The New Nation - Internet Edition

US loses one more soldier in Iraq: Bush says security gains in Iraq may last

AFP, Baghdad

The US military has announced the death of a US soldier in an non-combat incident in northern Iraq, bringing the toll for the month of July to 12, the lowest since the US invasion of 2003.

"A US soldier died in a non-combat related incident while conducting operations in Nineveh province July 31," according to military statement late on Thursday. Two other soldiers were injured, it added, without providing further details. The lastest death brings the US toll to 4,126 troops killed in Iraq, according to icasualties.org.

Meanwhile, an army spokesman says a roadside bomb attack has killed two Iraqi soldiers and wounded two others in northern city of Kirkuk.

Col. Salam al-Zobaei, the spokesman of the Iraqi army in Kirkuk, says the bomb struck an army patrol near the city on Friday.

A suicide bombing killed 25 people in the oil-rich city during a Kurdish demonstration on Monday. Tensions are running high in the multi-ethnic city where Kurds want the annexation of the regional capital Kirkuk and other areas to the self-ruled Kurdish region over the opposition of Arab and Turkomen residents. Iraqi parliament is to hold a special session Sunday to try to resolve disagreements over power-sharing in Kirkuk that have blocked legislation enabling U.S.-backed provincial elections.

AP report from Washington: Trumpeting progress in Iraq, President Bush said for the first time Thursday that security improvements now have a "degree of durability" - an assertion that appeared to lay the groundwork for an announcement in coming weeks of further U.S. troop reductions. Echoing the president's assessment, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said later at a Pentagon news conference that security in Iraq has "improved dramatically" and that he sees "a real possibility" that conditions there will permit more troop cuts, although he did not say how soon or how many.

The administration is awaiting a recommendation from its soon-to-depart commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, on future troop levels. Petraeus is expected to submit that report before the end of August, and in mid-September he will leave Baghdad to become commander of U.S. Central Command, a position of broader responsibility that includes the increasingly worrisome war in Afghanistan. Management of the two wars is becoming more closely intertwined in the sense that the Pentagon's ability to send more troops to Afghanistan - as requested by U.S. commanders there - is severely constrained by the large number of forces still in Iraq - about 145,000 as of Thursday.

"We'd like to get additional troops there as soon as we could," Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said, appearing alongside Gates. Mullen was referring to commanders' stated request for three additional brigades in Afghanistan, including one to conduct training of Afghan forces.

Gates said "there are some alternatives" to waiting for Petraeus' recommendation on troop levels in Iraq before sending more troops to Afghanistan, but he was not specific. At another point, he said the Pentagon is "looking at" sending a relatively small number of support forces, such as ordnance disposal teams and civil affairs soldiers - "a couple of hundred at most" - to Afghanistan soon.

With the Iraq war in its sixth year and violence substantially decreased in recent months, Bush gave a brief and hastily arranged update at the White House. He noted that violence is at its lowest since the spring of 2004 and said Iraqi forces increasingly are capable of securing the country.

"The progress is still reversible," Bush said, but added, "There now appears to be a degree of durability in gains."

That statement is especially noteworthy because it addresses one of the keys to eventually winding down the war: establishing what Petraeus calls sustainable security - a condition in which Iraqis can maintain sufficient security throughout the country with minimal or no American military assistance.

Looking ahead to the next recommendation on troop levels from U.S. generals in Iraq, Bush suggested it was reasonable to expect "further reductions in our combat forces, as conditions permit."

New US defence strategy centers on 'long war’

AFP, Washington

A new defense strategy released Thursday places the "long war" against extremism above potential conventional challenges from China and Russia as the top priority of the US military in the coming years.

"For the foreseeable future, winning the Long War against violent extremist movements will be the central objective of the US," the strategy paper said.

The document encapsulates a shift that has already been underway because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but one that has met resistance from some in the military who worry about sacrificing conventional US military supremacy.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates defended the new strategy, saying it was an attempt to incorporate the lessons learned from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He said conventional weapons programs already account for the lion's share of the Pentagon's acquisition budget, but there is no political constituency supporting the new requirements for irregular and asymmetric warfare.

