W O R L D

Iraq task more difficult: Bush
President George W. Bush told the nation on Sunday night that US forces were making ‘‘steady gains’’ in Iraq but acknowledged that the task had been ‘‘more difficult than we expected’’ and urged Americans not to ‘‘give in to despair.’’

Saddam breaks silence on his capture
London, December 19
"I have been betrayed," were the words that came to Saddam Hussain's mind moments before American troops nabbed the Iraqi dictator from the underground bunker where he was in hiding.

First Afghan Parliament sworn in

Kabul, December 19 Warlords, former Communists, Taliban defectors and women activists were sworn in today as members of the first Afghan Parliament in more than 30 years amid hopes of national reconciliation after decades of bloodshed.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai addresses Parliament members during its opening session in Kabul on Monday. — Reuters photo

South Korea apologises for anti-WTO riots
Hong Kong, December 19
A South Korean official today apologised for anti-World Trade Organisation riots started by his countrymen in Hong Kong over the weekend. At least four of the hundreds of detained protesters have been charged with unlawful assembly.

South Korean protesters shout slogans at a rally demanding the release of South Korean demonstrators who were arrested during the WTO rally in Hong Kong, in front of the Chinese Embassy in Seoul on Monday – Reuters photos

Gates, wife Time’s Persons of 2005
New York, December 19
The richest man in the world, Bill Gates, and his wife, Melinda, were named Time magazine's ''Persons of the Year'' along with Irish rocker Bono for being Good Samaritans who made a difference in different ways.

Iraq task more difficult: Bush
Ashish Kumar Sen writes from Washington

President George W. Bush told the nation on Sunday night that US forces were making ‘‘steady gains’’ in Iraq but acknowledged that the task had been ‘‘more difficult than we expected’’ and urged Americans not to ‘‘give in to despair.’’

In his first primetime address from the Oval Office since launching the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, Mr Bush called Thursday’s election in the country ‘‘a landmark day in the history of liberty’’ but also warned there ‘‘is more testing and sacrifice before us.’’ The conflict has claimed the lives of more than 2,100 Americans and at least 30,000 Iraqis to date.

In a 17-minute speech, the President acknowledged the election in Iraq ‘‘will not mean the end of violence.’’ But, he added, ‘‘it is the beginning of something new: constitutional democracy at the heart of the Middle East.’’

‘‘For every scene of destruction in Iraq, there are more scenes of rebuilding and hope,’’ he said. ‘‘For every life lost, there are countless more lives reclaimed. And for every terrorist working to stop freedom in Iraq, there are many more Iraqis and Americans working to defeat them. My fellow citizens, not only can we win the war in Iraq, we are winning the war in Iraq,’’ the President said.

The political debate over the war has intensified in recent weeks, as Mr Bush has embarked upon a series of high-profile speeches defending the war and Democratic Congressman John Murtha, a former Marine and Vietnam War veteran, has countered with his calls for a withdrawal of US forces.

A poll released last week by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press found most Americans were unmoved by the Bush Administration’s rhetoric on Iraq.

The Pew nationwide poll found a 53 per cent majority believes the US is losing ground in reducing the number of civilian casualties in Iraq. Similarly, a majority of Americans believe that the US is not succeeding in preventing a civil war between Iraq’s ethnic and religious groups.

There also is a close division of opinion about whether the US is gaining or losing ground in defeating the insurgents militarily (44 per cent say the US is making progress, 41 per cent say it is losing ground).

A CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll last week found 59 per cent disapproved of the President’s handling of the conflict.

Mr Bush recently acknowledged flaws in the intelligence his administration relied on for making the case for war with Iraq. No alleged weapons of mass destruction were found once the government of Saddam Hussein collapsed in April 2003.

‘‘It is true that Saddam Hussein had a history of pursuing and using weapons of mass destruction. It is true that he systematically concealed those programmes, and blocked the work of UN weapons inspectors. It is true that many nations believed that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction,’’ Mr Bush said, adding, ‘‘but much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong. As your President, I am responsible for the decision to go into Iraq. Yet it was right to remove Saddam Hussein from power.’’

The President acknowledged the doubts of many Americans who opposed the invasion, but said the US now faces just two outcomes: ‘‘victory or defeat.’’

‘‘I do not expect you to support everything I do, but tonight I have a request: Do not give in to despair, and do not give up on this fight for freedom,’’ he pleaded.

On Sunday, Vice-President Dick Cheney made a surprise visit to Iraq where he met senior Iraqi officials and US officials.

Mr Bush said a quick withdrawal from Iraq would damage US credibility just as insurgents begin to feel ‘‘a tightening noose’’ of US and Iraqi forces. ‘‘Behind the images of chaos that terrorists create for the cameras, we are making steady gains with a clear objective in view,’’ he said.

