Blair critical of hanging scenes
By Suzie Decker,WNS London Correspondent
LONDON - Tony Blair believes the manner in which Saddam Hussein's execution was conducted was "completely wrong", his official spokesman has said. Mobile phone footage showed Saddam Hussein was taunted before the hanging. Setting out comments Mr Blair is expected to make this week, the spokesman said the execution "shouldn't have happened in that way". Mr Blair has been criticised for not commenting in person since the footage of the 30 December execution emerged, but he is expected to do so in the coming week. His spokesman also said Saddam Hussein's crimes and the deaths of Iraqis at his hands should not be forgotten. Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, standing in for Mr Blair when the prime minister was on holiday, condemned the scenes as deplorable.
Downing Street has previously said Mr Blair supported an Iraqi investigation into the hanging. On Wednesday the Iraqi government began an inquiry into the unofficial footage, which appeared on the internet hours after the execution. Initial Iraqi government film showed Saddam Hussein being executed in a relatively dignified manner, but the mobile phone footage which later emerged showed the former Iraqi leader - a Sunni - being taunted with Shia slogans. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has said his government could review relations with any country which criticised the execution. He said the hanging was a "domestic affair" for the benefit of Iraq's unity.
Mr Brown said: "Now that we know the full picture of what happened, we can sum this up as a deplorable set of events. "It is something, of course, which the Iraqi government has now expressed its anxiety and shame at. "It has done nothing to lessen tensions between the Shia and Sunni communities." He added: "Even those people unlike me who are in favour of capital punishment found this completely unacceptable and I am pleased that there is now an inquiry into this and I hope lessons in this area will be learnt, as we learn other lessons about Iraq." Following Mr Brown's remarks, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell criticised Mr Blair for not yet commenting, saying: "The prime minister's continuing silence is deafening. "His unwillingness to condemn the shameful scenes surrounding Saddam Hussein's execution does him no credit."
Russia-Belarus gas deal reached
By Gary James,WNS Russia Bureau Chief
MOSCOW - Russia and Belarus have reached a deal on gas supplies after Moscow threatened to cut supplies to its neighbour if a big price rise was not agreed. This came after last-ditch talks in Moscow ahead of a deadline. Describing it as "unfortunate terms", Belarus said it would pay $100 per 1,000 cubic metres of gas, below the $105 demanded by Russia. Russia had threatened to halt supplies at 1000 (0700GMT) on Monday unless Belarus more than doubled its payments.
"The Belarussian side, in a difficult atmosphere on the eve of the new year, signed an agreement on unfortunate terms," Belarussian Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko said. Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said the deal was done at 2358 (2058GMT), adding that Belarus had been offered "the best conditions". Both nations have accused each other of blackmail over the dispute. About 20% of Russian gas exports to Europe pass through Belarus, the remainder through Ukraine. Belarus had threatened to disrupt Russian gas supplies to Western Europe. It echoes a fierce row last year between Russia and Ukraine, and comes as Russia is pushing up prices for many of its customers. Russia has been accused of using its energy muscle to re-impose its will on what is sometimes called Russia's "near abroad" - the countries that were once part of the Soviet Union. Although some of the targeted countries, such as Ukraine and Georgia, have strained relations with the Kremlin, Belarus has historically remained an ally throughout the post-Soviet period. Gazprom insists the planned rise from $47 to $105 merely reflected market prices.
However, as has been the case with Belarus, the price rises are often coupled to demands for shared ownership of those countries' gas or oil distribution networks. A half-share in Belarus' gas monopoly Beltransgaz, which operates its own pipelines and Gazprom's export pipeline, is up for grabs - but only, says the government in Minsk, if the price of gas stays lower. European Union countries in particular were keen to avoid a repeat of the gas shortages which accompanied the Russia-Ukraine dispute. At that time, Gazprom accused Ukraine of siphoning off gas meant for Europe, and has also warned Belarus against doing the same thing.
'Car bomb' blasts Madrid airport
By Kelly Paul,WNS Spain Correspondent
MADRID - A powerful explosion apparently caused by a car bomb caused extensive damage to Spain's busiest airport Saturday, an airport official said, but there were no reports of casualties. The parking lot explosion followed a warning to police, who were able to evacuate part of Madrid's Barajas International Airport. It was not clear who gave the warning. Police received the warning at 8:15 a.m., telling them the bomb would detonate in 45 minutes, the official said. Terminal four, which serves Iberia Airlines and its partners, has been closed, although the airports three other terminals are still operating, the official said. Witnesses described a huge column of smoke billowing out from the scene of the blast.
