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Biden: US Willing to Talk to Iran
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US vice president says there will be 'meaningful incentives' if Iran abandons
its 'illicit nuclear program and support for terrorism'
US Vice President Joe Biden smiles prior to speech at International Conference
on Security Policy in Munich, 07 Feb 2009U.S. Vice President Joe Biden says the
United States is willing to talk
to Iran about its nuclear program but stresses Tehran faces isolation
and pressure if it stays on its current path.Biden spoke
Saturday at a security conference in Munich. He said there will be
"meaningful incentives" if Iran abandons what he called its "illicit
nuclear program and support for terrorism."But he says the
United States will continue to develop missile defenses to, in his
words, "counter a growing Iranian capability."Biden's offer to
engage in talks with Iran marks a change from the Bush administration,
which refused to deal with Tehran in direct negotiations. German Chancellor
Angela Merkel says the U.N. Security Council must be prepared to enforce
tougher sanctions on Iran.She says Iran must be prevented from developing
nuclear weapons.The
Security Council has already enforced three sets of sanctions on Iran
for its refusal to stop enriching uranium, a process that can be used
to make atomic weapons.At the Munich conference on Friday,
Iranian parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani criticized past U.S.
policy. But he said the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama
could rebuild bridges that have been destroyed between the United
States and Iran.Iran and the United States cut all diplomatic
ties during the hostage crisis that followed the 1979 Islamic
Revolution and seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.The United
States and its allies accuse Iran of working to produce nuclear
weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful, civilian
purposes.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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US Senators to Debate Compromise Stimulus Plan
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Democratic majority in Senate, a few Republicans reached compromise on plan
Friday, after agreeing to reduce cost of package by about $110 billion
Sen. Joe Lieberman, Sen. Ben Nelson, Sen. Susan Collins, and Sen. Arlen
Specter, talk about Senate's work on economic stimulus bill, 06 Feb 2009The
U.S. Senate is meeting for a rare Saturday session Saturday to
debate a plan to inject hundreds of billions of dollars into the
struggling U.S. economy.The Democratic majority in the Senate
and a few Republicans reached a compromise on the plan Friday, after
agreeing to reduce the cost of the package by about $110 billion.Senate leaders
say they have enough support to pass the measure, which now totals about $780
billion. President Obama delivers his weekly address, 07 Feb 2009In
his weekly address Saturday, President Obama praised the two sides for
coming together. He called for the plan to be enacted swiftly.Republican
leaders remain opposed to the measure. They have complained that the bill is
costly and wasteful.Republican
National Committee Chairman Michael Steele says more of the money
should be given to families in the form of tax cuts.Any Senate
bill that is passed must be reconciled with an earlier version approved
by the House of Representatives, before being sent to President Obama
for his signature.
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Obama's Political Skills Put to the Test
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Rhetoric heats up in Washington as concern mounts over massive spending in
stimulus plan
President Barack Obama, accompanied by Economic Recovery Advisory Board
Chair Paul Volcker, at the White House, 06 Feb 2009The political rhetoric is
heating up in Washington as President Barack Obama increases pressure on
Congress to pass a stimulus bill that he believes will help turnaround the
flagging U.S. economy. Mr. Obama's formidable political skills are being put to
an early test. In the early days of his new administration, Mr. Obama's
emphasis was on bipartisanship, reaching out to Republicans in hopes of a broad
approach on the economy.
But in recent days the tone has changed - more partisan and more reminiscent
of last year's presidential campaign.Mr. Obama told House Democrats that it was
time Republicans remembered that Americans strongly signaled a desire for
change last November."They did not vote for the false theories of the past and
they did not vote for phony arguments and petty politics. They did not vote for
the status quo, they sent us here to bring change. We owe it to them to
deliver," he said.But even some moderate Senate Democrats are holding back
their support for the stimulus bill, hoping to trim some of the
spending.Republicans have been down in the dumps since the November election,
and they have seized on the stimulus fight to re-energize their dispirited
conservative base. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (file photo)"At
some point, the taxpayers will have to pay all of this back, and they are
worried," said Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Senate Republican
leader. "Americans cannot afford a trillion dollar mistake, however well
meaning the intent, and at this point that is what many of us think this bill
would be," he said.The latest unemployment figures seem to buttress the
president's call for quick action to stem the bleeding.In January, the U.S.
lost the largest number of jobs in a single month since 1974, and economist
Mark Zandi said there appears to be no end in sight."Everyone knew it was going
to be bad, and it is. It's a little worse than anticipated. It just confirms
the fear that things are unraveling," said Zandi.Polls indicate the public is
very worried about the economy, but will give the new president time to get his
program enacted.
