President Barack Obama and visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel both say they believe it is inevitable that Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi will step down. The two leaders also discussed the uprisings in the Middle East and the state of the world economy.
President Obama and Chancellor Merkel discussed numerous issues during the German leader's White House visit, including the sometimes contentious topic of Libya.
But both leaders agreed that Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's departure is inevitable. "You are seeing defections, oftentimes of some very high-profile members of the Gadhafi government, as well as the military, and I think it is just a matter of time before Gadhafi goes," Mr. Obama said.
The president and the chancellor downplayed recent disagreements about the NATO mission in Libya. Germany abstained from the United Nations vote that authorized a no-fly zone over Libya and kept its troops out of the NATO-led mission to enforce it.
Chancellor Merkel said Germany is committed to the Libyan cause. She said her country is "of one heart" with its NATO allies in supporting the operation. But she acknowledged there will still sometimes be differences of opinion.
Mr. Obama praised the contributions Germany has made to the NATO mission, and to the fight in Afghanistan.
"Germany has stepped up and taken additional responsibilities in Afghanistan that have freed up resources for us to be able to conduct our operations in Libya," he said.
The president and Ms. Merkel both said much more work will be required after Mr. Gadhafi leaves, and they are both prepared to take it on.
The two leaders said they will consult further on Europe's debt crises, especially in Greece. The president said recovery from what he called the "body blow" of the global recession will take time, and will require patience, not panic.
The German leader's visit is part of the administration's recent efforts to assure Europeans of their enduring importance of U.S. allies.
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A long series of explosions has rocked Libya's capital in what could be one of NATO's most intense daytime bombing missions over Tripoli.
Witnesses said they have seen smoke in the area of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's sprawling compound in the city.
As NATO continues its air campaign, world powers are increasing pressure on Gadhafi's government.
On Tuesday, the European Union announced plans to add six Libyan ports that are under the government's control to its sanctions list.
Meanwhile, Russian envoy Mikhail Margelov met Tuesday with members of the opposition Transitional National Council in the rebel stronghold, Benghazi. He said Moscow is interested in Libya being a sovereign and democratic country that is a "worthy member of the international community."
Also, China's Foreign Ministry said one of its diplomats based in Egypt recently held talks with the Libyan rebel council. The ministry also said Tuesday that Libya's foreign minister is on a three-day visit to Beijing.
China and Russia both abstained when the U.N. Security Council voted in March to establish a no-fly zone over Libya, and have called for a negotiated solution to the conflict.
In Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said he would use a defense ministers' meeting Wednesday to repeat calls for the alliance to step up involvement in the Libya operation.
On Monday, Libyan rebels said they had taken control of the western mountain town of Yafran from forces loyal to Gadhafi after NATO airstrikes last week destroyed key government military targets, enabling opposition forces to advance.
Ethnic Berber fighters, who have joined the rebellion, retook Yafran, about 100 kilometers southwest of Tripoli. Pro-Gadhafi forces had attacked the western mountain region after local Berbers rose up against government troops at the beginning of the uprising.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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The UN refugee agency reports tens of thousands of people on both sides of the battle lines in Libya are facing critical shortages of essential goods. The UNHCR participated in two inter-agency missions last week to government and opposition controlled areas to assess the prevailing situation.
The inter-agency mission went to see both sides of the conflict. U.N. agencies first visited conflict zones south and east of the Libyan capital Tripoli. This included displacement sites in government controlled areas near the Misrata frontline and the Nafusa Mountain.
U.N. refugee spokesman, Adrian Edwards, says the U.N. team found significant displacement, widespread violence and he says they are in urgent need of help.
He says displaced people are in difficult circumstances, but seem to be coping. He says most are housed in hotels, dormitories and seaside homes. He says they are receiving assistance from the government and private charities.
"However, we are concerned about the possibility of an aid crisis looming," he said. "Despite the fact that warehouses are currently well stocked with basic items, it is apparent that the combined impact of protracted conflict and sanctions are eroding the government's ability to effectively deliver assistance. The view of the inter-agency mission was that if this situation continues, international aid is likely to be needed within weeks."
On the other side of the battle lines, in opposition-controlled Misrata, the inter-agency mission met members of the Misrata Transitional Council. Edwards says the UNHCR was told most of the 25,000 displaced people in the city are staying with relatives and friends, while others are staying in schools and unoccupied new buildings.
He says this is placing a heavy burden upon people who have not received salaries since January. He calls the situation unsustainable.
"We spoke to several people who reported kidnappings in Misrata and its surroundings," said Edwards. "Local relief agencies and human rights groups in the city estimate that at least 1,000 people, mainly men, have been kidnapped or have disappeared since the conflict started in February."
