[00:00.00] News No. 11
[00:08.10]I'm Francis Alanzo. VOA news.
[00:10.61]11.1 President Clinton has underscored his interest in US reconciliation with Iran after 20 years of hostile relations.
[00:18.05]VOA's David Gollnst has sent this report from the White House.
[00:21.66]Following up on Secretary of State Albright overtures to Iran
[00:24.63]Wednesday,Mr.Clinton said the United States is ready for genuine reconciliation,
[00:28.66]provided Iran moves away from support of terrorism,
[00:31.40]exports of dangerous weapons and opposition to Middle East peace efforts.
[00:35.42]In a talk with reporters here,Mr.Clinton said he will actively seek the better ties
[00:39.76]proposed by President Mohammed Khatani after his election last year.
[00:43.86]We are exploring what the future might hold.
[00:46.89]We'll not change our principles,our ideas or our objectives.
[00:50.73]And we believe Iran is changing in a positive way and we want to support that.
[00:55.46]Aides said Mr.Clinton is preparing a message to the Iranian people
[00:58.46]to be broadcast in connection with the US-Iran World Cup Football Match next Sunday.
[01:03.48]David Gollnst,VOA news,the White House.
[01:05.85]11.2 President Clinton has named diplomatic troubleshooter Wichard Hobert to be US ambassador to the United Nations.
[01:11.50]Mr.Hobert will replace Bill Richson as UN ambassador.
[01:14.42]Mr.Clinton nominated Mr. Richson to be energy secretary.
[01:18.16]
[01:22.26]the respected military magazine Gens and Intelligence Review says Pakistan
[01:26.28]appears to have exhausted its significant part of arsenal during last month's nuclear tests.
[01:31.01]The magazine says Pakistan's arsenal is estimated to be between six and twelve nuclear weapons.
[01:35.63]India,on the other hand is believed to have between 20 and 60 nuclear weapons.
[01:40.15]The magazine says India's estimate is based on the amount of weapons-grade plutonium
[01:43.68]produced by the country's two research nuclear reactors.
[01:47.42]11.4 Russian President Boris Yeltsin's new economic envoy Allitoy Tubuyers says
[01:51.12]the country needs 10 to 15 billion dollars in financial aid to stabilize the markets.
[01:57.24]VOA correspondent Michelle Kellerman reports from Moscow.
[02:00.22]Mr.Tubuyers is wasting no time.
[02:02.46]Just one day after he was named as the President's Envoy of International Financial Institutions,
[02:07.19]he told reporters he would be seeking up to 15 billion dollars.
[02:11.06]He is to lead negotiations with the International Monetary Fund next week.
[02:15.21]The government earlier said it would work on its own to maintain ruble and restore investor confidence.
[02:23.80]But even President Yeltsin Thursday said the government needs help.
[02:27.80]"Of course we need support and investments," Mr. Yeltsin says,"
[02:31.04]I have talked to leaders of several countries about this."
[02:34.20]Mr.Yeltsin defends his decision to appoint Mr.Tubuyers,who is respected outside Russia for his reform programs,
[02:40.76]but is a controversial figure here.
[02:42.98]Michelle Kellerman,VOA news,Moscow.
[02:45.80]11.5 Indications that the United States is prepared to continue supporting the yen
[02:49.98]at world currency markets helped push the Japanese currency higher,higher rather,
[02:53.77]the yen traded at 136.88 to the dollar in Tokyo today.
[02:57.40]11.6 And the US trade deficit hit a record high of 14 and one half billion dollars in April
[03:02.10]as Asia's financial crisis hurt US exporters.
[03:05.16]The Commerce Department reports US exports on variety of goods from commercial aircraft to foreign products were lower.
[03:10.93]11.7 African mediators returned to Ethiopia and Eritrea today in another effort to end a month-long border war.
[03:17.38]We have details from VOA's Scott Stern.
[03:20.10]The African initiative is based on a US-Rwandan plan that Eritrea opposes
[03:24.62]because it calls for withdrawal of its troops from disputed territories as a prerequisite to formal talks on border issues.
[03:31.15]While Ethiopia has accepted the plan,Prime Minister Melen Sairowe says he still reserves the right to use force to defend
[03:35.90]Ethiopia if the Eritrean government in Asmara continues to refuse the peaceful settlement.
[03:42.46]"We believe a peaceful resolution of the problem is the only sane solution.
[03:47.13]Nevertheless,if...in Asmara...alone will not be enough."
[03:52.67]Eritrea says officials from the northern Ethiopian Province of
[03:55.47]Tigre have been taking land along the border that belongs to them.
[03:59.05]Though both sides have agreed to stop their air war,thousands of ground troops will remain in position.
[04:04.43]Scott Stern VOA news,East Africa Bureau.
[04:06.80]11.8 At least 12 people have been wounded in two bomb blasts in Pakistan's troubled southern port city of Karachi.
[04:11.98]The first bomb hidden in a motorcycle exploded near the entrance of Karachi stock exchange.
[04:16.55]Minutes later,another bomb hidden in a motorcycle as well went off near a provincial government office building in Karachi.
[04:22.22]There have been no claims of the responsibility.
