GOP senator signals fading hopes on health care

WASHINGTON – A leading GOP negotiator on health care struck a further blow to fading chances of a bipartisan compromise by saying Democratic proposals would restrict medical choices and make the country's "finances sicker without saving you money."

The criticism from Sen. Michael Enzi, R-Wyo., echoed that of many opponents of the Democratic plans under consideration in Congress. But Enzi's judgment was especially noteworthy because he is one of only three Republicans who have been willing to consider a bipartisan bill in the Senate.

In the Republicans' weekly radio and Internet address on Saturday, Enzi said any health care legislation must lower medical costs for Americans without increasing deficits and the national debt.

"The bills introduced by congressional Democrats fail to meet these standards," he said.

Enzi, together with Republican Sens. Charles Grassley of Iowa and Olympia Snowe of Maine, has held talks with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont. But the chance of a bipartisan breakthrough has diminished in the face of an effective public mobilization by opponents of Democratic proposals.

"I heard a lot of frustration and anger as I traveled across my home state this last few weeks," said Enzi, who has been targeted by critics for seeking to negotiate on legislation. "People in Wyoming and across the country are anxious about what Washington has in mind. This is big. This is personal. This is one of the most important debates of our lifetime."

He called for more competition among health insurers, for the ability of small businesses to band together across state lines to negotiate for lower-cost insurance plans, for tax breaks to help people buy insurance and for reducing malpractice lawsuits.

The debate over health care will resume in Washington after Labor Day, just two weeks after White House budget officials projected that deficits would total a staggering $9 trillion over the next 10 years. Though President Barack Obama has said he wants the total health care bill paid for without adding to the deficit, congressional budget officials have estimated that House health care proposals would cost the government more.

"The Democrats are trying to rush a bill through the process that will actually make our nation's finances sicker without saving you money," Enzi said.

Democrats also are calling for cuts in Medicare spending, using some of the savings to help uninsured workers. A House bill would result in a net reduction in Medicare of about $200 billion, though Obama has insisted the reductions would not cut benefits in the health program for the elderly.

But Enzi said: "This will result in cutting hundreds of billions of dollars from the elderly to create new government programs."

He repeated Republican accusations that the Democrats' plans would result in less access to certain medical treatments, citing a proposed government board that would research the most effective medical practices.

"We're a nation of people who want the ability to choose what will best fit our families' needs and it should be that way with health care, too," Enzi said.

___

On the Net:

GOP weekly address: http://www.youtube.com/user/gopweeklyaddress

Japan's ruling heads to elections as underdog

TOKYO – Japan's ruling conservative party, battered by a laggard economy and voter desire for change after more than half a century of virtual one-party rule, was expected to suffer an overwhelming defeat Sunday in hotly contested elections.

The Liberal Democratic Party, which has governed Japan for all but 11 months since 1955, went into the elections with all major polls projecting they would lose control of the lower house of parliament.

That would likely mean the fall of Prime Minister Taro Aso and his Cabinet and the creation of a new government headed by centrist Democratic Party of Japan chief Yukio Hatoyama — who would become the first prime minister not backed by the LDP since 1994.

The vote is widely seen as a barometer of two related issues — voter frustrations over the ailing economy, which is in one of its worst slumps since World War II, and a loss of confidence in the Liberal Democrats' ability to tackle tough problems such as the rising national debt and rapidly aging population.

But even with severe challenges pressing the nation, many analysts said the vote may not be about the issues so much as voters' general desire for something new after nearly 54 years under the Liberal Democrats.

They also note that although the Democrats promise to change Japan's approach on the economy and make Tokyo's diplomacy less U.S.-centric, their founders are both defectors from the Liberal Democrats and are not likely to present too radical a departure from Japan's current path.

"The election is more about emotions than policies," Tokyo University political science professor Takashi Mikuriya said in a televised interview. "Most voters are making the decision not about policies but about whether they are fed up with the ruling party."

Japanese media predict a high voter turnout.

The Yomiuri, the country's largest newspaper, reported Saturday that analysts and most political parties are expecting turnout to be higher than the 67.5 percent in the previous lower house elections in 2005, and could go as high as 70 percent.

Trying to cut the ruling party's losses, Aso — whose own support ratings have recently sagged to a dismal 20 percent — called on voters in a final pitch Saturday to stick with his party, saying the Democrats are untested and unable to lead.

"Can you trust these people? It's a problem if you feel uneasy whether they can really run this country," Aso told a crowd outside Tokyo.

Aso said more time is needed for economic reforms aimed at pulling the country out of its economic doldrums and asked for support "so our government can accomplish our economic measures."

He and the ruling party have stressed that they are the stewards of Japan's rise from the ashes of World War II into one of the world's biggest economic powers, and they are best equipped to get it out of its current morass.

But that argument has taken a beating.

On Friday, the government reported that the nationwide unemployment rate for July hit 5.7 percent — the highest level in Japan's post-World War II era — deflation intensified and families have cut spending, largely because they are afraid of what's ahead and are choosing to save whatever money they can as a safety measure.

Hatoyama has promised to cut wasteful spending, hold off on tax hikes planned by the Liberal Democrats and put more money into consumers' pockets. That is a sharp contrast with the Liberal Democrats' heavy focus on tax-funded stimulus packages that increase government spending and debt.

That approach by the ruling party is seen as problematic by many economists. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development predicts the country's public debt, already the highest among member countries, may reach 200 percent of gross domestic product next year.

Making the situation more dire is Japan's rapidly aging demographic — which means more people are on pensions, while there is a shrinking pool of taxpayers paying into the system to support them and other government programs.

Still, doubts remain about whether the Democrats can deliver on their promises.

They are proposing an expensive menu of initiatives: toll-free highways, free high schools, income support for farmers, monthly allowances for job seekers in training, a higher minimum wage and tax cuts. The estimated bill comes to 16.8 trillion yen ($179 billion) when fully implemented starting in fiscal year 2013.

"I've supported the LDP before, but I'm not sure this time," said Eri Sato, a 25-year-old saleswoman in Tokyo. "My concern is whether the Democrats can really achieve their campaign promises."

Recent polls have shown voters want change, however.

Polls by major newspapers, including the Mainichi and the Asahi, said Hatoyama's party is likely to win more than 320 seats in the 480 seat lower house, sharply higher than the 112 it held before parliament was dissolved in July.

If the opposition party wins, Hatoyama will almost certainly be named Japan's next prime minister in a special session of parliament which could come in mid-September.

Japanese media have already started predicting a timeline of events, such as when a new Cabinet will be formed, on the assumption that the opposition party will be victorious.

