August, 2005

• 3 August

  Kiir — rebel commander, but political novice

  KHARTOUM (AFP) — Salva Kiir, who took over from John Garang as the leader of south Sudan, is a military commander with little experience as a statesman who faces the daunting task of shoring up the fledgling peace signed by his illustrious predecessor. The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) convened …

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• 3 August

  South grieves for leader Garang

  NEW SITE (AFP) — Southern Sudan grieved Tuesday for the loss of ex-rebel leader John Garang who personified the region’s struggle against Khartoum before turning his sights on peace and negotiating a landmark deal to end Africa’s longest-running civil war. As mourners filed by a simple table where his body …

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• 3 August

  Former hostage tells of trial by kangaroo court

  SAMARRA — When militant groups in Iraq kidnap those suspected of working with the US-led coalition, what follows is often a long detention, a harrowing trial by kangaroo court and swift execution. Ghaleb Saadun Al Duri, a 37-year-old contractor, is a rare survivor of such an ordeal. He spent two …

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• 3 August

  Looming Gaza withdrawal sows division in army

  TEKOA, West Bank — As a combat soldier in an Israeli army engineers battalion, Avi Bieber had always volunteered for the toughest missions. But when the 19-year-old, US-born corporal was ordered to take part in pre-withdrawal operations in Gaza’s main settlement bloc, he refused, becoming a hero to many Jewish …

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• 3 August

  Constitution writers struggle with structure, legal system

  BAGHDAD — Issues blocking agraeement on a new constitution are critical to the future of Iraq, and compromise will require more than a little statesmanship among leaders with vastly different visions for the country’s new direction. The chairman of the committee writing the constitution has asked political leaders of the …

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• 3 August

  EU warns Iran over resumption of activities

  PARIS (AFP) — The European Union issued a sharp warning to Iran Tuesday, saying it risked unspecified consequences if it makes good on its threat to resume sensitive nuclear activities in breach of a deal currently under negotiation. “Were Iran to resume currently suspended activities, our negotiations would be brought …

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• 3 August

  Settlers vent fury at Sharon

  SDEROT, Israel (AFP) — Israel’s settler movement bitterly denounced their old champion Ariel Sharon Tuesday as they gathered in their thousands to protest the imminent implementation of the prime minister’s Gaza pullout plan. “We voted for you, we believed you when you said that [the Gaza settlement] Netzarim was as …

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• 3 August

  King Fahd laid to rest

  RIYADH (Agencies) — King Fahd was laid to rest in an unmarked desert grave Tuesday after his body, wrapped in a simple brown robe, was borne from a prayer service by his sons. His Majesty King Abdullah, US Vice President Dick Cheney and other world leaders headed to Saudi Arabia …

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July, 2005

• 29 July

  Blair, Erdogan Discuss Turkey’s EU Bid

  Turkey is ready to sign a protocol extending its customs union to the 10 new EU member states, including Cyprus, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in London on Wednesday (27 July). Ankara is reportedly planning, however, to attach a declaration to the protocol stressing that it does not …

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• 29 July

  Kurdish rebels kidnap mayor in southeast

  ANKARA (AP) — Kurdish rebels kidnapped a small-town mayor in southeast Turkey, relatives and officials from the mayor’s office said Thursday, the second kidnapping in three weeks as rebel attacks in Turkey have become increasingly bold. Turkish soldiers backed by helicopters were searching the majority-Kurdish region for the mayor, who …

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