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Saudi Arabia, Iran try to end political crisis
By TIMES WIRES
Published January 30, 2007
Iran and Saudi Arabia have been mediating an agreement to end Lebanon's violent political crisis. Leaders of Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed party trying to overthrow Lebanon's government, have recently visited the Saudi king in Riyadh, according to officials who attended the meeting. And Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the Saudi chief security adviser, has met with his Iranian counterpart, Ali Larijani, in Riyadh and Tehran. The Saudi-Iranian efforts have put the United States in an awkward position, since it is trying to reduce Iran's regional influence. But since a stable Lebanon is also a U.S. priority, American officials have not interfered. AFRICA Summit leaders say no to Sudan Bloodshed in Sudan's Darfur region dominated the African Union summit Monday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, undermining Sudan's bid to lead the bloc. Instead, the AU chose Ghana to head the 53-member bloc, turning aside Sudan's bid for the post for the second year in a row. With Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir looking on, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon told delegates that "the toll of the crisis remains unacceptable," with more than 200,000 people killed and 2.5-million displaced in four years of fighting in Sudan. NETHERLANDS Congo warlord must face trial A Congolese warlord accused of sending child soldiers to fight in a tribal conflict was ordered Monday to stand trial, becoming the first suspect ever to face judgment before the International Criminal Court at The Hague, Netherlands. A three-judge panel found evidence was strong enough to believe that Thomas Lubanga was responsible "for war crimes consisting of enlisting and conscripting children," presiding Judge Claude Jorda said. Elsewhere Afghanistan: The incoming commander of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, Maj. Gen. David Rodriguez, said Monday he expects Taliban militants to launch more suicide attacks this year than in 2006, when militants set off a record 139 such bombings. Israel: In a precedent-setting decision, a court has ruled that a dead soldier's family can have his sperm impregnated into the body of a woman he never met.
[Last modified January 30, 2007, 00:33:44]
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