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Iraq, US sign pact to pull troops out in 3 years

Reuters, Baghdad

Iraq and the United States signed a long-awaited accord on Monday requiring Washington to withdraw its forces by the end of 2011, eight years after the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

The pact, which must still be passed by the Iraqi parliament, was signed by Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari and U.S. ambassador Ryan Crocker at a ceremony ending months of negotiations on the future of the U.S. presence.

"Definitely, today is an historic day for Iraqi-American relations," Zebari told reporters after exchanging signed copies with Crocker. Both men smiled and enthusiastically shook hands as officials applauded.

In Washington, the top U.S. military officer gave a cautious welcome to the pact.

Navy Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he and other senior U.S. commanders accept the terms of the agreement, but still prefer a withdrawal based on security conditions rather than timetables.

"I'm in a position that is still conditions-based and I think it needs to be measured," Mullen said. "Three years is a long time. Conditions could change in that period of time."

Zebari and Crocker also signed a long-term strategic framework, which Crocker said would define the countries' ties for years.

The pact commits Washington to withdraw its force of about 150,000 troops by December 31, 2011. Iraqi negotiators consider the firm date a victory after the administration of outgoing President George W. Bush long vowed not to accept a timetable.

A senior U.S. official involved in the negotiations said the decision to relent and include a withdrawal date was taken a few months ago to make the accord politically palatable in Iraq.

"Opponents of the agreement, including Iran and others, were framing this as a permanent occupation," he said. "It was the opposite."

Iraqi lawmakers held a first reading of the pact, the start of an approval process that should run into next week.

"The final word will be for the parliament, but the political atmosphere is positive," Zebari said.

The pact gives Iraq's government authority over the U.S. mission for the first time, replacing a U.N. Security Council mandate that has governed the U.S. presence since shortly after the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

Under the deal, U.S. troops will leave the streets of Iraqi towns and villages by the middle of next year and leave Iraq altogether by the end of 2011. The deal also provides a system for Iraqi courts to try U.S. soldiers for serious crimes committed while off duty, but only under very tight conditions.

U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton, chairman of the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, said he was "deeply troubled" by the sections of the agreement that could result in U.S. troops facing prosecution in Iraqi courts.

Should Iraqi lawmaker approve the agreement, Skelton said, his committee would closely monitor its implementation to ensure that U.S. troops are protected.

Taliban siege of Pakistan elders leaves 7 dead

AP, Khar

Taliban militants attacked Pakistani tribal leaders near the Afghan border, triggering a gunbattle and an explosion that killed seven people, an official said Tuesday.

The clash happened late Monday in Bajur, a lawless region in Pakistan's northwest where troops and tribal militias have been battling Taliban guerrillas for more than three months.

Israr Khan, a government representative in the semi-autonomous region, said Taliban gunmen surrounded a group of elders from the Mamund tribe in a fortress-like compound in the village of Inayat Kili.

An hourslong gunbattle between the two sides killed a commander of the Taliban fighters as well as two guards in the compound, Khan said. Four elders also died when an explosion hit the compound, he said. It was unclear what caused the blast.

Taliban spokesman Maulvi Umar confirmed the death of a militant commander in Monday's clash.

Obama, McCain pledge to work together for reform

AP, Chicago

The bitter general election campaign behind them, President-elect Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain are seeking common ground on a range of issues in hopes of engendering greater bipartisan cooperation in Washington.

The erstwhile rivals met for 40 minutes at Obama's transition headquarters Monday to discuss possible collaboration on climate change, immigration, Guantanamo Bay and more.

It was their first meeting since Nov. 4, when Obama vanquished McCain in an electoral landslide. Last Thursday, Obama reached out to another former competitor, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, whom he is considering as a possible secretary of state.

Aides to Obama and McCain said no Cabinet post is envisioned for the Arizona senator.

Obama has said he plans to invite at least one Republican to join his Cabinet.

Sri Lanka sinks 2 rebel boats

AFP, Colombo

Sri Lankan naval forces backed by helicopter gunships attacked a group of rebel boats early Tuesday, sinking two and killing six Tamil Tiger sailors, the military said. The sea battle came as the military pushed ahead with its multi-pronged offensive against the rebels' de facto state in the north. The battle erupted in Nayaru Lagoon on Sri Lanka's northeast coast, just south of the rebel stronghold of Mullaitivu, when navy forces attacked seven Tamil Tiger boats, the military said in a statement. The navy sank two rebel boats and severely damaged a third, killing six rebel sailors, the military said.

