Iraq to impose controls on Internet

By SINAN SALAHEDDIN, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD - The Iraqi government has decided to crack down on Internet service providers and ban sites that incite violence or carry pornography, officials said Tuesday, a move that has been strongly criticized by freedom of speech advocates as a dangerous first step toward political censorship.

The plan to strengthen government control of content and usage will require Internet cafes — and later the service providers as well — to obtain licenses that are subject to government review and cancellation if compliance requirements are not met.

"All Web sites that glorify terrorism and incite violence and sectarianism, or those that violate social morals with content such as pornography will be banned," communications ministry spokesman Sameer al-Hasoon told The Associated Press by phone Tuesday.

Al-Hasoon refused to divulge further details of the committee's recommendations, but said he expected them to be approved by the Cabinet next week. The next step would be for the government to send the draft legislation to parliament.

Another official said the ministry is planning to license five of the 10 wireless Internet service providers currently operating in Iraq. He refused to say why the five were chosen, but said the tightened restrictions will implemented in coordination with the Interior Ministry's anti-Internet crimes directorate.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to make statements to the media.

The plan to tighten government controls has raised concerns about the protection of constitutional freedoms. Since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, Iraq has had relatively lax restrictions on Internet providers compared with some of its Muslim neighbors.

The officials said their concern is primarily over sites that promote violence. They also say they want to ensure that the online fare readily available at Internet cafes does not get too far out of step with Iraq's social mores.

But the Baghdad-based independent Journalistic Freedom Observatory denounced the step as an "attempt to control the flow of free information on the Internet and limit the knowledge of the citizens."

The JFO also claimed the plan violates the Iraqi constitution, which guarantees the freedom of mail, telegrams, phone and electronic communications. The constitution, enacted in 2005, says such communications cannot be "monitored, tabbed or revealed."

"Excuses of protecting national security or moral standards are unacceptable," the JFO said in a statement. "It is only being used to censor Internet service and control freedom of expression."

The group said the plan opens the door for tighter controls, particularly over political discussions, dissent or debate on issues that are sensitive to the government.

It says the controls are a throwback to the days of Saddam, when access to the Internet was limited to just one provider and e-mail and phone calls were monitored and censored by the Ministry of Communications and security agencies.

After Saddam was toppled in the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, dozens of wireless Internet providers started business and hundreds of Internet cafes were opened in the capital, Baghdad, and other provinces.

"No one opposes blacking out web sites that offer pornography because of the damage such sites bring to society," said Hassan al-Kaabi, the 26-year-old owner of an Internet cafe in Baghdad's eastern Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City. "But the government decision that deals with web sites that incite violence and terrorism is vague and needs more clarification."

Al-Kaabi, who has 12 computers and offers wireless service to about 80 subscribers, said he is worried about his future and the gains Iraq has made since Saddam's ouster.

"This is just like a trap to me," he said. "This will definitely affect our business."

Ahmadinejad sworn in as Iran president amid crisis

By NASSER KARIMI, Associated Press Writer

TEHRAN, Iran – Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was sworn in to a second presidential term Wednesday with a call for the divided nation to "join hands," but it was greeted by protests in the streets and snubs inside Iran's parliament.

The oath-taking ceremony capped a cycle of outrage over claims of massive fraud in the June 12 elections and moved Iran into a new phase: A weakened leadership facing a wider opposition that includes powerful clerics and internal splits among conservatives.

The political fissures raise serious questions about Iran's ability to make policy decisions on looming issues such as offers for talks with Washington and efforts to mend ties with European trade partners.

"We have now a crisis of authority, where the president and the supreme leader are not able to make big decisions including about the nuclear program and engagement with the U.S.," said Mehdi Khalaji, a senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

President Barack Obama has given Iran until next month to show willingness to open dialogue after a nearly 30-year diplomatic standoff.

Iran's leaders must first try to tone down the worst domestic upheaval since the 1979 Islamic Revolution — which has been fanned by a mass trial that includes prominent reformist political figures.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Washington still favors direct contact with Iran, but she also lauded those challenging the leadership in Tehran.

