| Cairo, Egypt 31 May 2007 |
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Syria's state-run press has roundly criticized the U.N. Security Council's vote to set up an international tribunal for suspects in the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Damascus has long said it will refuse to turn over any Syrian suspects to the court. Establishing the tribunal has also been an extremely divisive issue in Lebanon, where the Shi'ite armed group Hezbollah denounced the Security Council move as a violation of Lebanon's sovereignty. VOA's Challiss McDonough has more from our Middle East bureau in Cairo. 
Rafik Hariri
Rafik Hariri's son, Saad Hariri, called the UN move a "historic moment" and a victory for justice. But his political rivals in Hezbollah issued a statement calling the new U.N. resolution "a violation of Lebanese sovereignty and aggressive interference in Lebanon's internal affairs."
Syria's state-run newspapers condemned the U.N Security Council decision, calling it an American-Israeli plot for "political vengeance" against Syria.
Damascus has previously said it will refuse to cooperate with the tribunal if it indicts any Syrian officials, and the state news agency, SANA, said Syria's position has not changed. An early report by the investigator probing the killings implicated several senior Syrian officials, and Damascus has said it will not allow its citizens to be tried by foreign courts.
But after the Security Council voted, Damascus made an effort to portray its objections as rooted in concern for Lebanese interests, rather than its own.
Political science professor Sami Baroudi of the Lebanese American University says it is possible that Syria's outright rejection of the tribunal is part of a long-term negotiating tactic. 
Political Analyst Sami Baroudi
"I'm not really sure whether the Syrian regime can completely [do] just blanket rejection of any cooperation. I think that would sort of complicate relations with other Arab countries and with the international community, and I don't think they're really ready for a step like that," Baroudi says.
The morning after the vote, the Iranian foreign minister paid a surprise visit to Damascus for talks with President Bashar al-Assad that included Lebanese developments.
In Lebanon, where Rafik Hariri and 22 others were killed by a massive car bomb blast more than two years ago, an international court to try the killers has long been an extremely divisive issue. The prime minister supports it; the president does not. The cabinet and the anti-Syrian majority bloc in parliament support it, but most of the opposition parties oppose it, especially those allied with Syria.
Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berry, an opposition leader with close ties to Damascus, has refused to convene the legislature for months to avoid holding a vote on the court. So the Security Council approved the tribunal under the legally-binding Chapter 7, without the plans being ratified by the Lebanese parliament.
The longtime U.N. spokesman in Lebanon, Timur Goksel, now teaches at the American University of Beirut. He said given the domestic political deadlock, the Security Council had little choice
"It had to be done, there's no doubt about it. We need justice in this country, in Lebanon. The problem is, it's too much personalized here. It's become not an affair of the state, an affair about justice, or a country or anything, but sort of a competition or a contest between the different political groups in the country. This is very unhealthy."
Opposition leaders have mostly been careful to say they do not necessarily object to the idea of the tribunal itself, but to the way it has been set up. Despite months of wrangling, they were unable to agree. Goksel says they still object to the idea of a court being "imposed" on Lebanon from outside.
"This is something Lebanon should have done by itself," Goksel says. "After all, this court is going to apply Lebanese law. But the judges will not be Lebanese, the majority of judges, and some people are not comfortable with that, which is understandable. On the main opposition side, especially on the Hezbollah side, I believe it's not against the court, but they just are afraid that this court might be used against them."
But since it will likely be at least a year before the court starts its work, Goksel is optimistic that there is time to resolve the outstanding issues.
"If a few political leaders can keep their mouths shut and not try to score points out of this for their own ends, I think this will be all right," Goksel says.
France and the United States have both hailed the tribunal as a positive step for Lebanon. And Lebanese government officials who supported the establishment of the tribunal say they hope it will help push the country back toward political consensus.
But some analysts say the way the Security Council vote fell shows that the international community is also divided on the issue. Five countries -- Russia, China, Indonesia, South Africa and Qatar -- abstained from the vote and have voiced concerns about imposing the tribunal on Lebanon in the absence of a political consensus there.
When the international court convenes, which will be somewhere outside Lebanon, it will become the first U.N.-backed tribunal in the Middle East. Similar courts have been held for the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone. It is still not clear where the court will be located. The Netherlands, which has hosted other tribunals, says it is not interested.
| Pentagon 31 May 2007 |
DownloadThe U.S. ground forces commander in Iraq says he might need more time to assess the impact of the new security plan, beyond the September assessment President Bush and the Congress are expecting. Lieutenant General Ray Odierno made the statement Thursday during a news conference via satellite with reporters at the Pentagon. He also spoke about increased efforts to reach out to insurgent groups and a new threat some of his forces are facing as they move into new areas in and around Baghdad. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.
General Odierno says the troop surge and the new approach to fighting the Iraqi insurgency are making progress, with increases in the number of coalition operations that find weapons caches, bomb factories and insurgent cells. But he also says insurgents attack every day, and he cautions against excessive optimism. The general says he might not be able to make even an initial assessment of the new strategy by September.
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| Lieutenant General Ray Odierno |
The general says the last of the additional combat troops will not be in place until mid-June, and they will need considerable time after that to make any significant impact.
"In a counterinsurgency, we've quickly learned they must be immersed into the local populace," he added. "And it will take new units anywhere from 30 to 60 days to really get a feel for their sectors so they truly can have an impact on security and stability in their area."
General Odierno says he is sending more troops to Diyala Province, just north and east of Baghdad, to fight insurgents who are fleeing to that area from the capital. He says it will continue to be a tough fight in Iraq for some time.