As the remaining rebel boats fled to shore to be hauled out of the water, attack helicopters pounded them with airstrikes, it said. The military also launched airstrikes in other parts of the north, sending helicopters to attack a rebel gathering point in Kilinochchi district early Tuesday, the military said.

It was not possible to contact rebel officials for comment because most communication lines with the north have been severed. Independent accounts are difficult to obtain from the battlefield because most journalists are barred from the war zone.

Bill Clinton may pose problems for Hillary job

CNN, Washington

Former President Bill Clinton's international business dealings, global foundation and penchant for going off script could present a significant obstacle to Hillary Clinton becoming secretary of state, observers say.

Bill Clinton's extensive global ties could cause conflict if Hillary Clinton is appointed as secretary of state. Bill Clinton's extensive global ties could cause conflict if Hillary Clinton is appointed as secretary of state. On the one hand, his established relationships with world leaders could instantly make the New York senator a welcome face in embassies around the world.

On the other, his complicated global business interests could present future conflicts of interest that result in unneeded headaches for the incoming commander-in-chief.

"These are issues that I'm sure are being discussed, and they will have to be worked out, and it's legitimate to ask these questions," said James Carville, a former aide to the Clintons and CNN contributor. Video Watch: Does Clinton want the job? "

Syria 'essential’ to Mideast stability: British FM

AFP, Damascus

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband stressed Syria's importance in bringing stability to the Middle East ahead of a meeting here Tuesday with President Bashar al-Assad.

Miliband will meet al-Assad and other Syrian leaders in the first high-level British visit since the 2005 murder in Beirut of Lebanon's former premier Rafiq Hariri, in which Damascus has denied charges of involvement.

After arriving in Syria on Monday, he noted the country's "essential role" in stability in the region, state news agency SANA reported. Later, he told the BBC that it must decide how to use this influence.

"Syria has a big potential role to play in stability in the Middle East-it can be a force for stability or it can be a force for instability," Miliband told the British broadcaster from Damascus.

"Over the last 18 months I've been talking with the Syrian foreign minister about her (Syria's) responsibilities in the region, in respect of terrorism, in respect of Iraq, in respect of the Middle East peace process, and we've got the chance now to take those discussions further forward."

Gulf War illness real, US report finds

AP, Washington

A new report has concluded that Gulf War syndrome is a legitimate illness suffered by more than 175,000 US war veterans who were exposed to chemical toxins in the 1991 Gulf War.

The congressionally mandated report could help veterans who have battled the government for treatment of a wide range of unexplained neurological illnesses, from brain cancer to multiple sclerosis.

The Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses concluded that Gulf War illness is a physical condition distinct from the mental "shell shock" suffered by veterans in other wars. Some earlier studies had concluded it was not a distinct illness.

"Scientific evidence leaves no question that Gulf War illness is a real condition with real causes and serious consequences for affected veterans," said the committee, which has been looking into the problem since 2002.

33 workers rescued from flooded mine

AFP, Beijing

Rescuers saved 33 workers trapped in a flooded coal mine in central China's Henan Province early Tuesday, nearly 24 hours after the accident, state media reported.

The workers were lifted out of the flooded shaft at 6:03 am (2203 GMT), Xinhua news agency reported. One miner was found dead. The accident at the Gaomendong Coal Mine near Pingdingshan city happened at about 7:20 am on Monday. Forty-two miners were at work at the time of the flooding, and eight managed to escape shortly afterwards, Xinhua said. It was the third coal mine accident in less than three weeks in Henan, with a total of five miners dying in the two previous accidents, Xinhua said.

China has a dismal work safety record, with thousands of people dying every year in mines, factories and on construction sites.

Nearly 3,800 people died in Chinese coal mines last year, according to official figures. However, independent monitors say the real figure is likely much higher as many accidents are covered up.

Move to separate Tibet, China 'doomed’: Beijing

AP, Dharmsala

China has dismissed talks in India by exiled Tibetan leaders on the future of the Himalayan region, saying any moves to separate Tibet from China will fail.

"Any attempt to separate Tibet from Chinese territory will be doomed," Foreign Ministry spokesman Gin Qang told a news conference Tuesday. "The so-called Tibet government in exile is not recognized by any government in the world,"

Qin's comments come as Tibetan leaders meet this week in the first major re-evaluation of their strategy since the Dalai Lama in 1988 outlined his "middle way." That philosophy pushes for autonomy but not outright independence for Tibet.

The meeting in India comes after the Dalai Lama expressed frustration over years of fruitless talks with China.

The meeting in the northern India hill town of Dharmsala, the base of Tibet's self-proclaimed government-in-exile, was called by the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.