Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• US Launches Anti-Terrorism Operation in E. Afghanistan VOA News 04 Jul 2003 -- The U.S.-led anti-terrorism coalition is carrying out an operation in eastern parts of Afghanistan to eliminate remnants of the deposed Taleban and the al-Qaida terrorist network.
• AFGHANISTAN/OPERATION VOA 04 Jul 2003 -- The U-S-led anti-terrorism coalition is carrying out an operation in eastern parts of Afghanistan to eliminate remnants of the deposed Taleban and the al-Qaida terrorist network.
• Coalition Forces in Afghanistan Launch New Operation VOA News 04 Jul 2003 -- U.S.-led coalition forces in Afghanistan have launched a new operation to root out remnants of the ousted Taleban government and its allies from a mountainous region near the border with Pakistan. The U.S. military says the operation codenamed "Haven Denial" began Wednesday in Afghanistan's Paktika and Khost provinces, southeast of the capital, Kabul.
• UN agency works to help refugees stranded on Afghan-Pakistani border UN News Centre 04 Jul 2003 -- The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has relocated over 3,500 Afghans to new sites inside Pakistan and Afghanistan during the first five days of an effort to clear a makeshift camp where thousands of asylum-seekers had been stranded for over a year.

Defense Policy / Programs

• ARMY ANNOUNCES CHANGES IN 12-MONTH, SKILL-BASED STOP LOSS Army News Release 04 Jul 2003 -- On July 1, 2003, Mr. Reginald J. Brown, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, approved partially lifting Stop Loss for 22 of 24 selected officer specialties and enlisted specialties subject to the Army's all component 12-Month, Skill-Based Stop Loss Program.

• MORE FORT HOOD SOLDIERS RETURN FROM IRAQ ON JULY 4TH III Corps Release 04 Jul 2003-- Approximately 90 soldiers from the 62nd Engineer Battalion are scheduled to return to Fort Hood from Iraq during the afternoon of July 4 (Friday).
• NATO Starts Deploying First Troops to Kabul NATO/SHAPE Release 04 Jul 2003 -- The first troops of the NATO force that will take on the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission in Kabul next month leave from Germany tomorrow. NATO will take command of the ISAF mission on August 11, but the first advance party from the Joint Command Centre in Heidelberg, Germany will set off on July 5 to prepare the handover from the current Dutch/German force that is running ISAF.

Defense Industry

• BAE SYSTEMS and Finmeccanica Move to Establish Major Partnership BAE Systems 04 Jul 2003 -- BAE Systems plc and Finmeccanica Spa have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a partnership, Eurosystems, bringing together their European defence electronic systems activities.
• Efficient Services for the Tiger and the NH90: The Bundeswehr and Eurocopter set up joint Systems Support Centre in Ottobrunn EADS 04 Jul 2003 -- With the objective of maintaining the mission capability of the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces) weapon systems Tiger and NH90, a Systems Support Centre is evolving at Eurocopter Deutschland in Ottobrunn, representing the nerve centre for the updating and advanced development of these two highly sophisticated weapon systems.

