*Regional and International Affairs
Political Headlines:
1. Barak: Too early to declare Israel settlement freeze(The Washington Post)
2. UN: Israel does not deny running spy ring in Lebanon(The Jerusalem Post)
3. Ahmadinejad Cancels Trip to AU Summit(The New York Times)
4. Key in Afghanistan: Economy, Not Military(The Washington Post)
5. U.S. Targets North Korea's Missile, Nuclear Activities(The New York Times)
US:
1. Palin: I'd come out ahead in run against Obama(The Guradian)
Important Attachments
1. Egypt wants S-400 to counter Iran(The Jerusalem Post)
2. Egypt extends deadline for Palestinian unity talks to July 28(Haaretz)
3. Future rule of Egypt between two parties, says NDP leader(The Daily News Egypt)
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*Regional and International Affairs
Political Headlines:
1. Barak: Too early to declare Israel settlement freeze(The Washington Post)
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Tuesday after talks with the U.S. Middle East envoy that it was too soon to say whether Israel would freeze West Bank settlements as demanded by President Barack Obama.
Barak said the talks with envoy George Mitchell, which lasted over four hours, were "positive" but that there are still "differences."
In a joint statement issued after their meeting, Barak and Mitchell said they had discussed the full range of issues related to Middle East peace and security. The statement said the discussions were constructive and would soon continue.
In a rare rift between Israel and the United States, Obama is pushing for a building freeze in a bid to spur the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Asked whether Israel would declare a temporary settlement building freeze, Barak said: "I think that it's a little bit too early to predict.
"We are considering every positive contribution Israel can make toward the taking off of a significant important peace effort," he said.
Barak said a meeting between Mitchell and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was being arranged in the next one to three weeks. The two had planned a meeting in Paris last Thursday but it was put off by Israel, which said it needed more time to prepare.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/30/AR2009063002396.html
2. UN: Israel does not deny running spy ring in Lebanon(The Jerusalem Post)
Israel does not deny accusations that dozens of men arrested recently in Lebanon were spying on its behalf, according to a report published by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Lebanese authorities in recent months claimed to have detained dozens of suspects in an espionage investigation, including several senior military officials.
According to the UN report, the first arrest took place in June 2006 and the most recent took place in May 2009.
Israel has not previously commented on the arrests.
The report said Israel's defense establishment does not deny the suspects were spying on its behalf, but evades offering a more elaborate explanation.
The report, which Ban sent to the UN Security Council on Monday night, addresses the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which outlined conditions for a cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon after the Second Lebanon War in 2006.
Ban's report expresses concern about Lebanon's claims regarding the suspected espionage ring. Ban said that, if the allegations are proven, it would endanger the fragile truce between Israel and Lebanon.
The report also describes the chain of diplomatic correspondence between the UN, Lebanon and Israel on the subject, including a May 20 letter in which Lebanon detailed to the UN its arrest of 35 Lebanese and Palestinian nationals that were allegedly part of the espionage ring.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1096992.html
3. Ahmadinejad Cancels Trip to AU Summit(The New York Times)
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's trip to an African Union summit in Libya has been canceled, his office told Reuters on Wednesday, without giving any reason.
"The president's visit to the summit that was supposed to start on Wednesday has been canceled," said a presidential office spokesman.
Ahmadinejad was scheduled to join the summit of African leaders, which is set to get underway in Libya, to investigate Agricultural investment in Africa.
The president hailed on Tuesday his re-election as a victory for the Iranian people and a defeat for the Islamic Republic's enemies.
Iran's top legislative body confirmed on Monday he had won the June 12 election by a landslide and dismissed complaints of irregularities submitted by his defeated pro-reform opponents.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/07/01/world/international-us-iran-summit-ahmadinejad.html?_r=1
4. Key in Afghanistan: Economy, Not Military(The Washington Post)
National security adviser James L. Jones told U.S. military commanders here last week that the Obama administration wants to hold troop levels here flat for now, and focus instead on carrying out the previously approved strategy of increased economic development, improved governance and participation by the Afghan military and civilians in the conflict.
The message seems designed to cap expectations that more troops might be coming, though the administration has not ruled out additional deployments in the future. Jones was carrying out directions from President Obama, who said recently, "My strong view is that we are not going to succeed simply by piling on more and more troops."
"This will not be won by the military alone," Jones said in an interview during his trip. "We tried that for six years." He also said: "The piece of the strategy that has to work in the next year is economic development. If that is not done right, there are not enough troops in the world to succeed."
Jones delivered his message after a 30-minute briefing by Marine Brig. Gen. Lawrence D. Nicholson, who commands 9,000 Marines here, nearly half the new deployments Obama has sent to Afghanistan.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/30/AR2009063002811.html?hpid=topnews
5. U.S. Targets North Korea's Missile, Nuclear Activities(The New York Times)
The United States said on Tuesday it had cracked down on companies involved in North Korea's suspected missile proliferation and in purchases of equipment that could be used in a nuclear weapons program.
The Treasury and State Departments said they had targeted Iran's Hong Kong Electronics and North Korea's Namchongang Trading Corporation under an executive order that would freeze their U.S. assets and bar U.S. firms from dealing with them.
The move appeared aimed at isolating the companies from the U.S. financial and commercial systems and, by extension, from other countries' banks and corporations who may resist doing business with them out of fear of falling afoul of U.S. laws.
It was immediately not clear whether either company actually has any U.S. assets that could be frozen.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/06/30/us/politics/politics-us-korea-north-usa-sanctions.html
US:
1. Palin: I'd come out ahead in run against Obama(The Guradian)
Sarah Palin says she'd come out ahead if she went one-on-one with fellow jogger President Barack Obama in a long run.
"I betcha I'd have more endurance," she told Runner's World magazine in an interview published online Tuesday.
"My one claim to fame in my own little internal running circle is a sub-four marathon" in Anchorage, she said, referring to her 2005 sprint in the Humpy's Marathon in which she beat the four-hour mark by 24 seconds. "What I lacked in physical strength or skill, I made up for in determination and endurance," she said.
The president, who stays fit by starting his day with a workout in the White House gym, is better known for his passion for basketball and has been a frequent golfer in recent weeks. Obama, however, recently acknowledged that he hasn't completely kicked his smoking habit, telling reporters that he does still "mess up" on his pledge to quit smoking.
Might Obama join the workout war of words? A message seeking comment Tuesday from the White House by The Associated Press wasn't immediately returned.
Palin, a 45-year-old former beauty queen who became the first woman and youngest person to be elected Alaska's governor, is featured in the August issue of the magazine for running aficionados. She was dubbed the country's "hottest" governor when she stole the show as U.S. Sen. John McCain's presidential running mate in 2008.
In the interview, she talks about her fondness for running, which is perhaps why the mother of five who gave birth to a baby boy last year is able to keep trim. The magazine on Tuesday published an extended version on its Web site.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/8586211