US Senate Debates Plan to Withdraw Troops from Iraq in Marathon Session

By Deborah Tate Capitol Hill 17 July 2007

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In the U.S. Senate, Democratic leaders are holding a rare round-the-clock session to press Republicans to vote for a proposal calling for a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Republican leaders are using procedural tactics to block the measure from moving forward on the Senate floor. VOA's Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill.

US troops during a mission in Baquba, 04 Jul 2007

Senators are debating a plan, proposed as an amendment to a defense bill, that calls for a U.S. troop pullout from Iraq to begin within 120 days and completed by next April.

Senator Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat, is a key sponsor.

"The Bush administration's current policy is straining our military, inhibiting our ability to fight the war on terrorism, diminishing our standing in the international community, and rapidly losing the support of the American public," he said. "In sum, it is a policy that cannot be sustained."

Senator John McCain, 10 July 2007

But Republican opponents argue that withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq before Iraqis are able to defend their own country would only lead to more violence, and would hand a victory to terrorists.

"If we leave Iraq prematurely, jihadists around world would interpret the withdrawal as their great victory against our great power," said Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican.

But Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine, one of a few Republicans who support the measure, says the proposal does not call for a premature withdrawal.

Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe, second from left, accompanied by fellow Senators, discusses war in Iraq during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, 17 July 2007

"It is a redeployment, a reduction in forces, a change in mission, for example, to engage in counterinsurgency against al-Qaida," she noted. "I think this is the most reasoned, reasonable approach. It is not rash."

Snowe favors a change in U.S. strategy in Iraq because, she argues, the Iraqi government has not done enough toward establishing a stable unity government.

Supporters of the troop withdrawal plan say more than 50 senators, a majority in the 100-member chamber, back the measure.

But they acknowledge that they lack the 60 votes necessary under Senate rules to overcome Republican efforts to block the legislation. A vote to limit debate and allow an up-or-down vote on the troop withdrawal measure scheduled Wednesday is expected to fail.

Still, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada says he hopes the round-the-clock session could alter the vote's outcome.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (r), followed by Sen. Charles Schumer, center, and Sen. Richard Durbin, arrives for a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, 16 July 2007

"Will the all-night session change any votes? I hope so, because it will focus attention on the obstructionism of the Republicans," he said.

At the White House, spokesman Tony Snow views the marathon Senate session as pure political theater.

"The idea of going through the gesture of having late night, all-night meeting is highly unusual," he said. "You think, okay, this might be kind of interesting, so let's take it for the spectator event it is."

The White House has been urging lawmakers to wait to assess the situation in Iraq until the top U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, briefs Congress in September.

Despite the gridlock on the troop withdrawal amendment, lawmakers did vote 94 to 3 in favor of a Republican-sponsored, non-binding resolution saying the Senate should not pass legislation that would undermine the U.S. military's ability to prevent a failed state in Iraq.

US Supports Pakistani Government Moves Against Extremists

By David Gollust State Department 17 July 2007

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The Bush administration said Tuesday the United States is prepared to back Pakistani government actions against extremism with as a much as $1 billion in economic and military aid over the next several years. Much of the money would help Islamabad authorities assert control in lawless tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

Richard Boucher (file photo)

The State Department's top official for South Asia says the Pakistani government has made an irrevocable commitment against extremists with its latest actions, and he says the United States is ready to support it long-term as it tries to build a moderate democratic Islamic state.

The comments by Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher follow the Pakistani government's use of force earlier this month to end the long-running militant occupation of Islamabad's Red Mosque compound, and new pledges to drive al-Qaida and other foreign forces from the tribal areas.

Boucher, best known for his years as the State Department's chief spokesman, said the action at the Red Mosque shows the government of President Pervez Musharraf is prepared to move against what he termed a "dangerous militancy" that has come to "infect" various areas and parts of Pakistani society:

"Clearing out the mosque and the extremism there was a bold move, a decisive move," said Boucher. "It may have been a long time coming after a lot of provocation, but that I think reflects a certain concern about the women and children inside. But now having dealt with the mosque, it's pretty much, you know, crossing a line and there's no going back."

