Obama, House Republicans Have ‘Productive’ Meeting on Debt

Posted June 1st, 2011 at 3:25 pm (UTC-5)
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The White House says President Barack Obama has had a “productive” meeting with Republicans on reducing the country's debt.

Spokesman Jay Carney said the talks Wednesday with members of the House Republican Conference were an opportunity for Mr. Obama to hear their side and for them to hear from him.

Carney said the large meeting was not the forum to negotiate details, but rather was part of a process and a chance to meet in a non-confrontational way.

But Carney said the president made it clear he believes there is no margin for casting doubt that the debt ceiling would be raised, and that even the suggestion that it would not be increased could have dire consequences for the U.S. and global economy.

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives on Tuesday defeated a bill to raise the country's $14 trillion debt limit by about $2 trillion without any spending cuts.

House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican from Ohio, told reporters after the White House meeting that if the debt limit is raised, the spending cuts should exceed the increase. Otherwise, he said, it would cost jobs.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner attended the talks Wednesday, and will be on Capitol Hill Thursday to meet with lawmakers.

Republicans introduced Tuesday's legislation, but also wanted the bill to be defeated. The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Republican Dave Camp, said Republicans are making clear they will not accept an increase in the debt limit without major spending cuts and “real budgetary reforms.”

Democrats called the vote “political theater” by attempting to get Democrats on the record for voting to raise the debt ceiling without cuts in government.

Republicans are calling for deep and immediate spending cuts, while Democrats favor spending cuts or tax increases over several years.

Secretary Geithner has warned the United States could face “catastrophic consequences” if lawmakers fail to raise the debt limit.

Geithner has said he will use emergency measures to re-allocate funds to continue making payments on the U.S. government debt. Those measures will give him until about August 2 before the nation will have to stop making some payments altogether.

Geithner said defaulting on debt payments would raise the cost of borrowing money, and that higher interest rates will be passed on to people, businesses and investors.

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Syrian Government Opponents Discuss Regime Change

Posted June 1st, 2011 at 3:15 pm (UTC-5)
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Syrian opposition leaders meeting in Turkey have rejected their government's offer of a general amnesty and say they will continue to push for a regime change.

More than 300 dissidents are attending a conference in the Turkish town of Antalya on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Syrian government freed hundreds of political prisoners on Wednesday, a day after President Bashar al-Assad announced the amnesty. The releases are an apparent bid by Mr. Assad to appease opposition activists who have been calling for his resignation.

However, a U.S. State Department spokesman said the president's effort fell short and that all political prisoners need to be freed.

Also Wednesday, President Assad announced the formation of a committee that will set the framework for holding a national dialogue. State-run media quote him as saying the national talks will address issues related to Syria's social, economic and political future.

In another development, Human Rights Watch said it has reports of recent killings and torture by Syrian troops that may qualify as crimes against humanity.

The New York-based group released a report Wednesday based on more than 50 interviews with victims and witnesses of the violence.

The report centers on the southern city of Daraa, where Syrian forces allegedly carried out some of the worst violence against civilians since anti-government protests began in March.

The rights group says witnesses told of beatings, torture using electroshock devices, and detention of people seeking medical care. It called on the Syrian government to take steps immediately to halt the use of excessive force.

Witness reports in Syria, as well as official accounts, are difficult to verify independently because the government barred most international journalists from the country soon after the unrest began.

Syrian opposition activists have been protesting almost daily since March for democratic reforms and an end to President Assad's 11-year autocratic rule. Rights groups say Mr. Assad's security forces have killed more than 1,000 people and arrested 10,000 in a campaign to crush the uprising.

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Posted in Middle East

Germany Reports Another Bacteria Death, Cause Still a Mystery

Posted June 1st, 2011 at 3:15 pm (UTC-5)
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German officials say another person has died from a mysterious killer bacteria, raising the death toll in Europe to 17, all but one in Germany.

