World briefs 05/12/03

Bomb blast in Philippine city kills at least 13

MANILA, Philippines -- A bomb exploded Saturday at a crowded market in a southern Philippine city, killing at least nine people and wounding 41.

The Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf claimed responsibility and warned of further attacks, the mayor said.

But the military said the bomb had the markings of a different extremist group than the Abu Sayyaf, which is on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations.

Officials earlier had reported 13 people died, but social welfare officers, who visited all the victims in hospitals, said some of the fatalities were apparently counted twice. One fatality was listed several times after he was resuscitated three times.

It was the fourth deadly bombing in the southern Philippines in just over two months and the second at the market in Koronadal, a largely Christian city of 140,000 people about 610 miles southeast of Manila.

Military prosecutor indicts 11 on terror charges

AMMAN, Jordan -- A military prosecutor charged 11 Arab men -- some with alleged links to al-Qaida -- with conspiring to carry out terror attacks against U.S. and Israeli targets in Jordan that culminated in last year's slaying of an American diplomat.

The men, four in detention and seven at large, will be tried at the State Security Court later this month, a security official told The Associated Press on Sunday, speaking on condition of anonymity. No trial date has been set.

The men -- with Libyan, Syrian, Palestinian and Jordanian nationalities -- would face the death penalty if convicted of conspiring to carry out terror attacks that led to the Oct. 28 killing of Laurence Foley, a 60-year-old U.S. Agency for International Development administrator.

Libyan Salem bin Suweid, the 40-year-old suspected mastermind of the attacks, his Jordanian assistant, Yasser Freihat, 28, and two suspects at large are also charged with illegally possessing automatic weapons, according to documents shown to the AP by the security official.

Mexican president rejects U.S. congressional action

MEXICO CITY -- President Vicente Fox on Sunday joined a wave of other Mexican officials in rejecting a U.S. congressional committee's call to link an agreement on immigration to U.S. investment in Mexico's state-run oil company.

Fox said his administration has made a priority of reaching an immigration deal with the United States. "But in no way will it accept negotiating that agreement in exchange for the opening of Petroleos Mexicanos to foreign investment," he said in a statement released by his office.

The Mexican media has launched a barrage of criticism against the move by the House International Relations Committee.

The committee measure narrowly approved Thursday on votes by the Republican majority says that any accord on immigration issues with Mexico should include an agreement to open Mexico's state oil company Pemex to U.S. investment.

Bush, S. Korean president to discuss alliance

NEW YORK -- South Korea's leader traveled to the United States on Sunday for consultations with President Bush on the North Korean nuclear crisis, aware that Pyongyang will be looking for any sign of a rift as it plots strategy on its weapons development.

Bush and South Korea's President Roh Moo-hyun will almost certainly take a different tack than in 2001, when Bush and the previous South Korean president, Kim Dae-jung, met in Washington. That summit exposed differences in how the two allies viewed North Korea.

Even though the policy differences remain, Bush and Roh are likely to reaffirm their military and economic partnership when they meet.

"Previous South Korea-U.S. summits have been burdened by high expectations," Roh told reporters Sunday afternoon. "I hope the talks will confirm our common approach to resolving the North Korean nuclear issue, and also the importance of the South Korea-U.S. alliance."

-- From wire reports