un: 2011

2011年6月26日星期日

Egypt court sentences ex-trade minister to 5 years in jail (Reuters)

在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中，找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件，或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。
在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中，找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件，或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。

CAIRO (Reuters) – An Egyptian court convicted former Trade Minister Rachid Mohamed Rachid in absentia on Saturday and sentenced him to 5 years in prison for profiteering and squandering public funds, the state news agency MENA said.

Rachid, a regular at the World Economic Forum in Davos, lost his job in late January and fled abroad, only days after the eruption of the mass uprising that later ousted Hosni Mubarak.

He was an important face for Egypt in the commodities market as former minister of trade overseeing global wheat prices in the world's biggest wheat-importing country.

The Cairo court ruled that Rachid unlawfully seized public money from a government export development fund, leading to a waste of public funds, MENA said.

The court also ordered him to pay 9.385 million Egyptian pounds ($1.57 million) in fines, MENA added. A judicial source told Reuters the court further ordered the former minister to return a similar amount.

Egyptian prosecutors filed formal charges against former officials and businessmen of abusing their position to enrich themselves and misusing public money after the uprising that toppled Mubarak in February.

Earlier this month, a Cairo court convicted former finance minister Youssef Boutros-Ghali in absentia and sentenced him to 30 years in prison for profiteering and abusing state and private assets.

Boutros-Ghali is widely viewed in Egypt as a public face of a government that enriched the wealthy at the expense of the poor.

The whereabouts of Rachid and Boutros-Ghali are unknown.

In another case brought against Rachid in February, prosecutors accused him of improperly giving production licenses to steel magnate Ahmed Ezz, chairman of Egypt's biggest steel maker Ezz Steel.

Ezz and Rachid have denied wrongdoing.

(Reporting by Sherine El Madany; Additional reporting by Omar Fahmy; editing by Mark Heinrich)

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Kimberley grants Zimbabwe conditional diamond sale (AFP)

HARARE (AFP) – The Kimberley Process against "blood diamonds" will allow Zimbabwe to sell some diamonds from its controversial Marange fields, in a decision that left the watchdog sharply divided Friday.

Rights groups walked out of the Kimberley meeting Thursday in Kinshasa, where African countries, China and India supported the decision, which had been opposed by Western nations, rights groups and the industry.

"We have made a breakthrough," Zimbabwe mines minister Obert Mpofu told the state-run Herald newspaper in Harare.

The Kimberley Process had endorsed exports from the two mines operated by Marange Resources and Mbada Diamonds "with immediate effect without supervision," he said.

The decision taken by Mathieu Yamba of the Democratic Republic of Congo, who holds Kimberley's rotating chair, appears to allow sales from the two firms in Marange once a team of two monitors have signed off on the deal.

Currently five licensed firms operate in Marange, but only three are mining at full throttle, while the other two say they have only found minimal reserves after exploration.

US-based diamond group Rapaport Trade quickly advised members not to trade in the Marange gems.

"Marange goods (are) expected to be released shortly," Rapaport said in an advisory to members. "Responsible buyers should require supplier guarantee that they are not selling these diamonds to them."

Western companies fear the bad press that comes with "blood diamonds" -- gems sold to finance armed conflicts.

Western nations and rights groups pushed for the Kimberley Process (KP), originally meant to cut off financing for brutal rebellions in Liberia and Sierra Leone, to bar trade in any diamonds tainted by violence and abuses.

But companies in China, India and the Middle East do not face the same public pressure from their customers and have proved more eager to tap into what has been touted as Africa's biggest diamond find of the decade.

And other African nations have been reluctant to apply the same standard to a sitting government as to armed rebels.

Campaigning groups including Global Witness and Partnership Africa Canada walked out of the meeting in outrage at the decision, arguing that the ruling undermined the scheme's credibility.

In a joint statement, the groups said Kimberley's decision had failed to protect civilians living and working in Marange and so the scheme was not meeting its most basic commitment.

"It does not prevent diamonds from fuelling violence and human rights violations," they said.

Britain's Africa minister Henry Bellingham also criticised the move, contradicting the statement issued at the Kimberley Process meeting that there had been a consensus on the question.

"This is not the case as the proposals fell well short of offering a credible mechanism for ensuring that only Kimberley Process compliant diamonds could be exported from Zimbabwe," he said in a statement.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, in a more restrained statement, nevertheless also denied that the meeting had reached a consensus on the matter, so the decision "is not therefore valid under KP rules and procedures."

The Marange fields have been at the centre of a years-long controversy over abuses by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's military.

Monitors say the military seized control of the fields in late 2008, violently evicting tens of thousands of small miners and then beating and raping civilians to force them to mine the gems.

Zimbabwe conducted a KP monitored sale last year, although the move was opposed by countries including Canada and United States.

That sale raised $100 million dollars according to government figures, after selling 400,000 carats.

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Egypt must 'scrap' Mubarak-era laws: Amnesty (AFP)

CAIRO (AFP) – Egypt must "scrap" the most reviled laws of former president Hosni Mubarak's era if it wants to ensure free and fair parliamentary elections in September, the secretary general of Amnesty International said on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters in Cairo, Salil Shetty expressed concern over the use of military courts to try civilians and the failure to lift a state of emergency after the ouster of Mubarak's regime in February.

These mechanisms alongside laws restricting freedom of the press and assembly could "distort the elections" and do not allow "a free and fair platform for the elections," Shetty said.

"We feel that all of these laws should be scrapped in order to have a proper election which allows all voices to be able to surface in an equal manner."

Amnesty International's secretary general said military courts had tried between 7,000-10,000 civilians since Egypt's Supreme Military Council took over power after Mubarak quit on February 11.

Military trials for civilians "are not in line with international fair trial standards," he said because they are not independent, provide no transparency and the system of defence is limited.

Emergency law, particularly provisions which for decades provided security forces and police great leeway to conduct arrests, "is simply not required," he said, adding that the existing penal code was enough to guarantee public order.

During his visit to Egypt, Shetty met representatives of the interior ministry and the foreign ministry as well as rights activists and relatives of those who died in the 18-day popular that toppled the Mubarak regime.

Later on Saturday he was due to meet Deputy Prime Minister Yehia al-Gamal and Arab League chief and presidential hopeful Amr Mussa.

Shetty said the toppling of Mubarak's authoritarian regime had paved the way for "significant changes" in Egypt including the release of the majority of political prisoners.

