United Nations News Blog

Former Austrian Leader Waldheim Buried

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 08:59:49 +0000

VIENNA, Austria (AP) -- Former President Kurt Waldheim was buried Saturday in the presence of Austrian dignitaries who declared he was unjustly smeared by allegations linking him to the Nazis. Waldheim, who also served as U.N. chief from 1972-81, died June 14 at his home in Vienna, with his name still on a watch list barring him from entering the United States. He was 88 years old. Speaking at the ceremony at St. Stephen's Cathedral, President Heinz Fischer said Waldheim's life had to be jud...

Human rights farce

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 08:59:49 +0000

One year later the United Nations' new, improved Human Rights Council has delivered on just about everything envisioned by its worst critics. With abuses raging around the world, the council is as bad as, or worse than, the discredited commission it replaced.

More's the pity that the preservation of human rights was -- past tense intended -- one of the U.N.'s founding objectives: "... to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights in the dignity and worth of the human person ... ."

What exists today doesn't begin to address that objective. The panel follows the example of its predecessor, the U.N. Human Rights Commission, which became a self-serving vehicle for the world's worst abusers.

Innovation helps secure future for India

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 08:59:49 +0000

Sridhar Ramachandran, chief technology officer at NexTone Communications in Gaithersburg, said a science-based education "was kind of a given" in India, where relatives were engineers.

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Kara Rowland/The Washington Times

International ships to create a "FRUKUS" off the coast

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 08:59:49 +0000

Ships from France, Russia and the United Kingdom will take part in a five-day exercise at Naval Station Norfolk and off the Virginia/North Carolina coast.

HMS Portland (F79), FS La Fayette (F710), USS Laboon (DDG 58) and RFS Admiral Chabanenko (650) will undergo training scenarios at sea and ashore.

The U.S. Navy says previous exercises, which started in 1988, centered on week-long programs of talks and training focused on Peace Support Operations within a United Nations context.

Invading Iran: So many reasons not to

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 08:59:49 +0000

During the Cold War, Moscow had two major newspapers. Propaganda-wary Russians joked bitterly that “There is no Pravda in Izvestia, and no Izvestia in Pravda” (”There is no truth in News, and no news in Truth.”) People didn't so much read the press as attempt to decode it. Who wants me to believe what, and why?We're not there yet, but we're definitely headed that way. When The New York Times and Washington Post feature same-day, front...

Iran Cracks Down on Dissent, Parading Examples in Streets

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 08:59:49 +0000

Iran is in the throes of one of its most ferocious crackdowns on dissent in years, with the government focusing on labor leaders, universities, the press, women?s rights advocates, a former nuclear negotiator and Iranian-Americans, three of whom have been in prison for more than six weeks.

The shift is occurring against the backdrop of an economy so stressed that although Iran is the world?s second-largest oil exporter, it is on the verge of rationing gasoline. At the same time, the nuclear standoff with the West threatens to bring new sanctions.

The hard-line administration of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, analysts say, faces rising pressure for failing to deliver on promises of greater prosperity from soaring oil revenue. It has been using American support for a change in government as well as a possible military attack as a pretext to hound his opposition and its sympathizers.

Iran's expulsion of Afghan refugees alarming

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 08:59:49 +0000

KABUL, Afghanistan — While American and NATO forces here are increasingly expressing concern about sophisticated explosive devices apparently entering the country from Iran, Afghan officials are more worried about the human traffic coming over the border.

Since April, Iran has been expelling some of the tens of thousands of Afghan refugees living in that country. While the campaign is officially targeting only those Afghans who entered Iran illegally, there is widespread evidence that Tehran is expelling, sometimes forcibly, legal Afghan residents as well.

Officials in Kabul have already reacted angrily to the decision to send thousands of poor Afghans back to under-resourced western parts of the country, where officials are ill-equipped to deal with the influx. Two Afghan officials were sacked after failing to get the Iranians to change their minds.

Is parochial tinkering constitutional?

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 08:59:49 +0000

The recent editorial titled "Iraq War: Tragic intelligence" was based on remarkable revelations by former CIA Director George Tenet in his self-serving new book.

While that volume provides better than usual information, thanks to Tenet's ability to declassify and his authority to investigate, there is always a translation problem between what bureaucrats say and how they are understood.

Isolate Hamas and warn Abbas this is last chance

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 08:59:49 +0000

W ASHINGTON | Gaza is now run not by a conventional political party, but by a movement that is revolutionary, Islamist and terrorist. Worse, Hamas is a client of Iran. Gaza now constitutes the farthest reach of the archipelago of Iranian proxies: Hamas in Palestine, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Mahdi Army (among others) in Iraq, and the Alawite regime of Syria.

The splitting of Palestine into two entities is nonetheless clarifying. Since Hamas won the parliamentary elections of January 2006, we’ve had to deal with the fiction of a supposedly unified Palestine ruled by an avowedly “unity” government of Fatah and Hamas.

Now the muddle has undergone political hydrolysis, separating out the relatively pure elements: a Hamas-ruled Gaza and Fatah-ruled (for now) West Bank.

