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Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has threatened to dissolve parliament and call elections after the collapse of the country's ruling coalition.



Mr Yushchenko's supporters walked out in protest following new laws trimming the president's powers.

The laws were introduced by the pro-Russian opposition and backed by Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's party.

Former allies, the prime minister and president are now at odds despite sharing pro-Western political goals.

All but one of 12 ministers from Mr Yushchenko's party boycotted Wednesday's cabinet meeting.

"A political and constitutional coup d'etat has started in the parliament," Mr Yushchenko said in a televised speech.

"I will use my right to dissolve parliament and decree early elections if a new coalition is not formed within 30 days," he said.

'Irresponsible behaviour'

But Ms Tymoshenko blamed her rival for the chaos, vowing that the Ukrainian cabinet would continue its work despite the break-up of the coalition.

"I am sorry that the president behaves irresponsibly," she said at a cabinet meeting. "The coalition was destroyed under his instruction."

The BBC's Russian affairs analyst Steven Eke says Mr Yushchenko's popularity is at rock bottom at the moment with opinion polls giving him single-digit levels of support.

The prime minister and president are believed to be jockeying for position before next year's presidential election, though our correspondent says Mr Yushchenko's chances of winning with current popularity levels would be slim.

The crisis follows mounting tension between the president and prime minister with Mr Yushchenko accusing Ms Tymoshenko of treason for allegedly siding with Moscow over the conflict in Georgia.

Mr Yushchenko has been a vociferous supporter of Georgia during the conflict but the prime minister's party on Tuesday blocked a parliamentary resolution condemning Moscow.

The flare-up comes a day before a planned visit to the country by US Vice-President Dick Cheney.

The trip is part of a tour of former Soviet states which the US sees as key allies.

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North Korea has begun reassembling a nuclear plant, reversing steps taken under an international deal to end its nuclear programme, South Korea says.



South Korea's foreign ministry said the countries involved in the six-party nuclear negotiations were working closely to determine their response.

Pyongyang warned last month that it had stopped disabling the Yongbyon plant.

It accused the US of breaking an agreement to remove it from a list of states that sponsor terrorism.

The removal from the list was part of the package promised to North Korea but it has not yet been carried out.

US scepticism

Although the disabling process is well advanced, it is reversible. Experts believe the North's facilities could be back up and running within a year.

Former UN weapons inspector David Albright says the reactor at Yongbyon is mostly intact.

But he said the regime would need to manufacture hundreds - possibly thousands - of fuel rods and rebuild a cooling tower that was blown up in June to get it fully operational.

He believes the North is unlikely to rebuild the plant, but is instead using the threat as a bargaining chip to gain more concessions from the six-party talks, which involve North and South Korea, the US, China, Russia and Japan.

The US state department also expressed scepticism over the latest claims from Pyongyang.

Department official Paula DeSutter told reporters that the North Koreans "like to posture".

In June, North Korea finally submitted a long-delayed account of its nuclear facilities - and was expecting to be removed from the US list almost immediately in return.

But the US said that would not be possible until North Korea agreed to inspections aimed at verifying the details that it had disclosed.

That move has been delayed amid wrangling among the six parties over exactly how these details can be verified.

The North began disabling the Yongbyon plant in November but stopped in late August in protest at the delay.

Seoul confirmed reports earlier on Wednesday from Japan's public broadcaster NHK and Kyodo news agency that the North had started reassembling the facilities.

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Rival leaders of the divided island of Cyprus are meeting to launch negotiations aimed at reunifying the island after 34 years of division.



Cyprus President Demetris Christofias and rival Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat met at a compound in Nicosia.

Analysts say the talks have a real chance of resolving the dispute, which threatens Turkey's EU membership hopes.

The island has been divided since a Turkish invasion in 1974, triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup in Nicosia.

Turkey has 35,000 troops in the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north.

'Historic day'

"We must, at long last, put an end to the suffering of our people and reunite our country," Mr Christofias told reporters as he headed for the meeting, held in an abandoned airport compound on the outskirts of the divided capital.

Mr Talat said their aim was to make "a divided island a common place where two nations are living".

"Ankara is, you know, supporting a solution. That is why after four years of stalemate we are here - we are in favour of a solution. We are confident that we will succeed in concluding [a] comprehensive agreement," he said.

Mr Christofias added: "There is a common will and a common desire and a common effort to achieve this target".

The last attempt at a negotiated solution - in 2004 - collapsed when Turkish Cypriots voted in favour of a UN settlement plan which was rejected by Greek Cypriot voters.

