Losing ground
Shiites May Demand Lifting of Limits on Their Power
By JOHN F. BURNS
Published: March 10, 2004
BAGHDAD, Iraq, March 9 — Iraq's most powerful Shiite leaders kept up the pressure on Tuesday for changes in the interim constitution they signed on Monday, hinting that they may entangle the next phase of the American political timetable here, choosing a transitional government, by continuing their push for fewer constraints on the powers of the country's Shiite majority.
U.S. Softens Its Rebuke on Iran Nuclear Issue, Appeasing Allies
By CRAIG S. SMITH
Published: March 10, 2004
VIENNA, March 9 — The United States agreed Tuesday to tone down its criticism of Iran in order to win European support for a demand that Tehran divulge more about its nuclear program, according to European diplomats here.
Washington dropped threatening language from a draft resolution being prepared at a meeting of the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, and agreed to insert a paragraph praising Iran's cooperation so far. The board's 10 European members signed off Tuesday on the revised draft, and the United States will present it to remaining board members on Wednesday.
Bush Agrees to Answer All of 9/11 Panel's Questions
By PHILIP SHENON
Published: March 10, 2004
WASHINGTON, March 9 — The White House said Tuesday that President Bush would privately answer all questions raised by the federal commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks and suggested that the interview might go beyond the one-hour limit originally offered to the panel.
"He's going to answer all the questions they want to raise," said the White House spokesman, Scott McClellan, whose remarks indicated that the White House was softening its negotiating stance toward the bipartisan commission. "Nobody's watching the clock."
Recent Slide in Stock Steepens, With Dow Falling 160
By ALEX BERENSON
Shares continued their recent slide yesterday as investors seemed increasingly worried about weakness in the economy and the prospects for growth in profits.
This week's drop has wiped out the year's gains for the Nasdaq composite index and the Dow Jones industrial average, though the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index is still up slightly for the year. But several big investors said that stocks, while no longer cheap, were still reasonably valued and that the possibility of a steep pullback appeared slight.
No single news event accounted for yesterday's slide, economists and professional money managers said. But investors appear concerned that the economy's growth over the last year has come mainly as a result of short-term stimulus from the federal government and Federal Reserve, not because of increased corporate investment or sustainable increases in consumer spending.