"The danger is not that modernization will be sacrificed to fund asymmetric capabilities, but rather that in the future we will again neglect the latter," he told reporters. The strategy paper notes that China is expanding its conventional military capabilities and that Russia's "retreat from openness and democracy could have significant security implications for the United States."

But in both cases, it said the goal of the United States should be to build "collaborative and cooperative relationships with them."

"I don't see either nation as a threat to the United States at this point, but they both are investing in modernization programs that are of concern," Gates said. The paper said the Defense Department would respond to China's expanding military power through "shaping and hedging."

"This approach tailors investment of substantial, but not infinite, resources, in ways that favor key enduring US strategic advantages," it said.

"At the same time we will continue to improve and refine our capabilities to respond to China if necessary," it said.

The paper said Russia was leveraging its oil wealth, asserting claims in the Arctic, and continues "to bully its neighbors, all of which are cause for concern."

It also pointed to Russia's resumption of long-range bomber flights, withdrawal from arms control and force reduction treaties, threats to target countries that host US missile defense bases and an increased reliance on nuclear weapons as a foundation of its security.

"All of these actions suggest a Russia exploring renewed influence, and seeking a greater international role," it said.

But the paper said the strategic environment the United States faces for the foreseeable future "will be defined by a global struggle against a violent extremist ideology that seeks to overturn the international state system."

It called for "mastery of irregular warfare comparable to that which we possess in conventional combat."

But it also emphasized the need to help strengthen other foreign military and work with allies and partner states to "help shrink the ungoverned areas of the world and thereby deny extremists and other hostile parties sanctuary."

The paper highlighted the threat posed by the spread of weapons of mass destruction, and said if necessary the United States will act preemptively "to forestall or prevent hostile acts by our adversaries."

"We must also be prepared to act quickly to secure those weapons and materials in cases where a state loses control of its weapons, especially nuclear devices," it said.

"Should the worst happen, and we are attacked, we must be able to sustain operations during that attack and help mitigate the consequences of WMD attacks at home or overseas," it said.

Pakistan, India PMs 'to work out plan for better ties’

AFP, Colombo

The premiers of India and Pakistan will thrash out a plan this weekend to improve ties strained by border clashes and bomb attacks on Indian targets, Pakistan's foreign minister said Thursday.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi told reporters that he and his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee had "agreed mutually" that their prime ministers "will come out with a comprehensive statement on (future) bilateral engagement."

Qureshi was speaking after the pair met behind closed doors to lay the groundwork for Saturday's talks between India's Manmohan Singh and Pakistan's Yousuf Raza Gilani on the sidelines of a South Asian summit in Colombo.

He added that his talks with Mukherjee had helped "clear the air" between the two nuclear-armed rivals which have fought three wars, two over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. "A lot of steam had been let out of the pressure cooker. The dish we're going to cook is going to be for the betterment of the region," he said.

The talks between Gilani and Singh will mark the highest-level interaction between the two countries in 15 months.

Mukherjee was more guarded in his comments, telling reporters separately that the ministers had shared "perceptions about bilateral relations, the composite dialogue (peace talks) and certain recent events."

He declined to elaborate about his meeting with Qureshi, which lasted about an hour, sources close to the talks told AFP.

Escalating tensions between India and Pakistan had threatened to cast a shadow over the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit aimed at improving regional economic growth and cooperation, which begins Saturday.

Thursday's meeting, the second between the two sides in a month, came after India said the peace process begun in 2004 was "under stress" after an attack on its Kabul embassy in early July killed at least 41 people.

Afghanistan blamed the suicide bombing on Pakistan's intelligence agency, a claim denied by Islamabad.

India has accused "elements" in Pakistan of responsibility for the attack.

The latest talks came after a string of bomb blasts in India-in the western commercial hub of Ahmedabad and in the southern IT centre of Bangalore over the weekend that killed at least 50 people and injured scores more.

India has not blamed Pakistan for the blasts, but Indian officials suspect the attacks were supported by Pakistan intelligence, according to local media.

The talks also came amid a sudden rise in reported ceasefire violations along the de facto border dividing Kashmir.

Earlier this week, India accused Pakistani troops of crossing the Line of Control in Kashmir's Kupwara sector, the first incursion reported by New Delhi since 1999, when the rivals fought a mini-war in the Kargil peaks on the LoC.

