From Mideast peace to Iran to Syria, Obama faces familiar world of problems in second term - The Washington Post WASHINGTON — Now that his re-election is secured, President Barack Obama has a freer hand to deal with a world of familiar problems in fresh ways, from toughening America’s approach to Iran and Syria while potentially engaging other repressive countries such as Cuba and North Korea and refocusing on moribund Middle East peace efforts. The first tweaks in his Iran policy could come within weeks, officials said.

From Mideast peace to Iran to Syria, Obama faces familiar world of problems in second term - The Washington Post: "But a pressing task for Obama will be to assign a new team to carry out his national security agenda. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has announced her plans to retire but could stay a few weeks past January to help the administration as it reshuffles personnel. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is likely to depart shortly after her. CIA Director Gen. David Petraeus is expected to stay on." (click link to read more)

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A Palestinian bid to upgrade its U.N. status to a sovereign country would jeopardize the peace process with Israel and make it difficult to get the two sides to return to talks on a two-state solution, the United States said on Monday. But the diplomatic drive by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas received support from Russia and Arab countries at a U.N. Security Council debate on the Middle East situation. Having failed last year to win recognition of full statehood at the United Nations, Abbas said last month he would seek a less-ambitious status upgrade at the world body to make it a "non-member state" like the Vatican. The president of the 193-member U.N. General Assembly, Vuk Jeremic, has said the issue will likely be debated in mid-November, after the U.S. elections. Washington argues a Palestinian state can only be created through direct talks.

UPDATE 1-Palestinian status bid jeopardizes peace process, US says | Reuters: "Egypt's U.N. Ambassador Mootaz Ahmadein Khalil, speaking to the council on behalf of the Arab group of countries, said it fully supported the Palestinians bid.

"We expect the General Assembly to adopt a resolution during its current session to upgrade the status of Palestine to become a 'non-member observer state,' as a first step towards reaching full membership," he said.

Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said: "We believe that the initiative to gain broad international recognition for Palestinian statehood ... complements efforts to achieve a negotiated solution to the conflict with Israel rather than serve as an alternative."

"In no case should they be used by Israel to tighten the screws in the occupied territories or exert any other pressure on the Palestinian authority," he said.

The Palestinians won admission to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in October last year, a move that prompted the United States to cut off funding to the U.N. agency.

A 1990s U.S. law prohibits U.S. funding to any U.N. organization that grants full membership to any group that does not have "internationally recognized attributes" of statehood."

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Southern California Muslims gathered in silence at a street corner in Orange County to mourn the death of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and the three other American diplomats killed in an attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi. The silent vigil in Tustin was organized by a young Syrian American, who, along with her friends, wanted to send a message to the perpetrators who stormed the compound in Libya during a protest over a controversial film that insulted Islam’s Prophet Muhammad

"As a Muslim American, me and a couple of friends decided to show that what happened in Libya does not represent us as Muslims," said organizer Lilah Khoja, 21. "Even more important, we should stand by and honor the great Christopher Stevens, who did a lot for the Libyan people." The Greater Los Angeles Area chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA), along with the Libyan American Assn. of Southern California, cosponsored the vigil. Khoja's initiative has led to other planned vigils for Stevens and the three other American diplomats throughout the nation, including in New York, Boston, Washington and Chicago."We are very sorry," said Ayoub Misherghi, 63, a Libyan American who drove from Upland with his wife and daughter. "We wanted to express our sorrow and solidarity with the staff of the U.S. Embassy in Libya."" 'via Blog this'  Area Muslims call for peace, honor ambassador slain in Libya attack - latimes.com: "

Pope Benedict is calling on Lebanon to be a model of peace and religious freedom in the tumultuous Middle East. The leader of the Roman Catholic Church met with Lebanese officials and religious leaders Saturday at the presidential palace in Beirut, where he was met by cheering crowds. The pope said Christians and Muslims in Lebanon have shared the same space for centuries and that families often have members of both religions. He asked, “If this is possible in one single family, why would it be impossible at the level of the society as a whole?”

 "One of the Lebanese leaders at the meeting, Sheikh Mohammad Rachid Qabbani, gave Pope Benedict a letter saying he considers any attack on a Christian an attack on all Muslims. Lebanese President Michel Suleiman also spoke and referred to Syria, which has been gripped by 18 months of fighting between government forces and rebels. Mr. Suleiman said Lebanon would continue to care for Syrian refugees and wished the Syrian people would attain freedom and democracy through dialogue and other peaceful means. Upon arrival in Lebanon Friday, the pope said he has come to the region as a “pilgrim of peace.” The trip comes days after deadly Muslim protests in the region, triggered by a film produced in the United States mocking Islam's leader, the Prophet Muhammad. Pope Benedict says he never considered canceling his trip to Lebanon because of security concerns brought on by violence in the region." 'via Blog this' Pope, Lebanese Leaders Call for Religious Peace « VOA Breaking News:

Afghanistan, Pakistan to resume talks on Afghan peace - Chicago Tribune

Afghanistan, Pakistan to resume talks on Afghan peace - Chicago Tribune: "KABUL (Reuters) - Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed on Thursday to resume regular talks on Afghanistan's peace process, with the new Pakistani prime minister promising to help arrange meetings between Afghan and Taliban representatives.

