UN votes to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons

September 28, 2013

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Friday night to secure and destroy Syria's chemical weapons stockpile, a landmark decision aimed at taking poison gas off the battlefield in the escalating 2 1/2-year conflict.

The vote after two weeks of intense negotiations marked a major breakthrough in the paralysis that has gripped the council since the Syrian uprising began. Russia and China previously vetoed three Western-backed resolutions pressuring President Bashar Assad's regime to end the violence.

"Today's historic resolution is the first hopeful news on Syria in a long time," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the council immediately after the vote, but he and others stressed that much more needs to be done to stop the fighting that has left more 100,000 dead.

"A red light for one form of weapons does not mean a green light for others," the U.N. chief said. "This is not a license to kill with conventional weapons." U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the "strong, enforceable, precedent-setting" resolution shows that diplomacy can be so powerful "that it can peacefully defuse the worst weapons of war."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed that the resolution does not automatically impose sanctions on Syria. The resolution calls for consequences if Syria fails to comply, but those will depend on the council passing another resolution in the event of non-compliance. That will give Assad ally Russia the means to stop any punishment from being imposed.

As a sign of the broad support for the resolution, all 15 council members signed on as co-sponsors. For the first time, the council endorsed the roadmap for a political transition in Syria adopted by key nations in June 2012 and called for an international conference to be convened "as soon as possible" to implement it.

Ban said the target date for a new peace conference in Geneva is mid-November. Whether the council can remain united to press for an end to the conflict remains to be seen. "We know despite its clear usefulness, one resolution alone will not save Syria," France's Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said after the vote.

Syria's U.N. Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari accused unnamed nations of already giving the resolution a negative interpretation and trying to "derail it from its lofty purposes." And Republican senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, who have been harshly critical of Obama's policy on Syria, dismissed the resolution as "another triumph of hope over reality." It "contains no meaningful or immediate enforcement mechanisms, let alone a threat of the use of force for the Assad regime's non-compliance," they said in a statement that was highly skeptical that Russia would ever approve a threat of force for non-compliance.

The vote came just hours after the world's chemical weapons watchdog adopted a U.S.-Russian plan that lays out benchmarks and timelines for cataloging, quarantining and ultimately destroying Syria's chemical weapons, their precursors and delivery systems.

The Security Council resolution enshrines the plan approved by Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, making it legally binding. The agreement allows the start of a mission to rid Syria's regime of its estimated 1,000-ton chemical arsenal by mid-2014, significantly accelerating a destruction timetable that often takes years to complete.

Kerry said the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons stockpile will begin in November and be completed as called for by the middle of next year. "We expect to have an advance team on the ground (in Syria) next week," OPCW spokesman Michael Luhan told reporters at the organization's headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands immediately after its 41-member executive council approved the plan.

The OPCW plan gives Damascus a week to provide detailed information on its arsenal, including the name and quantity of all chemicals in its stockpile; the type and quantity of munitions that can be used to fire chemical weapons; and the location of weapons, storage facilities and production facilities. All chemical weapons production and mixing equipment should be destroyed no later than Nov. 1.

The Security Council resolution does not assign blame for any chemical attack. Some Western countries had wanted the draft to demand that the perpetrators of chemical weapons attacks be referred to the International Criminal Court to be prosecuted for war crimes. Diplomats said this was discussed, but Russia objected.

As a result, the draft says only that the Security Council "expresses its strong conviction that those individuals responsible for the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic should be held accountable."

The recent flurry of diplomatic activity followed the Aug. 21 poison gas attack that killed hundreds of civilians in a Damascus suburb, and by President Barack Obama's threat of U.S. strikes in retaliation.

After Kerry said Assad could avert U.S. military action by turning over "every single bit of his chemical weapons" to international control within a week, Russia quickly agreed. Kerry and Lavrov signed an agreement in Geneva on Sept. 13 to put Syria's chemical weapons under international control for later destruction, and Assad's government accepted.

Tough negotiations, primarily between Russia and the United States, followed on how Syria's stockpile would be destroyed. The U.N. resolution's adoption was assured when the five veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council — Russia, China, the United States, France and Britain — signed off on the text on Thursday.

Russia and the United States had been at odds over the enforcement issue. Russia opposed any reference to Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which allows for military and nonmilitary actions to promote peace and security.

The final resolution states that the Security Council will impose measures under Chapter 7 if Syria fails to comply, but this would require adoption of a second resolution. It bans Syria from possessing chemical weapons and condemns "in the strongest terms" the use of chemical weapons in the Aug. 21 attack, and any other use. It also would ban any country from obtaining chemical weapons or the technology or equipment to produce them from Syria.

Kerry stressed that the resolution for the first time makes a determination that "use of chemical weapons anywhere constitutes a threat to international peace and security," which sets a new international norm.

The resolution authorizes the U.N. to send an advance team to assist the OPCW's activities in Syria. It asks Secretary-General Ban to submit recommendations to the Security Council within 10 days of the resolution's adoption on the U.N. role in eliminating Syria's chemical weapons program.

"Syria cannot select or reject the inspectors," Kerry said. "Syria must give those inspectors unfettered access to any and all sites and any and all people." The resolution requires the council to review compliance with the OPCW's plans within 30 days, and every month after that.

In an indication of the enormity of the task ahead, the OPCW appealed for donations to fund the disarmament, saying it will have to hire new weapons inspectors and chemical experts. To that end, Britain's foreign minister announced after Friday's vote that the UK would donate $3 million to OPCW Syria Trust fund.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the Security Council that China was also prepared to help fund the disarmament mission. Meanwhile, a group of U.N. inspectors already in Syria investigating the alleged use of chemical weapons said Friday they are probing a total of seven suspected attacks, including in the Damascus suburb where hundreds were killed last month. That number was raised from three sites previously.

The OPCW destruction plan calls on Syria to give inspectors unfettered access to any site suspected of chemical weapons involvement, even if Syria's government did not identify the location. That gives the inspectors unusually broad authority.

Associated Press writers Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands, Toby Sterling in Amsterdam, Amir Bibawy at the United Nations and Albert Aji in Damascus contributed to this report.

Syrian rebel groups break with exiled opposition

September 25, 2013

BEIRUT (AP) — Nearly a dozen of Syria's powerful rebel factions, including one linked to al-Qaida, formally broke with the main opposition group in exile Wednesday and called for Islamic law in the country, dealing a severe blow to the Western-backed coalition.

The new alliance is a potential turning point, entrenching the schism within the rebellion and giving President Bashar Assad fuel for his long-stated contention that his regime is battling Islamic extremists in the civil war.

The Turkey-based Syrian National Coalition — the political arm of the Free Syrian Army rebel group — has long been accused by those fighting inside Syria of being a puppet promoted by the West and Gulf Arab states supporting the Syrian rebellion.

Wednesday's public rejection of the coalition's authority will likely be extremely damaging for its future in Syria, particularly at a time when the U.S. and Russia are pushing for peace talks. "If the groups involved stand by this statement, I think this could be a very big deal — especially if it develops into a more-structured alliance instead of just a joint position," said political analyst Aron Lund.

"It basically means that some of the biggest mainstream Islamist forces within the so-called FSA are breaking up with the political leadership appointed for them by the West and Gulf states, to cast their lot with more hard-line and anti-Western Islamists," he said.

The announcement came less than two weeks after the coalition elected an interim prime minister, Ahmad Touma, charging him with organizing governance in opposition-held territories that have descended into chaos and infighting.

In a joint statement, 11 rebel groups that are influential in Aleppo province in the north, including Jabhat al-Nusra, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department, said they rejected the authority of the Syrian National Coalition as well as Touma's appointment.

A video on the Internet showed Abdel-Aziz Salameh, political chief of the Liwaa al-Tawheed brigade that is particularly strong in the northern city of Aleppo, reading the statement. "These forces call on all military and civilian forces to unite under a clear Islamic framework based on Sharia law, which should be the sole source of legislation," the signatories said.

Ominously, the rebel groups' statement was titled "Communique No. 1," a term used in Arab countries following military coups that suggests the creation of a new leadership body. It said the rebels do "not recognize" any future government formed outside Syria, insisting that forces fighting inside the country should be represented by "those who suffered and took part in the sacrifices."

The statement highlighted the growing irrelevance of the coalition and its military arm headed by Gen. Salim Idris, who leads the Supreme Military Council supported by the West, amid increasing radicalization in Syria. The group is seen by many as being out of touch.

Veteran opposition figure Kamal Labwani, a member of the coalition, said the U.S. decision to back away from military intervention in retaliation to the Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack near Damascus and the perceived Western indifference to Syrian suffering was turning fighters in Syria into "monsters."

"We as a coalition are very removed from the ground now. There is no geographic spot we can enter in the liberated areas. The situation is worse than you can ever imagine," he said. Najib Ghadbian, the Syrian National Coalition's U.N. representative, acknowledged in an interview with AP Television News that there was a "growing rift" between the mainstream FSA and extremist groups. He said Idris had cut short a trip to Paris to deal with the rebel announcement.

The U.S. decision had created "a lot of frustration," he added. "The longer we wait, the more ... difficult it is going to become," Ghadbian said in New York. "Nothing is going to be, in fact, left to save of Syria."

For many rebels, the realization that even a chemical weapons attack would not trigger military intervention by the West has led to more radicalization. Last week, al-Qaida militants expelled FSA fighters from a town near the Turkish border after some of the worst clashes between the two sides. An al-Qaida commander in the north was assassinated by FSA fighters a day later.

