Last of US Surge Forces Arrive in Iraq

By Al Pessin Washington 30 May 2007

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Iraqi boy takes cover behind US soldier after gunshots ring out in busy central Baghdad commercial district, 28 May 2007

The U.S. military says all 20,000 additional combat troops President Bush ordered to Iraq in January have now arrived, with the last unit set to be fully operational in a couple of weeks. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon officials say the increased tempo of U.S. military operations in Iraq is responsible for some progress toward establishing security in Baghdad, but also for the high U.S. death toll this month.

As of late Wednesday, the Pentagon reports that 115 U.S. troops have been killed so far in Iraq in May, with one more day left to go, making the month one of the deadliest of the war for U.S. forces. "It's been a tough month," said Brigadier General Perry Wiggins.

At a Pentagon news conference, General Wiggins said the greater risks of the new Baghdad Security Plan were known in advance, and he said the increased presence of U.S. troops in the city's neighborhoods is creating progress, as well as casualties. "We're moving into places where we haven't been, not necessarily (ever) before but we haven't been and stayed with the frequency that we're staying in these areas now. And there are some areas where, in the past, the enemy elected to just move on out, wait until we departed and come back in. In this particular case, they're finding that harder to do," he said.

General Wiggins said commanders are "starting to see a shift of momentum" with more support from ordinary Iraqis and a 50 percent decrease in insurgent attacks in western al-Anbar Province. But he also acknowledged what he called a slight increase in attacks in Baghdad. He could not immediately provide specific figures for either location, but the general said insurgents continue to be able to carry out dramatic, large-scale bombing attacks, and also to hit U.S. and Iraqi targets with smaller bombs.

The general charged that Iranian operatives are providing technology and training to some Iraqi insurgents, and that some of the training is done by the elite Iranian Quds Force inside Iraq. But he said the U.S. military still has not determined which, if any, senior Iranian officials are behind the effort.

Iran's Crackdown on Visiting Iranian-Americans Raises More Questions About Tehran's Agenda

By Gary Thomas Washington 30 May 2007

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The news that a fourth Iranian-American may have been arrested in Iran for alleged espionage has heightened questions about the Tehran government's seemingly contradictory behavior. Iranian and U.S. officials have just completed their first publicly acknowledged high-level meeting to discuss stabilizing Iraq. As VOA correspondent Gary Thomas reports, the arrests may be a sign of divisions within Iran's leadership.

Haleh Esfandiari, Director of the Middle East program at the Woodrow Wilson Center

The crackdown on Iranian-Americans visiting their native land is both puzzling and ominous to Western-based analysts of the Iranian political landscape.

Karim Sadjapour was living and working in Tehran for the International Crisis Group until recently. He says the atmosphere there has changed markedly in recent months.

"The mood in Iran in terms of the crackdown on political speech and societal openness is as bad as it's been since the early days of the revolution," he said.

The government has accused at least three visiting Iranian-Americans of espionage, including Haleh Esfandiari, director of the Middle East program at the non-governmental Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars in Washington. Also charged are Kian Tajbakhsh, an urban planning consultant with George Soros' Open Society Institute, and Parnaz Azima, a journalist with the U.S. government-funded Radio Farda.

U.S. officials have emphatically denied that they were engaged in any espionage activity, with White House spokesman Tony Snow Wednesday labeling the allegations "preposterous."

Esfandiari's husband, Shaul Bakhash, who teaches modern Middle Eastern and Iranian history at George Mason University, says he is as perplexed as anyone else about the matter.

"After all, my wife, as the director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center, has merely organized conferences, meetings, and talks," he said. "She has brought Iranians, respected Iranian academics and scholars and analysts, to the Wilson Center. The Iranian government does exactly the same thing in reverse. Its own research centers invite scholars and academics and the like from the United States, from Europe, from others, to conferences in Iran."

However, some American scholars planning to visit Iran recently for such a conference found their visas suddenly revoked.

Bill Samii, an Iran specialist at the Center for Naval Analysis, says U.S.-Iran talks on Iraq and the crackdown in Tehran underscore divisions within the secretive circle of Iran's leadership.

"We always get back to this argument about this sort of bifurcated nature of the Iranian governmental system in which you have various factions and various leaderships or various centers of power pursuing different agendas," he said. "And I think that that's what we're seeing in this case."

Karim Sadjapour, now with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, says there is what he calls "schizophrenia" in Iran's ruling circles. He says there are entrenched hardline elements who have vested political and financial interests in maintaining the hostile relationship between Iran and the West.

"So any time you see a movement toward a dialogue with the U.S. or a warming of ties between Iran and the West, you have these hardline elements that aim to scuttle this dialogue," he explained. "So this is why we may see these things simultaneously: at the same time the Iranian government is talking to the U.S. about Iraq, you see the hardliners behind the imprisonment of people like Haleh and Kian to try to torpedo these talks from going forward."

Sadjapour adds that he is sad that it is now too dangerous for him, as an Iranian-American, to go back to Iran. But he says he now has to be less circumspect in his analysis of Iranian affairs.

"I've resigned myself to the fact that Iran is no longer a safe place to live and work for those of us who are dual nationals and those of us who work on issues of U.S.-Iran relations and Iranian internal politics," he added. "And in some ways, it's liberating to know that I can't go back. I feel upset that I am unable to go back. I still have family. But in some ways we can be more honest in our analysis because we have to, I think, be very clear in pointing out that the behavior of the Iranian government, and at this moment, is simply unacceptable."

It is not clear when, or even if, any of the accused will face trial. Bill Samii points out that espionage cases are held before Revolutionary Courts, which have great flexibility and discretion.

