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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: FaultLine who wrote (73790)	2/14/2003 5:22:43 AM
From: KLP	Respond to of 281500

What margin account?

To: FaultLine who wrote (73790)	2/14/2003 8:57:47 AM
From: Rascal	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

I signed up last week! Rascal@ yourmarketingplanisworking.com

To: FaultLine who wrote (73790)	2/14/2003 9:04:45 AM
From: Rascal	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

False Alarm? Terror Alert Partly Based on Fabricated Information By Brian Ross, Len Tepper and Jill Rackmill Feb. 13 — A key piece of the information leading to recent terror alerts was fabricated, according to two senior law enforcement officials in Washington and New York. The officials said that a claim made by a captured al Qaeda member that Washington, New York or Florida would be hit by a "dirty bomb" sometime this week had proven to be a product of his imagination. The informant described a detailed plan that an al Qaeda cell operating in either Virginia or Detroit had developed a way to slip past airport scanners with dirty bombs encased in shoes, suitcases, or laptops, sources told ABCNEWS. The informant reportedly cited specific targets of government buildings and Christian or clerical centers. "This piece of that puzzle turns out to be fabricated and therefore the reason for a lot of the alarm, particularly in Washington this week, has been dissipated after they found out that this information was not true," said Vince Cannistraro, former CIA counter-terrorism chief and ABCNEWS consultant. It was only after the threat level was elevated to orange — meaning high — last week, that the informant was subjected to a polygraph test by the FBI, officials told ABCNEWS. "This person did not pass," said Cannistraro. According to officials, the FBI and the CIA are pointing fingers at each other. An FBI spokesperson told ABCNEWS today he was "not familiar with the scenario," but did not think it was accurate. Despite the fabricated report, there are no plans to change the threat level. Officials said other intelligence has been validated and that the high level of precautions is fully warranted. New Yorkers Taking Police Presence in Stride In New York, police are out in force in the subways, at train stations and airports and at the bridge and tunnel crossings into the city with radiation detectors and gas masks. In a press conference this afternoon, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said 16,000 law enforcement officials trained to combat terrorism were deployed in the city. Air patrols have also returned to New York. "We are constantly changing what we're doing so no one can predict what instruments we'll be using and where we'll be going," Bloomberg said. The mayor stressed that while people should be vigilant, they should also be aware that New York City has been on code level orange for 17 months — since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center. New Yorkers, and people around the country, should not be frozen by fear and must carry on with their daily lives, the mayor said. New York Gov. George Pataki said it is important for people to be alert to anything suspicious around them, but that they should not spread rumors that could create panic. ‘Threat Is Still There’ "By no means do people believe the threat has evaporated," said Cannistraro. "The threat is still there, the question really is the timing and when this is going to happen." It's not the first time a captured al Qaeda operative has made up a huge story and scared a lot of people. The FBI concluded the information that led to a nationwide hunt for five men suspected of infiltrating the United States on Christmas Eve was fabricated by an informant, and the agency called off the alert sparked by the information. Officials said this one got so far because it coincided with other intelligence, that officials still believe points to a coming attack, timed to hostilities with Iraq. printerfriendly.abcnews.com Rascal@ the1stcasualtyistruth.com

To: FaultLine who wrote (73790)	2/14/2003 9:25:48 AM
From: aladin	Respond to of 281500