Wednesday's statement came hours after a delegation from the coalition, headed by Ahmad al-Jarba, met U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in New York. It also came as a team of experts arrived in Damascus to continue investigating allegation on the use of chemical weapons in the civil war.

The U.S. and Russia have been pushing for a peace conference in Geneva. One opposition figure said the rebel announcement breaking from the coalition may be related to concerns it may agree to go to the talks.

"It is part of political jostling for representation ahead of any talks," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the he was not authorized to talk about the discussions under way in New York.

Al-Jarba met Wednesday with U.N.-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi in New York. Al-Jarba said the coalition expressed readiness to attend talks in Geneva aimed at establishing a transitional government with full executive powers and a clear timetable for an agreement that those in Assad's regime responsible for war crimes against civilians would be held accountable and not be part of a future democratic Syria.

"The time has come to end the conflict in Syria," said al-Jarba, according to a coalition statement. It was not immediately clear if the coalition was relinquishing its previous demand that Assad step down ahead of such talks.

A U.S. official said the United States and its allies were discussing the rebel announcement, adding it's too early to tell what the impact will be. Another U.S. official said the U.S. and its allies are increasingly concerned by infighting between the FSA and al-Qaida militants in northern and eastern Syria.

Both spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss Kerry's meetings. The opposition has long been hobbled by divisions between those in exile and the disparate rebel groups fighting Assad's regime in Syria's civil war, which has killed over 100,000 since March 2011.

The insurgency has increasingly drawn jihadis from all over the world, further adding to the West's reluctance to get militarily involved in the Syrian conflict or send advanced weapons to the rebels. There is growing concern among moderates that the dominant role the extremists are playing is discrediting the rebellion.

Among the signatories of Wednesday's statement are the Islamist-leaning Ahrar al-Sham and Liwaa al-Islam brigades, both powerful rebel factions with large followings on the ground, as well as the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front. Three of them — the Liwaa al-Tawheed, the Liwaa al-Islam, and the Suqour al-Sham — have until now been part of the Free Syrian Army, considered to be the Coalition's military wing.

Growing rebel infighting may further complicate the work of U.N. chemical weapons inspectors who face enormous challenges on the ground, including maneuvering between rebel- and government-controlled territory.

A team of experts arrived Wednesday in Damascus to continue investigating what officials from the world organization have described as "pending credible allegations" of the use of chemical weapons. The visit of the six-member team, led by Swedish expert Ake Sellstrom, follows a report by the inspectors after a previous trip. The report said the nerve agent sarin was used in an Aug. 21, attack near Damascus.

The U.S. and its allies say Assad's regime was behind the attack that killed hundreds of people. Damascus and its ally, Moscow, blame the rebels for the attack. The U.N. experts will be investigating three alleged uses of chemical weapons earlier this year and seeking information on three alleged incidents last month.

U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said the mission will discuss with the Syrian government "information that it may possess regarding allegations it reported on the use of chemical weapons" in incidents on Aug. 22, 24 and 25.

He said the inspectors will visit the village of Khan al-Assal near Aleppo to probe a March 19 incident, as well as two other sites. The inspectors identified them in last week's report as Sheik Maqsood and Saraqueb.

Also Wednesday, activists said Kurdish gunmen captured the village of Hmaid in the northeastern province of Hassakeh after heavy fighting with members of al-Qaida's Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and Nusra Front. It came nearly an hour after Kurdish gunmen took the nearby village of Dardara.

Omar Mushaweh, a spokesman for Syria's Muslim Brotherhood group which is part of the coalition, blasted the rebel statement and said the infighting is dividing the rebellion at a critical time. "The only one who benefits from these side wars is the regime," he said.

Associated Press writer Mathew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

Syrian rebel groups slam Western-backed opposition

September 25, 2013

BEIRUT (AP) — More than a dozen key Syrian rebel groups said Wednesday that they reject the authority of the Western-backed opposition coalition, as U.N. inspectors returned to the country to continue their probe into chemical weapons attacks.

In a joint statement, 13 rebel groups including a powerful al-Qaida-linked faction but also more mainstream forces slammed the Turkey-based Syrian National Coalition, saying it no longer represents their interests.

The statement reflects the lack of unity between the political opposition, based in exile, and the disparate rebel groups fighting President Bashar Assad's regime in Syria's civil war, which has killed over 100,000 people so far. It also highlights the growing irrelevance of the Coalition and its military arm headed by Gen. Salim Idris, who heads the Supreme Military Council supported by the West, amid increasing radicalization on the ground in Syria.

The rebel groups' statement was titled "Communique No. 1," a term used before in Arab countries following military coups that suggests the creation of a new leadership body. A video released on the Internet showed Abdel-Aziz Salameh, political chief of the Liwaa al-Tawheed brigade that is particularly strong in the city of Aleppo, reading the statement.

Syria's rebel movements vary greatly in their levels of internal organization, and it was not possible to immediately verify whether the other signatories' leader or fighters on the ground had approved the statement. But there were no immediate reports that any of them had rejected it.

The signatories called on all military and civilian forces "to unite under a clear Islamic framework based on Shariah law, which should be the sole source of legislation"— an apparent reference to the al-Qaida faction's aspirations to create an Islamic state in Syria.

It said the rebels do "not recognize" any future government formed outside Syria, insisting that forces fighting on the ground should be represented by "those who suffered and took part in the sacrifices."

But the rebels themselves are also deeply divided, with many groups blaming jihadis and al-Qaida militants in their ranks for the West's reluctance to intervene militarily in Syria or give them the advanced weapons they need. There is also growing concern that the dominant role the extremists are playing is discrediting the rebellion.

Yet the jihadis, including members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, an al-Qaida offshoot, have been some of the most effective forces on the battlefield, fighting alongside the Western-backed Free Syrian Army to capture military facilities, strategic installations and key neighborhoods in cities such as Aleppo and Homs.

Among the signatories are the Islamist-leaning Ahrar al-Sham and Liwaa al-Islam brigades, both powerful rebel factions with large followings on the ground, as well as the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front. Three of them — the Liwaa al-Tawheed, the Liwaa al-Islam, and the Suqour al-Sham — have until now been part of the Free Syrian Army, considered to be the Coalition's military wing.

Abdelbaset Sieda, a senior member of the Coalition, said the group learnt about the rebel statement from the media, adding that contacts were under way to determine how to deal with it. Growing rebel infighting may further complicate the work of U.N. chemical weapons inspectors who face enormous challenges on the ground, including maneuvering between rebel- and government-controlled territory. A team of experts arrived in Damascus on Wednesday to continue investigating what officials from the world organization have described as "pending credible allegations" of the use of chemical weapons in Syria's civil war.

The visit of the six-member team, led by Swedish expert Ake Sellstrom, follows a report by the inspectors after their previous trip in September, which said nerve agent sarin was used in an Aug. 21, attack near the capital, Damascus.

The U.S. and its allies say Assad's regime was behind the attack, and Washington said it killed 1,400 people. Syrian activist groups gave significantly lower death tolls, but still in the hundreds. Damascus blames the rebels for the attack, and Russia, a close ally of Assad, said the U.N. report did not provide enough evidence to blame the Syrian government. It has also demanded that U.N. inspectors probe other attacks that allegedly included chemical agents.

The United States and Russia brokered an agreement for Syria to give up its chemical weapons but U.N. diplomats say they are at odds on details of a Security Council resolution spelling out how it should be done and the possible consequences if Syria doesn't comply.

In a speech at the U.N. on Tuesday, President Barack Obama challenged the Security Council to hold Syria accountable if it fails to live up to its pledges. "If we cannot agree even on this," Obama said, "then it will show that the United Nations is incapable of enforcing the most basic of international laws."

A statement by the U.N. on Tuesday said the inspectors will use their new visit to gather evidence from the alleged chemical weapons attack on March 19 on the village of Khan al Assal outside the city of Aleppo, which was captured by the rebels in July.

Wednesday's rebel announcement, carried by the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, came almost two weeks after the SNC, the main Western-backed opposition coalition, in Turkey elected Ahmad Saleh Touma as the opposition's interim prime minister.

Syrian rebels have been deeply divided and clashes between rival groups over the past months left hundreds of people dead, mostly in northern and eastern Syria. Rebels also say they have been demoralized and disenchanted with the West ever since Obama backed away from military strikes against Damascus over the Aug. 21 attack.

Syria's conflict has taken on increasingly sectarian tones in the past year, pitting predominantly Sunni Muslim rebels against members of Assad's minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

Aid group: Syrian children at risk of malnutrition

September 24, 2013

BEIRUT (AP) — As Syria's civil war rages into its third year, millions of children in the country are at risk of malnutrition and face severe food shortages, an international aid organization has warned.

Save the Children said four million Syrians — more than half of them children — are unable to produce or buy enough food. Thousands are trapped in battle zones in and around Syria's major cities, such as Aleppo in the north and in the central city of Homs, cut off from access to all but the bare minimum foodstuffs needed to survive, the U.S.-based group said in a dramatic report released Monday.

Food shortages are compounded by an explosion in prices of basic staples, the group said, adding that one in 20 children in areas around the capital of Damascus is severely malnourished. Ever since the conflict erupted in March 2011, leading aid groups have demanded that the warring sides — Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces and the rebels fighting to overthrow his regime — enable access to civilians trapped in the fighting. More than 100,000 people have been killed in the conflict and millions have been uprooted from their homes.

But their calls have consistently met obstacles. "The world has stood and watched as the children of Syria have been shot, shelled and traumatized by the horror of war," said Roger Hearn, Save the Children's regional director for the Middle East. "The conflict has already left thousands of children dead, and is now threatening their means of staying alive."

