Turkey

Kurdish rebels ended their five-year truce with the government (Reuters).

Saudi Arabia

On 12 June, al Qaeda kidnapped Paul Johnson, an American engineer, and demanded the government release all al Qaeda prisoners. Within days they murdered Johnson. Soon after, al Qaeda cell leader Abdel Aziz al-Muqrin and three other militants were killed and a dozen other militants were captured by Saudi police. The following week, the government offered amnesty to al Qaeda members, effective for one month. Those who turned themselves in would be dealt with according to Islamic law. By the 28th Othman Al-Omari, one of the country’s most wanted militants, had turned himself in (CNN.com).

Democratic Republic of Congo

Beginning in late May there were clashes in the Bukavu area between the army and soldiers led by Jules Mutebutsi and Laurent Nkunda, former members of the Rally for Congolese Democracy (RCD) rebels. Nkunda claimed he was only protecting ethnic Tutsis in the area, not challenging the government's authority. The government accused Rwanda of supporting the rebels (Reuters).

Nigeria

Early in the month there was Christian-Muslim violence in the northeastern state of Adamawa (CNN.com).

JUNE-JULY 2004

Yemen

There were clashes in the Sa’dah area between security forces and followers of Hussein Badr Eddin al-Houti (AP).

1 JUNE 2004

Iraq

An interim government was sworn in. Iyad Allawi is prime minister and Ghazi Yawar is president. Allawi said Iraq would expand its army (Reuters).

2 JUNE 2004

United States, politics

Central Intelligence Agency Director George Tenet resigned (Reuters).

3 JUNE 2004

Iraq

Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said US-led foreign forces should stay for the time being, saying, "I stress that any premature departure of international troops would lead to chaos and the real possibility of a civil war in Iraq" (Reuters).

4 JUNE 2004

Israel, politics

Prime Minister Sharon ejected Benny Elon and Avigdor Lieberman, two members of the National Union party, from the cabinet. He is trying to achieve a majority in favor of his plan for withdrawal from the Gaza Strip (Reuters).

4-5 JUNE 2004

Diplomatic affairs

US President Bush visited Italy and France (Reuters).

5 JUNE 2004

Venezuela

Tens of thousands of opponents of President Hugo Chavez took part in a demonstration in Caracas calling for a referendum on his rule to be held before 19 August. Electoral authorities recently approved the holding of a referendum. The date makes a difference as to whether new elections would be held within 30 days or whether the vice-president would take over and elections would be held in December 2006 (Reuters).

6 JUNE 2004

Israel

Marwan Barghouthi was sentenced to consecutive life prison terms for involvement in the Fatah murders of five people (Reuters).

8 JUNE 2004

Diplomatic affairs

The UN Security Council unanimously approved resolution 1546, which endorses the interim Iraqi government and authorizes a US-led multinational security force (CNN.com).

Venezuela, politics

The National Electoral Council announced that the referendum to recall President Hugo Chavez would be held on 15 August (CNN.com).

9-11 JUNE 2004

Nigeria

The Nigeria Labor Congress called a general strike on the 9th to protest a government fuel price increase. They called it off on the 11th after a court victory (CNN.com).

11 JUNE 2004

Democratic Republic of Congo

There was an abortive coup in Kinshasa led by Major Eric Lenge (CNN.com).

12 JUNE 2004

Iraq

Deputy foreign minister Bassam Salih Kubba was assassinated by gunmen in the Azimiyah district of Baghdad (AP).

13 JUNE 2004

Turkey

About 20,000 Kurds held a demonstration for peace in Diyarbakir (AP).

13-27 JUNE 2004

Serbia and Montenegro, politics

An election for President of the Serbian Republic was held in two rounds. Boris Tadic of the Democratic Party (DS) defeated Tomislav Nikolic of the nationalist Serbian Radical Party (SRS) in the runoff, 54.0% to 46.0%. Tadic said he wanted to take the country into the EU, work toward a new constitution and get the economy back on track.