Circuit City customers walk in and out of a store advertising major
markdowns in San Jose, California, 26 Jan. 2009"There is very high public
approval of the president right now. That has to do less with what Obama is
doing and more with the larger economic concerns out there in the country,"
said Stephen Farnsworth, an expert on the presidency at George Mason University
in Virginia. "A lot of people are very worried about the future and are very
enthusiastic about Obama as a possibility for really taking the country in a
different direction," he said.Mr. Obama came into office on a wave of goodwill,
with polls showing most Americans regard him as a strong leader, especially
when it comes to dealing with the economy.Author Mark Updegrove said it will be
important for the new president to maintain that aura of leadership. He spoke
on the C-SPAN public affairs network."I think first and foremost that character
matters, and particularly during a time of crisis. The character of our leader
can be extremely important in navigating the troubled waters that they face,"
he said.Analyst Stephen Farnsworth said Mr. Obama is quickly finding out the
differences between running a presidential campaign and governing the
country."Passing a piece of legislation is a very different matter, and the
Republicans have been successful in bringing up particular pieces of the
stimulus bill to find areas where you can sow doubt in the utility of the whole
measure. If you do not define your legislation, it will be defined by the
opponents of the legislation," said Farnsworth.Professor Farnsworth also has
some advice for the president - there may be times when it pays to get tough
with your opponents."I think that the most important thing to recognize about
presidents is that you need to be feared. And one of the things that is unclear
about Obama right now is what the price is for opposing Obama. It seems like
there is not a really negative consequence for opposing the president, and if
Obama is going to be successful, I think the Republicans are going to have to
fear Obama more than they have so far," he said.
Tom Daschle on Capitol Hill in Washington on 08 Jan 2009Mr. Obama has
also been distracted by some vetting problems for some of his cabinet nominees,
most importantly the withdrawal of former Senator Tom Daschle to be the
secretary for Health and Human Services.Daschle has been a combination mentor
and confidant for the new president and his decision to withdraw over tax
problems has left the administration without a leader in its push for health
care reform.Experts said some of these early troubles will be long forgotten if
Mr. Obama manages to pass a stimulus plan soon.
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New Challenge to Iraqi Poll Results
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Shi'ite religious parties refusing to accept defeat in last weekend's elections
Some Shi'ite religious parties in Iraq are refusing to accept defeat in last
weekend's elections. Tahir al-Kinani (r) spokesman for candidates endorsed
by anti-U.S. cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, appears at a news conference with Ali
Mohammed Jabbar (l) in Baghdad, Iraq, 07 Feb 2009Candidates backed by radical
cleric Moqtada al-Sadr say Saturday they will challenge the results because of
alleged voting irregularities.The initial tally, announced this week, indicated
a solid election victory for the coalition of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri
al-Maliki, who has pursued a more secular agenda.Mr. Maliki's State of Law
coalition defeated Shi'ite religious parties in the capital, Baghdad, and
Iraq's second largest city, Basra. The prime minister's allies also took the
lead in at least eight other Shi'ite-dominated provinces.The vote is seen as a
referendum on Mr. Maliki's leadership ahead of national parliamentary elections
later this year. Meanwhile, senior U.S. defense officials say the White House
is considering three different timelines, ranging from 16 to 18 months, for
withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq.The officials, none of whom have been
identified, told several Western news agencies that the Pentagon has submitted
assessments of the risks associated with three options for troop withdrawal, in
response to a White House request.A 16-month pullout would be in line with a
pledge that President Barack Obama made during his campaign. The risk
assessments were first reported by the U.S.-based McClatchy Newspapers, and
later confirmed by other news agencies - the Associated Press and the French
news agency, AFP.McClatchy quotes a senior administration official as saying
Mr. Obama is likely to announce his strategy for Iraq by mid-March.The White
House said several days ago that Mr. Obama has spoken to the Iraqi prime
minister about the planning process for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. The
status-of-forces agreement the United States signed with Iraq late last year
says U.S. troops must be out of the country by the end of 2011.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
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Somali President Arrives in Capital for First Time
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Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed quickly taken past cheering supporters to
presidential palace under protection of government soldiers, militia, African
Union peacekeepers
Sheikh Sharif Sheikh AhmedSomalia's President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed
arrived in the capital Saturday morning for the first time since he was elected
by the country's parliament meeting in Djibouti a week ago.President Sheikh
Sharif did not make any comments when he arrived at the Mogadishu airport, and
was quickly taken past cheering supporters to the presidential palace under the
protection of government soldiers, militia and African Union peacekeepers.The
new president previously headed the Islamic Courts Union, which controlled much
of the country briefly in 2006. He signed a peace agreement with the government
last year and is now calling on the country's remaining insurgents to do the
same.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
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Cholera Deaths and Cases Continue to Rise in Zimbabwe
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Officials say epidemic present in all provinces
A Zimbabwean child suffering from cholera is treated at Budiriro Polyclinic in
Harare, 29 Jan 2009The World Health Organization says the cholera epidemic in
Zimbabwe is continuing to escalate. WHO reports the disease now has killed
3,371 people and infected 67,945 since August.The nightmare scenario predicted
by the World Health Organization several weeks ago has now gone well beyond its
original mark of 60,000 cases. WHO says the epidemic is present in all
provinces of the country and shows little sign of abating.However, WHO offers
one ray of hope. Spokesman Paul Garwood says the fatality ratio of 3.9 percent
based on the number of reported deaths and cases remains high. But, he says
this is slightly lower than the fatality rate of the previous week, which was
4.5 percent.Garwood says the number of cholera deaths in Zimbabwe remains
unacceptably high. He notes that cholera normally claims less than one percent
of its victims."But, the mortality of those people receiving medical treatment
in cholera treatment centers and units and other health facilities remained
roughly the same compared to last week at about 1.4 percent," Garwood says.
