Iraq

Low-level guerilla activity continued, mostly in the form of bomb attacks. Fifty US soldiers were killed this month. Iraqi security forces have suffered more casualties than the Americans (Reuters).

Taiwan

A presidential election was held on the 20th. The previous day, while campaigning in Tainan, President Chen Shui-bian and Vice President Annette Lu were wounded in an assassination attempt. In the election, Chen, of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) defeated Kuomintang (KMT) candidate Lien Chan 50.1% to 49.9%. Lien and his supporters disputed the result. On the 27th, half a million supporters of Lien demonstrated in Taipei against Chen's victory. Lien said he wanted an inquiry into the assassination attempt which probably generated a decisive sympathy vote for Chen. Also at issue was the fact that the number of invalid ballots was about three times greater than in the March 2000 election and about 11 times greater than the margin of victory in this one. Chen agreed to a recount and said he would resign if Lien could show that the assassination attempt could have been staged (Reuters, IFES).

In March 2005, authorities said they had concluded the shooter was Chen Yi-hsiung, an unemployed man who drowned in an apparent suicide shortly after the assassination attempt (CNN.com).

2 MARCH 2004

Iraq

Several terror bombings in Kerbala and Baghdad killed over 100 people. Shi'ite Muslims appeared to be the target (Reuters).

5 MARCH 2004

Haiti

Over 10,000 people demonstrated in Port-au-Prince against the US and for the return of Jean-Bertrand Aristide (Reuters).

6 MARCH 2004

Venezuela

Several hundred thousand people demonstrated in Caracas against President Hugo Chavez (Reuters).

7 MARCH 2004

Afghanistan

US-led forces launched Operation Mountain Storm in the southern and eastern mountains against the Taliban and al Qaeda (Reuters).

Greece, politics

General elections were held. New Democracy (ND), led by Kostas Karamanlis, won 165 seats in the 300-seat Vouli ton Ellinon, up from 125 in April 2000. The Pan Hellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), led by George Papandreou, won 117, down from 158. Karamanlis said he would work to encourage foreign investment, privatize public enterprises and prepare for the Olympic Games to be held in Athens in August (Reuters).

Israel, Gaza Strip

Israeli forces raided Husseirat and al-Bureij refugee camps (Reuters).

Haiti

In Port-au-Prince, pro-Aristide gunmen attacked a crowd of people celebrating Aristide's fall, killing several (Reuters).

8-9 MARCH 2004

Haiti

Boniface Alexandre was installed as President. The next day, former foreign minister Gerard Latortue was appointed Prime Minister (Reuters).

11 MARCH 2004

Spain

Four simultaneous bomb attacks on commuter trains in Madrid killed 191 people and wounded over 1800. The Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades, a group that aligns itself with al Qaeda, claimed responsibility. ETA denied responsibility. The government initially blamed ETA but later named the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group as the primary suspect (Reuters, CNN.com).

On 31 October 2007, a court convicted Jamal Zougam and Othman El Gnaoui, both Moroccan, and Jose Emilio Suarez Trashorras, a Spaniard, of mass murder; they received very long prison sentences, but in practice the maximum penalty under Spanish law is 40 years. Abdelmajid Bouchar and Youssef Belhadj were convicted of membership in a terrorist group and sentenced to 12 years, Hassan el Haski was sentenced to 15 years for leadership in a terrorist group, and Rafa Zouhier was given 10 years for transporting explosives. Prosecutors said the men were based in Spain but inspired by al Qaeda. (CNN.com)

12 MARCH 2004

Spain

Two million people demonstrated in Madrid against the previous day's terrorism (Reuters).

12-13 MARCH 2004

South Korea, politics

The opposition-controlled parliament impeached President Roh Moo-hyun for breaking election laws. Prime Minister Goh Kun took over as interim president (IFES). The next day about 50,000 people protested the impeachment in Seoul (Reuters).

13 MARCH 2004

Diplomatic affairs

The IAEA Board of Governors adopted a resolution on Iran which, while saying that Iran has been cooperating with the Agency, criticizes the country for certain ommissions and calls on it to improve its cooperation with the Agency.

