MAIL-IT REQUESTED: JANUARY 27, 2000 10580X CLIENT: PAUL LIBRARY: NEWS FILE: ALLNWS YOUR SEARCH REQUEST AT THE TIME THIS MAIL-IT WAS REQUESTED: FRANCE RWANDA AND (DATE AFT 1/27/1998 AND DATE BEF 1/28/2000) NUMBER OF STORIES FOUND WITH YOUR REQUEST THROUGH: LEVEL 1... 80 LEVEL 1 PRINTED DISPLAY FORMAT: FULL SEND TO: WEBSTER LIBRARY, # 1 CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES 7141 SHERBROOKE STREET WEST MONTREAL, QUEBEC CANADA H4B 1R6 **********************************06682********************************** PAGE 1 LEVEL 1 - 1 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 2000 British Broadcasting Corporation BBC Summary of World Broadcasts January 17, 2000, Monday SECTION: Part 5 Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean; AFRICA; TANZANIA; AL/D3739/A LENGTH: 237 words HEADLINE: French junior minister happy to visit Rwanda for first time since genocide SOURCE: Source: Radio France Internationale, Paris, in French 1630 gmt 15 Jan 00 BODY: [] Text of report by Radio France Internationale on 15th January Kigali's strongman believes that the visit by the French minister for cooperation [minister delegate at the Foreign Ministry; Charles Josselin] to Rwanda is an important step towards the re-establishment of dialogue between the two countries. Charles Josselin held a nearly-one-hour-long meeting with Vice-President Paul Kagame, a first for a member of the French government since the genocide of 1994. This is what he said after the meeting: [Josselin - recording] It is a well-known fact that relations between France and Rwanda were at a sensitive stage and in need of reviewing. This was the desire behind my visit. I believe that Vice-President Kagame, just as ourselves, without wishing to forget the past, without either side renouncing their own analyses, their own explanations, deems it right to place the emphasis on the present and, above all, on future cooperation. Which probably explains why we had no particular difficulty in agreeing on such priorities. I am happy to have been able to accomplish this journey which for me was also an emotional moment given the known background, emotional in particular as we passed the memorial near the airport and our thoughts went to all the victims of the genocide. [Presenter] For his part, Vice-President Kagame said France could play an important role in the region. LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: January 16, 2000 PAGE 2 LEVEL 1 - 2 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 2000 British Broadcasting Corporation BBC Summary of World Broadcasts January 17, 2000, Monday SECTION: Part 5 Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean; AFRICA; TANZANIA; AL/D3739/A LENGTH: 237 words HEADLINE: French junior minister happy to visit Rwanda for first time since genocide SOURCE: Source: Radio France Internationale, Paris, in French 1630 gmt 15 Jan 00 BODY: [] Text of report by Radio France Internationale on 15th January Kigali's strongman believes that the visit by the French minister for cooperation [minister delegate at the Foreign Ministry; Charles Josselin] to Rwanda is an important step towards the re-establishment of dialogue between the two countries. Charles Josselin held a nearly-one-hour-long meeting with Vice-President Paul Kagame, a first for a member of the French government since the genocide of 1994. This is what he said after the meeting: [Josselin - recording] It is a well-known fact that relations between France and Rwanda were at a sensitive stage and in need of reviewing. This was the desire behind my visit. I believe that Vice-President Kagame, just as ourselves, without wishing to forget the past, without either side renouncing their own analyses, their own explanations, deems it right to place the emphasis on the present and, above all, on future cooperation. Which probably explains why we had no particular difficulty in agreeing on such priorities. I am happy to have been able to accomplish this journey which for me was also an emotional moment given the known background, emotional in particular as we passed the memorial near the airport and our thoughts went to all the victims of the genocide. [Presenter] For his part, Vice-President Kagame said France could play an important role in the region. LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: January 16, 2000 PAGE 3 LEVEL 1 - 3 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 2000 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse January 15, 2000, Saturday SECTION: International news LENGTH: 662 words HEADLINE: The AFP 0800 GMT news agenda DATELINE: Jan 15 BODY: The 0800 GMT news agenda: Duty editor: Stephanie Griffith Tel: Washington (202) 414-0541 TOP WORLD NEWS STORIES CARTAGENA, Colombia: US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright makes a high-profile visit to Colombia, now seen as a regional ally in the fight against narcotics KIGALI: French Cooperation Minister Charles Josselin makes a first visit to Rwanda by a French minister since the genocide FILING PLANS BY REGION -- AMERICAS -- Colombia-US CARTAGENA, Colombia Secretary of State Madeleine Albright arrives here on a high-profile visit intended to show support for President Andres Pastrana and promote a request to the US Congress for 1.3 billion dollars in development and military aid to Colombia. Expect update. Pictures US-Cuba-boy,lead MIAMI At six years of age, Elian Gonzalez has become the trophy fought over in a political tug-of-war between the Cuban government and the Cuban exiles concentrated in this city, analysts said. 700 words 0800 GMT by Michael Langan. Pictures PAGE 4 Agence France Presse, January 15, 2000 US-Microsoft,lead REDMOND, Washington The mood at the suburban Microsoft campus here under the gray skies of the Pacific Northwest is calm and laid back, despite the sudden announcement a day earlier of the resignation of its founder. 700 words 0830 GMT by Michael Hood -- EUROPE -- Spain-Basques BILBAO, Spain Nationalist parties and Basque separatists demonstrate to call on Spain and France to find a solution to the regional conflict. Demonstration from 1700 GMT Expect update -- AFRICA -- France-Rwanda KIGALI French Cooperation Minister Charles Josselin winds up his three-day Africa tour with a first visit to Rwanda by a French minister since the genocide which claimed the lives of up to 800,000 people. Expect update Mozambique-politics MAPUTO Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano, re-elected last month, is sworn in for a second and last five-year term at a ceremony in the presence of invited heads of state. Expect update -- ASIA -- US-Japan-Okinawa,lead TOKYO A US Marine, arrested for attempted rape, is questioned by prosecutors in the southern island of Okinawa, where tensions have run high since the rape of a 12-year-old girl by three US troops in 1995. PAGE 5 Agence France Presse, January 15, 2000 600 words 0800 GMT by Shingo Ito China-quake,2ndlead BEIJING At least two people are killed and up to 30 seriously injured when two strong earthquakes measuring 6.0 and 6.5 on the Richter scale strike southwest China early Saturday. 450 words 0800 GMT by Robert J. Saiget China-Tibet,lead BEIJING At least two monks are believed to have been detained by Chinese police investigating the apparent escape of Tibet's Karmapa Lama to India, a London-based rights group says. 500 words 0900 GMT by Robert J. Saiget Timor-work,lead DILI, East Timor International peacekeepers struggle to hold back thousands of unemployed East Timorese who beseige an office offering UN jobs in this work-scarce territory. 500 words 0800 GMT by Ian Timberlake. Pictures hey hope will concretize the west African country's return to democracy after last year's military coup. 450 words moved Chile-vote SANTIAGO A socialist who helped end Augusto Pinochet's 17-year-old dictatorship and a right-winger who supported military rule will battle it out on Sunday in what is likely to be a neck-and-neck race for the Chilean presidency. 500 words moved by Patrick Moser. Picture US-Iran-fbl WASHINGTON One and a half years after the historic world cup match between Iran and the United States, a football game at a California stadium Sunday is raising the temperature in the two nations' slowly thawing relations just a little bit more. PAGE 6 Agence France Presse, January 15, 2000 600 words moved by Christophe de Roquefeuil Fbl-US-Iran LOS ANGELES Shahriar Afshar will be there -- along with several busloads of Iranian Americans making the trip for the historic football match on Sunday. 700 words moved by Lawrence Kootnikoff. Picture afp LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: January 15, 2000 PAGE 7 LEVEL 1 - 4 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 2000 British Broadcasting Corporation BBC Monitoring Africa - Political Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring January 15, 2000, Saturday LENGTH: 236 words HEADLINE: French junior minister happy to visit Rwanda for first timesince genocide SOURCE: Radio France Internationale, Paris, in French 1630 gmt 15 Jan 00 BODY: Text of report by Radio France Internationale on 15th January Kigali's strongman believes that the visit by the French minister for cooperation minister delegate at the Foreign Ministry; Charles Josselin to Rwanda is an important step towards the re-establishment of dialogue between the two countries. Charles Josselin held a nearly-one-hour-long meeting with Vice-President Paul Kagame, a first for a member of the French government since the genocide of 1994. This is what he said after the meeting: Josselin - recording It is a well-known fact that relations between France and Rwanda were at a sensitive stage and in need of reviewing. This was the desire behind my visit. I believe that Vice-President Kagame, just as ourselves, without wishing to forget the past, without either side renouncing their own analyses, their own explanations, deems it right to place the emphasis on the present and, above all, on future cooperation. Which probably explains why we had no particular difficulty in agreeing on such priorities. I am happy to have been able to accomplish this journey which for me was also an emotional moment given the known background, emotional in particular as we passed the memorial near the airport and our thoughts went to all the victims of the genocide. Presenter For his part, Vice-President Kagame said France could play an important role in the region. LANGUAGE: English LOAD-DATE: January 18, 2000 PAGE 8 LEVEL 1 - 5 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 2000 British Broadcasting Corporation BBC Monitoring Europe - Political Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring January 15, 2000, Saturday LENGTH: 233 words HEADLINE: French junior minister happy to visit Rwanda for first timesince genocide SOURCE: Radio France Internationale, Paris, in French 1630 gmt 15 Jan 00 BODY: Text of report by Radio France Internationale on 15th January Kigali's strong man believes that the visit by the French minister delegate at the Foreign Ministry for cooperation to Rwanda is an important step towards the reestablishment of dialogue between the two countries. Charles Josselin the minister in question had a meeting of nearly one hour with Vice-President Paul Kagame, a first for a member of the French government since the genocide of 1994. This is what he said after the meeting: Josselin It is a well-known fact that relations between France and Rwanda were at sensitive stage and in need of reviewing. This was the desire behind my trip. I believe that Vice-President Kagame, just as ourselves, without wishing to forget the past, without either side renouncing their own analyses, their own explanations, deems it right to place the emphasis on the present, and above all on future cooperation. Which probably explains why we had no particular difficulty in agreeing on such priorities. I am happy to have been able to accomplish this journey which for me was also an emotional moment given the known background, emotional in particular as we passed the memorial near the airport and our thoughts went to all the victims of the genocide. Presenter For his part, Vice-President Kagame said France could play an important role in the region. LANGUAGE: English LOAD-DATE: January 18, 2000 PAGE 9 LEVEL 1 - 6 OF 80 STORIES COPYRIGHT 2000 XINHUA NEWS AGENCY XINHUA GENERAL NEWS SERVICE THE MATERIALS IN THE XINHUA FILE WERE COMPILED BY THE XINHUA NEWS AGENCY. THESE MATERIALS MAY NOT BE REPUBLISHED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE XINHUA NEWS AGENCY. January 15, 2000, Saturday SECTION: WORLD NEWS; POLITICAL LENGTH: 344 words HEADLINE: French Minister-Delegate for Cooperation Visits Rwanda DATELINE: PARIS, January 15 BODY: French Minister-Delegate for Cooperation Charles Josselin paid a brief visit to Rwanda Saturday in a bid to normalize relations iced by accusation that France supported the former Hutu regime in the 1994 genocide against Tutsis. Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported from Kigali that Josselin held a meeting with Rwanda's strongman, Vice President and Defense Minister Paul Kagame, for more than one hour. Kagame was quoted as saying that the visit by Josselin, the first by a French government minister in recent five years, was an important step toward the normalization of relations between the two countries. The Kigali government, led by the former Tutsi rebels of Rwandan Patriotic Front, has repeatedly accused France of supporting the Hutu regime of President Juvenal Hasbyarimana and covering the criminals in the 1994 genocide through the humanitarian-military operation "Turquoise" staged by the French troops in Rwanda. During his meeting with Josselin, Kagame also suggested that France play a role in solving the conflicts in Africa from Burundi to southern Sudan, and help the countries involved in the conflict of the Democratic Republic of Congo implement the Lusaka peace agreement signed last July. "We think that the best way to solve these problems is to treat them together, as the conflicts have an interactive character," Kagame said. The current visit by the French minister in the three eastern African states -- Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda -- is aimed at helping implement the Lusaka agreement which calls for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Congo, demilitarization of Congolese rebels and free elections in the country. France has urged the United Nations to send a peacekeeping force to Democratic Congo as soon as possible and expressed its willingness to provide logistic support for such a mission. Rwanda and Uganda backed the Congolese rebels, while Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia and Chad support the Congolese government headed by President PAGE 10 XINHUA GENERAL NEWS SERVICE January 15, 2000, Saturday Laurent-Desire Kabila. LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: January 16, 2000 PAGE 11 LEVEL 1 - 7 OF 80 STORIES COPYRIGHT 1999 XINHUA NEWS AGENCY XINHUA GENERAL NEWS SERVICE THE MATERIALS IN THE XINHUA FILE WERE COMPILED BY THE XINHUA NEWS AGENCY. THESE MATERIALS MAY NOT BE REPUBLISHED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE XINHUA NEWS AGENCY. December 15, 1999, Wednesday LENGTH: 178 words HEADLINE: FRANCE TO SEND FORMER RWANDA MINISTER TO INTERNATIONAL COURT DATELINE: PARIS, DECEMBER 15 BODY: A FRENCH COURT DECIDED ON WEDNESDAY TO SEND A FORMER RWANDA GOVERNMENT MINISTER TO THE U.N. INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL FOR RWANDA IN TANZANIA FOR ALLEGEDLY TAKING PART IN THE 1994 GENOCIDE IN HIS HOME COUNTRY. THE CHAMBER OF ACCUSATION OF THE COURT OF APPEAL OF PARIS SAID THAT FORMER RWANDA MINISTER OF INFORMATION, JEAN DE DIEU KAMUHANDA, WILL BE SENT TO THE ARUSHA-BASED U.N. COURT, WHICH HAS ASKED FOR HIS EXTRADITION FOR ACTS OF GENOCIDE. JEAN DE DIEU KAMUHANDA WAS ARRESTED BY FRENCH POLICE ON NOVEMBER 26 IN A SHELTER FOR REFUGEES IN PARIS. HE WAS A MEMBER OF THE HUTU INTERIM GOVERNMENT IN KIGALI DURING THE GENOCIDE AGAINST TUTSIS AND MODERATE HUTUS FROM APRIL TO JULY 1994, IN WHICH AT LEAST HALF A MILLION PEOPLE WERE KILLED. HE WILL BE THE FIRST RWANDAN TO BE BROUGHT BY FRANCE TO THE U.N. COURT, WHICH IS IN CHARGE OF PUTTING ON TRIAL FORMER HUTUS OFFICIALS AND MILITARYMEN ACCUSED OF GENOCIDE. THIS IS EXPECTED TO LEAD TO EXTRADITION OF OTHER RWANDAN HUTUS HIDING IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES LIKE FRANCE AND BELGIUM. LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: December 16, 1999 PAGE 12 LEVEL 1 - 8 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1999 AAP Information Services Pty. Ltd. AAP NEWSFEED December 12, 1999, Sunday SECTION: Overseas News; Overseas News LENGTH: 1225 words HEADLINE: World News in Brief BODY: France Rwanda PARIS, Dec 12 AFP - Sonia Rolland, 18, was crowned Miss France 2000 yesterday - five years after fleeing the genocide in Rwanda, where she was born and raised. She competed in the competition as Miss Bourgogne, the province of eastern France where her father - who ran a printing works in Rwanda - was born. Her mother was born in Rwanda. The new Miss France was born in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, in 1981 and has a 15-year-old brother, Michael. The family fled the country in 1994 when Hutu militias and government troops began systematically killing between half a million and 800,000 minority Tutsis and moderates of the Hutu majority in the small central African country. The genocide ended the following July, when rebels of the mainly Tutsi Rwandan Patriotic Front seized power and routed the killers. No exact count of the dead has ever been made. These days Sonia's preoccupations are much the same as those of many other young French women - cinema, fashion and dance. AFP UK pubs LONDON, Dec 12 AFP - Pubs in Britain will be allowed to stay open until the middle of the night or, in some cases, round the clock, under plans being considered by the government, the Sunday Telegraph reported today. Plans to shake up the maze of licensing laws are contained in a draft bill the government is preparing to publish in the New Year, it said. Pubs currently shut at 11:00 p.m. (2300 GMT), but that could be extended to midnight or 1:00 a.m. and to between 2:00 a.m. or 3:00 a.m. in urban areas. PAGE 13 AAP NEWSFEED December 12, 1999, Sunday And in certain circumstances, where local magistrates decide it would not cause a nuisance, they would be allowed to stay open all night. The draft bill also proposes a crackdown on sales of alcohol to children, with tougher fines or imprisonment for those who sell to under-age buyers. The paper said the changes would be a huge boost to the drinks industry, which is worth 25 billion pounds (40 billion dollars) a year. AFP Europe auction MONACO, Dec 11 AFP - A collection of 18th century French furniture owned by late Saudi arms dealer Akram Ojjeh was sold for a record 207.5 million francs ($ A51.27 million) at a Christies' auction in Monaco today. The price was the highest paid for French furniture, beating the 155 million francs paid for a collection owned by Hubert de Givenchy. Christies said the buyers were private individuals who were not named. Ojjeh, a tycoon of Syrian origin, died in 1991. The Ojjeh collection, considered one of the finest assembled this century, had been expected to reach between 80 and 120 million francs. The three main items of furniture each sold for more than twice the predicted price of between 12 and 25 million francs. The star lot at the auction in the Hotel Metropole was a Louis XVI chest of drawers made by Adam Weisweller (1744-1820) with ebony panelling and studded with precious stones. It was sold for 46.2 million francs ($ A11.42 million). Another Louis XVI commode by Jean-Francois Leleu (1729-1807) went for 41.8 million francs. A suite of furniture by Jean-Henri Riesener (1734-1806) sold for 38.5 million francs. The furniture had been kept at the Ojjeh family's Paris residence since his death. The sale was ordered by his widow Nahed Ojjeh. Meanwhile, in Helsinki today, a painting by surrealist master Salvador Dali "Port Lligat countryside" sold for a national record 7.5 million Finnish marks($ A2.11 million). The oil painting, on a blue background, was painted by the Spanish painter in 1958. The picture was bought by an anonymous telephone bidder abroad. AFP PAGE 14 AAP NEWSFEED December 12, 1999, Sunday Ukraine Chernobyl KIEV, Ukraine, Dec 11 AP - The Chernobyl nuclear power plant malfunctioned, prompting operators to reduce electrical output by 10 per cent today, a Ukrainian news agency reported. No radiation leakage was reported. Operators found a mechanical defect in one of the eight safety valves in the sole working reactor and switched it off, the UNIAN news agency said. The device was aimed at preventing the pressure inside the reactor from rising excessively. No further cuts in production were expected, the report said. The Chernobyl plant, site of the world's worst nuclear accident in 1986, was closed for planned repairs from July 1 until November 26. Since it restarted last month, it has experienced several breakdowns. Western governments and environmental groups have protested against the plant's operation, demanding its immediate closure. However, the Ukrainian government has said that due to a lack of funds, it cannot honour a previous pledge to close Chernobyl by the end of the year. It has pledged to shut down the plant sometime in 2000, but authorities say they need two more reactors built to compensate for the energy loss when Chernobyl closes. Meanwhile, a reactor at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant was shut down today for planned tests of its safety system. The reactor was to be restarted later in the day. Currently, 10 out of 14 reactors at Ukraine's five nuclear power plants are working, producing about 40 per cent of the country's electricity. AP UK customs LONDON, Dec 11 AFP - British customs officers have recovered contraband worth nearly one billion pounds ($ A1.6 billion dollars) in lost taxes over the past eight months, they said today. Since April, some 2,600 vehicles have been impounded on suspicion of being used in bootlegging operations, more than in the whole of the previous year. The total of lost excise duty and value added tax is already in excess of last year's figure, with the four busiest months of the tax year (until April 1) still to go. PAGE 15 AAP NEWSFEED December 12, 1999, Sunday Jane Griffiths, the Customs and Excise spokeswoman for south-east England, where the vast bulk of bootlegging takes place, said the number of seizures was as much thanks to improved detection rates as to a surge in crime. "Obviously, with the millennium celebrations coming up, a lot targeting people better too," she said. Anyone caught entering the country with more than the permitted amount of alcohol and tobacco is deemed guilty until proven innocent. Unless they can prove the items are all for their personal use, they forfeit their vehicles and cargo, as well as face possible criminal charges. AFP Mideast Arafat GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip, Dec 11 AP - The eldest sister of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat died today. She was 82. Inam Abdel Raouf Arafat Al Kidwah died at Al Amal Medical Centre where she had undergone treatment for various illnesses for seven months. The exact cause of her death is not immediately known. She was the oldest of Arafat's five siblings, described in various of his biographies as the mother figure in the Palestinian leader's life, after his mother died when he was a young child. At Arafat's request, his sister's funeral service was a private one, with only family, close friends and high-ranking Palestinian officials attending, an official said. The Palestinian leader was reported to have been crying during the service and very emotional at the burial site. Al Kidwah was buried next to her father in Khan Younis, in the south of the Gaza Strip where she lived since she returned from Cairo in 1995. AP ENDS WORLD DATELINES LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: December 12, 1999 PAGE 16 LEVEL 1 - 9 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1999 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse December 1, 1999 13:15 GMT SECTION: International news LENGTH: 261 words HEADLINE: Rwanda welcomes arrest in France of genocide suspect DATELINE: KIGALI, Dec 1 BODY: Rwandan authorities and citizens said Wednesday that they were pleased by the arrest in France of a former minister suspected of taking part in the 1994 genocide here. Jean de Dieu Kamuhanda, former minister of higher education, was arrested in Bourges on Friday. He is wanted by the UN's International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which sits in the Tanzanian town of Arusha. "It is a good thing," Supreme Court President Simeon Rwagasore told AFP. "It does not surprise me because France has the legal means to effect international arrest warrants concerning crimes against humanity," he added. The arrest "pleases us because this person appears on the list of first category genocide perpetrators," Emmanuel Rukangira, a supreme court prosecutor, told AFP. He stands accuses "of having organised and carried out the genocide in his native commune, Gikomero," he added. The fact that Kamuhanda was "a member of the genocidal government (of late Hutu president Juvenal Habyarimana) shows he supported his actions," said former foreign minister Anastase Gasana. Relations between France and Rwanda have been bad since the genocide, which claimed up to 800,000 lives. The three-month massacre of minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus was carried out by Hutu soldiers and extremist militias after Habyarimana died when his plane was shot down on April 6, 1994. Kigali blames France for not having done enough to stop the killing and of assiting Rwandan "genocidaires" in a milito-humanitarian operation codenamed Operation Turquoise. eg/afm/nb LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: December 1, 1999 PAGE 17 LEVEL 1 - 10 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1999 Africa News Service, Inc. Africa News March 1, 1999 SECTION: NEWS, DOCUMENTS & COMMENTARY LENGTH: 991 words HEADLINE: Rwanda; Rwandan Genocide: The French Disconnection BYLINE: Tom Heaton, All Africa News Agency BODY: Kigali - During and after the genocide unleashed in Rwanda during April 1994, France was accused of having performed a facilitatory role in this horrendous crime, which caused the deaths of at least 800,000 people. The French government maintained a studious silence in the face of these allegations. It was not until March last year that it decided to appoint a parliamentary committee to investigate them. The committee's report, published last December 15, concluded that France had in no way been involved in the massacre. The UN had accurate information about the impending massacre four months before it began. It is also highly likely that the French government shared this knowledge by virtue of its close relations with the Hutu-dominated Rwandan government. Regardless of this, however, there was a very good reason at the time for France to extend maximal support to that government, because by then the rebel Rwandan Patriotic Army, RPA, had made deep inroads into the country and were holding the capital, Kigali, under threat. From the beginning of the RPA invasion during October 1990, France began a huge airlift of arms, ammunition and communications equipment into Rwanda. For more than three years, France helped Rwanda to keep the RPA at bay. Then, much to the dismay of France, President Juvenal Habyarimana was killed when his aircraft was shot down by unknown persons as it was preparing to land at Kigali airport. This event sparked off the genocide. But France was less concerned over the blood flowing in the streets of Kigali than preserving its strategic interests and the safety of the persons who served them. Its first response was to use the 300 paratroopers it had stationed in Kigali to seize control of the airport, and its second to fly to safety in Paris on one of its military aircraft, Agathe Kanziga, the widow of Habyarimana, and her close relatives. Agathe Kanziga and her group were fully involved in the genocide, yet France is now telling the world that its government was unaware of the plan. PAGE 18 Africa News, March 1, 1999 How likely is this to be true? It is noteworthy in this respect that five months after the RPA invasion began, Lt-Col Chollet, the commander of France's troops in Rwanda, was appointed adviser to Habyarimana. The French Foreign Ministry denied the report, first carried by La Libre Belgique during February 1991, but other sources in Paris insisted it was correct. They drew attention to the well-known fact that President Francois Mitterrand's son, Jean-Christophe (then nick-named in Rwanda as "Papa m'a dit" or "Daddy told me so"), was a close friend of Habyarimana and acted as a contact between him and his father. The sources maintained that Jean- Christophe was behind the appointment of Lt. Col. Chollet. What is certain is that an intimate personal relationship existed between the Habyarimana and Miterrand families. That is impinged upon official relations is illustrated by the fact that the parliamentary report frankly admits that France found itself trapped by its pro-Hutu strategy. Given this admission, is it credible that France remained unaware of the main component of that strategy - the genocide plan - and was therefore innocent of involvement During the month following Habyarimana's death, 200,000 Rwanda's were massacred. Africa Confidential reported that the presidential guards, who were in possession of lists of targeted individuals, initiated the killings. The existence of such list "had been publicly known for months." What was also known was that interahamwe militias were being trained at military camps, one near Gisenyi in the northwest and another near Kigali. This was announced publicly early in February 1994 by Felician Gatabazi, the public works minister in the transitional government headed by Habyarimana: he was assassinated two weeks later. If matters such us these were known to the public in Rwanda, can France now credibly claim that it was unaware of them By June 1994 the killer squads were still destroying thousands of lives under the nose of the 270 UN troops left in the country, the bulk of those forces having been withdrawn earlier. Meanwhile the RPA had taken control of Kigali. It was at that point that the French army launched Operation Turquoise, which was backed by a UN Security Council resolution, to establish a safe haven in Cyangugu in the west on the border with Zaire -now Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). By doing so, France enabled the pool of refugees, which had formed the fall of Kigali to turn into a river flowing into Zaire. The 1.2m refugees included the defeated government and its army and militias. The French troops made no attempt to disarm them or to arrest any of those to have been involved in the genocide. Then came the disconnection of France from Rwanda. Operation Turquoise ended in September 1994 and all the French troops that participated in it were PAGE 19 Africa News, March 1, 1999 recalled. But it was not the final disconnection: that came in summer of 1996 when the late President Mobutu Sese Seko ordered his army to attack the ethnic Tutsi Banyamulenge, who had been living in eastern Zaire for 200 years. His army suffered a devastating defeat, after which the Banyamulenge, now allied with Zairean rebels, attacked and dispersed in disarray, the former Rwandan army and the Interahamwe militias. About a million of the refugees immediately marched home, and with them departed the last hope France may have been entertaining of restoring to power the overthrown and discredited Francophone Hutu government. Today, France seeks to sanitize its role in the Rwandan genocide in order to distance itself from those painful events and also from their consequences as witnessed by the fighting taking place in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the soldiers and militias rescued by Operation Turquoise are now participating on the side of President Laurant-Desire Kabila. LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: March 1, 1999 PAGE 20 LEVEL 1 - 11 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 The New York Times Company The New York Times December 20, 1998, Sunday, Late Edition - Final SECTION: Section 1; Page 17; Column 1; Foreign Desk LENGTH: 745 words HEADLINE: Panel Finds French Errors In Judgment On Rwanda BYLINE: By CRAIG R. WHITNEY DATELINE: PARIS, Dec. 19 BODY: A parliamentary committee on French military involvement in Rwanda before and during mass ethnic killings in 1994 has concluded that successive Governments in Paris made "errors of judgment," but it has absolved France of any responsibility for the killings. The committee, led by Paul Quiles, a Socialist former Defense Minister, was made up of legislators from both Government and opposition parties. It was formed earlier this year, after Paris newspapers charged that French military advisers had helped train the Rwandan Government forces and paramilitary militias that did much of the killing. Perhaps least surprising was its criticism of the United Nations for delaying military action to stop the deaths of at least 500,000 people, most members of the minority Tutsi ethnic group, once militias of the Hutu majority began the killing in April 1994. French troops provided the backbone of a United Nations force that went in to try to protect civilians in late June. The committee pinned blame for the delay on the international community, led by the United States, which was traumatized by the killings of American soldiers in Somalia the previous year. Nor was Washington eager to approve expensive military operations that would add to its mountain of unpaid United Nations dues, the committee said. There was no whitewash of what it described as numerous French failures. Neither Socialist nor conservative Governments appreciated the seriousness of the situation, the committee found, after the first 30 French military advisers went in to train Rwandan police and army forces in 1991. This involvement followed attacks in 1990 by Tutsi rebels using bases in neighboring Uganda. The training detachment had strict orders not to participate in Rwandan Government military or security operations, according to the report, which drew on classified documents and 110 hours of testimony by 88 military and civilian witnesses and experts, including Americans. (The document is available on the Internet at http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/2/2rwanda.html.) But President Juvenal Habyarimana of Rwanda had convinced himself that France "would be behind him no matter what happened, that he could do anything he PAGE 21 The New York Times, December 20, 1998 wanted on the military and political level," the committee reported, quoting Herman Cohen, the State Department official responsible for Africa policy from 1989 to 1993. Mr. Cohen also told the committee that the United States had trained some rebel commanders but had not provided aid to their organization. Accepting that testimony, the legislators poured cold water on the idea that the United States had somehow been trying to edge the French out of Rwanda, a former Belgian colony. "There was no American plot with the object of supplanting French influence in Rwanda," the report read. While looking over their shoulders for American plots, the committee suggested, French authorities failed to see how military aid to help combat the Tutsi rebellion was strengthening Hutu backers of President Habyarimana's regime for the final slaughter. From 1990 to April 1994, France sold 137 million francs' worth of arms to Rwanda, about $24.5 million worth at current exchange rates. This provided more than 10,000 mortar rounds, 1 million bullets and 3 Gazelle helicopters. France also gave the Rwandan authorities three more Gazelles and more ammunition. "If France did not participate in battle," the report read, "nevertheless on the ground it was extremely close to the Rwandan armed forces. It continuously participated in the working out of battle plans, provided advice to the general staff and to sector commanders, proposing redeployments and new tactics. It sent advisers to instruct the Rwandan armed forces in the operation of advanced weapons. It taught mining and ambush techniques, suggesting the most appropriate emplacements." According to the report, authorities in Paris disregarded occasional warnings from French advisers in the field that some of their advice could be put to bad use. As violence mounted in early 1993, "France in no way incited, encouraged, aided or supported those who orchestrated the genocide and began it in the days that followed the assassination," the report read. But, it added, "France maintained its presence and developed its military cooperation against a background of ethnic tensions, massacres and violence, as if impervious to a context whose seriousness it underestimated." LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: December 20, 1998 PAGE 22 LEVEL 1 - 12 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 The Economist Newspaper Ltd. All rights reserved The Economist December 19, 1998, U.S. Edition SECTION: Summary; Pg. 4 LENGTH: 846 words HEADLINE: Politics this week BODY: American and British forces launched air strikes on Iraq after a largely negative report from Richard Butler, the UN's chief arms inspector. Russia and China condemned the attacks. Bill Clinton delighted the Palestinians with a visit to Gaza. Palestinian representatives again abrogated the clauses in the national Charter that call for Israel's destruction. Even so, Binyamin Netanyahu cancelled the next phase of withdrawal from the West Bank, due this week. He also said that he would call an early election next year if the Knesset failed, on December 21st, to support him. Canaan Banana, Zimbabwe's former president, who fled the country after being convicted of sodomy last month, returned home. He will remain under house arrest until he is sentenced. A parliamentary investigation into corruption in Uganda named top politicians and said they should be prosecuted. Two have resigned, including the president's brother. Heavy fighting was reported in Angola, where UNITA rebels attacked two big towns. A French parliamentary commission exonerated France of complicity in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda blaming the UN and America for inaction. Hopeful ones The European Union's leaders promised in Vienna to reform the EU budget by March 25th. They also promised a "pact" to stimulate employment, and hinted that duty-free shopping within the EU might not after all be abolished in July. But the choice of a "high representative" for Europe's foreign policy was postponed until next year. The European Parliament threatened to censure and even sack the European Commission, in protest at lax management of the European Union's $ 100 billion budget. The crisis blew up after the parliament refused to approve the EU's 1996 