Summary: U.S. Politics President Bush Monday seized on Democratic calls for withdrawal from Iraq to make an election-year case that his political rivals did not properly understand the threats to the nation and would create a more dangerous world. Activists in New Haven asked for Sen. Joe Lieberman's Democratic party afffiliation to be revoked, citing state law calling for such affiliation to be "stricken or excluded" for two years if someone runs for office as a candidate of a different party.
Lebanon President Bush called Monday for swift deployment of UN peacekeeping troops to southern Lebanon, as European governments put off committing forces to the effort; potential contributors, are expressing concern about the rules of engagement. Italy has said it would be willing to lead a force in southern Lebanon, but only if Israel respected the truce. The aura of imminent violence is pervasive in southern Lebanon, the New York Times reports.
Israel A group of Israeli reservists demanded the resignations of top officials and a national inquiry; they say that planning, training, and supplies, including food and water, were inadequate. Prime Minister Olmert dismissed the criticism, as well as widespread calls, including from his own cabinet, to resume negotiations with Syria.
Iran As expected, Iran has apparently rejected the demand of the UN Security Council that it freeze its uranium enrichment activities. (It had said that it would give a formal response today.) The Iranian government is willing negotiate and consider a freeze, but will not accept a freeze as a precondition for the talks. U.S. officials said they would push for strong financial sanctions against Iran and expected support from Europe.
In this issue: U.S. Politics 1) In Election Push, Bush Faults Talk of Iraq Pullout 2) City Asked To Un-"Democrat" Lieberman Lebanon 3) Bush Calls Need for Robust Lebanon Force "Urgent," as Europeans Continue to Seek Specifics 4) War Lingers in the South of Lebanon 5) Italy steps in with Lebanon offer Israel 6) Israeli Reservists Demand Olmert's Resignation 7) Olmert Rejects Syria Talks, Dismisses Soldiers' Protests Iran 8) Iran Reportedly Rejects Demands to Halt Nuclear Efforts 9) Former President of Iran Invited to Speak in D.C. Iraq 10) Violence melts last remaining pleasures in Baghdad 11) JonBenet Ramsey and Abeer al-Janabi Palestine 12) Hamas speaker charged in Israel Mexico 13) Mexico teachers extend protests
Contents: U.S. Politics 1) In Election Push, Bush Faults Talk of Iraq Pullout Jim Rutenberg, New York Times, August 22, 2006 http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/22/washington/22bush.html President Bush Monday seized on Democratic calls for withdrawal from Iraq to make an election-year case that his political rivals did not properly understand the threats to the nation and would create a more dangerous world. It effectively signaled the beginning of a more outright political season for him and his aides as they work to help Republicans maintain control of Congress. The appearance offered a preview of the themes the White House and Republicans will use this fall during their most daunting electoral challenge of Bush's presidency, with continued voter dissatisfaction over the course of the war, the high price of gasoline and the president's overall job performance. Democrats have pointed to polls showing public support for the war continues to wane, and the president acknowledged as much on Monday. Analysts from both parties have called the war the biggest political liability facing the Republicans this year. Bush's aides have urged fellow Republicans to embrace the conflict, and Bush seemed to go a step further, suggesting that he hoped the midterm elections would be fought over rival approaches on Iraq.
2) City Asked To Un-"Democrat" Lieberman New Haven Independent (Connecticut) - Tuesday, August 22, 2006 http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0822-03.htm The activists in New Haven, led by Henry Lowendorf of the Greater New Haven Peace Council, cited Section 9-61 of Chapter 143 of the state statutes in their request. That section allows for a Democrat's party afffiliation to be "stricken or excluded" for two years if he runs for office as a candidate of a different party. (http://search.cga.state.ct.us/surs/chap143.htm#Sec9-60.htm)
Lebanon 3) Bush Calls Need for Robust Lebanon Force "Urgent," as Europeans Continue to Seek Specifics Helene Cooper, New York Times, August 22, 2006 http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/22/washington/22prexy.html President Bush called Monday for swift deployment of UN peacekeeping troops to southern Lebanon, as European governments put off committing forces to the effort. A UN resolution on Aug. 11 authorized a force of up to 15,000 troops, but diplomats are talking of reducing that number substantially, particularly in light of France's refusal so far to commit more than 200 troops. Diplomats said the force would probably not number more than 6,000 or 7,000 troops. Potential contributors, many of whom helped draft the resolution that authorized the force, are expressing concern about the rules of engagement, including what troops would be required to do. Prime Minister Romano Prodi of Italy told reporters Monday that his country was ready to lead the force, and would contribute perhaps 2,000 troops. Several Muslim countries have pledged troops, but Israel has said it does not want countries in the force that do not have diplomatic relations with it. The delay has heightened concern that the cease-fire, which wobbled somewhat on Saturday after Israel launched strikes in the Bekaa, might crumble. France, after indicating that it would lead the force with a substantial troop contribution, has come under fire for its offer of only 200 troops, particularly given that it negotiated the resolution calling for the force and laid out the rules of engagement it now says it does not understand. Some said a schism between the French Foreign Ministry and the country's military command may be responsible for the pullback. "It's like when Powell would negotiate something, and Cheney would say no," a US official said. A defense specialist at the Center for European Reform offered another view: "The French don't want to be seen occupying a Muslim country…Shooting at the Israeli Defense Forces also would not go down well with the French Jewish community." He said the Italians "have less baggage than the French" because there are fewer Jews in Italy and because the Italians have less of a history of colonizing Muslim countries. Except for Italy, the European response so far has been dismal, UN officials said. "They've offered ships and frigates to police the Mediterranean," said one official, "We need boots, not boats."
