White House Gears Up For Bush-Obama Talks
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Despite their differences on matters of policy, President Bush and President-elect Obama are going out of their way to stress their willingness to cooperate during the transition period
U.S. President George Bush and President-elect Barack Obama meet Monday at 2PM in the White House. Mr. Obama and his family will get a tour of the White House from President Bush and first lady Laura Bush. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports it will be their first opportunity to speak face-to-face since the November 4 election. President-elect Barack Obama on stage with his wife Michelle and daughters during election night gathering in Grant Park, Chicago, 04 Nov 2008It is traditional for the incoming president and first lady to visit the White House after Election Day.Usually they wait a few weeks. But this time the meeting between the current president and the president-elect was arranged in a matter of days.That is in part because this is the first transition in four decades to occur at a time when the United States is at war. It is also taking place in the midst of an economic crisis that demands immediate attention.President-elect Obama says dealing with the economy is his top priority."I do not underestimate the enormity of the task that lies ahead," said Barack Obama. "We have taken some major actions to date, and we will need further actions during this transition and subsequent months."Mr. Obama has said he will move with - what he calls - deliberate haste to choose his cabinet. Aides stress he understands the urgency, but wants to make sure he has the best possible people in place.John Podesta (File)John Podesta heads the Obama transition team. During an appearance on the Fox News Sunday television program, he was asked about the need to move quickly to reassure financial markets."I think we are moving aggressively to build up that core economic team, the national security team, and you will see announcements when they are ready," said John Podesta.Podesta said the incoming administration is also taking a close look at many of the executive orders signed by President Bush that are at odds with Mr. Obama's views. "... on stem cell research, on a number of areas," he said. "You see the Bush administration even today moving aggressively to do things I think are not in the interest of the country."He said these executive orders could be repealed or amended easily by the new administration because no Congressional action is required.But despite their differences on matters of policy, President Bush and President-elect Obama are going out of their way to stress their willingness to cooperate during the transition period.Mr. Bush has ordered his staff to make the transition as seamless as possible. And Mr. Obama has repeatedly stressed that until January 20, George Bush is the President of the United States.Perhaps to underscore that point, the president-elect will not be attending the major economic summit Mr. Bush is hosting in Washington on November 15th. He has, however, been talking to other world leaders by telephone.On Saturday, Mr. Obama spoke for the first time since the election with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev. A Kremlin statement said they agreed that their countries have a common responsibility to address serious global problems. It also mentioned the possibility of an early meeting once the president-elect takes office.Relations with Russia are strained over a Bush administration plan to set up a missile-defense system with sites in Poland and the Czech Republic. During the U.S. presidential campaign, Senator Obama said he needs more proof that the plan will work and the high cost is justified.
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28 Killed in Bomb Attacks in Iraqi Capital
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Also today, Iraqi police say female suicide bomber attacked security checkpoint in Diyala province capital, Baquba, killing four people and wounding 14 others
Nine-year-old Abdulla Mohammed is helped by a medic in a hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, 10 Nov 20088Iraqi police say a car bomb ripped through a crowd of civilians in Baghdad today, then a suicide bomber blew himself up as police and others rushed to help the wounded.Officials say the double bomb attack killed at least 28 people and wounded nearly 70 others. It was the deadliest in the Iraqi capital in months. No one has claimed responsibility. But attacks against civilians have been on the rise as al-Qaida in Iraq insurgents are pushed out of their strongholds.The attacks on a busy street in the Adhamiya district lined with shops and restaurants also damaged a bus carrying girls to school.Also today, Iraqi police say a female suicide bomber attacked a security checkpoint in the Diyala province capital, Baquba, killing four people and wounding 14 others. Militants have increasingly recruited female bombers because they often can more easily elude detection.Officials say the women, some of them teenagers, are vulnerable to recruitment, with insurgents playing on a sense of revenge for the death of the women's relatives. The Reuters news agency quotes police saying today's bomber was 13 years old.On Sunday, two bomb attacks in Iraq killed at least seven people and wounded about 20 others.In the deadliest of those attacks, a bomb exploded in a market in the eastern town of Khalis in Diyala province, killing four people. Officials say the bomb targeted the town's mayor.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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NY Times: US Conducts Secret Operations Against Al-Qaida
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The New York Times says an order by then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and approved by President Bush gives the military new authority to attack al-Qaida any place in the world, and to conduct operations in countries not at war with the United States
An American newspaper says the U.S. military has conducted nearly a dozen secret raids against al-Qaida and other terrorist groups in Syria, Pakistan and other countries since 2004.Donald Rumsfeld (File)The New York Times cites anonymous U.S. senior officials in its report Monday saying the raids were authorized by a classified order given by then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and approved by President George Bush. The Times says the order gave the military new authority to attack al-Qaida any place in the world, and to conduct operations in countries not at war with the United States.The paper says the order identifies 15 to 20 countries where al-Qaida militants were believed to be operating or to have sought sanctuary. Those countries include Syria, Pakistan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and several other Persian Gulf states.The report says no raids had been carried out in Iran under the order. But it says officials suggested the U.S. had done reconnaissance in Iran under other classified directives."The New York Times" says some of the military raids have been conducted in close cooperation with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.The paper says in one operation, Navy special forces, Navy Seals, raided a suspected militants' compound in Pakistan's Bajaur region, along the Afghan border. It says U.S. officials watched the video-taped mission in real time at CIA headquarters, just outside Washington in the state of Virginia.
