WASHINGTON — U.S. troops are out of Iraq’s cities, but not its future.
Even a best-case scenario is likely to feature an American role there for years — militarily as well as diplomatically.
That does not mean a permanent large U.S. troop presence in Iraq. Under a security deal struck with the Bush administration, American forces are to be out by the end of 2011.
But it’s no secret that Iraq’s security forces are not fully ready to handle even a diminished insurgency on their own.
Some senior U.S. military officers say privately they anticipate setbacks in coming months, particularly if the insurgents regroup. But by partnering with American forces, the Iraqis stand a good chance of succeeding. That is why a number of U.S. troops will remain in the cities to assist and advise.
But most were gone Tuesday as Iraqis marked National Sovereignty Day with parades and marching bands in Baghdad.
President Barack Obama made clear Tuesday that while he expects violence to persist, the final outcome is an Iraqi responsibility. "Iraq’s future is in the hands of its own people,” he said from the White House. "And Iraq’s leaders must now make some hard choices necessary to resolve key political questions” and to provide security.
There are still about 131,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. They won’t be fighting in urban areas any more, unless the Iraqi government asks for their help. Instead they will focus on securing Iraq’s borders, keeping insurgents on the run in rural areas and conducting training with Iraqi forces.
Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said Tuesday he was hopeful, in part because Iraqis have embraced the U.S. urban withdrawal as a confidence booster.
by the associated press
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Showing posts with label United States. Show all posts
Showing posts with label United States. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
US climate bill
Cap-and-trade? Offsets? Pollution credits? The climate bill passed Friday by the U.S. House of Representatives tackles global warming with new limits on pollution and a market-based approach to encourage more environmentally friendly business practices. But what exactly do the proposed rules mean, and how would they work?
Some questions and answers about the bill, a top legislative priority for President Barack Obama:
Q: What's the purpose of this legislation?
A: To reduce the gases linked to global warming and to force sources for power to shift away from fossil fuels, which when burned, release heat-trapping gases, and toward cleaner sources of energy such as wind, solar and geothermal.
Q: How does the bill accomplish this?
A: By placing the first national limits on emissions of heat-trapping gases from major sources like power plants, refineries and factories. This limit effectively puts a price on the pollution, raising the cost for companies to continue to use fuels and electricity sources that contribute to global warming. This gives them an incentive to seek cleaner alternatives.
Q: Is this the "cap-and-trade" idea that has been in the news?
A: Yes. The first step in a cap-and-trade program sets a limit on the amount of gases that can be released into the atmosphere. That is the cap. Companies with facilities that are covered by the cap will then receive permits for their share of the pollution, an annual pollution allowance. This bill initially would give the bulk of the permits away for free to help ease costs, but they still would have value because there would be a limited supply. Companies that do not get a big enough allowance to cover their pollution would either have to find ways to reduce it, which can be expensive, or buy additional permits from companies that have reduced pollution enough to have allowances left over. That is the trade. Companies typically would pick the cheaper option: reducing pollution or buying permits. They also have a third choice: They can invest in pollution reductions made elsewhere, such as farms that capture methane or plant trees. These are known as offsets.
Q: So the idea is to try to reduce the overall level of pollution, regardless of whether, say, a particular factory reduces emissions?
A: That is true in the beginning. But as the cap gets lower and lower, reaching an 83 percent reduction by 2050, eventually all polluters will have to reduce. It is merely a question of when. For instance, it will be very tough for coal plants to reduce emissions at the outset of the program because the technology to capture and store carbon dioxide is not yet commercially available. It probably is 10 to 20 years away. So they will be buying offsets and buying allowances from other entities that will have an easier time.
Q: Do most environmentalists support this approach?
A: Most do, at least broadly. Cap-and-trade has had success. Since 1990, the United States has had a cap-and-trade program for sulfur dioxide, the main culprit in acid rain. Democrats have had to make a lot of concessions to win votes for the current bill from lawmakers from coal, oil and farm states. Some liberal environmentalists think these concessions weaken the bill. For instance, the bill's sponsors have had to lower the cap — it originally called for a 20 percent cut by 2020 — to 17 percent. Research suggests that much deeper cuts will be needed globally to avert the most serious consequences of global warming.
Q: Who opposes this approach, and why?
A: Republicans, some farm groups, some environmentalists, the oil industry, which feels it has received too few free permits, and some moderate Democrats. They all worry about the cost and the loss of jobs if industries move to countries that do not have controls on greenhouse gases. The bill has provisions to prevent this, but there are questions whether they will work. Republicans call the bill a national energy tax on every American family. This is because, as industries spend money to reduce pollution or buy credits, they will pass on that cost to consumers, the people who turn on the lights or pump gas in their cars. Recent analyses by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office show that the new rules eventually will cost the average household an extra $175 a year.
Q: Under the bill, what will happen to companies that do not follow the rules?
A: If they exceed their limit, they will have to pay a fine equal to twice the cap-and-trade price for each ton of pollution over the limit.
Q: Other than costs potentially being passed along to consumers, will this affect most Americans' day-to-day lives?
A: It fundamentally will change how we use, produce and consume energy, ending the country's love affair with big gas-guzzling cars and its insatiable appetite for cheap electricity. This bill will put smaller, more efficient cars on the road, swap smokestacks for windmills and solar panels, and transform the appliances you can buy for your home.
Q: How quickly will we notice these changes?
A: Some will occur more quickly than others. For instance, measures to boost energy efficiency in buildings and appliances are the low-hanging fruit that does not require major infrastructure changes or new technologies. Other changes are decades off and probably will come when the cap gets more stringent and permits get more expensive. For instance, the country can build more wind and more solar panels, but currently it lacks the transmission lines to move the energy they generate to population centers. As for cars: While more efficient models are a near-term reality, it will take a while to change out the fleet. Some people will continue driving 10-year-old gas guzzlers.
Q: What are the chances this bill will become law?
A: Both the Obama administration and Democrats want this bill passed by the end of the year, when negotiations for a new international agreement to reduce greenhouse gases get under way in Copenhagen. Even as Democrats hold the majority in Congress, it will not be easy to get this enacted. Many moderate Democrats from rural states and conservative districts are worried about the costs and complexity of the legislation when the economy is already weak. Very few Republicans, if any, are expected to support the bill. Approval of a climate bill in the Senate has been viewed as a long shot. Parts of the bill may need to be changed to secure approval in the Senate.
Q: Why is it so important to tackle global warming anyway?
A: Left untended, scientists say, global warming will cause sea levels to rise, increase storms and worsen air pollution. For these reasons, the Environmental Protection Agency recently concluded that six greenhouse gases pose dangers to human health and welfare. And politically, without U.S. action, developing countries like China probably will not agree to mandatory pollution limits.
by the associated press
Some questions and answers about the bill, a top legislative priority for President Barack Obama:
Q: What's the purpose of this legislation?
A: To reduce the gases linked to global warming and to force sources for power to shift away from fossil fuels, which when burned, release heat-trapping gases, and toward cleaner sources of energy such as wind, solar and geothermal.
Q: How does the bill accomplish this?
A: By placing the first national limits on emissions of heat-trapping gases from major sources like power plants, refineries and factories. This limit effectively puts a price on the pollution, raising the cost for companies to continue to use fuels and electricity sources that contribute to global warming. This gives them an incentive to seek cleaner alternatives.
Q: Is this the "cap-and-trade" idea that has been in the news?
A: Yes. The first step in a cap-and-trade program sets a limit on the amount of gases that can be released into the atmosphere. That is the cap. Companies with facilities that are covered by the cap will then receive permits for their share of the pollution, an annual pollution allowance. This bill initially would give the bulk of the permits away for free to help ease costs, but they still would have value because there would be a limited supply. Companies that do not get a big enough allowance to cover their pollution would either have to find ways to reduce it, which can be expensive, or buy additional permits from companies that have reduced pollution enough to have allowances left over. That is the trade. Companies typically would pick the cheaper option: reducing pollution or buying permits. They also have a third choice: They can invest in pollution reductions made elsewhere, such as farms that capture methane or plant trees. These are known as offsets.
Q: So the idea is to try to reduce the overall level of pollution, regardless of whether, say, a particular factory reduces emissions?
A: That is true in the beginning. But as the cap gets lower and lower, reaching an 83 percent reduction by 2050, eventually all polluters will have to reduce. It is merely a question of when. For instance, it will be very tough for coal plants to reduce emissions at the outset of the program because the technology to capture and store carbon dioxide is not yet commercially available. It probably is 10 to 20 years away. So they will be buying offsets and buying allowances from other entities that will have an easier time.
Q: Do most environmentalists support this approach?
A: Most do, at least broadly. Cap-and-trade has had success. Since 1990, the United States has had a cap-and-trade program for sulfur dioxide, the main culprit in acid rain. Democrats have had to make a lot of concessions to win votes for the current bill from lawmakers from coal, oil and farm states. Some liberal environmentalists think these concessions weaken the bill. For instance, the bill's sponsors have had to lower the cap — it originally called for a 20 percent cut by 2020 — to 17 percent. Research suggests that much deeper cuts will be needed globally to avert the most serious consequences of global warming.
