US Defense Secretary to Meet Iraqi Leaders

By Margaret Besheer Irbil, Iraq 20 April 2007

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U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is in Baghdad Friday for meetings with top Iraqi leaders. From northern Iraq, VOA's Margaret Besheer reports he will be delivering a message that that they must move faster on reconciliation legislation because American patience is limited.

Robert Gates arrives at Camp Falluja, 19 Apr 2007

The U.S. defense secretary arrived in Iraq Thursday, after visiting several other countries in the region. It is his third trip to Iraq since he took up his post four months ago.

His visit is intended to urge Iraqi leaders to press ahead with efforts to reconcile the country's bitterly divided Shiite and Sunni communities and to push through legislation on the sharing of oil revenues among Sunnis, Shi'ites and Kurds.

Gates told reporters Thursday that he knows it will be difficult, but they must make every effort to pass the legislation quickly.

"I am sympathetic with some of the challenges that they face, but by the same token, to pick up General Petraeus' theme, the clock is ticking," he said.

Woman walks past scene of yesterday's car bombing in Baghdad's al-Sadriyah neighborhood, 19 Apr 2007

On Thursday, Gates met top U.S. commanders at a military base near the western city of Fallujah, in the volatile al-Anbar province, and discussed the recent high-profile bomb attacks in Baghdad that have killed more than 200 people since Wednesday.

The top U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, said the Wednesday bombings were a setback that came just as he thought the new Baghdad Security Plan was starting to take hold.

"A day like that can have a real psychological impact," the general said. "And it came at a time where, frankly, (Lieutenant) General (Ray) Odierno (his deputy) and I, and a lot of the other leaders in Baghdad and throughout Iraq, have felt that we were getting a bit of traction. You know it's very, it's almost imperceptible at times, but that there was slow progress with the Baghdad security plan and in some other parts of the country as well."

U.S. military officials point to the overall decrease in sectarian executions as one sign of progress, but concede that high-profile bombings continue to pose a challenge.

Some in Nigerian Opposition to Boycott Presidential Poll

By Nico Colombant Zaria, Nigeria 20 April 2007

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Opposition supporters want state re-vote, rather than presidential poll

Even as the main opposition presidential candidates in Nigeria say they will take part in Saturday's elections, other opposition leaders and their supporters remain unconvinced about the usefulness of participating. They say they are outraged over reports of massive fraud that took place during last week's state elections and the security crackdown that ensued. VOA's Nico Colombant reports from Zaria, in northern Nigeria.

Runner-up Kaduna State gubernatorial candidate Sani Muhammad Shaaban is holding court with journalists and supporters at his plush residence in Zaria.

Losing opposition gubernatorial candidate in Kaduna is angry

Shaaban denounces massive fraud in last week's election, including reports that tens of thousands of votes were cast for the ruling party candidate in areas where voting barely even started. He says he was detained several times by uniformed men because, he says, authorities were afraid he would cause unrest.

He also laments the extra army roadblocks, patrols and curfews in many northern areas. "Who are the military supposed to deal with, innocent civilians? The arms-less Nigerians? We are not at war. Has it passed the strength of Nigerian police that we need the military?," he said.

At Shaaban's headquarters in nearby Kaduna, his supporters defy a ban on political rallies, chanting their candidate's slogans.

Speaking through a translator, a market woman says because of what is happening, she is in no mood to vote anymore.

"She says that people are not happy with the situation. The results of the last gubernatorial election have made people stay far away from the coming election. Nobody is excited any longer. Nobody is even going out to vote for the presidency because everyone is discouraged in the way and manner the poll was conducted."

Ruling party supporters are OK with clampdown

But at a stand for motorcycle taxis nearby, all the drivers say they are ruling party supporters and they are not complaining. Gombo Kiforo, a father of seven, says it is important for people to vote, and after that for the new government to govern. "We want to practice democracy. If they cancel today, they are going backwards," he said.

He says he also supports the security clampdown. "It is OK, because the opposition, they cause chaos. They will cause problems. That is why they banned the whole rallies, because of the opposition they are fearing," he said.

Former military ruler General Muhammadu Buhari, who is running as the main opposition candidate, is popular in the north. The ruling party candidate is another northerner, Umaru Musa Yar'Adua.

Voters will also pick a new parliament. The outgoing parliament squashed efforts by supporters of President Olusegun Obasanjo to change the constitution so he could seek a third elected term.