Spanish state radio reported that a caller claiming to be a member of ETA said the group had planted a bomb, Reuters reported. In March 2004, 191 people were killed by bomb attacks on Madrid commuter trains. The attacks, blamed on al-Qaeda-linked militants, were not preceded by any warning. Barajas airport is Spain's busiest, handling more than 40 million passengers a year, according to the airport's official Web site.
Britain says Saddam 'held to account'
By Paula White,WNS UK Senior CorrespondentLONDON - Britain said Saddam Hussein had been "held to account" but reiterated its opposition to the use of the death penalty following the execution of the former Iraqi dictator on Saturday. "I welcome the fact that Saddam Hussein has been tried by an Iraqi court for at least some of the appalling crimes he committed against the Iraqi people," said Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett. "He has now been held to account," she said in a statement. Saddam, 69, was hung to death on Saturday in Baghdad for crimes against humanity for the killing of 148 men and boys in the Shiite village of Dujail in 1982 after an attempt was made there to assassinate him. A spokeswoman for Prime Minister Tony Blair's Downing Street office told AFP that Beckett "spoke for the whole government" and Blair would reflect her comments. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said they would be keeping a "mindful eye" on a potential backlash against Britain's 7,100 troops stationed in southern Iraq around the second city of Basra in the wake of the execution. Britain was the United States' staunchest ally in the invasion of Iraq it led in March 2003, which led to the toppling of Saddam. Beckett said: "The British government does not support the use of the death penalty, in Iraq or anywhere else. We advocate an end to the death penalty worldwide, regardless of the individual or the crime. "We have made our position very clear to the Iraqi authorities, but we respect their decision as that of a sovereign nation. "Iraq continues to face huge challenges. But now it has a democratically-elected government which represents all communities and is committed to fostering reconciliation. "We will continue to work with this government and with the Iraqi people to build security and prosperity for the future." The MoD said it had not put any specific precautions in place in preparation for action against British soldiers but said security would be monitored. "We will be keeping a mindful eye on any goings-on in Iraq," said a spokesman.
Tensions rise in Belarus gas row
By Gary James,WNS Russia Bureau Chief
MOSCOW - Belarus and Russia have traded accusations of "blackmail" in their dispute over gas prices. Russian state-controlled energy giant Gazprom wants to raise the price Belarus pays by 123%, threatening a cut-off at 0700 GMT on New Year's Day. While negotiations continue in Moscow, however, Belarus Prime Minister Alexander Lukashenko has said he will not agree to the price rise. The stand-off could see a reduction in supplies to Europe. It echoes a fierce row last year between Russia and Ukraine, and comes as Russia is pushing up prices for many of its customers. "Belarus won't bow to Gazprom's blackmail," Mr Lukashenko said, according to Belarus state news agency BeITA. "If they keep putting pressure on us we will go down into the bunkers, but we will not surrender." Earlier on Friday, Gazprom vice-president Alexander Medvedev was quoted by France's Le Figaro newspaper as calling Belarus's tactics of warning of shortages in Europe a "grotesque blackmail".
Russia has been accused of using its energy muscle to reimpose its will on what is sometimes called Russia's "near abroad" - the countries that were once part of the Soviet Union. Although some of the targeted countries, such as Ukraine and Georgia, have strained relations with the Kremlin, Belarus has historically remained an ally throughout the post-Soviet period. Gazprom insists the planned rise from $47 to $105 merely reflects market prices.
However, as has been the case with Belarus, the price rises are often coupled to demands for shared ownership of those countries' gas or oil distribution networks. A half-share in Belarus' gas monopoly Beltransgaz, which operates its own pipelines and Gazprom's export pipeline, is up for grabs - but only, says the government in Minsk, if the price of gas stays lower. Russia's gas customers, meanwhile, are urging that a deal be struck as soon as possible. Europe, in particular - which gets about 5% of its supplies via Belarus, accounting for a fifth of the country's exports - is keen to avoid a repeat of the gas shortages which accompanied the Russia-Ukraine dispute. At that time, Gazprom accused Ukraine of siphoning off gas meant for Europe, and is now warning Belarus against doing the same thing.
Rogue passenger forces Russian jet into emergency landing
By Lucy Andy,WNS Czech Rep Correspondent
PRAGUE - A Russian Aeroflot airliner on a Moscow-Geneva flight has made an emergency landing in Prague after a passenger threatened to blow it up. Czech police called the incident an attempted hijacking but Russian media reports quoted officials as saying the passenger was drunk. Other passengers and police overcame the attacker, Czech national police chief, Vladislav Husak, told reporters Thursday. The Airbus A-320 jet was surrounded in an isolated corner of Prague-Ruzyne airport while security officials decided whether to let the flight continue. Czech reports said there were 170 people on the plane.