Local authorities reported Wednesday that an 84-year-old woman died on Sunday from the food-borne bacterial outbreak, which has sickened more than 1,500 people in nine European countries since mid-May.

Germany says the number of its people sickened by the disease is growing rapidly. The country's national disease control center Wednesday said the number of confirmed cases of E. coli infections jumped from 373 on Tuesday to 470 a day later. Sixteen people have now died in Germany and another one in Sweden.

German Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner says scientists are scrambling to pinpoint the source of the outbreak, but they have yet to find the cause. Several days into the outbreak, authorities say they are not sure what produce — and what country — is responsible, although those sickened most likely were infected by eating raw cucumbers, tomatoes or lettuce. She advised consumers to continue to avoid those vegetables. The E. coli infection attacks the victims' kidneys, sometimes causing seizures, strokes and comas.

Germany initially pointed to a few cucumbers from Spain as a possible source of the contamination, but further tests showed that those vegetables were not the cause of the outbreak. Germany, Belgium and Russia have banned Spanish vegetable imports, pending an investigation, but Spanish officials say those countries wrongly jumped to conclusions.

Spain said it is not ruling out taking legal actions against German officials who questioned the quality of the Spanish imports. The allegations have sharply curtailed Spanish fruit and vegetable exports.

The World Health Organization says that besides Germany and Sweden, cases of the infections have been reported in seven other European countries — Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and Britain.

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Posted in Europe

Pakistan’s Spy Agency Denies Involvement in Journalist’s Death

Posted June 1st, 2011 at 2:45 pm (UTC-5)
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Pakistan's main intelligence agency is rejecting allegations of involvement in the killing of a Pakistani journalist who was investigating possible links between the military and extremists.

Syed Saleem Shahzad was buried in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi on Wednesday, as hundreds of relatives, journalists and local politicians looked on.

Shahzad's body was found about 200 kilometers from Islamabad on Tuesday, after he was reported missing earlier this week. Police say his body showed signs of torture.

The 40-year-old father of three worked for the Hong-Kong based Asia Times Online and other publications. After last week's brazen militant attack on a Pakistani naval base, he wrote an article in which he alleged al-Qaida had links with the Pakistani navy.

A Human Rights Watch researcher, Ali Dayan Hasan, said Shahzad told him he feared Pakistani intelligence agents were after him.

On Wednesday, an unnamed official with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency said allegations that the spy agency threatened Shahzad or was somehow involved in his murder are “baseless” and “unfounded.”

The ISI official told the Associated Press of Pakistan that the journalist met with ISI officials in October of last year to discuss a story Shahzad had written, and that the meeting was “polite” and “friendly.” The intelligence official added that Shahzad's death should not be used to target and malign the country's security agency.

Dozens of journalists took to the streets throughout Pakistani cities on Wednesday to protest Shahzad's death. The journalists' union also declared two days of mourning.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik has announced a police investigation into Shahzad's killing.

Human rights group Amnesty International says any probe into Shahzad's abduction and death must investigate whether Pakistan's security and intelligence agencies, especially the ISI, were involved.

Amnesty's Asia-Pacific Director, Sam Zarifi, said Tuesday that Pakistan's intelligence agencies face serious allegations that they have been involved in the numerous killings of activists, lawyers and journalists.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton strongly condemned Shahzad's killing and welcomed Pakistan's probe. She said the journalist's reporting on terrorism and intelligence issues exposed the troubles extremism poses to Pakistan's stability.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague expressed shock at the killing and said Shahzad “courageously” reported on terrorism and extremism, which has caused “so much suffering” to the people of Pakistan.

Shahzad was last seen leaving his home in Islamabad on Sunday to participate in a television interview.

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Posted in South Asia

UN Panel: Libyan Forces and Opposition Committed War Crimes

Posted June 1st, 2011 at 2:45 pm (UTC-5)
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A U.N. panel investigating the conflict in Libya says forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and opposition forces in the country have committed war crimes.