Along with his fiscal departures from the Liberal Democratic Party, Hatoyama says he will rein in the power of the bureaucracy and wants Japan to be more independent from the United States, Tokyo's key trading partner and military ally.

But Hatoyama, who holds a doctorate in engineering from Stanford University, insists he will not seek dramatic change in Japan's foreign policy, saying the U.S.-Japan alliance would "continue to be the cornerstone of Japanese diplomatic policy.

Peacekeeping civilians kidnapped in Darfur

KHARTOUM (Reuters) – Armed men seized two foreign civilians working for Darfur's peacekeeping force on Saturday, the fourth kidnapping in the remote Sudanese region since March.

"They were abducted by armed men from their residence in Zalingei. The incident took place in the early hours of this morning," UNAMID spokesman Noureddine Mezni told Reuters.

It was the first time international staff from the joint United Nations/African Union force had been abducted, he said.

The kidnappers made contact with the peacekeepers soon after the abduction. "They told us of their willingness to talk to UNAMID," Mezni said, without giving details of their demands.

Sudan's State Minister for Humanitarian Affairs Abdel Baqi al-Jailani told Reuters the kidnap victims were a Nigerian man and a Tanzanian woman, saying the kidnappers were bandits.

"They have asked for a ransom. They never claimed to be some sort of rebels," Jailani said.

The kidnapping, in Zalingei in the western part of Darfur, happened two days after the departing commander of the force, Martin Luther Agwai, told reporters that Darfur suffered from banditry but was no longer in a state of war.

Aid workers say they have experienced increased hostility in the region since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on war crimes charges.

Khartoum ordered out 13 foreign groups and shut down three local ones after the ICC issued its warrant in March, accusing them of passing information to the court, which they deny.

Two women from Irish charity GOAL remain in captivity after being snatched in early July. Another aid worker is missing after a raid just over Darfur's border in neighboring Chad this month.

Zalingei, around 100 km (60 miles) from the Chadian border, is the birthplace of some of Darfur's best-known rebels, including Sudan Liberation Army founder Abdel Wahed Mohamed Ahmed al-Nur, and is a hotbed of anti-government sentiment.

Al-Nur, who is now based in Paris, denied that any of his rebel fighters were responsible for the kidnap, and pointed the finger at government-allied militias.

"This is not our behavior. We are a responsible movement. We fight against terrorists and this kidnapping is a terrorist act," he said.

"This is the continuation of the government's campaign to terrorize people on the ground. They want to complicate the mission of anyone helping the people of Darfur."

Jailani denied government-backed militias were involved.

Al-Nur said the kidnap showed the weakness of UNAMID's mandate.

"UNAMID's first job is to protect civilians but they are not able to protect themselves because of the mandate. We need a mandate for peacemakers, not peacekeepers.

EU signs trade pact with southeast African nations

BAGHDAD – Two truck bombs struck separate communities north of Iraq's capital on Saturday, killing at least 16 people in the latest attacks to indicate that insurgents are targeting relatively unprotected areas.

Iraqi security forces have focused on defending cities after the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from urban areas nearly two months ago. But a recent series of high-profile bombings has killed hundreds in remote areas as well as cities and has raised concerns Iraqi forces are not up to the task of protecting the population.

Saturday's deadliest attack came at about 8 a.m. when a suicide truck bomber attacked a small police station in the remote village of Hamad north of Baghdad, killing at least 12 people, including six police, said officials from the Iraqi army and police.

Police attempted to stop the truck, opening fire and forcing the attacker to change direction and slam into a concrete barrier near a market, they said. The blast damaged the police station and a number of nearby homes and shops, the officials said. Fifteen people were also wounded in the attack, said the police official.

Hamad is a primarily Sunni village on the edge of Shirqat, a town between Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit and Mosul, which the U.S. military considers to be the last urban stronghold of al-Qaida in Iraq.

Iraqi police defused a car bomb in the same area three days earlier, said Shirqat's police chief, Ali al-Jubouri.

"I think this attack is in retaliation for what we did," he said.

The second attack targeted a market near Mosul in the city of Sinjar. A parked truck bomb that exploded at about 10:15 a.m. killed at least four people and wounded 23 others, police said.

A double suicide bombing earlier this month in Sinjar devastated a cafe packed with young people in northwestern Iraq, killing at least 21 people.

The city, which is dominated by members of the Kurdish-speaking Yazidi religious minority, was also hit by four suicide truck bombers nearly simultaneously, killing as many as 500 Yazidis, on Aug. 14, 2007.

Iraqi forces have stepped up security in Baghdad and other cities in Iraq since an Aug. 19 double suicide truck bombing in the Iraqi capital that targeted the foreign and finance ministries. About 100 people were killed.

But remote villages often depend on a small security force for protection. Bombers have been exploiting that vulnerability in villages surrounding Mosul, mainly targeting ethnic minorities.

While there were no immediate claims of responsibility for Saturday's attacks, suicide vehicle bombings are the hallmark of al-Qaida in Iraq. A front group for the terrorist organization has claimed responsibility for the recent ministry bombings.

Iraq has demanded Syria hand over two suspects wanted in those bombings, raising tension between the two countries that led each side to recall their respective ambassadors.

"We are dealing with the crisis, containing it and preventing any further escalation or tension," Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said Saturday during a news conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki.

Mottaki said Iran would work with both countries, who are its allies, to resolve the tension.

"We will spare no efforts to offer support," he said.

Zebari said Iraq's government plans to ask the United Nations to back the creation of an international court to try those accused in the Baghdad bombings.

Saturday's attacks came as thousands of mourners gathered in the streets of the holy city of Najaf, south of Baghdad, for the arrival of the body of Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, one Iraq's most powerful Shiite leaders, who died Wednesday of lung cancer in Iran.

The casket's arrival ended a three-day mourning tour through Iran, Baghdad and other portions of Iraq's Shiite heartland. The Iranian foreign minister attended the burial.

Al-Hakim led the Iranian-backed Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, Iraq's largest Shiite party, and was widely revered for helping pave the way for the re-emergence of Shiite power after decades of oppression under Saddam Hussein's Sunni-led regime.

The wooden coffin was buried next to al-Hakim's brother, Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, who led the party until he was killed in a car bombing in Najaf soon after the brothers returned to Iraq in 2003 after years in exile.

In his will, al-Hakim called for peaceful coexistence among Iraq's fractured sects, warning that national unity was being targeted by Saddam loyalists and Sunni extremists.

"They see that the only way to achieve their victory is by creating sedition between Iraqi Shiite and Sunnis," he said in the will, which was read by his son and anointed successor, Ammar, at the funeral service.

