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U.S. Warns Iran Against Iraq Interference
By TERENCE HUNT, AP White House Correspondent
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration cautioned Iran on Wednesday against trying to influence the outcome of Iraq (news - web sites)'s election, reacting to fears that Tehran is trying to produce a Shiite-dominated Islamic government in Baghdad.
Bush talked about Iran in meetings Monday with Jordan's King Abdullah II and Ghazi al-Yawer, the interim Iraqi president, both Sunni Muslims.
Iran and Syria joined other nations at an international conference on Iraq last month at the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh in pledging to contribute to Iraq's stability and to prevent terrorists from coming into Iraq, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said. The communique also called on all parties to tighten border controls.
"We expect them to abide by that commitment," McClellan said.
"Iraq has talked to Iran about these issues," the spokesman said. "We've made our views very clear to Iran, as well as others, and we continue to call on Iran to act in a responsible way and be helpful as the Iraqi people move forward on building a brighter future."
Abdullah and al-Yawer accuse Shiite Muslim-dominated Iran of trying to influence the Jan. 30 elections in Iraq, where the country's majority Shiites are expected to perform strongly.
Abdullah told The Washington Post in an interview published Wednesday that more than 1 million Iranians have entered Iraq, many to vote, and said they were being encouraged by the Iranian government.
Iran has said it has no interest in fomenting instability in Iraq and it tries to block any infiltration into Iraq by insurgents — while noting that the borders are hard to police.
Bush Gives Palestinians $20 Million
Wed Dec 8, 2004 10:42 AM ET:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration on Wednesday announced it was giving $20 million in direct aid to the Palestinian Authority to help it through a financial crisis.
A senior Bush administration official said it hoped the aid would encourage additional donations from other countries "at a time when the Palestinian Authority is in desperate need of budget support to pay its bills, maintain stability and allow it to focus on the larger question of governing."
The Palestinian Authority is facing a severe financial crisis due to falling tax revenues during four years of violence which has paralyzed the Palestinian economy.
The $20 million in direct aid was to be announced during an international donors conference for the Palestinians in Oslo.
It is part of a push to help the Palestinians before their Jan. 9 election, at which President Bush hopes the Palestinians will elect a democratic leader willing to negotiate peace with Israel.
"The upcoming Palestinian elections have made a functioning Palestinian Authority more important than ever," the official said. "The United States has a national security interest in helping to end the ongoing violence and terror in the Middle East and to make progress toward the president's June 24, 2002, vision of peace."
The money is to help pay utility services, including the payment of arrears to Israeli utility companies.
© Reuters 2004. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7029964