The report, published Wednesday by three U.N.-appointed experts, says the violations committed by pro-Gadhafi forces were severe enough to also constitute crimes against humanity. They said violations by opposition armed forces, however, were not severe or widespread enough to be considered crimes against humanity.

Last month, the chief prosecutor the International Criminal Court requested arrest warrants for Libyan leader Gadhafi, his son Saif al-Islam, and Intelligence Chief Abdullah al-Senoussi for alleged crimes against humanity.

Libyan officials dismissed the ICC request, saying the court has no jurisdiction in the country.

The U.N. report came the same day that NATO extended its military mission in Libya for 90 days.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the move is meant to send a clear message to the Gadhafi government that the pressure to oust him will continue.

The current NATO mission, comprising of airstrikes and enforcement of a no-fly zone, would have ended in late June. The extension carries it to September.

Meanwhile, in the rebel-held eastern city of Benghazi, witnesses say a large blast has damaged the Tibesti hotel. The hotel is where foreign diplomats holding talks with rebel leaders stay while in the city. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Also Wednesday, another high-ranking Libyan official announced that he has parted ways with the government. Oil Minister Shukri Ghanem said in Rome that he has left his country and his job but has not yet decided if he will join the anti-Gadhafi rebels.

Last month, Libyan officials denied reports that Ghanem had defected in Tunisia, saying instead that he was abroad on business. His announcement in Rome comes two days after eight Libyan army officers held a news conference there to say they had left Libya's government forces.

U.S. State Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will travel to the United Arab Emirates next week for a meeting of the 22-nation Libyan Contact Group. Earlier this month, the group agreed to set up a fund to help provide Libyan rebels with food, medicine and military supplies in the areas under their control.

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Posted in Middle East

Controversy Over Iranian Activist’s Death at Father’s Funeral

Posted June 1st, 2011 at 2:15 pm (UTC-5)
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Iranian opposition websites say the daughter of a prominent Iranian dissident has died after a scuffle with security forces at her father's funeral, while government media say she died of a heart attack.

Opposition websites say Haleh Sahabi, the daughter of Ezzatollah Sahabi and a prominent activist in her own right, fell to the ground in an altercation Wednesday.

The opposition website Kaleme says she was pushed to the ground as security forces tried to take a picture of her father out of her hands. The reports said she never got up after the fall.

But Iranian media say the 54-year old woman died of “heart problems.” They also deny that there were any clashes between mourners and security forces.

The state-run news agency reports, though, that forces arrested five people who had intended to disrupt order, without elaborating.

The U.S. is urging Iran to investigate the circumstances surrounding Sahabi's death.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner says if reports that government security forces contributed to her death are accurate, then it demonstrates what he calls a “deplorable disregard for human dignity and respect” by Iranian authorities.

The elder Sahabi was jailed for criticizing the regime of Iran's Shah before the 1979 revolution and also for criticizing the hardline clerics in power after the revolution.

The younger Sahabi was jailed after the government crackdown on protesters after the 2009 election, which the opposition claims was “rigged.”

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Posted in Middle East

Obama Counterterrorism Adviser on Trip to Sudan and Middle East

Posted June 1st, 2011 at 1:40 pm (UTC-5)
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U.S. President Barack Obama's chief counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, met with officials in Sudan Wednesday, discussing cooperation against al-Qaida as well as the crisis in the oil-rich Abyei region.

A White House statement said John Brennan underscored President Obama's “deep concern” over the continued presence of North Sudanese forces in Abyei and urged a “rapid and peaceful resolution” to the crisis. He also called for resolving outstanding issues with the 2005 peace agreement between North and South Sudan.

The White House says Brennan is also traveling this week to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to discuss options for addressing the deteriorating situation in Yemen.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said the U.S. strongly condemns the recent clashes in the capital, Sana'a, and what he described as the government's “deplorable use of violence” against peaceful demonstrators in the southern city of Taiz.