"Our policy remains the same and we take the reality that the person who was inaugurated today will be considered the president," Clinton told reporters in Nairobi, Kenya. "But we appreciate and we admire the continuing resistance and ongoing efforts by the reformers to make the changes that the Iranian people deserve."

In his inaugural address — in tones somewhat quieter than his often-bombastic style — Ahmadinejad called for the nation to put aside its differences and "join hands."

But on the streets outside the dark green marble parliament chamber, riot police used batons and pepper spray against hundreds of protesters chanting "Death to the Dictator," witnesses said.

Some of the protesters wore black T-shirts in a sign of mourning and others wore green — the color of the opposition movement. A middle-aged woman carried a banner warning Iran's leaders to listen to the people's demands or face the same fate as Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was toppled in the Islamic Revolution.

Nearly every night, opposition supporters reprise one of the main tactics of the anti-shah movement, shouting "Allahu Akbar," or "God is Great," from rooftops.

Inside parliament, the dissent came in the form of boycotts. Key opposition leaders, moderate lawmakers, two former presidents and all three of Ahmadinejad's election challengers stayed away from the swearing-in ceremony.

Among the no-shows: former presidents Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami and two of the reformist-backed candidates, the top challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahdi Karroubi. Another powerful snub came from the third candidate, conservative Mohsen Rezaei — a former commander of the Revolutionary Guard who had attended a pre-inauguration ceremony for Ahmadinejad on Monday.

His decision to stay away from the main event could reflect growing cracks among conservatives, which could sharply complicate Ahmadinejad's bid to regain political legitimacy.

Rezaei has increasingly criticized the leadership for their crackdowns, including calling for high-level probes into abuses after the son of his top aide died in detention. State media reported Tuesday that charges could be filed against police, judges and others for alleged abuses, but it remains unclear whether authorities will follow through.

Images on state television showed many empty seats during the swearing-in ceremony, and an opposition lawmakers' Web site said 57 of its 70 lawmakers were not there. Many of the 13 who did attend walked out in protest when Ahmadinejad began to speak, it said. Parliament speaker Ali Larijani maintained 273 of the 290 Iranian lawmakers were present.

In his speech, Ahmadinejad demanded that Iran be on an equal footing with other world powers and denounced foreign interference. Iran has accused the U.S. and the West of backing street protests.

"We must play a key role in the management of the world," Ahmadinejad said. "We will not remain silent. We will not tolerate disrespect, interference and insults."

He added that he would "spare no effort to safeguard the frontiers of Iran" — an apparent reference to Israel and U.S. troops along its borders in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But Iran's detention last week of three Americans who strayed across the border while hiking in northern Iraq has added a new point of friction in relations with Washington.

Ahmadinejad noted that some Western countries — including the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Italy — did not congratulate him on his election win.

"They do not respect the rights of other nations, yet they recognize themselves as the yardstick for democracy," he said, without naming specific countries.

"Nobody in Iran is waiting for anyone's congratulations," he added to cheers from lawmakers.

A British Foreign Office spokesman said his country has serious concerns over the election, Iran's contentious nuclear program and human rights that must be addressed first.

Ahmadinejad did not directly address Obama's outreach for the start of a dialogue on Iran's nuclear program, which the U.S. suspects is geared toward producing weapons. Iran says it only seeks energy-producing reactors.

But he said: "Iran is a nation of logic, dialogue and constructive interaction. The basis of our foreign policy is wide and constructive contacts with all nations and independent governments based on justice, respect and friendship."

Ahmadinejad mentioned the election crisis only in passing, but issued an apparent warning to demonstrators that authorities would "resist any violation of law and interference."

Hundreds of police deployed around parliament Wednesday and two subway stations nearby were closed to the public. Witnesses said at least 10 people were detained by police. Authorities have banned foreign media from covering opposition activities, forcing them to rely on witness accounts and tightly controlled state media.

In the days leading up to the inauguration, opposition groups had called protesters into the streets to coincide with the swearing in, spreading the word through postings on reformist Web sites and blogs.

The calls showed the protesters resolve to keep confronting the government even though a harsh crackdown by security forces on any street demonstrations has killed at least 30, according to Iran's official toll. Human rights group suspect the death toll is far higher.