He also reports that some units are facing a new threat, what he calls "deep-buried IEDs," large improvised explosive devices that insurgents have buried around their strongholds.
"In terms of the IEDs, the problem is they're getting bigger and bigger, and it has a lot to do [with] because we were not in these areas, so it gave them time to make bigger IEDs and bury them," he noted. "As we get more presence in these areas it will be more difficult for them to do that."
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| Iraqi soldiers search a car in Baghdad, 30 May 2007 |
General Odierno says insurgents are also targeting Iraqi security forces because they have become a bigger threat to the insurgents. He says he supports proposals to increase the size of the new Iraqi army so it is large enough to secure the country after coalition combat forces eventually withdraw.
At the same time, General Odierno says he has ordered his commanders to put more effort into contacting insurgent groups and trying to get them to stop their attacks.
"We have refocused our commanders at all levels," he explained. "I'm empowering them and trying to give them some tools to reach out because there are insurgents reaching out to us, which is the most important thing, so we want to reach back to them."
General Odierno says he believes most of the Shi'ite and Sunni insurgents in Iraq can be convinced to reconcile with the government, but not most of the insurgents affiliated with al-Qaida.
"I believe about 80 percent are reconcilable, both Jesh al-Mahdi and Sunni insurgents," he said. "I believe very few of al-Qaida are reconcilable."
General Odierno says reconciliation is essential for long-term stability in Iraq. And he says the coalition is trying to promote that, in part, through increased efforts on economic development, in addition to the security surge.
| Washington 31 May 2007 |
DownloadThe intense debate over immigration reform in the United States has revealed some rather unusual political alliances in recent months. VOA National correspondent Jim Malone has more from Washington.
The old saying that politics makes strange bedfellows certainly applies to the immigration debate under way in the U.S. Senate.
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| Illegal immigrants detained by US Border Patrol |
The plan has the support of President Bush and a diverse bipartisan group of senators that includes Democrat Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts on the left and Republican Jon Kyl of Arizona on the right.
"And from my perspective, it is not perfec," said Kyl. "But it represents the best opportunity that we have in a bipartisan way to do something about this problem."
But Kyl and other conservatives who support the bill are paying a political price for their endorsement. Conservative activists like radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh see the proposal as a form of amnesty for millions who entered the country illegally.
"If you are in our country, you cannot be a burden to taxpayers," said Limbaugh. "You are not entitled to welfare or food stamps or other government goodies. And another thing, you do not have the right to protest."
"You are allowed no demonstrations, no foreign flag-waving, no political organizing, no bad-mouthing our president or his policies. You are a foreigner. Shut your mouth or get out. And if you come here illegally, you are going to jail," he continued.
Conservative opponents have found some uneasy allies on the political left.
Civil rights groups and labor unions object to a provision in the bill that would establish a temporary guest worker program that would allow immigrants to work in the United States for a limited time and then return to their home countries.
"As long as this two-tiered system exists, all workers will suffer, because employers will have available a ready pool of labor that they can exploit to drive down wages, benefits, health and safety protections and other workplace standards," said Linda Chavez Thompson, who is with the AFL-CIO, the largest federation of trade unions in the United States.
Immigration has also become a major issue in the early stages of the 2008 presidential campaign.
One Republican candidate, Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo, has made stopping illegal immigration the centerpiece of his presidential campaign.
"Millions of listeners have helped us stop amnesty and make almost every candidate running for public office at least pretend to oppose illegal immigration. So join me, because securing our borders is the first step in securing our future," he said.
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| George W. Bush, 24 May 2007 |
"But if you are serious about securing our borders and bringing millions of illegal immigrants in our country out of the shadows, this bipartisan bill is the best opportunity to move forward," said the presient.
A recent New York Times-CBS News poll indicated that there is broad support for some of the major provisions in the immigration bill.
A large majority in the survey favored allowing illegal immigrants already in the country to gain legal status. There was also strong support for the creation of a new guest worker program.
The poll also showed that 82 percent of those asked supported tighter enforcement of the borders and stiffer penalties for businesses that hire illegal immigrants.
Republican political strategist Ed Goeas says passage of immigration reform will depend on political centrists from both parties being able to withstand opposition from both the right and left.
"We both have our wings that are anti-immigration," said Goeas. "But that is a real opportunity for the president to come forward and say, here is what I have been trying to do on immigration, now is our opportunity to bring in both the middle [centrist] majority from the Democratic side and the middle majority from the Republican side and solve this problem."
The Senate has already made changes to the original immigration proposal and more challenges are expected before final approval. The Senate version would then have to be reconciled with a version yet to be passed by the House of Representatives, then signed into law by the president.
| White House 31 May 2007 |
DownloadPresident Bush will go to next week's Group of Eight Summit in Germany armed with a new proposal to combat global climate change. VOA's Paula Wolfson has details from the White House.
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| President Bush outlines his proposal during a speech in Washington, 31 May 2007 |
"To help develop this goal, the United States would convene a series of meetings of nations that produce most greenhouse gas emissions, including nations with rapidly growing economies like India and China," he said.
Mr. Bush says countries will then set their own mid-term targets. He says each nation will come up with an individual plan of action based on its own unique mix of resources and energy needs.
In a speech to a coalition of groups concerned with international development, the president said the U.S. wants to work with others. He emphasized America's willingness to share its technological know how.
"The way to meet the challenge of energy and global climate change is through technology. And the United States is in the lead. The world is on the verge of great breakthroughs that will help us become better stewards of the environment," he said.
