United Nations

Clinton cites lesson in tsunami relief

Former President Clinton said Wednesday the United States should try to build a world of more friends and fewer enemies by following the principle that guided Americans after the devastating Asian tsunami: helping people because it was the right thing to do.

At his first news conference in his new job as the top U.N. envoy for tsunami recovery, Clinton said the quick deployment of U.S. military ships and soldiers after the Dec. 26 natural disaster, the arrival of American relief workers and the donations from millions of Americans made a positive impact on worst-hit Indonesia.

A recent public opinion survey in Indonesia showed that the approval rating for the United States increased from 36 percent to 58 percent “because we did not have an ulterior motive,” Clinton said.

Indonesia

Two more volcanoes show signs of activity

Scientists warned hikers and visitors to stay away from two more Indonesian volcanoes Wednesday, a day after another volcano spewed ash on disaster-stricken Sumatra Island and forced the evacuation of some 25,000 people.

Sensors on the slopes of the two mountains — Anak Krakatoa on the southern tip of Sumatra Island and Tangkuban Prahu in Java — picked up an increase in volcanic activity and a buildup of gases, said government volcanologist Syamsul Rizal.

On Tuesday, Mount Talang, also on Sumatra Island, sent clouds of gas high into the air. Some 25,000 people have fled the area around the volcano and are staying in tents and public buildings, officials said.

Rizal said it was possible the increased volcanic activity could be linked to recent earthquakes that have rocked Sumatra Island, including one March 28 that killed 600 people on the island of Nias.

London

8 of 9 suspects cleared in ricin plot

Britain’s cases against nine North Africans accused of plotting to spread the deadly toxin ricin in the British capital resulted in only one conviction — an Algerian linked to al-Qaida — with eight others either not brought to trial or acquitted, according to details released Wednesday.

A court found four of the accused, all Algerians, not guilty Friday and dropped charges against four — three Algerians and a Libyan — on Wednesday.

The only defendant convicted was Algerian Kamel Bourgass, 29, who was sentenced in June to life in prison for stabbing a policeman to death during a raid in northwest England on Jan. 14, 2003, in which officers were looking for ricin. None was found.

Ricin is derived from the castor bean plant and is one of the world’s deadliest toxins.

Afghanistan

Karzai wants U.S. to remain indefinitely

President Hamid Karzai said Wednesday that he was seeking a long-term security arrangement with the United States, but he declined to say whether it would include the establishment of permanent U.S. military bases in Afghanistan.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Karzai said the Afghan people strongly favored such an agreement.

Rumsfeld, who was in Afghanistan for a one-day visit, also sidestepped the question of permanent bases, but said the Pentagon was focused on determining what further assistance the United States can offer the war-ravaged nation.