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

To: lurqer who wrote (39640)	3/16/2004 1:16:41 PM
From: jlallen	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

I never said Iraq had anything to do with 9/11...but it has plenty to do with international terrorism ......

To: lurqer who wrote (39640)	3/16/2004 1:24:02 PM
From: lurqer	Respond to of 89467

Two international stories I've been following, but not posting on are Georgia and Taiwan. Russia edgy over Georgia confrontation Former Soviet Georgia has clamped down a tough blockade on its pro-Russian autonomous republic of Adzharia, Russian media reported Tuesday. "A long simmering confrontation between the Georgian government, now led by President Mikhail Saakashvili and the tiny autonomous Adzharian Republic in southwest Georgia seems to be edging towards an armed confrontation," analyst Pavel Felgenhauer warned in the Moscow Times. This week the forces of Adzharian leader Aslan Abashidze "barred Saakashvili from entering Adzharia," Felgenhauer wrote. "Saakashvili in turn demanded that Abashidze's forces lay down their arms and their control of Batumi port" and hand them over to Georgia. Adzharia is an autonomous republic within Georgia and Russia has supported it against the Georgian government in Tiblisi ever since Georgia became independent in 1992 following the break up of the Soviet Union. Saakashvili has imposed a tough new economic blockade on Adzharia and is even preventing heating oil vital for the cold winters from getting through. washingtontimes.com Those that have been paying attention, know the above is about Caspian oil. The other story is Taiwan's pending election - which is always a time of stress between Taiwan and the mainland. The question is why should France be involved? Taiwan Protests Against China-France Joint Naval Exercise By Luis Huang The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) lodged a strong protest to France and mainland China Tuesday for their ongoing large-scale joint naval exercise that coincides with Taiwan's presidential race. Describing the exercise as "military intimidation toward Taiwan," the MOFA claimed it is also aimed at influencing the results of Taiwan's March 20 presidential election and its first-ever nationwide referendum to be held simultaneously. French President Jacques Chirac, keen to strengthen ties with Beijing and win a firm footing for French business in the rapidly growing mainland market, sided with Beijing in January in opposing Taiwan's plan to hold a referendum on missile defense alongside the election, according to a MOFA news release. Chirac also came up with a proposal that the European Union lift its arms embargo against the mainland with a view to facilitating France's acquisition of lucrative business contracts from Beijing, the MOFA said. At a sensitive moment -- with Taiwan on the point of holding its presidential election -- the French president decided to conduct a large-scale naval exercise with Beijing, the ministry added. Stressing that the government cannot accept the French moves, the Foreign Ministry said it has expressed great discontent to Director Elisabeth Laurin of the French Institute in Taiwan, France's de facto embassy in Taipei, and has asked the French side to offer a reasonable explanation. Chirac twice said publicly on two different occasions when meeting with visiting mainland Chinese President Hu Jintao in January that France opposes Taiwan independence and that the island will be committing a "grave mistake" that could destabilize the region by holding a referendum. The mainland considers the referendum a plot to promote Taiwan independence. It menaced Taiwan with missile tests and war games in the run-up to the island's first direct presidential elections in 1996 to try to dissuade voters from re-electing then-President Lee Teng-hui, but the move backfired, with Lee winning by a landslide. english.epochtimes.com lurqer