The opposition — and some powerful conservatives — have also been angered by a mass trial for more than 100 pro-reform figures and protesters accused of challenging the Islamic system. Among those on trial are many prominent reformist activists and political figures, including former Vice President Mohammad Abtahi.

The trial had been scheduled to resume Thursday, but was postponed until Saturday after 10 defense lawyers asked for more time to prepare, the state Islamic Republic News Agency reported. Many defense lawyers have complained they have been blocked from access to their clients.

The Islamic Iran Participation Front, the biggest pro-reform group, issued a statement saying many of its members remain in detention and denouncing the "kangaroo court" overseeing the mass trial.

Aboard Air Force One, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs retreated from an earlier statement that Ahmadinejad is "the elected leader" of Iran. Gibbs said it was "a fact" that Ahmadinejad has been inaugurated, but added it's up to the Iranian people to decide whether the election "was fair."

Freed journalists home in US after NKorea pardon

By ROBERT JABLON, Associated Press Writer

BURBANK, Calif. – Two American journalists jubilantly reunited with family and friends early Wednesday upon returning to the United States with former President Bill Clinton, whose diplomatic trip to North Korea secured their release nearly five months after their arrests.

The jet carrying Euna Lee and Laura Ling, reporters for Al Gore's San Francisco-based Current TV, and Clinton arrived at Burbank's Bob Hope Airport at dawn. Clinton met with communist leader Kim Jong Il on Tuesday to secure the women's release.

Lee emerged from the jetliner first and was greeted by husband Michael Saldate and 4-year-old daughter Hana. She hugged the girl and picked her up before all three embraced in a crushing hug as TV networks beamed the poignant moment live.

Ling embraced her husband, Iain Clayton, as teary family members crowded around.

"The past 140 days have been the most difficult, heart-wrenching days of our lives," Ling said, her voice cracking.

Thirty hours ago, Ling said, "We feared that any moment we could be sent to a hard labor camp."

Then, she said, they were taken to another location.

"When we walked through the doors, we saw standing before us President Bill Clinton," she said to applause. "We were shocked but we knew instantly in our hearts that the nightmare of our lives was finally coming to an end, and now we stand here, home and free."

Clinton came down the stairs to applause. He hugged Gore, then chatted with family members.

Gore described the families of the two women as "unbelievable, passionate, involved, committed, innovative."

"Hana's been a great girl while you were gone," he told Lee. "And Laura, your mom's been making your special soup for two days now."

He also thanked the State Department for its help in the release.

"It speaks well of our country that when two American citizens are in harm's way, that so many people will just put things aside and just go to work to make sure that this has had a happy ending," he said.

After 140 days in custody, the reporters were granted a pardon by North Korea on Tuesday, following rare talks between Clinton and the reclusive North Korea leader. They had been sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for entering the country illegally.

The women were kept in enforced isolation and fed poor-quality food, Ling's sister said.

"They were kept apart most of the time. ... On the day of their trial, they hugged each other and that was it," Lisa Ling told reporters outside her sister's home in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles.

"She's really, really anxious to have fresh fruit and fresh food. She said there were rocks in her rice. Obviously, it's a country that has a lot of economic problems.

"The little bit that she was able to recount of her experience of the last 4 1/2 months has been challenging for us to hear," Lisa Ling said. "She's my little sister but she's a very, very strong girl and a determined person."

Ling's husband told reporters that his wife had spent more time in North Korea than in their North Hollywood home, which they bought in November shortly before she went overseas.

"It was very lonely," Clayton said. "One of the hardest things was obviously coming home every night, and there were reminders of her in the house."

The women, dressed in short-sleeved shirts and jeans, appeared healthy as they prepared to leave North Korea. They shook hands with Clinton before getting into the jet, exclusive APTN footage from Pyongyang showed. Clinton waved, put his hand over his heart and then saluted.

North Korean state TV showed Clinton's departure, and North Korean officials waving to the plane, but did not show images of the two journalists.

Speaking on the White House lawn just before leaving on a trip to Indiana, President Barack Obama said the administration is "extraordinarily relieved" that the pair has been set free. He said he had spoken to their families once the two were safely aboard a plane out of Pyongyang.

