BBC Monitoring International Reports articles from December 2001, page 182

BBC Monitoring International Reports archives from December 2001

Albania: Lack of credit obstacle to developing private businesses.
December 5, 2001... Text of report in English by Albanian news agency ATA Tirana, 5 December: Low level of crediting is the main obstacle in development of small and middle enterprises (SME) in Albania was the conclusion of the table held on Wednesday [5...

Germany: Over 10,000 Berlin public-sector workers demonstrate against cuts.
December 5, 2001... Berlin: The services union ver.di has mobilized people against the austerity plans of the Berlin Senate by a demonstration. More than 10,000 public-sector employees on Wednesday [5 December] evening called for the abandonment of further staff...

Slovakia welcomes Bonn pact on interim Afghan cabinet.
December 5, 2001... Text of report in English by Slovak commercial news agency SITA web site Bratislava, 5 December: The Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a statement on Wednesday [5 December] welcoming the agreement achieved between Afghanistan's...

China: Economic growth marks "good beginning" for five-year plan - minister.
December 5, 2001... Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Beijing, 5 December: The latest official information shows that the year 2001 will go down in history as a milestone for China as well as a good...

Hungary's Romany leader denies all Romanies economic migrants in Canada.
December 5, 2001... [Presenter] The government will decide at its next session whether Hungary will take counter measures in response to the Canadian decision to introduce visa for Hungarian citizens. A rising number of unfounded asylum applications are behind...

Hungary: Far-right priest sued for incitement to address rally on national day.
December 5, 2001... Text of report by Hungarian TV on 5 December [Presenter] The parliamentary deputies of MIEP [far-right Hungarian Justice and Life Party] will not take part in the parliamentary debate on the Country Image Centre [the operation of which...

Search under way for missing crew from sunken Ukrainian ship.
December 5, 2001... Text of report by Ukrainian ICTV television on 5 December [Presenter Dmitriy Kiselev] We will start with the news about a tragedy in the Black Sea. A Ukrainian cargo ship, the Chernomorets, has sunk off the Turkish coast, not far from the...

Iraqi railways revive passenger service between Baghdad and Aleppo (Syria).
December 5, 2001... Text of report by Abd-al-Wahid Harjan published by Iraqi newspaper Al-Thawrah web site on 5 December The Iraqi General Railway Company yesterday operated the first passenger train between Baghdad and the Syrian City of Aleppo after a...

Russia: New upper house speaker expects return of popular mandate for senators.
December 5, 2001... Today, the upper house of the Russian parliament, the Federation Council, elected a new speaker as successor to Yegor Stroyev, the governor of Orel Region. The senators opted for Sergey Mironov, St Petersburg's representative in the chamber....

Mideast: Hamas does not accept Arafat's state of emergency - leader.
December 5, 2001... Gaza: The worse, the better. The worse things get for the PNA [Palestinian National Authority], for Yasir Arafat, for the Palestinian people, for himself, the better form Shaykh Ahmad Yasin is in, and the more lucid he appears to be... ...

Cuba: Highlights of Radio Rebelde news 1800 gmt 5 Dec 01.
December 5, 2001... "National Radio News" news programme; figures in brackets show minutes elapsed since the beginning of the programme 1. [01] President Castro is presiding over the debates of the 10th Sao Paulo Forum in Havana which is discussing issues of...

Palestinian radio reports arrests, "inhumane practices" by Israeli forces.
December 5, 2001... Text of report by Palestinian radio on 5 December Colonel Khalid Abu-al-Ula, head of the Military Liaison Committee for the southern Gaza Governorates, has said that the occupation forces arrested two citizens at an Israeli roadblock on...

Czech president, Microsoft chief discuss global situation, IT issues.
December 5, 2001... Text of report in English by Czech news agency CTK Prague, 5 December: President Vaclav Havel and the co-founder and chairman of the Microsoft company, Bill Gates, discussed among others the possibilities of using modern technologies to...

Macedonia: Albanian National Army regrets US decision to blacklist it.
December 5, 2001... Skopje, 5 December: The so-called Albanian National Army [AKSh in Albanian] said on Thursday that it "regretted" the decision of the US Administration which enlisted this terrorist organization on a Washington black list. In a statement...