New Delhi also this week reported a second ceasefire violation in the Nowgam sector, north of Indian Kashmir's summer capital Srinagar.

Pakistan has denied both incidents.

"Pakistan feels very strongly about upholding the ceasefire on the LoC, we adhere to such concepts. Now such minor incidents will be sorted out at flag meetings at military levels," Qureshi said.

The two countries agreed to a ceasefire along the LoC in 2003.

13 killed in Indian train blaze

AFP, New Delhi

At least 13 people died and four were injured when fire spread quickly through a packed train in southern India early on Friday, a railway official said.

"As of now 13 have been confirmed dead," South Central Railway spokesman Frederick Michael told AFP by telephone from Andhra Pradesh state.

"Four passengers have sustained injuries. The cause of the fire is under investigation."

The blaze, which began just after midnight, broke out in one carriage and swiftly engulfed four others.

Some Indian media reports said the death toll could rise.

"The ticket-checking staff noticed (the fire) and alerted the driver and guards who stopped the train," said Michael.

"The fire spread to the other coaches due to wind," he said, adding the blaze was later extinguished.

Some 360 people were aboard the busy train at the time of the blaze, the railway official added.

Indian news channel NDTV showed bodies wrapped in white sheets being taken off the train on stretchers and flames shooting out of the window of a carriage.

The blaze started as the train was travelling through a forested area 250 kilometres (155 miles) from state capital Hyderabad.

16 students dead in Turkey dormitory collapse

AP, Ankara

A three-story dormitory housing female students collapsed in central Turkey on Friday, killing at least 16 students, injuring at least 27 and setting off a search for a half dozen students believed to be under the rubble, authorities said.

Frantic rescue workers removed debris with shovels, pickaxes and their bare hands in search of any survivors.

"We are hearing voices. I believe those inside the rubble will be saved," Balcilar Mayor Melmut Demirgul told Turkey's NTV television. He estimated six more students were trapped in his village in central Konya province. He intially told reporters a large gas canister explosion is believed to have caused the collapse. However, the state-run Anatolia news agency and other reports later said the explosion was most likely caused by a leak from a gas installation there.

Interior Minister Besir Atalay, who traveled to the area, said at least 16 were killed. He said an estimated five or six students were waiting to be rescued.

Besides the fatalities, at least 27 students were brought out of the debris with injuries, said Hasan Kucukkendirci, who heads the local health authority. Galip Sef, an official with the local emergency services, said three of the students sustained severe burns.

Provincial Gov. Osman Aydin said an estimated 40 to 45 girls were staying at the dormitory. The students, between ages eight and 16, were attending Quran courses during the school summer break.

Anatolia news agency quoted one student, Merve Avci, as saying she had got up to wash before pre-dawn prayers when she and some teachers heard a strange sound and went to the kitchen to investigate.

There, they saw a loose gas pipe and she returned to her room after the teachers told her to close the door. Soon after, Avci told Anatolia, she smelled gas and there was an explosion. Half of the building collapsed, but she was in the section that remained intact. She said flames rose from the basement toward the top of the building.

Television footage showed residents, some using their bare hands, trying to remove the rubble from a flattened, concrete building.

One girl in pajamas could be seen being carried to a hospital. Another could be seen being treated on the back seat of a van, before being moved onto a stretcher and taken away, groaning in pain.

At least four military helicopters ferried special military rescue teams to the scene. Rescuers, aided by dogs, were trying to locate survivors, Kucukkendirci said. Anatolia said helicopters flew the injured to a hospital in Konya city.

In 2004, an 11-story apartment building collapsed in Konya, killing 92 residents. The collapse was blamed on faulty refurbishment work. A year earlier, a school dormitory in Bingol, southeast Turkey, collapsed in an earthquake, killing 83 children.

Record Afghan unrest hampering aid: NGOs

AFP, Kabul

Insurgent attacks in Afghanistan have hit record highs this year with hundreds of civilians killed, including 19 aid workers, and spreading insecurity cutting back relief work, aid groups said Friday.

Unrest had spread to once stable areas and welfare agencies were forced to scale back aid delivery even as drought and food price hikes put millions of people in difficulty, the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief said. "So far this year the number of insurgent attacks, bombings and other violent incidents is up by approximately 50 percent on the same period last year," said ACBAR, a grouping of about 100 Afghan and international non-governmental organisations.