Advocates Debate Rise in Fees for US Residency, Citizenship

By Michael Bowman Washington 30 May 2007

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President Bush says a primary goal of immigration reform is to bring millions of illegal aliens "out of the shadows" and provide a path to legal residency and eventual U.S. citizenship. But while the president champions such reform, the United States is set to implement the largest-ever boost in fees charged to those applying for residency and citizenship. VOA's Michael Bowman reports from Washington, advocates for immigrants say the administration is sending mixed messages to an often fearful and vulnerable community.

Russian immigrant Sveta Nikitina poses with her immigration papers at her home in Mill Valley, California (February 2007 photo)

For newcomers, both legal and undocumented, the cost of pursuing the American dream is about to go up. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service is doubling, and in some cases tripling, its fees. Beginning July 30, the charge for adults seeking residency will exceed $1,000; the fee for citizenship will be nearly $600.

Some say the higher fees undermine President Bush's stated goals on immigration.

"To come up with $1,000 per family member to obtain permanent residence - it is going to keep a lot of people in the shadows for a very long time," says Crystal Williams, a deputy director at the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

Williams says the new fees constitute an enormous financial hurdle that will force countless poorer immigrants to delay applications - and may lead some to give up entirely.

But officials at the Citizenship and Immigration Service point out that the agency receives no federal funds to process applications. Costs are covered entirely by fees charged. They say unless those fees reflect actual costs, services would have to be cut back and waiting times for applicants would increase.

"We realize that anytime we increase the fees that there is a burden there," says USCIS spokesman Chris Bentley. "There is pain that is caused along the way. However, to be able to remain a world class service provider, to be able to get the services and benefits in a timely manner to the people who deserve them, we simply need the resources to be able to make that happen."

Bentley adds that refugees and asylum-seekers will remain exempt from charge, and some fees can be reduced for residency and citizenship applicants facing dire economic hardship.

But if USCIS is constrained by its dependence on fees for operating costs, then it is time to change the system, according to Donald Kerwin of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network.

"Citizenship is a national good. It is important for our country. And so we think that to fix the system, to reduce backlogs and improve technology, there needs to be appropriated monies [federal funds] for this. It needs to go beyond the fee-based system," he said.

Some in Congress counter that it would be wrong to shift the financial burden to U.S. taxpayers. Republican Congressman Steve King of Iowa says the new fees are still far lower than what illegal immigrants typically pay smugglers to cross the U.S.-Mexico border.

"We are seeing coyote [smuggler] fees go up to $1,500 to $2,500 per person," he said. "I do not see any fees levied by USCIS that were that high. So if it is cheaper to have access to becoming a citizen than it is to be transported [illegally] to the United States, then, no, I do not think those fees are too high by comparison."

Immigration officials also defend the fee system, saying it provides spending flexibility, since revenues go up in proportion to any rise in applications. They say previous fee hikes have not resulted in drastic reductions in applications for residency or citizenship.

Immigrant advocates counter that the current fee hike is far greater than any previous increase. They also note studies showing the percentage of eligible immigrants applying for U.S. citizenship dropping in recent decades. Opinions vary as to the cause, but immigrant advocates say making it more expensive for immigrants to pursue legal status or citizenship can only serve as a further deterrent.

VOASE0530_Education Report

30 May 2007

How Foreign Citizens Become Doctors in the US
We answer a question from a doctor in Vietnam in Part 39 of our Foreign Student Series.

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This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

We continue our Foreign Student Series this week with a question from a doctor at a hospital in Vietnam. Tran Kinh Thanh in Ho Chi Minh City asks how a foreign doctor can become an American doctor.

One way is to complete a medical residency in the United States. A residency is a period of hospital training for medical school graduates.

To be accepted, foreign-trained doctors need approval from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. The process involves passing several tests. After that, foreign doctors can receive a visa to stay in the United States, at least for the training period.

Practicing medicine in the United States also involves other steps.

But the first thing that foreign-trained doctors have to do is make sure they attended a recognized medical school. It has to be listed in the FAIMER International Medical Education Directory. FAIMER is the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research.

If their school is not listed, then foreign-trained doctors cannot be approved for a residency. One solution is to go back to medical school -- an American medical school.

One hundred twenty-five schools in the United States belong to the Association of American Medical Colleges. The group says more than one thousand one hundred foreign citizens applied for the current school year. One-fourth of them were admitted last fall.

Almost all medical schools in the United States require applicants to report scores from the Medical College Admission Test.

Future doctors in the United States traditionally complete four years of medical school after undergraduate school. Then, as residents, they treat patients under the supervision of experienced doctors. A residency is generally between three and seven years. The first year is called an internship.

The Association of American Medical Colleges publishes a book called Medical School Admissions Requirements. The newest one is for two thousand eight-two thousand nine. The guide has details about every school as well as information for foreign students.

The book costs twenty-five dollars and can be ordered through the association's Web site.

For a link to that site, go to voaspecialenglish.com. You can also find all of the earlier reports in our Foreign Student Series on higher education in the United States.

And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. I'm Bob Doughty.

VOASE0530_The Making of a Nation

30 May 2007

US History: Ford Leads Nation Through Difficult Days of Watergate
One month after Gerald Ford became president, he pardoned Richard Nixon of any crimes for which he might have been responsible. Ford was the only vice president and president not elected to either office.

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VOICE ONE:

This is Mary Tillotson.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Steve Ember with THE MAKING OF A NATION -- a VOA Special English program about the history of the United States.

(MUSIC)

Gerald Ford is sworn-in by Chief Justice Warren Burger. At center is Ford's wife, Betty.

Today, we tell about the administration of the thirty-eighth president of the United States, Gerald Ford.

