*National Affairs
Political Headlines:
1. Mubarak, Saudi King discuss Mideast peace(The Egyptian Gazette)
*Regional and International Affairs
Political Headlines:
1. Israel Said to Be Open to Settlement Freeze(The New York Times)
2. Envoy: US has no plans for Iraq talks with Iran(The Washington Post)
3. As Iraq Stabilizes, China Eyes Its Oil Fields(The New York Times)
4. EU threatens mass pullout of ambassadors from Tehran(The Guardian)
5. South Korea getting U.S. missiles to boost defences: report(The Washington Post)
6. EU and Turkey: still talking membership, barely(The Washington Post)
7. US, Russia hold talks before Obama visit(The Washington Post)
8. Sarkozy slammed for Lieberman 'remark'(The Jerusalem Post)
9. U.N. chief seeks to free reporters in N. Korea(The Washington Post)
10. Netanyahu to Putin: Stop selling missiles to Iran(The Haaretz)
US:
1. W.House: Obama believes can close Guantanamo by 2010(The Washington Post)
2. More Intelligence Oversight Advised
- Bill a Reaction to Bush Policies(The Washington Post)
***********************
*National Affairs
Political Headlines:
1. Mubarak, Saudi King discuss Mideast peace(The Egyptian Gazette)
President Hosni Mubarak yesterday conferred with King Abdullah bin Abdelaziz over peacemaking between the Palestinians and Israel, Lebanon and bilateral ties.The talks in this Saudi coastal city focused on efforts to reconcile the Palestinian factions, restarting peace negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel and other regional devel-opments, Egypt's official Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported.It added that Mubarak and Abdullah discussed the strategic partnership between their two coun-tries."In view of the speech delivered by Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu, there is a need for a firm Arab stand for confronting the Israeli rhetoric in addition to opting for flexibility so as to benefit from the new US stand, declared by President Barack Obama," according to MENA report. Mubarak and the Saudi monarch maintain constant consultations.
http://www.egyptiangazette.net.eg/gazette/region/detail_1_14.shtml
*Regional and International Affairs
Political Headlines:
1. Israel Said to Be Open to Settlement Freeze(The New York Times)
Israel would be open to a complete freeze of settlement building in the West Bank for three to six months as part of a broad Middle East peace endeavor that included a Palestinian agreement to negotiate an end to the conflict and confidence-building steps by major Arab nations, senior Israeli officials said Sunday.
The officials spoke before a planned meeting in Washington on Tuesday between Israel’s defense minister, Ehud Barak, and George J. Mitchell, the Obama administration’s Middle East envoy, and said this was the message Mr. Barak would take with him.
The freeze would not affect construction that was already under way, nor include East Jerusalem. But it would mean that during the specified time no construction of any kind could start even in the close-in settlement blocks that Israel expects to keep in any future two-state agreement with the Palestinians.
While such an offer falls short of President Obama’s demand that Israel halt all settlement building now, it is the most forthcoming response that senior Israeli officials have given to date and suggests that American pressure is having some effect.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/29/world/middleeast/29mideast.html?_r=1&ref=middleeast
2. Envoy: US has no plans for Iraq talks with Iran(The Washington Post)
The United States has no imminent plans to resume talks with Iran about Iraq, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq said Monday, taking a hard line against Tehran amid tension over its postelection turmoil.
Ambassador Christopher Hill, who assumed his post in April, told The Associated Press that Iran is still trying to exert a "malevolent influence" over its neighboring country but said he was hopeful Iraqis aren't responding.
The U.S. military accuses Iran of backing Shiite militias in Iraq with training and weapons and says it remains a major threat to Iraq's stability as American combat troops pull back from cities in a first step toward a full withdrawal by the end of 2011.
Tehran denies allegations that it is supporting violence in Iraq.
Overall, Hill said Iraq was on the right track and expressed confidence that Iraqi forces were capable of assuming security in urban areas as the U.S. mission shifts from a combat role.
"The Iraqi forces have gained an incredible number of capabilities over the years and so we think they're ready," he said during an interview in the new U.S. Embassy in the protected Green Zone.
He called on the Iraqi government to step up efforts to unite the country's divided sectarian and ethnic communities, saying a lack of political progress was feeding the violence that continues on a daily basis in Iraq.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/29/AR2009062902485.html
3. As Iraq Stabilizes, China Eyes Its Oil Fields(The New York Times)
As the world’s second-largest and fastest-growing consumer of oil, China is showing increasing interest in oil fields in a country that has until very recently seemed to be firmly in the American sphere of influence for natural resources: Iraq.
