WORLD IN BRIEF

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

syria

Dissident Who Organized Opposition Is Held

Syrian dissident Riad Seif, who has led efforts to organize the opposition against the Baathist government, was arrested Monday, his lawyer said.

"Five plain-clothed security officers came to Mr. Seif's house at 7 p.m. and took him away. They identified themselves as members of the state security intelligence division," Mohanad al-Hassani said.

Hassani expected Seif to face charges related to organizing a meeting of opposition figures at his house in December. There was no comment from Syrian authorities.

Seif, who has spent five years in jail as a political prisoner, has prostate cancer. He pressed his criticism of the authorities over their human rights record after his release in 2006.

Turkey

Law Proposed to Partially End Head Scarf Ban

Turkey's Islamic-based governing party submitted legislation Tuesday that would partially overturn a decades-old ban on women wearing head scarves at universities, raising fears by some that political Islam was beginning to make inroads in the country's traditionally secular system.

Modern Turkey's founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, established Turkey as a secular state and outlawed religious attire in daily life.

Under the new proposal, the government would allow female students to wear head scarves at universities as long as they tied the scarves under the chin, leaving their faces more exposed.

-- Ellen Knickmeyer

georgia

Opposition Parties Give President Ultimatum

Georgian opposition parties gave President Mikheil Saakashvili an ultimatum Tuesday, demanding a recount of the disputed Jan. 5 presidential vote, fair access to state television and dismissal of the interior minister.

The ultimatum, signed by the leaders of all top opposition parties, had a Feb. 15 deadline for Saakashvili to meet the demands. Should he fail to do so, the opposition said it would boycott the parliamentary elections expected in the next few months and stage a permanent rally outside the Parliament building.

Saakashvili won a second term with more than 53 percent of the vote, according to official results.

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French Police Arrest Leading Basque Separatist

French police arrested Ainhoa Adin Jauregui, one of the most wanted members of the Basque separatist group ETA, weeks ahead of a Spanish general election in which the handling of the guerrilla group is under close scrutiny. Jauregui, arrested in Hendaye, near the Spanish border, is believed to be responsible for attacks in the 1990s in which three people were killed, Spanish media reported.

From Staff Reports and News Services