"If you talk to people there is no question it's much freer now to move, there is more media freedom. There is a big change and we have to acknowledge that."

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Tea party reps split on war cash for US in Libya (AP)

WASHINGTON – The House's tea party caucus split on a major foreign policy vote Friday — whether to cut off money for air attacks in Libya — revealing a divide on the philosophical question of how often and under what terms the U.S. should intervene in foreign conflicts.

The tea party Republicans overwhelmingly oppose President Barack Obama's decision to participate in the NATO-led operation in Libya without consulting Congress. But 27 of the caucus' 59 members voted against a GOP-led bill to strip federal dollars from part of the American effort there.

The group's chairwoman, Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, was among those who voted no. The GOP presidential hopeful said she opposed the bill because it stopped short of halting all United States spending on the conflict.

"There was an opportunity today to limit funding to a Libyan operation, but I could not support it because it does not go far enough. Funds must be fully cut off to the president's involvement in Libya," she said in a statement.

Her role in the failure of the GOP bill was sorely noted by tea partiers outside the Beltway.

"We have no congressional authorization for military action in Libya, but our brilliant GOP leadership did not cut off funding," wrote Judson Phillips on a blog for one group, Tea Party Nation. "Could they possibly be any more gutless?"

The bill would have barred attacks by pilotless drones and other airstrikes but allowed the United States to continue actions in support of NATO. The full House defeated it, 238-180.

The 31-27 split among members of the caucus listed on Bachmann's website revealed that the populist movement committed to cutting federal spending is less united on foreign policy — even when the question is about federal spending.

The tea party caucus members split along the same arguments as the rest of the House over philosophical questions of when the U.S. should intervene in foreign conflict, when it should choose isolationism — and what to do when the president does not consult Congress before engaging.

On that last question, there was little debate. With one exception, the tea party caucus members voted to reject Obama's engagement in an earlier vote on whether to authorize it. That measure also failed, 295-123. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, was the only tea party caucus member to vote to authorize Obama's actions in Libya.

When the House moved on to the GOP-led measure to defund the conflict, the tea party caucus, like the rest of the chamber, sent mixed signals. After overwhelmingly rejecting Obama's engagement in Libya, the House defeated the GOP proposal to bar funding for drone attacks and other airstrikes, 238-180.

One reason for the unusual divide: Republican leaders did not lobby — or "whip"_ members on what they considered a vote of conscience. Another: The loosely affiliated tea party movement's preferences were apparently unknown to members of the caucus.

"I don't know, do they have a position?" asked Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., who voted against cutting off funding for Libya operations.

The caucus split on the second bill, with some members, like Rep. Todd Aiken, choosing an isolationist approach.

"While the human rights concerns in Libya are undeniable, there are dozens of countries around the world that are doing similar or worse things to their citizens," the Missouri Republican said. "We are not the world's police force, and we should not be sending our forces into combat without a clear connection to our national interests."

Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., joined Bachmann and 25 other caucus members in voting no to stripping funding.

"Once American military personnel are engaged in hostilities, this Congress has an obligation to stand by our troops," Pence said.

Tea party caucus member Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., did not vote.

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Ex-Egypt trade minister sentenced for embezzlement (AFP)

CAIRO (AFP) – Former Egyptian trade and industry minister Rashid Mohammed Rashid was sentenced in absentia on Saturday to five years in prison for embezzlement of public funds, state news agency Mena reported.

Rashid, who is the subject of an international search warrant, was also ordered to pay a fine of more than nine million Egyptian pounds (over a million euros).

Cairo's criminal court found Rashid guilty of embezzling funds from the export development fund.

Several businessmen and officials of Hosni Mubarak's regime, which was toppled February 11 by a popular uprising, are under investigation for embezzlement and corruption.

Uprooting corruption was and remains one of the central demands of the activist who pushed for Mubarak's departure.

Mubarak alongside his sons Alaa and Gamal is set to face trial on August 3 on charges of corruption and of ordering the killing of protesters during the uprising in January and February that toppled the veteran leader.

Former Egyptian finance minister Yussef Boutros Ghali was sentenced to 30 years in prison in absentia on corruption charges on June 4.

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House rebukes Obama but won't halt funds for Libya (AP)

WASHINGTON – Challenging presidential power, a defiant U.S. House voted overwhelmingly Friday to deny President Barack Obama the authority to wage war against Libya. But Republicans fell short in an effort to actually cut off funds for the operation in a constitutional showdown reflecting both political differences and unease over American involvement.

In a repudiation of their commander in chief, House members rejected a measure to authorize the Libya mission for a year while prohibiting U.S. ground forces in the North African nation, a resolution Obama had said he would welcome.

The vote was 295-123 with 70 Democrats abandoning the president just one day after Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had made an unusual appeal to rank-and-file members. A Senate committee is to consider the same resolution next Tuesday and is expected to support it, raising the prospect of conflicting messages from Congress.

Friday's votes showed lawmakers' concerns about an open-ended U.S. commitment to a civil war between Moammar Gadhafi and rebel forces looking to oust him — as well as growing weariness among Americans with drawn-out conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In addition, the resounding number rejecting the authority resolution was a clear sign of anger toward the president for failing to seek congressional consent for the operation within 60 days, as stated in the 1973 War Powers Resolution. Republicans and Democrats argued that an arrogant Obama had run roughshod over the Constitution, ignoring the authority of the legislative branch that the founding fathers had insisted has the power to declare war.

While Republican as well as Democratic presidents have often ignored the War Powers Resolution, a frustrated House voted earlier this month to rebuke Obama for failing to provide a "compelling rationale" for the Libyan mission and for launching U.S. military forces without congressional approval. They requested a report to Congress on the operation.

Obama further incensed lawmakers last week when he said he didn't need authorization because the operation did not rise to full-blown hostilities, a decision he reached by overruling some of his advisers.

It's not about Gadhafi, foes of the authorization said.

"I support the removal of the Libyan regime. I support the president's authority as commander in chief, but when the president chooses to challenge the powers of the Congress I, as speaker of the House, will defend the constitutional authority of the legislature," said Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

Added Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla.: "The last thing that we want as Americans is for some president, whether it's this president or some future president, to be able to pick fights around the world without any debate from another branch of government."

The rejected money-cutoff bill, sponsored by Rooney, would have barred drone attacks and airstrikes but allowed the United States to continue actions in support of the NATO-led operation such as intelligence gathering, refueling and reconnaissance. The effort to cut off money was defeated, 238-180. While GOP leaders backed the measure, they didn't pressure Republicans to support it.