Last week in Iraq

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 08:59:49 +0000

- Car bombs and other violence left at least 33 people dead in Baghdad on Monday following days of calm brought on by a curfew. At least 111 people were killed or found dead nationwide.

- A truck bomb struck the Khulani mosque, one of the most revered Shiite mosques in Baghdad, on Tuesday, killing at least 60 and wounding scores more. In all, 142 people were killed or found dead in sectarian violence Tuesday.

- Police and morgue officials said 60 people died in sectarian-related violence on Wednesday, and 32 of the bodies were found in Baghdad.

League of Women Voters of Southwest Riverside County honors five

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 08:59:49 +0000

Five people whose service to the community makes them shine received Sapphire Awards from the League of Women Voters of Southwest Riverside County on Saturday in Hemet.

Honorees were nominated in five categories where their contributions were particularly noteworthy.

"We aren't trying to toot the League's horn with this," said treasurer Diane Mitchell. "The main thing is to honor people who deserve it so much."

MIDDLE EAST CORLEONES

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 08:59:49 +0000

WHICH Middle Eastern country is like a Mafia family with a seat at the United Nations? It might seem like there could be multiple answers but there's really only one: Syria.

Now we have "The Truth about Syria," by Barry Rubin, to explain how the ruling Assad family is not only a mafia but bears a remarkable resemblance to the Corleones of Mario Puzo's "The Godfather."

As Rubin writes, the Assads, like the Corleones, have dispatched their enemies with brutality, "making sure they slept with the fishes." The list includes Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was killed with a car bomb embedded beneath a street planted by Syrian operatives. It also includes the 1982 massacre of some 10,000 people in Hama, the third-largest Syrian town.

N. Korea could shut nuclear reactor soon

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 08:59:49 +0000

TOKYO - North Korea could shut down its nuclear reactor within three weeks and return to disarmament talks, a U.S. envoy said Saturday. Russia, meanwhile, said disputed funds have reached a North Korean account at a Russian bank, clearing a key hurdle in negotiations.

The Yongbyon plutonium-producing reactor will be shut after the United Nations' nuclear watchdog and North Korea agree on how to monitor the process, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said after returning from a rare trip to the reclusive country.

"We do expect this to be soon, probably within three weeks ... though I don't want to be pinned down on precisely the date, " Hill told reporters after his two-day surprise trip to Pyongyang.

Powell didn't `blast' the president

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 08:59:49 +0000

Did former Secretary of State Colin Powell really "blast" President Bush about the war?

"Today" show co-host Meredith Vieira says he did. Vieira, who once attended an anti-war rally, described Powell's interview with Tim Russert of "Meet the Press" this way: "(Powell's) former boss cannot be happy about what he is saying."

But Powell did no such thing. In fact, he backed the president on the war in virtually every conceivable way. Powell believes we sent an insufficient number of troops, but considers it too soon to predict the outcome of the war. Powell said the president acted in good faith. No, said Powell, he didn't feel "used." And no, when some of the United Nations presentation information turned out wrong - specifically WMD-related aluminum tubes and mobile labs - he never thought about resigning. True, Hu...

Same-old, same-old won't work in Iraq

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 08:59:49 +0000

WASHINGTON -- Cool the rhetorical heat and you uncover a single goal that President Bush, congressional Democrats and the presidential candidates from both parties emphatically agree upon: Iraq, they say, must not become a "failed state."

You know the riff. A failed Iraq would become a "terrorist haven." It would be a magnet for mischievous players from throughout the Middle East. It would be another oozing sore in a region already seized with seemingly unsolvable crises. No, the Republicans say, we must keep American troops in the country indefinitely so that Iraq does not fail. No, the Democrats say, we must pull back so the Iraqis can pull themselves together and rescue themselves from this failure.There's a problem with thi...

Abbas Signals Shutdown of Hamas Groups

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 08:17:50 +0000

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas authorized a review of all private organizations in the Palestinian areas on Friday, signaling he may shut down Hamas-affiliated groups to counter the Islamic movement after it took over the Gaza Strip.

Also Friday, the Quartet of Mideast peacemakers decided to hold talks in Jerusalem on Tuesday, the first time since Hamas seized control of Gaza, U.N. and Israeli officials said. The meeting comes as Western-backed regional leaders try to use Hamas' takeover to promote peacemaking between Israel and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of Hamas' moderate rival, Fatah.

But deposed Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas warned Friday that his movement could not be ignored.

Israel: Watch Rights Abuses in Iran

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 08:17:50 +0000

UNITED NATIONS (AP) Israel said it sent letters to the U.N. secretary-general and the president of the General Assembly urging the international community to speak out against human rights abuses in Iran.

"The international community cannot be silent in situations where the violation of human rights is systemic, grave, and widespread, and where states dismiss issues of human rights and refuse to engage in meaningful dialogue," Israel's deputy U.N. ambassador Daniel Carmon said Friday.

Israel's U.N. Mission released excerpts from the letters to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa.

Roland Vincent Zoeller

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 08:17:50 +0000

July 26, 1928 - June 14, 2007Roland Vincent Zoeller, age 78, of Comfort, passed away Thursday, June 14, 2007, in Comfort.