The United States and Russia brokered an agreement for Syria to give up its chemical weapons but U.N. diplomats say they are at odds on details of a Security Council resolution spelling out how it should be done and the possible consequences if Syria doesn't comply.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Tuesday that U.N. chemical weapons inspectors would return to Syria as soon as Wednesday. In Damascus, however, a government official said the issue of the inspectors' return to Syria and its timing was "still under discussion." The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

On their previous trip to the country, the U.N. team led by Swedish expert Ake Sellstrom complied a report that said nerve agent sarin was used in the Aug. 21 attack near Damascus. The U.S. and its allies say Assad's regime was behind the attack, which according to Washington killed 1,400 people. Activist groups say the death toll was significantly lower, but still in the hundreds.

Damascus blames the rebels for the attack, and Russia, a close ally of Assad, said the U.N. report does not provide enough evidence to blame the Syrian government. It has also demanded that U.N. inspectors probe other attacks that allegedly included chemical agents.

"We are pleased that our call for U.N. inspectors to return to Syria to investigate other episodes has brought results," Ryabkov told the Russian parliament Tuesday, according to state news agency RIA Novosti. He did not elaborate.

On Monday, the opposition Syrian National Coalition accused government forces of tightening their months-long siege in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta, where the August attack took place. "Assad's forces are starving people to death in those areas," the coalition claimed. "Famine looms in the horizon as more than two million people remain under siege."

At the U.N., the head of the organization's World Food Program demanded Monday that a potential cease-fire agreement include access for aid workers. Ertharin Cousin told The Associated Press that an agreement, which will be discussed at the start of the annual U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, envisions a cessation of hostilities so chemical experts trying to bring Syria's stockpile under international control can travel across the country, including to many conflict areas where WFP and other humanitarian workers have been unable to bring in desperately needed aid.

WFP is currently feeding 3 million people inside Syria and 1.2 million in neighboring countries. Cousin said the goal is to step up supplies so that 4 million internally displaced people and 1.5 million refugees are getting food by the end of October.

Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Jim Heintz in Moscow contributed to this report.

Commander of al-Qaeda in Iraq and Syria has been killed

Sunday, 22 September 2013

Abu-Abdallah al-Libi, a top commander of al-Qaeda front group The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), has been killed on Sunday in Idlib in northwestern Syria, Al Arabiya television reported.

The Free Syrian Army denied responsibility for Libi’s death.

The militant group is posing growing challenges for the armed opposition fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power and aspire to build a democratic civilian system in the country.

This week the extremist group took control of the Syrian town of Aziz, on the border with Turkey.

Syrian Youth activists had launched an online campaign entitled “ISIS doesn't represent me.”

“I hope Azaz turns into ISIS' burial ground,” said one activist posting on Twitter, according to AFP.

“They failed against the Americans in Afghanistan, and against the Iranians in Iraq. Now they are here to bully the Syrians, who are fighting a criminal regime,” said another.

Imposition

An online activist said he feared ISIS would try to impose Islamic law in Azaz.

“Sharia law would only be imposed to allow the killing of people, and we don't want that,” he said.

Another activist echoed a common claim that ISIS is working hand in glove with Assad's regime, and was mirroring its methods by “attacking field hospitals, detaining doctors and killing activists.”

Activists said the battle for Azaz began when jihadists broke into a field hospital, searching for a German doctor.

Another version of Wednesday's events says the fighting broke out when a Northern Storm rebel stepped in to defend a German journalist from being kidnapped by ISIS.

The FSA regained control of the town after heavy clashes. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Azaz was calm by Thursday, Al Arabiya television reported.

Source: al-Arabiya.
Link: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/09/22/-Leader-of-al-Qaeda-in-Iraq-and-Syria-has-been-killed.html.

Hundreds of Syria rebels pledge loyalty to Qaeda groups

Reuters
Saturday, Sep 21, 2013

BEIRUT - Hundreds of rebels have pledged allegiance to al Qaeda-affiliated forces in northern and eastern Syria, activists and Islamist sources said on Friday, strengthening the group's control in the region.

Not only individual fighters, but entire units have joined the small but powerful al Qaeda-linked groups - the Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) - in recent days, according to the sources inside Syria.

"This is a sign the radical groups are still growing in power. This region could fall to the jihadists," said an activist in the eastern town of Raqqa, who asked not to be identified. "We may see this become a trend."

Clashes have been intensifying between Nusra or ISIL and the less effective but more moderate forces that make up the majority of opposition fighters, especially in opposition-held territory along Syria's northern and eastern borders.

At least two entire rebel brigades are said to have joined the Nusra Front in the opposition-held province of Raqqa, which borders Turkey. One of the groups, the Raqqa Revolutionaries, has about 750 fighters in total, according to a source close to Islamist forces who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Another group, the God's Victory Brigade, said in a statement on Facebook that all of its leaders and fighters had pledged loyalty to Nusra Front.

"God's Victory Brigade, which is comprise of 15 battalions, had pledged its allegiance to the Nusra Front, giving complete submission (to it) in times of hardship and of ease," it said.

A video uploaded by activists from Raqqa on Friday showed a massive convoy of fighters on cars and trucks with artillery and machine guns as they waved black flags. The video's title said it showed a newly unified force of Nusra fighters and other rebel battalions who had recently pledged loyalty.

Western forces have been wary of giving further support or weapons to opposition forces who are not only plagued by internal divisions, but the rising influence of al Qaeda groups.

Sporadic clashes between harder-line Islamists and more moderate rebels are increasingly frequent and activists fear that is weakening the two-and-a-half-year revolt against President Bashar al-Assad. The uprising began as peaceful protests against four decades of Assad family rule but has degenerated into a war that has killed more than 100,000.

While some tensions stem from contrasting ideological outlooks, most rebel-on-rebel fighting is more about control of territory and the spoils of war.

Some activists said the new Islamist loyalty pledges were timed to combat increasing hostility from rival rebel groups, including the Supreme Military Council, the armed wing of the opposition's Western-backed umbrella leadership abroad.

Many Syrian rebels are attracted to radical units because they are generally more effective than the moderate forces that have Western backing but receive only halting military aid.

Islamists have steady, private sources of funding and incorporate experienced militants, many of them from abroad, who have fought US forces in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Source: AsiaOne.
Link: http://news.asiaone.com/news/world/hundreds-syria-rebels-pledge-loyalty-qaeda-groups.

Syrian troops storm central village, killing 15

September 21, 2013

BEIRUT (AP) — Government troops backed by allied militiamen have stormed a predominantly Sunni village in central Syria killing at least 15 people, while opposition forces began an offensive near Aleppo to try to cut the army's supply route to the northern city, activists said Saturday.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack on the village of Sheik Hadid occurred late Friday and that the dead included two women and a child. It said the rest were men but did not know if they included rebel fighters.

The Local Coordination Committees, another activist group, said 26 people were killed in Sheik Hadid, including some who were killed with knives. Rami Abdul-Rahman, who heads the Observatory, said at least two of the dead were stabbed to death.

The discrepancy in numbers could not be immediately reconciled. The assault came shortly after rebels captured Jalma, another village close to Sheik Hadid in Hama province, killing five soldiers. The Observatory said fighting raged Saturday in Sheik Hadid and nearby areas.

The civil war, which has left more than 100,000 dead, has taken increasingly sectarian overtones. Most of the rebels trying to overthrow President Bashar Assad belong to the majority Sunni sect while his regime is dominated by members of his minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

The Observatory also reported clashes between fighters of two hard-line rebel organizations, al-Qaida's Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and the Nusra Front, against Kurdish gunmen in the northern province of Raqqa. The group says 17 hard-liners and three Kurdish gunmen have been killed in the fighting since Friday.

Clashes between Islamic militants and Kurdish gunmen over the past months in northern Syria have left hundreds dead. Also in northern Syria, the Observatory said the rebels launched a wide offensive south of Aleppo, Syria's largest city, in an attempt to cut supplies to government forces in the contested metropolis.

The Observatory said rebels captured six villages south of Aleppo amid heavy fighting. It had on word on casualties. Rebels control large parts of northern Syria and some neighborhoods of Aleppo, once Syria's commercial capital.

Meanwhile, Syria's main opposition group rejected an offer by Iran's new president, Hasan Rouhani, to help in holding a national dialogue to end the Arab country's crisis. The Syrian National Coalition's statement came two days after Rouhani wrote in the Washington Post that Tehran was ready to facilitate talks between Assad's government and the opposition.

Iran has been one of Assad's strongest backers and is believed to have sent the Syrian government weapons and billions of dollars since the crisis began in March 2011. Lebanon's Iranian-backed Hezbollah group has fought alongside Assad's forces.

"The Iranian statement is ridiculous after all the blood that Iran participated in shedding ... through its political, economic and military support to Assad," said the SNC statement. "It is better if the Iranian leadership withdraws its military experts and fanatic fighters from Syria before coming with initiatives for the concerned parties. It (Iran) is part of the problem," the statement said.

Libya PM says his abduction was attempted 'coup'

October 12, 2013

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Libya's Western-backed prime minister on Friday said his brief abduction by gunmen this week was an attempted coup by his Islamist political rivals, using militias which he warned are trying to "terrorize" the government and turn the North African nation into another Afghanistan or Somalia.

In a sign of the turmoil, a car bomb detonated outside a building housing the Swedish and Finnish consulates in the eastern city of Benghazi, where militias are particularly prominent. No one was hurt, but the blast damaged the building's facade. The city, Libya's second-largest, has seen frequent violence, including killings of security officials and a string of attacks on foreign missions that have driven most of diplomats out of the city.