Q: Who opposes this approach, and why?
A: Republicans, some farm groups, some environmentalists, the oil industry, which feels it has received too few free permits, and some moderate Democrats. They all worry about the cost and the loss of jobs if industries move to countries that do not have controls on greenhouse gases. The bill has provisions to prevent this, but there are questions whether they will work. Republicans call the bill a national energy tax on every American family. This is because, as industries spend money to reduce pollution or buy credits, they will pass on that cost to consumers, the people who turn on the lights or pump gas in their cars. Recent analyses by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office show that the new rules eventually will cost the average household an extra $175 a year.
Q: Under the bill, what will happen to companies that do not follow the rules?
A: If they exceed their limit, they will have to pay a fine equal to twice the cap-and-trade price for each ton of pollution over the limit.
Q: Other than costs potentially being passed along to consumers, will this affect most Americans' day-to-day lives?
A: It fundamentally will change how we use, produce and consume energy, ending the country's love affair with big gas-guzzling cars and its insatiable appetite for cheap electricity. This bill will put smaller, more efficient cars on the road, swap smokestacks for windmills and solar panels, and transform the appliances you can buy for your home.
Q: How quickly will we notice these changes?
A: Some will occur more quickly than others. For instance, measures to boost energy efficiency in buildings and appliances are the low-hanging fruit that does not require major infrastructure changes or new technologies. Other changes are decades off and probably will come when the cap gets more stringent and permits get more expensive. For instance, the country can build more wind and more solar panels, but currently it lacks the transmission lines to move the energy they generate to population centers. As for cars: While more efficient models are a near-term reality, it will take a while to change out the fleet. Some people will continue driving 10-year-old gas guzzlers.
Q: What are the chances this bill will become law?
A: Both the Obama administration and Democrats want this bill passed by the end of the year, when negotiations for a new international agreement to reduce greenhouse gases get under way in Copenhagen. Even as Democrats hold the majority in Congress, it will not be easy to get this enacted. Many moderate Democrats from rural states and conservative districts are worried about the costs and complexity of the legislation when the economy is already weak. Very few Republicans, if any, are expected to support the bill. Approval of a climate bill in the Senate has been viewed as a long shot. Parts of the bill may need to be changed to secure approval in the Senate.
Q: Why is it so important to tackle global warming anyway?
A: Left untended, scientists say, global warming will cause sea levels to rise, increase storms and worsen air pollution. For these reasons, the Environmental Protection Agency recently concluded that six greenhouse gases pose dangers to human health and welfare. And politically, without U.S. action, developing countries like China probably will not agree to mandatory pollution limits.
by the associated press
Sunday, June 21, 2009
US, South Korea holds defense talks with North Korea threats
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Top U.S. and South Korean defense officials met Friday for talks expected to focus on heightened tensions over North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak called the North a "stumbling block" to world peace and security.
Defense Undersecretary Michele Flournoy's trip to Seoul came as the U.S. sought international support for aggressively enforcing a U.N. sanctions resolution aimed at punishing Pyongyang for its second nuclear test last month.
North Korea has in response escalated threats of war, with a slew of harsh rhetoric including warnings that it would unleash a "fire shower of nuclear retaliation" and "wipe out the (U.S.) agressors" in the event of a conflict.
On Thursday, the communist regime organized a massive anti-American rally in Pyongyang where some 100,000 participants vowed to "crush" the U.S. One senior speaker told the crowd that the North will respond to any sanctions or U.S. provocations with "an annihilating blow."
That was seen as a pointed threat as an American destroyer shadowed a North Korean freighter sailing off China's coast, possibly with banned goods on board. The North Korean-flagged ship, Kang Nam 1, is the first to be tracked under the U.N. resolution.
Flournoy's Asia trip, which already took her to Beijing and Tokyo, also followed signs that North Korea is gearing up to test-fire short- or medium-range missiles in violation of the U.N. resolution. Pyongyang has issued a no-sail zone in waters off its east coast, effective from Thursday through July 10.
Details of Flournoy's talks with South Korea's Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee were not immediately available. She made no comments to reporters upon arrival at the Defense Ministry for the meeting.
President Lee criticized the North for "threatening compatriots with nuclear weapons and missiles." The regime is a "stumbling block to world peace and security," Lee said in a speech read by one of his aides at a ceremony marking the death of a renowned independence fighter.
It is not clear what was on board the North Korean freighter, but officials have mentioned artillery and other conventional weaponry. One intelligence expert suspected missiles.
The U.S. and its allies have made no decision on whether to request inspection of the ship, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said Wednesday in Washington, but North Korea has said it would consider any interception an act of war.
If permission for inspection is refused, the ship must dock at a port of its choosing so local authorities can check its cargo. Vessels suspected of carrying banned goods must not be offered bunkering services at port, such as fuel, the resolution says.
A senior U.S. defense official said the ship had cleared the Taiwan Strait. He said he didn't know whether or when the Kang Nam may need to stop in some port to refuel, but that the Kang Nam has in the past stopped in Hong Kong's port.
Another U.S. defense official said he tended to doubt reports that the Kang Nam was carrying nuclear-related equipment, saying information seems to indicate the cargo is banned conventional munitions. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity in order to talk about intelligence.
North Korea is suspected to have transported banned goods to Myanmar before on the Kang Nam, said Bertil Lintner, a Bangkok-based North Korea expert who has written a book about leader Kim Jong Il.
by the associated press
Defense Undersecretary Michele Flournoy's trip to Seoul came as the U.S. sought international support for aggressively enforcing a U.N. sanctions resolution aimed at punishing Pyongyang for its second nuclear test last month.
North Korea has in response escalated threats of war, with a slew of harsh rhetoric including warnings that it would unleash a "fire shower of nuclear retaliation" and "wipe out the (U.S.) agressors" in the event of a conflict.
On Thursday, the communist regime organized a massive anti-American rally in Pyongyang where some 100,000 participants vowed to "crush" the U.S. One senior speaker told the crowd that the North will respond to any sanctions or U.S. provocations with "an annihilating blow."
That was seen as a pointed threat as an American destroyer shadowed a North Korean freighter sailing off China's coast, possibly with banned goods on board. The North Korean-flagged ship, Kang Nam 1, is the first to be tracked under the U.N. resolution.
Flournoy's Asia trip, which already took her to Beijing and Tokyo, also followed signs that North Korea is gearing up to test-fire short- or medium-range missiles in violation of the U.N. resolution. Pyongyang has issued a no-sail zone in waters off its east coast, effective from Thursday through July 10.
Details of Flournoy's talks with South Korea's Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee were not immediately available. She made no comments to reporters upon arrival at the Defense Ministry for the meeting.
President Lee criticized the North for "threatening compatriots with nuclear weapons and missiles." The regime is a "stumbling block to world peace and security," Lee said in a speech read by one of his aides at a ceremony marking the death of a renowned independence fighter.
It is not clear what was on board the North Korean freighter, but officials have mentioned artillery and other conventional weaponry. One intelligence expert suspected missiles.
The U.S. and its allies have made no decision on whether to request inspection of the ship, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said Wednesday in Washington, but North Korea has said it would consider any interception an act of war.
If permission for inspection is refused, the ship must dock at a port of its choosing so local authorities can check its cargo. Vessels suspected of carrying banned goods must not be offered bunkering services at port, such as fuel, the resolution says.
A senior U.S. defense official said the ship had cleared the Taiwan Strait. He said he didn't know whether or when the Kang Nam may need to stop in some port to refuel, but that the Kang Nam has in the past stopped in Hong Kong's port.
Another U.S. defense official said he tended to doubt reports that the Kang Nam was carrying nuclear-related equipment, saying information seems to indicate the cargo is banned conventional munitions. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity in order to talk about intelligence.
North Korea is suspected to have transported banned goods to Myanmar before on the Kang Nam, said Bertil Lintner, a Bangkok-based North Korea expert who has written a book about leader Kim Jong Il.
by the associated press
GOP wants stronger Iran response
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans intensified their criticism of President Barack Obama's handling of his first major test of international leadership, saying Sunday that he has been too cautious in response to Iran's postelection upheaval.
"The president of the United States is supposed to lead the free world, not follow it," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. "He's been timid and passive more than I would like."
But in an interview released Sunday, Obama argued: "The last thing that I want to do is to have the United States be a foil for those forces inside Iran who would love nothing better than to make this an argument about the United States. We shouldn't be playing into that."
The president spoke Friday during an interview with CBS News' Harry Smith. It will be broadcast Monday on "The Early Show."
He told Pakistan's Dawn newspaper, in an interview published Sunday, that the United States has no way of knowing whether the disputed Iranian election 10 days ago was fair or not. Iranians should be able to peacefully protest the results in any case, Obama said.
