
burs/jj/tha
UN Security Council meets on Kosovo
By JOHN HEILPRIN, AP, Feb. 17, 2008
UNITED NATIONS - Russia tried to block Kosovo's independence during a closed-door emergency session of the U.N. Security Council on Sunday, saying it is deeply concerned about the safety of Serbs living in the territory.
The discussion among members of the 15-member council continued to expose their divisions on the future of Kosovo. Russia backs its close ally Serbia, while the United States, Britain, France and other European Union members support Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanians.
The council met at the request of Serbia and Russia, which argue that Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia made earlier Sunday violates a 1999 council resolution that authorizes the U.N. to administer the territory.
The session got off to a rocky start; shortly after it began, the session had to be suspended for a couple hours because of a lack of interpreters.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Serbia's president told him that Kosovo's declaration carries no legal weight, while Kosovo's prime minister assured him he was committed to "equal opportunities and no discrimination" against anyone in Kosovo.
Ban urged all sides to "refrain from any actions or statements that could endanger peace, incite violence or jeopardize security in Kosovo and the region."
The Security Council resolution on Kosovo remains in force and the U.N. "will continue to implement its mandate in the light of the evolving circumstances," Ban said.
Before the session, Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Moscow was "highly concerned" about Sunday's decision by Kosovo's parliament in Pristina "to declare unilateral independence of Kosovo."
The past Security Council resolution means the U.N. still runs Kosovo and "it is not obvious at all what could possibly be the legal basis for even considering" Kosovo's declaration of independence," Churkin said.
He specifically addressed the estimated 120,000 Serbs living in enclaves in Kosovo.
"Our concern is for the safety of the Serbs and other ethnic minorities in Kosovo," Churkin told reporters. "We'll strongly warn against any attempts at repressive measures, should Serbs in Kosovo decide not to comply with this unilateral proclamation of independence."
U.S. and other Western countries said there was little danger to the Serbs in Kosovo and that the 1999 resolution does not preclude Kosovo's independence.
"We've knocked it down over and over again. This is an unprecedented situation, it creates no precedent," Alejandro Wolff, the U.S. deputy ambassador to the U.N., told reporters before the session
Wolff said the United States is not "particularly concerned or sees no particular danger to be worried about" with regards to the safety of Serbs in Kosovo.
"We're pleased by the commitments made to respect for religious and ethnic communities in Kosovo," he told reporters. "We're very much pleased that the declaration also reflects a position of the United States that's longstanding."
Kosovo's 2 million population is 90 percent ethnic Albanian, mainly secular Muslims, who do not want to be part of Serbia, a predominantly Christian Orthodox nation.
Kosovo has been under U.N. and NATO administration since a NATO-led air war halted a Serb crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists in 1999.
In April 2007, U.N. envoy Martti Ahtisaari recommended that Kosovo be granted internationally supervised independence — a proposal strongly supported by the province's ethnic Albanians, the U.S. and most of the European Union, but vehemently opposed by Serbia and Russia, a traditional Serb ally.
Russia blocked the Ahtisaari plan. An additional period of negotiations failed to bridge the differences between the Serbs, who have offered wide autonomy, and Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leaders, who insist on independence.
Kosovo hopes for international recognition that could come on Monday when European Union ministers meet in Brussels, Belgium. Russia, which has veto power on the council, insists Kosovo is a Security Council issue — not an EU issue — and argues that Kosovo's move sets a dangerous precedent for separatist groups globally.
On Tuesday afternoon, a more formal and open debate is planned by the Security Council at Serbia's request. Churkin said Russia insisted it should be an open meeting, and the president of Serbia will attend.
However, diplomats said it was unlikely the council would be able to reach agreement on a resolution or statement.
UNITED NATIONS - Russia tried to block Kosovo's independence during a closed-door emergency session of the U.N. Security Council on Sunday, saying it is deeply concerned about the safety of Serbs living in the territory.
The discussion among members of the 15-member council continued to expose their divisions on the future of Kosovo. Russia backs its close ally Serbia, while the United States, Britain, France and other European Union members support Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanians.
The council met at the request of Serbia and Russia, which argue that Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia made earlier Sunday violates a 1999 council resolution that authorizes the U.N. to administer the territory.
The session got off to a rocky start; shortly after it began, the session had to be suspended for a couple hours because of a lack of interpreters.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Serbia's president told him that Kosovo's declaration carries no legal weight, while Kosovo's prime minister assured him he was committed to "equal opportunities and no discrimination" against anyone in Kosovo.
Ban urged all sides to "refrain from any actions or statements that could endanger peace, incite violence or jeopardize security in Kosovo and the region."
The Security Council resolution on Kosovo remains in force and the U.N. "will continue to implement its mandate in the light of the evolving circumstances," Ban said.
Before the session, Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Moscow was "highly concerned" about Sunday's decision by Kosovo's parliament in Pristina "to declare unilateral independence of Kosovo."
The past Security Council resolution means the U.N. still runs Kosovo and "it is not obvious at all what could possibly be the legal basis for even considering" Kosovo's declaration of independence," Churkin said.
He specifically addressed the estimated 120,000 Serbs living in enclaves in Kosovo.
