Somalia's Government Confirms Opposition Coalition Being Formed in Eritrea

By Alisha Ryu Mogadishu 09 June 2007

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Somalia's interim Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi has confirmed a story reported by VOA on Friday about a coalition being established in Eritrea, composed of groups opposed to the Somali government and its main backer, Ethiopia. VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu has the details from the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi (file photo)

In an interview with VOA, Prime Minister Gedi said his government is closely monitoring the activities of the newly-formed anti-government, anti-Ethiopian coalition, sponsored by Ethiopia's chief rival in the Horn, Eritrea.

On Friday, VOA reported that the coalition, established in late May, is believed made up of at least four major groups: Somalia's defeated Islamic Courts Union, Ethiopia's Ogaden National Liberation Front and the Oromo Liberation Front rebels, and anti-Ethiopian former parliament members of the Somali transitional government.

Prime Minister Gedi says an immediate goal of the Eritrean-based coalition is to derail a government-hosted Somali national reconciliation conference, scheduled to begin next Saturday in Mogadishu.

"They are pursuing activities that are aimed at spoiling the reconciliation process," he said. "Who is sitting in Asmara with the Eritrean government? They are not taking care of the interests of the Somali people. Those are enemies of the Somali people, and that is why they are forming this coalition. An alliance of Islamic courts and terrorists will never come in this country."

Somalia's interim government took power in Mogadishu in late December, after an Ethiopia-led offensive ended the Islamists' six-month rule.

At the time, the leadership of the Islamic Courts Union was thought to be divided between hardliners, who had formed links with extremist groups like the al-Qaida terror organization, and moderates, who largely did not support radical activities.

For months, western countries, led by the United States, urged Somalia's secular interim government to open a dialogue with Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, the leader of the court's moderate Executive Council and to include moderate Islamists in the national reconciliation talks, aimed at bringing peace to Somalia after 16 years of civil war.

But Prime Minister Gedi and other government officials have firmly opposed inviting any representatives of the Islamic Courts Union to the talks.

On Saturday, the Somali leader noted that Sheik Ahmed has been named political leader of the new coalition in Eritrea, slamming the door for good on western hopes that the interim government could reconcile with moderates in the courts.

"I do not know if you believe that there are moderates and they can join the reconciliation. If you believe it, it is not true," he added.

Many Somalis in war-torn Mogadishu doubt that a reconciliation conference can succeed without including the government's chief opponents.

Hundreds of Islamist supporters and nationalists angry over the presence of Ethiopian troops in the country are said to be active in the violent insurgency in the capital.

Lebanese Army Tightens Grip on Palestinian Militants

By Margaret Besheer Beirut 09 June 2007

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Five more Lebanese soldiers were killed and at least a dozen injured Saturday in stepped-up clashes with Islamic militants hiding out in a Palestinian refugee camp, as fighting entered its 20th day. VOA's Margaret Besheer has more from Beirut.

Smoke rises from Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, 09 June 2007

The army says it is gradually taking control of positions held by Fatah al-Islam, the band of al-Qaida inspired militants holed up in the Nahr el-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon.

Smoke billowed over the camp Saturday, where witnesses reported some of the heaviest army shelling since June 1, when the military launched an all-out assault to drive the fighters from their hiding places. A main road running along side the camp was closed for the first time in several days. It was not immediately clear if the army was preparing to make a final push toward Nahr el-Bared in its drive to crush the militants.

Camp resident Fathi Abu Ali told VOA by telephone from inside Nahr el-Bared that "today has been a disaster." He said the army began shelling at 5 a.m. and continued throughout the day.

Nahr el-Bared is normally home to some 40,000 Palestinians, but most have evacuated to some of the country's 11 other Palestinian camps. Aid agencies estimate some 4,000 remain in deteriorating and dangerous conditions.

Abu Ali, who has been in the camp throughout the three-week-long siege, tells VOA there is no electricity and little water. He says it has been three days since aid groups have been able to deliver bread to residents.

Muslim clerics have been trying to mediate an end to the fighting but so far they have been unsuccessful.

The militants were estimated to be a few hundred when the fighting began. At least 32 have been captured, and an unknown number have been killed.

Lebanon's government has demanded that the fighters surrender and face justice. Fatah al-Islam says it will fight to the death.

VOASE0609_People In America

09 June 2007

Sam Cooke, 1931-1964: The singer was one of the biggest stars in the music industry during the 1950s and 60s
His smooth voice and musical style were popular with both blacks and whites.

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VOICE ONE:

I'm Shirley Griffith.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Ray Freeman with the VOA Special English program, People in America. Every week we tell about someone important in the history of the United States. This week we tell about black singer and songwriter, Sam Cooke.

(MUSIC: "You Send Me")

VOICE ONE:

Sam Cooke

It has been years since that song was a hit. Yet it is still popular today. The song is called "You Send Me. " It was written and sung by a young singer and songwriter, Sam Cooke.

During the late nineteen fifties and early sixties, Sam Cooke was one of the biggest stars in the music industry. His smooth voice

and musical style were popular with both blacks and whites. Although Sam Cooke died years ago, his influence still is present in today's music.

VOICE TWO:

Sam Cooke was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in nineteen thirty-one. He grew up in Chicago, Illinois. His father was a minister in a Baptist church. Sam started singing religious music when he was only fifteen years old. When he was nineteen, he became the lead singer of a famous gospel singing group called the Soul Stirrers.

In nineteen fifty, he began writing and recording for the Soul Stirrers. During his six years with the group, Cooke brought his own kind of expression to gospel music. He became gospel music's biggest star.

His good looks and singing abilities made him very popular among women, both young and old. Here is Sam Cooke with the Soul Stirrers singing "Touch the Hem of His Garment".

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Although Sam Cooke was a star with the Soul Stirrers, he wanted to sing other kinds of music. So, he decided to sing popular music instead.

Cooke's decision to "cross over" to pop music shocked many blacks. That was because making such a change was not as easy then as it is today. Racial tensions were high between blacks and whites in the nineteen fifties. And gospel music was popular among black people. It was considered an important part of black culture.

The company that recorded the Soul Stirrers' records urged him not to start singing pop music. They thought it would offend the group's fans.

VOICE TWO:

Cooke, however, wanted to sing to all groups of people. He wanted to express his racial identity without offending whites. At that time, most records by black artists were not played on radio stations that had white listeners. So, he left the gospel music world where he was extremely popular with blacks. But the move was not a mistake. He soon became a big star singing pop music.

Sam Cooke's first pop record was released by a small company, Keen, in nineteen fifty-seven. It was "You Send Me. " It was a huge success. It sold one million seven hundred thousand copies in the first year alone. It is one of his most memorable recordings. Here is the first version he recorded of that song. It was made to show Cooke's ability to sing.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Sam Cooke had a voice that was unlike any the public had ever heard. His voice was soft, yet intense. He made singing seem effortless.

