World briefs 4/27/03

Iran says it wants no 'friction' over Iraq

TEHRAN, Iran-- Iran's government said Saturday it is neither seeking "friction" with Washington over Iraq's future government nor pushing for a religious administration in Baghdad.

Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi also said Iran "has not asked the Iraqi people to set up an Iranian-style government" in Baghdad, Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld this week ruled out a theocracy for Iraq.

"If you're suggesting how would we feel about an Iranian-type government with a few clerics running everything in the country, the answer is: That isn't going to happen," he told The Associated Press.

Polish leader denies link to alleged bribery scandal

WARSAW, Poland -- Poland's prime minister confidently denied involvement in a murky bribery scandal while testifying before a parliamentary panel Saturday.

Leszek Miller appeared relaxed during hours of testimony to the committee investigating allegations that he tried to solicit a bribe from a newspaper.

The scandal has sparked an uproar over the morality of Poland's political elite.

Car bombing kills 5 at Radio Kashmir offices

SRINAGAR, India -- Amid a surge of violence in disputed Kashmir, a car bombing and ensuing gunbattle killed three suspected Islamic militants and two Indian soldiers Saturday at the offices of state-run radio and television.

Hours later, at least 10 others were injured in two separate attacks in Kashmir.

Two Pakistan-based Islamic rebel groups claimed responsibility for the car bombing in the state's summer capital, Srinagar.

Soldiers cordoned off the area and found explosives strapped to the bodies of two of the dead attackers.

Argentina's presidential election a tight race

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Former President Carlos Menem, bidding for a third term in office, faces two other leading presidential candidates Sunday in an election so tight that opinion polls suggest a runoff will be necessary next month.

The vote is shaping up as one of the closest in Argentina's history.

Polls show none of the five leading candidates poised to capture enough votes to avoid a runoff.

-- From wire reports