| Cairo, Egypt 31 May 2007 |
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Syria's state-run press has roundly criticized the U.N. Security Council's vote to set up an international tribunal for suspects in the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Damascus has long said it will refuse to turn over any Syrian suspects to the court. Establishing the tribunal has also been an extremely divisive issue in Lebanon, where the Shi'ite armed group Hezbollah denounced the Security Council move as a violation of Lebanon's sovereignty. VOA's Challiss McDonough has more from our Middle East bureau in Cairo. 
Rafik Hariri
Rafik Hariri's son, Saad Hariri, called the UN move a "historic moment" and a victory for justice. But his political rivals in Hezbollah issued a statement calling the new U.N. resolution "a violation of Lebanese sovereignty and aggressive interference in Lebanon's internal affairs."
Syria's state-run newspapers condemned the U.N Security Council decision, calling it an American-Israeli plot for "political vengeance" against Syria.
Damascus has previously said it will refuse to cooperate with the tribunal if it indicts any Syrian officials, and the state news agency, SANA, said Syria's position has not changed. An early report by the investigator probing the killings implicated several senior Syrian officials, and Damascus has said it will not allow its citizens to be tried by foreign courts.
But after the Security Council voted, Damascus made an effort to portray its objections as rooted in concern for Lebanese interests, rather than its own.
Political science professor Sami Baroudi of the Lebanese American University says it is possible that Syria's outright rejection of the tribunal is part of a long-term negotiating tactic. 
Political Analyst Sami Baroudi
"I'm not really sure whether the Syrian regime can completely [do] just blanket rejection of any cooperation. I think that would sort of complicate relations with other Arab countries and with the international community, and I don't think they're really ready for a step like that," Baroudi says.
The morning after the vote, the Iranian foreign minister paid a surprise visit to Damascus for talks with President Bashar al-Assad that included Lebanese developments.
In Lebanon, where Rafik Hariri and 22 others were killed by a massive car bomb blast more than two years ago, an international court to try the killers has long been an extremely divisive issue. The prime minister supports it; the president does not. The cabinet and the anti-Syrian majority bloc in parliament support it, but most of the opposition parties oppose it, especially those allied with Syria.
Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berry, an opposition leader with close ties to Damascus, has refused to convene the legislature for months to avoid holding a vote on the court. So the Security Council approved the tribunal under the legally-binding Chapter 7, without the plans being ratified by the Lebanese parliament.
The longtime U.N. spokesman in Lebanon, Timur Goksel, now teaches at the American University of Beirut. He said given the domestic political deadlock, the Security Council had little choice
"It had to be done, there's no doubt about it. We need justice in this country, in Lebanon. The problem is, it's too much personalized here. It's become not an affair of the state, an affair about justice, or a country or anything, but sort of a competition or a contest between the different political groups in the country. This is very unhealthy."
Opposition leaders have mostly been careful to say they do not necessarily object to the idea of the tribunal itself, but to the way it has been set up. Despite months of wrangling, they were unable to agree. Goksel says they still object to the idea of a court being "imposed" on Lebanon from outside.
"This is something Lebanon should have done by itself," Goksel says. "After all, this court is going to apply Lebanese law. But the judges will not be Lebanese, the majority of judges, and some people are not comfortable with that, which is understandable. On the main opposition side, especially on the Hezbollah side, I believe it's not against the court, but they just are afraid that this court might be used against them."
But since it will likely be at least a year before the court starts its work, Goksel is optimistic that there is time to resolve the outstanding issues.
"If a few political leaders can keep their mouths shut and not try to score points out of this for their own ends, I think this will be all right," Goksel says.
France and the United States have both hailed the tribunal as a positive step for Lebanon. And Lebanese government officials who supported the establishment of the tribunal say they hope it will help push the country back toward political consensus.
But some analysts say the way the Security Council vote fell shows that the international community is also divided on the issue. Five countries -- Russia, China, Indonesia, South Africa and Qatar -- abstained from the vote and have voiced concerns about imposing the tribunal on Lebanon in the absence of a political consensus there.
When the international court convenes, which will be somewhere outside Lebanon, it will become the first U.N.-backed tribunal in the Middle East. Similar courts have been held for the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone. It is still not clear where the court will be located. The Netherlands, which has hosted other tribunals, says it is not interested.
| Pentagon 31 May 2007 |
DownloadThe U.S. ground forces commander in Iraq says he might need more time to assess the impact of the new security plan, beyond the September assessment President Bush and the Congress are expecting. Lieutenant General Ray Odierno made the statement Thursday during a news conference via satellite with reporters at the Pentagon. He also spoke about increased efforts to reach out to insurgent groups and a new threat some of his forces are facing as they move into new areas in and around Baghdad. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.