With his nationally televised address, embattled Prime Minister Ali Zidan appeared to be trying to leverage public shock over his abduction a day earlier into momentum against his political opponents and against the multiple armed groups stirring chaos since the 2011 toppling of dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Militias, many including Islamic extremists, carry out daily violence nationwide and have defied attempts by the weak central authorities to rein them in.

Zidan also gave his first account of the events Thursday, when militiamen broke into the luxury Tripoli hotel where he lived before daybreak and took him away, holding him in a basement prison with criminals for hours until he was freed.

"This is a coup," he said, speaking alongside members of his government. "There are political rivals behind this ... a political group that plots to topple the government." He appeared to referring to Islamist blocs in parliament that have sought to remove him. "There is a force that wants to slaughter the state before it is established."

Zidan has been struggling with political opponents and militias since he was named a year ago by parliament to lead. The tensions were enflamed by last Saturday's raid by U.S. special forces that snatched a Libyan al-Qaida suspect known as Abu Anas al-Libi off the streets of the capital and whisked him off to custody in a U.S. warship.

The raid angered many militiamen, who accuse Zidan — who has cultivated close security cooperation with the United States — of collaborating in the abduction of a Libyan citizen. Zidan's government has denied any prior knowledge of the operation, but the raid appears to have prompted his abduction.

Several dozen of members of the hard-line Ansar al-Shariah group marched Friday evening between two main Tripoli squares, denouncing the raid and the prime minister. "Zidan, you coward, you are an American agent," they chanted, waving black banners. The al-Qaida inspired group is believed to be involved in Sept. 11, 2012 attack on a U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi that killed the ambassador and three other Americans.

Along with other militias, Ansar al-Shariah held a larger protest, backed by pickup trucks mounted with machine guns, in Benghazi. In Tripoli, al-Libi's family attended a separate rally by about 50 Islamists. His wife told The Associated Press, "The Americans "are the terrorists."

"For six days I have no idea if he (al-Libi) is alive or dead, sick or well," she said, identifying herself as Um Abdullah and speaking from behind a black veil over her face. "I want to talk to him because even if they say he is fine, I don't believe the Americans."

Al-Libi whose real name is Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai, is accused by the U.S. in connection with the 1998 bombings of its embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. At the same time, Prime Minister Zidan faces criticism from many Libyans who hate militias and say he has proven impotent to stop them.

"Zidan shows up as a helpless guy who doesn't have confidence," said young businessman Hazem al-Tamami, watching the prime minister's speech at a cafe. Referring to the militias, he added, "If you ask me, I will bring an Apache and bomb them all."

Militias originated in the "revolutionary" brigades that fought Gadhafi's forces. Since his ouster, they have refused to disarm and have mushroomed in size and power. Many have been enlisted by the state to serve as security forces, since the army and police are weak, underequipped and under-paid. But they often continue to act as armed vigilante factions with their own interests, and some follow radical al-Qaida-style ideologies or are believed to have links to the terror organization.

Touting themselves as "revolutionaries," some have long demanded Zidan's removal for accepting Gadhafi-era officials in government posts. Zidan himself served as diplomat under Gadhafi before defecting to the opposition decades ago. Militias have in the past besieged government buildings and carried out kidnappings — including one last month of the defense minister's son, apparently to pressure him against trying to rein in the groups. On Friday, the military held memorial for killings of 16 Libyan soldiers in a checkpoint near Tripoli by suspected militants days ago.

In his speech, Zidan warned that "there are those who want to take Libya into the unknown. They want to turn Libya into Afghanistan or Somalia." He said armed groups use violence to press individual demands and block the establishment of the police and military. "We want a nation of institutions, with an army and police," he said. "But there are those who want to terrorize the state and the courts and the institutions, and this we refuse."

He vowed that those involved in his abduction would be punished. He said the attackers looted everything in his room, from cellphones and documents to even his underwear. Zidan said his captors told him they belonged to the Libyan Revolutionaries Operation Room, an umbrella group for various militias, including Islamic hard-liners. The agency was created by Nouri Abu Sahmein, the head of the parliament — or National Congress — as a parallel security force for the capital. That has raised questions on whether they acted on orders from Abu Sahmein, who belongs to an Islamist faction.

Zidan said his captors told him they were acting on orders of their leaders. But he did not specify Abu Sahmein, who visited him while being held, and thanked him for his help in ensuring his freedom.

Earlier, the Operation Room in its official website accused Zidan's government of "collaboration" in the U.S. raid. Another militia group called the Anti-Crime Department was also involved in the abduction. Its spokesman, Abdel-Hakim al-Balazi, said that the Operation Room members brought Zidan to one of their buildings, claiming they had a warrant for his arrest.

Al-Balazi questioned why parliament chief Abu Sahmein didn't immediately free Zidan when he visited him in the cell. "I am personally surprised. How come you are the president and you see your prime minister held in a prison and you just leave," he said.

Keath reported from Cairo.

Gunmen kidnap Libyan prime minister in Tripoli

October 10, 2013

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zidan was snatched by gunmen before dawn Thursday from a Tripoli hotel where he resides, the government said. The abduction appeared to be in retaliation for the U.S. special forces raid over the weekend that seized a Libyan al-Qaida suspect from the streets of the capital.

Zidan's abduction reflected the weakness of Libya's government, which is virtually held hostage by powerful militias, many of which are made up of Islamic militants. Militants were angered by the U.S. capture of the suspected militant, known as Abu Anas al-Libi, and accused the government of colluding in or allowing the raid.

In a sign of Libya's chaos, Zidan's seizure was depicted by various sources as either an "arrest" or an abduction. That is because the militias are interwoven in Libya's fragmented power structure. With the police and army in disarray, many are enlisted to serve in state security agencies, though their loyalty is more to their own commanders than to government officials and they have often intimidated or threatened officials. The militias are rooted in the brigades that fought in the uprising that toppled autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, and are often referred to as "revolutionaries."

A statement on the government's official website said Zidan was taken at dawn to an "unknown location for unknown reasons" by a group believed to be "revolutionaries" from a security agency known as the Anti-Crime Committee. The Cabinet held an emergency meeting Thursday morning, headed by Zidan's deputy, Abdel-Salam al-Qadi.

Abdel-Moneim al-Hour, an official with the Anti-Crime Committee, told The Associated Press that Zidan had been arrested on accusations of harming state security and corruption. The public prosecutor's office said it had issued no warrant for Zidan's arrest.

A government official said gunmen broke into the luxury hotel in downtown Tripoli where Zidan lives and abducted him and two of his guards. The two guards were beaten but later released. The official spoke to AP on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki, traveling with Secretary of State John Kerry in Brunei, said, "We are looking into these reports and we are in close touch with senior US and Libyan officials on the ground."

The snatching of Zidan came hours after he met with the family of Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai, the al-Qaida suspect seized by the Americans, now being held in a U.S. warship.

Michael reported from Cairo.

Russian Embassy in Libya evacuated after attack

October 03, 2013

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia on Thursday evacuated all of its diplomats and their families from Libya, the day after a mob attack on the Russian Embassy, and issued a warning to its citizens against visiting the country.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said none of the embassy staff was hurt in Wednesday's attack, which came in response to the death of a Libyan air force officer, who was allegedly killed by a Russian woman.

An armed mob broke into the embassy compound in the Libyan capital Tripoli, climbing over walls, breaking down a metal gate and shooting in the air. One of the attackers was killed by the gunfire, and four more were wounded, Libyan officials said.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in Thursday's statement that Moscow decided to evacuate the embassy after Libya's Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdelaziz visited its grounds and told the Russian ambassador that Libya was unable to protect the personnel.

Lukashevich added that all the embassy workers and their families safely crossed the border into Tunisia Thursday. He said that the Libyan authorities had promised to protect Russian assets and try to quickly restore conditions for the safe operations of the embassy.

Several senior diplomats will stay in Tunisia to maintain contacts with Libya, while the rest of the embassy workers will be flown to Moscow Friday, Lukashevich said. He added that the Foreign Ministry recommends Russian citizens should refrain from visiting Libya.

Wednesday's violence briefly raised fears of a repeat of last year's deadly attack on a U.S. compound in the eastern city of Benghazi, in which the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans were killed. In that instance, on the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attack, militants fired mortars at the consulate, surrounded it and set it on fire.

A Libyan official said Wednesday's attackers took down the Russian flag that was hanging from the balcony of one of the buildings. But they did not enter the embassy buildings, he said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

Breakthrough in German coalition talks

October 17, 2013

BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives and their traditional center-left rivals moved a decisive step closer to forming a new government on Thursday, but the alliance of Germany's two biggest parties is still far from a done deal.

Merkel's conservatives won a Sept. 22 parliamentary election, but their coalition partners of the past four years, the pro-business Free Democrats, lost all their seats. Short of an absolute majority, Merkel had to reach across the aisle for a new partner.

She now plans to start formal coalition talks on Wednesday with the Social Democrats, who finished a distant second in the election. Merkel led a "grand coalition" with the Social Democrats in her first term, from 2005 to 2009. The center-left party doesn't have fond memories of the experience, which ended with a stinging election defeat four years ago, and is keen to extract a high price for repeating it.

Exploratory talks showed that the two sides "can develop sufficient common ground to be able to govern our country successfully for four years," Hermann Groehe, the general secretary of Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, said after the parties' leaders agreed to recommend formal coalition negotiations.