Supporting Obama, Democrats opposed to the votes argued that they would empower Gadhafi, aggravate NATO allies desperately needed in the fight in Afghanistan and send a dispiriting message to those who led the Arab spring uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere.

They reminded lawmakers of Gadhafi's role in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 and said he had American blood on his hands.

"The message will go all over the world, the message will go to Moammar Gadhafi, the message will go to our NATO allies, the message will go to every nation of the world that America does not keep faith with its allies," said Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the No. 2 Democrat in the House.

The authorization vote marked the first time since 1999 that either chamber had voted against backing a military action. The last time was to limit President Bill Clinton's authority to use ground forces in Kosovo. There will be no immediate effect on American involvement in the NATO-led mission in Libya, the same as in 1999.

Since NATO took command of the operation in early April, the U.S. role has largely been limited to support efforts such as intelligence and electronic warfare. However, the U.S. has launched airstrikes and drone attacks, flying more than 3,200 sorties. The effort has included 39 drone attacks and 80 strikes with jet fighters.

The bill to cut off funds failed, in part, because several Republicans feared that even a vote for limited authorization for a NATO support mission amounted to support for the war effort.

"By dictating to President Obama how he can use American military forces in support of the NATO effort in Libya, we would authorize him to continue the same mission he has been carrying out for the past three months without congressional approval," said Rep. Scott Garrett, R-N.J.

The votes Friday were not the last word in the House. Lawmakers plan to target money for Libya when the House considers the defense spending bill the week of July 4.

Reacting to the votes, Clinton said she would have preferred a different outcome on the authorization vote but was "gratified that the House decisively rejected" the bill to cut funds.

"We need to stand together across party lines and across both branches of government with the Libyan people and with our friends and allies and against Gadhafi," Clinton said.

In Benghazi, Libya, rebel spokesman Jalal el-Gallal, said he didn't know why the House voted against the authorization measure.

"America is the beating heart of democracy and should support the birth of a democracy in our time," he said. "I believe the American people will put the pressure on the government to change its mind."

White House spokesman Jay Carney said, "We think now is not the time to send the kind of mixed message that it sends when we're working with our allies to achieve the goals that we believe that are widely shared in Congress: protecting civilians in Libya, enforcing a no-fly zone, enforcing an arms embargo and further putting pressure on Gadhafi."

The authorization resolution mirrors a Senate measure sponsored by Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and John McCain, R-Ariz. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will consider that resolution on Tuesday, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has indicated it has the panel's support.

___

Associated Press writers Jim Abrams, Lolita C. Baldor and Matthew Lee in Washington and Hadeel al-Shalchi in Libya contributed to this report.

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Egypt withdraws request for IMF, World Bank loans (AFP)

CAIRO (AFP) – Egypt has withdrawn its loan request to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, an adviser to Finance Minister Samir Radwan told AFP on Saturday.

"We have decided not to have recourse to loans from the international financial institutions," Abdelfattah al-Gebali said.

He said the decision was taken in response to the "pressure of public opinion," which has been largely hostile to the loan request, and after the submission of a new draft budget for 2011-2012 that foresees a reduction in public spending.

"The government has a policy of budget reductions," he added, saying it had decided to turn to local loans, financial aid and grants to finance its deficit.

Earlier this month, the finance minister announced that the IMF had granted Egypt a loan of three billion dollars over 12 months to help put its economy back on track.

"Egypt announces the end of negotiations with the IMF and the clinching of an agreement with the fund to relaunch the Egyptian economy," Radwan told reporters on June 5.

The two parties agreed to a "three-billion-dollar loan over 12 months... with an interest rate of 1.5 percent," he said, adding that the loan would help partly offset a budget deficit of $28 billion.

The Egyptian economy, which depends in large part on tourism, has seen a dramatic drop in tourist arrivals and near zero economic growth during and after the revolt that ousted former president Hosni Mubarak in February.

Tens of thousands of Egyptian workers in Libya, who used to send money back to their families in Egypt, also had to flee the conflict in the neighbouring north African nation.

Egypt, which estimates it needs between 10 and 12 billion dollars in international funding to keep it going until mid-2012, was courting loans worth roughly $6 billion from the IMF and the World Bank.

Cairo has said two Gulf countries will also help boost Egypt's economy.

Saudi Arabia has pledged four billion dollars in assistance in the form of long-term loans and grants, while Qatar pledged to invest $10 billion, according to Egyptian authorities.

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Horror and uncertainty on Sudan's stricken border (AFP)

PARIANG, Sudan (AFP) – Families recall fleeing for their lives when the remote town of Jau, on the border of north and south Sudan, was targeted by army bombings that destroyed the market and scattered the terrified population.

The army air strikes began just days after heavy fighting erupted across the border in South Kordofan, on June 5, between the Sudanese Armed Forces (northern army -- SAF) and militia aligned to the soon-to-be-independent south.

"Antonovs bombed the area and killed my son" says Thrab Deng Nading, a woman from Jau. So she hurriedly left on foot with her remaining four children and came to Pariang, the county capital, a day's walk across the vast plain.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says that 3,700 people have fled Jau since the attacks, with many ending up in Pariang and the nearby towns of Faring and Aliab.

Witnesses say Jau's market was completely destroyed in the second bombing raid, and the remaining population fled as the deadly attacks continued.

Many southern-aligned fighters from South Kordofan had regrouped at the lakeside town, on the south side of the border in Unity state, which has now become a possible new frontline between the south's, Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), and the SAF, its former civil war enemy.

"We can sometimes hear the sound of the bombing," says John Miakol, the Pariang secretary for the South Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (SSRRC), a government organisation charged with helping the displaced.

Army planes have also been seen flying over Panyang, 15 kilometres (10 miles) north of Pariang.

"I am worried that Antonovs will follow us here and bomb Pariang town," says Ayak, another woman who fled Jau 10 days ago.

Leaving their homes and belongings behind, families such as hers are left with little to survive on, and rely on the generosity of the already-stretched local population.

The closure of the roads between north and south Sudan has led to skyrocketing food prices and severe shortages of basic supplies in recent weeks.

The price of sorghum, a local staple, has doubled in the state capital Bentiu, according to the World Food Programme, and fuel prices have shot up too, ironically in an area criss-crossed by pipelines from the state's oil fields.

The supply disruptions and influx of people have come in the middle of the so-called "hunger period," when families cut back on household consumption because last year's produce has been depleted and this year's first crop has yet to be harvested.

