European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 1, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse April 2007 stars and stripes Mideast edition Page 11 in the world a hostage offers to help free brits in iran the associated press London British negotiator Terry who spent almost five years As a hos Tage in offered saturday to travel to iran to help free 15 captured British naval Waite said he was willing to travel to Tehran on a humanitarian but he had not discussed the proposal with the British who helped negotiate the release of hostages in iran and Libya during the told sky news television he hoped that the iranians would behave in the same courteous Way to me As Treyve be have would perhaps give me a Cess to the people Treyve detained just to be assured of their so that that could be conveyed to their and begin to see if we can find a sensible Way through this the eight British sailors and seven marines were detained by iranian naval units March 23 while patrolling for smugglers near the Mouth of the Shatt a waterway that has Long been a disputed divid ing line Between Iraq and Tehran says the Crew was in iranian a but Britain insists its troops were on the iraqi Side of the maritime diplomatic moves to resolve the standoff have so far produced few visible Waite was kidnapped by islamic jihad militants in Beirut in january 1987 while attempting to negotiate the release of West Ern hostages As an envoy of the anglican he was freed in november an iranian opposition group claimed saturday that the seizure was planned in Advance and carried out in retaliation for the sanctions imposed against As an iranian Diplomat said the Case had entered a Legal Gholamreza the iranian Ambas Sador to made his comments to russian television vesti24 on Friday and was quoted by Irna on its web site As say Iraq fills with Pride As Singer wins Arab idol style contest by Hamza Kendawi the associated press Baghdad for four Long life has been brutally in kind to most but Friday night they had one of those rare moments to focus beyond the daily violence that is swallowing their one of their own took first prize in the Arab version of american in a City that becomes deserted and plunges into dark Ness after residents who had electricity to watch televisions celebrated with gunfire that briefly pierced the quiet just be fore wealing a Turquoise evening Shadha wrapped herself with the red and Black Flag of Iraq and broke into tears As fans swarmed the stage in where the con test was held and broadcast live throughout the Middle her Triumph will show the world that iraqis will still sing de spite their Iraa a homemaker from Baghdad alg Adeer said be fore fridays final Hassouna run to the final in what is perhaps the Arab worlds most watched to entertainment program coincided with a particularly painful time in More than 500 people had been killed in the last six Days most of them perished in a series of horrific suicide bombings targeting Busy markets and in a sectarian massacre where inno cent men were dragged out of their Homes and shot exec dubbed the daughter of Meso Potamia by Hassoun has for weeks served As a pleasant Dis traction for a people in the fifth year of a War that harvests scores of iraqi lives each with a nighttime curfew in Force and the streets too danger Ous after iraqis have been finding Refuge in the wide variety of to channels provided by satellite banned under sad dam Hussein but now sprouting on nearly every iraqis have been glued to their tvs each Friday since eagerly monitoring Hassouna Progress in the Star Academy contest that is produced by a Leba Nese satellite a 25yearold Bru Nette who has lived most of her life outside outpaced three other finalists men from Egypt and Lebanon and a woman from television viewers across the Mideast voted for their favorite performer by email and text Mes sages to the satellite Iraq Al Shariyah satellite Channel devoted hours of live coverage urging iraqis to vote for Hassoun and broadcast a phone in program for her support some fans called to say they had voted for Hassoun so Many times they had used up the credit on their prepaid phone the Case of the detention of British sailors has taken on a judicial Irna originally quoted the ambassador saturday morning As saying the sailors could be tried if there is enough evidence of but the Agency published a correction later claiming a saris comments were incorrectly translated by russian Tele the russian to station could not immediately be reached for the National Council of resistance of iran the political Wing of the iranian Mek opposition which is listed As a terrorist group by the and the european Union said the British Crews capture was planned in Advance but offered no evidence to support the iraqi Singer Shadha wrapped with her National holds the trophy As she celebrates her win of an Arab singing contest on lebanese lbs satellite television Friday in the 26yearold iraqi woman has captivated fellow countrymen for How Beautiful can be when we Are said one alluding to the support has Soun received from her country men and women of All ethnic and religious Al Shariyah also sponsored a gathering of hundreds of Hassoun fans in the kurdish City of where fans carried banners and portraits of the Young iraqi and watched the contest Friday night on a giant outdoor television somali City reeling amid continued fighting the associated press Somalia mor tar shells and machine gun fire rocked Mogadishu for a third Day saturday As government troops and their ethiopian allies continued a major offensive to quash a growing insurgency by heavily armed islamic scores of civilians have and the toll was sure to Rise As officials counted the the which started has sparked the heaviest fighting in Mogadishu since the Early on insurgents shot Down an ethiopian Heli copter gunship and mortar shells slammed into a leaving corpses piled in the streets and wounding hundreds of the victims Are the Only civilians Are dying and get Ting wounded in this said Khadijo Farah a Mother of the International committee of the red Cross said dozens of people have been killed since thursday and More than 220 most of them civilians with grenade and other War but the fighting is so severe and widespread that bodies were not being picked up or even Tal hospitals were Over with patients sleeping on Ethiopia says its forces have killed More than 200 insurgents since the assault municipal elections in Qatar provide practice in democracy the associated press United Arab emirates about qatari will have a Chance to vote in municipal elections sunday which Are seen As the last democratic test in this tiny ally ahead of parliamentary elections later this three women and 122 men Are vying for seats on Qatar Central municipal Council a 29member chamber with advisory the Council is the Only elected body in this Gulf More known As Home to the Forward Headquarters of the Mili Tarys Central command and the Al Nazeera the election is widely seen As a practice run before parliamentary Al though some qatari have complained the municipal vote is meaningless because of the councils limited government officials say it will be closely watched to see How the women candidates in this land of about 80 percent Are expatriate workers and As such Are ineligible to Only qatari Citi Zens of 18 years and older can cast qatari who have held citizenship for less than 10 years also cannot with at least half the population being under this leaves the country with about registered almost half of whom Are we Are in the process of democracy cannot be achieved said Sheik Khalid bin Jabor Al a member of Qatar Royal family who is Deputy chairman of the election commit
