Iraq's Cabinet Approves Security Pact With US
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Pact will allow US forces to remain in Iraq until end of 2011
The Iraqi government's council of ministers has voted to approve a three-year military pact with the United States, despite the bitter opposition of several hardline Shi'ite leaders. The agreement, which replaces a U.N. mandate that expires on December 31, must be ratified by the Iraqi parliament, as Edward Yeranian reports from Cairo.The Iraqi Cabinet voted overwhelmingly to approve a new military pact with the United States, after weeks of bitter debate and fiery opposition from several influential shi'ite leaders.US Army soldiers walk under the "crossed swords" monument in the US-protected Green Zone in Baghdad, Iraq on Sunday, 16 Nov. 2008The new three-year pact will be put to a parliament vote on November 24, according to the legislative body's deputy speaker. The new pact, which calls for U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq completely by the end of 2011, replaces the U.N. mandate that expires December 31.Iraqi government spokesman Ali Debbagh underscored the proviso in the text that all U.S. forces would withdraw from the country by the end of 2011, although he said it is up to the government, at that point, to reach a new agreement.He says that a majority of ministers, present, voted to approve the agreement that centers around the ultimate withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Iraq. He adds the December 2011 withdrawal date is not subject to change, but the Iraqi government, at that point, will come up with a new agreement with the United States.Debbagh alluded to the up-until-now acrimonious debate within the government and among Iraq's ruling Shi'ite coalition over approving the pact, but insisted that bickering had been resolved and consensus reached.He says the pact was discussed by all factions represented in the government during a meeting Saturday with Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, and that everyone expressed his views and agreement was reached.Only one of the 28 cabinet members present at Sunday's extraordinary session reportedly voted against the pact, although nine others did not attend.U.S. Embassy spokesman Adam Ereli told the Associated Press the vote was an "important and positive step."Iraq's top negotiator on the pact, National Security Advisor Muwafaq al-Rubaie, said earlier that he believed the agreement was a "very good document" and added that he expected parliament to ratify it.Virulent opposition from anti-U.S. Shi'ite cleric Muqtada Sadr and from other Shi'ite leaders close to Iran had threatened to derail the new pact.Sadr announced Friday that he was creating a new militia, which he dubbed the "Brigades of the Promised Day" to fight the United States, and demanded that the United States "quit Iraq without leaving behind any bases."Iranian state television called the vote "a victory for the government of Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki," which "imposed its views on everyone." Iran has long said it opposes the new pact, claiming that it threatens its own security and stability.
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Israeli Air Strike Kills More Palestinians in Gaza
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Israeli forces have killed at least 15 Palestinian fighters, while militant groups have fired numerous rockets, missiles and mortars across the border
Four Palestinian militants have been killed in an upsurge of violence in and around the Gaza Strip. Robert Berger reports from the VOA bureau in Jerusalem.Palestinians evacuate the body of a Palestinian into Shifa hospital in Gaza City, Sunday 16 Nov. 2008, following an Israeli airstrikeIsrael launched a deadly air strike against Palestinian militants who were firing mortar shells across the Gaza border. The air raid also followed a Palestinian rocket attack. The Islamic militant group Hamas that rules Gaza promised retaliation. "Today's crime will not pass without punishment," said Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum.But Hamas stopped short of saying that the five-month-old Gaza ceasefire is over, despite nearly two weeks of tit-for-tat attacks. During that period, 170 rockets and mortars have been fired at Israel and 15 Palestinian militants have been killed. Israel also wants to preserve the cease-fire. But at the weekly Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he ordered the army to present plans for various operations against what he called the "Hamas terrorist regime." Mr. Olmert said Israel is not eager for battle, but does not fear it.In a bid to pressure Hamas to halt the rocket fire, Israel has shut its borders with Gaza since fighting erupted 12 days ago. Chris Gunness, spokesman for the U.N. agency that feeds 750,000 Palestinians, says it is a catastrophe. "We have no food. Our warehouses are empty. I cannot say it any clearer than that," Gunness said.The United Nations and European Union have called for Israel to immediately reopen its border crossings with Gaza to prevent a humanitarian crisis.