The resolution said that "the declarations made by Iran in October 2003 did not amount to the complete and final picture of Iran's past and present nuclear programme considered essential by the Board's November 2003 resolution, in that the Agency has since uncovered a number of omissions -- e.g., a more advanced centrifuge design than previously declared, including associated research, manufacturing and testing activities; two mass spectrometers used in the laser enrichment programme; and designs for the construction of hot cells at the Arak heavy water research reactor..." The "more advance centrifuge design" referred to is the P-2, believed to have been acquired from Pakistan (see 19 December 2003). The resolution said Iran has not resolved outstanding issues, such as "questions regarding the development of its enrichment technology to its current extent" and "the issue of LEU and HEU contamination at the Kalaye Electric Company workshop and Natanz..." (www.iaea.org)

14 MARCH 2004

Russia, politics

In a presidential election, President Vladimir Putin won 71.9% of the vote in a crowded field. Nikolai Kharitonov of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF) won 13.8%. Turnout was over 60%. There were some suggestions from the US government that Putin's challengers had been denied fair media access. Putin said, "I promise you that all democratic gains of our people will without any doubt be upheld and guaranteed....We shall do everything we can to ensure stable growth of our country's economy, stability in both the economy and the social sphere...which we value" (Reuters, IFES).

Spain, politics

In general elections, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) led by Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero defeated the People's Party (PP) led by Mariano Rajoy (Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar had announced that he would step down). The PSOE won 164 seats in the 350-seat Chamber of Deputies, up from 125 in March 2000. The PP won 148 seats, down from 183. Zapatero had promised to withdraw Spain's 1,300 troops from Iraq (IFES, Reuters).

Israel

Two suicide bombers killed 10 people in Ashdod (Reuters).

15 MARCH 2004

Georgia

President Mikhail Saakashvili announced he would cut commercial routes to the rebel Adzhara region. The port of Batumi handles 200,000 BPD of oil (Reuters).

16-28 MARCH 2004

Pakistan

The army conducted an operation in Waziristan against Islamic militants. There were some sharp engagements. The military said about 200 militants were killed or captured (Reuters).

17 MARCH 2004

Kosovo

There were major acts of violence directed by ethnic Albanians against minority Serbs. Clashes ensued between Albanians and NATO peacekeepers. Authorities estimated about 50,000 people were involved in dozens of riots in which 28 people were killed (Reuters).

Iraq

A car bomb killed seven people in Baghdad (Reuters).

20 MARCH 2004

Europe

About a million people demonstrated in Rome against the US occupation of Iraq. About 25,000 demonstrators gathered in London (Reuters).

United States

Organizers of a rally in New York criticizing President Bush and US policy estimated up to 100,000 people participated (Reuters).

21 MARCH 2004

Malaysia, politics

In parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's ruling coalition, which is dominated by the United Malays National Organization (UNMO), made a strong showing against the opposition Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS), taking about 90% of seats (Reuters).

El Salvador, politics

In a presidential election, Antonio Saca of the Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) defeated Schafik Handal of the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) by about a 59% to 32% margin (Reuters, IFES).

22 MARCH 2004

Israel, Gaza Strip

An Israeli helicopter attack killed Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the leader of Hamas, in Gaza City. Later about 200,000 people joined in a funeral procession for Yassin (Reuters).

25 MARCH 2004

Diplomatic affairs

British Prime Minister Tony Blair met Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi in Tripoli (Reuters).

Ivory Coast

Defying a ban on demonstrations, supporters of the political opposition tried to march to the center of Abidjan. As they met police and government supporters, violence ensued in which dozens were killed. Afterwards, the rebel New Forces said they were suspending their participation in the power-sharing government (Reuters).

29 MARCH 2004

Diplomatic affairs

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) formally admitted Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia as new members (Reuters).

29-30 MARCH 2004

Uzbekistan

There were terrorist bombings followed the next day by a police raid on Islamic militants in Tashkent (Reuters).