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Clinton: US stands by Iraqis, withdrawal on track

2009-04-25T20:26:31+02:00

BAGHDAD – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton tried to reassure nervous Iraqis that the U.S. won't abandon them, even as she said the American troop withdrawal would stay on schedule despite a recent surge in violence.

On her first visit to Baghdad as chief U.S. diplomat, Clinton said Saturday that Washington remains committed to moving U.S. soldiers out of urban areas by June 30 and pulling out combat troops from the country by 2011.

"Our strategy in working with you may be in a new phase, but we pledge our full and continuing commitment to Iraq and the Iraqi people," she told a news conference after meeting Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari.

"As we drawn down militarily we will deepen our civilian cooperation," Clinton said, standing beside Zebari in an auditorium at the Foreign Ministry.

The withdrawal will proceed in a "responsible and careful way," she said, and would not affect efforts to improve Iraq's security forces, or complete reconstruction and development projects.

Zebari welcomed Clinton's "very assuring message that the United States would continue to support the efforts of the Iraqi government and the enhancement of Iraqi security and stability." He said Iraqi authorities wanted to ensure there is "no vacuum" when U.S. troops leave.

Clinton made clear, however, that Iraqis and their security forces in particular need to overcome sectarian and other differences if they are to build a united, secure nation, she said.

Suicide bombings Thursday and Friday that primarily targeted Shiite worshippers killed more than 150 people, many of them Iranian pilgrims. The second attack, at a revered Baghdad tomb, was the single deadliest bombing in the country this year.

Obama touts plan to change college loan system

2009-04-25T10:58:06+02:00

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Friday renewed his call for the government to stop backing private loans to college students and replace them with direct government loans to young people, a challenge to a decades-old program with strong congressional support.

Obama's plan to eliminate the Federal Family Education Loan program could save $48 billion for taxpayers over the next decade, but critics warn it could turn the Education Department into a national bank. Lenders and some college officials oppose the proposal, which Obama backed as a U.S. senator and pushed during the presidential campaign.

"In a paradox of American life, at the very moment it's never been more important to have a quality higher education, the cost of that kind of education has never been higher. ... Yet, we have a student loan system where we're giving lenders billions of dollars in wasteful subsidies that could be used to make college more affordable for all Americans," Obama said at the White House.

He was joined by Stephanie Stevenson of Baltimore, Md., a University of Maryland student, and her mother, Yvonne Thomas.

Under that system, students at some colleges borrow directly from the government, while others get loans from banks, non-profits or state agencies who in turn receive subsidies from Washington.

The president's proposal would switch the federal student loan system entirely to direct lending from the government.

Obama acknowledged that the proposal was sure to find critics, given the financial stakes. He warned banks and lenders were "gearing up for battle. So am I."

Republicans are concerned about the costs and even some Democratic lawmakers oppose the switch.

Sen. Lamar Alexander, chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, said ending a successful lending program and giving more power to Washington and Education Secretary Arne Duncan would not help students.

Obama pledges to fight piracy; pirates vow revenge

2009-04-13T23:24:33+02:00

NAIROBI, Kenya – President Barack Obama promised Monday to work with other nations "to halt the rise of piracy," while Somali pirates vowed revenge for the deaths of three colleagues shot by snipers during the daring high-seas rescue of an American sea captain.

The pirates' threat raised fears for the safety of some 230 foreign sailors still held hostage in more than a dozen ships anchored off lawless Somalia.

Sunday's nighttime operation was a remarkable achievement for snipers on a rolling warship in choppy seas, but few experts believe the victory will quell a rising tide of attacks in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

One of the American sailors whose captain was rescued after the five-day standoff urged Obama on Monday to take the lead in ending the scourge of piracy.

"It's time for us to step in and put an end to this crisis," he said. "It's a crisis, wake up," said Shane Murphy, chief mate aboard the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama.

At a Washington news conference, Obama said: "I want to be very clear that we are resolved to halt the rise of piracy in that region and to achieve that goal, we're going to have to continue to work with our partners to prevent future attacks."

"We have to continue to be prepared to confront them when they arise, and we have to ensure that those who commit acts of piracy are held accountable for their crimes," the president said.

Somali pirates said they were undaunted.

"From now on, if we capture foreign ships and their respective countries try to attack us, we will kill them (the hostages)," Jamac Habeb, a 30-year-old pirate, told The Associated Press from one of Somalia's piracy hubs, Eyl. "(U.S. forces have) become our No. 1 enemy."

Sunday's stunning resolution came after pirates had agreed to let the USS Bainbridge tow their powerless lifeboat out of rough water. A fourth pirate surrendered earlier Sunday and could face life in a U.S. prison. He had been seeking medical attention for a wound to his hand, military officials said.

Interviewed from Bahrain, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command chief Vice Adm. Bill Gortney said Navy SEAL snipers killed three pirates with single shots shortly after sailors on the Bainbridge saw the hostage-takers "with their heads and shoulders exposed."

U.S. Defense officials said snipers got the go-ahead to fire after one pirate held an AK-47 close to Capt. Richard Phillips' back. The military officials asked not to be named because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the case.

"(The snipers are) extremely, extremely well-trained," Gortney told NBC's "Today" show, saying the shooting was ordered by the captain of the Bainbridge.

The SEALS arrived on the scene by parachuting from their aircraft into the sea, and were picked up by the Bainbridge, a senior U.S. official said.

He said negotiations with the pirates had been "going up and down." The official, asking not to be identified because he, too, was not authorized to discuss this on the record, said the pirates were "becoming increasingly agitated in the rough waters; they weren't getting what they wanted."

Just as it was getting dark, pirates fired a tracer bullet "toward the Bainbridge," further heightening tensions, the official said.

At news of Phillips' rescue, his crew in Kenya broke into wild cheers and tears came to the eyes of those in Phillips' hometown of Underhill, Vermont, half a world away from the Indian Ocean drama. It was not immediately known when or how Phillips would return home.

Phillips' crew has said he gave himself up as a hostage to secure their release when the ship was first attacked last week. Obama called the captain's courage "a model for all Americans" and said he was pleased with the rescue.

Sunday's blow to the pirates' lucrative activities is unlikely to stop them, simply because of the size of the vast area — 1.1 million square miles — stretching from the Gulf of Aden and the coast of Somalia. But it could raises tensions in an already lawless area.

"This could escalate violence in this part of the world, no question about it," said Gortney.

A Somali pirate agreed.

"Every country will be treated the way it treats us. In the future, America will be the one mourning and crying," Abdullahi Lami, one of the pirates holding a Greek ship anchored in the Somali town of Gaan, told The Associated Press on Monday. "We will retaliate (for) the killings of our men."

Later Monday, six mortar shells were fired toward the airport in the Somali capital of Mogadishu as a plane carrying a U.S. congressman took off, an airport employee at the control tower said.

New Jersey Democrat Donald Payne had met with Somalia's president and prime minister for a one-day visit to discuss piracy and security issues. The airport staffer said Payne's plane took off safely and none of the mortar shells landed in the airport.