Pervez Musharraf (file photo)

Boucher's appearance coincided with release of a White House intelligence report that said al-Qaida made a resurgence in the tribal areas under a deal Mr. Musharraf made with local chiefs last year withdrawing troops and allowing them to police the region.

The assistant secretary said the Pakistani leader is now making tough choices to deal with al-Qaida and the Taleban in frontier provinces, while maintaining a commitment to political reform in the run-up to parliamentary elections later this year:

"He's shown the determination and the authority and the ability to deal with some of these very difficult situations," said Boucher. "He's also shown the determination to bring about the democratic transition that he understands, and we understand, is important to the long-term success of Pakistan as a moderate, modern Muslim nation. So we have no problems working with him."

Boucher said the United States plans to spend $750 million over five years on education, health and economic projects in the tribal areas in support of a Pakistani program to integrate the remote region into the national economy.

He said the Bush administration hopes to find an additional $300 million or more to help revamp the Pakistani army's 85,000-member Frontier Corps that patrols the border region.

Boucher said while civilian aid may offer the best long-term solution to combating the extremists, some are very violent and will probably have to be dealt with militarily.

Libya Commutes Medics' Death Sentence in AIDS Case

By Sabina Castelfranco Rome 17 July 2007

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The death sentence of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor accused of infecting hundreds of Libyan children with the AIDS virus, HIV, has been commuted to life in prison. Sabina Castelfranco reports from Rome the Bulgarians' effort now is to get the nurses repatriated.

The ruling came after the families of the children each received one million dollars in compensation.

The families agreed to drop their demand for the execution of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor charged with having infected with HIV more 400 Libyan children at a hospital in the northeastern coastal city of Benghazi.

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ivailo Kalfin called the ruling "a huge step in the right direction."

International experts and outside scientific reports have said for years that the children were contaminated as a result of unhygienic conditions in the Libyan hospital.

Libyan security guards stand in front of the dock during the trial of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor in Tripoli, 04 Nov 2006

Libya's Supreme Court had upheld the death sentence of the six medics last week, but the Judiciary Council meeting late Tuesday overruled the court and commuted the sentences to life imprisonment.

Libya remains under intense international pressure to free the medical workers who have been in prison since 1999.

Libya's Foreign Minister Abdel-Rahman Shalqam said Tripoli was willing to consider the medics' deportation to Bulgaria. He said the negotiations would take place within "the legal framework and political context" between the two countries.

The United States and European Union welcomed the move by the Libyan judicial council, which could remove an obstacle toward rebuilding ties with Moammar Gadhafi's regime.

The United States said the ruling was a "positive step" and State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the U.S. was "encouraged" by the decision. He urged the Libyan government to find a way now to allow the medics to return home.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said it was a relief that Libya's High Judicial Council did not uphold the death sentence.

6 Nations Meet to Discuss Timetable for N. Korea to Dismantle Nuclear Programs

By Daniel Schearf Beijing 18 July 2007

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Delegates from six nations have gathered in Beijing to negotiate a timetable for North Korea to declare and dismantle its nuclear programs. As Daniel Schearf reports from the Chinese capital, the meeting begins as the United Nations' top nuclear expert says North Korea has shut down more nuclear facilities.

Negotiators from North and South Korea, the U.S., China, Japan, and Russia are trying to set a schedule for the second phase of an agreement that requires North Korea to declare all its nuclear facilities and dismantle them.

Christopher Hill addresses reporters after lunch meeting in Beijing, 18 Jul 2007

The chief U.S. negotiator, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill on Wednesday expressed optimism that that those steps could be done this year.

