Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=02/10/03

TYPE=U-S PRESS WAR PREVIEW

TITLE=PRESS SUMMARY

NUMBER=6-12816

BYLINE=ANDREW GUTHRIE

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS

TELEPHONE=619-3335

CONTENT=

INTRO: The assassination of a Kurdish parliament member, two other government officials, and two other people Saturday, draws major coverage in the American press. We get a sampling now from V-O-A's___________ with this review of news related to a possible war against Iraq.

TEXT: As The New York Times reports Monday, Shawkat Hajji Mushir was a leader of the P-U-K, The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, which administers one of two Northern Iraqi areas under Kurdish control. He was killed by a team of gunmen, who Kurdish officials say, were pretending to negotiate the surrender of more than one hundred of their colleagues. The Ansar al-Islam is a small, militant Islamic sect, reportedly with ties to the al-Qaida terrorist network. In the same attack, two other P-U-K representatives, Zahir Tofiq and Fouad Mam Agha, were taken hostage.

The Los Angeles Times gives the story prominent coverage under its world news section on page three of Monday's national edition, while The Washington Post runs a very small story in its world briefs section.

In other news, The Washington Post reports that Belgium is blocking NATO military aid for Turkey requested by the United States if Turkey aids in a war with Iraq. The Post says the announcement "exposes raw divisions across the Atlantic and within Europe on the buildup for war." // The Washington Times is reporting prominently that the Pope is sending a special envoy to Iraq to press for peace and "to encourage Iraqi authorities to cooperate with the United Nations."

In another story, The Washington Post reports the signing of a "memorandum of understanding' between Turkey and the United States that will allow the U-S to renovate several Turkish military bases for use in a possible war. And that concludes this synopsis of news from the U-S press on a possible war with Iraq and related developments.

ANG/NEB/MAR

VOICE:

NEB/ANG