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.

EAST ASIA
TAIWAN OPPOSITION VICTORY MAY CALM CHINA
TAIPEI, Taiwan – Taiwanese opposition lawmakers cruised the streets in trucks yesterday, thanking voters for their upset victory in an election expected to calm American fears that the island was headed toward a conflict with rival China. Three opposition parties teamed up Saturday to defeat President Chen’s pro-independence coalition, winning 114 of Parliament’s 225 seats. The opposition favors a more conciliatory policy toward Beijing, which claims the self-ruled island is part of Chinese territory. China has threatened to attack if Taiwan refuses to unify eventually and seeks a permanent split. Following a Taiwanese election tradition, candidates climbed up on their flatbed campaign trucks once more yesterday and drove around thanking voters for their support. They wore colorful satin sashes bearing their names. Mr. Chen’s Democratic Progressive Party and its allies have pushed for a revised constitution and a Taiwanese identity separate from China’s. The policies have alarmed both Beijing and Washington. America, Taiwan’s bodyguard, has urged Mr. Chen to moderate his stance.
– Associated Press
CENTRAL ASIA
U.S. BEGINS OFFENSIVE IN AFGHANISTAN
KABUL, Afghanistan – Some 18,000 American troops have started a winter offensive against Taliban rebels in Afghanistan, vowing to eliminate insurgents who could threaten parliamentary elections slated for the spring. The American military said Saturday that it hoped the new push, dubbed Lightning Freedom, would persuade insurgents to accept an amnesty offered by President Karzai that could stabilize the country and allow foreign troops to pull back. Separately, Mr. Karzai said yesterday that Osama bin Laden is “definitely” in the region and eventually will be caught, even though American and Pakistani generals admit the trail is cold. Speculation on Mr. bin Laden’s whereabouts has long focused on the mountains along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, where the Al Qaeda leader slipped away from Afghan and American forces three years ago. “It’s very difficult to say where he is hiding. He cannot be away from this region. He’s definitely in this region,” Mr. Karzai told CNN’s “Late Edition.” “We will get him sooner or later, trust me on that.”
– Associated Press
EASTERN EUROPE
POLITICIANS, ACTIVISTS UNITE TO OPPOSE PUTIN
MOSCOW – Hundreds of Kremlin critics gathered yesterday on Constitution Day to denounce what they call a retreat from democracy as President Putin signed a bill scrapping gubernatorial elections. Mr. Putin yesterday also denied he seeks to change the constitution – a concern raised by critics who fear his administration might seek amendments to keep him in power past 2008. The constitution allows only two consecutive four-year terms. The new law signed by Mr. Putin gives the president the right to appoint governors and dissolve regional legislatures if they refuse to confirm his nominees. Russia consists of 89 regions, whose leaders are currently chosen by popular election. At yesterday’s meeting, an unusual alliance of liberals and Communists joined in urging broad public opposition to that bill and other Kremlin-sponsored political reforms that critics say will strengthen Mr. Putin’s grip on the country at the expense of democracy. “These are all very different people, but we have been united by one common concern – the authorities’ outright encroachment on our rights,” respected rights activist Lyudmila Alexeyeva, head of the Moscow Helsinki Group, said at the opening of the All-Russian Civil Congress for Democracy and Against Dictatorship.
– Associated Press