Military

NATO

¨         U.S. Senator John McCain said on Thursday he expected a "big bang" expansion of NATO, but that the alliance's planned enlargement would be the last for some time. "I think you are going to see the big bang. I think you are going to see a large number of countries (granted membership), and I think you are going to see a bridge that goes all the way to Turkey," the Arizona Republican said in Bratislava during a tour of NATO candidate states. "And I think it will be the last enlargement for some time."    NATO diplomats say there is increasing pressure from Washington for as wide an enlargement as possible to support the United States' "war on terror" following the September 11 suicide attacks.(Reuters 1703 220802Aug 02 GMT)

BALKANS

¨         The United States on Thursday rejected statements by the Kosovo government saying UN arrests of six ethnic Albanian rebels last week were politically motivated. "We have no doubt the arrests have taken place strictly in accordance with the established judicial process and without regard to ethnic, national or political affiliation of the suspects," said State Department deputy spokesman Philip T. Reeker. Reeker said Kosovo's political leaders should respect the fundamental principal of a judicial process without political interference. "We further urge that any protests remain peaceful and adhere to the rules and procedures for public safety established by UN authorities," Reeker said.(AP 222050 Aug 02 GMT)

¨         Police have launched an internal investigation of a Russian UN police officer in charge of western Kosovo who is accused of having breached UN rules, a spokesman said Thursday. Barry Fletcher, a UN police spokesman, declined to specify what the officer is accused of having done. "It is not a criminal investigation and he is under no form of arrest or detention," Fletcher said.  The investigation started a week ago but became known Thursday, when local media published reports on it. The officer served as the U.N. regional police commander in the city of Pec. UN police offered no more details and did not name the commander, but the local news paper Zeri and the Russian news agency Itar-Tass identified him as Col. Valery Korotenko.(AP 221618 Aug 02 GMT)

¨         The party of former Yugoslav President Milosevic defied their leader's expressed wish to support an ultra nationalist in upcoming presidential elections, choosing an actor Thursday as their candidate. The Socialists named Velimir-Bata Zivojinovic, a popular actor in communist-era Yugoslav films, as its own candidate in the elections in Serbia, the dominant Yugoslav republic. "It would be irresponsible from the biggest opposition party in Serbia not to have its own presidential candidate," said Zivojinovic, a neo-communist. Asked if he had Milosevic's support, Zivojinovic said: "No, and I didn't ask for it."(AP 221245 Aug 02 GMT)

IRAQ

¨         As talk of an attack on Iraq bubbles in the United States, concern mounts even among American allies in a world wary about the implications of a second war with Saddam Hussein. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Trubnikov on Thursday called the idea of an attack on Iraq "unacceptable," saying his country did not agree Saddam should be ousted. British Foreign Secretary Straw reiterated Thursday that military action remained an option, but told British Broadcasting Corp. radio that the government's policy was to press for the renewal of weapons inspections in Iraq. Canadian Defense Minister McCallum said it was "very unlikely" Canada would participate unless Bush comes up with stronger evidence of the threat from Saddam. Italy would allow the use of its airspace but would only commit troops to an attack if it gets proof Saddam is producing nuclear weapons, Italian Defense Minister Antonio Martino said.(AP 221626 Aug 02 GMT)

¨         Defense Minister Struck underlined Germany's opposition to a U.S. military attack on Iraq, saying on Thursday he would not send a single soldier to take part in such an "adventure". "We are not the ward of the United States," Struck said in an interview with the Westphaelischer Anzeiger newspaper, released ahead of Friday's publication.   Struck said that as defense minister he would "not allow a single German soldier to stumble into such an adventure - even though some people in Washington might grind their teeth". Struck's comments came a day after Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder described military intervention in Iraq as "wrong" and said opposition to a strike was even growing in the United States. Europe's leaders agree Iraqi President Saddam Hussein must let UN weapons inspectors back into Iraq unconditionally, but many fear a pre-emptive strike against him could destabilize the Middle East and hurt the world economy.(AP 1709 220802 Aug 02 GMT)