That interview was also done last week. Obama said nothing about the crisis in public on Sunday, although a spokesman said he discussed Iran with foreign policy advisers in the Oval Office for more than 30 minutes. He later went golfing in Virginia.
Tehran's streets fell mostly quiet for the first time since a bitterly disputed June 12 presidential election, but there were reports that government forces appeared to be pressing arrests of defiant protesters after the official death toll swelled to at least 17.
The White House did not book any surrogates on the Sunday talk shows to defend or explain the administration's approach. Republicans used their broadcast appearances to call the president timid or feckless, while the Democrat who leads the Senate Intelligence Committee said the U.S. had no hand in the disputed election.
Like other Democrats who spoke Sunday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein backed the president's approach.
"It is very crucial as I see that we not have our fingerprints on this," she said, "that this really be ... truly inspired by the Iranian people. We don't know where this goes."
A day earlier, Obama invoked the American civil rights struggle to condemn violence against demonstrators, some of whom have carried signs in English asking, "Where is My Vote?"
It was his strongest statement on what has become the most significant challenge to Iran's ruling structure since the Islamic revolution 30 years ago, but it stopped short of demanding a recount or new election, as many of the demonstrators seek.
He avoided mentioning either incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or his principal challenger by name, and said nothing about his oft-repeated campaign promise of a fresh start in diplomatic talks with the main U.S. adversary in the Middle East.
Obama's defenders say his measured response speaks up for human rights while preserving U.S. options and lessening the chance that he becomes a scapegoat for the cleric-led government, which has blamed the West for stirring up street protests that turned into bloody clashes with police and militia.
Obama has tried to hold a middle ground as the crisis unfolds, and found the ground shifting by the day. His advisers say any thunderous denunciation of Iran's rulers would invite them to cry interference and might worsen the violence instead of end it.
Both the House and Senate voted overwhelmingly last week to condemn an official crackdown on the mostly peaceful demonstrations, a stronger action than the White House has yet taken.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and others noted that Western leaders, including French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, have demanded a recount or more forcefully condemned the government crackdown.
"I'd like to see the president be stronger than he has been, although I appreciate the comments that he made yesterday," McCain said. "I think we ought to have America lead."
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said a slow or muted U.S. response risks undermining the aspirations of Iranian voters to change or question their government.
"If America stands for democracy and all of these demonstrations are going on in Tehran and other cities over there, and people don't think that we really care, then obviously they're going to question, 'do we really believe in our principles?'" Grassley said.
Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar, a moderate Republican who holds the party's top position on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, seemed to echo Obama's caution.
"The challenge continues, which is going to come to a conclusion one way or another," Lugar said. "Either the protesters bring about change or they're suppressed, and it's a potentially very brutal outcome at the end of the day."
Obama on Saturday challenged Iran's government to halt a "violent and unjust" crackdown on dissenters, and he quoted Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who said, "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
"Right now, we are bearing witness to the Iranian people's belief in that truth, and we will continue to bear witness," Obama said.
The statement calling for an end to violence against demonstrators followed days of agonizing among his staff over what to say and how strongly to say it.
It also followed Obama's remark last week that he said he saw little difference between Ahmadinejad, the hard-liner who claims a landslide re-election mandate, and his conservative but pro-reform challenger. That upset some Iranian activists in the United States and others who said Obama left the impression that he discounted the votes of Mir Hossein Mousavi's supporters or the bravery of protesters who marched to say their votes were stolen.
Ahmadinejad claimed victory by an overwhelming margin following a lively campaign that many analysts predicted would yield razor-close results. The speed with which his victory was announced and vote claims in areas where he was at a clear disadvantage outraged Mousavi's backers.
Democrats in the Senate say Obama has struck the right balance.
"He's got a very delicate path to walk here," said Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn. "You don't want to take ownership of this."
Dodd and Graham appeared on ABC's "This Week," McCain was on CBS' "Face the Nation," and Feinstein, Lugar and Grassley spoke on "State of the Union" on CNN.
by the associated press
"The president of the United States is supposed to lead the free world, not follow it," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. "He's been timid and passive more than I would like."
But in an interview released Sunday, Obama argued: "The last thing that I want to do is to have the United States be a foil for those forces inside Iran who would love nothing better than to make this an argument about the United States. We shouldn't be playing into that."
The president spoke Friday during an interview with CBS News' Harry Smith. It will be broadcast Monday on "The Early Show."
He told Pakistan's Dawn newspaper, in an interview published Sunday, that the United States has no way of knowing whether the disputed Iranian election 10 days ago was fair or not. Iranians should be able to peacefully protest the results in any case, Obama said.
That interview was also done last week. Obama said nothing about the crisis in public on Sunday, although a spokesman said he discussed Iran with foreign policy advisers in the Oval Office for more than 30 minutes. He later went golfing in Virginia.
Tehran's streets fell mostly quiet for the first time since a bitterly disputed June 12 presidential election, but there were reports that government forces appeared to be pressing arrests of defiant protesters after the official death toll swelled to at least 17.
The White House did not book any surrogates on the Sunday talk shows to defend or explain the administration's approach. Republicans used their broadcast appearances to call the president timid or feckless, while the Democrat who leads the Senate Intelligence Committee said the U.S. had no hand in the disputed election.
Like other Democrats who spoke Sunday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein backed the president's approach.
"It is very crucial as I see that we not have our fingerprints on this," she said, "that this really be ... truly inspired by the Iranian people. We don't know where this goes."
A day earlier, Obama invoked the American civil rights struggle to condemn violence against demonstrators, some of whom have carried signs in English asking, "Where is My Vote?"
It was his strongest statement on what has become the most significant challenge to Iran's ruling structure since the Islamic revolution 30 years ago, but it stopped short of demanding a recount or new election, as many of the demonstrators seek.
He avoided mentioning either incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or his principal challenger by name, and said nothing about his oft-repeated campaign promise of a fresh start in diplomatic talks with the main U.S. adversary in the Middle East.
Obama's defenders say his measured response speaks up for human rights while preserving U.S. options and lessening the chance that he becomes a scapegoat for the cleric-led government, which has blamed the West for stirring up street protests that turned into bloody clashes with police and militia.
Obama has tried to hold a middle ground as the crisis unfolds, and found the ground shifting by the day. His advisers say any thunderous denunciation of Iran's rulers would invite them to cry interference and might worsen the violence instead of end it.
Both the House and Senate voted overwhelmingly last week to condemn an official crackdown on the mostly peaceful demonstrations, a stronger action than the White House has yet taken.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and others noted that Western leaders, including French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, have demanded a recount or more forcefully condemned the government crackdown.
"I'd like to see the president be stronger than he has been, although I appreciate the comments that he made yesterday," McCain said. "I think we ought to have America lead."
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said a slow or muted U.S. response risks undermining the aspirations of Iranian voters to change or question their government.
"If America stands for democracy and all of these demonstrations are going on in Tehran and other cities over there, and people don't think that we really care, then obviously they're going to question, 'do we really believe in our principles?'" Grassley said.
Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar, a moderate Republican who holds the party's top position on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, seemed to echo Obama's caution.
"The challenge continues, which is going to come to a conclusion one way or another," Lugar said. "Either the protesters bring about change or they're suppressed, and it's a potentially very brutal outcome at the end of the day."
Obama on Saturday challenged Iran's government to halt a "violent and unjust" crackdown on dissenters, and he quoted Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who said, "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
"Right now, we are bearing witness to the Iranian people's belief in that truth, and we will continue to bear witness," Obama said.
The statement calling for an end to violence against demonstrators followed days of agonizing among his staff over what to say and how strongly to say it.
It also followed Obama's remark last week that he said he saw little difference between Ahmadinejad, the hard-liner who claims a landslide re-election mandate, and his conservative but pro-reform challenger. That upset some Iranian activists in the United States and others who said Obama left the impression that he discounted the votes of Mir Hossein Mousavi's supporters or the bravery of protesters who marched to say their votes were stolen.
Ahmadinejad claimed victory by an overwhelming margin following a lively campaign that many analysts predicted would yield razor-close results. The speed with which his victory was announced and vote claims in areas where he was at a clear disadvantage outraged Mousavi's backers.
Democrats in the Senate say Obama has struck the right balance.
"He's got a very delicate path to walk here," said Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn. "You don't want to take ownership of this."
Dodd and Graham appeared on ABC's "This Week," McCain was on CBS' "Face the Nation," and Feinstein, Lugar and Grassley spoke on "State of the Union" on CNN.
by the associated press
US sends dogs to search for bomb victims
BAGHDAD (AP) — The U.S. military sent search dogs Sunday to help find more than a dozen people still missing and feared dead after the country's worst bombing this year devastated a northern Iraqi town just over a week before U.S. troops are due to leave Iraq's cities.
The truck bombing Saturday near the ethnically tense city of Kirkuk flattened a Shiite mosque and dozens of mud-brick houses around it, killing at least 75 people.