Following day-long talks in Kabul, also involving Britain's visiting Prime Minister David Cameron, Pakistani premier Raja Pervez Ashraf and Afghan President Hamid Karzai said they had agreed to resume meetings of the two-track Peace Commission."

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GENEVA CONVENTION

GENEVA CONVENTION:

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Moderate Taliban want peace, says outgoing US ambassador to Afghanistan, Ryan Crocker. He said that there are elements within the Taliban that support the peace process, despite a rash of this summer's suicide bombings. He also said that he did not think the departure of foreign troops in 2014 will plunge another civil war. - NY Daily News

Moderate Taliban want peace, says outgoing US ambassador to Afghanistan - NY Daily News: "Afghanistan has a history of conflict between warring ethnic factions. Pashtuns, who predominantly make up the Taliban, are the majority ethnic group in the country and have strongholds in the south. Minority factions, including the Hazaras, Uzbeks and Tajiks, are more firmly rooted in the north. Members of all the groups are part of the Afghan security forces, but some fear without the presence of international troops, the nation and its police force and army could split along ethnic lines, prompting another civil war.

The ambassador acknowledged that northern Afghanistan has a lot of militias, but said he didn't think they threatened national unity. "I think their primary interest has been criminal activity, rather than preparing for the next civil war, which I really don't see coming," he said.

Crocker is retiring from the foreign service after a storied tenure in some of the world's most dangerous hotspots. Without giving specifics, the U.S. State Department said health reasons have forced the 62-year-old envoy to leave Kabul."

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Israel-Egypt: Newly elected Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy’s call to “update” the Israel-Egypt peace agreement has stirred apprehension in Jerusalem. True, Morsy and other Brotherhood leaders have declared repeatedly that they will respect past agreements and that their focus is the treaty’s military annex. It’s also true that this position was embraced by nearly all other presidential candidates; with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict such a visceral issue, the treaty isn’t likely to disappear from public debate. But long standing Israeli fears about the Brotherhood and its fraternal relationship with Hamas have provoked skepticism among Israelis about Morsy’s intentions in general and altering the annex in particular.- By Ofer Zalzberg, Special to CNN

Time to update the Israel-Egypt peace agreement? – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs: "The choice that confronts Israel today is retaining the hard power of strategic depth and an effectively demilitarized Sinai versus pursuing the subtler gain of the Brotherhood’s political representatives endorsing the acceptability of a peace agreement with Israel. This would entail no small adjustment for the group and require a break with its past positions. But given Egypt’s huge socioeconomic problems, Egypt’s new president will be under pressure to deliver a success, and a foreign policy victory could prove enticing. The rising Islamist influence in the Arab world by and large has led Israel to pursue a wait-and-see strategy, but the Brotherhood’s newfound prominence has also generated opportunities that Jerusalem should not ignore. - By Ofer Zalzberg, Special to CNN
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Syria at odds over control of aid distribution -envoys - chicagotribune.com

UPDATE 1-UN, Syria at odds over control of aid distribution -envoys - chicagotribune.com: "* U.N.-backed peace plan calls for unhindered aid delivery. * UN office wants to jointly manage aid to ensure neutrality  By Louis Charbonneau

UNITED NATIONS, May 14 (Reuters) - Damascus wants to manage the delivery of all humanitarian aid to a million people in need of assistance as a result of the 14-month-old conflict in Syria, but the United Nations insists on having some control, envoys say. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and Syria have been negotiating for weeks on a plan for the distribution of aid throughout the country, but U.N. envoys familiar with the talks said the government and the U.N. agency are deadlocked on the issue of who will be in charge.

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Afghanistan: Hundreds mourn slain Afghan peace negotiator, Arsala Rahmani

The Associated Press: Hundreds mourn slain Afghan peace negotiator: "A gunman in a car assassinated Arsala Rahmani (70yrs old) on Sunday. It was the second killing of a prominent member of the government-appointed peace council set up to reach out to insurgents. In September 2011, former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani, the counci's head, was assassinated in his Kabul home by a suicide bomber posing as a peace emissary from the Taliban. A military honor guard carried Rahmani's coffin, covered in a black cloth with verses of the Quran embroidered on it in gold, to a cemetery in the Afghan capital. Wreaths of flowers bore a photograph of the slain negotiator. "We are all so sad for his death," said Shahzada Shahid, another member of the peace council. "Rahmani had no personal dispute with anyone who would want to kill him," Shahid said. "He was working for the peace process, security and unity of the Afghans. ... It's been a series of killings of our countrymen. Elders, religious leaders, politicians, teachers, engineers and even businessmen are the victims.""