President Bush talked about improvements in clean coal technology, and the development of plant-based fuels such as ethanol. He said the United States hopes to reach agreements with many countries this year to drop tariffs on clean energy technologies and services
"If you are truly committed to helping the environment, nations need to get rid of their tariffs; they need to get rid of those barriers that prevent new technologies from coming into their countries," he said.
Climate change is sure to be one of the dominant issues when the leaders of the eight largest industrialized nations meet next week for their annual summit. Host Germany has already proposed its own formula for international targets, which has been rejected by the Bush administration.
White House officials deny this latest announcement by the president is designed to blunt criticism of the United States at the G8. The U.S. refused to sign the last major international agreement on greenhouse gases - the Kyoto Protocol - which runs out in 2012.
| Johannesburg 31 May 2007 |
DownloadBritish Prime Minister Tony Blair has urged African governments to hold Zimbabwe to account and to do so urgently. VOA's Delia Robertson reports from Johannesburg that Mr Blair was speaking in Johannesburg on the final leg of his official farewell tour of the African continent.
Mr. Blair said that decades of repression in Zimbabwe have forced as many as one-third of Zimbabweans to leave their country for opportunities elsewhere. While he expressed support for the effort of South African President Thabo Mbeki regarding Zimbabwe, he reminded his host that time is fast running out. 
Tony Blair, right, waves during a visit to local local community radio station in Soweto, South Africa, 31 May 2007
"Now I welcome the determination of the countries of southern Africa to tackle Zimbabwe's problems through the SADC [Southern African Development Community] and President Mbeki's leadership to bring the two countries leadership together. The world is waiting, wanting to engage with a reforming Zimbabwe government," he said. "We support therefore SADC's efforts to develop a clear plan but for the people of Zimbabwe this is urgent and change before the 2008 elections essential."
Mr. Blair had strong words for Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir over the crisis in Darfur, where some 200,000 people have been killed and millions are now dependent on food aid.
"I believe it is wrong that President Bashir, intent, I'm afraid, on bombing his way to a solution, is determined to obstruct any effort made to reinforce the Africa Union's inability to improve security and stability," he added.
Under Mr. Blair's leadership, the British government has expanded its programs in Africa, and the British leader has excellent relations with many African leaders. He urged other western governments to do more for Africa, saying that the time has past for international politics to be defined by narrow, traditional national interests.
"I believe that now, today, our self interest is in substantial part defined by the well being of others," he said. "The consequence of globalization is that our best chance of security and prosperity lies in advancing freedom, opportunity and justice for all."
"It follows that where oppression, poverty and injustice exist, it is not only our duty but also in our self interest to do what we can to bring about change for the better," continued Mr. Blair. "And I believe that nowhere is that clearer than here in Africa."
But Mr. Blair said African countries must respond equally, and meet their own commitments to strengthen their democracies, deliver essential services to their people, and work harder to eradicate corruption.
After his speech, Mr. Blair met with South African elder statesman Nelson Mandela, who welcomed the British leader warmly and described him a true friend of Africa. On Friday, Mr. Blair will meet with President Mbeki, before leaving the continent.
| Cairo 31 May 2007 |
DownloadAn Egyptian court has refused opposition leader Ayman Nour's request for early release from prison. Nour, who ran against President Mubarak in Egypt's only contested presidential election, made the appeal for health reasons. Reporter Cache Seel has details from Cairo.
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| Ayman Nour (r) with Mohammed Mahdi Akef, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Cairo, 14 Aug 2005 |
In a closed session, Judge Adel Gomaa rejected jailed opposition leader Ayman Nour's bid to have the remainder of his sentence commuted. Nour is serving a five-year sentence after being convicted of forging petitions required to form a political party. He denies the charges and says the case is politically motivated.
Nour, who has been in prison since December 2005, is an insulin-dependent diabetic and he made the appeal for health reasons. His wife, Gamila Ismail, claims that harsh treatment in prison, including alleged beatings, along with his untreated diabetes, have eroded her husband's health to the point where his life is in jeopardy.
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| Gamila Ismail, wife of prominent jailed dissident Ayman Nour, displays a picture of his injuries from bad treatment inside his prison, 31 May 2007 |
Before the verdict, she described herself as cautiously optimistic.
"Well, I had a wheelchair in my car today," she said. "I planned to take him back in a wheelchair and put him in a hospital and get him properly treated."
Nour's lawyer says he will appeal the decision as well as file complaints with the ministry of justice over Judge Gomaa's handling of the case. The lawyer, Amir Salem, says he was not only prevented from entering the courtroom, but the judge took less than five minutes to review the case.
"What happened today was a real violation for the criminal procedures law because the police forces, by force they prevented us, the defense for Ayman Nour to attend the court session and also they prevented Ayman Nour to attend the session," said Salem.
Salem says he is more optimistic about Nour's chances for a favorable verdict from the Administrative Court, which will review the case on June 12.
Nour, a former independent member of parliament, founded the opposition El-Ghad party in 2004. In Egypt's first multi-candidate presidential election one year later, he finished a distant second to incumbent President Hosni Mubarak. His case has brought harsh criticism from human rights groups as well as western governments, including the United States and other close allies of Egypt.
31 May 2007| A Brief History of the World Trade Organization | |
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DownloadThis is the VOA Special English Economics Report.
A question from Vietnam. Listener Nguyen Minh Tan wants to know more about the World Trade Organization and its history.