He also urged Iraqis to vote in January's parliamentary elections, which are likely to be bitterly contested between his party and a rival faction led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Also Saturday, Kurdish authorities distributed 850,000 copies of a proposed constitution along with food rations in Sulaimaniyah, one of three provinces in the Kurds' northern self-ruled region. The move is seen as a step in reviving a referendum on the constitution that Iraq's election commission prevented from occurring in July.

Arabs see the draft constitution as an effort by Kurds to expand their region, escalating tension between the two groups that is seen as a major threat to Iraqi stability.

___

Associated Press Writers Sinan Salaheddin and Bushra Juhi in Baghdad and Yahya Barzanji in Sulaimaniyah contributed to this report.

Karzai increases lead to 46 pct in Afghan election

KABUL – President Hamid Karzai widened his lead in Afghanistan's presidential race as new vote tallies were released Saturday, inching closer to the 50 percent threshold of votes he needs to avoid a run-off.

As Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission slowly releases partial results from the Aug. 20 presidential election, accusations of fraud have poured into the Electoral Complaint Commission. Videos of alleged fraud have been posted on the Internet, and Karzai's top challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, has made multiple complaints of cheating.

The allegations from Abdullah and other presidential candidates, along with low turnout in the violent south because of Taliban threats of violence, could strip the election of legitimacy in Afghan eyes. Security officials are monitoring tensions among Abdullah supporters for any signs that the election turmoil could ignite violence.

The latest results show Karzai ahead with 46.2 percent of the votes already counted against Abdullah's 31.4 percent. The results are based on 35 percent of the country's polling stations, meaning they could still change dramatically. Karzai must win 50 percent of ballots cast to avoid a runoff.

Final results will not be released until late September after the allegations of fraud have been investigated.

In Abdullah's latest salvo against the Afghan president, he said Karzai was behind "state-crafted, massive election fraud" and called his government "too corrupt" and the "worst in the world."

The U.N.-backed Electoral Complaints Commission has said the number of major fraud complaints that could "materially affect" the outcome had soared to 270.

The lengthy election process has added to strains in U.S.-Afghan relations, which had already cooled since the Obama administration took office.

Abdullah called the Karzai government a "mafia-like regime" in an interview with Italy's RAI State TV broadcast Friday. He denied that he had been approached about any sort of power-sharing deal and said he saw no place for himself in a Karzai-led administration. And while he said he would "resort to peaceful means" to register his election concerns, he left open the possibility that problems may arise.

"The fact is that the foundations of this country have been damaged by this fraud, throwing it open to all kinds of consequences, including instability," Abdullah said. "I have a vision for this country: to put it back on the right track. This regime is too corrupt, the worst in the world."

Top envoys for the Afghanistan-Pakistan region from 27 countries — including President Barack Obama's envoy, Richard Holbrooke — are to meet in Paris on Wednesday to discuss Afghanistan. The French Foreign Ministry sought to play down questions about the timing, saying the gathering is a follow-up meeting to an Afghan donors conference in Paris a year ago.

International officials — including Obama, the top U.N. official in Afghanistan and the European Commission — were quick to congratulate Afghans for carrying off the Aug. 20 vote in the face of Taliban threats and violence.

But the massive allegations of fraud that have surfaced since then have taken the shine off the election, and some officials are holding judgment on whether the process has been credible.

If the country holds a second round run-off, a new president might not be named until November or even later, and there are signs the strung-out process is fraying U.S.-Afghan relations.

On Friday, two officials said Karzai angrily accused the U.S. of pushing for a runoff vote during a heated meeting with Holbrooke the day after the election.

Karzai assured Holbrooke he would accept the election results but bristled when Holbrooke asked if he would also agree to a runoff, according to officials briefed about the meeting who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.

An angry Karzai accused the U.S. of urging a second round before all votes had been counted. Karzai said he would accept the election commission's tabulation as long as it reflected the facts. He did not elaborate, according to the officials.

Karzai enjoyed close ties with the Bush administration, which helped propel him to power after the collapse of the Taliban government in the U.S.-led invasion.

Since the Obama administration took office, U.S. officials have accused Karzai of weak leadership as well as tolerating corruption and a flourishing drug trade.

Stocks edge higher after jump in home sales

NEW YORK – Reports showing jumps in home sales and factory orders are keeping stocks afloat.

Major stock indicators reversed early losses and edged slightly higher in early trading Wednesday after the Commerce Department said new home sales rose 9.6 percent in July — the fourth straight monthly increase. Sales rose to 433,000, the strongest pace since September and well above the 390,000 figure economists expected.

Earlier Wednesday, the Commerce Department said orders for goods expected to last at least three years rose 4.9 percent in July — the biggest jump in two years and more than the 3 percent increase economists had expected.

The day's news followed upbeat readings on consumer sentiment and home prices on Tuesday that sent stocks to fresh highs for the year.

The market's gains on Wednesday were modest, reflecting the caution that still pervades Wall Street. After a five-month run-up in stocks, with little break, investors are unsure how much further the market can go without seeing actual economic growth.

Matt King, chief investment officer at Bell Investment Advisors said much of the improving economic data has already been factored into stocks.

"We're just moving on momentum more than anything else," he said.

In early trading, the Dow Jones industrials moved higher for a seventh straight day, rising 13.45, or 0.1 percent, to 9,552.74, after being down as much as 45 points prior to the home sales data.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 1.15, or 0.1 percent, to 1,029.15, and the Nasdaq composite index rose 3.45, or 0.2 percent, to 2,027.68.

Advancing issues were roughly even with decliners on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 315.2 million shares, compared with 394.9 million shares at the same time on Tuesday.

In other trading, the Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 1.19, or 0.2 percent, to 584.41.

Shares of homebuilders surged for a second day after the housing data. Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. rose 36 cents, or 7.9 percent, to $4.93, tacking on to its 6.5 percent jump the day before. DR Horton Inc. rose 67 cents, or 5.1 percent, to $13.72.

Retail stocks were mostly higher after a handful of upbeat earnings reports. Shares of Dollar Tree Inc. rose $2.98, or 6.2 percent, to $50.88 after the company posted a 51 percent jump in its second-quarter profit as its deeply discounted goods attracted cash-strapped consumers.

Government bond prices dipped after the positive economic data and ahead of an auction of $39 billion in five-year notes. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose to 3.45 percent from 3.44 percent late Tuesday.

Stocks got a lift Tuesday after improving data on home prices reinforced the notion that the battered industry is stabilizing. The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index rose 1.4 percent in the second quarter, the first quarterly increase in three years. Traders also welcomed a more upbeat report on consumer sentiment from the Conference Board.

The dollar rose against other major currencies. Prices for gold and other metals fell.