accounts. The EU and Switzerland agreed on closer economic ties, and the Swiss will now let the EU's big lorries use their roads to cross the Alps. PAGE 23 The Economist, December 19, 1998 General Wesley Clark, NATO's supreme commander in Europe, warned Yugoslavia's president, Slobodan Milosevic, that his government would be held responsible for the safety of 2,000 international "verifiers" monitoring a shaky ceasefire in Kosovo, Serbia's rebellious southern province. An Italian court said that Abdullah Ocalan, a Kurdish guerrilla leader who has been under house arrest in Italy for a month, should be freed. Turkey was outraged. In France the far-right National Front split as its leader, Jean-Marie Le Pen, purged 19 leading party officials for supporting his deputy, and rival, Bruno M(acute)eg-ret (also expelled). The popularity of Denmark's prime minister, Poul Nyr-up Ras-mus-sen, and his ruling Social Democrats plummeted after he broke an election promise not to raise the retirement age from 60. Not now The debate in the House of Representatives on impeaching President Clinton was delayed in the wake of the Iraqi crisis. The American public continued to say, by large margins, that they wanted the president censured, not impeached. But 58% also said that if the House voted for impeachment, the president should resign. In a referendum, Puerto Ricans voted for the third time to reject American statehood. The Pinochet affair rumbled on. In Britain, the House of Lords ordered a fresh hearing into whether the general was immune from prosecution, since his lawyers argued that the Law Lords' earlier decision that he must face extradition proceedings to Spain was tainted by bias in one of the judges. Argentina and Chile signed an accord settling their last remaining territorial dispute, in the Andes. Fresh from calming his critics at home, Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's president-elect, visited Brasilia and Buenos Aires and said he wanted his country to join Mercosur. Against expectation, Mexico's government and its right-wing opposition party (PAN) reached agreement on the Fobaproa bank bail-out--and the central-bank governorship of Guillermo Ortiz, supposedly the PAN's price for a deal, remains his. Colombia's largest guerrilla group, the FARC, and the government agreed to begin peace talks on January 7th. Disqualified Cambodia's membership of ASEAN will be delayed, the leaders of South-East Asia's countries decided at a summit in Hanoi. Japan announced a new $ 5 billion aid package to help troubled economies in the region. Rioting students in Jakarta fought police and called for the Indonesian army's withdrawal from politics and for a trial for ex-President Suharto. The armed forces' chief, General Wir-anto, proposed a "civilian militia" to reinforce the police. Gunboats from the Sri Lankan navy sank a boat belonging to the Tamil Tigers off the country's northern coast. PAGE 24 The Economist, December 19, 1998 In Thailand an airliner crashed into a swamp while trying to land during a rainstorm. The accident killed 101 people, but 45 survived. A group of researchers in South Korea claimed to have cloned a human embryo. But it had only four cells when they killed it, and other geneticists seemed unimpressed. LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: December 30, 1998 PAGE 25 LEVEL 1 - 13 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse December 16, 1998 05:52 GMT SECTION: International news LENGTH: 461 words HEADLINE: WORLD NEWS SUMMARY US-Clinton-arrive BODY: WASHINGTON: President Bill Clinton arrived back in Washington after a frustrating visit to the Middle East to face a looming impeachment debate in the House of Representatives. Iraq-UN UNITED NATIONS: The top UN weapons inspector reported that Iraq has not only failed to provide full cooperation but has introduced new restrictions on the experts' work. US-France-Nazi NEW YORK: One of the seven French banks being sued in US courts by Holocaust victims is negotiating a compensation accord, sources close to the talks said. Pinochet-Britain LONDON: Augusto Pinochet's unprecedented appeal against his threatened extradition to Spain entered its decisive second day, but the former Chilean dictator may have to wait until next week for a ruling. US-space-ISS WASHINGTON: The space shuttle Endeavour, with six astronauts on board, landed at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, at the end of an historic construction mission at the orbiting International Space Station. ASEAN-summit-end HANOI: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit ended here with a communique calling for joint efforts at economic recovery and affirming that Cambodia will be the group's 10th member. ASEAN-Japan HANOI: Japan's Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi offered an additional five billion dollar cash injection to Asia and pledged to step up efforts to revitalise ailing Japanese and regional economies. SKorea-Vietnam PAGE 26 Agence France Presse, December 16, 1998 HANOI: South Korean President Kim Jae-Dung expressed his regret for Seoul's role in the Vietnam war when it fought alongside US forces, a government spokesman said. Indonesia-demos-Ramadan JAKARTA: Indonesian students have vowed to pursue their pro-reform protests during the the Moslem fasting month of Ramadan despite an appeal by the religious affairs minister, reports and students said. Russia-UN GENEVA: Russia is on the brink of implosion and only profound long-term institutional reform can get it out of its current crisis, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe said in a report. US-terrorism-threats WASHINGTON: US forces in the Gulf are on higher alert following "significant" and "credible" reports of a possible terrorist attack in the region, the Pentagon said Tuesday. France-Rwanda PARIS: A nine-month parliamentary inquiry cleared France of direct involvement in events leading to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda but heavily criticized French policy in the region for being shortsighted and naive. DRCongo-rebels KIGALI: Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) claimed to have killed 47 Zimbabwean soldiers in fierce battles in the southeast pitting the insurgents and their allies against a coalition of armed forces supporting President Laurent Kabila. afp LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: December 16, 1998 PAGE 27 LEVEL 1 - 14 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 British Broadcasting Corporation BBC Monitoring Africa - Political Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring December 16, 1998, Wednesday LENGTH: 532 words HEADLINE: PROGRAMME SUMMARY OF RADIO FRANCE INTERNATIONALE 1230 GMT 16 DEC 98 SOURCE: Radio France Internationale, Paris, in French 1230 gmt 16 Dec 98 BODY: 1. Headlines 2. Guinea: Alpha Conde, opposition candidate, was arrested last night in Guinee Forestiere. He is being taken to Conakry. Voice recording of correspondent live from Conakry. According to the interior ministry, he was arrested at the border as he was trying to flee the country. He had disguised himself as a marabout, they said. The party administrative secretary says all this is false. Conde was arrested in Lola where he would feel more secure. 3. Guinea: No figures have been released, not even provisional ones. In an interview with AFP, Mamadou Ba says it is impossible for anyone to win outright in the first round. 4. CAR: Partial results show that opposition has an edge in the parliamentary elections. 5. Gabon: President Bongo has addressed nation following polls. He said there was no electoral coup. Covered 6. France: The parliamentary inquiry commission has published its report on the Rwandan genocide and has exonerated France. Correspondent report. No formal reaction from Kigali yet. A former prime minister in the Habyarimana government has expressed disappointment with the report. He spoke to RFI. No voice recording. 7. Burundi: UN has called for lifting of sanctions against the country. UN representative in the country says this has devastating effects on the country's poor. 8. DRCongo: There are reports that Kabila is ready to sign cease-fire but on condition that there is a time frame for the withdrawal of Rwandan and Ugandan troops. The Kinshasa envoy in Kenya disclosed this. 9. Burkina Faso: An OAU summit on the DRCongo crisis begins in that country tomorrow. 10. DRCongo: The rebels say they have killed 47 allied forces in Kabalo. This has been confirmed by Zimbabwean authorities. PAGE 28 BBC Worldwide Monitoring, December 16, 1998, Wednesday 11. Libya: The US has asked the country to act on the Lockerbie suspects' issue. 12. Comoros: Anjouan separatists have signed a 48-hour cease-fire. (Cov) 13. Guinea-Bissau: The president and rebel leader have agreed on the formation of government of national unity. (Cov) 14. Sierra Leone: Rebels killed about a dozen people in the south during the night of 14th December. 15. Burkina Faso: charred body of a journalist who was critical of the government was found in his car. (Cov) Students have been demonstrating in protest. Voice recording of correspondent with profile of the journalist. 16. Mauritania: (Mahmoud Ould Maloum), a human rights activist has been placed under house arrest in Mauritania, according to SOS Racisme, a French human rights group. 17. CAR: there are a lot of protests over the second round of parliamentary elections. Voice recording of correspondent. International observers in Bangui say there was no violence. There were shortfalls but nothing that warrants the cancellation of elections. Voice recording of a Senegalese official from the Francophone Movement observer group. He thinks on the whole, things went well. 18. Commercials 19. Sport 20. France-Rwanda: Interview with the chairman of the French parliamentary inquiry commission on the Rwandan genocide and France's policy at the time. 21. Press review LANGUAGE: English LOAD-DATE: March 30, 1999 PAGE 29 LEVEL 1 - 15 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 U.P.I. United Press International December 16, 1998, Wednesday, BC cycle SECTION: International LENGTH: 382 words HEADLINE: French report stirs debate DATELINE: PARIS, Dec. 16 BODY: A parliamentary commission report absolving France of blame in the 1994 Rwandan genocide is triggering internal debate over the country's Africa policy. French Cooperation Minister Charles Josselin, whose jurisdiction includes the former African colonies, describes the report as confusing, saying, ''It is a report which appears to assess blame (on the United States and the United Nations) and then says there was none.'' The 1,800-page report, released Tuesday, was compiled over the past nine months by a commission headed by former Socialist defense minister Paul Quiles. The report claims the bloodbath stemmed primarily from a lack of political will by the United Nations and the United States. And, many of the French broadcast commentators and newspaper columnists today said French leftist politicians will likely argue the report fails to identify the overriding issue; that France has yet to modernize its Africa policy. The report sums up saying France is ''not at all implicated in the unleashing of the violence,'' despite allegations that Paris supplied arms to Hutu forces. A spokesman for Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin said he ''sees the conclusion as understandable.'' The report spelled out blame against the United Nations and the United States saying UN ''passiveness'' occurred ''mainly due to the refusal of the United States'' to see -- after Somalia -- the need for any immediate increase in the personnel and the capability of the U.N. force.'' The report notes that after 18 American Rangers died in Somalia during a 1993 attack, the Republican-led Congress pressured President Clinton to set stringent conditions on future U.N. peacekeeping operations. Some 500,000 ethnic Tutsis -- a minority population in the country at the time -- and Hutu opposition members died in the killings led by the Hutu regime. France dispatched its troops to Rwanda in June through August of 1994, claiming to be on a humanitarian mission but generally protecting some of the Hutus accused of ordering the genocide. The report summary said, ''The first point that should be recalled is that those who killed Rwandans were other Rwandans.'' --- Copyright 1998 by United Press International All rights reserved --- LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: December 17, 1998 PAGE 30 LEVEL 1 - 16 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse December 15, 1998 21:26 GMT SECTION: International news LENGTH: 454 words HEADLINE: WORLD NEWS SUMMARY US-Clinton BODY: WASHINGTON: President Bill Clinton's White House was bracing for the worst as an expected House vote in the first presidential impeachment vote in 130 years remained too close to call. Mideast-US EREZ CROSSING, Gaza Strip: Brushing aside an appeal from US President Bill Clinton and an historic Palestinian vote reaffirming their commitment to peace, Israel refused to commit itself to a date for a promised further West Bank withdrawal. Russia-Chechnya GROZNY, Russia: Chechnya declared a state of emergency as Alexander Lebed, who mediated an end to the Russia-Chechen war, warned the republic's internal chaos could embroil the entire North Caucasus in conflict. Lockerbie-Libya TRIPOLI: Libya's parliament expressed "satisfaction" with a plan to try two Libyans accused of the Lockerbie bombing in a neutral country but failed to specifically state whether the pair would be handed over. Iraq-UNSCOM BAGHDAD: Weapons experts carried out their work as usual in Iraq as UNSCOM chief Richard Butler prepared to present the United Nations with a crucial report on Baghdad's cooperation with the inspectors. Pinochet-Britain LONDON: Lawyers for former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet accused one of the Law Lords who ruled he must face extradition to Spain of being open to bias because of his links to Amnesty International. DRCongo-rebels KIGALI: Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) claimed to have killed 47 Zimbabwean soldiers in fierce battles in the southeast pitting the insurgents and their allies against a coalition of armed forces supporting President Laurent Kabila. PAGE 31 Agence France Presse, December 15, 1998 China-army BEIJING: China's army met a deadline requiring it to hand over its multi-billion dollar business empire to central government control underlining President Jiang Zemin's control over the military, analysts said. ASEAN HANOI: Southeast Asian leaders approved an accelerated free-trade plan and called for unity after differences forced them to delay Cambodia's admission into their regional club. US-threat-binLaden WASHINGTON: The Pentagon said it was aware of intelligence reports that Osama bin Laden, the Saudi expatriate accused of masterminding US embassy bombings in Africa, is seriously ill. France-Rwanda PARIS: A nine-month parliamentary inquiry cleared France of direct involvement in events leading to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda but heavily criticized French policy in the region for being shortsighted and naive. Malaysia-Anwar KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian prosecutors hauled a queen-sized mattress with suspected semen stains into the courtroom as a police officer admitted ousted deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim gave his consent to be tested for HIV. afp LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: December 15, 1998 PAGE 32 LEVEL 1 - 17 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse December 15, 1998 22:09 GMT SECTION: Advisory LENGTH: 1209 words HEADLINE: The AFP 2200 GMT news advisory DATELINE: Dec 15 BODY: The 2200 GMT news advisory: Duty Editor: Sibylla Brodzinsky Tel. Washington (202) 414-0541 TOP WORLD NEWS STORIES WASHINGTON President Bill Clinton braces for the worst as more moderate Republicans announce they will back impeachment JERUSALEM The Israeli government refuses appeals from President Bill Clinton to commit to promised further West Bank withdrawals TRIPOLI Libya parliament expresses "satisfaction" with a proposal to try two Libyan suspects in the Lockerbie bombing in a neutral country BELGRADE US special envoy Richard Holbrooke goes into intensive talks with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to keep the shakey Kosovo peace effort on track KIGALI Rebels in the DRCongo say they killed 47 Zimbabweans in fierce battles in the southeast FILING PLANS BY REGION -- AMERICAS -- WASHINGTON: President Bill Clinton's White House braces for the worst as a trickle of moderate Republicans PAGE 33 Agence France Presse, December 15, 1998 announcing they would back impeachment grew to a torrent. US-Clinton,2ndlead 700 words around 2330 GMT by Olivier Knox WASHINGTON: Just days before a House vote that could decide the fate of the Clinton presidency, civic groups seek to mobilize scandal-weary Americans into fighting to keep him in office. US-Clinton-grassroots,lead 700 words around 2230 GMT WASHINGTON: The US business community, anxious about prospects in Asia and the future of domestic interest rates, appears to be paying scant attention to the impeachment drama gripping Washington. US-Clinton-business 650 words for 2330 GMT by Nathaniel Harrison WASHINGTON: Republican Tom Campbell struggled for days with how to cast his vote when the House takes up the possible impeachment of President Bill Clinton, but in the end the decision to vote yes came naturally. US-Clinton-Campbell 500 words around 0030 GMT We have already moved: US-Clinton-apology PAGE 34 Agence France Presse, December 15, 1998 US-Clinton-poll US-Clinton-process WASHINGTON: US forces in the Gulf are on higher alert following "significant" and "credible" reports of a possible terrorist attack in the region, the Pentagon says. US-terrorism-threats,lead 500 words around 2230 GMT by Jim Mannion -- MIDDLE EAST -- JERUSALEM: Israel's government, facing possible early elections and right-wing anger over concessions demanded by US-backed peace accords, refuses appeals from President Bill Clinton to commit itself to promised further West Bank withdrawals. Mideast-US,5thlead 650 words moved. Pictures. by James Drummond. Also moved: Mideast-US-Jordan Mideast-US-Masada Mideast-US-reax Mideast-US-complaints Mideast-US-prisoners Mideast-US-Hillary JERUSALEM: US President Bill Clinton heads home to grapple with his own political crisis after failing to PAGE 35 Agence France Presse, December 15, 1998 achieve much substantive progress in the troubled Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Mideast-US-analysis 550 words moved. by Luc de Barochez. BETHLEHEM, West Bank: US President Bill Clinton takes his wife and daughter on a pre-Christmas tour of Bethlehem, putting aside, if not out of mind, his impeachment woes at home and the sorry state of the Mideast peace process he had hoped to salvage. Mideast-US-Bethlehem,lead 600 words, moved. by Hisham Abdallah. JERUSALEM: US President Bill Clinton's historic visit to Gaza as part of a new push to save the peace process leaves Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scrambling once again to save his fractious right-wing coalition from collapse. Mideast-US-Israel 700 words, moved. by Charly Wegman. TRIPOLI: Libya's parliament expresses "satisfaction" with a proposal to try two Libyans suspected of carrying out the Lockerbie bombing in a neutral country, but fails to state whether they will be extradited. PAGE 36 Agence France Presse, December 15, 1998 Lockerbie-Libya,4thlead 600 words moved. BAGHDAD: Iraq appeals to the United Nations to give its green light for a sanctions review and hails UN chief Kofi Annan for opposing Washington on the terms for lifting an oil embargo. Iraq 600 words, moved. by Farouk Choukri. TEHRAN: About 5,000 people attend the funeral of Iranian writer and poet Mohammad Mokhtari, one of several dissidents and authors slain in a suspicious killing spree that has alarmed the nation. Iran-murders,2ndlead 600 words, moved. Pictures. -- EUROPE -- BELGRADE: US special envoy Richard Holbrooke goes into intensive talks with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to keep the shakey Kosovo peace effort on track. Kosovo,roundup 600 words around 2230 GMT MADRID: NATO will consider starting a gradual withdrawal of its troops from Bosnia later next year to spur the fractured country to build peace on its own, PAGE 37 Agence France Presse, December 15, 1998 NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana says Bosnia-peace,3rdlead 650 words around 2245 GMT by Roland de Courson PARIS: A nine-month parliamentary inquiry cleared France of direct involvement in events leading to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda but heavily criticized French policy in the region for being shortsighted and naive. France-Rwanda,3rdlead 600 words moved by Jocelyne Zablit GROZNY, Russia: Chechnya declares a state of emergency as Alexander Lebed, who mediated an end to the Russia-Chechen war, warns the republic's internal chaos could embroil the entire North Caucasus in conflict. Russia-Chechnya,lead 500 words moved LONDON: Lawyers for former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet accused one of the Law Lords who ruled he must face extradition to Spain of being open to bias because of his links to Amnesty International. Pinochet-Britain,lead 690 words moved PAGE 38 Agence France Presse, December 15, 1998 by Alex Perry -- AFRICA -- KIGALI: Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo say they killed 47 Zimbabweans, including two senior officers, in fierce battles in the southeast pitting the insurgents and their allies against a coalition of armed forces supporting President Laurent Kabila. DRCongo-rebels,roundup 700 words moved by Emmanuel Goujon LOME: The president of Guinea Bissau and the top officer who mounted an army insurrection against him announce the formation a national unity government and pledge to respect a ceasefire and accelerate the deployment of a Nigerian-led peace-keeping force in the country. GBissau,3rdlead 500 words moved by Francis Ahouadi -- ASIA -- HANOI: Southeast Asian leaders open a crucial summit with appeals to close ranks in the face of an economic crisis, after divisions forced them to delay Cambodia's entry into their regional club. ASEAN,roundup. Picture. Graphic 750 words around 1600 GMT PAGE 39 Agence France Presse, December 15, 1998 by Mynardo Macaraig We have also moved ASEAN-Cambodia BEIJING: China's army meets a deadline requiring it to hand over its multi-billion dollar business empire to central government control, underlining President Jiang Zemin's control over the military. China-army,roundup. Pictures 650 words moved by Leu Siew Ying JAKARTA: Hundreds of police drag women demonstrators into the Jakarta police headquarters as student groups again hit the Indonesian capital's streets. Indonesia-demos,3rdlead. Pictures 500 words moved by Bhimanto Suwastoyo afp LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: December 15, 1998 PAGE 40 LEVEL 1 - 18 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse December 15, 1998 16:14 GMT SECTION: Advisory LENGTH: 1250 words HEADLINE: The AFP 1600 GMT news advisory DATELINE: Dec 15 BODY: The 1600 GMT news advisory: Duty Editor: Rob Lever Tel. Washington (202) 414-0541 TOP WORLD NEWS STORIES ARE WASHINGTON President Bill Clinton braces for the worst as the impeachment vote is seen as too close to call JERUSALEM The Israeli government refuses appeals from President Bill Clinton to commit to promised further West Bank withdrawals TRIPOLI Lybia parliament expresses "satisfaction" with a proposal to try two Libyan suspects in the Lockerbie bombing in a neutral country BELGRADE US diplomatic troubleshooter Richard Holbrooke calls for calm in Kosovo after a new outburst of violence KIGALI Rebels in the DRCongo say they killed 47 Zimbabweans in fierce battles in the southeast FILING PLANS BY REGION -- AMERICAS -- WASHINGTON: President Bill Clinton's White House braces for the worst as votes in the first presidential PAGE 41 Agence France Presse, December 15, 1998 impeachment vote in 130 years remain too close to call. US-Clinton 600 words around 1700 GMT. Picture WASHINGTON: President Bill Clinton's supporters launch a multi-media campaign aimed at rousing grassroots support for him just days before lawmakers vote on impeachment. US-Clinton-grassroots 500 words around 1730 GMT by Olivier Knox We will also move US-Clinton-apology US-Clinton-poll US-Clinton-process -- MIDDLE EAST -- JERUSALEM: Israel's government, facing possible early elections and right-wing anger over concessions demanded by US-backed peace accords, refuses appeals from President Bill Clinton to commit itself to promised further West Bank withdrawals. Mideast-US,5thlead 650 words around 1645 GMT. Pictures. by James Drummond. JERUSALEM: US President Bill Clinton heads home to grapple with his own political crisis after failing to PAGE 42 Agence France Presse, December 15, 1998 achieve much substantive progress in the troubled Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Mideast-US-analysis 550 words around 1630 GMT. by Luc de Barochez. BETHLEHEM, West Bank: US President Bill Clinton takes his wife and daughter on a pre-Christmas tour of Bethlehem, putting aside, if not out of mind, his impeachment woes at home and the sorry state of the Mideast peace process he had hoped to salvage. Mideast-US-Bethlehem,lead 600 words moved. Picture by Hisham Abdallah. JERUSALEM: US President Bill Clinton's historic visit to Gaza as part of a new push to save the peace process leaves Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scrambling once again to save his fractious right-wing coalition from collapse. Mideast-US-Israel 700 words moved. by Charly Wegman. We have also moved Mideast-US-Jordan,3rdlead Mideast-US-Masada Mideast-US-reax,lead Mideast-US-complaints,lead PAGE 43 Agence France Presse, December 15, 1998 Mideast-US-prisoners,2ndlead Mideast-US-Hillary TRIPOLI: Libya's parliament expresses "satisfaction" with a proposal to try two Libyans suspected of carrying out the Lockerbie bombing in a neutral country, but fails to state whether they will be extradited. Lockerbie-Libya,3rdlead 600 words around 1630 GMT. BAGHDAD: Iraq appeals to the United Nations to give its green light for a sanctions review and hails UN chief Kofi Annan for opposing Washington on the terms for lifting an oil embargo. Iraq 600 words moved. by Farouk Choukri. TEHRAN: About 5,000 people attend the funeral of Iranian writer and poet Mohammad Mokhtari, one of several dissidents and authors slain in a suspicious killing spree that has alarmed the nation. Iran-murders,2ndlead 600 words moved. Pictures -- EUROPE -- PARIS: A parliamentary inquiry clears France of direct involvement in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda but heavily criticizes French policy in the PAGE 44 Agence France Presse, December 15, 1998 region for being short-sighted and naive. France-Rwanda,2ndlead 600 words around 1730 GMT by Jocelyne Zablit BELGRADE: US diplomatic troubleshooter Richard Holbrooke appeals for calm in Kosovo, where fresh violence threatened to undermine the ceasefire he brokered in October. Kosovo,lead 600 words around 1630 GMT GROZNY, Russia: Chechnya declares a state of emergency as Alexander Lebed, who mediated an end to the Russia-Chechen war, warns the republic's internal chaos could embroil the entire North Caucasus in conflict. Russia-Chechnya,lead 500 words moved MOSCOW: Tens of thousands of orphans in Russia's state institutions are victims of cruelty and "shocking" negligence, and their fundamental rights are regularly violated, according to a study by the Human Rights Watch organisation. Russia-children 600 words around 1630 GMT (Releasable Wednesday at 1100 GMT) -- AFRICA -- PAGE 45 Agence France Presse, December 15, 1998 KIGALI: Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo say they killed 47 Zimbabweans, including two senior officers, in fierce battles in the southeast pitting the insurgents and their allies against a coalition of armed forces supporting President Laurent Kabila. DRCongo-rebels,roundup 700 words around 1645 GMT by Emmanuel Goujon MASERU: Three South African farmers found dead on the mountainous southeastern border with Lesotho are the latest victims of a bitter war of livestock raids between farmers from opposite sides of the border, police say. Lesotho-SAfrica-stock 550 words around 1615 GMT BUJUMBURA: Hutu rebels kill 30 people and wounded 20 in an attack on a regroupment camp in south Burundi, the Burundian news agency says as the central African country's civil war grinds inexorably on. Burundi-violence,2ndlead 650 words moved by Agnes Nindorera LOME: The president of Guinea Bissau and the top officer who mounted an army insurrection against him announce the formation a national PAGE 46 Agence France Presse, December 15, 1998 unity government and pledge to respect a ceasefire and accelerate the deployment of a Nigerian-led peace-keeping force in the country. GBissau,3rdlead 500 words around 1700 GMT by Francis Ahouadi -- ASIA -- HANOI: Southeast Asian leaders open a crucial summit with appeals to close ranks in the face of an economic crisis, after divisions forced them to delay Cambodia's entry into their regional club. ASEAN,roundup. Picture. Graphic 750 words around 1600 GMT by Mynardo Macaraig HANOI: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen had to settle for a seat in the audience after a frustrated last-minute bid to join the ASEAN summit. ASEAN-Cambodia. Graphic. Picture 500 words moved by Roberto Coloma KUALA LUMPUR: Prosecutors haul a stained mattress into court as evidence, as the trial of ousted Malaysian deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim hears he consented to being tested for the HIV virus. Malaysia-Anwar,roundup. Pictures 700 words around 1615 GMT PAGE 47 Agence France Presse, December 15, 1998 by M. Jegathesan BEIJING: China's army meets a deadline requiring it to hand over its multi-billion dollar business empire to central government control, underlining President Jiang Zemin's control over the military. China-army,roundup. Pictures 650 words around 1615 GMT by Leu Siew Ying We have also moved China-army-empire China-army-analysis JAKARTA: Hundreds of police drag women demonstrators into the Jakarta police headquarters as student groups again hit the Indonesian capital's streets. Indonesia-demos,3rdlead. Pictures 500 words moved by Bhimanto Suwastoyo BANGKOK: Thai Airways insists a plane which crashed into a swamp claiming 101 lives was in perfect working order before the tragedy. Thailand-crash,lead 550 words moved by Stephen Collinson afp LANGUAGE: ENGLISH PAGE 48 Agence France Presse, December 15, 1998 LOAD-DATE: December 15, 1998 PAGE 49 LEVEL 1 - 19 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 British Broadcasting Corporation BBC Monitoring Africa - Political Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring December 15, 1998, Tuesday LENGTH: 266 words HEADLINE: PROGRAMME SUMMARY - RADIO FRANCE INTERNATIONALE 14 DECEMBER 1998 1230 GMT SOURCE: Radio France Internationale, Paris, in French 1230 gmt 14 Dec 98 BODY: 1. Headlines 2. Guinea: Presidential polls held yesterday passed off without incident. 3. Gabon: Not many people heeded opposition candidate's call for ghost city operations in Libreville. It was however largely heeded in Port-Gentil. Following President Bongo's re-election, the vice-president has resigned. 4. Guinea-Bissau: The two sides meeting in Lome have reached agreement on the formation of a government of national unity. 5. Togo: The EU is maintaining sanctions on Togo. It is dissatisfied with recent elections. Correspondent report. 6. Guinea: 110 Sierra Leonean refugees have been repatriated under the auspices of the UNHCR. 7. Nigeria: Three parties have been registered for the final transition programme. 8. Angola: Hostilities between the army and UNITA have intensified in the centre of the country. 9. Burundi: ABP reports that 30 people have been killed and 20 others wounded in the south of the country. 10. France-Rwanda: the National Assembly will hold final hearings on the Rwandan genocide. Correspondent report. 11. Libya: Parliament says it is in favour of extradition of Lockerbie suspects to a third country. 12. Algeria: A new prime minister has been named. Profile on the new prime minister. 13. Correspondent report on corruption allegations against the International Olympics Committee official. Voice recording of an official. 14. Commercials 15. Sport 16. Algeria: Guest is an Algerian sociologist. He is interviewed on killings in Algeria. 17. Press review 18. Sports 19. World news summary LANGUAGE: English LOAD-DATE: March 30, 1999 PAGE 50 LEVEL 1 - 20 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Deutsche Presse-Agentur Deutsche Presse-Agentur December 15, 1998, Tuesday, BC Cycle 15:26 Central European Time SECTION: International News LENGTH: 278 words HEADLINE: France uninvolved in Rwandan genocide: parliament commission head DATELINE: Paris BODY: France was not involved in genocide in Rwanda in the spring of 1994 that cost an estimated 800,000 lives, the head of a French parliamentary commission investigating the issue was quoted as saying Tuesday. Allegations levelled at France in connection with genocide in Rwanda were unacceptable, Paul Quiles, head of the parliamentary commission of enquiry, told the Catholic newspaper La Croix. "If the issue at hand is whether France supported the genocide or took part in it, the answer is no without a doubt," Quiles said. The commission, made up of more than 100 civilians and military officials from other countries, was due to issue its final report Tuesday. France had come in for international criticism for its alleged role in the genocide. Critics charge that France continued to bolster the Rwandan regime following the 1994 genocide. An estimated 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutus are believed to have been murdered by Hutu militias and extremists in Rwanda in 1994. The former conservative French government launched its humanitarian Operation Turquoise - aimed at saving several hundred threatened Tutsis - after the massacres. Critics of the government of former French prime minister Alain Juppe charged that the operation had served to cover up French support for the Hutu government that was in charge in Rwanda at the time. The fact that the French military continued helping the Rwandan army train officers after the massacres gave the impression that France supported a violent and racist regime, Quiles said. French politicians had not been aware of the trap that France had fallen into, said Quiles. dpa cro LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: December 15, 1998 PAGE 51 LEVEL 1 - 21 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Xinhua News Agency The materials in the Xinhua file were compiled by The Xinhua News Agency. These materials may not be republished without the express written consent of The Xinhua News Agency. DECEMBER 15, 1998, TUESDAY LENGTH: 293 words HEADLINE: french report denies involvement in rwanda genocide DATELINE: paris, december 15; ITEM NO: 1215378 BODY: a french parliamentary mission in charge of investigating the role played by france before and during the 1994 genocide in rwanda tuesday rejected accusations that paris was involved in the killings against tutsis. the report, published by the president of the mission, former socialist minister paul quiles, said that france was "not at all involved" in the genocide, in which nearly a million tutsis and moderate hutus were massacred by the militias and soldiers supporting the former hutu regime of rwanda. but the report admitted that france "found itself trapped by its own strategy and manipulated by the (rwandan) power" under president juvenal habyarimana, who was killed when his helicopter was shot down on april 6, 1994. the death of habyarimana triggered waves of massacres against tutsis. "they were the rwandans who, during several weeks, killed other rwandans in atrocious conditions that we know," said the report. "at the moment they came out, france is not at all involved in this outburst of violence." pierre brana, one of the two drafters of the report, said that france "underestimated the threats of a possible genocide in rwanda" while there were clear signs about it. brana, who is a socialist deputy at the national assembly, said france had also failed to call for "with sufficient strength" the democratization of the regime of habyarimana. he said france read the situation in rwanda "through an anti-tutsi curtain" as paris considered the tutsis to be the "flagship" of uganda and american-british influence in the great lakes region. he also accused the french military of supporting a "mono-ethnic rwandan army" in the military cooperation between france and rwanda. LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: December 16, 1998 PAGE 52 LEVEL 1 - 22 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 News World Communications, Inc. The Washington Times December 3, 1998, Thursday, Final Edition SECTION: PART A; WORLD; BRIEFING/AFRICA; REGIONAL BRIEFING; Pg. A13 LENGTH: 600 words BYLINE: FROM WIRE DISPATCHES AND STAFF REPORTS BODY: Sierra Leone rebels block road to north FREETOWN, Sierra Leone - Rebels have once again attacked the bridge town of Mange, a major stop on the highway to neighboring Guinea, aid workers and travelers say. Monday's attack, the second in two months, killed at least 20 civilians, one aid worker told Reuters yesterday after reaching the capital, Freetown. The rebels used automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades and set fire to many homes. Travelers said that they had been blocked on the road for two days, and that soldiers from a West African intervention force are now escorting convoys of buses and trucks along part of the road. Mange is 86 miles north of Freetown by road, and its bridge is the longest in the country. Aid workers said the town, which had a population of about 20,000 before the raids, was largely deserted after the latest attack. Disaffected soldiers ousted elected President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah in May 1997. The West African force reinstated him in March this year, but junta loyalists remain active upcountry, particularly in the northwest and the east.France's Rwanda probe to be put on Internet PARIS - A French parliamentary inquiry into France's role in Rwanda prior to the 1994 genocide there will be published on the Internet in mid-December, the parliamentary committee investigating the issue announced this week. The report, based on months of testimony from French and foreign civilian and military officials, will also be available on paper and on CD-ROM from Dec. 15, it said. The National Assembly launched the inquiry in March to shed light on the role of foreign military forces during the Rwandan crisis of 1990-94, which culminated in the slaughter of as many as 800,000 people, mainly ethnic Tutsis, organized by leaders of the Hutu majority. Rwanda has said France's support for the ruling Hutu extremists