General Odierno says the troop surge and the new approach to fighting the Iraqi insurgency are making progress, with increases in the number of coalition operations that find weapons caches, bomb factories and insurgent cells. But he also says insurgents attack every day, and he cautions against excessive optimism. The general says he might not be able to make even an initial assessment of the new strategy by September.
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| Lieutenant General Ray Odierno |
The general says the last of the additional combat troops will not be in place until mid-June, and they will need considerable time after that to make any significant impact.
"In a counterinsurgency, we've quickly learned they must be immersed into the local populace," he added. "And it will take new units anywhere from 30 to 60 days to really get a feel for their sectors so they truly can have an impact on security and stability in their area."
General Odierno says he is sending more troops to Diyala Province, just north and east of Baghdad, to fight insurgents who are fleeing to that area from the capital. He says it will continue to be a tough fight in Iraq for some time.
He also reports that some units are facing a new threat, what he calls "deep-buried IEDs," large improvised explosive devices that insurgents have buried around their strongholds.
"In terms of the IEDs, the problem is they're getting bigger and bigger, and it has a lot to do [with] because we were not in these areas, so it gave them time to make bigger IEDs and bury them," he noted. "As we get more presence in these areas it will be more difficult for them to do that."
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| Iraqi soldiers search a car in Baghdad, 30 May 2007 |
General Odierno says insurgents are also targeting Iraqi security forces because they have become a bigger threat to the insurgents. He says he supports proposals to increase the size of the new Iraqi army so it is large enough to secure the country after coalition combat forces eventually withdraw.
At the same time, General Odierno says he has ordered his commanders to put more effort into contacting insurgent groups and trying to get them to stop their attacks.
"We have refocused our commanders at all levels," he explained. "I'm empowering them and trying to give them some tools to reach out because there are insurgents reaching out to us, which is the most important thing, so we want to reach back to them."
General Odierno says he believes most of the Shi'ite and Sunni insurgents in Iraq can be convinced to reconcile with the government, but not most of the insurgents affiliated with al-Qaida.
"I believe about 80 percent are reconcilable, both Jesh al-Mahdi and Sunni insurgents," he said. "I believe very few of al-Qaida are reconcilable."
General Odierno says reconciliation is essential for long-term stability in Iraq. And he says the coalition is trying to promote that, in part, through increased efforts on economic development, in addition to the security surge.
| Washington 31 May 2007 |
DownloadThe intense debate over immigration reform in the United States has revealed some rather unusual political alliances in recent months. VOA National correspondent Jim Malone has more from Washington.
The old saying that politics makes strange bedfellows certainly applies to the immigration debate under way in the U.S. Senate.
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| Illegal immigrants detained by US Border Patrol |
The plan has the support of President Bush and a diverse bipartisan group of senators that includes Democrat Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts on the left and Republican Jon Kyl of Arizona on the right.
"And from my perspective, it is not perfec," said Kyl. "But it represents the best opportunity that we have in a bipartisan way to do something about this problem."
But Kyl and other conservatives who support the bill are paying a political price for their endorsement. Conservative activists like radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh see the proposal as a form of amnesty for millions who entered the country illegally.
"If you are in our country, you cannot be a burden to taxpayers," said Limbaugh. "You are not entitled to welfare or food stamps or other government goodies. And another thing, you do not have the right to protest."
"You are allowed no demonstrations, no foreign flag-waving, no political organizing, no bad-mouthing our president or his policies. You are a foreigner. Shut your mouth or get out. And if you come here illegally, you are going to jail," he continued.
Conservative opponents have found some uneasy allies on the political left.
Civil rights groups and labor unions object to a provision in the bill that would establish a temporary guest worker program that would allow immigrants to work in the United States for a limited time and then return to their home countries.
"As long as this two-tiered system exists, all workers will suffer, because employers will have available a ready pool of labor that they can exploit to drive down wages, benefits, health and safety protections and other workplace standards," said Linda Chavez Thompson, who is with the AFL-CIO, the largest federation of trade unions in the United States.
Immigration has also become a major issue in the early stages of the 2008 presidential campaign.
One Republican candidate, Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo, has made stopping illegal immigration the centerpiece of his presidential campaign.
"Millions of listeners have helped us stop amnesty and make almost every candidate running for public office at least pretend to oppose illegal immigration. So join me, because securing our borders is the first step in securing our future," he said.