The Social Democrats' leader, Sigmar Gabriel, will now recommend to a convention on Sunday that the party enter formal coalition talks. Assuming the two sides reach a coalition deal, Gabriel has promised to seek approval for it in a ballot of his party's entire membership.

The Social Democrats have insisted on a mandatory national minimum wage of 8.50 euros ($11.60) per hour. Germany is one of the few Western countries not to have one; Merkel's bloc has advocated sector-by-sector and region-by-region deals on minimum pay.

Both sides "have the common aim of a sensible minimum wage arrangement," Groehe said. The Social Democrats also have advocated tax increases for high earners, which the conservatives strongly reject — arguing they would hurt the economy.

Merkel's conservatives won 41.5 percent of the vote in last month's election but fell five seats short of a majority. The Social Democrats won 25.7 percent. The smaller center-left Green Party decided this week against pursuing a coalition with Merkel.

France expels girl to Kosovo after class trip

October 16, 2013

MITROVICA, Kosovo (AP) — Leonarda Dibrani was finishing up a field trip when French police showed up at the bus, detaining the 15-year-old schoolgirl in front of her classmates before authorities expelled her to Kosovo because her family's asylum application had been rejected.

The incident earlier this month, but which was made public this week, has sparked outrage from immigrant groups and others who say police went too far in publicly shaming the teenager. It has also been an embarrassment for President Francois Hollande's government, which has tried to portray a kinder France in a bid to distance itself from conservative predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy, known for his tough immigration policies.

An investigation into the treatment of the girl, which also drew criticism from within the ranks of Hollande's Socialist Party, has been launched. Now, Dibrani says she just wants to get back to France.

"I was crying on my teacher's lap and he was crying," Dibrani said Wednesday, recounting her ordeal in an interview with The Associated Press. "My friends asked: 'Did you kill someone that the police are looking for you?' I was afraid. I felt bad and ashamed.

"My home is in France," Dibrani said in French, dressed in jeans and a colorful paisley print tunic. "I don't speak the language here and I don't know anyone. I just want to go back to France and forget everything that happened."

The Dibrani family — parents and six children — is now sheltered in a house in the northern town of Mitrovica in an area inhabited by ethnic Albanians. Kosovo is one of Europe's poorest regions. The Dibrani family fled Kosovo about five years ago because they are Roma, or Gypsies, and faced discrimination and few opportunities, according to French activist Jean-Jacques Boy, who works with immigrant families in the Doubs region in eastern France, where the family lived.

The Interior Ministry said the family's application for asylum had been rejected, so it no longer had the right to stay in France. The ministry said the family repeatedly refused to leave, so police detained the father and expelled him to Kosovo on Oct. 8. Police detained the mother and five of their children Oct. 9, but Leonarda was away on a school field trip. The ministry says police met the girl's school bus when it returned from the trip later that day.

Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault ordered an investigation into how she was taken into custody and said that if any violations are found, the family will be brought back to France and their case will be further examined.

The association Education Without Frontiers Network said the expulsion was a setback for their efforts to keep children living in the country illegally in school and to protect them from police intervention.

Conservatives defended the expulsion, saying police were enforcing the law. But France's education minister said schools should offer sanctuary, not expose children to arrest. The expelled father, Reshat Dibrani, said he has yet to announce to his family that France doesn't want them.

"I don't know how I will keep lying to the kids," he said. "It's bad. Every morning they ask me (when they will return to France)," he said. A check-up for the family car has been his alibi. He said he told his children that "it will take a few days until it's repaired.

"I don't know how I will keep lying to them," he said.

Charlton reported from Paris. Sylvie Corbet also contributed to this report from Paris.

Parks open, workers back in office after shutdown

October 18, 2013

From the Liberty Bell to Alcatraz, federal landmarks and offices reopened Thursday. Furloughed employees were relieved to get back to work — even if faced with email backlogs — but many worried about another such disruption in a matter of months.

"We'd hate to have to live through this all over again," Richard Marcus, a 29-year employee of the National Archives in Washington, said after the government shutdown finally ended. Nationwide, from big-city office buildings to wilderness outposts, innumerable federal services and operations shifted back into gear after 16 days.

The U.S. Forest Service started lifting a logging ban on national forests. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services restarted the computerized system used to verify the legal status of workers. Boat trips resumed to Alcatraz, the former federal prison in San Francisco Bay, with 1,600 tickets snapped up by tourists in the first hour of business.

In Alaska, federal officials rushed to get the red king crab fishing season underway. The opening had been delayed because furloughed workers were not around to issue crab-quota permits. National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis said all 401 national park units — from the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California to Acadia National Park in Maine — were reopening Thursday.

More than 20,000 National Park Service employees had been among the 800,000 federal workers sent home at the peak of the shutdown. Visitors from around the world flocked to Yosemite National Park to see such famous sites as El Capitan and Half Dome after weeks of closure brought local economies to a near standstill.

At Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, employees were busy with reopening chores. They returned just in time to begin closing the parks up again for the winter in a couple of weeks. At Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park, one couple's long wait to see the Liberty Bell and other attractions finally drew to a close.

Karen and Richard Dodds of Oklahoma City were on a quest to see every national park in the U.S. They arrived in Philadelphia about three weeks ago in their motor home, visiting Valley Forge just before the shutdown. They stayed on in the area, awaiting a settlement.

"They didn't solve anything by this," Katie Dodds said of the temporary agreement in Congress that funds the government only through Jan. 15 and gives it the borrowing authority it needs only through Feb. 7. "The worst part is they'll do it again in January and February."

Among the many sites reopening in Washington were the Smithsonian Institution's museums and the World War II memorial on the National Mall, which had been the scene of protests over the shutdown. Smithsonian spokeswoman Linda St. Thomas said the museum complex lost about $2.8 million in revenue during the shutdown.

The National Zoo was set to reopen Friday, though its popular panda cam went live Thursday morning, giving fans a view of a cub wriggling about as its mother, Mei Xiang, tucked her paws under her chin and watched.

Federal workers who were furloughed or worked without pay during the shutdown will get back pay in their next paychecks, which for most employees come Oct. 29. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez greeted returning workers with a sympathetic email.

"Unfortunately, as President Obama correctly noted, you are occasionally called on to perform your remarkably important work in a climate that too often treats federal employees and contractors as a punching bag," Perez said.

The Defense Department called back about 7,000 furloughed civilians. In an open letter to the workforce, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the department still faces budget uncertainty as Congress struggles to pass a 2014 spending bill and deal with automatic budget cuts. Pentagon Comptroller Robert Hale said the department lost at least $600 million worth of productivity during the four days that civilians were furloughed.

The National Institutes of Health warned university scientists not to expect a quick resumption of research dollars. At the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Md., email servers were slowly grinding back into gear.

Fire protection engineer Dan Madrzykowski had been in the office for about half an hour and about 800 emails had popped into his inbox. And that represented less than a week of the shutdown. Still, Madrzykowski said he was pleased to be back.

"Nothing good was coming from keeping the government closed," he said. Patrice Roberts, who works for Homeland Security, said she wasn't prepared for the emotional lows of the past 16 days. "It's just frustrating having that kind of control over your life and just having it taken away from me," said Roberts, who is expecting another shutdown in January. "I'll be better prepared next time."

In Pottsville, Pa., several people waited outside the Social Security office ahead of its 9 a.m. opening. James Ulrich, an unemployed 19-year-old, needed a replacement for his lost Social Security card to apply for jobs. He was told a replacement card would take two weeks to arrive.

"I don't have a really good outlook on the government," he said. In Cincinnati, Renee Yankey, a government alcohol and tobacco tax specialist, was sleep-deprived after staying up late to watch news of the shutdown-ending deal, but otherwise glad to be back at work with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.

"I can tell that the alcohol industry missed us," Yankey said. "The first thing I hear is 'I'm so glad I got a person on the phone!'" In North Little Rock, Ark, Simeon Yates was glad to return to work as an auditor for the Arkansas National Guard.

"It's definitely a relief financially ... knowing that we'll be able to provide for our families again," said Yates, whose wife stays home with their four young children. "It was hard to explain to the kids," Yates added. "They enjoyed having me home, but when we were just having hot dogs a lot and pancakes ... you know, being small, they didn't necessarily understand that."

Associated Press writers Matthew Barakat in Reston, Va.; Ben Nuckols in Springfield, Va.; Dan Sewell in Cincinnati; Michael Rubinkam in Pottsville, Pa.; Jeannie Nuss in North Little Rock, Ark.; Kathy Matheson in Philadelphia; Rachel D'Oro in Anchorage, Alaska; and Jessica Gresko and Sam Hananel in Washington contributed to this report.

Brazil wants to question Edward Snowden

October 16, 2013

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazil's Federal Police and a Senate investigative panel said Tuesday they want to question National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden to learn more about the spying program that targeted Latin America's biggest country.

According to information leaked by Snowden, President Dilma Rousseff's communications with aides were intercepted, the computer network of state-run oil company Petrobras was hacked and data on billions of emails and telephone calls flowing through Brazil were monitored by the NSA.

"For our investigation, questioning Snowden is a top priority," said Jose Alberto Freitas, the head of the intelligence sector of Brazil's Federal Police, before a Senate committee investigating the NSA spy program. "He could provide technical details that will help our investigation advance."

Ricardo Ferraco, who heads the committee, said that on Thursday he will ask the Russian government for permission to speak to Snowden via a video conference. Snowden received asylum in Russia in August.