Ukrainian president regrets poor state of army equipment.
December 5, 2001... [Presenter Alla Mazur] The Ukrainian armed forces will mark their 10th anniversary tomorrow. Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma has come to congratulate the military on their holiday. [Passage omitted: presenter, correspondent repeat...

EU envoys agree on joint position on Czech energy chapter.
December 5, 2001... Text of report in English by Czech news agency CTK Brussels, 5 December: The ambassadors of 15 EU member countries to the EU passed today a joint position on the energy chapter in the Czech Republic's EU accession talks, which means that...

Islamic Jihad leader says nothing can stop Palestinian resistance to Israel.
December 5, 2001... Text of recorded telephone interview with Ramadan Shallah, secretary-general of the Islamic Jihad in Palestine, commenting on the explosion that targeted a West Jerusalem hotel on 5 December; by presenter Batul Na'im, braodcast by Lebanese...

Syrian foreign minister meets Austrian defence minister in Damascus.
December 5, 2001... Text of report by Syrian radio on 5 December Foreign Minister Faruq al-Shar'a has received Austrian Defence Minister Herbert Scheibner and his accompanying delegation. The meeting was attended by Muwaffaq Nassar, director of the...

Arafat, Turkish premier discuss "serious situation" in Palestinian territories.
December 5, 2001... Text of report by Palestinian news agency Wafa web site Ramallah, 5 December: President Yasir Arafat, PLO Executive Committee chairman and president of the Palestinian National Authority, this evening received a phone call from Turkish...

Iran: Majlis deputy says parliament faces bumpy road.
December 5, 2001... Text of report in English by Iranian news agency IRNA Shiraz, Fars Province, 6 December: MP from Shiraz Ahmad Azimi said that the people who expected the sixth Majlis to fight some law violators, are now witnessing that the...

Bulgarian government to probe "irregularities" of predecessor.
December 5, 2001... The government's White Paper published on the economic activity of its predecessor has said that the investigations revealed "ruthless looting". It said that state owned assets were sold at 20 percents of their real value and the erroneous...

Arab ministers to meet in Cairo to discuss Israeli strikes on Palestinians.
December 5, 2001... Amman: An Arab ministerial committee will hold an emergency meeting in Cairo on Sunday [9 December] at the request of Jordan to discuss the Israeli military strikes on the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), a high-ranking official said on...

Iraqi minister vows to thwart 'US-British-Zionist' policy against Iraq.
December 5, 2001... Text of report by Iraqi radio on 5 December Trade Minister Dr Muhammad Mahdi Salih has said that the Iraqi people, under the leadership of President Saddam Husayn, God watch over him, are capable of thwarting the goals of the...

Montenegrin government, US investment firm sign contract to attract investment.
December 5, 2001... [Announcer] The US Capital Investment Management Corporation has signed a contract with the Montenegrin government on cooperation in the privatization of a number of Montenegrin companies and attracting foreign investments. After meeting...

Hamas military wing denounces arrests by Palestinian Authority.
December 5, 2001... Text of statement issued by Izz-al-Din al-Qassam Battalion in Gaza, published by pro-Hamas Palestinian Information Centre web site on 5 December The Izz-al-Din al-Qassam Battalions, the military wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement...

Cuba: Highlights of Cubavision TV news 1730 gmt 5 Dec 01.
December 5, 2001... "Midday NTV" news programme. Reception: extemely poor. Figures in brackets indicate time in minutes elapsed since start of programme. 1. [00] Report over video: Headlines. 2. [01] Video report: The plenary session of 10th Sao Paolo...

Albania: Socialist leadership's resolution backs government.
December 5, 2001... Text of report by Albanian TV on 5 December After three days of debates and discussions the General Steering Committee of the Socialist Party [PS] ended its meeting today, putting an end to predictions and speculations about a possible...

Yemeni foreign minister on meeting Saddam in Iraq, bilateral ties.
December 5, 2001... Text of report by Iraqi TV on 5 December Prior to his departure from Saddam International Airport, Yemeni Foreign Minister Dr Abu-Bakr al-Qirabi made a statement to the Iraqi Television, in which he said: [Al-Qirabi - recording] I...

Licence owner to resume transmitting commercial Czech TV channel "within hours".
December 5, 2001... [Presenter] Martin Kindernay, who owns the [commercial] TV3 channel's broadcasting licence, told [public] Czech TV this evening that he would resume transmitting the channel within the next few hours. The station went off the air last Sunday...