As a result, Cyprus joined the European Union that year as a divided island with Turkish Cypriots denied the bloc's membership benefits.

Challenges ahead

The UN secretary general's special envoy to the talks, former Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, said "significant progress" had been made to create a solid foundation for negotiations.

Mr Christofias and Mr Talat - both seen as moderates - have met five times so far this year.

They will continue to meet at least once a week, though the UN has warned that talks should not continue indefinitely without concrete progress being made.

Mr Downer said of the process: "There have been difficult moments over the past months and there will likely be further difficulties and challenges ahead.

"At the same time, the Cyprus problem is not insurmountable and the negotiations which begin today can and must have a successful outcome."

The meeting is scheduled to address matters of procedure, with negotiations on more substantive - and difficult - issues due to begin on 11 September.

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US Vice-President Dick Cheney has said the US wants to work with Azerbaijan on additional routes for exporting the region's oil reserves to the West.



He also pledged support for US allies in the former Soviet Union.

A BBC correspondent says the US sees the states as key allies in protecting access to the region's energy supplies.

Mr Cheney - who will also visit Georgia and Ukraine - spoke as US officials revealed President Bush was to announce a $1bn (£0.5bn) aid package to Georgia.

Flanked by Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, Mr Cheney said: "We've met this evening in the shadow of the recent Russian invasion of Georgia."

He said he was bringing "a clear and simple message for the people of Azerbaijan and the entire region: the United States has a deep and abiding interest in your well-being and security".

But the BBC's Steve Rosenberg, in Moscow, says America's primary concern is not nurturing democracy in the region but rather oil and gas.

Washington wants to benefit from huge energy deposits in the Caspian Sea, but it does not want all the pipelines heading west through Russia.

One Western-sponsored pipeline is already pumping Caspian oil from Azerbaijan through Georgia to Turkey's Mediterranean coast.

There are plans for another pipeline to take natural gas from Azerbaijan and Central Asia and transporting it from Turkey to Austria.

Our correspondent says that, as far as the US and the EU are concerned, the new pipeline is vital if the West is to avoid becoming too energy dependent on Moscow.

Pledge of support

Mr Cheney's trip is likely to infuriate Moscow, which sees Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Georgia as part of its sphere of influence.

In Georgia, Mr Cheney is expected to stress US support for President Mikhail Saakashvili - the man the Kremlin dismissed on Tuesday as a "political corpse" whose leadership it did not recognise.

Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev has also accused the US of helping Tbilisi build its war machine and called on America to review its relations with the Georgian authorities.

"Unfortunately, at a certain point [the US] gave Saakashvili carte blanche for any actions, including military. All that was translated into aggression," Mr Medvedev told Italian television.

Fighting between Russia and Georgia began on 7 August after the Georgian military tried to retake the breakaway region of South Ossetia by force.

Russian forces launched a counter-attack and the conflict ended with the ejection of Georgian troops from South Ossetia and Georgia's other separatist region of Abkhazia.

Russia has since recognised the independence of both regions, though no other country has.

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French President Nicolas Sarkozy has arrived in Syria's capital Damascus on a visit that is part of efforts to improve ties between the two countries.



He described his trip as a "message of friendship" to the Syrians, according to Syria's al-Watan newspaper.

Relations between Paris and Damascus plummeted after the murder of former Lebanese PM Rafik Hariri in 2005.

Syria's critics accuse Damascus of being behind the assassination, a charge Syria has firmly denied.

Mr Sarkozy's two-day visit to Syria - a former French colony - is the first by a Western head of state in five years.

He hosted Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in July and he appears determined to bring Syria, a long-time foe of the US and Israel, back into the international fold, correspondents say.

During the Paris summit, Syria and Lebanon, an important ally of France, agreed to open embassies in each other's capitals for the first since the 1940s.

Mideast summit

"Syria can provide an irreplaceable contribution to solving Middle East issues," Mr Sarkozy told al-Watan in an interview, the AFP news agency reports.

"It is important that Syria plays a positive role in the region," the French president said, adding that peace in the Middle East "passes through" Syria and France.

Mr Sarkozy is due to meet President Assad at a dinner on Wednesday evening.

On Thursday, the two presidents will be joined by top officials from Turkey and Qatar for talks on Lebanon and Syria's indirect peace talks with Israel. Ankara has been mediating for several months in the Israeli-Syrian talks, while Qatar brokered a deal in May to resolve Lebanon's prolonged political crisis.