"So, we are seeing in treatment centers where people are able to access care
that the level of case fatalities per those who seek care is getting lower.
That is a positive sign." Nevertheless, he cautions people against harboring a
sense of premature optimism. He says people who are able to seek treatment in
one of the country's 270 cholera treatment centers stand a greater chance of
surviving then do people who are unable to access these facilities."The case
fatality rate in community settings has been up to three times higher than in
institutional settings and the health facility settings where people have been
receiving care from nurses and doctors," he says. Garwood says most doctors
and nurses in Zimbabwe are still not going to work because they are not being
paid. He says this remains one of the biggest challenges facing humanitarian
agencies that are working to contain the epidemic.He says cholera cannot be
defeated if there are no medical workers available to care for sick
people.United Nations and other agencies blame the growing epidemic on
Zimbabwe's shattered social and economic system. They say the collapse of the
country's health care, sewage and water systems are behind the seemingly
unstoppable spread of the disease.
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North Korea Willing to Resume Denuclearization Talks
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However, former US ambassador to South Korea says process of negotiations with
Pyongyang will be difficult
North Korea appears willing to move ahead with long-stalled denuclearization
talks, but will neither confirm nor deny it may test fire intercontinental
missiles. Stephen Bosworth speaks to reporters after arriving from North
Korea, at Beijing airport in China, 07 Feb 2009A former U.S. diplomat says
North Korean officials told him they were willing to talk to President Barack
Obama's administration about ending their nuclear programs.Stephen Bosworth is
former U.S. ambassador to South Korea. He is now dean of the Fletcher School of
Diplomacy at Tufts University in the northeastern U.S. state of Massachusetts.
He says the process of negotiations with North Korea clearly will be
difficult."These problems are very real and very complicated and they're going
to require a hard diplomatic slog for, I think a considerable period of time,"
said Bosworth.Bosworth just completed a five-day visit to Pyongyang as part of
a non-government delegation of U.S. experts.The visit coincided with the
continuing deterioration of relations between the North and the South, with
North Korea saying a week ago it would scrap all political and military
agreements with South Korea.Media reports from South Korea and the United
States said North Korea appears to be preparing to launch an inter-continental
missile. But Bosworth says North Korea downplayed his group's concern."They
said that we should all wait and see," he said. "There was no threat, no
indication that they were concerned, they treated the missile issue as just a
normal run of the mill issue."Earlier this week, North Korea said it will not
dismantle its nuclear weapons program until U.S. nuclear weapons in the South
also are dismantled.Six nations, including the U.S. and China, are in talks on
ending North Korea's nuclear programs. The talks are in a stalemate because of
disagreement over how to verify North Korea's nuclear activities.
