UPI International Intelligence articles from July 2005

UPI International Intelligence archives from July 2005

Commentary: Bush vs the world.
July 1, 2005... Byline: ARNAUD DE BORCHGRAVE WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- The non-American world -- and almost 60 percent of Americans -- does not share president Bush's freshly minted conviction there was a link between Sept. 11, 2001, and the invasion of...

Politics & Policies: Third option for Iran.
July 1, 2005... Byline: CLAUDE SALHANI WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- Washington hard-liners should be careful what they wish for. They welcomed the election of Iran's new Islamist-conservative president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad because they believe a hard-line...

Feature: Vermeer ghost profitable in Delft.
July 1, 2005... Byline: ROLAND FLAMINI DELFT, Netherlands, June 30 (UPI) -- "Girl with a Pearl Earring," ran for 15 months in the Lumen Theater in Delft before being taken off a week ago. The quiet little film about the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer's...

Iraq Constitution may face delay.
July 1, 2005... Byline: AZAM S. AHMED WASHINGTON, June 30 (UPI) -- Iraqi officials may be committed to the law that sets time limits for the country's transition to democracy, but they face many challenges in completing a constitution by the Aug. 15...

Live 8 to enthrall world, if not change it.
July 1, 2005... Byline: HANNAH K. STRANGE LONDON, July 1 (UPI) -- Its supporters say it could one day be remembered as the moment the relationship between the world's rich and poor nations began to fundamentally change. Its critics say it will simply...

China to build its own fusion reactor.
July 1, 2005... Byline: EDWARD LANFRANCO BEIJING, July 1 (UPI) -- Days after France was chosen as the site for an experimental nuclear reactor based on fusion technology, state media said Friday China will build its own. The six nations participating...

Walker's World: Iraq's gloomy experts.
July 1, 2005... Byline: MARTIN WALKER WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- President George W. Bush did himself no favors with this week's televised address on Iraq. Most of the U.S. media commentary seemed more concerned with the lack of applause from his...

Saudi's Prince Bandar wants out.
July 1, 2005... Byline: CLAUDE SALHANI WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the Saudi ambassador to the United States and dean of the Washington diplomatic corps, wants to resign after serving more than two decades in the high-profile --...

800 Israeli police with a message.
July 1, 2005... Byline: JOSHUA BRILLIANT NEVEH DEKALIM, Gaza, July 1 (UPI) -- Two kicks that left black shoe marks on the white door seemed all that police needed to burst into the Wolfs' room in the seaside Gush Katif hotel that hard-liners had taken...

World leaders support debt relief plan.
July 1, 2005... Byline: KATHLEEN HWANG TOKYO, July 1 (UPI) -- Leaders of some of the world's poorest countries have welcomed the debt-relief initiative to be adopted at the two-day Group of Eight summit that begins Saturday in Gleneagles, Scotland. ...

UPI Energy Watch.
July 1, 2005... Byline: ANDREA R. MIHAILESCU Shell escapes U.S. wrath for overstating reserves The Department of Justice said Wednesday it will not prosecute Royal Dutch/Shell Group for a series of overstatements on its oil and gas reserves estimates,...

Bottom-Line / Europe: Hungary for growth.
July 1, 2005... Byline: GREGORY FOSSEDAL NEW YORK, July 1 (UPI) -- His counterparts in much of Europe seem to be sleeping through the wake-up call, but Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany appears to be alive and listening. Even as the rest of the...

Analysis: Brazil and additional protocol.
July 1, 2005... Byline: FRANK BRAUN The 2005 Review Conference of the nuclear nonproliferation treaty ended recently not with a bang, but with a whimper. Despite efforts by conference President Sergio de Queiroz Duarte of Brazil, the conference closed...

Outside View: Slow march of democracy.
July 1, 2005... Byline: WAYNE WHITE WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- In Cairo and Riyadh, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice chastised U.S. allies for not doing enough to advance democratic reforms and freedoms. Her criticisms echo the disappointment and...

Outside View: Libyan relations need action.
July 1, 2005... Byline: DAVID MACK WASHINGTON, July 1 (UPI) -- On his first visit to Libya last month, the top U.S. diplomat for Middle Eastern affairs David Welch reaffirmed the goal of full normalization of U.S.-Libyan relations, emphasizing the...