"We have to go to the Snowden who is the primary source," Ferraco said, adding that if the committee is not allowed to meet with Snowden, "I doubt our investigations will move forward." The fallout over the spy programs led Rousseff to cancel a planned visit to the U.S., where she was to be the guest of honor for a state dinner.

Rousseff last month spoke at the United Nations General Assembly and called for international regulations on data privacy and limiting espionage programs targeting the Internet.

Architect: 2020 Tokyo Olympic stadium is too big

October 16, 2013

TOKYO (AP) — A prominent Japanese architect is campaigning to reduce the size of the spaceship-like main stadium approved for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, saying it's too expensive and would clash with its surroundings.

Fumihiko Maki, who has designed some spectacular buildings of his own, says he's not criticizing the design of the stadium by award-winning British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, just the size. His office says he has the support of 100 other well-known people in Japan, including architects.

"The problems I see with the planned stadium all relate to the issue of scale," Maki said in a statement this week. Both the Tokyo and national governments have already approved the stadium, but construction isn't slated to begin until next year.

The 130 billion yen ($1.3 billion), 80,000-seat stadium, with an arching retractable roof, would be built on the site of the smaller 54,000-seat main stadium for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. It would dwarf one of Maki's nearby creations: the 1990 Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

The site sits in the middle of a downtown Tokyo park within walking distance of shopping malls, high-rise buildings, a Shinto shrine and a famous venue designed by Kenzo Tange for the 1964 Games. Jim Heverin, a director at London-based Zaha Hadid Architects, argues the area is already a mix of big and small, as well as styles, so the futuristic construct will fit right in. It can also be used for music concerts and a wide variety of events, he said.

"The venue is much more flexible and will get used more," Heverin said in a phone interview. He acknowledged the new design will occupy more land, but said the new stadium would include greenery. The structure will better blend with the environment with walkways, open 24 hours, to allow people to use the space, instead of experiencing the building as an obstruction, Heverin said.

Tokyo city hall said it had yet to receive an official complaint from Maki, and had no comment. Yoshitaka Takasaki, spokesman for the Japan Sports Council, which is in charge of the stadium construction, said the design was part of Tokyo city planning and approved by the central government in June.

"Basically all the concerns raised have already been addressed," Takasaki said. "We have nothing more to say." Maki disagrees. He wants the design reworked to "a more sustainable stadium for the Japanese people."

"The damaging effects on the historical scenery, the safety concerns for unexpected natural disaster evacuation on a limited site, and the exorbitant construction and management costs are all reasons to question the size of the building," he said.

Heverin dismissed the evacuation fears, saying addressing such concerns is a basic need for any modern building. "That's not going to be an issue. It will be achieved," he said. Architect Sou Fujimoto, one of the 100 who agree with Maki's position, suggested a compromise, with the features for the new stadium being trimmed and the job of reworking the design going to Zaha Hadid.

"We should think about what kind of city we want for the future, what kind of Japan we want for the future," he said. Heverin also welcomed the debate. "Design is subjective," he said.

Defending champion Spain qualifies for World Cup

October 16, 2013

Defending champion Spain and England qualified for the World Cup on Tuesday along with Russia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, which earned its first berth as an independent nation.

Chile and Ecuador earned the last two automatic spots from South America while Honduras qualified from the North and Central American and Caribbean region, forcing regional power Mexico into a further playoff.

Spain won Group I with a 2-0 victory over visiting Georgia. Alvaro Negredo scored in the 26th minute and Juan Mata doubled the lead in the 61st. Iker Casillas returned to starting lineup for Spain after being replaced by Victor Valdes against Belarus last week. The Spanish, who have won three straight major tournaments, including the 2008 and 2012 European Championships, will be aiming for a fourth at Brazil next year; their 10th straight World Cup.

"It may look practically routine, but it's important to remember how successful we've been at qualifying," coach Vicente Del Bosque said. "This is not an easy competition." France was second in the group and will be in the playoffs despite defeating visiting Finland 3-0 with goals by Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema around Joona Toivio's own goal.

Wayne Rooney scored in the 41st minute and Steven Gerrard in the 88th to give England a 2-0 win over Poland at Wembley Stadium and first place in Group H by one point over Ukraine. The English qualified for their 14th World Cup and fifth in a row.

"We have a great togetherness, are there for each other and proved we can perform under pressure," Gerrard said. Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal, Greece, Ukraine, Romania and Iceland placed second in their groups, winding up in Monday's draw for the eight-team European playoffs next month along with Sweden and Croatia. The four playoff winners also will earn berths.

With a population of just over 300,000, Iceland would be the smallest nation to qualify for a World Cup. Trinidad and Tobago, at about 1.3 million, was at the 2006 tournament in Germany. The seedings for the playoffs will be determined by Thursday's FIFA rankings. Denmark had the worst record among the nine second-place teams and missed out on a playoff berth.

Bosnia won 1-0 at Lithuania on Vedad Ibisevic's 68th-minute goal to win Group G on goal difference over Greece. Bosnia-Herzegovina gained independence from Yugoslavia in 1992. Almost 10,000 fans jumped, cried and screamed 'Vamos Bosnia' — or 'Go Bosnia' — when Ibisevic scored in Kaunas.

Fans headed to the airport after the game to wait for their team to arrive in the middle of the night and join the party. Greece defeated visiting Liechtenstein 2-0 as Dimitris Salpingidis scored in the seventh minute and Giorgos Karagounis added a goal in the 81st.

Russia won Group F with a 1-1 draw at Azerbaijan as Roman Shirokov scored in the 15th. Portugal finished a point back after defeating visiting Luxembourg 3-0 on goals by Silvestre Varela, Nani and Helder Postiga.

Italy, which already had clinched its place at Brazil 2014, had a 2-2 draw with Armenia at Naples. Alessandro Florenzi and Mario Balotelli scored for the Azzurri. After securing top spot in its group last week, Germany rallied for a 5-3 win at Sweden with Andre Schuerrle's second-half hat trick following goals by Mesut Ozil and Mario Goetze.

A 2-1 win by Chile over visiting Ecuador earned both nations berths. Alexis Sanchez scored for Chile in the 35th minute and Gary Medel added another three minutes later, while Felipe Caicedo scored for Ecuador in the 66th.

Uruguay was fifth on goal difference after a 3-2 win at home over already qualified Argentina and will play a home-and-away playoff against Jordan, the fifth-place team in Asia. Cristian Rodriguez and Edison Cavani scored around a Luis Suarez penalty kick for the hosts, and Maxi Rodriguez had two goals for the visitors.

Honduras began the day three points ahead of Mexico in the fight for the last automatic qualifying berth from CONCACAF, and a 2-2 draw at Jamaica was enough to reach Brazil. Mexico will face a two-legged playoff against Oceania champion New Zealand, with the winner qualifying for Brazil.

In the African playoffs, Ghana thrashed Bob Bradley's Egypt national team 6-1 in the first leg of the home-and-away series. The second leg is scheduled for Nov. 18 in Cairo. Bradley was hired by Egypt in September 2011, 15 months after Ghana beat Bradley's U.S. team 2-1 in the second round of the World Cup. Egypt, ranked 50th, has not qualified for the World Cup since 1990.

Spain, England, Bosnia qualify for World Cup

October 16, 2013

Spain, England and Russia sealed spots in next year's World Cup finals on Tuesday as Bosnia-Herzegovina delivered the feel-good story of European qualifying by also topping its group to reach a major tournament for the first time as an independent nation.

After a nervy final night of group-stage play across the continent, France and Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal were consigned to next month's playoffs — just like in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup — but the rest of Europe's leading teams are guaranteed to be in Brazil next summer.

With a population of just over 300,000, Iceland is the surprise name in the two-legged playoffs that will also feature Greece, Ukraine, Romania and Croatia. Sweden had already advanced to Monday's draw, but Denmark had the worst record of the nine group runners-up and missed out.

Spain will defend its world title after securing top spot in Group I ahead of France by beating Georgia 2-0, with Alvaro Negredo and Juan Mata scoring either side of half time. The French overcame Finland 3-0 but needed Georgia to pull off a shock in Albacete to climb above the Spanish.

"It may look practically routine but it's important to remember how successful we've been at qualifying," said Spain coach Vicente del Bosque, whose team was one of seven to go through qualifying unbeaten.

England was another, although expectations won't be so high on Roy Hodgson's side in Brazil. Wayne Rooney's first-half header and Steven Gerrard's late solo goal earned England a 2-0 win over Poland at Wembley Stadium, allowing it to stay ahead of Ukraine in Group H and reach a fifth straight finals.

"It is a great feeling to be in Brazil and hopefully we can go in with a little less pressure on ourselves and surprise a few," said Gerrard, who calmed the nerves of England fans with his 88th-minute strike that wrapped up victory in his 107th international.

That meant Ukraine's 8-0 win in San Marino proved immaterial. The wins for Spain and England were overshadowed by events in Kaunas, where Bosnia-Herzegovina sparked scenes of delirium back in its capital city of Sarajevo by beating Lithuania 1-0 to reach its first World Cup since being granted independence from Yugoslavia in 1992.

For many Bosnians, football has been a rare cause for joy since the country descended into nearly four years of war two decades ago, killing more than 100,000 people and leaving a legacy of poverty, high unemployment and political strife.

The national team had missed out on the last two major tournaments by losing in the playoffs to Portugal both times, but this time Bosnia-Herzegovina got it right. Almost 10,000 Bosnians jumped, cried and screamed 'Vamos Bosnia' — or 'go Bosnia' in Portuguese — in the central square in Sarajevo when Vedad Ibisevic scored in the 68th minute for what proved to be the winning goal. Fireworks exploded and fans headed to the airport to wait for their team to arrive in the middle of the night.

