Military

WAR ON TERRORISM

¨         U.S. President Bush moved on Wednesday to bolster a new task force that tracks immigrants with potential ties to terrorism, asking Congress to shift money from the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the U.S. Marshals to fund the effort. Bush asked congressional leaders to free up US $49 million for the Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force. (Reuters 140019 GMT Nov 02)

¨         A new audiotape attributed to Osama bin Laden became the main topic on militant Islamic Web sites on Wednesday, with excited al-Qaida followers praising what was seen as his triumphant survival. Experts said the tape is reinvigorating the terrorist network's rank-and-file, whether it is authentic or not. Mohamed Salah, an Egyptian journalist who covers al-Qaida for the respected Arab daily Al-Hayat newspaper, said the tape was seen across the Middle East as proof that bin Laden is alive and that it was very important for al-Qaida followers. (AP 132153 Nov 02)

IRAQ

¨         Declaring that it wants to save the Iraqi people from a new war, Saddam Hussein's  government on Wednesday accepted a tough new UN resolution and the return of international weapons inspectors, but called the terms unjust and illegal. In a nine-page letter of acceptance written to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Iraq said it wants to prove to the world that it has no weapons of mass destruction. The letter's anti-American, anti-Israeli and sometimes threatening language was in stark contrast to the announcement by Iraq's UN ambassador, Mohammed Al-Douri, who said his government had chosen "the path of peace" and its acceptance had "no conditions, no reservations." Council diplomats said Saddam's agreement two days ahead of the Friday deadline was positive. But the harsh tone in Sabri's letter raised some questions about Iraq's ultimate compliance, as did its warning about the way Baghdad expects the inspectors to behave. Annan, speaking to reporters in Washington after meeting President Bush, said he would wait to see whether the language "is an indication that they are going to play games or ... a message they are sending to their own people." Annan said the advance team of inspectors would arrive in Baghdad on Monday but they have until Dec. 23 to begin their work. (AP 140022 Nov 02)

NATO

¨         NATO members Greece and Turkey said on Wednesday that Bulgaria and Romania should be invited to join the Western military alliance when it announces its second round of enlargement next week. Senior Turkish and Greek officials at a defence meeting in Bulgaria's second city, Plovdiv, said the accession of the two Balkan states could help secure a vulnerable southeastern flank. "Bulgaria's and Romania's membership would contribute to reaching long-lasting peace and stability in the Balkans, it would also be a contribution to...Europe's stability," said Turkish Defence Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu. He said that the four countries' defence ministries had also agreed to step up cooperation in fighting global terrorism and cracking down on organised crime in the region. (Reuters 131511 GMT Nov 02)

¨         Hungary plans to increase its defense spending to close the gap with other NATO members, the defense minister said Wednesday in Budapest. "Hungary's defense spending will grow every year until it reaches the NATO average," Defense Minister Juhasz said at a meeting with foreign journalists. Juhasz appeared to be reacting to recent criticism on the part of NATO officials - including Air Force Gen. Joseph Ralston, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe - that Hungary had failed to sufficiently upgrade its military capabilities since joining the alliance in 1999. He also said the government was determined to expand Hungary's airlift capabilities, one of its most pressing needs. Juhasz also revealed that the government would seek parliamentary approval to send about 40 soldiers to Afghanistan for policing duty. "We would like to demonstrate that we are fully committed in the partnership and will participate in common tasks," he added. (AP 131617 Nov 02)

¨         The Czech Cabinet on Wednesday agreed on a plan to reduce the size of the army and abolish compulsory conscription by 2006, an official said. Defense Ministry spokesman Milan Repka said that according to the government plan, the army will be reduced to some 35,000 professional soldiers and 10,000 civil employees. Compulsory military service, now in effect for all males, would be abolished under the plan, and the number of garrisons would be reduced from 180 to 75. It was not immediately clear when the proposal would go into effect. The plan itself does not require parliamentary approval, but still is expected to be taken up by the assembly because it would affect a number of related laws. (AP 131726 Nov 02)

¨         In a pair of sharp statements, President Alexander Lukashenko on Wednesday accused the United States of blocking him from attending this month's NATO summit in Prague and alleged that Poland is blocking Chechens from entering. "It's not the Europeans who don't want to see me in Prague, but the Americans because they don't want to listen to the truth," said Lukashenko, who frequently criticizes the United States as meddling in Belarus' affairs. "Security in Europe without Belarus is impossible," Lukashenko said. A spokesman for Poland's Border Guards, said there has been no change in policy on admitting Chechens. Entry is denied only when travel documents are not right or a person has no money for his stay in Poland, he said. (AP 132040 Nov 02)

BALKANS

¨         Bosnia should combine its two ethnic armies and hand over war crimes suspects to the UN war crimes tribunal, the NATO chief said in a letter published on Wednesday. In the letter sent to Bosnia's multiethnic presidency on Tuesday, NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson urged the country's leaders to establish a defense ministry that would control the two military forces and to finally turn over indicted war crimes suspects to the tribunal in The Hague. NATO officials have in recent weeks suggested that a defense ministry at the federal level might have prevented a recent scandal involving the export of military equipment to Iraq. (AP 131919 Nov 02)

¨         Representatives from 17 central European countries gathered Wednesday ahead of a regional summit focusing on improving economies struggling after the downfall of communism and a decade of Balkan wars. The advance teams prepared for the two-day session starting on Thursday, where leaders will take part in the so-called Central European Initiative. The initiative is a somewhat informal forum for regional leaders to meet and discuss their problems. (AP 131817 Nov 02)

OTHER NEWS

¨         The president of the European parliament urged Romania on Wednesday to reconsider its decision to exempt Americans from extradition to the newly created International Criminal Court. Pat Cox, who heads the European Union's legislative body, appealed to Romanian lawmakers to reject a government deal with the United States to permit the exemption. Romania should have a similar position with that of the EU, Cox said. Member countries are expected to coordinate their foreign policy with the organization, and countries who want to join the organization are encouraged to align themselves to EU policy. (AP 131758 Nov 02)

¨         A Navy submarine bumped a surface ship while ascending to periscope depth in the western Mediterranean Sea on Wednesday, officials said. No one aboard the submarine was injured, according to a statement released by the U.S. Sixth Fleet at Gaeta, Italy. It was not immediately clear what vessel was struck by the submarine, the USS Oklahoma City. When the nuclear-power attack submarine reached the surface, it spotted a merchant ship and attempted to make radio contact. The merchant ship did not respond, and, appearing in no need of assistance, it left the area. The sub, which was operating as part of the USS George Washington battle group, continued to search for other ships in the area. (AP132331 Nov 02)