"I think the DPRK has an incentive to try to get moving onto this next phase because they would like to keep the fuel oil coming," he said. "And, we have a great incentive to move because it gets us beyond just shutdown to disablement."

North Korea has agreed to give up its nuclear programs in exchange for aid and diplomatic benefits.

The head of the United Nations nuclear agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, said Wednesday that Pyongyang has shut down five components at its Yongbyon nuclear complex.

Intelligence Estimate Says al-Qaida Intends to Attack US

By Gary Thomas Washington 17 July 2007

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A new U.S. intelligence estimate says al-Qaida remains determined to mount attacks on major targets in the United States, especially if it can acquire weapons of mass destruction. VOA correspondent Gary Thomas reports on the intelligence community's latest conclusions on al-Qaida's strength and reach.

The publicly released portions of the new National Intelligence Estimate say al-Qaida's determination to attack the United States is undiminished. Ted Gistaro, the intelligence officer who wrote the report, says counter-terrorism efforts have hampered al-Qaida, but it still remains the major threat to the United States.

"It has constrained al-Qaida, and caused a number of terrorist groups in addition to al-Qaida to perceive the U.S. as a more difficult target, but despite that we see an undiminished intent on the part of al-Qaida to try and attack us here at home. And so we concluded that al-Qaida is and will remain the most serious threat to the homeland," he said.

The estimate says al-Qaida has reconstituted itself as a center of global Islamic terrorism in bases deep inside Pakistan's largely lawless tribal areas along the Afghan border.

But Gistaro says al-Qaida is not stronger now than it was right after September 11th, 2001, as some earlier news reports had suggested.

"The [intelligence] community did not make the judgment that al-Qaida is stronger than at any time since 9/11 - did not discuss that, did not make that judgment," he said.

Personnel work in an unsecured training area of the Los Angeles Joint Regional Intelligence Center (file photo)

Intelligence officials say all 16 U.S. agencies that deal in intelligence or counter-terrorism unanimously concurred in the report's key judgments.

A 2006 National Intelligence Estimate on al-Qaida said the global jihadist movement was becoming decentralized and diffuse. Gistaro says that appears to have changed as al-Qaida has become more organized again and seeks to extend its reach and contacts, particularly with the group calling itself al-Qaida in Iraq.

"I think the relationship can be elastic at times. I think certainly two years ago we described it as being more decentralized, more of a franchisee type of relationship. I think one of the implications of al-Qaida core [leadership] having a more secure safe haven in Pakistan is that it's able to reconnect those lines of communication," he said.

White House Homeland Security Adviser Fran Townsend says the new intelligence estimate highlights the need for continuing vigilance against al-Qaida's terrorist threats.

"We are facing a persistent terrorist enemy led by al-Qaida that remains driven and intent on attacking the homeland and that continues to adapt and improve its capabilities," she said.

But Peter Zeihan, an analyst with the private intelligence firm Stratfor, says the public portions of the National Intelligence Estimate highlight intentions, not capabilities.

"If you go through the NIE report with a fine tooth comb, you'll notice that the word 'intent' is thrown around a lot, but the word 'capabilities' never pops up. And that's how we see it. The intent of al-Qaida to leverage all these groups that want to be associated with it, such as al-Qaida in Iraq, is definitely there. The intent of al-Qaida Prime, the apex leadership, to launch another major attack in the United States, is certainly there. What they lack is the capability," he said.

Democrats and Republicans both seized on the intelligence estimate to bolster their respective arguments over Iraq war policy. Republicans said the report highlights the continued need to confront al-Qaida in Iraq. Democrats say it underscores how the war in Iraq created new terrorists there while allowing al-Qaida to re-group in Pakistan.

Russia Promises 'Targeted, Appropriate' Response to British Expulsions

By Peter Fedynsky Moscow 17 July 2007

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Russia says it will have a "targeted and appropriate" response to Britain's expulsion Monday of four Russian diplomats. The two countries are at odds over the British probe into the poisoning death in London of a former KGB officer. But as VOA Correspondent Peter Fedynsky reports from Moscow, both countries appear to be seeking ways to protect average citizens from the damage caused by the standoff.