Russia's Ivanov addresses Shanghai six meeting.
December 5, 2001... Text of report by Russian news agency ITAR-TASS Moscow, 5 December, ITAR-TASS correspondent Irina Bazhenova: Russian Federation Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Ivanov believes it essential to create a regional antiterrorist structure in...

Iran: Pro-reform activist says the composition of political players is changing.
December 5, 2001... Text of report by Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) web site Babol: Ahmad Zeydabadi has said: The reform movement is the consequence of a series of developments which resulted in the 2 Khordad 1376 [23 May 1997 presidential elections]...

Iran: Islamic thinker says state should not interfere in religious affairs.
December 5, 2001... Text of report by Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) web site Tehran: A lecturer at the Modarres Teachers' Training College has said: If an individual has greater religious beliefs and devotion it does not mean that he should be enjoying...

Kyrgyzstan president on involvement in Afghan operation, Russian language status.
December 5, 2001... Kyrgyzstan President Askar Akayev has confirmed his country is ready to provide all its facilities for use by the USA and its allies in the antiterrorist operation in Afghanistan. Interviewed live on the "Details" programme on Russia TV...

Russian security service views anti-terrorist measures at military installations.
December 5, 2001... Text of report by Russian news agency ITAR-TASS Nizhniy Novgorod, 5 December, ITAR-TASS correspondent Roza Magasumova: Questions to do with bringing the defence industry complex into line with the defence doctrine and state defence order...

Moscow meeting of Shanghai Six views plans for anti-terror centre.
December 5, 2001... Moscow, 6 December: One of the themes of the session of the council of national coordinators of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is the preparation for the opening of the anti-terrorist centre in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. This two-day working...

Nigeria: "Another anthrax scare" at National Assembly.
December 5, 2001... Text of report by Radio Nigeria from Lagos on 4 December There was another anthrax scare at the National Assembly today, as an envelope containing the deadly disease was found in the office of the deputy senate president, Alhaji Ibrahim...

Defence plant in Russian capital is on fire for the second time in two days.
December 5, 2001... Text of report by Russian NTV on 5 December About 30 fire engines are working to extinguish a fire raging in an office building on the territory of the Impuls defence plant in Moscow. The area covered by the fire is over 350 sq.m. ...

Russia: Source of radiation found in Maritime port.
December 5, 2001... Text of report by Russian news agency RIA Vladivostok, 5 December, RIA correspondent Anatoliy Ilyukhov: A source of radiation has been found in the town of Nakhodka at one of the terminals of Vladivostok port. The emergency...

Hamas sources report 12 activists arrested by Palestinian security services.
December 4, 2001... Text of report by pro-Hamas Palestinian Information Centre web site on 4 December Sources at the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, have said that 12 Hamas activists were arrested during the past two days by the Palestinian security...

"Israel's Bin-Ladin" Abu-Khalid of FATAH gives interview to Russian TV.
December 4, 2001... Text of report by Russian NTV International television on 4 December [Presenter] And now to the Middle East. Israel has practically declared war on Islamic terrorists and the Palestinian administration. They have sent in planes and...

Russian regional administration announces change in job titles.
December 4, 2001... Text of report by Baltic news agency BNS Kaliningrad, 3 December: In accordance with a 28 November decree by Kaliningrad Region governor Vladimir Yegorov concerning a need for new job titles, a new job of first deputy head of...

Iran: Reformist daily says US seeking to impose Afghan model on Iraq.
December 4, 2001... Text of article by Iranian newspaper Hayat-e Now web site on 4 December The 11 September terrorist attacks have confronted the White House with a crisis of confidence and this has led America to formulate new international policies. ...

Serbian justice minister: Kostunica's party violated DOS coalition agreement.
December 4, 2001... Belgrade, 4 December: Vladan Batic, leader of the Christian Democratic Party of Serbia (DHSS), today accused the Democratic Party of Serbia [DSS, led by Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica] of violating the coalition agreement among the DOS...

Turkish president, Jordanian king discuss Middle East violence.
December 4, 2001... Text of report in English by Turkish news agency Anatolia Ankara, 4 December: President Ahmet Necdet Sezer had a telephone conversation with king of Jordan, King Abdallah, about the latest developments in the Middle East on Tuesday. ...