Iraqi police blamed al-Qaida in Iraq, saying it was part of an insurgent campaign to destabilize the country and undermine confidence in the government.
Americans will remain ready to help, as they were in the aftermath of Saturday's bombing, but many Iraqis fear their departure after two years of a steady urban presence will prove deadly.
"Several blasts have occurred in Kirkuk, Baghdad and even in Fallujah, which shows that our forces aren't ready," said Saif Hassan, a 22-year-old university student in Baghdad. "None of my classmates support the hasty withdrawal because we expect more violence to erupt."
Another bomb exploded Sunday evening in a cafe in a Shiite enclave in a mainly Sunni area of southern Baghdad, killing at least two civilians and wounding 13, police said.
The timetable set in a security pact calls for U.S. combat troops to withdraw from cities by June 30 — the first stage of a full withdrawal by the end of 2011.
Violence has declined dramatically in the past two years, but a string of high-profile bombings have raised fears that insurgents are regrouping.
Assad Salah, who lives in Baghdad's main Shiite district of Sadr City, which saw some of the fiercest fighting of the war, expressed confidence in Iraqi security forces.
"The U.S. troops' departure ... is a giant and great step. And it indicates that the Iraqi troops are capable of keeping security and order in this country," he said.
Politicians from all sides also urged people to remain calm.
U.S. and Iraqi officials have warned that mainly Sunni insurgents are still able to stage attacks in a bid to stoke sectarian violence despite setbacks. But commanders say the fact that retaliatory bloodshed has not resumed shows security gains are holding.
Iraqis need "to be cautious and careful because the security situation is still threatened by the potential for a major security breach from time to time," said Iraq's Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, a Sunni.
The blast took place in Taza, 10 miles (20 kilometers) south of Kirkuk, which is home to about 20,000 people — many of them Shiites from the Turkomen minority.
"It is a quiet town, but al-Qaida targeted it to try to ignite the sectarian sedition in Iraq," said Tahseen Kahaya, a member of the Islamic Turkomen party.
Sabah Amin, a senior health official, said 75 people, including 35 children, had died and 254 others were wounded.
Local officials said some 50 houses were destroyed and 12-25 people were missing and feared dead.
"We asked the Americans to support us by sending dogs to help search for the missing bodies because we are using primitive instruments for the search," said Hassan Turhan, a member of the city council.
Maj. Derrick Cheng, a spokesman for U.S. forces in northern Iraq, said the Americans were sending military dogs to help along with food, water, blankets, fuel and clothing.
Residents held a mass funeral service in a big tent, and families who still had houses took in hundreds of homeless survivors, Turhan said.
Police Brig. Gen. Sarhat Qadir said the death toll was so high because most of the homes that were damaged around the mosque were made of mud.
"The operation has al-Qaida fingerprints," he said. There were conflicting reports about whether the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber or if the truck was booby-trapped.
Sunni insurgents and terror groups such as al-Qaida remain active in northern Iraq despite security gains around the country. Tensions have also spiked in the oil-rich area as Kurds seek to incorporate Kirkuk into their semiautonomous region despite opposition by Arabs, Turkomen and other rival ethnic groups.
"There are groups working to inflame the situation in Kirkuk, which cannot be solved without calm and constructive dialogue," the Sunni Iraqi Islamic Party said. It blamed the attack on the "the enemies of Iraq and their agents who do not wish to see Iraq as a stable and calm country."
by the associated press
The truck bombing Saturday near the ethnically tense city of Kirkuk flattened a Shiite mosque and dozens of mud-brick houses around it, killing at least 75 people.
Iraqi police blamed al-Qaida in Iraq, saying it was part of an insurgent campaign to destabilize the country and undermine confidence in the government.
Americans will remain ready to help, as they were in the aftermath of Saturday's bombing, but many Iraqis fear their departure after two years of a steady urban presence will prove deadly.
"Several blasts have occurred in Kirkuk, Baghdad and even in Fallujah, which shows that our forces aren't ready," said Saif Hassan, a 22-year-old university student in Baghdad. "None of my classmates support the hasty withdrawal because we expect more violence to erupt."
Another bomb exploded Sunday evening in a cafe in a Shiite enclave in a mainly Sunni area of southern Baghdad, killing at least two civilians and wounding 13, police said.
The timetable set in a security pact calls for U.S. combat troops to withdraw from cities by June 30 — the first stage of a full withdrawal by the end of 2011.
Violence has declined dramatically in the past two years, but a string of high-profile bombings have raised fears that insurgents are regrouping.
Assad Salah, who lives in Baghdad's main Shiite district of Sadr City, which saw some of the fiercest fighting of the war, expressed confidence in Iraqi security forces.
"The U.S. troops' departure ... is a giant and great step. And it indicates that the Iraqi troops are capable of keeping security and order in this country," he said.
Politicians from all sides also urged people to remain calm.
U.S. and Iraqi officials have warned that mainly Sunni insurgents are still able to stage attacks in a bid to stoke sectarian violence despite setbacks. But commanders say the fact that retaliatory bloodshed has not resumed shows security gains are holding.
Iraqis need "to be cautious and careful because the security situation is still threatened by the potential for a major security breach from time to time," said Iraq's Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, a Sunni.
The blast took place in Taza, 10 miles (20 kilometers) south of Kirkuk, which is home to about 20,000 people — many of them Shiites from the Turkomen minority.
"It is a quiet town, but al-Qaida targeted it to try to ignite the sectarian sedition in Iraq," said Tahseen Kahaya, a member of the Islamic Turkomen party.
Sabah Amin, a senior health official, said 75 people, including 35 children, had died and 254 others were wounded.
Local officials said some 50 houses were destroyed and 12-25 people were missing and feared dead.
"We asked the Americans to support us by sending dogs to help search for the missing bodies because we are using primitive instruments for the search," said Hassan Turhan, a member of the city council.
Maj. Derrick Cheng, a spokesman for U.S. forces in northern Iraq, said the Americans were sending military dogs to help along with food, water, blankets, fuel and clothing.
Residents held a mass funeral service in a big tent, and families who still had houses took in hundreds of homeless survivors, Turhan said.
Police Brig. Gen. Sarhat Qadir said the death toll was so high because most of the homes that were damaged around the mosque were made of mud.
"The operation has al-Qaida fingerprints," he said. There were conflicting reports about whether the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber or if the truck was booby-trapped.
Sunni insurgents and terror groups such as al-Qaida remain active in northern Iraq despite security gains around the country. Tensions have also spiked in the oil-rich area as Kurds seek to incorporate Kirkuk into their semiautonomous region despite opposition by Arabs, Turkomen and other rival ethnic groups.
"There are groups working to inflame the situation in Kirkuk, which cannot be solved without calm and constructive dialogue," the Sunni Iraqi Islamic Party said. It blamed the attack on the "the enemies of Iraq and their agents who do not wish to see Iraq as a stable and calm country."
by the associated press
U.S. Destroyer tailing North Korean Ship
SEOUL — A North Korean cargo ship was reportedly steaming toward Myanmar on Sunday even as it was shadowed by a U.S. Navy destroyer, posing the first test of how far the United States and its allies will go to stop the North’s suspected arms trade under a new United Nations resolution.
The United States began tracking the 2,000-ton Kang Nam after it left Nampo, a port near Pyongyang, on Wednesday. U.S. officials have declined to say where the ship was headed and what it might be carrying but said it was “a subject of interest.”
Fox News quoted a senior U.S. military source as saying the U.S. Navy destroyer John S. McCain was positioning itself in case it gets orders to intercept. North Korea has already said it would consider interception an “act of war” and act accordingly.
YTN, a news cable channel in South Korea, reported on Sunday that the ship was headed for Myanmar, a country long suspected of buying North Korean arms and providing transit services for North Korean vessels engaged in illicit trade.
Quoting an unidentified intelligence source, YTN said that the U.S. authorities suspected the ship of carrying missiles or related parts.
South Korean officials were not immediately available for comment.
The Kang Nam is the first North Korean vessel to be tracked under the resolution the U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted on June 12 to punish North Korea for its May 25 nuclear test.
The resolution bans North Korean trafficking in a wide range of not only nuclear but also conventional weaponry.
But it only “calls upon” countries to search North Korean ships, with their consent, if there are “reasonable grounds” to suspect that banned cargo is aboard. If the crew does not accept inspection on high seas, North Korea is required to direct the vessel to a port for inspection by the local authorities there.
Singapore, a U.S. ally and the regional refueling hub for ships, said it would act “appropriately” if the vessel docks at its ports. But there was doubt that Myanmar would cooperate with such an inspection.
U.S. officials have long sought legal tools to stop the North Korean arms trade.
In 2002, the Spanish and U.S. navies intercepted a North Korean ship carrying missile parts to Yemen but had to let it go because there was then no legal cause.
