INTEL
Ukrainian leader 'sold Iraq arms'
Thu Sep 5 05:08:06 2002
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September 05, 2002

Ukrainian leader 'sold Iraq arms'
by Robin Shepherd


Moscow: A senior Ukrainian investigator has accused
President Kuchma of selling arms to Iraq in violation of the
United Nations embargo.

Hrihoriy Omelchenko, who heads a parliamentary board
investigating the beheading of Heorhiy Gongadze, an
opposition journalist, gave no details of the weapons but
alleged that there were four Ukrainian Kolchuha radar stations
in Iraq. The US Embassy in Kiev said it would investigate. The
stations could be a serious threat to allied forces in an
invasion.

Mr Omelchenko has asked that Mr Kuchma be indicted over the
2000 murder.
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September 05, 2002

US critics jeer Powell as summit ends
From Anthony Browne, Environment Editor in Johannesburg


The Earth Summit ended amid chaos and acrimony yesterday
after Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State, was repeatedly
jeered and slow-clapped, delegates staged a mass walk out,
and the European Union demanded an end to mega-summits.

As police manhandled angry environmental protesters outside
the convention centre, Kofi Annan, the United Nations
Secretary-General, was left inside insisting that the $50 million
(£33 million) summit was not a failure.

American environmental groups joined forces for a chaotic
impromptu press conference at which they denounced their
own Government for “writing off the planet”.

The summit produced an agreement, aimed at reducing world
poverty and protecting the environment, that was finally
formally adopted by all nations yesterday. It contained only two
firm commitments — to help people in developing countries get
access to sanitation and to set up marine reserves.

As a former soldier, General Powell is used to battles. And
given the global criticism of America’s environmental track
record, he must have expected a rough ride. But little could
have prepared America’s top diplomat for the rebuff he
received as he addressed the largest summit of world leaders
the UN has ever staged.

The US had repeatedly attempted to prevent the summit
adopting a strong action plan, and as he ascended the podium
during the closing session delegates from environment groups
unfurled banners declaring: “Protect the planet, not corporates”
and “Betrayed by Governments”.

A sharp intake of breath greeted his insistence that “President
Bush and the American people have an enduring commitment
to sustainable development.”

When he went on to stress America’s “deep desire to help
people to a better lives for themselves and for their children”,
he was answered by jeering that never quite died away during
his five-minute speech.

It was after he accused Zimbabwe of policies that were
helping to push “millions of people forward to the brink of
starvation” that chaos really broke out.

The hall descended into turmoil as the United Nations security
guards tried to pull down the banners. There was booing and
jeering. Official delegates from other countries joined in,
banging their tables.

For a minute and a half the summit chairman struggled to regain
control as General Powell stood silently. Security guards
escorted seven delegates out. Delegates stamped their feet in
unison, and started chanting “Shame on Bush.” When the
chairman demanded people be quiet or leave, many left. “I’ve
heard you, now will you hear me?” General Powell demanded,
but the barrack redoubled.

“The US is taking action to meet environmental challenges,
including global climate change,” he insisted. “Bollocks” came
the reply in the usually diplomatic auditorium. “This is
unacceptable,” the chairman shouted.

Outside the hall American charities registered their own
protest, raising an American flag bearing the message:
“Thanks President Bush for making the US so unpopular.”

Jacob Scherr, director of the Natural Resources Defence
Council, said: “Powell’s speech makes clear that the Bush
administration has written off the planet, and it has abdicated
US leadership of the world.”

Phil Clapp, President of the National Environment Trust, said:
“No American Secretary of State has been booed like that
before. The US has told the rest of the world that your
priorities are no longer our priorities. It leaves this summit
isolated.”

Earlier, a coalition of aid and environment groups, which were
officially included in the negotiations, staged a walk-out in
protest at the summit’s final agreement. Vandana Shiva of the
poverty campaign group Navdanya India, said: “It has been a
betrayal of the world’s most vulnerable people. It has been a
trade summit.”

The Australian Green Party senator Bob Brown joined the
walk-out, insisting: “The biggest disappointment is the general
failure to secure this world for our children. This is about greed
rather than green, and it’s a do-nothing outcome.”

The summit has only promised two firm targets, reducing the
number of people without access to sanitation by half by 2015,
and setting up marine reserves by 2012. Other targets such as
banning toxic chemicals and protecting fish stocks have been
heavily qualified.

All other promises in the final agreement are either just repeats
of previous international declarations.

Hundreds of people demonstrated for two hours before South
African police broke them up, leading to scuffles. Charles
Secrett, director of the UK branch of Friends of the Earth, was
caught up in the police clampdown, and said: “The police were
extremely heavy-handed, it was like being in a washing
machine.”

Mr Annan tried to put a brave face on the protests, jeering and
walkouts, and told a press conference: “We didn’t get
everything we expected to get, but I am satisfied with the
results. It is not a failure. We must not expect conferences like
this to produce miracles.”

However, Anders Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark,
speaking in his role as president of the European Union, told a
press conference that although he was satisfied, he didn’t
think there should be any more mega-summits.