World briefs 9/30/05

Aid workers say 29 dead after attack in Darfur

GENEVA -- The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said Thursday an unprecedented attack on a displaced persons' camp in Sudan's embattled Darfur region reportedly has killed 29 people. Antonio Guterres, chief of the U.N. agency, cited aid workers' reports of the attack Wednesday at Aro Sharow camp which also left 10 seriously injured. These reports said up to 300 armed Arab men on horses and camels attacked the camp in northwest Darfur and burned about 80 makeshift shelters. Between 4,000-5,000 Sudanese were believed to be living in the camp and most reportedly fled into surrounding countryside, UNHCR said.

Dispute causes split at N. Korea nuclear talks

VIENNA, Austria -- A split between China and the four other countries that negotiated with North Korea on scrapping its nuclear arms could doom efforts to come up with a resolution welcoming the North's decision at a meeting of U.N. nuclear agency, diplomats said Thursday. The diplomats, who requested anonymity in exchange for discussing the confidential details of the dispute over a North Korean resolution, said China wanted mention of a light-water nuclear reactor and other commitments made to the North in exchange for its decision -- something the four other nations opposed.

Poland's election winners launch coalition talks

WARSAW, Poland -- The two center-right parties that won Poland's weekend election opened talks Thursday to form a ruling coalition and set priorities for the future government. The socially conservative Law and Justice party took 27 percent of the vote with 155 seats, while the pro-business Civic Platform won 24 percent with 133 seats. The Sept. 25 election gave the two groups the majority needed to together push through tax cuts and other reforms aimed at stimulating the economy and fighting a jobless rate of nearly 18 percent.

Japanese court upholds ruling on war shrine visit

TOKYO -- The Tokyo High Court on Thursday rejected a suit against Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's 2001 visit to a war shrine criticized in Asia for glorifying Japan's past militarism. The decision upheld a lower court's ruling that threw out a suit demanding compensation for anguish stemming from the visit by Koizumi to Yasukuni Shrine, attorneys for the plaintiffs said. The suit, brought by 39 plaintiffs demanding $885 each in damages, also alleged that Koizumi's visit violated the constitutional separation of state and religion. An attorney for the plaintiffs said they probably would appeal.

Serb president hopes for visit from the pope

VATICAN CITY -- Serbia's president said Thursday he hoped Pope Benedict XVI could visit the country "very soon," but said certain preconditions had to be negotiated first with the Serbian Orthodox Church. President Boris Tadic told reporters the possibility of a papal visit was raised during his 25-minute meeting with Benedict -- the first between a pope and a Serb president.

-- From wire reports

There were some "preconditions" that had to be worked out first, Tadic said, referring to an agreement with the Serbian Orthodox Church to invite the pontiff.A pope has never visited Serbia -- a traditional ally of Russia -- partly due to an enduring rivalry between the Catholics and the Orthodox, the two traditional Christian churches separated since the Great Schism in 1054.