Even now, the U.N. resolution, whose wording was watered down because of concerns voiced by Russia and China, left questions about its effectiveness, a loophole highlighted by the Kang Nam’s reported voyage.
The Kang Nam was detained in Hong Kong shortly after North Korea conducted its first nuclear test in 2006 and the Security Council adopted a resolution banning its trade in nuclear and ballistic missile technology. But then the ship was found to be carrying no cargo.
from the new york times
The United States began tracking the 2,000-ton Kang Nam after it left Nampo, a port near Pyongyang, on Wednesday. U.S. officials have declined to say where the ship was headed and what it might be carrying but said it was “a subject of interest.”
Fox News quoted a senior U.S. military source as saying the U.S. Navy destroyer John S. McCain was positioning itself in case it gets orders to intercept. North Korea has already said it would consider interception an “act of war” and act accordingly.
YTN, a news cable channel in South Korea, reported on Sunday that the ship was headed for Myanmar, a country long suspected of buying North Korean arms and providing transit services for North Korean vessels engaged in illicit trade.
Quoting an unidentified intelligence source, YTN said that the U.S. authorities suspected the ship of carrying missiles or related parts.
South Korean officials were not immediately available for comment.
The Kang Nam is the first North Korean vessel to be tracked under the resolution the U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted on June 12 to punish North Korea for its May 25 nuclear test.
The resolution bans North Korean trafficking in a wide range of not only nuclear but also conventional weaponry.
But it only “calls upon” countries to search North Korean ships, with their consent, if there are “reasonable grounds” to suspect that banned cargo is aboard. If the crew does not accept inspection on high seas, North Korea is required to direct the vessel to a port for inspection by the local authorities there.
Singapore, a U.S. ally and the regional refueling hub for ships, said it would act “appropriately” if the vessel docks at its ports. But there was doubt that Myanmar would cooperate with such an inspection.
U.S. officials have long sought legal tools to stop the North Korean arms trade.
In 2002, the Spanish and U.S. navies intercepted a North Korean ship carrying missile parts to Yemen but had to let it go because there was then no legal cause.
Even now, the U.N. resolution, whose wording was watered down because of concerns voiced by Russia and China, left questions about its effectiveness, a loophole highlighted by the Kang Nam’s reported voyage.
The Kang Nam was detained in Hong Kong shortly after North Korea conducted its first nuclear test in 2006 and the Security Council adopted a resolution banning its trade in nuclear and ballistic missile technology. But then the ship was found to be carrying no cargo.
from the new york times
North Korea criticizes US nuclear protection of South Korea
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has accused the United States of plotting atomic war against the communist regime, saying President Barack Obama's recent reaffirmation of nuclear protection of South Korea only exposed his government's intention to attack.
In what would be the first test for the new U.N. sanctions against the North, South Korean media also reported Sunday that a North Korean ship sailing toward Myanmar via Singapore was being shadowed by the U.S. military over suspicion that it may be carrying illicit weapons.
U.S. officials said Thursday that the U.S. military had begun tracking the ship, Kang Nam, which left a North Korean port Wednesday.
South Korean television network YTN, citing an unidentified intelligence source in the South, reported that the U.S. suspected the 2,000-ton-class ship was carrying missiles and other related weapons toward Myanmar — which has faced an arms embargo from the United States and the European Union and has reportedly bought weapons from North Korea.
The report said the U.S. has also deployed a navy destroyer and has been using satellites to track the ship.
South Korea's Defense Ministry, Unification Ministry and the National Intelligence Service said they could not confirm the report.
Tension on the Korean peninsula has spiked since the North defiantly conducted its second nuclear test on May 25. North Korea later declared it would bolster its atomic bomb-making program and threatened war in protest of U.N. sanctions for its test.
Obama reaffirmed Washington's security commitment to South Korea, including through U.S. nuclear protection, after a meeting Tuesday in Washington with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak. Obama also said the U.N. sanctions will be aggressively enforced.
In its first response to the summit, North Korea's government-run weekly Tongil Sinbo said that Obama's comments only revealed a U.S. plot to invade the North with nuclear weapons.
"It's not a coincidence at all for the U.S. to have brought numerous nuclear weapons into South Korea and other adjacent sites, staging various massive war drills opposing North Korea every day and watching for a chance for an invasion," said the commentary published Saturday.
The weekly also said the North will also "surely judge" the Lee government for participating in a U.S.-led international campaign to "stifle" the North.
North Korea says its nuclear program is a deterrent against the U.S., which it routinely accuses of plotting to topple its communist regime. Washington, which has 28,500 troops in South Korea, has repeatedly said it has no such intention and has no nuclear weapons deployed there.
On Saturday, a South Korean Foreign Ministry official said Seoul has proposed five-way talks with the U.S., China, Russia and Japan to find a new way to deal with the North's threats.
The U.S. and Japan have agreed to participate, while China and Russia have yet to respond, the official told The Associated Press, requesting anonymity because he was discussing a plan still in the works.
North Korea and the five countries began negotiating under the so-called "six-party talks" in 2003 with the aim of giving the communist regime economic aid and other concessions in exchange for dismantling its nuclear program. In April, however, the North said it was pulling out of the talks in response to international criticism of its controversial April 5 long-range rocket launch.
by the associated press
In what would be the first test for the new U.N. sanctions against the North, South Korean media also reported Sunday that a North Korean ship sailing toward Myanmar via Singapore was being shadowed by the U.S. military over suspicion that it may be carrying illicit weapons.
U.S. officials said Thursday that the U.S. military had begun tracking the ship, Kang Nam, which left a North Korean port Wednesday.
South Korean television network YTN, citing an unidentified intelligence source in the South, reported that the U.S. suspected the 2,000-ton-class ship was carrying missiles and other related weapons toward Myanmar — which has faced an arms embargo from the United States and the European Union and has reportedly bought weapons from North Korea.
The report said the U.S. has also deployed a navy destroyer and has been using satellites to track the ship.
South Korea's Defense Ministry, Unification Ministry and the National Intelligence Service said they could not confirm the report.
Tension on the Korean peninsula has spiked since the North defiantly conducted its second nuclear test on May 25. North Korea later declared it would bolster its atomic bomb-making program and threatened war in protest of U.N. sanctions for its test.
Obama reaffirmed Washington's security commitment to South Korea, including through U.S. nuclear protection, after a meeting Tuesday in Washington with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak. Obama also said the U.N. sanctions will be aggressively enforced.
In its first response to the summit, North Korea's government-run weekly Tongil Sinbo said that Obama's comments only revealed a U.S. plot to invade the North with nuclear weapons.
"It's not a coincidence at all for the U.S. to have brought numerous nuclear weapons into South Korea and other adjacent sites, staging various massive war drills opposing North Korea every day and watching for a chance for an invasion," said the commentary published Saturday.
The weekly also said the North will also "surely judge" the Lee government for participating in a U.S.-led international campaign to "stifle" the North.
North Korea says its nuclear program is a deterrent against the U.S., which it routinely accuses of plotting to topple its communist regime. Washington, which has 28,500 troops in South Korea, has repeatedly said it has no such intention and has no nuclear weapons deployed there.
On Saturday, a South Korean Foreign Ministry official said Seoul has proposed five-way talks with the U.S., China, Russia and Japan to find a new way to deal with the North's threats.
The U.S. and Japan have agreed to participate, while China and Russia have yet to respond, the official told The Associated Press, requesting anonymity because he was discussing a plan still in the works.
North Korea and the five countries began negotiating under the so-called "six-party talks" in 2003 with the aim of giving the communist regime economic aid and other concessions in exchange for dismantling its nuclear program. In April, however, the North said it was pulling out of the talks in response to international criticism of its controversial April 5 long-range rocket launch.
by the associated press
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Airstrikes likely killed 26 civilians
WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. warplane failed to follow all operational rules in a complex battle in Afghanistan last month that killed an estimated 26 civilians and 78 Taliban fighters, the U.S. military concluded in a report released Friday.
The deaths last month raised the stakes in a growing battle for the good will of Afghan civilians, whose allegiance Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said is crucial if the United States is going to win the faltering war in Afghanistan.
"The inability to discern the presence of civilians and assess the potential collateral damage of those strikes is inconsistent with the U.S. government's objective of providing security and safety for the Afghan people," the report prepared by U.S. Central Command said.
Three U.S. airstrikes conducted after dark near the close of the chaotic fight in the western Farah Province probably accounted for the civilian deaths, the report said. It contained only mild criticism of the B-1 bomber crew involved, however, and the nation's top military official has already said there is no reason to punish any U.S. personnel.
The report contains no surprises — U.S. officials had already given rough estimates of the number of deaths — but provides a vivid narrative of a firefight that also killed five Afghan national police officers. Two U.S. personnel and seven Afghan security officers were wounded.
Local Afghan officials have said as many as 140 people were killed.
The report recommends refining the current rules for operations with the potential to kill civilians and ensuring that training matches the rules.