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Afghan President Guarantees Taliban Founder's Safety for Peace Talks
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Since 2001, Mullah Omar has been an international fugitive with a $10 million bounty for sheltering al-Qaida leaders
Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai says he will ensure Mullah Omar's safety should the fugitive Taliban leader want to come out of hiding for peace talks. VOA's Barry Newhouse reports from Kabul.Afghan President Hamid KarzaiSince 2001, Mullah Omar has been an international fugitive with a $10-million bounty for sheltering al-Qaida leaders. He founded Afghanistan's Taliban movement that ran the country from 1996 until the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 and he remains the most prominent Afghan Taliban commander. Afghan officials believe he is in hiding in Pakistan. President Karzai says he will guarantee Omar's safety - despite possible objections by the international community - if he sincerely wants to negotiate peace. "If I say I want protection for Mullah Omar - the international community has a choice - remove me or leave if they disagree," Mr. Karzai said.Mr. Karzai repeated his government's demands that any Taliban faction that wants to negotiate peace must accept the Afghan constitution and not be a part of al Qaida. In the past, Taliban leaders have called for the withdrawal of foreign troops before peace talks begin - which Afghan officials have rejected. Afghanistan has experienced rising violence this year, as Afghan troops and international forces have struggled to contain a resurgent Taliban. U.S and Afghan officials have expressed support for holding peace talks with so-called reconcilable militant groups, but it is unclear which Taliban factions could be included in the negotiations. During an hour-long news-conference, President Karzai complained about the operations of internationally-run Provincial Reconstruction Teams. PRT's are trying to rebuild critical parts of Afghanistan's infrastructure, but Mr. Karzai said they are also undermining the government. He says some PRT's in some provinces have weakened the local governance because they hire their own staff and carry out projects on their own. The president also addressed public outrage over last week's acid attack against teenage school girls in Kandahar. He vowed to arrest those responsible and publicly hang them, even though he personally opposes public executions.
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Washington Financial Summit Promises to Renew Efforts to Expand Trade
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British PM Gordon Brown says 'We will refrain from erecting new barriers to investment and trade for the next 12 months'
A one-day summit of leaders from 20 developing and advanced economies, and the European Union agreed Saturday in Washington to take action to combat economic slowdown and keep markets open. VOA's Barry Wood has more. The leaders said they were pleased with the results. And there was a sense that something new has been set in motion with this first ever leaders meeting of what is called the G-20. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the G-20 is likely to replace the G-8-the Europeans, Japanese and North Americans, which have met annually for over 30 years. Emerging economies, Mr. da Silva said, must be taken into account in global economic decisions. Collectively the participating countries account for over 80 percent of global output.British PM Gordon Brown seen during meeting as part of the G-20 summit on the global financial crisis in Washington, 15 Nov 2008British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, an early proponent of the Washington meeting, said the leaders are determined to avoid trade protectionism."We will refrain from erecting new barriers to investment and trade for the next 12 months and all leaders are signed on to this," said Mr. Brown. "And more importantly, we instruct our trade ministers to agree the modalities of a new trade agreement by the end of the year."The Doha Round of trade liberalization talks have been stalemated for two years. Mr. Brown said it is significant that in a time of economic distress, leaders want to keep their markets open.Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the nine-page summit declaration is blunt in identifying reckless financial practices as causing the current turmoil, which led to credit markets freezing and stock prices plummeting. At a Washington press conference, Mr. Rudd condemned the excessive salaries paid to top bankers."People around the world are fed up and angry and upset at the outrageous packages paid to financial company executives who have contributed so much to what has gone wrong in the global economy. And who pays the price? Working people and their jobs," said Rudd.The summit declaration says financial institutions borrowed too much and engaged in risky, unregulated activities.The G-20 comprises three North American countries (US, Canada, Mexico), four west European nations (UK, France, Italy, Germany), Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, two South American nations (Brazil, Argentina), Australia,five Asian nations (Japan, China, India, South Korea, Indonesia), and the European Union. The leaders plan to meet again within five months and by then they want to have a plan for developing countries obtaining a bigger voice in the International Monetary Fund. IMF managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn participated in the Washington summit."I'm hoping that in March or April when we have the new conference, then really, we will have a change in the governance of the world that didn't happen for 60 years will take place," said Strauss-Kahn.The Washington summit was prepared at short notice and yet participants appear to be departing pleased with the result.
