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Politics : Foreign Policy Discussion Thread -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: KLP who wrote (3764)	2/11/2003 2:15:17 PM
From: lorne	Respond to of 15987

U.S. starts sending staff out of country Tuesday, February 11, 2003 By Yossi Melman The U.S. State Department announced yesterday that it would start evacuating non-essential personnel and diplomats' families from Israel later this week, with a U.S.-led war against Iraq looming. A senior U.S. Embassy source in Tel Aviv told Haaretz that the non-essential staff and diplomats' families have been on "authorized departure status" since Friday, when the State Department advised dependents and all but essential diplomats to leave Israel, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. The source said that it would be decided who would leave following consultations in the embassy. "All non-essential staff and their families are on authorized departure status," he said, "which means that they are allowed to leave if they want to. Those who do leave will be leaving on regular commercial flights." The U.S. Embassy does not publish information about the number of its staff members but various estimates say there are perhaps 500 staff and family members. The source said that he did not have any information on the number of people who would be leaving in the first group, but about one-third of the total number are expected to depart in all. The embassy will remain open for normal operations despite the departures, the official said. Ambassador Dan Kurtzer said that he would remain in Israel under any circumstances, even if Israel is attacked. Citing "increased security concerns", the State Department said on Friday it had decided to offer embassy dependents and non-emergency staff in Israel, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon free flights home - known as an "authorized departure." Similar steps were taken before the 1991 Gulf War against Iraq. Foreign Ministry sources in Jerusalem said they had been informed of the U.S. move and that a similar decision was expected to be taken by the Canadian embassy. While other embassies have not informed the ministry of similar steps, they are expected to do so if and when the war seems imminent. haaretzdaily.com

To: KLP who wrote (3764)	2/11/2003 9:51:30 PM
From: lorne	Respond to of 15987

US alarmed by alleged links between Iraq diplomat and Philippine terrorists 2/11/2003 8:21:00 PM The United States on Tuesday said it was alarmed by a report linking a senior Iraqi diplomat in Manila to Muslim Abu Sayyaf rebels in the south, and warned it could have serious implications on security of both Americans and Filipinos. "We find the revelation regarding Foreign Secretary (Blas) Ople's announcement linking Iraqi embassy to the Abu Sayyaf very troubling, but hardly surprising," US embassy information officer Karen Kelly told AFP. "This information has serious consequences for the security of both the United States and the Philippines. We are confident that the government of the Philippines will take all appropriate action in due course." Ople on Monday summoned Iraqi charge d'affaires Samir Bolus over intellingence reports linking Iraqi embassy second secretary Husham Hussein to the Abu Sayyaf, a small group of Islamic militants linked to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network. Ople said Bolus was monitored to have had telephone contact with an Abu Sayyaf guerrilla in October, shortly after a bomb attack in the southern Philippines that left a US soldier dead and another injured. The Iraqi embassy denied the allegations and challenged the government to show proof. Kelly said embassy officials were "discussing our concerns with the government of the Philippines." Security officials in the Philippines had earlier been placed on heightened alert amid threats of "sympathy attacks" from Islamic militants over a looming US war on Iraq. President Gloria Arroyo has been the most vocal Asian leader supporting US calls for Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to disarm. news.yehey.com