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14 Afghans Killed in Clashes With US-Led Forces
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Khost Governor Arsala Jamal says the 14 were security guards working for a road construction company
A provincial governor in eastern Afghanistan says 14 Afghan civilians have been killed in clashes with U.S.-led forces - an account disputed by the U.S. military.Khost Governor Arsala Jamal (File)Khost Governor Arsala Jamal says the 14 were security guards working for a road construction company. But a U.S. military spokesman, Colonel Greg Julian, says the 14 were suspected militants who fired first after troops forced their vehicle to stop. He says U.S.-led coalition forces aided by helicopter fire shot back and killed the suspects.The spokesman says the U.S. military and Afghan Interior Ministry are looking into the incident.On Sunday, Afghan officials said a suicide car bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into a NATO-led convoy in western Herat province, killing two Spanish soldiers and seriously wounding another.Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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Prospects for Survivors Dim Following Haitian School Collapse
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90 killed, many students still missing; school owner arrested and is being questioned
View of collapsed College Promesse Evangelique in Petionville, Haiti, 08 Nov 2008 Emergency workers in Haiti are shifting focus from searching for survivors to clearing debris at the site of a school collapse that killed at least 90 people.Officials fear the death toll will rise because many students are still missing. There has been no indication of survivors since rescuers pulled four children from the rubble Saturday morning. Emergency workers from the United States, France and Haiti are recovering bodies and making a final check for survivors Monday before they bring in heavy equipment to move large slabs of concrete. The church-run La Promesse, or The Promise school in Petionville, outside Port-au-Prince, collapsed Friday into a heap of cement slabs and steel rods, destroying nearby residences. Authorities say the owner of the school, Protestant minister Fortin Augustin, has been detained and questioned.About 700 students were enrolled at the school. Officials do not know how many were inside the building at the time of the collapse. Residents had complained that the school did not have proper structural support, and officials say the top floor was under construction when the building caved in.Police and United Nations peacekeepers held back angry Haitians Sunday who gathered around the site to search for missing children.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
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Sri Lanka Rebels Urged to Lay Down Arms Before Considering Truce
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Government says it cannot trust Tamil Tiger rebels 'with arms in their hands'; rebels reaffirm they are ready for truce
The Sri Lankan government has turned down a truce offered by Tamil Tiger rebels as the military presses on with an offensive to capture a key rebel stronghold. From New Delhi, Anjana Pasricha reports the government hopes to crush the rebels, who have been fighting for an independent Tamil homeland for a quarter century. Rebels examine their weapons in this handout picture released by The Liberation Tigers for Tamil Eeelam (LTTE) website Tamilnet (file photo)Sri Lankan government spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella says the rebels must lay down their weapons before any negotiations can begin. He says the government cannot trust Tamil Tiger rebels "with arms in their hands."Rambukwella was responding to reports that the rebels are ready for a truce. Over the weekend, a pro rebel website said that "there is no hesitation on our side to reiterate our position that we have always wanted a ceasefire." The Tamil Tigers say they have been forced into a "defensive war" by the government.But Minister Rambukwella says the guerrillas call for a ceasefire each time they get weakened militarily. The head of Colombo's National Peace Council, Jehan Perera, says the government fears that the Tamil Tigers, also known as the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) could use a ceasefire to rearm."They [the government] want to make sure that the LTTE does not use any opportunity of a ceasefire to replenish its arms, to regain its strength when it is weak," Perera said, "so if the LTTE is serious about talks then they must prove their bonafides by laying down their arms."Sri Lanka's Tamil rebels have lost considerable territory in the north to the army. The government says troops are now closing in on the political and administrative headquarters of the Tamil Tigers - Killinochi.The government launched an offensive against the Tamil Tigers in the north earlier in the year after evicting them from their eastern bases.Political observers say the military has made dramatic progress in its bid to crush the guerrillas. But Jehan Perera of the National Peace Council says the government has made little progress in addressing the political issues which ignited the ethnic conflict."It is also very slow in coming up with a political package that could address long standing Tamil grievances," Perera said. "This is the major weakness that we see in the government position and its own sincerity with regard to ending this conflict." The Tamil Tigers began fighting for an independent Tamil homeland in the 1980's, after complaints of discrimination against the minority Tamil community by the majority Sinhalese. The violent civil war has claimed more than 70,000 lives.