"What an excellent night," Bosnia-Herzegovina coach Safet Susic said. "The players believed they could do it, I believed in them, and we made it." Greece defeated Liechtenstein 2-0 but lost out to the Bosnians on goal difference.

Russia only needed a point to guarantee first place in Group F — and a first World Cup since 2002 — and achieved it by drawing 1-1 at Azerbaijan. Portugal's 3-0 win over Luxembourg was in vain, leaving Ronaldo's side a point behind, and it must go through the playoffs to reach a major tournament for the third straight time.

It was still a nervy finish for Russia, which opened the scoring through Roman Shirokov in the 15th and was further boosted when Maksim Medvedev was dismissed for Azerbaijan in the 75th. However, the hosts equalized when Vagif Javadov headed home in the 90th but Russia, coached by former England manager Fabio Capello, held on.

Silvestre Varela, Nani and Helder Postiga were the goal scorers for Portugal, which was without Ronaldo owing to the Real Madrid forward's booking in the costly 1-1 home draw with Israel on Friday. Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and Germany had automatically qualified for the finals before Tuesday.

The list of teams going through to the playoffs was also finalized and it proved to be a bittersweet night for Denmark, which beat Malta 6-0 to equal its biggest World Cup qualifying win but still missed out on the two-legged playoffs, which take place on Nov. 15 and 19.

Iceland would be the smallest nation ever at a World Cup if it comes through the playoffs, having finished runner-up in Group E following a 1-1 draw in Norway. Slovenia could have gone second but lost 1-0 to the Swiss, who could now be top seeds in Brazil.

Romania pipped Turkey and Hungary to second place in Group D behind the Netherlands courtesy of a 2-0 win over Estonia. The Turks were second heading into the last games but lost 2-0 at home to the Dutch.

On Friday, Sweden became the first country to confirm its place in the playoffs by guaranteeing runner-up spot to Germany in Group C. The two teams met in their final qualifier, with Germany coming from 2-0 down to win 5-3 as Andre Schuerrle grabbed a second-half hat trick.

Croatia lost 2-0 to Scotland but had already virtually guaranteed a playoff spot through its second place in Group A behind Belgium. There will be four seeded teams — determined by Thursday's FIFA rankings — in the draw for the playoffs, and they are likely to be Portugal, Croatia, Greece and Ukraine. It leaves France as the most dangerous opponent among the unseeded countries.

Spain qualifies for World Cup, France into playoff

October 16, 2013

ALBACETE, Spain (AP) — Defending champion Spain secured its place at the 2014 World Cup by beating Georgia 2-0 Tuesday to automatically advance as winner of Group I in European qualifying, pushing France into the playoffs.

Spain's victory rendered France's 3-0 win against Finland meaningless as Spain needed just one point to secure passage to Brazil. Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema scored either side of Joona Toivio's own-goal as France advanced to the playoff among the eight best second-place finishers.

Andres Iniesta marked the match played near his hometown by feeding Alvaro Negredo for Spain's first-half opener, and substitute Juan Mata doubled Spain's advantage after the break. Spain has qualified for every World Cup since 1978, although Vicente del Bosque became only the second coach after Javier Clemente to guide the team to two World Cups.

"It may look practically routine but it's important to remember how successful we've been at qualifying," Del Bosque said. This is not an easy competition." Spain showed determination to close out qualifying on a high as it dominated 97th-ranked Georgia from the opening whistle, with the front line of Iniesta, Negredo, Pedro Rodriguez, and Jesus Navas leading the way.

Negredo started in place of Michu and caused problems for Georgia's back four throughout. The Manchester City striker headed off the post before watching goalkeeper Giorgi Loria palm his powerful, acrobatic bicycle volley over goal. In the 26th minute, Pedro floated a deep pass for Iniesta to tap back to Negredo to guide into the top of goal.

Iker Casillas returned to starting lineup for Spain after being replaced by Victor Valdes against Belarus, and the Real Madrid goalie showed no rust in denying efforts from Nikoloz Gelashvili and Jano Ananidze before the break.

Spain enjoyed more than 75 percent of the possession and never relented at the Carlos Belmonte Stadium as Mata stroked home a loose ball inside the area just three minutes after replacing Pedro. Spain heads into Brazil looking for an unprecedented fourth straight major title by adding a second World Cup crown to its two European championships.

At Stade de France, Ribery hit a shot with ferocious power into the top right corner in the eighth minute for his fourth goal in three games. Mathieu Valbuena, Olivier Giroud, and Samir Nasri all came close to adding a second before halftime as the French knew goals were needed to have any chance of finishing top of the group if Spain slipped up.

Those goals came after the restart after Tovio whacked Giroud's 76th-minute header into the roof of goal while trying to clear it off the line. Benzema converted Ribery's perfectly weighted cross with a well-taken volley with three minutes to play, but France advances to the playoff as it did four years ago when it beat Ireland to reach South Africa. FIFA holds the draw on Monday for next month's playoff.

"That's what we were looking for (confidence). We are much more in control than we were before," France coach Didier Deschamps said. "The players are in really good shape at the moment. I hope nothing happens to any of them and that they'll all be here next month."

Spain topped the group with 20 points to France's 17. Finland had nine points, Georgia finished on five points, and Belarus was last with points.

Free-scoring Bosnia seeks calm for last qualifier

October 14, 2013

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (AP) — Bosnian flags and blue-and-yellow hats colored the streets of Sarajevo on Monday as the young nation readies to celebrate World Cup qualification.

Bosnia leads its group on goal difference and will earn an automatic place at next year's tournament in Brazil with a win in Lithuania on Tuesday, and public enthusiasm could hardly be higher. The team, led by Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko and German-born playmaker Zvjezdan Misimovic, celebrated its latest victory with a fireworks display at Bilino Polje Stadium in Zenica after beating Liechtenstein with four goals in 12 minutes.

But Bosnia has been close before. It has twice been denied a place at a major championship — the 2010 World Cup and 2012 European Championship — losing to Portugal in the playoffs. And on Monday, team officials pleaded for calm.

"We understand the desires and patriotic feeling felt by all fans, but excessive euphoria is not something we need at the moment," the Bosnian Football Association said in a statement. To the disappointment of an estimated 10,000 traveling fans, no celebration has been organized in advance.

Bosnia and higher-ranked Greece are level in Group G with 22 points and identical 7-1-1 records, but the Bosnians lead after scoring 29 goals and conceding six, compared to the cautious Greeks' tally of 10-4.

Greece has the easier task Tuesday, hosting Liechtenstein, and defensive midfielder Costas Katsouranis returned from suspension to say that the pressure would be on his group rivals. "We are ready for the playoffs but let's see what happens in the other match," Katsouranis said. "Let us win our own game and we'll see."

For many Bosnians, football success has been a rare cause for celebration since the country descended into nearly four years of war two decades ago, killing more than 100,000 people and leaving a legacy of poverty, high unemployment and never-ending political strife.

"I'm fed up with bad news. Let me enjoy this success for least a short while until reality hits me again," said Mirsad Besic, an unemployed 40-something wall painter who has lost all hope of finding a job and decent prospects for retirement.

Serbs and Croats in ethnically-split Bosnia typically support the national teams of their neighbors. But with Serbia already eliminated and Croatia struggling, many are being drawn to attacking game of a Bosnian team whose players are based in 13 different countries with a qualification scoring record level with England and only bettered in Europe by the Netherlands (32) and Germany (31).

Bosnia coach Safet Susic remains a widely respected figure across the former Yugoslavia, once a valuable attacking midfielder in its national side who spent most of his club and coaching career abroad.

Djana Trbic, a 38-year-old Sarajevan, was reduced to tears when she heard residents in the Serb-dominated city of Banja Luka — Sarajevo's wartime enemy — had publicly stated their support for the Bosnian team.

"I guess everybody loves winners. I guess success unites people," Trbic said. "Will it really be soccer and this great team we have that will united this country at least a bit?"

Gatopoulos reported from Athens, Greece.

Russia: Court decides not to imprison Navalny

October 16, 2013

KIROV, Russia (AP) — A Russian court on Wednesday suspended a five-year prison sentence for a top opposition leader but upheld his conviction for theft, preventing him from running in future elections.

Alexei Navalny was convicted on embezzlement charges and sentenced to prison on July 18, but was released the next day in what some considered a ploy to make the Moscow mayoral race, where he was registered as a candidate, look as competitive as possible.

Navalny garnered an unexpected 27 percent against the Kremlin-backed incumbent. His growing public profile has made it increasingly risky for the Kremlin to put him behind bars. A judge in the court in Kirov, 760 kilometers (460 miles) east of Moscow, read out the decision Wednesday. According to Russian law, even a suspended sentence would eliminate Navalny from political office for life.

Navalny lambasted the trial, saying during the Wednesday session that the original sentence had been handed down "on instructions from Moscow" and that the "political motivation of this case is absolutely clear."

The charges against Navalny date back a few years to when he worked as an unpaid adviser to the provincial governor in Kirov. Prosecutors said he was part of a group that in 2009 embezzled 16 million rubles' ($500,000) worth of timber from the state-owned company Kirovles. He has denied the charges.

Navalny, who spent much of the court session tweeting, was characteristically sarcastic and upbeat.

Mills reported from Moscow.

Over 1,200 people detained in Moscow

October 14, 2013

MOSCOW (AP) — Police in Moscow rounded up over a thousand employees of a vegetable warehouse on Monday, a day after riots on the Russian capital's southern outskirts.