"Our concern is for the safety of the Serbs and other ethnic minorities in Kosovo," Churkin told reporters. "We'll strongly warn against any attempts at repressive measures, should Serbs in Kosovo decide not to comply with this unilateral proclamation of independence."
U.S. and other Western countries said there was little danger to the Serbs in Kosovo and that the 1999 resolution does not preclude Kosovo's independence.
"We've knocked it down over and over again. This is an unprecedented situation, it creates no precedent," Alejandro Wolff, the U.S. deputy ambassador to the U.N., told reporters before the session
Wolff said the United States is not "particularly concerned or sees no particular danger to be worried about" with regards to the safety of Serbs in Kosovo.
"We're pleased by the commitments made to respect for religious and ethnic communities in Kosovo," he told reporters. "We're very much pleased that the declaration also reflects a position of the United States that's longstanding."
Kosovo's 2 million population is 90 percent ethnic Albanian, mainly secular Muslims, who do not want to be part of Serbia, a predominantly Christian Orthodox nation.
Kosovo has been under U.N. and NATO administration since a NATO-led air war halted a Serb crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists in 1999.
In April 2007, U.N. envoy Martti Ahtisaari recommended that Kosovo be granted internationally supervised independence — a proposal strongly supported by the province's ethnic Albanians, the U.S. and most of the European Union, but vehemently opposed by Serbia and Russia, a traditional Serb ally.
Russia blocked the Ahtisaari plan. An additional period of negotiations failed to bridge the differences between the Serbs, who have offered wide autonomy, and Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leaders, who insist on independence.
Kosovo hopes for international recognition that could come on Monday when European Union ministers meet in Brussels, Belgium. Russia, which has veto power on the council, insists Kosovo is a Security Council issue — not an EU issue — and argues that Kosovo's move sets a dangerous precedent for separatist groups globally.
On Tuesday afternoon, a more formal and open debate is planned by the Security Council at Serbia's request. Churkin said Russia insisted it should be an open meeting, and the president of Serbia will attend.
However, diplomats said it was unlikely the council would be able to reach agreement on a resolution or statement.
Rebel coalition fights neocolonial regime in Chad
By G. Dunkel, International Action Center, Feb. 14, 2008
Chad, in central Africa, was brutally conquered by France over a century ago and made part of its colonial empire. Today, while nominally independent, it is the fifth poorest country in the world, according to the U.N. However, it has become a significant, though not major, exporter of oil in the past three years.
ExxonMobil, a major U.S. corporation, is currently exploiting this oil, which has also brought billions of dollars to Chad. Most of that money, however, has stayed in the pockets of President Idriss Deby Itno -- a former helicopter pilot trained by the French, who seized power in 1990 -- and his clique, through one stratagem or another. Redistributing this wealth is one of the issues pushing forward a rebellion against Deby’s rule.
This struggle broke out into heavy fighting early in February when a rebel coalition fought for control of Ndjamena, Chad’s capital. An estimated 1,000 people died.
The Deby government claimed that most of the casualties were rebels—it called them mercenaries paid by Sudan—who didn’t know their way around the city, which has no street signs.
That’s not how the insurgents explain why they pulled back. Coalition spokesperson Abderaman Koulamallah said in an interview with Agence France Presse that direct attacks carried out by the French military had caused “enormous civilian casualties.”
Mahamat Nouri, the main military commander of the opposition, charged the French Air Force had “bombarded” its positions for over 13 hours to protect the Deby government.
During the battle for Ndjamena, which began Feb. 2-3, many of Deby’s soldiers reportedly deserted or didn’t follow orders because of ties they have with the rebels. Many of the rebels themselves were formerly in the government army. For example, Nouri himself used to be Deby’s defense minister and took a number of troops with him when he went over to the opposition.
While the French were willing to provide Deby with logistical, intelligence and air support and to defend the Ndjamena airport, they were not willing to put the bodies of French soldiers on the ground in harm’s way.
So Deby issued a call for reinforcements to the Justice and Equality Movement, a rebel group in Sudan fighting the government in the region of Darfur. It is drawn mainly from Deby’s ethnic group, the Zaghawas. However, Zaghawas also play a leading role among the rebel forces. (Le Figaro, Feb. 2)
The JEM troops quickly arrived on the battlefield in Chad. (New York Times, Feb. 8) The only practical way for JEM troops to have gotten from Darfur to Ndjamena, a distance of more than 600 miles, was for the French Air Force to fly them from its base in Abeche, a major city in eastern Chad not far from the border with Sudan.
The Sudanese government has announced that it will allow U.N.-African Union “peacekeepers” to move about freely in Darfur, but the JEM has just announced that it will attack them whenever they enter JEM-controlled areas.
The French press on Feb. 10 reported that the opposition had seized two major towns in the eastern part of the country. It also reported that EUFOR—with some 4,700 soldiers drawn from the armies of the 27 countries in the European Union—had begun setting up an advance base in Ndjamena, called Camp Europa. Full deployment of EUFOR is set to begin Feb. 12.
EUFOR, which stands for European Union Forces, has been used before in Bosnia and the Congo. While its commander and a large proportion of its troops are French, it does have a U.N. mandate to protect Sudanese refugees in Chad and the Central African Republic, distribute humanitarian aid and train Chadian police.
