U.N. Calls Emergency Meeting on Israel
By Associated Press
October 4, 2004, 2:21 PM EDT
UNITED NATIONS -- The U.N. Security Council called an emergency meeting Monday at the request of Arab nations to consider a resolution demanding an immediate halt to a major Israeli offensive in the northern Gaza Strip.
Algeria's U.N. Ambassador Abdallah Baali, the only Arab member of the council, requested the open meeting following the nearly weeklong operation that has killed at least 65 Palestinians.
"Taking into account the gravity, the urgency of the situation, the seriousness of the situation, we need to have the Security Council take a decision quickly -- and quickly means tomorrow (Tuesday) at the latest," Baali said.
The draft resolution, which was endorsed Monday morning by Arab nations, expresses "grave concern at the continued deterioration of the situation on the ground" in Palestinian territories and calls on Israel and the Palestinians to immediately implement the internationally-backed road map peace plan.
The Arab draft condemns "the broad military incursion and attacks by the Israeli occupying forces in the area of Northern Gaza Strip, including in and around the Jabiliya refugee camp, resulting in extensive human casualties and destruction and exacerbating the dire humanitarian situation."
It "demands the immediate cessation of all military operations in the area of northern Gaza and the withdrawal of the Israeli occupying forces from that area." It also reiterates the council's call a halt to all violence and adherence to international humanitarian law.
Copyright © 2004, The Associated Press
Olympic Airlines, Target of Another Bomb Threat
Source: Associated Press | 3:38:03 PM EST
DJ Bomb Threat Diverts London-Bound Greek Airliner To Corfu 10/04/2004 Dow Jones News Services (Copyright © 2004 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.) ATHENS (AP)--A Greek airliner bound from Athens to London was diverted Monday to the Ionian Sea island of Corfu after a bomb threat, police said.
The Olympic Airways (OAI.YY) Airbus A300-600 plane, carrying 215 passengers and nine crew members, landed at Corfu airport after an anonymous telephone call to the company's Athens headquarters. The airplane, flight OA265, was being searched. Police said they expected it to depart for London at 6 a.m. (0300GMT) Tuesday.
It was third such incident involving the Greek airline in just over a week. The other two involved an Olympic Airways plane flying to New York on Sept. 29 that landed in Shannon, Ireland, and another on Sept. 26 that landed in London.
http://www.trackingterrorism.com/Default.asp?dismode=article&artid=365