Cooke was also a wise businessman. In nineteen fifty-nine, he became the first black artist to establish his own record company, SAR Records. He wrote most of his own material. And, he owned the rights to his songs through his music publishing company, Kags Music. Very few blacks at that time were able to control their musical profession in such a way. And, without such business control, they lost money.

Here is another hit by Sam Cooke, when he was with the Keen record company, called "Wonderful World. "

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

In nineteen sixty, Sam Cooke signed an agreement with a major record company, RCA. Such a move is common today. But, a move from an independent black-owned record company to a major record company was something few black artists were able to do then.

Cooke had a number of big hits at RCA. In this song, Sam Cooke uses a "call and answer" form of musical expression that started in the black church. The song is called "Bring it on Home to Me. "

(MUSIC)

In nineteen sixty-two, Sam Cooke recorded a song for RCA about a popular new dance step, the Twist. The song is called "Twistin' the Night Away. "

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

In December nineteen sixty-four, Sam Cooke's life was suddenly cut short. He was shot and killed at a hotel during a visit to Los Angeles. He was thirty-three years old.

His death shocked his fans. Thousands of people gathered at his funeral.

Two of Cooke's last songs were released after he died. One of the songs is called "A Change is Gonna Come. " It is a powerful song that combines gospel and pop music. The song is like many of Sam Cooke's that made him so popular as a singer and songwriter. It is about never losing hope.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This Special English program was written by Cynthia Kirk. It was produced by Lawan Davis. I'm Ray Freeman.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Shirley Griffith. Join us again next week for another people in American program on the Voice of America.

Residents Flee Kenya Slum Fearing Police Crackdown

By Katy Migiro Nairobi 08 June 2007

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Police in Kenya continue searching through a sprawling Nairobi slum, where they have been battling with members of the violent Mungiki sect for the past four days. Hundreds of residents have fled the violence, which has left more than 30 people dead. For VOA, Katy Migiro has this report.

A woman with facial injuries runs away with her baby next to people rounded up during fighting between police and Mungiki sect in Nairobi's Mathare slum, 07 Jun 2007

On Friday, hundreds of people poured out of Nairobi's sprawling Mathare slum, which has been the epicenter of the bloody police crackdown on the Mungiki sect. The residents carried mattresses, furniture and sacks of clothes in handcarts and cars.

Many said they feared further violence, not from the Mungiki, but from the Kenyan police.

A woman who did not want to be named said that she was beaten by the police who believed that she was married to a member of the Mungiki sect.

"They are claiming my husband is Mungiki. I told them I don't have a husband," she said. "They beat me. They said I should say where is my husband and he's Mungiki."

The police operation in the Nairobi slum began on Monday night, following the deaths of two officers. Officials blamed the sect for the killings.

A police officer keeps guard as residents are forced to demolish their homes during fighting between police and the Mungiki sect in Nairobi's Mathare slum, 07 Jun 2007

On Thursday, some 500 members of the paramilitary wing of the police, known as the GSU, and regular police officers cordoned off a section of the Mathare slum, barring anyone from entering or leaving the area for six hours. Men and women were separated and order to lie down in the dirt while they were frisked. Residents were told to help the police demolish shacks which the police said were known Mungiki hideouts. Twelve people were shot dead and around 200 were arrested.

David Kimaiyo, director of operations at Police Headquarter in Nairobi, denied that his officers have used excessive force.

The Mungiki are thought to be militants from Kenya's biggest ethnic group, the Kikuyu. Some have linked them to politicians wanting to cause unrest and fear ahead of December elections. The sect promotes such ancient tradtions as female circumcision which was outlawed in 2002.

Five former and current members of parliament were recently questioned by the police over Mungiki connections.

African Health Officials Cautiously Welcome G8 Health Pledge

By Phuong Tran Dakar 08 June 2007

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Health officials in Africa are reacting cautiously to the pledge of more aid money from G8 nations to tackle major diseases on the continent. They say managing the huge sums of money remains a problem. Phuong Tran has more from VOA's Central and West African Bureau in Dakar.

G-8 leaders are seen during a working meeting in Heiligendamm June 7, 2007

On the closing day of the G8 meeting in Germany, leaders of the world's richest countries pledged $60 billion in the coming years to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in Africa.

Some of the money overlaps with earlier pledges by the United States and international donors.

Lusamba Pikassa, a director at the World Health Organization's regional office for Africa in Congo, says Africans need the money for life-saving drugs, decaying laboratories, and training for new health workers.

"We are losing the best human resources," he said. "They go because of the conflict and all the problems related to working conditions. They prefer to migrate."

He says staffing clinics with new medicines, equipment, and people is not enough to solve the continent's health problems.

"Part of the amount should be used to ensure that we have in place health systems that can not only manage those funds, but also ensure that the population has access to care, that there is transparency and no corruption," he added.

Another concern Pikassa has with the proposed aid is how to make it last.

"It is very good for the G8 to provide these funds, which will be very helpful. But that needs to be sustained over time and we need to ensure the states themselves are able to [raise] these kinds of resources," he explained.

Ibra Ndoye, director of the National AIDS Council of Senegal, says he hopes G8 leaders will honor the pledge for health aid.

Ndoye says without the funds, it will be difficult to fund prevention activities that he says have helped keep the rate of HIV infection relatively low in Senegal, at less than two percent for the population.

The promise to boost health care funding comes on top of an earlier G8 pledge to double aid to Africa by the year 2010. Economists have said the world's wealthiest industrial nations are not giving enough to meet their goal.

African Union president and President of Ghana John Kufuor has said he hopes the G8 leaders will honor their pledges, and that in return, Africans will work to manage the increased aid.

Israel Ready to Discuss Golan Heights in Peace Talks with Syria

By Robert Berger Jerusalem 08 June 2007

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An Israeli Cabinet member says the government wants to open peace talks with Syria and is prepared to discuss terms for returning the Golan Heights. The Cabinet minister's comments follow a newspaper report on Israeli overtures to Damascus. Robert Berger reports from the VOA bureau in Jerusalem.

Meir Sheetrit (file photo)

Cabinet Minister Meir Sheetrit says Israel is interested in resuming negotiations with Syria based on the formula of land for peace. The talks would focus on the strategic Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria during the Six Day War in 1967.

Sheetrit told Israel Radio that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is prepared to negotiate, and the ball is now in Syria's court. There was no immediate response from Damascus.

Sheetrit was responding to an Israeli newspaper report which said that Mr. Olmert has sent secret messages to Syria saying he is prepared to withdraw from the Golan in exchange for full peace. According to the Hebrew daily Yediot Ahronot, the messages were sent through German and Turkish diplomats.