Its real aim is to project and protect Europe’s imperialist interests in the strategic center of Africa, bordering on the hotspot of Darfur.
Dr. Ley-Ngardigal Djimadoum, the leader of Chad’s Action for Unity and Socialism (ACTUS), at the beginning of February released a statement in French on a number of African and European anti-imperialist web sites.
Djimadoum said that, “Almost all the Chadian opposition is very hostile to EUFOR in Chad. The presence of French military bases, under the pretext of defending the territorial integrity of an ‘independent’ state, from independence [1960] to now, leaves a bitter taste. In reality, these occupation troops only defend the economic interests of the multinationals and the geostrategic interests of the imperialists on the African continent.
“A number of mass revolts and rebellions against the dictators imposed on our people by French imperialism have been drowned in blood by the support and the direct participation of French troops besides the army of their puppet government.
“The humanitarian aid proposed by EUFOR is a tree which hides the forest. More competent civilian organizations have been in place for years.”
The budget for EUFOR’s operation is nearly $450 million, close to twice the yearly income of Chad’s 9.3 million people.
The coalition that attacked Ndjamena independently issued a statement condemning France’s role, while avoiding the sharp language Djimadoum used.
Chad is an extremely poor but highly strategic country that has been waging an unrelenting struggle, with many twists and turns, against French neocolonialism for over 40 years. The intervention of European imperialism through EUFOR is going to raise the stakes, but is unlikely to end the drive of the people of Chad for their liberation.
Chad, in central Africa, was brutally conquered by France over a century ago and made part of its colonial empire. Today, while nominally independent, it is the fifth poorest country in the world, according to the U.N. However, it has become a significant, though not major, exporter of oil in the past three years.
ExxonMobil, a major U.S. corporation, is currently exploiting this oil, which has also brought billions of dollars to Chad. Most of that money, however, has stayed in the pockets of President Idriss Deby Itno -- a former helicopter pilot trained by the French, who seized power in 1990 -- and his clique, through one stratagem or another. Redistributing this wealth is one of the issues pushing forward a rebellion against Deby’s rule.
This struggle broke out into heavy fighting early in February when a rebel coalition fought for control of Ndjamena, Chad’s capital. An estimated 1,000 people died.
The Deby government claimed that most of the casualties were rebels—it called them mercenaries paid by Sudan—who didn’t know their way around the city, which has no street signs.
That’s not how the insurgents explain why they pulled back. Coalition spokesperson Abderaman Koulamallah said in an interview with Agence France Presse that direct attacks carried out by the French military had caused “enormous civilian casualties.”
Mahamat Nouri, the main military commander of the opposition, charged the French Air Force had “bombarded” its positions for over 13 hours to protect the Deby government.
During the battle for Ndjamena, which began Feb. 2-3, many of Deby’s soldiers reportedly deserted or didn’t follow orders because of ties they have with the rebels. Many of the rebels themselves were formerly in the government army. For example, Nouri himself used to be Deby’s defense minister and took a number of troops with him when he went over to the opposition.
While the French were willing to provide Deby with logistical, intelligence and air support and to defend the Ndjamena airport, they were not willing to put the bodies of French soldiers on the ground in harm’s way.
So Deby issued a call for reinforcements to the Justice and Equality Movement, a rebel group in Sudan fighting the government in the region of Darfur. It is drawn mainly from Deby’s ethnic group, the Zaghawas. However, Zaghawas also play a leading role among the rebel forces. (Le Figaro, Feb. 2)
The JEM troops quickly arrived on the battlefield in Chad. (New York Times, Feb. 8) The only practical way for JEM troops to have gotten from Darfur to Ndjamena, a distance of more than 600 miles, was for the French Air Force to fly them from its base in Abeche, a major city in eastern Chad not far from the border with Sudan.
The Sudanese government has announced that it will allow U.N.-African Union “peacekeepers” to move about freely in Darfur, but the JEM has just announced that it will attack them whenever they enter JEM-controlled areas.
The French press on Feb. 10 reported that the opposition had seized two major towns in the eastern part of the country. It also reported that EUFOR—with some 4,700 soldiers drawn from the armies of the 27 countries in the European Union—had begun setting up an advance base in Ndjamena, called Camp Europa. Full deployment of EUFOR is set to begin Feb. 12.
EUFOR, which stands for European Union Forces, has been used before in Bosnia and the Congo. While its commander and a large proportion of its troops are French, it does have a U.N. mandate to protect Sudanese refugees in Chad and the Central African Republic, distribute humanitarian aid and train Chadian police.
Its real aim is to project and protect Europe’s imperialist interests in the strategic center of Africa, bordering on the hotspot of Darfur.
Dr. Ley-Ngardigal Djimadoum, the leader of Chad’s Action for Unity and Socialism (ACTUS), at the beginning of February released a statement in French on a number of African and European anti-imperialist web sites.
Djimadoum said that, “Almost all the Chadian opposition is very hostile to EUFOR in Chad. The presence of French military bases, under the pretext of defending the territorial integrity of an ‘independent’ state, from independence [1960] to now, leaves a bitter taste. In reality, these occupation troops only defend the economic interests of the multinationals and the geostrategic interests of the imperialists on the African continent.