"The reunion we've all seen on television, I think, is a source of happiness not only for the families but also for the entire country," Obama said.

Ling was later seen entering her mother's home in the Los Angeles suburb of Toluca Lake, while Lee was spotted going into her home in Los Angeles.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Clinton will fill in Obama's national security team on what transpired during his trip as a private envoy to Pyongyang.

He reiterated that Clinton did not carry a message from Obama to Kim.

"If there wasn't a message, there certainly couldn't have been an apology," Gibbs said.

When asked whether the release of the journalists could lead to a breakthrough on other issues such as North Korea's nuclear program, Gibbs said that will depend on the actions of the communist regime.

"The people that walked away from the obligations they agreed to were not anybody involved on our side," Gibbs said. "It was the North Koreans."

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton hailed the journalists' release.

"I spoke to my husband on the airplane and everything went well," she told reporters in Nairobi, Kenya. "They are extremely excited to be reunited soon when they touch down in California. It was just a good day to be able to see this happen."

Ling, a 32-year-old California native, is the younger sister of Lisa Ling, a correspondent for CNN as well as "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and "National Geographic Explorer." Lee, 36, is a South Korean-born U.S. citizen.

They were arrested near the North Korean-Chinese border in March while on a reporting trip for Current TV.

The release also amounted to a successful diplomatic foray for the former president, who traveled as an unofficial envoy, with approval and coordination from the administration. He was uniquely positioned for it as the only recent president who had considered visiting North Korea while in office, and one who had sent his secretary of state, Madeleine Albright.

His landmark visit to Pyongyang to free the Americans was a coup that came at a time of heightened tensions over North Korea's nuclear program.

The meeting also appeared aimed at dispelling persistent questions about the health of the authoritarian North Korean leader, who was said to be suffering from chronic diabetes and heart disease before the reported stroke. The meeting was Kim's first with a prominent Western figure since the reported stroke.

Pardoning Ling and Lee and having Clinton serving as their emissary served both North Korea's need to continue maintaining that the two women had committed a crime and the Obama administration's desire not to expend diplomatic capital winning their freedom, said Daniel Sneider, associate director of research at Stanford University's Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center.

"Nobody wanted this to be a distraction from the more substantially difficult issues we have with North Korea," he said. "There was a desire by the administration to resolve this quietly and from the very beginning they didn't allow it to become a huge public issue."

Discussions about normalizing ties with North Korea went dead when George W. Bush took office in 2001 with a hard-line policy on Pyongyang. The Obama administration has expressed a willingness to hold bilateral talks — but only within the framework of the six-nation disarmament talks in place since 2003.

North Korea announced earlier this year it was abandoning the talks involving the two Koreas, Japan, Russia, China and the U.S. The regime also launched a long-range rocket, conducted a nuclear test, test-fired a barrage of ballistic missiles and restarted its atomic program in defiance of international criticism and the U.N. Security Council.

Senators, Military Advisers Urge Obama to Double Afghan Forces

Indira A.R. Lakshmanan – Tue Aug 4

Aug. 4 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama and top U.S. military commanders are under pressure from influential senators and civilian advisers to double the size of Afghan security forces, a commitment that would cost billions of dollars.

In private letters and face-to-face meetings, these supporters of mounting a stronger effort against the Taliban seek to boost the Afghan National Army and police to at least 400,000 personnel from the current 175,000.

“Any further postponement” of a decision to support a surge in Afghan forces will hamper U.S. efforts to quell an insurgency in its eighth year, Senators Joseph Lieberman, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, and Carl Levin, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, wrote to the White House in a July 21 letter provided to Bloomberg News.

General Stanley McChrystal, the new U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, will recommend a speedier expansion of Afghan forces beyond current targets in an assessment he will give Defense Secretary Robert Gates and North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen by Aug. 14, according to a military official familiar with the review.

McChrystal has heard from civilian advisers who studied the war effort. The general won’t suggest in the report how many more U.S. or NATO troops would be needed to train those Afghan forces or to boost the U.S. fighting effort, the official said.

In a meeting last week with Lieutenant General Douglas Lute, the deputy national security adviser who oversees Afghan policy at the White House, Levin said a substantial expansion of Afghan forces is essential and that he would support funding for that, according to Levin spokeswoman Tara Andringa.

