2A -The Michigan Daily -Thursday, September 8, 2005 NEWS Charges of fraud could discredit NEWS IN BRIEFt first multi-party Egyptian elections CAIRO (AP) - For the first time Egyptian voters had a choice of candi- dates for president yesterday in an elec- tion the United States hopes will be a key step toward democracy across the Middle East. But the ballot was marred by charg- es of fraud and the near-certainty the vote would merely give longtime President Hosni Mubarak another six years of power. Opposition party members, human rights monitors and citizens told The Associated Press that election workers at polling places in Luxor and other towns instructed voters to choose Mubarak. In Cairo and Alexandria, supporters of the ruling National Democratic Party prom- ised food or money to poor people if they voted for Mubarak, voters said. The leading opposition candidate, Ayman Nour, charged the elections "are not fair at all," and vowed to reject rigged results. However, a top official in another major opposition party, El-Sayed el-Badawy, said that while fraud and intimidation were apparent, "This is the first time for and Noaman Gomaa of the Wafd - and the president was expected to win handily. Final results were not due until Saturday. El-Badawy and several independent monitoring groups said turnout was low, contrary to government predictions of high turnout. The number of voters might indicate whether recent calls for reform have shaken Egyptians out of an apathy generated by years of stagnation. In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the U.S. government was following the election closely and called the vote "a beginning." "These elections really mark a his- toric departure for Egypt, in the fact that you have multicandidate presi- dential elections. I think it's safe to say that Egyptians have not seen a presidential election like the one they have just seen in their lifetimes," he told reporters. In one clear sign of the changes sweep- ing Egypt, more than 3,000 people marched through downtown Cairo at mid-afternoon to protest against Mubarak - by far the largest crowd ever drawn by the group Kifaya, or "Enough" in Arabic. UNITED NATIONS Report criticizes Annan's role in oil-for-food In a devastating assessment of the U.N. oil-for-food program in Iraq, investigators strongly criticized Secretary-General Kofi Annan, his deputy and the Security Coun- cil for allowing Saddam Hussein to bilk $10.2 billion from the giant humanitarian operation and oil smuggling operations. Annan said he took personal responsibility for the lapses but he stressed he had no plans to resign. "The report is critical of me personally, and I accept the criticism,"he said. The Independent Inquiry Committee's report on the oil-for-food program said those managing the program failed the ideals of the United Nations, ignoring clear evidence of corruption and waste that flourished after it was created in 1996 to help ordinary Iraqis. "The inescapable conclusion from the committee's work is that the United Nations organization needs thorough reform-and it needs it urgently," the report said. GAZA CITY, Gaza Gunmen kill former Palestinian security chief About 100 masked militants stormed the heavily guarded home of Gaza's for- mer-security chief early yesterday, dragged him out in his pajamas and killed him in a burst of gunfire - a brazen challenge to the Palestinian Authority days before Israel was to hand over Gaza. Moussa Arafat, a cousin of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, was killed after a 30-minute gun battle between the assailants and dozens of bodyguards. The fighting with rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles raged just a block from the headquarters of the Palestinian Preventive Security Service. The gunmen also kidnapped Arafat's son, Manhal. The Popular Resistance Committees, a violent group made up largely of for- mer members of the Fatah movement of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, later claimed responsibility. a Ar pnoto A government supporter bares a t-shirt with the face of President Hosni Mubarak. a president to reach out to the citizens and ask for their support. This is a positive thing." Osama Attawiya, spokesman for the country's election commission, said the panel had received no major complaints or reports of problems. Nine candidates ran against Mubarak this time, but only two were considered significant - Nour of the al-Ghad Party U.S. eAGHjAD rej ect s Iran's Roadside bomb kills convoy of American guards offer to provide 20m barrels. of crude oil TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran offered to send the United States 20 million barrels of crude oil in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina if Washington waived trade sanctions, but a State Department official said yesterday that offer was rejected. In a gesture that mirrors Ameri- can aid offers after a devastating 2003 earthquake in Iran, Tehran's envoy to the Organization of Petro- leum Exporting Countries said his government would ship up to 20 million barrels of oil, state radio reported late Tuesday. "If U.S. sanctions are lifted, Iran is prepared to send that quantity of oil to America," the radio quoted Hossein Kazempour as saying. In Washington, the State Depart- ment's executive secretary, Harry K. Thomas Jr., said the offer was rejected because it was conditional. Last week, the Iranian Foreign Ministry offered to send relief sup- plies to the American Red Cross; Iranian newspapers reported that no response had been received. Iran's offers reciprocates the goodwill that the United States displayed after an earthquake flat- tened the southeastern Iranian city of Bam in 2003, killing more than 26,000 people. The United States flew in emer- gency supplies, which were grate- fully unloaded at an Iranian airport. The Bam gesture did not, howev- er, lead to an improvement in rela- tions. The. United States and Iran have had no diplomatic relations since militants stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and held its occupants hostage in 1979. Washington then imposed a range of sanctions on Iran. The United States accuses Iran of sponsoring terrorism and secretly trying to build nuclear bombs. Hurricane Katrina has severely disrupted U.S. oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico and reduced the coun- try's refining capacity by more than 10 percent. Thomas said the United States has accepted offers of nearly $1 billion in assistance from some 95 countries after Hurricane Katrina. Cuba offered to send medical personnel. Washington and Havana do not have diplomatic relations, and the United States has had trade sanctions on Cuba since 1963. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said earlier that the offer was being considered. A roadside bomb struck a convoy of American security guards yesterday in the southern city of Basra, killing four U.S. contractors, a U.S. Embassy spokesman said. Three of the contractors were killed instantly and a fourth died after British troops took him to a military hospital after the bombing in Basra, said Peter Mitchell, a U.S. Embassy spokesman in Baghdad. "All four individuals worked for a private security firm supporting the regional U.S. Embassy office in.Basra," Mitchell said in a statement. Initial reports had indicated that the target of the attack was a British diplomatic convoy, but officials in London said no British personnel were involved. AP Television News videotape showed an overturned white SUV in a ravine next to a busy highway. Six British Army Land Rovers, with Iraqi police cars and two civilian ambulances were parked nearby. British soldiers were seen loading a body from the SUV into a military ambulance. WASHINGTON President, otherjustices mourn loss of Rehnquist President Bush led the nation in a final tribute to William Rehnquist yesterday, remembering the 16th chief justice as the Supreme Court's steady presence and a man of lifetime integrity. The president told hundreds assembled at Rehnquist's private funeral - family, former clerks, lawmakers and Cabinet members - that the justice was a kind soul who accomplished much in a life that included 33 years on the high court. "We remember the integrity and the sense of duty that he brought to every task before him," Bush told the audience at historic St. Matthew's Cathedral. Rehnquist was a steady, guiding presence on the court, Bush said. Despite battling thyroid cancer, Rehnquist managed to attend Bush's second inauguration in January and administer the oath of office to -the president - a gesture Bush recalled with appreciation. - - Compiled from Daily wire reports CORRECTIONS Please report any error in the Daily to corrections@michigandaily.com. - Id 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com Soccer Officials ;' Needed!. 5 ft : f JASON Z. 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