US Says Iran Will Face New Pressure for Defying UN

By David Gollust State Department 23 May 2007

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The United States says Iran will face additional international pressure following release of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report that Tehran has expanded its uranium-enrichment activities. Consultations about further U.N. sanctions against Iran are expected to begin soon. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

Officials in Washington are still studying the IAEA report, but say it is clear Iran continues to defy the international community with its nuclear activities and will face additional pressure including tougher sanctions.

The report was issued in Vienna before the Thursday deadline set by the United Nations for Iranian compliance with a sanctions resolution approved March 24, the second such measure since last December.

The report said Iran has neither stopped enriching uranium as demanded by the Security Council, nor has it agreed to any of the transparency measures sought by the U.N. watchdog agency to monitor Iranian nuclear activities.

As such, the IAEA expressed concern about its deteriorating ability to track the Iranian nuclear program that the United States and key allies believe has a secret weapons component.

In a talk with reporters, State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey said the Security Council will have to consider next steps and that in the absence of a sudden policy reversal, Tehran will find itself under increasing pressure from the international community.

Casey said the Bush administration intends to continue a strategy of applying gradually-increasing pressure while leaving open an opportunity for negotiations on the Iranian program.

Casey said while Iranian leaders have been dismissive of the sanctions resolutions to date, they are having a real impact on the country's economy and global standing:

"They are paying the price because of the sanctions that have been imposed, and because of decisions extraneous to that, that banks and individual companies and individual governments are making," he said. "There is heat that is being applied to the Iranian government. We think that they are feeling it and they are going to feel more of it in the coming weeks if they continue to stand opposed to the very basic conditions that the international community has set for them."

U.S. officials had said in advance of the report that the five permanent Security Council member countries and Germany, the so-called P5-plus-1, would begin work on a third, harsher sanctions measure if the Thursday deadline was not met.

Casey said he expects discussions among the six powers to begin shortly at the political directors level.

The nuclear issue is expected to be a key issue for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and foreign minister colleagues late next week at preparatory talks in Berlin for the summit of the G-8 industrial powers opening in Germany June 6.

Iran insists its nuclear program is entirely peaceful and that it is entitled to develop a complete nuclear fuel cycle for an envisaged network of power reactors.

Spokesman Casey said no one in the world community wants to prevent Iran from having a civil nuclear power program, but there must be assurances that the program is not subverted for weapons purposes.

The P5-plus-1 last year offered Iran a variety of economic and political incentives for suspending its enrichment program and returning to nuclear negotiations. The United States said it was prepared for open-ended political talks with Iran on all issues of concern to both sides.

Former Justice Official Testifies on Attorneys Controversy

By Dan Robinson Capitol Hill 23 May 2007

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Monica Goodling, a former Department of Justice official and aide to U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, testifies before the House Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, 23 May 2007

Monica Goodling, a former Department of Justice official and aide to U.S. attorney general Alberto Gonzalez, has testified before Congress in the controversy over the firing of eight U.S. prosecutors. VOA's Dan Robinson reports from Capitol Hill, majority Democrats say the testimony prompts many new questions, while Republicans say it failed to reveal any information that would damage the attorney general

Monica Goodling was granted partial immunity in return for her testimony before the House Judiciary Committee after she asserted her constitutional right to avoid self-incrimination.

Goodling said although she had the title of Justice Department White House Liaison, her contacts with the White House were limited, and she was not a decision-maker.

"I did not hold the keys to the kingdom as some have suggested. I was not the primary White House contact for purposes of the development or approval of the U.S. attorney replacement plan. I never attended a meeting of the White House judicial selection committee. The attorney general and [his former chief of staff] Kyle Sampson attended those

meetings. To the best of my recollection I have never had a conversation with Karl Rove or Harriet Meiers while I served at the Department of Justice, and I am certain that I never spoke to either of them about the hiring or firing of any U.S. attorney," he said.

Goodling said she did have discussions with staff members of Rove and Meiers, in her words, "regarding specific aspects of the replacement plan", and acknowledged she attended one meeting after the decision to fire the attorneys was made, at which Rove was present.

But she denies ever recommending that specific prosecutors be added to or removed from a list compiled by Kyle Sampson, and does not recall any recommendations coming from the White House.

In resisting calls for his resignation, from Democrats as well as Republicans, Attorney General Gonzalez has maintained that none of the dismissed U.S. attorneys were removed for political reasons, although he acknowledged the matter was handled badly.

Democratic House judiciary committee chairman John Conyers says Goodling's testimony shows there is much more to be learned about possible White House involvement in the firings.

"We have learned today that trust has been violated, that false statements have been made under oath, not Monica Goodling's, and there is a possible obstruction of justice, as well as perjury," he said.

Conyers was referring to Goodling's testimony that Attorney General Gonzalez appeared to have made false statements to Congress, and that a former deputy attorney general, Paul McNulty, withheld information during an appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

But Congressman Chris Cannon, a Republican on the committee, assessed the testimony this way. "There were no surprises here today. There was nothing of interest even. Nothing to indicate any kind of corruption. And the premise of all of the activity here is corruption, and we just did not see that," he said.

In her testimony Wednesday, Goodling did acknowledge that she "crossed the line" by taking political considerations into account in some hiring decisions at the justice department.

Neither Paul McNulty, the former deputy attorney general mentioned in Goodling's testimony, nor Kyle Sampson, the former chief of staff to the attorney general, have testified before the House Judiciary Committee.

But saying that plenty has gone wrong and contradictions are all over the place, Congressman Conyers is raising the possibility of calling both of those former officials to testify, along with a repeat appearance by the attorney general.

