Don't Scared To Talk

More must be done more quickly to make the world fit for children by 2015, the UN children's agency, Unicef, has said.

In a report it noted considerable strides had been made to meet pledges in education and areas of health care.

But it stressed that "much more must be done" in order to meet the 2015 Millennium Development Goals deadline.

The report identified areas for urgent action as maternal mortality, HIV prevention and pneumonia, which kills more children than any other illness.

The UN agreed a set of Millennium Development Goals in 2000 to improve standards in key areas such as education, employment and health care by 2015.

'Making a difference'

Unicef said its sixth Progress for Children report since 2004 was the most comprehensive to date.

It noted "some remarkable progress" in the under-five child mortality rate, which had fallen by 60% since 1960 to 9.7 million.

And there were "major improvements" in measles immunisation, breastfeeding rates, malaria prevention and supplements of vitamin A, which can help prevent common illnesses.

"Overall, [the report's] findings reinforce Unicef's conviction that the combined efforts of governments, international organisations, civil society, local communities and the private sector are making a difference and delivering results for children," Ann M Veneman, Unicef's executive director, said.

"Yet it also reveals that much more must be done. The 2015 deadline for the Millennium Development Goals is fast approaching.

"We need to accelerate progress towards these goals and approach them with a common sense of urgency."

'No cause for celebration'

The Unicef report said more than 1.2 billion people had gained access to safe drinking water between 1990 and 2004.

It said that between 1996 and 2004 rates of early and exclusive breastfeeding had increased in many countries. There had been a jump of 20% in seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Unicef estimates that breastfeeding could stop 13% of all under-five deaths in developing countries.

The report said many malaria-affected countries had seen use of insecticide-treated nets triple, saving many children's lives.

And access to antiretroviral drugs to reduce HIV/Aids infection rates in mothers and children had risen significantly.

There had also been progress in education, gender equality and child protection, the report said.

But it said some statistics gave "no cause for celebration".

"An alarming number of children under five - 143 million - still suffer under-nutrition, with more than half of them in South Asia."

Treatment for major childhood diseases such as pneumonia and malaria had also "been slow to expand".

More than 500,000 women still die every year during pregnancy and childbirth, about half of them in sub-Saharan Africa, the report said.

And much more needed to be done to improve basic sanitation and prevent HIV/Aids.

On Sunday the defence ministry said it had captured Mullah Matin and Mullah Rahim, both well-known Taleban commanders in Helmand province.

But now the ministry says that it was a case of mistaken identity.

A ministry spokesman said no Afghan soldiers were killed in operation and that only four civilians died.

'Not safe'

Afghan forces - with British and American support - say they have now secured the centre of Musa Qala after going through it street by street.

Local people, contacted by phone before a mobile communication mast was destroyed in bombing, said the losses sustained by Afghan, British and American troops were far higher than they had admitted.

David Loyn in Kabul says that Afghan soldiers supported by British and American troops went through the town cautiously, compound by compound.

A British spokesman said there had been some isolated incidents of shooting but the main body of the Taleban appeared to have left when their order came to withdraw on Monday.

Although the provincial governor had earlier appealed for people to return to their homes, the Afghan spokesman said it would not be safe in Musa Qala for a further 48 hours, while the last remnants of the Taleban were cleared and the area was checked for mines.

Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai earlier said that he needed more help from the international community to help build his country's armed forces.

Mr Karzai's comments come despite Afghan troops taking the lead in retaking Musa Qala from the Taleban.

The Afghan defence ministry recently said that the Afghan armed forces needed to be 200,000 strong.

But our correspondent says there is no international support for that figure.

In 2001 the international community agreed to fund an army of 70,000 men.

It will reach that total soon and most will be equipped with US-made M-16 rifles.

World-class helicopters and tanks are also being supplied from abroad.

