Bush defends Iraqi war in visit to Britain

LONDON

As police braced for massive demonstrations against the war in
Iraq, President Bush opened a state visit with America’s
staunchest ally yesterday, arguing that the use of force sometimes
is the only way to defend important values.

Bush’s three-day state visit comes at a time of mounting
death tolls among coalition troops, fresh terror threats and
widespread unhappiness among the British and other Europeans over
Prime Minister Tony Blair’s close support for Bush’s
Iraq policies.

The president and his wife, Laura, were greeted yesterday
evening at Heathrow Airport by Prince Charles. The Bushes then flew
on a U.S. Marine helicopter to Buckingham Palace, where they were
spending three nights as the guests of Queen Elizabeth II.

Hundreds turned out for the first of a number of planned
protests on yesterday, and London police prepared for larger
demonstrations over the next few days, including a march tomorrow
past Parliament that organizers said could draw 100,000
demonstrators. In a speech today, Bush will argue that war is
sometimes necessary as a last choice, said a senior administration
official traveling with him on Air Force One. “History has
shown that there are times when countries must use force to defend
the peace and to defend values,” Bush was to say.

Synagogue bombers inspired by al-Qaida

ISTANBUL, Turkey

Turkish authorities concluded yesterday that two deadly
synagogue bombings were carried out by Turkish militants inspired
by — and perhaps working for — the al-Qaida terror
network. The finding fuels growing suspicions that Osama bin
Laden’s reach extends to NATO’s sole Muslim member.

As the government wrapped up DNA tests on the remains of the two
suicide bombers, hundreds of Jewish and Muslim mourners buried the
six Jews who died in Saturday’s blasts, which also killed 17
Muslims and wounded more than 300 people.

Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said the bombers, who detonated
their explosives-laden trucks outside Istanbul’s main
synagogue and a second one three miles away, were Turks and that
they had Turkish accomplices in planning the attack.

“It will be determined whether these people worked
directly with al-Qaida or are just sympathizers,” Gul said by
telephone from Stockholm, Sweden.

“The first impression is that these people seemed to have
the same mindset of al-Qaida, they have the same concept, they are
from the same school,” he said.

Bin Laden’s terror network claimed responsibility for the
bombings Sunday in messages to two Arabic-language newspapers.

Prosecutor OK with sparing life of killer

SEATTLE

Like any politician who breaks a promise, King County Prosecutor
Norm Maleng expected a heavy dose of criticism for letting the
Green River Killer escape death row. By and large, it hasn’t
come.

“When I made the decision, I felt at peace with it,”
Maleng says. “I did then, and I do today.”

If that means that Maleng, a tough-on-crime Republican who has
sought the death penalty 20 times in the 25 years he has been in
office, is remembered for the execution he didn’t seek, so be
it, he says.

When Green River Killer suspect Gary Ridgway was charged in
2001, Maleng vowed that his office would not bargain away the death
penalty. After careful consideration, he did just that, allowing
Ridgway to avoid lethal injection by confessing to dozens of
unsolved murder cases.

On Nov. 5, Ridgway pleaded guilty to 48 murders for a two-decade
rampage.

U.S. imposes quotas on Chinese clothing

WASHINGTON

The Bush administration increased trade tensions with China
yesterday by announcing it will limit clothing imports to protect
struggling U.S. companies, even as it searched for a compromise to
end a bitter trade dispute with Europe over steel.

Commerce Secretary Don Evans said the administration was
granting an industry request to impose quotas on Chinese imports of
knit fabric, dressing gowns and robes and bras. Evans said the
action “demonstrates our commitment to our trade rules and
America’s workers.” The action was the latest response
by the administration to America’s soaring trade deficit with
China.

Gov’t faces shortage of Arabic speakers

WASHINGTON

Despite catch-up efforts, the government still suffers from a
shortage of Arabic speakers that gravely hampers military,
diplomatic and intelligence operations across the Middle East.