delayed their overthrow by the Tutsi-dominated Rwandan Patriotic Front.Weekly notes . . . A young Nigerian woman seven months pregnant died yesterday, an apparent suicide, at a police station in Ceuta, the Spanish enclave in northern Morocco. The 24-year-old woman was arrested Tuesday after crossing illegally from PAGE 53 The Washington Times December 3, 1998, Thursday, Final Edition Morocco. She was treated for injuries to her feet at a hospital in Ceuta before being incarcerated at the civil guard station pending transfer to an illegal-immigrant screening camp. A warden bringing her breakfast found the woman hanged from the bars of her cell by her hospital-issued pajamas. . . . Charlemagne Bokassa, 28, is homeless on the streets of Paris, two years after the death of his father, Jean-Bedel Bokassa, former "emperor" of the Central African Republic. He told Agence France-Presse as he sat on a Metro station bench: "When you have no money, no work, then you've got no friends."SPCA keeps custody of 30 young elephants BRITS, South Africa - A judge ruled yesterday that 30 young elephants had been treated cruelly and awarded temporary custody of them to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The creatures' plight had drawn international concern, igniting protests in Washington and London and even prompting the Spice Girls to appeal to President Nelson Mandela. "This has become of public interest and is not private interest anymore," Judge Herman Glas said in upholding his October ruling. The elephants' owner, animal exporter Riccardo Ghiazza, had asked the judge to reconsider and let him keep the animals. The elephants were taken from a game reserve in Botswana and were to be sold to zoos in Europe and to a safari park in China. LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: December 3, 1998 PAGE 54 LEVEL 1 - 23 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Deutsche Presse-Agentur Deutsche Presse-Agentur November 26, 1998, Thursday, BC Cycle 10:22 Central European Time SECTION: International News LENGTH: 133 words HEADLINE: Rwanda's president to attend French-African summit DATELINE: Kigali BODY: Rwandan President Pasteur Bizimungu left the Rwandan capital Thursday morning for Paris where he will attend the French-African opening on Friday. In a press conference Wednesday evening, Bizimungu said he might meet with the embattled Congolese president, Laurent Kabila, who is also at the Paris meeting. Kabila has accused Rwanda and Uganda of having invaded his country, and has called upon southern African states, notably Zimbabwe to help him oust the "aggressors". Rwandan and Ugandan troops were deployed in eastern Congo to back Congolese rebels who withdrew the support for President Kabila on August 2, and launched an uprising. The central theme of the two-day conference is security. Central Africa is expected to figure prominently on the sidelines. dpa jbk ms LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: November 26, 1998 PAGE 55 LEVEL 1 - 24 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse September 24, 1998 16:43 GMT SECTION: International news LENGTH: 615 words HEADLINE: Rwanda genocide survivors criticize French fact-finders BODY: KIGALI, Sept 24 (AFP) - Rwandans who escaped the genocide of 1994 on Thursday were critical of a French fact-finding mission that visited the traumatized central African country this week. "I really have the impression that there was no point, and that our story does not really interest these people," a survivor told AFP of the parliamentary delegation probing France's role before and during the genocide. The 26-year-old survivor named only as Jean-Claude was one of five witnesses interviewed by two French deputies in the team, Bernard Cazeneuve and Pierre Brana, early Thursday at the Rwandan national assembly. "One of the members of the French delegation fell asleep while the deputies were asking us questions," he said. "We came to give them our testimony, but they kept asking us for proof." The panel, dismissed as a "farce" by Rwandan authorities when it was set up in March this year, is tasked with shedding light on France's role in Rwanda and the region from 1990 until the genocide of 1994 in which between 500,000 and 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered. A Rwandan journalist who is also a genocide survivor said: "We are just playing around. The French deputies cannot or will not say anything. They make a lightning visit, see a genocide site and don't even talk to the survivors there." Early Thursday at a press conference at the assembly building, Cazeneuve said that Rwandans "can only be pleasantly surprised by the findings of our report," without elaborating. "If there is one point on which we are absolutely certain, it is that there was genocide in Rwanda and we reject any form of revisionism on the subject," he said, adding that the French delegation had had "frank" discussions with Rwandan officials. Some officials had muted praise for the mission. "The questions they asked us showed that they truly want to define the role played by French troops before, during and after the genocide," said Emmanuel Gasana, diplomatic adviser to Rwandan strongman Paul Kagame. PAGE 56 Agence France Presse, September 24, 1998 France has insisted that its presence in Rwanda in 1994 was for purely humanitarian motives, aimed at protecting refugees, but the then-rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front opposed it, citing high-level contacts between the French administration and the Hutu government then in Kigali indicating a political bias. The Tutsi-dominated Kigali government has also accused France of facilitating the flight of Hutu killers to neighboring then-Zaire. Gasana said the parliamentary mission "should improve things between France and Rwanda," adding that the Rwandans had perceived "a real willingness to uncover the truth." He said however that "French military operations in Rwanda only complicated the situation. Rwandans always saw them as aid to the agents who committed the genocide." France's 1994 Operation Turquoise "had the goal of allowing the evacuation of perpetrators of genocide by giving them a way out (to the neighboring then-Zaire)," Gasana said. "The area controlled by the French army was perhaps the one that saw more genocide than any other." The delegation was in Rwanda for three days as the guests of the national assembly and were due to leave Kigali on Thursday for Geneva, where they are to hold talks with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata. The Kigali leg was the most sensitive of a "fact-finding" tour of the Great Lakes region, which had already taken Brana to Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi. The panel has already interviewed about 100 French and foreign figures including politicians, ministers, ambassadors, soldiers, academicians and other experts. Its report is due in December. eg-pbl/gd/aln LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: September 24, 1998 PAGE 57 LEVEL 1 - 25 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse September 22, 1998 10:23 GMT SECTION: International news LENGTH: 1198 words HEADLINE: The AFP 1000 GMT news advisory DATELINE: Sept 22 BODY: The 1000 GMT news advisory:- Duty Editor: Allan Kelly Tel. Paris (33-1) 40.41.45.86 TOP WORLD NEWS STORIES ARE WASHINGTON President Bill Clinton's videotaped testimony before a grand jury has little initial impact on public opinion MASERU South African troops enter Lesotho to restore stability KUALA LUMPUR The Malaysian authorities crack down on the reform movement launched by detained former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim SANTO DOMINGO Hurricane Georges tears through Puerto Rico killin three people and causing widescale damage to property TEHRAN Iran insists it is seeking a diplomatic solution to the crisis with Afghanistan's Taliban NEWS FILE PLANS BY REGION -- EUROPE -- LONDON: Nervous European stock markets bounce back from the severe losses suffered during the previous PAGE 58 Agence France Presse, September 22, 1998 session, as bargain-hunters move in to snap up shares after a modest upturn on Wall Street that sparked a rally on leading Asian markets. Stocks-Europe,lead 550 words around 1100 GMT by Philip Pank LONDON: Four British tobacco groups launch a legal challenge to a European Union directive that will phase out almost all tobacco advertising in the EU by 2006. Britain-tobacco,lead 500 words around 1130 GMT MOSCOW: Premier Yevgeny Primakov on his fourth try finds someone willing to take on Russia's tricky social brief, assigning the Greek ambassador in charge of promptly paying pensions and salaries. Russia-politics-3rdlead 500 words around 1100 GMT BONN: German Chancellor Helmut Kohl's conservative party is closing dramatically on the leftist oppposition but small parties hold the key to the forming of a new government after general elections Sunday. Germany-vote 600 words around 1030 GMT by Michael Adler PAGE 59 Agence France Presse, September 22, 1998 BRUSSELS: The global economic crisis will cut growth in the 11 EU countries which will adopt a single currency next year but only marginally, the president of the European Central Bank says. EU-euro-ECB,lead 500 words around 1130 GMT by Angus Mackinnon STOCKHOLM: Swedish Social Democratic Prime Minister Goeran Persson continues talks with the Left party and the Greens to secure a green-red majority in parliament, in order to allow his minority government to continue in power. Sweden-politics 600 words around 1100 GMT by Robert Koch PARIS: Motorists leave cars at home abandoning French city centres to pedestrians and cyclists as a daylong traffic ban aimed at reducing pollution goes into effect. France-pollution,lead 500 words around 1045 GMT by Claire Rosemberg -- AFRICA -- MASERU: In the first foreign military intervention by Pretoria since a democratic government came to power in 1994, South African troops PAGE 60 Agence France Presse, September 22, 1998 enter Lesotho to restore stability, wracked by protests against allegedly rigged general elections. Lesotho,lead 650 words around 1200 GMT by Emsie Ferreira MASERU: Anti-South African sentiment in Lesotho flares up as mobs torch South African shops and attack South African cars after Pretoria's troops enter the mountain kingdom to restore order. Lesotho-SAfrica 450 words around 1130 GMT LAGOS: Nigeria's electoral agency has agreed -- to date -- to register just five political parties for polls due here at the end of the year and might extend a deadline for others, reports says. Nigeria-politics,lead 500 words around 1130 GMT by Peter Cunliffe-Jones ABUJA: Nigeria's military ruler General Abdulsalami Abubakar leaves for Britain on the first such visit in five years, seeking to restore damaged relations with the former colonial power, on his way to the United Nations in New York and a follow-up visit to France. Nigeria-diplomacy PAGE 61 Agence France Presse, September 22, 1998 600 words moved KIGALI: A French parliamentary team is due in Rwanda on the most delicate stage of a trip to the strife-torn central African Great Lakes region, but the top Kigali authorities have no plans to meet the mission responsible for investigating France's role before and during Rwanda's 1994 genocide. France-Rwanda 550 words around 1200 GMT -- MIDDLE EAST -- TEHRAN: Iran stresses that it is seeking a diplomatic solution to the crisis with Afghanistan's Taliban militia. Afghan-Iran,lead 600 words around 1130 GMT. MANAMA: With Gulf states desperate to diversify their economies away from oil, competition for the region's shipping business risks degenerating into an all-out battle, experts say. Gulf-shipping 600 words moved. by Maher Chmaytelli -- ASIA -- KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian authorities crackdown on the reform movement launched by PAGE 62 Agence France Presse, September 22, 1998 detained former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, with his wife stopped from speaking at public rallies. Malaysia-Anwar,3rdlead 700 words around 1030 GMT by M. Jegathesan KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad accuses his former deputy of plotting an Indonesian-style uprising but he has no plans to step down. Malaysia-Anwar-Mahathir,4thlead 650 words around 1130 GMT by Eileen Ng JAKARTA: Jakarta pledges to go ahead and investigate Suharto's wealth even though the former president has repeatedly denied having stashed funds away abroad. Indonesia-Suharto, 3rdlead 650 words around 1030 GMT by Patrisia Prakarsa NEW DELHI: India's Hindu nationalist-led coalition recommends the sacking of the corruption-tainted government in the eastern state of Bihar and the imposition of direct federal rule. India-politics,3rdlead 650 words around 1030 GMT PAGE 63 Agence France Presse, September 22, 1998 TOKYO: Japan's shaky political deal to salvage the ailing banking sector is falling into disarray and threatening to undermine a critical summit with the United States. Japan-banking,3rdlead 700 words around 1045 GMT by Makiko Tazaki SIEM REAP, Cambodia: Cambodia's two main opposition leaders fail to resolve the key issue of setting up a government with bitter rival strongman Hun Sen in their first face-to-face contact for over a year, but hail their talks as positive. Cambodia-summit,3rdlead. Picture 700 words around 1100 GMT by Stefan Smith -- AMERICAS -- WASHINGTON: President Bill Clinton's videotaped testimony before a grand jury has little initial impact on public opinion, as Congress continues debating whether he should be impeached. US-Clinton,lead 900 words around 1100 GMT. Picture, Graphic PARIS: Terms of "humiliating inquisition" and "witch-hunt" typifies the European press's united attack on the broadcast of US President Bill Clinton's grand jury PAGE 64 Agence France Presse, September 22, 1998 testimony, but opinion was divided on his future in office. US-Clinton-Europe 600 words around 1100 GMT SANTO DOMINGO: Three people are believed dead after Hurricane Georges tore through Puerto Rico, rescue workers say. Caribbean-hurricane 600 words moved. New series. Picture UNITED NATIONS: Even as the United States and Iran dance cautiously around dialogue, the conflict in Afghanistan has brought the bitter enemies into a common diplomatic front for the first time in nearly 20 years. US-Iran-UN 600 words moved by Lee Keath afp LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: September 22, 1998 PAGE 65 LEVEL 1 - 26 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse May 20, 1998 21:19 GMT SECTION: Advisory LENGTH: 1375 words HEADLINE: The AFP 2100 GMT news advisory DATELINE: May 20 BODY: The 2100 GMT news advisory: Duty Editor: Rob Lever Tel: Washington (202) 414-0541 TOP WORLD NEWS STORIES ARE JAKARTA: Parliament hands Indonesian president Suharto an ultimatum to step down by Friday or face virtual impeachment as students vow to keep up their pressure on the ageing leader to quit. BELGRADE: Yugoslavia plunges deeper into political crisis as President Slobodan Milosevic gets one of his staunchest allies declared prime minister in a strike against pro-Western reformers. BUENOS AIRES: One of Argentina's wealthiest men, Alfredo Yabran, kills himself Wednesday as law enforcement authorities closed in to arrest him for the murder of a journalist who once photographed him. WASHINGTON: The House of Representatives votes to ban exports of satellites and missile technology to China amid allegations a US company gave out sensitive technology to improve reliability of Chinese missiles. NEWS FILE PLANS -- INDONESIAN CRISIS -- JAKARTA: Indonesian students continue their vigil at the country's parliament, vowing to stay in control of the complex until President Suharto steps down. Indonesia-unrest-vigil,lead. Pictures 600 words moved JAKARTA: Parliament hands Indonesian president Suharto PAGE 66 Agence France Presse, May 20, 1998 an ultimatum to step down by Friday or face virtual impeachment as students vow to keep up their pressure on the ageing leader to quit. Indonesia,3rdlead 800 words moved NEW LONDON, Connecticut: US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright urges Indonesia's embattled President Suharto to step down as a "historic act of statesmanship." Indonesia-US,2ndlead 600 words moved Also moved: IMF-Indonesia,lead Indonesia-unrest-scene,2ndlead Indonesia-analysis Indonesia-unrest-demo,3rdlead Indonesia-reax,lead Indonesia-unrest-markets,lead Indonesia-Myanmar,lead -- AMERICAS -- BUENOS AIRES: One of Argentina's wealthiest men, Alfredo Yabran, kills himself Wednesday as law enforcement authorities closed in to arrest him for the murder of the only journalist who had ever photographed him. Argentina-Yabran,2ndlead. Picture 500 words around 2130 GMT WASHINGTON: Allegations that the White House compromised PAGE 67 Agence France Presse, May 20, 1998 national security by allowing satellite exports to China have created a new potential political weapon for Republicans. US-China-Congress,new series 600 words around 2200 GMT by James Robinson Also moved: US-China-probe WASHINGTON: The United States runs up a record monthly trade deficit in March that analysts say reflects a booming, import-hungry domestic economy. US-economy-trade,3rdlead 550 words moved WASHINGTON: A satellite foul-up silences beepers relied on by millions of Americans across the country and interrupts radio and television services. US-beeper,2ndlead 600 words around 2300 GMT by Guy Clavel WASHINGTON: Representatives from 21 countries open a three-day conference to try to launch an international effort to rid the world of anti-personnel landmines. US-landmines 550 words moved BEVERLY HILLS, California Friends and family and well-known fellow entertainers give an emotional sendoff PAGE 68 Agence France Presse, May 20, 1998 to the late Frank Sinatra here. US-Sinatra,lead. Pictures 600 words around 2230 GMT -- ASIA -- POKHRAN, India: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee visits the site where India exploded five nuclear bombs, as the fallout from the blasts rocks ties with China and Pakistan. India-nuclear,2ndlead. Picture 700 words moved Also moved: India-nuclear-scene,lead India-China,lead India-China-war -- EUROPE -- BELGRADE: Yugoslavia plunged deeper into political crisis Wednesday when President Slobodan Milosevic got one of his staunchest allies declared prime minister in a blow against pro-Western reformers. Yugo-Montenegro,3rdlead 550 words moved PRISTINA, Yugoslavia: Ethnic Albanians in the troubled Kosovo province will attend Friday's first round of talks with Serbian government representatives, officials said, as NATO's council reviewed military PAGE 69 Agence France Presse, May 20, 1998 options to prevent violence spilling out into the region. Yugo-Kosovo-talks,2ndlead 600 words around 2130 GMT BELFAST: With barely a day to go before a referendum on the Northern Ireland peace deal, a new poll suggests voters in the province may be finally swinging behind the deal. NIreland-vote-roundup. Pictures 650 words around 2200 GMT GENEVA: The WTO agrees to hold its next ministerial meeting in the United States, probably in late 1999, to decide the agenda for trade liberalisation in the new millennium. WTO-communique,4thlead 700 words moved We have also moved: WTO-agriculture WTO-China-US MOSCOW: The authorities declared a state of emergency in Siberia's strike-bound Kemerovo region, as Sergei Kiriyenko battled to defuse the first major industrial action of his young premiership. Russia-miners,3rdlead. Pictures 675 words moved ROME: Art thieves described as master criminals steal PAGE 70 Agence France Presse, May 20, 1998 Impressionist paintings by Van Gogh and Cezanne from Rome's Modern Art Museum. Italy-art,5thlead. Picture 600 words moved MOSCOW: The Russian government pledges to support the country's nervous markets and defend the ruble, saying it will honour snowballing debts promptly to restore confidence in the economy. Russia-economy,lead 650 words moved BONN: German Environment Minister Angela Merkel halts German nuclear waste shipments to Britain's Sellafield reprocessing plant due to reports of radiation leaks in past convoys. Germany-nuclear 425 words moved PARIS: France's Socialist premier Lionel Jospin dashes to the rescue of his conservative rival, President Jacques Chirac, who is in the eye of a storm over corruption probes at Paris City Hall during his tenure as mayor. France-politics,lead. Picture 620 words moved BUDAPEST: Leaders of Hungary's two main parties go head to head in a live TV debate four days before run-off ballots which could oust the centre-left government. PAGE 71 Agence France Presse, May 20, 1998 Hungary-vote,lead 550 words moved LISBON: Expo '98, the last world's fair of the millennium, opens Thursday and is expected to draw some 8.5 million people to the Portuguese capital during the four and a half months it will last. Portugal-Expo 600 words moved -- MIDDLE EAST -- RIYADH: Two British nurses who spent 18 months in a Saudi jail over the murder of an Australian colleague walk free after being pardoned by King Fahd. Saudi-nurses,5thlead 500 words around 2115 GMT JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains defiant despite growing impatience from the United States and Europe over the failure of efforts to end the 14-month deadlock in the peace process. Israel-US-EU,lead 700 words moved MUSCAT: The International Whaling Commission wraps up its annual meeting with condemnation of Norway and Japan and votes to keep the 12-year-old total ban on whaling in force for another year. Whaling 600 words moved PAGE 72 Agence France Presse, May 20, 1998 -- AFRICA -- FREETOWN: ECOMOG, the Nigerian-led intervention force in charge of security in Sierra Leone, said it was in "effective control" of the capitals of all districts in the country. SLeone-security 500 words moved KHARTOUM: Sudanese people have been given an extra day to vote in a controversial constitutional referendum that opened on May 1, with southern officials saying rebels there are the losers. Sudan-referendum,lead 600 words moved PARIS: Nigerian leader General Sani Abacha claimed in an interview that he did not plan to stay in power forever but hinted he might run in next August's presidential polls. Nigeria-politics-Abacha 400 words moved NAIROBI: Kenyan police said they had arrested the suspected mastermind behind the murder of exiled Rwandan former interior minister Seth Sendashonga, as well as two alleged killers. Kenya-Rwanda,lead PAGE 73 Agence France Presse, May 20, 1998 500 words moved PARIS: French military officers gathered intelligence against the Tutsi-dominated Rwandan Patriotic Front in a secret operation in the run-up to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, the French daily Le Monde reports. France-Rwanda 450 words moved afp LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: May 20, 1998 PAGE 74 LEVEL 1 - 27 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse May 19, 1998 15:21 GMT SECTION: International news LENGTH: 1221 words HEADLINE: The AFP 1500 GMT news advisory DATELINE: May 19 BODY: The 1500 GMT news advisory: Duty Editor: Charles Whelan Tel: Washington (202) 414-0541 TOP WORLD NEWS STORIES ARE JAKARTA: Indonesia braces for a new day of nationwide mass demonstrations with students vowing to bring a million people on to the streets of the riot-scarred capital. NEW DELHI: India recalls its envoy to China amid a row over the Indian nuclear tests last week as Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee prepares fresh explanations to world leaders on New Delhi's compulsions. MOSCOW: The central bank throws a lifeline to the ruble with a steep interest rate hike, prompting a mini-rally on the stock market. ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of launching a "war of aggression" and demands the unconditional withdrawal of its troops. NEWS FILE PLANS BY REGION -- ASIA -- JAKARTA: Indonesia braces for a new day of nationwide mass demonstrations with students vowing to bring a million people on to the streets of the riot-scarred capital. Indonesia-unrest (new series. Pictures) 800 words around 1515 GMT PAGE 75 Agence France Presse, May 19, 1998 JAKARTA: Indonesians react with scepticism to a pledge by President Suharto to hold new elections and carry out reforms, saying he was just stalling in the face of growing pressure to step down. Indonesia-politics-reax,2ndlead. Picture 800 words moved by Patrisia Prakarsa and Bhimanto Suwastoyo Also moved: Indonesia-Rais-bio Indonesia-unrest-clash Indonesia-unrest-prayer ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif says an Indian warning of a hardline stand over Kashmir had heightened tension caused by India's nuclear tests last week. Pakistan-nuclear,roundup 650 words around 1515 GMT by Sami Zubeiri NEW DELHI: India recalls envoy to China amid a row over the Indian nuclear tests last week as Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee prepares fresh explanations to world leaders on New Delhi's compulsions. India-nuclear,roundup 600 words around 1645 GMT by Pratap Chakravarty -- EUROPE -- MOSCOW: Russian legislators deal a blow to President Boris PAGE 76 Agence France Presse, May 19, 1998 Yeltsin when they delay until September a debate on ratification of the START II nuclear disarmament treaty. Russia-US-START,sched-3rdlead 680 words around 1515 GMT by Christophe Beaudufe MOSCOW: The central bank throws a lifeline to the ruble with a steep interest rate hike, prompting a mini-rally on the stock market. Russia-economy,2ndlead 700 words by 1545 GMT by Mark Rice-Oxley BELGRADE: Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic proposes his faithful ally, former Montenegrin president Momir Bulatovic, as the new Yugoslav prime minister. Yugo-Montenegro,2ndlead 500 words around 1630 GMT GENEVA: Pakistan urges the international community to update its nuclear disarmament strategy following India's surprise nuclear tests last week. Pakistan-nuclear-UN 450 words moved BREMEN, Germany: Chancellor Helmut Kohl closes a congress of his Christian Democratic Union saying he would win September's general elections despite his current PAGE 77 Agence France Presse, May 19, 1998 low standing in the polls. Germany-politics,lead 690 words around 1530 GMT by Michael Adler BREMEN, Germany: Backed to the wall by low opinion polls, German Chancellor Helmut Kohl rallies his party for a last-chance effort to win a record fifth term in September's vote. Germany-politics-analysis 730 words around 1630 GMT by Michael Adler PRISTINA, Yugoslavia: Ethnic Albanian officials in the troubled Serbian province of Kosovo warn that they could boycott talks with their Serb counterparts slated for later this week. Yugo-Kosovo,lead 450 words moved ROME: The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation calls for better management of the ocean's resources in order to cope with future global demand for fish products. FAO-oceans,lead 500 words around 1630 GMT GENEVA: The world's poorer countries complain that they are being shut out from the benefits of free trade PAGE 78 Agence France Presse, May 19, 1998 after 50 years of market opening efforts. WTO-divide 600 words at about 1630 GMT by Sue Kendall -- AFRICA -- ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of launching a "war of aggression" and demands the unconditional withdrawal of its troops, amid several foreign efforts to stop a border quarrel turning into all-out armed conflict. Ethiopia-Eritrea,roundup 600 words around 1600 GMT We shall also move: Ethiopia-Eritrea-issues, 500 words around 1530 GMT WINDHOEK: Southern African leaders come under fire from international investors at the end of a three-day regional economic summit characterised by calls for debt relief and the attendance of President Laurent Kabila and American pop star Michael Jackson. Namibia-summit,lead 600 words around 1630 GMT by Bryan Pearson WINDHOEK: Democratic Republic of Congo President Laurent Kabila calls on the international community to scrap his government's debt and redouble its PAGE 79 Agence France Presse, May 19, 1998 efforts for the reconstruction of the country. Namibia-summit-Kabila 600 words around 1745 GMT by Denis Barnett PARIS: A top French soldier defends France's tardy intervention in Rwanda's 1994 genocide and attacks the Canadian commander of UN troops there for failing to overstep his mandate to prevent it. France-Rwanda-UN 650 words around 1515 GMT by Erwan Jourand JOHANNESBURG: The savage murder of an elderly South African couple on their farm at the weekend rekindles the fears of white farmers who have for months claimed they are the target of racist attacks. SAfrica-farms 600 words around 1615 GMT by Sophie Pons MOGADISHU: Somaliland's 'President' Mohamed Ibrahim Egal criticises the world for ignoring his breakaway republic's proclaimed independence from Somalia eight years ago and vows not to retract it, regional radio reports. Somaliland-anniversary 450 words moved -- AMERICAS -- WASHINGTON: Under fire from both federal and state regulators, PAGE 80 Agence France Presse, May 19, 1998 Microsoft braces for a bruising battle with government lawyers to preserve not only market share but the very practices that have made it the most powerful force in the computer industry. US-Microsoft 600 words around 1630 GMT by Nathaniel Harrison WASHINGTON: The United States faces opposition at home to the deal to end a dispute with Europe over US sanctions targetting foreign companies who invest in Cuba, Iran and Libya. US-EU-trade 500 words around 1730 GMT by Andre Viollaz WASHINGTON: The United States has won EU and Russian cooperation to curb exports of dangerous technology to Iran and a pledge to shut Tehran out of Caspian energy development in exchange for a freeze on sanctions, US officials say. US-Iran 550 words around 1530 GMT by Carole Landry -- MIDDLE EAST -- TABARJA, Lebanon: Two men convicted of carrying out a double murder during a robbery are hanged at dawn in a village PAGE 81 Agence France Presse, May 19, 1998 square here in the first legally sanctioned public executions in Lebanon in 15 years. Lebanon-execute,2ndlead 500 words moved. Pictures. by Rouba Kabbara MUSCAT: The International Whaling Commission unanimously approves a resolution giving priority to research into the effects of pollution and environmental degradation on whales. Whaling-environment 380 words moved afp LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: May 19, 1998 PAGE 82 LEVEL 1 - 28 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 The New York Times Company: Abstracts Information Bank Abstracts WALL STREET JOURNAL May 12, 1998, Tuesday SECTION: Section A; Page 22, Column 1 LENGTH: 23 words HEADLINE: WILL FRANCE APOLOGIZE? JOURNAL-CODE: WSJ ABSTRACT: Editorial criticizes France not taking responsibility for 1994 Rwandan massacre, which took place under French-supported government (M) LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: May 13, 1998 PAGE 83 LEVEL 1 - 29 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse April 30, 1998 17:36 GMT SECTION: International news LENGTH: 384 words HEADLINE: Senior army officers to give in camera evidence to Rwanda hearing DATELINE: PARIS, April 30 BODY: The French parliamentary commission probing the role of France in events before and after the 1994 Rwanda genocide will hear testimony from four senior army officers May 6, officials said Thursday. The head of the commission, Paul Quiles, also confirmed that France's Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine will give evidence in a public session on his period as chief of staff to the French president between 1991 and 1995. Former military chief of staff, Admiral Jacques Lanxade, and three other officers will give testimony behind closed doors to the commission. Between April 1989 and April 1991 Lanxade was chief of staff to the late president Francois Mitterand, whose legacy is also on trial as evidence has emerged of his direct involvement in France's Rwanda policy at the time. After leaving this post, Lanxade was the army's chief of staff until September 1995. The other officers who will appear are General Jean Varret, former head of France's military cooperation mission at the cooperation ministry between October 1990 and April 1993, and Colonel Rene Galinie, who headed a military assistance mission to the east African state from late 1988 to mid 1991. Galinie also served as a defence attache during this period and commanded the Operation Noroit from October 1990 to July 1991. Operation Noroit was a 550-strong French military force which was in Rwanda to protect French nationals and shore up the regime of President Juvenal Habyarimana under attack by Tutsi-led rebels. The parliamentary commission will also hear evidence from Colonel Bernard Cussac, who took over the operation until December 1993 and who also served as a French military attache. The commission, whose hearings are expected to last for three to four months, is investigating whether France supplied weaponry or political backing for Hutu extremists in Rwanda held responsible for the 1994 genocide. At the centre of concern are allegations that France backed and armed the Hutu regime regardless of rights abuses up to 1994 and supplied training and weaponry even after the beginning of the genocide in April 1994, to the PAGE 84 Agence France Presse, April 30, 1998 murderous Hutu army and militia. The commission's public proceedings can be followed on the internet at the following address: http://www.paris.msf.org. awb/jly LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 30, 1998 PAGE 85 LEVEL 1 - 30 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse April 28, 1998 21:08 GMT SECTION: Advisory LENGTH: 858 words HEADLINE: The AFP 2100 GMT news advisory DATELINE: April 28 BODY: The 2100 GMT news advisory: Duty Editor: Patrick Moser Tel: Washington (202) 414-0541 TOP WORLD NEWS STORIES ARE MOSCOW President Yeltsin meets with new premier Sergei Kiriyenko to name top figures in the government JOS, Nigeria The former number two in Nigeria's military regime is sentenced to death for plotting a coup OTTAWA Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien returns from Cuba visit JERUSALEM Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defiantly vows to reject any US pressure on the peace process NEWS FILE PLANS BY REGION -- EUROPE -- MOSCOW: President Boris Yeltsin kept faith with Boris Nemtsov, making the high-profile reformer number two in a new-look Russian government dominated by young liberals picked to give fresh impetus to economic reforms. PAGE 86 Agence France Presse, April 28, 1998 Russia-politics,2ndlead 700 words moved We have also moved: Russia-politics-bios MOSCOW: CIS leaders will paper over differences at a summit Wednesday of the moribund grouping of former Soviet states, amid deep splits over Russia's role and waning interest in economic ties with Moscow. CIS-summit 700 words moved by Jon Boyle VIENNA: Austria hopes to use its EU presidency later this year to help its neighbours in central and eastern Europe join the Union, but warns that some countries such as Slovakia must face up to their problems EU-EEurope 600 words moved by Michael Thurston PARIS: Industrial countries reaffirm their commitment to open markets, but suspend talks on investment liberalisation for six months in the face of mounting difficulties in reaching agreement. OECD, 600 words moved by Sue Kendall PAGE 87 Agence France Presse, April 28, 1998 COPENHAGEN: Danish Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen calls for a negotiated settlement of the country's first strike in 13 years, as unions warn the government against interfering in the dispute. Denmark-strike,lead 600 words moved by Slim Allagui ROME: With fears growing of a new conflict in the former Yugoslavia the six-nation international Contact Group which meets in Rome Wednesday is once again divided over how to or whether to intervene. Yugo-Kosovo-Contact 550 words moved PARIS: French policy in Rwanda comes under harsh attack from a top civil servant, the first self-criticism aired since a parliamentary commission began hearings last month on events before and after Rwanda's 1994 genocide. France-Rwanda,lead 550 words moved by Adnane Zaka -- AFRICA -- JOS, Nigeria: The former number two in Nigeria's PAGE 88 Agence France Presse, April 28, 1998 military regime is sentenced to death by a military court along with five others found guilty of plotting a coup last December, while two defendants are jailed for life. Nigeria-coup,6thlead 600 words moved by Ade Obisesan We will also move Nigeria-coup-verdicts We have already moved bios of main defendants -- AMERICAS -- OTTAWA: Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien returns from his Cuba visit, during which he urged President Fidel Castro to adapt to "the winds of change" in the Americas. Cuba-Canada,2ndlead 600 words around 2230 GMT by Howard Williams WASHINGTON: The US Senate narrowly votes to pay part of Washington's billion-dollar debt to the United Nations but the measure faces a presidential veto because of an unrelated abortion provision. US-UN,2ndlead 650 words moved by James Robinson NEW YORK: Steady US growth and a surging stock market PAGE 89 Agence France Presse, April 28, 1998 spark fears of a financial "bubble" not unlike that of the 1920s in the United States and the 1980s in Japan. US-economy 600 words moved by Jean-Louis Doublet WASHINGTON: The Iridium group says it is on track to launch its global wireless telephone service in September using a network of 66 low-orbit satellites. US-Iridium,2ndlead 600 words around 2200 GMT by Rob Lever WASHINGTON: The miracle impotence drug Viagra has conquered the US market, crushing its competition in just three weeks. US-Viagra,lead 500 words moved by Brigitte Dusseau -- MIDDLE EAST -- UNITED NATIONS: Iraq has failed to account for up to 700 mustard-gas filled shells that could still be militarily operational, UN officials say. Iraq-UN,2ndlead 650 words around 2230 GMT by Anne Penketh CAIRO: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak urges PAGE 90 Agence France Presse, April 28, 1998 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "respond positively" to a US initiative aimed at reviving stalled peace talks with the Palestinians. Israel-Egypt,4thlead 650 words moved. Pictures by Hassan Mekki JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defiantly vows to reject US pressure on Israel to increase the scope of an overdue West Bank troop withdrawal, even at the price of torpedoing the latest US attempt to revive the peace process. Israel-Palestinian 700 words moved. -- ASIA -- ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan's Taliban militia and their opponents resume talks aimed at ending 18 years of bloodshed, amid reports of continuing differences over who should qualify to sit on a proposed Islamic peacemaking commission. Afghan-talks,lead 600 words moved by Shah Alam afp PAGE 91 Agence France Presse, April 28, 1998 LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 28, 1998 PAGE 92 LEVEL 1 - 31 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse April 28, 1998 16:09 GMT SECTION: International news LENGTH: 1269 words HEADLINE: The AFP 1500 GMT news advisory DATELINE: April 28 BODY: The 1500 GMT news advisory: Duty