The Afghan government wants a larger army, not just to put down the Taleban insurgency, our correspondent says, but also to be able to project a more assertive posture in the region, with instability threatening to spill over from Pakistan to the east.

To the west, Iran has an army that is 350,000 strong, but most of that is made up of conscripts.

Some ministers, including the acting counter-narcotics minister, Gen Khodaidad, who was an officer in the Soviet-backed army in the 1980s, say compulsory conscription is the only way for Afghanistan to fulfil its defence needs at the same time as helping to build a national identity.

Mr Karzai has rejected these demands.

Speaking at a Kabul press conference on Monday, he said the decision to attack Musa Qala followed reports of atrocities being perpetrated by the insurgents in the town.

ASSAULT ON MUSA QALA

1. 7 December: Major offensive begins, led by Afghan forces. US soldiers dropped by helicopter to carry out overnight assault
2. 8 December: Twelve insurgents and two children reported dead after attack on town. One British soldier killed. British and Afghan troops take positions to south, west and east of town
3. 9 December: Two men said to be senior Taleban leaders captured. One Nato soldier killed as town surrounded
4. 10 December:Musa Qala re-taken by Afghan forces

Medical officials have said more than 60 people were killed, but Algeria's Interior Minister, Noureddine Yazid Zerhouni, has only confirmed 22 deaths.

The bombs were the latest in a series of attacks in Algeria this year.

No group has admitted responsibility, but Mr Zerhouni has blamed a militant Islamist group linked to al-Qaeda.

A recently-arrested militant had revealed that the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) had planned several months ago to attack one of Tuesday's targets, Mr Zerhouni said.

Frank Gardner says the manner of the bombings and choice of targets suggest the involvement of the group, which is now known as al-Qaeda in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb.

Earlier, Algerian Prime Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem called off a cabinet meeting to visit hospitals where the injured were being treated.

"These are crimes that targeted innocent people. Students and school children were among the victims. Nothing can justify the crime," he said.

The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, said words could not express his sense of shock, outrage and anger at the attack on the UN mission.

"This was an abjectly cowardly strike against civilian officials serving humanity's highest ideals under the UN banner - base, indecent and unjustifiable by even the most barbarous political standard," he said in a statement.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, whose staff were caught in the blast, told the BBC that he had "no doubt that the UN was targeted".

The US government called the attacks an act of "senseless violence" on the innocent by the "enemies of humanity".

Students killed

In the attack near the Constitutional Council, a bus packed with students was passing by when the vehicle containing the bomb exploded at around 0930 (0830 GMT).

Security officials said the bus took the full force of the blast and was ripped apart, killing and injuring many of those on board.

At the UN offices in Hydra, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) building bore the brunt of the blast. A residential building and the UNHCR headquarters across the road were also damaged, witnesses said.

Sophie Haspeslagh, who works for the UNDP, told the BBC that she was in a corridor when the blast occurred.

"Everything shattered. Everything fell. I hid under a piece of furniture so I wouldn't be hit by the debris," she said.

"I was holding my jacket on my face because I couldn't breathe."

Ms Haspeslagh said a large part of the UNDP building was destroyed and it was feared people were trapped inside.

A UN spokeswoman, Marie Okabe, said unconfirmed preliminary information indicated that four UN staff members may have been killed.

"We're still trying to account for 14 people," she told reporters in New York.

However, the Algerian interior minister said no UN personnel had been among the 12 dead bodies so far recovered in Hydra.

'Suicide bomber'

Mr Zerhouni said the explosions had been caused by two car bombs, and that the one at the UN was triggered by a suicide bomber.

Ms Haspeslagh said one of her colleagues had seen a white van drive into the main UN offices then explode.

There have been a series of bomb attacks across Algeria during the past year in which scores of people have died.

In September more than 50 people were killed in suicide attacks - one of them involved a truck packed with explosives being driven into a coast-guard base.

Al-Qaeda link?

Members of the public have recently held rallies in protest at the upsurge in violence.