Other recommendations include improving the military's ability to get its side of the story in front of Afghans faster, something commanders say is frustratingly difficult. The U.S. should be "first with the truth," the report said.
The report promised a follow-up in four months on how well new tactical rules are working.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, told a Pentagon news conference Thursday that he has seen nothing in the investigation that would call for disciplinary action against the U.S. forces involved.
Mullen added that the complex, seven- to eight-hour fight, which stretched from daylight to dark, revealed gaps in the chain of command and some training shortcomings that military leaders plan to address.
Mullen said he is satisfied that U.S. forces involved in the battle were sufficiently sure of their targets and believed that civilians would not be injured when they fired.
Gates has said the accidental killing of civilians in Afghanistan has become one of the military's greatest strategic problems in a war his commanders have called a stalemate at best.
Gates has also said the thousands of new U.S. troops deploying in Afghanistan can lessen the reliance on airstrikes, which are responsible for most of the civilian deaths at U.S. hands.
He has directed his new general running the war in Afghanistan to find new ways to reduce the number of deaths.
by the associated press
The deaths last month raised the stakes in a growing battle for the good will of Afghan civilians, whose allegiance Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said is crucial if the United States is going to win the faltering war in Afghanistan.
"The inability to discern the presence of civilians and assess the potential collateral damage of those strikes is inconsistent with the U.S. government's objective of providing security and safety for the Afghan people," the report prepared by U.S. Central Command said.
Three U.S. airstrikes conducted after dark near the close of the chaotic fight in the western Farah Province probably accounted for the civilian deaths, the report said. It contained only mild criticism of the B-1 bomber crew involved, however, and the nation's top military official has already said there is no reason to punish any U.S. personnel.
The report contains no surprises — U.S. officials had already given rough estimates of the number of deaths — but provides a vivid narrative of a firefight that also killed five Afghan national police officers. Two U.S. personnel and seven Afghan security officers were wounded.
Local Afghan officials have said as many as 140 people were killed.
The report recommends refining the current rules for operations with the potential to kill civilians and ensuring that training matches the rules.
Other recommendations include improving the military's ability to get its side of the story in front of Afghans faster, something commanders say is frustratingly difficult. The U.S. should be "first with the truth," the report said.
The report promised a follow-up in four months on how well new tactical rules are working.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, told a Pentagon news conference Thursday that he has seen nothing in the investigation that would call for disciplinary action against the U.S. forces involved.
Mullen added that the complex, seven- to eight-hour fight, which stretched from daylight to dark, revealed gaps in the chain of command and some training shortcomings that military leaders plan to address.
Mullen said he is satisfied that U.S. forces involved in the battle were sufficiently sure of their targets and believed that civilians would not be injured when they fired.
Gates has said the accidental killing of civilians in Afghanistan has become one of the military's greatest strategic problems in a war his commanders have called a stalemate at best.
Gates has also said the thousands of new U.S. troops deploying in Afghanistan can lessen the reliance on airstrikes, which are responsible for most of the civilian deaths at U.S. hands.
He has directed his new general running the war in Afghanistan to find new ways to reduce the number of deaths.
by the associated press
US, regional powers might meet on North Korea next month
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The U.S., South Korea, China, Russia and Japan may hold talks next month on neutralizing North Korea's rogue nuclear program after the secretive regime abruptly ended a formal six-nation disarmament dialogue by conducting an atomic test, an official said Saturday.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak floated the idea of bringing together officials of the five countries during his summit with President Barack Obama at the White House this past week, the South Korean Foreign Ministry official said.
The U.S. and Japan have voiced support for the five-way talks but China and Russia have yet to reply to Seoul's proposal, the official said, requesting anonymity because he was discussing a plan still in the works.
The official said "it remains to be seen" where or when the meeting — if it materializes — will take place, but one possibility is on the sidelines of a regional security forum scheduled in Phuket, Thailand in July.
"We have to see how things will play out," he said.
The proposal for the meeting comes amid rising tensions over the North's missile and nuclear tests and its reported preparations for another long-range missile launch in growing defiance of a U.N. resolution on North Korea over its May 25 nuclear test.
Last week, the communist regime vowed to bolster its nuclear arsenal and threatened war to protest sanctions imposed by the U.N.
The Foreign Ministry official said North Korean officials could also be invited as they are scheduled to attend the Phuket meeting, in a bid to revive the six-party process.
But he cautioned that the envisioned meeting — either among the five nations or the six — was still in preliminary planning stages and it was still not clear whether nuclear envoys or foreign ministers would participate.
The six-party talks started in 2003 with the aim of giving North Korea economic aid and other concessions in exchange for it dismantling its nuclear program. The last round of talks were held in December 2008 when negotiations became deadlocked.
In April this year, the North announced it would no longer participate in the talks and went on to test-fire a ballistic missile followed by a nuclear test in May. The reclusive communist regime of North Korea has little interaction with the world, but it does attend the ASEAN Regional Forum, an annual Asia-Pacific security dialogue.
Last year, then U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun along with their counterparts from the four other nations on the sidelines of the forum in Singapore. Rice later held a brief one-on-one exchange with Pak.
Two U.S. officials said Thursday that the U.S. military had begun tracking a North Korean-flagged ship, Kang Nam, which may be carrying illicit weapons.
The vessel, which has been involved in weapons proliferation before, left a port in North Korea on Wednesday and was in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of China on Thursday, the officials said. They asked not to be identified because they were discussing intelligence.
South Korea's Defense Ministry declined to give any information on the vessel.
by the associated press
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak floated the idea of bringing together officials of the five countries during his summit with President Barack Obama at the White House this past week, the South Korean Foreign Ministry official said.
The U.S. and Japan have voiced support for the five-way talks but China and Russia have yet to reply to Seoul's proposal, the official said, requesting anonymity because he was discussing a plan still in the works.
The official said "it remains to be seen" where or when the meeting — if it materializes — will take place, but one possibility is on the sidelines of a regional security forum scheduled in Phuket, Thailand in July.
"We have to see how things will play out," he said.
The proposal for the meeting comes amid rising tensions over the North's missile and nuclear tests and its reported preparations for another long-range missile launch in growing defiance of a U.N. resolution on North Korea over its May 25 nuclear test.
Last week, the communist regime vowed to bolster its nuclear arsenal and threatened war to protest sanctions imposed by the U.N.
The Foreign Ministry official said North Korean officials could also be invited as they are scheduled to attend the Phuket meeting, in a bid to revive the six-party process.
But he cautioned that the envisioned meeting — either among the five nations or the six — was still in preliminary planning stages and it was still not clear whether nuclear envoys or foreign ministers would participate.
The six-party talks started in 2003 with the aim of giving North Korea economic aid and other concessions in exchange for it dismantling its nuclear program. The last round of talks were held in December 2008 when negotiations became deadlocked.
In April this year, the North announced it would no longer participate in the talks and went on to test-fire a ballistic missile followed by a nuclear test in May. The reclusive communist regime of North Korea has little interaction with the world, but it does attend the ASEAN Regional Forum, an annual Asia-Pacific security dialogue.
Last year, then U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun along with their counterparts from the four other nations on the sidelines of the forum in Singapore. Rice later held a brief one-on-one exchange with Pak.
Two U.S. officials said Thursday that the U.S. military had begun tracking a North Korean-flagged ship, Kang Nam, which may be carrying illicit weapons.
The vessel, which has been involved in weapons proliferation before, left a port in North Korea on Wednesday and was in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of China on Thursday, the officials said. They asked not to be identified because they were discussing intelligence.
South Korea's Defense Ministry declined to give any information on the vessel.
by the associated press
Thursday, June 18, 2009
U.S. soldier’s death blammed Iraqi security
MOSUL, Iraq — A police investigation of two of their own in the killing of an American soldier and his interpreter is seen as a test of Mosul’s police force — the weakest link among Iraqi security forces about to take the lead in protecting the country’s most violent city.
This city of 1.6 million people has long distrusted its police.
The two policemen — an officer and a sergeant — were arrested last week by U.S. and Iraqi forces and handed over to Iraqi custody, according to Col. Gary Volesky, commander of U.S. troops in the province that includes Mosul, Iraq’s third-largest city.
They allegedly fired on a U.S. patrol Feb. 24, killing Lt. William Emmert of Lincoln, Tenn., and his interpreter and wounding five others.
During a recent meeting, a Mosul police commander told Volesky the two suspects had not appeared before a judge — the first step toward prosecution — because of doubts not only that they were the gunmen, but that they were policemen at all.
Volesky wasn’t buying it, saying the men’s relatives had identified them.
Questions about the professionalism of Mosul’s police force are becoming more urgent because of the June 30 deadline for American combat troops to withdraw from Iraqi.
by the associated press
This city of 1.6 million people has long distrusted its police.
The two policemen — an officer and a sergeant — were arrested last week by U.S. and Iraqi forces and handed over to Iraqi custody, according to Col. Gary Volesky, commander of U.S. troops in the province that includes Mosul, Iraq’s third-largest city.