Sheetrit said an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan would have to be tested over a long period of time.

He says that under a peace agreement, Syria should lease the Golan Heights to Israel for 25 years. If peace endures during that period, Israel would withdraw from the territory.

The newspaper said Mr. Olmert set down tough conditions for peace talks: Syria must scale back ties with Iran and end support for Islamic militant groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The offer reflects the thinking in some Israeli circles that peace talks with Syria would weaken radical forces in the region by bringing Damascus into the camp of the moderates.

The United States had no immediate reaction to the latest reports. Washington has been pressing Syria to do more to halt the flow of weapons into Iraq, and end its interference in Lebanon.

The Bush administration has been publicly cool to the idea of a resumption of Israeli-Syrian talks.

Israeli opposition leaders say it would be a grave mistake for Israel to rescue Syria from its diplomatic isolation, which stems largely from its behavior in Lebanon and Iraq.

VOASE0608_In the News

08 June 2007

How Six Days in 1967 Changed the Middle East Until This Day
A 40th anniversary look at the war in which Israel captured the Palestinian territories and more as it fought for its survival.

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This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

Forty years ago this week, Israel, fearing a threat of destruction, defeated three Arab

Israeli soldiers stand at the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest place, which was captured by Israel 40 years ago from Jordan.

armies in six days of war.

Egypt had gathered a huge force in the Sinai Desert across the border from southern Israel. Israeli planes carried out surprise raids on June fifth and destroyed most of the Egyptian air force at its bases. Israel also moved ground forces to fight the Egyptians.

Jordan launched attacks on Israel that same day. Jordanian artillery and planes attacked Israeli-controlled West Jerusalem and other areas.

The Israeli military responded the next day, June sixth. Heavy fighting pushed Jordanian forces out of Jerusalem. The Israelis captured East Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank. The city of Jerusalem had been divided since Israel's war of independence in nineteen forty-eight.

By the time the Six Day War ended with a cease-fire, Israel had almost three times as much territory as before. It won control of the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip from Egypt, the West Bank from Jordan and the Golan Heights in fighting with Syria.

In addition to Egypt, the Israeli air force destroyed aircraft in Syria, Jordan and another Egyptian ally, Iraq.

In the weeks earlier, Egypt had taken steps that included dismissing United Nations peacekeepers from the Sinai border area. Egypt also blocked Israeli ship traffic to and from the Red Sea through the Straits of Tiran. And Egypt's president, Gamal Abdel-Nasser, said the goal of war with Israel would its complete destruction.

Arabs often call the Nineteen Sixty-Seven War "an-Nakash," the Setback. Israel returned the Sinai as part of its nineteen seventy-nine peace treaty with Egypt. Peace with Jordan came later.

Israel and Syria have recently expressed willingness to renew peace talks that ended seven years ago. But Israel is reported waiting to see how much Syria is willing to compromise in return for the Golan Heights. At issue is Syrian ties with Iran and anti-Israeli groups like Hezbollah and Hamas.

Israel has left Gaza but still controls movement into and out of the territory. And it still occupies the West Bank.

The West Bank and Gaza are home to almost four million Palestinians. Unemployment and poverty are high. The United Nations World Food Program says it feeds about six hundred sixty-five thousand people in Gaza and the West Bank.

Israel says its actions are needed to defend against terrorist attacks.

Israel held events last month, in keeping with the Jewish calendar, to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of its reunification of Jerusalem. In the West Bank, people this week marked the anniversary of occupation. But much of the attention went to the current violence in Gaza between armed groups loyal to the Palestinian parties of Fatah and Hamas.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned of being on the edge of civil war. He said the fighting is a danger equal to or greater than Israeli occupation.

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English, written by Caty Weaver. I’m Steve Ember.

Human Rights Groups Demand Accounting for Missing Detainees

By David Gollust Washington 07 June 2007

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Leading human rights groups Thursday called on the U.S. government to account for terrorism suspects they believe were detained by U.S. authorities abroad but whose whereabouts are now unknown. The Bush administration has said it maintained secret overseas detention sites but emptied them last year. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

In an unusual joint action, six human rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have published a list of 39 terrorism suspects they believe were secretly detained by the United States at one time or another but cannot be accounted for now.

A 21-page report by the rights organizations says the so-called ghost detainees include nationals from several countries including Pakistan, Egypt, Libya and Kenya who were detained in anti-terrorism operations since 2001, and held at least for some time in secret U.S. detention sites.

President Bush acknowledged the existence of secret CIA detention sites abroad in an address last September, but said that the 14 prisoners in them at the time had been transferred to the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.

News reports last year quoted U.S. intelligence officials as saying the secret sites may have held nearly 100 prisoners in the months before the President's disclosure.

The six human rights groups called on the Bush administration to account for the other prisoners, whose cases they said they were able to document from government disclosures and interviews with released detainees, witnesses and relatives.

In a talk with VOA, Joanne Mariner, Terrorism and Counter-terrorism Coordinator at Human Rights Watch, said the prisoners may have been sent back to their countries of origin or elsewhere for continued detention, and possible mistreatment: "It's possible they were transferred to their home countries, which in the case of several of them is of real concern because their home countries are places like Libya, Egypt and Morocco, places in which the torture of terrorism suspects is commonplace. And we're certainly afraid that they may continue to be held in secret detention in these countries and face abuse there," she said.

In connection with the report, three of the groups including Amnesty International filed a federal lawsuit under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act seeking disclosure of documents and other information on the ghost detainees.

Amnesty Deputy Executive Director Kurt Goering said in a VOA interview the decision to take the issue to the courts came because the CIA, Justice Department and other agencies were unresponsive to information requests made through regular channels. "We've been essentially stonewalled. None of the agencies, the five agencies, have delivered or provided any significant information in response to these requests. The CIA has stonewalled completely, there's been absolutely no response. And so in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act regulations, we are through this lawsuit charging that the U.S. government is violating its own laws," he said.

Both Goering of Amnesty and Mariner of Human Rights Watch said the President's September statement did not preclude the future use of secret detention sites overseas, and that there are reports the practice continues.

At a news briefing however, State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey said there was no reason to believe that the situation has changed since the September speech, suggesting that there were no new secret detainees.

Casey also insisted the detainee issue has not undermined the United States' moral authority to speak out on human rights issues in other countries.

"We recognize that the United States, in our own country, does not always have perfect record and historically has not always done so. That does not lessen the fact that the United States has been and continues to be the world's leading advocate for human rights around the world, and it's a cause that we believe in, that is part of the values of our country and one that we are going to continue to speak about," he said.

