The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Tuesday, January 15, 2008 -- 3
NEWS BRIEFS
JERUSALEM
Olmert says Israel
'will not reconcile'
with a nuclear Iran
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
told a powerful parliamentary
panel yesterday that Israel rejects
"no options" to block Iran from
obtaining nuclear weapons, a meet-
ing participant said.
The statement was the Israeli
leader's clearest indication yet that
he is willing to use military force
against Iran.
"Israel clearly will not reconcile
itself to a nuclear Iran," the meet-
ing participant quoted Olmert as
telling the Foreign Affairs and
Defense Committee. "All options
that prevent Iran from gaining
nuclear capabilities are legitimate
within the context of how to grap-
ple with this matter."
The meeting participant spoke
on condition of anonymity because
the session was closed.
BAGHDAD
Militants aim to
wipe out Iraqi
professional class
Gunmen assassinated a high-
ranking Sunni judge as he headed
to work in Baghdad yesterday, the
latest of thousands of professionals
killed in unsolved cases since the
ouster of Saddam Hussein's regime
in 2003.
Appeals Court Judge Amir Jaw-
dat al-Naeib was slain a week after
police arrested a group of militants
who specialized in intimidating
or killing doctors, academics and
judges, according to an Interior
Ministry official.
The aim of such attacks is to
empty the country of professionals
and scientists, said the official, who
spoke on condition of anonymity be-
cause he was not authorized to talk
to the media.
YALA, Thailand
Suspected Islamic
insurgents bomb
Thai marketplace
Suspected Muslim insurgents
exploded abomb thatleft atleast27
people injured in a southern Thai
market today, officials said, a day
after rebels ambushed a military
patrol and killed eight soldiers.
The bomb was hidden in a
motorcycle at the market in the
capital of Yala province. Police Col.
Phumphet Phiphatphetphum said
several people were wounded by
the blast while others sustained
injuries in the ensuing panic.
The explosion was the third blow
for thegovernmentinas many days,
coming after yesterday's ambush
- where one soldier was beheaded
- and a jailbreak Sunday that saw
six suspected militants escape.
Entering its fifth year, the Mus-
lim rebellion in Thailand's south-
ernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala
and Narathiwat and some parts of
neighboringSongkhlahastakenthe
lives of more than 2,800 people.
ALBANY, N.Y.
MySpace agrees to
fight use by online
sexual predators
MySpace reached an agreement
with legal authorities in 49 states on
changing its social networking Web
site to help prevent sexual predators
and others from misusing it, state
officials said yesterday.
Several states' attorneys general
said in a statement that Myspace will
add several protections and partici-
pate in a working group to develop
new technologies, including a way to
verify the ages of users. Other social
networking sites will be invited to
participate.
MySpace also will accept inde-
pendent monitoring and changes the
structure of its site.
The agreement was announced
in Manhattan by attorneys general
from New Jersey, North Carolina,
Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Ohio and
New York.
-Compiled from
Daily wire reports
3,923
Number of American service mem-
bers who have died in the war in
Iraq, according to The Associated
Press. No new deaths were identi-
fied yesterday.
On eve of a quiet primary, a quiet rally
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Now, only four of the eight
ing Democrat on Democratic candidates remain
on the Michigan ballot, with each
e primary ballot having pledged not to campaign in
the state. As a result, the rally had a
By SCOTT MILLS decidedly low-key approach.
Daily StaffReporter Governor Blanchard described
Clinton as the most qualified of the
night, on the eve of the Democratic candidates because of
an primary, about 40 stu- her political experience.
gathered in the Michigan "I know them all, I'm proud of
in quiet support of Demo- the field, but I'm for Hillary," he
presidential candidate Hill- said. "I've never seen anyone grow
nton. as she has. Every president has to
speakers, which included have the capacity to grow."
