THE WEEK THAT WAS

by MONITOR
FOR the first time President Bush acknowledged a similarity between the Vietnam war and the situation in Iraq where US commanders admitted that the strategy to stabilse Baghdad had failed. At the United Nations South Africa obtained one of the non–permanent seats in the Security Council and said it would campaign for a permanent place for Africa on the Council. After 20 rounds of voting the fight for the vacant Latin American seat was undecided; neither Venezuela nor Guatemala gained the necessary two-thirds of the General Assembly vote and a compromise candidate country was being sought. The civil war in Sri Lanka escalated when the rebel Tamil Tigers killed 100 people in a suicide attack; peace talks due to be chaired by Norway were postponed. In Israel the police said that the country's president, Moshe Katsav, should face charges of rape; however, unless he resigns he cannot face trial until his term ends in August 2007. In California, governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a deal with north-eastern US states, including New York, to co-ordinate action against global warming.
BULLETIN HEADLINES
l SUNDAY/MONDAY: New Palma Hospital Takes Shape (Two major firms are bidding to build Palma's new national health hospital). l TUESDAY: Explorer Shines In Majorca (The explorer Col Blashford Snell gave a well-attended Bulletin lecture in Palma). l WEDNESDAY: Defending The Foreign Vote (The Balearic government defended the extension of the vote in local elections to foreigners against criticism revealed by a recent survey). l THURSDAY: Nato Meeting in Palma (The meeting, the first of its kind in Spain, discussed Nato's role in Afghanistan and its Rapid Reaction Force). l FRIDAY: “We Must Close The Door...” (Maria Antonia Munar, president of the Council of Majorca”, said “there is no longer any room” on the island for immigrants). l SATURDAY: Balearic Fish Quotas (For the first time local fishermen had introduced quotas for their catches).