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| Pascal Lamy is WTO director-general |
But the roots of the W.T.O. date back to World War Two and the years that followed.
In nineteen forty-four, a meeting took place in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire: the International Monetary Conference. There, negotiators agreed to create the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. But they could not agree on an organization to deal with international trade.
Three years later, in nineteen forty-seven, twenty-three nations approved the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, or GATT. It was meant to be temporary. Trade negotiations under GATT were carried out in a series of talks called rounds. The first round lowered import taxes on one-fifth of world trade. Later rounds produced additional cuts, and negotiators added more issues.
The sixth round began in nineteen sixty-three. It was called the Kennedy Round after the murder of President John F. Kennedy. The results included an agreement against trade dumping. This is when one country sells a product in another country at an unfairly low price.
The eighth round of talks began in Punta del Este, Uruguay, in nineteen eighty-six. The Uruguay Round lasted almost twice as long as planned. In all, one hundred twenty-three nations took part in seven-and-a-half years of work. They set time limits for future negotiations. They also agreed to create a permanent system to settle trade disputes.
In April of nineteen ninety-four, most of those one hundred twenty-three nations signed an agreement. It replaced GATT with the World Trade Organization.
The W.T.O. launched a new round on development issues in Doha, Qatar, in November of two thousand one. These talks were supposed to end by January of two thousand five. But negotiators could not agree on issues involving agricultural protections. The current round has been suspended since last July.
And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report, written by Mario Ritter. Next week, more about the W.T.O. I'm Bob Doughty.
31 May 2007| The Gentle Barn: A Place Where Animals, and People, Can Find Healing | |
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DownloadHOST:
Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.
(MUSIC)
I'm Doug Johnson. On our show this week:
We answer a question about the Marshall Plan …
Play music from Mary Chapin Carpenter …
And report about a place that helps animals heal.
Gentle Barn
Gentle Barn is a place where abused animals can find a home. Ellie Laks started Gentle Barn in nineteen ninety-nine. Faith Lapidus has more about this special place.
FAITH LAPIDUS:
Like many people, Ellie Laks loves animals. She has turned that love into an effort to save abused animals and help young people at the same time.
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| Ellie Laks started the Gentle Barn in 1999 |
Ellie, her husband, Jay Weiner, and others provide treatment and care for the animals at Gentle Barn. Twenty to thirty people offer to work with the animals without pay. The animals usually grow to accept and love people. And they build close relationships with their keepers.
Visitors can touch and hold animals they would normally never have a chance to see. As many as three hundred visitors come to Gentle Barn each week. Most are young people ages four to eighteen. Some are from inner city schools. Some are children with special needs. Some of the children were abused or come from families with problems.
Ellie Laks says the animals provide examples for the young people that abuse can be overcome. She says young people see a different side of themselves when they are near animals. They feel they can develop a connection with an animal whose story is similar to their own.
Since it opened, Gentle Barn has had more than one hundred thousand visitors. Ellie Laks and Jay Weiner dream of some day opening Gentle Barns all over the world.
You can visit Gentle Barn and read the stories of many of the animals online at www.gentlebarn.org.
The Marshall Plan
HOST:
Our VOA Listener question this week comes from Ghana. David Dakura asks us to explain the Marshall Plan.
The Marshall Plan was part of an American policy to help Europe recover after the Second World War in the nineteen forties. The war had destroyed the economies of many countries in Europe.
The United States and its allies were concerned that communist governments would take control of many of these countries unless they took action.
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| George Marshall at Harvard where he announced a plan to aid Europe |
First, Congress agreed to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Greece and Turkey. Then, President Truman and his advisers developed a plan to rebuild the economies of European countries. Secretary of State George Marshall visited Europe in nineteen forty-seven. He was shocked by what he saw. Europe was ruined. People were cold and starving because of a lack of fuel and food. And they were starting to suffer from diseases like tuberculosis.
Secretary Marshall announced his plan to the graduating class at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He promised that the United States would do "whatever it is able to do to assist in the return of normal economic health in the world."
Marshall Plan aid was offered to all countries in Europe. The Soviet Union and its allies refused the help. But sixteen other countries welcomed the aid. The Economic Cooperation Administration of the Marshall Plan worked with these countries from nineteen forty-eight until nineteen fifty-two. It spent thirteen billion dollars. The aid included food, fuel, raw materials, goods, loans, machines and advisers.
The Marshall Plan was a great success. It started huge economic growth in Europe. Agricultural production increased by ten percent. Industrial production increased by thirty-five percent. And stronger economies helped prevent communists from gaining control of the governments in France and Italy.
Some Europeans criticized the Marshall Plan. They said it increased tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union in the years after the war. Yet few people could argue that the Marshall Plan was one of the most successful international economic programs in history. George Marshall was recognized for his work in nineteen fifty-three when he received the Nobel Peace Prize.
Mary Chapin Carpenter
For twenty years, Mary Chapin Carpenter has been making records that combine the sounds of rock, folk, and country music. Her tenth album, “The Calling,” is filled with warm and personal songs. A few even have a strong political message. Barbara Klein has more.
(MUSIC)
BARBARA KLEIN:
That was the song “Houston.” Carpenter sings about the tragic story of Hurricane Katrina victims left homeless after the storm hit in two thousand five. The person in the song remembers a home and way of life that no longer exist.
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| Mary Chapin Carpenter |
Here is the title song of the album, “The Calling.” Carpenter sings about the ways people look for and come to understand their purpose in life.