Editor: Charles Whelan Tel: Washington (202) 414-0541 TOP WORLD NEWS STORIES ARE MOSCOW President Yeltsin meets with new premier Sergei Kiriyenko to name top figures in the government BRUSSELS Belgium's top policeman resigns in the face of the oublic outrage that followed child killer Marc Dutroux's brief escape JOS, Nigeria The former number two in Nigeria's military regime is sentenced to death for plotting a coup HAVANA Canadian Prime Miniser Jean Chretien wraps up his Cuba visit JERUSALEM Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defiantly vows to reject any US pressure on the peace process NEWS FILE PLANS BY REGION -- EUROPE -- MOSCOW: Russian President Boris Yeltsin summons his new Prime Minister Sergei Kiriyenko PAGE 93 Agence France Presse, April 28, 1998 to his official residence outside Moscow to hammer out the final details of the young reformer's first cabinet. Russia-politics,lead 700 words around 1630 GMT We will also move Russia-politics-bios MOSCOW: CIS leaders will paper over differences at a summit Wednesday of the moribund grouping of former Soviet states, amid deep splits over Russia's role and waning interest in economic ties with Moscow. CIS-summit 700 words around 1700 GMT by Jon Boyle VIENNA: Austria hopes to use its EU presidency later this year to help its neighbours in central and eastern Europe join the Union, but warns that some countries such as Slovakia must face up to their problems EU-EEurope 600 words around 1500 GMT by Michael Thurston PARIS: Industrial countries reaffirm their commitment to open markets, but suspend talks on investment liberalisation for six months in the face of mounting difficulties in reaching agreement. PAGE 94 Agence France Presse, April 28, 1998 OECD, 600 words around 1600 GMT by Sue Kendall BRUSSELS: Belgium's top policeman resigns, finally bowing to a wave of public outrage that followed last week's escape by the country's most notorious criminal, Marc Dutroux. Belgium-resign,4thlead 700 words moved (Debate in parliament underway, new lead to be filed later) COPENHAGEN: Danish Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen calls for a negotiated settlement of the country's first strike in 13 years, as unions warn the government against interfering in the dispute. Denmark-strike,lead 600 words around 1600 GMT by Slim Allagui PARIS: Former French foreign minister Roland Dumas, who now heads the country's top court, angrily accuses the press and judiciary of bias on the eve of his long-awaited interrogation in a graft probe involving oil giant Elf-Aquitaine. France-Dumas 700 words moved PAGE 95 Agence France Presse, April 28, 1998 by Claire Rosemberg BRUSSELS: The 11 European countries that will adopt a single currency next year have set June 4 as the date for the inaugural meeting of a new council to coordinate their economic policies, EU sources say. EU-euro-council,2ndlead 550 words moved. Graphic We have also moved EU-Europe-bank ROME: With fears growing of a new conflict in the former Yugoslavia the six-nation international Contact Group which meets in Rome Wednesday is once again divided over how to or whether to intervene. Yugo-Kosovo-Contact 550 words around 1600 GMT PARIS: French policy in Rwanda comes under harsh attack from a top civil servant, the first self-criticism aired since a parliamentary commission began hearings last month on events before and after Rwanda's 1994 genocide. France-Rwanda,lead 550 words around 1530 GMT by Adnane Zaka PAGE 96 Agence France Presse, April 28, 1998 -- AFRICA -- JOS, Nigeria: The former number two in Nigeria's military regime is sentenced to death by a military court along with five others found guilty of plotting a coup last December, while two defendants are jailed for life. Nigeria-coup,5thlead 600 words around 1615 GMT by Ade Obisesan We will also move Nigeria-coup-verdicts We have already moved bios of main defendants KINSHASA: The Democratic Republic of Congo signs pacts with Uganda and Burundi to strengthen border security affecting the powderkeg Kivu province and counter armed groups, including local rebels and alleged foreign 'mercenaries'. DRCongo-security,lead 600 words moved -- AMERICAS -- HAVANA: Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien wraps up his Cuba visit, declaring it a success but admitting only time will tell if anything concrete emerges as a result. Cuba-Canada,lead PAGE 97 Agence France Presse, April 28, 1998 600 words around 1515 GMT by Howard Williams NEW YORK: Steady US growth and a surging stock market spark fears of a financial "bubble" not unlike that of the 1920s in the United States and the 1980s in Japan. US-economy 600 words around 1700 GMT by Jean-Louis Doublet WASHINGTON: The Iridium group says it is on track to launch its global wireless telephone service in September based on its network of 66 low-orbit satellites. US-Iridium,lead 450 words around 1530 GMT by Rob Lever WASHINGTON: The miracle impotence drug Viagra has conquered the US market, crushing its competition in just three weeks. US-Viagra,lead 500 words around 1800 GMT by Brigitte Dusseau -- MIDDLE EAST -- UNITED NATIONS: The Iraqi foreign minister reacts to the extension of sanctions after warning the UN Security Council that an Iraqi threat of halting cooperation PAGE 98 Agence France Presse, April 28, 1998 with the United Nations should be taken seriously. Iraq-UN,lead 600 words around 1700 GMT by Anne Penketh BAGHDAD: Iraq celebrates the 61st birthday of President Saddam Hussein, not allowing the UN Security Council's renewal of crippling economic sanctions to spoil the party. Iraq-UN-Saddam,lead 650 words moved. Pictures. by Farouk Choukri. CAIRO: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak urges Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "respond positively" to a US initiative aimed at reviving stalled peace talks with the Palestinians. Israel-Egypt,4thlead 650 words moved. Pictures. by Hassan Mekki. JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defiantly vows to reject US pressure on Israel to increase the scope of an overdue West Bank troop withdrawal, even at the price of torpedoing the latest US attempt to revive the peace process. Israel-Palestinian PAGE 99 Agence France Presse, April 28, 1998 600 words around 1600 GMT. JERUSALEM: Proclaiming an "extraordinary revolution" in Israel's economy, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces that currency exchange restrictions would soon be lifted for Israelis. Israel-forex,2ndlead 500 words moved -- ASIA -- ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan's Taliban militia and their opponents resume talks aimed at ending 18 years of bloodshed, amid reports of continuing differences over who should qualify to sit on a proposed Islamic peacemaking commission. Afghan-talks,lead 600 words around 1645 GMT by Shah Alam COLOMBO: A powerful bomb devastates a major Sri Lankan telephone exchange as troops kill 20 Tamil Tiger rebels elsewhere in new fighting, officials say. SriLanka-blast,6thlead 600 words moved by Amal Jayasinghe NEW DELHI: The Dalai Lama calls for increased global support for Tibet as Tibetan exiles defiantly PAGE 100 Agence France Presse, April 28, 1998 renew a hunger strike broken up by Indian police and another protester hovers near death after setting himself ablaze. India-Tibet,4thlead 600 words moved TOKYO: Secretary of State Madeleine Albright gives Japan's record stimulus package the strongest US endorsement yet, describing it as a "very bold step" to bolster the economy. Japan-US-economy,3rdlead 650 words moved by David Williams afp LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 28, 1998 PAGE 101 LEVEL 1 - 32 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse April 28, 1998 14:55 GMT SECTION: International news LENGTH: 367 words HEADLINE: Niger threatened with famine: aid groups DATELINE: PARIS, April 28 BODY: Drought threatens Niger for the second year in a row, a situation which combined with a worsening economy puts nearly three million people at risk of starvation, humanitarian groups warned Tuesday. The west African desert country faces a food shortage of some 151,000 tonnes, according to the Early Warning System, an agency that monitors Niger's food security. A communique signed by Action Against Hunger, the French Red Cross and Catholic Relief said: "Emergency stocks amount to only 4,000 tonnes, which will not meet the needs of the coming months." The groups called for "a i0545 tm--p r i France-Rwanda 04-28 0264 France criticised for first time at hearing on Rwanda PARIS, April 28 (AFP) - French policy in Rwanda came under harsh attack from a top civil servant Tuesday, the first self-criticism aired since a parliamentary commission began hearings last month on events before and after Rwanda's 1994 genocide. France lent its support to "a weak and criminal dictator" by choosing to back late Hutu president Juvenal Habyarimana in the years leading up to the ethnic killings, said Michel Cuignet, who headed the French aid and cooperation office in Kigali from 1992 to 1994. He said Paris erred also in failing to withdraw around 300 troops still in Rwanda immediately after the August 1993 Arusha peace and power-sharing accord aimed at ending conflict between Habyarimana's regime and rebels in the Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). The commission, the first French parliamentary probe set up to examine the conduct of the country's foreign policy in three decades, last week heard the son of the late president Francois Mitterrand, Jean-Christophe Mitterrand, as well as former premier Edouard Balladur and three of his ministers. Mitterrand said his father strove to promote democracy and human rights in Rwanda ahead of the country's 1994 genocide, in which up to 800,000 minority Tutsis died along with moderate Hutus. The commission, whose hearings are expected to last for three to four months, is investigating whether France supplied weaponry or political backing for PAGE 102 Agence France Presse, April 28, 1998 Hutu extremists in Rwanda held responsible for the genocide. az/ccr/jly LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 28, 1998 PAGE 103 LEVEL 1 - 33 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 The Economist Newspaper Ltd. All rights reserved The Economist April 25, 1998, U.S. Edition SECTION: World Politics and Current Affairs; INTERNATIONAL; Pg. 48 LENGTH: 925 words HEADLINE: France and Rwanda. Humanitarian? BODY: PARIS AFTER the admission first by the UN and then by Bill Clinton of a share in responsibility for Rwanda's 1994 genocide, is it now the turn of France--accused of supporting and arming the genocidal Hutu regime--to make a belated nostra culpa? Not if the performance this week of four former French government ministers, including two former prime ministers, before a French parliamentary "committee of information" is anything to go by. In the four years since the slaughter of perhaps 800,000 Tutsis in Rwanda between April and July 1994, France has never sought to apologise, admitted any fault or even publicly questioned its backing of the Hutu-dominated regime before, during and after the massacre. Indeed, it was only after mounting national and international criticism, including allegations of French "complicity" in the genocide, that its parliament decided last month to set up the fact-finding committee. Although it falls short of the full-blown official inquiry for which French journalists, academics and humanitarian organisations had been pressing, the committee marks a small blow for democracy in a country unused to subjecting foreign policy or defence, traditionally the president's prerogative, to parliamentary scrutiny. Over the past 40 years of the Fifth Republic, there has been only one other such parliamentary inquiry into foreign policy. So it was not with particularly good grace that Ed-ou-ard Bal-ladur, Gaullist prime minister from 1993 to 1995, and three of his ministers, Fran-(cedilla)cois L(acute)eo-tard (defence, now leader of the centre-right Union for French Democracy), Alain Jup-p(acute)e (foreign affairs, later prime minister), and Michel Rous-sin (overseas co-operation), agreed to submit to three hours of cross-examination on April 21st. Their examiners were their parliamentary colleagues, led by Paul Quil(grave)es, a former Socialist defence minister. An indignant Mr Bal-ladur denounced the "revolting" and "hate-filled" campaign which, he said, was designed to discredit "the only country in the international community that tried to act" to stop the genocide. France was, indeed, the first country to send in troops for a supposedly "humanitarian" mission in June 1994. But it was later charged with using the mission to cover the retreat of Hutu leaders responsible for the massacres. It has also been accused of continuing to co-operate with, and ship arms to, the Hutu regime (with which it had a military-assistance agreement) well after the massacres PAGE 104 The Economist, April 25, 1998 had begun. Though admitting that "very limited" quantities of French arms were shipped to the Hutu regime in Rwanda for a year after he became prime minister in March 1993, Mr Bal-ladur insisted that, "in the present state of my knowledge", no more deliveries were made after a French arms embargo was imposed on April 8th 1994. This was two days after the assassination of Rwanda's President Juv-enal Hab-ya-ri-mana, an event that unleashed the well-prepared genocidal campaign against the Tutsis. However, Bernard Debr(acute)e, who replaced Mr Roussin as Mr Balladur's minister for overseas co-operation at the end of 1994, has reported outside the committee hearings that France continued to deliver arms for up to ten days after the bloodbath began. Others claim that French shipments were still being made via the town of Goma, in neighbouring Zaire, as late as July 1994. Another question demanding answers concerns the Hutu leaders, believed responsible for the massacre, who fled first to the area controlled by the French "humanitarian" mission and then to Paris, from where they were allowed to move to safer havens when the international tribunal on the genocide tried to seek them out. As yet, the Quil(grave)es committee has failed to inspire much confidence in its ability, or desire, to get to the bottom of this remarkably murky episode in France's ever-opaque dealings with black Africa. The fact that the events took place during a period of political co-hab-itation between a Socialist president, the late Fran-(cedilla)cois Mit-ter-rand, and a right-wing government does not help. The questions to witnesses have been criticised as either excessively hostile (when put to critics of France's role) or deferential. The committee has no powers of subpoena. The preliminary list of 52 witnesses "invited" to give evidence may include most of the top brass from France's political and military establishment at the time, but omits (for the moment?) the key members of France's intelligence services and armed forces directly involved with Rwanda. Civil servants and military personnel are required to give their evidence behind closed doors. Against first expectations, Lio-nel Jos-pin, France's present prime minister, has agreed to allow the committee access to classified documents, but only on a case-by-case basis. And although Mr Quil(grave)es has now promised that the committee's findings will be published, they are not expected to amount to anything like the weighty, critical tome brought out by the Belgian parliament last December after a similar exercise into Belgium's role in Rwanda, once a Belgian colony. But it is early days yet. Most of the witnesses already invited to give evidence have not yet had a chance to be heard. Their turn will come--and the committee's hearings are due to continue well into the summer and possibly beyond. LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 24, 1998 PAGE 105 LEVEL 1 - 34 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 AAP Information Services Pty. Ltd. AAP NEWSFEED April 24, 1998, Friday SECTION: Nationwide General News; Overseas News LENGTH: 237 words HEADLINE: AFR: FRANCE HAS BLOOD ON ITS HANDS OVER RWANDAN GENOCIDE: KIGALI BODY: KIGALI, April 24 AFP - France has blood on its hands over the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, the Rwandan government has charged, accusing former French prime minister Edouard Balladur of lying to a parliamentary hearing. "France has Rwandese blood on its hands," Emmanuel Gasana, political adviser to Vice-president Paul Kagame, said yesterday, adding, "The change of governments does not take away the responsibility of the state." Meanwhile Foreign Minister Anastase Gasana said that Kigali was considering demanding damages and compensation in a legal action against France, the United Nations and "all those who played a role" in the genocide. He read a statement by the national committee for national and international public information saying the government was indignant at the "totally untrue allegations" by Balladur in his testimony to the French parliamentary probe on Tuesday. Balladur had stated that Operation Turquoise, which the French military mounted in Rwanda nearly three months after the genocide began, was to help the victims of the mass ethnic slaughter, "but the reality was completely different," the statement charged. The French troops were sent to give cover to the militant Hutus accused of massacring between half a million and 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus, it alleged. The statement condemned "the involvement of France in the Rwandan genocide." AFP ts LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 24, 1998 PAGE 106 LEVEL 1 - 35 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 AAP Information Services Pty. Ltd. AAP NEWSFEED April 24, 1998, Friday SECTION: Nationwide General News; Overseas News LENGTH: 336 words HEADLINE: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE AAP WORLD WIRE AT 1530 APRIL 24, 1998 BODY: BANGKOK, April 24 AAP - Prime Minister John Howard today strongly backed Workplace Relations Minister Peter Reith over the waterfront issue, saying he had shown commendable strength and courage throughout the dispute. (WATERFRONT HOWARD) BANGKOK, April 24 AAP - Australia's aid program to Thailand is to be extended to cope with the country's economic crisis, and a sports foundation established to help Thai athletes prepare for the Sydney Olympics, Prime Ministerciding whether to take part in a July election. (CAMBODIA PRINCE NIGHTLEAD UNITED NATIONS, April 24 Reuters - Iraq has launched a sharp attack on the latest UN weapons report, saying it contained numerous "flagrant fallacies and lies," and demanded the immediate lifting of sanctions imposed on Baghdad in 1990. (IRAQ UN NIGHTLEAD)) LONDON, April 24 Reuters - A controversial shipment of nuclear material from Georgia arrived in Britain today aboard a US transport aircraft, Britain's Press Association news agency reported. (GEORGIA NUCLEAR NIGHTLEAD)) PRISTINA, Serbia, April 24 Reuters - Serbia stepped up its defiance of the West over Kosovo with a referendum vote against international mediation and an ambush in which army sources said it killed 22 guerrilla infiltrators from Albania. (YUGO KOSOVO NIGHTLEAD) NYAMATA, Rwanda, April 24 AP - Rejecting worldwide pleas for clemency, the Rwandan government has affirmed that 22 death sentences for the 1994 genocide will take place today. (RWANDA EXECUTIONS NIGHTLEAD) KIGALI, April 24 AFP - France has blood on its hands over the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, the Rwandan government has charged, accusing former French prime minister Edouard Balladur of lying to a parliamentary hearing. (FRANCE RWANDA) RAROTONGA, April 24 AFP - The people of the remote Pacific atoll of Manihiki, spared from another storm, are recovering from the loss of 19 of their fellow islanders to a brutal cyclone with a dedicated effort to rebuild their shattered homes. (ALLAN COOKS NIGHTLEAD) LANGUAGE: ENGLISH PAGE 107 AAP NEWSFEED April 24, 1998, Friday LOAD-DATE: April 24, 1998 PAGE 108 LEVEL 1 - 36 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 AAP Information Services Pty. Ltd. AAP NEWSFEED April 23, 1998, Thursday SECTION: Nationwide General News; Overseas News LENGTH: 746 words HEADLINE: EUR: MITTERRAND'S RWANDA ROLE IN QUESTION AS SON TESTIFIES BYLINE: By Claire Rosemberg BODY: PARIS, April 22 AFP - Late president Francois Mitterrand's role in the controversy over French policy in Rwanda before and after the 1994 genocide came under the spotlight today when his son Jean-Christophe testified in a parliamentary probe. Jean-Christophe Mitterrand was being heard in public by the first French parliamentary commission set up to examine foreign policy conduct in three decades. He testified after a closed hearing of the French ambassador in Kigali from 1990 to 1993, Georges Martres. Mitterrand opened his statement by denying allegations that a small unit of Africa advisors working at the Elysee presidential palace had shaped French policy in Africa, bypassing the government as well the head of state during his two seven-year terms in office. "No, I repeat no, the role of the successive advisors in charge of African affairs during Francois Mitterrand's mandate was to inform the president, answer his questions and carry out the missions he thought useful." Ex-premier Edouard Balladur, in testifimony yesterday, raised the possibility that the president's men ran undercover operations short-circuiting his government. Mitterrand also denied allegations that he was a friend of the son of the late Rwandan president Juvenal Habayarimana or that he owned a marijuana plantation in the country. The commission, whose hearings are expected to last for three to four months, is investigating whether France supplied weaponry or political backing for Hutu extremists of Rwanda held responsible for ethnic butchery in which up to 800,000 minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed. As his father's chief counsellor for six years on African affairs, a murky world where big business and covert affairs cohabited across France's former colonies, Mitterrand was expected to shed light on the president's role in Rwanda in the years before and after the 1994 genocide. Mitterrand began his testimony by delivering a step-by-step account of French ties with Habayarimana between 1990 and 1992, He was to be questioned later by the 30 parliamentarians sitting at the hearing. PAGE 109 AAP NEWSFEED April 23, 1998, Thursday A journalist from 1973 to 1982, the younger Mitterrand, now 51, was posted to several African countries before joining the staff at the Elysee presidential palace after his father's May 1981 election, the first of two seven-year mandates. Head of the Elysee's secretive Africa cell from 1986 to 1992, Mitterrand's oldest son soon became his "Monsieur Afrique", tirelessly criss-crossing the continent where he earned the nickname "Papamadit" - DaddyToldMe. In his drive to bolster French trade and maintain friendships in the country's traditional sphere of influence, the young Mitterrand in 1989 notably played a key role in Ivorian President Felix Houphouet-Boigny's decision to sell the country's entire cocoa crop - over 400,000 tonnes - to France's Sucres et Denrees with the held of a financial state guarantee. When asked yesterday to comment on allegations that the Elysee's Africa cell was the real player in French policy in Rwanda, rather than his 1993 to 1995 government, Balladur sidestepped the question. "The president was free to organise his staff's work," he told the 30 parliamentarians sitting on the commission. "But during this period the government assumed all its responsibilities. At the centre of concern over the conduct of Mitterrand's Africa cell will be allegations that France supplied weaponry even after the beginning of the genocide in April 1994 to the murderous Hutu army and militia. There could be continuing questions too over the downing of a plane carrying Habyarimana and his Burundian counterpart in a missile attack April 6, 1994 that unleashed the ethnic killings. Balladur, along with his former foreign and defence ministers, Alain Juppe and Francois Leotard, denied allegations the missiles were French also denied supplying arms to Rwanda in 1994, or supporting Hutu extremists by easing their escape from the country. But Balladur raised serious doubts about the existence of covert operation taking place without his knowledge and asked the parliamentary mission to provide him with secret lists of arms sales in that period. "Apparently you have some doubts (on arms sales)," a parliamentarian said. "As far as I know there were no (arms sales) authorisations but I can't be expected to know everything and I can't remember everything," he said. AFP lw LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 22, 1998 PAGE 110 LEVEL 1 - 37 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 AAP Information Services Pty. Ltd. AAP NEWSFEED April 23, 1998, Thursday SECTION: Nationwide General News; Overseas News LENGTH: 633 words HEADLINE: EUR: MITTERRAND'S SON DEFENDS FRENCH ROLE IN RWANDA BYLINE: By Francois Raitberger BODY: PARIS, April 22 Reuters - The son of the late president Francois Mitterrand testified today that Rwanda was surprised by French demands, four years before the 1994 genocide of Tutsis, to erase mention of ethnic origin on identity cards. Jean-Christophe Mitterrand, long-time African affairs adviser to his father, told a parliamentary committee probing France's possible responsibilities in the genocide that the identity cards mentioning "Hutu" or "Tutsi" were never changed. He said Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, had answered to the French request: "Yes, if that is what you want, why not? But what is the problem?" Mitterrand said Habyarimana argued that the ethnic mention existed under Belgian rule of Rwanda, and could not understand it posed a moral problem even though his country had suffered various ethnic massacres between Tutsis and the majority Hutus in its history. Mitterrand said France was to help Rwanda in supplying new identity cards, but the complex operation in a country without a civil registrar was still to be carried out when at least 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis, were massacred in 1994. "It took time and it could not be done," he said. "This allowed the genocide to take place," said committee chairman Paul Quiles, a former defence minister. Mitterrand replied: "This is exaggerated. Many moderate Hutus died in the genocide, and 'moderate' was not mentioned on ID cards." In a previous hearing, then-prime minister Edouard Balladur defended France against charges that it sent troops to Rwanda after the genocide to save its ally, Habyarimana's Hutu-dominated government, from the advancing rebels of the Tutsi-led Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF). Balladur said the French intervention was intended only to stop the lingering massacres. Mitterrand was not questioned on that period as he had left his job in 1992 to work in private business, but he defended France's help to Habyarimana against the RPF previously. PAGE 111 AAP NEWSFEED April 23, 1998, Thursday Calling Habyarimana a dictator, he said his father spared no effort to restore peace and push for democracy in Rwanda. "No country can boast of doing so much," he said. A veteran news agency Africa correspondent, Mitterrand, now in his 40s, was entrusted by his father with heading in 1986-92 an "African cell" which handled France's ties with former African colonies from the Elysee presidential palace. Criticised for secretive methods and dubbed "Papa-ma-dit" (Daddy told me) by opponents, he has been reported to be a major player in France's relations with Africa and to be on close personal terms with many African leaders. But through the committee's televised two-hour grilling, he sought to play down his role, saying he hardly ever was a party to high-level meetings, made only one secret trip during his tenure and was only informed later of such major decisions as arms deliveries to African allies. "This belies the power of this 'African cell' which was said to make the rain fall and the sun shine," he said. He opened the hearing by pointedly denying press reports that he owned a cannabis farm in Rwanda and was a close friend of Habyarimana's son. "I don't even know him," he said. Mitterrand said Rwanda had joined Paris's sphere of influence in Africa and made defence deals at its own demand, and not because France had been coveting its natural wealth. "France was no vulture. Apart from coffee, bananas and endangered gorillas, there is not much in Rwanda," he said. The genocide began when a plane carrying Habyarimana and the president of neighbouring Burundi was downed by a missile. The attack has been blamed on a Russian-made missile seized during the Gulf War and variously reported to have come from French or US armouries. REUTERS lw LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 22, 1998 PAGE 112 LEVEL 1 - 38 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 AAP Information Services Pty. Ltd. AAP NEWSFEED April 23, 1998, Thursday SECTION: Nationwide General News; Overseas News LENGTH: 1509 words HEADLINE: WORLD NEWS HIGHLIGHTS FROM AAP 06:00 APRIL 23 BODY: WILMINGTON, Delaware, April 22 AP - A 19-year-old former college student accused of helping her boyfriend kill their newborn son pleaded guilty to manslaughter today, one-and-a-half years after the baby's body was found wrapped in plastic in a motel garbage bin. (Slug US INFANT sent at 05:11, 364 words.)< AFR: LAWYER PROTESTS AGAINST RWANDA'S EXECUTION PLAN NAIROBI, April 22 AFP - A Canadian lawyer defending key Rwandan genocide suspects today protested at an announcement in Kigali that 33 defendants convicted within the country will face the firing squad. (Slug RWANDA EXECUTIONS DAYLEAD sent at 03:47, 545 words.)< EUR: MITTERRAND'S SON DEFENDS FRENCH ROLE IN RWANDA PARIS, April 22 Reuters - The son of the late president Francois Mitterrand testified today that Rwanda was surprised by French demands, four years before the 1994 genocide of Tutsis, to erase mention of ethnic origin on identity cards. (Slug FRANCE RWANDA DAYLEAD sent at 06:50, 636 words.)< UK: BLAIR STEPS IN TO HALT ULSTER PARADES REPORT LONDON, April 22 PA - A crucial report outlining preliminary decisions on whether Northern Ireland's most contentious parades should go ahead this summer was dramatically scrapped after last minute intervention by the Prime Minister. (Slug IRELAND BLAIR sent at 06:28, 280 words.)< IRE: FAMILY IN PEACE PLEA AFTER N IRISH SHOOTING BELFAST, April 22 Reuters - Relatives of a murdered Roman Catholic issued a heartfelt plea today for an end to the "madness" that was supposed to stop with this month's landmark peace pact for Northern Ireland. (Slug IRELAND DAYLEAD sent at 03:24, 616 words.)< US: HACKERS BREAK INTO PENTAGON SYSTEM, THREATEN TO SELL INFO NEW YORK, April 22 AP - In what one security expert said may be the most serious such intrusion to date, computer hackers have broken into a Pentagon network, stolen software for a military satelite system and threatened to sell it to terrorists. (Slug INTERNET HACKERS sent at 05:33, 404 words.)< MID: SURVIVORS' CONTRIBUTIONS HAILED FOR HOLOCAUST DAY JERUSALEM, April 22 AP - Survivors of the Holocaust were honoured today for their contributions to the founding of the state of Israel at a ceremony for Holocaust Remembrance Day. (Slug ISRAEL HOLOCAUST sent at 05:33, 408 words.)< MID: ISRAELI MINISTERS DEBATE INCREASED WEST BANK PULLOUT JERUSALEM, April 22 AFP - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his top ministers studied plans today to increase the amount of West Bank land Israel is willing to hand over to Palestinians as part of a US-brokered deal to revive the peace process, a senior official said. (Slug MIDEAST DAYLEAD sent at 04:13, 616 words.)< US: JEWS URGED TO HELP GENETIC TESTING WASHINGTON, April 22 Reuters - Top genetic researchers joined forces with leaders of the Jewish community today to urge Jews to take part in PAGE 113 AAP NEWSFEED April 23, 1998, Thursday genetic tests they say will benefit Americans in general and people around the world. (Slug SCI JEWS sent at 06:17, 714 words.)< AFR: ARAB LEAGUE MEMBERS SIGN ANTI-TERRORISM CONVENTION CAIRO, April 22 AFP - The 22 members of the Arab League signed the first Arab convention against terrorism here today. (Slug EGYPT TERRORISM DAYLEAD sent at 03:32, 653 words.)< EUR: NEW FLAREUPS IN KOSOVO AHEAD OF SERBIAN REFERENDUM PRISTINA, Yugoslavia, April 22 AP - Police and ethnic Albanians reportedly exchanged fire in Kosovo today, one day before a Serbian referendum on the troubled province. (Slug YUGO KOSOVO DAYLEAD sent at 03:36, 431 words. See also YUGO KOSOVO PARTY, YUGO KOSOVO UN.)< MID: IRAQ RAPS BUTLER, URGES ARABS TO BUST UN EMBARGO BAGHDAD, April 22 Reuters - Iraq today accused chief UN weapons inspector Australian Richard Butler of being a US "agent" over his latest report stating that no progress had been made in the past six months in scrapping the country's weapons of mass destruction. (Slug IRAQ UN sent at 05:41, 705 words.)< UK: UK NUCLEAR SITE CAN'T TAKE ALL GEORGIA WASTE LONDON, April 22 Reuters - The British government waded deeper into controversy today over a secret deal to reprocess nuclear material from the former Soviet republic of Georgia. (Slug GEORGIA NUCLEAR DAYLEAD sent at 03:11, 594 words.)< CIS: ALARMING INCREASE IN POST-CHERNOBYL DISEASE: OFFICIAL KIEV, April 22 DPA - Ukranians who lived in the area of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster have experienced a continued alarming rise in the rate of disease, government officials said today. (Slug UKRAINE CHERNOBYL sent at 03:03, 178 words.)< AFR: ABOUT 200 MORE SIERRA LEONEAN VILLAGERS SLAUGHTERED FREETOWN, April 22 DPA - About 200 more Sierra Leonean villagers have been slaughtered in eastern Sierra Leone as remnants of the former military junta and their allies, the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF), continue with their campaign of terror, according to eyewitnesses today. (Slug LEONE KILLINGS sent at 06:00, 510 words.)< AFR: 73 KILLED IN BURUNDI REBEL ATTACK BUJUMBURA, April 22 Reuters - At least 73 people, including 47 rebels and 26 civilians, were killed in Burundi today during an attack launched by Hutu rebels east of the capital, state radio said. (Slug BURUNDI ATTACK sent at 06:16, 315 words.)< ASIA: BHUTAN'S BEST-KNOWN TOURIST SITE MONASTERY DESTROYED NEW DELHI, India, April 22 AP - Rockfalls and smoldering ashes were hampering authorities from uncovering the cause of a fire that destroyed a 1,200-year-old Buddhist monastery clinging to a granite cliff in remote Bhutan. (Slug INDIA MONASTERY sent at 03:45, 462 words.)< CIS: UN LAUNCHES WORLDWIDE AIDS AWARENESS CAMPAIGN FOR YOUTH MOSCOW, April 22 AFP - The United Nations today launched a worldwide AIDS awareness campaign targeting young people who, it warned, are contracting the HIV virus that causes AIDS at an "alarming rate". (Slug AIDS UN sent at 03:35, 395 words.)< CIS: COMMUNISTS STANDING FIRM AS POLITICAL STANDOFF NEARS END MOSCOW, April 22 AP - In front of Lenin's tomb, the most revered site in communism, Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov vowed today to stand up to President Boris Yeltsin even if he has to sacrifice parliament. (Slug RUSSIA DAYLEAD sent at 03:55, 635 words.)< US: GEORGE BUSH WEIGHS IN TO LEWINSKY SCANDAL PROBE WASHINGTON, April 22 AP - Making a foray into the Monica PAGE 114 AAP NEWSFEED April 23, 1998, Thursday Lewinsky investigation, former president George Bush is lending his support to the Secret Service's efforts to keep its agents from having to testify about what they observed while protecting President Bill Clinton. (Slug US CLINTON DAYLEAD sent at 04:19, 554 words.)< US: GOOD SAMARITAN BRAVES TRAFFIC TO PROTECT ACCIDENT VICTIM ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, April 22 AP - While some angry drivers yelled, an Army major stood guard in the middle of highway traffic to protect a critically injured woman. (Slug US SAMARITAN sent at 04:28, 307 words.)< EUR: SWEDISH DIVERS IN PALME PROBE FIND GUN IN CANAL STOCKHOLM, April 22 AFP - Swedish police divers looking for the gun used to assassinate prime minister Olof Palme in 1986 found a revolver in a Stockholm canal today, police said. (Slug SWEDEN PALME sent at 05:02, 247 words.)< EUR: POPE APPEALS FOR LIFE OF US MURDERER CANNON ROME, April 22 AFP - Pope John Paul II has appealed to Texas Governor George Bush Jr to spare the life of convicted murderer Joseph Cannon, due to die by lethal injection later today. (Slug VATICAN EXECUTION sent at 05:28, 165 words.)< PAC: UN SECURITY COUNCIL ENDORSES PNG PEACE PACT UNITED NATIONS, April 22 AFP - The UN Security Council today issued a political endorsement of a Papua New Guinea peace agreement that ended a nine-year old separatist war. (Slug PNG BOUGAINVILLE UN sent at 05:37, 254 words.)< US: DISNEY ANIMAL KINGDOM OPENS TO OVERFLOW CROWDS ORLANDO, Florida, April 22 Reuters - Lions yawned beneath sunny skies and languid hippos napped in cool spring waters in Animal Kingdom today while outside, humans waited in huge lines on the opening day of Disney's newest theme park. (Slug US DISNEY sent at 05:59, 755 words.)< US: CLINTON MULLS VACCINE BUY TO MEET BIOCHEM THREAT WASHINGTON, April 22 Reuters - US President Bill Clinton has ordered a study of the possible purchase of "significant" stocks of vaccines, antidotes and antibiotics to cope with the threat of chemical and biological warfare, Attorney-General Janet Reno said today. (Slug US WARFARE sent at 06:23, 250 words.)< EUR: THATCHER PREDICTS EUROPEAN MONETARY UNION COLLAPSE BARCELONA, Spain, April 22 AP - Margaret Thatcher predicted today that the European Monetary Union will collapse in three years, according to news reports. (Slug EURO THATCHER sent at 06:53, 203 words.) LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 22, 1998 PAGE 115 LEVEL 1 - 39 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 British Broadcasting Corporation BBC Monitoring Africa - Political Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring April 23, 1998, Thursday LENGTH: 289 words HEADLINE: PROGRAMME SUMMARY OF RADIO FRANCE INTERNATIONALE NEWS 1230 GMT 23 APR 98 SOURCE: Radio France Internationale, Paris, in French 1230 gmt 23 Apr 98 BODY: 1. Headlines 2. FRANCE: 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery was commemorated by President Chirac; details 3. RWANDA: 20 people sentenced to death will be executed tomorrow; pardon requests lodged from various quarters including the Pope; details 4. BURUNDI: 73 people killed yesterday at dawn in two areas; information received from Bujumbura 5. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: UNICEF announced in Kinshasa that land mines are to be eradicated entirely from the countries 6. SOMALIA: Hostages still held but in good conditions not maltreated 7. SENEGAL: Attack in Saloum Region; rebels of the MFDC Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance seized in Saloum and one soldier killed with six rebels killed; government sources said rebels attacked the village; threat of escalation feared by government and some separatists said they will not interfere with election process 8. ARAB LEAGUE countries to fight terrorism; this is a first 9. ALGERIA: Democratic National Rally, RND to hold congress today; it was created last year; it is a presidential group party; details 10. ALGERIA: Six people killed yesterday in a village 11. MOROCCO: Graduates on strike yesterday after university studies, no jobs; it was sit-in and they demand to see the prime minister; details 12. CHAD: students on strike to demand scholarships 13. Sports News 14. FRANCE-RWANDA: Special report on French official hearings on Rwandan genocide; report from Paris 15. Commercials 16. Sports News 17. Repeat of headlines 18. Today's studio guest is a Gabonese political science lecturer at Libreville University; he talks about the future election in the country; political analysis. Details LANGUAGE: English LOAD-DATE: January 1, 1999 PAGE 116 LEVEL 1 - 40 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 The News and Observer The News and Observer (Raleigh, NC) April 23, 1998 Thursday, FINAL EDITION SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A17; World Briefs LENGTH: 92 words HEADLINE: Parliament examines nation's Rwanda role BYLINE: FROM WIRE REPORT BODY: PARIS -- President Francois Mitterrand had pressed for a peace settlement between the warring factions in Rwanda out of fear that French soldiers could be trapped in a quagmire there, the late president's son said Wednesday. Speaking before an unprecedented parliamentary panel examining Rwanda's 1994 genocide, Jean-Christophe Mitterrand said France did not back the Hutu government that sponsored the mass slaughter. The younger Mitterrand said he sought peace negotiations while he was the president's chief Africa adviser from 1986 to 1992. LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 23, 1998 PAGE 117 LEVEL 1 - 41 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 AAP Information Services Pty. Ltd. AAP NEWSFEED April 22, 1998, Wednesday SECTION: Nationwide General News; Overseas News LENGTH: 602 words HEADLINE: EUR: EX-MINISTER ACCUSES UGANDA, RPF OF RWANDA MISSILE ATTACK BODY: PARIS, April 21 AFP - Former French defence minister Francois Leotard pointed the finger today at Uganda and the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) over the downing of a presidential jet that unleashed Rwanda's 1994 genocide. Leotard, speaking during and after a parliamentary hearing on France's controversial role in the Rwandan tragedy, quoted French intelligence sources to support his view of possible involvement by the RPF and its Ugandan backer, President Yoweri Museweni. The deaths of presidents Juvenal Habyarimana of Rwanda and Cyprien Ntaryamira of Burundi after the downing of their jet on April 6, 1994, unleashed four months of ethnic massacres in Rwanda that left up to 800,000 people dead. Responsibility for the killing has never been apportioned. "Many of the circumstances linked to the attack could suggest that the RPF is responsible," Leotard told journalists after the hearing. The Tutsi-led RPF, then a rebel movement opposed to the Hutu regime, seized the capital Kigali in July 1994, ending the genocide. Leotard, quoting intelligence reports, said an RPF commando was on hand in the area where the missiles were fired and that Museweni had intervened to ensure that the presidential plane, a French jet manned by a French crew, would land after dark in Kigali. The two presidents were on their way back to the Rwandan capital from Dar-es-Salaam when the plane was downed. "Statements and communications intercepted on what the RPF was saying at the time suggested there was great satisfaction after the attack. The word 'victory' was heard." "Intelligence intercepted a Ugandan message that said 'the threee tyrants are present'," he added, saying that late Zairean president Mobutu Sese Seko was initially to have travelled aboard the plane. "An RPF commando had been posted near the airport since the conclusion of the Arusha (1993 peace) accords and controlled part of the access by forcing planes to land on an axis allowing hits if they fired," Leotard said. "Intelligence services said that they (the commando) had taken a UN vehicle to drive to the spot where the missiles were believed to have been fired and that this had taken place at night," he added. PAGE 118 AAP NEWSFEED April 22, 1998, Wednesday "Some say Museweni intervened late in the afternoon as if he were attempting to delay the departure of the two heads of state" from the Tanzanian capital where peace talks were taking place. Leotard also denied allegations that the missiles used to down the plane were from French stocks seized in Iraq during the Gulf War. He said they were part of the equipment used by Ugandan and RPF troops. The former minister also recalled that some RPF rebels had received missile training in Phoenix, Arizona. But one of several possible reasons mooted for the killing of Habyarimana is that his plane was shot down on behalf of Hutu extremists angered by a power-sharing deal he had cut in 1993 with Tutsi rebels, and that the mass butchery that ensued was pre-organised. Earlier, a Belgian paper said the killer missiles transited through Belgium and the former Zaire. Le Soir, sourcing its report to army intelligence in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), said a batch of ground-to-air missiles was shipped to the former Zaire after being stocked at the Zairean embassy in Brussels. An arms trader named only as "H", but extremely well known in central Africa and who reportedly worked for the French secret service, was behind the transport of the missiles, Le Soir added. The paper also alleged that the missiles were fired by Europeans. AFP lw LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 21, 1998 PAGE 119 LEVEL 1 - 42 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 AAP Information Services Pty. Ltd. AAP NEWSFEED April 22, 1998, Wednesday SECTION: Nationwide General News; Overseas News LENGTH: 1471 words HEADLINE: WORLD NEWS HIGHLIGHTS FROM AAP 07:00 APRIL 22 BODY: LONDON, April 21 AAP - An Australian nanny being held in prison in London is likely to face murder or manslaughter charges following the death today of the six-month-old baby girl who was allegedly injured seriously while in her care. (Slug UK NANNY sent at 04:44, 399 words.)< AFR: SOUTH AFRICAN DOCKERS SUPPORT AUSSIE WHARFIES JOHANNESBURG, April 21 SAPA - The Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU) today said its members would not work on ships associated with Australia in solidarity with Australian dockworkers sacked in an industrial dispute. (Slug WATERFRONT SAFRICA sent at 22:46, 270 words.)< IRE: CATHOLIC MAN DIES IN N IRELAND SHOOTING BELFAST, April 21 Reuters - A 29-year-old Roman Catholic man died after being shot by a lone gunman in the largely Protestant town of Portadown today, Northern Irish police said. (Slug IRELAND SHOOTING SECOND DAYLEAD sent at 06:40, 353 words.)< UK: MCCARTNEY SPEAKS OF "HEARTBREAK" AT WIFE'S DEATH LONDON, April 21 Reuters - Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney spoke out today for the first time about the "total heartbreak" he felt at the death of his wife Linda, saying she was still the love of his life. (Slug UK MCCARTNEY DAYLEAD sent at 04:16, 573 words.)< PAC: UN SECURITY COUNCIL SET TO WELCOME PNG PEACE PACT UNITED NATIONS, April 21 AFP - The UN Security Council is set to formally welcome a Papua New Guinea peace agreement tomorrow while postponing a decision on sending UN observers. (Slug PNG BOUGAINVILLE UN sent at 04:19, 221 words.) < CIS: US-UK OPERATION TO REMOVE ENRICHED URANIUM FROM GEORGIA WASHINGTON, April 21 AP - The United States has begun a secretive operation to remove a cache of highly enriched uranium and spent nuclear fuel from the former Soviet republic of Georgia, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright disclosed today. (Slug GEORGIA NUCLEAR sent at 05:48, 507 words.)< ASIA: UN SAYS JAKARTA MUST PUNISH FIRMS THAT CAUSE FIRES GENEVA, April 21 Reuters - The United Nations, warning that Indonesia's fires threaten to become a global disaster, urged Jakarta today to discipline timber and plantation firms that illegally clear forests for profit by setting them on fire. (Slug HAZE INDON sent at 04:06, 563 words.)< US: ALBRIGHT PLEDGES EFFORT TO EXPAND CLIMATE TREATY WASHINGTON, April 21 Reuters - Secretary of State Madeleine Albright today pledged an all-out diplomatic effort to persuade developing countries to join an international treaty to fight global warming. (Slug GREENHOUSE US sent at 05:55, 586 words.)< CHN: WANG LEAVES HOSPITAL WITH CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH DETROIT, April 21 AP - Chinese dissident Wang Dan thanked doctors before quickly being whisked away to catch a flight as he was released PAGE 120 AAP NEWSFEED April 22, 1998, Wednesday from Henry Ford Hospital today. (Slug CHINESE DISSIDENT DAYLEAD sent at 05:26, 555 words.)< US: JUDGES SHARPLY QUESTION GOVERNMENT LAWYER ON MICROSOFT WASHINGTON, April 21 Reuters - Three federal appeals judges put a Justice Department lawyer on the defensive today, sharply questioning the government's antitrust case against computer software giant Microsoft Corp. (Slug US MICROSOFT sent at 05:34, 652 words.)< AFR: FAMILIES OF LOCKERBIE VICTIMS, LIBYA PUSH FOR COMPROMISE CAIRO, Egypt, April 21 AP - Representatives of victims of a Pan Am airliner bombing have agreed with Libyan officials to press Britain and the United States to accept a plan aimed at bringing the Libyan suspects to justice, Libya's justice minister said today. (Slug LIBYA LOCKERBIE DAYLEAD sent at 05:45, 243 words.)< EUR: EX-MINISTER ACCUSES UGANDA, RPF OF RWANDA MISSILE ATTACK PARIS, April 21 AFP - Former French defence minister Francois Leotard pointed the finger today at Uganda and the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) over the downing of a presidential jet that unleashed Rwanda's 1994 genocide. (Slug FRANCE RWANDA sent at 03:31, 601 words.)< EUR: FRANCE SIGNS DEAL ON NEW CALEDONIA FUTURE PARIS, April 21 Reuters - France today announced an accord on the future of New Caledonia, easing more than a decade of tension between pro- and anti-independence forces in its South Pacific territory. (Slug FRANCE CALEDONIA DAYLEAD sent at 03:13, 491 words.)< EUR: UN RIGHTS BODY LETS CUBA OFF HOOK, SLAMS IRAQ GENEVA, April 21 Reuters - The UN Commission on Human Rights dealt the United States a major diplomatic blow today, defeating its resolution criticising Cuba over human rights and political prisoners. (Slug UN RIGHTS DAYLEAD sent at 03:57, 724 words. See also UN RIGHTS REACTION sent at 04:35, 627 words.)< SAM: POSTCARDS, PYJAMAS, SOUVENIRS REMNANTS OF AIR TRAGEDY BOGOTA, Colombia, April 21 AP - A postcard of the Eiffel Tower, a child's miniature soccer ball, a woman's makeup kit. Little else was left of the 53 lives lost aboard a Boeing 727 that slammed into Bogota's eastern mountain range moments after takeoff. (Slug COLOMBIA PLANE DAYLEAD sent at 02:47, 842 words.)< SAM: PERU SAYS ARRESTS SHINING PATH'S SECOND IN COMMAND LIMA, April 21 Reuters - Police have captured the second-highest Shining Path rebel in a Lima restaurant, raising expectations that Peru could catch the guerrilla group's de facto commander, authorities said today. (Slug PERU GUERRILLA DAYLEAD sent at 06:02, 355 words.)< AFR: MANDELA SOUNDS WARNING OF DIVISIONS IN S AFRICA CAPE TOWN, April 21 Reuters - President Nelson Mandela said today that cracks were appearing in South Africa's post-apartheid sense of identity, but these must not undermine the achievements of the past four years. (Slug SAFRICA MANDELA DAYLEAD sent at 03:02, 661 words.)< AFR: S AFRICANS MOURN BLACK BABY SHOT BY WHITE FARMER BENONI, South Africa, April 21 Reuters - Thousands of mourners gathered today to bury a six-month-old black baby whose killing by a white farmer has threatened to fan South Africa's simmering race conflict. (Slug SAFRICA BABY DAYLEAD sent at 03:07, 612 words.)< US: ASTRONOMERS FIND EVIDENCE OF PLANETARY FORMATION WASHINGTON, April 21 AP - A new family of planets, perhaps like the Earth and its companions, may be forming about a distant star and astronomers say the discovery suggests that such planets may be common throughout the universe. (Slug SCI PLANET sent at 04:59, PAGE 121 AAP NEWSFEED April 22, 1998, Wednesday 375 words.)< US: GROWING PAINS AS COLUMBIA'S TALL CREW GETTING TALLER CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida, April 21 AP - Every astronaut can count on growing pains, but the crew of space shuttle Columbia is having a particularly tough time fitting in when it comes to certain equipment. (Slug US SHUTTLE sent at 03:42, 247 words.)< MID: IRAQI PAPER SAYS US PLANS ATTACK ON IRAQ BAGHDAD, April 21 Reuters - Iraq's most influential newspaper Babel today said the United States had sent its defence secretary to the Middle East to prepare for a military strike against Iraq. (Slug IRAQ US DAYLEAD sent at 03:22, 402 words.)< IRE: DOCTOR HOPES FOR BREAKTHROUGH IN GULF WAR SYNDROME BELFAST, April 21 PA - An Irish doctor believes he may have found the key to unravelling the mysteries of Gulf War Syndrome, with a pioneering treatment that could mean the end of suffering for thousands of veterans. (Slug IRELAND GULF sent at 01:13, 550 words.)< EUR: ALBANIA CARRIES OUT ARTILLERY EXERCISE NEAR KOSOVO BORDER TIRANA, April 21 DPA - The Albanian army carried out an artillery firing exercise in the northeastern town of Kukes, on the border with Serbian province of Kosovo, state television reported today. (Slug ALBANIA KOSOVO sent at 03:20, 243 words.)< AFR: YEMENI FORCES BESIEGE KIDNAPPERS OF BRITISH FAMILY SANAA, April 21 Reuters - Security forces surrounded a village in Yemen's rugged interior where mountain tribesmen were holding a British family, as Britain pressed Yemen to try to secure the hostages' release, officials said today. (Slug YEMEN KIDNAP sent at 03:39, 385 words.)< CHN: CHINA BANS AMWAY, ALL OTHER DIRECT MARKETING GROUPS BEIJING, April 21 AP - China issued an immediate ban on direct marketing today, a move likely to close the door to a multimillion-dollar market for Amway and other direct marketing giants. (Slug CHINA AMWAY sent at 04:16, 376 words.)< CIS: FIVE YOUNG PEOPLE INFECTED WITH HIV EVERY MINUTE: STUDY MOSCOW, April 21 AP - In a report to be released in Moscow tomorrow, UNAIDS estimates that every minute, five people aged 10-24 are being infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. (Slug AIDS RUSSIA sent at 05:51, 303 words.)< AAP lw LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 21, 1998 PAGE 122 LEVEL 1 - 43 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 AAP Information Services Pty. Ltd. AAP NEWSFEED April 22, 1998, Wednesday SECTION: Nationwide General News; Overseas News LENGTH: 693 words HEADLINE: EUR: MITTERRAND'S ROLE IN RWANDA IN QUESTION AS SON TESTIFIES BYLINE: By Claire Rosemberg BODY: PARIS, April 22 AFP - Late president Francois Mitterrand's role in the controversy over French policy in Rwanda before and after the 1994 genocide comes under the spotlight today when his son Jean-Christophe testifies in a parliamentary probe. Jean-Christophe Mitterrand is to be heard late today by the first French parliamentary commission set up to examine foreign policy conduct in three decades. He testifies after a closed hearing of the French ambassador in Kigali from 1990 to 1993, Georges Martres. The commission, whose hearings are expected to last for three to four months, is investigating whether France supplied weaponry or political backing for Hutu extremists of Rwanda held responsible for ethnic butchery in which up to 800,000 minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed. As Mitterrand's chief counsellor for six years on African affairs, a murky world where big business and covert affairs cohabited across France's former colonies, he is expected to shed some light on the president's role in Rwanda in the years before and after the 1994 genocide. One of the key questions will be whether Mitterrand's men ran undercover operations short-circuiting the government of the time, a possibility that was raised by ex-premier Edouard Balladur when he testified this week. A journalist from 1973 to 1982, the younger Mitterrand, now aged 51, was posted to several African countries before joining the staff at the Elysee presidential palace after his father's May 1981 election, the first of two seven-year mandates. Head of the Elysee's secretive Africa cell from 1986 to 1992, Mitterrand's oldest son soon became his "Monsieur Afrique", tirelessly criss-crossing the continent where he earned the nickname "Papamadit" - DaddyToldMe. In his drive to bolster French trade and maintain friendships in the country's traditional sphere of influence, the young Mitterrand in 1989 notably played a key role in Ivorian President Felix Houphouet-Boigny's decision to sell the country's entire cocoa crop - over 400,000 tonnes - to France's Sucres et Denrees with the held of a financial state guarantee. When asked yesterday to comment on allegations that the Elysee's Africa cell was the real player in French policy in Rwanda, rather than his 1993 to 1995 PAGE 123 AAP NEWSFEED April 22, 1998, Wednesday government, Balladur sidestepped the question. "The president was free to organise his staff's work," he told the 30 parliamentarians sitting on the commission. "But during this period the government assumed all its responsibilities. The daily Le Monde this week alleged that two military officers headed a crisis cell on Rwanda at Mitterrand's offices and strongly influenced his decisions. At the centre of concern over the conduct of Mitterrand's Africa cell will be allegations that France supplied weaponry even after the beginning of the genocide in April 1994 to the murderous Hutu army and militia. There could be continuing questions too over the downing of a plane carrying then Hutu president Juvenal Habyarimana and his Burundian counterpart in a missile attack April 6, 1994 that unleashed the ethnic killings. Balladur, along with his former foreign and defence ministers, Alain Juppe and Francois Leotard, denied allegations the missiles were French and instead pointed the finger at Uganda and the Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). They also denied supplying arms to Rwanda in 1994, or supporting Hutu extremists by easing their escape from the country. But Balladur raised serious doubts about the existence of covert operations taking place without his knowledge or consent and asked the parliamentary mission to provide him with secret lists of arms sales covering that period. "Apparently you have some doubts (on arms sales)," a parliamentarian said. "As far as I know there were no (arms sales) authorisations but I can't be expected to know everything and I can't remember everything," he said. A Belgian officer in Kigali at the time alleged on French television this week that the French had unloaded cases of munitions when they flew in to rescue foreigners amid the 1994 fighting. AFP shb LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 22, 1998 PAGE 124 LEVEL 1 - 44 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse April 22, 1998 10:19 GMT SECTION: International news LENGTH: 1087 words HEADLINE: The AFP 1000 GMT news advisory DATELINE: April 22 BODY: The 1000 GMT news advisory:- Duty Editor: Allan Kelly Tel. Paris (33-1) 40.41.45.86 TOP WORLD NEWS STORIES ARE MOSCOW President Yeltsin meets with speakers of Russia's parliament ahead of a crucial vote on his choice for prime minister LONDON Britain's Labour government seeks to justify its decision to accept enriched uranium from Georgia NAIROBI Rwandan firing squads will execute 33 people in public on Friday after they were found gulity of genocide JERUSALEM Prime Minister Netanyahu tries to anchor his fragile coalition ahead of the next US push to break the peace deadlock BEIJING Taiwanese negotiators break the ice with Beijing and arrive on the mainland for their first official contacts in three years NEWS FILE PLANS BY REGION -- EUROPE -- MOSCOW: President Boris Yeltsin is to meet the speakers of Russia's bicameral parliament for PAGE 125 Agence France Presse, April 22, 1998 11-hour talks on a crucial vote on his candidate for premier, Sergei Kiriyenko, the Kremlin says. Russia-politics,3rdlead 650 words around 1100 GMT by Mark Rice-Oxley LONDON: Britain's Labour government seeks to justify its decision to accept enriched uranium from Georgia for reprocessing in Scotland as a means of preventing it falling into the wrong hands. Britain-nuclear 650 words around 1015 GMT. Graphic We have also moved Georgia-Britain-nuclear PARIS: On the eve of an EU summit to launch the euro, the French parliament holds a key vote on the single currency amid domestic disarray and a wrangle with Germany over the European Central Bank France-euro 600 words around 1230 GMT by Anna Baker SARAJEVO: The chief prosecutor of the UN's war crimes tribunal, Louise Arbour, is "absolutely persuaded" that Radovan Karadzic will go to The Hague for trial, and hopefully by PAGE 126 Agence France Presse, April 22, 1998 the end of this month. Bosnia-Karadzic,lead 500 words around 1130 GMT. Picture by Robert MacPherson -- AFRICA -- PARIS: The role of late president Francois Mitterrand in the controversy surrounding French policy in Rwanda before and after the 1994 genocide comes under the public spotlight when his son Jean-Christophe testifies before a parliamentary probe. France-Rwanda 600 words around 1130 GMT by Claire Rosemberg NAIROBI: Rwandan firing squads will execute 33 people in public on Friday after their conviction on genocide charges, "as a lesson to people who don't respect the life of others." Rwanda-justice,4thlead 600 words around 1145 GMT by Hugh Nevill JOHANNESBURG: Nine members of the neo-Nazi AWB apply for amnesty for murdering four blacks and wounding six others in December 1993, four months ahead of South Africa's first democratic elections. SAfrica-Truth-AWB,lead PAGE 127 Agence France Presse, April 22, 1998 500 words around 1230 GMT by Ingrid Salgado MOGADISHU: Gunmen holding 10 aid workers in north Mogadishu decline a 32,000-dollar ransom offered by Somali businessmen as too little, but one elder says negotiations on freeing the hostages, who include nine foreigners, are encouraging. Somalia-kidnap 500 words moved -- MIDDLE EAST -- JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tries to anchor his fragile coalition on the far right ahead of the next US push to break the deadlock in negotiations with the Palestinians. Israel-politics 600 words around 1030 GMT by Claire Snegaroff ISTANBUL: Some ten thousand people take to the streets in Istanbul to protest the sentencing of the city's Islamist mayor in a first show of strength since the beginning of the crackdown against Islamists in Turkey. Turkey-politics,lead 450 words moved -- ASIA -- PAGE 128 Agence France Presse, April 22, 1998 BEIJING: Taiwanese negotiators break the ice with Beijing and arrive on the mainland for their first official contacts in three years. China-Taiwan,lead 550 words around 1030 GMT by Lorien Holland ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan's Taliban Islamic militia and their rival northern alliance will open their first direct peace talks in Islamabad on Saturday, UN sources says. Afghan-talks,3rdlead 700 words moved by Sami Zubeiri BEIJING: The Vatican has held out an olive branch to the Chinese authorities by sending a telegramme inviting to bishops to a synod on Asia. China-Vatican,lead 550 words around 1200 GMT by Gilles Campion JAKARTA: Indonesia claims it has met the first deadlines agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF)for the implementation of key economic reforms, and reports progress in talks to settle the country's crippling external corporate debt. PAGE 129 Agence France Presse, April 22, 1998 Indonesia-IMF,4thlead 750 words by 1100 GMT by Bhimanto Suwastoyo SEOUL: Militant union leaders vow to go ahead with their planned strikes, rejecting an offer by South Korean president Kim Dae-Jung to solve problems through dialogue. SKorea-labor,2ndlead 600 words around 1100 GMT SIEM REAP, Cambodia: Deposed Cambodian co-premier Prince Norodom Ranariddh says he will return home permanently only after enough international observers are in place to monitor the safety of his supporters ahead of July's scheduled elections. Cambodia-prince,6thlead. Picture. Graphic by Reach Sambath JAKARTA: Thousands of Indonesian students have shrugged off repeated warnings from the authorities to keep up protest rallies across the country, as 13 more people were hurt in a clash in Java, reports say. Indonesia-demos,2ndlead 650 words moved by Intania Fajar PAGE 130 Agence France Presse, April 22, 1998 TOKYO: Japan's Communist Party says it is ready to join other opposition groups to demand a general election over Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto's handling of the economy. Japan-politics 600 words moved by David Williams SYDNEY: Shares in media giant News Corp. plunge but analysts say the breakup of Rupert and Anna Murdoch's marriage will not affect the company in the long-term. Australia-Murdoch 600 words moved by Martin Parry BON POUR TOUS -- AMERICAS -- BOGOTA: As darkness approached, rescue workers halt their efforts to recover the bodies of 53 victims of a plane crash, after finding nearly 70 percent of the passengers among debris strewn across four kilometers of mountain jungle. Colombia-crash,3rdlead 700 words moved by Paul Rutler WASHINGTON: A Honduran national convicted of murder in 1983 is executed by lethal injection in PAGE 131 Agence France Presse, April 22, 1998 Phoenix, Arizona, even though his acknowledged international rights were violated. US-Honduras-execution,2ndlead 600 words moved afp LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 22, 1998 PAGE 132 LEVEL 1 - 45 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse April 22, 1998 15:28 GMT SECTION: International news LENGTH: 1131 words HEADLINE: The AFP 1500 GMT news advisory DATELINE: April 22 BODY: The 1500 GMT news advisory: Duty Editor: Charles Whelan Tel: Washington (202) 414-0541 TOP WORLD NEWS STORIES ARE ISLAMABAD Afghanistan's Taliban Islamic militia and their rival northern alliance will open their first direct peace talks Saturday MOSCOW Russia's political crisis goes down to the wire with a crucial vote over President Yeltsin's choice for prime minister PARIS Desperate football fans across Europe are left fuming as France puts last gasp World Cup tickets on sale but the phones fail to cope JOHANNESBURG Extreme right wingers tell the Truth Commission how they killed four blacks in 1983 CAIRO Libya has agreed to hand over the two suspects in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing for trial by a panel NEWS FILE PLANS BY REGION -- EUROPE -- MOSCOW: Sergei Kiriyenko wins fresh support for his premiership bid two days before a knife-edge PAGE 133 Agence France Presse, April 22, 1998 confirmation vote, but the Communists maintain their implacable opposition despite the threat of fresh elections. Russia-politics,5thlead 700 words around 1600 GMT by Jon Boyle MOSCOW: As the month-long political drama over Russia's next choice of premier edges closer to a climax, the Communist Party, cast in the role of scriptwriter, is agonising over whether to write a twist in the tail, analysts say. Russia-politics-left 750 words around 1515 GMT by Mark Rice-Oxley PARIS: Desperate football fans throughout Europe are left fuming and telephone operators were swamped as France put 110,000 last gasp World Cup tickets on sale. Fbl-FR98-tickets,3rdlead 850 words around 1615 GMT by Erskine McCullough PARIS: France may have seen the last of colonial troubles in the remnants of it far-flung empire with the historic deal struck this week setting nickel-rich New Caledonia on the rails PAGE 134 Agence France Presse, April 22, 1998 to independence. France-NCaledonia,lead 600 words around 1530 GMT by Claire Rosemberg PARIS: In the runup to an EU summit to launch the euro, the French parliament is holding a key vote on the single currency amid domestic disarray and a wrangle with Germany over the European Central Bank. France-euro,lead 600 words around 1645 GMT by Anna Baker ANKARA: The United States has proposed a four-way conference with Turkish, Greek, Greek- and Turkish-Cypriot officials aimed at reaching a solution to the Cyprus problem, Turkey's state-run Anatolia news agency says. Cyprus-US-Turkey,lead 550 words moved BUDAPEST: Hungary attracted 16 billion dollars' worth of foreign working capital in privatising 86 percent of its state-owned ventures since it shifted to democracy and a market economy in 1990, officials say. Hungary-privatise 600 words moved by Eszter Szamado PAGE 135 Agence France Presse, April 22, 1998 BABALOC, Yugoslavia: Serbian police and ethnic Albanians exchange gunfire near the village of Babaloc, in the western part of the troubled Serbian province of Kosovo, an AFP reporter says. Yugo-Kosovo-shooting,lead 600 words moved LONDON: Europe's piecemeal defence industry faces a summer consolidation deadline as the governments of Britain, France, Italy, Spain and Germany urge rapid and widespread restructuring of the sector. Britain-Europe-defence,2ndlead 500 words around 1530 GMT by Philip Pank -- AFRICA -- PARIS: Late president Francois Mitterrand's role in the controversy over French policy in Rwanda before and after the 1994 genocide comes under the spotlight when his son Jean-Christophe testifies in a parliamentary probe. France-Rwanda,lead 600 words around 1630 GMT by Claire Rosemberg PARIS: Opposition groups accuse President Laurent Kabila's regime of carrying out PAGE 136 Agence France Presse, April 22, 1998 massacres in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and also blames neighbouring Rwanda and Uganda for alleged military involvement. DRCongo-opposition 450 words moved BLIDA, Algeria: Doctors disclose that a mortar attack on this Algerian garrison town from mountains sheltering armed Islamic fundamentalists has killed at least five people and wounded 40 more in the latest reported bloodletting. Algeria-unrest,2ndlead 450 words moved JOHANNESBURG: Members of the extreme rightwing Afrikaner resistance movement tell the truth commission how they killed four blacks in 1993 in an attempt to destabilise South Africa ahead of all-race elections. SAfrica-truth-AWB,2ndlead 550 words around 1630 GMT -- AMERICAS -- WASHINGTON: US immigration law may be changed to give priority to applicants with a high-school education as politicians worry about the social burdens of allowing unskilled workers into the United States. PAGE 137 Agence France Presse, April 22, 1998 US-immigration-education,lead 600 words around 1515 GMT by James Robinson WASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court considers a sexual harassment case which could have implicatons for President Bill Clinton and Paula Jones, the women seeking to sue him for propositioning her. US-harassment 600 words around 1730 GMT by Brigitte Dusseau WASHINGTON: The United States finds itself increasingly isolated over Cuba, as Fidel Castro's government celebrates more diplomatic victories. US-Cuba 600 words around 1800 GMT by Marie Sanz -- MIDDLE EAST -- JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tries to anchor his fragile coalition government more firmly on the political right ahead of a new US push to break the deadlock in the Palestinian peace process. Israel-politics 600 words moved. by Claire Snegaroff. CAIRO: The 22 members of the Arab League PAGE 138 Agence France Presse, April 22, 1998 sign the first Arab convention against terrorism. Arab-terrorism,3rdlead 650 words moved. Picture. by Mona Salem. CAIRO: Libya has agreed to hand over the two suspects in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing for trial by a panel chaired by a judge named by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a spokesman for the families of the British victims says. Libya-Britain-Lockerbie,lead 500 words moved -- ASIA -- ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan's Taliban Islamic militia and their rival northern alliance will open their first direct peace talks in Islamabad on Saturday, UN sources say. Afghan-talks 750 words around 1515 GMT by Sami Zubeiri JAKARTA: Clashes break out between students and security forces as thousands again take to the streets to call for political and economic reforms ignoring warnings from the authorities. Indonesia-demos,3rdlead. Picture 650 words moved PAGE 139 Agence France Presse, April 22, 1998 by Intania Fajar BEIJING: Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres meets Chinese President Jiang Zemin and voices confidence all problems surrounding Macau's handover next year would be tackled in due course. China-Portugal,3rdlead 700 words moved by H. Asher Bolande afp LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 22, 1998 PAGE 140 LEVEL 1 - 46 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse April 22, 1998 21:11 GMT SECTION: Advisory LENGTH: 609 words HEADLINE: The AFP 2100 GMT news advisory DATELINE: April 22 BODY: The 2100 GMT news advisory: Duty Editor: Patrick Moser Tel: Washington (202) 414-0541 TOP WORLD NEWS STORIES ARE ISLAMABAD Afghanistan's Taliban Islamic militia and their rival northern alliance will open their first direct peace talks Saturday MOSCOW Russia's political crisis goes down to the wire with a crucial vote over President Yeltsin's choice for prime minister JOHANNESBURG Extreme right wingers tell the Truth Commission how they killed four blacks in 1983 NEWS FILE PLANS BY REGION -- EUROPE -- MOSCOW: Sergei Kiriyenko wins fresh support for his premiership bid two days before a knife-edge confirmation vote, but the Communists maintain their implacable opposition despite the threat of fresh elections. Russia-politics,5thlead 700 words moved PAGE 141 Agence France Presse, April 22, 1998 by Jon Boyle We have also moved: Russia-politics-left PARIS: A specially installed switchboard to handle telephone orders for World Cup tickets is totally swamped by 20 million calls for 110,000 tickets. Fbl-FR98-tickets,5thlead 1,050 words moved PARIS: The National Assembly votes overwhelmingly in favor of French participation in the European single currency. France-euro,lead 600 words moved by Anna Baker LONDON: Europe's piecemeal defence industry faces a summer consolidation deadline as the governments of Britain, France, Italy, Spain and Germany urge rapid and widespread restructuring of the sector. Britain-Europe-defence,2ndlead 500 words moved by Philip Pank -- AFRICA -- PARIS: The late president Francois Mitterrand strove to promote democracy and human rights in Rwanda ahead of the country's 1994 genocide, his son Jean-Christophe tells a parliamentary commission. France-Rwanda,2ndlead PAGE 142 Agence France Presse, April 22, 1998 650 words moved JOHANNESBURG: Members of the extreme rightwing Afrikaner resistance movement tell the truth commission how they killed four blacks in 1993 in an attempt to destabilise South Africa ahead of all-race elections. SAfrica-truth-AWB,2ndlead 550 words moved -- AMERICAS -- WASHINGTON: US immigration law may be changed to give priority to applicants with a high-school education as politicians worry about the social burdens of allowing unskilled workers into the United States. US-immigration-education,2ndlead 600 words around 2200 GMT by James Robinson WASHINGTON: The US Supreme Court considers a sexual harassment case which could have implicatons for President Bill Clinton and Paula Jones, the women seeking to sue him for propositioning her. US-harassment 600 words moved by Brigitte Dusseau WASHINGTON: The United States finds itself increasingly isolated over Cuba, as Fidel Castro's PAGE 143 Agence France Presse, April 22, 1998 government celebrates more diplomatic victories. US-Cuba 600 words moved by Marie Sanz -- MIDDLE EAST -- JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tries to anchor his fragile coalition government more firmly on the political right ahead of a new US push to break the deadlock in the Palestinian peace process. Israel-politics 600 words moved. by Claire Snegaroff. CAIRO: Libya has agreed to hand over the two suspects in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing for trial by a panel chaired by a judge named by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a spokesman for the families of the British victims says. Libya-Britain-Lockerbie,lead 500 words moved -- ASIA -- ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan's Taliban Islamic militia and their rival northern alliance will open their first direct peace talks in Islamabad on Saturday, UN sources say. Afghan-talks PAGE 144 Agence France Presse, April 22, 1998 750 words moved by Sami Zubeiri afp LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 22, 1998 PAGE 145 LEVEL 1 - 47 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 AAP Information Services Pty. Ltd. AAP NEWSFEED April 21, 1998, Tuesday SECTION: Nationwide General News; Overseas News LENGTH: 468 words HEADLINE: EUR: FRENCH EX-PREMIER DEFIANT BEFORE RWANDA PROBE BYLINE: By Erwan Jourand BODY: PARIS, April 21 AFP - A defiant French ex-prime minister Edouard Balladur and three former cabinet members appeared today before a parliamentary team probing France's controversial role during Rwanda's genocide. The commission has already heard incriminating claims about the part played by France before and during the 1994 ethnic slaughter, including a charge that then officials must know who shot down a plane carrying Rwanda's president Juveval Habyarimana. However, the centre-right French premier of the time, objected to what he called "violent, biased, hateful" allegations against France, adding in his preliminary remarks that "this campaign arouses general indignation". The death of Rwanda's elected Hutu head of state on April 6, 1994, sparked the genocide of between 500,000 and 800,000 people by troops and militia forces of his regime, which had been supported by France. In Balladur's eyes, France had in fact been "the only one to intervene to keep the horror in check, alongside some African countries." He was referring to French representations at the United Nations after the butchery began and the deployment in Rwanda of an intervention force, dubbed Operation Turquoise, whose declared aim had been to set up safety zones. Appearing with the former premier were his foreign minister and successor Alain Juppe, ex-defence minister Francois Leotard, and former cooperation minister Michel Roussin. Balladur pledged that he and his ex-government colleagues would try to contribute to the investigation's bid to shed light on events, but only from April 1993, when his team took office. Socialist parliamentarian and former defence minister Paul Quiles, the chairman of the enquiry, has a brief to look into France's links with Rwanda from 1990 onwards. Balladur served as prime minister from 1993 until 1995, under thelate Socialist president Francois Mitterrand. The ex-premier said he was reiterating his "surprise and reproach at the behaviour of those who, powerless to re-establish peace, incapable of saving the lives of Europeans in Kigali, and finally