Many of the recent blasts have been claimed by members of al-Qaeda's North Africa wing, calling themselves al-Qaeda in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb (AQLIM), including a triple suicide bombing in Algiers in April which killed 33 people.

The militant group was previously known as the GSPC, but changed its name when it reportedly joined forces with al-Qaeda last year.

Roger Hardy says it is unclear how far the group really is linked to Osama Bin Laden's organisation, and how far it is merely inspired by it.

What is worrying Western experts and North African governments is the possibility that radical Islamists in the region no longer have a merely local agenda but are linked to a wider web of international networks.

Algeria suffered a brutal and bloody civil war in the 1990s, but in recent years violence had declined.

VIOLENCE IN 2007

1. 6 September: 22 die in bombing in Batna claimed by al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb
2. 8 September: 32 die in bombing in Dellys claimed by al-Qaeda in the Islamic MaghreJuly: Suicide bomber targets barracks near Bouira, killing nine
3. May: Dozens killed in run-up to elections, in fighting between military and militants
4. April: 33 killed in Algiers in attacks claimed by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
5. March: Three Algerians and a Russian killed in attack on gas pipeline workers
6. February: Seven bombs kill six east of Algiers

One could go on. However, the entire world came face to face with terror in 2001. In the wake of the attacks against two major cities in the USA which led to the deaths and injuries of thousands of people, the concept of "terrorism" began to be debated once again. That was because that attack had been carried out at an unexpected time, against a country regarded as the world's only superpower, and in a totally unforeseen manner. The attack created an air of fear and panic all over the world, especially in America.

Following the attacks, the USA embarked on a major fight against terror. Many countries have lined up alongside America in this struggle, and lent their support to it. The series of bombings in Istanbul, just when it was thought that the forces of terror had been brought under control, again reminded people of terrorism's dark face: first synagogues, then the British Consulate, then the HSBC General Directorate building ...

The Saturday prayer, which had been performed for centuries, was interrupted by the bombs exploded on November 15th. Twenty-four people were killed in the explosions at the Neva Shalom synagogue at Beyoglu Kuledibi and the Beth Israel synagogue at Sisli, and 300 were injured. Dozens of more people lost their lives in the explosions at the British Consulate and the HSBC building, and hundreds were injured. Images similar to those which followed the September 11 attacks began appearing on our television screens. Ruined buildings, people fleeing in panic, burned out busses, corpses lying in the streets ...

The point we wish to emphasize in this article is the Islamic perspective on terror attacks and the killing of the innocent. All forms of terrorist attack are roundly condemned in Islam. According to the Qur'an, it is a great sin to kill an innocent person, and anyone who does so will suffer great torment in the Hereafter:

... If someone kills another person-unless it is in retaliation for someone else or for causing corruption in the earth-it is as if he had murdered all mankind. And if anyone gives life to another person, it is as if he had given life to all mankind. Our Messengers came to them with Clear Signs, but even after that, many of them committed outrages in the earth. (Qur'an, 5:32)

This verse equals the killing of one innocent to slaughtering all of humanity! Another verse expresses the importance that the faithful attach to life:

Those who do not appeal to any other deity besides God [alone]; nor kill any soul whom God has forbidden [them to] except with the right to do so; nor fornicate. Anyone who does so will incur a penalty. (Qur'an, 25:68)

In yet another verse, God issues the following commandment:

Say: "Come, and I will recite to you what your Lord has forbidden for you": that you do not associate anything with Him; that you are good to your parents; that you do not kill your children because of poverty-We will provide for you and them; that you do not approach indecency-outward or inward; that you do not kill any person God has made inviolate-except with the right to do so. That is what He instructs you to do, so that hopefully, you will use your intellect. (Qur'an, 6:151)

