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The last Syrian soldiers and intelligence agents have now left Lebanon, ending a three-decade military presence. A United Nations team is verifying the pullout which came after intense pressure from foreign governments and the Lebanese opposition. The Syrian pullout comes ten weeks after Lebanon s opposition blamed the Beirut government and its Syrian sponsors for the February 14th assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
The son of Togo s late leader Gnassingbe Eyadema won Sunday s controversial presidential election, sparking riots in the capital and calls for popular resistance by the opposition. VOA s Nico Colombant has more from Lome.
Just seconds after the National Electoral Commission said Faure Gnassingbe had won the presidential vote with a provisional tally of more than 60%, opposition militants armed with axes machetes and sticks started running in the streets of Lome, burning tires, erecting barricades and stopping cars, eliciting gunfire and teargas from soldiers and police in riot gear. Smoke rose in the sky and many parts of the coastal capital. The campaign director for the 39-year-old new president immediately appealed for calm. Komi Klassou said Faure Gnassingbe was no longer a candidate. And as new president, he would move swiftly to make changes to bring about reconciliation and change for the country s youth. Nico Colombant VOA news, Lome, Togo.
US military officials say wanted terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi recently escaped capture by US troops in Iraq, but he left behind several key pieces of intelligence. A covert Military Unit, tasked with finding the leader of the Iraq insurgency, said Mr. Zarqawi jumped from a moving vehicle near a checkpoint on February 20th, not far from the western city of Ramadi. Troops gave chase and stopped the vehicle, which they say contained the terrorist leader s laptop computer and 100, 000 dollars in Euros. At least one Zarqawi's associate was arrested. US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told reporters today that Zarqawi s network may be small but is very lethal and has carried out a large number of attacks. What you have is a relatively small number of people who have weapons and who have money and who are determined to try to prevent democracy from going forward, and it does not take a genius to go out and kill innocent men, women and children. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Italy s Prime Minister Berlusconi has told lawmakers the probe into the shooting-death of an Italian intelligence officer by American soldiers in Iraq last month has not yet been completed. Mr. Berlusconi Tuesday expressed regret at what he described as unfortunate leaks of reports , that the probe would clear US soldiers of blame. Defense Secretary Rumsfeld says the countries have not yet agreed on a joint report.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Brazil- her first stop of a five nations, a four-nation trip to Latin America focusing on economic and political matters. Secretary Rice says the two challenges in Latin America are to promote democracy and help alleviate poverty. Ms. Rice will also travel to Colombia, Chile and El Salvador. Her diplomatic trip coincides with Ecuador s political turmoil and she talked about the situation there at a news conference in Brasilia. We are concerned that constitutional processes be preserved and we and others are looking to discussions with them. And in fact, are having consultations with many in Ecuador to try and establish to make certain that a constitutional path is, in fact, established. A senior US diplomat traveling with Ms. Rice says the United States has, in his words, effectively recognized Ecuador s new government following last week s ouster of President Lucio Gutierrez.
President Hamid Karzai says the cultivation of opium, poppies in Afghanistan is down nearly 40% and he is appealing for more foreign aid to help farmers grow legal crops. The United States is pouring hundreds of millions dollars into the counter-narcotics effort, arguing that the opium-growing industry is now a bigger threat than the Taliban-led militants. |
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