There were 463 insurgent attacks in May and 569 in June, it said in a statement, citing figures from a range of sources including the Afghanistan NGO Safety Office. This was "greater than the number of such attacks in any other month since the end of major hostilities following the international intervention in 2001," it said. "This year 2,500 people have reportedly lost their lives in the conflict and whilst exact figures are not yet available, this could include up to 1,000 civilians," the group added.

Initial estimates were that more than 260 civilians were killed in July, which was higher than any other month in the past six years, it said.

July saw some of the worst violence of an insurgency by Islamic extremists launched after the Taliban were ousted from government in a US-led invasion in late 2001.

A suicide bomb at the Indian embassy in Kabul killed around 60 people and other attacks left dozens more dead. Military action, mostly air strikes on insurgents, killed nearly 80 civilians, according to Afghan and military officials.

ACBAR said two-thirds of reported civilian casualties could be attributed to insurgent activities, especially suicide bombings and the use of civilian property to launch attacks. But the growing number of air strikes by international military forces, up by about 40 percent on last year, had also contributed.

In addition, "Aid organisations and their staff have been subject to increasing attacks, threats and intimidation, by both insurgent and criminal groups," ACBAR said.

"This year there have been over 84 such incidents, including 21 in June, more than in any other month in the last six years. "So far this year 19 NGO staff have been killed, which already exceeds the total number of NGO workers killed last year." Violence had forced the closure of schools and health facilities in the south, it said. It was also hindering vital development projects.

Drought and higher food prices meanwhile put more than four million Afghans in "extremely difficult circumstances", especially young children and breastfeeding or pregnant woman.

"Increasing and spreading insecurity is jeopardising the delivery of essential humanitarian assistance to these people and threatening their lives and livelihoods."

ACBAR called on all parties in the conflict to prioritise the safety of civilians and observe "fundamental standards of humanity" and "the established international laws of armed conflict."

This included distinguishing between civilians and combatants; never using civilians as a shield; and not attacking humanitarian, development and medical personnel or supplies.

The United Nations said in reaction to the group's statement that growing insecurity was also affecting its work, with 12 UN humanitarian convoys attacked by criminal gangs in the past six months.

"Without a doubt the humanitarian challenge in Afghanistan continues to grow, insurgent and criminal attacks have prevented us from reaching some the country's most vulnerable communities," spokesman Aleem Siddique said.

China quake area hit by two strong aftershocks

Reuters, Beijing

Two aftershocks on Friday hit the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan, the site of May's devastating earthquake, with the second felt strongly in the provincial capital Chengdu, Xinhua news agency said. More than 69,200 people have been confirmed dead and some 18,000 are still listed as missing after a 7.9-magnitude earthquake hit Sichuan on May 12, the deadliest in the country since 1976.

Xinhua said the second aftershock on Friday occurred at 16:32 local time (4:32 a.m. EDT) and lasted for a "relatively long" time. It was measured at 6.1 on the Richter scale and the epicenter was on the border of Pingwu and Beichuan counties, both of which were devastated by the May 12 quake.

The first aftershock struck Wenchuan county, the epicenter of the May 12 disaster, about six hours earlier and was measured at 3.9 on the Richter scale, Xinhua said, citing the local seismological department said.

At least three powerful aftershocks hit the Sichuan quake area on July 24, killing two people and injuring dozens.

The torch relay for the August 8-24 Beijing Olympics is expected to take place in Sichuan from August 3-5 and is set to draw a fresh outpouring of sympathy nationwide.

Fresh clashes kill 27 in Sri Lanka ahead of summit

AFP, Colombo

Sri Lankan troops killed 25 Tamil Tiger rebels while two soldiers died in combat in the island's north, the defence ministry said Friday, as Colombo prepared to host a South Asian summit.

Troops fought pitched battles with the guerrillas on Thursday in Vavuniya, Mannar, Mullaittivu and Weli Oya and recovered arms from fleeing rebels, the ministry said.

The clashes raised the number of rebels killed by government troops since January to 5,436 while 478 soldiers have died in combat during the same period, according to a defence ministry toll.

