The world in brief

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

— QUOTE OF THE DAY

“We’ve arrived once again in our Venezuelan homeland.Thank you, my God!! Thank you, beloved nation!! We will continue our treatment here.”

Hugo Chavez, Venezuelan President, in a Twitter post Article, 7A

Tunisian Cabinet mix pitched as vote fix

TUNIS, Tunisia - The head of Tunisia’s largest political party said Monday that the country’s crisis will be solved by a new compromise government of technocrats and politicians.

Rachid Ghannouchi, whose moderate Islamist Ennahda party holds the most seats in parliament, said the leaders of the main parties had agreed on a new limited Cabinet that would work toward holding new elections as quickly as possible.

Tunisia was plunged into a political crisis after the assassination on Feb. 6 of a leftist opposition politician provoked anti-government riots around the country and sapped confidence in the Ennahda-led Cabinet.

Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali originally called for a technocratic government to guide the country to new elections and threatened to quit if his initiative was rejected.

On Monday, Jebali announced his technocrat option did not have sufficient support and that he would see President Moncef Marzouki today. Jebali did not say he would resign.

Economy, U.S. captive set Cuba-trip tone

HAVANA - A delegation of American lawmakers led by Sen. Patrick Leahy arrived in Cuba on Monday to gauge the island’s economic changes and stress the importance of freeing a jailed American whose detention has chilled relations between the two countries.

The trip, which included five senators, was the first to the Communist-run island by high-level U.S. politicians since President Barack Obama’s re-election in November.

It comes a year after another group of legislators led by Leahy, D-Vt., went to Cuba and met with President Raul Castro. Last year’s delegation also visited Alan Gross, an American jailed since 2009 for illegally distributing communications equipment on the island while on a U.S.-funded democracy-building program.

In their meetings, the lawmakers will stress that freeing Gross, who is serving a 15-year sentence, is a crucial prerequisite for improved ties, a State Department official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, lacking authorization to comment publicly.

EU sanctions N. Korea, condemns test

BRUSSELS - The European Union imposed trade and economic sanctions on North Korea while condemning “in the strongest terms” the nation’s latest nuclear test.

The 27 EU finance ministers also demanded North Korea abstain from further tests and urged it to sign the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty without delay.

The statement came as the ministers met Monday in Brussels.

Their action brings the number of North Koreans subject to a travel ban and an asset freeze to 26, and the number of sanctioned companies to 33. The ministers also banned the export of components for ballistic missiles, such as certain types of aluminum.

The United States is currently negotiating in the Security Council for stronger U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang in response to a Feb. 12 atomic blast.

North Korea says its nuclear program is a response to what it called a U.S. threat and has warned of further unspecified measures of “greater intensity” if Washington remains hostile.

Egyptian vote law stalls as rift emerges

CAIRO - Egypt’s top court on Monday rejected a draft of an election law, risking delays to a vote that Mohammed Morsi says will help restore stability, as signs emerged of a rift between the president and some of his Islamist allies.

The Supreme Constitutional Court in Cairo objected to five articles on areas including the division of electoral districts. The measure will now be referred back to parliament’s upper house, the only part of the legislature still functioning after the lower house was shut down last year, the court said by fax.

Morsi also faced criticism from the Salafi Nour Party, which has backed the call for a unity coalition, after he dismissed one of its members as his environmental adviser. Another Nour official at the presidency quit in sympathy, suggesting tensions between the party, whose Salafi followers practice a form of ultra-orthodox Islam, and the Muslim Brotherhood-backed president.

Front Section, Pages 6 on 02/19/2013