Mr. Zoeller was preceded in death by his father, Arthur Zoeller, and mother, Wilhelmine (Lindner) Zoeller. Also preceding him in death were his brothers, A.C. Zoeller, Levy Zoeller and Victor Zoeller; brother-in-law, Raymond Marquardt; and sisters-in-law, Ellen, Mrs. Harvey Zoeller, and Mary, Mrs. Levy Zoeller.He is survived by his wife, Ruth (Lindner) Zoeller of Comfort. They were married Dec. 1, 1956, at Gaddis Memorial Methodist Church in Comfort. He is also survived by one son and spouse, Ra...

Russia hold firm on Kosovo stand

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 08:17:50 +0000

UNITED NATIONS -- Russia insisted Friday that Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanians and minority Serbs hold new negotiations on the province's future status without any promise of independence if the talks fail - a stand strongly opposed by the U.S. and European Union nations.

Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin reiterated Moscow's rejection of a revised U.N. resolution that would delay internationally supervised independence for Kosovo to give the two sides more time to reach an agreement, and he said he won't negotiate on the text when experts meet on Monday.

The new text, sponsored by EU nations and the U.S., would give the two sides four months to reach an agreement. It states that the resolution's provisions, which lead to full independence, will take effect after 120 days "unless the Security Council expressly decides otherwise after conducting an evaluation."

Texas Times

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 08:17:50 +0000

A quiet hero remembered - John Cornyn, U.S. SenatorThe civil rights movement of the past 60 years has benefited from the involvement of many Texans, but one man stands out. His generosity and sense of equality have left a mark on this nation, which will always be felt.

Dr. Hector P. Garcia was a man of great moral clarity. When he saw injustice or human suffering, he acted. For that, he was occasionally reviled, but often honored. His life of service is an inspiration.Hector Garcia was brought to Mercedes, as a small child by parents fleeing the Mexican Revolution in 1917. He proved to be an able student, graduating from the University of Texas Medical School in 1940. He later joined the U.S. Army, serving as an infantryman, a combat engineer and a medical doc...

There's Good News on Carbon Dioxide Issue

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 08:17:50 +0000

In spite of the evidence that human greenhouse gas emissions since the Industrial Age began account for only 0.28 of 1 percent of those warming gases in our atmosphere ("Current Greenhouse Gas Concentrations," updated October 2000 DOE Oak Ridge, Tenn.) members of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change are preparing to gather in Bali, Indonesia, this December for another attempt to redistribute the wealth of the world and make the United Nations a legitimate governing world body.

They are encouraged by a declaration issued on June 7 by the Group of Eight member countries summit in Heiligendamm, Germany, that "We are ... committed to taking strong and early action to tackle climate change." I am hopeful America isn't in too much of a rush to give away our sovereignty over this issue.

As hopeful as I am that global warming will eventually find its way to the trash heap of history along with communism, there may be some good that comes from the effort under way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

VOICES: Editorial- Denied by the U.N.

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 08:17:50 +0000

If you were hoping the arrival of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon would mark a change in attitude toward Israel at the United Nations, a committee vote in mid-May should give you pause.

The Committee on NGOs of the U.N. Economic and Social Council voted 8-7 to deny consultative status to the American branch of the Jewish National Fund.

JNF is an officially recognized NGO, or nongovernmental organization, at the United Nations, but that gives the agency limited access. An upgrade to consultative status would have allowed JNF to testify at Economic and Social Council meetings.

WORLD IN BRIEF: N. Korea may be ready to shut reactor

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 08:17:50 +0000

North Korea has indicated it is ready to promptly shut down a plutonium-producing reactor, U.S. envoy Christopher Hill said Friday, the latest sign the communist country might live up to its pledge to stop making nuclear weapons. But Hill, returning from a surprise two-day trip to North Korea, cautioned that completely disarming the North would be a long and arduous process.

Bird flu erupts again in Vietnam

Bird flu has resurfaced with a vengeance in Vietnam —- with five people falling ill in as many weeks —- after no human cases for a year and a half. The virus also has flared in China, Egypt and Indonesia this month. And poultry outbreaks have surfaced in Myanmar, Malaysia and the Czech Republic.

Yard parking is convenient

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 08:17:50 +0000

The proposed city ordinance to forbid automobiles from being parked in yards is being justified on the premise that parking cars in yards lowers property values. I don't understand this completely. If a resident parks their car on another street, blocks away, will it still lower my property value? And how does it actually lower my property value?

Does the tax assessor go through neighborhoods, block by block, to mark down which properties have cars parked in yards? In certain areas of Houston, property values have been lowered because of changes in the economy that have caused more foreclosures.

And when did it become the purpose of city government to promote the property values of neighborhoods?

Admission: Iraq already is a failed state

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 08:17:50 +0000

"Basically, Iraq is on a course to violent disintegration," says Pauline H. Baker, president of the Fund for Peace.

Along with Foreign Policy magazine, the Fund for Peace takes an annual look at nations that are most vulnerable to violence, ethnic strife, economic turmoil and social disintegration that are the markers of "failed states." Iraq now ranks second, behind only Sudan and its catastrophe in Darfur.