Overseas, Japan's Nikkei stock average rose 1.4 percent. In afternoon trading, Britain's FTSE 100 declined 0.4 percent, Germany's DAX index fell 0.3 percent, and France's CAC-40 rose 0.1 percent.

July new US home sales up 9.6 percent

WASHINGTON – New U.S. home sales surged 9.6 percent in July, rising for the fourth straight month and beating expectations as the housing market marches steadily back from its historic downturn.

The Commerce Department said Wednesday that sales rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 433,000 from an upwardly revised June rate of 395,000. Sales are now up 32 percent from the bottom in January, but off 69 percent from the frenzied peak four years ago.

Last month's sales pace was the strongest since September and exceeded the forecasts of economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters, who expected a pace of 390,000 units. The last time sales rose so dramatically was in February 2005.

The median sales price of $210,100, however, was still down 11.5 percent from $237,300 a year earlier.

There were 271,000 new homes for sale at the end of July, down more than 3 percent from May. At the current sales pace, that represents 7.5 months of supply — the lowest since April 2007. The decline means builders have scaled back construction to the point where supply and demand are coming into balance.

Buyers, meanwhile, are rushing to take advantage of a federal tax credit that covers 10 percent of the home price, or up to $8,000 for first-time owners. Home sales must be completed by the end of November for buyers to qualify.

Builders and real estate agents are pressing Congress for that credit to be extended. If it isn't, sales could reverse their upward trend.

Israel PM: progress made with US on settlements

BERLIN – The Israeli and Palestinian leaders are likely to hold their first meeting in the coming weeks, both sides indicated Wednesday, in what would be an important step toward a formal resumption of peace talks and a key achievement for U.S. President Barack Obama.

The announcements came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held four hours of talks with Obama's Mideast envoy, George Mitchell, in London on Wednesday. Mitchell has been pressing Israel to halt construction of West Bank settlements as a confidence-building gesture toward the Palestinians.

Before the meeting, Netanyahu said he was making headway in defusing the unusually public disagreement with the Americans. Netanyahu has said he wants a compromise that would allow Israel to proceed with some settlement construction while at the same time restarting peace talks with the Palestinians.

Netanyahu, who arrived in Germany later Wednesday for further meetings, did not offer any immediate comment following his meeting with Mitchell. But speaking alongside Mitchell before their talks, Netanyahu said he hoped peace negotiations would resume "shortly."

"We are making headway. My government has taken steps in both words and deeds to move forward," he said. In the past week, both Israel and the U.S. have been signaling that an agreement could be within reach.

It is unclear what sort of compromise would be acceptable to the Americans or to the Palestinians.

Obama, who has made Mideast diplomacy a top priority of his administration, has said he opposes all settlement construction. The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, has staunchly refused to reopen peace talks until Netanyahu halts all settlement activity. Years of on-again off-again negotiations broke down shortly before Netanyahu took office in March.

In a sign that Abbas was easing his position, Palestinian officials said their leader would likely meet Netanyahu on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly next month in New York. The officials said American diplomats are eager to see the sides resume contact.

They said that while Abbas is prepared to talk to Netanyahu, he would not reopen negotiations until Israel halts its settlement activities. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because nothing has been formally scheduled.

The Palestinians, and the international community, consider settlements to be obstacles to peace. Some 300,000 Israelis now live in West Bank settlements, in addition to 180,000 Israelis living in Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem. The Palestinians claim both areas, captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, as parts of a future independent state.

In recent days, Netanyahu has said he sees the spotlight on settlements as unfair and insisted the Mideast conflict is rooted in a deep Arab enmity toward Israel that predates them. Israeli officials say Netanyahu expects the Arab world to make goodwill gestures to Israel in exchange for a settlement freeze.

The subject of settlements was also sure to be raised at his meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday.

German government spokesman Klaus Vater said that Berlin backs a two-state solution and, pending that, advocates that "no further settlements be built in the occupied areas."

A poll released Wednesday in Israel showed freezing settlements would be an unpopular move. Almost two-thirds of those questioned told pollsters they opposed a freeze, even in return for moves by Arab countries toward normalization of ties with Israel. Thirty-nine percent said they would support a freeze in return for Arab gestures.

Conducted by the Maagar Mohot polling company, the survey questioned 506 Jewish Israelis and had a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.

The issue has come to overshadow Israel's ties with the U.S and much of the international community since Netanyahu took power with a hardline government and Obama indicated that years of reluctant U.S. tolerance for settlement construction had ended.

Netanyahu's aides have been dropping optimistic hints in recent days, saying a compromise with the U.S. is growing closer. Mark Regev, Netanyahu's spokesman, told reporters ahead of the Mitchell meeting, that the Israeli government hopes peace talks can be resumed "within several weeks."

Israeli officials, like the Palestinians, have floated the idea of a meeting between Netanyahu and Abbas at the U.N. General Assembly.

Powerful Iraqi Shiite leader dies in Iran

BAGHDAD – Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, the scion of a revered clerical family who channeled rising Shiite Muslim power after the fall of Saddam Hussein to become one of Iraq's most influential politicians, died Wednesday in Iran, the country that was long his key ally. He was 59.

The calm, soft-spoken al-Hakim, who died of lung cancer, was a kingmaker in Iraq's politics, working behind the scenes as the head of the country's biggest Shiite political party.

But for many in Iraq's Shiite majority, he was more than that — a symbol of their community's victory and seizure of power after decades of oppression under Saddam's Sunni-led regime. Al-Hakim's family led a Shiite rebel group against Saddam's rule from their exile in Iran, where he lived for 20 years, building close ties with Iranian leaders.

After Saddam's 2003 fall, al-Hakim hewed close to the Americans even while maintaining his alliance with Tehran, judging that the U.S. military was key to the Shiite rise.

Among Iraq's minority Sunnis, he was deeply distrusted, seen as a tool of Shiite Iran. Al-Hakim's outspoken support for Shiite self-rule in southern Iraq was seen by Sunnis and even some Shiites as an Iran-inspired plan to hand Tehran control of Iraq's Shiite heartland, home to most of its oil wealth.

His death comes at a time of political upheaval among Iraq's majority Shiites. The alliance of Shiite parties that al-Hakim helped forge and that has dominated the government since the first post-Saddam elections in 2005 has broken apart ahead of January parliamentary elections, pitting a coalition led by al-Hakim's party against another led by Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

As al-Hakim largely withdrew from the public arena due to his illness, his son and political heir Ammar has taken the lead in his party, the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council.

Ammar's relative lack of experience has raised some questions over whether he will be able to hold the organization together at a sensitive time in Iraqi politics, but party leaders have insisted they would remain united behind the al-Hakim family.

