News roundup 03.17.2006

Iran/Iraq

Who could have predicted this in 2002/2003?

The Los Angeles Times: "Iran Agrees to Discuss Iraq With the U.S."

The New York Times:

TEHRAN, March 17 — Iran and the United States agreed Thursday to hold direct talks on how to halt sectarian violence and restore calm in Iraq, offering the first face-to-face conversation between the sides after months of confrontation over Iran's nuclear program.

IRNA:

"Iran wishes the Iraqi nation would live in their country without interference of the occupiers," Larijani noted on the sidelines of a meeting with a group of Basiji academics and elite here on Friday.

Kurds

The New York Times:

Although Kurdistan remains a relative oasis of stability in a country increasingly threatened by sectarian violence, the protests here — which left the renowned Halabja Monument a charred, smoking ruin — starkly illustrated those challenges even in Iraq's most peaceful region.

Many Kurds have grown angry at what they view as the corruption and tyranny of the two dominant political parties here. They accuse their regional government of stealing donations gathered to help survivors of the poison gas attack. The town's residents chose Thursday to close off the town's main road and rally against government corruption. When government guards fired weapons over the protesters' heads, the crowd went wild and attacked the monument.

Swarmer

The Los Angeles Times: "U.S.-Iraqi Offensive Targets Insurgents"

Al Jazeera:

Saleh Mutlak said: "This large operation that used airplanes is sending a signal to parliament and Iraqis that the solution is military and not political."

Historians

The Philadelphia Inquirer:

On the eve of America's third anniversary in Iraq, historians are looking back and seeing a familiar pattern emerge:

A Western army attempts to impose order on Iraq but encounters unanticipated, violent resistance. As casualties and domestic opposition mount, the occupiers redefine the mission and look for an exit. Iraq slides toward ruin.

Syriana

The Los Angeles Times: "U.S. General Praises Syria for Border Tightening"

Democracy

The New York Times:

Even as it presents an updated national security strategy, the Bush administration is facing fresh doubts from some Republicans who say its emphasis on promoting democracy around the world has come at the expense of protecting other American interests.

Congress

The New York Times: "Many in Congress Want to Change Nuclear Deal With India"

The Washington Post: "GOP Irritation At Bush Was Long Brewing"

The Washington Post:

Congress raised the limit on the federal government's borrowing by $781 billion yesterday, and then lawmakers voted to spend well over $100 billion on the war in Iraq, hurricane relief, education, health care, transportation and heating assistance for the poor without making offsetting budget cuts.

The A.P.: "Senate passes $2.8 trillion spending blueprint for 2007"

Bloomberg News: "Senate's Budget Plan Omits Bush Medicare Cuts, Adds Spending"

The Houston Chronicle:

WASHINGTON - Key senators involved in the immigration debate neared agreement Thursday on a temporary worker visa plan that would let illegal immigrant workers stay in the United States while applying for legal status.

The Washington Post:

Frustrated by the Senate Judiciary Committee's slow progress on politically sensitive immigration legislation, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) introduced his own bill last night to secure the nation's borders and crack down on illegal immigration.

Frist's bill will go directly to the full Senate. But he said he will allow Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) to substitute a committee bill if Specter's panel could approve one March 27. Otherwise, the majority leader will stick to a strict, two-week schedule to finish work on what he conceded would be "as challenging a bill as any we'll have to address this year."