VOICE ONE:

Gerald Ford was sworn-in as president on August ninth, nineteen seventy-four. The day before, President Richard Nixon had announced that he would resign.

If he had not resigned, he probably would have been removed from office. A Congressional investigation had found evidence that Nixon violated the Constitutional rights of the American people during the Watergate case.

The new president spoke about Watergate, and what it meant to America, on the day he was sworn-in.

FORD: "Our long national nightmare is over. Our Constitution works. Our great republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here the people rule. ... As we bind up the internal wounds of Watergate -- more painful and more poisonous than those of foreign wars -- let us restore the 'Golden Rule' to our political process and let brotherly love purge our hearts of suspicion and of hate."

VOICE TWO:

Gerald Ford became the only president in American history to serve as vice president and president without being elected.

Richard Nixon nominated him for vice president in October, nineteen seventy-three. That was when Nixon's vice president, Spiro Agnew, resigned. When Nixon himself resigned, Ford became president.

Ford was a long-time Congressman from the state of Michigan. He was well-liked. He had been a good student and a good athlete. He studied economics and political science at the University of Michigan. The he studied law at Yale University. During World War Two, he served as a Navy officer in the Pacific battle area.

VOICE ONE:

After the war, Ford entered politics. He was a member of the Republican Party. He was first elected to Congress in nineteen forty-eight. He won re-election twelve times. Other Republican members of the House of Representatives elected him minority leader during the presidential administration of Democrat Lyndon Johnson.

Ford was still minority leader when Republican Richard Nixon was elected president in nineteen sixty-eight. In his leadership position, he helped win approval of a number of Nixon's proposals. He became known for his strong loyalty to the president. It was no surprise, then, that Nixon named Ford vice president.

VOICE TWO:

Gerald Ford became president suddenly. Almost as suddenly, he had to decide what to do about former President Nixon. After Nixon left office, he could have been charged with crimes for his part in the Watergate case. Instead, one month after Nixon resigned, President Ford settled the question. He pardoned Nixon of any crimes for which he might have been responsible.

Announcing his pardon of Richard Nixon

The pardon made many Americans angry. Some believed Nixon should have been put on trial. They thought he might have answered more questions about Watergate if he had not been pardoned.

The new president did what he thought was right. He said he pardoned Nixon to end divisions in the country. For a while, however, his action seemed to increase the divisions.

VOICE ONE:

Anger about the pardon was still strong when President Ford took another highly disputed action. He pardoned the men who illegally escaped military service in the Vietnam War. Most were not sent to prison. Instead, they were permitted to perform work for their communities. Many of the men did not accept the president's offer, however. They remained in hiding in the United States. Or they remained in other countries where they had fled.

President Ford received much better public support when he asked Congress to control and limit the activities of the nation's intelligence agencies. He hoped this would prevent future administrations from interfering with the Constitutional rights of citizens.

VOICE TWO:

Other problems also caused trouble for President Ford. As vice president, he had described inflation as America's 'public enemy number one'. He proposed several measures to fight it. As president, he was forced to cancel some of these measures because there was an economic recession.

During the recession, inflation decreased. But fewer Americans had jobs. Unemployment in nineteen seventy-five was at its highest rate since the great economic depression of the nineteen thirties.

VOICE ONE:

In foreign policy, Ford usually took the advice of Henry Kissinger. Kissinger served as President Nixon's assistant for national security and as secretary of state. He kept those jobs under President Ford.

Secretary of State Henry Kissinger

Kissinger won much praise for his service to Richard Nixon. Yet he received much criticism, too. He was accused of interfering with civil liberties in the name of national security. And he was accused of supporting the overthrow of the leftist government of Salvador Allende in Chile.

Still, President Ford was pleased that Kissinger would remain in the administration. Even Kissinger's worst critics admitted that he was excellent negotiator.

VOICE TWO:

At the time Ford became president, America's situation in the world was generally hopeful. Former President Nixon and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev had signed two agreements to limit the spread of nuclear weapons. Also, relations with China were less tense than before.

However, American policy in parts of Southeast Asia had failed completely.

VOICE ONE:

American involvement in the Vietnam war officially ended the year before Ford became president. But fighting continued between South Vietnam and communist forces from North Vietnam. The peace agreement signed by the United States and North Vietnam in nineteen seventy-three left South Vietnam to defend itself. By nineteen seventy-five, it became clear that South Vietnamese forces were in danger of defeat.

President Ford tried to prevent a total communist take-over of the south. He asked Congress to approve seven hundred-million dollars in military aid for South Vietnam. The American people, however, were tired of paying for the war. Their representatives in Congress said no.

VOICE TWO:

What happened in Vietnam was like a bad dream. Communist forces moved into Saigon, capital of the south. Ford ordered the rescue of American citizens and of Vietnamese who had supported American efforts. Few who saw people trying to escape Saigon will ever forget the day.

It was April thirtieth, nineteen seventy-five. Terrified Vietnamese were screaming for help at the American embassy. Everyone was pushing, trying to escape. Some who reached the embassy's roof passed their children forward. At least, they hoped, they could get the children to safety on American military helicopters. Others held on to the helicopters from the outside as the overloaded aircraft tried to take off.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

The Ford administration also faced trouble in the Middle East. Israel and an alliance of Arab nations had fought two wars in about ten years. After the war of nineteen seventy-three, Henry Kissinger led negotiations to settle some issues.

Israel agreed to give up some of the territory it had seized during the fighting. In return, the United States made a promise. It would not recognize or deal with the Palestine Liberation Organization as long as the P-L-O failed to meet certain conditions. In September, nineteen seventy-five, Israel and Egypt signed a ceasefire agreement. They also agreed to permit American civilians to act as observers along the ceasefire lines.