Tajikistan banks on Russia for defense.
July 1, 2005... Byline: LARA SALAHI DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, July 1 (UPI) -- In an effort to increase its national security, Tajikistan is putting all it's eggs in one basket, or rather in two baskets -- Russia's and the former Soviet republics -- in more of...

Outside view: Russia's road to 2008.
July 1, 2005... Byline: YEVGENY SUCHKOV MOSCOW, July 1 (UPI) -- The next Russian presidential election is still three years ahead, but headlines in many Russian and foreign publications are already screaming: "Who will succeed Putin?" and "How Smoothly...

Outside view: Iran's landslide shock.
July 1, 2005... Byline: PYOTR GONCHAROV MOSCOW, July 1 (UPI) -- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's victory in the Iranian presidential election is beyond any reasonable doubt. This was a landslide victory, with the second runner hopelessly lagging behind the winner,...

France convicts Mauritanian officer-crn.
July 4, 2005... Byline: ELIZABETH BRYANT PARIS, July 1 (UPI) -- A landmark verdict by a court in the southern French town of Nimes Friday amounted to a victory for human rights groups that argue justice has no borders when it comes to human rights...

Walker's World: G8 lame ducks, baby eagles.
July 4, 2005... Byline: MARTIN WALKER GLENEAGLES, Scotland, July 1 (UPI) -- This will be the Group of Eight summit of the walking dead, a parade of lame ducks limping out their final sessions in the global spotlight. It will be a miracle if German...

Analysis: Seoul hopeful about nuke talks.
July 4, 2005... Byline: JONG-HEON LEE SEOUL, July 4 (UPI) -- South Korean officials were optimistic Monday that North Korea would end its yearlong boycott of nuclear disarmament talks after Seoul's top security official's visit to the United States last...

Live 8: World unites in historic call.
July 4, 2005... Byline: HANNAH K. STRANGE LONDON, July 4 (UPI) -- Billed as "the biggest and best rock concert the world has ever seen," Saturday's global "Live 8" gig was indeed an epic show. The world's top music acts played to hundreds of thousands of...

Politics & Policies: Saudi war on terror.
July 4, 2005... Byline: CLAUDE SALHANI WASHINGTON, July 4 (UPI) -- Since the terror campaign to destabilize Saudi Arabia began about two years ago, Saudi security services have made great strides and enjoyed multiple successes in their battle against...

Outside View: U.S. stay in Iraq-how long?
July 4, 2005... Byline: MARK N. KATZ WASHINGTON, July 4 (UPI) -- In his speech about the conflict in Iraq that he gave at Fort Bragg on June 28, President Bush declared, "We will stay in the fight until the fight is won." The question that has arisen,...

Jordan seeks to repair Islam's image.
July 4, 2005... Byline: SANA ABDALLAH AMMAN, Jordan, July 4 (UPI) -- Jordan's King Abdullah urged world Muslim scholars gathered in Amman Monday to lead Muslims into unity and spread Islam's true teachings in an attempt to repair the damage done to the...

Analysis: Reforming Europe's social model.
July 4, 2005... Byline: GARETH HARDING BRUSSELS, July 4 (UPI) -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair has never been one to shy away from discussions about taboo topics, so it was hardly a surprise that on the first day of the U.K. presidency of the European...

Analysis: Dutch referendum fallout minimal.
July 4, 2005... Byline: ROLAND FLAMINI AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, July 4 (UPI) -- Three weeks after the massive Dutch "no" to the European constitution, there is a remarkable absence of soul-searching in the Netherlands, and the No. 1 topic is the birth of...

Analysis: Is U.K. Inc headed for a crash?
July 4, 2005... Byline: HANNAH K. STRANGE LONDON, July 4 (UPI) -- As Britain assumed its place at the head of the European Union last week, Prime Minister Tony Blair and his ministers flaunted the success of the British economy as a model for lifting...

