Cuba: Council Re-Election an Endorsement
HAVANA - Cuba's re-election to the U.N. Human Rights Council is a recognition of the island's contribution to human rights around the world, Fidel Castro's government said Wednesday.

Another three-year term for Cuba on the U.N. panel "is undoubtedly a recognition of the Cuban Revolution's work in human rights in favor of all our people," said a government statement published in the Communist Party daily Granma.

It's an endorsement of "the contribution thousands of Cubans have made over four decades to the human rights of people in more than 100 countries," the statement added.

Cuba said it presented 10 projects to the U.N. commission last year defending social rights and denouncing the burden of foreign debt on developing countries.

U.S. delegates walked out of a U.N. meeting in protest Tuesday when Cuba's re-election was announced. The communist country's election came weeks after Castro's government sentenced 75 dissidents to long prison terms on charges of collaborating with U.S. diplomats to undermine Cuba's socialist regime. It also followed the April 11 execution of three Cubans who hijacked a ferry packed with passengers in an attempt to reach the United States. No one was hurt in the hijacking.

Governments and human rights groups worldwide condemned the executions and the crackdown. Cuba argued the executions were necessary to avoid a migration crisis provoked by the United States.

During this year's annual six-week session which ended Friday, the U.N.'s top human rights watchdog narrowly passed a resolution calling on Cuba to accept a visit by a human rights monitor but failed to approve an amendment criticizing Cuba's crackdown.

Under U.N. rules, regional groups decide who fills seats on U.N. bodies. Latin America chose Cuba, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras and Peru for six open seats.

Cuba said its re-election was a "victory" that "contrasted with the United States' embarrassing defeat in 2001" when the United States lost its place on the panel. The United States recovered its seat in 2002.

Cuba has been on the 53-member U.N. rights commission since 1989.

US government to cut 6,000 airport screening jobs

The US government announced new plans Wednesday to cut 3,000 more airport screening jobs in a bid to save money.

The decision was made at a time when US budgetary deficit is reaching a record high this year.

The cuts, coupled with 3,000 others announced in March, amount to about 11 percent of the 55,600 screeners employed. These plans will save the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) about 280 million US dollars.

The TSA said first 3,000 cuts will be made by May 31 and the rest by Sept. 30 of this year.

President George W. Bush predicted earlier this year that US federal deficit of this fiscal year ending on Sept. 30 will increase to 304 billion US dollars, the highest level in the US history. However, analysts said that the deficit of the US government could reach as high as 400 billion dollars this year if the cost of war against Iraq was included.

Britain sees Iraqi interim authority in place by end of June

British Foreign Office Minister Mike O'Brien said Wednesday that an interim authority could be in place to run Iraq by the end of June.

"It may be that by the end of June we have an Iraqi interim administration or government," said O'Brien, who was back from Baghdad after representing the British government at a meeting which drew together Iraqi representatives on Monday to discuss the political future of Iraq.

More than 250 representatives of Iraq's various ethnic and religious groups from inside and outside the country attended the meeting, which produced a statement calling for a national conference within four weeks to choose an interim government.

The US-led administration in Baghdad could hand over control to Iraqi officials within 90 days after an interim authority being established in the country, O'Brien told reporters.

US-imposed civil administrator for Iraq, retired US general Jay Garner and his British deputy Tim Cross could leave their post even earlier if possible, O'Brien said.

"They were looking at about 90 days and then a handover. I think they are now even looking at a shorter period than that, if they can do it," he added.

"But they will stay for the period of the handover," O'Brien said, adding that the military presence, currently led by the United States, would remain in Iraq for about two years.

Palestinian PM receives roadmap peace plan

New Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday received the roadmap peace plan presented by representatives of the Quartet Committee.

Abbas, who was sworn in as the first Palestinian prime minister just hours ago, received the draft of the peace plan via the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's envoy Terje-Rohed Laren, Palestinian Minister for External Affairs Nabil Shaath announced.

"We received the copy of the plan as it is and without any amendments or changes in its text," Shaath told reporters, adding that the only word changed in the plan was "draft", which had been turned into "copy."

Larsen handed the copy of the roadmap plan to Abbas, who is better known as Abu Mazen, in a meeting that was attended by Russian envoy for Middle East peace Andre Vdovin, American Consul General in Jerusalem Jerry Felsman, Shaath and Palestinian Information Minister Nabil Amer.

"The Palestinian side is waiting for implementing the very first part of the plan," Shaath said after the copy of the plan was received.

Vdovin said the roadmap has not been changed at all, adding that it should be implemented as immediately as possible.

The roadmap, which was worked out late last year by the Quartet that comprises the United States, the European Union, Russia, and the United Nations, envisages full Palestinian statehood to live side by side in peace with Israel by 2005.

The peace plan is highly expected as a fundamental resolution to end the 31-month bloodshed between Israelis and Palestinians.

US Ambassador to Israel Dan Kurtzer earlier in the day handed the peace blueprint to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Jerusalem.