U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrives in Damascus today to ask Syrian leaders to "play a constructive role" in the Middle East peace process and to press for the acceptance of an international tribunal to pursue the killers of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Mr. Ban said that despite the brevity of the seven-hour visit, he hopes to win assurances that Syrian President Bashar Assad will use his power for good. "I [want to] be assured of his strong commitment to work for peace and security in the region and to do whatever Syria can constructively to bring peace and stability in Lebanon," Mr. Ban told The Washington Times. He said he would also seek Syrian cooperation with Security Council resolutions designed to disarm Hezbollah, end Syria's influence in Lebanon and establish a tribunal "of international character" to try suspects accused of political assassinations in Beirut....
http://www.washingtontimes.com
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Editor - 08:00:00 04-24-07
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 Bill to limit U.S. in Iraq advances |
The Democrat-controlled Congress yesterday moved to limit U.S. combat operations in Iraq immediately and withdraw troops as early as July, hardening its stance for a veto showdown with President Bush over war funding. Congressional negotiators from both chambers agreed to the new language yesterday afternoon, hours after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Congress will no longer "turn a blind eye to the Bush administration's incompetence and dishonesty." "Yes, he is the president, but we are the people's representatives," the Nevada Democrat said. "Instead of sending us back to square one with a veto, some tough talk and nothing more, let him come to the table in the spirit of bipartisanship that Americans demand and deserve." The bill passed the conference committee and heads to a final vote tomorrow in the House and Thursday in the Senate....
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20070424-121638-5481r.htm
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Editor - 07:59:00 04-24-07
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| Iranian President Offers to Have Televised Talks With Bush. Bush never has and never will have the guts to do this |
Iran's hard-line president proposed Monday to hold public talks with President Bush on a wide range of issues, without saying whether that included international suspicions of the Iranian nuclear program or allegations of Iranian meddling in Iraq."Last year, I announced readiness for a televised debate over global issues with his excellency Mr. Bush. And now we announce that I am ready to negotiate with him about bilateral issues as well as regional and international issues," Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying on the Web site of Al-Alam, Iran's state-run Arabic satellite television channel.The Iranian leader did not elaborate on what specifically he was willing to discuss with the U.S. president, but he said the talks "should be held with media present."It was not immediately clear if Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in all state matters, supported Ahmadinejad's proposal....
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,267963,00.html
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Editor - 07:55:00 04-24-07
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| 74 Die In Ethiopian Oil Field Raid Chinese Company Runs Site, Most Workers Killed Ethiopians, 7 Chinese Kidnapped |
Gunmen raided a Chinese-run oil field in eastern Ethiopia on Tuesday, killing at least 74 workers, an official of the Chinese company said. Seven Chinese workers were kidnapped in the morning attack at the oil installation in a disputed region near the Somali border, Xu Shuang, the general manager of Zhongyuan Petroleum Exploration Bureau, told The Associated Press. The oil company official did not give the nationalities of the workers killed, but in an earlier statement he said the vast majority of them were Ethiopians. China has increased its presence in Africa in recent years in a hunt for oil and other natural resources to feed its rapidly growing economy. Its forays into areas considered politically unstable, however, has exposed Chinese workers to attacks. An Ethiopian rebel group claimed responsibility for the attack....
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/24/world/main2720381.shtml?source=RSSattr=World_2720381
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Editor - 07:52:00 04-24-07
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| Immigration issues nag at GOP candidates Frontrunners support pathways to citizenship — but avoid voicing it on trail |
Ask the leading Republican presidential candidates about dealing with illegal immigration, and inevitably the answer focuses on tightening border security and building fences. What voters are not hearing a lot about is giving legal status, under certain conditions, to illegal immigrants in the United States, even though each of the top three GOP candidates has supported such a policy. The reason has a lot to do with a deep fissure in the GOP base: Business and industry are demanding more low-wage workers, while grass-roots conservatives are demanding that those workers be shipped home. Some candidates face angry questionsFrom coffee shops in Iowa to barbecue joints in South Carolina, GOP voters troubled by what they see as an unchecked influx of immigrants into their communities are peppering the candidates with often-angry questions at campaign stops....
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18287258/
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Editor - 07:49:00 04-24-07
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| Royal Navy to resume Gulf boarding operations |
The Royal Navy is to resume boarding operations in the northern Gulf, which were suspended after Iran detained 15 British personnel, the government announced today.The defence secretary, Des Browne, said in a Commons written statement that steps had been taken to minimise the risks of a repeat of last month's incident, in which the sailors and marines were held for 13 days. "Pending the results of the inquiries set up to identify any lessons we can learn from this incident, we have taken measures, in line with the findings of the initial reviews of procedures, to ensure the risk to boarding operations is minimised," he said. "This will involve an incremental return to full boarding operations in all areas." Mr Browne also announced that Tony Hall, who is the chief executive of the Royal Opera House and a former director of news and current affairs at the BBC, would lead an inquiry into the media handling of the incident....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,2064511,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12
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Editor - 07:46:00 04-24-07
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| post The Good, The Bad and The Ugly |
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