World briefs 4/20/04

Feds may relax airport security rule

PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh International could become the nation's first major airport to get the OK to abandon the post-Sept. 11, 2001, rule that says only ticketed passengers are allowed past security checkpoints. Federal security officials are considering allowing people once more to say their hellos and goodbyes to friends and loved ones at the gate. Pittsburgh is a strong candidate for the experiment for two reasons: It has a centralized security checkpoint in one terminal. And it has a full-scale shopping mall that has suffered a drop-off in business because it is reachable only by ticketed passengers.

Fallujah leaders call on fighters to disarm

FALLUJAH, Iraq -- Direct talks between the United States and leaders of the besieged city of Fallujah produced their first concrete results: an appeal for insurgents to turn in their mortars, surface-to-air missiles, rocket-propelled grenades and other heavy weapons, U.S. officials announced Monday. In return, the U.S. military said it does not intend to resume its offensive in the Sunni Muslim stronghold so long as militants are disarming.

Peacekeepers brace for Spanish troop pullout

WARSAW, Poland -- Iraq's multinational peacekeeping force scrambled to regroup Monday after Spain's announcement that it would pull out its 1,300 troops, with Albania pledging more soldiers but U.S. officials bracing for further withdrawals. Spanish troops will leave Iraq in less than six weeks, Defense Minister Jose Bono said Monday in Madrid, but it remains unclear who will take their place. President Bush scolded Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero for the abrupt withdrawal, telling him in a telephone conversation Monday to avoid actions that give "false comfort to terrorists or enemies of freedom in Iraq."

Abu Sayyaf organization revives, plots bold attacks

MANILA, Philippines -- Decimated by two years of U.S.-backed assaults, the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf is reviving itself as the "Islamic Movement," returning to fundamentalist roots and plotting urban bombings to lure recruits and foreign funding, security officials say. The Muslim extremist group, with a 13-year history of kidnappings-for-ransom and beheadings, appears to be trying to shed its image as a band of criminals and focus more on bold attacks facilitated by radical Islamic converts, authorities said.

Jordanian king postpones meeting with Bush

AMMAN, Jordan -- In a surprise move, King Abdullah II postponed a White House meeting with President Bush this week, citing questions Monday about the U.S. commitment to the Middle East peace process. The snub from one of Washington's closest allies comes amid Arab anger at Bush for endorsing an Israeli proposal to withdraw unilaterally from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank but keep Jewish settlements on other West Bank land claimed by the Palestinians. Bush's statement after a White House meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon last week constituted a historic shift in U.S. policy, and Palestinian leaders accused the administration of undercutting the possibility of a negotiated settlement.

Abused TV host highlights plight of Saudi women

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- A popular Saudi television host publicly showed her bruised and bloodied face and has shocked her compatriots into openly talking about one of the kingdom's long-hidden problems: violence against women. Rania al-Baz has been hailed as a hero for letting newspaper photographers snap pictures of her face and for frankly discussing her case after she said a beating by her husband earlier this month left her unconscious. Her story has been widely reported in the Saudi media. A Saudi princess stepped forward to pay al-Baz's medical bills. Al-Baz suffered 13 facial fractures that will require 12 operations. Al-Baz, in her 30s, said her husband of six years, singer Mohammed Bakr al-Fallatta, had beaten her before. But she said the April 10 attack was especially vicious, and that she thought he wanted to kill her. Police say when they find al-Fallatta, he will likely face charges of abuse and attempted murder.

North Korea's leader reportedly visits Beijing

BEIJING -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Il reportedly met China's president Monday and discussed his country's nuclear program, just days after Vice President Dick Cheney warned of the growing threat from Pyongyang and urged Beijing to do more to defuse it. Kim's visit was reported by South Korean media but not confirmed by China's Foreign Ministry, which in the past has only released information on the secretive leader's visits after he returns home. Kim reportedly talked with President Hu Jintao over lunch about North Korea's nuclear weapons program and asked for economic aid, South Korean media said, citing unidentified sources. They said the visit would last four days.

-- From wire reports