Henry Kissinger received widespread praise for his peacemaking efforts. Yet the situation in the Middle East remained tense.

VOICE TWO:

The Ford administration could not fix all the problems of the world. Still, as the presidential election campaign of nineteen-seventy-six began, things seemed better. The United States was not fighting any wars. Unemployment was high. But inflation had improved a little. Most important, Gerald Ford had led the country through the difficult days after Watergate.

The election will be our story next time.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

This program of THE MAKING OF A NATION was written by Jeri Watson and produced by Cynthia Kirk. This is Mary Tillotson.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Steve Ember. Join us again next week for another VOA Special English program about the history of the United States.

---

Editor's Note: Gerald Ford died December 26, 2006, at his home in Rancho Mirage, California, at the age of 93.

US Dismisses Iranian Spy Charges as Absurd

By David Gollust State Department 29 May 2007

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The United States Tuesday dismissed as absurd charges by Iran that three Iranian-Americans visiting that country were involved in spying. The charges were announced only a day after U.S. and Iranian diplomats held a rare face-to-face meeting in Baghdad. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

The State Department says none of the three Iranian-Americans directly worked for the United States government or was engaged in U.S. government business on their visits to Iran, and that the spy charges by Tehran authorities are absurd.

The comments followed an announcement from Iranian judicial authorities that the three dual citizens, who had been prevented from leaving the country after routine visits, are now accused of espionage.

Haleh Esfandiari

The most prominent of the three is academic Haleh director of the Middle East program of Washington's Woodrow Wilson center for scholars.

She had been barred from leaving Iran since last December after visiting her ailing mother and has been held since earlier this month at Tehran's Evin prison, which has been linked in the past to human rights abuses.

Also reported to be in custody is Kian Tajbaksh, a social scientist and urban planer for the New York-based Open Society Institute, which says he was jailed about two weeks ago.

The third Iranian-American, journalist Parnaz Azima of the U.S.-funded Radio Farda, has not been jailed. But her passport was confiscated and she has been barred from leaving Iran since January after also going to there for a family visit.

At a news briefing, State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey said the United States has not been officially notified of the espionage charges and that Iran has not responded to requests for consular access to the three by the Swiss government, which looks after U.S. interests in Tehran.

Casey insisted the charges against them are without substance.

"These are individuals who are private citizens," he said. "They are not party to any of the policy disputes between the government of the United States and the government of Iran. It's absolutely absurd to think that they in any way, shape or form pose a threat to the Iranian regime. And we continue to urge the Iranian government to let them go, to let them go back to visiting their families, to come back home to be with their families here, and to continue with the very basic people-to-people kind of work that they've been pursuing in Iran for many years."

In addition to the three Iranian-Americans now accused of spying, the United States has been seeking information about the fate of a former U.S. FBI agent, , who went missing after arriving in March at Iran's Kish Island resort in the Persian Gulf.

Iran has denied, in messages conveyed by the Swiss, any knowledge of Levinson's whereabouts but U.S. officials are skeptical, pointing to press reports that he may have been detained shortly after his arrival in Iran.

There have been news accounts Iran may intend to use the U.S. citizens it holds as bargaining chips for the release of five Iranians detained in northern Iraq since January for alleged involvement in attacks on U.S.-led coalition forces.

However, Spokesman Casey said he is unaware of any linkage between the five Iranians the United States says were lawfully detained in Iraq and the cases of the three dual citizens facing spy charges.

Ambassador Ryan Crocker, (r), and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Kazemi Qomi, (l), attend a meeting in Baghdad, 28 May 2007

Casey said the issue was not raised by either side Monday in U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker's Baghdad meeting Monday with Iranian diplomats. He said only Iran can explain why it is engaged in a "pattern of harassment" against private American citizens.

The United States and Iran have not had diplomatic relations since 1979 and interaction between the two governments has been rare.

Monday's talks in Iraq were limited to Iraqi security issues. Though no substantive advances were announced, the two sides were said to have agreed on the general need for a stable and peaceful Iraq.

Lebanese Army, Militants Engage in Heavy Clashes

By Margaret Besheer Beirut 29 May 2007

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Sporadic gunfire during the day between Lebanese soldiers and Islamic militants in a Palestinian refugee camp ended in heavy clashes just before sunset near the northern port city of Tripoli. From the Lebanese capital, VOA's Margaret Besheer has more on the day's developments.

Lebanese army's armored personnel carrier behind a shattered wall in Tripoli, 29 May 2007

A Lebanese soldier was killed Tuesday when Sunni militants allied with Fatah al-Islam fired on a Lebanese Army position outside the Nahr el-Bared Palestinian refugee camp.

The soldier's death raises to 34 the number of Lebanese troops killed since fighting erupted nine days ago.

Sporadic clashes during the day Tuesday gave way to heavy fighting just before sunset, with the Lebanese army firing artillery to silence the militants' fire.

Several hundred al-Qaida inspired militants are believed to be holed up inside the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp.

Most of the camp's residents have now evacuated to the nearby Beddawi refugee camp, where displaced Palestinians protested Tuesday against their poor living conditions and to show their desire to return home.

Mohammed Akra, a displaced resident, said Nahr el-Bared residents are demanding to return to their homes in the camp because they are suffering more than anyone can imagine.

Nahr el-Bared has been a no-go zone for journalists and civilians for the last nine days. Only evacuating residents have been allowed out after they have been screened by the Lebanese Army to be sure they are not escaping militants or smuggling weapons.

Lebanon's government has vowed to root out the militants, while the militants have vowed to fight to the death.

Muslim cleric Walid Abu Haider urged all parties to act quickly to reach a political understanding that would guarantee the displaced Palestinians would be allowed to return to their homes.