They allegedly fired on a U.S. patrol Feb. 24, killing Lt. William Emmert of Lincoln, Tenn., and his interpreter and wounding five others.
During a recent meeting, a Mosul police commander told Volesky the two suspects had not appeared before a judge — the first step toward prosecution — because of doubts not only that they were the gunmen, but that they were policemen at all.
Volesky wasn’t buying it, saying the men’s relatives had identified them.
Questions about the professionalism of Mosul’s police force are becoming more urgent because of the June 30 deadline for American combat troops to withdraw from Iraqi.
by the associated press
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Gen. Stanley McChrystal and United States vows to protect Afghans
KABUL, Afghanistan — Gen. Stanley McChrystal, a former top special operations commander, took charge of nearly 90,000 U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan on Monday, telling them they must protect Afghan civilians from all kinds of violence.
McChrystal takes over the Afghan campaign at a critical moment: violence, troop levels and U.S. military deaths have all hit record highs, and President Hamid Karzai has pressured on U.S. forces to prevent civilian deaths.
McChrystal is expected to take a more unconventional approach to the increasingly violent campaign in Afghanistan, relying on decades of experience with special operators — elite military units such as Navy SEALs and Army’s Delta Force that carry out dangerous and secretive missions.
"The Afghan people are at the center of our mission. ... We must protect them from violence, whatever its nature,” the general told several hundred troops in central Kabul.
President Barack Obama has ordered 21,000 new troops to Afghanistan. There is expected to be about 68,000 U.S. troops in the country by the end of the year.
by the associated press
McChrystal takes over the Afghan campaign at a critical moment: violence, troop levels and U.S. military deaths have all hit record highs, and President Hamid Karzai has pressured on U.S. forces to prevent civilian deaths.
McChrystal is expected to take a more unconventional approach to the increasingly violent campaign in Afghanistan, relying on decades of experience with special operators — elite military units such as Navy SEALs and Army’s Delta Force that carry out dangerous and secretive missions.
"The Afghan people are at the center of our mission. ... We must protect them from violence, whatever its nature,” the general told several hundred troops in central Kabul.
President Barack Obama has ordered 21,000 new troops to Afghanistan. There is expected to be about 68,000 U.S. troops in the country by the end of the year.
by the associated press
U.S .and Mexico reach accord to protect border
WASHINGTON — The U.S. and Mexico formalized an agreement Monday to work together to secure travel and trade across the countries’ shared border.
The deal is outlined in a letter of intent signed by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Mexico’s Finance Minister Agustin Carstens.
It expands a 2007 agreement and formalizes plans announced earlier this year to search vehicles at border crossings for bulk weapons and cash being smuggled from the U.S. into Mexico where more than 10,800 people have been killed by drug violence since December 2006.
Napolitano said the cooperation will include sharing information such as data about stolen cars.
Officials have said many of the weapons used in cartel violence in Mexico have come from the U.S.
Both countries are responsible for what goes into Mexico from the U.S., Napolitano said Monday.
The deal is part of the effort to curb drug and weapons trafficking.
by the associated press
The deal is outlined in a letter of intent signed by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Mexico’s Finance Minister Agustin Carstens.
It expands a 2007 agreement and formalizes plans announced earlier this year to search vehicles at border crossings for bulk weapons and cash being smuggled from the U.S. into Mexico where more than 10,800 people have been killed by drug violence since December 2006.
Napolitano said the cooperation will include sharing information such as data about stolen cars.
Officials have said many of the weapons used in cartel violence in Mexico have come from the U.S.
Both countries are responsible for what goes into Mexico from the U.S., Napolitano said Monday.
The deal is part of the effort to curb drug and weapons trafficking.
by the associated press
Monday, June 15, 2009
S. Korea and U.S. to make nuke plan
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s president ordered his top security officials Sunday to deal "resolutely and squarely” with new North Korean warnings of a nuclear war on the eve of his U.S. visit. In Washington, Vice President Joe Biden said "God only knows” what North Korea wants from the latest showdown.
President Lee Myung-bak travels to Washington today for talks with President Barack Obama that are expected to focus on the North’s nuclear and missile programs.
The trip comes after North Korea’s Foreign Ministry threatened war with any country that stops its ships on the high seas under new sanctions approved by the U.N. Security Council in response to its May 25 nuclear test.
It also vowed Saturday to "weaponize” all its plutonium and acknowledged a long-suspected uranium enrichment program for the first time.
from the wire
President Lee Myung-bak travels to Washington today for talks with President Barack Obama that are expected to focus on the North’s nuclear and missile programs.
The trip comes after North Korea’s Foreign Ministry threatened war with any country that stops its ships on the high seas under new sanctions approved by the U.N. Security Council in response to its May 25 nuclear test.
It also vowed Saturday to "weaponize” all its plutonium and acknowledged a long-suspected uranium enrichment program for the first time.
from the wire
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Driver tried to smuggle 73 in America
CAMPO, Calif. (AP) — The U.S. Border Patrol says a truck driver has been arrested at a checkpoint in California after 73 illegal immigrants from Mexico were found in the back of his rig.
A statement from the agency Monday said the 50-year-old driver from Mexico was arrested Sunday and is in federal custody awaiting prosecution for alien smuggling.
The truck was searched after agents observed that the driver appeared nervous.
Border Patrol Agent Jerry Conlin said most of the 53 men and 20 women found in the trailer were being returned to Mexico. Three are staying to testify against the driver
by the associated press
A statement from the agency Monday said the 50-year-old driver from Mexico was arrested Sunday and is in federal custody awaiting prosecution for alien smuggling.
The truck was searched after agents observed that the driver appeared nervous.
Border Patrol Agent Jerry Conlin said most of the 53 men and 20 women found in the trailer were being returned to Mexico. Three are staying to testify against the driver
by the associated press
Thursday, May 21, 2009
U.S. says missile test place's Iran at crossroads
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran tested its longest-range, solid-fuel missile yet Wednesday — a launch that displayed Tehran’s reach and burnished the president’s hard-line reputation ahead of next month’s election.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates confirmed the test, which was announced by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The launch raised concerns about the sophistication of Tehran’s missile program, and Pentagon officials cautioned that it leaves Iran at a crossroads.
"They can either continue on this path of continued destabilization in the region or they can decide that they want to pursue relationships with the countries in the region and the United States that are more normalized,” said Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman.
Solid-propellant rockets are a concern because they can be fueled in advance and moved or hidden in silos, said a U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss technical details of Iran’s missile program
Iran says its missile program is merely for defense, and its space program is for scientific and surveillance purposes. It maintains that its nuclear program is for civilian energy uses only.
Gates said the missile that was tested has a range roughly between 1,200 miles and 1,500 miles.
by the associated press
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates confirmed the test, which was announced by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The launch raised concerns about the sophistication of Tehran’s missile program, and Pentagon officials cautioned that it leaves Iran at a crossroads.
"They can either continue on this path of continued destabilization in the region or they can decide that they want to pursue relationships with the countries in the region and the United States that are more normalized,” said Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman.
Solid-propellant rockets are a concern because they can be fueled in advance and moved or hidden in silos, said a U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss technical details of Iran’s missile program
Iran says its missile program is merely for defense, and its space program is for scientific and surveillance purposes. It maintains that its nuclear program is for civilian energy uses only.
Gates said the missile that was tested has a range roughly between 1,200 miles and 1,500 miles.
by the associated press
Monday, May 11, 2009
New Swine Flu Deaths in U.S., Costa Rica
SEATTLE — The number of swine flu-related deaths outside Mexico has inched up to five with the U.S. reporting its third fatality and Costa Rica its first, both involving men who also had underlying illnesses.
Washington state health officials said the victim there was a man in his 30s who had underlying heart conditions and viral pneumonia when he died Thursday from what appeared to be complications from swine flu. The state Department of Health said in a statement Saturday that swine flu was considered a factor in his death.
"We’re working with local and federal partners to track this outbreak,” said Washington State Secretary of Health Mary Selecky.
The man was not further identified. He began showing symptoms April 30, and was treated with anti-viral medication. The death of a 53-year-old man in Costa Rica on Saturday was the first involving swine flu outside North America.
He also suffered from diabetes and chronic lung disease, the Health Ministry said
Most of the victims are in Mexico, where 48 people with swine flu have died. Most have been adults aged 20 to 49, and many had no reported complicating factors.
by the associated press
Washington state health officials said the victim there was a man in his 30s who had underlying heart conditions and viral pneumonia when he died Thursday from what appeared to be complications from swine flu. The state Department of Health said in a statement Saturday that swine flu was considered a factor in his death.
"We’re working with local and federal partners to track this outbreak,” said Washington State Secretary of Health Mary Selecky.
The man was not further identified. He began showing symptoms April 30, and was treated with anti-viral medication. The death of a 53-year-old man in Costa Rica on Saturday was the first involving swine flu outside North America.