St Lucia Labour Party wins general election.
December 4, 2001... Castries, St Lucia, 3 December: The St Lucia Labour Party (SLP), which billed itself as "By Far The Best" (party) in a short, tough campaign, was returned to power in general elections [on] Monday [3 December]. It won 14 of the 17 seats...

Arafat meets EU Envoy Moratinos.
December 4, 2001... Text of report by Palestinian radio on 4 December President Yasir Arafat received Miguel Moratinos, the EU's envoy for the peace process. They discussed the serious developments in the Palestinian territories and the extensive efforts...

Palestinian refugees in Lebanon protest Israeli "massacres".
December 4, 2001... Text of report by Lebanese Hezbollah TV on 4 December In condemnation of the savage Zionist aggression against Palestinian areas, Palestinians in the refugee camps in Lebanon have staged a series of marches, demonstrations and sit-ins on...

DOS to call for Serbian Speaker's dismissal over Labor Bill.
December 4, 2001... Text of report by Serbian news agency Beta Belgrade, 4 December: Cedomir Jovanovic, DOS [Democratic Opposition of Serbia] floor leader in the Serbian Assembly, stated today that this group was going to submit an initiative for the...

Serbia: Chief whip of Kostunica's party positive party to remain in DOS.
December 4, 2001... Text of report by Serbian news agency Beta Belgrade, 4 December: The DSS [Democratic Party of Serbia] floor leader Dejan Mihajlov today said this party would remain in DOS [Democratic Opposition of Serbia]. "We are members of DOS and...

Mideast: "Huge" funeral for Hamas member despite PNA's ban on marches.
December 4, 2001... Text of report in English by pro-Hamas Palestinian Information Centre web site on 4 December Gaza - More than 20,000 Palestinians yesterday laid to rest the martyr Musallamah al-Araj, 23, in the martyrs' cemetery in the city of Gaza. ...

Moscow paper claims drunk soldiers caused plane crash, reports Russian TV.
December 4, 2001... Text of report by Russian TV6 on 4 December [Presenter] Today's edition of the Moscow-based Gazeta contained a sensational version of the loss of the Il-76 aircraft in the Far East. According to information obtained by journalists, the...

Move to professional army will be costly, says Russian defence minister.
December 4, 2001... Text of report by Russian news agency ITAR-TASS Engels air base (Saratov Region), 4 December, ITAR-TASS special correspondent Pavel Koryashkin: The Russian armed forces' transition to a contractual system "will require huge financial...

Haiti: Deputy mayor had called for prosecution of murdered journalist.
December 4, 2001... Text of report by Haitian Signal FM radio on 4 December [Announcer Mitch Normil Exume] Radio Echo 2000 in Petit-Goave and the entire Haitian press have been in mourning since yesterday following the murder of Journalist Brignol Lindor in...

Haiti: Police superintendent denies saying Convergence members killed journalist.
December 4, 2001... Text of report by Haitian Metropole radio on 4 December This morning, the police superintendent denies having said that Brignol Lindor's murder was committed by Convergence supporters. Alix Alexandre announces the opening of an...

Haiti: Interior minister warns of plot to destabilize the government.
December 4, 2001... Text of report by Haitian Metropole radio on 4 December; passages within double oblique strokes in Creole The Lavalas government has warned against any attempt to destabilize the government. The interior minister stated that a vast plot...

Haiti: Writer blames government for journalist's death.
December 4, 2001... Text of report by Haitian Metropole radio on 4 December Writer Michel Soukar [radio commentator, historian, educator], who had known Brignol Lindor, says he is outraged. Soukar asks the population to wake up in regarding the Lavalas...

Romanian, Spanish premiers discuss European integration.
December 4, 2001... Text of report in English by Romanian news agency Rompres Bucharest, 4 December: Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar arrived Tuesday [4 December] afternoon in Bucharest for a few hours' visit, being greeted by Romanian Prime Minister...

Jordan: King phones Powell, expresses "deep worry" over Israeli actions.
December 4, 2001... Text of report in English by Jordanian news agency Petra web site Amman, 4 December: In pursuit of his diligent efforts to calm down the situation in the Palestinian territories and prevent things from going beyond control, His Majesty...