Lawmakers Urge Bush to Reconsider Broadcasting Cuts

By Dan Robinson Capitol Hill 19 April 2007

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U.S. lawmakers are urging the Bush administration to reconsider proposed budgetary reductions that would end most radio broadcasting in the English language by government-funded Voice of America. VOA's Dan Robinson reports on a hearing on Capitol Hill examining broadcasting and public diplomacy efforts.

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Reductions proposed by the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the nine-member panel that oversees U.S. government-supported non-military international broadcasting, would end all English language radio programming by the Voice of America, except for programs transmitted to Africa.

Other cuts would affect radio broadcasts in Russian, Ukrainian, Georgian, Uzbek, and a number of Balkan languages, along with Tibetan, Thai, Cantonese, Hindi, and Portuguese to Africa.

The reductions come amid ongoing expansions in government-funded radio and television programming for the Middle East, Iran and Afghanistan, for which Congress has provided increased funds since the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Appearing before the committee, Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes faced tough questioning from lawmakers who view the cuts as short-sighted and likely to undermine the ability of the U.S. to communicate abroad.

Congresswoman Nita Lowey chairs the House appropriations subcommittee on foreign operations.

"These cuts, while small in the grand scheme of things, loom large when looking at their effect on country programming, and will dampen our public diplomacy efforts," said Nita Lowey.

Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes (Mar 2007 photo)

Hughes says the decision to slash VOA English, proposed as part of a $668-million budget request for broadcasting, was made in a difficult budget environment. She says it was based on what she calls sound audience research.

"None of us wanted to have to make these decisions, and the Broadcasting Board of Governors, it was a very, very difficult decision because we all believe in broadcasting," said Karen Hughes. "We believe in communicating with the world, we want to provide the Voice of America to the world. We tried to make difficult decisions as best we could, based on research."

However Minnesota Democrat Betty McCollum said broadcasting to the world in English is a comparatively inexpensive way for the U.S. to communicate, She accused the broadcasting board of trying to, in effect, silence the "global brand" of the United States.

"The audiences in fact are not dwindling," said Betty McCollum. "They are just being cut off. If you turn off a transmitter and then do a survey in a country of how many people are listening to VOA, it is going to go down, because they can't listen to Voice of America."

Republican Congressman Mark Kirk echoed the concerns, saying the broadcasting board should reassess its approach.

"One point six billion people on the planet speak English," said Congressman Kirk. "It is the main language of 71 countries. Al-Jazeera just committed $1 billion a year in English for 24/7 broadcasting. So I am wondering if we can take a second look working with you on that."

Kirk also questioned reductions in one of three dialects of Tibetan broadcasted by the VOA and Radio Free Asia, as well as the elimination of Cantonese. Hughes had this response.

"[For] both RFA and VOA, the audiences [in Cantonese] were not measurable," she said. "VOA was less than one tenth of a percent, and we could not measure an audience for RFA broadcasts. So, again we based the decisions as best we could on research."

Hughes says eliminating broadcasts in one of three Tibetan dialects does not diminish the U.S. commitment to support human rights and liberties in Tibet.

Hughes also faced questions about a key element of the broadcasting structure, al-Hurra television for the Middle East.

The station was sharply criticized for airing remarks of Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, as well as a Palestinian radical who made anti-Israel and anti-American comments.

Critics, including pro-Israel groups, say the interviews amounted to the use of U.S. taxpayer dollars to support terrorists and undermine U.S. policy.

Hughes had this exchange with Democrat Steve Rothman.

ROTHMAN: "Why on God's Earth would we want to sponsor a live interview with Nasrallah?"

HUGHES: "Well we don't and that was a violation of our policy, that was a mistake that was a violation of our policy, I should have said that if I didn't say that earlier."

ROTHMAN: "I am glad to hear you say that."

HUGHES: "That was a mistake, it was a violation of our policy."

Hughes points to what she calls "comprehensive information" supporting programming reductions, saying the goal is to affect the fewest number of people based on audience research, while expanding transmissions to strategically-important countries like Iran, North Korea, and Somalia.

But Congresswoman McCollum, while challenging the statistics used to justify the cuts, said she wants the board to turn over to Congress the minutes of its meetings, which have been closed to the public on national security grounds.

She also urged that all radio and television stations under the board's responsibility be formally brought under the charter of VOA. The charter states that the long-term interests of the U.S. are served by communicating directly to the world by radio.

In her testimony on what she calls successful efforts to improve public diplomacy programs, Undersecretary Hughes told lawmakers she is committed to ensuring that the United States has a platform to broadcast credible news and information to counteract what she calls hate-filled and anti-American propaganda.