The rainy season is also in full swing, so that many of the fugitives, as well as having to beg from local families to feed their own, have no shelter.

In a lone building on the outskirts of town, around 40 families have taken refuge from the torrential rains that render many of the roads to Pariang impassable.

The county commissioner, Mabek Lang Mading, fears the lack of adequate shelter could cause disease, saying that hygiene and sanitation are not being maintained.

"The IDPs (internally displaced persons) are in urgent need of assistance," Mading says.

Compounding their woes, there appears to be no resolution to the conflict across the border, which has already forced more than 70,000 people to flee, according to UN estimates.

"I don't see any progress by the warring sides in South Kordofan," Mading adds.

Whether or not the bombing continues after July 9, when south Sudan will formally declare its independence from the north, is becoming an ever more pressing issue.

Until now, the SPLA has shown restraint in not responding to the attacks, with southern officials insisting that nothing will jeopardise their hard-fought and long-awaited independence. But this may change.

"If they are still bombing Jau after July 9, then we will definitely respond," Mading warns.

Some families in Pariang hope to return home once the bombing has stopped.

"When there is no more fighting, I can go back to Jau to see if my husband is still alive" says Ayak.

But others who have already lost family to the violence expect to start a new life from scratch.

"My son who was killed was the only one supporting me," says Thrab. "I will not go back, no way."

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NATO denies fresh Libya civilian deaths claim (AFP)

TRIPOLI (AFP) – NATO came under verbal fire again on Saturday from Moamer Kadhafi's regime, which accused it of killing 15 more people in strikes on civilian sites in the eastern city of Brega, a claim promptly denied by the alliance.

Meanwhile, three powerful explosions struck the eastern Tripoli suburb of Tajura, where a number of military installations are located, and columns of smoke could be seen from the centre of the capital, AFP correspondents said.

It was not immediately known if the blasts were the result of an attack by NATO, which has repeatedly targeted the area in the past.

And in a likely propaganda coup against Kadhafi in football-mad Libya, 17 of the country's top players, including national goalkeeper Juma Gtat, have defected to rebels battling to oust him, the BBC reported.

"The colonialist crusader Atlantic coalition bombed civilian sites, among them a bakery and a restaurant in Brega, creating 15 martyrs and more than 20 wounded, among them regular clients of those places," the TV said.

The report, which did not say when the attack took place, referred to a NATO "war of extermination" and "crimes against humanity" in Libya.

However, state news agency Jana said the attack was on Saturday and spoke of five more "citizens" killed a day earlier.

Following the Libyan television claim, the NATO spokesman said the alliance "did target buildings in an abandoned area of Brega. These were legitimate military targets that were hit.

"We took a long time to watch the area and make sure. Meticulous planning went into this."

As far as NATO is concerned, he said, "any people in that area at that time were legitimate military targets."

In its daily operations report, the alliance said that on Friday it had targeted 35 objectives, including military vehicles and installations, around Brega, a key refinery town some 800 kilometres (500 miles) east of Tripoli and 240 kilometres southwest of the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.

Earlier this week, after NATO admitted misfires that Tripoli says caused several deaths, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini called for a suspension in the campaign in the latest sign of dissent within NATO.

"I believe an immediate humanitarian suspension of hostilities is required in order to create effective humanitarian corridors," while negotiations should also continue on a more formal ceasefire and peace talks, he said.

Alliance chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said more civilians would die if operations were not maintained under a UN mandate to protect Libyans from the exactions of the government of veteran leader Moamer Kadhafi.

"NATO will continue this mission because if we stop, countless more civilians could lose their lives," Rasmussen said in a video statement on the NATO website.

The latest war of words comes a day after lawmakers dealt a symbolic rebuke to President Barack Obama over US participation in the NATO-led UN-mandated campaign against Kadhafi, as the Libyan leader reportedly mulled leaving his capital.

The House of Representatives voted 295-123 to reject a resolution that would have given congressional authorisation to Obama's decision to use military force against Kadhafi.

"We are disappointed by that vote. We think that now is not the time to send the kind of mixed message that it sends," White House spokesman Jay Carney said.

"The writing is on the wall for Colonel Kadhafi. Now is not the time to let up," he said.

The House later beat back an effort to cut funding for direct US strikes on Kadhafi's forces. It voted 238-180 to defeat a resolution that would have denied money to drone attacks and bombings while backing US operations in support of NATO-led efforts there for one year.

In the latest apparent defections, three other Libyan national football team players and the coach of Tripoli's top club Al-Ahly, Adel bin Issa, also switched their allegiance to the rebels, BBC said.

National goalkeeper Gtat, reportedly speaking from rebel-held mountains in the west, said "there is no proper infrastructure... there is no health care.... This is because of the bad regime we had for the last 42 years.

"I tell him (Kadhafi), leave us alone and leave the Libyan people (to) enjoy their life in new Libya, Libya for freedom."

Issa said he wanted "to send a message that Libya should be unified and free," adding that he hoped "to wake up one morning to find that Kadhafi is no longer there."

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2011年6月25日星期六

US hails Rwanda genocide verdict (AFP)

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States on Saturday welcomed the genocide conviction of a Rwandan ex-minister for women's empowerment, saying it was "an important step" in the long journey toward accountability for the Rwandan people.

Judges at the UN court for Rwanda sentenced Pauline Nyiramasuhuko on Friday to life in prison for genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide and rape, and one of her sons to the same term on related charges.

"This ruling is an important step in providing justice and accountability for the Rwandan people and the international community," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement.

"This conviction is a significant milestone because it demonstrates that rape is a crime of violence and it can be used as a tool of war by both men and women."

Nyiramasuhuko, a mother of four who faced charges over atrocities committed in Rwanda's southern Butare region in 1994, is the first woman to be found guilty of genocide and incitement to rape by an international tribunal.

Nuland noted that there are nine fugitives from the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda still at large.

"The United States urges all countries to redouble their cooperation with the ICTR so that these fugitives can be expeditiously arrested and brought to justice," she said.

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Michelle Obama and family go on African safari (AP)

MADIKWE GAME RESERVE, South Africa – It was an African safari Saturday for Michelle Obama and her family.

The first lady, joined by daughters Malia, 12, and Sasha, 10, along with her mother, Marian Robinson, and a niece and nephew, climbed into an open-air Toyota Land Cruiser in search of lions, giraffes, elephants and other animals on the sprawling Madikwe Game Reserve in South Africa.

