December, 2007

• 3 December

  Jalili: Iran Ready to Cooperate

  Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili reiterated Friday that Iran will always maintain its principled stance regarding the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and continues to support cooperation over the country’s nuclear programme. 

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• 3 December

  Railway link between Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran

  In a historic ceremony Saturday, President Berdymuhamedov of Turkmenistan used a gold-plated spanner to bolt together two sections of rails, marking the formal start of construction of railway link between Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran.   

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• 3 December

  Afghan army to ‘treble in size’

  The Afghan ministry of defence has announced plans to treble the size of its army. The ministry said this was to dissuade Afghanistan’s neighbours, Iran and Pakistan, from interfering, as well as to provide better internal security.

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• 2 December

  Russian election turnout to top 60 percent

  MOSCOW (Reuters) – Turnout in Russia’s parliamentary election is likely to be more than 60 percent, higher than last time, the electoral commission said on Sunday.

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• 2 December

  Beauty queens brighten ballot in Russian village

  MOROZOVKA, Russia (Reuters) – Voters looked on in amazement when a group of Russia’s most beautiful women turned up to cast their votes in Sunday’s parliamentary election.

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• 2 December

  Foreign observers struggle to monitor Russia vote

  MOSCOW (Reuters) – A handful of foreign election observers scrambled to monitor voting across Russia’s vast territory on Sunday, with the chief of one mission admitting there was little his team could do.

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• 2 December

  Olmert plays down peace deal chances by end of 2008

  JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday played down expectations for a peace deal with the Palestinians before the end of 2008 as laid out at a U.S.-sponsored peace conference last week.

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• 2 December

  Chess master Kasparov decries Russia ballot “rape”

  MOSCOW (Reuters) – Former world chess champion and opposition leader Garry Kasparov accused Russian authorities of “raping the whole electoral system” with numerous instances of irregularities in Sunday’s parliamentary election.

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• 2 December

  U.S. calls for political progress to back up “surge”

  BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraq must take advantage of improved security to enact laws aimed at reconciliation or risk a resumption of sectarian violence, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said on Sunday.

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• 2 December

  FACTBOX: Security developments in Iraq, Nov 29

  (Reuters) – Following are security developments in Iraq at 7:30 a.m. EST on Thursday. * denotes new or updated items. * BAGHDAD – Iraqi soldiers killed one gunman and detained 47 other suspects in different areas of Iraq in the past 24 hours, the Defence Ministry said.

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