In a speech in The Hague late Wednesday, State Department Legal Adviser John Bellinger said the issue of terrorist detainees posed an unprecedented legal challenge for the Bush administration, which he said has not ignored, changed or reinterpreted international law.

Stem Cell Breakthrough Announced Amid Fierce Debate

By Michael Bowman Washington 07 June 2007

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Scientists in the United States say they have for the first time been able to create stem cells from the ordinary skin cells of mice, a breakthrough that could lead to new medical breakthroughs and eliminate a contentious ethical and political debate over the use of human embryos for such research. From Washington, VOA's Michael Bowman has more on the breakthrough.

Thai surgeons perform an operation to collect stem cells from an unidentified Western patient in Bangkok, 07 February 2007

Scientists say stem cells offer the promise of cures to everything from cancer to spinal cord injuries. Stem cells are malleable and can be used to create virtually any kind of tissue. But there has been a fierce ethical debate over stem cell research, because until now, it was assumed the cells had to be harvested from human embryos, destroying them in the process.

But teams in the United States, using a process pioneered by a leading Japanese researcher, say they have now successfully transformed skin cells from mice into what are, in effect, embryonic stem cells.

Biologist Rudolf Jaenisch at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology led one of the teams.

"We can take any skin cell and treat it in a certain way," he said. "And after two or three weeks we will have embryonic stem cells which are indistinguishable from normal embryonic stem cells which have been derived from embryos."

Could the same be done with human skin cells? No one knows just yet, or whether embryonic stem cells created in such a fashion would be as useful in research as those harvested from living embryos. Scientists say further study will be required, and that definitive answers may not be forthcoming for some time.

In the meantime, the political and ethical debate over embryonic stem cells continues to rage in the United States. Jaenisch says he is well aware of the political furor surrounding embryonic stem cell research, and cautions against injecting his findings with regard to mice into the current debate.

"Many who are opposed to embryonic stem cell research will use this [breakthrough] and say, 'Ha! We do not need it [to use embryos].' This is the wrong conclusion," he said.

Meanwhile, in the U.S. Congress there has been more contentious debate on legislation to allow more federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, legislation that President Bush has said he will veto.

Before Thursday's vote to send the measure to the president's desk, Indiana Republican Mike Pence stood in opposition.

"Congress is once again poised to pass legislation that authorizes the use of federal tax dollars to fund the destruction of human embryos for scientific research," he said. "I believe that life begins at conception. It is morally wrong to create human life to destroy it.

California Democrat Lynn Woolsey has a different point of view, stressing the seemingly limitless potential of stem cells to improve human health.

"How can we tell a parent watching a child suffering from cancer that we are not going to do every single thing possible to save that child? How can we tell a teenager that there is a chance we could repair a damaged spinal chord, but we are not going to pursue it," she asked.

President Bush has authorized federal funds for stem cell research involving a small number of stem cell lines from discarded embryos. U.S. researchers say those lines are badly contaminated and of little scientific value, and that the United States is falling behind other nations with few restrictions on such research.

VOASE0607_Economics Report

07 June 2007

World Trade Talks: Moving, but Slowly
Agriculture remains one of the most important trade issues. Developing nations want the big industrial powers to cut aid to farmers.

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This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.

Today we have the second half of a report on the history of the World Trade Organization.

The W.T.O. was created in nineteen ninety-five after the eighth round of world trade talks. The rounds began in nineteen forty-seven, each one on different areas of trade.

The W.T.O. tried to launch a ninth round in Seattle in nineteen ninety-nine. But trade ministers argued and free trade opponents rioted.

The W.T.O. launched the ninth round in Doha, Qatar, in November of two thousand one. The new round was named the Doha Development Agenda. This was meant to show developing countries that the goals included reducing poverty.

Two other ministerial conferences took place: in Cancun, Mexico, in two thousand three and Hong Kong in two thousand five. There was little progress toward agreement on major issues.

Pascal Lamy

W.T.O. Director General Pascal Lamy of France suspended the negotiations last July. But talks restarted in January.

Mister Lamy said he planned to send a strong message this week to leaders of the Group of Eight and other nations at meetings in Germany. He said their active support is needed for a successful and balanced outcome. Last month he said the negotiations were moving but not very fast.

Twenty-one issues are listed under the Doha Development Agenda. At the heart, though, is agriculture. Developing nations want industrial countries to end farm supports that critics say drive down prices on world markets.

The United States has pushed for as much as an eighty-five percent reduction and an expanded list of banned subsidies. European countries have resisted deep cuts. Last week, the new French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, said France would veto any agreement that did not meet its requirements.

EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson warns that if the talks fail now, they would not reopen before two thousand ten.

The European Union, the United States, India and Brazil are preparing for talks later this month. These four major W.T.O. members are working for a deal on the Doha round by the end of the year.

The World Trade Organization currently has one hundred fifty members. The largest economy not a member is Russia. After years of trying, Russia hopes to be in the W.T.O. as early as January.

And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report, written by Mario Ritter. Part one of our report is at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.

VOASE0607_American Mosaic

07 June 2007

At This Year's National Spelling Bee, 'Serrefine' Spells Champion
Also: A Burmese listener asks about the actor and comedian Jim Carrey. And the music of Miranda Lambert, recently honored by the Academy of Country Music with its award for new female vocalist.

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HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC, in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

I'm Doug Johnson. On our show this week:

We answer a question from a listener about Jim Carrey…

Play music from Miranda Lambert…

And report about a national spelling contest.

National Spelling Bee

HOST:

Every year, the best young English language spellers from around the world gather in Washington, D.C. for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. They spell complex words that most English speakers have never even heard of. Last week, more than two hundred eighty children gathered to compete in this event. It was the largest group of spellers in the eighty-year history of the bee. Faith Lapidus tells us more.

FAITH LAPIDUS:

Evan O'Dorney and his mother, Jennifer, celebrate his victory

The national spelling bee takes place over two intense days of competition in a large hotel meeting room. The spellers sit together in front of several judges. Each speller stands when it is his or her turn. When the judge calls out the word, spellers can ask for help. They can ask for the definition of the word or for it to be used in a sentence. They can also ask which language the word came from. This can often help them decide how it is spelled.

Students who spell the word correctly remain in the competition. But if the speller makes a mistake, a bell rings and the child must leave the group.

The spellers are very supportive of one another. They show their happiness when a speller gets a word right. The Canadians especially added to the spirit of the event by waving flags and cheering even louder for all Canadian spellers.

Many people thought that Samir Patel would be the winner this year. This thirteen-year-old boy from Texas has competed in the spelling bee five times. This is the last year he can compete. But his spelling bee career ended with the word "clevis." Samir later said that he should have taken more time to think about the word but instead made a stupid mistake.

