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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: lurqer who wrote (28765)	9/25/2003 9:00:30 AM
From: T L Comiskey	Respond to of 89467

news.bbc.co.uk news.bbc.co.uk

To: lurqer who wrote (28765)	9/25/2003 9:05:57 AM
From: T L Comiskey	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 89467

"Spark up the Barbie..Im home from the Hunt Dear..." guardian.co.uk

To: lurqer who wrote (28765)	9/25/2003 10:30:15 AM
From: Rick Faurot	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

Iraq Leader's Murder, Bombing Deepen U.S. Woes Thu September 25, 2003 10:05 AM ET By Ian Simpson and Fiona O'Brien BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The murder of a U.S.-backed Iraqi leader, a bombing at a Baghdad hotel used by a U.S. TV network and an attack on U.S. soldiers deepened Washington's troubles on Thursday as it tried to enlist the world's help to stabilize and rebuild Iraq. U.S. authorities announced Akila al-Hashemi, one of three women on Washington's handpicked Iraqi Governing Council, died from wounds suffered in an assassination attempt five days ago. The council announced three days of national mourning. "Today the people of Iraq have lost a courageous champion and pioneer for the cause of freedom and democracy," the U.S. governor of Iraq, Paul Bremer, said in a statement. Eight soldiers were wounded, three seriously, in the attack on a convoy in the north and one guard was killed at the hotel. Guerrillas opposed to the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq have targeted Westerners, Iraqis cooperating with Bremer's administration, U.S. and British soldiers, as well as attempted to sabotage the sprawling infrastructure of a country which holds the second largest oil reserves in the world. On Thursday at dawn, a bomb exploded at a Baghdad hotel housing journalists from U.S. television network NBC, killing a Somali security guard. The bomb, left on the pavement beside the hotel, shattered windows and sent debris flying. It was the third deadly bomb attack in Baghdad since Monday, and comes ahead of a report expected to lay open President Bush to further criticism over his main justification for launching a preemptive war without the U.N.'s blessing and over the objections of traditional allies France and Germany. As Washington reaches out to the United Nations for help in finding nations willing to join its efforts to stabilize and rebuild Iraq, a senior American official said the eagerly awaited U.S. report was expected to say there was no proof Iraq had chemical or biological weapons. Such a report would provide powerful ammunition for the rising number of critics to attack Bush and his most forthright ally British Prime Minister Tony Blair over their decision to invade Iraq on the premise that former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction posed an imminent threat. U.S. forces have been searching unsuccessfully for chemical, biological and nuclear weapons in Iraq for more than five months. U.N. weapons inspectors also made an unsuccessful search for evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before they were pulled out ahead of the U.S.-led invasion. DEBATE AT UNITED NATIONS France and Germany are now pressing for a swifter handover of power to Iraqis as a condition for supporting Washington's efforts. The United States says it would be rash to rush the process given the prevailing insecurity in Iraq. Some Governing Council members have also pressed for a quick return to Iraqi self-rule. Members of Iraq's delegation at the United Nations denied any rift with the United States, but said they hoped a new constitution could be ready by May, paving the way for democratic elections and self-government. Council members in Baghdad said Hashemi's death -- which they blame on Saddam loyalists -- would not sway their resolve. "We will never allow anybody to derail the process of democratization, even if it means we will lose our lives," council member Mowaffaq al-Rubaie told Reuters. Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, the commander of U.S. troops in Iraq, said his forces would hunt down Hashemi's killers. He said discussions were ongoing to ensure council members had adequate security. Britain's Blair offered his condolences and said Hashemi's legacy would be a stable, free Iraq. WAVE OF ATTACKS Thursday's blast at Baghdad's Aike hotel and the attack on the convoy near Mosul in northern Iraq were the latest in a series of attacks aimed at western targets in Iraq. A U.S. military spokesman said the attackers used explosives and small arms. Guerrilla attacks have killed 79 U.S. soldiers in Iraq since Washington declared major combat over on May 1. Many more have been wounded. U.S. officials said it was too early to say if NBC had been the target of Thursday's bomb attack. Locals said it was well known foreign journalists were staying at the hotel. NBC said it was saddened by the loss of life, but said it would continue covering events in Iraq. A senior official said Washington hoped Iraq's former defense minister, who was given effective immunity from prosecution when he surrendered to U.S. forces last week, may be able to help track down weapons of mass destruction. Sultan Hashim Ahmed, seen at Saddam's side in what is thought to have been his last public appearance, was number 27 on the U.S. wanted list of Iraqi fugitives. (Additional reporting by Andrew Gray in Baghdad)