Casualty figures cannot be verified as the ministry blocks access to journalists from visiting the frontlines.

Both sides remained locked in combat as leaders from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations began arriving in Colombo on Friday for the weekend summit.

Colombo, which believes it has the upper hand in the conflict after driving the rebels from their eastern stronghold, has sharply beefed up security in and around the capital of 650,000 residents for the eight-nation SAARC meeting.

The fighting is taking place 250 kilometres (160 miles) north of here, but there has recently been a string of deadly attacks on Colombo that the government has blamed on the rebels.

In late July, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) offered a unilateral ceasefire for the summit, but Colombo brushed off the proposal and stepped up attacks against rebel positions in the north.

US not neglecting Asia: Bush

AP, Bangkok

President Bush has countered critics who claim his global war on terrorism has lessened Washington's role in Asia and allowed China's influence to grow in the region, news reports said Friday.

Preparing to embark on a three-country Asian trip, Bush said in interviews with senior Asian editors in Washington on Thursday that "our foreign policy has been robust in the Far East." His remarks were carried in Bangkok newspapers Friday.

The president, on a farewell tour of Asia, will visit Thailand, South Korea and China Aug. 5-11. While in Thailand, he is to deliver a "comprehensive" policy speech on Asia stressing that the United States has strategic interests in the region and "must stay engaged," Thailand's English-language The Nation said Friday.

Another theme of his trip will be human rights. He is to meet with activists opposed to the military regime in Myanmar during his Bangkok stay and will raise human rights and religious issues when he meets President Hu Jintao of China during the Olympic Games.

"I am going to China this time as the U.S. president who happens to be a sports fan," The Nation quoted him as saying.

Bush countered critics of his Asia policy, the Bangkok Post said in its report of the interview.

"In terms of foreign policy in the Far East, it is mistaken if someone were to say that my preoccupation was on the war on terror," he said. "Our relations with your country (Thailand), South Korea, with Japan and China have never been stronger.

"And it took a lot of work to get bilateral relations as strong as they are," he added.

Bush said he viewed the growth of China and India as positive.

"India and China and the U.S. will provide great opportunities for entrepreneurs and businesses throughout the region," he said. "It'll provide opportunities to work collaboratively on strong strategic areas, security areas t on the environment."

Bush stressed the need for the U.S. to work through multilateral efforts like the six-party talks on North Korea.

"Our vision is, once that issue gets solved, if North Korea verifiably gives up its weapons, programs, ambitions, then the six-party talks can serve as another (multilateral) mechanism," he said.

UN Council renews Darfur peacekeeping mandate

Reuters, United Nations

The U.N. Security Council renewed the mandate for peacekeepers in Darfur on Thursday in a resolution that Washington criticized for raising concerns about moves to indict Sudan's president for genocide.

Most Western powers accepted wording that makes clear the council would be willing to discuss freezing any International Criminal Court indictment of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for genocide in the interest of peace in Darfur.

Of the 15 council members, 14 voted for the resolution. Washington rejected the section on the ICC and abstained. Five years of war have brought humanitarian disaster to the western Sudanese region, and Darfur campaigners accuse the world of failing to provide helicopters and other badly needed support for the struggling peacekeeping mission there.

Washington backed the basic point of the resolution to extend the mission through July 2009, but criticized a key paragraph in the British-drafted text added to accommodate African concerns about the ICC.

"The United States abstained from the vote because language added to the resolution would send the wrong signal to Sudanese President Bashir and undermine efforts to bring him and others to justice," said U.S. Deputy Ambassador Alejandro Wolff, who repeatedly referred to the "genocide" in Darfur.

The U.S. delegation did not veto the resolution, which would have left the peacekeeping mission in a legal vacuum.

But council members had wanted a unanimous vote to show undivided support for peacekeepers in the line of fire in Darfur.

Human Rights Watch welcomed the U.S. abstention, saying it was a vote against "get out of jail free card" for Bashir.

China opens first very high-speed rail line

AFP, Beijing

China's first very high-speed rail line went into operation Friday, linking Beijing to neighbouring Tianjin, where sporting events will be held during the Olympic Games.

According the the Ministry of Railways, the 120-kilometre (75 mile) railway will be the first in the world in which trains can travel at 350 kilometres (217 miles) an hour.