Two boys, a Canadian and an American, made it to the last part of the competition. Both Evan O'Dorney and Nate Gartke were able to spell difficult words like "videlicet" and "Zoilus." But Evan won the competition with the word “serrefine," a kind of tool used in medical operations.

After the event, the thirteen-year-old from California talked to reporters. He said he does not really like spelling. He likes math and music more. Spelling, Evan said, is just memorization. His advice to spellers is to study the dictionary. And, he said he always eats a tuna fish sandwich the night before competing.

Jim Carrey

HOST:

Our listener question this week comes from Burma. Tharr Naing wants to know more about the actor and funny man Jim Carrey.

Jim Carrey’s skill for comedy came early. As a boy, he was given time at the end of each school day to perform for his class. Carrey says he also sent a letter requesting a part on a popular American television comedy show when he was just ten years old.

Jim Carrey was born in nineteen sixty-two in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. He was a good student until his teen years when his family experienced financial problems and had to move to Toronto, Canada. Jim worked in a factory every day after school and his grades suffered as a result.

Carrey moved to Los Angeles, California in nineteen seventy-nine. He worked with the famous comedian Rodney Dangerfield. And he began to make appearances on the Late Night with David Letterman television show.

His first major movie was “Earth Girls Are Easy,” in nineteen eighty-eight. He played the part of a funny creature from another planet. He was involved in the development of a new television comedy show, “In Living Color.” It gave Carrey his first chance to show the whole country his unusual characters.

Carrey’s first huge movie success was starring in the film “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” in nineteen ninety-four. Critics hated the movie. But Jim Carrey’s very physical comedy was a hit with moviegoers. The movie earned more than seventy million dollars in the United States alone. A follow-up movie came out the next year. "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls" earned more than one hundred million dollars.

Jim made two other very successful films in nineteen ninety-four: “Dumb and Dumber” and “The Mask.” In nineteen ninety-five he was offered twenty million dollars to star in “The Cable Guy.” It was the highest amount of money ever offered to a comedy actor. The movie came out the following year and did not do great business. But Jim Carrey’s power in Hollywood remained.

In the years since, Carrey has shown that he can do more than comedy. He has starred in several critically praised dramatic movies. These include “The Truman Show” and “The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” Jim Carrey won Golden Globe Awards as Best Actor for both films.

Miranda Lambert

HOST:

The Academy of Country Music presented its yearly awards last month in Las Vegas, Nevada. The winner of the New Female Vocalist award was singer-songwriter Miranda Lambert. Katherine Cole tells us about her.

KATHERINE COLE:

Miranda Lambert has been singing professionally since she was in high school in the state of Texas. In two thousand three, she finished third in the Nashville Star television talent show. Her performance there led to a recording contract. Her first major album was released in two thousand four, when she was twenty-one years old. She wrote or helped write ten of the eleven songs on the album, called “Kerosene.” The first single was “Me and Charlie Talking.”

(MUSIC)

Miranda Lambert says her latest album is better than “Kerosene.” She says “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” shows the effects of two years of personal and professional growth. She sang the first hit from the new album on the Country Music Association awards show. It is “Famous in a Small Town.”

(MUSIC)

Miranda Lambert says her songs talk about real things -- things that have happened to her, family members and friends. Critics say the songs on her new album mix the pain and power of heartbreak. We leave you now with the title song from Miranda Lambert’s new album, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.”

(MUSIC)

HOST:

I'm Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program today. It was written by Dana Demange, Nancy Steinbach and Caty Weaver, who also 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.

Iraqis Flee to Kurdish North in Search of Safety

By Barry Newhouse Irbil 06 June 2007

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The U.N. refugee agency reported this week that some 4 million Iraqis have been displaced by the war and more than half of those have left the country. The rest are looking for a safe haven in Iraq, and some of those have found it in Iraq's Kurdish north. VOA's Barry Newhouse visited an office keeping track of the displaced Iraqis and has this report.

A worker in the residency office for the Kurdistan Regional Government stamps documents for newly arrived Iraqis in a crowded waiting room. Most of the people here are Sunni Arabs who have come from Baghdad, Mosul and Ramadi. Many of them refuse to talk about their plight.

One man says the situation in Baghdad has become so dire, that despite the ongoing security operation, this week he finally decided to leave.

Displaced resident 'Bashar' at work in an Irbil barbershop

He says he faced many problems in Baghdad from terrorist gangs and from Iraqi security forces that have sectarian agendas. He says the dangers and the economic situation became so bad that he had to flee.

This office issues permits for one of Iraq's three Kurdish-controlled provinces. Since 2005, it has granted temporary residency permits to nearly 30,000 people - a small fraction of those in need.

U.N. refugee agency officials say fleeing Iraqis have overwhelmed local governments in some areas of the country. But U.N. officials also have criticized regions that turn away people who need assistance.

Kurdish security forces restrict entrance to fleeing Iraqis at tightly controlled checkpoints, denying entry to people considered security risks. In general, Kurdish officials say they let in professional workers, such as doctors and engineers, or those who can have a local resident vouch for them.

Recently arrived Arabs in Kurdistan say they understand the need for controlling access.

This man says that he is not disturbed by the practice, because there are some
Iraqis who work with terrorist gangs, and the Kurdish forces must protect the region.

Those Iraqis who qualify for entry say staying in Iraqi Kurdistan is much better option than fleeing to Syria or Jordan. This businessman from Baghdad says in Syria, Iraqi refugees live in a legal limbo, in constant threat of deportation.

He says many families sell their homes and their possessions and go to Syria. But there, even if they have the permit from the U.N. refugee office, they will spend all of their savings, because there are no jobs. He says life there is expensive. In Kurdistan, he says, you can work.

But the influx of wealthy Iraqis has pushed up the cost of living for Irbil residents as well. This Iraqi man, who has arrived recently, says he understands the locals are getting upset.

He says we know that rents are getting high, and it is bad for the poorest people here. But, he says, "We don't have a choice."

U.N. officials say the plight of Iraqis fleeing violence is getting worse, yet calls for international help have brought few results.

In Irbil's residency office, several Iraqis said they were not looking for handouts, but merely a chance to start over after losing everything.

US Cool to Israeli Dialogue With Syria

By David Gollust State Department 06 June 2007

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U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz discussed Syria, and the Iranian nuclear program, in a meeting Wednesday that opened an annual bilateral strategic dialogue. U.S. officials are making clear their misgivings about an early resumption of Israeli-Syrian talks. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

Condoleezza Rice at the OAS meeting in Panama, 4 Jun 2007

The talks here were preceded by reports of Syrian overtures to Israel about possible negotiations, and comments by Mofaz about the need for Israel to test Syria's intentions.