Gonzales also faces possible no-confidence measures, introduced by Democrats in the House and Senate, although these have yet to be acted upon.

Amnesty International Says World Growing More Fearful, Divided And Dangerous

By Sonja Pace London 23 May 2007

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Amnesty International accuses governments and armed groups of fomenting fear to erode human rights and create an increasingly polarized world. The human rights organization launched its annual report in London and other world capitals. VOA's Sonja Pace has this report from the British capital.

Irene Khan holds a copy of Amnesty International Report at a press conference in central London, 23 May 2007

A time of fear is how Amnesty International describes this past year. Amnesty Secretary-General Irene Kahn spoke of an erosion of human rights in an increasingly divided and dangerous world.

"In 2006, short-sighted, fear-mongering policies undermined the rule of law and human rights, fed racism and xenophobia, fueled discrimination, suppressed dissent, intensified conflict and sowed the seeds of more violence," she said.

Speaking to reporters in London, Kahn outlined some of the main points of the report, which documents the human rights situation in 153 countries from January to December 2006.

The U.S.-led war on terror came in for harsh criticism and the report accuses powerful governments of playing on the public's fear to introduce increasingly restrictive laws that erode human rights.

"The U.S. administration is treating the world as one giant battlefield for its war on terror and more evidence surfaced in 2006 to show how suspects were kidnapped, arrested, detained, tortured and transferred from one secret prison to another across the world within impunity and with the complicity of allies," she said.

The report also describes what is says were gross human rights violations across the Middle East, including Iraq.

Iraqi patrol in Baghdad, 21 May 2007

"The Iraqi security forces are inciting rather than stopping sectarian violence. The Iraqi justice system is woefully inadequate and the worst practices of Saddam Hussein's regime - torture, unfair trials, capital punishment and rape with impunity are very much alive today," said Kahn.

Kahn asserts that the war on terror and ongoing violence and turmoil in Iraq have had far reaching effects elsewhere - in that they have diminished U.S. credibility in the world and limited its efforts to stand up for human rights.

Darfur in Sudan is a case in point, says Khan.

A displaced Sudanese woman carries her sons in the Otach Displaced Persons camp in the city of Nyala in Sudan's strife-torn Darfur region, (File)

"Darfur is a bleeding wound on the world's conscience," she said. "The U.S. government has been outspoken on the need to protect civilians in Darfur and we welcome that very much. But nothing proves more clearly the loss of U.S. moral authority than its failure to persuade the Sudanese government to accept U.N. peacekeepers."

The Amnesty report says lack of action by the United States and other U.N. Security Council members to stop last year's war in Lebanon [between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group] and to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is adding to sectarian differences and instability. Kahn cites the ongoing violence and chaos in Gaza, in particular.

"With renewed military attacks, widespread violence, a strangled economy and a collapsing Palestinian pre-state, a human rights nightmare is unfolding under our very eyes while the international community remains complacent," she said.

The Amnesty report's list goes on - repression, detentions, violence against women around the globe from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, in stable democracies such as Britain and the United States and in emerging economic powers such as Russia and China.

While the report harshly criticizes the lack of political leadership around the world to uphold human rights, it praises the work of civil society - non-government groups, activists and in some instances the media, in highlighting human rights abuses and holding governments accountable.

Israel Launches Air Strikes on Gaza Amid New Truce Effort

By Robert Berger Jerusalem 23 May 2007

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Israel has launched fresh air strikes in the Gaza Strip, wounding at least seven Palestinians. As Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, the attacks occurred as Palestinian leaders pushed for a new truce.

Palestinian children walk amid the rubble of a house, destroyed following an Israeli air strike, in the Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, 23 May 2007

Israeli aircraft attacked targets of the Islamic militant group Hamas across Gaza including suspected weapons factories and warehouses and other facilities. Now in its second week, the air campaign is aimed at halting Palestinian rocket attacks. More than 150 rockets have fallen on Israel over the past week, leaving the border community of Sderot a virtual ghost town.

The rockets keep falling despite the air strikes, but Israeli spokeswoman Miri Eisen says a major ground assault on Gaza is not on the table.

"The military themselves are very clear on the fact that even a full-scale invasion would not necessarily stop all of the rocket attacks," said Eisen.

In a bid to end the fighting, moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas traveled from the West Bank to Gaza for talks with Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas. They are trying to restore a Gaza cease-fire with Israel that collapsed last week after a five-month lull in violence.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat says the current fighting is not in the interest of either side.

"I don't know to who's interest [is it] to undermine the cease-fire?" asked Erekat. "To who's interest [is it] to push back to the cycle of violence and counter-violence?"

The Palestinians have offered to halt the rocket attacks if Israel would extend the Gaza cease-fire to also include the West Bank. But Israel rejects the proposal on grounds that West Bank raids are necessary to prevent suicide bombings in Israeli cities. Palestinian militants say that leaves them no choice but to keep fighting.

VOASE0523_The Making of a Nation

23 May 2007

Watergate: How a Name, and a Failed Break-In, Became a Symbol of Political Corruption
In August 1974, Richard Nixon became the first US president to resign. In doing so he avoided a trial in Congress on charges that he misused government agencies in an effort to hide wrongdoing.

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VOICE ONE:

This is Rich Kleinfeldt.

VOICE TWO:

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

(MUSIC)

Today, we complete the story of the thirty-seventh president of the United States, Richard Nixon.

VOICE ONE:

Richard Nixon's first term as president ended with hope for complete American withdrawal from the fighting in Vietnam. Yet Americans still were very angry about the war and its effects on life at home. Paying for it was difficult. Inflation was high. Unemployment was high, too. Some political observers thought the president would not be elected to a second term. Nixon, however, was sure the American people would support him.