"Let's go see some stuff," Mrs. Obama said before she and her family returned to the vehicle after listening to a park guide's explanation about the mountains off in the distance. "Let's go."

They had seen at least one elephant by early afternoon.

The group, including Mrs. Obama's niece and nephew, Leslie and Avery Robinson, age 15 and 19, were spending the night at a lodge on the reserve.

Mrs. Obama has been in Africa all week, promoting youth leadership, education, and health and wellness in South Africa and Botswana. She returns home to Washington on Monday.

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Egypt says will not need IMF, World Bank funds (Reuters)

CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt will not borrow from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund after revising its budget and cutting the forecast deficit, even though a loan had been agreed, Finance Minister Samir Radwan said Saturday.

The 2011/12 deficit in the first draft budget was forecast at 11 percent of gross domestic product, but was revised to 8.6 percent because of a national dialogue and the ruling army council's concerns about debt levels, the minister told Reuters.

"So we do not need to go at this stage to the Bank and the Fund," Radwan said, adding Egypt, which had borrowed from the IMF under ousted president Hosni Mubarak, still had the "best relations" with the two U.S.-based institutions.

Despite the budget revisions, the government said it still expected growth of 3.0-3.5 percent, in line with previous forecasts, which some economists said could prove optimistic.

Egypt this month agreed on a $3-billion, 12-month standby loan facility from the IMF, which Cairo had said came with more lenient terms than usually associated with such lending.

The IMF and World Bank had been among a range of foreign countries and bodies to offer funds to Egypt to help cover a big budget shortfall after the economy was plunged into turmoil by the mass protests that drove Mubarak from office on February 11.

Egypt's cabinet had approved on June 1 a budget for 2011/12 that increased spending by a quarter to create jobs and help the poor. That was revised in a new draft announced Wednesday that included raising income tax and reducing fuel subsidies.

Gulf Arab states are among those who offered support.

Radwan said Qatar had provided $500 million for budgetary support in the past week. "That is a gift," he said, when asked if there were any conditions attached to the Qatari cash.

He said Saudi Arabia had earlier offered a similar amount.

The minister said the first draft of the budget, which forecast a deficit of about 170 billion Egyptian pounds, was discussed with activists, writers, the business community, trade unions and non-government organizations.

ARMY CONCERN

"As a result of this dialogue and given the concern of the military council not to have huge debts for the government that comes after the election, the deficit was reduced to 134 billion pounds, equivalent to 8.6 percent of GDP," Radwan said.

"The result is we didn't need outside finance. We are covering the largest part from local sources and we are waiting for outside support to come in," he said.

"If we had gone with the other package, we would have needed to go (to the IMF)," the minister said, adding the new budget would not go back on a commitment to social justice.

Protesters who rallied against Mubarak demanded political freedoms and an end to what they saw as a system of rule from which a rich elite benefited at the expense of the poor.

On the budget plans, Radwan said: "The program is our program, so there is no conditionality (from others). It is just a changed program."

Asked whether Egypt might return to the international markets with a new Eurobond, he said: "I don't rule out anything. Once the budget is approved, finalized, then I start looking at the details about the financing.

In the latest budget, the government sees spending up 14.7 percent at 490.6 billion pounds in the 12 months starting in July, down from an estimate of 514.5 billion pounds given when a draft budget was shown to the media on June 1.

Radwan said the budget had partly been reduced by raising income tax from a 20 percent flat rate to 25 percent on firms and individuals earning more than 10 million pounds. Profits above that figure would be taxed in the new band.

"I consulted with the business community, and they said they are willing to pay that. That is why I didn't raise it to more than 25 percent, because beyond that we would be back to where we were before (several years ago) when income tax was 40 percent and there was very little tax collection," he said.

Cigarette tax would rise to 50 percent from 40 percent.

"Then we started opening the subsidies file. We are not, repeat not, touching subsides on food or butagaz for the poor," he said, adding fuel subsidies for industries and others would be reduced.

Egypt's subsidy bill had been running at about 137 billion pounds with about 99 billion pounds of that spent on fuel subsidies, he said without giving the period. He said the fuel subsidy bill would now be reduced by 7.5 billion pounds.

In a bid to help industry cope with the change, he said the government would help brick-making factories switch from diesel to natural gas and would then remove the fuel subsidy.

Extra revenue would also come from revising gas export prices, he said adding such revisions had already been agreed with Jordan and Spain. Egypt also exports to Israel.

He said the military council had to approve the new draft budget, but did not foresee any hitch.

(Editing by Janet Lawrence)

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Egyptian pleads guilty in NYC maid sex abuse (AP)

NEW YORK – A prominent Egyptian businessman admitted Friday to kissing and groping a hotel housekeeper who didn't welcome his advances, pleading guilty as the woman sued him for $5 million.

Mahmoud Abdel Salam Omar pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor sexual abuse charge, acknowledging he kissed the woman on the lips and neck and touched her breasts after she brought tissues to his room at the posh Pierre hotel. The 74-year-old chairman of state-run salt production firm El-Mex Salines Co. already has completed five days of community service in a soup kitchen, and his case will be closed without jail time or probation if he stays out of trouble for a year.

After softly answering "yes" in English to questions from a judge and prosecutor, Omar declined to comment as he left a Manhattan courthouse. Arrested while in New York to pick up a salt-industry award for El-Mex Salines, he spent about four days behind bars before being released on bail earlier this month.

His lawyer, Lori Cohen, called the case the result of a "big miscommunication" between the 44-year-old maid and Omar. While he acknowledged in court that he knew he didn't have the woman's consent for his advances, Cohen said he thought the housekeeper was receptive.

"I believe he thought something was happening that wasn't," she said. "I think his lack of a great understanding of English, and her desire to file a multimillion-dollar lawsuit, led to these accusations."

The woman's lawyer bristled at the suggestion that she embellished the encounter to try to reap money from the former bank chairman.

"That's just not true," said the attorney, John P. Grill. "She didn't know who he was."

Omar initially faced a felony sexual abuse charge that carried up to seven years in prison. After interviewing numerous witnesses and reviewing surveillance video and forensic evidence, prosecutors concluded the incident "did not rise to the level of forcible compulsion," which would have to be proven for the felony charge, Manhattan assistant district attorney Nicole Blumberg said.

Whatever his plea deal, the woman's lawyer said, "it doesn't change what happened."