Earlier Letter

In a May 19 letter to Obama, 17 Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee, including Levin, Lieberman, and Senator John McCain, the former Republican presidential candidate, urged a doubling of Afghan forces. They cautioned Obama against “taking an incremental approach” that “does not reflect the realities on the ground.”

The U.S. already has agreed to fast-track the buildup of combined Afghan security forces to 134,000 Army personnel and 96,800 police -- 230,800 in all -- by 2011, according to U.S. Central Command. The Defense Department has requested $7.5 billion for fiscal year 2010 to fund the expansion.

More Afghan troops would bolster U.S. efforts to conduct joint operations, said Major General Curtis Scaparrotti, the commander for NATO forces in eastern Afghanistan, where the U.S. is the lead nation in the coalition.

‘Greater Capacity’

“I do see a need for a greater capacity within the Afghan national security forces,” Scaparrotti told reporters at the Pentagon today via video link from Afghanistan. “General McChrystal has stated we look at not only building their competency but building their capacity at a quicker pace.”

Training and equipping 170,000 additional forces would balloon costs and require thousands more foreign military advisers, a commitment the Obama administration has thus far been reluctant to make.

Senators argued in their May letter that building Afghanistan’s own forces is far cheaper than sending American soldiers -- making clear they would support administration requests for funds to train and equip Afghan troops.

“For the cost of a single American soldier in Afghanistan, it is possible to sustain 60 or more Afghans,â€

A similar message was drummed home by a dozen civilian national security experts in meetings with McChrystal and in a written report they gave him after a month in Afghanistan assessing ground conditions.

McChrystal asked the analysts from the secretary of defense’s office, the Congressional Research Service, Washington research institutions, the European Union and a French think tank for help in preparing the strategic assessment.

Decision ‘Avoided’

Lieberman, a Connecticut independent who has sought an expansion of Afghan forces, said the commitment “is a decision that we have avoided making for far too long.”

Retired Lieutenant Colonel John Nagl, a counterinsurgency expert, predicts doubling the size of the Afghan Army would likely be a five-year, $25 billion proposition that would require 12,000 U.S. military trainers. Those troops would have to be reassigned from other duties.

The realization in Washington “of the scope and scale of what would be required in Afghanistan is frankly causing waves,” said Nagl, a member of the Defense Policy Board that advises the secretary of defense. He is president of the Center for a New American Security in Washington.

In February and March, Obama pledged 17,000 additional U.S. ground troops and 4,000 trainers, all of whom will be on the ground by the end of September, said Major John Redfield, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command.

There are 62,000 U.S. troops and 40,500 non-U.S. NATO forces in Afghanistan, the highest number since the war to oust the Taliban began in 2001.

Shiite group agrees to renounce violence in Iraq

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD – An extremist Shiite group believed responsible for the killing of five American soldiers in a bold raid south of Baghdad and the kidnapping of five British men has agreed to renounce violence, a government adviser said Monday.

The deal was reached during a weekend meeting between Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and representatives of Asaib Ahl al-Haq, or League of the Righteous, a group the U.S. alleges is backed by Iran and refuses to adhere to a militia cease-fire.

The group promised to lay down its weapons and join the political process, according to government aide Sami al-Askari, who was at the meeting. In return, al-Maliki promised to seek the release of the detainees in U.S. custody, al-Askari said.

The deal comes as the Shiite-led Iraqi government moves increasingly to assert its sovereignty and solidify its power base ahead of national elections scheduled for January. The U.S. military also has seen its influence wane as it begins to pull back its troops with plans for a full withdrawal by the end of 2011.

The transformation of the remaining Shiite militant groups into political organizations would be a significant development for Iraq as it prepares for the end of the U.S. military role. It also could boost Tehran's leverage in the neighboring country, although Iran's government denies any links to Shiite extremists in Iraq.

Iraqi politicians with links to the Asaib al-Haq have said the group wants to participate in next year's parliamentary vote, either by fielding its own ticket or backing candidates from other Shiite parties.

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh also confirmed the deal, according to Iraqi state television.