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Annan: Stopping Syria violence "at risk" – CNN Security Clearance - CNN.com Blogs

Annan: Stopping Syria violence "at risk" – CNN Security Clearance - CNN.com Blogs: "Kofi Annan, the United Nations-Arab League envoy to Syria, told the U.N. Security Council that he was "gravely concerned at the course of events" in the crisis-ridden Middle East nation, after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad failed to withdraw troops from cities and towns by Tuesday's deadline.

In a letter, Annan said the Syrian government should have used the days ahead of the deadline to send a "powerful political signal of peace."

Annan wrote the letter as Syrian troops pounded cities across the nation, opposition activists said. Annan said he was not giving up on the peace plan he brokered, but the fresh violence as the deadline came and went blighted hopes for success."

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Syrian peace plan: U.N. Security Council endorses Kofi Annan’s proposal - The Washington Post

Syrian peace plan: U.N. Security Council endorses Kofi Annan’s proposal - The Washington Post: "The United States and its Arab and European partners have pressed for passage of an Arab League proposal that would have required Assad to yield considerable powers to a transitional government. But Russia, backed by China, recently vetoed a resolution endorsing that plan, insisting that the Syrian government should remain central to any negotiations on a political settlement in Syria.

To secure Russian support, the council’s Western and Arab powers were forced to offer several concessions. A council statement, as a result, includes no condemnation of Syria, no specific timetable for a political transition and a watered-down threat of possible action against Syria if it fails to comply with the Annan plan."

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Afghanistan: Taliban to Open Qatar Office in Step Toward Peace Talks

Taliban to Open Qatar Office in Step Toward Peace Talks - NYTimes.com: "The step was a reversal of the Taliban’s longstanding public denials that it was involved or even willing to consider talks related to its insurgency, and it had the potential to revive a reconciliation effort that stalled in September, with the assassination of the head of Afghanistan’s High Peace Council. It was unclear, however, whether the Taliban was interested in working toward a comprehensive peace settlement or mainly in ensuring that NATO ends its operations in Afghanistan as scheduled in 2014, which would remove a major obstacle to the Taliban’s return to power in all or part of the country."

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West Bank: “The Jordanian efforts are the last-minute efforts to salvage the situation,” Erekat warned

Palestinians hope to salvage peace efforts at meeting with Israelis - The Washington Post: "The chief Palestinian peace negotiator said Monday his first meeting with Israelis in more than a year will be a last-ditch effort to salvage the peace process and warned that the Palestinians would explore alternatives if no progress is made. Saeb Erekat said he was holding out hope for Tuesday’s meeting in Jordan, but acknowledged his expectations were low as he reiterated his long-standing demand for an Israeli freeze on settlement construction. Without a breakthrough, he warned, the Palestinians will be forced to examine alternatives to peace talks at the end of the month. Those could include again trying for recognition at the U.N."

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Jordan: Israeli, Palestinian officials to meet in Jordan - CNN.com

Israeli, Palestinian officials to meet in Jordan - CNN.com: "Yoaz Hendel, chief media adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, thanked Jordanian officials in a statement Sunday "for their efforts to bring the two sides together under the outline of international quartet."
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat also expressed his appreciation to Jordan's King Abdullah for his role in the breakthrough.
"This invitation is part of ongoing Jordanian efforts to compel Israel to comply with its international legal obligations and those under the Quartet Road Map, specifically its obligation to freeze all settlement construction in all the occupied Palestinian territory, including occupied East Jerusalem," Erakat said in a statement. Netanyahu's special envoy, attorney Yitzhak Molcho, and Erakat will meet with representatives of the Middle East Quartet -- made up of the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia."

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Vatican: Educate young for peace, pope says at New Year Mass | Reuters

Educate young for peace, pope says at New Year Mass | Reuters: "Educating the young "in knowledge of the truth, in fundamental values and virtues, is to look to the future with hope," he said in his homily. Young people needed all-round education, and this required a social commitment to justice and peace, the leader of the world's 1.3 billion Roman Catholics said. They must use advances in communications technology to promote peaceful coexistence, mutual respect, dialogue and understanding. "Young people ... are open to these attitudes but the social reality in which they grow up can lead them to think and act in the opposite way, even to be intolerant and violent," he said."

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