EAST ASIA

NORTH KOREA REFUSES TO RULE OUT PRE-EMPTIVE ATTACK

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea refused yesterday to rule out a pre-emptive attack, even amid signs it may be willing to return to the nuclear bargaining table.

The North poured out anti-American rhetoric – a tactic it has used in the past before entering negotiations – by claiming that Washington’s “hostile policies” led it to develop nuclear weapons as a deterrent and warning against any attack to dislodge its leadership.

“The United States should be aware that the choice of a pre-emptive attack is not only theirs,” the North’s official news agency quoted the state-run newspaper Minju Joson as saying. “To stand against force with force is our unswerving method of response.”

The commentary came amid a flurry of contacts aimed at convincing the North to resume six-nation talks, suspended since the third round ended in June, on its nuclear program. South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun will meet with President Bush in Washington on June 10 to discuss “bilateral alliance issues and the way forward on North Korea,” White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.

– Associated Press

PERSIAN GULF

COUNCIL ALLOWS REFORMIST CANDIDATES TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT

TEHRAN, Iran – Under pressure from Iran’s supreme leader, the country’s hardline watchdog reversed itself yesterday and said two reformist candidates can run in next month’s presidential race – defusing a brewing crisis that had sparked fears of a boycott.

The move by the Guardian Council came as Iran’s clerical rulers seek a high turnout to boost their credibility at a time when the country remains under intense international pressure over its nuclear program. Low turnout in the June 17 election could undermine the ruling Islamic establishment at home and weaken its position in crucial negotiations with Europeans over the controversial nuclear program.

“A president elected with the least votes will not be able to pursue the people’s demands and defend Iran’s rights at the international level,” an interior ministry spokesman, Jahanbakhsh Khanjani, told reporters yesterday.

– Associated Press

WESTERN EUROPE

REPORT SHOWS THE IRA IS HEAVILY INVOLVED IN CRIMINALITY

The IRA remains heavily involved in criminality and is still training new members how to use guns and handle bombs, according to an independent report released yesterday.

The British and Irish governments’ fifth study of paramilitary and criminal activity among Republican and Loyalist terrorist groups provoked fury from unionists, who claimed it justified their refusal to go into government with Sinn Fein.

The murder of Robert McCartney and the Northern Bank robbery were identified by the Independent Monitoring Commission as among the crimes committed by the IRA in the past six months.

Despite the pre-election appeal by Gerry Adams, the Sinn Fein president, for the Provisional IRA to abandon its armed struggle, the IMC said the group still had the firepower to mount a full-scale terror campaign. The Irish government said the report painted a “disturbing picture,” but stood by its commitment to the Good Friday Agreement’s compulsory power-sharing deal involving all of Ulster’s main political parties.

– The Daily Telegraph

SOUTH AMERICA

SUSPECTED LEFTIST GUERRILLAS KILL 11 IN ATTACK

BOGOTA, Colombia – Suspected leftist guerrillas carrying assault rifles swept into a southern Colombia town yesterday and attacked government offices, killing 11 people, including six town council members, authorities said.

The guerrillas, believed to be members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, opened fire at a local council meeting in the town of Puerto Rico, 200 miles south of Bogota, an official with Colombia’s secret police DAS, Oscar Galvis, said.

– Associated Press