Political observers in Moscow predict Russia will respond in kind to Monday's decision by London to expel four Russian diplomats. But the Foreign Ministry appears in no hurry to announce specific measures.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko reads a statement at the Foreign Ministry's offices, 17 July 2007

Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko says that if Russia acted in the same manner as Britain, more than 80 British diplomats in Moscow would have been expelled. Late Tuesday, Grushko said only that the Russian response will be targeted and adequate.

At the same time, said the Russian official, we will consider average citizens, tourists, cultural and academic exchange participants, and business circles. Grushko says Russia does not want such people to suffer because of actions by London.

A statement in Russian by the British ambassador to Moscow, Anthony Brenton, reflects a similar intention to avoid inconveniencing the public. "We are happy to see Russians in Britain and we continue to issue visas. The stricter measures relate only to visa requests from members of the Russian government," he said.

Relations between London and Moscow soured after Russia refused to extradite Alexander Lugovoi, a Russian citizen accused of murdering Kremlin critic and former KGB intelligence officer, Alexander Litvinenko. Litvinenko was poisoned with highly radioactive polonium. Lugovoi, also an ex-KGB spy, denies the British charge.

Russia's refusal to extradite is based on Article 61 of its Constitution, which says "a citizen of the Russian Federation may not be deported from Russia or extradited to another state." However, Article 63 seems to leave room for interpretation. That article states, "The extradition of people accused of a crime shall be carried out on the basis of federal law or the international agreement of the Russian Federation."

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband expressed concern Monday that Russian law is applied selectively.

Human rights activists in Moscow say there have been several instances of Russian citizens being extradited against their will.

One of them is Alisher Usmanov, who was charged with possession of explosives and sent to Uzbekistan, which accused him of religious extremism. Usmanov's defenders say the charges were trumped up.

Yelena Rabinina of the Civic Assistance Committee, Grazhdanskoye Sodeystviye, a Russian human-rights organization, has followed the Usmanov case and others like it.

"Russia treats the constitutional in a very selective manner," says Rabinina. "If it is inconvenient, as in the case of Lugovoi, Russian authorities present themselves as defenders of the law, but in a number of other cases they use various tricks to do what they want with the constitution."

Moscow, accuses Britain of ignoring extradition requests for Russian citizens accused of being embezzlers, terrorists, drug dealers and murderers. Russia has also requested the return of billionaire Boris Berezovsky to face fraud and corruption charges. Berezovksy, a vocal Kremlin critic, was a friend of the murdered Alexander Litvinenko.

VOASE0717_Health Report

17 July 2007

Egypt Moves to Halt Female Genital Cutting
A girl's death leads to a stronger ban, public protest and a statement from the country's grand mufti that the tradition is against Islam.

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This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

Egypt has fully banned the tradition that some call female circumcision and others call female genital mutilation. The government acted after a girl in southern Egypt died. Her mother took her to a doctor to perform the operation.

Hundreds of girls at a protest in Assiut, Egypt, carry posters showing Badour Shaker

Twelve-year-old Badour Shaker reportedly was given too much anesthesia to kill the pain. Her death in June created public anger against the traditional practice.

Part or all of the clitoris and other tissue around the vagina are cut away. The practice is often seen for cultural reasons as a way to repress sexual desire and protect a girl's honor. Some parents also think it is connected with cleanliness.

But the cutting is often done by someone without medical training, clean tools or even anesthesia. Infections are common. Victims can also go into shock from pain and bleeding.

Experts say long-term problems can include painful growths and thick scar tissue. These can interfere with reproductive ability and childbirth.

The World Health Organization says the practice is dangerous physically as well as emotionally. Still, the United Nations says that in Africa, more than three million girls each year have it done to them.