Meanwhile, in an upscale Christian neighborhood of Beirut, a man suspected of belonging to Fatah al-Islam was arrested Tuesday after police raided the apartment where he was staying.

Police officials said the man had rented the apartment using a forged Lebanese name and passport and had in his possession several other forged foreign passports. Police also confiscated several CDs and other material that appeared to be related to the group's work.

Venezuela's Chavez Threatens Another Private Television Station

By Michael Bowman Washington 29 May 2007

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Two days after forcing a private Venezuelan television station off the air, President Hugo Chavez has threatened to crack down on another non-governmental TV broadcaster. VOA's Michael Bowman reports from Washington.

A demonstrator holds a sign against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during a protest against the closure of private network RCTV (Radio Caracas Television) in Caracas, 29 May 2007

It has been two days since opposition-allied Radio Caracas Television ceased transmission, replaced by a state-funded network called Venezuelan Social Television. Protests against the move continue to grow and expand across Venezuela, with students and others taking to the streets in many cities.

Government backers have mounted counter-demonstrations in the capital. President Hugo Chavez has brushed aside concerns voiced by international press freedom groups that liberty of expression is under attack.

At the same time, however, officials have launched an investigation of another broadcaster, Globovision, accusing the opposition private television station of using subliminal messages to incite an assassination attempt on the president.

Hugo Chavez

Addressing supporters, Mr. Chavez delivered a direct message to Globovision, which has provided extensive coverage of anti-government demonstrations.

He says, "To the people of Globovision, if you want to continue calling for disobedience and inciting a presidential assassination as was done openly two nights ago, when Globovision clearly urged that I be killed - then I am warning you in front of the entire nation that you calm down because I will apply the minimum."

The president did not elaborate, but Venezuelan media experts say Mr. Chavez' rhetorical use of the word "minimum" is meant to suggest the opposite, that the maximum sanction would be applied. Moments later, the president said he is prepared to die to defend his beliefs and he asked if opposition media outlets are similarly prepared.

Globovision's director, Alberto Frederico Ravell, called government accusations against his station "ridiculous."

The Inter-American Press Association has labeled Mr. Chavez' crackdown on Venezuela's private news media "undemocratic."

Mr. Chavez acknowledged increasingly fierce protests in the country, but said upheaval is normal during revolutionary times. The self-proclaimed socialist leader said student demonstrators are being manipulated in defense of Venezuela's capitalistic oligarchy.

US Responds to Putin's Call for Meeting on Forces in Europe

By Al Pessin Washington 29 May 2007

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A Pentagon spokesman says the United States would be "disappointed" if Russia stopped meeting its obligations under the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty. The comment came the day after Russia called for a meeting of the treaty's signatory nations next month. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.

Vladimir Putin (file photo)

At his daily briefing, Pentagon Spokesman Bryan Whitman responded to President Putin's call for a meeting. "The U.S. position on this is that we would be disappointed at any suggestions that Russia might cease to implement its obligations under the CFE Treaty. NATO, as you know, places a high value on the treaty's contribution to European security," he said.

At the State Department, a spokesman told reporters the Conventional Forces treaty has served the international community well, but that it is Russia's right to call a meeting and U.S. officials will be happy to attend.

Russia wants a three-day meeting starting on June 12 in Vienna.

The 1990 treaty regulates the size and composition of conventional military forces in Europe. It resulted in a reduction of Cold War era forces facing off against each other on the continent. The treaty was amended in 1999, but some countries have refused to ratify the amended version until Russia withdraws its forces from Georgia and Moldova.

Russia rejects the idea of connecting those two issues, but President Vladimir Putin has said he wants to suspend Russia's participation in the treaty and has threatened to withdraw from it permanently. The statement Monday calling for the meeting said Russia has been adhering to the amended treaty, while other signatories have refused to ratify it. The statement also cites the expansion of NATO into areas formerly under the influence of the Soviet Union.

Russia's concerns about the treaty are also widely seen as related to its opposition to U.S. plans to put parts of its new missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic.

The White House reports President Bush and President Putin spoke about several issues during a phone conversation on Monday, but did not say whether missile defense or the Conventional Forces treaty were among them. The two men will meet next week in Germany during the annual Group of Eight summit.

Refugees Intent on Return to Bhutan Thwarted in Attempt to Cross Border Into India From Nepal

By Steve Herman New Delhi 29 May 2007

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Refugees in Nepal trying to make their way back home to Bhutan via India have clashed with Indian border troops. Casualties are reported on both sides after Indian forces opened fire. VOA's Steve Herman reports from New Delhi.

After being refused permission by India to transit through the country to get to Bhutan, a group of refugees in Nepal turned violent as they tried to force their way across the border.

Bhutanese refugees carry injured and shout slogans, as Indian policemen are seen in background, in border town of Karkarvitta, 29 May 2007

A top police official in the Indian state of West Bengal, Raj Kanojia, says the initial attack by thousands of refugees on Indian border guards took place Monday at Karkavitta and continued on Tuesday.

"They attacked them with bricks, and they threw acid bombs at them," he said. "This morning the whole thing started again and there have been some injuries, especially on the security forces' side. We arrested about 30 to 35 people but regarding the injuries (to the refugees) we won't be able to comment because they are all in Nepal."

The senior police official told VOA News that he could not confirm media reports that Indian forces fired on the refugees on the Nepalese side of the border. Both sides of the border are under curfew and it has been difficult to verify the number of injured refugees and their condition.

The director of the Asian Center for Human Rights, Suhas Chakma, says it is not surprising that refugees would be fired upon by Indian personnel.