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| George W. Bush, 24 May 2007 |
"But if you are serious about securing our borders and bringing millions of illegal immigrants in our country out of the shadows, this bipartisan bill is the best opportunity to move forward," said the presient.
A recent New York Times-CBS News poll indicated that there is broad support for some of the major provisions in the immigration bill.
A large majority in the survey favored allowing illegal immigrants already in the country to gain legal status. There was also strong support for the creation of a new guest worker program.
The poll also showed that 82 percent of those asked supported tighter enforcement of the borders and stiffer penalties for businesses that hire illegal immigrants.
Republican political strategist Ed Goeas says passage of immigration reform will depend on political centrists from both parties being able to withstand opposition from both the right and left.
"We both have our wings that are anti-immigration," said Goeas. "But that is a real opportunity for the president to come forward and say, here is what I have been trying to do on immigration, now is our opportunity to bring in both the middle [centrist] majority from the Democratic side and the middle majority from the Republican side and solve this problem."
The Senate has already made changes to the original immigration proposal and more challenges are expected before final approval. The Senate version would then have to be reconciled with a version yet to be passed by the House of Representatives, then signed into law by the president.
| White House 31 May 2007 |
DownloadPresident Bush will go to next week's Group of Eight Summit in Germany armed with a new proposal to combat global climate change. VOA's Paula Wolfson has details from the White House.
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| President Bush outlines his proposal during a speech in Washington, 31 May 2007 |
"To help develop this goal, the United States would convene a series of meetings of nations that produce most greenhouse gas emissions, including nations with rapidly growing economies like India and China," he said.
Mr. Bush says countries will then set their own mid-term targets. He says each nation will come up with an individual plan of action based on its own unique mix of resources and energy needs.
In a speech to a coalition of groups concerned with international development, the president said the U.S. wants to work with others. He emphasized America's willingness to share its technological know how.
"The way to meet the challenge of energy and global climate change is through technology. And the United States is in the lead. The world is on the verge of great breakthroughs that will help us become better stewards of the environment," he said.
President Bush talked about improvements in clean coal technology, and the development of plant-based fuels such as ethanol. He said the United States hopes to reach agreements with many countries this year to drop tariffs on clean energy technologies and services
"If you are truly committed to helping the environment, nations need to get rid of their tariffs; they need to get rid of those barriers that prevent new technologies from coming into their countries," he said.
Climate change is sure to be one of the dominant issues when the leaders of the eight largest industrialized nations meet next week for their annual summit. Host Germany has already proposed its own formula for international targets, which has been rejected by the Bush administration.
White House officials deny this latest announcement by the president is designed to blunt criticism of the United States at the G8. The U.S. refused to sign the last major international agreement on greenhouse gases - the Kyoto Protocol - which runs out in 2012.
| Johannesburg 31 May 2007 |
DownloadBritish Prime Minister Tony Blair has urged African governments to hold Zimbabwe to account and to do so urgently. VOA's Delia Robertson reports from Johannesburg that Mr Blair was speaking in Johannesburg on the final leg of his official farewell tour of the African continent.
Mr. Blair said that decades of repression in Zimbabwe have forced as many as one-third of Zimbabweans to leave their country for opportunities elsewhere. While he expressed support for the effort of South African President Thabo Mbeki regarding Zimbabwe, he reminded his host that time is fast running out. 
Tony Blair, right, waves during a visit to local local community radio station in Soweto, South Africa, 31 May 2007
"Now I welcome the determination of the countries of southern Africa to tackle Zimbabwe's problems through the SADC [Southern African Development Community] and President Mbeki's leadership to bring the two countries leadership together. The world is waiting, wanting to engage with a reforming Zimbabwe government," he said. "We support therefore SADC's efforts to develop a clear plan but for the people of Zimbabwe this is urgent and change before the 2008 elections essential."
Mr. Blair had strong words for Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir over the crisis in Darfur, where some 200,000 people have been killed and millions are now dependent on food aid.
"I believe it is wrong that President Bashir, intent, I'm afraid, on bombing his way to a solution, is determined to obstruct any effort made to reinforce the Africa Union's inability to improve security and stability," he added.
Under Mr. Blair's leadership, the British government has expanded its programs in Africa, and the British leader has excellent relations with many African leaders. He urged other western governments to do more for Africa, saying that the time has past for international politics to be defined by narrow, traditional national interests.
"I believe that now, today, our self interest is in substantial part defined by the well being of others," he said. "The consequence of globalization is that our best chance of security and prosperity lies in advancing freedom, opportunity and justice for all."