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China Blames Dalai Lama for Lack of Tibet Progress
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Government accuses exiled spiritual leader of ultimately seeking independence of Himalayan region
China says no progress was made at recent talks with representatives of the Dalai Lama. The Chinese government is accusing the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader of ultimately seeking independence of the Himalayan region. Stephanie Ho reports from Beijing.Dalai Lama (Oct 2008 file photo)Chinese government official Zhu Weiqun said Beijing considers the Dalai Lama's plan for autonomy tantamount to pursuing independence for Tibet. He says this is something China will never accept.Zhu says the door for Tibet independence, half independence or covert independence is not open, nor will it be open in the future.Zhu is vice minister of the Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work Department, which oversees the party's dealings with non-Communist groups. He spoke at a news conference Monday in Beijing. Another United Front Work Department official, Si Ta, told reporters China is especially unhappy with the pro-Tibet disruptions during the Beijing Olympics.Si accuses what he called "the Dalai side" of organizing 60-thousand people to demonstrate outside Chinese diplomatic missions abroad, centered on the Olympics, last August.He also accuses what he calls "the Dalai group" of organizing foreigners to stage disruptive activities outside Olympic venues and on Tiananmen Square.These are the first official Chinese comments since a round of talks between Beijing and Dalai Lama envoys ended, last week.The Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959, following a failed uprising against Chinese rule. He has publicly and repeatedly said he does not seek Tibetan independence from China, but says he wants meaningful autonomy that would ensure the survival of the region's unique Buddhist culture.Tibetan exile groups are set to meet next week to discuss the future of their cause. The Dalai Lama has recently expressed pessimism about his efforts to seek autonomy for Tibet, under Chinese sovereignty. Some Tibetans have grown impatient with his approach and insist that Tibet was an independent nation before Communist troops invaded in 1950. China maintains that Tibet has been part of its territory for centuries.
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Zimbabwe Summit Fails to Break Deadlock
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'We are dealing with an above normal circumstances,' says Tomaz Augusto Salomao, Executive Secretary of Southern African Development Community
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe says he will form a new government as quickly as possible, and said he hopes Prime Minister-designate Morgan Tsvangirai will change his mind and accept a proposal by regional leaders to set up a unity government. Peta Thornycroft reports from southern Africa.The regional leaders said Sunday a joint government should be formed immediately in Zimbabwe and the main rivals should share control of the disputed Home Affairs Ministry to try to end a political stalemate. The Zimbabwe parties have been trying to form a unity government since signing a September 15 agreement mediated by the Southern African Development Community.Tomaz Augusto Salomao, Executive Secretary of Southern African Development Community, delivers a communiqué of Extraordinary Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, 10 Nov 2008SADC Executive Secretary Tomaz Salomao said the regional leaders had considered proposals for the Home Affairs Ministry from all three parties, President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister-designate Morgan Tsvangirai and minority-party leader Arthur Mutambara.Salomao said SADC cannot afford to postpone the formation of an inclusive government because there is a dispute over who gets the Home Affairs Ministry. "We are dealing with an above normal circumstances and we cannot afford to postpone the formation of [an] inclusive government because there is a dispute on who appoints the minister of Home Affairs. And the parties came to SADC and asked the summit, SADC make a ruling. And that was the ruling made by summit to be implemented [as of] yesterday; so in terms of timeframes, [it] is a matter of urgency," he said.Mr. Tsvangirai said he could not go along with the SADC resolution and was "sad" and "disappointed" that the MDC quest for Home Affairs had been rejected. He said he could not commit his party to a role with responsibility, but not power.President Mugabe unilaterally appointed key ministries to his ZANU-PF party last month, giving it the other main security ministries, Defense and Intelligence.Mr. Mutambara said his party would abide by the SADC resolution, but he said as a signatory to the September agreement neither he nor his party could take part in any government Mr. Mugabe might form unilaterally. South African President Kgalema Motlanthe chaired the summit and called for the three Zimbabwe leaders to agree to end their country's suffering."It is disappointing that it is two months since the signing of the agreement
and the parties have not yet been able to conclude the discussions on
the formation of the inclusive government," said Mr. Motlanthe. "The political leadership
owe it to the people of Zimbabwe and the region to show political
maturity by putting the interests of Zimbabwe first." There have been many breaches of the September agreement with arrests of MDC and civil-rights activists and evictions and harassment of productive farmers. Neither SADC nor South Africa have reprimanded Mr. Mugabe's Zanu PF for the violations. Leadership in Zimbabwe has been disputed since March elections, in which the MDC deprived Zanu PF of its parliamentary majority and Mr. Tsvangirai won more votes than Mr. Mugabe in the presidential poll. The SADC leaders also endorsed the continued mediation of former South African president Thabo Mbeki, who the MDC has accused of protecting Mr. Mugabe.