(MUSIC)
We close with “On With the Song.” Mary Chapin Carpenter honors the three female musicians of the country music band, the Dixie Chicks. The Dixie Chicks were rejected and even threatened by many listeners for criticizing the war in Iraq and President Bush. In this song, Carpenter expresses her support for the brave musicians. She calls them “three little stars” in a big sky who fight for what they believe in and give others hope.
(MUSIC:"On With the Song")
HOST:
I'm Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program today. It was written by Dana Demange, Mario Ritter and Nancy Steinbach. Caty Weaver was our producer. To read the text of this program and download audio, go to our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com.
Send your questions about American life to mosaic@voanews.com. Please include your full name and mailing address. Or write to American Mosaic, VOA Special English, Washington, D.C., two-zero-two-three-seven, U.S.A.
Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA’s radio magazine in Special English.
| Washington 30 May 2007 |
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The U.S. military says all 20,000 additional combat troops President Bush ordered to Iraq in January have now arrived, with the last unit set to be fully operational in a couple of weeks. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon officials say the increased tempo of U.S. military operations in Iraq is responsible for some progress toward establishing security in Baghdad, but also for the high U.S. death toll this month. 
Iraqi boy takes cover behind US soldier after gunshots ring out in busy central Baghdad commercial district, 28 May 2007
As of late Wednesday, the Pentagon reports that 115 U.S. troops have been killed so far in Iraq in May, with one more day left to go, making the month one of the deadliest of the war for U.S. forces. "It's been a tough month," said Brigadier General Perry Wiggins.
At a Pentagon news conference, General Wiggins said the greater risks of the new Baghdad Security Plan were known in advance, and he said the increased presence of U.S. troops in the city's neighborhoods is creating progress, as well as casualties. "We're moving into places where we haven't been, not necessarily (ever) before but we haven't been and stayed with the frequency that we're staying in these areas now. And there are some areas where, in the past, the enemy elected to just move on out, wait until we departed and come back in. In this particular case, they're finding that harder to do," he said.
General Wiggins said commanders are "starting to see a shift of momentum" with more support from ordinary Iraqis and a 50 percent decrease in insurgent attacks in western al-Anbar Province. But he also acknowledged what he called a slight increase in attacks in Baghdad. He could not immediately provide specific figures for either location, but the general said insurgents continue to be able to carry out dramatic, large-scale bombing attacks, and also to hit U.S. and Iraqi targets with smaller bombs.
The general charged that Iranian operatives are providing technology and training to some Iraqi insurgents, and that some of the training is done by the elite Iranian Quds Force inside Iraq. But he said the U.S. military still has not determined which, if any, senior Iranian officials are behind the effort.
| Washington 30 May 2007 |
DownloadThe news that a fourth Iranian-American may have been arrested in Iran for alleged espionage has heightened questions about the Tehran government's seemingly contradictory behavior. Iranian and U.S. officials have just completed their first publicly acknowledged high-level meeting to discuss stabilizing Iraq. As VOA correspondent Gary Thomas reports, the arrests may be a sign of divisions within Iran's leadership.
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| Haleh Esfandiari, Director of the Middle East program at the Woodrow Wilson Center |
Karim Sadjapour was living and working in Tehran for the International Crisis Group until recently. He says the atmosphere there has changed markedly in recent months.
"The mood in Iran in terms of the crackdown on political speech and societal openness is as bad as it's been since the early days of the revolution," he said.
The government has accused at least three visiting Iranian-Americans of espionage, including Haleh Esfandiari, director of the Middle East program at the non-governmental Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars in Washington. Also charged are Kian Tajbakhsh, an urban planning consultant with George Soros' Open Society Institute, and Parnaz Azima, a journalist with the U.S. government-funded Radio Farda.
U.S. officials have emphatically denied that they were engaged in any espionage activity, with White House spokesman Tony Snow Wednesday labeling the allegations "preposterous."
Esfandiari's husband, Shaul Bakhash, who teaches modern Middle Eastern and Iranian history at George Mason University, says he is as perplexed as anyone else about the matter.
"After all, my wife, as the director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center, has merely organized conferences, meetings, and talks," he said. "She has brought Iranians, respected Iranian academics and scholars and analysts, to the Wilson Center. The Iranian government does exactly the same thing in reverse. Its own research centers invite scholars and academics and the like from the United States, from Europe, from others, to conferences in Iran."
However, some American scholars planning to visit Iran recently for such a conference found their visas suddenly revoked.
Bill Samii, an Iran specialist at the Center for Naval Analysis, says U.S.-Iran talks on Iraq and the crackdown in Tehran underscore divisions within the secretive circle of Iran's leadership.
"We always get back to this argument about this sort of bifurcated nature of the Iranian governmental system in which you have various factions and various leaderships or various centers of power pursuing different agendas," he said. "And I think that that's what we're seeing in this case."
Karim Sadjapour, now with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, says there is what he calls "schizophrenia" in Iran's ruling circles. He says there are entrenched hardline elements who have vested political and financial interests in maintaining the hostile relationship between Iran and the West.
"So any time you see a movement toward a dialogue with the U.S. or a warming of ties between Iran and the West, you have these hardline elements that aim to scuttle this dialogue," he explained. "So this is why we may see these things simultaneously: at the same time the Iranian government is talking to the U.S. about Iraq, you see the hardliners behind the imprisonment of people like Haleh and Kian to try to torpedo these talks from going forward."
Sadjapour adds that he is sad that it is now too dangerous for him, as an Iranian-American, to go back to Iran. But he says he now has to be less circumspect in his analysis of Iranian affairs.