"Today, on flight 271 Moscow-Geneva, one of the passengers on the flight declared that he had an explosive device," Lev Koshlyakov, Aeroflot's deputy chief executive, said in comments broadcast on Russian state television. "The crew, in accordance with the current rules, asked to make an emergency landing in Prague and landed at Prague airport. Local law enforcement apprehended the passenger," Koshlyakov said. "The preliminary version is that this was a case of hooliganism," said Koshlyakov, adding that the passenger was a Russian who had been behaving "inappropriately."
Russian news agencies quoted officials as saying the passenger was drunk. An Aeroflot spokeswoman, Irina Dannenberg, earlier told AFP that there had been an "attempted assault" against the crew on the plane, but refused to give further details. The Czech police chief said an alert was raised after an attempted hijacking was reported by the crew.
Belarus-Russia gas dispute threatens Poland, Europe
By Samuel Donkin,
WNS Poland Correspondent
WARSAW - The dispute between Belarus and Moscow over natural gas prices threatens the energy security of Poland and the rest of Europe, an official at the Polish foreign ministry has said. "This problem poses a threat to us and this is why we have had heated debate in the past few months about Polish-Russian relations and relations between Europe and Russia," Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Kowal said Wednesday. "Energy security today is a fundamental issue for Poland and we want to convince the rest of the world that it is also fundamental to Europe. This example is yet another illustration," he said.
Russian natural gas monopoly Gazprom wants Belarus to pay more than double the current price it pays for natural gas from 2007 and has threatened to cut supplies from Monday if no deal is reached. Minsk said on Wednesday that Russian natural gas deliveries to Europe could be threatened if Russian group Gazprom were to cut gas to Belarus next week over a dispute about prices. About 20 percent of Russian gas supplies to Europe pass through Belarus. Kowal said that Poland had sufficient gas reserves of its own and would also be able to count on supplies via Ukraine "so we should not have any worries in the short term".
He also said: "But if such a situation should become reality, and if it lasted, it would be a threat." The row between Minsk and Moscow is a reminder of what happened on January 1 last year, when Gazprom cut supplies to Ukraine after Kiev had rejected a four-fold price increase. That disruption, although brief, was felt throughout much of Europe, which was caught last year in the grip of one of the coldest winters on record. About 80 percent of the Russian gas piped to Europe passes through Ukraine. Official EU data indicates that the 25-nation bloc relies on Russia for more than 40 percent of its imported gas and more than 30 percent of the oil it imports.
Pope urges Mid-East peace efforts
By Pamela Quest,
WNS Vatican Correspondent
VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI has called for fresh efforts to bring peace to the Middle East and Africa, in his traditional Christmas message to pilgrims in Rome. The Pope spoke of the "many grave crises and conflicts" in the Middle East and voiced "hope that the way will be opened to a just and lasting peace". He also deplored the conflicts in Darfur and other parts of Africa. He lamented the many deaths from hunger and disease around the world in "an age of unbridled consumerism".
The Pope noted man's scientific advances in the modern age, but added that in the 21st Century "perhaps he needs a saviour all the more" because so much of humanity was still suffering. His "Urbi et Orbi" speech was delivered from the balcony of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. It is his second Christmas as pontiff. The Pope contrasted scientific breakthroughs such as the internet and decoding of the human genome with what he called the "heart-rending cry" for help from those dying of hunger, thirst, disease and poverty. Some people remain enslaved, others are victims of religious or racial hatred, he noted. The threats to the individual's personal and moral integrity had become more insidious in the modern age, the Pope said. His earlier Midnight Mass sermon focused on the plight of suffering children. He singled out those forced to fight as child soldiers, to beg and those "who suffer deprivation and hunger" and "children who are unloved".
The Middle East turmoil was a central theme of the Pope's Christmas message. "I place in the hands of the divine Child of Bethlehem the indications of a resumption of dialogue between the Israelis and the Palestinians, which we have witnessed in recent days, and the hope of further encouraging developments," he said. He also issued an "appeal to all those who hold in their hands the fate of Iraq, that there will be an end to the brutal violence that has brought so much bloodshed to the country". His message was broadcast live on television to more than 40 countries. He said he would like to visit the Holy Land as soon as circumstances permit.
By Suzie Decker,