President Richard Nixon with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in 1972

He did not campaign in the local primary elections before the Republican convention. Instead, in the winter and spring of nineteen seventy-two, he visited China, Canada, Iran, Poland, and the Soviet Union.

VOICE TWO:

On June seventeenth, nineteen seventy-two, something happened in Washington, D.C. It was a small incident. But it would have a huge effect on the United States.

Five men broke into a center of the National Committee of the Democratic Party. The building was called the Watergate. That name would become a symbol of political crime in the nation's highest office.

VOICE ONE:

At the time, the incident did not seem important. Police caught the criminals. Later, however, more was learned. The men had carried papers that linked them to top officials in the administration.

The question was: Did President Nixon know what was going on? He told reporters he was not involved. In time, though, the Watergate case would lead to a congressional investigation of the president.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

For a while, the political conventions of the summer of nineteen seventy-two pushed the story of the Watergate break-in out of the major news of the day.

Nixon and Vice President Spiro Agnew at the 1972 Republican National Convention after their re-nomination

The Democratic Party met and chose George McGovern as its candidate for president. McGovern was a senator from the state of South Dakota. The choice of the Republican Party was no surprise. Delegates re-nominated Richard Nixon.

McGovern attacked Nixon for his policies about Vietnam. McGovern's anger made many voters see him as an extremist.

Nixon won the election of nineteen seventy-two by a huge popular vote. He would not be able to complete his second term, however. This was because Watergate would not go away.

VOICE ONE:

Early in nineteen seventy-three, reporters found the evidence that linked the Watergate break-in to officials in the White House. The evidence also showed that the officials tried to use government agencies to hide the connection.

Pressure grew for a complete investigation. In April, President Nixon ordered the Justice Department to do this. A special prosecutor was named to lead the government's investigation.

VOICE TWO:

A special Senate committee began its own investigation in May. A former White House lawyer provided the major evidence. By July, it was learned that President Nixon had secretly made tape recordings of some of his discussions and telephone calls. The Senate committee asked him for some of the tapes. Nixon refused. He said the president of the United States has a Constitutional right to keep such records private.

VOICE ONE:

A federal judge ordered the president to surrender the tapes. Lawyers for the president took the case to the nation's highest court. The Supreme Court supported the decision of the lower court.

After that, pressure increased for Nixon to cooperate. In October, he offered to provide written versions of the most important parts of the tape recordings. The special prosecutor rejected the offer. So, Nixon ordered the head of the Justice Department to dismiss him. The Attorney General refused to do this, and resigned.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

President Nixon had another political problem, in addition to Watergate. In late nineteen seventy-three, his vice president, Spiro Agnew, was forced to resign. A court had found Agnew guilty of violating tax laws.

President Nixon asked Gerald Ford to become the new vice president. Ford was a long-time member of Congress from the state of Michigan.

VOICE ONE:

By that time, some members of Congress were talking about removing President Nixon from office. This is possible under American law if Congress finds that a president has done something criminal. Was Richard Nixon covering up important evidence in the case? Was he, in fact, guilty of wrongdoing?

VOICE TWO:

In April nineteen seventy-four, Nixon surrendered some of his White House tape recordings. However, three important discussions on the tapes were missing. The Nixon administration explained. The tape machine had failed to record two of the discussions, it said. The third discussion had been destroyed accidentally. Many Americans did not believe these explanations.

Two months later, the Supreme Court ruled that a president can not hold back evidence in a criminal case. It said there is no presidential right of privacy in such a case.

VOICE ONE:

A committee of the House of Representatives also reached an historic decision in July nineteen seventy-four. It proposed that the full House put the president on trial. If Richard Nixon were found guilty of crimes involved in the Watergate case, he would be removed from office.

Finally, Nixon surrendered the last of the documents. They appeared to provide proof that the president had ordered evidence in the Watergate case to be covered up.

VOICE TWO:

The rights of citizens, as stated in the Constitution, are the basis of American democracy. Every president promises to protect and defend these Constitutional rights. During the congressional investigation of Watergate, lawmakers said that President Nixon had violated these rights.

They said he planned to delay and block the investigation of the Watergate break-in and other unlawful activities. They said he repeatedly misused government agencies in an effort to hide wrongdoing and to punish his critics. And they said he refused repeated orders to surrender papers and other materials as part of the investigation.

VOICE ONE:

Richard Nixon's long struggle to remain in office was over. He spoke to the nation on August eighth.

Richard Nixon waves goodbye from his helicopter as he leaves the White House after resigning on August 9, 1974

RICHARD NIXON: "Throughout the long and difficult period of Watergate, I have felt it was my duty to persevere, to make every possible effort to complete the term of office to which you elected me. In the past few days, however, it has become evident to me that I no longer have a strong enough political base in the Congress to justify continuing that effort. Therefore, I shall resign the presidency effective at noon tomorrow."

VOICE TWO:

Never before had a president of the United States resigned. And never before did the United States have a president who had not been elected. Gerald Ford had been appointed to the office of vice president. Now, he would replace Richard Nixon. On August ninth, nineteen seventy-four, he was sworn-in as the nation's thirty-eighth president.

VOICE ONE:

Gerald Ford

Soon after becoming president, Gerald Ford made a surprise announcement. He pardoned Richard Nixon. Many Americans criticized Ford for doing this. But he believed he had good reasons.

Ford wanted to move ahead and deal with the other problems that faced the nation. He did not want Watergate to go on and on. The case did go on, however. Several top officials in the Nixon administration were tried, found guilty, and sent to prison.

VOICE TWO:

The effects of the case went on, too. Watergate influenced government policy and public opinion for years.