US Attorney General Faces Renewed Calls To Resign Over Prosecutor Controversy

By Deborah Tate Capitol Hill 19 April 2007

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Embattled U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales Thursday faced renewed calls to resign over his handling of the firing of federal prosecutors. The nation's top law enforcement official spent a full day defending the decision to dismiss the eight prosecutors before skeptical lawmakers in a controversy that has created a political firestorm. More from VOA's Deborah Tate on Capitol Hill.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the controversial dismissal of eight US attorneys 19 Apr 2007

Attorney General Gonzales denied critics' allegations that the federal prosecutors were fired to influence the prosecution of corruption cases with the aim of helping Republicans.

While acknowledging that "reasonable people might disagree" with the decision to fire the prosecutors, Gonzales defended the move, saying nothing improper was done.

"My decision to ask for the resignations of these U.S. attorneys was justified and should stand," said Alberto Gonzales.

The attorney general acknowledged that some of his past statements about the prosecutor dismissals have been imprecise, but he said he never sought to mislead or deceive Congress or the American people.

But after a full day of often tense questioning, lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle remained skeptical, with some stepping up calls for his resignation.

Among them was Gonzales' fellow Republican conservative, Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma:

"I believe the best way to put this behind us is your resignation," said Tom Coburn.

Senator Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, echoed the call:

"I urge you to reexamine your performance, and for the good of the department, and the good of the country, step down," said Senator Schumer.

Gonzales disagreed that his resignation would put the controversy to rest. Earlier, he said he had done nothing to warrant his stepping down.

Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, the top Republican on the committee, said he would not ask for Gonzales' resignation, saying that was a matter for the attorney general or the president. But he told Gonzales he was not satisfied by his testimony:

"I urged you to put on the record the details as to all the U.S. attorneys asked to resign so that we could evaluate," said Arlen Specter. "You have not done that."

Other lawmakers said that while the dismissals may have been justified - noting that prosecutors serve at the pleasure of the president - the attorney general's handling of the matter undermined confidence in the Justice Department.

Senator Patrick Leahy, 19 Apr 2007

Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont is chairman of the panel:

"I am afraid that from the testimony today and the evidence that we have uncovered during this investigation shows that politics have entered the Department of Justice to an unprecedented extent," said Senator Leahy. "If left unchecked, it [the department] would become a political arm of the White House.

Despite senators' skepticism about Gonzales' testimony, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said President Bush was pleased with the way Gonzales handled the questioning. In a written statement, she said the president continues to have full confidence in his attorney general.

VOASE0419_Economics Report

19 April 2007

US Brings Two Trade Cases Against China
American officials say the Chinese are not protecting intellectual property. China expresses ''great regret'' at the actions.

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This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.

Last week, the United States asked the World Trade Organization to help settle two trade disputes with China.

Pirated materials from China, including movies and books

One of these involves the issue of intellectual property.

Books, magazines, movies, computer software -- intellectual property is all around us. Any property that can be legally protected against copying without permission can be considered intellectual property.

Copyright protects things like written materials and images and music. Forms of intellectual property like ideas, plans and designs can be protected by patents.

American officials say China is not doing enough to punish those who illegally copy American movies, music and software. United States Trade Representative Susan Schwab said "piracy and counterfeiting levels remain unacceptably high." She says this costs American companies and workers billions of dollars.

The motion picture industry estimates that movie piracy in China cost more than two and one-half billion dollars in lost sales in two thousand five alone.

The second dispute deals with barriers to trade in American books, music and movies in China. The United States says China limits imports of these products by requiring that they pass through state-owned or state-approved companies.

The Chinese government expressed what it called "great regret" at the American decision to go to the World Trade Organization. It says the action could harm trade relations between the two countries.

The first step now is a sixty-day period of negotiations to try to reach a settlement.

The United States has growing trade deficits with China. Last year the deficit reached a record two hundred thirty-three billion dollars.

But China says its monthly trade surplus with the world fell in March by more than seventy percent, to less than seven billion dollars. Experts, though, say the big drop may have been the result of one-time events.

Many American businesses say China fails to enforce laws against illegal copying of intellectual property. But not all businesses are expected to support the United States action at the World Trade Organization.

Groups representing the drug and software industries, for example, have entered into their own negotiations with Chinese officials. These groups are concerned that the cases now before the W.T.O. could interfere with their efforts.

And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report, written by Mario Ritter. Transcripts and archives of our reports are at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.