"The Indian security forces are always known for using disproportionate force, so when somebody is trying to cross the river the Indian security forces resorting to firearms cannot be ruled out," Chakma said.

The United States has offered to re-settle 60,000 of the more than 100,000 refugees who have languished in Nepal for 15 years after being kicked out of Bhutan. The refugees are mostly ethnic HIndu Nepalese. Some insist on going back to Bhutan, although the Buddhist kingdom has given no indication it will accept them despite requests by American and other diplomats that Bhutan take a token number.

Human rights expert Suhas Chakma says many of those who do not want to go the United States are allied with the Maoists.

"Some of the refugees, which are being guided by the Communist Party of Bhutan, they believe they should be returned to Bhutan instead of being resettled in third countries," Chakma said.

The tension between those who want to go to America and others hoping to return to Bhutan led to a clash Sunday in a refugee camp in Nepal. Officials say two refugees were killed when police opened fire in an attempt to quell the violence between the two factions.

An estimated 10,000 refugees in Nepal timed their march to the Indian border to coincide with a second round of mock elections in Bhutan. The small kingdom, which did not begin to build a modern infrastructure until the 1960s, is transitioning from an absolute monarchy to a parliamentary democracy. The mock elections are a dress rehearsal for voting scheduled for next year.

Bush Orders New US Sanctions on Sudan

By Paula Wolfson White House 29 May 2007

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The United States is imposing tough new sanctions on Sudan in an effort to end the bloodshed in its troubled Darfur region. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports President Bush is also calling for stronger international pressure on the Sudanese government.

US President Bush speaks in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House in Washington, 29 May 2007

President Bush says the genocide in Darfur must stop.

"For too long, the people of Darfur have suffered at the hands of a government that is complicit in the bombing, murder and rape of innocent civilians," he said.

In an unusual early morning appearance at the White House, the president announced a tightening of U.S. economic sanctions on Sudan. He said Americans will be barred from dealings with 31 companies with ties to the Sudanese government, including some involved in the country's growing oil business.

Mr. Bush said U.S. sanctions are also being imposed against certain individuals deemed responsible for the violence.

"These sanctions will isolate these persons by cutting them off from the U.S. financial system, barring them from doing business with any American citizen or company, and calling the world's attention to their crimes," said President Bush.

The president is imposing these sanctions by executive order. At the same time, he said the United States will work with its allies to draft a new U.N. Security Council resolution designed to increase international pressure on Sudan's leaders.

"It will impose an expanded embargo on arm sales to the government of Sudan," he said. "It will prohibit the Sudanese government from conducting any offensive military flights over Darfur. It will strengthen our ability to monitor and report any violations."

The announcement came roughly six weeks after the president warned the Sudanese government that its intransigence on Darfur could result in stiff penalties.

Mr. Bush had been expected to announce the enhanced sanctions last month in a speech at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. But he held off at the last minute, after U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asked for more time for diplomacy to work.

The secretary-general had hoped to convince the Sudanese government to allow international peacekeepers into Darfur, to bolster an overwhelmed all African force. Mr. Bush said Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has taken a different course.

"President Bashir's actions over the past few weeks follow a long pattern of promising cooperation while finding new methods for obstruction," he said.

Sudan quickly condemned the actions ordered by President Bush, calling the sanctions unjustified. There was also a strong negative reaction from China - a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, and a major consumer of Sudanese oil.

More than 200,000 people have been killed in Darfur and more than two million more have been displaced since 2003, when rebels launched an uprising. Government-backed militias are accused of atrocities against civilians in battling the rebels. The United States labeled it "genocide" in 2004.

VOASE0529_Health Report

29 May 2007

Multivitamins Urged for All Pregnant Women in Developing Countries
Scientists report a drop in low birth-weight babies in pregnant women in Tanzania who took vitamins every day.

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This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

A recent study in Tanzania found that when pregnant women took vitamins every day,

fewer babies were born too small.

Babies that weigh less than two and one-half kilograms at birth have a greater risk of dying. Those that survive are more likely to experience problems with their development. And experts say that as adults they have a higher risk of diseases including heart disease and diabetes.

The World Health Organization estimates that every year twenty million babies are born with low birth weight. Nine out of ten of them are born in developing countries.

The new study took place in Dar es Salaam. Four thousand two hundred pregnant women received multivitamins. The pills contained all of the vitamins in the B group along with vitamins C and E. They also contained several times more iron and folate than the levels advised for women in developed nations. Pregnant women especially in poor countries may find it difficult to get enough vitamins and minerals from the foods in their diet.

The scientists compared the findings with results from a group of four thousand women who did not receive the vitamins.

A report by the scientists, from the United States and Tanzania, appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine. Wafaie Fawzi of the Harvard University School of Public Health led the study.

None of the women in the study had H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS. The scientists reported earlier that daily multivitamins were a low-cost way to reduce fetal deaths in pregnant women infected with H.I.V.

The earlier work in Tanzania also found improvement in the mothers in their number of blood cells known as lymphocytes. Lymphocytes increase the body's immunity against infection.

The new study in pregnant women who were not infected with the AIDS virus found that multivitamins reduced the risk of low birth weight. Just under eight percent of the babies born to women who took the multivitamins weighed less than two thousand five hundred grams. The rate was almost nine and one-half percent in the group of women who received a placebo, an inactive pill, instead of the vitamins.

But the vitamins did not do much to reduce the rates of babies being born too early or dying while still a fetus. Still, the researchers say multivitamins should be considered for all pregnant women in developing countries.

And that's the VOA Special English Health Report. I'm Steve Ember.

VOASE0529_Explorations

29 May 2007

What Keeps Works of Shakespeare So Alive and Well After 400 Years?
How events and cultural influences shaped his writing, and how his art, in turn, has influenced language and popular culture. Second of two programs.