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China has admitted that there could have been construction problems with some of the schools that collapsed during the Sichuan earthquake.



The admission follows an investigation into the building standards of schools and other structures that fell down.

Thousands of pupils were among nearly 90,000 people who died or are still missing following the quake in May.

Parents have demanded to know why so many schools collapsed, and want those responsible to be punished.

'Not necessarily reasonable'

Independent engineers and some local officials have previously said that they believe many of the schools that collapsed did so because they were badly built.

But Ma Zongjin's comments, made at a press conference on Thursday, are important because he is the chairman of the national committee set up by the government to investigate the earthquake.

In response to a question about the schools, he said: "The structures were not necessarily reasonable and the materials were not necessarily strong enough. Both are possibilities."

But he said some schools would have collapsed anyway because of the strength of the magnitude 8 earthquake that hit northern Sichuan Province.

"There were some buildings in the earthquake fault zone that were not able to resist the earthquake," he said.

"So it didn't matter whether it was a building for children, a school, a government building or a residential block. They were all destroyed."

Parents' anger

But schools did seem to collapse more easily than other buildings during the earthquake, which also left 5 million people homeless.

Some schools, such as Dujiangyan's Xinjian Primary School, were the only buildings to fall down in some areas.

From the very beginning, the parents of those children who died have wanted to know why schools appeared to collapse to such an extent.

Government officials promised an investigation while, at the same time, pressurising parents to keep their grief - and their anger - to themselves.

Mr Ma seemed to confirm parents' worst fears when he said that bad design and poor quality materials might have played a role in the schools' collapse.

"There were possibly some construction problems because we have built schools relatively quickly in recent times," he said.

The investigation is continuing, but Mr Ma seemed to downplay expectations that the probe would lead to those responsible being punished.

He said the aim of the investigation was to make sure new schools were built properly.

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BP has signed an agreement aimed at solving a festering dispute over control of its Russian venture TNK-BP.



The boss of TNK-BP, Robert Dudley, will step down as part of the deal with the Russian billionaires that control half of the business.

Three independent directors will also be appointed to TNK-BP's board.

Mr Dudley's departure had been central to the power struggle between BP and the Russian investors in the venture, which accounts for 25% of BP's profits.

The memorandum of understanding, signed on Thursday, also includes the option to list up to 20% of the venture on international markets.

TNK-BP's Russian partners had long called for Mr Dudley's departure and Mr Dudley left Russia in July in the face of what he said was "sustained harassment".

BP said it had agreed to offer a Russian-speaking candidate for the post, with extensive Russian business experience.

The Russian shareholders had accused BP of running TNK-BP like a subsidiary and Mr Dudley of favouring the British shareholder.

BP chairman Peter Sutherland said that the agreement, to be finalised over coming months, would relieve recent tensions between the two sides.

"It will create a stable base from which to grow the joint venture to the benefit of everyone involved, including the Russian state," Mr Sutherland said

He said that Mr Dudley had been an outstanding chief executive and would be hard to replace.

'Positive signal'

BP owns 50% of the venture while the Russian shareholding is made up of a number of Russian billionaires who control a consortium known as Alfa Access Renova (AAR).

Russia welcomed the compromise between AAR and BP.

"We are pleased that this situation has been resolved and the shareholders have come to an agreement without the involvement of third parties, including the state," said Igor Sechin, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.

"This is a positive signal for the Russian market. We support the development of TNK-BP and believe that this company has excellent long-term prospects."

Viktor Vekselberg, chairman of Renova, said the agreement was the result of difficult negotiations.

"Most importantly, emotions were not allowed to prevail over common sense and both sides found the solution that best meets the interests of TNK-BP," he said.

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Seven people were killed when a helicopter crashed into an oil rig off the coast of Dubai, officials say.



The victims were a Briton, an American, a Filipino, a Venezuelan, a Pakistani and two Indian nationals, the country's Civil Aviation Authority said.

The helicopter crashed into the deck of the rig during take-off, Petrofac, the operator of Dubai government's offshore oilfields, said in a statement.

An investigation is under way into the cause of the crash.

The incident happened on at 2020 (1720 GMT) on Wednesday.

The Aerogulf Bell 212 helicopter, carrying two crew members and five passengers, was on a routine flight from the Rashid oil field, 70 kilometres (43.5 miles) from Dubai, Aberdeen-based company Petrofac said.

"During take-off the helicopter crashed onto the deck of the Resilient, the Maersk jack-up drilling rig," it said.

"The aircraft then broke up and fell into the sea."

