In the latest annual Trafficking in Persons Report, released last month by the US State Department, Macedonia is criticised for not fully complying with the minimum standards in eliminating human trafficking.

The United States needs to step up efforts to prevent Kurdish separatists from operating cross-border attacks on Turkey from Iraq, US and Turkish officials said.

President George W. Bush sought on Wednesday to rally support for the war in Iraq, appealing to Americans on Independence Day for “more patience, more courage and more sacrifice”.