"The delegation of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq group announced its support for the political process, renounced violence and offered support for efforts to achieve national unity," he told reporters. "Both sides agreed to solve the pending problems, especially the issue of detainees whose hands have not been stained with Iraqis' blood and who have no criminal evidence against them."

Several high-profile Shiite detainees have been released from American custody this summer, including key Asaib al-Haq member Laith al-Khazali in June. He and his still-detained brother, Qais, were accused of organizing a daring attack on a local government headquarters in Karbala that killed five U.S. soldiers on Jan. 20, 2007.

The U.S. military has been freeing inmates or transferring them to Iraqi custody as part of a security pact that took effect on Jan. 1.

Al-Khazali's release was widely believed to be part of negotiations for the release of five British hostages captured two years ago in a raid on Iraq's Finance Ministry that was blamed on the group.

However, the bodies of two of the kidnapped contractors were found and returned to England earlier this summer, and Britain said last week that two others were likely dead. The IT consultant the contractors had been guarding, Peter Moore, is believed to be alive.

A cease-fire called by anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr after his forces were routed in American-backed Iraqi government offensives has been a key factor in ebbing the rampant sectarian violence that pushed the country to the brink of civil war.

But Asaib Ahl al-Haq and other Shiite extremist factions broke with al-Sadr, raising fears that the bloodshed could resume.

The group's main liaison with the government, Salam al-Maliki, said only that many issues were discussed.

"The Iraqi government is getting its full sovereignty on Iraqi land, especially after signing the security pact and accelerating the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq," he told state television.

The Shiite militia cease-fire, along with a Sunni revolt against al-Qaida in Iraq and a 2007 U.S. troop buildup have led to a sharp decline in attacks nationwide. But a series of recent bombings has raised fears that violence could resurge.

A suicide car bomber struck a police checkpoint Monday in Saqlawiyah, west of Baghdad, killing at least three people and wounding seven in the seventh attack in Anbar province in two weeks. A total of 24 people have been killed in the series of bombings that began on July 20.

Provincial security official Sheik Efan Saadoun blamed political rivalries for destabilizing the situation and said the Americans pulled back too fast. The U.S. military maintains a presence in the region and has said it is ready to help if requested.

"We lack the military and the security power they enjoy in controlling movement at the main security checkpoints in addition to their sophisticated detection instruments," Saadoun said. "We were extremely dependent on the Americans in this field."

In other violence reported by police Monday, roadside bombs killed two Iraqi soldiers and wounded four others in separate attacks in the northern city of Mosul. Bombs also exploded on two buses leaving the mainly Shiite city of Hillah, killing two people and wounding 25 south of Baghdad.

Separately, Iraq said it has arrested a man suspected of killing a well-known Iraqi TV journalist who was abducted while covering the Feb. 22, 2006 bombing of a Shiite mosque north of Baghdad.

Atwar Bahjat of the Dubai-based Al-Arabiyah and two colleagues were abducted while covering the bombing in her hometown of Samarra that set off years of sectarian violence. Their bullet-riddled bodies were found the next day outside the city, north of Baghdad. All three were Sunni Arabs, but the station has a reputation as being critical of Iraq's Sunni insurgency.

Iraqi military spokesman Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi confirmed the arrest but provided no other details.

Journalists have frequently been targeted or caught up in Iraq's violence.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists has recorded 139 journalists and 51 media support workers killed since the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

NKorea: ex-President Bill Clinton in Pyongyang

By JAE-SOON CHANG, Associated Press Writer

SEOUL, South Korea – Former U.S. President Bill Clinton made a surprise trip to North Korea on Tuesday amid an international standoff over the country's nuclear program and concerns about two U.S. reporters imprisoned in Pyongyang since March.

Clinton landed in Pyongyang on Tuesday and was greeted at the airport by North Korean officials, including chief nuclear negotiator Kim Kye Gwan, North Korea's state news agency said in a brief dispatch. "A little girl presented a bouquet to Bill Clinton," the report said.

His visit comes amid heightened tensions over North Korea's string of nuclear and missile tests in defiance of U.N. resolutions, and calls from Washington for amnesty for the two reporters.