"I've resigned myself to the fact that Iran is no longer a safe place to live and work for those of us who are dual nationals and those of us who work on issues of U.S.-Iran relations and Iranian internal politics," he added. "And in some ways, it's liberating to know that I can't go back. I feel upset that I am unable to go back. I still have family. But in some ways we can be more honest in our analysis because we have to, I think, be very clear in pointing out that the behavior of the Iranian government, and at this moment, is simply unacceptable."
It is not clear when, or even if, any of the accused will face trial. Bill Samii points out that espionage cases are held before Revolutionary Courts, which have great flexibility and discretion.
| Washington 30 May 2007 |
DownloadPresident Bush says a primary goal of immigration reform is to bring millions of illegal aliens "out of the shadows" and provide a path to legal residency and eventual U.S. citizenship. But while the president champions such reform, the United States is set to implement the largest-ever boost in fees charged to those applying for residency and citizenship. VOA's Michael Bowman reports from Washington, advocates for immigrants say the administration is sending mixed messages to an often fearful and vulnerable community.
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| Russian immigrant Sveta Nikitina poses with her immigration papers at her home in Mill Valley, California (February 2007 photo) |
Some say the higher fees undermine President Bush's stated goals on immigration.
"To come up with $1,000 per family member to obtain permanent residence - it is going to keep a lot of people in the shadows for a very long time," says Crystal Williams, a deputy director at the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
Williams says the new fees constitute an enormous financial hurdle that will force countless poorer immigrants to delay applications - and may lead some to give up entirely.
But officials at the Citizenship and Immigration Service point out that the agency receives no federal funds to process applications. Costs are covered entirely by fees charged. They say unless those fees reflect actual costs, services would have to be cut back and waiting times for applicants would increase.
"We realize that anytime we increase the fees that there is a burden there," says USCIS spokesman Chris Bentley. "There is pain that is caused along the way. However, to be able to remain a world class service provider, to be able to get the services and benefits in a timely manner to the people who deserve them, we simply need the resources to be able to make that happen."
Bentley adds that refugees and asylum-seekers will remain exempt from charge, and some fees can be reduced for residency and citizenship applicants facing dire economic hardship.
But if USCIS is constrained by its dependence on fees for operating costs, then it is time to change the system, according to Donald Kerwin of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network.
"Citizenship is a national good. It is important for our country. And so we think that to fix the system, to reduce backlogs and improve technology, there needs to be appropriated monies [federal funds] for this. It needs to go beyond the fee-based system," he said.
Some in Congress counter that it would be wrong to shift the financial burden to U.S. taxpayers. Republican Congressman Steve King of Iowa says the new fees are still far lower than what illegal immigrants typically pay smugglers to cross the U.S.-Mexico border.
"We are seeing coyote [smuggler] fees go up to $1,500 to $2,500 per person," he said. "I do not see any fees levied by USCIS that were that high. So if it is cheaper to have access to becoming a citizen than it is to be transported [illegally] to the United States, then, no, I do not think those fees are too high by comparison."
Immigration officials also defend the fee system, saying it provides spending flexibility, since revenues go up in proportion to any rise in applications. They say previous fee hikes have not resulted in drastic reductions in applications for residency or citizenship.
Immigrant advocates counter that the current fee hike is far greater than any previous increase. They also note studies showing the percentage of eligible immigrants applying for U.S. citizenship dropping in recent decades. Opinions vary as to the cause, but immigrant advocates say making it more expensive for immigrants to pursue legal status or citizenship can only serve as a further deterrent.
30 May 2007| How Foreign Citizens Become Doctors in the US | |
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DownloadThis is the VOA Special English Education Report.
We continue our Foreign Student Series this week with a question from a doctor at a hospital in Vietnam. Tran Kinh Thanh in Ho Chi Minh City asks how a foreign doctor can become an American doctor.
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To be accepted, foreign-trained doctors need approval from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. The process involves passing several tests. After that, foreign doctors can receive a visa to stay in the United States, at least for the training period.
Practicing medicine in the United States also involves other steps.
But the first thing that foreign-trained doctors have to do is make sure they attended a recognized medical school. It has to be listed in the FAIMER International Medical Education Directory. FAIMER is the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research.
If their school is not listed, then foreign-trained doctors cannot be approved for a residency. One solution is to go back to medical school -- an American medical school.
One hundred twenty-five schools in the United States belong to the Association of American Medical Colleges. The group says more than one thousand one hundred foreign citizens applied for the current school year. One-fourth of them were admitted last fall.
Almost all medical schools in the United States require applicants to report scores from the Medical College Admission Test.
Future doctors in the United States traditionally complete four years of medical school after undergraduate school. Then, as residents, they treat patients under the supervision of experienced doctors. A residency is generally between three and seven years. The first year is called an internship.
The Association of American Medical Colleges publishes a book called Medical School Admissions Requirements. The newest one is for two thousand eight-two thousand nine. The guide has details about every school as well as information for foreign students.
The book costs twenty-five dollars and can be ordered through the association's Web site.
For a link to that site, go to voaspecialenglish.com. You can also find all of the earlier reports in our Foreign Student Series on higher education in the United States.
And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. I'm Bob Doughty.
30 May 2007| US History: Ford Leads Nation Through Difficult Days of Watergate | |
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DownloadVOICE ONE:
This is Mary Tillotson.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Steve Ember with THE MAKING OF A NATION -- a VOA Special English program about the history of the United States.