Any Muslim who believes in God with a sincere heart, who scrupulously abides by His verses and fears suffering in the Hereafter, will avoid harming even one other person. He knows that the Lord of Infinite Justice will suitably reward him for all his deeds. In one of the hadiths, our Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) listed the kinds of people who are not pleasing to God:

"Those who act cruelly and unjustly in the sacred lands, those who yearn for the ways of the ignorant, and those who wrongly shed human blood." (Sahih Bukhari Hadith)

Another element we wish to concentrate on is the attack on devout Turkish Jews worshipping in their synagogues. Churches, synagogues and mosques are houses for the worship of God. It is a terrible crime in the sight of God to slaughter innocent people as they worship in their churches, synagogues or mosques. These are houses where the name of God is remembered, praised and recited. In the Qur'an, , God reveals that:

... God guides to His Light whoever He wills and God makes metaphors for mankind and God has knowledge of all things. In houses which God has permitted to be built and in which His name is remembered, there are men who proclaim His glory morning and evening. (Qur'an, 24:35-36)

The people who go to those places are devout, prayerful people. All houses where the name of God is remembered are sacred in the eyes of Islam. Visitors to these houses may be Jews, Christians or Muslims. The important thing is that each one is a devout believer in God. A Muslim must respect and protect the holy places where the People of the Book worship God, and protect them. For Muslims, these places are precious because in these places, people, whether Jews or Christians, remember God. In the Qur'an, the places of worship of the People of the Book, ie. monasteries, churches and synagogues, are mentioned as places of worship protected by God.

...[I]f God had not driven some people back by means of others, monasteries, churches, synagogues and mosques, where God's name is mentioned much, would have been pulled down and destroyed. God will certainly help those who help Him-God is All-Strong, Almighty. (Qur'an, 22:40)

As a manifestation of his loyalty to God's commands, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was most careful not to destroy the holy places of the People of the Book. Such destruction means, in the first place, opposing God's commands. This aside, it means preventing people who have faith in God worshipping Him. Indeed, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) promised the Christians, who were the other party to a peace agreement he made, that their churches would not be destroyed and that they would never be harmed. The tax (Jizya) agreements he made with Christians also guaranteed the safety of churches.

The first agreement made after the death of the Prophet (pbuh) that guaranteed the protection of the temples was a tax agreement Khalid bin al-Waleed signed with the leader of the city of Anat. Ibn Ishaq stated that those agreements made by Khalid bin al-Waleed were also approved by Abu Bakr and the three caliphs following him. This aside, Abu Bakr offered the same guarantees that had been offered to the people of Najran by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

The Islamic societies that abided by Islamic morality after the death of the Prophet (pbuh) also paid special attention to this issue. Muslim leaders who adhered to the Qur'an and the Sunnah (the sayings and doings of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)) respected the places of worship of non-Muslims in conquered countries and showed great tolerance to the clergy.

Terror Will Disappear When People Come to Live by the Moral Values of Islam

In the Qur'an (32:9), God reveals that He has breathed His Spirit into man, His creation, and that man is His representative on Earth (Qur'an, 6:165). One of the most important differences between man and the animals is that man was created with both earthly desires and with a conscience. Every person possesses desires that incite him to evil, along with a conscience that inspires him to avoid it. Alongside such pleasing attributes inspired by that conscience-love, sacrifice, compassion, humility, affection, honesty, loyalty and kindness-he also possesses destructive and undesirable tendencies, stemming from his earthly desires. Thanks to his conscience, however, the believer can distinguish between right and wrong and opt for what is morally right. Strong belief in and fear of God, faith in the Hereafter, powerful fear of the endless torments of Hell and a yearning for Paradise all keep the temptations of his earthly desires at bay. Therefore, he always behaves well towards people, is forgiving, responds to wickedness with good, assists those in need, and shows compassion, love, affection and tolerance.

Terrorists, on the other hand, listen to their earthly desire for violence instead of their consciences, and can easily turn to all forms of wickedness. They become loveless, aggressive people who easily hurt others without the slightest pang of conscience. Having no fear of God, they do not know the morality of religion, nor do they practice it. Nothing can stop them from committing crimes.

