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Summary: U.S. Following yesterday's Washington Post article on the IAEA letter denouncing the Fleitz (House Intelligence Committee staff) report's erroneous charges concerning Iran's nuclear program, Representative Dennis Kucinich has requested Congressional hearings on the apparent approval of this report by the office of the Director of National Intelligence, John Negroponte.
The Senate Armed Services Committee defied President Bush Thursday, approving a plan for the trial and interrogation of terrorism suspects the White House has rejected as unacceptable. The White House provides far fewer protections for detainees. Colin Powell sided with the senators, saying the president's plan to redefine the Geneva Conventions would encourage the world to "doubt the moral basis of our fight against terrorism," and "put our own troops at risk."
The CIA learned in September 2002 that Iraq had no contact with Osama bin Laden and that the Iraqi leader considered bin Laden an enemy of the Baghdad regime, according to a recent Senate Intelligence Committee report.
Iran Iran will not be deterred from its nuclear program and will ultimately reach a nuclear capability, the former head of Israel's National Security Council, told the Jerusalem Post. Traces of Eiland's comments about the inevitability of a nuclear Iran were evident in a statement Vice Premier Shimon Peres made earlier in the week. This was the first time a senior Israeli official had publicly acknowledged that Israel might have to adapt to a reality where Iran has nuclear capabilities.
In an interview, President Bush made clear that the administration wants a diplomatic solution to the confrontation over Iran's nuclear program - one premised on an American recognition of Iran's role as an important nation in the Middle East, Davd Ignatius reports in the Washington Post.
Iraq Iraqi security forces will dig trenches around Baghdad and set up checkpoints along all roads leading into the city to reduce some of the violence plaguing the capital, the Interior Ministry said Friday.
Israel The airstrike that killed four UN observers in July was the result of the Israeli military's reliance on inaccurate maps, Israel said Thursday. The UN has said that before the airstrike, its observers in Lebanon had telephoned the Israeli military 10 times in six hours to ask it to stop shelling near their position.
Palestine Prime Minister Haniya accused the US of undermining efforts to form the new government and called on Europe to take the lead in lifting international sanctions against the Palestinians. Haniya and Abbas have been pushing on European anxieties about the severe economic depression the funding and aid cutoff has produced. The Europeans want to end the stalemate and use the conclusion of the war in Lebanon as a springboard toward renewed Israeli-Palestinian talks.
Turkey Elif Shafak is due in court on Sept. 21 to defend herself against charges that she insulted "Turkishness" because a character in her novel, "The Bastard of Istanbul," refers to the deaths of Armenians in 1915 as genocide. Shafak is being sued under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code. A conviction carries a possible penalty of up to three years in jail.
Pope's Comments on Islam Muslims around the world expressed outrage Friday over Pope Benedict XVI's comments on Islam, with Turkey's ruling party accusing him of trying to revive the spirit of the Crusades and scores taking to the streets in protest.
What is most troubling of all is that the Pope gets several things about Islam wrong, writes Juan Cole in his blog. He should apologize to the Muslims and get better advisers on Christian-Muslim relations.
Mexico President Fox backed away from a confrontation with López Obrador on Thursday, announcing that he wouldn't hold his annual Independence Day celebration at the capital's main Zocalo plaza to avoid protesters.
Nicaragua The US ambassador to Nicaragua has issued a vigorous warning to the Central American country's electors against supporting Daniel Ortega, the veteran leftwing Sandinista leader and the frontrunner in November's presidential election.
In this issue: U.S. 1) Kucinich asks for oversight on DNI review of Fleitz Report 2) Rebuff for Bush on Terror Trials in a Senate Test 3) CIA Learned in '02 That Bin Laden Had No Iraq Ties, Report Says Iran 4) Giora Eiland: Iran will get nuclear bomb 5) Nuclear Agency for U.N. Faults Report on Iran by U.S. House 6) Bush's Message to Iran Iraq 7) Iraq to Dig Trenches Around Baghdad Israel 8) Inaccurate Map Led to Fatal Strike on U.N. Post, Israel Says Palestine 9) Palestinians Squabble Over Government Turkey 10) Turkey, a Touchy Critic, Plans to Put a Novel on Trial Pope's Comments on Islam 11) Muslims Express Fury Over Pope's Remarks 12) Pope Gets it Wrong on Islam Mexico 13) Mexico's Fox Moves Event to Avoid Protesters Nicaragua 14) US warns Nicaraguans not to back Sandinista
Contents: http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/newsroom/index.html
-------- Robert Naiman Just Foreign Policy www.justforeignpolicy.org
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