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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DuckTapeSunroof who wrote (675073)	3/14/2005 9:04:46 AM
From: Hope Praytochange	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

hey lefty: do fanatic muslims leave philippines in peace --that is the main question -does peabrain lefty read and understand !!!

To: DuckTapeSunroof who wrote (675073)	3/14/2005 9:05:43 AM
From: Hope Praytochange	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Hundreds of Thousands in Lebanon Protest Syria By REUTERS Filed at 6:26 a.m. ET BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of people rallied in central Beirut on Monday in the largest anti-Syrian protest in Lebanon since the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri exactly a month ago. Flag-waving crowds from across Lebanon gathered in Martyrs' Square in central Beirut, just meters away from Hariri's grave, to demand an international inquiry into his killing, the sacking of Syrian-backed security chiefs and a total Syrian pullout. Unlike previous anti-Syrian opposition protests since a bomb blast killed Hariri on Feb. 14, many Sunni Muslims joined Druze and Christians in taking to the streets. Hariri was a Sunni. The opposition rally came a day after huge crowds turned out in the south for a anti-U.S. demonstration organized by Lebanon's Shi'ite Muslim Hizbollah group, an ally of Syria. Organizers of the Beirut protest say it will draw hundreds of thousands to the central Beirut square that has seen daily protests demanding a full Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon. It could be the last of a series of demonstrations used by each side of Lebanon's political divide to show their strength. Political sources said fears were growing that protests and rallies, though peaceful so far, could spill into violence amid deep political divisions over Syria's role since Hariri's death. They said the authorities were pondering a ban on future demonstrations to be enforced by the Lebanese army. President Emile Lahoud and other loyalists have called for an end to the street protests and urged the opposition to open a dialogue to seek ways out of the political crisis. Last week hundreds of thousands of people gathered in central Beirut to support Hizbollah's right to bear arms and to thank Syria for its role in Lebanon, where Damascus has kept troops since intervening in the country's civil war in 1976. Maronite Christian Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir, a key opposition mentor, called on Sunday for an end to ``muscle-flexing in the street,'' warning of the protests' negative impact on stability and the economy. CAUTIOUS WELCOME Washington, leading the calls for Syria to withdraw its forces from the country, said it welcomed promises by Damascus to do so but wanted to see deeds, not just words. A Lebanese security source said Syrian forces were expected to complete the first stage of a two-phase pullout in the next two or three days. The source said more than 4,000 Syrian soldiers left Lebanon last week while 2,000 to 3,000 were redeploying to the eastern Bekaa Valley. Syria had 14,000 troops in Lebanon before announcing a withdrawal plan on March 5. The Syrians vacated at least two intelligence offices in the north and were preparing to leave others, witnesses said. U.N. envoy Terje Roed-Larsen met Lebanese leaders and opposition figures on Sunday to discuss a Security Council resolution which calls for foreign forces to withdraw from Lebanon and the disarming of all militias there. After talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday, Roed-Larsen said Syria had promised to pull out all its troops and intelligence agents in line with the resolution. The envoy said he would present U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan this week with details on a timetable. Syrian troops left most of their posts in Mount Lebanon, northeast of Beirut, overnight. Some crossed the Syrian border, where several hundred Lebanese showered the departing soldiers with rice and flowers, witnesses said. Washington, which wants the Syrians out before Lebanon's general election in May, cautiously welcomed Assad's promise. As the Beirut protesters converged on Martyrs Square, they chanted: ``Syria out'' and ``Sovereignty, freedom, independence.'' One placard read: ``We want the truth: Who killed Hariri?'' and another said: ``May God curse your killers.'' Many Lebanese and the opposition have blamed Syria for the killing. Damascus has denied responsibility.

To: DuckTapeSunroof who wrote (675073)	3/14/2005 10:47:25 AM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Taiwan: War bill a big provocation Monday, March 14, 2005 Posted: 9:01 AM EST (1401 GMT) BEIJING, China (CNN) -- Taiwan's government has warned that China's new anti-secession law is a "war bill" that will have a "serious impact" on security in the region. Calling the measure a "serious provocation," Joseph Wu, chairman of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council told The Associated Press it "restricts Taiwan's freedom and democracy, and has a serious impact on security in the East-Asia region." On Monday, China's National People's Congress authorized the use of military force to stop any independence move by the island. The measure "represents the common will and strong determination of the Chinese people to safeguard the territorial integrity" of China, NPC chairman Wu Bangguo said. But Wu added the measure would only be used if Taiwan declared independence or if negotiations for peaceful reunification are exhausted. Leaders in Beijing consider Taiwan a renegade province after Nationalist troops lost the civil war on the mainland and fled to the island in 1949. China has long threatened to take military action to prevent Taiwan from declaring formal independence, but Monday's move lays a legal framework behind those threats. Taiwan officials were quick to call the measure a "war bill," coming as China boosts its military spending by 13 percent to $30 billion. "The anti-secession law is a law that authorizes war," Taiwan cabinet spokesman Cho Jung-tai told reporters. "It has caused resentment in Taiwan and opposition in the international community. China has to bear the responsibility and pay a price for this law." But Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said the new legislation was not a "war bill" and warned outsiders not to get involved. "This is a law advancing peaceful unification between the sides. It is not targeted at the people of Taiwan, nor is it a war bill," Wen said at a news conference, shortly after the law was passed. The law also declares that the status of Taiwan "is China's internal affair, which subjects to no interference by any outside forces." In Washington, the Bush administration last week called it "unhelpful" and urged Beijing to reconsider the bill. China hopes the law will deter Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian from pushing for the island's independence before the end of his second and last term in 2008, analysts told Reuters news agency. Despite the legislation, analysts say the People's Liberation Army has no immediate plans to attack Taiwan and the "non-peaceful" means is not specifically a reference to war. It could, for example, be economic sanctions or blockades. Reuters reports the new law will feature in talks between U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Chinese counterpart Li Zhaoxing in Beijing on March 20-21. Washington recognizes China but is Taiwan's main supporter and arms supplier. U.S. President George W. Bush has pledged to help Taiwan defend itself against any Chinese attack.