THE NEWS IN SPECIAL ENGLISH, AUGUST 20, 2008
It is twenty-two hours thirty Universal Time. I'm Jim Tetter in Washington.
The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting Tuesday. The group discussed a new possible resolution demanding that Russia and Georgia honor the ceasefire agreement. The measure, proposed by France, demands that Russian troops pull back to the positions they held before fighting broke out in Georgia on August seventh. It also demands that Georgian forces return to their bases. The proposed measure restates the U.N. member states' support of Georgia's territorial borders. Russia has veto power in the Security Council and could reject any resolution it does not like. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is promising that all Russian forces will withdraw from Georgia by Friday. The United States and the European Union have voiced concern about the slow Russian troop withdrawal. Mr. Medvedev spoke to French President Nicolas Sarkozy by telephone Tuesday. He said that most of the Russians who pushed into Georgia earlier this month will pull back to South Ossetia or go home to Russia. Some forces will move to what he called a temporary security area around South Ossetia. That is one of the conditions of the French-negotiated ceasefire.
Poland's cabinet has approved an agreement with the United States for an anti-missile system. Parts of it would be deployed in the eastern European country. American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski are expected to sign the document Wednesday in Warsaw. The two countries reached the agreement last week after eighteen months of negotiations. Russia strongly opposes the plan to base ten missiles in Poland and radar equipment in the Czech Republic. It says the systems are a threat to its security. But, American officials say it is aimed at defending Europe from a possible attack from Iran and in no way threatens Russia.
Leaders of the ruling coalition in Pakistan have ended their first meeting since President Pervez Musharraf's resignation. The leaders are postponing any decisions about whether to return judges who were removed from office last year. On Tuesday, minority partners in the coalition government said they needed more time to decide what to do next after they had learned of a secret agreement. Officials did not release details of the secret agreement made between the two major parties. The deal, however, is believed to include when and how the government would return judges dismissed by Mr. Musharraf last year. Coalition officials also discussed a replacement for Mr. Musharraf.
At least, ten French soldiers have been killed in a battle with Taliban rebels east of the Afghan capital, Kabul. Officials say twenty-one other French soldiers were wounded in the clash. The officials said the fighting began when rebels attacked NATO forces on Monday. At least, thirteen resistance fighters were reported killed. French President Nicolas Sarkozy traveled to Afghanistan Tuesday to honor the troops. Before leaving, he said France would continue to fight terrorism. President Bush sent his sympathies to the victims' families and thanked France for its sacrifice in Afghanistan.
You are listening to the news in VOA Special English.
In Algeria, a suicide car bombing at a police training center has killed more than forty people. In a statement, the Interior Ministry said the attacker crashed a car loaded with explosives into the main door of the school. Many young people were waiting in line to sign up for the school. At least, forty-three people were killed. Another forty-five were wounded. The attack took place in a town east of the capital, Algiers. No group has claimed responsibility.
Egyptian fire fighters used water from the Nile River Tuesday to put out a fire at the parliament building in Cairo. It is not clear what started the fire in the upper house of parliament. But, officials suspect electrical problems. Witnesses say black smoke could be seen spreading from the parliament building. The amount of damage is not yet known.
The temporary government of Somalia has signed a peace agreement with several opposition representatives in Djibouti. The government and the moderate part of the Alliance for the Reliberation of Somalia signed the agreement late Monday. Both sides expressed a desire to halt fighting and to supress statements that might incite the conflict. The deal also calls for United Nations peacekeeping troops in Somalia to replace Ethiopian troops who support the government. The opposition alliance in Somalia split in two when the peace agreement was announced in June. Opposition fighters based in Eritrea rejected the agreement. They have promised to continue fighting.
Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa has died at a hospital in Paris. He was fifty-nine years old. President Bush has praised Mr. Mwanawasa as a defender of democracy in Africa. Mr. Bush also said the Zambian leader spoke out against human rights abuses in Africa when others were silent. Zambia will observe seven days of mourning in honor of Mr. Mwanawasa.
An American activist group says Chinese officials have detained six more of its members and supporters in Beijing. This follows the detention Tuesday evening of another five members of the group, Students for a Free Tibet. They flew a flag with the words “free Tibet” written in bright blue lights. Earlier Tuesday, the group said Chinese officials detained an artist for planning to use laser lights to show pro-Tibetan messages on buildings in Beijing. The group has held six other protests in Beijing over the past two weeks.
And now briefly, here again is the major news of the hour.
The United Nations Security Council has held an emergency meeting to discuss Russia and Georgia. Poland's cabinet has approved an agreement with the United States for an anti-missile system. And, leaders of the ruling coalition in Pakistan remain divided over whether to return judges who were removed from office last year.
And, that's the news in VOA Special English. From Washington, this is Jim Tetter reporting.
