Military

IRAQ

¨         U.S. President Bush faced hardened resistance in the United Nations on Thursday to a war against Iraq and threatened to lead a coalition against Baghdad if the global body failed to back him. Russia, China and France, all veto-wielding permanent UN Security Council members, toughened their stance against a new UN resolution proposed by Washington and backed by Britain that could pave the way for a possible U.S.-led war against Iraq. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov said mention of automatic use of force in the draft was unacceptable. (Reuters 032338 GMT Oct 02)

¨         U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Bob Graham on Thursday accused the CIA of obstructionism for not producing intelligence reports on Iraq that the panel had requested. As Congress considers its stance on President Bush's threat to act against Iraq, the committee had asked for two national intelligence estimates on issues related to Iraq. Those reports are compilations of views from different intelligence agencies, and include dissenting opinions. Sources confirmed a New York Times report that the panel had asked for a broad review of how the intelligence community's clandestine role against President Saddam Hussein's government would be coordinated with diplomatic and military actions the Bush administration was planning. (Reuters 031818 GMT Oct 02)

¨         As many as four U.S. aircraft carriers are expected to be within striking distance of Iraq by the end of December, Navy officials said on Thursday, marking what may be the earliest possible moment for a full-scale U.S.-led attack. Two carriers and their battle groups are in the region, the Navy said. They are the George Washington, which deployed on June 20 and is in or near the Mediterranean, and the Lincoln, which got under way on July 24 and was in the Gulf this week. Scheduled to relieve them are the Constellation, due to leave the U.S. West Coast next month, and the Harry S. Truman, due to ship from the East Coast in December, officials said. (Reuters 032033 GMT Oct 02)

¨         U.S. and British warplanes dropped thousands of warning leaflets on southern Iraq and bombed an air defense command center on Thursday after Iraq's military tried to shoot down planes that dropped the leaflets, the Pentagon said. Defense officials said it was a response to attempts to shoot down coalition aircraft that dropped 120,000 leaflets warning the Iraqi military against continuing to fire missiles and artillery at U.S. and British jets patrolling no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq. (Reuters 032001 GMT Oct 02)

¨         NATO aspirant Bulgaria said on Thursday it was ready to open its airspace and provide a Black Sea air base for the United States to use in the event of an attack on Iraq. "We have not received any requests (for support) so far... But have the readiness to provide airspace and Sarafovo air base if requested," Defence Minister Nikolai Svinarov told reporters in Sofia. Earlier this week fellow NATO candidate Romania said it had offered its air bases and Black Sea ports to Washington. (Reuters 031558 GMT Oct 02)

EU

¨         European Union defense ministers were to open talks on Friday on the Greek island of Crete under pressure to narrow a major gap in military capabilities with the United States. "We must do better militarily," Javier Solana told a conference of defense experts on Thursday in Brussels. "We cannot afford to waste more opportunities to fulfill our objectives, in particular avoiding a growing trans-Atlantic capability gap," he added before leaving for Crete. Greek Defense Minister Yannos Papantoniou said Iraq would also be discussed, but said the general consensus among EU countries was to first let the UN process run its course. (AP 040052 Oct 02)

BALKANS

¨         The United States on Thursday applauded the guilty plea of a Bosnian Serb political leader indicted for war crimes, and called on others wanted for war crimes to surrender themselves for trial. The guilty plea by Biljana Plavsic should serve as an example for former Yugoslav officials to "examine themselves" and "accept their responsibility," said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher. He referred specifically to military commander Gen. Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic. (AP 031957 Oct 02)

¨         Ultra-nationalist leader Vojislav Seselj urged his supporters on Thursday to boycott the second round of Serbia's presidential election, dramatically increasing the chances that the vote will be invalid. Yugoslav President Kostunica, a moderate nationalist, came out ahead in the first round and is favourite to win the October 13 run-off against Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister Miroljub Labus. "We should turn out at the elections to prevent Serbia from falling definitively into chaos and anarchy," Kostunica said. (Reuters 031527 GMT Oct 02)

¨         Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Momcilo Krajisnik asked Belgrade for two million dollars in cash to protect his associate Radovan Karadzic, court documents showed on Thursday. In a hand-written 1998 letter to former Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister Nikola Sainovic, also now in detention in The Hague, Krajisnik said the money would be used for "legally protecting Mr Radovan Karadzic, regarding the indictment by... The Hague." (Reuters 031829 GMT Oct 02)

¨         The chief prosecutor of the UN war crimes tribunal said on Thursday that Croatia must hand over a former army chief of staff, Janko Bobetko, and added that the court was ready to check whether he was well enough to stand trial. The Croatian government is due on Friday to lodge a formal complaint to the tribunal against Bobetko's indictment. (Reuters 031431 GMT Oct 02)

OTHER NEWS

¨         Asteroids regularly explode over the Earth with the intensity of a nuclear bomb and there is a chance the explosions could be mistaken for a nuclear attack, possibly triggering an atomic war, an Air Force general said Thursday in Washington. At least 30 times a year, a space rock measuring a few yards across slashes into the atmosphere and explodes, releasing energy equal to that of an atomic bomb, Air Force Brig. Gen. Simon P. Worden told members of a House Science subcommittee. Worden, deputy director for operations of the U.S. Strategic Command, said the United States has satellite instruments that determine within a minute if the explosion is a nuclear weapon or a natural explosion from an asteroid. But no one else has such technology, he said, and without it, some countries could conclude the explosions came from a nuclear bomb and could launch an atomic attack against an enemy. He said the Air Force is working on an asteroid alert program that would quickly send information from the satellites to interested nations. (AP 040125 Oct 02)

¨         They could travel halfway around the world in 30 minutes, capable of delivering death and destruction, but on Thursday the intercontinental ballistic missile known as the Peacekeeper reached the end of its career. "The Peacekeeper showed the determination of the American people to remain free and never be intimidated by anyone," Secretary of the Air Force James Roche told reporters. "I'm delighted this day is here," he said at the start of deactivation of the missiles. The Peacekeeper is the most powerful intercontinental missile because it can deliver up to 10 independently targeted warheads. The missiles will be kept on "caretaker" status, which could potentially enable them to be re-armed, the Air Force secretary said. (Reuters 040234 GMT Oct 02)