Other Conflicts

• U.S. Team to Assess Peacekeeping Needs in Liberia Washington File 04 Jul 2003 -- The United States is sending a military assessment team to West Africa to consult with regional leaders and international officials on the best ways to achieve peace and stability in Liberia, White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said in a brief interview on July 4.
• Liberia: Senior UN health official urges dispatch of medical supplies to stem crisis UN News Centre 04 Jul 2003 -- The senior United Nations health official today issued an urgent call for the delivery of medical supplies to Liberia, where conflict has already spawned a sharp rise in disease rates.
• White House Urges Liberia's Taylor to Act on Promise to Step Down VOA News 04 Jul 2003 -- The White House has urged Liberian President Charles Taylor to act on his promise to step down.
• Bush Sends 'Assessment' Team to Liberia VOA News 04 Jul 2003 -- The White House says it is encouraged by reports that Liberian President Charles Taylor has agreed to step-down, after the deployment of an international peacekeeping force. President Bush is sending an "assessment team" to the region but has still not decided whether to commit U.S. troops to Liberia.
• BUSH/LIBERIA VOA 04 Jul 2003 -- The White House says it is encouraged by reports that Liberian President Charles Taylor has agreed to step-down, after the deployment of an international peacekeeping force. President Bush is sending an "assessment team" to the region but has still not decided whether to commit U-S troops to Liberia.
• LIBERIA/TAYLOR VOA 04 Jul 2003 -- Liberian President Charles Taylor says he will step down, if an international peacekeeping force is sent to end the four-year conflict in his country. Mr. Taylor's statement follows increasing pressure from the United States for him to leave Liberia and discussions with Nigeria about possibly offering him asylum.
• Liberia: Bush Set For Visit To Africa As Crisis Looms RFE/L 04 Jul 2003 -- U.S. President George W. Bush is set to leave on his first trip to Africa on 7 July under intense pressure from the international community to send U.S. troops to help restore peace in war-torn Liberia.
• Liberian President Agrees to Step Down VOA News 04 Jul 2003 -- Liberian President Charles Taylor says he will step down, if an international peacekeeping force is sent to end the four-year conflict in his country. Mr. Taylor's statement follows increasing pressure from the United States for him to leave Liberia and discussions with Nigeria about possibly offering him asylum.
• Liberian President to Leave Office After Peacekeepers Arrive VOA News 04 Jul 2003 -- Liberian President Charles Taylor says he will step down - but only after the deployment of an international peacekeeping force to the war-torn West African nation.
• LIBERIA/REFUGEES VOA 04 Jul 2003 -- The United Nations refugee agency says it is starting Friday to evacuate thousands of Sierra Leonean refugees from Liberia in one of its most challenging rescue operations in recent times.
• LIBERIA: ECOWAS pledges 3,000 troops for Liberia force IRIN 04 Jul 2003 -- Military chiefs of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) pledged on Friday to raise 3,000 troops from member countries for an intervention force to restore peace in Liberia.
• LIBERIA: Taylor wants peacekeepers before he leaves power IRIN 04 Jul 2003 -- President Charles Taylor said on Friday he would bow to US demands that he step down from power and leave Liberia, but only after a US-led peacekeeping force arrived in the war-torn country.
• ISRAEL / PALESTINIANS VOA 04 Jul 2003 -- Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas is in Gaza, where he is expected to meet with Islamic Jihad leaders today (Friday), in an effort to shore up a five-day-old, but still fragile cease-fire. At the same time, Israel is reported drawing up a list of Palestinian prisoners to be released, possibly by next week.
• Palestinian Prime Minister to Meet with Islamic Jihad Leaders in Gaza VOA News 04 Jul 2003 -- Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas is in Gaza, where he is expected to meet with Islamic Jihad leaders Friday, in an effort to shore up a five-day-old, but still fragile cease-fire. At the same time, Israel is reported drawing up a list of Palestinian prisoners to be released, possibly by next week.

• Army, Rebels Officially Declare End of War in Ivory Coast VOA News 04 Jul 2003 -- In Ivory Coast, the army and rebels have signed a declaration formally ending a war that began last September. Friday's statement comes more than six months after a peace accord was signed in France. Even though fighting finally stopped last month, very little from the peace accord has been implemented.
• IVORY COAST / PEACE VOA 04 Jul 2003 -- In Ivory Coast, the army and rebels have signed a declaration formally ending a war that began last September. Friday's statement comes more than six months after a peace accord was signed in France. But even though fighting finally stopped last month, very little from the peace accord has been implemented.
• COTE D'IVOIRE: President approves amnesty law for rebels IRIN 04 Jul 2003 -- President Laurent Gbagbo said on Friday he had approved a draft amnesty law for rebels occupying the north of Cote d'Ivoire and urged parliament to pass it quickly.
• SUDAN: Sudanese want just and lasting peace, mediator says IRIN 04 Jul 2003 -- On the eve of what may be the last stage in the Sudanese peace talks, due to begin on Sunday, people all over Sudan are ready and waiting for "a just and lasting peace", the chief mediator in the peace process, Lazarus Sumbeiywo, told reporters in Nairobi.
• SUDAN/MEDIATOR'S REPORT VOA 04 Jul 2003 -- Peace talks aimed at ending 20 years of civil war in Sudan are set to resume Sunday, and the mediator of those negotiations who has been touring the country says the warring sides need to listen to - and talk to - people on the ground.

• U.S. Supports Conclusion of Inter-Congolese Dialogue Washington File 04 Jul 2003 -- "The United States welcomes the June 30 announcement of the formation of the transitional government in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, an important step in the democratic process in that country," according to a State Department press release issued July 3.
• DRC: Fighting erupts between RCD-K/ML and Mayi-Mayi in Butembo IRIN 04 Jul 2003 -- Fighting erupted on Thursday in Butembo, northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), between a Mayi-Mayi militia and the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie-Kisangani/Mouvement de liberation (RCD-K/ML), a rebel group allied to Kinshasa.
• U.S. Contributes Additional $10 Million For West African Refugees Washington File 04 Jul 2003 -- The United States has contributed an additional $10 million to international humanitarian agencies for assistance to displaced persons and families displaced by fighting in Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire, the State Department announced on July 3.
• Bosnian Serb suspect transferred to UN war crimes court UN News Centre 04 Jul 2003 -- Zeljko Meakic, a Bosnian Serb allegedly involved in war crimes during the conflict that engulfed the Balkans in the 1990s, was transferred today to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
• BURUNDI: Displaced civilians return to their homes IRIN 04 Jul 2003 -- An estimated 44,000 internally displaced people have returned to their homes in Kayanza Province, northern Burundi, as fighting between government forces and rebels has subsided, an official of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) told IRIN on Friday.
• ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: UN concerned about upsurge in border shootings IRIN 04 Jul 2003 -- The UN has revealed there have been five shooting incidents involving the Ethiopian armed forces at Humera, in the western sector of the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea, since the beginning of the year - three of them fatal.