In Egypt and Sudan the cutting is performed on both Muslim and Christian girls. It is also common in Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia.

The death of Badour Shaker led the Egyptian Health Ministry to strengthen a nineteen ninety-six ban on female genital cutting. The operation was still permitted in some cases. This was true since Egypt first banned the practice in nineteen fifty-nine.

After the recent death, Egypt's Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa condemned what he called a harmful tradition forbidden by Islam. The grand mufti is the country's top official for giving Islamic legal opinions.

Other countries are also taking action. Norway said it would bar families from leaving the country if the suspected purpose was to have the cutting done.

And in London, police have just offered money for information leading to anyone carrying out female genital mutilation in the British capital. Police officials say it is a human rights violation and extreme child abuse that can involve girls as young as four. The police launched the campaign during summer because the extended holiday period is believed to be when families most often have it done.

And that’s the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver. For more health news, go to voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Faith Lapidus.

VOASE0717_Explorations

17 July 2007

Colorado National Monument Shows the Wild Artistry of Nature
It has a strange and exciting beauty, like a great painting drawn onto living rock.

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VOICE ONE:

This is Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Steve Ember with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Come with us today as we visit a national park in the western state of Colorado.

We also tell about one man who made sure the beautiful natural area would be protected for all time. He did this by working to make it part of the National Park System. Today we visit the Colorado National Monument.

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VOICE ONE:

The Colorado National Monument is not as famous as some other national parks. It

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Part of the landscape at Colorado National Monument

does not get as many visitors as the Grand Canyon, Yosemite or the Yellowstone National Parks. However the Colorado Monument has a strange and exciting beauty all its own.

It is similar to a great painting drawn by nature onto living rock. Minerals in the area helped nature create a painting that is black, light brown, dark brown and many different colors of red. Often the colors seem to change as clouds block the sun. At other times the sun makes the many different colors seem to burn brightly.

VOICE TWO:

The Colorado National Monument is an area of great extremes. The ground rises very sharply from the surrounding flat desert area. The mountains here are part of the western Rocky Mountains. It is an area of huge rock formations created during more than one thousand million years. Volcanoes, great rivers, wind, rain, ice and the birth and death of huge mountains formed this beautiful area.

It is not possible to see this extremely beautiful area and not feel the power of nature. Giant mountains seem to have been cut sharply with a huge knife. Their sides are smooth and clean. Other areas of the same mountain seem to have been torn apart in some violent struggle. These areas are filled with huge piles of broken rock.

Walls of rock are twisted and have huge holes pushed into their sides. There are tall finger-like rocks that reach far into the sky.

Many of the tall rocks look like they could fall over at anytime

Other parts of the same area seem to have long, straight lines cut into the rock. It is possible to count these lines. Each line represents a time long ago when these mountains were at the bottom of an ancient ocean.

Each line was formed by dirt, mud and sand that gathered at the bottom of the ancient ocean. Then, as time passed, the bottom of this ancient ocean floor was pushed high into the air by huge pressures deep in the Earth.

VOICE ONE:

Scientists have found seashells high in these mountains and the fossil remains of ancient ocean creatures. Near the Colorado National Park researchers have found the huge fossil remains of ancient reptiles called dinosaurs. One fossil skeleton found early last century was the largest fossil dinosaur ever found at that time.

It was huge and surprised scientists around the world. Scientists are still busy looking for remains of these creatures that died millions of years ago.

However, not all of the animals found in or near the park are fossils. Because the area is desert, it is easy to believe that nothing is living here.

But if you are very quiet and stay very still you can see much life in the park. Mountain lions live here. It is very difficult to see them. However, visitors sometimes see the foot marks these big cats leave in the soft sand.

VOICE TWO:

If you look closely, you can see small rabbits searching for food or water early in the morning. On hot days you might see deer resting in the shade of the juniper trees. The deer are protected from hunters. Often they show little fear of people.