For example, laws were passed to prevent an administration from using its power to punish opposition political groups. Intelligence agencies were forced to provide Congress with more information about their activities. And rules were approved to restrict the activities of public officials.

The American public, and especially the press, felt the effects of Watergate. Many citizens and reporters felt less able to believe their government. As one writer said, "Never again will we trust our public officials in quite the same way."

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

This program of THE MAKING OF A NATION was written by Jeri Watson and produced by Paul Thompson. This is Rich Kleinfeldt.

VOICE TWO:

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

VOASE0523_Education Report

23 May 2007

Breaking Into News: Journalism Education in US
A student in Vietnam asks about American J-schools in Part 38 of our Foreign Student Series.

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This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

A student at Vietnam National University has a question for our Foreign Student Series. Phuong Lan wants to earn a master's degree in the United States and would like to know about journalism programs.

One hundred nine programs are recognized by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. Some of the best-known include the ones at the University of Southern California, the University of Missouri and the University of North Carolina. They also include the journalism schools at Columbia University in New York City and Northwestern University in Illinois.

Students at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism

Northwestern, for example, has the Medill School of Journalism. Medill says it provides its graduate students with the chance to study and work in the real world. Local newspapers and television stations carry their reports on government, crime and civic issues in the Chicago area. Other subjects include magazine publishing and Web design. And the Medill News Service offers experience reporting in Washington.

Graduate students at Medill can expect to pay more than fifty-eight thousand dollars this coming school year. That includes a place to live, meals, books and costs like health insurance. Medill also has an undergraduate program.

Medill scholarships or financial aid are not available to international students. Foreign students are advised to seek aid from their home country or groups like the Inter-American Press Association Scholarship Fund. Scholarship winners from Latin America and the Caribbean spend a year at a journalism school in the United States or Canada.

Journalism schools offer professional degrees, and some offer doctorates. Students may be able to earn a joint degree with another program like law or public policy.

It is true that the value of a journalism degree has been a traditional subject of debate among people in the media. But journalism schools offer training in skills like reporting, writing and production. They also teach about legal issues like plagiarism and libel law and freedom of speech. In addition they may offer classes in other areas, including public relations.

And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. Our Foreign Student Series is online with audio files, transcripts and useful links at voaspecialenglish.com. To send us questions, write to special@voanews.com and please include your name and country. I'm Steve Ember.

Memorial Day Concert Honors Sacrifice

By Mike O'Sullivan Los Angeles 22 May 2007

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Memorial Day (May 28th) is a US holiday that honors members of the armed forces who have died in the service of their country. The three-day Memorial Day weekend also marks the unofficial start of summer, with picnics and family events. But in Washington D.C., a concert Sunday evening will remind the nation of the holiday's meaning. Mike O'Sullivan spoke with actor Joe Mantegna, who will co-host the commemoration.

Joe Mantegna

The concert is a huge event, drawing hundreds of thousands of people to the West Lawn of the Capitol building in the heart of Washington. It will be seen throughout the United States on public television, and around the world on the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service.

Joe, a versatile actor known for his work on stage, film and television, was asked six years ago to take part in the ceremony. It was just eight months after a national trauma, the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington on September 11th, 2001.

Mantegna says the commemoration that year made clear for him the meaning of Memorial Day.

"I wasn't familiar with the concert," he said. "I hadn't seen it at that point. I go up on the stage. In front of me is the Capitol Building, the United States Capitol, lit beautifully. The American flag is flying on top. In front of me is a live audience of about 300-thousand people."

Mantegna says his job was to read the words of four New York firemen who were in the audience with their wives. All had lost sons on September 11th.

"And I was speaking the words of these four men about what it was like to look for the bodies of their sons in the rubble," he added. "Behind me, the Washington Symphony Orchestra is playing Mozart's Requiem."

That moment brought home to Mantegna the meaning of heroism and sacrifice.

For most American families, Memorial Day weekend is a time for picnics and watching a celebrated auto race, the Indianapolis 500, on television.

Many families also display flags on their homes, and some take time to visit a veterans' cemetery. Since 1990, some have made the annual concert a part of their weekend.

Mantegna says he often encounters fans at charity events, and expects them to talk about roles they have seen him in.

Joe Mantegna (left) and Gary Sinise, actors dedicated to veterans’ causes, will once again co-host the National Memorial Day Concert

"But when they say, 'We just want you to know we watch that Memorial Day concert every year. It's a big part of our life, and we just appreciate so much you being part of it.' And I say, oh no, thank you. You have no reason to thank me. I'm privileged and honored to be part of it, which I am," he said.

The concert has a serious purpose, but it is also a celebration. There is lively entertainment from Broadway hits to jazz and country music.

Mantegna says it brings together people of divergent viewpoints - "red" voters, that is, Republicans, and "blue" voters, or Democrats - in a musical celebration that transcends politics.

"I don't care what a person's political feelings are," he noted. "I have my own, and everyone is entitled to their own. But this is not about that. And it shouldn't be confused in thinking that this is either a red concert or a blue concert. It's a red, white and blue concert."

The concert has a special segment that changes each year. This year's will focus on the many veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who have survived the war, but must now cope with traumatic injuries.

US Calls Iranian Charges Against Washington Academic 'Absurd'

By David Gollust State Department 22 May 2007

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

The U.S. State Department said Tuesday charges from Tehran that an Iranian-American academic has sought to topple Iran's Islamic government are "absolutely absurd." Officials say scholar Haleh Esfandiari had no link with any U.S. government programs on Iran and should be released as soon as possible. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

Officials here say it is unclear whether an Iranian government statement Monday accusing Esfandiari of subversion amounts to a formal charge against her, but they say they are operating under the assumption that she is now accused of criminal activity.