The helicopter accident happened off the coast of Dubai

The company added: "Immediately following the incident, a fire broke out on the main deck of the drilling rig which was quickly contained and extinguished."

The company said there were no survivors on board.

There were no additional casualties on either the drilling rig or the platform.

All operations on the Rashid field have been suspended and the platform and drilling rig have been secured, Petrofac said.

The company confirmed that the victims were foreign contractors and said that their relatives were being informed.

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The US economy has been faring better than thought, according to figures on productivity and the service sector.



The US service sector grew in August, beating expectations, according to the Institute for Supply Management (ISM).

The ISM's non-manufacturing index registered 50.6 in August from 49.5 in July. A figure above 50 denotes growth.

Meanwhile separate data showed productivity better than forecast in the second quarter, while labour costs declined, official data showed.

The figures suggest the world's largest economy is in better shape than had previously been thought.

Productivity - the amount of output for every hour worked - climbed to an annual rate of 4.3% in the three months to June, the Commerce Department said.

In the first three months of the year, productivity rose 2.6%.

Simultaneously, labour costs dropped to 0.5% on a yearly basis, reversing the rise seen in the three months to March when they were 1.2% higher.

For employers, if labour costs rise quicker than productivity, it can contribute to quickening inflation.

The productivity data was viewed positively by analysts, who argue it helps keep a check on inflation at a time when firms are facing a sharp rise in costs.

Economic uncertainty

The latest figures reinforce the view held by some analysts that the US might have seen the worse of the downturn, while Europe is still being squeezed.

In August, figures showed the world's largest economy expanded at a revised rate of 3.3% annually during the second quarter of 2008, much higher than its first estimate of 1.9%.

But there is still much uncertainty surrounding the outlook for the US economy.

Only a day earlier, on Wednesday, the US central bank said the economy faced slow growth and higher prices.

The Federal Reserve's so called Beige Book report said economic activity was "weak, soft or subdued" in the US, as consumers tightened their belts.

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An alleged Colombian drugs lord, Edgar Guillermo Vallejo-Guarin, has been arrested in Spain.



Mr Vallejo-Guarin, known as Beto the Gypsy, is wanted for drugs-trafficking, money-laundering and murder.

Spanish police say he was using a false identity when they arrested him at a luxury hotel in the capital, Madrid.

The US authorities say he is one of Latin America's top drugs traffickers and had offered a $5m reward for information leading to his arrest.

False documents

The BBC's Danny Wood, in Madrid, says Beto the Gypsy, 47, is suspected of transporting tonnes of drugs into the US and Europe.

The US Drugs Enforcement Agency says he was one of the main sources of Colombian cocaine smuggled into America in the 1990s.

He has been a fugitive since 2001, when he was indicted by a court in Florida.

Police said he had been constantly on the move to avoid arrest, staying in hotels across Europe, and was carrying false documents when he was arrested.

Spain is one of the main entry points to Europe for cocaine smuggled from South America.

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Fears about a global economic slowdown, heightened by worsening US job figures, have continued to undermine stock markets around the world.



London's FTSE 100 index lost 2.3% - taking its weekly decline to 7% - its biggest since July 2002.

Markets in Paris and Frankfurt fell by 2.5% as economy concerns spread.

On Wall Street the Dow Jones index clawed back early losses to edge higher despite figures showing the US economy shed 84,000 jobs last month.

But the benchmark US index still had its worst week since May.

Earlier, Japan's main share index fell nearly 3% while markets in Hong Kong, China, Australia and India all slid 2%.

'Ugly' data

The US labour market figures - which showed the unemployment rate rising to 6.1% - were a further jolt to investors who have had to swallow a slew of poor economic data in recent days.

Economists had been expecting 75,000 jobs to be lost while the government also revised upwards.

"This was an ugly number that pretty much confirms that our economy continues to trend downward," said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer of Harris Private Bank.

"This just knocks the legs out of any hope of seeing much economic improvement right now."

'Uncertainty'

The FTSE 100 closed down 2.3% at 5,240.70 points. The last time it lost so much value in a week was more than six years ago in the wake of financial scandals such as Enron and WorldCom.

Markets in Paris and Frankfurt continued their recent downward trend, both the Cac-40 index and the Dax-30 dropping about 2.5%.

The Dow Jones index, which lost 3% on Thursday, rose 32.73 points, or 0.3% to 11,220.96, but still ended down 2.8% on the week.

