http://192.168.2.6/english/20061212VOA.mp3

It's 15:00 Universal Time and here is the news from the Voice of America.

From the VOA news center in Washington, I'm Frances Alonzo.

United Nations officials say Israel has blocked a UN fact-finding mission to the Gaza Strip. Former South African Anglican Archbishop and Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu was to begin leading a six-member team over the weekend in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun. The aim of the mission was to investigate the killings of 19 civilians and an Israeli artillery barrage last month. UN officials said today, however, that Israel refused to grant Tutu and his team the necessary travel clearance.

An Arab diplomat working to end Lebanon's political crisis says he has made progress. Sudanese presidential advisor Musstafa Ismail met early today with Syrian officials in Damacus and then traveled to Beirut for meetings with Lebanon's rival factions. Speaking in Damacus, Ismail said he has the backing of the opposition Hezbollah Party and its allies as well as pro-government factions to end the 11th-day standoff in Lebanon.

The US military in Iraq says a roadside bomb killed 3 American soldiers and wounded 2 others during a late night combat patrol Sunday in Baghdad. 2 other bombings in the Iraqi capital today killed at least 2 people including a policeman. The US military says another roadside bombing killed an American soldier Sunday morning in Baghdad.

The body of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet is at a military hospital in Santiago in preparation for his military funeral on Tuesday. Chile's government said it will not hold a state funeral. All declared national morning for Pinochet. He died on Sunday at the age of 91, a week after having heart attack.

The sample of votes in Indonesia's province of Aceh, a former rebel spokesman maybe elected to serve as the first directly-elected governor. The sampling conducted by the Indonesia's serving institute has a / warning the race with 39 percent of the votes. / was in prison for treasion in 2003. Official results are expected early next month. VOA's Nancy Millie Collins was in the regional capital Aceh and has more details.

People across Aceh exercised the right to vote Monday. In an election guaranteed by the peace agreements signed between the government and Free Aceh Movement in August 2005. The atmosphere was peaceful and entire families waited patiently in line to vote. Safi Adi, a 30-year-old Aceh's mother of three seemed to express the sentiment of many people here. Safi Adi said she is happy and hopeful because she believes this election will help forment the peace process. She adds that life is so much better now since the war was ended. Among those running for governor and deputy governor, a former rebel and former general who wants to head the fight against the seperatists. Many people hope this election and continuing peace will improve the economy of the province which was devastated by the Indonesian tsunami 2 years ago. Nancy Millie Collins VOA news, B.

The head of the Japanese Defense Agency says he would like to see military exchanges in joint exercises between China and Japan. The Defense Agency director general in an exclusive interview with VOA says the idea has got a positive response from China. VOA Steve Herman has this report from Tokyo.

Japan's Defense Policy papers in recent years have increasingly portrayed China as a rising concern for East Asian security, but the director general of the Japanese Defense Agency says that there is no reson not to establish close military ties between the two countries. Fumio Kyuma, who next month will become the Defense Minister when his agency is upgraded to full-fledged ministry, told VOA in an interview Monday that he wants to see cooperation and joint training between Chinese and Japanese forces. Fumio says he has broached the idea to Chinese leaders and as correspondant with hign-ranking defense officials in Beijing who have reacted favorably. The defense chief says planning for such cooperation has already begun and he hopes to have concrete plans formulated when China's Defense Minister visits Tokyo next June. Fumio says it is important and only to have present military leadership establish mutual trust but to get the next generation of officials in China and Japan involved in exchanges. Steve Herman VOA news, Tokyo.

European Union foreign ministers are meeting today. Their talks are likely to be dominated by the status of membership negotiations with Turkey.

More details on our website at voanews.com.

I'm Frances Alonzo.