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World in brief

Annan chides nations for 'weak, tardy' response to quake

By wire services
Published November 19, 2005

MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan chided the international community Friday for a "weak and tardy" response to the South Asia quake that killed more than 87,000 people.

Annan said on the eve of a key donors conference that only 30 percent of the money pledged for quake relief had been donated so far. He said that paled in comparison to donations after the Dec. 26 tsunami that devastated 11 nations on the Indian Ocean.

"I think there is no doubt that donors' response has been weak and tardy," Annan said. "When the tsunami struck at the 10-day point we had 80 percent of the money we needed. In the case of Pakistan at the 10-day point we had 12 percent. Today we have 30 percent."

Annan warned of a "gigantic task" ahead for quake recovery efforts in northern Pakistan, saying the difficulties posed by winter's onset and the logistics of reaching mountain villages made the Oct. 8 quake disaster comparable to the tsunami, which killed 180,000 people.

U.N. agencies have so far received cash donations of only $119-million, with another $40-million in pledges, out of $550-million they have been seeking since last month to finance emergency relief over six months.

The United States has pledged $180-million in aid to Pakistan, about $54-million of which has already been spent, said Kevin Sheridan, spokesman for the U.S. Agency for International Development.

KABUL, Afghanistan - An explosion tore through a convoy of vehicles from the NATO-led security force Friday, killing one Portuguese peacekeeper and wounding three others just days after a deadly assault on the force that authorities blamed on al-Qaida.

The death was the 25th of a peacekeeper in Afghanistan this year.

Meanwhile, U.S. and Afghan forces called in attack helicopters during a firefight with suspected rebels in the volatile south near the city of Kandahar. No American or Afghan soldiers were hurt.

BUSAN, South Korea - Pacific rim leaders called on Europe to be more flexible during world trade negotiations, warning on Friday that talks next month could be the last chance to make progress on freeing markets any time soon.

The leaders, opening a two-day summit of the 21-member Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, urged Europe to be open to compromise at December's World Trade Organization meeting in Hong Kong. Disputes, mainly over subsidies protecting European farmers, have dampened hopes for the talks.

"We're basically saying that now the ball is in Europe's court," South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon told reporters in the port city of Busan.

As the leaders met, riot police sprayed rock-throwing protesters with high-powered water hoses about 1,500 feet from the summit venue. At least one person was arrested and 11 officers were injured, police said.

Four thousand protesters, led by farmers angry about plans to open up South Korea's rice market, joined the march. A river separated the demonstration from the summit, which wasn't interrupted.

The leaders - including President Bush, Chinese President Hu Jintao, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Russian President Vladimir Putin - worked to revive stalled trade talks while pledging unity in combatting bird flu and terrorism.

HAVANA - Fidel Castro railed against workers he said have become the "new rich" by stealing gasoline and other goods and launched a new anticorruption campaign in a far-ranging speech that stretched into the early hours of Friday.

"How many ways there are to steal in this country!" Castro exclaimed in an extemporaneous 51/2-hour address. The Cuban president also dismissed reports that he suffers from Parkinson's disease, stretching out a steady arm as proof. "Look at the Parkinson's!" he exclaimed sarcastically.

The Cuban president's declarations come as his communist government further squeezes the already tiny private sector, increasing controls over farmers markets, private restaurants and a dwindling number of self-employed trades people and artisans.

GUANTANAMO BAY: U.N. human rights experts said Friday they will not visit the Guantanamo Bay military prison because U.S. officials barred them from talking privately with detained terror suspects, making it impossible for the monitors to assess conditions at the facility.

CHECHEN PRIME MINISTER: The prime minister of Russia's conflict-torn province of Chechnya was seriously injured in a car crash outside Moscow in what officials said Friday was merely a traffic accident. Sergei Abramov is the second most senior official in Chechnya, which is to hold parliamentary elections in 10 days. The crash occurred late Thursday.

PALESTINIAN ELECTIONS: The ruling Palestinian party, Fatah, failed to hold primaries Friday, blaming infighting and extortion attempts by militants. The delay was not expected to affect parliamentary elections Jan. 25.

[Last modified November 19, 2005, 01:09:04]