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VOICE ONE:

I’m Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Barbara Klein with Explorations in VOA Special English. Today, we complete our story about the influential English writer William Shakespeare. He wrote plays and poems during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. They remain very popular today.

VOICE TWO:

Last week, we talked about Shakespeare's history, his plays and his poems. Today, we talk about the events and cultural influences that affected Shakespeare and his art. We also discuss the countless ways his works have influenced language and popular culture.

(SOUND)

Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes in ''Shakespeare in Love''

GWYNETH PALTROW: "Master Shakespeare. Good sir, I heard you are a poet. But a poet of no words?"

VOICE ONE:

That was part of a dancing scene from the popular nineteen ninety-eight movie "Shakespeare in Love." The film suggests one way in which Shakespeare might have been influenced to write "Romeo and Juliet:" because of his relationship with a brave and lovely woman. The movie is only very loosely based on real events, but it is a wonderful story.

VOICE TWO:

Many of Shakespeare's works were influenced by earlier writings. During this time, students would probably have learned several ancient Roman and Greek plays. It was not unusual for writers to produce more current versions of these works. For example, in his play "The Comedy of Errors" Shakespeare borrows certain structural details from the ancient Roman playwright Plautus.

VOICE ONE:

For his tragic play "Macbeth," Shakespeare most likely used a work on Scottish history by Raphael Holinshed for information. It is also no accident that this play about a Scottish king was written a few years after James the First became King of England in sixteen-oh-three. This new ruler was from Scotland and London was alive with Scottish culture. Shakespeare may have borrowed from other writers, but the intensity of his imagination and language made the plays his own.

VOICE TWO:

Shakespeare was also influenced by the world around him. He describes the sights and sounds of London in his plays. His works include observations about current political struggles, the fear of diseases, and the popular language of the city's tradesmen and other professionals.

Shakespeare's knowledge of the English countryside is also clear. His works include descriptions of deep forests, local flowers, and the ancient popular traditions of rural people.

VOICE ONE:

Shakespeare became a well-known writer during a golden age of theater. His years of hard work paid off. Over the years, he invested income from his acting company by purchasing land and other property. He retired to the countryside a wealthy man. William Shakespeare died in his hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon in sixteen-sixteen at the age of fifty-two. While many plays by other writers of his time have been forgotten, Shakespeare and his art live on.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

It would be impossible to list all of the ways in which Shakespeare's works have influenced world culture. But we can give a few important examples. The first example would have to include his great effect on the English language. During his time, the English language was changing. Many new words from other languages were being added.

VOICE ONE:

Shakespeare used his sharp mind and poetic inventiveness to create hundreds of new words and rework old ones. For example, he created the verb "to torture" and the noun forms of "critic," "mountaineer" and "eyeball." Many common expressions in English come from his plays. These include "pomp and circumstance" from "Othello"; "full circle" from "King Lear", and "one fell swoop" from "Macbeth."

VOICE TWO:

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., is the home of the largest collection of Shakespearean materials in the world. The Library also has many other fine examples of books and art from this early modern period. In March of two thousand seven the Folger organized an exhibit called "Shakespeare in American Life" to celebrate its seventy-fifth anniversary.

VOICE ONE:

The many objects on display show some expected as well as some surprising ways in which Shakespeare has influenced past and present culture. You can learn about the many Shakespeare societies that have formed over the years in the United States. You can see which famous American politicians liked to quote his works.

Or, you can read about the many movie versions of his plays. One vegetable company even named itself after the Shakespearian character Falstaff to sell its brussels sprouts.

VOICE TWO:

The list of cultural creations influenced by Shakespeare is almost endless. From paintings to television to music and dance, Shakespeare is well represented. For example, the nineteenth century "Otello" by Giuseppe Verdi is an opera version of the tragic play "Othello." It is about a ruler who believes wrongly that his wife has been with another man. One famous song from this opera includes the wife, Desdemona, mournfully singing "Ave Maria."

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Over a century later, the American songwriter Cole Porter transformed the Shakespeare comedy "The Taming of the Shrew" into the musical play "Kiss Me Kate." The musical was later made into a movie. Songs like "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" are popular favorites.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

In nineteen fifty-seven the famous jazz musician Duke Ellington released "Such Sweet Thunder." In the song "The Telecasters" Duke Ellington musically recreates the three witches in Shakespeare's "Macbeth." Ellington uses three trombone instruments. His use of silent breaks adds a special tension to the song.

(SOUND: "The Telecasters")

VOICE ONE:

Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim

worked together on a modern version of "Romeo and Juliet." Their popular musical play took place on the West Side of New York City. The opposing groups are a gang of young people and a group of new immigrants. The award-winning movie version came out in nineteen sixty-one. Here the main character Maria sings about the happiness of being in love in "I Feel Pretty."

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

A poster from the 1976 Shakespeare Festival of Dallas

It is not just new versions of the plays that live on in popular culture. Shakespeare's plays have been translated into every major language in the world. All across the United States, the plays are performed in schools, theaters and festivals. There are over one hundred Shakespeare festivals and many permanent theaters that perform his works. In Washington, D.C. alone two theaters perform the plays of Shakespeare and other writers of his time.

We leave you with words of praise by Ben Jonson, a playwright who lived during Shakespeare's time. Mister Jonson knew long ago that the works of Shakespeare would hold their magic through the ages.

(MUSIC)

VOICE THREE:

"Triumph, my Britain, thou hast one to show
"To whom all scenes of Europe homage owe.
"He was not of an age, but for all time!"