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Kissinger says Hillary Clinton Would Be Outstanding Diplomat
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The elder statesman, who served in Republican administrations, says if President-elect Obama chooses Mrs. Clinton it would show 'great courage' on his part
Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has told an Indian audience that Senator Hillary Clinton would make "an outstanding appointment" as America's top diplomat. The elder statesman, who served in Republican administrations, says if President-elect Obama chooses Mrs. Clinton it would show "great courage" on his part. VOA Correspondent Steve Herman has this report from New Delhi.Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger at the World Economic Forum India summit, Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi 16 Nov. 2008One of America's elder statesmen says U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton has a great intellect and would be outstanding in his old job. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Henry Kissinger made the remark at a meeting of the World Economic Forum in New Delhi. Kissinger, who was Secretary of State under two Republican presidents, says it would be a courageous act for President-elect Barack Obama to appoint his former Democratic Party primary rival as the top American diplomat. "To appoint a very strong personality with an independent constituency into a Cabinet position requires a lot of courage," Kissinger said.Kissinger said Senator Clinton, if she accepted, would have to be subordinate to her former rival - an event that would be a "symbol of a new approach." The comments came amid political speculation in Washington that Mr. Obama is considering bringing the wife of former President Bill Clinton into his Cabinet. Indian media has also been rife with reports the President-elect is looking to name Mr. Clinton as a personal envoy to try to solve the Kashmir territorial dispute between India and Pakistan. Asked about that, the 85-year-old Kissinger provoked much laughter in the audience when he quipped "there is a limit to the number of Clintons you can appoint" at one time. The former Secretary of State in the Nixon and Ford administrations says the Obama White House will not be able to pick one international problem and make it a priority. Kissinger suggested the need for new institutions globally to give urgent attention to nuclear proliferation, climate change and energy issues. Kissinger also warned the incoming administration in Washington that major countries cannot allow Tehran to ignore repeated warnings in response to its threat to acquire nuclear weapons. "We have a time limit on issues like nuclear proliferation - a time limit imposed by the acquisition of technology, by, especially, Iran," Kissinger said. Kissinger says if Iran becomes a nuclear state it would be "a blow to the international order in general."
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UN Envoy Meets Rebels as New Fighting Flares in DRC
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UN says fighting broke out just hours before the envoy, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, began discussions with rebel leader Laurent Nkunda
The U.N.'s special envoy on Congo began talks Sunday with the Democratic Republic of Congo's main rebel leader, as heavy fighting erupted in the eastern part of the country. UN special envoy, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, right, is greeted by CNDP rebel leader Laurent Nkunda, in Jomba, east Congo, near the Uganda border, 16 Nov 2008The U.N. says the fighting broke out just hours before the envoy, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, began discussions with rebel leader Laurent Nkunda. It was not immediately clear which armed groups were involved in Sunday's fighting in Ndeko, about 90 kilometers north of Goma, the capital of the North Kivu province. Rebels, the army and pro-government militias are all operating in the region. Mr. Obasanjo met with the DRC's president, Joseph Kabila, on Saturday. The envoy said the president did not set any conditions for his talks with the rebels. As Mr. Obasanjo arrived in the eastern region Saturday, a U.N. spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Jean-Paul Dietrich, said the army and rebels exchanged fire for about 10 minutes in Kabasha, about 70 kilometers north of Goma. Government forces and rebels have clashed repeatedly in the eastern DRC since August, in violation of a cease-fire they agreed to in January. The United Nations estimates 250,000 people have been displaced since August. On Friday, the foreign ministers of the DRC and Rwanda met to discuss the crisis. They agreed that Rwandan intelligence officers would join DRC troops fighting Hutu extremists in the eastern DRC. The presence of Hutu extremists in the DRC is what led Nkunda to begin his rebellion in 2004. Nkunda says he is fighting to protect Tutsi communities against Hutus who were responsible for Rwanda's 1994 genocide. Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
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Somali President Says Government Near Collapse
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Remarks by President Abdullahi Yusuf late Saturday followed the capture of several key towns in recent days by Islamist militant groups
Somalia's president says insurgents now control most of the country, and that the government is close to collapse.Somali interirm President Abdullahi Yusuf (file photo)The remarks by President Abdullahi Yusuf late Saturday followed the capture of several key towns in recent days by Islamist militant groups. Mr. Yusuf says the government now controls only Mogadishu and the parliament seat, Baidoa. He blamed the situation on persistent disputes within the government, and warned that Somalia faces a grim future if Islamists take full power.Islamist forces often impose a strict form of sharia law in the areas they control. On Saturday, they publicly whipped 32 dancers in the southern town of Balad. Spokesman Abdirahim Isse Adow said it is "un-Islamic" for men and women to dance together. Mr. Yusuf and Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein have been trying for weeks to form a new cabinet. But Mr. Yusuf has so far rejected the candidates for ministry posts suggested by the prime minister. The leaders and Somali lawmakers have been meeting in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, in hopes of sorting out the dispute. Prime Minister Hussein named a lineup of 10 new cabinet ministers Sunday. The government has never been able to assert control in Somalia since its formation in 2004. Islamists took over much of the country in 2006 but were ousted by an Ethiopian-backed government offensive. The Islamists began an insurgency in early 2007, sparking almost daily clashes with Ethiopian and government forces. The fighting has killed thousands of Somalis and displaced hundreds of thousands of others, aggravating the country's humanitarian crisis.Somalia has not had a stable central government since 1991.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