The woman's federal assault and false-imprisonment lawsuit says Omar also rubbed his groin against her legs and groped her buttocks. It was filed Friday so Omar could officially be served with a copy before he left the country, Grill said.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly had said the case could be complicated to prosecute. Although the maid told a superior immediately that she had been attacked, the supervisor waited until the next morning to alert the hotel's security director, who then told police. The hotel suspended the supervisor and promised to buy "panic buttons" for maids to alert managers if they are attacked.

A spokeswoman for the hotel's owner, Mumbai-based Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, didn't immediately return a telephone call Friday.

Omar's lawyer said he might well have chosen to go to trial but was eager to get home to his wife, who has recently had surgery.

"This was the most expeditious way for him to return home," she said.

Besides chairing the salt company, Omar has served as chairman of Egypt's Bank of Alexandria, the Egyptian American Bank and the Federation of Egyptian Banks, according to a biography on his company's website. He has led El-Mex Salines since 2009.

Omar's arrest came little more than two weeks after then-International Monetary Fund leader Dominique Strauss-Kahn was arrested on charges of attempting to rape a maid at a different hotel, charges Strauss-Kahn denies. Together, the cases drew attention to the potential dangers of hotel maids' jobs.

The New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council plans to call for panic buttons as part of its contract negotiations with 150 hotels next year, and a state legislator has proposed to require the devices statewide.

___

Associated Press writer Tom Hays contributed to this report.

___

Jennifer Peltz can be reached at http://twitter.com/jennpeltz

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Arrested Zimbabwe PM aide "missing," say lawyers (AP)

HARARE, Zimbabwe – Lawyers for a minister in the Zimbabwe prime minister's party arrested after he called President Robert Mugabe a liar say he has gone "missing" in custody.

Jameson Timba, a minister of state in Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's office, was arrested Friday. Attorney Selby Hwacha said on Saturday he sought a court order forcing police to disclose Timba's whereabouts and allow attorneys to see him.

Mugabe's party has accused Timba of insulting Mugabe, an offense under sweeping security laws, when he said Mugabe lied over the outcome of a recent regional summit on Zimbabwe.

Douglas Mwonzora, chief spokesman for Tsvangirai's party, said there were fears for Timba's safety after party "sympathizers in the police" reported he had been assaulted in jail.

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Algerian village protests after shooting blunder (AFP)

ALGIERS (AFP) – An Algerian village was on strike for a second day Saturday after a civilian was shot dead by soldiers in error after a bomb attack, press reports said.

The incident on Thursday prompted a rare statement from the defence ministry admitting the mistake and expressing its condolences to the family.

Father of five Moustapha Dial was fired upon by troops who raided a villa where he was caretaker and seriously wounded, the press reports said, quoting witnesses. He was finished off by another burst of gunfire as he tried to seek aid.

The troops entered two other villas in Azazga in the Kabylie region, some 100 kilometres (60 miles) east of Algiers, the reports added.

The defence ministry said that earlier Thursday a bomb attack on a military patrol killed one soldier and wounded another.

"During the response by the patrol and the pursuit of the terrorist group responsible for the attack, a citizen was killed by mistake," the ministry said Friday.

The regional governor of Tizi Ouzou, Abdelkader Bouazghi, reacted angrily, saying, "There was a man killed, sacking, theft, destruction of property and violation of privacy."

"Nothing explains such behaviour," he added.

Dial was to be buried later Saturday in his home village of Souama, some 20 kilometres from Azazga. A protest rally was planned to follow the funeral.

Earlier this month, the minister for Maghreb and African affairs, Abdelkader Messahel, admitted there has been an increase in attacks in Algeria blamed on radical Islamists.

"It is not by chance," he added, claiming it was due to "arms and munitions coming from Libya" -- the neighbouring country in the throes of an armed uprising against Moamer Kadhafi's regime.

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Sarkozy defends Libya mission as House keeps funding (Reuters)

BRUSSELS/TRIPOLI (Reuters) – France rejected on Friday U.S. criticism of Europe's performance in the NATO operation against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi while the U.S. administration survived Congressional anger in a funding vote.

Gaddafi has managed to stay in power despite months of NATO air operations to weaken his rule and help rebels based mainly in eastern Libya who have tried to advance on the west.

Reports of civilian deaths have exacerbated the public divisions between Western governments, as they ponder the future of a military commitment with no clear end in sight.

Libyan television said on Friday that five civilians were killed in NATO attacks on targets in Brega. It gave no further details.

NATO earlier said it had taken out Gaddafi troops who had quietly occupied abandoned buildings in Brega over an unspecified period of time to create a "command and control hub to direct attacks against civilians" in Ajdabiyah and Benghazi.

However, there was no immediate comment on the Libyan report of the deaths.

Several explosions shook the Libyan capital Tripoli on Friday night, a Reuters correspondent said. Jets could be heard overhead as Libyan tracer fire arced across the dark sky.

Libyan television said the NATO-led military alliance also hit targets in the town of Zlitan, east of Tripoli.

War-fatigued lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives took a symbolic swipe at President Barack Obama's military intervention in Libya but in a second vote rejected an effort to bar U.S. forces from continuing to carry out air strikes.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomed the vote. "We are gratified that the House has decisively rejected efforts to limit funding for the Libyan mission," she told reporters.

MUSCLE

French President Nicolas Sarkozy assailed outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates for remarks this month criticizing EU nations for lacking military muscle.

"It was particularly inappropriate for Mr. Gates to say that, and what is more, completely false, given what is going in Libya," Sarkozy told reporters at an EU summit in Brussels.

"There are certainly other moments in history when he could have said that, but not when Europeans have courageously taken the Libyan issue in hand, and when France and Britain, with their allies, for the most part, are doing the work."

While the United States has stepped back from a leading role in the strike mission NATO took over on March 31, it has continued to provide essential assets, including reconnaissance planes, air-to-air refueling planes and armed drones.

In a June 10 valedictory speech, Gates said the Libyan campaign had exposed limitations, with an air operations center designed to handle more than 300 sorties a day struggling to launch about 150.

"I think his retirement may have led him to not examine the situation in Libya very closely because, whatever people want to say, I don't have the impression that the Americans are doing the bulk of the work in Libya," Sarkozy said.

Gates is due to retire at the end of the month.

Discord among the Europeans over the NATO operation spilled into the public arena earlier this week when Italy called for a suspension of hostilities to allow humanitarian access and Britain, France and others loudly rejected the idea.