"Given the fact we were down so much yesterday we're seeing a bit of a reflex rally with investors wanting to take advantages of some of the bargains," said Bucky Hellwig, senior vice president at Morgan Asset Management.

The Nasdaq index slipped 3.16 points, or 0.1% to 2,255.88, ending the week 4.7% lower.

Earlier Japan's benchmark Nikkei index fell 361.54 points to 12,196.12 amid a widespread sell-off of shares in Asia.

The Hang Seng index fell more than 3% in Hong Kong while markets also fell sharply in China, Australia and India.

"Amid the uncertainty, few investors are willing to buy," said Masayuki, Otani, chief market analyst at Securities Japan.

"Several bad things happened at once," he added, explaining the fall.

Gloom

Worries about inflation have prevented central banks in Europe from cutting interest rates to help forestall a slowdown.

But analysts believe this could change soon with economic forecasts across Europe looking increasingly gloomy.

The European Central Bank cut its 2009 growth forecast from 1.5% to 1.2% on Thursday while the UK economy stalled in the second quarter.

In a separate development, the Russian rouble fell against the dollar a day after Russia's central bank intervened to support the currency amid concerns about a flight of foreign capital after the conflict with Georgia.

The central bank sold up to $4bn in reserves, the Financial Times reported, after the rouble slipped to its lowest level since February 2007.

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A Swedish woman may have been locked up in a small cabin for nine years by her partner, Swedish newspaper reports say.



The woman, 68, who is seriously ill and weighs less than 40kg, has been taken to hospital, media reports say.

Her partner has been arrested and charged with offences relating to her imprisonment. He denies the charges.

Police declined to comment further until after a court hearing in Eksjo, in the southern region of Smaland, later on Friday.

The reports appeared in the Smalands-Tidningen newspaper and the national daily Svenska Dagbladet.

Although police have not revealed details, a request for a public defence lawyer contained information suggesting the woman could have been confined for nine years, Smalands-Tidningen reported.

It said the man - also in his 60s - had initially been investigated for allegedly abusing his partner.

Police spoke to witnesses and then brought the man in for questioning.

The alleged offences are said to have occurred near Eksjo.

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The United States government says it does not see an immediate need for new measures to stimulate the US economy despite a sharp rise in unemployment.



The latest figures show a rate of 6.1% - the highest since December 2003.

A White House spokeswoman said that while the figures were disappointing, the existing economic stimulus plan was having the impact intended.

A call for more action had been made by the Democratic Party presidential candidate, Barack Obama.

A higher-than-expected 84,000 jobs were lost last month, which together with the unemployment rate has added to concern about the US economy and its ability to stave off a recession.

In a further blow, the Labor Department revised upwards job loss figures for each of the past two months.

The Federal Reserve said earlier that economic activity remained "weak".

A separate report by the Mortgage Bankers Association said that almost one in 10 US homeowners were behind with their mortgage payments or was in foreclosure procedures.

The 9.2% default rate between April and June was up from 8.8% in the previous quarter, and nearly double the rate one year ago.

'Convincing evidence'

The number of jobs lost last month was significantly higher than the 75,000 forecast by economists.

All sectors of the economy were affected with manufacturing worst hit, shedding 61,000 jobs.

The labour market has worsened noticeably in recent months, reflected by the fact that it is now apparent that more jobs were lost in June and July than was previously thought.

Revised figures show that in June, 100,000 jobs were lost while in July 60,000 jobs disappeared. This was up from the 51,000 figure initially forecast for both months.

"It seems unemployment in the US really is accelerating," said the BBC's North America business correspondent, Greg Wood.

"There do not seem to be many sectors of the US economy which are hiring."

'Clearly deteriorating'

In the first eight months of 2008, 605,000 jobs have been lost.

Employers have now reduced their payrolls for eight straight months, with the dramatic downturn in the housing market and the credit crunch hurting all sectors of the economy.

"This is more convincing evidence that the economy is still in trouble," said Gary Thayer, senior economist at Wachovia Securities.

"The economy is clearly deteriorating."

Political focus

Both candidates in November's Presidential election are under pressure to come up with concrete proposals to help the growing number of people out of work and families battling against rising living costs.

Although the US economy grew a robust 3.3% in the second quarter, businesses are struggling to cope with the high cost of raw materials and energy, fragile consumer confidence and weaker export markets.

The Federal Reserve, which meets to decide on interest rates next week, has warned that the US is facing the twin threats of weak growth and rising inflation.

The bleak employment picture means the Fed is unlikely to raise rates in the foreseeable future while further cuts seem equally unlikely against a background of rising inflation.

