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Microcap & Penny Stocks : Rat dog micro-cap picks... -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bucky Katt who wrote (16459)	12/16/2003 3:56:53 PM
From: Coz	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 48467

Hard to believe the WMD hunters keep beating this Syrian dead horse. Maybe they should go dig up Israel. I'll bet they'd find some WMDs there.

To: Bucky Katt who wrote (16459)	12/16/2003 4:37:17 PM
From: tsigprofit	Respond to of 48467

Chinese missile tests could prompt Taiwan split By Victor Mallet and Kathrin Hille in Taipei Published: December 16 2003 18:09 \| Last Updated: December 16 2003 18:09 Chen Shui-bian, Taiwan's president, has warned China that he could move further towards independence if Beijing continues to menace the island with military aggression. In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Chen repeated an earlier threat to abandon his so-called "five noes" pledge - which includes a promise not to declare independence - if China resorted to force. He then added that even the testing of missiles off Taiwan by China would count as force. "It is an attack," he said. Mr Chen's latest declaration - a blunt warning to China that more threats would promote rather than avert Taiwanese independence - is certain to anger China's Communist leaders and could further raise the tension across the Taiwan Strait. The definition of missile tests as hostile is particularly significant because China held a series of such tests during the 1996 Taiwan election campaign, prompting the US to send two naval battle groups to the region. Mr Chen said: "If China continues to deploy more missiles against Taiwan, and continues to threaten Taiwan with the use of force, it would only drive Taiwan further away. It would invite a backlash from the people of Taiwan, and would also cause even more people to see China as a hostile country rather than the motherland." Mr Chen's recent criticism of China, along with his demands for a new Taiwan constitution and a referendum urging China to withdraw the threat of force, have been portrayed by his opponents as political ploys to boost his chances of re-election in March. But his tactics, particularly in the drive for constitutional change, have prompted fierce condemnation from Beijing and a rebuke from President George W. Bush in Washington. Two years ago, Mr Bush promised to do "whatever it takes" to defend Taiwan. However, the US administration is now distracted by Iraq, Afghanistan and North Korea and is anxious to maintain the awkward but peaceful status quo on Taiwan, whereby the democratic island behaves like an independent state but is officially part of "one China". Mr Chen said he did not want the referendum to raise the issue of sovereignty because of his "five noes" pledge. "One precondition of the 'five noes', however, is that China has no intention of using force against Taiwan. If they really do use military might against Taiwan, then the 'five noes' pledge would no longer be valid. We do not want to see this happen." He rejected US suggestions that he abandon his plan for the largely symbolic "anti-missile, anti-war" referendum to coincide with the presidential election on March 20 - but said he would consider the idea if Beijing renounced the use of force and agreed to the immediate withdrawal of all 496 missiles aimed at Taiwan. Mr Chen also expressed his frustration with the difficulty of changing Taiwan's 1947 constitution, which requires a three-quarters majority in the parliament. He said the high threshold would mean "unavoidable compromises and concessions" rather than the introduction of the necessary changes "at one stroke" as he wanted. "We propose that a revised constitution, a new constitution, be put forward by a constitutional convention, and that the final decision be made by the people through a national referendum," he said. news.ft.com