The 67-year-old Esfandiari, director of the Middle East program at Washington's Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, has been jailed for two weeks after having been barred from leaving the country since late last year. She had been visiting her ailing mother.

Esfandiari, who holds both U.S. and Iranian citizenship, left Iran after that country's 1979 Islamic revolution but has traveled there frequently to visit her mother, who is 93 years old.

In a statement read on state television Monday, the Iranian Intelligence Ministry said she is accused of setting up a network acting against the sovereignty of Iran and trying to bring about a "soft revolution" in that country, an apparent allusion to activism that brought down autocratic governments in recent years in Ukraine and Georgia.

The Wilson Center has already rejected the charges against Esfandiari. In a talk with reporters, State Department Deputy spokesman Tom Casey said it is "incredible" to think that Esfandiari's work, which involved trying to increase mutual understanding between the two peoples, could pose a threat to the Iranian government.

News reports have suggested that Iran's move against Esfandiari and others may reflect Iranian anger over a $75 million Bush administration program announced late last year to boost Iranian civil society and U.S. broadcasting to that country. Casey said Esfandiari's work was not connected in any way to that initiative.

"Maybe if Ms. Esfandiari had any association with any of those programs, you might be able to make a claim like but," Casey says. "But she doesn't, and I think it's been very clear. And again, she's been back and forth to Iran for many, many years. She's an Iranian-American. She has substantial family ties back there. Go ask the Iranians why they think stuff that she has been doing for years and years and years without any problems, suddenly now represents a threat to their government. It's not something that's understandable in any practical terms to us."

Former Democratic Congressman Lee Hamilton, director of the Wilson Center, said Esfandiari was not involved in activities to undermine any government, and that there is "not one scintilla of evidence" to support what he termed the outrageous claims against her.

Hamilton and former Secretary of State James Baker co-chaired the bipartisan commission which in December recommended greater U.S. engagement with Iran as part of a new strategy on the Iraq war.

Spokesman Casey said the State Department has been in close contact with Esfandiari's family and has raised her case with the Swiss government, which represents U.S. interests in Iran in the absence of diplomatic relations.

There have been similar inquiries in the case of another Iranian-American, Radio Farda journalist Parnaz Azima, who has been barred from leaving Iran since January, and on Robert Levinson, a former U.S. FBI agent who went missing in Iran in March.

Despite the problems, U.S. ambassador to Baghdad, Ryan Crocker, is due to meet Iranian diplomats there May 27 for a discussion of Iraqi security issues. Casey said Tuesday Crocker has not yet been told who the Iranian participants in the dialogue will be.

Paradox of Oil-Rich Nigeria: Little Fuel in a Land of Plenty

By Nico Colombant Port Harcourt 22 May 2007

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Refinery workers in one of the main cities in Nigeria's Niger Delta have started a protest action over the last-minute sell-off of refineries by the outgoing government. Meanwhile, motorists line up for hours to get gasoline, wondering why there is plenty of oil for export from this region, but so little turned into gas for their own cars. VOA's Nico Colombant reports from Port Harcourt.

Motorists line up for hours to get gasoline in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

For some drivers at gas stations like this one in Port Harcourt, the waiting seems endless.

"More than three hours now in the line here," one driver said. "So, we are suffering for the fuel too much. Look at the line here. It is full everywhere. We just want the government to take care of all these things for us, to buy fuel normally, as we are buying before, because we are suffering too much."

Another driver waiting in line, who asks to be called William, says he is already four hours late for work as a safety engineer for an oil company.

"They do not manage what we have properly," he said. "Therefore, most of the fuel we [have] in Nigeria, they export it to other countries, and other things. All the refineries are down. They are not working. Therefore, that is the problem we are having."

Although Nigeria is one of the world's largest oil producers, the country has long suffered from a lack of refining capacity. The government, which has held a controlling stake in the four main oil refineries, admits they are poorly run, inefficient and plagued by maintenance issues. Officials say that privatization of the refineries offers the best hope for an infusion of foreign investment and improved efficiency.

Illegal gas is sold on side of a road in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

On the streets, people are more concerned with where to find enough fuel for their cars, and many are forced to buy on the black market, where the price is nearly double. But buying black market fuel can also bring problems.

These men are checking to see if the gasoline here is good. One buyer says, you have to be very careful.

"Some of those ones on the road, they mix it up," he said. "Instead of the real quality, they add to it, something, on top of it, so it is not exactly the good petrol to buy. If you buy that one on the road, your car may stall."

Refinery workers are also upset by the government's privatization scheme.

Just outside Port Harcourt, refinery workers, wearing red protest outfits, are angry with the outgoing government's decision to sell off plants to private investors.

Last week, the Nigerian Bureau of Public Enterprises sold 51 percent of the federal government's equity in one refinery to a consortium for over $500 million, in an attempt to cut losses and improve performance.

Nigeria's refineries have struggled

Union leaders complain of a lack of transparency in the deal, and fear thousands of job cuts.

Union branch chairman for the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association Adamu Abubakar Umaru says workers were not consulted properly, as promised in an earlier memorandum of understanding.

"If they want to privatize, we have agreed that the process can commence as from June, when we have a new government, said Umaru. "We believe that the government that is transiting should not be interested in selling national assets like the refineries at this time, when they have barely less than 10 days to go."

The government says the sale will get people back to work and ease suffering.

Union leaders are warning of a total shutdown of the refineries on Thursday morning, if new negotiations with the union do not begin.

Umaru says he understands this could cause even more shortages for motorists.

"In any struggle, people must suffer, but at the end of it, the result that will come out of it would be for the betterment of the Nigerian people," he said.