“A number of mass revolts and rebellions against the dictators imposed on our people by French imperialism have been drowned in blood by the support and the direct participation of French troops besides the army of their puppet government.
“The humanitarian aid proposed by EUFOR is a tree which hides the forest. More competent civilian organizations have been in place for years.”
The budget for EUFOR’s operation is nearly $450 million, close to twice the yearly income of Chad’s 9.3 million people.
The coalition that attacked Ndjamena independently issued a statement condemning France’s role, while avoiding the sharp language Djimadoum used.
Chad is an extremely poor but highly strategic country that has been waging an unrelenting struggle, with many twists and turns, against French neocolonialism for over 40 years. The intervention of European imperialism through EUFOR is going to raise the stakes, but is unlikely to end the drive of the people of Chad for their liberation.
Transport Workers in France End Strike; Student Protests Continue
France train services near normal
BBC News, Nov., 23, 2007
Travel networks in France are returning to normal following major disruption caused by a nine-day strike.
High-speed TGV services from Paris are running as usual. In the capital, metro services were being restored, though few lines were back to 100% operation.
"The worst of the crisis is over," presidential aide Raymond Soubie told radio station Europe-1.
But reports suggest the unions could return to strike action next month if current talks fail to reach a deal.
The unions oppose plans to scrap the "special" pension system that allows some 500,000 transport and utility workers to retire early, bringing them in line with other state employees.
'No compromise'
The government has signalled it is willing to discuss how the reforms are implemented, but President Nicolas Sarkozy has vowed not to compromise on the core of the changes - and Mr Soubie reiterated this stance on Friday.
"We have always said that there are some principles of harmonisation which we would not give up.
"We have not given them up. We won't give them up," he said, though he added there were many "perfectly legitimate" issues to be discussed.
On Thursday most local union committees voted to return to work while talks with the government continue.
The number of trains running on the state-owned national rail network SNCF and the Paris underground was returning to normal on Friday.
While TGV high-speed services from Paris were near normal, regional services continued to experience only 50-70% of usual service levels.
On the Paris metro, some lines were back to normal while service on others remained extremely patchy.
Buses were running about 80% of normal service, while trams were nearly back to normal.
Both the SNCF rail and RATP metro companies say they will offer refunds to holders of season tickets and travel passes in light of the prolonged disruption caused by the strike, which began on 13 November.
Talks between the unions, rail managers and government representatives, which began on Wednesday, are expected to continue for at least a month.
Most unions have told members to go back to work, with only the militant Sud Rail urging members to stay out.
But train drivers warn they could be back out on strike in mid-December if no deal is reached.
Trouble elsewhere
Although the government says it will stay firm on the reforms, it has suggested it could offer incentives of salary rises and a top-up scheme for pensions.
Unhappy rail workers are not the only obstacle Mr Sarkozy faces in implementing his reforms programme.
On Tuesday, civil workers went on strike.
On Thursday, the Unef student union said 48 out of France's 85 universities were totally or partially blocked by protesters demonstrating against what they say are Mr Sarkozy's plans to privatise top universities.
Those student protests were reportedly continuing at some universities on Friday.
BBC News, Nov., 23, 2007
Travel networks in France are returning to normal following major disruption caused by a nine-day strike.
High-speed TGV services from Paris are running as usual. In the capital, metro services were being restored, though few lines were back to 100% operation.
"The worst of the crisis is over," presidential aide Raymond Soubie told radio station Europe-1.
But reports suggest the unions could return to strike action next month if current talks fail to reach a deal.
The unions oppose plans to scrap the "special" pension system that allows some 500,000 transport and utility workers to retire early, bringing them in line with other state employees.
'No compromise'
The government has signalled it is willing to discuss how the reforms are implemented, but President Nicolas Sarkozy has vowed not to compromise on the core of the changes - and Mr Soubie reiterated this stance on Friday.
"We have always said that there are some principles of harmonisation which we would not give up.
"We have not given them up. We won't give them up," he said, though he added there were many "perfectly legitimate" issues to be discussed.
On Thursday most local union committees voted to return to work while talks with the government continue.
The number of trains running on the state-owned national rail network SNCF and the Paris underground was returning to normal on Friday.
While TGV high-speed services from Paris were near normal, regional services continued to experience only 50-70% of usual service levels.
On the Paris metro, some lines were back to normal while service on others remained extremely patchy.
Buses were running about 80% of normal service, while trams were nearly back to normal.
Both the SNCF rail and RATP metro companies say they will offer refunds to holders of season tickets and travel passes in light of the prolonged disruption caused by the strike, which began on 13 November.
Talks between the unions, rail managers and government representatives, which began on Wednesday, are expected to continue for at least a month.
Most unions have told members to go back to work, with only the militant Sud Rail urging members to stay out.
But train drivers warn they could be back out on strike in mid-December if no deal is reached.
Trouble elsewhere
Although the government says it will stay firm on the reforms, it has suggested it could offer incentives of salary rises and a top-up scheme for pensions.
Unhappy rail workers are not the only obstacle Mr Sarkozy faces in implementing his reforms programme.
On Tuesday, civil workers went on strike.
