[00:00.00] News No. 9
[00:06.69]At 15 hours universal time. Here is the news on the Voice of America.
[00:18.08]I'm Frank Whitis in Washington.
[00:21.16]9.1 Indonesia's military has sent reinforcements into the northwestern city of Medan
[00:25.29]after three days of rioting in which six people were reported to have been killed.
[00:29.73]Troop convoys patrolled Medan today as tense calm hung over the city.
[00:34.12]The head of Indonesia's armed forces urged protesters to stop their antigovernment rallies.
[00:39.55]More from Lisa Weaver in Jakarta.
[00:42.06]Commander of the Indonesia Armed Forces General Wiranto says his army is willing to meet nationwide calls for reform,
[00:48.64]but at the same time,urges students to stop their protests.
[00:51.80]The general's remarks were short on detail,
[00:54.23]but seemed to aim at trying to defuse increasingly volatile situation as crisis between armed police
[00:59.64]and demonstrators have broken out in scores of cities.
[01:02.41]The commander's comments echoed efforts President Suharto made last week to build consensus among legislators on how to implement reform.
[01:09.98]Government officials and the students are at odds at the pace and method of political reform.
[01:14.89]The government said the appropriate guidelines already exist.
[01:18.03]While students and other protesters are now demanding that Suharto step down from power.
[01:22.36]Despite efforts to come to an agreement with the students,serious divides remain between the movement and the military.
[01:28.74]Lisa Weaver for VOA news,Jakarta.
[01:31.53]9.2 Indonesia's currency had plunged sharply against the dollar because of fears that unrest in the country may spread.
[01:38.27]Fears about the increasing social unrest in Indonesia hurt Asian stock markets today.
[01:43.60]The key index in Hong Kong plunged below the critical10,000 mark,ending at its lowest level since January.
[01:50.05]9.3 US auto manufacturer Chrysler and German luxury carmaker Daimler Benz have agreed to join forces in one of the largest industrial mergers ever.
[01:58.57]The two firms formally announce the deal at a news conference in London.
[02:02.17]Daimler Chairman Yegan Swem says the deal involves some big numbers.
[02:06.38]"This is the world's largest,as I said,industrial merger.
[02:11.97]It creates a company with a market capitalization of 92 billion dollars,
[02:19.08]revenues of 130 billion dollars and earnings,before interest and tax depreciation,of 50 billion dollars.
[02:29.47]If you take what the companies combine the new company Daimler-Chrysler will do in order to look for the future meaning capital expenditure and research
[02:40.47]and development it's a staggering 16 billion dollars."
[02:44.00]Under the agreement,Daimler will hold 57% majority stake in the new company to be named Daimler-Chrysler.
[02:52.54]9.4 At Israel's request,the Clinton administration is sending special envoy Dennis Ross to Israel
[02:59.33]for more talks on US proposals for an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank.
[03:04.66]The last-minute talks will be ended clearing obstacles to a proposed Israeli Palestinian summit in Washington Monday.
[03:11.19]Israeli is trying to extend UN deadline for a decision on the next phase of the West Bank withdrawal,saying some adjustments are needed.
[03:19.24]VOA's Al Pessin reports from Jerusalem.
[03:21.87]Israel says it has some creative ideas to discuss with the senior US Middle East mediator Dennis Ross.
[03:27.73]Israeli spokesman David Byland would not say what those ideas are.
[03:31.44]But on Wednesday he said Israel wants a series of steps by the Palestinian authorities to make Israel feel secure in surrendering
[03:37.36]more than the additional 9% of the West Bank it has already agreed to give up.
[03:41.86]Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated Thursday unless that happens he will not ask his cabinet to approve the US plan for a 13% withdrawal.
[03:50.30]But even with another visit by Dennis Ross before Sunday's scheduled cabinet meeting,
[03:54.40]Israeli officials say it will be difficult to get any new plan approved this week because two key ministers are travelling abroad.
[04:01.11]President Clinton wants the agreement signed at the White House on Monday,Al Pessin, VOA hews,Jerusalem.
[04:06.80]Palestinian leader Yasser Ararat says he hopes US mediation in the Mideast peace process will bear fruit,
[04:12.87]but he accuses Israel's prime minister of resorting to old tricks to avoid carrying out peace deals.
[04:18.82]Mr.Ararat now in Cairo has been briefing Arab leaders on the results of this week's London talks on the peace process.
[04:25.98]
[04:30.55]Police say the Arab man was on his way to work this morning when he was attacked in Nibey Israel neighborhood that borders Arab East Jerusalem.
[04:37.66]Wednesday a series of violent incidents in Jerusalem and the West Bank left one Israeli and one Palestinian dead and two Palestinians seriously wounded.
