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News Roundups
News Roundup
By UPI
Feb 5, 2007, 22:00 GMT
British Group Warns Against Attacking Iran
LONDON, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Diplomacy should be considered before the United States or Britain considers a military attack on Iran over its nuclear program, a British report said Monday.
The Crisis Action coalition of non-governmental organizations, think-tanks and trade unions warned that strikes against Iran`s nuclear facilities would cause radioactive contamination, civilian deaths and heightened conflict in neighboring Iraq and Afghanistan, the Financial Times reported.
The analysts said it would also create an al-Qaida backlash of terror attacks in the invading countries and retaliation by oil-producing countries.
U.S. President George Bush said he won`t rule out military action if Tehran continues to deny U.N. demands it stop enriching uranium that could be used for a nuclear weapon. However, he refuses to establish diplomatic relations with Iran.
The report called for a warming or relations between Washington and Tehran.
'It cannot be said that the potential for diplomacy has been fully explored while direct talks between Iran and the United States have not taken place,' the report said.
Bush Unveils $2.9 Trillion Budget Plan
WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 (UPI) - U.S. President George Bush Monday unveiled a $2.9 trillion fiscal 2008 budget that concentrates heavily on anti-terror and domestic security efforts.
The spending plan also focuses on improving education and reducing healthcare costs.
The White House hailed the strength of the economy, which has faced everything from a stock market collapse and scandal in recent years to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and hurricanes, crediting the 2003 tax cuts with keeping things on track.
Bush said growth in non-security discretionary spending should be held at 1 percent, and called for earmark reform and a line-item veto to help eliminate wasteful spending. The five-year spending plan, which projects no spending for military efforts in Iraq or Afghanistan beyond 2009, calls for a balanced budget by 2012.
'Today we submit a budget to the United States Congress that shows we can balance the budget in five years without raising taxes,' Bush said following Monday`s Cabinet meeting.
'Our economy is strong because of good policy and because the entrepreneurial spirit is strong. By keeping taxes down, we actually generate strong revenues to the Treasury.'
The White House noted tax revenues were up 11.8 percent in fiscal 2006 and 14.5 percent in fiscal 2005.
Nonetheless, the spending plan calls for restraint and 'doing more with less.'
Bush Seeks $145b to Fight Terror
WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- U.S. President George W. Bush asked Congress for $145.2 billion to fund anti-terror activities in fiscal 2008.
As part of his $2.9 trillion budget, Bush is seeking $74 billion for ongoing military intelligence requirements in Iraq, $15.2 billion for greater force protection and $2.7 billion to support coalition partners and humanitarian relief.
The spending plan calls for $1.9 billion to expand the U.S. diplomatic presence in Iraq and Afghanistan and $5.6 billion for an additional 20,000 troops to help train Iraqis to secure their own country.
Some $37.6 billion is being allocated for fixing and replacing equipment, and $50 million is being set aside to boost efforts to keep nuclear material out of the hands of terrorists.
The spending request seeks $286 million in aid to Lebanon, as well as funds to improve the U.S. image in Muslim countries.
Bush Glad Iraqis Are Antsy About Aid
WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush said Monday he sees it as a 'good sign' that Iraqis are complaining about not getting training and weapons fast enough.
During a question-and-answer exchange with reporters following a Cabinet meeting, the president said he wants to make sure his Iraq strategy is properly implemented.
'I appreciate the fact that the Iraqi government is anxious to get security inside the capital of the country. That`s a good sign,' Bush said. 'It`s a good sign that there`s a sense of concern and anxiety. It means that the government understands they have a responsibility to protect their people. And we want to help them.'
Bush cautioned against reading too much into the budget plan unveiled Monday, which provides no funds for Iraq beyond 2009, saying it doesn`t amount to a timetable.
'We`ve had years of projections in the past. We`ve said to the Congress, here`s what our anticipated expenditure is in the short-term,' Bush said. 'And we`ve been able to manage our budgets with five years of war behind us, and we`ll manage the budgets in the out-years. There will be no timetable set. And the reason why is, is because we don`t want to send mixed signals to an enemy, or to a struggling democracy, or to our troops.'
Detainees Facing New U.S. Trial System
GUANTANAMO, Cuba, Feb. 5 (UPI) - Three high profile detainees at Cuba`s Guantanamo Bay are to face charges under a new trial system approved by the U.S. Congress, The Daily Telegraph said.
Chief prosecutor Colonel Morris Davies recently issued charges against Australian David Hicks, Canadian Omar Khadr and Osama Bin Laden`s driver Salim Hamdan that they will face under a U.S. Military Commission, the London newspaper said.
While many lawyers have condemned the Military Commission for its lack of appropriate domestic justice, the recently approved panel will hear the cases of up to 80 Guantanamo detainees starting in April.
Both Hicks and Khadr have been charged with attempted murder, and the former Canadian jihadist also was accused of killing a U.S. soldier back in 2002.
Meanwhile, Hamdan has been charged with conspiracy to make war and all three of the detainees will also be charged with material support for terrorism, the Telegraph reported.
The newspaper said in preparation for the start of the controversial trial system officials at Guantanamo Bay have been working to improve conditions at the detention facility.
Military `brain Trust` Created for Iraq
WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- The new U.S. military commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, has created a group of senior officers with doctorates to create a success strategy.
Petraeus chose as his chief adviser on counterinsurgency operations an officer in the Australian Army, the Washington Post reported Monday. Lt. Col. David Kilcullen holds a Ph.D in anthropology, based on his studies on Islamic extremism in Indonesia.
Petraeus chose Col. Michael Meese, as his chief economic officer. Meese also holds a Ph.D from Princeton, where he studied how the Army historically handled budget cuts. He is also the son of former U.S. attorney general Edwin Meese, who as a member of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, forced the Bush administration to shift its approach in Baghdad in December.
'I cannot think of another case of so many highly educated officers advising a general,' said Carter Malkasian, who has advised Marine Corps commanders in Iraq on counterinsurgency and also holds an Oxford doctorate in the history of war.
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