10-19-06

中國特使在平壤會晤金正日 (Chinese Envoy Meets With Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang)

北京官員說，一位中國特使星期四會見了北韓領導人金正日，討論平壤核子試驗引起的國際危機。中國外交部發言人說，胡錦濤主席的特使、前中國外長唐家璇向金正日轉達了胡錦濤的意見。平壤會談的細節還沒有公佈。

美國官員星期四早些時候說，他們相信，胡錦濤向金正日傳達了非常強硬的警告，希望北韓不要再進行核子試驗。

美國國務卿賴斯星期四在南韓圍繞如何執行聯合國在北韓10月9號進行核子試驗後對北韓施加的制裁措施舉行會談。美國敦促南韓參加對駛往北韓的船隻進行貨物檢查，但是南韓官員擔心，這種檢查會導致與北韓的衝突。

Officials in Beijing say a Chinese envoy met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il Thursday to discuss the international crisis over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons test. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman says a message sent by President Hu Jintao was delivered to Kim by Mr. Hu's envoy, former foreign minister Tang Jiaxuan. Fuller details of the talks in Pyongyang have not been disclosed.

U.S. officials said earlier Thursday they believe the message contained a very strong warning to Kim not to conduct any further nuclear tests.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in South Korea Thursday for talks on how to enforce U.N. sanctions imposed on North Korea following its underground nuclear explosion on October 9th. The United States is urging South Korea to join in inspections at sea of ships carrying cargo to North Korea. Government officials in Seoul, however, are concerned that such inspections could lead to clashes with North Korea.

伊拉克北部兩起爆炸19人死(Two Bomb Attacks Kill 19 in Northern Iraq)

伊拉克警方說，伊拉克北部發生的兩起炸彈襲擊中至少19人喪生。警方說，星期四在發生在基爾庫克的爆炸中，8人被炸死。另一起發生在摩蘇爾，一名自殺炸彈殺手駕駛一輛卡車襲擊了當地的一個警察局，炸死至少11人，炸傷25人。襲擊發生後，摩蘇爾有關當局立即對全城實施嚴格戒嚴。

美國軍方發言人考德威爾少將說，穆斯林齋月開始以來的三個星期，伊拉克的暴力活動比齋月前的三星期增加了22%。

Iraqi police say two bomb attacks in northern Iraq have killed at least 19 people.

Police say a blast in Kirkuk Thursday killed eight people, while a suicide truck bomber hit a police station in Mosul, killing at least 11 people and wounding 25. Authorities in Mosul imposed a strict curfew throughout the city after the attack.

A U.S. military spokesman, Major General William Caldwell, said violence in Baghdad has increased 22 percent in the first three weeks of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan from the previous three weeks.