The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Friday, December 1, 2006 - 3

* NEWS BRIEFS
BAGHDAD
Iraqi P.M. faces
revolt in cabinet
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-
Maliki faced a widening revolt
within his divided government as
two senior Sunni politicians joined
prominent Shiite lawmakers and
Cabinet members in criticizing his
policies.
"There is a clear deterioration in
security and everything is moving
in the wrong direction," the Sunni
leader told The Associated Press.
"This situation must be redressed
as soon as possible. If they con-
tinue, the country will plunge into
civil war."
AI-Maliki's No. 2, Deputy Prime
Minister Salam Zikam Ali al-
Zubaie, also a Sunni, argued that
the president's government failed
to curb the spread of sectarian
politics.
A boycott by 30 lawmakers and
five Cabinetcministers loyal to anti-
American Shiite cleric Muqtada
al-Sadr was in protest of al-Mali-
ki's meeting with President Bush
in Jordan yesterday. The Sadrists
said the meeting amounted to an
affront to the Iraqi people.
AI-Maliki appealed to the Sad-
rists to end their boycott and
admonished them for an action
that he said violated the commit-
ment expected from partners in
his 6-month-old coalition govern-
ment.
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands
Officials to turn off
city's red lights
City officials say they will turn
off the red lights and shutter a
third of the prostitution "win-
dows" in Amsterdam's famed Red
Light District, where scantily-clad
ladies of the night have beckoned
customers for hundreds of years.
The move is part of acrackdown
on crime in the area.
"We're not knights on a moral-
itycrusade, and this is intended to
target financial crime, not pros-
titution per se," city spokesman
Martien Maten said.
The Dutch government legal-
ized prostitution in 2000 to make
it easier to tax and regulate.
Maten said the city was now
making use of a new law to revoke
brothels' licenses when it suspects
operators have used them for
money laundering or other illegal
financial activity.
But advocacy groups for prosti-
tutes said the move was misguid-
ed, since it will hurt the women
who act as independent contrac-
tors renting space behind the win-
dows. Brothel owners said they
would appeal the decision in cou
rt.
MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa
Vilsack announces
presidential bid
Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack
announced his candidacy for the
Democratic presidential nomina-

tion yesterday, positioning him-
self as a Washington outsider with
heartland appeal.
Vilsack also emphasized the
nexus between oil dependence,
national security and the econ-
omy, saying he would give high
priority to weaning the nation off
foreign oil and promoting alterna-
tive energy.
"Energy security will revital-
ize rural America," Vilsack told
more than 500 cheering backers
in the small town where be began
his political career as mayor.
"Energy security will allow us
once and for all to remove and
reduce our dependency on for-
eign oil from foreign countries
that do not like us."
In wrangling in Washington is
especially high, political analysts
said Vilsack is particularly well-
positioned as a Midwestern gover-
nor to run for the White House as
an outsider.
Nevertheless, Vilsack has a low
profile outside Iowa and even he
acknowledges his candidacy is a
long shot.
NTABLE NUMBER
3.
Percentage of adults in the
United States who were in
jail, on parole or on proba-
tion at the end of 2005,
according a report released
yesterday by the Justice
Department's Bureau of Jus-
tice Statistics.

THRILLED

ZACHARY MEISNER/Dail
Brian Woolridge dances to Michael Jackson music earlier this week in an alley on Liberty Street. Woolr dge said h s street
performances are simply "somethingto do.
Bush draws line on
Iraq troop withdrawal
Iraqi leader says his conference stage with him and mer Secretary of State James A.
offered what sounded like uncon- Baker III and former Democratic
forces will be ready ditional support. "He's a strong Rep. Lee Hamilton would call for MICI
leader" Bush said "He's the ri ht a hased withdrawal of troos s to

by June
AMMAN, Jordan (AP) - Yes-
terday President Bush rejected
calls for a measured withdrawal of
U.S. troops from Iraq, even as Iraqi
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki,
facing doubts about his ability
to dampen violence, asserted his
forces could take full control by
June.
A day after publication of a
leaked White House memo ques-
tioning al-Maliki's leadership
capabilities, Bush shared a news