However the Bush administration has been publicly cool to the idea, with some U.S. officials saying Syria may be seeking dialogue with Israel to relieve diplomatic pressure over its behavior in Lebanon and Iraq.

In comments after a 45-minute meeting between Rice and the Israeli Deputy Prime Minister, State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said the issue was raised at the meeting and that the Bush administration is unenthusiastic.

"Look, we're not going to manage Israeli foreign policy," he said. "They'll make their own decisions. But take a look at Syria's behavior over the recent past, and I don't think you're going to find many indications of Syria showing the rest of the world that they are interested in playing a constructive, positive role in trying to bring about a more secure, peaceful region."

For his part, Mofaz told reporters after the meeting Israel agrees with Washington that progress on the Israeli-Palestinian front, rather than a Syrian track, should be the "first priority."

The former Israeli defense minister and army chief of staff confirmed that Israel has been monitoring Syrian military exercises near the Golan Heights, but he said his government believes the activity is mainly defensive in nature.

The meeting here, to be followed by more detailed U.S.-Israeli security discussions Thursday, also dealt with Iran and its nuclear program.

Mofaz said Israel is willing at least until year's end to allow diplomatic efforts to curb the Iranian program to produce results, while also stressing concerns about Iran's support for Lebanon's Hezbollah militiamen, with whom Israel went to war last year:

"Iran continues a military nuclear program, and I believe that diplomatic efforts should [be allowed to] bear results, until the end of 2007," he said. "Speaking about Iran, I would like to add that the Iranians are continuing to re-build and re-supply the Hezbollah, mainly with long-range rockets that endanger the southern and central parts of Israel."

Spokesman McCormack said both Mofaz and Secretary Rice expressed hope that the postponement of Wednesday's planned meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will be brief, that the leaders' dialogue, brokered by Rice earlier this year, will continue.

Officials say Rice is preparing another trip to the Middle East later this month that is expected to include a meeting in Cairo of the international Middle East Quartet and officials of the Arab League.

The Quartet, which includes the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations, is seeking to revive Israel-Palestinian talks based on its 2003 Middle East peace "road map."

The Arab League, for its part, reaffirmed several weeks ago its 2002 overture offering Israel Arab-wide normalized relations if it reaches a peace deal with the Palestinians and withdraws to 1967 borders.

There are reports that Prime Minister Olmert and Mr. Abbas will be invited to the Arab League-Quartet meeting, but a senior U.S. diplomat said he could not confirm that.

Mr. Olmert is due to meet President Bush in Washington June 19, less than a week before the anticipated Cairo gathering on June 25.

In Egypt, Legacy of 1967 Defeat Still Burns

By Challiss McDonough Cairo 06 June 2007

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Egyptian airplanes are seen destroyed on the runway after being bombed by Israeli warplanes during the Six Day War, June 1967

As countries throughout the Middle East mark the 40th anniversary of the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, also known as the Six-Day War, the sting of the rapid military defeat is still sharply felt in Egypt and across the Arab world. Increasingly, critics are noting another side of the war's legacy, saying the humiliating military loss to Israel has been used to justify authoritarian rule. VOA Correspondent Challiss McDonough has more from Cairo.

The rapid and extreme military defeat stung all three Arab states that fought in the war. All three lost territory; in six days, Israeli troops took the Golan Heights from Syria, the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan, and the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip from Egypt.

For the people of Egypt, where then-revered leader Gamal Abdel Nasser had touted the country's military might as unparalleled, the defeat was especially shocking, because it shattered the nation's carefully cultivated myth of invulnerability.

Cairo resident Ahmed Awad was 22-years old at the time, and remembers the war well.

He says "In the beginning I can tell you that everyone truly believed that in two hours, we could invade Israel and seize it all, and that would be it, we would have taken it. Because what is this Israel? And how many millions are we?"

The Egyptian press tried to convince the people that they were winning the war. Awad, now 62, was then living in the town of Suez, near the canal. As he saw exhausted and battered Egyptian soldiers returning from Sinai, he slowly realized that the reports of victories were lies.

Political and military analyst Mohamed el-Sayed Said is a deputy head of the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies.

Egyptian prisoners are guarded by Israeli troops after being captured near Al Arish in the Sinai during the Six Day War, June 1967

"The 1967 defeat was like throwing us all into the gates of Hell," he said. "It shocked us to the bones, and obviously changed dramatically the chemistry of political and cultural life in the country."

People in the Arabic-speaking world usually refer to the Six-Day War as "naksa," the Arabic word for setback. Originally, the term was aimed at downplaying the significance of the defeat. But this year especially, critics are saying the Arab world has suffered 1,001 setbacks since 1967.

In the pan-Arab newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, a political cartoon showed a man with a calendar, where every single day is June 5.

The lingering legacy is still felt acutely in Egypt, which at the time of the war was a leader of the Arab world. But in the 40 years since, Egypt has lost much of its stature. A newspaper columnist recently wrote that Egyptians blame the 1967 defeat for everything from price hikes to sexual impotence.

The complaints echo a common frustration with what many people here see as the stagnation or regression of Egyptian society in many areas, including education, culture, politics, the economy and even sports.

Mohammed el-Sayed Said says one legacy of the defeat is the rise of political Islam, as disappointment in Mr. Nasser's secular Pan-Arabism began to turn more and more young people toward Islamist movements. He says secular reformers, having failed in their bid to democratize Egypt, are "totally demoralized."

"Well when we reminisce over the last 40 years, the greatest frustration is not the defeat itself, it is in fact the failure of the reform movement to bring about democracy, because that was the focus of all political and cultural criticism that focused on explaining the 1967 defeat," Said said. "We have all come to agree that the defeat is caused by the lack of transparency, lack of checks and balances, lack of accountability and lack of, you know generally, democracy."

To mark the anniversary, Arab satellite TV stations are broadcasting grainy old television footage of the battles and speeches surrounding the war. Egyptian newspapers are full of bleak commentary, much of it critical of the Arab regimes.

An unsigned editorial in the Egyptian opposition weekly newspaper Al-Dustour said after 40 years, Egypt has failed to learn any true lessons from the war. The paper wrote "The lesson was clear: If we want victory over our enemies, we must build a democratic country."

But Al Dustour said after 40 years, Egypt is still ruled by one man "who always takes us backward while other nations move forward."

In the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat, columnist Abdullah Iskandar blasted Arab leaders for failing to analyze and address the root causes of the defeat. He accused them of focusing more on retaining their own power. Iskandar says the 1967 war has been used as "a justification for despotism and totalitarianism, and a pretext to suppress Arab society."

He writes that "forty years ago, the choice was between a military regime resulting from a coup, or a pluralistic democratic system." He says today, the options are "a despotic ruler on the one hand, and fundamentalism and civil wars on the other."

