MIDDLE EAST

PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY CARRIES OUT EXECUTIONS

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Palestinian authorities carried out their first executions since 2002 yesterday, killing four convicted murderers in a campaign meant to halt a growing wave of lawlessness but which drew swift condemnation from human rights groups.

The executions reflected the challenge that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas faces as he tries to impose law and order in the Palestinian Arab areas. Mr. Abbas has made public order a top priority, but his forces have been weakened by internal rivalries, a lack of resources, and years of fighting with Israel. Despite Mr. Abbas’s efforts to revamp his security forces, militant groups and armed gangs continue to operate with virtual impunity, often clashing with rival factions or police. In a fresh challenge to Mr. Abbas, two Islamic militant groups responsible for dozens of suicide bombings threatened yesterday to pull out of a four-month-old cease-fire, accusing Israel of violating the truce. Leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad said they would make a final decision in the coming days.

– Associated Press

ANTI-SYRIAN CANDIDATES CONCEDE LOSSES IN LEBANON SOUK

ELGHARB, Lebanon – Anti-Syrian candidates apparently suffered major losses in a third round of elections yesterday to fill nearly half the seats in parliament, a senior opposition leader conceded after a campaign that led to some surprising alliances. Walid Jumblatt said former army commander Michel Aoun, who broke opposition ranks and joined pro-Syrian groups on an anti-corruption slate, was winning in contested constituencies.

Mr. Aoun’s success could hurt the opposition’s drive to gain a majority in the 128-seat legislature and leave him a key player in the fight over Syrian control. An empowered Mr. Aoun could put the brakes on the opposition’s campaign to remove the pro-Syrian President Lahoud.

Preliminary results and campaign estimates showed Mr. Aoun and his allies leading in several districts in Mount Lebanon and in the eastern Bekaa Valley. In some areas, his allies were already celebrating with fireworks. Official results were expected today. Mr. Jumblatt accused Mr. Aoun, who returned from 14 years’ exile in May, of being brought in by Damascus to undermine the opposition.

“Michel Aoun is a small [Syrian] tool,” he told Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation television. “True, he succeeded, I concede that.”

Mr. Aoun says his feud with Syria is over now that Damascus has withdrawn its army from the country and he campaigned on a platform to fight the corruption he blames for Lebanon’s economic ills, including a national debt of over $30 billion.

– Associated Press

NORTH AMERICA

PANEL CREATED BY CONGRESS CRITICIZES U.N.

A panel created by Congress will report that the United Nations is contending with poor management, low morale, and a lack of accountability and ethics, the New York Times reported on its Web site last night. The panel will also say that Secretary-General Annan has proposed broad changes to address the problems and that America should support the United Nations. The panel will go on to recommend the installation of oversight bodies and personnel standards, as well as make sure that its member states can react rapidly and with force to prevent genocide, large-scale murder, and human rights violations, the Times reported.

– Staff Reporter of the Sun