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Sri Lankans Ponder Life After Wartime
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25-year civil war apparently ending
With the 25-year civil war in Sri Lanka apparently coming to an end, many in
this Indian Ocean island are starting to ponder what's next. In the busy
seaside capital of Colombo, the local newspapers are focused on the latest news
from the front lines. But more and more the headlines are about plans for
reconstruction and development projects in Sri Lanka. But still the tourists
who once filled the country's five-star hotels, sushi restaurants and high-end
shops for jewelry and clothes are no longer coming. Most people here blame the
war that, they say, has dragged on way too long. Most people are eager for it
to end.Winning the war in one thing, analysts say, but bringing unity to Sri
Lanka is another. Unity in Sri Lanka means closing the divide between the
country's Sinhalese majority, which are mainly Buddhist, and its minority
ethnic Tamil communities, which are mainly Hindu. That something that cannot be
fixed militarily, says Robert Blake, the U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka. He says
the task is made even harder by the fact that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam, or LTTE, has strong backing from Tamils living abroad."The point we've
made to the government is that once they occupy all the territory in the north,
which should be a matter of weeks or less, that will not end the LTTE because
the LTTE still has a large number of guerillas underground that will continue
to rely on the support of the Tamil diaspora," Blake said. "So it will be very
important for the government to come forward with a package of political
proposals that will really ensure the Tamils of Sri Lanka a position of dignity
and respect, and give them some measure of local autonomy in the areas in which
they predominate."The Sri Lankan government has been trying to maintain a fine
balance: it wants to root out the last of the Tamil rebels while simultaneously
extending a hand of peace and reconciliation to the Tamil community.Pakiasothy
Saravanamuttu"If you are going to win hearts and minds, reconcile and unite,
how you bring this war to a conclusion is going to be key," says Paikiasothy
Saravanamuttu, executive director of the Center for Policy Alternatives.He says
the Tamil hardliners will likely try to capitalize on the government's
inability or unwillingness to give the Tamil community the dignity and autonomy
that they have fought for. Suresh Premachandran is a member of parliament who
represents the Tamil community. He says the government needs to tackle the
distrust and ethnic strife between the Tamil and Sinhalese communities,
especially in the war-battered north."The Tamil community does not have any
trust in the Sinhala government. They can finish off the LTTE, but there is no
political solution to the Tamil ethnic problem," he says.If Sri Lanka's
government has its way, the war will be over within days. But trying to
convince people like Premachandran that their voices are not only heard but
welcomed - that could take a while.
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Indonesia Reverses Policy on Burma Refugees
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Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda says Rohingya could claim to be refugees, and
UN High Commission for Refugees would be given access to them
Indonesia has reversed its position on Rohingya boat people fleeing persecution
in Burma, saying they may qualify for refugee status. Hassan Wirajuda
speaks at a press conference in Jakarta, 06 Feb 2009Indonesian Foreign Minister
Hassan Wirajuda said Friday that the Rohingya could claim to be refugees, and
that the U.N. High Commission for Refugees would be given access to them.The
change in policy comes after fishermen rescued 198 Burmese Rohingya men who
were found drifting off western Indonesia Monday. They said they were beaten by
authorities in Thailand, who pushed them out to sea.Thailand regards the
Rohingya as economic migrants who should be deported back to Burma.The
Rohingya, an ethnic and Muslim minority in mostly Buddhist Burma, say they face
repression by Burmese military authorities. About 20,000 are believed to live
illegally in Thailand, and as many as 230,000 in Bangladesh.
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Australia Battles Bushfires as Temperatures Soar
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Raging bushfires destroy vast forest areas, several homes, golf club; threaten
about half-dozen towns in S. Australia, Victoria, New South Wales
Vehicles and a barn burn in bushfires close to Labertouche, some 125
kilometers west of Melbourne, Australia, 07 Feb 2009Raging bushfires have
destroyed vast forest areas, several homes and a golf club in Australia as
emergency crews battled extreme conditions amid some of the hottest
temperatures in 100 years. Tens of thousands of volunteer fire fighters have
been deployed across south-eastern Australia to try to contain outbreaks that
have destroyed vast areas of forest and farmland as well as a handful of
homes.The giant walls of flame are threatening about a half-dozen towns in
South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales as temperatures soared above 45
Celsius.Six major fire fronts are burning across Victoria. Residents have
described smoke so thick it blocked out the rays of the sun as huge walls of
fire ripped through wooded areas.Emergency officials have said that scorching
temperatures and strong winds have caused conditions perfect for deadly
firestorms. So far, no lives have been lost and authorities have urged
residents to stay indoors to escape the stifling heat.Fires in New South Wales
have sent a cloud of acrid smoke over Australia's largest city, Sydney, where
crews have fought outbreaks in suburbs close to the city center.Rob Rogers, the
assistant commissioner of the state's Rural Fire Service, says the emergency
response requires careful planning."It is really a military-style operation,"
he said. "We have a local incident management team who set up fairly close to
the fire scene. They divide the fire into divisions and sectors and they work
out who is responsible for what part of the fire. You have then [an] air
operations manager, who will coordinate water bombing operations with what the
ground troops are doing." Southeastern Australia is one of the world's most
fire-prone regions. Hot summer conditions have been exacerbated by a
long-standing drought. Backyard barbecues and the use of power tools have been
banned in high-risk areas.A recent report from the Australian Institute of
Criminology has revealed that half of all bushfires are deliberately set, while
others are started by lightning strikes or accidentally by careless campers or
by cigarettes discarded by motorists.The study shows that about 30,000 fires
are started by arsonists each year causing $1 billion worth of damage. The
Institute recommends better education campaigns in the community and schools.
Health authorities have reported dozens of sudden deaths that have been blamed
on the record heat wave that has gripped the southeastern corner of the
Australian continent in recent weeks.In tropical northern Australia the weather
is also creating problems with torrential rain causing major flooding, which
has left many communities cut off and homes damaged.
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