World briefs 11/5/03

General dismissed for praise of anti-Semitism

BERLIN -- Germany's defense minister on Tuesday dismissed the head of the country's elite special forces after the general praised a conservative lawmaker under investigation for alleged anti-Semitic remarks.

Brig. Gen. Reinhard Guenzel, the commander of Germany's special forces since 2000 and a 40-year veteran of the armed forces, was fired after writing a letter to lawmaker Martin Hohmann, praising his "courage" for a speech that drew criticism from across the political spectrum and legal action from Jewish leaders.

"It was an excellent speech, of courage, truth and clarity, which one seldom hears or reads in our country," wrote Guenzel, 59.

Defense Minister Peter Struck said the general's "unacceptable" remarks had tarnished the German military's reputation, but he insisted they were an "isolated case" and did not reflect widely held opinions among the armed forces.

Teen arrested after attack on Turkish Embassy

THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- A teenager threw a homemade firebomb into the Turkish Embassy in The Hague on Tuesday, causing a small fire and minor injuries to five people, including himself, Dutch officials said.

Hague police chief Han Moraal said the 16-year-old suspect was arrested shortly after throwing a "bag of burning material" into the building at around 11:30 a.m. He said the youth, whom he did not identify, had an argument with embassy workers earlier in the day.

"The motive is still unclear, but there's no indication it was either a political or a terrorist attack," Moraal told reporters.

Yukos names Americans to top posts; chief resigns

MOSCOW -- Russia's embattled Yukos oil giant said Tuesday it appointed a U.S. citizen as new chief executive to replace Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who has been jailed on charges of fraud and tax evasion in what some see as a politically-driven probe.

In a brief statement, Yukos said it had appointed Simon Kukes to the post. Khodorkovsky resigned Monday, saying he wants to deflect the blows from his company. A U.S. citizen, the Russian-born Kukes was elected chairman of Yukos' board of directors in June.

The company also said it had appointed Steven Theede, an American, as executive director of Yukos-Moscow, a subsidiary under which many of Yukos' central corporate functions are incorporated. Bruce Misamore, also a U.S. citizen, remains the group's chief financial officer.

Putting a large number of Americans in the new Yukos management team aims in part "to make it more protected" from Russian authorities amid the probe into Yukos, said Konstantin Reznikov, chief oil analyst at Moscow-based Alfa Bank.

Arafat blocks formation of Palestinian Cabinet

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Yasser Arafat delayed the formation of a new Cabinet on Tuesday by blocking his premier's choice for security chief, which will slow fledgling efforts to restart peace talks with Israel after a three-month freeze in contacts, Palestinian officials said.

Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia has assigned all Cabinet portfolios, with the exception of the interior minister, who would control the security forces, the officials said. Qureia met Tuesday with Arafat, but failed to resolve the dispute over the post.

Underlying the argument is Arafat's refusal to relinquish control over some of the security services. Qureia's candidate, Gen. Nasser Yousef, seeks broad powers.

Qureia's emergency government expires Tuesday, but he said he would present his new Cabinet to parliament by next week.

In Washington, the Bush administration said it was monitoring the situation.

Sri Lanka sacks three ministers, deploys troops

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- Sri Lanka's president suspended Parliament and deployed troops around the capital Tuesday after firing three key cabinet ministers who were trying to coax Tamil rebels back into talks to end a 20-year civil war.

Chandrika Kumaratunga made the moves while her political rival, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, was in Washington to meet with President Bush. The president has been extremely critical of the prime minister's handling of peace talks with the rebels, saying he makes too many concessions.

Troops were sent to the state television and radio stations and to a main power plant after the government announced that it fired the defense and interior ministers -- in charge of the military and police, respectively -- and the information minister.

"My actions were not directed at individuals or a party. I have merely exercised my authority under the constitution to safeguard the interest of the country," Kumaratunga said.