Other unions have called for a stay at home strike to coincide with the May 29 handover of power to new governors and the next president, the ruling party's Musa Yar'Adua, following elections marred by violence and widespread fraud, in Africa's most populous and biggest oil producing country.

Central African Republic Rebels Negotiate Child Soldier Demobilization

By Phuong Tran Dakar 22 May 2007

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In Central African Republic, one of the main rebel groups is negotiating to disarm hundreds of its child soldiers. This comes one month after it signed a peace deal with the government to put down its weapons and join the national army. The lead United Nations negotiator on the child-soldier deal hopes this is the first step toward reconciliation between the warring sides. But analysts say this may be just a rebel tactic to get more power. Phuong Tran has more from VOA's West and Central Africa Bureau in Dakar.

Simplice Tolmbaye, a 14-year-old rebel fighter, poses for a picture in the bush near Ouandago, Central African Republic (Dec 2006)

After last week's negotiations with the rebel group L'Union des Forces Démocratiques pour le Rassemblement - UFDR - U.N. negotiator Jean-Claude Legrand, received a verbal agreement from the rebel chief to release 400 child soldiers.

Legrand, a U.N. regional advisor for child protection, says UFDR's agreement shows the rebels are ready to obey laws.

"They realize that if they want to get out of the bush, if they want to get into regular politics in the country, they have to comply with international standards," said Legrand.

Hundreds of thousands of Central Africans in the north have fled violence and burning homes during years of clashes between the rebels, who are seeking more power in the government and the military.

Government officials have asked for U.N. peacekeepers to be stationed where the borders of Chad, Sudan and Central African Republic meet.

Analyst Richard Reeve, with London-based Chatham House, says UFDR seems to be cooperating on the issue of child soldiers because it hopes this good behavior will keep away international peacekeepers.

"It would have severely hampered their ability to retake territory and achieve their military goals," said Reeve. "And secondly, it would have allowed the U.N. to investigate a bit more about where the UFDR is based, where it comes from and who is supporting it."

The Central African government has accused the Sudanese government of funding Central African rebel movements, including UFDR. The Sudanese government denies the accusation.

Regardless of the rebels' motives, U.N. negotiator Legrand wants to act quickly.

"We are not sure if this opportunity will last very long," said Legrand. "This is why we are moving as fast as we can to release the children. This is the start of the rainy season in Central Africa, so this area is already extremely difficult to reach."

The U.N. Children's Fund is waiting for the rebels to gather all the names of its child soldiers, who live in dozens of small, often remote communities, so the U.N. agency can start meeting with them.

Legrand says the next step is to reopen schools and start non-military activities for the children.

He says possibly thousands of children voluntarily join the army here because there is little else for them to do.

The U.N. negotiator expects all the names by next week, followed by an official agreement signing with UFDR at the beginning of June.

Fighting Rages in Lebanon for Third Day

By Challiss McDonough Cairo 22 May 2007

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Fighting between the Lebanese army and an Islamic extremist group raged on for a third day in a Palestinian refugee camp in north Lebanon. At least 66 people are reported killed since the battles began Sunday, but some estimates put the death toll much higher. A brief ceasefire allowed aid agencies to get assistance to camp residents for the first time, but a U.N. aid worker was wounded when the convoy came under fire. Later, thousands of civilians started fleeing camp, taking advantage of a lull in the fighting late Tuesday. VOA correspondent Challiss McDonough has details from our Middle East bureau in Cairo.

Lebanese special brigades patrol a street inside the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared in north Lebanon, 22 May 2007

On the third day of heavy fighting, militants from the Fatah al-Islam group announced a unilateral ceasefire at mid-afternoon. Some residents of the Nahr al-Bared camp, who had been anxiously sheltering in their homes, seized the opportunity to flee. Aid groups scrambled to try to get assistance into the Palestinian refugee camp. But, in less than an hour, the truce fell apart and the gunfire and shelling started again.

A United Nations official said a U.N. convoy carrying food and medicine came under fire. A number of U.N. aid workers were stranded inside the camp as the trucks retreated.

There was more fighting in the port city of Tripoli, near the refugee camp, where one of the Fatah al-Islam militants blew himself up during a raid by security forces. There were no casualties other than the bomber.

A spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, Virginia de la Guardia, said she is concerned about the civilians who remain trapped in the camp.

"So, we are very concerned about the situation of the people who are inside, lacking of water, lacking of medicines, lacking of electricity," she said. "So, our main concern, what we are really asking, is that they facilitate access to the humanitarian organizations to bring relief."

Two Lebanese army vehicles patrol the entrance of the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr el-Bared in the northern city of Tripoli, Lebanon, 22 May 2007

There are some 30,000 people who live in the Nahr al-Bared camp, which is outside Tripoli. The army has so far not entered the camp itself. Palestinian refugee camps have been off-limits to Lebanese authorities since 1969 under an international agreement.

Human rights groups have criticized the Lebanese army for using artillery to target such a heavily populated area. They say it is nearly impossible to avoid civilian casualties.

Scores of Palestinian refugees in two other camps marched through the streets and burned tires in protest against the army's shelling of Nahr al-Bared. That fueled concerns that the violence could spread to other parts of the country.

Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, a member of the parliament's majority coalition, urged the country's divided politicians to unite in support of the army, despite their political differences. He also called on mainstream Palestinian factions to take action against Fatah al-Islam.

"It is the responsibility of the state, the army and the responsibility of the Palestinian organizations to stop sheltering [this group], either politically or physically," he said. "Hamas and Fatah should hand over this criminal gang that has no relationship with the Palestinian cause."

