Soccer Dad

Goose, gander whatever

On allowing a Holocaust denier into government
Jorg Haider in Austria:

The Washington Post leads with the swearing in of Austria's new coalition government made up of "conservatives and Jörg Haider's far-right [and anti-immigrant] Freedom Party today, touching off violent protests ... and triggering diplomatic sanctions by" the 14 other members of the European Union, the U.S., Israel, and Norway.

Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority:

Afterward, Bush telephoned Sharon, said Fleischer, who said Bush told the premier that he understands Sharon's decision to defer his trip to Washington and that the United States remains committed to Israel's security - but because Abbas is a reformist committed to peace, it is now vital to advance the peace process.

On preventing terrorist groups from taking advantage of elections
PA:1st

Reviving a long-dormant U.S. peacemaking role, Secretary of State Colin Powell won an Israeli pledge on Monday to allow Palestinians freedom of movement to enable them to hold an election for Yasser Arafat's successor.

The European Council (EC) calls on Israel urgently to improve voting arrangements for the upcoming Palestinian legislative elections, including facilitating effectively voter registration, access to polling stations and campaigning

The last time the Syrian-Iraqi border was closed was September, when Iraq decided to stop the flow of people entering the country from Syria for ten days, therefore also preventing Iraqi citizens from returning to their country. This followed the offensive by Iraqi and American forces on the town of Telafar, close to the Syrian-Iraqi border, launched in an effort to prevent armed groups infiltrating Iraq from Syria.

The decision to close the border again comes as Iraq prepares to hold elections in a week's time to elect the country's first non-transitory parliament.