Foreign Desk
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

WESTERN EUROPE
BOMBS EXPLODE IN SEVEN SPANISH CITIES MADRID, Spain – Explosions rattled seven Spanish cities yesterday following telephone warnings from the armed Basque separatist group ETA, in a resurgence of violence after months of keeping a low profile since the deadly Madrid train bombings by Muslim terrorists. Officials said ETA chose a highly symbolic day for a fresh show of force – the anniversary of Spain’s constitution, which established a system of regional autonomy the Basque group rejects. The nearly simultaneous explosions in coffee shops, parks, and other public places slightly injured 18 people. They stretched across Spain, with the apparent message that ETA can strike wherever it wants – even with security forces on high alert because of five blasts Friday claimed by ETA. The bombs went off in Valladolid, Leon, and Santillana del Mar in the north, Avila and Ciudad Real in central Spain, Alicante in the east, and Malaga in the south.
– Associated Press
PERSIAN GULF
FIVE U.S. TROOPS KILLED IN ANBAR BATTLE BAGHDAD, Iraq – A heavy gunfight broke out yesterday on a dangerous street in central Baghdad within blocks of the country’s most fortified facilities, including the American Embassy and interim Iraqi government headquarters. Five more American troops were killed in the volatile Anbar province. A dawn attack on a domestic oil pipeline supplying fuel from northern Iraq to Baghdad and clashes that killed three rebels in the country’s turbulent west underlined the security difficulties ahead of January 30 national elections. Heavily armed insurgents have been emboldened by a spate of attacks across Iraq that have claimed more than 80 lives in recent days, mostly Iraqis working for the coalition or Iraqi national security forces. On Baghdad’s Haifa Street yesterday, witnesses said gunmen killed an Iraqi employed by coalition authorities not far from the Green Zone, a heavily guarded compound where American and Iraqi forces protect government officials, diplomats, and private contractors. Initially, witnesses said the gunmen fought American troops. But the American military said late yesterday that American troops were not involved. Haifa Street has been the site of previous battles between insurgents and coalition forces.
– Associated Press
MIDDLE EAST
PALESTINIAN PRESIDENTIAL RACE TIGHT RAMALLAH, West Bank – Opinion polls published yesterday showed that jailed Palestinian Arab uprising leader Marwan Barghouti poses a threat to mainstream candidate Mahmoud Abbas in the January 9 presidential election to replace Yasser Arafat. However, Mr. Barghouti’s associates say he might yet withdraw in exchange for reform promises from Mr. Abbas. The polls are the first since Mr. Barghouti threw the election scene into turmoil by entering the race just before the filing deadline. Mr. Barghouti is serving five life terms in an Israeli prison for his role in deadly shooting attacks of Israelis. Mr. Abbas, 69, a pragmatist who has spoken out against violence and enjoys the tacit support of the international community, is the candidate of the ruling Fatah movement.
– Associated Press
ADL COMMENDS THREE ORTHODOX RABBIS Yesterday the Anti-Defamation League praised three Orthodox rabbis – Norman Lamm, chancellor of Yeshiva University; Aharon Lichtenstein, head of Israel’s Har Etzion yeshiva, and Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron, formerly a Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel – for condemning calls for resistance against the Israel Defense Forces by West Bank and Gaza settlers facing eviction. As the Israeli government has proceeded with its West Bank and Gaza withdrawal plans, the ADL has expressed concern over the calls for resistance by soldiers and settlers, and over threats against Prime Minister Sharon. The ADL’s national director, Abraham Foxman, said to the three rabbis denouncing the resistance: “In these times it is critical that rabbinical voices expressing views such as yours be heard both by the Jews in Israel and in the Diaspora.” The rabbis had labeled the calls for insubordination “deeply disturbing and dismaying,” and said that they could not “be countenanced on either moral or [rabbinic legal] grounds.”
– Staff Reporter of the Sun