Olympics bid sparring turns nasty.
July 4, 2005... Byline: ELIZABETH BRYANT PARIS, July 4 (UPI) -- The Olympics are about sport after all, where ethics and fair play are supposed to reign. But hours before the International Olympic Committee announces Wednesday from Singapore which of five...

Analysis: Iran's 2 presidents.
July 5, 2005... Byline: MODHER AMIN TEHRAN, July 4 (UPI) -- For a quarter of a century, Iran has not seen a president like Mohammad Khatami who swept to power with the backing of more than 70 percent of his people. Neither did the country witness a leader...

Walker's World: Africa's debt and G8 guilt.
July 5, 2005... Byline: MARTIN WALKER GLENEAGLES, Scotland, July 2 (UPI) -- From the glorious dome of St. Paul's Cathedral to the modest front of the local parish church, the religious centers of Britain are festooned with the slogan "Make Poverty...

Analysis: S.Korea economy losing steam.
July 5, 2005... Byline: JONG-HEON LEE SEOUL, July 5 (UPI) -- Is the South Korean economy, the world' 11th-largest economy, los Is the South Korean economy, the world' 11th-largest, losing vitality? Government officials insist it is not yet, but...

Analysis: U.S. timetable in Iraq.
July 5, 2005... Byline: MARK N. KATZ WASHINGTON, July 5 (UPI) -- How Long Should We Stay in Iraq? Mark N. Katz In his speech about the conflict in Iraq that he gave at Fort Bragg, N.C., on June 28, President Bush declared, "We will stay in the...

Analysis: Colombia's small giant.
July 5, 2005... Byline: ARNAUD DE BORCHGRAVE WASHINGTON, July 5 (UPI) -- The race to succeed Enrique Iglesias as head of the Inter-American Development Bank will be a new test of the Bush administration's influence in Latin America. Iglesias, a former...

Election campaign heats up in Germany.
July 5, 2005... Byline: STEFAN NICOLA KEHL AM RHEIN, Germany, July 5 (UPI) -- German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has already started battling for votes after his Social Democrats uniformly agreed on an election program designed to win over Germany's...

Analysis: EU backtracks on environment.
July 5, 2005... Byline: GARETH HARDING BRUSSELS, July 5 (UPI) -- The European Union rarely misses an opportunity to flaunt its green credentials on the international conference circuit. The 25-state bloc has the most stringent environmental laws in the...

UPI Energy Watch: Roundup on China.
July 5, 2005... Byline: ANDREA R. MIHAILESCU U.S., China officials to become close buds? China and the United States held their first energy policy dialogue in Washington Thursday and the Energy Department said it will open an office in Beijing. ...

Tensions mount as G8 nears.
July 5, 2005... Byline: HANNAH K. STRANGE EDINBURGH, Scotland, July 5 (UPI) -- It is the eve of perhaps the most talked about Group of Eight summit in history and in nearby Edinburgh there is a palpable tension in the air. As leaders of the world's most...

Evacuated settlements' future unsure.
July 5, 2005... Byline: JOSHUA BRILLIANT TEL AVIV, Israel, July 5 (UPI) -- Over the years, Israelis built some beautiful, spacious homes in the Gaza Strip. With ample land, generous government incentives and cheap Palestinian labor, they built houses they...

Poll: Americans favor emissions reduction.
July 5, 2005... Byline: K. I. MARSHALL WASHINGTON, July 5 (UPI) -- A recent poll reports most Americans would support U.S. involvement in greenhouse gas reduction agreements, one of the items to be discussed this week at the Group of Eight summit in...

Congress told to back off Unocal merger.
July 5, 2005... Byline: LARA SALAHI WASHINGTON, July 5 (UPI) -- China's demand to the U.S. not to interfere with its $18.5 billion offer to buy California-based oil company Unocal was accompanied by silence from the Bush administration. China's...

Musharraf target of Iraqi insurgency.
July 5, 2005... Byline: DONNA BORAK WASHINGTON, July 5 (UPI) -- Pakistan's support of U.S. policies in combating the war on terror shifted to Iraq, Tuesday, as insurgents targeted Pakistan's envoy to Baghdad. A convoy carrying a senior Pakistani...