ca c, ua Tt. t gtctt t
guy for Iraq."
Still, Bush and his advisers
acknowledged formidable chal--
lenges for the Iraqi leader in quell-
ing rising sectarian violence.
"There is a real sense of urgency
butthereisnotasenseofpanic,"said
Stephen J. Hadley, Bush's national
security adviser and the author of
a leaked memo that underscored
doubts about al-Maliki.
The president used the news
conference in the Jordanian capi-
tal to get in front of reports that a
special committee headed by for-

begin.
"I know there's a lot of specula-
tion that these reports in Wash-
ington mean there's going to be
some kind of graceful exit out of
Iraq," Bush said. But he said if
there is talk of a timetable, "all that
does is set people up for unrealistic
expectations."
Al-Maliki, meanwhile, declared
in an interview with ABC News
that Iraqi forces would soon be in
a position to take over security for
the country - a position U.S. offi-
cials have questioned.

Pope prays with cleric at mosque

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) - Pope
Benedict XVI joined an Islamic
cleric in prayers under the tower-
ing dome of Istanbul's most famous
mosque yesterday in a powerful
gesture seeking to transform his
image among Muslims from adver-
sary to peacemaker.
The pope's minute of prayer was
done in silence, but the message of
reconciliation was designed to res-
onate loudly nearly three months
after he provoked worldwide fury
for remarks on violence and the

Prophet Muhammad.
Benedict's steps through a stone
archway and into the mosque's car-
peted expanse capped a day of deep
symbolism and lofty goals. Hours
earlier, he stood beside the spiri-
tual leader of the world's Orthodox
Christians and passionately encour-
aged steps to end the nearly 1,000-
year divide between their churches.
The pope walked to the mosque
after touring another majestic
tribute to faith: the 1,500-year-old
Haghia Sofia and its remarkable mix

of Quranic calligraphy and Christian
mosaics from itslegacy as amarvel of
early Christianity and then a coveted
prize of Islam's expansion.
At the mosque, the pope removed
his shoes and put on white slippers.
Then he walked beside Mustafa
Cagrici, the head cleric of Istanbul.
Facing the holy city of Mecca - in
the tradition of Islamic worship
- Cagrici said: "Now I'm going
to pray." Benedict, too, bowed his
head and his lips moved as if recit-
ing words.

I L-AHEKICAN EET

FBI joins British investigation into poisoned spy

LONDON (AP) - The FBI is
joining the British probe into the
poisoning death of a Kremlin critic,
the agency announced yesterday as
investigators found traces of radia-
tion at a dozen sites in Britain and

a former Russian prime minister
reported symptoms of poisoning.
British authorities requested
the involvement of the FBI, agency
spokesman Richard Kolko said.
FBI experts in weapons of mass

destruction will assist with some
of the scientific analysis, he said.
There is no suspected link to
the U.S. in an investigation that
extends to five airliners and loca-
tions from London to Moscow.

i

INTERESTED IN $1.00 OFF
NEWSPAPERk any grande size
WEB DESIGNKbeverage
E-MAIL DOKAS3539 Liberty " Ann Arbor " 734-997-0992
DA3354 Washtenaw *" Ann Arbor " 734-975-0642
MICHIGANDAILY.COM ,.f- 2oIm& open lotel

--n

BEANERS'
I *
www,
COFFEE chSpCAPac
T-SHIRT PRINTERY
A2'S FINEST & FASTEST
PRINTED & EMBROIDERED To play: Complete the gri
TEES, SWEATS, CAPS,
TEAM SHIRTS, SHORTS and every 3x3 box COI
--UM PO#S ACCEPTED-
--CALL FOR OUR
LOW PRICE QUOTE There is no guessir
5-DAY TURNAROUND
1002 PONTIAC TR. just use logic to solve
TEL 994-1367
adrianstshirts.com Difficulty: Hard
2 1
ATWILA.1
9 6
to.
4 3 x 7
enjoya
the
Michigan DailyPuzeb
Account Executve
of the week

.beaners.Com FR E E
"3iy Not"go"withany otheofer is
cptd (Werex~pres Dcer 1,05,t tO

NOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK
THE FORMAT BOYSIKE GIRLS
DECEMBER 18
EMU CONVOCATION CENTER -
-UIN THAARCOM LIVE nl RTiofn.com A LANERICARREJECTS.CG'
ickets aso avauabIe in person at the EMU Convocation Center Box Office