4) War Lingers in the South of Lebanon Hassan M. Fattah, New York Times, August 22, 2006 http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/22/world/middleeast/22lebanon.html More than a week after a UN cease-fire took hold in Lebanon, the fighting has come to a halt, but the trappings of war linger on. The eerie sense of quiet in the villages and towns on southern Lebanon's western edge underscores the sense of a war frozen in time, with the combatants still facing off and the deployment of international and Lebanese soldiers just a promise. The aura of imminent violence is pervasive. "I can tell you we're still at war," said the mayor of Shamaa, a village less than 10 miles from the Israeli border. Israeli troops and Hezbollah soldiers clashed here on Monday, AP reported, leaving three Hezbollah fighters dead. "They don't want peacekeepers here; they want someone to destroy Hezbollah," the mayor said. "Our safety is irrelevant. They just want to protect the border." Israeli military officials said that all of the reservists called up last month had been pulled out of Lebanon, but regular soldiers, estimated at 8,000 to 10,000, remained in Lebanon, awaiting the arrival of an international peacekeeping force. Hamaa remains a virtual ghost town as residents keep their distance. "The Israelis are still here and there are unexploded bombs everywhere," the mayor said.
5) Italy steps in with Lebanon offer BBC News Tuesday, 22 August 2006, 15:22 GMT 16:22 UK http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5273188.stm Italy has said it would be willing to lead a force to police the ceasefire in southern Lebanon. But Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema warned his country could only fulfil its offer if Israel respected the truce. "It is right to demand that Hezbollah give up its weapons but we cannot send our soldiers to Lebanon while the Israeli armed forces continue to fire," he said. Italy's "positive role" has been welcomed by the Lebanese cabinet; Israel has also said it would be happy if Italy led the force. But Italy's offer appears to be conditional on an agreement being reached on a new UN resolution. Deputy UN Secretary General Mark Malloch Brown rejected Israel's view that countries it has no diplomatic relations with - such as Malaysia and Indonesia - should be excluded from the force. "[The UN peacekeeping force] must enjoy the confidence of Israel, but that doesn't give them a right to blackball individual contributions," he said.
Israel 6) Israeli Reservists Demand Olmert's Resignation Steven Erlanger, New York Times, August 22, 2006 http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/22/world/middleeast/22israel.html A group of Israeli reservist soldiers who served during the recent fighting in Lebanon, Monday demanded the resignations of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz and the army chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz. The reservists say that their training was inadequate and that they were sent into Lebanon with unclear missions, inadequate supplies, outdated equipment and a lack of basics, like drinking water. They called for a national inquiry into how the war was waged.
7) Olmert Rejects Syria Talks, Dismisses Soldiers' Protests Doug Struck, Washington Post, Tuesday, August 22, 2006; A10 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/21/AR2006082101303.html Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday ruled out peace negotiations with Syria and rejected criticisms of the Lebanon war as reserve soldiers expanded their protests over the government's handling of the conflict. Olmert's Public Security Minister Avi Dichter said Monday that Israel ought to restart the negotiations with Syria that ended in 2000. Since the fighting in Lebanon, there has been increasing public debate over whether to seek a deal with Syria that would bring peace to the border. "What we did with Egypt and Jordan is also legitimate in this case," Dichter said. A peace deal with Syria would involve Syria's demands for a return of the Golan Heights. "Before we negotiate with Syria, they should stop financing terror," Olmert said. He added: "The antitank weapons which took the lives of very many of our soldiers were supplied by Syria. I can tell you Syria is a committed, aggressive member of the axis of evil."