He also suffered from diabetes and chronic lung disease, the Health Ministry said
Most of the victims are in Mexico, where 48 people with swine flu have died. Most have been adults aged 20 to 49, and many had no reported complicating factors.
by the associated press
Saturday, May 9, 2009
U.S. urges North Korea to open nuclear talks
SEOUL, South Korea — President Barack Obama’s top envoy for North Korea warned of possible "consequences” if the regime pushes ahead with a threatened atomic test and urged Pyongyang to instead return to dialogue with Washington to defuse nuclear tensions.
Stephen Bosworth arrived in Seoul from Beijing just hours after North Korea accused the Obama administration of harboring a hostile policy toward Pyongyang, saying it would expand its nuclear arsenal in response.
"Nothing would be expected from the U.S., which remains unchanged in its hostility toward its dialogue partner,” North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried Friday by state media. The North "will bolster its nuclear deterrent as it has already clarified.”
Bosworth urged North Korea — which shocked the world by conducting a nuclear test in 2006 — not to carry out another atomic test, as the communist regime has threatened to do in retaliation for U.N. sanctions against its recent rocket launch
"If the North Koreans decide to carry out a second nuclear test, we will deal with consequences of that. And there will be consequences,” Bosworth said, without elaborating.
Bosworth’s trip to the region came as North Korea continued to ratchet up nuclear tensions following its controversial April 5 rocket launch.
Pyongyang characterized the launch as a successful bid to send a satellite into space.
The U.S. and others saw it as a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions barring the North from ballistic missile-related activity since the same technology can be used to fire an intercontinental missile mounted with nuclear arms.
by the associated press
Stephen Bosworth arrived in Seoul from Beijing just hours after North Korea accused the Obama administration of harboring a hostile policy toward Pyongyang, saying it would expand its nuclear arsenal in response.
"Nothing would be expected from the U.S., which remains unchanged in its hostility toward its dialogue partner,” North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried Friday by state media. The North "will bolster its nuclear deterrent as it has already clarified.”
Bosworth urged North Korea — which shocked the world by conducting a nuclear test in 2006 — not to carry out another atomic test, as the communist regime has threatened to do in retaliation for U.N. sanctions against its recent rocket launch
"If the North Koreans decide to carry out a second nuclear test, we will deal with consequences of that. And there will be consequences,” Bosworth said, without elaborating.
Bosworth’s trip to the region came as North Korea continued to ratchet up nuclear tensions following its controversial April 5 rocket launch.
Pyongyang characterized the launch as a successful bid to send a satellite into space.
The U.S. and others saw it as a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions barring the North from ballistic missile-related activity since the same technology can be used to fire an intercontinental missile mounted with nuclear arms.
by the associated press
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Iraq says it will stay with the U.S. pullout plan
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s government Monday ruled out allowing U.S. combat troops to remain in Iraqi cities after the June 30 deadline for their withdrawal, despite concern that Iraqi forces cannot cope with the security challenge following a resurgence of bombings in recent weeks.
Asking American forces to stay in the cities, including volatile Mosul in the north, would be embarrassing for Iraq’s prime minister, who has staked his political future on claims that the country has turned the corner in the war against Sunni and Shiite extremists.
The departure of heavily armed combat troops from bases inside the cities is important psychologically to many Iraqis, who are eager to regain control of their country after six years of war and U.S. military occupation.
U.S. seems to agree
U.S. officials played down the Iraqi decision, with Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman saying it’s up to the Iraqi government to request an extension of the U.S. presence in the cities and "we intend to fully abide by” terms of the security agreement.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, told reporters Monday that violence had not risen to a level that would force a change in the withdrawal schedule.
Privately, some U.S. officers fear the Iraqis may lose control of Mosul within a few months after American forces pull out of Iraq’s third largest city, where al-Qaida and other Sunni militants are active.
Asking American forces to stay in the cities, including volatile Mosul in the north, would be embarrassing for Iraq’s prime minister, who has staked his political future on claims that the country has turned the corner in the war against Sunni and Shiite extremists.
The departure of heavily armed combat troops from bases inside the cities is important psychologically to many Iraqis, who are eager to regain control of their country after six years of war and U.S. military occupation.
U.S. seems to agree
U.S. officials played down the Iraqi decision, with Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman saying it’s up to the Iraqi government to request an extension of the U.S. presence in the cities and "we intend to fully abide by” terms of the security agreement.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, told reporters Monday that violence had not risen to a level that would force a change in the withdrawal schedule.
Privately, some U.S. officers fear the Iraqis may lose control of Mosul within a few months after American forces pull out of Iraq’s third largest city, where al-Qaida and other Sunni militants are active.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Swine Flu cases showing encouraging signs in U.S.
WASHINGTON — U.S. health officials are cautiously optimistic that the new swine flu isn’t as dangerous as first feared, but urged people on Sunday to keep taking common sense precautions — and they can’t predict if it will roar back in the fall.
"The good news is when we look at this virus right now, we’re not seeing some of the things in the virus that have been associated in the past with more severe flu. That’s encouraging, but it doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods yet,” said Dr. Richard Besser, acting chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
With swine flu, or the H1N1 flu, now in 34 states and counting, authorities say it’s spreading just as easily as regular winter flu. However, Besser said that the virus doesn’t seem to cause as severe disease as it did in Mexico.
"It’s a rapidly evolving situation and it’s still one that is cloaked in uncertainty,” Besser said. "But each day we’re getting more information … and we’re starting to see encouraging signs.”
He warned that with a new flu strain, one that people do not have immunity to, "you would expect that there are going to be hospitalizations and, unfortunately, there will be more deaths.”
A big concern is whether the virus will return, perhaps harder, when regular influenza begins. Flu season in the Southern Hemisphere is about to begin, and U.S. authorities will watch how swine flu circulates there as they prepare the first vaccine and then decide what to do in the fall.
"The early news seems to be cautiously optimistic about where we are right now,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. But, she added, "We certainly can’t get complacent. We need to get prepared.”
Besser and Sebelius appeared on "Fox News Sunday,” ABC’s "This Week,” NBC’s "Meet the Press,” CNN’s "State of the Union” and "Face the Nation” on CBS.
by the associated press
"The good news is when we look at this virus right now, we’re not seeing some of the things in the virus that have been associated in the past with more severe flu. That’s encouraging, but it doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods yet,” said Dr. Richard Besser, acting chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
With swine flu, or the H1N1 flu, now in 34 states and counting, authorities say it’s spreading just as easily as regular winter flu. However, Besser said that the virus doesn’t seem to cause as severe disease as it did in Mexico.
"It’s a rapidly evolving situation and it’s still one that is cloaked in uncertainty,” Besser said. "But each day we’re getting more information … and we’re starting to see encouraging signs.”
He warned that with a new flu strain, one that people do not have immunity to, "you would expect that there are going to be hospitalizations and, unfortunately, there will be more deaths.”
A big concern is whether the virus will return, perhaps harder, when regular influenza begins. Flu season in the Southern Hemisphere is about to begin, and U.S. authorities will watch how swine flu circulates there as they prepare the first vaccine and then decide what to do in the fall.
"The early news seems to be cautiously optimistic about where we are right now,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. But, she added, "We certainly can’t get complacent. We need to get prepared.”
Besser and Sebelius appeared on "Fox News Sunday,” ABC’s "This Week,” NBC’s "Meet the Press,” CNN’s "State of the Union” and "Face the Nation” on CBS.
by the associated press
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Al-Qaida still remains top U.S. Threat
WASHINGTON — The number of terrorist attacks around the world fell by 18 percent last year but rose dramatically in Pakistan, growing in frequency and lethality, the State Department said Thursday.
The department’s annual assessment of global terrorism said al-Qaida and its affiliates continue to be the greatest terrorist threat to the U.S. despite ongoing efforts to disrupt their operations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, North Africa, Somalia and Yemen. Terrorist attacks also rose in Afghanistan last year, the report said.
Worldwide terrorist attacks dropped to 11,770 in 2008 from 14,506 in 2007. But the rise of incidents in Pakistan, the report said, reflected "coordination, sophistication and frequency” of bombings by the Taliban and al-Qaida.
It said Iranian-backed violence in Iraq was down, but it accused Iran of sending weapons to the Taliban in Afghanistan.
by the associated press
The department’s annual assessment of global terrorism said al-Qaida and its affiliates continue to be the greatest terrorist threat to the U.S. despite ongoing efforts to disrupt their operations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, North Africa, Somalia and Yemen. Terrorist attacks also rose in Afghanistan last year, the report said.
Worldwide terrorist attacks dropped to 11,770 in 2008 from 14,506 in 2007. But the rise of incidents in Pakistan, the report said, reflected "coordination, sophistication and frequency” of bombings by the Taliban and al-Qaida.
It said Iranian-backed violence in Iraq was down, but it accused Iran of sending weapons to the Taliban in Afghanistan.
by the associated press
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