Gov. Jim Blanchard and Kelly Bernero, chair of Students
g Mayor Virg Bernero, for Hillary and organizer of the
d Clinton's eligibility in a event, explained her support of
tat sounded more like a lec- Clinton in more personal terms.
an a pre-primary rally. She said Clinton has spoken specif-
ton is one of the few Demo- ically to the concerns of students,
emaining on the primary citing the senator's work on finan-
here. After state legislators cial aid reform and the accessibility
d last summer to move the of higher education as examples.
primary forward in an "Being a young person, I care
t to bolster its influence, about the environment and all
emocratic National Com- Americans having access to
voted to strip the state of healthcare," she said. "And I think
legates it would send to the Clinton is the only candidate who
can do this."
Bernero said Clinton's gender
was also an important consider-
ation when she was picking a can-
didate.
"By the United States electing a
woman president, it sends a pow-
erful message to the rest of the
world," she said.
LSA sophomore Sam Marvin,
a member of Students for Hillary,
said his respect for former Presi-
dent Bill Clinton has influenced his
decision to support her. She also
said Clinton's time as both senator
and first lady has prepared her for
the presidency.
"We need someone who is ready
on day one," Marvin said.
LSA senior Judy Ch'ang said
she thinks Clinton's experience is
enough to carry her to the White
House, echoing the general senti-
ment of the rally.
"I canonlycall itpolitical poten-
tial," Ch'ang said. "She embodies
this change with her experience
and leadership skills. She is ready
to do something for America."
- Zach Sturley contributed
to this report.
Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero (right) speaks atla rally for Hillary Clinton at the Kuenzel
Room of the Union yesterday. LSA sophomore Kelly Bernero (left), Virg Bernero's
daughter and the chair of Students for Hillary, organized the event.
20 percent of voters expected U.S. might be needed
to cast ballots in primary
LANSING (AP) - About 20
percent of eligible voters were
expected to turn out in today's
presidential primary.
No official statewide projec-
tion of voter turnout exists. But
officials inmanyparts ofthestate,
including Detroit and Grand Rap-
ids, were estimating roughly one
of every five registered voters
will participate.
The state has 7.1 million reg-
istered voters, so if predictions
are correct, just under 1.5 million
people may vote. Turnout could
vary widely by community.
"It's going to be a patchwork
quilt," Oakland County Clerk
Ruth Johnson said. "We have
so many different variables
involved. This is a very unusual
election."
Mark Grebner of Practical
Political Consulting in East Lan-
sing expected a slightly higher
turnout, with nearly 1.6 million
people voting overall. Of those,
roughly 55 to 60 percent would
vote in the GOP race, he said.
The Republican ballot was
expected to attract the most vot-
ers because it has a full slate of
candidates. Arizona Sen. John
McCain and Michigan native
Mitt Romney were in a close race,
while former Arkansas Gov. Mike
Huckabee also was expected to
do well.
Voters who wanted to vote
in the Democratic primary had
fewer choices, since Hillary Rod-
ham Clinton was the only major
candidate on the ballot.
Barack Obama and John
Edwards pulled their names from
the Democraticballot after Mich-
igan broke national party rules by
moving up its primary date. Their
supporters were urging voters to
vote for uncommitted, which
could leave some delegates free to
back Obama or Edwards. Write-
in votes won't be counted.
The primary date itself is
unusual for Michigan, which
typically doesn't hold presiden-
tial primaries until February. The
date was moved up to try and give
the state more say in the selection
of presidential candidates, but
the move cost Michigan all of its
Democratic national convention
delegates and half its Republican
ones.
Party leaders are confident
the delegates eventually will be
seated.
In the GOP primary in 2000,
the last year there was a Republi-
can presidential contest, a record
1.4 million Michigan voters
turned out. No Republican pri-
mary was held in 2004 because
President Bush faced no opposi-
tion, but about 160,000 Demo-
crats voted by mail, over the
Internet and in party caucuses
that year.
Absentee ballots typically
account for nearly 20 percent of
the vote in some Michigan elec-
tions. Some Michigan cities were
reporting that more than 80
percent of distributed absentee
ballots had been returned by yes-
terday.