In restraining its citizens, society's prevailing rules can go only so far. Thanks to its law enforcement units, the state may be able to partially protect streets and public spaces, and thanks to a powerful system of justice may be able to take necessary means to ensure public order and ensure that the crime rate drops. But since it's impossible to keep watch on every individual, 24 hours a day, it's essential that peoples' consciences enter the equation at some stage. Someone who doesn't heed the voice of his conscience can easily turn to crime when on his own, or surrounded by people of like mind. That being the case, a model of society emerges which is composed of individuals who lie when necessary, have no hesitation about making unjust profits, and feel no unease about oppressing the weak. It is clear that physical precautions and measures will bear no fruit in a society which has no fear of God and which has lost its spiritual values. Religious moral values, on the other hand, command a person to refrain from evil, even if he is all alone, even if nobody will punish him for his evil deeds. It is evident that a person who knows that he will be called to account in the presence of God for his every deed, his every decision and his every word, and that he will be suitably rewarded for these in the eternal life of the Hereafter, will scrupulously avoid committing evil.

Terrorist organizations can't possibly have any place in a society whose people avoid evil of their own free will. Where religion's morality prevails, problems that give rise to organizations supporting the use of violence will disappear naturally. If the whole society possesses superior virtues like honesty, sacrifice, love and justice, there can be no place for such things as poverty, unequal distribution of income, injustice, the oppression of the weak, or limitations on freedoms. On the contrary, a social order will emerge that meets the wants of the needy; where the wealthy protect the poor and the strong, the weak; where everyone can enjoy the very best health care, education, and transport systems. There, tolerance and understanding will dominate the relationships between different ethnic groups, religions and cultures.

For these reasons, proper morality is the key to solving so many social problems. The source of that key, in turn, is the Qur'an, which God has revealed as a guide for mankind.

It must not be forgotten that unless necessary measures are taken, unless deep-rooted solutions are brought in, the 21st century will continue to be a time of terror and violence, just as the 20th was before it. The homes of innocent people will be bombed, and women and children will be slaughtered. The ideological fight against terrorism, therefore, must be started with great urgency, to include very great numbers of people. This fight will be fought on the level of ideas-between people who believe in God, who are loving, forgiving, compassionate and in full possession of their conscience; and those who draw their strength from ignorance and violence. In one verse, our Lord reveals, " Why were there not people with good sense among the generations of those who came before you, who forbade corruption in the earth..." (Qur'an, 11:116). Believers should possess the virtue that God describes in that verse. While terrorists hope to achieve their aims by violence, believers know that true success can be achieved only by clinging tightly to the religion of God, and acting accordingly. Jews, Christians, and Muslims will join together in that struggle, in a spirit of respect for all beliefs and ideas and, by the will of God, enjoy definitive success. This is God's promise to all His believing servants, which will definitely come true.

At this point, a great responsibility falls on all true believers, no matter what their religion. Jews must not ignore Old Testament statements calling mankind to peace and tolerance, and they must call on all other Jews to oppose terrorism . So should Christians call on all other Christians, taking as their guide the morality most pleasing to God. One should not forget that terrorism stems from wrong ideas and the basic struggle against terrorism should be on the level of ideas. Believers must explain that these ideas are wrong, and that no idea can prevail by means of violence, oppression and cruelty; and despotism can never bring about beauty.

Terrorist ideology is built on sand. Its foundations can easily be swept away by mobilizing a proper education campaign. Sincere believers in all parts of the world can help end the ignorance that breeds terrorism by searching for solutions, writing books and articles, promoting educational activities and disseminating their own cultural heritage. The prevalence of tolerance, peace and security on the Earth, as commanded by God, will make terrorism disappear into the pages of history forever. Adopting a defeatist, pessimistic attitude in the face of terror is unacceptable. Our hope is that this suffering will not be repeated, and that all measures will be adopted to that end.