Ammar announced his father's death in a statement read on his party's al-Forat television station. He said his father, "who spent decades in jihad and struggle, has joined the ranks of the martyrs." The station showed scenes from the elder al-Hakim's life while playing somber music.

Two top aides, Humam Hamoudi and Jalaluddin al-Saghir, told The Associated Press that al-Hakim had been rushed to a hospital in Tehran after his condition deteriorated and died Wednesday. Al-Hakim was diagnosed with lung cancer in May 2007 after tests at the prestigious University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He chose to receive his chemotherapy treatment in Iran.

Deputy parliament speaker, Shiite Khalid al-Attiyah, described his death as a loss for Iraq.

"We offer our condolences to all the Iraqi people for the death of al-Hakim. He is one of the symbols of Iraq ... we hope political leaders will continue his work."

The Kurds, who allied with the Shiite coalition al-Hakim built, said his death was a loss to those who worked to reconcile Iraq's often warring religious and ethnic factions.

"He had a significant role in Iraq's national unity and was working hard to narrow the different opinions among all Iraqis," Fuad Hussein, spokesman for Kurdish Regional President Massoud Barzani told The AP. "We hope that all the Iraqi people and their leaders will follow his example and directions and never abandon his ideology and path."

Al-Hakim was born in 1950 in Najaf to one of Shiite Islam's most prestigious clerical families. His father was Grand Ayatollah Muhsin al-Hakim, among the most influential Shiite scholars of his generation.

The younger al-Hakim studied theology in Najaf and married the daughter of Mohammed Hadi al-Sadr, member of another prominent Iraqi Shiite clan. After the 1970 death of his father, al-Hakim and his brothers became active in political opposition to Saddam's Baath Party.

He was jailed several times until he and most of the family fled to neighboring Iran in 1980 following a crackdown by Saddam on the Shiite opposition. In Iran, his older brother, Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, founded the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the forerunner of the SIIC. Abdul-Aziz headed the group's military wing, the Badr Brigade, which fought alongside Iranian forces during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War.

The al-Hakim brothers returned to Iraq soon after the collapse of Saddam's government. On Aug. 29, 2003, a massive vehicle bomb exploded outside the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf, killing Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim and more than 80 others. Abdul-Aziz stepped into the leadership of the Supreme Council.

The younger al-Hakim lacked his brother's charisma, religious standing or political acumen. But he proved a fast learner and able leader, quickly building the party into Iraq's largest Shiite political organization. He served on the leadership councils formed by the Americans. Then, in the 2005 parliament election, he forged a grand alliance of Shiite parties — backed by Iran's foremost Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, which swept up a majority.

The coalition allied with the Kurds to form a government, though it constantly struggled to keep Sunni allies.

But signs of fraying among Shiites began to show in key Jan. 31 provincial elections, when members of the coalition competed against each other in the Shiite south. The Supreme Council suffered an embarrassing defeat in much of the south, while al-Maliki — head of the rival Dawa party — surged because of his popularity from security gains. The results were also seen as a voter backlash against religious parties as well as the Supreme Council's failure to improve public services in the south, where it had dominated since 2003.

Two days before al-Hakim's death, his SIIC joined with followers of anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to form a new political alliance to contest January parliamentary elections. The new Iraqi National Alliance excluded al-Maliki, making overt the new disunity among Shiites.

Al-Hakim is survived by his wife and three other children besides Ammar.

___

Associated Press Writers Hamza Hendawi, Sinan Salaheddin and Hamid Ahmed contributed to this report.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, 77, dies after cancer battle

HYANNIS PORT, Mass. – Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, the last surviving brother in an enduring political dynasty and one of the most influential senators in history, died Tuesday night at his home on Cape Cod after a yearlong struggle with brain cancer. He was 77.

In nearly 50 years in the Senate, Kennedy, a liberal Democrat, served alongside 10 presidents — his brother John Fitzgerald Kennedy among them — compiling an impressive list of legislative achievements on health care, civil rights, education, immigration and more.

In a brief statement to reporters at his rented vacation home on Martha's Vineyard, Mass., President Barack Obama eulogized Kennedy as one of the "most accomplished Americans" in history — and a man whose work in Congress helped give millions new opportunities.

"Including myself," added the nation's first black president.

Kennedy's only run for the White House ended in defeat in 1980, when President Jimmy Carter turned back his challenge for the party's nomination. More than a quarter-century later, Kennedy handed then-Sen. Barack Obama an endorsement at a critical point in the campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, explicitly likening the young contender to President Kennedy.

To the American public, Kennedy was best known as the last surviving son of America's most glamorous political family, father figure and, memorably, eulogist of an Irish-American clan plagued again and again by tragedy. But his career was forever marred by an accident at Chappaquiddick in 1969, when a car he was driving plunged off a bridge, killing a young woman.

Kennedy's death triggered an outpouring of superlatives from Democrats and Republicans as well as foreign leaders.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, the conservative Republican from Utah who was alternately a political partner and opponent of the unapologetic liberal for three decades, said "Ted Kennedy was an iconic, larger than life United States Senator whose influence cannot be overstated." He listed of nearly a dozen bipartisan bills they worked on jointly, including a federally funded program for victims of HIV/AIDS, health insurance for lower-income children and tax breaks to encourage the development of medicine for rare diseases.

Kennedy's family announced his death in a brief statement released early Wednesday.

"We've lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever," it said. "We thank everyone who gave him care and support over this last year, and everyone who stood with him for so many years in his tireless march for progress toward justice, fairness and opportunity for all."

A few hours later, two vans left the famed Kennedy compound at Hyannis Port in pre-dawn darkness. Both bore hearse license plates — with the word "hearse" blacked out.

Several hundred miles away, flags few at half-staff at the U.S. Capitol, and Obama ordered the same at the White House and all federal buildings.

There was no immediate word on funeral arrangements. Two of Kennedy's brothers, John and Robert, are buried at Arlington National Cemetery across the Potomac River from Washington.

In his later years, Kennedy cut a barrel-chested figure, with a swath of white hair, a booming voice and a thick, widely imitated Boston accent. He coupled fist-pumping floor speeches with his well-honed Irish charm and formidable negotiating skills. He was both a passionate liberal and a clear-eyed pragmatist, willing to reach across the aisle.

He was first elected to the Senate in 1962, taking the seat that his brother John had occupied before winning the White House, and served longer than all but two senators in history.

His own hopes of reaching the White House were damaged — perhaps doomed — in 1969 by the scandal that came to be known as Chappaquiddick. He sought the White House more than a decade later, lost the Democratic nomination to President Jimmy Carter, and bowed out with a stirring valedictory that echoed across the decades: "For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die."

Kennedy was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor in May 2008 and underwent surgery and a grueling regimen of radiation and chemotherapy.