Somali Radio Stations Silenced After Ethiopian PM's Visit

By Katy Migiro Nairobi 06 June 2007

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The Somali government has closed down three main FM stations in the capital, Mogadishu. Katy Migiro reports for VOA that the media clampdown follows a surprise visit by the Ethiopian Prime Minister aimed at shoring up confidence in the Somali government.

Shabelle Media Network, Horn Afrik and IQK, a Koranic radio station, were all shut down by a Somali government decree.

This is the second time these three radio stations have been targeted in the past six months. No reason has been given for this latest closure.

But announcer Mohamed Kawashito, of Radio Puntland that operates in the semi-autonomous northern region of Somalia, says private radio stations are shut down when they criticize the government. The stations have in the past been accused of pro-Islamic bias.

"Several times the traditional government has banned the Shabelle radio, Horn Afrik radio," he said. "We do not know the reason, but I think sometimes the local station and local media pointed to bad things or the bad situation in the central government or traditional government."

Ethiopian PM Meles Zenawi (l) is welcomed by Somali PM Ali Mohamed Gedi (r) on his arrival at Mogadishu airport, 05 Jun 2007

Tuesday, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi paid a surprise visit to Mogadishu. Mr. Meles' trip was aimed at boosting the morale of his troops, which invaded and occupied Somalia in December, as well as that of Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi who survived a fourth assassination attempt on Sunday.

But the secretive nature of the unpublicized Meles trip only underscored how dangerous and violent the Somali capital is.

Nairobi-based Somali analyst Daudi Aweis compares Meles trip to the surprise visits by U.S. President George Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair to Iraq, which he fears Somalia is starting to resemble, especially in the increasing numbers of suicide attacks against targets regarded by some as supporting a foreign occupying force.

Aweis says the only solution to Somalia's problems is through negotiations, not violence.

"The best way forward is to have negotiations, because all these problems are well known," he said. "If they are discussed deeply, a solution can be obtained. But the military solution will not be the best option to solve these problems. Because if you try to defeat one side or to exclude one group from the Cabinet or from the government, it means that that group, according to their clan lines, they are going to regroup. It takes for them two or three years and they can come back. So the problem is there again."

Aweis believes there is little hope that progress will be made at the national reconciliation conference, due to open on June 14.

The transitional government has said it will not talk with the Islamic Courts, ousted in December, and the Islamic Courts say they will not come to the negotiating table until Ethiopian troops withdraw.

Iraqi Commander Defends Security Operation Despite Report Citing

By Barry Newhouse Irbil, Iraq 06 June 2007

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Iraqi police say two car bombs in a Shi'ite district of Baghdad have killed at least seven people and wounded more than 25 others. The Iraqi commander in charge of the Baghdad security plan has defended the operation's success, following an internal U.S. military report indicating progress in securing neighborhoods in the capital has been slow. Meanwhile, U.S. military says four American soldiers have been killed in Iraq, pushing the U.S. death toll in more than four years of war in the country toward 3,500. VOA's Barry Newhouse reports from northern Iraq.

Two massive car bombs exploded near Baghdad's most revered Shiite Muslim shrine, located in the capital's Kazimiyah district. Witnesses said the blasts appeared to target civilians in the Shi'ite majority district.

Large vehicle bombs continue to obstruct American and Iraqi efforts to secure the capital. In several raids Wednesday targeting al Qaida-linked car-bomb networks, U.S. forces killed two suspected terrorists and captured 10 others.

Iraqi police commandos man a checkpoint on Baghdad's Palestine street, 05 Jun 2007

A U.S. military report this week said efforts to secure the capital are moving more slowly than expected. An Iraqi military spokesman for the Baghdad security plan defended the operation, saying troops are changing tactics to clear violent neighborhoods.

General Qasim al Muslawi says commanders are rotating troops out of troubled neighborhoods and replacing them with larger numbers of soldiers. He also says he needs more cooperation from citizens to help limit the ability of terrorists to move around.

The success of the Baghdad security plan is key to stabilizing the country and strengthening Iraq's divided government. But many Iraqi and American lawmakers remain skeptical of its chance for success.

On Tuesday, a faction of lawmakers loyal to anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr pushed through legislation that will require Iraq's government to seek the approval of parliament before extending the U.N. mandate for U.S. forces. The current mandate expires December 31.

In an interview with an American radio network, NPR, the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker said if American forces leave Iraq, the situation could worsen.

Nouri al-Maliki (file photo)

Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki urged Iraqi forces to continue efforts to secure the country and to focus on pursuing foreign-supported militia groups.

The prime minister says some countries think Iraq is weak and the current situation is a chance for them to gain power by supporting militia groups. He says one, strong unified Iraq is the best thing for everyone.

Sectarian attacks continue to hurt efforts at unifying the country's numerous religious and ethnic groups.

On Tuesday, near the Shi'ite holy city Najaf, a close aide to the country's most revered Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani was killed at home. Police said unidentified gunmen drove by the house of Raheem al-Hasnawi, shooting him dead.

VOASE0606_Education Report

06 June 2007

Foreign Student Series: Studying Religion in the US
We look at one of the largest seminaries in North America in Part 40 of our Foreign Student Series.

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This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

A Chinese woman studying business law in Japan has a question about studying a different kind of law. Wang Yuxian says she is a Christian and would like to know about theological seminary programs for foreign students in the United States.

A ceremony at St. John's Seminary in Boston

A theological seminary is a graduate school of religion and a professional school for training religious leaders.

Foreign students who want to study at a seminary in the United States apply just as they would to any other graduate school. They have to meet the academic and English language requirements and prove they would be able to pay for their studies.

Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, is one of the largest in North America. Today it has more than four thousand students from about seventy countries.

Fuller is one of two hundred fifty-three schools accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada. An accredited school is one that has passed inspection by a rating group like the association. All of the schools are Christian. But other schools train leaders in Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and other faith traditions.

The Fuller Theological Seminary opened in nineteen forty-seven. It has three schools: Theology, Intercultural Studies and Psychology. It also has a center for lifelong learning.

Students at Fuller can earn a doctor of ministry degree or more than twenty other graduate degrees. Examples include a master's degree in marital and family therapy and a master's in global leadership.

There are also degree programs taught in Korean and Spanish. And Fuller admits some students through its English as a second language program.

Some degree programs cost more than others. One year at Fuller can cost anywhere from twelve thousand to twenty-four thousand dollars.

International students can apply for scholarships and grants. But Fuller says that normally they will not be permitted to work during the time of their studies. The same is true for family members.

And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. We began our Foreign Student Series on higher education in the United States in September. We are almost at the end of the series. But all of the reports, including this one, can be found along with links to helpful sites at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.

