SOUTH ASIA

REP. MARK KIRK STANDS BY PAKISTAN ACCOUNT

WASHINGTON – From the podium, a State Department deputy spokesman, Adam Ereli, attacked a story that appeared in the Monday edition of The New York Sun.

Mr. Ereli said the story that chronicled the then-ambassador to Pakistan’s efforts to shut down a program to distribute materials designed to elicit information leading to the capture of Osama bin Laden and other Al Qaeda leaders as “unfair” and “untrue.”

Mr. Ereli did not cite any specific facts or allegations that were untrue.

The lawmaker at the center of The New York Sun’s exclusive yesterday stands by his account. Rep. Mark Kirk, a Republican of Illinois, who sits on the appropriations subcommittee that funds the State Department, faulted Ambassador Nancy Powell’s decision to impound wanted posters, matchbooks, and other items translated into local languages.

Asked for comment yesterday, Mr. Kirk declined to elaborate further, adding that the hunt for Mr. bin Laden has been invigorated by the replacement of Ms. Powell by veteran diplomat Ryan Crocker.

Yesterday, Mr. Ereli said the decision to discontinue the program was made before Ms. Powell arrived in Islamabad – a point attributed to a senior State Department official in Monday’s edition.

When asked yesterday by the Sun to comment on Mr. Kirk’s statements, Mr. Ereli declined to direct criticism at the lawmaker. Instead, he told the Sun, “I would say suggestions by anyone that Ambassador Powell, our mission in Islamabad, or the Department of State lacks commitment to the war on terror or the hunt for bin Laden are a disservice to the courage and commitment to everyone who works here.” The New York Sun article stated no such allegations.

– Richard Miniter

MIDDLE EAST

ABOUT 2,000 SYRIAN TROOPS LEAVE LEBANON

BEIRUT, Lebanon – Syria has withdrawn 2,000 more troops from Lebanon, a military official said yesterday, bringing Damascus’s military presence in the country to the lowest level since it began three decades ago. A Lebanese Foreign Ministry official, meanwhile, flew to New York to attend talks on the probable formation of a U.N. commission of inquiry into the death of Rafik Hariri, the former prime minister.

The government also responded to criticism of its inquiry into the February 14 assassination by saying it had found parts of a white truck that was captured on a videotape exhibiting suspicious behavior. The massive bombing that killed Hariri, which many in the opposition blamed on the Lebanese government and its Syrian power brokers, sparked mass protests by the Lebanese opposition calling for Syria to stop interfering in their country. Washington and the United Nations also stepped up demands that Damascus withdraw its forces in line with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559 passed in September.

– Associated Press

ISRAELI PARLIAMENT REJECTS REFERENDUM FOR GAZA PULLOUT

Israel’s Parliament yesterday rejected a last-ditch attempt to torpedo Prime Minister Sharon’s plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, vetoing a proposed national referendum. The plan now goes to the nation’s Supreme Court.

Demoralized by the defeat, settlers said they would move their fight into the streets, promising to bring 100,000 protesters to the settlements slated for evacuation to prevent the withdrawal. They also pinned their hopes on the Supreme Court, which agreed yesterday to hear a challenge to the law providing the legal framework for the withdrawal from the entire Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements.

Approval of a referendum would have almost certainly delayed the withdrawal, scheduled for this summer, and could have brought down Mr. Sharon’s government and forced new elections. Mr. Sharon has repeatedly rejected calls for a national vote as a stalling tactic. Opinion polls show a large majority of Israelis back the withdrawal plan.

After a debate that was repeatedly interrupted by the shouts of angry lawmakers – several of whom were ejected – the Knesset overwhelmingly defeated the referendum proposal 72-39.

– Associated Press