He said the US could not withdraw its troops from Iraq ‘‘before our work is done.’’

‘‘We would abandon our Iraqi friends - and signal to the world that America cannot be trusted to keep its word,’’ he said. ‘‘We would hand Iraq over to enemies who have pledged to attack us.’’ He did suggest, however, that some US troops could start returning home soon.

After the speech, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, praised Mr Bush’s ‘‘increased candour’’ about the war, but said ‘‘too much of the substance remains the same.’’

Saddam breaks silence on his capture

London, December 19
"I have been betrayed," were the words that came to Saddam Hussain's mind moments before American troops nabbed the Iraqi dictator from the underground bunker where he was in hiding.

In an interview to the tabloid The Sun from his cell, the once feared ruler of Iraq described how he looked for his motorbike to flee from the clutches of the US combat forces just minutes before they surrounded him.

"I came out of the house where I was hiding by this hole. I went through the trap door. I went down the hole, through the tunnel, then lost consciousness," Saddam told his lawyer.

Hoping to emerge out of the tunnel unnoticed, Saddam had initially planned to make a "great escape riding a motorcycle," when he realised the vehicle was not there and he suspected he was "betrayed." "I believe I was betrayed. I have been set up," his lawyer Ramsey Clark (78), a former US Attorney- General, said quoting the 68-year-old dictator. "Saddam thinks he was gassed in the tunnel," he said.

The ousted President of Iraq also praised his "longtime friend" French President Jacques Chirac. "Chirac has been a longtime friend of mine," he boasted from his jail cell.

Saddam was moving every day to a different location, organising the insurgents, Clark said. "But every few days he came back to this escape area. Now he knows it was a mistake. Probably American soldiers did not discover the hole. They were told about it," he said. — PTI

First Afghan Parliament sworn in

Kabul, December 19
Warlords, former Communists, Taliban defectors and women activists were sworn in today as members of the first Afghan Parliament in more than 30 years amid hopes of national reconciliation after decades of bloodshed.

The inauguration, which passed peacefully despite Taliban threats, was greeted with tears of emotion despite widespread disappointment at a Parliament filled with factional leaders blamed for serious human rights abuses.

President Hamid Karzai thanked God for giving Afghanistan the chance to take control of its destiny after swearing in the 249 members of the Wolesi Jirga, or Lower House, and 102 members of the Meshrano Jirga, or the Upper House.

''We have the right to tell those who are after the destruction of this water and soil that this homeland will exist forever!'' he declared, prompting tears from many delegates.

Karzai urged national reconciliation and reiterated a call to the Taliban to abandon their insurgency, which had intensified in the past year despite his efforts to encourage defections.

The opening of Parliament was the culmination of a UN-backed plan to bring democracy after US-led forces overthrew the Taliban in 2001.

Security was tight after a Taliban suicide attacker detonated a car bomb nearby on Friday, killing himself and wounding two passers-by, and guerrilla spokesmen vowed more attacks on ''a symbol of American occupation''.

Roads to Parliament, refurbished with foreign aid after damage in the civil war, were blocked by Afghan troops and NATO-led peacekeepers. Snipers were in position on rooftops. — Reuters

South Korea apologises for anti-WTO riots

Hong Kong, December 19
A South Korean official today apologised for anti-World Trade Organisation riots started by his countrymen in Hong Kong over the weekend.

At least four of the hundreds of detained protesters have been charged with unlawful assembly.

"I came here first to convey the deep regret of my government to the Pope and the government of Hong Kong over the incidents where demonstrations or protesters have become violent, causing serious inconvenience and disturbance to the people and government of Hong Kong," South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Lee Kyu-hyung said after arriving in Hong Kong to help secure the release of arrested Korean farmers and workers.

More than 800 anti-WTO protesters - mostly South Korean farmers - were taken in detention after police rounded them up a day earlier for going on a violent rampage outside a meeting of the World Trade Organisation.

Saturday's rioting marked one of the worst episodes of violence in Hong Kong in decades, injuring 175 people, including 64 police officers.

They opposed the WTO's efforts to open up markets to foreign competition. — AP

Gates, wife Time’s Persons of 2005

New York, December 19
The richest man in the world, Bill Gates, and his wife, Melinda, were named Time magazine's ''Persons of the Year'' along with Irish rocker Bono for being Good Samaritans who made a difference in different ways.

The three were chosen for their work in trying to find ways to eradicate such calamities as malaria in Africa, HIV and AIDS and the poverty that kills 8 million people a year, said James Kelly, Time Managing Editor.

Time also named former U S Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton as ''Partners of the Year'' for their humanitarian efforts after the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. — Reuters