Military

WAR ON TERRORISM

¨         The head of Germany's foreign intelligence service, August Hanning, warned on Thursday that a war against Iraq could prompt more instability in the Middle East and be exploited by al-Qaeda to win support. "I see at the moment in the states of the Middle East, when you look at election results, a growing anti-American atmosphere, anti-Western atmosphere which makes things difficult, also with regard to a post-war government in Iraq," he added. "Al-Qaeda cannot only be solved with military solutions," he said. "One must also think about the roots. Terrorism also has political causes and that is why I think it is very important that these are dealt with." He also said German intelligence believed the militant network had regrouped and was planning new attacks. (Reuters 071533 GMT Nov 02)

¨         Islamic militant group Jemaah Islamiyah has three main territorial cells covering much of Southeast Asia from which it links up with other local Muslim radical groups and al-Qaida, according to a confidential Philippine military report. The report said the three territorial cells are known as "mantiqis." (AP 071313 Nov 02)

IRAQ

¨         The U.S. ambassador to Turkey said Thursday that the winning party in Turkey's elections shares the U.S. position on obtaining UN approval to disarm Iraq. "Mr. Erdogan's reference to working through the UN and the UN resolutions is exactly the position that the United States takes," Ambassador Robert Pearson told a news conference after an hourlong meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (AP 071555 Nov 02)

¨         Jordan's Prince Hassan warned on Thursday that U.S. military action against Baghdad could provoke Iraq's various ethnicities to seek independence, triggering similar movements elsewhere that would endanger the entire Middle East and create a wide breeding ground for terrorists. "The U.S. government's military advocacy of a regime change in Iraq could have a domino effect in other countries in the region," Hassan told reporters at a conference on Islamic terrorism and globalization in Pullach, Germany. He warned that bringing an opposition group to power after ousting Saddam Hussein risked alienating the country's Kurdish, Christian or Arabic minorities, who might then demand autonomy. (AP 071547 Nov 02)

NATO

¨         Despite high cross-Atlantic tension over Iraq and other issues, the U.S. general who will soon command all NATO forces assured Europe on Thursday that Washington did not plan to "turn out the lights" on military ties. "When I was initially asked about taking this assignment, I said: 'As long as I'm not the guy that's going over there to turn out the lights.' And I received very strong assurance that our commitment to the trans-Atlantic partnership is timeless," Gen. Jones told reporters in an interview. Gen. Jones was asked about tension between NATO and the European Union over the alliance's plan to develop a 20,000-member military rapid reaction force for use anywhere in the world. "I don't think that's much of a problem," he said, adding that troops from allied countries could actually be available for both forces. (Reuters 071654 GMT Nov 02)

¨         The Marine Corps general who will take command of NATO in January said Thursday that he anticipates no significant reductions in U.S. forces in Europe. "I do not go over there with any guidance to cut," said Gen. James Jones.  Gen. Jones said the idea of cutting forces in Europe never arose in his discussions with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.(AP 071842 Nov 02)

BALKANS

¨         The Kosovo parliament on Thursday condemned a draft constitution for a new union to replace the Yugoslav federation because it defined Kosovo as part of Serbia. Warning that the draft document may threaten peace in the volatile Balkan region, deputies passed a resolution rejecting it. (Reuters 071553 GMT Nov 02)

OTHER NEWS

¨         In a slap in the face to both the British and Spanish governments, Gibraltarians overwhelmingly rejected the idea of Britain sharing sovereignty of the Rock with Spain in a referendum. Exceeding expectations, final results showed 98.97 percent of the 21,000-strong electorate cast a 'no' vote on Thursday on the question: "Do you approve of the principle that Britain and Spain should share sovereignty over Gibraltar?" (AP 080250 Nov 02)

¨         Israel's defense against a potential Iraqi missile attack was on full display Thursday: Arrow anti-missile batteries were pointed skyward amid the sand and scrub brush, confidently displayed to reporters as part of a public relations blitz aimed at discouraging Saddam Hussein from firing his Scuds. "I'm sure we are better prepared today," said Brig. Gen. Yair Dori, head of the military's Air Defense Forces. "In 1991, we had almost nothing. Now we have a very active, robust defense." (AP 071757 Nov 02)

¨         The United States will urge Japan to take the next step towards building a missile defence shield in response to the security threat posed by North Korea's nuclear weapons programme, a Japanese daily reported on Friday. The Yomiuri Shimbun, quoting U.S. defence officials in Washington, said U.S. Undersecretary of Defence Douglas Feith would convey Washington's view when he meets Japanese Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo on Friday. Feith told Vice Foreign Minister Yukio Takeuchi that the threat of ballistic missiles is real and not a matter of theory, adding that cooperation was needed between Japan and the United States, Kyodo news agency said. No further details were given. (Reuters 080427 GMT Nov 02)