VOICE ONE:

This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I’m Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Barbara Klein. Our reader was Shep O'Neal. You can read and listen to this program on our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for Explorations in VOA Special English.

Americans Honor War Dead on Memorial Day

By Paula Wolfson White House 28 May 2007

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Americans are honoring the nation's military war dead on this Memorial Day holiday in the United States. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports President Bush led observances at Arlington National Cemetery.

This is the day when America remembers those who died in service to their country. And nowhere is the extent of their sacrifice more on display than in Arlington National Cemetery - where seven generations of the fallen are buried.

U.S. President Bush commemorates Memorial Day while speaking at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, 28 May 2007

"Today, we honor the warriors who fought our nation's enemies, defended the cause of liberty and gave their lives in the cause of freedom," he said.

President Bush spoke in the cemetery's amphitheater - a massive white structure surrounded by seemingly endless rows of small white headstones.

Many of the nation's greatest military heroes are buried in Arlington. But so too are hundreds of thousands of men and women whose names are known only to the families and communities that mourn them.

They include several hundred soldiers killed since the September 11 attacks on the United States in places like Kabul and Kandahar, Baghdad and Ramadi. The sod is still fresh on those graves, many covered with personal messages, flowers and flags.

"Like those who came before them, they did not want war, but they answered the call when it came," Mr. Bush said. "They believed in something larger than themselves. They fought for our country, and our country unites to mourn them as one."

The president said their sacrifice must not be in vain, and the cause of protecting freedom will never end.

President Bush lays wreath at Tomb of The Unkowns at Arlington National Cemetery, 28 May 2007

"From their deaths must come a world where the cruel dreams of tyrants and terrorists are frustrated and foiled, where our nation is more secure from attack and where the gift of liberty is secured for millions who have never known it," the president said.

Earlier, the president laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns, which contains the unidentified remains of members of the U.S. military killed in major conflicts. He was accompanied by several families of the fallen.

Palestinian Rockets Hit Israel Despite Threat of Retaliation

By Jim Teeple Jerusalem 28 May 2007

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At least seven rockets fired by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip struck southern Israel, a day after Israel's prime minister warned that ending the rocket fire could take a long time. VOA's Jim Teeple reports from our Jerusalem bureau.

Hamas militants are keeping up their rocket attacks, despite threats of massive retaliation from Israeli officials and a plea by moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to renew a ceasefire with Israel that collapsed more than a week ago.

Palestinians carry body parts covered in the flag of Hamas' Executive Force as other search for bodies after an Israeli missile strike on a Hamas base killed four militants in the Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City, Saturday, 26 May 2007

The Associated Press reports Israel's Army has been given approval to broaden ground operations against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. Israel has carried out daily airstrikes against Hamas militants in Gaza for more than a week, killing about 50 Palestinians, but the rocket attacks have continued.

Miri Eisen a spokeswoman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will not say if Hamas leaders will be targeted by Israeli forces, but she says those who are firing rockets at Israel will pay a heavy price.

Israeli medics rush a man wounded by a rocket attack into a hospital's emergency room in the southern city of Ashkelon, 27 May 2007

"The citizens of the south are now under direct attack by Hamas rockets. We do not go into the operational details of how we will strike, but we state clearly to the Hamas, the Hamas-led government, the Hamas that are firing the rockets barrages into Israel, we will respond harshly and severely," she said.

Hamas leaders have warned Israel not to target their leaders, and have also threatened to kill an Israeli soldier being held by Palestinian militants in Gaza.

Hamas has for the time being also rejected a call by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to agree to a one-month cease-fire with Israel. Hamas leaders say they will only accept a cease-fire if Israel agrees to extend it to include the West Bank, something Israel rejects.

Seventeen Killed in Suspected Rwandan Rebel Attack in DRC

By Joe Bavier Kinshasa 28 May 2007

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At least 17 people have been clubbed or hacked to death by suspected Rwandan rebels in Democratic Republic of Congo's eastern province of South Kivu. Congo's United Nations peacekeeping mission said the violence appears to be a reprisal for recent army operations in the area. Joe Bavier is in the capital, Kinshasa, and has more for VOA.

Democratic Republic of Congo

The attacks, the worst in South Kivu in two years, took place late Saturday and early Sunday morning in three villages in Kanyola, an area some 50 kilometers west of the provincial capital Bukavu.

Local civil society coordinator, Constantin Chahrondagwa, told VOA, soon after returning from the scene of the attacks, that villagers had already begun burying the bodies of the 17 people killed in the violence.

All were murdered with machetes, axes, and clubs, he said. Among them were women and children.

Another 23 people were being treated for injuries, some serious, at local medical facilities. Chahrondagwa said 13 people had been kidnapped by the attackers, and there were fears that some of the hostages had been executed.

Soldiers and local people gather near a United Nations armoured vehicle in Kinshasa, Nov. 13, 2006

Congo's U.N. peacekeeping mission, known by its French acronym MONUC, said several letters had been left behind by what are believed to be members of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, or FDLR, a Hutu-dominated Rwandan rebel group based in eastern Congo.

They say the attacks were a reprisal for recent MONUC-supported operations carried out by the Congolese army aimed at chasing the FDLR from the area.

The Congolese army has already deployed extra troops to the area in an attempt to track down the perpetrators of the violence, MONUC said. U.N. peacekeepers were on their way to the scene of the killings Monday morning.

Thousands of FDLR fighters have been operating in eastern Congo since Rwanda's 1994 genocide. Some are former Rwandan soldiers and Hutu Interhamwe militia members responsible for the killings of an estimated 800,000 Tutsis.

Despite the official end of a 1998 to 2003 war, Congo's eastern provinces regularly witness violence at the hands of local militia, foreign rebel groups, and its own armed forces.