NORTH AMERICA

PAKISTAN MAY OPEN ISRAEL EMBASSIES

In an unprecedented speech before a crowd of about 350 at an American Jewish Congress-Council for World Jewry dinner, the president of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, hinted that his country would be willing to send a “signal for peace” by opening embassies in Israel if Palestinian Arabs were granted statehood.

Mr. Musharraf’s address in New York at the Marriott Marquis on Saturday night, was, according to Rep. Tom Lantos, a Democrat of California, “a major physical and political risk” for the Pakistani leader, who has been the target of multiple assassination attempts.

The president’s line about Pakistani embassies in Israel brought the room to its feet: “I am convinced that peace in Palestine that does justice to both the Israelis and the Palestinians will bring to a close the sad chapter in the history of the Middle East. It will revive the historical ties between Islam and Judaism. It will extinguish the anger and frustration that motivates [a] resort to violence and extremism. What better signal for peace could there be than the opening of embassies in Israel by Islamic countries like Pakistan?”

– Staff Reporter of the Sun

PERSIAN GULF

KURDISH LAWMAKER ASSASSINATED

BAGHDAD, Iraq – A member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party, Faris Nasir Hussein, was assassinated by insurgents along with his brother and their driver in an ambush 50 miles north of Baghdad. Police and PUK officials said the men were killed Saturday night as they drove to the capital for yesterday’s session of the legislature, which signed off on minor amendments to Iraq’s draft constitution and delivered it to the United Nations for printing.

Authorities reported finding two dozen more bodies yesterday, men shot to death in the apparent ongoing tit-for-tat killings between Sunni and Shiite death squads.

– Associated Press

WESTERN EUROPE

GAZA SETTLERS TURN TO AUSTRIA TO PROSECUTE SHARON

Israeli settlers are banking on an Austrian prosecutor to prove charges of bribery against Prime Minister Sharon. Settlers have accused Mr. Sharon of corruption since he began a drive to evacuate Gaza Jewish settlements. Yesterday the Web site of the settler movement’s radio station, Arutz 7, quoted Austrian investigator Gerhard Jarosch as saying, “After viewing the evidence that has been gathered thus far, my conclusion is that it’s almost certain that Ariel Sharon took a bribe.” According to Arutz 7, Mr. Jarosch is investigating the case because of the involvement of Austrian businessman Martin Schlaff in an allegedly illegal campaign financing in the 1999 Likud Party primaries. Israeli courts ruled there was not enough evidence to tie Mr. Sharon to any wrongdoing.

– Staff Reporter of the Sun

DROUGHT DRIVES UP TRUFFLE PRICES

PARIS – The price of black truffles is expected to exceed the $1,200 a kilogram mark for the first time in France after an exceptionally poor harvest. Truffle experts say that none will be left for Christmas. In Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur, which produces three-quarters of the country’s truffles, only 10 tons of the annual average of about 100 tons are expected to be harvested. The truffle market has been hit in recent years by an influx of a Chinese variety that has invaded French kitchens. Purists dismiss the imports as tasteless. Prices for Italian white truffles are also expected to reach record levels.

– The Daily Telegraph

EAST ASIA

AMERICAN ENVOY TO LEAVE N. KOREA TALKS

BEIJING – Talks on North Korean disarmament stood at a possibly pivotal point late yesterday after the chief American envoy praised a Chinese proposal that other delegates said might let the Pyongyang regime have a civilian nuclear program after disbanding its atomic weapons work.

Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill welcomed the latest compromise offered by China. At the same time, however, Mr. Hill said he was leaving at the end of today no matter what happened at a meeting, scheduled for earlier in the day, for all six delegations to state their positions.

– Associated Press