In some places, voters who had
spoiled their ballots by writing
in the name of their favorites or
who had problems trying to vote
for uncommitted were recasting
their ballots. About 500 voters
had requested new absentee bal-
lots in Detroit alone.
Voters have to indicate on a
form whether they want a Repub-
lican or Democratic ballot. Local
clerks won't keep track of the
information and it won't be pub-
lic record. But the names of vot-
ers and which ballot they took
will be given to the state Republi-
can and Democratic parties.
Michigan now requires voters
to show a photo ID to vote. If they
don't have a photo ID with them,
voters can sign an affidavit and
cast a ballot anyway. .
in Iraq unti
Top Iraqi defense
official expects
security takeover to
take five to ten years
By THOM SHANKER
The New York Times
FORT MONROE, Va. -- The Iraqi
defense minister said yesterday that
his nation would not be able to take
full responsibility for its internal
security until2012, nor be able on its
own to defend Iraq's borders from
external threat until at least 2018.
Those comments from the min-
ister, Abdul Qadir, were among the
most specific public projections of a
timeline for the American commit-
ment in Iraq by officials in either
Washington or Baghdad. And they
suggested a longer commitment
than either government had previ-
ously indicated.
Pentagon officials expressed
no surprise at Qadir's projections,
which were even less optimistic
than those he made last year.
President Bush has never given
a date for a military withdrawal
from Iraq but has repeatedly said
that American forces would stand
down as Iraqi forces stand up. Given
Qadir's assessment of Iraq's military
capabilities yesterday, such a with-
drawal appeared to be quite distant,
and further away than any Ameri-
can officials have previously stated
in public.
Qadir's comments are likely to
become a factor in political debate
over the war. All of the Democratic
presidential candidates have prom-
ised a swift American withdrawal,
while the leading Republican can-
didates have generally supported
Bush's plan. Now that rough dates
have been attached to his formula,
they will certainly come underscru-
tiny from both sides.
Senior Pentagon and military
officials said Qadir had been consis-
tent throughout his weeklong visit
in pressing that timeline, and also in
laying out requests for purchasing
newweaponsthrough Washington's
program of foreign military sales.
"According to our calculations
and our timelines, we think that
from the first quarter of 2009 until
2012 we will be able to take full
control of the internal affairs of the
country," Qadir said in an interview
on Monday conducted in Arabic
through an interpreter.
"In regard to the borders, regard-
l2018
ing protection from any external
threats, our calculation appears that
we are not going to be able to answer
to any external threats until 2018 to
2020," he added.
He offered no specifics on a time-
line for reducing the number of
American troops in Iraq.
His statements were slightly
less optimistic than what he told
an independent U.S. commission
examining the progress of Iraqi
security forces last year, according
to the September report of the com-
mission, headed by a former NATO
commander, Marine Gen. James L.
Jones, who is retired. Then Qadir
said he expected Iraq would be able
to fully defend its borders by 2018.
Qadir was in the United States to
discuss the two nations' long-term
military relationship, starting with
how to build the new Iraqi armed
forces from the ground up over
the next decade and beyond, with
American assistance.
The United States and Iraq
announced in November that they
would negotiate formal agreements
on that relationship, including the
legal status of American military
forces remaining in Iraq and an
array of measures for cooperation
in the diplomatic and economic are-
nas.
Negotiations have yet to begin
in earnest, but both countries have
begun sketching their goals, and
Qadir's visit certainly is part of mea-
sures by the Iraqi government to
lay the foundation for those talks,
which are to be completed by July.
"This trip is indicative of where
we are in our military relationship
with Iraq," said Geoff Morrell, the
Pentagon press secretary. "We are
transitioning from crisis mode, from
dealing with day-to-day battlefield
decisions, to a long-term strategic
relationship."
Morrell said the goal was to end
a period in which Iraq has been a
military dependent and build a rela-
tionship with Iraq as "a more tradi-
tional military partner."
Meanwhile, Qadir sketched out a
shopping list that included ground
vehicles and helicopters, as well as
tanks, artillery and armored per-
sonnel carriers. Those, he said, are
needed as Iraq moves toward tak-
ing full responsibility for internal
security.