Analysis: No limits on China's avant garde.
July 5, 2005... Byline: ROLAND FLAMINI THE HAGUE, Netherlands, July 5 (UPI) -- Thirty years ago such works would have meant jail, and perhaps even death, but an exhibition of Chinese avant-garde sculpture in the Hague reveals the surprising freedom...

Review of the Arab press.
July 6, 2005... AMMAN, Jordan, July 6 (UPI) -- Arab press roundup for July 6: Commenting London-based al-Quds al-Arabi said Wednesday on the abduction of Egypt's new ambassador to Iraq, Ihab al-Sherif, and al-Qaida targeting other Muslim diplomats in...

China and the Mekong: A tale of two rivers.
July 6, 2005... Byline: EDWARD LANFRANCO BEIJING, July 6 (UPI) -- The future of the Mekong is a tale of two rivers, the upstream half known as the Lancang belonging to China, and the downstream remainder shared between five countries of Southeast Asia....

The G8 Olympics - Chirac at bay.
July 6, 2005... Byline: MARTIN WALKER GLENEAGLES, Scotland, July 6 (UPI) -- The ancient enemies are at it again. "Tony Blair rules the world," erupted one of the commentators on France-Inter radio as the news came in that London would host the...

Politics & Policies: The Iraqi tango.
July 6, 2005... Byline: CLAUDE SALHANI WASHINGTON, July 6 (UPI) -- President Bush likes to say that progress is being made in Iraq, yet despite the most optimistic views events on the ground seems to dictate otherwise. In a manner, Iraq's progress...

Anglo-French rivalry reaches fever pitch.
July 6, 2005... Byline: GARETH HARDING BRUSSELS, July 6 (UPI) -- The last time France and Britain fought each other on the battlefield was almost two centuries ago, but the rivalry between the two countries in conference halls, meeting rooms, sporting...

The Paris blues.
July 6, 2005... Byline: ELIZABETH BRYANT PARIS, July 6 (UPI) -- Tears and bitterness blanketed France Wednesday, at the news that archrival London had trounced Paris' seemingly invincible bid to host the 2012 Olympic games. But beyond the immediate,...

Can N.Korea live without outside threats?
July 6, 2005... Byline: JONG-HEON LEE SEOUL, July 6 (UPI) -- North Korea watchers in Seoul were puzzled after the defiant communist nation has recently taken a series of steps to ease its long-standing antagonism against the United States. Some...

Muslim scholars 'forbid' labeling apostasy.
July 6, 2005... Byline: SANA ABDALLAH AMMAN, Jordan, July 6 (UPI) -- Over 170 Muslim scholars, thinkers and historians agreed Wednesday to forbid "takfeer," or accusing other Muslims of apostasy, and decided to work out a criteria for issuing fatwas --...

Germans want vote but might not get it.
July 6, 2005... Byline: STEFAN NICOLA KEHL AM RHEIN, Germany, July 6 (UPI) -- Some say it is a political farce undermining the German constitution, others argue it is necessary to sustain the country's political stability: The planned dissolution of the...

French-U.S. relations may be improving.
July 6, 2005... Byline: RENEE WILLIAMS WASHINGTON, July 6 (UPI) -- French officials visiting the United States this week are continuing the effort by both countries to improve transatlantic relations. Jean-Louis Schneiter, the mayor of Reims, France,...

UPI Energy Watch.
July 6, 2005... Byline: ANDREA R. MIHAILESCU Crude oil to hit $80, traders predict Traders project that NYMEX future crude oil prices will hit $80 per barrel by the end of 2005. Investors speculate that if any disruption in crude oil supply...

Analysis: End of Russia's economic boom?
July 6, 2005... Byline: PETER LAVELLE MOSCOW, July 6 (UPI) -- Until the Kremlin's makes some hard political choices about the economy, Russia is faced with a decade of limited growth and limits allowing the country to reach its economic potential. With...

Analysis: Taliban stages comback.
July 6, 2005... Byline: ROLAND FLAMINI WASHINGTON, July 6 (UPI) -- For the Bush administration Afghanistan was the success story in its democracy drive, the model for Iraq to follow and the first achievement in Washington's post 9/11 offensive against...