unable to stop the massacres or bring help to the martyred people, who now accuse the only country in the world PAGE 146 AAP NEWSFEED April 21, 1998, Tuesday which acted with the means at its disposal and overcame reticence." Opening the proceedings today, Quiles had stressed: "We are not a court, we are neither judges nor lawyers. We want to know the truth." This week, the parliamentary investigation moved into top gear, with at least 50 politicians and military brass due to be heard. One aim of the commission is to seek to determine whether France supplied weaponry or other support to the Hutus held responsible for the genocide, which mainly targetted the central African country's minority Tutsis. AFP ts LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 21, 1998 PAGE 147 LEVEL 1 - 48 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse April 21, 1998 14:06 GMT SECTION: International news LENGTH: 385 words HEADLINE: WORLD NEWS SUMMARY France-Rwanda BODY: PARIS: French ex-premier Edouard Balladur and leading members of his cabinet defiantly fought back against allegations of misconduct in Rwanda's 1994 genocide, saying France had been forced to act alone to stop the bloodbath. SriLanka-Tamil-toll COLOMBO: An upsurge of fighting between Sri Lankan government soldiers and Tamil Tiger guerrillas left at least 110 killed on both sides and many more wounded, defence sources said. Australia-docks SYDNEY: The Australian docks war turned dramatically in favour of 1,400 sacked dockers after a court found they may have been victims of a conspiracy and ordered them reinstated. Israel-Britain TEL AVIV: Prime ministers Tony Blair of Britain and Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel played down expectations that a new negotiations in London next month would break the deadlock in the Middle East peace process. Russia-politics MOSCOW: Russia's month-long political crisis will reach a climax Friday when parliament considers President Boris Yeltsin's candidate for premier in a decisive vote set to turn on a knife-edge, deputies said. China-dissident-Wang BEIJING: China warned its leading dissident Wang Dan against returning to the country, indicating that if he could be thrown back in prison. Germany-RAF WIESBADEN, Germany: German police said they have confirmed as authentic a letter from the Red Army Faction (RAF) declaring that the ultra-left terrorist group active in the 1970s and 1980s has disbanded. EU-Euro PAGE 148 Agence France Presse, April 21, 1998 LUXEMBOURG: European Union finance ministers failed to resolve the dispute over who should be the first chief of the European Central Bank (ECB) that will run the single currency. Colombia-crash BOGOTA: Rescue workers continued the grisly task of recovering the bodies of 53 people who died when a Boeing 727 crashed into a mountainside in Colombia and exploded shortly after taking off. Myanmar-arrest BANGKOK: Myanmar democracy advocate and former parliamentarian San San has been sentenced to 25 years in jail for giving an interview to a foreign media company, a student group said. France-NCaledonia PARIS: France has struck a deal with pro- and anti-independence forces in its South Pacific territory of New Caledonia that provides for a vote on greater self-determination later this year. afp LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 21, 1998 PAGE 149 LEVEL 1 - 49 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse April 21, 1998 10:53 GMT SECTION: International news LENGTH: 684 words HEADLINE: French ex-premier fires back in Rwan r r Sending Aborted r r i0339 tm--p u i France-Rwanda 4thlead 04-21 0702French ex-premier fires back in Rwanda prob BODY: By Claire Rosemberg PARIS, April 21 (AFP) - Ex-premier Edouard Balladur, firing back in a row over France's role in the Rwandan genocide, on Tuesday attacked nations that did nothing to stop the 1994 massacres and blamed them for waging a "hateful" campaign against France. Testifying before an unprecedented parliamentary probe on France's role in the events before and after the genocide, Balladur stressed that France acted "alone in stepping in to limit the horror" of the killings that left up to 800,000 people dead. "The others did nothing," he told the 30 parliamentarians sitting on the first such enquiry on French foreign policy in the last three decades. "It is indispensable to shed light on the events" before and after the genocide that began in April, 1994, Balladur said, speaking of French involvement via military aid and in taking part in peace talks to end decades of ethnic trouble between Rwanda's majority Hutus and minority Tutsis. "But it is equally indispensable to shed light on the reasons why a violent, biased and often hateful campaign has been triggered against the only country in the international community to have tried to act," he said. Balladur and three former cabinet members were appearing before a parliamentary commission opened last month to hear incriminating claims about France's actions before and during the slaughter. "What are the political, strategic, economic and ideological interests behind it (the campaign)? he queried. "I hope you will ask yourselves this question and try to elucidate it." Among the issues being examined by the inquiry are charges that the then officials must know who shot down a plane carrying Rwanda's Hutu president Juveval Habyarimana on April 6, 1994, unleashing the organised butchery of of Tutsis and moderate Hutus by troops and militia forces of his regime, previously supported by France. Balladur insisted that France worked hard on the diplomatic front to find international means of ending the genocide. He recalled that it had been almost alone in deploying in June that year an intervention force dubbed Operation PAGE 150 Agence France Presse, April 21, 1998 Turquoise, whose declared aim had been to set up safety zones. Appearing with Balladur before the National Assembly commission were his foreign minister and successor Alain Juppe, ex-defence minister Francois Leotard, and former cooperation minister Michel Roussin. Socialist parliamentarian and former defence minister Paul Quiles is chairing the enquiry, tasked with looking into France's links with Rwanda from 1990 onwards. Balladur served as prime minister from 1993 until 1995 under the late Socialist president Francois Mitterrand. Mitterrand and his close entourage, including military aides, have been increasingly singled out as key reference points for the enquiry, which is due on Wednesday to hear the late leader's son, Jean-Christophe Mitterrand, who had served as the head of state's onetime African affairs advisor. A main aim of the commission is to seek to determine whether France supplied weaponry or other support to the extremists held responsible for the genocide, which targetted minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Opening the proceedings on Tuesday, Quiles had stressed: "We are not a court, we are neither judges nor lawyers. We want to know the truth." This week, the parliamentary investigation moved into top gear, with some 60 politicians and military brass due to be heard. When the slaughter began, French troops were present in Rwanda, a former Belgian colony where Habyarimana had in 1993 signed a power-sharing deal with Tutsi rebels, who finally seized power in July 1994, halting the genocide. Ex-foreign minister Alain Juppe stressed Tuesday that after the plane crash, in which Burundi's president Cyprien Ntaryamira was also killed, France called on the United Nations "to head an international enquiry ... which never came off." Indeed, on April 21, 1994, the UN Security Council unanimously decided to pull out most of more than 2,500 troops who had been in Rwanda mainly to monitor the 1993 pact. ccr/nb LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 21, 1998 PAGE 151 LEVEL 1 - 50 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse April 21, 1998 21:12 GMT SECTION: Advisory LENGTH: 825 words HEADLINE: The AFP 2100 GMT news advisory DATELINE: April 21 BODY: The 2100 GMT news advisory: Duty Editor: Patrick Moser Tel: Washington (202) 414-0541 TOP WORLD NEWS STORIES ARE BOGOTA Rescue workers resume the grisly task of recovering the bodies of 53 people who died in an airplane crash PARIS France strikes a historic deal with pro- and anti-independence forces in New Caledonia providing for greater self-determination now and a vote in 15-20 years on independence. NEWS FILE PLANS BY REGION -- EUROPE -- PARIS: France strikes a historic deal with pro- and anti-independence forces in its divided South Pacific territory of New Caledonia providing for greater self-determination now and a vote 15 to 20 years away on independence. France-NCaledonia,5thlead 700 words moved by Claire Rosemberg PAGE 152 Agence France Presse, April 21, 1998 We have also moved France-NCaledonia-facts France-NCaledonia-chrono PORTADOWN, Northern Ireland: A Roman Catholic man is shot and killed in Northern Ireland, in the second murder since the landmark peace deal in the province was agreed. NIreland-shooting, 5thlead 500 words around 2200 GMT ZAGREB: A Zagreb court ordered an enquiry into the case of Dinko Sakic, wartime commandant of a fascist Croatian concentration camp, as a preliminary to having him extradited from Argentina, the local agency Hina reported. Croatia-Argentina 400 words moved INNSBRUCK, Austria: A Czech doctor attending ailing President Vaclav Havel announces the patient is to have a tracheotomy, or throat puncture, but the Austrian clinic team intervenes later to deny the operation is necessary. Czech-Havel,3rdlead 500 words moved PARIS: The French parliament begins a heated PAGE 153 Agence France Presse, April 21, 1998 debate on entry into the European single currency, just 10 days ahead of a summit in Brussels to launch the euro. France-euro,lead 600 words moved PARIS: Former French defence minister Francois Leotard points the finger at Uganda and the Rwandan Patriotic Front over the downing of a presidential jet that unleashed Rwanda's 1994 genocide. France-Rwanda-Uganda 600 words moved MOSCOW: Russia's month-long political crisis will reach a climax Friday, when parliament considers President Boris Yeltsin's candidate for premier in a decisive vote set to turn on a knife-edge, deputies say. Russia-politics,2ndlead 600 words moved We have also moved: Russia-politics-barons DECANI, Yugoslavia: The Yugoslav army reinforces its presence in the west of the troubled Serbian province of Kosovo province, near the border with neighbouring Albania. Yugo-Kosovo 600 words moved PAGE 154 Agence France Presse, April 21, 1998 by Ljubomir Milasin. -- AFRICA -- LAGOS: Leaders of the embattled Nigerian opposition cries foul over the regime's plans for a single-candidate presidential "election", and calls for mass action to oust the military junta. Nigeria-politics,2ndlead 650 words around 2145 GMT -- AMERICAS -- BOGOTA: Rescue workers on Tuesday struggled with fog and intense cold to recover the bodies of 53 people who died when a Boeing 727 crashed into a mountainside right after take-off from Bogota. Colombia-crash,sched-2ndlead 750 words around 2130 GMT by Paul Rutler GENEVA: Cuba escapes censure at the UN Human Rights Commission, when a US-sponsored resolution criticising the Communist regime in Havana is defeated by 19 votes to 16. UN-rights-Cuba,lead 600 words moved WASHINGTON: The United States expressed "deep concern" over the defeat Tuesday of a US-sponsored resolution in the United Nations that would have censured Cuba's human rights record. PAGE 155 Agence France Presse, April 21, 1998 Cuba-rights-reax 500 words by 2130 GMT WASHINGTON: The European Union abandons a challenge to a US law targetting foreigners trading with Cuba, a new sign of a truce in the battle over US attempts to impose its laws on other countries. US-Europe-Cuba,4thlead 500 words moved by Andre Viollaz LIMA: Troops have captured a high-ranking member of the Maoist Shining Path rebel group, President Alberto Fujimori announces. Peru-violence,lead 450 words around 2130 GMT WASHINGTON: Microsoft seeks to overturn a preliminary injunction issued against the company in an anti-trust action brought by the Justice Department. US-Microsoft 450 words moved by Isabelle Parenthoen WASHINGTON: Texas is poised to execute a 38-year-old man for a 1977 murder committed when he was a minor. US-execution 400 words moved PAGE 156 Agence France Presse, April 21, 1998 by Brigitte Dusseau -- MIDDLE EAST -- BAGHDAD: Iraq says it rejects the conclusions of the "suspect conference" held in London on ways to improve the flow of humanitarian aid to Iraqis. Iraq-Britain-reject 450 words moved -- ASIA -- BEIJING: China warns leading dissident Wang Dan against returning to the country and denies any deal with the United States played a role in his release into exile. China-dissident,lead 500 words moved by Patrick Baert afp LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 21, 1998 PAGE 157 LEVEL 1 - 51 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse April 21, 1998 10:10 GMT SECTION: International news LENGTH: 22 words BODY: In first para of our France-Rwanda,3rdlead, pls read it x x x premier x x x (sted pemier, correcting typo). 4th lead follows LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 21, 1998 PAGE 158 LEVEL 1 - 52 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse April 21, 1998 10:24 GMT SECTION: International news LENGTH: 842 words HEADLINE: The AFP 1000 GMT news advisory DATELINE: April 21 BODY: The 1000 GMT news advisory:- Duty Editor: Allan Kelly Tel. Paris (33-1) 40.41.45.86 TOP WORLD NEWS STORIES ARE MOSCOW Russia's parliament sets the date for its showdown with President Boris Yeltsin over his choice for prime minister PARIS A defiant French former premier Edouard Balladur fights back against mounting allegations of French involvement in Rwanda's 1994 genocide BEIJING China warns leading dissdent Wang Dan against returning home from exile in the United States BOGOTA Rescue workers resume their grisly task of sifting through the remains of a crashed airliner in which 53 people died NEWS FILE PLANS BY REGION -- EUROPE -- MOSCOW: Russia's parliament sets the date for its showdown with President Boris Yeltsin on Friday, giving the Kremlin three days to win over the Communist opposition or call PAGE 159 Agence France Presse, April 21, 1998 new elections. Russia-politics,lead 600 words around 1100 GMT by Mark Rice-Oxley LUXEMBOURG: EU finance ministers struggle to resolve the bitter row over who should be the first head of the European Central Bank. EU-euro,lead 550 words around 1200 GMT. Picture by Angus MacKinnon BONN: German Chancellor Helmut Kohl tells a parliamentary commission that the coming European single currency is a major historical turning point that had its best chance ever of succeeding. Germany-euro-Kohl,lead 500 words moved -- AFRICA -- PARIS: A defiant French former premier, Edouard Balladur, and top ministers from his cabinet fight back against mounting allegations of murky French involvement in Rwanda's 1994 genocide, claiming that France was almost alone in trying to stop it. France-Rwanda,5thlead 700 words around 1130 GMT by Claire Rosemberg PAGE 160 Agence France Presse, April 21, 1998 We will also move France-Rwanda-chrono BENONI, South Africa: Thousands gather for the funeral of black baby, Angelina, whose shooting dead by a white farmer sparked outrage and has come as a harsh reminder of lingering racism in the 'new South Africa'. SAfrica-funeral,lead 500 words around 1430 GMT -- MIDDLE EAST -- JERUSALEM: The announcement of a new round of indirect Israeli-Palestinian summit talks in London next month raises few hopes for a breakthrough in the troubled peace process. Israel-Palestinian 600 words around 1030 GMT. by Charly Wegman. DUBAI: To shield its economy from oil price fluctuations, Saudi Arabia has embarked on the path of privatisation with its decision to create a public limited company for telecoms. Saudi-economy 550 words around 1100 GMT. by Maher Chmaytelli PAGE 161 Agence France Presse, April 21, 1998 LONDON: Final day of an international conference on sanctions against Iraq and their humanitarian side effects. Iraq-Britain 600 words around 1415 GMT. Picture by Henry Meyer -- ASIA -- BEIJING: China warns leading dissident Wang Dan against returning to the country and denies any deal with the United States played any role in his release into exile. China-dissident-Wang,2ndlead 500 words around 1100 GMT by Patrick Baert DETROIT, Michigan: Freed Chinese dissident Wang Dan has no serious medical problems and plans to travel on to New York, his doctors say one day after he arrived in the United States. China-dissident-US,lead 600 words moved by Sandra Svoboda COLOMBO: More than 100 Tamil Tiger rebels and government troops are killed in Sri Lanka as the Commonwealth moves to broker an end to decades of separatist conflict. SriLanka-Tamil,2ndlead PAGE 162 Agence France Presse, April 21, 1998 600 words around 1130 GMT by Amal Jayasinghe SYDNEY: The Australian docks war turns dramatically in favour of 1,400 sacked dockers Tuesday after a court found they may have been victims of a conspiracy and ordered them reinstated. Australia-docks,3rdlead 600 words around 1200 GMT. Picture by Jack Taylor TOKYO: Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto faces growing pressure from business, politicians and the media to stand down over Japan's biggest postwar economic crisis. Japan-politics 600 words moved by Shingo Ito TOKYO: Japan's transport minister calls for an end to a pilots' strike which has brought heavy losses to All Nippon Airways and disrupted the travel plans of thousands of passengers. Japan-aviation,2ndlead 600 words around 1100 GMT BEIJING: China's economic growth slowed to 7.2 percent in the first quarter, casting further doubt on the country's ability to meet crucial targets amid PAGE 163 Agence France Presse, April 21, 1998 the Asian financial crisis fallout. China-economy,3rdlead 600 words around 1100 GMT by Lorien Holland JAKARTA: President Suharto says Indonesia has enough capital and resources to continue developing under a strict IMF economic reform program. Indonesia-economy 650 words around 1100 GMT -- AMERICAS -- BOGOTA: Rescue workers resume their grisly task on a mountainside near here where 53 people met their death when their Quito-bound Boeing 727 turned the wrong way minutes after takeoff. Colombia-crash 700 words around 1030 GMT. Picture, Graphic afp LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 21, 1998 PAGE 164 LEVEL 1 - 53 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse April 21, 1998 07:17 GMT SECTION: International news LENGTH: 727 words HEADLINE: The AFP 0700 GMT news agenda DATELINE: April 21 BODY: The 0700 GMT news agenda: Duty editor: Daniel Woolls Tel: Paris (33-1) 40.41.46.36 PARIS: A former French premier and three of his ministers testify before an unprecedented parliamentary probe into France's role in Rwanda's 1994 genocide. France-Rwanda Expect update. (Hearing starts at 0815 GMT) BOGOTA: A jetliner crashes into a mountain shortly after taking off from Bogota, killing all 53 people aboard. Colombia-crash,2ndlead,moved Expect update. JERUSALEM: The announcement of a new round of indirect Israeli-Palestinian summit talks in London next month raises few hopes for a breakthrough in the PAGE 165 Agence France Presse, April 21, 1998 troubled peace process. Israel-Palestinian Expect update. SYDNEY: Some 1,400 sacked Australian dockers win their legal battle for reinstatement as the stock exchange suspends trading in shares of stevedoring company behind the government-backed sackings two weeks ago. Australia-docks,2ndlead. Picture 650 words around 0800 GMT by Jack Taylor SEOUL: Relations between Seoul and Tokyo take a new turn as South Korea drops claims for compensation from its former colonial ruler for sex-slaves during World War II SKorea-Japan,3rdlead 600 words around 0800 GMT by Lim Yun-Suk SEOUL: South Korean prosecutors indict a former intelligence agency chief for masterminding a spear campaign to foil the election of Kim Dae-Jung as head of state. SKorea-plot,lead 500 words around 0730 GMT by C.W. Lim SEOUL: South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung meets union leaders to try and prevent a labor PAGE 166 Agence France Presse, April 21, 1998 crisis as the nation struggles to cope with the financial crisis. SKorea-labor,lead 550 words around 0730 GMT TOKYO: Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto faces growing pressure to step down, under fire from business, politicians and the media for Japan's biggest postwar economic crisis. Japan-politics,moved Expect update. by Shingo Ito TAIPEI: Taiwan negotiators are to head for China on the first fence-mending trip in nearly three years, but few expect the low-profile visit to make much progress in thawing strained relations Taiwan-China,lead 650 words around 0900 GMT by Benjamin Yeh COLOMBO: At least 88 people, including 28 soldiers were killed in fierce fighting in northern Sri Lanka, as the British Commonwealth launched a new bid to bring peace to the troubled Indian Ocean island. SriLanka-Tamil,lead 550 words around 0800 GMT by Amal Jayasinghe PAGE 167 Agence France Presse, April 21, 1998 BENONI: Thousands gather for the funeral of six-month-old black baby shot dead by a white farmer in a harsh reminder of lingering racism in South Africa. SAfrica-baby Expect update. We moved the following features: JASENOVAC, Croatia: At 80 years of age Zlata has not abandoned hope of discovering the truth behind her brother's "disappearance" in 1942 in the Croat concentration camp of Jasenovac. Croatia-Holocaust, 500 words by Sonia Bakaric BELFAST: Amid the range of emotions that has greeted the prospect of peace in Northern Ireland, few can have been as mixed as those of the staff at the high-security Maze prison, one of the most powerful symbols of 30 years of civil strife. Britain-NIreland-prison, 550 words by Yacine le Forestier PARIS: While the Middle East peace process flounders in still waters, a new symbol of Israeli-Palestinian cooperation is cutting clean lines in the world of sailing. PAGE 168 Agence France Presse, April 21, 1998 Israel-Palestinian-sail, 500 words by Jean-Francois Buglet WASHINGTON: They engineered the Northern Ireland peace accord, stood together against Iraq and are seeking to re-start Middle East peace talks: Bill Clinton and Tony Blair are working hand-in-glove to advance each other's diplomacy. US-Britain, 650 words by Carole Landry SANYA, China: Holidaymakers heading to the popular Thai resort of Phuket may find themselves in China instead, as Sanya on southern Hainan island launches an ambitious project to pack its golden beaches. China-tourism, 650 words by Leeu Siew Ying KARACHI: Rare sneaked embraces remain the only contact between Kanwar Ashan and Riffat Afrida, his bride of two months, as the Pakistani couple facing execution for their inter-ethnic marriage are hidden apart by relatives. Pakistan-romance, 500 words by Owais Tohid afp LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 21, 1998 PAGE 169 LEVEL 1 - 54 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 British Broadcasting Corporation BBC Monitoring Africa - Political Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring April 21, 1998, Tuesday LENGTH: 180 words HEADLINE: PROGRAMME SUMMARY FOR RADIO FRANCE INTERNATIONALE NEWS 1230 GMT 21 APR 98 SOURCE: Radio France Internationale, Paris, in French 1230 gmt 21 Apr 98 BODY: 1. Headlines 2. France: Rwanda genocide inquiry continues. 3. UN human rights commission has condemned DRCOngo for human rights violation. 4. Somalia: Hostages still held in Mogadishu. 5. Niger: after tension and demonstrations in various cities, today house and vehicle of an opposition leader burned and attacked 6. Mali: Political squabbles over upcoming election. 7. Burkina Faso: African peacekeeping force has began manoeuvres in the country. 8. Sierra Leone: Ecomog said to have proof that two Liberian factions are taking part in the fighting in Sierra Leone. 9. Nigeria: USA accuses Abacha of manipulating the democratic process in the country. 10. Kenya: Over 1,000 dead from cholera since September. 11. South Africa: Funeral held of baby killed by white man. 12. Chad: special report on the second congress of the UNDR which has been severely criticized for its alliance with the ruling party 13. Today's guest is Francois Tertik, a researcher from Bordeaux, on the political situation in Nigeria. 14. Press Review LANGUAGE: English LOAD-DATE: January 1, 1999 PAGE 170 LEVEL 1 - 55 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Deutsche Presse-Agentur Deutsche Presse-Agentur April 21, 1998, Tuesday, BC Cycle 03:24 Central European Time SECTION: Advisories LENGTH: 475 words HEADLINE: Schedule for Tuesday, April 21st, 0300 GMT BODY: -------------------------------------------------------------------- All times GMT/ If you have any questions about the news schedule or need items repeated please call dpa: (0500-2000 GMT) Hamburg Tel: 49-40-4113-2280/2282 Fax: 4113-2289 (2000-0500 GMT) Washington Tel: 1-202-783-5097 Fax: 783-4116 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Jerusalem/ - British Prime Minister Blair to conclude talks Tel Aviv with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu as U.S. Defense Secretary continues his visit to Israel (Mideast/ as available, roundup by 1500) Luxembourg - European finance ministers meet to prepare for summit on euro currency (EU-Euro, by 1500) Paris - French Prime Minister Jospin to take part in National Assembly debate on introduction of the euro (France-Euro, by 1900) - French legislative committee investigating Rwanda massacres to hear testimony from former prime minister Balladur as well as former cabinet ministers (France-Rwanda, by 1700) Moscow - Developments in Russian government crisis (Russia-Government, by 1600) Madrid - Defence Minister Serra to testify in parliament about government eavesdropping actions against political parties linked to Basque separatists (Spain-Basques, by 1700) Mogadishu - Situation after militia chief says Red Cross workers held as hostages will be released soon (Somalia-Hostages, as available) SPORT: Monte Carlo - Early-round matches at the Monte Carlo Open. Results, reports and roundups by Bill Scott (Tennis-MonteCarlo, as available) BACKGROUNDERS AND BYLINERS MOVED: Seattle - Microsoft fights for a better image before Windows 98 release. By Tilman Streif (820 words/US-Computers) Kigali - Civil war halts research work on Rwanda's mountain gorillas. By Thomas Burmeister (730 words/Rwanda-Conflict) PAGE 171 Deutsche Presse-Agentur, April 21, 1998 Washington - The path is the goal - Scenic routes in the U.S. By Hanns-Jochen Kaffsack (1,640 words/dpa-SPECIAL-Travel) Dresden - Dresden cemetery could become tourist attraction. By Simona Block (780 words/dpa-SPECIAL-Travel) Rome - Caution Rome tourists: road works ahead! By Peer Meinert (530 words/dpa-SPECIAL-Travel) Montepulciano - Montepulciano to Mantalcino - Journey through southern Tuscany. By Regina Lang (840 words/dpa-SPECIAL-Travel) --------------------------------------------------------------------- dpa SCHEDULE dpa SCHEDULE dpa SCHEDULE dpa SCHEDULE dpa SCHEDULE - -------------------------------------------------------------------- LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 21, 1998 PAGE 172 LEVEL 1 - 56 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Deutsche Presse-Agentur Deutsche Presse-Agentur April 21, 1998, Tuesday, BC Cycle 09:12 Central European Time SECTION: Advisories LENGTH: 663 words HEADLINE: Schedule for Tuesday, April 21st, 1000 GMT BODY: -------------------------------------------------------------------- All times GMT/ If you have any questions about the news schedule or need items repeated please call dpa: (0500-2000 GMT) Hamburg Tel: 49-40-4113-2280/2282 Fax: 4113-2289 (2000-0500 GMT) Washington Tel: 1-202-783-5097 Fax: 783-4116 -------------------------------------------------------------------- MIDEAST: Tel Aviv - British Premier Blair wraps up Mideast tour, has fresh talks with Netanyahu (Blair-Mideast, 1st lead moved, roundup by 1500) Jerusalem - U.S. Defence Secretary Cohen ends visit to Israel (Mideast, after 1200) EUROPE: Moscow - Developments in Russian government crisis (Russia-Government, roundup by 1600) Innsbruck, - Czech President Havel undergoes surgery for third Austria time in one week (Austria-Havel, roundup by 1600) Luxembourg - European finance ministers meet to prepare for summit on euro currency (EU-Euro, by 1500) Paris - French Prime Minister Jospin to take part in National Assembly debate on introduction of the euro (France-Euro, by 1900) - French legislative committee investigating Rwanda massacres to hear testimony from former prime minister Balladur as well as former cabinet ministers (France-Rwanda, by 1700) Madrid - Defence Minister Serra to testify in parliament about government eavesdropping actions against political parties linked to Basque separatists (Spain-Basques, by 1700) GERMAN DATELINES: Wiesbaden - German exports surge in February (Germany-Exports, roundup by 1300) Bonn - Kohl says euro currency will help the continent rival the U.S. economy (Germany-Euro) ASIA-PACIFIC: Sydney - Courts postpone dockers' verdict pending appeal (Australia-Docks, 2nd roundup moved) Bangkok - Myanmar opposition politician gets 25 years for media interview (Myanmar-Arrest) PAGE 173 Deutsche Presse-Agentur, April 21, 1998 Kathmandu - Nepali premier completes cabinet appointments (Nepal-Cabinet, roundup as available) Hanoi - Vietnam's legislature opens on sour economic note (Vietnam-Assembly, roundup on merit) Seoul - Former secret police chief indicted in Seoul for smear campaign (Korea-Warrant) LATAM: Bogota - All 53 people on board killed in plane crash in Colombia (Colombia-Crash, 2nd roundup by 1800) AFRICA: Mogadishu - Situation after militia chief says Red Cross workers held as hostages will be released soon (Somalia-Hostages, as available) SPORT: Monte Carlo - Early-round matches at the Monte Carlo Open. Results, reports and roundups by Bill Scott (Tennis-MonteCarlo, as available) BACKGROUNDERS AND BYLINERS MOVED: Seattle - Microsoft fights for a better image before Windows 98 release. By Tilman Streif (820 words/US-Computers) Kigali - Civil war halts research work on Rwanda's mountain gorillas. By Thomas Burmeister (730 words/Rwanda-Conflict) Washington - The path is the goal - Scenic routes in the U.S. By Hanns-Jochen Kaffsack (1,640 words/dpa-SPECIAL-Travel) Dresden, - Dresden cemetery could become tourist attraction. Germany By Simona Block (780 words/dpa-SPECIAL-Travel) Rome - Caution Rome tourists: road works ahead! By Peer Meinert (530 words/dpa-SPECIAL-Travel) Montepulciano - Montepulciano to Mantalcino - Journey through southern Tuscany. By Regina Lang (840 words/dpa-SPECIAL-Travel) --------------------------------------------------------------------- dpa SCHEDULE dpa SCHEDULE dpa SCHEDULE dpa SCHEDULE dpa SCHEDULE - -------------------------------------------------------------------- dpa mu ms LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 21, 1998 PAGE 174 LEVEL 1 - 57 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Deutsche Presse-Agentur Deutsche Presse-Agentur April 21, 1998, Tuesday, BC Cycle 12:17 Central European Time SECTION: International News LENGTH: 236 words HEADLINE: Balladur proud of French role in Rwanda DATELINE: Paris BODY: Former French prime minister Edouard Balladur on Tuesday defended France against critics of the role it played at the time of the Rwandan genocide four years ago. France was the only country that had tried, with the modest means at its disposal, to stop the 1994 massacres, Balladur told a parliamentary committee in Paris. No other country had called for an end to the violence, Balladur told the information committee that is investigating the role played by France at the time. Balladur said he was surprised and angry that countries "which did nothing" were putting France in the dock over Rwanda. Like the then foreign, defence and development ministers - Alain Juppe, Francois Leotard and Michel Roussin - Balladur said he was proud of the role the French military played, especially in Operation Turquoise, in helping to save hundreds of persecuted people. In recent months the Paris government has been criticised in both the domestic and foreign press for the role it played in Rwanda. Roussin's successor Bernard Debre has said that France continued to deliver weapons to Rwanda for five to ten days after the eruption of the violence in April 1994. An estimated 500,000 to 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were murdered by Hutu militias in the 1994 Rwandan massacres. At the time France had a cohabitation government under the Socialist president Francois Mitterrand. dpa jp LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 21, 1998 PAGE 175 LEVEL 1 - 58 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse April 20, 1998 15:19 GMT SECTION: International news LENGTH: 954 words HEADLINE: The AFP 1500 GMT news advisory DATELINE: April 20 BODY: The 1500 GMT news advisory: Duty Editor: Charles Whelan Tel: Washington (202) 414-0541 TOP WORLD NEWS STORIES: GAZA CITY: Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is prepared to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if US, European and Arab representatives also attend, an aide says. LONDON: A conference on aid to Iraq opens in London, but three of four Arab countries invited are staying away, as is Russia. KARLSRUHE, Germany: Germany's ultra-left Red Army Faction (RAF) announces its dissolution, closing a major chapter on European terrorism. -- EUROPE -- PARIS: Prime Minister Lionel Jospin threatens a veto in the row between France and the Netherlands over who will head the future European Central Bank. France-euro,lead 650 words around 1600 GMT by Claire Rosemberg KARLSRUHE, Germany: Closing a major chapter on European terrorism, Germany's ultra-left Red Army Faction (RAF) PAGE 176 Agence France Presse, April 20, 1998 announces its dissolution. Germany-faction,3rdlead 600 words around 1600 GMT BRNICE, Bosnia-Hercegovina: Under a bleak grey sky, experts from the UN war crimes tribunal officially begin exhuming a site in northeast Bosnia thought to contain victims of the Srebrenica massacre. Bosnia-graves,lead 500 words moved by Dunja Tadic THE HAGUE: Zoran Zigic, a Bosnian Serb linked to a notorious "death camp" during the early months of the 1992-95 Bosnian war, pleads not guilty to charges of war crimes before a UN tribunal. Bosnia-warcrimes,3rdlead 500 words by 1545 GMT SARAJEVO: NATO Secretary General Javier Solana discusses the future of the Stabilization Force in Bosnia after a day of talks with Bosnian leaders and SFOR commanders. Bosnia-NATO,lead 500 words around 1700 GMT. Picture. LONDON: Britain hosts a two-day international meeting on humanitarian aid to Iraq, but faces PAGE 177 Agence France Presse, April 20, 1998 boycotts by three of the four Arab countries invited and Russia. Britain-Iraq,2nd 600 words around 1545 GMT by Henry Meyer -- AFRICA -- NAIROBI: A south Mogadishu faction announces the imminent release of 10 Red Cross and Red Crescent hostages from north Mogadishu after their captors threaten on television to execute them failing quick payment of a million-dollar ransom. Somalia-kidnap 700-word new series around 1600 GMT by Hugh Nevill PARIS: Two military officers called the shots for late French president Francois Mitterrand during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, the daily Le Monde charges a day ahead of a major parliamentary hearing, while the current foreign minister defends Paris's role. France-Rwanda,lead 600 words around 1515 GMT LAGOS: Nigeria's authorised political parties all place current military strongman Sani Abacha in an almost unassailable position, should he finally say he will stand in presidential PAGE 178 Agence France Presse, April 20, 1998 elections due next August as part of the army's avowed plans to restore civilian rule. Nigeria-vote,2ndlead 600 words around 1630 GMT by Ade Obisesan BARDERA, Somalia: Ethiopia is giving military support to a Somali militia to help it control the southwest border region of Gedo, a commander acknowledges here as the United Nations warns of a looming battle. Somalia-Ethiopia 650 words, moved -- MIDDLE EAST -- GAZA CITY: Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is prepared to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, if US, European and Arab representatives also attend, a top Arafat aide says. Palestinian-Britain,2ndlead 600 words around 1600 GMT. Pictures. by Sakher Abu el-Oun. -- AMERICAS -- WASHINGTON: President Bill Clinton's aides set their sights on the Beijing summit, hoping the release of leading dissident Wang Dan offers a preview of China's willingness to address PAGE 179 Agence France Presse, April 20, 1998 US concerns. China-dissident-summit 550 words around 1600 GMT by Carole Landry WASHINGTON: The United Strates hopes a meeting of Israeli and Palestinian leaders proposed for London will break the deadlock in the Middle East peace process. Israel-Palestinian-US 500 words around 1730 GMT by Andre Viollaz MEXICO CITY: Mexico's premier poet and philosopher, 1990 Nobel literature laureate Octavio Paz, has died at 84 after dominating Mexican letters for nearly a half century. Mexico-Paz,roundup 600 words around 1515 GMT by Eduardo Garcia OTTAWA: Canada pursues friendly ties with Cuba, announcing a visit to Havana by Prime Minister Jean Chretien, despite anger and opposition in Washington. Canada-Cuba 500 words around 1730 GMT by Christine Courcol -- ASIA -- BEIJING: Chinese dissident Wang Dan thanks the PAGE 180 Agence France Presse, April 20, 1998 United States for helping to win his release and vows to return to his homeland one day. China-dissident-family,2ndlead 600 words moved by Patrick Baert We have also moved: China-dissident-hope,lead. China-dissident-chrono China-dissident-friend,lead China-dissident-Hongkong,lead KAWANA, Japan: The Russia-Japan weekend summit here was just a slow step towards resolving a crucial territorial row but displayed the diplomatic finesse of two leaders fighting tough political battles at home. Japan-Russia,lead 700 words moved by Shigemi Sato SYDNEY: Sacked Australian dockers suffer a major setback in their battle for reinstatement as they and their supporters are ordered by a court to abandon their docks picket in Melbourne. Australia-docks 650 words moved. Picture PAGE 181 Agence France Presse, April 20, 1998 by Jack Taylor TOKYO: Bank of Japan Governor Masaru Hayami warns there is "strong" downward pressure on the country's struggling economy, as data showing import falls depresses stocks and the currency. Japan-economy,lead 600 words moved afp LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 20, 1998 PAGE 182 LEVEL 1 - 59 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse April 20, 1998 12:20 GMT SECTION: International news LENGTH: 144 words HEADLINE: The AFP advancers advisory DATELINE: April 20 BODY: We shall file the following advancers. PARIS: An enquiry into France's role in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda steps up a gear on Tuesday when a line-up of four ex-ministers goes before a