Police on Sunday arrested hundreds of suspected rioters in the district of Biryulovo after the stabbing death of an ethnic Russian man who allegedly was killed by a native of the North Caucasus, a region in southern Russia. Caucasus natives work at many vegetable markets around the Russian capital.

On Monday, police arrested more than 1,200 people in what was called a "pre-emptive raid" on the vegetable warehouse where the rioters believed the killer worked. Russian television showed hundreds of men handcuffed and rounded up in the warehouse's yard.

Moscow police spokesman Andrei Galiakberov said on Russian television that they are investigating some of the detainees for possible criminal connections. Police also said that they found a car full of cash and unlicensed arms on the premises.

Tensions between nationalist Russians and North Caucasus natives have been simmering for two decades. Yegor Shcherbakov, 25, was killed in a dispute over his girlfriend with another man as the couple returned home on Thursday. Sunday's rioters were protesting what they called impunity for the man's supposed killer. Police and investigators on Monday promised to find the man and bring him to justice.

Of the hundreds suspected rioters arrested on Sunday, police kept only two in custody and fined 70 more. Dozens of police officers were injured in the Sunday riots, and five were hospitalized, police said.

Iran presents nuclear proposals at Geneva talks

October 16, 2013

GENEVA (AP) — With PowerPoint slides and feel-good phrases, Iranian negotiators presented world powers on Tuesday with what they said was a plan to break a decade of deadlock over Tehran's nuclear program, declaring the time had come to end the country's "walk in the dark" of international isolation and crippling sanctions.

Neither Iran nor the six nations negotiating with it revealed details of the proposal. But their guarded comments indicated some progress had been made and a rare private meeting between Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and the chief U.S. negotiator, Wendy Sherman, suggested a better tone compared to previous encounters.

Speaking in English, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif outlined the proposal, entitled "An End to the Unnecessary Crisis and a Beginning for Fresh Horizons." A member of one of the delegations meeting with Iran told The Associated Press the plan offered reductions in both the levels of uranium enrichment being conducted by Iran and the number of centrifuges doing the enrichment — a key demand of the six powers. He demanded anonymity because he was not authorized to divulge details.

Iran's state TV, which closely reflects government views, said Tehran offered to discuss uranium enrichment levels. The report also said Iran proposed adopting the additional protocols of the U.N.'s nuclear treaty — effectively opening its nuclear facilities to wider inspection and monitoring — if the West recognizes Iran's right to enrich uranium.

The Iranian presentation was followed in the afternoon by what European Union spokesman Michael Mann said were very detailed technical talks "for the first time." State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki repeated the same phrase, saying that while it wasn't "a breakthrough at this stage ... it certainly is positive that there was enough information to have technical discussions."

"They've come forward with something this morning, but we need to work harder on it to get down to the nitty gritty," Mann told reporters. Both he and Psaki said the talks would continue Wednesday. Araghchi was also upbeat, describing the afternoon session as "positive and constructive," on the website of Iranian state television. He said the six powers — the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany — asked for details and discussed explanations offered by Iranian negotiators.

Iran's version of success is for painful international sanctions to be lifted in exchange for possible concessions it had been previously unwilling to consider, such as increased monitoring and scaling back of uranium enrichment — a potential path to nuclear arms and the centerpiece of the impasse with the West.

International talks designed to reduce fears that Iran may make such arms have been stalled for most of their 10-year history, with Tehran insisting it has no interest in weapons production, while resisting both enticements and sanctions designed to force it into ending uranium enrichment and other activities that could be used to make weapons.

But negotiations appear now to be driven by the new wind generated since reformist President Hassan Rouhani took office in September. Senior Iranian officials have expressed readiness to modify their rigid stance since then, and the Geneva talks were seen as the first real test of Tehran's willingness to move from soothing words to concrete and verifiable actions.

At the end of the hour-long PowerPoint presentation, Araghchi described his country's proposal as a potential breakthrough. Alluding to the international pressure over Iran's nuclear program that has driven the country into near-pariah status, he said: "We no longer want to walk in the dark and uncertainty and have doubts about the future."

Iran's uranium enrichment program is at the core of the world powers' concerns. Iran now has more than 10,000 centrifuges churning out enriched uranium, which can be used either to power reactors or to make a nuclear bomb. Iran has long insisted it does not want nuclear arms — a claim the U.S. and its allies have been skeptical about — but has resisted international attempts to verify its aims.

Of the tons of enriched uranium in Iran's stockpile, most is enriched to under 5 percent — a level that needs weeks of further enrichment to turn into weapons-level uranium. But it also has nearly 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of 20 percent-enriched uranium, a form that can be quickly upgraded for weapons use, according to the U.N's atomic agency, which keeps tabs on Iran's nuclear activities. That is close to — but still below — what is needed for one nuclear weapon.

Back pains suffered by Zarif, Iran's foreign minister and chief negotiator, threatened to complicate the talks. However, Mann said the pains did not stop Zarif from having a "cordial" dinner Monday evening with Catherine Ashton, the top EU diplomat convening the talks.

Araghchi said Zarif was "suffering a lot," although he intended to stay in Geneva until the talks ended. He was later seen leaving the service entrance of his upscale hotel in a wheelchair, with security guards wheeling him into a van.

No final deal is expected at the two-day session, but it potentially could be the launching pad for a deal that has proven elusive since negotiations began in 2003, while reducing the specter of armed conflict in the Mideast.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims that Iran's new leadership is trying to use the negotiations to trick the world into easing sanctions without making any significant concessions. Netanyahu says a nuclear-armed Iran is unacceptable and has repeatedly threatened to attack Iran, unilaterally if necessary, if diplomacy fails to curb the nuclear program.

Netanyahu appeared to make a new threat against Iran on Tuesday when, during a memorial service marking the 40th anniversary of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, he said a lesson of that conflict is that "pre-emptive strikes must not be ruled out."

One immediate change from previous talks was the choice of language. Tuesday's sessions were held in English, unlike previous rounds under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Rouhani's hard-line predecessor, when English and Farsi were spoken and translations provided of the exchange.

Associated Press Writer Deb Riechmann in Washington contributed to this report.

Trial of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge leaders nears end

October 16, 2013

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia's trial of the Khmer Rouge's two surviving leaders began hearing closing statements Wednesday, with pleas for belated justice almost 40 years after the brutal regime destroyed a generation of Cambodian people.

Now ailing and elderly, Nuon Chea, 87, the regime's chief ideologist, and Khieu Samphan, 82, its head of state, are charged with genocide and crimes against humanity — including torture, enslavement and murder — for planning and implementing the policies that left an estimated 1.7 million people dead.

Initial statements on Wednesday came from the lawyers of "civil parties" participating in the trial to represent the victims. Statements from the prosecution and defense are scheduled through the end of October, and a verdict is expected in the first half of 2014.

Hundreds of victims who lost their loved ones during the regime's 1970s rule packed the tribunal's courtroom and crowded outside. "I need to see justice," said Prak Sri, a 66-year-old who traveled from the southern province of Takeo. "I want to see this court punish these Khmer Rouge leaders because 11 of my relatives were killed."

Death and disability have robbed the tribunal of other defendants. Khmer Rouge Foreign Minister Ieng Sary died in March, and his wife Ieng Thirith, the regime's social affairs minister, was declared unfit for trial in September 2012 after being diagnosed with dementia. The group's top leader, Pol Pot, died in 1998.

Just 20 minutes into Wednesday's hearing, Nuon Chea told the court he felt ill. "I feel dizzy. May I leave?" the man known as Brother No. 2 told the court. He was escorted out in a wheelchair, taken to a holding cell to watch the proceedings via video link.

The Khmer Rouge, in power from April 1975 until January 1979, emptied the country's cities, forcing Cambodians into backbreaking work in rural collectives and executing any it suspected of dissent. Torture and death by starvation, lack of medical care, overwork and execution were endemic under the Khmer Rouge

Civil party lawyers recounted testimony of mothers who watched their babies die due to lack of food and medicine and families forcibly marched at gunpoint across the countryside. "Forced transfers involved the complete emptying of towns and cities," said civil party lawyer, Hong Kim Suon. "There was usually no food, water, shelter or medical care," he said. "The consequences of the forced transfers ... resulted in famine, disease and death."

Surviving victims hope that "after more than 30 years their right to justice and reparations will be realized," said another civil party lawyer, Pich Ang. The tribunal, launched in 2006, so far has convicted only one defendant, Khmer Rouge prison director Kaing Guek Eav, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2011. Cambodia has no death penalty. His case was known as 001.

The current trial, Case 002, against senior leaders of the regime opened in November 2011 and has included 212 days of testimony from 92 individuals. To make a massive indictment more manageable, the court decided to split Case 002 into smaller "mini trials" that would examine the evidence in rough chronological order. It was feared that the aging, infirm defendants might not survive long enough to complete more comprehensive proceedings, depriving victims of even a modicum of justice.

The present trial's focus on the forced movement of people excludes some of the gravest charges related to genocide, detention centers and killings. The tribunal has ruled that the next trial, on genocide and other charges, will begin as soon as possible but tribunal spokesman Lars Olsen said no schedule had been set.

Proceedings have been hampered by underfunding, and obstruction by the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who counts surrendered Khmer Rouge leaders among his political allies. He himself defected from the group at an early stage.

"Funding and problems of judicial interference may prevent future cases from moving forward," the tribunal said in a statement Wednesday. The current trial "may be the last opportunity for victims of the Khmer Rouge regime to see justice."