Chinese oil companies are expected to bid for the rights to develop Iraq’s oil fields in auctions that are set to start Tuesday, although Sinopec, the China National Petroleum Corporation and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation all declined to comment Monday about their bidding strategies.
In another sign of China’s interest in Iraqi oil fields, Sinopec, China’s refining giant, offered $7.22 billion on Wednesday to buy Addax Petroleum, a Swiss-Canadian company with operations in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and in West Africa. If Addax’s shareholders and Canadian regulators approve the deal, which Addax’s board is recommending, it would be China’s largest overseas energy acquisition.
And Sinopec’s archrival, the China National Petroleum Corporation, or C.N.P.C., started drilling in spring in the Ahdab oil field in southeastern Iraq.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/30/world/asia/30chinaoil.html?ref=world
4. EU threatens mass pullout of ambassadors from Tehran(The Guardian)
European Union members are threatening the collective withdrawal of their ambassadors from Iran to secure the release of the British embassy employees being held by the authorities.
EU diplomats said tonight all the envoys could be recalled "temporarily" in solidarity with staff from the British mission in Tehran who have been accused – entirely falsely, UK officials insist – of involvement in protests over the "stolen" presidential election.
Five of the nine Iranians, who were arrested on Saturday, were freed today, but four others, understood to be the most senior, were still being questioned. None of them have been named.
As the row with Britain continued, Iran's guardian council, the country's top legislative body, confirmed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's victory in the disputed poll after a partial recount, finally dashing hopes of a different outcome.
Gordon Brown underlined concern over the embassy incident when he called it unacceptable and unjustifiable that the employees were being held. The prime minister was speaking in London alongside the European commission president, José Manuel Barroso, who expressed full solidarity with the UK.
Yesterday, EU foreign ministers warned Iran that any "harassment or intimidation" of embassy staff would be met with a "strong and collective" response. Most of the 27 EU member states have their own ambassadors in Tehran.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jun/29/iran-diplomats-british-embassy-staff
5. South Korea getting U.S. missiles to boost defences: report(The Washington Post)
South Korea is acquiring 40 U.S.-made missiles for an Aegis destroyer this month to boost its defenses amid reports North Korea may soon test-fire missiles, Yonhap news agency on Sunday quoted a military source as saying.
North Korea, which rattled regional security with a May 25 nuclear test, is preparing to test a long-range missile that could hit U.S. territory and mid-range missiles that could hit all of South Korea, a South Korean presidential Blue House official said last week.
The surface-to-air missiles for the Aegis destroyer, designed to track and shoot down objects including missiles, can hit targets up to 160 km (100 miles) away, Yonhap quoted the source as saying.
North Korea has also warned ships to stay away from waters off its east coast city of Wonsan, Japan's Coast Guard said last week, in a possible indication of a missile test.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/28/AR2009062800040.html?nav=hcmoduletmv
6. EU and Turkey: still talking membership, barely(The Washington Post)
Early in the last century, after an empire's fall, the founder of Turkey set his new nation on a westward course. For Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Europe was worthy of a pedestal, a model of how to be modern.
The vision of the former army officer leaped forward in 2005, when reform-minded Turkey began accession talks with the European Union. But the mood soured. While neither side says the process is dead, few question that Turkey's goal of joining Europe's club is in deep trouble.
On Tuesday, EU and Turkish envoys restart talks in a process that sometimes seems hollow and adrift. The dry give-and-take in conference halls in Brussels masks bigger issues about Europe and diversity, Islam and democracy, and ties between modern and developing nations.
Turkey's enthusiasm for European Union membership has eroded under internal tension, European skepticism and a dispute over divided Cyprus, an EU member. Key European leaders, in turn, fear an influx of migrants, worry about human rights and wonder about admitting a huge Muslim nation into a 27-nation bloc that has struggled to integrate its own Muslim minorities.
"We need to aim to achieve more progress this year in our relations," Ollie Rehn, the EU commissioner handling Turkey's bid, told visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
"We know our responsibilities," Davutoglu said, though he insisted that the EU at least help find a "comprehensive settlement" for Cyprus, where Turkish troops are based in the Turkish Cypriot north, a legacy of a 1974 invasion after a coup attempt by backers of union with Greece.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/29/AR2009062901666.html
7. US, Russia hold talks before Obama visit(The Washington Post)
U.S. lawmakers and their Russian counterparts have met to discuss arms control, North Korea and other international issues, setting the stage for President Barack Obama's visit to Moscow next week.
Few details were announced of Monday's talks between a U.S. House Foreign Relations Committee delegation and Russian foreign affairs officials.