Iran 8) Iran Reportedly Rejects Demands to Halt Nuclear Efforts Fred Barbash and Dafna Linzer, Washington Post, Tuesday, August 22, 2006; 10:56 AM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/22/AR2006082200367.html Iran's semi-official news agency reported today that Tehran has "rejected suspension of its nuclear activities" as demanded by the United Nations Security Council but has proposed a "new formula for resolving the issue through talks." The Iranian government told senior European officials that it will not accept the condition set by the Bush administration and its Western allies for talks on the country's nuclear program and will continue enriching uranium, despite the threat of international sanctions, senior U.S. and European officials said yesterday. Diplomats said the Iranian government is willing to enter negotiations and to consider a freeze of the program, but it will not accept a freeze as a precondition for the talks. U.S. officials said they would push for strong financial sanctions against the Tehran government and expected support from Europe.
9) Former President of Iran Invited to Speak in D.C. Robin Wright, Washington Post, Tuesday, August 22, 2006; A11 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/21/AR2006082101685.html Despite a looming diplomatic showdown with Iran over its nuclear program, the Bush administration has agreed to issue a visa to former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami to give a public address at the Washington National Cathedral next month, according to the Rev. Canon John L. Peterson, director of the Center for Global Justice and Reconciliation. Khatami would be the most senior Iranian to visit Washington since Iran's 1979 revolution. Evan Anderson, deputy director of the Center For Global Justice and Reconciliation, said the visit comes at a critical juncture in U.S.-Iran relations, particularly in light of the current crisis in the Middle East. The Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III, dean of the cathedral, said, "It will be an honor for the cathedral to provide a platform for President Khatami." He added: "President Khatami's commitment to a dialogue between civilizations and cultures is an important component in the peace process. This is much needed in the world today." In February, Khatami founded the International Institute for Dialogue Among Civilizations and Cultures. He plans to speak in Washington on the dialogue of civilizations and the role the three Abrahamic faiths can play in the peace process. Plans call for the event, at the National Cathedral at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 7, to be free and open to the public.
Iraq 10) Violence melts last remaining pleasures in Baghdad Reuters - Sun Aug 20, 2006 5:42 AM ET http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-08-20T094149Z_01_BUL842666_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ-ICECREAM.xml It was one of Baghdad's last remaining pleasures, but even eating ice-cream is now too risky."I have brought my family just once this season. Each year is worse than the last," said Abdul Rasoul Majeed, a civil servant, savoring a rare vanilla ice-cream in Al -Ballut, a usually popular parlor in central Baghdad. Bombs and bloodshed drove Iraqis from the streets, parks and playgrounds of their capital long ago. But they kept coming out for ice-cream, at least until February, when a spasm of sectarian violence pushed Iraq to the brink of civil war.
11) JonBenet Ramsey and Abeer al-Janabi Juan Cole, Informed Comment, August 22 http://www.juancole.com/#115623480111764195 Although I mind this pollution of the air waves with something that is not, whatever it is, news, the main thing I mind is the racism. The case of Abeer al-Janabi, the little fourteen-year old Iraqi girl who was allegedly raped and killed after being stalked by a US serviceman would never be given the wall to wall coverage treatment. That is frankly because the victim was not a blonde, blue-eyed American, but a black-eyed, brunette Iraqi. Both victims were pretty little girls. Both were killed by sick predators. The very pedophiliac nature of the crime is more or less covered up in the case of al-Janabi.
Palestine 12) Hamas speaker charged in Israel BBC News Tuesday, 22 August 2006, 16:03 GMT 17:03 UK http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5275340.stm An Israeli court has charged the speaker of the Palestinian parliament, Abdel Aziz Dweik, with being a member of the militant group Hamas. Dweik is one of dozens of Hamas officials to be detained by Israeli authorities in recent weeks. Hamas, which leads the Palestinian government, is illegal in Israel and regarded as a terrorist organisation. Standing in shackles before a court in an Israeli prison, Dweik said the court had no right to charge him. "It is a political trial, and I don't recognise it," Dweik said. "I am an elected official." Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestinian cabinet and a civil rights activist, said the case was politically motivated. "This is a political abduction, this is an attempt at exercising pressure and political blackmail, and we feel that this is in violation of all international laws and conventions, and Israel has to be held accountable." Dweik's lawyers have complained that he is being held in unsanitary conditions and that his cell is full of cockroaches.
Mexico 13) Mexico teachers extend protests http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5272462.stm Duncan Kennedy, BBC News, Tuesday, 22 August 2006, 03:11 GMT 04:11 UK Striking teachers seized 12 private radio stations in the southern Mexican city of Oaxaca and set buses on fire, as a long-running protest worsened. They acted after unidentified gunmen opened fire on a government radio station already under their control. The strikers used the stations to tell parents to ignore Monday's start of the school year and keep children at home. Teachers have been striking since May to demand higher wages and Oaxaca Governor Ulises Ruiz's resignation.
-------- Robert Naiman Just Foreign Policy www.justforeignpolicy.org