VOASE0606_The Making of a Nation

06 June 2007

American History: Jimmy Carter Wins the 1976 Presidential Election
The Democrat had been governor of the southern state of Georgia and, before that, a nuclear engineer and a peanut farmer. He defeated Gerald Ford, who took office after Richard Nixon resigned.

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VOICE ONE:

This is Rich Kleinfeldt.

VOICE TWO:

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

(MUSIC)

Today, we tell about the presidential election of nineteen seventy-six.

VOICE ONE:

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

When Vice President Gerald Ford became president in nineteen seventy-four, he took office during a crisis. For the first time in American history, a president -- Richard Nixon -- had resigned.

He resigned as a result of the case known as Watergate. It involved the cover-up of illegal activities. Officials in Richard Nixon's administration had lied about Watergate. They also had misled the public about the war in Vietnam.

VOICE TWO:

After Vietnam and Watergate, many Americans no longer believed their public officials. At this difficult time, Gerald Ford dealt with the public calmly. In one speech, for example, he said, "The state of the Union is not good."

One political observer said President Ford brought respect back to the government. Yet just a little more than two years after Ford became president, American voters rejected him. In the presidential election of nineteen seventy-six, they chose the Democratic candidate, Jimmy Carter, instead. Why?

VOICE ONE:

One reason was that Ford had pardoned Nixon. He announced a presidential pardon for any crimes for which Nixon might have been responsible. This made many people angry. Another reason was that Ford refused to give federal money to New York and other cities with special needs. Many voters felt this showed that he was not concerned about poor people and their problems.

Others believe that unemployment and inflation defeated Gerald Ford. He was not able to deal effectively with these problems during his short presidency.

For these reasons, there was competition for the Republican Party nomination in nineteen seventy-six. Ford's chief opponent was Ronald Reagan, governor of California.

VOICE TWO:

The Democratic Party thought that voter anger about Watergate would help the Democratic candidate become president. Eleven Democrats campaigned for the nomination. Two well-known politicians did not campaign. But they said they would serve if no other candidate won the party's support. They were former Vice President Hubert Humphrey and Senator Edward Kennedy.

VOICE ONE:

One of the lesser-known candidates was the former governor of Georgia, Jimmy Carter. Political experts gave him little chance of winning the nomination, because most Democrats did not know him. Whenever his supporters talked about him, others always seemed to say, "Jimmy, who?"

Carter used this problem to help win more recognition. Whenever he met voters, he would say, "Hello! I am Jimmy Carter, and I am running for president."

Jimmy Carter

VOICE TWO:

People liked Jimmy Carter. Before becoming governor of Georgia, he had been a nuclear engineer and a peanut farmer. Again and again, he told people that he was not part of the established political power system in Washington. He also had strong religious beliefs. This appealed to a lot of Americans.

Many voters supported Carter in the local Democratic primary elections before the party's nominating convention. His victory in the Florida primary was especially important. He defeated another southern politician, Governor George Wallace of Alabama.

VOICE ONE:

Carter represented what was called the "New South" in the United States. He made it clear that he opposed ideas of the "Old South". These included racial separation and mistreatment of black Americans.

George Wallace spoke of creating a better life for both blacks and whites. Yet he had strongly defended racial separation for most of his political life. Many people remembered pictures of Governor Wallace at the University of Alabama in nineteen sixty-three. The pictures showed him blocking the door to prevent two young blacks from attending the school.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

The Republican primaries had mixed results for President Ford. In New Hampshire, he won only fifty-one percent of the vote. Ronald Reagan won forty-nine percent. It was a poor showing for a president in office. But in Massachusetts he got two votes for every one vote that Reagan got.

Reporters said Ford and Reagan debated about issues that were not very important or interesting. The campaign did show, however, that Reagan was more conservative than Ford.

For example, Reagan talked strongly about United States control of the Panama Canal. "We built it," he said. "We paid for it. And we are going to keep it." In his campaign speeches, Ford denounced extremism. It was clear he was speaking about Reagan.

VOICE ONE:

Ford and Reagan won almost the same amount of support in the Republican primaries. Yet many convention delegates remained undecided. This was a dangerous situation for the Republican Party. Party leaders did not want a fight over undecided votes at the nominating convention. Such disunity could damage the chances of the party's candidate against the Democratic candidate in the general election.

VOICE TWO:

The situation was similar in the Democratic Party. As support for Jimmy Carter increased, Democrats who did not like him began to say, "Anybody but Carter." But Carter was not to be stopped. He kept repeating that he did not have ties to groups that tried to influence government policies. He would be different, he said. And that sounded like what the people wanted.

VOICE ONE:

Carter won the Democratic primaries in Georgia, Alabama, and Indiana. The other candidates fell hopelessly behind.

At the party convention, he was nominated on the first vote. In his acceptance speech, he repeated the line he had made famous: "I am Jimmy Carter. And I am running for president." Carter said there was a fear that America's best years were over. He said the nation's best was still to come.

The Democratic convention chose Walter Mondale, a senator from Minnesota, to be the party's vice presidential candidate.

VOICE TWO:

A month before the Republican Party convention, Ronald Reagan made a costly political mistake. He said that -- if he won the nomination -- he would want Senator Richard Schweiker of Pennsylvania to be the vice presidential candidate.

Conservatives were angry, because Schweiker was a liberal Republican. Some political observers say this is why Reagan lost the nomination to President Ford. Ford won by one hundred-seventeen votes.

Many of the delegates then wanted Reagan to be the party's vice presidential candidate. But Reagan was not interested. Instead, the nomination went to Senator Robert Dole of Kansas.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

The general campaign started in September nineteen seventy-six. In one speech, President Ford said, "The question in this campaign is not who has the better vision of America. The question is who will act to make the vision a reality."

Political experts said that what happened during the next two months was uninteresting. One newspaper said the campaign left the voters feeling sleepy.

Ford and Carter agreed to debate each other on television. Nobody had done that since Nineteen-Sixty, when Richard Nixon and John Kennedy held several television debates.

VOICE TWO:

Many people thought Ford did a little better than Carter in the first debate. In the second debate, however, President Ford made a mistake. He said the Soviet Union did not control eastern Europe -- and never would in a Ford administration. For some voters, the statement added to their belief that President Ford was not very intelligent.

The third debate did not have a clear winner. Public opinion studies showed that many voters were still undecided.

VOICE ONE:

Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter in the inaugural parade

The race for the presidency was very close. Jimmy Carter won with fifty-one percent of the popular vote. President Ford won forty-eight percent.

Two years before, most Americans had not known Jimmy Carter's name. Now, many of those same people had elected him the thirty-ninth president of the United States.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

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

VOICE ONE:

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