Committee chief Howard Berman says he "goes back to Washington energized" to improve bilateral relations. Berman said he would try to eradicate Cold War-era laws that hamper their development.
Russian officials called the talks constructive.
Obama visits Russia July 6-8.
Both sides say they hope to meet again to discuss regulating their nuclear weapons before the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty expires in December
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/29/AR2009062902290.html
8. Sarkozy slammed for Lieberman 'remark'(The Jerusalem Post)
Israel Beiteinu No. 2 Uzi Landau came to the defense of his party leader on Tuesday morning, blasting comments attributed to Nicolas Sarkozy in which the French president was said to have urged Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to "get rid of" Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.
"It's difficult for me to believe that a leader of a friendly country can make such remarks, but were I the prime minister, and such comments were made in my presence, I would bang on the table and protest," he told Army Radio. "That's how a prime minister should conduct himself to preserve his country's honor."
Another close associate of Lieberman on Monday night blasted the comments reportedly made by Sarkozy.
"If the words attributed to the French president are correct, then the intervention of the president of a respected, democratic state in the affairs of another democratic state is grave and unacceptable," he said. "We expect that - regardless of political affiliation - all political bodies in Israel condemn this callous intervention of a foreign state in our internal affairs."
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1245924960062&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
9. U.N. chief seeks to free reporters in N. Korea(The Washington Post)
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Sunday that he is making personal efforts to try to free two U.S. journalists imprisoned in North Korea and that he played a role in the release last month of another jailed journalist in Iran.
"I have taken my own effort to facilitate any release of these American journalists, but I have not heard anything," he told The Washington Times on Sunday. "You can understand my frustration."
The two women -- Laura Ling and Euna Lee -- were sentenced earlier this month to 12 years of hard labor after they were arrested near the China-North Korea border in March.
U.S. and other efforts to free them have so far failed, and the two appear to have become victims of the deterioration in relations between North Korea and much of the rest of the world since the North carried out a second nuclear test and fired off a ballistic missile.
"I am doing all I can do," said Mr. Ban, who served as South Korea's foreign minister before becoming the first Asian U.N. secretary-general since U Thant of Burma served, from 1961 to 1971.
Mr. Ban, who is known for his reticence, said he worked similarly behind the scenes to help win freedom for Roxana Saberi.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jun/29/at-un-ban-eyes-2-held-in-n-korea/
10. Netanyahu to Putin: Stop selling missiles to Iran(The Haaretz)
Relations between Israel and Russia have grown tense over a significant change in Moscow's attitude regarding the possible sale of S-300 air defense missiles to Iran. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and asked him to prevent the arms deal from going through.
Ahead of a meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev next week, Israel has began an international effort to pressure Russia not to complete the sale of the advanced air defense system.
The deal between Russia and Iran for the sale of the air defense system was signed more than a year ago, but external pressure, primarily from the United States and Israel, led the Russian political leadership to delay its implementation.
The Russian response to Israeli inquiries on the matter had been that they do not intend to complete the deal. The same message was reiterated during Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's visit to Israel last month.
A senior political source in Jerusalem said that in recent weeks there has been noticeable change in Russia's position on the matter of the arms sale.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1096332.html
US:
1. W.House: Obama believes can close Guantanamo by 2010(The Washington Post)
President Barack Obama believes his 2010 deadline for closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is within reach despite difficulties in finding places to relocate detainees, the White House said Monday.
Asked if the deadline could still be met, White House spokesman told a briefing: "Absolutely. ... I think you've seen over the past few weeks progress, particularly with statements by the European Union and individual countries in their desire to share the responsibility of settling transferred detainees."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/29/AR2009062902789.html
2. More Intelligence Oversight Advised Bill a Reaction to Bush Policies(The Washington Post)
The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has approved legislation intended to strengthen congressional oversight of sensitive intelligence matters, including covert operations.
Under language approved last week in the fiscal 2010 Intelligence Authorization Act, the House panel proposed doing away with provisions that allowed a president to limit disclosure of sensitive intelligence activities to the "Gang of Eight," the term used to identify the House speaker and minority leader, Senate majority and minority leaders, and the chairmen and ranking minority members of the House and Senate intelligence panels.
In its place, the House committee gave each intelligence committee, rather than the president, the legal authority to limit briefings to its own members. The president would be required to provide congressional overseers with "general information" on a covert operation or intelligence activity where there is a potential for loss of life, the outlay of significant funds, or a risk of loss of sources and methods. Briefings would also be required if the disclosure of an operation or activity could cause significant damage to diplomatic relations of the United States.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/29/AR2009062904321.html