G8: Bono says 'no deal' on Africa.
July 6, 2005... Byline: HANNAH K. STRANGE GLENEAGLES, Scotland, July 6 (UPI) -- The leaders of the Group of Eight nations are still far from reaching a deal on Africa, a grim-faced Bono told the press at the Gleneagles summit Wednesday. Reporting...

Rabbis call for civil disobedience.
July 6, 2005... Byline: JOSHUA BRILLIANT HOMSEH, West Bank, July 6 (UPI) -- Prominent rabbis in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip Wednesday urged adherents to immediately beef up settlements slated for eviction and called upon soldiers and policemen to...

Review of the Arab press.
July 7, 2005... AMMAN, Jordan, July 7 (UPI) -- Arab press roundup for July 7: The London-based al-Quds al-Arabi commented Thursday on the G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, saying the powerful nations dominate the world economy and profits hundreds of...

Analysis: Al-Qaida's G8 mistake.
July 7, 2005... Byline: MARTIN WALKER LONDON, July 7 (UPI) -- While al-Qaida showed their customary ruthless skill in planning the London bombings, their choice of target may become a major strategic mistake. London was not the only victim of the...

Bottom-Line : Avenging 7/7.
July 7, 2005... Byline: GREGORY FOSSEDAL WASHINGTON, July 7 (UPI) -- Following the Iraqi elections in January, U.S. and British officials reportedly developed revised long-standing plans for a strike in eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan -- aimed at...

Germany tightens security.
July 7, 2005... Byline: STEFAN NICOLA KEHL AM RHEIN, Germany, July 7 (UPI) -- Germany has tightened security measures after multiple explosions rocked London's mass transit system Thursday. "We have further increased already tight security measures in...

Analysis: French change tune after blasts.
July 7, 2005... Byline: ELIZABETH BRYANT AND ROLAND FLAMINI PARIS, July 7 (UPI) -- Just hours ago the French were fuming against those sacre Brits who had robbed them of the chance to host the 2012 games. Now, after seven bombs ripped through the heart of...

Analysis: Remembering Srebrenica.
July 7, 2005... Byline: GARETH HARDING BRUSSELS, July 7 (UPI) -- Ten years ago Monday, 7,000 young Muslim men were slaughtered by Serb forces in Srebrenica, a small town in eastern Bosnia an hour's drive away from the sparkling beaches of the Adriatic and...

Patterns and lessons from London's terror.
July 7, 2005... Byline: MARTIN SIEFF WASHINGTON, July 7 (UPI) -- Thursday's terrorist attacks on London displayed all the hallmarks of an al-Qaida franchise operation. The pattern of the attacks followed in unerring detail the terror bombings that...

Analysis: Nepal king digs in.
July 7, 2005... Byline: KATHLEEN HWANG HONG KONG, July 7 (UPI) -- Political tensions in the troubled Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal were ratcheted up a notch this week as a member of King Gyanendra's appointed advisory council suggested that constitutional...

UPI Energy Watch.
July 7, 2005... Byline: ANDREA R. MIHAILESCU An alternative to Middle East oil, U.N. says Energy experts attending a United Nations meeting in Geneva last month agreed that Caspian oil and gas could alleviate global dependence on Middle East oil. ...

G8 limps on amid London bombing horror.
July 7, 2005... Byline: HANNAH K. STRANGE GLENEAGLES, Scotland, July 7 (UPI) -- It should have been a day when the G8 leaders felt the eyes of the world on their efforts to combat climate change. Instead, all attention turned to London, as a series of...

Oppositions form Syrian National Council.
July 7, 2005... Byline: LARA SALAHI WASHINGTON, D.C., Syria, July 7 (UPI) -- Syria's failure to implement "behavior changes," as perceived by the Bush administration, has prompted the creation of the Syrian National Council. Created by a group of...

Analysis: Yemen, a changing country?
July 7, 2005... Byline: DALAL SAOUD SANAA, Yemen, July 6 (UPI) -- Yemen is the only Arab country to establish a ministry of human rights, and surprisingly, a woman was chosen to head this post. This is a job that comes with monumental challenges in a...

