Military

WAR ON TERRORISM

¨         A fresh search of an apartment used by three Egyptian men suspected of plotting an attack in Italy has uncovered new evidence, including a belt of the type used in suicide bombings, judicial sources said on Sunday in Rome. In the first search of the apartment in Anzio, police found explosives and maps highlighting the cemetery, as well as a map of Rome's international Fiumicino airport and other maps pinpointing some McDonald's restaurants. (Reuters 201807 GMT Oct 02)

AFGHANISTAN

¨         The international peacekeeping force in Afghanistan said on Sunday that a temporary but now redundant supply base in Pakistan would close next month. A spokesman said that the base at Karachi airport would close on November 11 as there were now more convenient ways to supply Kabul than via Karachi. (Reuters 201405 GMT Oct 02)

IRAQ

¨         Army Gen. Tommy Franks, head of U.S. military operations in the Persian Gulf, and Gen. Joseph W. Ralston, the U.S. Air Force general commanding NATO forces in Europe, arrived in Ankara on Sunday to seek Turkish support against Iraq, reports said. Gen. Franks and Gen. Ralston were expected to meet with Turkey's top brass on Monday to discuss possible use of Turkish bases in the event of a U.S.-led operation to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, private NTV television said. (AP 201333 Oct 02)

¨         Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Sunday that the United States would introduce an Iraq resolution to the United Nations this week, but said Washington already has the authority to act, if needed, to disarm Saddam Hussein. Powell said while key members of the UN Security Council have yet to sign off on the proposed resolution, he expected strong support for unfettered weapons inspections demanded in the tough U.S. Security Council resolution. He declined to predict when inspections might begin, saying it depended on getting a strong resolution and getting Saddam to cooperate. (Reuters 201847 GMT Oct 02)

¨         French President Chirac said on Sunday that he hoped conflict with Iraq could be avoided but that it was too early to rule it out. "It is completely premature to make such a prediction," he said, speaking at a news conference after a meeting and working dinner with King Abdullah of Jordan in Amman. He told the news conference that a "very large majority, a considerable majority" of countries worldwide shared the French position on Iraq and that both Jordan and Syria had applauded the French stance as "balanced." French diplomatic sources said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had expressed concern about the political and economic repercussions of a conflict in the region. (Reuters 202130 GMT Oct 02)

¨         Iraq said on Sunday that the absence of UN weapons inspectors in the country, after it had agreed to their return, was America's fault and constituted a breach of agreements it signed with the international body. A statement released after a Cabinet meeting headed by President Saddam Hussein said inspectors had failed to show up in Iraq "at their appointed time on Oct. 19." The Cabinet statement called the delay "illegal," and said it undermined the reputation of the United Nations. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, on a visit to central Asian nations on Sunday, repeated his plea that Baghdad allow arms inspectors back. "I expect the Security Council to pass a resolution to strengthen the UN inspectors, with whose demands Iraq should comply," he said. "I urge Iraq to heed that call and comply." (AP 201724 Oct 02)

NATO

¨         As NATO prepares to expand right up to Russia's doorstep, experts from NATO countries and Russia met Friday in the Russian city of Pskov to discuss what this means for the former Cold War foes. The conference was called to debate the pros and cons of NATO's anticipated invitation to the ex-Soviet Baltic republics to join the alliance next month. During the opening day on Thursday, the participants sparred over whether enlarging the union would help the world fight post-Cold War challenges such as terrorism. U.S. Ambassador to Russia, Alexander Vershbow, argued that precisely by welcoming new members and improving ties with Russia, NATO was developing new capabilities to meet today's threats. "NATO is not enlarging but rather opening up," said Rolf Welberts, director of the NATO information office in Moscow. Welberts said that the problem of Russia-NATO collaboration is mostly "based on psychological issues than on anything else." Speaking in Moscow, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov reiterated Russia's opposition to NATO's eastward expansion. "We deem this position mistaken," Ivanov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency, adding that Russia was particularly concerned about NATO's invitation to the Baltic States which are not signatories to the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty, considered a cornerstone of European security. (AP 181123 Oct 02)

EU

¨         To the relief of Europe's leaders, Irish voters dropped their objection to European Union expansion and gave a resounding "yes" to a plan for nearly doubling EU membership and extending the Union to the borders of Russia, official results showed Sunday in Dublin. "We can proceed with enlargement without any more obstacles," said European Commission President Romano Prodi, who had warned a second Irish rejection would have been a "disaster" for Europe. (AP 201844 Oct 02)

BALKANS

¨         The Yugoslav republic of Montenegro appeared headed for increased political stability on Monday after an independence-leaning coalition won an election expected to pave the way for looser ties with Serbia. President Djukanovic's Democratic Party of Socialists and its Social Democrat allies gained ground and secured an absolute majority of around 39 seats in the 75-strong parliament, according to a projection of the outcome by a local monitoring agency. "In the next four years we will make a European and democratic state of Montenegro," President Djukanovic told cheering supporters in Podgorica. If confirmed, the clear election result indicate continued support for breaking away altogether from dominant Serbia, which Montenegro says it can do in three years' time under the framework accord signed in March. (Reuters 210037 GMT Oct 02)

¨         Serbia's Supreme Court rejected on Sunday a complaint by Yugoslav President Kostunica, who had challenged the annulment of the Serbian presidential elections. The decision cleared the way for calling new presidential vote in the larger Yugoslav republic. The repeat elections must be held by Dec 5, one month before the mandate of current President Milan Milutinovic expires. (AP 201904 Oct 02)

¨         Yugoslavia's justice minister denied claims by the UN war crimes prosecutor that the former Bosnian Serb army chief, Gen. Ratko Mladic, is hiding in Yugoslavia. Savo Markovic made the comments in an interview published on Sunday in the Politika daily, a day before the scheduled visit by prosecutor Carla Del Ponte to Belgrade. She was expected to pressure Belgrade into arresting Mladic during a series of meetings with officials. (AP 201253 Oct 02)