[04:24.46]11.9 German Chancellor Helmut Kohl says his country would back military actions to end the fighting in Kosovo
[04:29.37]if Yugoslav President Slohodan Milosevic fails to take the promised steps.
[04:32.98]Yugoslavia says it is ready to negotiate with the leaders of the province's ethnic Albanian majority
[04:37.86]and rejects international mediation and calls for taking security forces out of Kosovo.
[04:43.77]I'm Francis Alanzo.VOA news.
[04:48.16]I'm Francis Alanzo.VOA news
[04:50.74]11.10 Japan announced a timetable Monday for cleaning up its banking industry.
[04:55.24]But as Anne Vickers reports from VOA's Asian News Center,
[04:58.50]the move was not bold enough to halt a sharp slide in the yen.
[05:02.50]The Japanese yen took a slide earlier Monday dropping close to 139 yen to the dollar before edging up slightly.
[05:09.16]Dealers said there was disappointment in the currency markets that Japan offered no concrete plans to bolster its economy
[05:15.01]at a weekend meeting with finance officials from around the world.
[05:18.35]On Monday,the Japanese Finance Ministry stopped the yen from falling further by hinting
[05:23.34]it would again intervene on the currency markets to support the yen if necessary.
[05:27.26]Joint intervention from the United States and Japan last week lifted the yen from an eight-year low on the dollar.
[05:33.51]Japan is also facing renewed international pressure to solve its economic woes.
[05:38.08]US Trade Representative Sherry Marshak said Monday that Japan must act as an engine of growth for Asia
[05:43.90]and help the region out of the current economic downturn.
[05:46.88]Anne Vickers of the VOA Asian News Center.
[05:49.54]
[05:53.67]with its economic crisis after meeting with Indonesian President B.J. Habibie in Jakarta.
[05:59.42]Deputy Treasury Secretary Rorey Summer says restoration of economic stability is a top priority for the United States.
[06:05.92]He added that Washington is prepared to provide Indonesia assistance in a range of economic and technology fields.
[06:12.38]
[06:18.72]The weather cleared today and allowed the helicopter to pick up the British soldiers,
[06:22.80]Martin Stooner and Kar Bergar.
[06:24.86]The two had been stranded for three days.
[06:27.16]The two soldiers are being flown to a hospital for treatment.
[06:30.58]Chief Ranger Kenkel with the national park service says, the climbers are well.
[06:34.95]"They seemed to be in very good spirits on the radio when we spoke to them.
[06:38.84]We dropped them a radio and some additional supplies and food earlier and I think they are pretty happy to get off."
[06:44.17]Ranger Kenkel.
[06:46.02]11.13 The United States and other European nations are recalling their ambassadors from Belarus
[06:51.12]because of a battle with the hard-line government over diplomatic housing.
[06:54.90]The US and European Union countries plan to ask Belarusian ambassadors in their capitals to leave as well.
[07:01.02]They say President Alexandr Lukashenko has violated international diplomatic law by cutting power and water to their homes.
[07:08.25]The hard-line leader says urgent repairs must be made.
[07:11.05]11.14 Czech President Baosa Harbo is expected to ask the head of the leftist Social Democratic Party
[07:16.51]to try to form a government after inconclusive elections have ended Saturday.
[07:20.58]VOA Central Europe correspondent Artrime reports from Prague on the considerable challenges of forming a new Czech government.
[07:27.37]Leavo Sama Social Democrats have never been in a post communist Czech government
[07:32.15]and they may not be in this one either despite the party's election victory.
[07:36.49]The leftists said the party will control 37% of parliament,
[07:40.17]but may not be able to assemble a workable coalition.
[07:43.60]In fact, some analysts say the rightist Civic Democrats of former Prime Minister Marsa Klowd
[07:48.82]may be best placed to form the new government in a coalition with the two smaller parties.
[07:53.65]But whoever leads the new government ideological differences and personal rivalries make most of the possible combinations problematic.
[08:01.72]Mr. Sama himself referred to what he called the paradoxical possibility
[08:05.85]of his party being excluded from the government despite having won the most votes.
[08:10.42]Artrime,VOA news, Prague.
[08:13.56]11.15 President Clinton fighting back after the defeat of antitobacco legislation in the Senate
[08:18.73]has announced the government will study cigarette brands used by underaged smokers.
[08:23.07]At the White House today,Mr. Clinton said he has ordered the government to begin documenting which brands enjoy favor among smoker's ages 12 to 17.
[08:32.26]He said that the companies had acted irresponsibly with regard to teens smoking.
[08:36.78]"The tobacco companies' automatic and angry dismissal of this new survey shows their continued disregard for their children's health and parents' concerns.
[08:47.41]We have a right to know for years,years and years they had information that proved tobacco was addictive
[08:54.52]and demonstrated they were marketing to children and they didn't think we had a right to know that either."
[09:00.47]President Bill Clinton.
[09:02.12]11.16 An unidentified submarine has been found off the East Coast of South Korea near the site where a North Korean vessel ran aground almost two years ago.
[09:11.21]South Korean military officials have confirmed that a sub is caught in the nets of a fishing vessel.
[09:17.19]Offcials,however, have not confirmed a report by the Yonhad News Agency that the vessel is North Korean.
