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World in brief

N. Korea rebuffs U.S. offer for ending nuclear standoff

By wire services
Published July 28, 2005

BEIJING - North Korea on Wednesday formally rejected the terms of a long-standing U.S. proposal for resolving the standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program, diplomats said.

The North Korean objections, although expected, underlined the difficulties negotiators face in newly resumed six-party talks despite what diplomats described as increased resolve to make progress toward banning nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula. The proposal first made in June 2004 would provide aid and security assurances to North Korea if it agreed to a schedule for abolishing its nuclear weapons program.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A prime suspect in the kidnapping and killing of Daniel Pearl was arrested Wednesday by Pakistani intelligence agents, officials said.

The suspect, Mohammad Hashim Qadeer, is accused of arranging a first meeting between Pearl and Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh at a hotel in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad. Pearl, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, was later lured by Sheikh to a January 2002 meeting in the southern port city of Karachi, where he was abducted and, eventually, beheaded.

JERUSALEM - The Palestinian prime minister said Wednesday that controlling Gaza after Israel's planned pullout next month is crucial for Palestinian credibility in the world, and said his security forces are up to the challenge.

Israeli opponents of the withdrawal said they would try again to disrupt it by marching on the territory from a town near Gaza.

In West Bank violence Wednesday, a Palestinian was killed and six wounded when Israeli forces exchanged fire with militants and rock-throwers during an arrest raid in Jenin, Palestinian officials said. They said an 18-year-old who was throwing rocks at soldiers was shot in the head and died of his wounds. The Israeli military said troops shot at Palestinians who opened fire at them and set off explosives, wounding two soldiers.

[Last modified July 28, 2005, 01:10:15]