He made a surprise return to the Capitol last summer to cast the decisive vote for the Democrats on Medicare. He made sure he was there again last January to see his former Senate colleague Barack Obama sworn in as the nation's first black president, but suffered a seizure at a celebratory luncheon afterward.

He also made a surprise and forceful appearance at last summer's Democratic National Convention, where he spoke of his own illness and said health care was the cause of his life. His death occurred precisely one year later, almost to the hour.

He was away from the Senate for much of this year, leaving Republicans and Democrats to speculate about the impact what his absence meant for the fate of Obama's health care proposals.

Under state law, Kennedy's successor will be chosen by special election. In his last known public act, the senator urged Massachusetts state legislators to give Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick the power to name an interim replacement. But that appears unlikely, leaving Democrats in Washington with one less vote for at least the next several months as they struggle to pass Obama's health care legislation.

His death came less than two weeks after that of his sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver on Aug. 11. Kennedy was not present for the funeral, an indication of the precariousness of his own health. Of nine children born to Joseph and Rose Kennedy, only one — Jean Kennedy Smith, survives.

In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Kennedy's son Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., said his father had defied the predictions of doctors by surviving more than a year with his fight against brain cancer.

The younger Kennedy said that gave family members a surprise blessing, as they were able to spend more time with the senator and to tell him how much he had meant to their lives.

Kennedy arrived at his place in the Senate after a string of family tragedies. He was the only one of the four Kennedy brothers to die of natural causes.

Kennedy's eldest brother, Joseph, was killed in a plane crash in World War II. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas in 1963. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was gunned down in Los Angeles as he campaigned for the 1968 Democratic presidential nomination.

Years later, in 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr. was killed in a plane crash at age 38. His wife died with him.

It fell to Ted Kennedy to deliver the eulogies, to comfort his brothers' widows, to mentor fatherless nieces and nephews. It was Ted Kennedy who walked JFK's daughter, Caroline, down the aisle at her wedding.

Tragedy had a way of bringing out his eloquence.

Kennedy sketched a dream of a better future as he laid to rest his brother Robert in 1968: "My brother need not be idealized, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life; to be remembered simply as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it."

After John Jr.'s death, the senator said: "We dared to think, in that other Irish phrase, that this John Kennedy would live to comb gray hair, with his beloved Carolyn by his side. But like his father, he had every gift but length of years."

His own legacy was blighted on the night of July 18, 1969, when Kennedy drove his car off a bridge and into a pond on Chappaquiddick Island, on Martha's Vineyard. Mary Jo Kopechne, a 28-year-old worker with RFK's campaign, was found dead in the submerged car's back seat 10 hours later.

Kennedy, then 37, pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and received a two-month suspended sentence and a year's probation. A judge eventually determined there was "probable cause to believe that Kennedy operated his motor vehicle negligently ... and that such operation appears to have contributed to the death of Mary Jo Kopechne."

At the height of the scandal, Kennedy went on national television to explain himself in an extraordinary 13-minute address in which he denied driving drunk and rejected rumors of "immoral conduct" with Ms. Kopechne. He said he was haunted by "irrational" thoughts immediately after the accident, and wondered "whether some awful curse did actually hang over all the Kennedys." He said his failure to report the accident right away was "indefensible."

After Chappaquiddick especially, Kennedy gained a reputation as a heavy drinker and a womanizer, a tragically flawed figure haunted by the fear that he did not quite measure up to his brothers. As his weight ballooned, he was lampooned by comics and cartoonists in the 1980s and '90s as the very embodiment of government waste, bloat and decadence.

In 1991, Kennedy roused his nephew William Kennedy Smith and his son Patrick from bed to go out for drinks while staying at the family's Palm Beach, Fla., estate. Later that night, a woman Smith met at a bar accused him of raping her at the home.

Smith was acquitted, but the senator's carousing — and testimony about him wandering about the house in his shirttails and no pants — further damaged his reputation.

Kennedy offered a mea culpa in a speech at Harvard that October, recognizing "my own shortcomings, the faults in the conduct of my private life."

Politically, his concession speech at the Democratic convention in 1980 turned out to be a defining moment. At 48, he seemed liberated from the towering expectations and high hopes invested in him after the death of his brothers, and he plunged into his work in the Senate. In his later years, after he had divorced and remarried, he came to be regarded as a statesman on Capitol Hill, with a growing reputation as an effective, hard-working lawmaker.

His legislative achievements included bills to provide health insurance for children of the working poor, the landmark 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, Meals on Wheels for the elderly, abortion clinic access, family leave, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

He was also a key negotiator on legislation creating a Medicare prescription drug benefit for senior citizens, was a driving force for peace in Ireland and a persistent critic of the war in Iraq.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada issued a statement that said: "Ted Kennedy's dream was the one for which the Founding Fathers fought and for which his brothers sought to realize. The liberal lion's mighty roar may now fall silent, but his dream shall never die."

Former first Lady Nancy Reagan said that her husband and Kennedy "could always find common ground, and they had great respect for one another."

"Even facing illness and death he never stopped fighting for the causes which were his life's work. I am proud to have counted him as a friend and proud that the United Kingdom recognized his service earlier this year with the award of an honorary knighthood." — British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Whatever his national standing, Kennedy was unbeatable in Massachusetts. He won his first election in 1962, filling out the unexpired portion of his brother's term. He won an eighth term in 2006. Kennedy served close to 47 years, longer than all but two senators in history: Robert Byrd of West Virginia (50 years and counting) and the late Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, who died after a tenure of nearly 47 1/2 years.

Born in 1932, the youngest of Joseph and Rose Kennedy's nine children, Edward Moore Kennedy was part of a family bristling with political ambition, beginning with maternal grandfather John F. "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald, a congressman and mayor of Boston.

Round-cheeked Teddy was thrown out of Harvard in 1951 for cheating, after arranging for a classmate to take a freshman Spanish exam for him. He eventually returned, earning his degree in 1956.

He went on to the University of Virginia Law School, and in 1962, while his brother John was president, announced plans to run for the Senate seat JFK had vacated in 1960. A family friend had held the seat in the interim because Kennedy was not yet 30, the minimum age for a senator.

Kennedy was immediately involved in a bruising primary campaign against state Attorney General Edward J. McCormack, a nephew of U.S. House Speaker John W. McCormack.

"If your name was simply Edward Moore, your candidacy would be a joke," chided McCormack.

Kennedy won the primary by 300,000 votes and went on to overwhelmingly defeat Republican George Cabot Lodge, son of the late Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge, in the general election.

Devastated by his brothers' assassinations and injured in a 1964 plane crash that left him with back pain that would plague him for decades, Kennedy temporarily withdrew from public life in 1968. But he re-emerged in 1969 to be elected majority whip of the Senate.