The Republican-led House, upset over Obama's failure to seek Congressional approval of U.S. military action in Libya, voted 123-295, largely along party lines, to reject the resolution endorsing U.S. involvement in the NATO-led mission.

But then it handed Obama a largely symbolic victory by rejecting 180-238 a Republican measure to bar the U.S. military from carrying out air strikes against Gaddafi's forces. Eighty-nine Republicans joined Democrats in opposing the bill.

Western governments are also concerned about the financial cost of the NATO operation and even its impact on world oil supplies with Libyan exports cut off.

The loss of Libyan oil output since February represented a greater disruption to global oil supply than the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, an International Energy Agency official told Reuters Insider TV. [ID:nL6E7HO1BI]

IEA Deputy head Richard Jones said the market was facing a possible shortfall of 1.8 million barrels per day for the remainder of June and 1.7 million for the next quarter.

"LIBYAN OASIS" FOR GADDAFI?

Analysts say part of the NATO strategy now appears to be directed at paving the way for a successful local uprising against Gaddafi in the capital Tripoli, where opponents run the gauntlet of tight security to stage "flash" protests.

In a defiant state television audio broadcast this week, Gaddafi said he would fight to the end, but a rebel spokesman was quoted on Friday as saying indirect negotiations were being pursued that could allow him to stay in Libya.

"We have no objection to him retreating to a Libyan oasis under international control," France's Le Figaro quoted Mahmoud Shammam, spokesman of the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC), as saying.

NTC Vice-Chairman Abdel Hafiz Ghoga confirmed to Reuters the existence of indirect talks, saying: "The NTC is not contacting Gaddafi's regime. It's the other way around.

"If the NTC believes that there is a political solution that involves the Gaddafi regime stepping down, and that includes the entire regime, to stop the bloodshed of innocent people that are being killed every day in Libya, then it may look at this political solution."

In the latest of a string of defections, 19 police and army officers were among a group of Libyan refugees who arrived in Tunisia by boat on Thursday, Tunisian news agency TAP reported.

Gaddafi allies have denounced such defections.

"Anyone who defects or refuses to take up arms is an apostate ... and this applies to all Libyans," preacher Mohamed al-Matri said in a live broadcast of the Friday sermon from Cordoba mosque in the town of Sirte.

In Benghazi, dozens of rebel supporters freed by Gaddafi arrived on a ship from Western Libya in an exchange that could mark the beginning of broader talks between the adversaries.

"These are mainly civilians ... Among them there are 51 people who were detained in Tripoli but were released by the government there so we brought them back," said Dibeh Fakhr, a spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Benghazi.

A rebel spokesman said the rebel authority had earlier released five Gaddafi prisoners as part of the transfer.

European leaders meeting in Brussels agreed that only an uprising in Tripoli could end the war.

(Additional reporting by David Alexander in Washington, Ahmed Tolba in Cairo, Joseph Nasr in Berlin, Souhail Karam in Rabat, Maria Golovnina in Benghazi; writing by Andrew Hammond and Mark John; Editing by Alistair Lyon)

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Egypt remands Israeli spy suspect in custody (AFP)

CAIRO (AFP) – Egypt remanded an Israeli spy suspect in custody for 15 days on Saturday despite Israel's insistence he was innocent of espionage, judicial sources said.

Ilan Grapel, a US-Israeli joint citizen who was arrested in a Cairo hotel on June 12, is to remain in detention for the "needs of the investigation," the two sources said.

His initial remand had been due to expire on Monday.

Two days after Grapel's arrest, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman strongly denied he was spy.

"I can say categorically that this student, who may have behaved bizarrely and irresponsibly, has no ties with Israeli, American or even lunar intelligence services," Lieberman told Israeli army radio.

"This is a mistake or bizarre behaviour on the part of the Egyptian authorities, who have received full explanations from us," he added.

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US lawmakers rebuke Obama over Libya (AFP)

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The war-weary US House of Representatives delivered a harsh, symbolic rebuke to President Barack Obama over the conflict in Libya but beat back efforts to cut funds for direct US air strikes.

The mixed result showed that lawmakers generally united in criticizing Obama's decision to do without congressional permission still lacked a coherent approach to force the president to change course.

By a crushing 295-123 margin that included 70 of Obama's Democratic allies, the House first rejected a resolution authorizing the use of military force as part of a NATO-led campaign against Libyan strongman Moamer Kadhafi's regime.

"We don't have enough wars going on? The war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, we need one more war?" thundered Democratic Representative Dennis Kucinich, who has played a leading role in opposing the US role in Libya.

"This war is a distraction. Our flailing economy demands the full attention of Congress and the president," he said, as the House defied a last-ditch appeal from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and a warning from NATO's chief.

It was the first time that the House rejected authorizing US military action since April 1999, when it repudiated then-president Bill Clinton's air campaign against Serbia in the conflict over Kosovo.

Lawmakers later voted 238-180 to beat back a Republican-led plan to cut funds for direct strikes on Libya but allow operations in support of NATO, a surprise outcome wrought by warnings that this amounted to a green light in all but name.

"Let's not enter a war through the back door when we have already decided not to enter it through the front," said Representative Tom McClintock, one of 89 Republicans to vote against the measure.

"You can't have it both ways," scolded Representative Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, who voted in favor of Obama's approach both times.

"You can't say 'we would like to remove Kadhafi, we'd like to support the Libyan people, but we're going to offer up resolutions that are going to stop that from happening," he said.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who made a rare in-person plea for support from Democrats in a closed-door session on Thursday, said the second vote showed bipartisan support for pursuing Obama's strategy.

"We have a plan that we are executing for achieving our mission in Libya. It is on track and we need to see it through. Time and history are on our side but only if we sustain the pressure," she told reporters.

But a Republican leadership aide warned the administration "should not be heartened by this, they should be worried" because the funding measure went down to defeat over concerns it effectively authorized Obama's approach.

And lawmakers presented a near-unified front of criticism against Obama's failure to get permission from Congress within a 60-day window set by the 1973 War Powers Act -- a law routinely ignored by US presidents -- and noted the US Constitution reserves the right to declare war to the legislature.

"It didn't have to come to this," said Republican House Speaker John Boehner, who charged Obama "failed to fulfill his obligations" to get the go-ahead from lawmakers and lay out the goal and likely duration and costs of the conflict.

"The president is becoming an absolute monarch, and we must put a stop to that right now if we don't want to become an empire instead of a republic," said Democratic Representative Jerrold Nadler.