Serbia had not had an elected president since November 2002, when Milan Milutinovic finished his term prior to being sent to The Hague for war crimes. Three elections were held in which failure to reach the 50% voter turnout mandated by law invalidated the results. On 25 February 2004 the Serbian parliament approved an electoral amendment which abolished the 50% voter threshold (IFES, CNN.com).

15 JUNE 2004

Diplomatic affairs

Afghan President Hamid Karzai met US President Bush in Washington. Bush said, “my government reaffirms its ironclad commitment to help Afghanistan succeed and prosper” (USA Today).

17 JUNE 2004

Iraq

There was a suicide bomb attack on an Iraqi army recruitment center in Baghdad (AP).

17-18 JUNE 2004

Algeria

According to the army, Nabil Sahraoui, alias Mustapha Abou Ibrahim, leader of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) rebels, and several others were killed by security forces (CNN.com).

21 JUNE 2004

Technology

The first flight into space by a privately-built manned craft was made. SpaceShipOne, designed by Burt Rutan and flown by Mike Melvill, took off aboard a jet aircraft from Mojave Airport north of Los Angeles, US. At 50,000 feet it decoupled from the jet and ascended at Mach 3 to just over 100 kilometers altitude. It then glided back down to a landing (CNN.com).

23 JUNE 2004

Western Hemisphere

The US government announced that, over the previous two days, an international operation by police agencies in six countries including the US had arrested over 50 high-level drug traffickers, including alleged Colombian drug kingpin Elias Cobos-Munoz. Also seized were 14,300 pounds of cocaine, 2,665 pounds of marijuana, 1 million doses of heroin and $36 million in currency and assets (CNN.com).

23-26 JUNE 2004

Asia and the Pacific, diplomatic affairs

A third round of talks were held in Beijing between representatives of North Korea, the United States, South Korea, China, Japan and Russia concerning North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. Like earlier rounds it ended without agreement. The US proposed that the North end its program in exchange for energy aid and a provisional security guarantee (CNN.com). In late July, North Korea publicly rejected the offer.

24 JUNE 2004

Iraq

Three car bombs in Mosul killed 65 people (CNN.com).

25 JUNE 2004

Haiti

The 3,700-strong US, Canadian, Chilean and French peacekeeping force became the U.N. Stabilization Mission in Haiti under Brazilian command (see 30 April 2004). The force will ultimately consist of Argentine, Brazilian, Chilean and other forces (CNN.com).

26 JUNE 2004

Israel, West Bank

Nayef Abu Sharkh, a senior member of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Jaafar Masri, a senior Hamas member, and four other Palestinian militants were killed during an Israeli raid on their hideout in Nablus (CNN.com).

Pakistan, politics

Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali announced his resignation (CNN.com).

Iraq

An apparent car bomb in Hillah killed 17 people (CNN.com).

Czech Republic, politics

Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla announced his intention to resign (CNN.com).

Turkey

There was a small but violent anti-US protest in Ankara (CNN.com).

27 JUNE 2004

Mexico

At least a quarter of a million people demonstrated in Mexico City and other cities against authorities’ failure to control crime in the country (Reuters).

27-28 JUNE 2004

Diplomatic affairs

NATO held a summit of its leaders in Istanbul, Turkey. It agreed to a request from Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi to help train the Iraqi military. It also agreed to expand its peacekeeping force in Afghanistan from 6,500 to around 10,000. NATO also decided to turn its peacekeeping mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where it has deployed 7,500 troops, over to the EU by the end of the year. On the 27th about 40,000 people protested against the US in Istanbul (CNN.com).

28 JUNE 2004

Iraq

The United States formally transferred sovereignty over the country to the Iraqi interim government (CNN.com).

Canada, politics

Federal elections were held. The Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Paul Martin, won 135 seats in the 308-seat House of Commons, down from 172. The Conservative Party won 99 seats. The Bloc Quebecois (BQ) won 54 of Quebec province’s 75 seats, up from 38, and the New Democratic Party (NDP) won 19 seats (IFES, CNN.com).

29 JUNE 2004

South Korea, politics

Lee Hai-chan was named the new Prime Minister (CNN.com).