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BBC Britain Today

BBC BRITAIN TODAY FOR TUESDAY 15 APRIL 2003 NOTE: THIS BBC BRITAIN TODAY IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY, AND NEITHER THE FCO NOR ANY OTHER GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT HAS ANY INVOLVEMENT IN THE SELECTION OF NEWS ITEMS, OR ANY COMMENT THAT IS MADE. IT MAY BE FREELY USED, WITH ATTRIBUTION TO THE BBC WHEREVER POSSIBLE.

RE-BUILDING IRAQ America has begun the first formal moves towards establishing a new government in Iraq. Exiled opposition groups are being flown in for a meeting with tribal and religious leaders. They are being asked to discuss the shape of an interim authority and to share their vision for a democratic Iraq. The meeting will be overseen by a retired American general, Jay Garner, who is in charge of rebuilding Iraq, and chaired by US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who played a similar role in setting up the post-Taliban administration in Afghanistan. One of the country's main Shia Muslim groups, the Iranian-based Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, is staying away.

WAR 'CLOSE TO END' American marines are consolidating their hold on Tikrit, in Northern Iraq, the home town of Saddam Hussein. After the town's fall yesterday, the Pentagon said major combat operations in Iraq had finished. American military commanders have confirmed that they are to send home two of their aircraft carriers from the Gulf region - the USS kitty Hawk and USS constellation have received orders to leave. Some stealth fighters and bombers will also return to their bases. In Baghdad, joint patrols of American troops and Iraqi police officers are on the streets of some districts. But gunfire can still be heard in some parts of the capital.

SYRIA Arab countries have criticised the United States for saying that economic and diplomatic sanctions might be imposed on Syria. The Secretary General of the Arab League, Amr Musa, said he was astounded by the threats. America has been critical of Damascus over its stance on the war: yesterday, it accused Syria of being a rogue nation, and accused it of carrying out a chemical weapons test. Earlier, Russia and the European Union urged the US to show restraint in its dealings with Syria, which is also accused of helping fugitive Iraqi officials. Syria has strongly denied the US allegations. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has already expressed concern that recent statements about Syria may further destabilise the Middle East.

BLAIR/SCHROEDER FIRST MEETING Tony Blair will today hold his first meeting with the German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, since the start of military action against Iraq. Mr Schroeder has been one of the staunchest opponents of the war and his calls for a common European foreign and defence policy have also put him at odds with the British Government. But the two leaders are expected to use the meeting in Hanover to present a united front on rebuilding Iraq. Diplomatic manoeuvring will continue tomorrow, when Mr Blair and Mr Schroeder travel to an EU summit in Athens, which will also be attended by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

IRA OFFER CLARIFICATION ON PEACE STATEMENT The IRA has responded to a request from the British and Irish Governments to provide further clarification on its latest statement on the peace process. The details have not been released, but it is thought that more information was supplied on three main points. Last week, the British and Irish Governments delayed the publication of proposals to restore devolution to Northern Ireland because they felt the IRA had not made its intentions clear enough. Unionist leader David Trimble said efforts to achieve a breakthrough would fail unless there was more clarity on the IRA's intentions to disarm and move to a position where it would no longer exist. 'Once we get past Tuesday, I think it becomes enormously difficult to make progress. I think by Thursday we are really out of time,' he said. Tony Blair and his Irish counterpart, Bertie Ahern, must now decide whether enough progress has been made to allow them to publish their proposals aimed at restoring devolution for Northern Ireland.

UK COUPLE DIE AT EUTHANASIA CLINIC A British couple have died at a clinic in Switzerland, which helps people to commit suicide. Both Robert Stokes, who was 59, and his 53 year-old wife, Jennifer, had suffered from ill health, though neither was thought to have been terminally ill, and had been living in a residential home at Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire. They died at the clinic in Zurich, after contacting the Swiss euthanasia charity, Dignitas. Dignitas has helped around 150 people to end their lives and is at the centre of a row about 'suicide tourism' in Switzerland.

NEW SARS TEST DISTRIBUTED The World Health Organisation has welcomed a new testing kit for the virus, which is thought to cause the deadly flu-like disease, SARS. The kits, which are being made available from today by a German company, can detect the strain of the corona virus which has been found in patients suffering from SARS. The WHO believes at least 144 people have died of the disease so far.

FIREFIGHTERS' PAY DISPUTE The leader of the firefighters' union, Andy Gilchrist, has said that all sides in the pay dispute are fast approaching the last opportunity for a negotiated settlement. He gave the warning ahead of a recall of the union today in Brighton. Around 250 delegates from brigades around the country are likely to reject what the employers have called their final offer.

BRITISH SPACE CENTRE It has been announced that the first ever British command centre for a space mission is to be based in Leicester. The British-led Beagle Two project will be controlled from the National Space Centre in the city on its journey to Mars. The mission, funded by lottery money from the Millennium Commission, will also be the first to operate in full view of the public.

EXERCISE AND GOOD HEALTH New research suggests that moderate exercise like walking does not reduce the risk of dying from heart disease. The study, published in the medical journal, Heart, found that only strenuous exercise made any difference. It said nine minutes of jogging or other vigorous exercise every day was enough to reduce the risk.

CHILD MURDER CASES The Law Commission has completed a review of how to establish guilt in cases where a child is killed by a parent, and it cannot be proved which one was responsible. The Commission rejects the idea of an automatic murder or manslaughter conviction for failing to explain what happened. But it says the courts should be entitled to ask for an account of a death, and it recommends a new offence of aggravated child cruelty, with a maximum jail sentence of 14 years. ENDS