The 27-year-old's form has been inconsistent and he had been linked with moves to Chelsea and Italian club AC Milan during January.

"We are not going to sell Ronaldinho," said Laporta. "We are not in contact with Chelsea, Milan or any other team."

Ronaldinho, whose deal at Barcelona runs until June 2010, started in a 2-1 win over Deportivo la Coruna on Sunday.

He had been a substitute in the Catalan club's last two games and reports appeared that Chelsea were set to sign him in the January transfer window.

It added to the uncertainty surrounding Ronaldinho, whose lifestyle has been called into question in some quarters, but he marked his return to first-team action with a penalty in the win over Deportivo.

Laporta added: "We are counting on Ronaldinho and you could see (against Deportivo) that he fought like the rest of the players."

In a report, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel said expression of anti-Arab views had doubled, and racist incidents had increased by 26%.

Christian or Muslim Arab citizens of Israel make up 20% of the population.

But the civil rights quoted polls suggesting half of Jewish Israelis do not believe Arab citizens of Israel should have equal rights.

About the same amount said they wanted the government to encourage Arab emigration from Israel.

In another poll, almost 75% of Jewish youths said Arabs were less intelligent and less clean than Jews.

'Anti-Arab policies'

A prominent Israeli Arab politician, Mohammed Barakeh, said the poll results were the natural outcome of what he called the anti-Arab policies of successive Israeli governments.

Commenting on the findings of the report, the association's president Sami Michael warned: "We live in a democratic regime whose foundations are constantly weakening."

Official government spokesman Mark Regev responded that the Israeli government was "committed to fighting racism whenever it raises it ugly head and is committed to full equality to all Israeli citizens, irrespective of ethnicity, creed or background, as defined by our declaration of independence".

Israel's Construction and Housing Minister Zeev Boim said the rights group's report was biased and without credibility.

Occupied territories

Part of the group's annual report is dedicated to the situation in Gaza and the West Bank.

The report says: "Most of the human rights violations in the occupied territories are by-products of the establishment of settlements and outposts."

Restrictions on the movement of Palestinians designed to allow settlers "free and secure movement", have virtually split the West Bank into six separate parts, the report says.

The organisation says that the West Bank barrier "does not separate Palestinians from Israelis, but Palestinians from other Palestinians".

The report also asserts that despite its withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, Israel retains "moral and legal responsibility" for the Palestinians there because Israel controls access to the coastal territory.

The 600 Indonesians, whose residency permits had expired, were discovered by undercover police in two villas rented by an illegal pilgrimage company.

They are said to have paid hundreds of dollars each to be smuggled into Mecca.

Every year about two million Muslims converge on Mecca - the holiest place in Islam - to take part in the Hajj.

The pilgrimage is one of the pillars of Islam, which every adult Muslim must undertake at least once in their life if they can afford it and are physically able.

This year's Hajj will begin on 19 December, the 8th day of the Islamic lunar month of Dhu al-Hijjah, and end five days later.

'Overstayers'

On Sunday, the General Directorate of Passports in Mecca announced it had arrested the 600 Indonesian citizens and their disabled Indonesian guide in two neighbouring villas in the city's al-Aziziya district.

The arrests were made after a tip-off by undercover police, who had noticed something suspicious about the pilgrims living in the two buildings, according to the Saudi newspaper Arab News.

"The guide had been taking requests from overstayers in Jeddah who wanted to perform Hajj. He agreed to sneak them into Mecca and gave them food and accommodation," an immigration official told the paper.

"The overstayers seem to have paid him well."

Saudi Arabia imposes strict quotas for pilgrims from each country and requires foreign nationals to register.

Many of the pilgrims were smuggled into Mecca in private vehicles, while others tried to avoid attracting attention by walking through the mountains which surround the city, the official added.