Analysis: Trade reform urged for Africa.
July 7, 2005... Byline: DONNA BORAK WASHINGTON, July 7 (UPI) -- While the European Union at this year's G-8 summit pledged to increase its aid-for-trade package to help Africa and other developing countries skeptics are still concerned that further trade...

Analysis: NATO should deploy in Darfur.
July 7, 2005... Byline: NIKO KYRIAKOU WASHINGTON, July 7 (UPI) -- Following a weak agreement between two rebel groups and the Sudanese government in Abuja, Nigeria, Tuesday, an international think tank said that NATO should send troops to the bloodied...

Econ toll of 7/7 attack mixed.
July 7, 2005... Byline: T.K. MALOY WASHINGTON, July 7 (UPI) -- As the tragedy of the London transportation bombing still continued to unfold Thursday, the economic ramifications rippled immediately, with all city transportation halted and many offices and...

Group of 4 Security Council plan.
July 7, 2005... Byline: WILLIAM M. REILLY UNITED NATIONS, July 7 (UPI) -- Brazil, Germany, India and Japan have submitted a draft resolution to the U.N. General Assembly to expand the Security Council by 10 members that would include six new states...

Tension mounts between Pakistan and India.
July 7, 2005... Byline: AZAM S. AHMED WASHINGTON, July 7 (UPI) -- The past few months of violence between India and alleged Pakistani militants have threatened to derail the peace process between the two countries, prompting fears that the two nuclear...

Israel, PA coordinating pullback.
July 7, 2005... Byline: JOSHUA BRILLIANT SUFA CROSSING, Israel, July 7 (UPI) -- At the fortified gray pillbox soldiers opened a gate and let through a truck with supplies for the Gaza Strip. Some 200 meters away, on a sand dune hill, poles flimsily held a...

Politics & Policies: Islamists hit London.
July 8, 2005... Byline: CLAUDE SALHANI WASHINGTON, July 8 (UPI) -- British authorities have long stated that a terrorist attack on London is not a question of if, but rather a question of when. That 'when' occurred on Thursday, July 7, during the morning...

S.Korea wary of terror attacks.
July 8, 2005... Byline: JONG-HEON LEE SEOUL, July 8 (UPI) -- South Korea has stepped up security with growing fears of terrorist attacks following a series of explosions in central London. South Korea hosts an Asian-Pacific summit this year. Terrorism...

Analysis:Next G8 should focus on nuclear.
July 8, 2005... Byline: CATHERINE SHAROKY WASHINGTON, July 8 (UPI) -- While world leaders focus on climate change and aid to Africa this week at the Group of Eight summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, some experts say nuclear security and nonproliferation are...

Some settlers are already leaving.
July 8, 2005... Byline: JOSHUA BRILLIANT GANIM, West Bank, July 8 (UPI) -- The shutters on many of the red-roof houses in the hilltop settlement of Ganim are down. Weeds cover the driveway and the once green lawns and colorful flowers have turned yellow....

Bombs raise questions on EU's readiness.
July 8, 2005... Byline: ELIZABETH BRYANT PARIS, July 8 (UPI) -- Just over a year after the Madrid train bombings, terrorism is stalking Europe anew, raising questions about what the region has -- and has not done -- to avoid another attack. Some...

Analysis: Sino-U.S. ties, new 'Great Game'.
July 8, 2005... Byline: EDWARD LANFRANCO BEIJING, July 8 (UPI) -- Competition for influence in Central Asia, termed the 'Great Game' by historians describing the exploits of subalterns in British and Russian empires in the 19th century is alive and well...

Germany bickers over anti-terror laws.
July 8, 2005... Byline: STEFAN NICOLA KEHL AM RHEIN, Germany, July 8 (UPI) -- German politicians and police organizations said Friday Germany needs stricter anti-terrorism laws after assessing domestic security in the wake of Thursday's attacks on...

Analysis: Getting the Brits all wrong.
July 8, 2005... Byline: MARTIN WALKER LONDON, July 8 (UPI) -- The London terrorists may have paid an unexpectedly high price for their brief 24 hours of headlines and disruption and underground slaughter in the British capital. They have obliterated...