Sunday, March 10, 2002

March 9, 2002 THE ARABS Cairo Conferees Demand International Action Against Israel "The Saudi foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, called today "Black Friday" because of the high Palestinian death toll, and Arab foreign ministers demanded that the United States and the United Nations intervene immediately to restrain Israel's actions in the West Bank and Gaza." "'Bin Laden, bin Laden, hit Tel Aviv!' and 'No to a peace settlement!' chanted some 2,000 protesters at Al Baqaa refugee camp outside Amman, in one of three rallies held around the Jordanian capital." "Arab satellite television channels broadcast images of the violence, repeatedly showing morgue drawers opened to display the bodies. ... The television stations gave prominent coverage to accusations by Palestinian medical groups that the toll today was higher than usual because the Israelis would not let ambulances reach the scene of the clashes. Video of an Israeli tank crushing two Palestinian ambulances was shown repeatedly, outraging many viewers." "'Operation Root Treatment' was launched on February 28 in the big refugee camp of Balata near the northern West Bank town of Nablus. At its first try, the Israeli command made two mistakes. One, the armed Palestinian nucleus was not placed under effective siege and, two, service vehicles, such as ambulances, food and supply trucks were allowed through. The wanted Palestinians took advantage of these loopholes to escape the noose – many in ambulances – and take refuge in the Nablus town center. When Israeli troops finally captured the camp, they found the birds had flown ... " ... [via Debka] "Much of the blame was laid at the doorstep of the United States, which had, until this week, avoided criticizing Israel for several months as violence steadily mounted." "'The only hope is war, whatever was taken by force must be returned by force ... We have been negotiating for the past 50 years, negotiation after negotiation without any results.'" ... [more] 1:25:09 PM    comment  []

Wall Street Journal Editorial "European elites witnessing the unilateral exercise of U.S. power in Afghanistan, the Philippines and now Georgia resemble the ex-smoker in a room with someone who still smokes. It reminds them, sometimes intolerably, of what they once were. For obvious historical reasons, Europeans, particularly Continentals, have bad memories of unilaterally exercised power and have long since concluded that the best way to contain war is the multilateral way." "With this belief goes a nostalgia for a time when Europe was the center of the world. America's real power is a reminder that such times are past. The more anti-American European leaders see the construction of Europe not only as a means of containing the Continent's own enmities, but also of combating America's political, economic, cultural and even military power. Sept. 11 has made it more obvious than before that there is a disjunction between European aspiration and international reality, or, to put it more bluntly, between money and mouth. Europe cannot act, so comforts itself by exercising the right to complain." "Just as we now know how important were the madrassas in Pakistan in poisoning young minds against the West, so we should recognize that a similar process, though less extreme, will take place in Europe, unless America leads the public advocacy of Western values." ... [via InstaPundit] 12:37:19 PM    comment  []

Bush wants 25,000 UK Iraq force Britain considers joint invasion plan Sunday March 10, 2002 The Observer "America has asked Britain to draw up plans for 25,000 of this country's troops to join a US task force to overthrow Saddam Hussein. ... In a move which reveals advanced US plans for the next phase of its war on terror ... United Nations inspections of Iraq's nuclear, chemical and biological weapons may not be enough to head off a new war in the Gulf. ... The request for such a large number of British troops shows the high stakes America is now playing for." ... [more] 11:39:09 AM    comment  []

March 10, 2002 Neighbors Urge Argentine Bank Aid By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS "Latin American finance ministers on Sunday urged the international banking community to aid the Argentine government in its struggle to rebuild the region's third biggest economy, which has been shattered by four years of recession and a massive debt default." "Only with international help could his government restore confidence and reverse a four-year slide that has seen the economy shrink 15 percent, cut industrial production by a fifth and the country's reserves by a half ... About a third of Argentines have no fixed job and 40 percent live below the poverty line. 'To get out of this crisis we need international support ... Support not only with words, but also with loans and funds.''' ... [more] 11:17:36 AM    comment  []