On Thursday, the Unef student union said 48 out of France's 85 universities were totally or partially blocked by protesters demonstrating against what they say are Mr Sarkozy's plans to privatise top universities.
Those student protests were reportedly continuing at some universities on Friday.
Hundreds of thousands of workers strike in France
French civil servants join strikes
By ELAINE GANLEY, AP, Nov. 20, 2007
PARIS - Schools closed, flights were delayed, trains again weren't running, and newspapers weren't printed as civil servants joined transport workers in strikes Tuesday to challenge President Nicolas Sarkozy's program of sweeping reform for France
A defiant Sarkozy said voters gave him a mandate for reform when they elected him in May, adding: "We will not surrender and we will not retreat."
"France needs reforms to meet the challenges imposed on it by the world," he told a meeting of mayors.
Sarkozy previously had remained uncharacteristically silent about the transit strikes that have hobbled the national rail network and transport in and around the capital for a week.
He said the walkout must stop before it brings "the economy to its knees."
"You have to know how to stop a strike," said the conservative. "You have to think of all of those who have to go to work."
He reiterated his determination to press ahead with the pension reform that prompted labor leaders to call the open-ended strike. But he also suggested that he is not looking to crush unions in the reform process.
"I do not want a winner and loser," Sarkozy said.
The walkouts looked increasingly like the last gasp of a protest movement that started with train drivers but seems to be losing some punch after a week of major travel disruptions.
Talks with transport unions are to start Wednesday and the government said it would take part.
Tuesday marked the seventh full day of the transit strikes against pension reforms.
Hundreds of thousands of civil servants — teachers, customs agents and tax inspectors — also stayed off the job to press for pay raises and job security. Sarkozy has promised a slimmed-down and reformed civil service, France's largest employer with more than 5 million workers.
Although civil servants and transport workers have different demands, together their protests stood as the biggest test since Sarkozy took office with a determination to revamp France through reforms and cost-cutting.
More than 300,000 teachers — about 40 percent — were on strike Tuesday, the Education Ministry said, and some schools were forced to close. Flights also were delayed and postal services were affected.
National newspapers were absent from kiosks as printers and distributors joined the walkout. Strike-hit France-Inter radio broadcast music and a message of apology instead of its regular programming.
National weather service Meteo France, which has 3,700 employees, said a third of the staff members were on strike.
Thousands joined protest marches in Paris and other cities. The Paris demonstration had a picnic atmosphere, with music, roasted sausages and balloons marked "Public Service is a Public Good." The demonstrators marched across the Left Bank to the gold-domed monument at Les Invalides, site of Napoleon's tomb.
About one in seven employees at France's main energy utilities, Electricite de France and Gaz de France, were on strike, the companies said.
Striking air traffic controllers caused delays averaging 45 minutes at Paris' two airports, Charles de Gaulle and Orly, affecting both short domestic routes and long-haul flights.
Despite the pressure on Sarkozy, the government has stood firm. Prime Minister Francois Fillon said Monday that reforms must move forward.
The transit strike has caused massive disruption on the national rail network and in Paris' Metro and commuter lines.
The government says the transit walkout is costing France's economy between $440 million and $513 million a day and could dent economic growth if it lasts.
Train drivers are protesting Sarkozy's plans to extend their retirement age. The government has insisted that for talks to start, unions must move toward a return to work. It also says the core of the reform — that all workers must work for 40 years to qualify for full pensions — is nonnegotiable.
Sarkozy was elected on promises to reform France — from its courts to its creaking university system, its army of civil servants to rail workers whose special retirement privileges he vowed to eliminate.
Campuses are also bubbling with discontent. Knots of students have been blocking classes at dozens of France's 85 state-run universities to protest a law allowing them to seek nongovernment funding. Critics fear the change will mean schools closing their doors to the poor and scrapping classes that can't attract private funding.
___
Associated Press Writers Jean-Marie Godard, John Leicester and Elizabeth Ryan contributed to this story.
By ELAINE GANLEY, AP, Nov. 20, 2007
PARIS - Schools closed, flights were delayed, trains again weren't running, and newspapers weren't printed as civil servants joined transport workers in strikes Tuesday to challenge President Nicolas Sarkozy's program of sweeping reform for France
A defiant Sarkozy said voters gave him a mandate for reform when they elected him in May, adding: "We will not surrender and we will not retreat."
"France needs reforms to meet the challenges imposed on it by the world," he told a meeting of mayors.
Sarkozy previously had remained uncharacteristically silent about the transit strikes that have hobbled the national rail network and transport in and around the capital for a week.
He said the walkout must stop before it brings "the economy to its knees."
"You have to know how to stop a strike," said the conservative. "You have to think of all of those who have to go to work."
He reiterated his determination to press ahead with the pension reform that prompted labor leaders to call the open-ended strike. But he also suggested that he is not looking to crush unions in the reform process.
"I do not want a winner and loser," Sarkozy said.
The walkouts looked increasingly like the last gasp of a protest movement that started with train drivers but seems to be losing some punch after a week of major travel disruptions.
Talks with transport unions are to start Wednesday and the government said it would take part.
Tuesday marked the seventh full day of the transit strikes against pension reforms.