The trains are expected to bring passengers from Beijing's newly opened southern station to the just renovated Tianjin station in 30 minutes-twice as fast as existing services.

The high speed train marks a new stage in China's effort to upgrade its railways, with the last model of the CRH (China Railway High-speed) project only capable of attaining a maximum speed of 250 kilometres an hour. The new train is manufactured with German technology, in a joint venture between Siemens and China Northern Locomotive and Rolling Stock Industry Corp.

The project was part of a multi-billion dollar effort to upgrade the infrastructure of the capital ahead of the Games which open next Friday.

Karadzic skirmishes with UN war crimes court

AP, The Hague

Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, appearing for the first time before the U.N. war crimes tribunal, declined to enter a plea and told the judge he intended to act as his own attorney.

Karadzic was told Thursday at his initial hearing that prosecutors will object to his demand to represent himself and Judge Alphons Orie scheduled an Aug. 29 hearing at which Karadzic must enter pleas.

If he does not, the court will enter pleas of innocent to 11 charges on his behalf.

"With all due respect to you personally, I will defend myself before this institution as I would defend myself before any natural catastrophe," Karadzic told Orie. Karadzic also claimed his seizure and trial violated a deal he made with the United States in 1996 that the case against him would be scrapped if he left politics and did not undermine the peace agreement that ended the Bosnian war.

The plea hearing took place a day after he was extradited from Serbia to answer genocide and war crimes charges for the murder of thousands of Bosnian Muslims and Croats and for directing a reign of terror during the 1992-95 Bosnian war.

Prosecutor Alan Tieger asked the judge to caution Karadzic about the risks of conducting his own defense - an indication that the prosecution wanted to avoid a repeat of the much-criticized trial of former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic who died in jail in 2006 before his four-year trial ended.

It was the first time Karadzic was seen in public since he dropped from sight more than a decade ago. He appeared thinner, grayer, but still defiant, self-confident and able to joke.

The full beard, long hair and loose white clothes that he wore when posing as a new age psychologist in Belgrade were replaced by a clean shave, fresh haircut and a business suit with a black briefcase.

"I've been in worse places," he replied with a smile when Orie asked him about conditions at the U.N. jail.

For many war survivors, the sight of Karadzic brought fresh pain to old wounds.

About 20 widows in Tuzla, Bosnia watched his court appearance on TV in the small office of the Association of the Mothers of Srebrenica, site of a wartime massacre.

"There is the trash," one woman said when Karadzic came into court. Three women burst into tears.

Police grill Israeli PM again over graft claims

AFP, Jerusalem

Israeli police grilled Prime Minister Ehud Olmert again on Friday over graft allegations that have dogged his term in office, two days after his surprise resignation announcement.

It was the fourth time since May that anti-fraud squad officers have interviewed Olmert, 62, at his official residence in Jerusalem in connection with the allegations of wrongdoing, which he has strongly denied.

Police remained tight-lipped but the questioning was likely to focus on allegations Olmert illegally received electoral and other funding from a wealthy US financier and that he sent out multiple bills for the same overseas trips. The latest round of questioning came just two day after the premier announced he would step down after a September 17 leadership election in his centrist Kadima party. His decision to go has cast a shadow over already slow-moving US-backed peace negotiations with the Palestinians and recently revived indirect talks with Syria and raised the spectre of political turmoil in Israel.

Olmert had faced a growing chorus of calls for his resignation in the face of six scandals over his conduct in the years before he took office in 2006, when he was mayor of Jerusalem and trade and industry minister.

"I have made mistakes and I regret it," Olmert said on Wednesday when he announced his decision to go.

"I will quit my duties in an honourable, just and responsible manner, as I have acted throughout my mandate. I will then prove my innocence."

On Thursday, Olmert's top diplomatic aide Yoram Turbowicz announced he would quit later this month. Widely considered the premier's closest advisor, Turbowicz is described by Israeli media as Olmert's pointman with the administration of US President George W. Bush.

As hopefuls jockeyed for position ahead of the Kadima party vote, the future of the government coalition appeared increasingly uncertain.

Israeli media said it appears whoever wins the party primary would be unable to form a new coalition. This means Olmert may remain at the head of a caretaker government for months until a general election is held.