"It follows that where oppression, poverty and injustice exist, it is not only our duty but also in our self interest to do what we can to bring about change for the better," continued Mr. Blair. "And I believe that nowhere is that clearer than here in Africa."
But Mr. Blair said African countries must respond equally, and meet their own commitments to strengthen their democracies, deliver essential services to their people, and work harder to eradicate corruption.
After his speech, Mr. Blair met with South African elder statesman Nelson Mandela, who welcomed the British leader warmly and described him a true friend of Africa. On Friday, Mr. Blair will meet with President Mbeki, before leaving the continent.
| Cairo 31 May 2007 |
DownloadAn Egyptian court has refused opposition leader Ayman Nour's request for early release from prison. Nour, who ran against President Mubarak in Egypt's only contested presidential election, made the appeal for health reasons. Reporter Cache Seel has details from Cairo.
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| Ayman Nour (r) with Mohammed Mahdi Akef, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Cairo, 14 Aug 2005 |
In a closed session, Judge Adel Gomaa rejected jailed opposition leader Ayman Nour's bid to have the remainder of his sentence commuted. Nour is serving a five-year sentence after being convicted of forging petitions required to form a political party. He denies the charges and says the case is politically motivated.
Nour, who has been in prison since December 2005, is an insulin-dependent diabetic and he made the appeal for health reasons. His wife, Gamila Ismail, claims that harsh treatment in prison, including alleged beatings, along with his untreated diabetes, have eroded her husband's health to the point where his life is in jeopardy.
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| Gamila Ismail, wife of prominent jailed dissident Ayman Nour, displays a picture of his injuries from bad treatment inside his prison, 31 May 2007 |
Before the verdict, she described herself as cautiously optimistic.
"Well, I had a wheelchair in my car today," she said. "I planned to take him back in a wheelchair and put him in a hospital and get him properly treated."
Nour's lawyer says he will appeal the decision as well as file complaints with the ministry of justice over Judge Gomaa's handling of the case. The lawyer, Amir Salem, says he was not only prevented from entering the courtroom, but the judge took less than five minutes to review the case.
"What happened today was a real violation for the criminal procedures law because the police forces, by force they prevented us, the defense for Ayman Nour to attend the court session and also they prevented Ayman Nour to attend the session," said Salem.
Salem says he is more optimistic about Nour's chances for a favorable verdict from the Administrative Court, which will review the case on June 12.
Nour, a former independent member of parliament, founded the opposition El-Ghad party in 2004. In Egypt's first multi-candidate presidential election one year later, he finished a distant second to incumbent President Hosni Mubarak. His case has brought harsh criticism from human rights groups as well as western governments, including the United States and other close allies of Egypt.
31 May 2007| A Brief History of the World Trade Organization | |
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DownloadThis is the VOA Special English Economics Report.
A question from Vietnam. Listener Nguyen Minh Tan wants to know more about the World Trade Organization and its history.
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| Pascal Lamy is WTO director-general |
But the roots of the W.T.O. date back to World War Two and the years that followed.
In nineteen forty-four, a meeting took place in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire: the International Monetary Conference. There, negotiators agreed to create the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. But they could not agree on an organization to deal with international trade.
Three years later, in nineteen forty-seven, twenty-three nations approved the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, or GATT. It was meant to be temporary. Trade negotiations under GATT were carried out in a series of talks called rounds. The first round lowered import taxes on one-fifth of world trade. Later rounds produced additional cuts, and negotiators added more issues.
The sixth round began in nineteen sixty-three. It was called the Kennedy Round after the murder of President John F. Kennedy. The results included an agreement against trade dumping. This is when one country sells a product in another country at an unfairly low price.
The eighth round of talks began in Punta del Este, Uruguay, in nineteen eighty-six. The Uruguay Round lasted almost twice as long as planned. In all, one hundred twenty-three nations took part in seven-and-a-half years of work. They set time limits for future negotiations. They also agreed to create a permanent system to settle trade disputes.
In April of nineteen ninety-four, most of those one hundred twenty-three nations signed an agreement. It replaced GATT with the World Trade Organization.
The W.T.O. launched a new round on development issues in Doha, Qatar, in November of two thousand one. These talks were supposed to end by January of two thousand five. But negotiators could not agree on issues involving agricultural protections. The current round has been suspended since last July.
And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report, written by Mario Ritter. Next week, more about the W.T.O. I'm Bob Doughty.
31 May 2007| The Gentle Barn: A Place Where Animals, and People, Can Find Healing | |
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DownloadHOST:
Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.
(MUSIC)
I'm Doug Johnson. On our show this week:
We answer a question about the Marshall Plan …
Play music from Mary Chapin Carpenter …
And report about a place that helps animals heal.