Hundreds of thousands of civil servants — teachers, customs agents and tax inspectors — also stayed off the job to press for pay raises and job security. Sarkozy has promised a slimmed-down and reformed civil service, France's largest employer with more than 5 million workers.
Although civil servants and transport workers have different demands, together their protests stood as the biggest test since Sarkozy took office with a determination to revamp France through reforms and cost-cutting.
More than 300,000 teachers — about 40 percent — were on strike Tuesday, the Education Ministry said, and some schools were forced to close. Flights also were delayed and postal services were affected.National newspapers were absent from kiosks as printers and distributors joined the walkout. Strike-hit France-Inter radio broadcast music and a message of apology instead of its regular programming.
National weather service Meteo France, which has 3,700 employees, said a third of the staff members were on strike.
Thousands joined protest marches in Paris and other cities. The Paris demonstration had a picnic atmosphere, with music, roasted sausages and balloons marked "Public Service is a Public Good." The demonstrators marched across the Left Bank to the gold-domed monument at Les Invalides, site of Napoleon's tomb.
About one in seven employees at France's main energy utilities, Electricite de France and Gaz de France, were on strike, the companies said.
Striking air traffic controllers caused delays averaging 45 minutes at Paris' two airports, Charles de Gaulle and Orly, affecting both short domestic routes and long-haul flights.
Despite the pressure on Sarkozy, the government has stood firm. Prime Minister Francois Fillon said Monday that reforms must move forward.
The transit strike has caused massive disruption on the national rail network and in Paris' Metro and commuter lines.
The government says the transit walkout is costing France's economy between $440 million and $513 million a day and could dent economic growth if it lasts.
Train drivers are protesting Sarkozy's plans to extend their retirement age. The government has insisted that for talks to start, unions must move toward a return to work. It also says the core of the reform — that all workers must work for 40 years to qualify for full pensions — is nonnegotiable.
Sarkozy was elected on promises to reform France — from its courts to its creaking university system, its army of civil servants to rail workers whose special retirement privileges he vowed to eliminate.
Campuses are also bubbling with discontent. Knots of students have been blocking classes at dozens of France's 85 state-run universities to protest a law allowing them to seek nongovernment funding. Critics fear the change will mean schools closing their doors to the poor and scrapping classes that can't attract private funding.
___
Associated Press Writers Jean-Marie Godard, John Leicester and Elizabeth Ryan contributed to this story.
Rice: U.S., France Seek Iran Sanctions
By DESMOND BUTLER, AP, Washington Post, Sept. 21, 2007
WASHINGTON -- The United States and France agree on how to pressure Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday.
At a joint news conference Rice gave with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, both officials spoke of the need for new sanctions against Iran.
"I think that there's, essentially, no difference in the way that we see the situation in Iran and what the international community must do," Rice said.
Warm words between the two foreign policy counterparts marked a narrowing of differences since the days that Kouchner's predecessor, Dominique de Villepin, helped block a United Nations resolution sought by the United States on Iraq.
Since taking power in May, Kouchner's boss President Nicolas Sarkozy has set a very different tone of cooperation with the United States than Villepin and former President Jacques Chirac. But Kouchner's visit and France's recent moves on Iran seemed to illustrate that the change was more than tone.
The two countries were preparing the groundwork for a new U.N. Security Council resolution at a meeting in Washington on Friday of political directors from six major nations that have been trying to negotiate with Iran _ Russia, China, Britain and Germany, as well as France and the United States.
Afterward, speaking for the group, Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said their discussions were serious and constructive. They will reconvene next Friday in New York, Burns said.
On Friday, Italy also called for sanctions.
"There is still room for a strong initiative that can on one end put pressure through sanctions, even more severe sanctions, and on the other end really offer the possibility for negotiations and agreement," Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema said in an interview on Italian state TV.
The French government's tougher line has brought it closer to the Bush administration, which has made a renewed U.S. push to tighten sanctions.
Rice said that she had also discussed Middle East peace efforts, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Lebanon. Standing next to Rice, Kouchner read a joint statement condemning the murder of Lebanese lawmaker Antoine Ghanem, killed in a powerful bomb blast two days ago. Ghanem, of the right-wing Phalange Party, was the fifth Christian to be killed in a wave of assassinations targeting anti-Syrian personalities.
"What is at stake, today, is the will of the murderers to disrupt the constitutional life of Lebanon, to deprive the Lebanese people and communities of their political rights in the framework of a united, sovereign and democratic Lebanon," Kouchner said.
During his two-day Washington visit, Kouchner has expanded on an earlier recommendation made by his boss, President Sarkozy, for tightening international sanctions against Iran.
Asked what kind of sanctions the United States would like to see through approved by the U.N. Security Council, Rice was vague.
"We have explored and have used various freezes on assets of individuals. We have used visa bans," she said. "I think that there are any number of ways that we can expand those efforts."
Kouchner also addressed his country's recent call for European Union sanctions against Iran. He said that European countries are discussing sanctions that would be targeted against banking and industrial interests in Iran.
In a speech Thursday, Kouchner said that France sees a nuclear-armed Iran as a threat to global security.
"To those who say that we should handle Iran with kid gloves, since it could destabilize the region, I say this: look at its adventurism today and imagine what it would be like if Tehran thought itself one day protected by a nuclear umbrella," he said.