parliamentary commission on the conflict. France-Rwanda 600 words by Christian Spillmann BEIJING: China and Taiwan will make official contact for the first time in three years here Wednesday with the arrival of a top-level Taipei mission to ease strained relations between two powers technically at war for nearly 50 years. China-Taiwan 650 words by Patrick Baert LOS ANGELES: Composer Philip Glass has dazzled audiences for decades with his innovative musical scores. Now he is turning back to the 13th century for inspiration for his latest project, an PAGE 183 Agence France Presse, April 20, 1998 opera called "Monsters of Grace." US-Opera 500 words by Jean-Loup Sense LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 20, 1998 PAGE 184 LEVEL 1 - 60 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse April 20, 1998 12:21 GMT SECTION: International news LENGTH: 585 words HEADLINE: France Rwanda BYLINE: Christian Spillmann DATELINE: PARIS, April 20 BODY: An enquiry into France's role in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda steps up a gear on Tuesday when four ex-ministers go before a parliamentary commission on the conflict. Edouard Balladur, who was prime minister from 1993 to 1995, will testify along with his foreign minister and successor Alain Juppe, ex-defence minister Francois Leotard, and former cooperation minister Michel Roussin. They will give evidence as a group to the defence commission of the French National Assembly, in a hearing being held publicly. The chairman of the commission, ex-defence minister Paul Quiles, has vowed to "shed light" on events leading to the massacre of between 500,000 and 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus by Tutsi extremists. He said evidence given to date by representatives of non-governmental agencies has posed a number of troubling questions over French conduct in the genocide. Paris deployed troops in southwest Rwanda in late June 1994, a few weeks before the mass killings ended. Sensational opening sessions of the enquiry have already heard claims that France must know who shot down a presidential plane in the incident that sparked the genocide. Particular importance will be attached to the evidence given on Tuesday by Roussin following revelations from his successor as cooperation minister, Bernard Debre. Debre said the French government had continued to deliver weapons to Rwanda five to ten days after the massacres started, on April 6, 1994. Numerous documents produced elsewhere have shown that the genocide was planned in advance and that the United Nations and countries including France had received prior warning of the imminent bloodshed. Earlier this month a Belgian academic told the commission that France must have information to help explain the crash that killed Rwanda's Hutu president Juvenal Habyarimana, and his counterpart from Burundi, Cyprien Ntaryamira, and unleashed the genocide. PAGE 185 Agence France Presse, April 20, 1998 Filip Reyntjens said information from Belgian, British and US military intelligence sources showed that the two Soviet-made ground-to-air missiles that brought down the jet, near the Rwandan capital Kigali on April 6, came from a batch seized by the French army in Iraq in 1991. The massacres started several hours after Habyarimana's death was announced. It has never been established who fired at the plane. Observers have said the attack might have been carried out by ethnic Tutsi rebels fighting the Hutu-majority government, but more likely by extremist Hutus unhappy with a 1993 peace plan that provided for a power-sharing deal. The investigations have put the French political establishment firmly on the defensive. At the time of the genocide power in France was shared between socialist president Francois Mitterand and the centre-right government of Edouard Balladur. African affairs were run by Jean-Christophe Mitterrand, the son of the late president, who is expected to appear before the commission on Wednesday. Balladur has gone on record as saying he will protect "the honour of France and the French army" from unfair attacks. He said earlier this month he was "scandalised" that France was being held responsible, claiming that it was the only country that attempted to prevent the genocide. Some 50 civilian and military witnesses are expected to be called before the commission over the next month. Copies of defence and cooperation agreements linking France with some 30 countries have been requested by Quiles. csg/mab/aln/bm LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 20, 1998 PAGE 186 LEVEL 1 - 61 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Deutsche Presse-Agentur Deutsche Presse-Agentur April 13, 1998, Monday, BC Cycle 14:22 Central European Time SECTION: International News LENGTH: 741 words HEADLINE: French forces trained former Rwandan regime - defence sources DATELINE: Nairobi BODY: Four years after the 1994 Rwandan genocide left more than 800,000 people dead in the tiny central African state, details are emerging of an operation carried out by French Special Forces troops which helped train the former Rwandan armed forces and militias responsible for the genocide. As a parliamentary probe in France, headed by ex-defence minister Paul Quiles and consisting of ten parliamentary deputies, is examining France's role in the genocide, western defence sources claim that a group of elite French soldiers were among those responsible for training the armed forces, gendarmerie and youth militias of the hardline Hutu regime of former Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana. Habyarimana died on April 6, 1994, as the Mystere Falcon-50 jet carrying him and the President of Burundi, Cyprien Ntamira, was shot down by two ground-to-air missiles as it approached Kigali airport in Rwanda. Within hours, the Rwandan genocide had begun, which over the next 100 days was to leave an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and politically- moderate Hutus slaughtered by extremist Hutus. What is certain, say western defence sources, is that regardless of who pulled the trigger back in 1994 on Habyarimana's jet, flown by a French crew, and given to him as a present by Jean-Christophe Mitterand, son of the former president, the French military had already helped train the Rwandan military, the para-military gendarmerie, and in turn the Hutu interahamwe militias, all responsible for much of the killing. French military training in Rwanda between 1990 and 1993 was partly carried out, they say, by specially-trained military recconaissance teams from the French Foreign Legion's 2nd Regiment Etranger de Parachutistes (2eme REP,) or 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment. At least 65 per cent of these troops would not have been of French origin, having joined the Legion from Germany, Israel, Canada, South Africa, Britain, Zimbabwe and 60 other countries. Along with other units from the French Army's Special Operations Command Group, known in French as the COS, or Commandement Operations Speciales, the Rwandans were trained by these elite Legionnaires, all part of the 2eme REP's Recconaissance Platoon, known as the Commandos de Renseignement et de l'Action PAGE 187 Deutsche Presse-Agentur, April 13, 1998 dans la Profondeur, or, more familiarly, as the CRAPS. Prior to joining this 40-man unit, based at Calvi in northern Corsica, legionnaires would first normally spend between two and four years as a paratrooper in one of the five combat companies of the Legion's Parachute Regiment, which specialise in amphibious warfare, explosives and demolition, night-fighting, mountain and arctic warfare and use of heavy weapons. Only after a gruelling selection process in the mountains of Corsica, followed by further training in free-fall military parachuting, as well as other skills such as recconnaissance diving or long-range sniping, are the successful applicants allowed to become part of the Recconaissance Platoon. Detachments from this unit trained the Rwandan military and gendarmerie between 1990 and 1993, the sources say. Training included signals and communications, command and control structures, guerrilla warfare and extensive training in the use of weapons. The four-man teams, varying in number between two and five, were based in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, and trained units of the Rwandan army and gendarmerie in the towns of Kibuye, Ruhengeri, Cyangugu, Gikongoro and Byumba. Deployments were normally for four months. Western military sources say that it is almost certain that the French troops knew that a large-scale confrontation between Hutus and Tutsis was impending. The French parliamentary commisson, which does not constitute an official board of inquiry, will be hearing submissions from former and serving French military officers in closed sessions in the coming weeks. Jean Christophe Mitterand is set to appear before the commission on April 22. More than 120 Rwandan soldiers, Hutu rebels and civilians, both Tutsi and Hutu, have died since the fourth anniversary of the start of the genocide on April 6 this year. Clashes continue in the central and north-western provinces of Rwanda between the Tutsi-dominated army of military strongman Major- General Paul Kagame and extremist elements of the former hardline Hutu regime, intent on destabilising the country and continuing the genocide. dpa cj vc LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 14, 1998 PAGE 188 LEVEL 1 - 62 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse April 08, 1998 15:25 GMT SECTION: Advisory LENGTH: 1287 words HEADLINE: The AFP 1500 GMT news advisory DATELINE: April 8 BODY: The 1500 GMT news advisory:- TOP WORLD NEWS STORIES ARE BELFAST The British and Irish prime ministers renew their efforts to rescue the Northern Ireland peace process MOSCOW Young technocrat Sergei Kiriyenko is unlikely to be confirmed as prime minister in Friday's first vote in parliament PARIS The OECD cuts its economic growth forecast for industrial countries this year JAKARTA Indonesia pledges wide-ranging reforms in return for the revival of an IMF economic lifeline WASHINGTON Prosecutor Kenneth Starr is under mounting pressure to conclude his investigations into President Clinton's activities NEWS FILE PLANS BY REGION -- EUROPE -- BELFAST: British and Irish Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern renew their efforts to rescue the Northern Ireland peace process under threat from Protestant unionists. PAGE 189 Agence France Presse, April 08, 1998 NIreland,lead 600 words around 1600 GMT. Picture, Graphic by Henry Meyer WASHINGTON: Since he took office five years ago, President Bill Clinton has made the Northern Ireland peace process a top foreign policy priority, raising the stakes for success or failure of this week's talks. NIreland-US 600 words around 1530 GMT by Andre Viollaz LONDON: The eleventh-hour rejection by Northern Ireland's loyalist leaders of a draft peace agreement shows the protestant community's hostility to any prospect of a united Ireland. NIreland-unionists 600 words moved by Denis Hiault LONDON: British Prime Minister Tony Blair was negotiating against the clock to broker a Northern Ireland peace deal, building on the foundations laid by his predecessors and backed by his own political mandate. NIreland-taboo 550 words moved by Christine Buhagiar We have also moved PAGE 190 Agence France Presse, April 08, 1998 NIreland-clauses NIreland-victims MOSCOW: Young technocrat Sergei Kiriyenko is unlikely to be confirmed as prime minister by the Russian lower house in a first vote Friday, a top aide to President Boris Yeltsin says. Russia-politics,2ndlead 600 words around 1530 GMT MOSCOW: Russia will cut its oil exports by 61,000 barrels per day in a bid to help lift depressed world oil prices, acting first deputy prime minister Boris Nemtsov says. Russia-oil-cut,3rdlead 500 words around 1530 GMT by Laurence Peter MOSCOW: Russia threatens to slap economic sanctions on Latvia if the Baltic republic does not change its policies towards its Russian-speaking minority which Moscow insists are discriminatory. Russia-Latvia,5thlead 700 words by 1530 GMT by Mark Rice-Oxley We have already moved Latvia-politics,2ndlead PARIS: The OECD cuts its economic growth forecast for industrial countries this year, largely due to PAGE 191 Agence France Presse, April 08, 1998 Japan's economic woes, but says non-Asian wealthy countries are suffering less than expected. OECD-economy 700 words moved. Graphic by Sue Kendall (We have also moved a package of stories on the OECD's twice-yearly Economic Outlook report on prospects for the world's economy) PARIS: A controversial bill on immigration, the hottest issue in France, faces a final parliamentary vote after causing splits in the ruling leftwing coalition over the fate of tens of thousands of illegal migrants. France-immigration,lead 600 words around 1515 GMT PALE, Bosnia-Hercegovina: He doesn't seem to live here any more, but locals say Bosnian Serb wartime leader Radovan Karadzic -- now wanted for war crimes -- still pops up in this dusty town that has been his power base. Bosnia-Karadzic 600 words moved by Ivana Sekularac SARAJEVO: Serbs block some roads around Sarajevo, claiming that the Moslem-Croat authorities in the capital are arresting Serbs to PAGE 192 Agence France Presse, April 08, 1998 scare them from returning to pre-war homes. Bosnia-Serbs,lead 500 words around 1515 GMT. Picture VIENNA: An Austrian firm may have exported significant quantities of HIV-tainted blood to Asia before police found out about its money-making scam and stopped it, officials admit Austria-blood-AIDS,lead 550 words around 1630 GMT VIENNA: A female Lutheran bishop is aiming to defy the odds and throw a bombshell into Austrian politics in presidential ballots next week -- and says former Irish head of state Mary Robinson is her inspiration. Austria-vote,lead 600 words moved by Michael Thurston GENEVA: A UN report on Iran denounces the death sentence against British author Salman Rushdie, as well as numerous executions and stonings, but says the Islamic republic has made some progress on human rights neverthless. Iran-UN-rights 600 words moved PARIS: France and the United States sign an agreement opening up airline traffic between the two PAGE 193 Agence France Presse, April 08, 1998 countries. France-US-air,3rdlead. Graphic 600 words moved -- MIDDLE EAST -- JERUSALEM: Senior Israeli ministers meet to debate a possible compromise with the United States over the extent of overdue Israeli troop withdrawals from the West Bank, Israel radio reports. Israel-Palestinian-US 600 words moved JERUSALEM: Ephraim Halevy, a veteran intelligence official and diplomat, is sworn as head of Israel's troubled Mossad spy agency. Israel-Mossad,lead 600 words moved by David Millikin We have also moved Israel-Mossad-Halevy JERUSALEM: The Islamic radical group HAMAS accuses Palestinian police of torturing one of its members into confessing that he helped in the killing of its chief bombmaker, Mohieddin Sharif. Palestinian-HAMAS 500 words moved by Lee Keath BEIRUT: Scores of rebellious inmates in Lebanon's main PAGE 194 Agence France Presse, April 08, 1998 jail slash their bodies with razor blades on the second day of a prison mutiny, amid reports of several casualties. Lebanon-prison,lead 500 words around 1530 GMT by Nayla Razzouk -- AFRICA -- PARIS: Ex-defence minister Paul Quiles, who heads a French parliamentary enquiry into Paris's behaviour during Rwanda's 1994 genocide, asks for secret defence pacts, following charges that Paris must know who was behind the incident that triggered the mass slaughter. France-Rwanda 700 words moved -- AMERICAS -- WASHINGTON: Prosecutor Kenneth Starr is under mounting pressure to conclude his investigations on potentially impeachable offenses by President Clinton resulting from an alleged affair with a White House intern. US-Clinton-Starr 500 words around 1830 GMT. New series BUENOS AIRES: The Croatian embassy denies alleged World War II war criminal Dinko Sakic sought refuge there, raising questions about his whereabouts after PAGE 195 Agence France Presse, April 08, 1998 he was ordered detained. Argentina-Croatia,lead 500 words around 1630 GMT -- ASIA -- JAKARTA: Indonesia pledges wide-ranging reforms in return for the revival of a stalled economic lifeline after three weeks of tough negotiations with the International Monetary Fund. Indonesia-IMF,2ndlead. Picture 800 words moved by Bhimanto Suwatsoyo TOKYO: The International Monetary Fund gives Japan stern advice, saying it must implement both major tax cuts and crucial financial sector reform to pull out of its "serious" economic slump. Japan-IMF,3rdlead 600 words moved by Rory McCarthy TOKYO: Japan's parliament passes a tight-fisted 77.7-trillion-yen (584-billion-dollar) budget, opening the door to full debate on a massive stimulus package to awaken the slumbering economy. Japan-budget,3rdlead 800 words mvoed by Miwa Suzuki COLOMBO: British science fiction guru Arthur C. Clarke charges local child rights groups with conspiring PAGE 196 Agence France Presse, April 08, 1998 to discredit him as police call Interpol to probe allegations he had sex with boys. SriLanka-Clarke,lead 650 words moved by Amal Jayasinghe afp LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 08, 1998 PAGE 197 LEVEL 1 - 63 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse April 07, 1998 15:22 GMT SECTION: International news LENGTH: 6 words HEADLINE: In 5th to last para of our France-Rwanda, pls read it x x x Among other name BODY: Corrected repetition follows. LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 07, 1998 PAGE 198 LEVEL 1 - 64 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse April 07, 1998 15:27 GMT SECTION: International news LENGTH: 979 words HEADLINE: The AFP 1500 GMT news advisory DATELINE: April 7 BODY: The 1500 GMT news advisory:- TOP WORLD NEWS STORIES ARE BELFAST Prime Minister Tony Blair heads for Northern Ireland amid a new crisis in the peace talks PRISTINA, Yugoslavia Serbian president Milan Milutinovic gets the cold-shoulder from ethnic Albanian in Kosovo ISLAMABAD Pakistani religious parties call for a nuclear test to match rivals India MOSCOW President Boris Yeltsin courts support for his young candidate for prime minister NEWS FILE PLANS BY REGION -- EUROPE -- BELFAST: Prime Minister Tony Blair heads for Northern Ireland after the province's main Protestant party sparks a fresh crisis in the peace talks by rejecting proposals for a deal. NIreland,2ndlead 600 words around 1545 GMT. Picture, Graphic PAGE 199 Agence France Presse, April 07, 1998 by Henry Meyer We have already moved NIreland-facts NIreland-historic NIreland-code PRISTINA, Yugoslavia: Serbian president Milan Milutinovic leaves Pristina empty-handed as ethnic Albanian officials again fail to show up for talks aimed at defusing the Kosovo crisis. Yugo-Kosovo,lead 600 words around 1600 GMT. Picture by Ljubomir Milasin MOSCOW: President Boris Yeltsin courts support for his young prime minister candidate Sergei Kiriyenko during talks with his political foes, but opposition leaders remain unconvinced. Russia-politics,4thlead 700 words around 1530 GMT GENEVA Trade diplomats welcome a new tariff offer put forward by Beijing as part of its 11-year bid to join the World Trade Organization, but warn there will probably be no breakthrough until US President Bill Clinton's visit to China in June. China-WTO PAGE 200 Agence France Presse, April 07, 1998 600 words around 1500 GMT by Tani Freedman SARAJEVO: French President Jacques Chirac walked the war-scarred streets of Sarajevo and encouraged young Bosnians to build "a model country" within Europe, one in which ethnic differences would be respected. Bosnia-France,2ndlead 600 words around 1630 GMT. Pictures by Robert MacPherson SAREJEVO: "Sniper Alley" was closed as French President Jacques Chirac toured Sarajevo, evoking memories of the dark days of war. Bosnia-France-scene 500 words moved. Pictures by Ivana Sekularac PARIS: Paris' powerful City Hall, along with local assemblies across France, falls victim to the far-right National Front, whose creeping popularity was causing new mayhem within the mainstream right. France-politics,lead 600 words around 1545 GMT by Claire Rosemberg We have already moved France-politics-Paris NUREMBERG, PAGE 201 Agence France Presse, April 07, 1998 Germany: Unemployment plunges by about 196,000 in March to 12.1 percent of the workforce from 12.6 percent, a spring turnaround that still leaves the jobless rate at record levels. Germany-unemployment,5thlead 600 words around 1515 GMT. Graphic SOFIA: Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov appeals for calm after premier Ivan Kostov angers judges by saying judicial corruption and inefficiency could scare off foreign investors Bulgaria-justice 500 words around 1630 GMT -- MIDDLE EAST -- JERUSALEM: Doubts persists among Palestinians and Israelis over Palestinian Authority claims that the chief bomb-maker for the Islamic group HAMAS was killed by colleagues in a power struggle. Palestinian-HAMAS,lead 600 words moved. by Lee Keath TEHRAN: Tehran mayor Gholam-Hossein Karbaschi has been barred from receiving visits at the notorious Evin prison where he is being held on corruption charges and subjected to gruelling interrogation. PAGE 202 Agence France Presse, April 07, 1998 Iran-politics,lead 600 words moved. by Kianouche Dorranie. MINA, Saudi Arabia: Moslem pilgrims slaughter hundreds of thousands of sheep here for the Eid al-Adha feast of the sacrifice marking the end of the annual pilgrimage to Islam's holiest sites. Saudi-hajj 600 words moved. Pictures. BAGHDAD: Iraqis rediscover their traditional sweets to mark the Moslem feast of Al-Adha, thanks to an increase in food rations. But even the sweets leave a sour taste in a country hit by sanctions. Saudi-hajj-Iraq 450 words around 1630 GMT. by Salim Yassine -- AFRICA -- BISESERO, Rwanda: Top Rwandan officials, invited guests and anonymous thousands attend a sombre ceremony in this western town to remember the fourth anniversary of the beginning of the country's genocide and to pay tribute to those who resisted it. Rwanda-anniversary PAGE 203 Agence France Presse, April 07, 1998 600 words around 1600 GMT by Emmanuel Goujon PARIS: A Belgian academic tells a French parliamentary probe that French missiles shot down a plane carrying the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi and that Paris may have information that would shed light on the April 6, 1994 crash that unleashed Rwanda's genocide. France-Rwanda 600 words moved by Erwan Jourand -- ASIA -- ISLAMABAD: Pakistani religious parties call for a nuclear test to match rivals India, as New Delhi hits out at what it calls Islamabad's "clandestine" missile programme, which China denies having had a hand in developing. Pakistan-missile,3rdlead 500 words around 1530 GMT by Shah Alam SEOUL: North Korea tells the South it wants the first high-level meeting in almost four years to take place in Beijing, as enigmatic hints come from Pyongyang on a lessening of tensions. PAGE 204 Agence France Presse, April 07, 1998 SKorea-Nkorea,4thlead 600 words moved by Lim Yun-Suk HONG KONG: Hong Kong's provisional legislature passes a controversial bill that would exempt some Chinese-state bodies from local law, despite fierce opposition from lawyers and pro-democracy groups. Hongkong-politics,3rdlead 700 words, around 1530 GMT TOKYO: Japan's economic plight is "severe," authorities say, as the country awaits an announcement by Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto expected to outline unprecedented spending. Japan-economy,2ndlead 600 words moved afp LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 07, 1998 PAGE 205 LEVEL 1 - 65 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Inter Press Service Inter Press Service April 7, 1998, Tuesday LENGTH: 906 words HEADLINE: RIGHTS-FRANCE/RWANDA: ACTIVISTS PROBE FRANCE'S ROLE IN GENOCIDE BYLINE: By Angeline Oyog DATELINE: PARIS, Apr. 7 BODY: Determined to uncover the truth, human rights organizations and activists here are demanding an investigation into France's involvement in the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. Marking today's fourth anniversary of the onset of the slaughter, Rwandans and supporters in Paris called on French Premier Lionel Jospin and parliamentarians to set up a commission to investigate France's role in the events leading to up the genocide and the support Paris allegedly gave to its perpetrators. "Please take the necessary steps so that the survivors will know the truth," said Yvonne G., whose family was killed in the massacres. Machete-wielding Hutu extremists turned on their fellow Rwandans hours after Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana died in a still unexplained plane crash on Apr. 7, 1994. In March, the French National Assembly set up an "information mission" that, according to Defense Commission President Paul Quiles, is supposed to look into the "role that the different foreign military forces and the United Nations could have played in the Rwandan crisis between 1990 and 1994." However, humanitarian organizations and Rwandans continue the pressure for an investigative commission with more legal powers. "It (the mission) was a first step forward," stressed Survie, a pressure group which is leading a campaign dubbed "The Truth about Rwanda." But, it added in a statement, the French people "have the right to demand certain guarantees" that the truth is being told, given the reticence "and the attempts of several sides to slip through or to conceal the truth." Survie notes that the present mission cannot subpoena witnesses. A real parliamentary investigative mission, it argued, with witnesses required to testify under oath, would clear up questions about the role played by certain French authorities in the 1994 and later events. According to various estimates, between 500,000 and 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus perished in the massacres. The legacy of the killings continue to destabilize the country and the Central African region. PAGE 206 Inter Press Service, April 7, 1998 In 1993, organizations investigating reported human rights abuses following the launch of a Tutsi-led rebellion in 1990 had warned of bigger trouble brewing. They accused France of arming and training the Hutu military and paramilitary groups that eventually led the mass killings of Tutsis that lasted until July. "As early as March 1993, the anatomy of these massacres were already known by all the governments," claimed Brussels-based lawyer Eric Gillet of the International Federation of Human Rights Leagues (FIDH) while testifying last week before the information mission. The organizations had reported their findings to the United Nations and to the governments of Belgium, France and the United States. "There were contacts with the (French president's office, the) Elyzee," Gillet added. In the aftermath of the mass murders and the collapse of the Hutu extremists' rule over Rwanda under assault from Tutsi rebel forces, France is alleged to have evacuated many of the Rwandan leaders behind the genocide. French officials have always denied supporting the killers, but the allegations persist. Jose Kagabo, a historian at the School for Higher Studies in the Social Sciences in Paris, said that he was going to bring his family to Kigali just before the genocide began. "I believed that the peace accord signed in Arusha, Tanzania, meant a period of calm," he said. "On Apr. 7, at 5 o'clock in the morning, I heard the first news reports. The prime minister and other Cabinet ministers who had played the game of peace had just been assassinated." Five months later, Kagabo counted the lost among his family. "I lost my in-laws, five brothers, some of whom with their wives and children. Entire families like mine who perished are innumerable. The dogs of the country were fed with human flesh." Yvonne G. was in Kigali on April 6, 1994, with her husband. "My entire family was wiped out. We were encircled by militias who wanted to kill me because I was a Tutsi." A technician working with a French cooperation project, Yvonne said she and her colleagues met to plead for help from their Paris partners. "Everyone was on their knees pleading to be evacuated together with the French persons, but the French authorities decided to let them die," she told IPS. "Since the genocide of 1994, the policy of France in Rwanda has been put in question by survivors, witnesses and international observers, the African public opinion and increasingly by French citizens," Survie noted. "For the past four years, the genocide of Tutsis and democratic Hutus has damaged the image and the actions of France. Our country diplomatically has been more and more isolated in Africa and morally criticized in the world. The refusal by the successive governments have only aggravated the discredit of France and the discomfort of our citizens." PAGE 207 Inter Press Service, April 7, 1998 "Today, there is missing information, and we all want light to be shed. The task of shedding light will be done by historians, slowly," said Kagabo. "The missing information, I hope, will be about the involvement of France in this tragedy. It is not the experts invited to the hearings who will provide the missing information but the military and political representatives who made the decisions. "They know what they did and encouraged." LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 8, 1998 PAGE 208 LEVEL 1 - 66 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse April 03, 1998 09:46 GMT SECTION: International news LENGTH: 416 words HEADLINE: WORLD NEWS SUMMARY AFP world news summary for Friday, April 3 (since 0500 G BODY: Japan-economy TOKYO: Economic clouds darkened over Japan with the yen tumbling to a seven-year low and stocks sliding as the world's second largest economy limped towards recession. Dealers were badly unnerved by a negative investors' service rating. ASEM-open LONDON: The second Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) of Asian and European leaders opened in London with Asia's financial crisis expected to dominate the two-day summit. Iraq-UN BAGHDAD: UN weapons experts ended a mission to inspect so-called presidential sites in Iraq, marking a new chapter in cooperation between Baghdad and the United Nations. Russia-politics MOSCOW: Russia's young premier-designate Sergei Kiriyenko delayed presentation of his economic programm pending consultations with recalcitrant parliamentary leaders over President Boris Yeltsin's choice. China-dissident BEIJING: Chinese police detained Xu Wenli, one of the key dissidents behind the "Democracy Wall" campaign of the 1970s. Pakistan-court ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani Supreme Court dropped contempt of court charges against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that had brought his government to the brink of collapse. Kenya-Ethiopia NAIROBI: Gunmen killed an Ethiopian embassy official in Nairobi and kidnapped another, marking the fifth murder of a foreigner in Kenya since late February. PAGE 209 Agence France Presse, April 03, 1998 Cambodia-prince PHNOM PENH: Deposed Cambodian co-premier Prince Norodom Ranariddh left for Thailand after a brief return from exile punctuated by rowdy street demonstrations. Pakistan-India ISLAMABAD: Pakistani and Indian forces fought an artillery duel on their contested Kashmir frontier that left eight Indian soldiers dead, military sources said. France-Rwanda KIGALI: French troops sent to Rwanda on a humanitarian mission ignored the pleas of wounded Tutsis, leaving 1,000 people to be slaughtered by Hutu killers during the 1994 genocide, a human rights group charged. Britain-Jews LONDON: The British government said it would compensate foreign Jews who failed to recover investments they placed in Britain 60 years ago to keep them out of the hands of the Nazis. SOFIA: NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana slammed a proposal by Belgrade for a referendum on international mediation over Kosovo as a "manoeuvre" to stall for time over the troubled Serbian province. Japan-Dalai TOKYO: Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, started a nine-day visit to Japan despite Chinese pressure to have him barred. afp LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 03, 1998 PAGE 210 LEVEL 1 - 67 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse April 03, 1998 22:05 GMT SECTION: Advisory LENGTH: 922 words HEADLINE: The AFP 2200 GMT news advisory DATELINE: April 3 BODY: The 2200 GMT news advisory:- Duty Editor: Patrick Moser Tel: Washington (202) 414-0541 TOP WORLD NEWS STORIES ARE BELFAST Prospects improve for Northern Ireland peace with an outline draft of an accord to be presented LONDON The EU promises practical support to help Asia out of its economic quagmire JERUSALEM Thousands of Palestinians go on the march to call for attacks against Israel to avenge the death of HAMAS's chief bombmaker WASHINGTON President Bill Clinton is back in triumph from his African tour and with a damaging court case behind him TOKYO Dark clouds are over Japan with the yen tumbling and stocks sliding NEWS FILE PLANS BY REGION -- EUROPE -- BELFAST: London and Dublin say they have made "progress" towards a peace settlement for Northern Ireland but officials PAGE 211 Agence France Presse, April 03, 1998 continue negotiations to hammer out the fine detail. NIreland,2ndlead 600 words around 2215 GMT by Henry Meyer We have also moved NIreland-compromise,lead Britain-NIreland,lead LONDON: Europe and Asia pledged to keep their markets open, promising to block new protectionist trade barriers, to battle the continuing Asian financial crisis. ASEM,3rdlead. Picture 600 words moved BELGRADE: Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's plan for a referendum on the troubled province of Kosovo got strong backing from Serbian leaders but ran into trouble with Montenegro, the small republic making up the rest of Yugoslavia. Yugo-Kosovo,2ndlead 700 words moved BORDEAUX, France: Maurice Papon, sentenced to 10 years for crimes against humanity, was ordered to pay the civil plaintiffs in his trial 4.6 million francs (748,000 dollars) in PAGE 212 Agence France Presse, April 03, 1998 damages and legal costs. France-Papon-civil,3rdlead 600 words moved ZURICH Switzerland: Swiss President Flavio Cotti warned his country must not give in to pressure over what he called absurd accusations and excessive demands concerning Nazi gold that found its way here during World War 11. Swiss-Nazis-US,lead 450 words moved PARIS: French far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen's political future stands on a razor's edge after a court stripped him of his civic rights at a time when rivals are looking to usurp him as head of the National Front. France-LePen,2ndlead 600 words moved by Claire Rosemberg PARIS: Industrial countries agree to phase out subsidies to industry and agriculture where they cause pollution, but set no time frame. OECD-environment,lead 600 words moved by Sue Kendall GENEVA: The UN Human Rights Commission Friday passes PAGE 213 Agence France Presse, April 03, 1998 a resolution against the death penalty, pushing the United States into a corner along with regimes such as China and Iran that still have capital punishment. UN-rights-death,lead 600 words moved -- MIDDLE EAST -- JERUSALEM: Thousands of Palestinians go on the march to call for attacks against Israel to avenge the death of HAMAS's chief bombmaker, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accuses Yasser Arafat's self-rule authority of inciting violence. Israel-Palestinian,2ndlead 700 words moved by David Millikin BAGHDAD: UN weapons experts wrap up their mission to inspect all eight so-called presidential sites, marking a new chapter in cooperation between Iraq and the United Nations. Iraq-UN,5thlead 650 words moved by Salim Yassine -- AFRICA -- KIGALI: French troops sent to Rwanda on what Paris said was a "humanitarian" mission ignored the pleas of wounded Tutsis, leaving 1,000 people PAGE 214 Agence France Presse, April 03, 1998 to be slaughtered by Hutu killers during the 1994 genocide, a human rights group charged. France-Rwanda,2ndlead 650 words moved KINSHASA: President Laurent Kabila's office declared null and void a controversial list of more than 200 politicians who could have been barred from politics, including opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi. DRCongo-politics,lead 500 words moved DAWANARJI, Ethiopia: UN staff repatriate 470 Somali refugees from the Dawanarji camp in southeastern Ethiopia to Boroma in the north of Somalia, an AFP correspondent reported. Somalia-Ethiopia,lead 650 words moved by Guebray Berhane -- AMERICAS -- NEW YORK: Blue-chip stocks break 9,000 points, a new record that demonstrates the strength of US financial markets. US-Stocks,lead 600 words around 2330 GMT PAGE 215 Agence France Presse, April 03, 1998 by Jean-Louis Doublet WASHINGTON: President Bill Clinton, in surprisingly frank remarks, gives voice to mounting anxiety in the United States about the fate of the Japanese economy. US-Japan (new series) 600 words for 2300 GMT by Nathaniel Harrison WASHINGTON: Half the US Army's 10 active divisions are so undermanned that many of their squads, crews and platoons exist only on paper, a study released Friday said. US-military 500 words around 2215 GMT WASHINGTON: President Bill Clinton is back in triumph from a successful Africa tour and with a damaging court case against him dismissed. US-Clinton-return 600 words moved. Picture by Christian Chaise WASHINGTON: The United States posts its first net jobs loss in a year and a half, a surprising decline reflecting seasonal factors rather than the start of an economic slowdown. US-economy 600 words moved by Nathaniel Harrison PAGE 216 Agence France Presse, April 03, 1998 PORT-AU-PRINCE: US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright arrives here Saturday amid US concern about the continued political crisis in Haiti. Haiti-US 500 words moved by Dominique Levanti afp LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 03, 1998 PAGE 217 LEVEL 1 - 68 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse April 03, 1998 10:10 GMT SECTION: International news LENGTH: 1167 words HEADLINE: The AFP 1000 GMT news advisory DATELINE: April 3 BODY: The 1000 GMT news advisory:- Duty Editor: Allan Kelly Tel. Paris (33-1) 40.41.45.86 TOP WORLD NEWS STORIES ARE LONDON EU leaders pledge to stick by Asia as the prospect of a recession in Japan threatens BELGRADE President Slobodan Milosevic gets backing for his Kosovo referendum call TOKYO Cluds darken over the Japanese economy with the yen tumbling to a seven-year low and stocks sliding PHNOM PENH Deposed Cambodian co-premier Prince Norodom Ranariddh heads back to Thailand after a brief return from exile NEWS FILE PLANS BY REGION -- EUROPE -- LONDON: European Union leaders pledge to stick by Asia through "thick and thin," as the prospect of a recession in Japan threatens to plunge the region into even deeper crisis. PAGE 218 Agence France Presse, April 03, 1998 ASEM 700 words around 1030 GMT. Pictures by Angus MacKinnon LONDON: Asian leaders uphold the importance of keeping markets open