2A - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 7, 2005 NATION/WORLD U.S. hands Najaf base to Iraq NEws IN BRIEF C' . NAJAF, Iraq (AP)--The U.S. Army handed over its base in Najaf yesterday, giving Iraqis full control of the city as a first step in transferring security across the country so multinational forces can begin to go home someday. Lt. Col. James Oliver, the U.S. com- mander of Forward Operating Base Hotel, handed the ceremonial keys to the installation to the new Iraqi commander, Col. Saadi Salih al-Maliky. About 1,500 Iraqi soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 8th Division marched by. Before the ceremony, the Iraqi sol- diers, all Shiites, chanted "long live Sistani," referring to top cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, and "Saddam is a coward." U.S. forces have relocated to another base farther outside the city so they would be available to assist in a major APPRO. A U.S. soldier looks at Iraqi troops marching during the handover ceremony in Najaf yesterday, which marked the transfer of the Najaf base to Iraqi control. ing last year between the U.S. Army and the militia of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The fighting ended following a truce mediated by the city's Shiite clerical hierarchy, which wields considerable power behind the scenes in the current Shiite-dominated national government. The U.S.-led coalition plans to hand over control of other cities to the Iraqis, gradually reducing its security profile. If all goes according to plan, this would enable the United States and its interna- tional partners to begin drawing down their troops next year and focusing on the insurgency-ridden Sunni Arab areas to the north. "This is indeed a very important day for the province of Najaf,"csaid Brig. Gen. Augustus L. Collins, commander of the 155th Brigade Combat Team. Report calls, LX.T TNT JERUSALEM Israel approves construction in West Bank Israel has approved construction of 117 houses in the Ariel settlement in the heart of the West Bank, the government said yesterday, signaling it will not relinquish the sprawling community that Palestinians complain would cut up their future state. The announcement came despite the risk of a U.S. reprimand, just as Israel was reaping the diplomatic benefits of its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. In Gaza, the first clash between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian demonstrators since Israel emptied its settlements there resulted in the death of a Palestinian. Witnesses said about 200 young Palestinians marched on an empty settlement, and Palestinian police tried to stop them. An Israeli tank approached, and some youths threw rocks at it while others stormed into the settlement, Neve Dekalim. Soldiers opened fire, killing one and wounding three others, doctors said. The Israeli military said soldiers opened fire after 40 to 50 youths ran into the settlement and others climbed on the tank. MANILA, Philippines ' Philippines legislators vote to keep Arroyo Philippine legislators threw out all three impeachment charges against Presi- dent Gloria Macapagal Arroyo yesterday despite warnings that the.move could worsen her political crisis and spark a new "people power" revolt. The 236-seat House of Representatives - overwhelmingly dominated by pro-Arroyo legislators - voted to uphold last week's decision by the House justice committee to reject the complaints alleging that Arroyo rigged last year's election, was involved in corruption and condoned human rights violations. The nationally televised session dragged on for about 23 hours -,one of the longest ever - and was marked by intense debate and impassioned pleas from opposition lawmakers for justice and fairness. Arroyo was ecstatic after the vote and thanked Filipinos for not supporting calls to oust her by force. security crisis. Najaf, 100 miles south of Baghdad, is the holiest city in Iraq for Shiite Mus- lims and was the scene of heavy fight- U U SPEND A SEMESTER OVERSEAS (and stay in the U.S.) F r 3 ... e Learn in the vibrant, multi-cultural community of Honolulu. Enjoy a university experience like no other. Be far away, but at home with the language and customs. It all adds up to a semester you'll never forget. A Semester ALMOST Abroad at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. For complete information, visit www.hawaii.edu/almost or email almost@hawaii.edu On-campus housing and meals available. 0 ~ T e f aOis a.n . . The University of Hawaii at Manoa is an equal opportunity/affirmative actioninstiution. IUI.1. Li .1. CAIRO, Egypt Ei t'ln ani~r d d r~f-nli . b dnr reforms UNITED NATIONS (AP) - A yearlong probe of the Iraq oil-for-food program has concluded that the United Nations allowed "illicit, unethical, and corrupt behavior" to overwhelm the $64 billion operation. The Independent Inquiry Commit- tee's final report, to be released tomor- row, says the U.N. must adopt sweeping reforms before taking on such tasks again, according to a draft forward obtained by The Associated Press. Yet the committee, which is U.N.- appointed and supported, also found that the program succeeded in provid- ing minimal standards of nutrition and health care for millions of Iraqis trying to cope with tough U.N. sanctions imposed after Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. It also helped in the international effort to deprive Saddam of weapons of mass destruction, it said. While the forward doesn't go into detail about U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, an official familiar with the committee's final conclusions said it will criticize him, his predecessor Boutros Boutros-Ghali and the U.N. Security Council, especially Russia and France. Annan's apparent failure to prop- erly manage the $64 billion program will be strongly criticized, but there is no new "smoking gun" linking him to an oil-for-food contract awarded to the Swiss company Cotecna that employed his son Kojo, the official said yesterday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the report had not been released. The new report will criticize Kojo Annan for trading on his father's name in the purchase of a Mercedes, for which he borrowed money from Michael Wilson, a Cotecna execu- tive who is a friend of Kofi and Kojo Annan, the official said. F_ YP CCU1U1-UtYefMonStrtonUIS Dalne The government warned yesterday that it would not tolerate election-day pro- tests, and the opposition fretted about possible ruling party dirty tricks in Egypt's first contested presidential vote. President Hosni Mubarak, who has led Egypt for 24 years and is certain to win Wednesday's balloting, calls the election a major step toward greater democracy in a country that has seen only authoritarian rule for more than a half century. But many Egyptians are skeptical, and the opposition says the vote will do noth- ing to diminish Mubarak's power. Hours before voting started, Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif took a tough line, warning that demonstrations were banned for election day. The reformist group Kifaya had called for a rally Wednesday in one of Cai- ro's main squares to protest "corruption and oppression" and the continuation of Mubarak's rule. DAMMAM, Saudi Arabia Saudi forces attack Islamic militant group In a barrage of gunfire and explosions, Saudi special forces overran a seaside villa yesterday where Islamic militants had been holed up, ending three days of heavy fight- ing that killed at least nine people. Security forces that swept into the building in the eastern city of Dammam found several charred bodies, apparently those of militants killed in explosions - suggesting the death toll from the fighting would rise. It was the fiercest clash in months in the kingdom's two-year crackdown on al-Qaida-linked militants. Officials in the conservative, oil-rich nation - a key U.S. ally - say they have been winning that fight. In October, Saudi forces claimed to have killed the leader of al- Qaida in the kingdom in a series of raids in the capital and the holy city of Mecca. King Abdullah, who took over the throne last month after the death of his half broth- er, Fahd, has vowed to push ahead with the crackdown, and some have suggested he may intensify it. - Compiled from Daily wire reports CORRECTIONS Please report any error in the Daily to corrections@michigandaily.com. 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com N 0 JASON Z. PESICK Editor in Chief pesick@michigandaily.com 647-3336 Sun.-Thurs. 5 p.m. - 2 a.m. JONATHAN DOBBERSTEIN Business Manager business@michigandaily.com 764-0558 Mon-Fri. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. w ID weJIES2001 tyft ueeK, ierCe l~tfy and Little Cousin ~. st il Cant getthe Cu CJber-13Q to fUnCtlon. NO! NO! 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