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California Wildfires Destroy Hundreds of Homes
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Thousands of residents evacuated during fires that Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa described worst in a decade
More than 10,000 people have been evacuated in Southern California, where firefighters are battling several major wildfires. Mike OSullivan reports that the flames, driven by gusting winds, have destroyed hundreds of homes.A brush fire burns in Yorba Linda California, 15 Nov 2008A fire that started Friday in the Los Angeles suburb of Sylmar had grown to 2,600 hectares by mid-day Saturday, when the blaze was just 10 percent contained. That fire destroyed at least 500 mobile homes as it leveled large parts of one neighborhood.Northwest of Los Angeles, more than 100 homes were lost near Santa Barbara in a fire that started Thursday and was 40 percent contained by Saturday. Authorities say as many as 30 structures were destroyed in another fire in nearby Orange and Riverside counties.The wildfires are being driven by gusty winds from the desert called Santa Anas, which have reached 120 kilometers per hour in some places. Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the Sylmar fire is the worst that his city has seen in a decade. He urged residents to be careful."People really need to understand that because of these winds, these fires can be on you in a moments notice," said Villaraigosa. He said electrical lines were down in places, and he asked people to conserve power to avoid possible blackouts. Traffic was snarled as authorities closed several major highways near Los Angeles, including Interstate 5, which links Southern and Northern California.Los Angeles Fire Department deputy chief Mario Rueda says firefighters have been battling the flames in two ways."Its always a strategy of both offensive and defensive," said Rueda. "In this case, the defensive part is putting firefighters directly ahead of those structures, directly ahead of that flaming front."He says the offensive strategy involves the use of bulldozers to clear brush from the path of the fire, and aircraft to drop flame retardant from the sky.Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the fires, but say the Santa Ana winds that typically come at this time of the year make the blazes hard to control, once they have started.
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Endeavour to Dock With Space Station Sunday
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Endeavour's seven astronauts to deliver two new sleeping units, a bathroom, a kitchenette and exercise equipment
The U.S. space shuttle Endeavour is scheduled to dock Sunday, at 2204 UTC, with the International Space Station, on a mission to improve the living space on the orbiter.Shuttle Endevour being moved to launch pad (file photo)The U.S. space agency, NASA, plans to double the size of the crew on the space station from three members to six next year. So as part of their 15-day mission, the seven astronauts on Endeavour will deliver two new sleeping units, a bathroom, a kitchenette and exercise equipment. They will also install a new system to recycle wastewater into safe drinking water.On Saturday engineers on the ground viewed images of Friday's launch to see if any debris struck the shuttle. Mission Control says no damage was caused by insulation that flew off the rear of Endeavour. The shuttle will get another check before docking today.Endeavour is also delivering a new member of the space station crew. American Sandra Magnus will replace U.S. astronaut Gregory Chamitoff.Four spacewalks are also scheduled during the mission to repair a broken solar panel array on the space station. The Endeavour mission is the last U.S. shuttle flight scheduled for this year. Endeavour is scheduled to return to Earth on November 29.NASA plans to retire the shuttle fleet in 2010.Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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Hundreds Attend Memorial for "Mama Africa"
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Miriam Makebra died in Italy earlier this month
South African musician Hugh Masikela plays a trumpet in tribute to South African singing legend Miriam Makeba, at a memorial service in JohannesburgHundreds of mourners attended a memorial service for South African recording star and anti-apartheid champion Miriam Makeba Saturday.Poets and musicians performed tributes to the woman known as "Mama Africa" at the Johannesburg Dome, a popular venue for concerts.South African President Kgalema Motlanthe delivered a video message from the G-20 summit to an audience of mourners which included former president Thabo Mbeki.Makeba collapsed from a heart attack seconds after leaving the stage after a concert in Italy on November ninth. She died later at a hospital in Naples.She was forced into exile in 1959 after appearing in an anti-apartheid documentary. Makeba did not return to South Africa until after Nelson Mandela's release from prison in 1990. During that time, she became a leading voice against apartheid.Makeba called for an international boycott of South Africa during testimony before a U.N. special committee against apartheid in 1963. The South African government responded by banning her records, including hits like "Pata Pata," "The Click Song" and "Malaika."Makeba was the first African woman to win a Grammy - the music industry's highest award. She won a folk music award in 1965 for an album she recorded with Harry Belafonte. Makeba was married to South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela and later to U.S. black activist Stokely Carmichael. Her autobiography "Makeba: My Story" was released in 1988. Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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