In the years after that, as his
nation assumes full control over
its defense against foreign threats,
Iraq will need additional aircraft,
both warplanes and reconnaissance
vehicles, he said.
Six people killed in Kabul hotel blast
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)
- Militants stormed Kabul's most
popular luxury hotel yesterday,
killing at least six people as they
hunted down Westerners who
cowered in a gym - a coordinated
assault that could signal a new eraob T~a
of brazen Taliban attacks.
The gunmen threw grenadess
and fired AK-47s, and one even
blew himself up despite heavy
security at the Serena Hotel. One
American and a journalist from
Norway were among the dead,
officials said.
More than 30 U.S. soldiers in'
a half-dozen Humvees rushed to
the hotel as part of a quick reac-
tion force, and security personnel AP PHOTc
from the nearby U.S. Embassy ran A man is carried out of a Kabul hotel yesterday afteran attack where extremists
through the building looking for killed six people. Armed with grenades and machine guns, the attackers targetei
U.S. citizens. Westerners staying at the Serena Hotel, a luxury hotel in the Afghan capital.
"There was blood on the floor
all the way to the kitchen. There daring and sophisticated attack happened to the other attackers.
was a lot of blood in the lobby," yet and was aimed at a prominent Zabiullah Mujahid, the Talibar
said Suzanne Griffin of Seattle, symbol of foreign presence in the spokesman, told AP that four mili
who had been in the hotel gym at country, apparently designed to tants with suicide vests attacker
the time of the attack. point out the vulnerability of the the hotel - one bomber who det
"There were empty shell cas- Western presence. onated his explosives and threE
ings outside," added Griffin, 62, Taliban have typically focused militants who threw grenades an
who was working for Save the their attacks on Western and fired guns. The claim could not bi
Children. Afghan government or security verified but came very soon afte
She said she had to step over personnel, not Western civilians. the attack. The bomber was no
the lifeless body of a woman when The multipronged assault included among the count of th
evacuated from the locker room. began around 6 p.m., when the dead.
"Thank God I didn't get into Norwegian Embassy was hosting In Washington, two Stat'
the shower because then we heard a meeting at the Serena for visit- Department officials said that on'
gunfire, a lot of it. It was very ing Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr American citizen had been killed
close, close enough that plaster Stoere. U.N. Secretary-General The victim's identity was bein
came off the ceiling," Griffin, her Ban Ki-moon described Stoere as withheld pending notification o
voice shaking, told The Associated the target of the attack. relatives, the official said on con
Press shortly after the attack. "We Witnesses said they first heard dition of anonymity ahead of a for
all just sat on the floor and got as gunfire, then several explosions - mal announcement.
far as we could from any glass. ... likely from hand grenades - and White House press secretar:
We turned our phones on silent." also one large blast - the suicide Dana Perino said the attack wa
It was the deadliest direct bomb. carried out by extremists killin
attack on a hotel in Kabul since the The attack killed six people and innocent people to pursue thei
fall of the Taliban in 2001. wounded six, said Interior Min- political objectives.
The assailants appeared to con- istry spokesman Zemeri Bashary. "It underscores the reason w.
centrate their assault on the Sere- He spoke before news of the Nor- have to stay on the offense agains
na's gym and spa, where foreigners wegian journalist's death and the extremists in places like Kabu
relax and work out at night, sug- it was not clear whether he was but also in other places around the
gesting the militants had cased counted among the six dead. world," she said. "We're in for
the hotel in advance. The Taliban One of the militants was shot long, hard fight. These are deliber
has targeted aid workers and civil- to death and a Taliban spokesman ate, patient people who will mu
ian contractors with kidnappings said a second died in the suicide der innocents including our owi
and killings, but this was the most explosion. It was not clear what people."
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t °z Information Meeting
Wednesday, January 16, 7:00 pm
International Center, Room 9
for more info visit www.peacecorps.gov or call 800.424.8580