Carney said the events underscore the need for Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to sign the transition proposal brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council and to begin transferring power immediately. He said that is the best way to avoid further bloodshed and for the Yemeni people to realize their aspirations for peace, reform and prosperity.

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Posted in US

Slain Syrian Teen Becomes Rallying Symbol for Protesters

Posted June 1st, 2011 at 1:40 pm (UTC-5)
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A Syrian teenager who activists say was tortured and killed by security forces has become a rallying force for anti-government protesters during a continuing government crackdown that has killed hundreds.

Witnesses say protesters in Syria have marched with pictures of 13-year-old Hamza al-Khatib. Videos posted on the Internet of his bloodied corpse have fueled international outrage.

The teenager spent nearly a month in custody before his body was released last month to his family with bullet wounds on his arms and stomach.

Syrian authorities deny Khatib was tortured by security forces, saying he was killed by armed gangs during a protest.

Human rights groups say Syrian security forces have killed at least 1,000 civilians in the unrest. The United States and the European Union have reacted by imposing sanctions on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

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Posted in Middle East

US Senator in Burma for Talks

Posted June 1st, 2011 at 1:20 pm (UTC-5)
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U.S. Senator John McCain is in Burma to confer with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and to assess the new government's commitment to democratic reforms.

The senator launched his three-day visit Wednesday, meeting with Burmese Vice President Aung Myint Oo in Naypyitaw, the Burmese administrative capital, and plans to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi Thursday in Rangoon. An opposition spokesman tells VOA's Burmese service the senator is also slated to meet Thursday with representatives of five small ethnic parties.

McCain told reporters Tuesday in Bangkok that he would urge leaders of the new Burmese government to release an estimated 2,200 political prisoners. He also said he would urge the government not to interfere with a planned tour of Burma's provinces announced this week by Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Nobel Peace laureate said she will leave within weeks on the tour, her first since a similar trip in 2003 that ended with her arrest.

In advance of his trip, Senator McCain visited the biggest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand, at Mae Sot. Tens of thousands of refugees there are waiting either to return home or to be resettled elsewhere.

McCain is a former U.S. Navy pilot who spent six years in a prisoner of war camp during the Vietnam War. He later became a leading advocate of reconciliation between the former enemies.

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Posted in East Asia Pacific

Boehner: ‘Productive’ Talks with Obama on Deficit, Debt

Posted June 1st, 2011 at 1:15 pm (UTC-5)
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The speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives says he and his fellow Republicans had a “very productive” meeting with President Barack Obama on the country's deficit and debt.

House Speaker John Boehner told reporters after Wednesday's White House talks that some of the uncertainty facing the nation is caused by the debt the country is facing.

The meeting came one day after the Republican-controlled House defeated a bill to raise the country's $14 trillion debt limit by about $2 trillion without any spending cuts.

Boehner said that if the debt limit is raised, the spending cuts should exceed the increase in the debt limit, otherwise, he said, it would cost jobs.

Republicans introduced Tuesday's legislation, but also wanted the bill to be defeated. The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Republican Dave Camp, said Republicans are making clear they will not accept an increase in the debt limit without major spending cuts and “real budgetary reforms.”

Democrats called the vote “political theater” by attempting to get Democrats on the record for voting to raise the debt ceiling without cuts in government.

Republicans are calling for deep and immediate spending cuts, while Democrats favor spending cuts or tax increases over several years.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has warned the U.S. could face “catastrophic consequences” if lawmakers fail to raise the debt limit.

Geithner has said he will use emergency measures to re-allocate funds to continue making payments on the U.S. government debt. Those measures will give him until about August 2 before the nation will have to stop making some payments altogether.

Geithner said defaulting on debt payments would raise the cost of borrowing money, and that higher interest rates will be passed on to people, businesses and investors.

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Posted in US

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