The tougher position has been welcomed in Washington, where Kouchner also met lawmakers, as well as Defense Secretary Robert Gates and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley.
In the joint news conference, Rice noted improved relations.
"It's an excellent relationship," she said. "I think there are many, many things that France and the United States are going to be able to do together."
Kouchner agreed, but said differences remain.
"Having good relations doesn't mean that we are in complete agreement every day, everywhere," he said. "But we have excellent relations."
WASHINGTON -- The United States and France agree on how to pressure Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday.
At a joint news conference Rice gave with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, both officials spoke of the need for new sanctions against Iran.
"I think that there's, essentially, no difference in the way that we see the situation in Iran and what the international community must do," Rice said.
Warm words between the two foreign policy counterparts marked a narrowing of differences since the days that Kouchner's predecessor, Dominique de Villepin, helped block a United Nations resolution sought by the United States on Iraq.
Since taking power in May, Kouchner's boss President Nicolas Sarkozy has set a very different tone of cooperation with the United States than Villepin and former President Jacques Chirac. But Kouchner's visit and France's recent moves on Iran seemed to illustrate that the change was more than tone.
The two countries were preparing the groundwork for a new U.N. Security Council resolution at a meeting in Washington on Friday of political directors from six major nations that have been trying to negotiate with Iran _ Russia, China, Britain and Germany, as well as France and the United States.
Afterward, speaking for the group, Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said their discussions were serious and constructive. They will reconvene next Friday in New York, Burns said.
On Friday, Italy also called for sanctions.
"There is still room for a strong initiative that can on one end put pressure through sanctions, even more severe sanctions, and on the other end really offer the possibility for negotiations and agreement," Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema said in an interview on Italian state TV.
The French government's tougher line has brought it closer to the Bush administration, which has made a renewed U.S. push to tighten sanctions.
Rice said that she had also discussed Middle East peace efforts, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Lebanon. Standing next to Rice, Kouchner read a joint statement condemning the murder of Lebanese lawmaker Antoine Ghanem, killed in a powerful bomb blast two days ago. Ghanem, of the right-wing Phalange Party, was the fifth Christian to be killed in a wave of assassinations targeting anti-Syrian personalities.
"What is at stake, today, is the will of the murderers to disrupt the constitutional life of Lebanon, to deprive the Lebanese people and communities of their political rights in the framework of a united, sovereign and democratic Lebanon," Kouchner said.
During his two-day Washington visit, Kouchner has expanded on an earlier recommendation made by his boss, President Sarkozy, for tightening international sanctions against Iran.
Asked what kind of sanctions the United States would like to see through approved by the U.N. Security Council, Rice was vague.
"We have explored and have used various freezes on assets of individuals. We have used visa bans," she said. "I think that there are any number of ways that we can expand those efforts."
Kouchner also addressed his country's recent call for European Union sanctions against Iran. He said that European countries are discussing sanctions that would be targeted against banking and industrial interests in Iran.
In a speech Thursday, Kouchner said that France sees a nuclear-armed Iran as a threat to global security.
"To those who say that we should handle Iran with kid gloves, since it could destabilize the region, I say this: look at its adventurism today and imagine what it would be like if Tehran thought itself one day protected by a nuclear umbrella," he said.
The tougher position has been welcomed in Washington, where Kouchner also met lawmakers, as well as Defense Secretary Robert Gates and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley.
In the joint news conference, Rice noted improved relations.
"It's an excellent relationship," she said. "I think there are many, many things that France and the United States are going to be able to do together."
Kouchner agreed, but said differences remain.
"Having good relations doesn't mean that we are in complete agreement every day, everywhere," he said. "But we have excellent relations."
Chavez proposes Farc leader talks
Al Jazeera, Sept. 16, 2007
Venezuela's president says he wants to meet the leader of Farc (the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) in Colombia to discuss a hostage swap.
Hugo Chavez said on Saturday that he had asked Alvaro Uribe, Colombia's president, to meet Manuel Marulanda, Farc's leader and suggested that Nicolas Sarkozy, France's president, join the talks.
"President Uribe asked me to help him. I want to help him. I make a formal request to him before the world: let me talk with Marulanda in Colombia," Chavez said on television.
Uribe refused talks with Marulanda in southern Colombia, which Chavez said Sarkozy had agreed to participate in.
"What already has been said does not need to be repeated," Uribe told local radio in Rionegro, Colombia, referring to earlier refusals to let Chavez meet Farc leaders in the country.
"Don't ask me to talk about these things publicly… You already know my position on that," he told reporters.
Intermediary
Chavez has cast himself as an intermediary between Uribe and Farc by trying to negotiate the release of 45 hostages held by the left-wing group.
In exchange for the release of those hostages Farc has demanded the release of hundreds of their own members held by Colombian authorities.
Among the people being held by Farc is Ingrid Betancourt, a dual nationality French-Colombian politician who was seized in 2002 while campaigning for the Colombian presidential election.
Chavez’s proposal to meet Farc's leader is his first attempt to mediate in Colombia's long-running conflict.
He was initially invited by Piedad Cordoba, a Colombian senator, to facilitate dialogue between the Colombian government and Farc.
