21 December 2003 Military News

Iraq: Insurgents Set Ablaze Pipelines, Gas Storage Tanks RFE/RL 21 Dec 2003 -- Reports coming today from Iraq say fire today erupted in four oil pipelines near the city of Tikrit, north of Baghdad.
Iraq: Military Chief Says Hundreds Of Iraqis Detained RFE/RL 21 Dec 2003 -- The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff says the capture of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has led to the arrest of hundreds of Iraqis, including some suspected leaders of the insurgency.
New US Bases in Afghanistan Aim to Create Safer Conditions for Aid Workers VOA News 21 Dec 203 -- The new U.S. military commander in Afghanistan says the United States will set up bases in the south and east of that country to make conditions safer for aid workers.

ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS VOA 21 Dec 2003 -- Israeli soldiers have arrested a senior political figure of the militant Islamic group Hamas, and in another incident a five-year-old Palestinian boy was killed in a crossfire during raids in the West Bank.
SUDAN/PEACE TALKS VOA 21 Dec 2003 -- The Sudanese government and the country's main rebel group have moved one-step closer to agreeing on how to share the country's wealth.
ISRAEL-SHARON VOA 21 Dec 2003 -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's controversial plan for unilateral separation calls for reducing the number of Palestinian workers allowed to enter the Jewish State. Israel will instead encourage Palestinians to cross daily into Jordan and Egypt for employment.

ISRAEL/AUSTRIA VOA 21 Dec 2003 -- Israel is restoring full diplomatic relations with Austria. Israel broke off relations almost four years ago when an Austrian government was created to including the radical right Freedom Party under Jörg Haider.
ZIMBABWE / POLITICS VOA 21 Dec 2003 -- Zimbabwe's main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change, ended its two-day annual conference in Harare with a call on the Mugabe government to restore the rule of law.
GUINEA/ELECTION VOA 21 Dec 2003 -- A presidential election is taking place in Guinea, where an ailing, long-serving president faces a little-known challenger following a boycott by other opposition leaders.
RUSSIA / POLITICS VOA 21 Dec 2003 -- Russia's two liberal parties have decided not to run candidates in the March presidential election. Both groups say under President Vladimir Putin, Russian opposition groups have no chance of succeeding.