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Letter to the editor

Mulroney denies takinga kickback

By Times Wires
Published December 14, 2007

TORONTO

Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney denied Thursday he received kickbacks from a German arms dealer while in office, a scandal that could result in legal action against him. Mulroney testified before a parliamentary committee that his two biggest mistakes in life were agreeing to meet with Karlheinz Schreiber and later agreeing to accept a cash payment of $225,000 in Canadian dollars from the businessman after he left office. He said that he accepted the first cash-stuffed envelope a month after he left office and that it was earmarked for lobbying world leaders on behalf of Thyssen Industries, a major client of Schreiber. The committee is investigating whether Mulroney, prime minister from 1984 to 1993, struck a deal with Schreiber while still in office - a violation that could have legal ramifications. Mulroney said he never claimed the $225,000 on his income taxes until Schreiber was arrested in 1999 - six years after he got his first payment.

KHARTOUM, Sudan

Sudanese heldin Gitmo is home

A Sudanese aid worker whose detention without charge at Guantanamo inspired a well-organized campaign for his release - including a YouTube video featuring actor Martin Sheen - returned home Thursday after more than five years in custody. The United States announced late Wednesday that Adel Hassan Hamad, another Sudanese prisoner and 13 Afghans had been released. Hamad and Salim Mahmoud Adam spoke to reporters at the Khartoum airport, complaining of their treatment and expressing fear about the health of a Sudanese journalist from Al-Jazeera TV who is on hunger strike at the U.S. military prison in Cuba.

MOGADISHU, Somalia

Radical Islamists threaten takeover

A radical Islamic group that was driven from power a year ago by a Western-supported offensive is making a significant comeback in Somalia, and the government can do little to stop it, officials said Thursday, as shelling and gunbattles in the capital killed at least 17 people. Sheik Qasim Ibrahim Nur, director of security at Somalia's National Security Ministry, said the government has no power to resist the Council of Islamic Courts, which the United States has accused of having ties to al-Qaida. He said the fighters had regrouped and were poised for a massive attack.

PARIS

EU nations agree on constitution

European leaders on Thursday signed a new treaty intended to revitalize efforts for a more united and powerful European Union, replacing a proposed constitution rejected by many voters two years ago with a document that in most of the 27 member countries will never go before the public. The 175-page Treaty of Lisbon incorporates most of the proposed changes and language of the failed constitution, but does so through a series of amendments to existing laws and treaties that can be approved by governments and legislatures without being put to voters. It creates a permanent post of president, which an individual would hold for 2 1/2 years, and junks the current six-month presidency that rotates among member governments. It removes references to a European flag, anthem and other symbols that many found insulting to national identity.

Times wires

[Last modified December 14, 2007, 01:23:26]