Then came Chappaquiddick.

Kennedy still handily won re-election in 1970, but he lost his leadership job. He remained outspoken in his opposition to the Vietnam War and support of social programs but ruled out a 1976 presidential bid.

In the summer of 1978, a Gallup Poll showed that Democrats preferred Kennedy over President Carter 54 percent to 32 percent. A year later, Kennedy decided to run for the White House with a campaign that accused Carter of turning his back on the Democratic agenda.

The difficult task of dislodging a sitting president was compounded by Kennedy's fumbling answer to a question posed by CBS' Roger Mudd: Why do you want to be president?

"Well, it's um, you know you have to come to grips with the different issues that, ah, we're facing," Kennedy said. "I mean, we can, we have to deal with each of the various questions of the economy, whether it's in the area of energy ..."

Long afterward, he said, "Well, I learned to lose, and for a Kennedy that's hard." Kennedy married Virginia Joan Bennett, known as Joan, in 1958. They divorced in 1982. In 1992, he married Washington lawyer Victoria Reggie. His survivors include a daughter, Kara Kennedy Allen; two sons, Edward Jr. and Patrick, a congressman from Rhode Island; and two stepchildren, Caroline and Curran Raclin.

Edward Jr. lost a leg to bone cancer in 1973 at age 12. Kara had a cancerous tumor removed from her lung in 2003. In 1988, Patrick had a noncancerous tumor pressing on his spine removed. He has also struggled with depression and addiction and announced in June that he was re-entering rehab.

Kennedy's memoir, "True Compass," is set to be published in the fall.

___

On the Net:

Kennedy's office: http://kennedy.senate.gov

Miss Universe 2009

Miss Venezuela Stefania Fernandez, winner of the Miss Universe 2009 annual pagean

Scotland defends Lockerbie bomber release

LONDON (AFP) – Scotland's first minister on Sunday defended his government's decision to free the Lockerbie bomber after a blistering attack from the FBI chief and insisted that US-Scottish ties would remain strong.

Robert Mueller, the director of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, said in a strongly worded letter to the Scottish justice minister that releasing Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet al-Megrahi "gave comfort to terrorists around the world."

Mueller said the decision to free Megrahi, who has terminal cancer, on compassionate grounds made a "mockery of justice."

But Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond said he "clearly disagreed" with the FBI director.

"It is difficult for people sometimes in the United States to recognise that it is a different legal system, but it is a different legal system, it is a Scottish legal system and therefore we have to follow the tenets of Scottish justice," Salmond told Sky News.

He also dismissed a website calling for a boycott of his nation and its products over the Megrahi case.

"Many, many things appear in the blogosphere, but what we're talking about is the real world and in the real world the relationship between Scotland and the United States is strong and enduring," he said.

A government spokesman said the decision to release Megrahi had been reached on the basis of Scotland's "due process, clear evidence, and the recommendations from the parole board and prison governor."

"Compassionate release is not part of the US justice system but it is part of Scotland's," the spokesman said.

The Lockerbie case strikes a personal chord for Mueller, a former prosecutor who played a major role in investigating the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over the Scottish town. The majority of the 270 victims were American.

Criticism of the decision also came from Scotland's former first minister Jack McConnell, who said it was a "grave error of judgement."

"The way in which the decision has been made and the decision itself have damaged the reputation of the Scottish justice system," McConnell told the BBC.

"It's damaged that reputation, but much more significantly it's also damaged the reputation of Scotland internationally."

McConnell is a member of the Labour party, whose administration preceded the current one formed by the pro-independence Scottish National Party.

The semi-autonomous Scottish government, based in Edinburgh, can take decisions independently of London on justice matters but not foreign affairs.

In its reply to Mueller's criticism, the Scottish government said that before taking the decision, Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill "could not have consulted more widely -- he spoke with the US families, the US attorney general, Secretary of State (Hillary) Clinton and many others."

The son of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, Seif al-Islam, claimed following the release that the issue of Megrahi "was always on the negotiating table" in talks with Britain over Libya's huge reserves of oil and gas.

But Seif al-Islam's Kadhafi Foundation, which financed Megrahi's legal defence, played down the comments.

Its director Yussef Sawan said on Saturday the decision to free Megrahi was taken "solely on humanitarian grounds."

"We do not think there is any way of concluding that the decision by the Scottish authorities was taken for any other reason than a humanitarian one," he told AFP.

Britain's Business Secretary Peter Mandelson -- Prime Minister Gordon Brown's de facto deputy -- said suggestions that a deal had been struck on Megrahi were "offensive."

The British government is under pressure to explain its role in Megrahi's release, but it says the decision was a matter solely for Scotland.

The United States and Britain have condemned the joyous scenes when Megrahi returned to Tripoli on Thursday. Megrahi has also been shown on Libyan TV meeting and embracing Kadhafi.

Outbursts disrupt Baghdad bank robbery trial

BAGHDAD – Five members of Iraq's security forces charged in a deadly bank robbery went on trial Sunday, as relatives of those killed in the heist beat and spat on the defendants. One relative was dragged away from the courtroom, screaming obscenities.

The case of the robbery has threatened to become a political maelstrom in Baghdad, after at least one of the suspects was linked to a senior official in a major Shiite party.

Gunmen broke into the state-run Rafidain Bank at about 4 a.m. on July 28, killing three on-duty guards and five others on the premises who were either on a break or asleep, according to police investigators. The bank's chief testified Sunday that 5.6 billion Iraqi dinars — or about $4.8 million — was stolen.

Most of the money was later recovered in the office of a newspaper owned by Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi, a senior member of Iraq's largest Shiite party, investigators said.

Abdul-Mahdi has denied any involvement but said one of those charged in the robbery worked as part of his security detail. He has said any suggestion of wrongdoing on his part was a politically motivated attempt to tarnish his chances in the upcoming national elections.

All five defendants were identified Sunday as members of Iraq's security forces — four police officers and one soldier. The men, who were dressed in brown jumpsuits, denied any involvement in the robbery.

It was not immediately clear whether the soldier in custody was a member of Abdul-Mahdi's detail, or whether it was one of the three suspects who police have said remain at large.

As Sunday's hearing opened, two of the defendants yelled at the judge: "We have nothing to do with the robbery."

The judge ordered them to "be silent" and minutes later, a relative of a slain bank guard attacked one of the defendants, beating him and cursing, while another man was forced from the courtroom after screaming obscenities at the men on trial.

A woman, who later identified herself as the mother of one of the slain guards, spat on the defendants as they left the court. She fainted outside the courtroom and was carried away by police.

