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World in brief

Hamas shows it is a political force

By wire services
Published May 7, 2005

QALQILIYA, West Bank - The Islamic militants of Hamas won nearly a third of the West Bank and Gaza towns up for grabs in local elections, unofficial results said Friday, cementing the group as a significant political force as Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas tries to make peace with Israel.

Abbas' corruption-tainted Fatah movement, which had feared defeat, did better than expected and held on to control over most of the area, winning in 45 of 84 communities. But he can no longer ignore Hamas, which has long opposed negotiations with Israel.

The balloting on Thursday was considered the best barometer to date of the relative electoral strengths of Fatah, a secular, nationalist movement, and Hamas, which seeks an Islamic state.

Thousands of flag-waving Hamas supporters took to the streets, shooting off fireworks, handing out candy and honking car horns. In Qalqiliya, a West Bank town of 45,000 on the frontier with Israel, the green Hamas banner was hoisted over City Hall as the group swept all 15 local council seats.

Hamas candidates also won control of the two other biggest towns holding elections, Rafah and Beit Lahiya in Gaza.

The election - the third round of local voting by Palestinians this year - was the final test for Abbas before parliamentary elections in July that could add to pressures to bring Hamas into the Palestinian administration.

Abbas has an ambivalent view of Hamas. He has encouraged Hamas to transform into a political party, hoping this will help him quiet extremists and shore up the truce with Israel.

But a strong Hamas as an opposition party could hinder peace talks. Hamas opposes the existence of the Jewish state and its members have staged dozens of attacks on Israel in recent years.

Hamas leaders on Friday tried to allay concerns that they will impose hardline religious views in the communities they now will govern, saying the group will focus on providing better services.

"We are not Iran or the Taliban," said Mohammed Ghazal, a senior Hamas official. "We believe that personal freedom is one of the foundations of Islam."

In the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah, tensions between Hamas and Fatah supporters erupted into violence late Friday.

Thousands of supporters of each party took to the streets throwing stones at each other and gunmen on both sides fired into the air. Hospital officials said six people were wounded by stones.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan has arrested at least seven more suspected terrorists since this week's capture of a senior al-Qaida figure wanted for two bombings against President Pervez Musharraf, top officials said Friday.

The government said its interrogation of Abu Farraj al-Libbi, a purported confidant of Osama bin Laden, was going well.

Al-Libbi was arrested Monday in northwestern Pakistan, accused of masterminding two bombings in December 2003 that narrowly missed the military leader, and it's hoped he can provide clues to bin Laden's location.

In the latest in a series of reports of arrests of suspected terrorists - mostly unconfirmed by officials - Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao said security forces had detained "seven or eight" militants in Lahore on Thursday.

Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said the arrested men included associates of a junior Pakistani air force technician who was convicted and sentenced to death in November for involvement in the 2003 bombings.

The technician later escaped but was recently recaptured.

JOUNIEH, Lebanon - An explosion ravaged a shopping area and set off a fire near a Christian religious radio station in the port city of Jounieh north of Beirut late Friday, reportedly killing at least one person on the eve of the return from exile of Lebanon's most prominent anti-Syrian politician.

President Emile Lahoud condemned the attack and indicated a link between the explosion and political developments expected today, likely referring to Parliament's possible discussion of a divisive election law and the return of Michel Aoun - the anti-Syrian politician, a Christian - from 14 years of exile in France.

The explosion broke a lull of several weeks after bombings of commercial areas in Christian areas and opposition strongholds.

OSLO, Norway - An Oslo court on Friday ordered a 38-year-old man jailed while police investigate his alleged involvement in the theft of Edvard Munch's masterpieces The Scream and Madonna, news reports said.

The man, whose name has not been released by police, was arrested Wednesday at his workplace south of Oslo. After a closed hearing, the Oslo District Court also ordered the suspect to be held for up to four weeks, news agency NTB reported.

Police attorney Morten Hojem Ervik has said the man did not participate in the actual robbery, but was an accomplice. He is the fourth suspect ordered held in connection with the Aug. 22 daylight robbery from the Munch Museum in Oslo.

[Last modified May 7, 2005, 01:03:04]