"The jobs number is weak again but we think this probably is not the time to panic," said Steve Goldman, strategist at Weeden & Co.

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Production at the world's biggest aircraft manufacturer, Boeing, has halted in the US after 27,000 workers at the company went on strike over pay.



Members of the Machinists Union, mainly based in Seattle, downed tools after last minute negotiations failed.

Boeing says it has offered more than $34,000 (£17,000) per employee in pay and benefits.

Analysts say the stoppage cause further delays in the delivery of the new Dreamliner aircraft.

The union says with that with Boeing's record profits and its members going without a pay rise for the last four years, the offer is not good enough.

Good faith

Union members hoisted their strike signs outside the Boeing plant in Everett, a city north of Seattle, cheering and blasting air horns at passing cars.

Striking workers were told by one union member that they would not falter on the strike.

"We will show the company that they are going to have to go back and bargain in good faith," said the unnamed man. "And we will stay out until every single member gets something in their contract", he told a cheering crowd of workers.

A Boeing spokesman, Tom Healy, said the company was open to further discussions.

"We've bargained in good faith, we've worked hard, but we've not been able to close the gap," said Mr Healy. "We've not been able to come close on an agreement."

Dreamliner delays

The Machinists Union is Boeing's biggest labour group, and the company has said it will not try to assemble aircraft during the strike.

Analysts say that the stoppage could cost Boeing at least $100m each day in lost revenues - as well as delays in delivering the Dreamliner.

Boeing hopes that its latest lightweight passenger jet - which is already two years late - will help it compete with rival manufacturer, Airbus.

Most of the striking workers are based around Seattle in Washington State.

The BBC's Rajesh Mirchandani says Boeing is so important to the local economy that the state governor has repeatedly called on both sides to find a solution to the dispute.

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The US presidential rivals, Barack Obama and John McCain have said they will appear together on the anniversary of the 11 September 2001 attacks.



The senators said they would take part in the commemorations in New York - the site of two of the attacks.

The two candidates said they would put aside politics to honour the memory of the nearly 3,000 people who died.

Hijacked planes were crashed into New York's Twin Towers, the Pentagon in Washington and a field in Pennsylvania.

"All of us came together on 9/11 - not as Democrats or Republicans - but as Americans," the joint statement said.

"In smoke-filled corridors and on the steps of the Capitol; at blood banks and at vigils - we were united as one American family.

"On Thursday, we will put aside politics and come together to renew that unity, to honour the memory of each and every American who died, and to grieve with the families and friends who lost loved ones."

The event at Ground Zero - site of the collapsed Twin Towers of the World Trade Center - will mark the first time Mr McCain and Mr Obama have been together since they were formally nominated as presidential candidates at their parties' just-completed national conventions.

The two agreed not to run television ads critical of each other on Thursday and Mr McCain's campaign team said they would not run any ads.

With the parties' nominating conventions over, the candidates have been gearing up for the last weeks of campaigning up to the 4 November election.

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US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Morocco for the final leg of a tour of North Africa.



After a historic trip to Libya, she made brief visits to Tunisia and Algeria, before arriving in the Moroccan capital Rabat.

Morocco has a good relationship with the US, even if many Moroccans strongly disapprove of American foreign policy.

Ms Rice's focus in her short visit is believed to be what the US calls "the war on terror".

Morocco says it has broken up more than 30 cells sending fighters to Iraq in the last five years, and the US and North African governments believe there is a growing threat from religious extremists in the region.

Local disputes

Other topics for discussion include the economic links between the US and Morocco, and North African regional co-operation, which is in a disastrous state.

Morocco is also particularly keen to bring up Western Sahara, the disputed territory the kingdom considers as its southern provinces.

Morocco wants US support for its proposal of semi-autonomy for the region, a proposal which has already been rejected by the Polisario Front, the armed movement struggling for total Independence from Morocco.

Historically Morocco has maintained a good relationship with the US, and this has not changed in recent years. The US sees the country as a stable friend in a difficult region, and a partner in the fight against Islamic extremism.

Morocco is proud of what it calls its tolerant brand of Islam, and has cracked down hard on radical elements in its society.

But Moroccans from all walks of life are fiercely opposed to the US invasion of Iraq, and the US's support for Israel.

Dr Rice will leave the region on Sunday, without visiting Mauritania, after the US strongly condemned last month's coup d'etat there. The most significant part of her trip will undoubtedly have been the historic visit to Libya, the first by an American secretary of state for more than half a century.

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