World briefs 12/24/02

Ivory Coast rebels threaten war if attacked

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast -- West African defense chiefs on Monday promised a speedy deployment of a 1,500-strong peace force in Ivory Coast, even as rebels threatened war "on all fronts" if French troops attack their fighters.

The declarations followed a weekend clash between French soldiers and rebels, marking the deepest involvement yet of French troops in bloody fighting in their former colony.

Rebels accuse the French forces -- officially deployed to enforce a repeatedly broken Oct. 17 cease-fire and safeguard foreign nationals -- of backing the government of President Laurent Gbagbo.

Suspected rebels kill two workers in bus explosion

BOGOTA, Colombia -- Suspected Colombian rebels blew up a bus carrying workers to a U.S.-run oil field, killing two and wounding 11, the army said Monday.

Sixteen workers were in the bus bound for the Cano Limon oil field near Colombia's eastern border with Venezuela. Cano Limon is operated by Los Angeles-based Occidental Petroleum in conjunction with Ecopetrol, Colombia's state oil company.

Three workers managed to escape from a window, hiding for hours before being rescued by other Cano Limon workers, the army said.

Denmark sues EU commission over cheese

COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- Denmark sued the European Union's Executive Commission on Monday for giving Greece exclusive rights to produce feta cheese, calling the product a generic foodstuff, not a regional delicacy.

Greece has tried since 1989 to have the EU ban other nations from using the label, saying the cheese has been made there since ancient times.

In October, the EU's head office added feta to a list of hundreds of gourmet products given "designation of origin" protection. That means they can only be produced in a given area, using traditional methods.

The EU has nearly 150 cheeses on its list of protected regional products, including gorgonzola from Italy, French brie de Meaux and English Stilton, as well as 19 other Greek cheeses and Danish blue.

Italy's ex-royal family returns home after ban

ROME -- After a half-century of exile and longing, Italy's former royals returned Monday to the land where their family once reigned, ending the shame of banishment imposed for the monarchy's support of Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini during World War II.

Victor Emmanuel, the son of the last king, made an unannounced one-day visit to Italy as a commoner, along with his wife and son. The family went straight to the Vatican for a private meeting with Pope John Paul II, then jumped back on a private plane for Switzerland, their home in exile.

The 65-year-old former prince -- exiled from Italy since age 9 -- promised he would return to Italy in February and live out a dream: to travel around the nation like a tourist.

"I'll start to visit the whole of Italy with my son, who doesn't know it," Victor Emmanuel said. "Seeing how well we've been received, it will be a great pleasure to be among you all again."

They became legally able to enter Italy last month, when a law went into effect overturning a 54-year-old constitutional ban on the presence of the last monarch's male heirs in Italy.

-- From wire reports