All mainstream Palestinian groups have disavowed Fatah al-Islam, saying they want nothing to do with the group's al-Qaida-inspired ideology. The Lebanese government has accused Fatah al-Islam of loyalty to Syria. But Syrian officials have strongly denied any ties to the group, and say its leader was imprisoned in Damascus over his extremist views.

In Washington, White House spokesman Tony Snow read a statement of support for the Lebanese government as it "faces down the threat of terrorism and political violence."

Druze leader Jumblatt also told reporters he expects more bombings in Beirut, where two large bombs have exploded since Sunday, one in a Christian neighborhood and the other in an upscale shopping district. Fatah al-Islam leaders have denied responsibility for those attacks.

Israel Calls for International Effort to End Weapons Flow to Hamas

By Jim Teeple Jerusalem 22 May 2007

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Israeli officials have called for an international effort end what they describe as the anarchy in the Palestinian territories. They also threatened further retaliation for Palestinian rocket attacks that killed an Israeli woman, late Monday, in southern Israel. VOA's Jim Teeple reports Israeli air strikes against militant targets in the Gaza Strip have killed more than 30 Palestinians, in the past few days.

Israeli officials say they will step up their attacks against Palestinian militants, if the Qassam rocket attacks against southern Israel do not stop.

Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz

Defense Minister Amir Peretz says, for the time being, Israel is holding back from launching a major ground invasion of Gaza. However, he says the international community must do more to end what he describes as "anarchy" and the collapse of the Palestinian Authority.

Foreign ministry spokesman Mark Regev says Israel wants the international community to do more to stop weapons from reaching the Gaza Strip.

"This is an intolerable situation and it has to stop. But no one can doubt the fact that it is not just the Qassams [rockets] themselves. There is the larger issue of the import into the Gaza Strip of illicit weapons, including missiles, anti-tank, anti-aircraft, explosives and so forth," he said. "What we are talking to the international community about is to beef up [strengthen] the international border, from Egyptian Sinai into Gaza. That must be part of any understanding."

About 80 European Union security personnel monitor the Gaza-Egypt border, but they have little enforcement authority and, on several occasions, have had to leave their posts because of violence.

Saeb Erekat (file photo)

Meanwhile, some Israeli politicians continue to call for targeting leading Hamas figures for assassination, if the rocket attacks continue. Saeb Erekat a close aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says Israel needs to stop its attacks in Gaza, saying Palestinians are also trying to stop the Qassam attacks.

"I urge the Israeli government to stop such attacks and, from our side, we are doing everything possible to insure that we sustain a cessation of all sorts of violence including the firing of Qassams, howitzers and anything else," said Erekat. "Violence will destroy any attempt to revive the peace process.

Heavy factional fighting between Hamas and Fatah forces in Gaza, which led to the current crisis, has largely subsided, in the past few days.

Israel and Palestinian militant groups had been observing a largely successful ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, since last November.

Hamas officials have said they would stop the Qassam attacks against Israel, if the ceasefire was extended to the West Bank. Israeli officials have rejected the overture, saying Hamas would use any ceasefire to rearm.

VOASE0522_Health Report

22 May 2007

Ear Care: Do-It-Yourself Wax Removal
Advice from experts about what to do -- and not to do -- when your ear is blocked with wax.

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This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

Some people's ears produce wax like busy little bees. This can be a problem even though earwax appears to serve an important purpose.

Experts say it protects and cleans the ear. It traps dirt and other matter and keep insects out. Doctors think it might also help protect against infections. And the waxy oil keeps ears from getting too dry.

So earwax is good. It even has a medical name: cerumen. And there are two kinds. Most people of European or African ancestry have the "wet" kind: thick and sticky. East Asians commonly have "dry" earwax.

But you can have too much of a good thing.

The glands in the ear canal that produce the wax make too much in some people. Earwax is normally expelled; it falls out of the ear or gets washed away. But extra wax can harden and form a blockage that interferes with sound waves and reduces hearing.

People can also cause a blockage when they try to clean out their ears -- but only push the wax deeper inside. Earwax removal is sometimes necessary. But you have to use a safe method or you could do a lot of damage.

Experts at N.I.H., the National Institutes of Health, suggest some ways to treat excessive earwax yourself. They say the wax can be softened with mineral oil, glycerin or ear drops. They say hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide may also help.

Another way to remove wax is known as irrigation. With the head upright, take hold of the outer part of the ear. Gently pull upward to straighten the ear canal. Use a syringe device to gently direct water against the wall of the ear canal. Then turn the head to the side to let the water out.

The experts at N.I.H. say you may have to repeat this process a few times. Use water that is body temperature. If the water is cooler or warmer, it could make you feel dizzy. Never try irrigation if the eardrum is broken. It could lead to infection and other problems.

After the earwax is gone, gently dry the ear. But if irrigation fails, the best thing to do is to go to a health care provider for professional assistance.

You should never put a cotton swab or other object into the ear canal. But you can use a swab or cloth to clean the outer part of the ear. The experts agree with the old saying that you should never put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear.

And that’s the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver. I'm Barbara Klein.

VOASE0522_Explorations

22 May 2007

All the World Still a Stage for Shakespeare's Timeless Imagination
First of two programs about the British playwright and poet, who is considered by many to be the greatest writer in the history of the English language.

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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 tell about one of the most influential and skillful writers in the world. For more than four hundred years, people all over the world have been reading, watching and listening to the plays and poetry of the British writer William Shakespeare.

(SOUND)

JULIET: "Ay me!"
ROMEO: "She speaks:
"O, speak again, bright angel!"
JULIET: "O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
"Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
"Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
"And I'll no longer be a Capulet."

