US to lower
terror alert level
The
United States government will lower the
national terror alert level from orange, the
second highest level, back to yellow on
Thursday, US officials said.
Several
officials told local media on the condition of
anonymity that the conclusion of the Muslim
hajj holiday period had played a role in the
decision to lower the threat level.
Unspecified
intelligence also suggested that an attack was
somewhat less imminent, the officials said.
The government
raised the color-based threat level on Feb. 7
from yellow, the middle of the five color
range, to orange, after a number of
intelligence reports suggested a
"high" possibility of imminent
terrorist attacks.
But no attack
happened, and officials acknowledged that some
key information led to the government's
decision to raise the terror level might have
been fabricated by captured terrorist
suspects.
The government
was also criticized for causing chaos and
confusion among the public after officials
suggested that families make emergency plans
and take such measures as stockpiling food and
having duct tape and plastic sheeting on hand
to guard against a possible biological or
chemical attack.
Mexico
insists it has independent stance on Iraq
Mexico's
Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that the
position of the country "remains
independent and autonomous" over the Iraq
crisis.
The ministry
was responding to press reports that
speculated on a shift by Mexico from its
anti-war stance toward the hawkish position of
the United States on Iraq. "In regard to
versions appearing in mass media on a change
in the position of Mexico on the Iraqi
conflict, the Foreign Ministry ratifies (that)
the position of our country remains
independent and autonomous," said the
ministry in a communiqué.
Mexico is one
of the 10 non-permanent members of the United
Nations Security Council and had firmly
opposed to war. But on Tuesday, President
Vicente Fox changed from emphasizing the value
of weapons inspections to emphasizing the need
to disarm Iraq.
United States
officials on Tuesday expressed their approval
over the change of stance taken by the Mexican
leader, reports said. However, the Mexican
president denied on Wednesday that he had been
under pressure from the United States to favor
an eventual military intervention.
He affirmed
that both the US and the French positions put
"stress on the need to disarm" Iraqi
President Saddam Hussein to achieve peace.
Mexico's Foreign Ministry said Mexico analyzed
both the proposals of the United States, Spain
and the United Kingdom, and of France, Germany
and Russia, for solving the Iraqi crisis.
Mexico was at
present assessing the contents, and in time
would participate in the proper debate, said
the Foreign Ministry.
New Zealand
police release text of threat letter
New
Zealand police Wednesday night released a copy
of the threat letter sent to diplomatic
missions of the United States, Britain and
Australia in Wellington last week.
Assistant
Commissioner Jon White said in a statement,
published on The Dominion Post Thursday, that
for investigative purposes, the police had
preferred that the letter not be published,
but the text had been broadcast on
international media, so it "had been
taken out of the police's hands".
"I hope
that an upside from this unofficial release
will be that someone in New Zealand will
recognize aspects of the letter and provide us
with key information that might identify who
was responsible," he said .
The letter,
from a group calling itself "September
11," warned it would strike targets in
New Zealand if Iraq was attacked and made
explicit threats against the America's Cup
campaign.
The writer
claimed the group had stock piled 25 kg of
weapon grade cyanide. "Our purpose is to
challenge actions of the great Satan America
and resist its imperialist ambitions in the
Islamic world."
The letter also
claimed responsibility for a letter sent to
the US Embassy in Wellington in December 2001,
threatening the New Zealand Golf Open, in
which Tiger Woods was to play at Paraparaumu,
north of Wellington, in January last year.
That letter contained enough cyanide to kill
several people. The group even claimed that
its targeting of the New Zealand Open had
resulted in the closure of the Israeli Embassy
in Wellington, which took place last year.
"Our
operations (sic) at Tiger Woods event
succeeded in closure of Israeli embassy,"
the group claimed.
No official
reason was given when the impending closure
was confirmed in August, but it was reported
that eight Israeli embassies and consulates
around the world were to be closed.
"Until justice is done, sacrifice will
continue for the innocent and the guilty.
America, Australia and British will suffer
because of foreign policies," the letter
continued.
The writer went
on to warn that terrorists were standing by at
the America's Cup Village to wreak revenge if
Iraq was attacked. "We know where you are
your homes and families," the letter
concluded.
A high-powered
police operation was set in motion following
the discovery last week of powdered substances
in letters at the South Auckland mail center
addressed to the American Embassy and the
Australian and British High Commissions.
Cyanide found
in one of the letters prompted a national
security alert and police to urge the public
to be vigilant when traveling and eating
packaged food. Medical officers were to visit
all America's Cup venues, yachts and the
syndicate bases over the next few days to warn
staff of the possibility of willful
contamination and to keep a close eye on
suspicious behavior.
White told One
News/TV Wednesday night police were releasing
the text of the letter and digital images of
it and the envelopes in the hope it would
prompt people to come forward with
information.
He said police
did not intend to lift the security alert
setting.
Serb
"Iron Lady" sentenced to 11 years in
prison
The
International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia (ICTY) on Thursday sentenced former
Bosnian Serb President Biljana Plavsic to 11
years in jail for war crimes against humanity.
Plavsic, dubbed
the "Iron Lady" of the Balkans, gave
an unprecedented "mea culpa" last
year by changing her plea to guilty to one
count of crimes against humanity during the
1992-1995 Bosnian war.
Plavsic, the
most senior politician being sentenced in the
tribunal's decade-long history, looked tense
as the verdict was read out.
"The trial
chamber sentences you to a period of 11 years
in prison," judge Richard May said.
"The trial chamber has already found this
to be a crime of the utmost gravity."
Plavsic
originally pleaded innocent to numerous counts
of genocide, crimes against humanity and war
crimes after surrendering herself to The
Hague-based ICTY in January 2001.
Last October,
she changed her plea to guilty to one count of
persecution on racial, religious and political
grounds.
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