[04:46.41]9.6 Cambodian leader Hun Sen has ruled out the possibility of delaying national elections scheduled for July. Speaking in Bangkok,
[04:53.77]Hun Sen said that if the vote is not held on July 26,his government will stay in power until new polls are held in the year 2003. Hun
[05:03.33]Sen,who staged a coup last year to become Cambodia's sole ruler,
[05:06.94]has been under pressure from the United States and others to hold free and fair elections.
[05:11.51]9.7 United Nations Chief Kofi Annan is visiting Burundi,
[05:15.22]where he is expected to pressure the ruling regime to join peace talks aimed at ending 5 years of civil strife in the country.
[05:21.33]Mr. Annan is scheduled to talk with military ruler Pierre Buyoya.
[05:25.46]He is also to meet with two influential former presidents and Buyoya opponents.
[05:30.37]Later in the day,the UN chief visits Rwanda,where he is to apologies for UN's failure to stop the 1994 genocide.
[05:38.21]This is VOA news.
[05:41.00]9.8 The Sudanese government says an agreement to hold a referendum on self-determination for southern Sudan
[05:48.21]has effectively resolved the country's 15-year-old civil war.
[05:51.56]The government and the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army agreed on Wednesday in Nairobi on a referendum for unity or outright secession of the South.
[06:00.39]But the French press agency quotes a rebel spokesman in Cairo as branding the talks a failure.
[06:06.68]9.9 Thousands of rescuers in southern Italy are searching for survivors after mudslides tore through mountain villages near Naples Wednesday killing at least 45 people.
[06:17.08]Several days of torrential rains sent fast flowing two-meter-deep rivers of mud through small villages,snapping bridges,
[06:23.84]wrecking houses and leaving residents stranded.
[06:26.56]An estimated 2,000 people are reported homeless.
[06:29.30]The country's civil protection agency says at least 70 people are missing.
[06:34.06]9.10 French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl have concluded a 2-day summit insisting there is no rift between their two countries.
[06:42.16]They acknowledged occasional differences,but did not say what they are.
[06:46.00]France and Germany have disagreed sharply over the leadership of the new European Central Bank.
[06:50.91]At the recent EU summit,France insisted that German backed Dutchman Win Disinberg quit the bank presidency midway through his 8-year term
[06:59.27]in favor of France's Jean-Claude Slijay.
[07:02.69]9.11 President Clinton has decided not to visit Northern Ireland before a peace referendum later this month.
[07:08.96]VOA correspondent David Gollust reports from the White House.
[07:12.40]Mr.Clinton through his special envoy George Mitchel's help broke off the settlement plan reached last month in Belfast.
[07:18.36]And he had hoped to visit Northern Ireland in advance of May 22 referendum to underscore his support for the power sharing arrangement.
[07:25.31]But White House spokesman Michael Kerry says the president has now put aside the idea of an early visit believing that his presence
[07:31.63]would have affected the political dynamic in the final days of the campaign.
[07:35.31]He says that Mr.Clinton believes there is a normal public support for the plan and that he in no way wants to detract
[07:40.75]from efforts of the people of the Irish Republic
[07:43.10]and Northern Ireland to judge for themselves the opportunity it brings.
[07:47.30]A number of Belfast politicians had expressed concern the visit would been seen as meddling in Irish affairs.
[07:53.26]Mr.Clinton goes to Europe next week for an official visit to Germany and to attend the big power economic summit in Birmingham,England.
[07:59.95]David Gollust,VOA news,the White House.
[08:02.69]9.12 Russia's new Prime Minister says his new reform oriented government will be finalized by Friday.
[08:08.39]Sergei Kiriyenko met with President Boris Yeltsin today to fill the few remaining seats.
[08:13.45]Major posts have already been handed out.
[08:15.91]Mr.Kiriyenko met with new cabinet ministers today to urge quick economic reform.
[08:21.26]He told officials Russia must reduce its debt burden now or face a financial crisis.
[08:27.61]9.13 The top international mediator in Bosnia-Herzegovina says new Serb readiness to co-operate in peace efforts
[08:35.34]has launched the country to a new phase of reconstruction.
[08:38.61]Karohs Westindor says the Serbs should be rewarded and receive a large share of future international aid.
[08:45.09]He spoke at a meeting in Brussels of delegates from about 50 countries and international organizations expected to pledge about one billion dollars in aid to Bosnia.
[08:54.39]9.14 These are the hour's news headlines.
[08:56.56]Indonesia's military sends reinforcements into the northwestern city of Medan after 3 days of rioting in which six people were reported to have been killed.
[09:05.10]Cambodian leader Hun Sen rules out the possibility of delaying national elections.
[09:09.83]And Germany Daimler Benz,maker of Mercedes Benz cars has agreed to buy Chrysler,the third largest US auto maker in the biggest takeover ever of a US industrial company.