Cordoba's invitation was later accepted by Uribe but his administration remains wary of allowing Chavez to meet Farc members on Colombian soil.
Contact difficulties
Chavez indicated on Friday that he had received a message from Marulanda but did not refer to its content.
The Venezuelan leader says he is effectively channelling communication between Marulanda and Uribe but that his role is hampered without a direct line to the Farc chief.
"Marulanda doesn't have a telephone. I can't call him like I do Uribe," Chavez said to his supporters, adding that he cannot reach the rebel leader by fax or e-mail.
Uribe has held a tough line on Farc during his term and has consistently said that no Colombian territory would be demilitarised to facilitate negotiations with the group.
The government of his predecessor, Andres Pastrana, demilitarised parts of the country in an effort to start peace talks.
Farc's campaign against the Colombian government is the longest-running rebel uprising in Latin America.
Venezuela's president says he wants to meet the leader of Farc (the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) in Colombia to discuss a hostage swap.
Hugo Chavez said on Saturday that he had asked Alvaro Uribe, Colombia's president, to meet Manuel Marulanda, Farc's leader and suggested that Nicolas Sarkozy, France's president, join the talks.
"President Uribe asked me to help him. I want to help him. I make a formal request to him before the world: let me talk with Marulanda in Colombia," Chavez said on television.
Uribe refused talks with Marulanda in southern Colombia, which Chavez said Sarkozy had agreed to participate in.
"What already has been said does not need to be repeated," Uribe told local radio in Rionegro, Colombia, referring to earlier refusals to let Chavez meet Farc leaders in the country.
"Don't ask me to talk about these things publicly… You already know my position on that," he told reporters.
Intermediary
Chavez has cast himself as an intermediary between Uribe and Farc by trying to negotiate the release of 45 hostages held by the left-wing group.
In exchange for the release of those hostages Farc has demanded the release of hundreds of their own members held by Colombian authorities.
Among the people being held by Farc is Ingrid Betancourt, a dual nationality French-Colombian politician who was seized in 2002 while campaigning for the Colombian presidential election.
Chavez’s proposal to meet Farc's leader is his first attempt to mediate in Colombia's long-running conflict.
He was initially invited by Piedad Cordoba, a Colombian senator, to facilitate dialogue between the Colombian government and Farc.
Cordoba's invitation was later accepted by Uribe but his administration remains wary of allowing Chavez to meet Farc members on Colombian soil.
Contact difficulties
Chavez indicated on Friday that he had received a message from Marulanda but did not refer to its content.
The Venezuelan leader says he is effectively channelling communication between Marulanda and Uribe but that his role is hampered without a direct line to the Farc chief.
"Marulanda doesn't have a telephone. I can't call him like I do Uribe," Chavez said to his supporters, adding that he cannot reach the rebel leader by fax or e-mail.
Uribe has held a tough line on Farc during his term and has consistently said that no Colombian territory would be demilitarised to facilitate negotiations with the group.
The government of his predecessor, Andres Pastrana, demilitarised parts of the country in an effort to start peace talks.
Farc's campaign against the Colombian government is the longest-running rebel uprising in Latin America.
France warning of war with Iran
BBC News, Sept. 16, 2007
French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner says the world should prepare for war over Iran's nuclear programme.
"We have to prepare for the worst, and the worst is war," Mr Kouchner said in an interview on French TV and radio.
Mr Kouchner said negotiations with Iran should continue "right to the end", but an Iranian nuclear weapon would pose "a real danger for the whole world".
Iran has consistently denied it is trying to acquire nuclear weapons but intends to carry on enriching uranium.
Mr Kouchner also said a number of large French companies had been asked not to tender for business in Iran.
EU sanctions
"We are not banning French companies from submitting. We have advised them not to. These are private companies."
"But I think that it has been heard and we are not the only ones to have done this."
He said France wanted the European Union to prepare sanctions against Iran.
"We have decided that while negotiations are continuing to prepare eventual sanctions outside the ambit of UN sanctions. Our good friends, the Germans, suggested that," he said.
Until now the Security Council of the United Nations has imposed economic sanctions on Iran, but did not allow for military action.
The United States has not ruled out a military attack against Iran to prevent it from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner says the world should prepare for war over Iran's nuclear programme.
"We have to prepare for the worst, and the worst is war," Mr Kouchner said in an interview on French TV and radio.
Mr Kouchner said negotiations with Iran should continue "right to the end", but an Iranian nuclear weapon would pose "a real danger for the whole world".
Iran has consistently denied it is trying to acquire nuclear weapons but intends to carry on enriching uranium.
Mr Kouchner also said a number of large French companies had been asked not to tender for business in Iran.
EU sanctions
"We are not banning French companies from submitting. We have advised them not to. These are private companies."
"But I think that it has been heard and we are not the only ones to have done this."
He said France wanted the European Union to prepare sanctions against Iran.
"We have decided that while negotiations are continuing to prepare eventual sanctions outside the ambit of UN sanctions. Our good friends, the Germans, suggested that," he said.
Until now the Security Council of the United Nations has imposed economic sanctions on Iran, but did not allow for military action.
The United States has not ruled out a military attack against Iran to prevent it from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
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