News Reports

• SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 04 Jul 2003 -- U.S. considering peacekeepers in Liberia - European commander told to start planning / U.S. announces US$25 million reward for information on Saddam Hussein / Fugitive Mladic not believed to be hiding in Serbia / UN official upbeat on Kosovo; Serbia disagrees
• SHAPE News Summary & Analysis SHAPE 04 Jul 2003 -- DSACEUR's official visit to Lithuania viewed / NATO advance guard heads to Afghanistan / Daily: ESDP could provide "soft power" U.S. lacks in Iraq / Rebels want peacekeeping force with "strong U.S. component"

• GUUAM: Summit Wraps Up, Accord Announced With U.S. RFE/L 04 Jul 2003 -- Representatives from the five member states of GUUAM wrap up their two-day summit in Yalta today. During its six years of existence, the group has pledged to become a vital part of East-West export routes, but to date has little to show for its efforts. Only two of the five leaders even attended this week's summit. But an observer at the conference, the United States, demonstrated a keen interest in GUUAM, an interest that may help the group evolve into the organization it has always hoped to become.
• KUWAIT/ELECTION VOA 04 Jul 2003 -- Kuwait will hold general elections on Saturday, but few analysts see much chance that they will lead to any major political reforms in the oil-rich nation.
• BERLUSCONI / E-U PRESIDENCY VOA 04 Jul 2003 -- Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said today he did not apologize for comparing a German lawmaker to a Nazi concentration camp guard. He added that what he did say was that he was sorry his comments had been badly interpreted.
• EU Attempts to Heal German-Italian Rift VOA News 04 Jul 2003 -- Italy and the European Commission get down to work Friday on the priorities for Rome's EU presidency. Both are anxious to heal a rift between Italy and Germany that threatened to derail Italy's six-month presidency almost before it had begun.
• NIGERIA / STRIKE VOA 04 Jul 2003 -- Negotiators in Nigeria say they are close to a deal to end a strike that began Monday in protest over a massive fuel price hike by the government. The progress came after added pressure from union members in the oil sector.
• ZIMBABWE / TSVANGIRAI VOA 04 Jul 2003 -- Zimbabwe's High Court ruled Friday that opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai must be given a firm date for his legal challenge to last year's presidential elections.
• FRANCE/CORSICA VOA 04 Jul 2003 -- Corsicans vote Sunday in a closely watched referendum, aimed at giving the troubled Mediterranean island greater self-governance. The French government hopes a 'yes' vote could end more than 25 years of separatist violence. The vote promises to be close.
• BERLUSCONI / E-U PRESIDENCY VOA 04 Jul 2003 -- Italy and the European Commission get down to work Friday on the priorities for Rome's E-U presidency. Both are anxious to heal a rift between Italy and Germany that threatened to derail Italy's six-month presidency almost before it had begun.
• JAPAN/BURMA VOA 04 Jul 2003 -- Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi told a visiting Burmese envoy Friday that Tokyo is dissatisfied with the detention of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. He also confirmed that Japan is withholding new aid to Burma, until she is freed.Tthe decision is a blow to Rangoon, since Japan is a top international aid donor.
• MAURITANIA-SENEGAL: Senegalese judge orders extradition of suspected coup plotter IRIN 04 Jul 2003 -- Senegal's court of appeal has ordered the extradition to Mauritania of army Lieutenant Didi Ould M'Hamed, who has been accused by the government in Nouakchott of involvement in last month's coup attempt.
• RWANDA: Presidential poll set for 25 August IRIN 04 Jul 2003 -- Presidential elections in Rwanda will be held on 25 August and parliamentary elections on 29 September, the government announced on Thursday.
• CENTRAL ASIA: Weekly news wrap IRIN 04 Jul 2003 -- This week in Central Asia, journalists in Kazakhstan marked their professional day on Saturday. According to the Kazakhstan Today news agency, there were some 2,000 publications in the country, of which almost 80 percent were independent. The agency stated that while there was no official censorship in the country, journalists did practise self-censorship, thereby avoiding such "dangerous" topics as "big" politics, corruption and criticism of local authorities.