Visitors must be careful not to surprise a small reptile called the midget faded rattlesnake. The bite of this snake can be very painful and make a victim very sick.

At first, the Colorado National Monument seems to be nothing more than huge and very colorful rocks shaped by nature. But if you spend a few hours walking slowly on its many paths, you soon learn that it is very much alive.

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VOICE ONE:

The forces of nature created the Colorado National Monument. But a man named John Otto was responsible for making sure this beautiful area became part of the United States National Park System. John Otto recognized the great natural beauty of this place and wanted it to be protected.

John Otto was an unusual man. He lived alone much of the time in what later became

John Otto, first superintendent of Colorado National Monument

the park. He did not build a house. He moved from place to place and lived in a temporary cloth home.

In a letter written in nineteen-oh-seven, Mister Otto told a friend the area made him feel like it was the heart of the world. He told his friend he was going to stay and build paths and work to inform people about this beautiful work of nature. Some people thought he was insane.

But John Otto began his campaign to protect the area by writing letters. He acted as a guide for people who read his letters and came to see the great natural beauty for themselves. He asked everyone who visited for their support in his campaign to have the federal government protect the area.

VOICE TWO:

In nineteen eleven, President William Taft signed the documents making the area a national monument. It would forever be part of the National Park System and protected by the government.

President Taft also appointed Mister Otto as the new park’s first top official. John Otto was only paid one dollar a year for this work. He was not expected to really work at the park, just deal with administrative duties, which were few.

However, John Otto did work in the park. By nineteen twenty-one he had finished building one of the first major paths. This made it much easier for people to visit the area. He built it using simple tools and without much help. It is called the Trail of the Serpent. He was also very careful to build the trail without damaging any of the area’s natural beauty. It was one of the first roads into the park that could be used by an automobile.

VOICE ONE:

High up in the Colorado National Monument is a steel sign that honors John Otto. It has been placed into the wall of a rock formation that John Otto loved. The marker says: “In recognition of John Otto, trail builder, promoter, and first custodian of Colorado National Monument, established May twenty-fourth, nineteen eleven.” John Otto would have liked that.

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VOICE TWO:

The Colorado National Monument is almost eight thousand three hundred hectares. It is near the city of Grand Junction, Colorado, not far from the state border with Utah. The area is known for its mountains and the beauty of the desert. It is also here that the last of the Rocky Mountains begin to drop away to flat land.

Although the Colorado National Monument is smaller than most national parks, about five hundred thousand visitors come each year. Most visitors drive on the Interstate Highway System.

Interstate Highway Seventy is only a few kilometers from the park. When a visitor leaves the road, the path becomes much smaller and begins to rise into the mountains. Signs urge safety. Other signs urge the driver of the vehicle to slow down.

VOICE ONE:

The small road begins to turn left, then sharply to the right, then left again. At the same time it moves up and up many meters at a time with each turn.

At first, mountains surround the road on both sides of the car. Then, without warming, the little road moves into the clear and visitors can see hundreds of meters down into the valley. For a little more than six kilometers the road twists and turns high into the park.

At the top of the little road visitors reach the National Park Visitors Center. The modern building provides information about the park. It has a small store where visitors can buy gifts. The Visitors Center also includes a small museum with fossils, photographs and the story of John Otto.

VOICE TWO:

When visitors have collected the information or gifts they want, most continue through the building to an observation area in back of the building. Slowly they walk to the very edge of the mountain.

In this great open space, the finger-like rocks seem to reach for the sky. Far below is the great natural beauty that took more than one thousand million years for nature to create.

And, it is here they can begin to understand why John Otto loved this place so much and why he worked so hard to protect it.

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VOICE ONE:

This program was written by Paul Thompson. It was produced by Mario Ritter. This is Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Steve Ember. Join us again next week for another EXPLORATIONS program in VOA Special English.