August, 2005

• 29 August

  Palestinians’ long wait at Gaza border for Israelis to go

  RAFAH — Although Egypt lies a mere 800 metres away, Naim Mohammed may wait hours or even days to get there. For Palestinians in this impoverished border town, very little has changed since Israel’s historic evacuation of Jewish settlers from Gaza. Throughout August, around a thousand Palestinians arrive daily at …

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• 29 August

  Only heat has candidate Mubarak sweating

  CAIRO — Dabbing sweat from his brow with a neatly folded white handkerchief, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak plods on with his election campaign speech, promising building land for the young and more investment in agriculture. He starts with the ritual homage to the history of the town he is visiting …

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• 29 August

  Iran bids to open out talks beyond Europe

  TEHRAN (AFP) — Iran does not consider Britain, France and Germany to be the sole negotiating partners on its nuclear programme and believes the process should be opened out beyond Europe, the foreign ministry said Sunday. “We will continue negotiating with them, but on the other hand we will not …

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• 29 August

  Road to Iraqi charter far rockier than expected due to miscalculations, overblown optimism

  BAGHDAD — Since the early days of the occupation, the United States has aimed for a democratic constitution to serve the interests of all Iraq’s ethnic and religious groups. Getting one has proven tough. The tortured process, now approaching a climactic stage, has been marked by false starts, overblown optimism …

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• 29 August

  Bush touts constitution, prods Sunnis

  CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) — President George W. Bush on Sunday dismissed the rejection of Iraq’s new draft constitution by Sunni negotiators as the opinion of a few, expressing confidence that the failure to secure backing from all the country’s ethnic and political groups won’t derail a transition to democracy. Bush …

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• 29 August

  Main points of Iraq constitution

  BAGHDAD (AFP) — Iraqi leaders presented the final draft of a new constitution to parliament Sunday ending weeks of tortuous negotiation without winning the endorsement of representatives of the disgruntled Sunni Arab minority. The draft constitution brings in a federal system of government with Islamic law as “a principal source …

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• 29 August

  Iraq charter ready for referendum

  BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi officials finished the new constitution Sunday but failed to win the endorsement of Sunni Arab negotiators, a major setback for the Bush administration strategy to lure Sunnis away from the insurgency and hasten the day US troops can go home. Absence of Sunni Arab endorsement, after …

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• 24 August

  Triple bombing breaks Baghdad lull, kills 43

  BAGHDAD (Reuters) — Three car bombs killed at least 43 people in a coordinated attack on a Baghdad bus station in the morning rush hour on Wednesday, ending a lull in insurgent attacks as Iraqi leaders resumed talks on a new constitution. At least 43 people were killed and 88 …

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• 23 August

  UN Special Envoy Says More Must Be Done in Kosovo

  Kai Eide, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s special envoy tasked with assessing the implementation of standards in Kosovo, has wrapped up a visit to Pristina, that included meetings with President Ibrahim Rugova and other officials of the provisional government. In comments following the talks, he warned that much more must …

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• 23 August

  Rerun Elections Clear Way for New Albanian Government

  Re-runs of the 3 July parliamentary elections were held in three Albanian constituencies Sunday (21 August). The Central Election Commission (CEC) ordered the partial repetition of the poll due to voting irregularities that prompted more than 300 challenges of last month’s election results. According to preliminary figures, between 30 per …

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