VOICE ONE:

Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting in Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 film version of 'Romeo and Juliet'

You just heard part of a famous scene from a movie version of “Romeo and Juliet." This tragic play remains one of the greatest, and perhaps most famous, love stories ever told. It tells about two young people who meet and fall deeply in love. But their families, the Capulets and the Montagues, are enemies and will not allow them to be together. Romeo and Juliet are surrounded by violent fighting and generational conflict. The young lovers secretly marry, but their story has a tragic ending.

"Romeo and Juliet" shows how William Shakespeare’s plays shine with extraordinarily rich and imaginative language. He invented thousands of words to color his works. They have become part of the English language. Shakespeare's universal stories show all the human emotions and conflicts. His works are as fresh today as they were four hundred years ago.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

William Shakespeare was born in fifteen sixty-four in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon. He married Anne Hathaway at the age of eighteen. The couple had three children, two daughters and a son who died very young. Shakespeare moved to London in the late fifteen eighties to be at the center of the city's busy theater life.

Most people think of Shakespeare as a writer. But he was also a theater producer, a part owner of an acting company and an actor. For most of his career, he was a producer and main writer for an acting company called the King's Men.

VOICE ONE:

The rebuilt Globe Theatre in London was officially presented in April 1997 for Shakespeare's 433rd birthday

In fifteen ninety-nine Shakespeare's company was successful enough to build its own theater called The Globe. Public theaters during this time were usually three floor levels high and were built around a stage area where the actors performed. The Globe could hold as many as three thousand people. People from all levels of society would attend performances.

The poorer people could buy tickets for a small amount of money to stand near the stage. Wealthier people could buy more costly tickets to sit in other areas.

Often it was not very important if wealthy people could see the stage well. It was more important that they be in a seat where everyone could see them.

VOICE TWO:

A drawing of the Globe Theatre on a British postage stamp

It was difficult to light large indoor spaces during this time. The Globe was an outdoor theater with no roof on top so that sunlight could stream in. Because of the open-air stage, actors had to shout very loudly and make big motions to be heard and seen by all. This acting style is quite different from play-acting today. It might also surprise you that all actors during this period were men. Young boys in women's clothing played the roles of female characters. This is because it was against the law in England for women to act onstage.

Shakespeare’s theater group also performed in other places such as the smaller indoor Blackfriars Theater. Or, they would travel around the countryside to perform. Sometimes they were asked to perform at the palace of the English ruler Queen Elizabeth or, later, King James the First.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Shakespeare is best known for the thirty-nine plays that he wrote, although only thirty-eight exist today. His plays are usually divided into three groups: comedies, histories and tragedies. The comedies are playful and funny. They usually deal with marriage and the funny activities of people in love. These comedies often tell many stories at the same time, like plays within plays.

VOICE TWO:

"Much Ado About Nothing" is a good example of a Shakespearian comedy. It tells the story of two couples. Benedick and Beatrice each claim they will never marry. They enjoy attacking each other with funny insults. Their friends work out a plan to make the two secretly fall in love.

Claudio and Hero are the other couple. They fall in love at once and plan to marry. But Claudio wrongly accuses Hero of being with another man and refuses to marry her. Hero's family decides to make Claudio believe that she is dead until her innocence can be proved. Claudio soon realizes his mistake and mourns for Hero. By the end of the play, love wins over everyone and there is a marriage ceremony for the four lovers.

VOICE ONE:

Shakespeare's histories are intense explorations of actual English rulers. This was a newer kind of play that developed during Shakespeare's time. Other writers may have written historical plays, but no one could match Shakespeare’s skill. Plays about rulers like Henry the Fourth and Richard the Third explore Britain’s history during a time when the country was going through tense political struggles.

VOICE TWO:

Laurence Olivier in the 1948 film ''Hamlet''

Many Shakespearian tragedies are about conflicting family loyalties or a character seeking to punish others for the wrongful death of a loved one. “Hamlet” tells the story of the son of the king of Denmark. When Hamlet's father unexpectedly dies, his uncle Claudius becomes ruler and marries Hamlet’s mother. One night a ghostly spirit visits Hamlet and tells him that Claudius killed his father.

Hamlet decides to pretend that he is crazy to learn if this is true. This intense play captures the conflicted inner life of Hamlet. This young man must struggle between his moral beliefs and his desire to seek punishment for his father’s death. Here is a famous speech from a movie version of "Hamlet." The actor Laurence Olivier shines in this difficult role.

(SOUND)

To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?

VOICE ONE:

Shakespeare also wrote one of greatest collections of poems in English literature. He

A 1926 version of Shakespeare's sonnets

wrote several long poems, but is best known for his one hundred and fifty-four short poems, or sonnets. The English sonnet has a very exact structure. It must have fourteen lines, with three groups of four lines that set up the subject or problem of the poem. The sonnet is resolved in the last two lines of the poem.

If that requirement seems demanding, Shakespeare’s sonnets are also written in iambic pentameter. This is a kind of structure in which each line has ten syllables or beats with a stress on every second beat.

VOICE TWO:

Even with these restrictive rules, the sonnets seem effortless. They have the most creative language and imaginative comparisons of any other poems. Most of the sonnets are love poems. Some of them are attacks while others are celebrations. The sonnets express everything from pain and death to desire, wisdom, and happiness.

Here is one of Shakespeare's most famous poems. Sonnet Eighteen tells about the lasting nature of poetry. The speaker describes how the person he loves will remain forever young and beautiful in the lines of this poem.

(SOUND)

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
And every fair from fair sometimes declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimmed;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;
Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st:
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE

Next week, we will explore the many ways that Shakespeare’s work has influenced world culture over time. This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I’m Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Barbara Klein. 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.