News 83

The United States and Britain have warned that the credibility of the United Nations will be at stake if the Security Council doesn’t act over Iraq. American Secretary of State Colin Powell said allowing the process being carried out by the UN inspectors to drag on indefinitely would be a defeat for the world body. Mr. Powell was addressing a news conference in Washington following talks with the British Foreign Minister Jack Straw. He acknowledged sharp differences with other allies on how to deal with Iraq but said this could be resolved.

(BBC January, 2003)

News 84

Britain has said it’ll seek to extend the European Union travel ban on the Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and his government’s officials when it expires next week. Mr. Mugabe has been invited by the French authorities to attend the Summit of African Leaders in Paris the day after the travel ban ends. Leader of House of Commons in Britain Robin Cook said it was important for the EU to uphold the ban imposed in protest against the attack on opposition supporters and the seizure of white-owned farms in Zimbabwe.

(BBC January, 2003)

News 85

The Spanish airline Iberia is offering people living in Spain free flights to Galicia to help clean up the oil slick caused by the sinking of the tanker “The Prestige” last November. The airline together with the Spanish government will provide flights for up to 10,000 volunteers a week. The BBC Madrid correspondent says the Spanish government is being criticised for not doing enough to help clean up the spill, which has affected hundreds of kilometres of coastline and has devastated the local fishing industry.

(BBC January, 2003)

News 86

A day before the United Nation’s weapons inspectors produce their interim report on Iraq the American Secretary of State Colin Powell is expected to deliver a tough denunciation of what the Bush administration describes as Saddam Hussein’s strategy of deception. Mr. Powell will be speaking at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss town of Davos, where he is likely to face tough questions from business leaders worried about the economic impact that the war will have on Iraq.

P.P. reports from Davos.

Mr. Powell is likely to face probing questions about America’s willingness to act without United Nations’ backing. His responses will be keenly monitored for any sign of how imminent the American-led strike may be. Mr. Powell indicated on Saturday that the US was prepared to give the weapons inspectors more time to complete their work. Timing was clearly an issue in talks Mr. Powell held here with the Turkish Prime Minister A.G. Turkey has yet to decide whether US forces will be able to use its military bases to launch an attack on Iraq.

(BBC February, 2003)

News 87

Tens of thousands of farmers have rallied in Mexico City to protest to the threat to their livelihood posed by the regional free trade pact NAFTA, which groups Mexico, United States, and Canada. They say they’re going bankrupt because they can’t compete with cheap US food.

(BBC February, 2003)