Gentle Barn
Gentle Barn is a place where abused animals can find a home. Ellie Laks started Gentle Barn in nineteen ninety-nine. Faith Lapidus has more about this special place.
FAITH LAPIDUS:
Like many people, Ellie Laks loves animals. She has turned that love into an effort to save abused animals and help young people at the same time.
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| Ellie Laks started the Gentle Barn in 1999 |
Ellie, her husband, Jay Weiner, and others provide treatment and care for the animals at Gentle Barn. Twenty to thirty people offer to work with the animals without pay. The animals usually grow to accept and love people. And they build close relationships with their keepers.
Visitors can touch and hold animals they would normally never have a chance to see. As many as three hundred visitors come to Gentle Barn each week. Most are young people ages four to eighteen. Some are from inner city schools. Some are children with special needs. Some of the children were abused or come from families with problems.
Ellie Laks says the animals provide examples for the young people that abuse can be overcome. She says young people see a different side of themselves when they are near animals. They feel they can develop a connection with an animal whose story is similar to their own.
Since it opened, Gentle Barn has had more than one hundred thousand visitors. Ellie Laks and Jay Weiner dream of some day opening Gentle Barns all over the world.
You can visit Gentle Barn and read the stories of many of the animals online at www.gentlebarn.org.
The Marshall Plan
HOST:
Our VOA Listener question this week comes from Ghana. David Dakura asks us to explain the Marshall Plan.
The Marshall Plan was part of an American policy to help Europe recover after the Second World War in the nineteen forties. The war had destroyed the economies of many countries in Europe.
The United States and its allies were concerned that communist governments would take control of many of these countries unless they took action.
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| George Marshall at Harvard where he announced a plan to aid Europe |
First, Congress agreed to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Greece and Turkey. Then, President Truman and his advisers developed a plan to rebuild the economies of European countries. Secretary of State George Marshall visited Europe in nineteen forty-seven. He was shocked by what he saw. Europe was ruined. People were cold and starving because of a lack of fuel and food. And they were starting to suffer from diseases like tuberculosis.
Secretary Marshall announced his plan to the graduating class at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He promised that the United States would do "whatever it is able to do to assist in the return of normal economic health in the world."
Marshall Plan aid was offered to all countries in Europe. The Soviet Union and its allies refused the help. But sixteen other countries welcomed the aid. The Economic Cooperation Administration of the Marshall Plan worked with these countries from nineteen forty-eight until nineteen fifty-two. It spent thirteen billion dollars. The aid included food, fuel, raw materials, goods, loans, machines and advisers.
The Marshall Plan was a great success. It started huge economic growth in Europe. Agricultural production increased by ten percent. Industrial production increased by thirty-five percent. And stronger economies helped prevent communists from gaining control of the governments in France and Italy.
Some Europeans criticized the Marshall Plan. They said it increased tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union in the years after the war. Yet few people could argue that the Marshall Plan was one of the most successful international economic programs in history. George Marshall was recognized for his work in nineteen fifty-three when he received the Nobel Peace Prize.
Mary Chapin Carpenter
For twenty years, Mary Chapin Carpenter has been making records that combine the sounds of rock, folk, and country music. Her tenth album, “The Calling,” is filled with warm and personal songs. A few even have a strong political message. Barbara Klein has more.
(MUSIC)
BARBARA KLEIN:
That was the song “Houston.” Carpenter sings about the tragic story of Hurricane Katrina victims left homeless after the storm hit in two thousand five. The person in the song remembers a home and way of life that no longer exist.
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| Mary Chapin Carpenter |
Here is the title song of the album, “The Calling.” Carpenter sings about the ways people look for and come to understand their purpose in life.
(MUSIC)
We close with “On With the Song.” Mary Chapin Carpenter honors the three female musicians of the country music band, the Dixie Chicks. The Dixie Chicks were rejected and even threatened by many listeners for criticizing the war in Iraq and President Bush. In this song, Carpenter expresses her support for the brave musicians. She calls them “three little stars” in a big sky who fight for what they believe in and give others hope.
(MUSIC:"On With the Song")
HOST:
I'm Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program today. It was written by Dana Demange, Mario Ritter and Nancy Steinbach. Caty Weaver was our producer. To read the text of this program and download audio, go to our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com.
Send your questions about American life to mosaic@voanews.com. Please include your full name and mailing address. Or write to American Mosaic, VOA Special English, Washington, D.C., two-zero-two-three-seven, U.S.A.
Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA’s radio magazine in Special English.