But Democratic House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, who called the Kosovo vote "one of the darkest days" of his time in office, warned lawmakers risked straining Washington's ties overseas.

"The message will go to Moamer Kadhafi, the message will go to our NATO allies, the message will go to every nation of the world that America does not keep faith with its allies," he said.

The Republican compromise would have cut off direct combat like drone strikes and bombings but allowed operations in support of NATO, like aerial refueling, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, planning, or search and rescue.

The United States joined Britain and France in attacking Kadhafi's forces on March 19 in a UN-authorized mission to protect civilians as the regime attempted to crush an uprising sparked by the regional "Arab Spring."

The United States withdrew into a supporting role when NATO took command of the mission on March 31.

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IMF confirms Egypt scraps plans for loan program (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Egypt has told the International Monetary Fund it has no need for an IMF loan program, an IMF spokesman said on Saturday.

The IMF said revisions to Egypt's 2011/12 budget will cut the fiscal target to 8.6 percent of gross domestic product from 11 percent.

"In light of these changes, the authorities see no immediate need for a financial arrangement from the IMF," the spokesman said, adding: "The IMF continues to maintain a close policy dialogue with the authorities."

(Reporting by Lesley Wroughton, Editing by Sandra Maler)

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Lawmakers send Obama message of discontent on Libya (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A move to curb President Barack Obama's military intervention in Libya was defeated in the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday, despite having the support of leaders of the majority Republicans.

But Obama was delivered a symbolic rebuke hours earlier when lawmakers refused another measure to formally authorize U.S. participation in the NATO-led Libya mission.

The twin votes starkly highlighted the ambivalence on Capitol Hill over U.S. involvement in Libya's civil war. Some lawmakers argue that Obama violated the 1973 War Powers Act by failing to secure Congressional authorization after 60 days of hostilities, an argument the White House rejects.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the administration was gratified the House had "decisively rejected" efforts to restrict funding for U.S. involvement in the operation, adding that it was important to keep up the pressure on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The measure would have allowed U.S. forces to continue providing reconnaissance, refueling, planning and other services to the NATO-led mission in the North African nation but would have barred them from carrying out both manned and drone air strikes against Gaddafi's forces.

Since NATO took over the Libya operation on March 31, the United States has conducted 755 strike sorties, including 119 in which the planes actually fired at targets. Thirty-nine of the strikes involved the use of drone aircraft.

The White House, however, expressed disappointment over the failure of the separate Democratic-backed measure that would have authorized the United States to continue its limited involvement in the Libya mission for a year.

"Now is not the time to send the kind of mixed message that it sends when we are working with our allies to achieve the goals that we believe are widely shared in Congress," White House spokesman Jay Carney said. "The writing is on the wall for Colonel Gaddafi and now is not the time to let up."

The congressional actions were another warning to Obama about growing discontent among lawmakers after a decade of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that have cost more than $1 trillion and have helped fuel a $1.4 trillion budget deficit.

The United States and its NATO allies launched the U.N.-backed mission against Libya more than three months ago, aiming to prevent Gaddafi's forces from attacking civilians in regions opposed to his rule. The U.N. authorized a no-fly zone and an arms embargo to put additional pressure on Gaddafi. The mission now appears to have the unstated goal of driving Gaddafi from power.

MIXED FEELINGS

The House, which is controlled by Republicans, voted 180-238 to reject the Republican measure to curb U.S. involvement in Libya. Eighty-nine Republicans joined Democrats in opposing it.

Both House Speaker John Boehner and Representative Buck McKeon, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, had endorsed the measure. Boehner said the House was forced to act because Obama had failed to fulfill his obligation to consult with Congress.

"I support the removal of the Libyan regime ... ," Boehner said. "But when the president chooses to challenge the powers of the Congress, I, as speaker of this House, will defend the constitutional authority of the legislature."

McKeon said the measure would continue to provide NATO with the essential backing it needed to carry out the mission while helping "the president to be truthful in saying that we're not engaged in hostile action."

"The president has repeatedly stated that the United States is not engaged in hostilities and that congressional authorization is not necessary to continue our role in this operation," McKeon added. "I share with many of my colleagues the view that firing a missile at a target in a foreign nation does indeed constitute hostile action."

Many lawmakers professed mixed feelings over the vote. Representative Mike Rogers, head of the House intelligence committee, backed the measure and criticized Obama's failure to explain his Libya policy. But he added "that doesn't change the fact that the United States has important strategic interests in finishing the job there."

A spokesman for Representative Mike Honda, a leading member of a bloc of left-leaning House Democrats, said the measure had failed because it amounted to a "back door authorization" of the Obama administration's course of action, providing it with funding and legal authority for most of what it was already doing.

The House voted 123-295 to reject the resolution that would have authorized Obama to continue with the limited U.S. mission in Libya for a year.

(Additional reporting by Andrew Quinn, Alister Bull, Susan Cornwell and Missy Ryan; Editing by Warren Strobel and Paul Simao)

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Two explosions heard in Tripoli - Reuters witness (Reuters)

TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Two loud explosions were heard in the Libyan capital Tripoli on Saturday as jets flew over the city, a Reuters witness reported.

The witness said it appeared the explosions came from the eastern Tripoli suburb of Tajura. Several explosions had already shaken the city on Friday night.

(Reporting by Nick Carey in Tripoli; writing by Mark John; editing by David Stamp)

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Egyptians injured in clashes over Mubarak's fate (Reuters)

CAIRO, June 25 (Reuters) – Dozens of people were injured in clashes between two groups of protesters, for and against putting former president Hosni Mubarak on trial, Egypt's official news agency MENA reported Saturday.

Mubarak, 83, was forced from office in February in a popular uprising driven by anger at high-level official corruption and widespread poverty. He is due to stand trial on August 3 for the killing of protesters and abuse of power.

The agency said the clashes erupted after anti-Mubarak protesters arrived in an area where hundreds of Mubarak's supporters were staging a rally.

"The situation then developed into clashes between the two groups who threw rocks at each other," the agency said adding that security forces separated the two groups.

Mubarak has not appeared in public since retreating after his overthrow to his family's villa in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

He made one recorded statement in April in which he denied accusations of corruption and vowed to defend his reputation.

Mubarak is suffering from cancer, his defense lawyer said on Monday, citing a medical report to assess whether the former leader is fit enough to face trial.

(Reporting by Ahmed Tolbah and Ashraf Fahim, writing by Yasmine Saleh; editing by Andrew Roche)

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