Relatives were also angry at the chief judge for adjourning the trial at Baghdad's criminal court until Thursday to give the three-judge panel more time to investigate.

The chief judge ordered the five suspects held without bail. The judges were not identified, according to the rules of the court. Judges in Iraq are often targeted for assassination.

Maan Hussein, the head of the bank, told the judges Sunday that about 5.6 billion Iraqi dinars was stolen. Initially, police had said the gunmen made off with 8 billion Iraqi dinars ($6.9 million). Hussein said 263 million dinars (about $223,000) has still not been recovered.

Abbas Hussein, whose brother was killed during the robbery, said outside the courtroom that he wanted swift justice.

"Today's trial should not make us forget the others who are still at large," he said.

Armed robberies targeting banks and jewelry stores have been on the rise, even as Iraqi security forces continue to fight a waning insurgency that remains capable of pulling off attacks.

An American soldier died of injuries sustained during an attack Sunday on a U.S. patrol in Baghdad, the U.S. military said in a statement. It did not identify the Multi-National Division-Baghdad soldier pending notification of next of kin.

The U.S. military did not release any details about the attack, though an Iraqi army official said a roadside bomb struck the patrol just north of Baghdad. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.

The death raises to at least 4,335 members of the U.S. military who have died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

In northern Iraq, gunmen on Sunday attacked a police checkpoint in Mosul, killing one police officer, a police official said. In Baghdad, the Iraqi army rounded up dozens for questioning over Saturday's attack on a police checkpoint in the Azamiyah district that left two officers dead, said another official.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity for the same reason as the army official.

The recent violence, including Wednesday's attacks that targeted government buildings in Baghdad, has cast a long shadow for some over Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.

Ahlam Hussein, 42, who lives in eastern Baghdad, said the attacks tarnished the celebration for her family.

"The tragic situation we live in takes us away from the spiritual and moral significance of Ramadan, especially since this year it came after a bloodbath," she said.

But Hussar Sale, 35, who lives in Baghdad's primarily Sunni neighborhood of Azamiyah, said the fear of more bombings was not keeping him from his Ramadan traditions. "It is an issue every person faces as we challenge terrorism," he said.

Meanwhile, one of Iraq's most powerful Shiite leaders has been hospitalized in Iran after suffering a setback while being treated for lung cancer.

Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim was admitted to the hospital on Saturday after his health deteriorated, according to a statement by his party, the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council.

Al-Hakim has wielded enormous influence since the 2003 U.S. invasion as head of the biggest Shiite party, maintaining close ties to both the Americans and his Iranian backers.

___

Associated Press Writer Bushra Juhi and Chelsea J. Carter contributed to this report.

Mullen: Afghan fight 'serious and deteriorating'

WASHINGTON – The top U.S. military officer described the situation in Afghanistan as "serious and deteriorating," but refused to say Sunday whether defeating a resilient enemy would require more than the 68,000 American troops already committed.

Adm. Mike Mullen also expressed concern about eroding public support as the U.S. and NATO enter their ninth year of combat and reconstruction operations.

The comments from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff underscore the challenges that the U.S. and its allies face against a resurgent Taliban and al-Qaida fighters who use safe havens in neighboring Pakistan to hide and launch attacks.

In broadcast interviews, Mullen and U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry said that last week's presidential election in Afghanistan was historic, given the threats of intimidation voters faced as they headed to polling stations. It could be several weeks before it's known whether incumbent Hamid Karzai or one of his challengers won.

"We're not sure exactly what the level of voter turnout was," said Eikenberry, a retired three-star Army general. "Taliban intimidation, especially in southern Afghanistan, certainly limited those numbers."

President Barack Obama's strategy for defeating the Taliban and al-Qaida is a work in progress as more U.S. troops are put in place, Mullen said.

The situation in Afghanistan needs to be reversed in the next 12 month to 18 months, he said. But Mullen wouldn't say whether more American forces troops would be needed.

A large number of civilian experts is also required to help bring stability to Afghanistan's government and develop the economy, he said.

"I think it is serious and it is deteriorating, and I've said that over the last couple of years, that the Taliban insurgency has gotten better, more sophisticated," Mullen said.

Three years ago, the U.S. had about 20,000 forces in the country. Today, it has triple that, on the way to 68,000 by year's end when all the extra 17,000 troops that Obama announced in March are to be in place. An additional 4,000 troops are arriving to help train Afghan forces.

"I recognize that we've been there over eight years," he said. "But this is the first time we've really resourced a strategy on both the civilian and military sides. So in certain ways, we're starting anew."

"We're just getting the pieces in place from the president's new strategy on the ground now," he said. "I don't see this a mission of endless drift. I think we know what to do."

The Obama administration is awaiting an assessment about the situation from the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal. That report is expected in about two weeks and will lead to decisions about whether more troops are necessary.

"His guidance from me and from the secretary of defense was to go out, assess where you are, and then tell us what you need," Mullen said. "And we'll get to that point. And I want to, I guess, assure you or reassure you that he hasn't asked for any additional troops up until this point in time."

Just over 50 percent of respondents to a Washington Post-ABC News poll released this past week said the war in Afghanistan is not worth fighting.

Mullen, a Vietnam veteran, said he's aware that public support for the war is critical. "Certainly the numbers are of concern," he said. But, he added, "this is the war we're in."

Arizona Sen. John McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he wants the military leadership in Afghanistan to use the same aggressive approach that Gen. David Petraeus used successfully in Iraq.

McChrystal should say exactly how many troops he needs in Afghanistan, let the Congress debate it and Obama would make the ultimate decision, McCain said.

Troops in Afghanistan should "clear and hold" an environment for people so that economic and political progress can be made, he said. McCain said he worries McChrystal will be pressured to ask for lower troop totals than he needs.

"I don't think it's necessarily from the president," he said. "I think it's from the people around him and others and that I think don't want to see a significant increase in our troops' presence there."

On the question of what it will take to turn the tide in Afghanistan, McCain echoed Mullen's projection: "I think within a year to 18 months you could start to see progress."

McCain acknowledged that public opinion on Afghanistan is slipping. But he said that opinion could be reversed.

"I think you need to see a reversal of these very alarming and disturbing trends on attacks, casualties, areas of the country that the Taliban has increased control of."

Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Obama's leadership on Afghanistan to bolstering public support.

"He really can't just leave this to the Congress, to General McChrystal, and say, folks, sort of, discuss this, after the report comes in," Lugar said.

Mullen and Eikenberry appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press" and CNN's "State of the Union." Lugar was on CNN. McCain's interview Friday with ABC's "This Week" was aired Sunday.

___

On the Net:

Defense Department: http://www.defenselink.mil/