(MUSIC)
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| Gerald Ford is sworn-in by Chief Justice Warren Burger. At center is Ford's wife, Betty. |
VOICE ONE:
Gerald Ford was sworn-in as president on August ninth, nineteen seventy-four. The day before, President Richard Nixon had announced that he would resign.
If he had not resigned, he probably would have been removed from office. A Congressional investigation had found evidence that Nixon violated the Constitutional rights of the American people during the Watergate case.
The new president spoke about Watergate, and what it meant to America, on the day he was sworn-in.
FORD: "Our long national nightmare is over. Our Constitution works. Our great republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here the people rule. ... As we bind up the internal wounds of Watergate -- more painful and more poisonous than those of foreign wars -- let us restore the 'Golden Rule' to our political process and let brotherly love purge our hearts of suspicion and of hate."
VOICE TWO:
Gerald Ford became the only president in American history to serve as vice president and president without being elected.
Richard Nixon nominated him for vice president in October, nineteen seventy-three. That was when Nixon's vice president, Spiro Agnew, resigned. When Nixon himself resigned, Ford became president.
Ford was a long-time Congressman from the state of Michigan. He was well-liked. He had been a good student and a good athlete. He studied economics and political science at the University of Michigan. The he studied law at Yale University. During World War Two, he served as a Navy officer in the Pacific battle area.
VOICE ONE:
After the war, Ford entered politics. He was a member of the Republican Party. He was first elected to Congress in nineteen forty-eight. He won re-election twelve times. Other Republican members of the House of Representatives elected him minority leader during the presidential administration of Democrat Lyndon Johnson.
Ford was still minority leader when Republican Richard Nixon was elected president in nineteen sixty-eight. In his leadership position, he helped win approval of a number of Nixon's proposals. He became known for his strong loyalty to the president. It was no surprise, then, that Nixon named Ford vice president.
VOICE TWO:
Gerald Ford became president suddenly. Almost as suddenly, he had to decide what to do about former President Nixon. After Nixon left office, he could have been charged with crimes for his part in the Watergate case. Instead, one month after Nixon resigned, President Ford settled the question. He pardoned Nixon of any crimes for which he might have been responsible.
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| Announcing his pardon of Richard Nixon |
The new president did what he thought was right. He said he pardoned Nixon to end divisions in the country. For a while, however, his action seemed to increase the divisions.
VOICE ONE:
Anger about the pardon was still strong when President Ford took another highly disputed action. He pardoned the men who illegally escaped military service in the Vietnam War. Most were not sent to prison. Instead, they were permitted to perform work for their communities. Many of the men did not accept the president's offer, however. They remained in hiding in the United States. Or they remained in other countries where they had fled.
President Ford received much better public support when he asked Congress to control and limit the activities of the nation's intelligence agencies. He hoped this would prevent future administrations from interfering with the Constitutional rights of citizens.
VOICE TWO:
Other problems also caused trouble for President Ford. As vice president, he had described inflation as America's 'public enemy number one'. He proposed several measures to fight it. As president, he was forced to cancel some of these measures because there was an economic recession.
During the recession, inflation decreased. But fewer Americans had jobs. Unemployment in nineteen seventy-five was at its highest rate since the great economic depression of the nineteen thirties.
VOICE ONE:
In foreign policy, Ford usually took the advice of Henry Kissinger. Kissinger served as President Nixon's assistant for national security and as secretary of state. He kept those jobs under President Ford.
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| Secretary of State Henry Kissinger |
Still, President Ford was pleased that Kissinger would remain in the administration. Even Kissinger's worst critics admitted that he was excellent negotiator.
VOICE TWO:
At the time Ford became president, America's situation in the world was generally hopeful. Former President Nixon and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev had signed two agreements to limit the spread of nuclear weapons. Also, relations with China were less tense than before.
However, American policy in parts of Southeast Asia had failed completely.
VOICE ONE:
American involvement in the Vietnam war officially ended the year before Ford became president. But fighting continued between South Vietnam and communist forces from North Vietnam. The peace agreement signed by the United States and North Vietnam in nineteen seventy-three left South Vietnam to defend itself. By nineteen seventy-five, it became clear that South Vietnamese forces were in danger of defeat.
President Ford tried to prevent a total communist take-over of the south. He asked Congress to approve seven hundred-million dollars in military aid for South Vietnam. The American people, however, were tired of paying for the war. Their representatives in Congress said no.
VOICE TWO:
What happened in Vietnam was like a bad dream. Communist forces moved into Saigon, capital of the south. Ford ordered the rescue of American citizens and of Vietnamese who had supported American efforts. Few who saw people trying to escape Saigon will ever forget the day.
It was April thirtieth, nineteen seventy-five. Terrified Vietnamese were screaming for help at the American embassy. Everyone was pushing, trying to escape. Some who reached the embassy's roof passed their children forward. At least, they hoped, they could get the children to safety on American military helicopters. Others held on to the helicopters from the outside as the overloaded aircraft tried to take off.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
The Ford administration also faced trouble in the Middle East. Israel and an alliance of Arab nations had fought two wars in about ten years. After the war of nineteen seventy-three, Henry Kissinger led negotiations to settle some issues.
Israel agreed to give up some of the territory it had seized during the fighting. In return, the United States made a promise. It would not recognize or deal with the Palestine Liberation Organization as long as the P-L-O failed to meet certain conditions. In September, nineteen seventy-five, Israel and Egypt signed a ceasefire agreement. They also agreed to permit American civilians to act as observers along the ceasefire lines.