despite the financial turmoil crippling the region and warn Europe it is not immune from the fallout ASEM-Asian 600 words around 1100 GMT by Roberto Coloma MOSCOW: President Boris Yeltsin rules out a coalition government with his political foes and pledges more tough economic policies, despite his conciliatory move to give his opponents a say in the formation of the new cabinet. Russia-politics,2ndlead 600 words around 1030 GMT. Picture BELGRADE: President Slobodan Milosevic gets backing from the Serbian authorities for his proposal to call a referendum on whether foreign mediation was needed to solve the crisis in the breakaway province of Kosovo. Yugo-Kosovo,lead 600 words around 1215 GMT by Alexandra Niksic LONDON: Hopes that Catholics and Protestants in PAGE 219 Agence France Presse, April 03, 1998 Northern Ireland could strike a peace deal next week, in a bid to end nearly 30 years of conflict, rise after London and Dublin make progress on bridging their differences NIreland 700 words around 1015 GMT by Henry Meyer FRANKFURT: Volkswagen says it has improved its takeover offer for Rolls-Royce in an audacious bid seen as an attempt to spoil supposedly exclusive talks on an agreed sale of Rolls and Bentley cars to BMW. Germany-VW-Rolls 700 words moved PARIS: Jean-Marie Le Pen's political career stands at a turning-point after a court strips him of civic rights for assaulting a woman politician at a time when his rivals for leadership of the far-right are busy eyeing his chair. France-LePen,lead 650 words around 1100 GMT by Claire Rosemberg PARIS: Maurice Papon's historic conviction for crimes against humanity has left France facing testing questions over the very soul of its bureaucracy. PAGE 220 Agence France Presse, April 03, 1998 France-Papon 600 words around 1115 GMT by Kevin McElderry We will also move France-Papon-civil -- MIDDLE EAST -- JERUSALEM: Israel accuses the Palestinians of inciting revenge attacks by HAMAS and demands they clear Israel of blame in the mysterious death of the Islamic radical group's chief bombmaker. Israel-Palestinian,lead 600 words around 1030 GMT by David Millikin BAGHDAD: UN weapons experts wrap up their mission to inspect all eight so-called presidential sites, marking a new chapter in cooperation between Iraq and the United Nations. Iraq-UN,4thlead 600 words around 1100 GMT by Salim Yassine MECCA: More than a million pilgrims join Friday prayers at the grand mosque in the holy city of Mecca and prepare for the first stage of their annual pilgrimage. Saudi-hajj 600 words around 1400 GMT PAGE 221 Agence France Presse, April 03, 1998 -- AFRICA -- NAIROBI: A strike by a Kenyan political lobby to demand greater participation in a review of the constitution is largely ignored, but many shops remain closed in Nairobi. Kenya-strike 500 words around 1100 GMT by John Nyaga KIGALI French troops sent to Rwanda for humanitarian mission ignored the pleas of wounded Tutsis, leaving 1,000 people to be slaughtered by Hutu killers during the 1994 genocide, a human rights group charges. France-Rwanda,lead 600 words around 1145 GMT JOHANNESBURG: Africa digests the meaning of President Bill Clinton's visit to the continent, the most extensive foreign trip of his presidency, and looks forward to the United States delivering on its promises. Africa-Clinton 600 words around 1400 GMT by Denis Barnett -- ASIA -- TOKYO: Clouds darken over Japan with the yen tumbling to a seven-year low and stocks sliding for the third straight day PAGE 222 Agence France Presse, April 03, 1998 as the world's second largest economy limps towards recession. Japan-economy,roundup. Picture. Graphic 650 words around 1100 GMT by Rory McCarthy TOKYO: Moody's Investors Service Inc. cuts its outlook for Japan's key currency ratings to "negative," forcing the yen down to a seven-year low against the dollar. Japan-ratings,6thlead 650 words moved SINGAPORE: Asian currencies and stocks take a beating amid worries that a tumbling yen and sinking Japanese economy will aggravate the regional economic crisis. Asia-economy,lead. Graphic 650 words around 1130 GMT by P. Parameswaran PHNOM PENH: Deposed Cambodian co-premier Prince Norodom Ranariddh heads back to Thailand after a brief return from exile punctuated by rowdy street protests which he accuses his rivals of orchestrating. Cambodia-prince,2ndlead 700 words around 1130 GMT by Matthew Lee HONG KONG: Hong Kong leader Tung Chee-hwa promises PAGE 223 Agence France Presse, April 03, 1998 government action to bolster public support for the territory's first post-colonial election after a poor turnout for a preliminary vote. HongKong-vote,2ndlead 550 words around 1130 GMT JAKARTA: Marathon talks between Indonesia and the International Monetary Fund to revive a stalled hit a new snag amid wrangling over a framework to settle the country's huge corporate debt problem. Indonesia-IMF,4thlead. Picture 650 words around 1100 GMT by Bhimanto Suwastoyo SINGAPORE: Southeast Asia's environment ministers are to meet for the third time in recent months to discuss raging forest fires in Indonesia as a UN expert warns the blazes pose a catastrophe with global implications. ASEAN-fires 650 words around 1130 GMT by Lara Parpan ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani Supreme Court drops charges of contempt of court against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and several cabinet colleagues that had threatened to bring down his PAGE 224 Agence France Presse, April 03, 1998 government last year. Pakistan-court, 2ndlead 600 words around 1045 GMT by Sami Zubeiri -- AMERICAS -- WASHINGTON: The United States on Saturday commemorates the 30th anniversary of the death of legendary civil rights leader and Nobel Peace prize winner Martin Luther King. US-King 600 words around 1030 GMT. Graphic by Marie Sanz WASHINGTON: A plan to dramatically hike US immigration quotas for high-tech workers takes a major step forward with a Senate committee approving a bill sought by major US corporations. US-immigration,lead 600 words moved afp LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 03, 1998 PAGE 225 LEVEL 1 - 69 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse April 01, 1998 15:27 GMT SECTION: International news LENGTH: 1073 words HEADLINE: The AFP 1500 GMT news advisory DATELINE: April 1 BODY: The 1500 GMT news advisory: Duty Editor: Charles Whelan Tel: Washington (202) 414-0541 TOP WORLD NEWS STORIES ARE BORDEAUX, France Maurice Papon's marathon trial for crimes against humanity in World War II goes to the jury YEREVAN Armenia's presidential election gets the international thumbs up with Robert Kocharian as the big winner BELGRADE Yugoslavia lashes out at the UN imposition of an arms embargo for its policies in the province of Kosovo JERUSALEM Israel approves a 20-year-old resolution calling for its withdrawal from Lebanon PHNOM PENH Tensions run high as rival political groups rally amid compromise calls from deposed co-premier Prince Norodom Ranariddh NEWS FILE PLANS BY REGION -- EUROPE -- BORDEAUX, France: Maurice Papon's marathon trial for crimes PAGE 226 Agence France Presse, April 01, 1998 against humanity goes to the jury after the 87-year-old defendant warns them not to "damage France by your verdict." France-Papon,3rdlead 600 words around 1630 GMT. Picture, Graphic by Allen Nacheman BORDEAUX, France: From its start nearly six months ago, Maurice Papon's trial for crimes against humanity has been set against a backdrop of historic importance, educational significance and symbolic contrition. France-Papon-questions 600 words around 1545 GMT by Michel Sailhan We will also move France-Papon-verdict France-Papon-trial France-Papon-chrono France-Papon-bio MOSCOW: President Boris Yeltsin flinches in his stand-off with parliament, offering to meet the speakers of both chambers to discuss his controversial candidate for prime minister, Sergei Kiriyenko. Russia-politics,4thlead 700 words moved PAGE 227 Agence France Presse, April 01, 1998 by Mark Rice-Oxley KIEV: Ukraine is set for further uncomfortable cohabitation between a reform-minded president and a leftist legislature after Communists and their allies secured a handsome victory in parliamentary elections. Ukraine-vote,lead 600 words moved by Jean Baroud YEREVAN: The OSCE gives the thumbs up to Armenia's presidential elections, saying that Robert Kocharian's margin of victory is large enough to overcome any misgivings about the vote. Armenia-vote,3rdlead 600 words around 1615 GMT by Christophe Beaudufe MOSCOW: Russia invites top OPEC officials to Moscow this month to discuss the situation on the global oil market, where prices have hit a nine-year low. Russia-G8-OPEC,3rdlead 700 words moved by Laurence Peter BELGRADE: Yugoslavia lashes out against the imposition of a UN arms embargo on Belgrade for its PAGE 228 Agence France Presse, April 01, 1998 policy in Kosovo, complaining that the ban was "without real reason." Yugo-Kosovo 600 words moved. Picture We have also moved Yugo-Kosovo-sanctions BERN: Swiss regulators are alerted to one case of suspected money laundering as a new law takes effect that aims to wipe Switzerland off the map as a financial laundering hub. Swiss-laundering 600 words around 1530 by Tani Freedman BUCHAREST: Romania's ruling party meets to choose the country's new premier after the resignation of premier Victor Ciorbea in the latest twist in a protracted political crisis Romania-politics,lead 550 words around 1730 GMT BELFAST: Children are the silent casualties of the Northern Ireland conflict, according to a report published by the charity ChildLine. NIreland-children 600 words moved -- MIDDLE EAST -- JERUSALEM: Israel approves a 20-year-old UN resolution PAGE 229 Agence France Presse, April 01, 1998 calling for its withdrawal from Lebanon, but Beirut immediately rejects conditions attached to the pullout offer. Israel-Lebanon,3rdlead 700 words around 1600 GMT. Pictures. by Laurie Copans. We have also moved Israel-Lebanon-chrono Israel-Lebanon-reax Israel-Lebanon-text Israel-Lebanon-425 RAMALLAH, West Bank: Palestinian police reveal that a top militant of the radical Islamic group HAMAS and one of Israel's most wanted men was killed this week in a slaying blamed on Israeli agents. Israel-Palestinian-HAMAS,2ndlead 600 words around 1600 GMT. Pictures. by Khalil Abed Rabo. BAGHDAD: UN weapons experts accompanied by diplomats returned to three presidential sites in Iraq to complete their inspections, the head of the UN Special Group said. Iraq-UN,lead 600 words moved. by Salim Yassine PAGE 230 Agence France Presse, April 01, 1998 -- AFRICA -- DAKAR: President Bill Clinton observes military exercises in French-speaking Senegal, where troops have been trained by US Green Berets as part of Washington's view of contributing to a inter-African peacekeeping force. Clinton-Senegal,lead 600 words around 2000 GMT by Christian Chaise WASHINGTON: President Bill Clinton's Africa tour is a mission accomplished, according to his aides who shrug off complaints the trip was short on cash for assistance but long on regrets for past US policy. Clinton 600 words around 1630 GMT by Gretchen Cook LIBREVILLE: Parliamentarians meeting in Libreville are working towards the consensus that individual African countries are following unique paths to democraticization. Africa-democracy 600 words around 1530 GMT by Michel Martin PARIS: The French government received very clear PAGE 231 Agence France Presse, April 01, 1998 warnings that large-scale massacres could occur in Rwanda almost four years before the 1994 genocide, the daily Le Figaro reports. France-Rwanda 500 words moved -- ASIA -- PHNOM PENH: Tensions run high as rival political groups rally here in the second standoff of the day amid calls from deposed co-premier Prince Norodom Ranariddh for all sides to compromise to save the country. Cambodia-prince,roundup. Picture. Graphic 650 words around 1500 GMT SIEM REAP, Cambodia: A government helicopter flying diplomats and journalists to a captured Khmer Rouge base in northern Cambodia crash-lands into a jungle minefield. Cambodia-crash,5thlead 550 words moved TOKYO: Japan tentatively enters the brave new world of "Big Bang" financial reforms but is immediately rebuffed by a sharp fall on the markets. Japan-BigBang,4thlead 700 words moved by Rory McCarthy PAGE 232 Agence France Presse, April 01, 1998 KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia stands firm over its decision to deport illegal Indonesians, saying it will make no allowances for those from the troubled Indonesian province of Aceh who claim their lives could be in danger if they return home. Malaysia-illegals,lead. Graphic 650 words around 1515 GMT afp LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 01, 1998 PAGE 233 LEVEL 1 - 70 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Toronto Star Newspapers, Ltd. The Toronto Star March 31, 1998, Tuesday, FINAL EDITION SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A10 LENGTH: 303 words HEADLINE: French role in Rwandan crash alleged BYLINE: REUTERS) DATELINE: PARIS BODY: The crew of a plane which crashed killing the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi in 1994, paving the way for the Rwandan genocide, was secretly working for the French government, a Paris newspaper said yesterday. Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana and Burundi President Cyprien Ntaryamira died when at least one air-to-air missile hit their Falcon-50 executive jet as it came to land in Kigali, Rwanda, on April 6, 1994. Blame has never been officially apportioned. The daily Le Figaro, whose earlier disclosures about Rwanda's 1994 genocide sparked a parliamentary investigation, said families of the three crew, retired French air force personnel, had run into a "stone wall" trying to find out about their deaths. Jacquy Heraud, Jean-Pierre Minaberry and Jean-Michel Perrine officially worked for a private air company but were posthumously decorated by the French government. One widow said the men had been given the military status of "killed in action" despite being civilians. Le Figaro published a telegram from then co-operation minister Michel Roussin to Minaberry's widow saying her husband died "in official service." When she asked to know more, she said she was told her husband had not been a regular government functionary and she could not have access to the file concerning the downing of the aircraft for 30 years. The uncertain status of the men resulted in insurance companies refusing to pay compensation to families pending an official report on the crash, said Le Figaro. Questioned about the newspaper report, the French foreign ministry's chief spokesperson declined comment, noting that a parliamentary investigation was under way. Both the presidents killed in the plane crash were ethnic Hutus and their deaths ignited massacres of minority Tutsis in Rwanda. PAGE 234 The Toronto Star, March 31, 1998 LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: April 2, 1998 PAGE 235 LEVEL 1 - 71 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Toronto Star Newspapers, Ltd. The Toronto Star March 31, 1998, Tuesday, METRO EDITION SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A10 LENGTH: 307 words HEADLINE: French role in Rwandan crash alleged BYLINE: (Reuters) DATELINE: PARIS BODY: PARIS (Reuters) - The crew of a plane which crashed killing the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi in 1994, paving the way for the Rwandan genocide, was secretly working for the French government, a Paris newspaper said yesterday. Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana and Burundi President Cyprien Ntaryamira died when at least one air-to-air missile hit their Falcon-50 executive jet as it came to land in Kigali, Rwanda, on April 6, 1994. Blame has never been officially apportioned. The daily Le Figaro, whose earlier disclosures about Rwanda's 1994 genocide sparked a parliamentary investigation, said families of the three crew, retired French air force personnel, had run into a "stone wall" trying to find out about their deaths. Jacquy Heraud, Jean-Pierre Minaberry and Jean-Michel Perrine officially worked for a private air company but were posthumously decorated by the French government. One widow said the men had been given the military status of "killed in action" despite being civilians. Le Figaro published a telegram from then co-operation minister Michel Roussin to Minaberry's widow saying her husband died "in official service." When she asked to know more, she said she was told her husband had not been a regular government functionary and she could not have access to the file concerning the downing of the aircraft for 30 years. The uncertain status of the men resulted in insurance companies refusing to pay compensation to families pending an official report on the crash, said Le Figaro. Questioned about the newspaper report, the French foreign ministry's chief spokesperson declined comment, noting that a parliamentary investigation was under way. Both the presidents killed in the plane crash were ethnic Hutus and their deaths ignited massacres of minority Tutsis in Rwanda. PAGE 236 The Toronto Star, March 31, 1998 LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: March 25, 1999 PAGE 237 LEVEL 1 - 72 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse March 24, 1998 22:05 GMT SECTION: Advisory LENGTH: 1140 words HEADLINE: The AFP 2200 GMT news advisory DATELINE: March 24 BODY: The 2200 GMT news advisory: Duty Editor: Patrick Moser Tel: Washington (202) 414-0541 TOP WORLD NEWS STORIES ARE WASHINGTON: Two boys open fire on a group of children in Arkansas, killing at least one and wounding 13. PRISTINA, Yugoslavia Violence flares in Kosovo a day ahead of an international Contact Group meeting on the troubled province MOSCOW Russia's acting premier Sergei Kiriyenko starts a week-long effort to choose a new government JERUSALEM UN chief Kofi Annan reminds Israel of the need to trade land for peace NEW DELHI Hindu nationalists pass their first parliamentary hurdle all but guaranteeing their survival in an upcoming vote NEWS FILE PLANS BY REGION -- AMERICAS -- WASHINGTON: Two heavily armed young boys open fire on a group of children outside a school in the state of Arkansas, killing at least four and PAGE 238 Agence France Presse, March 24, 1998 wounding severl others, police say. US-shooting,6thlead 600 words around 2230 GMT WASHINGTON: A shocking bloodbath in which two youths opened fire on their classmates is but the latest chapter in US gun violence experts are blaming on a reign of terror in the schoolroom and easy access to firearms. US-shooting-guns 600 words around 2300 GMT by Gretchen Cook We have also moved: US-shooting-schools WASHINGTON: The World Bank warns that prospects for official aid to the world's poorest nations were "dismal," as rich countries appear less and less inclined to share their bounty. WBank-investment 700 words moved by Nathaniel Harrison (RELEASABLE AT 0001 GMT WEDNESDAY) We have also moved: WBank-growth WASHINGTON: A woman's right to a late-term abortion has cleared its first hurdle at the Supreme Court but advocates of the procedure warn it may be only a matter of time before PAGE 239 Agence France Presse, March 24, 1998 it joins other casualties of the political debate over reproductive rights. US-abortion 600 words moved by Gretchen Cook AJARANI II, Brazil: Fires that have already devoured thousands of square kilometers (miles) of northern Brazil's savanna and forest are moving into the Amazon jungles of the Stone-Age Yanomami indians. Brazil-fires 600 words moved by Claire de Oliveira -- EUROPE -- PRISTINA, Yugoslavia: Violence flares in Kosovo a day ahead of an international Contact Group meeting on the troubled Serbian province. Yugo-Kosovo 600 words moved BELGRADE: Serbia's parliament elects a new 35-member government that includes representatives of an ultra-nationalist party of Vojislav Seselj for the first time, as the international community steps up pressure for the solution of crisis in Kosovo. PAGE 240 Agence France Presse, March 24, 1998 Serbia-assembly,3rdlead 600 words moved by Alexandra Niksic MOSCOW: Russia's new reformist acting premier Sergei Kiriyenko embarked on the tricky task of putting together a new Russian government to take over from the team dramatically sacked a day earlier by President Boris Yeltsin. Russia-politics,4thlead 750 words around 2300 GMT by Mark Rice-Oxley We have also moved: Russia-politics-premier COLOGNE, Germany: Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov, back in the saddle as Moscow's chief diplomat, tells his US counterpart that Russia will maintain a partnership with the United States despite the government shakeup and that their countries can avoid a "clash." US-Russia 550 words around 2300 GMT by Carole Landry PARIS: British Prime Minister Tony Blair received a standing ovation in the French parliament after a speech setting out his vision of a political "third way" between Thatcherism PAGE 241 Agence France Presse, March 24, 1998 and socialism. France-Britain,lead 600 words around 2215 GMT by Anna Baker PARIS: British Prime Minister Tony Blair received a standing ovation from French deputies after a speech setting out his vision of a political "third way" between free-market economics and socialism. France-Rwanda,2ndlead Moved 600 words by Anna Baker PARIS: French premier Lionel Jospin pledges quick electoral reform after a week of political turmoil caused by election deals between the far right National Front and centre-right dissidents. France-vote,lead 600 words moved by Claire Rosemberg BRUSSELS: The European Commission will on Wednesday give the green light for a single currency to be launched next year with 11 founder members, finally answering the question that has dominated politics in every EU country for much of the 1990s. EU-euro,lead PAGE 242 Agence France Presse, March 24, 1998 650 words moved by Angus MacKinnon BORDEAUX, France: Maurice Papon's war crimes trial moves into the final stretch as defense lawyers seek to portray the aging Vichy government official as a scapegoat for the crimes against humanity with which he is charged. France-Papon,lead 600 words moved -- MIDDLE EAST -- UNITED NATIONS: The UN Special Commission for disarming Iraq confirms that Baghdad informed UN weapons inspectors of the arrest of a top Iraqi anthrax specialist. Iraq-arrest,lead 700 words moved JERUSALEM: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan reminds Israel of the need to trade occupied land for peace as he begins the first official visit to Israel by a UN chief. Israel-UN,3rdlead 600 words moved. Pictures. by Laurie Copans. BAGHDAD: Iraq and the United Nations are "ready to go" with the first arms inspections of presidential sites, UN weapons chief Richard Butler says, as PAGE 243 Agence France Presse, March 24, 1998 diplomats arrive to take part in the inspections. Iraq-UN,lead 600 words moved. Pictures. by Steve Kirby. -- AFRICA -- MUKONO, Uganda: President Bill Clinton acknowledges that the United States was wrong to benefit from "the fruits of slavery" but says its worst sin was perhaps "neglect and ignorance" of Africa. Clinton-Uganda,4thlead 700-words moved. Picture by Hugh Nevill -- ASIA -- WASHINGTON: The United States pledges 56 million dollars in new humanitarian aid to Indonesia to counter the effects of drought and economic woes. US-Indonesia-food,5thlead 500 words around 2245 GMT by Rob Lever HONG KONG: East Asia has shown it is not enough to have the world's highest savings rate if the money is wasted on unproductive investment, according to a World Bank report released here Wednesday. WBank-Asia (RELEASABLE AT 0001 GMT WEDNESDAY) 750 words moved PAGE 244 Agence France Presse, March 24, 1998 by Philippe Ries NEW DELHI: India's Hindu nationalists win their first parliamentary trial of strength, all but guaranteeing their survival in an upcoming confidence vote. India-politics,roundup 550 words moved ISLAMABAD: The United Nations withdraws its staff from the southern Afghan city of Kandahar following a physical assault by a senior Taliban official during a meeting with UN officials. Afghan-UN,4thlead 500 words around 1630 GMT afp LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: March 24, 1998 PAGE 245 LEVEL 1 - 73 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse March 11, 1998 20:39 GMT SECTION: International news LENGTH: 345 words HEADLINE: France's Rwanda fact-finding mission holds first meeting DATELINE: PARIS, March 11 BODY: A fact-finding mission to investigate France's military role in Rwanda in the four years running up to the 1994 genocide, held its first meeting Wednesday behind closed doors. France provided financial and military backing for the government in Kigali under the terms of a mutual defence pact between 1990 and 1994, the year when some 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis, were killed by Rwandan government-backed militias. The mission, created on March 3 and chaired by former Socialist defence minister Paul Quiles, falls short of a fully-fledged parliamentary inquiry, much to the chagrin of campaign groups such as Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF), which demanded a full-scale investigation. Quiles noted that the mission's aim was primarily to establish "the chain of events" and the "historic responsibilities of" various countries, including France. "Placing events, including the genocide, in their context," is another objective of the mission, which will endeavour to "make proposals to find solutions and to prevent other situations of the same kind," Quiles said. Ten members of parliament are taking part in the inquiry, which hopes to interview various government ministers from the period, army chiefs of staff, operation commanders, heads of information services, UN officials, non-governmental organisations in Rwanda and Rwandan authorities. Quiles warned that the point of departure for the investigation was not the premise that "France is the culprit of the genocide." A report from the Belgian parliamentary committee which condemned that country's role in Rwanda has been submitted to the French mission. Quiles' assurance of the mission's transparency, apart from a number of closed-door meetings, did little to appease the MSF which dismissed the inquiry as "a diversionary tactic." When the creation of the mission was announced, aides to Quiles stressed that the investigation was not a fully-fledged parliamentary inquiry that could result in legal action, because judicial proceedings were already under way. PAGE 246 Agence France Presse, March 11, 1998 chr-az/ab/bm LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: March 11, 1998 PAGE 247 LEVEL 1 - 74 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 British Broadcasting Corporation BBC Monitoring Africa - Political Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring March 11, 1998, Wednesday LENGTH: 207 words HEADLINE: RWANDA: AMBASSADOR CONFIRMS FRENCH COMMISSION TO INVESTIGATE GENOCIDE SOURCE: RNA news agency, Kigali, in English 1645 gmt 4 Feb 98 BODY: Excerpts from report by Rwandan news agency RNA Kigali, 4th March: The new French ambassador to Rwanda, Jean-Claude Brochenin, has confirmed that a commission of the French parliament has been asked to conduct investigation in the activities of French troops during the 1994 genocide. "The French government wants to assist Rwandans who are victims of the genocide, especially by helping them in providing health and education facilities," ambassador Brochenin told reporters in the Rwandan capital on Wednesday 4th March . Relations between France and Rwanda have been cold for over three years now, after the new regime was put in place in July 1994 following the defeat of "genocidal" agency punctuation forces of late Hutu president Juvenal Habyarimana, who was strongly supported by the French government ... "Maybe France's decision to shed light on this horrendous involvement in the third genocide of the century will contribute to improve its relations with Rwanda, " one political analyst who asked not to be named told Rwanda News Agency. However, there has been no official comment on the surprise move by France to delve into the recent past and, maybe then, apologize to the Central African nation. LANGUAGE: English LOAD-DATE: January 1, 1999 PAGE 248 LEVEL 1 - 75 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 British Broadcasting Corporation BBC Summary of World Broadcasts March 6, 1998, Friday SECTION: Part 5 Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean; EAST AND HORN OF AFRICA; UGANDA; AL/D3168/A LENGTH: 208 words HEADLINE: Ambassador confirms French commission to investigate genocide SOURCE: Source: RNA news agency, Kigali, in English 1645 gmt 4 Feb 98 BODY: [13] Excerpts from report by Rwandan news agency RNA Kigali, 4th March: The new French ambassador to Rwanda, Jean-Claude Brochenin, has confirmed that a commission of the French parliament has been asked to conduct investigation in the activities of French troops during the 1994 genocide. "The French government wants to assist Rwandans who are victims of the genocide, especially by helping them in providing health and education facilities," ambassador Brochenin told reporters in the Rwandan capital on Wednesday [4th March]. Relations between France and Rwanda have been cold for over three years now, after the new regime was put in place in July 1994 following the defeat of "genocidal" [agency punctuation] forces of late Hutu president Juvenal Habyarimana, who was strongly supported by the French government ... "Maybe France's decision to shed light on this horrendous involvement in the third genocide of the century will contribute to improve its relations with Rwanda, "one political analyst who asked not to be named told Rwanda News Agency. However, there has been no official comment on the surprise move by France to delve into the recent past and, maybe then, apologize to the Central African nation. LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: March 5, 1998 PAGE 249 LEVEL 1 - 76 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 British Broadcasting Corporation BBC Monitoring Africa - Political Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring March 5, 1998, Thursday LENGTH: 207 words HEADLINE: RWANDA: AMBASSADOR CONFIRMS FRENCH COMMISSION TO INVESTIGATE GENOCIDE SOURCE: RNA news agency, Kigali, in English 1645 gmt 4 Feb 98 BODY: Excerpts from report by Rwandan news agency RNA Kigali, 4th March: The new French ambassador to Rwanda, Jean-Claude Brochenin, has confirmed that a commission of the French parliament has been asked to conduct investigation in the activities of French troops during the 1994 genocide. "The French government wants to assist Rwandans who are victims of the genocide, especially by helping them in providing health and education facilities," ambassador Brochenin told reporters in the Rwandan capital on Wednesday 4th March . Relations between France and Rwanda have been cold for over three years now, after the new regime was put in place in July 1994 following the defeat of "genocidal" agency punctuation forces of late Hutu president Juvenal Habyarimana, who was strongly supported by the French government ... "Maybe France's decision to shed light on this horrendous involvement in the third genocide of the century will contribute to improve its relations with Rwanda, " one political analyst who asked not to be named told Rwanda News Agency. However, there has been no official comment on the surprise move by France to delve into the recent past and, maybe then, apologize to the Central African nation. LANGUAGE: English LOAD-DATE: January 1, 1999 PAGE 250 LEVEL 1 - 77 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Xinhua News Agency The materials in the Xinhua file were compiled by The Xinhua News Agency. These materials may not be republished without the express written consent of The Xinhua News Agency. MARCH 4, 1998, WEDNESDAY LENGTH: 309 words HEADLINE: french role in rwandan genocide to be probed DATELINE: nairobi, march 4; ITEM NO: 0304013 BODY: new french ambassador to rwanda, jean claude brochenin, has confirmed that a commission of the french parliament has been asked to probe the activities of french troops during the 1994 genocide. "the french government wants to assist rwandans who are victims of the genocide, especially by helping them in providing health and education facilities," the ambassador told reporters in kigali, the rwandan capital wednesday. the relations between france and rwanda have been cold for over three years after the new regime was put in place in july 1994 following the defeat of "genocidal" forces of late hutu president juvenal habyarimana, who was strongly supported by the french government, the rwanda news agency reported wednesday. on pretext of a secret agreement signed by habyarimana and the then french president valery giscar d'estaing in 1975, france provided troops and weapons to rwanda to defend habyarimana's regime seriously shaken by the armed rebellion of the rwandan patriotic front (rpf) which was launched from neighboring uganda in 1990. it is alleged that french troops participated in fighting in many ways, including the use of artillery to shell rpf's positions and checking of identity papers on road-blocks. worse still, the french troops trained the notorious "interahamwe" hutu militia which are largely responsible for the 1994 genocide that claimed the lives of more than 800,000 tutsis and moderate hutus, said the report. recent publications by the french daily "le figaro" proved that france's support to hutu extremists continued even during the genocide. france is accused of having supplied communications equipment, arms and ammunition to the former rwandan government forces and "interahamwe" militiamen who were slaughtering people all around the country. LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: March 5, 1998 PAGE 251 LEVEL 1 - 78 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Deutsche Presse-Agentur Deutsche Presse-Agentur March 3, 1998, Tuesday, BC Cycle 18:04 Central European Time SECTION: International News LENGTH: 162 words HEADLINE: French MPs to study role of foreign forces in 1994 Rwanda massacre DATELINE: Paris BODY: A team of ten French parliamentary deputies is to investigate the role of foreign military personnel in Rwanda from 1990 to 1994, it was announced Tuesday. Members of the team, which is not an official commission of inquiry, were named by former defence minister Paul Quiles, a Socialist who now heads the parliamentary defence committee. The group is to clear up "the role which could have been played by the various foreign forces in the Rwanda crisis between 1990 and 1994". Human rights groups have repeatedly accused France of having given military support to Hutu militias responsible for the genocide of the Tutsi minority, a charge that the French government has always rejected. Between April and July 1994, extremist Hutu soldiers and militias, as well as Hutu civilians, slaughtered an estimated 500,000 to 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus without interference by monitors of the U.N. Assistance Mission to Rwanda (UNAMIR). dpa ba ms LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: March 3, 1998 PAGE 252 LEVEL 1 - 79 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 British Broadcasting Corporation BBC Monitoring Africa - Political Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring February 19, 1998, Thursday LENGTH: 277 words HEADLINE: PROGRAMME SUMMARY OF RADIO FRANCE INTERNATIONALE 1230 GMT 19 FEB 98 SOURCE: Radio France Internationale, Paris, 1230 gmt 19 Feb 98 BODY: 1. Headlines. 2. Sierra Leone: Three members of the junta arrested last Tuesday, according to Radio Freetown broadcast today. A WFP vessel is expected in Freetown with food items. Report on situation in Bo: All relief agencies are working hard. Bo has been isolated for months. Meanwhile, a number of corpses of fishermen have been discovered in a village not far from Freetown. 3. CAR: Amani Toure today opened a forum on the Bangui accords. The mediation is to create the necessary conditions for economic development and for elections. 4. DRCongo interior minister was in Brazzaville, Congo, yesterday. They have decided to reinforce security on their borders. 5. DRCongo: Magistrate arrested for sentencing an AFDL member. 6. DRCongo: French Socialist party condemns the detention of Tshisekedi. 7. DRCongo: Number of dignitaries under Mobutu released yesterday. 8. Rwanda: Foreign minister says friendship is possible between France and Rwanda. 9. Senegal: Amnesty International report on rights violations denied categorically by government. 10. Cote d'Ivoire: World Islamic Congress opens. 11. Cameroon: Latest toll in tank truck explosion is nearly 200 dead. 12. CAR: Forum on Bangui accords opens. Opposition's Goumba reacts saying only a small part of the accords has been implemented. Abel Goumba: issues of security, the dissolution of parallel police, the reduction of the presidential guard, the disarmament of militias armed by the government have not been resolved. Only 15 per cent of the accords implemented. The government side claims almost all the issues have been resolved . 13. Sports news LANGUAGE: English LOAD-DATE: January 1, 1999 PAGE 253 LEVEL 1 - 80 OF 80 STORIES Copyright 1998 Xinhua News Agency The materials in the Xinhua file were compiled by The Xinhua News Agency. These materials may not be republished without the express written consent of The Xinhua News Agency. FEBRUARY 18, 1998, WEDNESDAY LENGTH: 253 words HEADLINE: france, rwanda agree to repair ties: rwandan foreign minister paris DATELINE: france, february 18; ITEM NO: 0218042 BODY: france and rwanda have agreed to repair their relations, which have remained tense since the overthrow of the french-backed hutu military regime in late 1994, according to a report by agence france-presse (afp). afp quoted rwandan foreign minister anastase gasana as saying in kigali on wednesday that france had agreed in principle that the "heavy contention" between paris and kigali should be solved. gasana said that french foreign minister hubert vedrine gave the message during a meeting with him in new york not long ago. they agreed to "create the conditions to let the citizens of the two countries express their mutual understanding," said gasanar. "friendship is possible between france and rwanda on the condition that the heavy contention existing between our two countries be solved, and france has already accepted the principle," he said. france supported the hutu military government in the rwandan civil war which broke out after the assassination of the country's president, jubvenal habyarimana, in a helicopter crash in april 1994. following that, at least half a million ethnic tutsis and moderate hutus had been massacred by hutu troops and militias from april to july 1994. the rwandan foreign minister said that the two countries will appoint senior officials to "analyze together without taboo this contention." "the french minister of cooperation, charles josselin, plans to send a senior official to rwanda in near future, and he himself also plans to visit our country," he said. LANGUAGE: ENGLISH LOAD-DATE: February 19, 1998