S.Korea's Kim Sorry for Scandal Amid Nuclear Crisis I guess this means it wasn't just a Moonie rag creating a phony scandal - from our anti-administration crowd on the board Fri Feb 14, 4:46 AM ET Add Top Stories By Martin Nesirky SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea (news - web sites)'s president apologized on Friday for a scandal involving cash payments to North Korea (news - web sites) but urged politicians to let the matter rest amid tensions over the nuclear standoff with Pyongyang and possible war with Iraq. The beleaguered 78-year-old Kim Dae-jung (news - web sites), 11 days from leaving office, defended his "Sunshine Policy" of seeking reconciliation with communist North Korea -- an approach already strained by the crisis between Pyongyang and Washington over the North's nuclear brinkmanship. The governing board of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency on Wednesday declared North Korea in breach of atomic safeguards and sent the issue to the U.N.'s highest body, the Security Council. On Friday, North Korea rejected the International Atomic Energy Agency decision as "interference in our internal affairs" and said Pyongyang had no obligations to the IAEA since its withdrawal from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty last month. Hours earlier, Kim said in a televised address: "The issue of Hyundai Merchant Marine sending money to North Korea has caused great controversy and concern among the people. I feel very sorry about this." His top North Korea adviser, Lim Dong-won, said Hyundai had briefed him at the time about $500 million in payments to the North in exchange for exclusive rights to seven business plans. Kim said he took responsibility for the scandal but urged politicians to let the matter rest. "Now is a time of rising tensions on the Korean peninsula and the serious North Korean nuclear issue, as well as an impending Iraq war which will have a huge impact on our country," said Kim. But the main opposition party, which controls parliament, said Kim's address had "raised more questions and suspicion." "His explanation provides the reason why an independent counsel should be appointed to investigate the scandal," the Grand National Party said in a statement. In Washington, the top Asia expert in the United States said the Bush administration was offering North Korea a chance to improve ties with the world and did not seek the imposition of U.N. sanctions, an action the North has said it would consider an act of war. The comments in Congress by Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly seemed aimed at accommodating China, which has viewed the prospect of sanctions with alarm, as well as calming tensions with the North. "GIVE-AND-TAKE" URGED In a separate speech on Friday, Kim renewed his call for Pyongyang and Washington to talk, saying "mutual give-and-take between America and the North is necessary." The impact of Kim's address on financial markets was restrained, although Hyundai Merchant Marine's stock rose eight percent in response to the half-hour briefing. South Korean Finance Minister Jeon Yun-churl said geopolitical tensions were weakening the economy but the government would not implement any big stimulus package because strong exports were likely to help. The political fallout from Kim's comments appeared limited in the short term, but analysts said the case was far from closed. "His address was an act of justification, not an apology," said Nam Joo-hong, professor at Gyonggi University in Seoul. "Roh Moo-hyun is going to have a hard time," he said. At issue is how the money was used and the role of government officials in a web of complex cash transfers, $200 million of which took place just days before Kim met North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang in June 2000. Kim did not admit wrongdoing and said he thought prosecution was not justified. He left it to Lim to deny allegations corporate cash and state loans were used to entice Kim Jong-il to hold the summit and open the way for more talks and exchanges. Follow-on North-South talks this week on economic projects including Hyundai's ended on Friday in Seoul with little progress. A joint statement called for more talks in April. In contrast to the nuclear crisis and the scandal over cash payments, there was a tangible step forward on the ground on Friday at the demilitarized zone (DMZ) when a new land route to a scenic mountain resort in the North was inaugurated. "This road opening is the first outcome of South and North Korea's rail and road projects agreed to in 2000. It showed South and North Korea have implemented the agreement and made a step forward to a real cooperation stage," said Vice Unification Minister Kim Hyung-ki at the ceremony on the east coast. The temporary road is the first new link across the DMZ since the 1950-53 Korean war. It was first tested earlier this month, and the Koreas agreed to use it for family reunions next week. POSSIBLE TROOP SHIFT In Washington on Thursday, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld raised the possibility of shifting U.S. forces away from the DMZ and removing some of the 37,000 U.S. troops stationed in the South, many of them in forward positions. The subject is likely to be high on President-elect Roh's agenda after he takes office on February 25. Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) said he believed a diplomatic solution was possible in North Korea despite U.S. insistence on a regional approach rather than bilateral talks repeatedly demanded by Pyongyang. Kim Dae-jung, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his Sunshine Policy, has had a tough twilight in office. Late last year, two of his three sons were found guilty of bribery and other charges. One was jailed and the other received a suspended sentence.