Henry Kissinger received widespread praise for his peacemaking efforts. Yet the situation in the Middle East remained tense.
VOICE TWO:
The Ford administration could not fix all the problems of the world. Still, as the presidential election campaign of nineteen-seventy-six began, things seemed better. The United States was not fighting any wars. Unemployment was high. But inflation had improved a little. Most important, Gerald Ford had led the country through the difficult days after Watergate.
The election will be our story next time.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
This program of THE MAKING OF A NATION was written by Jeri Watson and produced by Cynthia Kirk. This is Mary Tillotson.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Steve Ember. Join us again next week for another VOA Special English program about the history of the United States.
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Editor's Note: Gerald Ford died December 26, 2006, at his home in Rancho Mirage, California, at the age of 93.
| State Department 29 May 2007 |
DownloadThe United States Tuesday dismissed as absurd charges by Iran that three Iranian-Americans visiting that country were involved in spying. The charges were announced only a day after U.S. and Iranian diplomats held a rare face-to-face meeting in Baghdad. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.
The State Department says none of the three Iranian-Americans directly worked for the United States government or was engaged in U.S. government business on their visits to Iran, and that the spy charges by Tehran authorities are absurd.
The comments followed an announcement from Iranian judicial authorities that the three dual citizens, who had been prevented from leaving the country after routine visits, are now accused of espionage.
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| Haleh Esfandiari |
She had been barred from leaving Iran since last December after visiting her ailing mother and has been held since earlier this month at Tehran's Evin prison, which has been linked in the past to human rights abuses.
Also reported to be in custody is Kian Tajbaksh, a social scientist and urban planer for the New York-based Open Society Institute, which says he was jailed about two weeks ago.
The third Iranian-American, journalist Parnaz Azima of the U.S.-funded Radio Farda, has not been jailed. But her passport was confiscated and she has been barred from leaving Iran since January after also going to there for a family visit.
At a news briefing, State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey said the United States has not been officially notified of the espionage charges and that Iran has not responded to requests for consular access to the three by the Swiss government, which looks after U.S. interests in Tehran.
Casey insisted the charges against them are without substance.
"These are individuals who are private citizens," he said. "They are not party to any of the policy disputes between the government of the United States and the government of Iran. It's absolutely absurd to think that they in any way, shape or form pose a threat to the Iranian regime. And we continue to urge the Iranian government to let them go, to let them go back to visiting their families, to come back home to be with their families here, and to continue with the very basic people-to-people kind of work that they've been pursuing in Iran for many years."
In addition to the three Iranian-Americans now accused of spying, the United States has been seeking information about the fate of a former U.S. FBI agent, , who went missing after arriving in March at Iran's Kish Island resort in the Persian Gulf.
Iran has denied, in messages conveyed by the Swiss, any knowledge of Levinson's whereabouts but U.S. officials are skeptical, pointing to press reports that he may have been detained shortly after his arrival in Iran.
There have been news accounts Iran may intend to use the U.S. citizens it holds as bargaining chips for the release of five Iranians detained in northern Iraq since January for alleged involvement in attacks on U.S.-led coalition forces.
However, Spokesman Casey said he is unaware of any linkage between the five Iranians the United States says were lawfully detained in Iraq and the cases of the three dual citizens facing spy charges.
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| Ambassador Ryan Crocker, (r), and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Kazemi Qomi, (l), attend a meeting in Baghdad, 28 May 2007 |
The United States and Iran have not had diplomatic relations since 1979 and interaction between the two governments has been rare.
Monday's talks in Iraq were limited to Iraqi security issues. Though no substantive advances were announced, the two sides were said to have agreed on the general need for a stable and peaceful Iraq.
| Beirut 29 May 2007 |
DownloadSporadic gunfire during the day between Lebanese soldiers and Islamic militants in a Palestinian refugee camp ended in heavy clashes just before sunset near the northern port city of Tripoli. From the Lebanese capital, VOA's Margaret Besheer has more on the day's developments.
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| Lebanese army's armored personnel carrier behind a shattered wall in Tripoli, 29 May 2007 |
The soldier's death raises to 34 the number of Lebanese troops killed since fighting erupted nine days ago.
Sporadic clashes during the day Tuesday gave way to heavy fighting just before sunset, with the Lebanese army firing artillery to silence the militants' fire.
Several hundred al-Qaida inspired militants are believed to be holed up inside the Nahr el-Bared refugee camp.
Most of the camp's residents have now evacuated to the nearby Beddawi refugee camp, where displaced Palestinians protested Tuesday against their poor living conditions and to show their desire to return home.
Mohammed Akra, a displaced resident, said Nahr el-Bared residents are demanding to return to their homes in the camp because they are suffering more than anyone can imagine.
Nahr el-Bared has been a no-go zone for journalists and civilians for the last nine days. Only evacuating residents have been allowed out after they have been screened by the Lebanese Army to be sure they are not escaping militants or smuggling weapons.
Lebanon's government has vowed to root out the militants, while the militants have vowed to fight to the death.
Muslim cleric Walid Abu Haider urged all parties to act quickly to reach a political understanding that would guarantee the displaced Palestinians would be allowed to return to their homes.
Meanwhile, in an upscale Christian neighborhood of Beirut, a man suspected of belonging to Fatah al-Islam was arrested Tuesday after police raided the apartment where he was staying.
Police officials said the man had rented the apartment using a forged Lebanese name and passport and had in his possession several other forged foreign passports. Police also confiscated several CDs and other material that appeared to be related to the group's work.
