“Can we please have our Angolan diamonds back?”
Antwerp-based diamond trader Jack Jolis, speaking at the World Diamond Conference in Vancouver on the harm done to business by regulations against trading “blood diamonds”

“No one can defeat the Palestinian people.”
Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat,
after an Israeli attack left part of his presidential compound in ruins

“How can Arafat and Sharon possibly settle anything when their hatred of each other goes back so very many years?”
Diane Bonnett
Calgary, Canada

“Our children are in heaven, their children are in hell.”
Naima El Abed,
Mother of Palestinian suicide attacker Mahmoud el Abed, appearing in a farewell video taped before his recent shooting rampage, which killed two Israeli soldiers

“We pave the way for foreign policy now. Send the WWF in first and then you’ll have a country that’s happy and entertained.”
Jesse Ventura,
Minnesota Governor and former professional wrestler, while on a trip to Beijing and Shanghai

“It’s a very bad thing when people exterminate other people.”
Paul D. Wolfowitz,
U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense and noted hawk, on the violence between the Israelis and the Palestinians

“They’re going to have a hard time eating their oil.”
Condoleeza Rice,
U.S. National Security Adviser, shrugging off Iraq’s decision to stop oil sales for 30 days as a protest over the conflict in the Middle East

“ I never feel nervous, I never feel scared.”
General Pervaiz Musharaf,
President of Pakistan talking to Times.

“ We will make every effort to hold the international community to their promises.”
Abdullah Abdullah,
Afghan Foreign Minister, discussing recent U.S. efforts to encourage other nations to provide Afghanistan with billions in promised aid.

“ I found the country not as pleasant as I had been led to believe.”
Besim Elezi,
An Albanian migrant who was caught trying to smuggle himself out of Britain, having smuggled himself into the country only 10 day earlier.

“ You will never defeat me this time... Never! Even if you come together from all over the world and invite all the devils as well to stand by you.”
Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein,
Telling the U.S. that any new invasion of his country will fail.

We shall see who will die first, either I or the authorities who have arranged the death sentence for me.”
Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh,
Islamic militant convicted of the kidnap Daniel Pearl, in a message to the court after he was sentenced to death.

“ I saw the terrorist shooting. I saw him pull the trigger-now I also know who put the bullet in the gun barrel .”
Anat Harari,
Israeli who was wounded in an April Palestinian terror attack in Adora, reacting to accusations that Jewish settlers stole army ammunition and sold it to Palestinian militants.