Nation briefs 07/31/03

Bush cites 'progress' in Mideast peace talks

WASHINGTON -- President Bush said Wednesday that his goal of establishing a Palestinian state by 2005 is realistic and the United States must help Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and his chief of security root out terrorism.

"I think we're making pretty good progress in a short period of time," Bush said. "I'm impressed by Prime Minister Abbas' vision of a peaceful Palestinian state. I believe him when he says that we must root out terror in order for a Palestinian state to exist."

He said at a news conference that a key will be helping Palestinian security chief Mohammed Dahlan in his efforts to lead Palestinian security forces "to the dismantlement of bomb-making factories, rocket-making factories inside Gaza and the West Bank."

He said that would be an important step to earn "the confidence of the world."

The president has also given visiting Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon broad support on key issues, backing off from overt criticism of a West Bank security fence while taking a position that disappointed Palestinians in the process.

CIA: Saddam tape most likely authentic

WASHINGTON -- The CIA has determined the lastest audio message purportedly from Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, in which he marks the deaths of his sons, is most likely authentic, a CIA official said Wednesday.

The CIA's technical analysis of the message matched very closely with other recordings of Saddam's voice, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The voice on the message said it was made in July 2003. CIA officials aren't certain of the exact date the recording was made, but the references to the July 22 deaths of Saddam's sons Odai and Qusai mean it was almost certainly made during the last week.

It was aired Tuesday on the Al-Arabiya satellite channel, which broadcasts across the Middle East and in Iraq.

Documents say N.H. man admitted killing children

CONCORD, N.H. -- A man accused of killing his two children told authorities he shot them in New Hampshire and buried them in a shallow grave in the Midwest after saying a prayer and making a duct tape cross on each child's chest, according to court documents released Wednesday.

Manuel Gehring, 44, was arrested in California earlier this month after a cross-country trek and was charged with murder. Investigators have yet to find the youngsters' bodies, despite a search across the Midwest.

Gehring told police "that he pulled the van over and shot them with the handgun," according to the documents.

Gehring had been locked in a custody dispute with his ex-wife.

Gehring and the children, Sarah, 14, and Philip, 11, were last seen in Concord, arguing after a Fourth of July fireworks show.

In an affidavit, police said that Gehring told them he returned home with the youngsters after the fireworks, picked up a handgun, drove a half-hour to 45 minutes south of Concord, then pulled over and shot them.

Civil rights commission to review hanging of man

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights said Wednesday it will look into the hanging of a black man because of lingering suspicions in his poor, rural town that he was lynched.

A judge ruled at an inquest Tuesday that Feraris "Ray" Golden, 32, committed suicide. Among the evidence: the bedsheet used as a noose came from home; he had no injuries that would indicate a struggle; he was heavily drunk and also had cocaine in his system; and he was probably depressed, telling his grandmother: "Nobody loves me. I'm going to kill myself."

But Bobby Doctor, director of the commission's Southern regional office, said he will interview family members and investigators about persistent rumors that Golden's hands were tied behind his back.

-- From wire reports