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Egyptian Leader Visits Sudan to Discuss Darfur
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Analyst considers effectiveness of current peace efforts
-- Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak met for several hours today in Khartoum with Sudanese leader Omar
al-Bashir. The two men discussed the crisis in Darfur, over which the
International Criminal Court (ICC) could issue an arrest warrant for Mr.
Al-Bashir for war crimes.
Nick
Grono, deputy president of the International Crisis Group, spoke from
Brussels to VOA English to Africa Service reporter Joe De Capua about the
Egyptian president's visit to Sudan.
"It's
good that Egypt is engaged in what is a very important regional issue for it.
Egypt has always been concerned about what happens in Sudan," he says. One main
reason is importance of the Nile River, which flows through Sudan.
President
Mubarak is quoted as saying, "The best way to find a solution to this problem is
the Arab and African initiative." Grono explains, "There's an initiative at the
moment, which is called the Qatari Initiative. The government of Qatar is
looking at holding peace talks with the involvement of the Sudanese government
obviously, the chief mediator and those rebel groups that are willing to
participate, and pulling together the African Union and Arab League in this
process. That initiative got underway two or three months ago, although it's
yet really to be fleshed out and it's unclear exactly what's being proposed."
The
possibility that the ICC could seek the arrest of the Sudanese leader plays a
major role in peace efforts. "It's a very important issue. Right now, the
judges of the International Criminal Court are considering an application by
the prosecutor as to whether to issue an arrest warrant for President al-Bashir
for crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes. The latest speculation is
the decision may be December or more likely January. If the arrest warrant went
ahead, then President Bashir would be facing arrest if he traveled outside the
country for various serious crimes. The Sudanese government is very, very
concerned about this and seeking to take, at least superficial steps that would
address the threat. And what its strategy is focused on is what's called
Article 16 of the Rome Statute," he says.
He
says that Article 16 is a provision of the ICC that gives the United Nations
Security Council an option "to put prosecutions on hold for one year renewable.
So, right now, Sudan is trying to persuade the UN Security Council to exercise
that power and defer the prosecutions."
On
Sunday Sudan rejected a call by rebel group JEM, the Justice and Equality
Movement, for one-on-one talks with the government. JEM had called for the
separate talks since various rebel groups had failed to unite on the issue.
The
crisis in Darfur could also affect the stability of the 2005 Comprehensive
Peace Agreement (CPA), which ended the civil war between the north and the
south. Grono says, "What happens in Darfur has the potential to destabilize all
of Sudan. And the SPLM, the ruling party in the south, is watching very closely
what the implications of that are. The big picture issue is what happens with
South Sudan, which should have a referendum on independence in 2011. And so the
government in Sudan and the South are positioning themselves and viewing
everything through the lens of their strategic interests, vis-à-vis, that
referendum."
The
International Crisis Group deputy president would like to see US
president-elect Obama become more engaged in the Sudanese peace process.
"His foreign policy experts have
spoken out very strongly in the past on Sudan. He has a great deal of expertise
at his disposal on this. And we hope that the US will engage in a comprehensive
way. In the past, the US has kind of had divisions between state and defense
and the war on terror interests and peace and stability interests. And we hope
that the new administration will come in with a strong comprehensive approach
to building peace and security in Sudan."
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South African Singer Miriam Makeba Dies at 76
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Singer best known as "Mama Africa" suffered heart attack after performance in Naples, Italy
Miriam Makeba performing in Castelvolturno, Italy, 09 Nov 2008Legendary South African singer and anti-apartheid activist Miriam Makeba died Monday at a hospital in Italy. She was 76.Makeba was a popular singer at home before gaining international fame in a 1959 anti-apartheid documentary, "Come Back, Africa". After that, South Africa's racist regime forced her into exile. She was not permitted to return home until 1990, after Nelson Mandela's release from prison. In 1963, she called for an international boycott of South Africa during testimony before a U.N. special committee against apartheid. The South African government responded by banning her records, including hits like "Pata Pata", "The Click Song" and "Malaika."The singer, known to her fans as "Mama Africa," was in Italy to perform in a concert against organized crime. She fell ill after the performance and was taken to a hospital in the southern city of Naples. The Italian news agency ANSA reports she apparently suffered a heart attack. The South African Foreign Ministry mourned her loss in a statement, saying one of the greatest songstresses of our time has ceased to sing.Makeba received a folk music Grammy Award along with singer/activist Harry Belafonte for a 1965 album they recorded together. She was married to South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela, and later to black activist Stokely Carmichael. Her autobiographical book "Makeba: My Story" was released in 1988.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
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