LITTLE ROCK — QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Keep in mind that every dollar we waste today puts a life at risk.”
Former President Bill Clinton
urging countries to spend money meant to fight AIDS carefully Article, this page
Iraqi cleric, politician meet in Syria
BAGHDAD - Anti-American Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr took a rare, public step into the political arena Monday, meeting in neighboring Syria with the man directly challenging Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for his office.
The talks between al-Sadr, who is nominally allied with al-Maliki, and former premier Ayad Allawi, who heads the heavily Sunni-backed Iraqiya coalition, appeared to be as much about showing al-Maliki that al-Sadr is keeping his options open as it was about any firm political agreement between the two men in the offing.
Al-Sadr rarely travels outside of his home base in Iran, where he lives in self-imposed exile. His followers won 39 seats in the 325-seat parliament, giving him considerable sway over who becomes the next prime minister.
After the election, al-Sadr joined a coalition with al-Maliki’s list, but the deep-rooted hatred many in the Sadrist camp feel toward the prime minister - who’s jailed thousands of their supporters - has stalled any further development of their alliance.
Iraq is in its fifth month without a government after the inconclusive March 7 elections. The Iraqiya bloc won 91 seats compared with 89 for al-Maliki’s coalition, but neither won the 163-seat majority necessary to govern.
Russians boost security unit’s power
MOSCOW - The upper house of Russia’s parliament Monday passed a bill granting expanded powers to the country’s main security agency, a move that critics say echoes the era of the Soviet KGB.
The bill, which now goes to President Dmitry Medvedev to be signed into law, would allow the Federal Security Service to issue warnings to people suspected of preparing to commit crimes against Russia’s security.
Human-rights and democracy activists say this power could be used to intimidate government opponents and stifle protests.
“This law is targeted against the opposition. ... It’s a draconian law which is unprecedented in the world and is reminiscent of our repressive past,” Boris Nemtsov, a leader of the opposition Solidarity movement, was quoted as saying by the news agency Interfax.
The security service is the main successor agency to the KGB.
The bill was approved by the upper house by a vote of 121-1. The sole vote against was cast by the house’s speaker, Sergei Mironov, who said he was apprehensive about the measure.
Released Cubans complain in Spain
MADRID - A group of Cuban political prisoners recently released to live in Spain complained Monday that they felt let down by the Spanish government.
The 11 dissidents were released this month by Havana as part of the Castro government’s commitment to free 52 imprisoned since 2003 under an agreement with the Spanish government and Catholic Church. Eight more are due to arrive in Madrid today.
Julio Cesar Galvez, one of the initial group, said they are no longer receiving legal counseling from the authorities.
He said the group felt it was “misled” because Spain is not making good on its promise of help as they try to start new lives.
The Spanish government had no immediate reaction to the group’s complaints. However, Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said Sunday that the dissidents must be patient with the slowness of local bureaucracy.
Moratinos said the freed dissidents would be issued with Spanish work and residency permits within three to four months.
Unknown soldier’s remains reburied
FROMELLES, France - The remains of a World War I soldier left in a mass grave for more than 90 years were moved by four-horse cart to a new cemetery for reburial with full honors Monday in a ceremony attended by Prince Charles.
The unknown soldier’s new headstone in northern France bears a simple inscription: “A soldier of the Great War. Known unto God.” His nationality is unclear, but he was either Australian or British.
German machine guns and artillery left more than 5,500 Australians and more than 1,500 British dead, wounded or missing in under 24 hours at the 1916 Battle of Fromelles, the first Australian combat operation on the western front.
Many of the dead were buried by Germans in a mass grave, which was covered by plants over time and discovered by an Australian amateur historian in 2008.
After more than two years of exhumation and identification work by archaeologists, 249 of the bodies were reburied under marble gravestones laid out in a V shape in a new cemetery in the French town of Fromelles.
A coffin containing the remains of the last soldier was laid in a new grave during Monday’s solemn ceremony, which honored the unknown soldier as well as his fallen brothers in arms. Some of their relatives attended.
Front Section, Pages 4 on 07/20/2010