Arab News quoted the disabled guide saying he had charged the Indonesians up to 2,500 Saudi riyals ($670, £330) and had helped many others perform the Hajj in a similar way in the past.

"Some of the overstayers want to do Hajj and also work as maids for pilgrims. It's a good time to make money. They're killing two birds with one stone," he reportedly told Arab News.

The Indonesian consulate-general in Jeddah said it had assigned staff to co-ordinate with the Saudi authorities

"The initial estimation of the project's cost is about $2 billion," Xinhua quoted Iranian Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari as telling reporters at the signing ceremony in Tehran.

Zhou Baixiu, head of Sinopec's International Exploration and Production Unit, and Hossein Noqreka-Shirazi, head of international affairs for the Iranian Petroleum Ministry, signed the agreement, which completes a memorandum of understanding signed in 2004, the Iranian Republic News Agency reported.

China has been snapping up energy resources across the globe as it seeks to ensure supplies of oil and gas to fuel its booming economy. Its investments in Iran and Sudan have prompted complaints it is undermining diplomatic efforts to bring recalcitrant regimes in line.

Beijing has balked at new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, arguing for diplomatic solutions to the standoff. A new U.S. intelligence report that Iran stopped atomic weapons development in 2003, contrary to U.S. suspicions, may have cleared the way for Sinopec to move ahead on Yadavaran, although Washington is still arguing in favor of sanctions.

The Yadavaran deal calls for the Chinese company to invest in developing the oilfield in two phases, with the first phase to produce 85,000 barrels per day to be carried out in four years and the second phase to produce another 100,000 barrels per day to be completed in another three years, Xinhua said, citing Nozari.

Earlier reports had said the two sides were divided over Sinopec's request for a 15 percent return from the project and over the planned capacity for the project. China had argued for a target of 180,000 barrels a day to avoid excess production, according to Chinese state media reports.

The Yadavaran field is expected to have a potential output of 300,000 barrels per day of crude oil. It has 3.2 billion barrels of recoverable reserves, with recoverable gas reserves estimated at 2.7 trillion cubic feet.

Outgoing Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, who has remained in charge, is making informal attempts to solve the impasse.

The prime minister was expected to raise the issue during his weekly audience with the king on Monday, said Koert Debeuf, a spokesman for Verhofstadt's office.

Belgium's political crisis may be the result of years of problems finally rearing their heads, said Hugo Brady, a research fellow at the Center for European Reform in London.

"Belgium has always been a country that has worked better in practice than in theory, and I think theory may have intervened finally," Brady said, in a reference to how the nation was constructed.

He said a problematic political setup in Belgium has always made it difficult for the parties to agree on a coalition.

Elections pit Flemish parties in Dutch-speaking Flanders against French-speaking parties in Wallonia. None represents the entire country, and and none holds a majority in parliament.

Brady said Belgium's political parties have always felt they struck an unfair bargain in order to rule the country. That sentiment has now peaked, Brady said, leaving the parties unable to form a coalition.

The public is annoyed at their politicians' behavior, Brady said.

The situation could affect the signing of a major European treaty this week. The Lisbon Treaty will reshape the proposed EU constitution which was scrapped in 2005.

"Were there things on those tapes that they did not want to have seen, that did not conform to what the attorney general would allow them to do?" Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-West Virginia, said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation."

CIA Director Michael Hayden will testify Tuesday before the Senate Intelligence Committee, which Rockefeller chairs.

Over the weekend, the Justice Department and the CIA opened a preliminary inquiry into the destruction of the tapes.

The tapes, shot in 2002, showed harsh interrogation techniques of two al Qaeda suspects. The tapes were destroyed in 2005.

The probe is to determine "whether further investigation is warranted," the Justice Department's assistant attorney general for national security, Kenneth L. Wainstein, said Saturday in a letter to the CIA's top lawyer, John Rizzo.