Ling and Lee, reporters for former Vice President Al Gore's California-based Current TV media venture, were arrested in March while on a reporting trip to the Chinese-North Korean border. They were sentenced in June to 12 years of hard labor for entering the country illegally and engaging in "hostile acts."

In New York, the Clinton Foundation did not immediately return calls, and Gore's spokeswoman, Kalee Kreider, said she could not comment. At the White House, Deputy Press Secretary Tommy Vietor said he had no comment.

In California, Lee's husband, Michael Saldate, declined to comment. A message left for Iain Clayton, Ling's husband, was not returned Monday evening.

Clinton would be the second former U.S. president to visit North Korea; Jimmy Carter visited Pyongyang in 1994, when Clinton was in office, and met with then-North Korean leader Kim Il Sung, late father of current leader Kim Jong Il.

That visit came amid spiraling nuclear tensions — and led to a breakthrough accord between the two sides months later.

Analysts have said the communist regime is expected to use the detained reporters as a negotiating card to win concessions from Washington.

5 rockets hit Afghan capital, 1 near US Embassy

By ALFRED de MONTESQUIOU, Associated Press Writer

KABUL – At least five rockets slammed into Kabul at daybreak Tuesday, one of them falling near the U.S. Embassy in a rare attack on the Afghan capital fewer than three weeks before presidential elections, police and residents said.

The explosions, heard by AP reporters, occurred to the east of the city, toward the international airport and near several residential areas.

The impact of one of the rockets could be seen about 200 yards (meters) from the U.S. Embassy on a main road in central Kabul. It hit the house of a senior Interior Ministry official but caused no casualties, security officers said.

At the scene, Maj. Ghulam Rasul of the Afghan national army said he believed the rockets were of the long-range BM1 type, which can be fired from portable rocket launchers positioned on the ground several miles from their target. "The capital is closely guarded. They had to fire from far away," Rasul said.

Col. Fatih Uddin, the security chief at the damaged Interior Ministry house, estimated the building probably wasn't the main target of the attack. "Of course, it seems that the target was more the American Embassy," Uddin said.

The U.S. Embassy strongly questioned whether this was the case.

"There's no indication these rockets were targeting any particular site in Kabul," embassy spokeswoman Fleur Cowan said. She said the embassy had not implemented any special security measures Tuesday beyond its usual response in cases of indirect fire.

Kabul's deputy police chief, Mohammad Khalil Dastyar, said it was too early to ascertain what the attackers were aiming for.

Dastyar said seven rockets _rather than the five most people heard_ had been fired from the northeast of Kabul a few minutes before 5 a.m.

He blamed Taliban fighters for the attack. "They're just trying to sabotage and create tension in Kabul," Dastyar said. Police have found that only one child was injured by the rockets, he said. No damage was caused to any parts of the international airport.

Standing next to a damaged house near the U.S. Embassy, witness Abdul Wali Zai said it was lucky that the attack took place in the early morning when streets were still largely empty. Since there were no injuries, he said the rockets wouldn't affect Kabul residents who have experienced three decades of fighting.

"Our morale is very high because it is close to the election," Wali Zai told Associated Press Television News.

A few rounds of sporadic gunfire came shortly after the rockets. A police officer in eastern Kabul said that it was not clear why the shots had been fired but that security forces were all on alert. The police officer requested anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media.

"It was very loud, just as we were praying," said Kabul resident Ismail Khan, who said he was conducting Islam's dawn prayer when the rockets went off in close succession nearby.

Though bombings, suicide attacks and gunbattles frequently take place across much of Afghanistan, Kabul has been relatively spared from the violence.

The attack Tuesday came as Afghans braced for key presidential and local councilor elections later this month. The Taliban have vowed to disrupt the Aug. 20 vote, and 11 people were killed in a bombing Monday in Herat, western Afghanistan's largest city.

Some 101,000 NATO and U.S. forces are deployed to secure the country. This includes a record 62,000 U.S. troops, more than double the number a year ago.

Nine NATO troops have been killed in fighting or bombings this month, including three Americans on Sunday and three on Saturday, along with two Canadians and one French.

July was the deadliest month for international troops since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion to oust the Taliban's hard-line Islamist government for sheltering al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.