"A woman told us that her three brothers-in-law were abducted. Two, who were later freed and said they had been taken to a government camp in Zlitan where they had to pledge allegiance before being trained and forced to fight on the government side," he added.
UNHCR spokesman Edwards says life is slowly picking up in Misrata. Young people are cleaning up the streets and shops are re-opening. But, the Misrata Transitional Council says the city is facing food and medicine shortages.
The UNHCR reports since the beginning of the war, 630 people have been registered dead in five hospitals, while 6,000 people have been injured, many by unexploded ordinance.
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U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says U.S.-led NATO forces in Afghanistan are on track to deliver a "decisive blow" against the Taliban.
Gates spoke Tuesday in Kabul as he wrapped up a four-day trip to visit American troops in southern and eastern Afghanistan. The trip is his last to the country before he steps down as Pentagon chief on June 30.
Gates said he believes that if coalition forces continue their momentum, they can "turn the corner" on the conflict in Afghanistan. He also thanked the troops for their service.
His comments come as U.S. President Barack Obama prepares to decide on the scope and pace of the drawdown of U.S. troops from Afghanistan set to begin in July.
The president is scheduled to hold a video conference with his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai on Wednesday.
Obama met with his national security team Monday to discuss situation in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan. The meeting was the first since U.S. special forces killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden on May 2 in northern Pakistan.
Gates used a video link to be among the 26 participants in the meeting.
After the meeting, White House spokesman Jay Carney said the president will make a decision on the drawdown of U.S. forces from Afghanistan relatively soon, after receiving a recommendation from military advisers. Carney said once that decision is made, Obama will report it to the American people.
Obama sent 30,000 extra troops to Afghanistan in December 2009 and vowed to begin a pullout by mid-2011. There are about 90,000 American troops in Afghanistan, forming the bulk of the International Security Assistance Force.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.
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French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe says Paris will move ahead with efforts to organize a Mideast peace conference in coming weeks despite reservations expressed by the U.S. and Israel.
Juppe told reporters at the United Nations headquarters in New York Tuesday that France is still working on the initiative, saying he expects "positive developments" on the proposal in the next few weeks.
The top French envoy said Israel will give its response soon and that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has already "responded positively."
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a cool response to the French plan Monday, saying any new gathering must be linked to a willingness by the parties to resume talks.
Juppe says the conference could be critical to forestalling a crisis at the U.N. Mr. Abbas has said he intends to seek recognition of Palestinian statehood at the U.N. General Assembly meeting in September, a move that both Israel and the U.S. say will only inflame tensions.
In a separate development, suspected Israeli settlers set fire to a tire inside a mosque in the West Bank and spray painted a message on the building's walls referring to a nearby settler outpost.
Tuesday's attack took place in the village of al-Mughayyir. Officials say some prayer rugs inside the mosque were damaged.
Vandals painted the words "price tag" and "Aley Ayin" on the walls. Aley Ayin is a small, unauthorized settler outpost that was evacuated by Israeli authorities last week.
The attack drew strong condemnation from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who called it a "heinous act of provocation." The United States also condemned the attack. White House spokesman Tommy Vietor called for the perpetrators to be held accountable.
Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians stalled last September, partly due to Palestinian objections to Israeli settlement construction on land they want as part of a future state.
Israeli government officials announced plans last month to build about 1,600 new housing units in East Jerusalem. The units will be on land that Israel annexed after the 1967 war.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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Officials say suspected Israeli settlers have set fire to a tire inside a mosque in the West Bank, and spray painted a message on the building's walls referring to a nearby settler outpost.
The fire was discovered Tuesday in the village of al-Mughayyir. Officials say the damage was limited to some prayer rugs inside.
Authorities said the vandals painted the words "price tag" and "Aley Ayin" on the walls. Aley Ayin is a small unauthorized settler outpost that was demolished by Israeli authorities last week.
Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians stalled last September, partly due to Palestinian objections to Israeli settlement construction on land they want as part of a future state.
Israeli government officials announced plans last month to build about 1,600 new housing units in East Jerusalem. The units will be on land that Israel annexed after the 1967 war.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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A team of European officials is traveling in North Korea to assess the need for food aid to the impoverished but nuclear-armed country.
The five-member team flew to North Korea from Beijing on Monday and is expected to remain until June 17, visiting both the countryside and the capital, Pyongyang.
The five are members of the European Union's humanitarian aid agency. The head of the team, Marco Capurro, told Japan's Kyodo news agency the group expects to discuss its findings with international agencies and with members of a U.S. team that just completed a similar mission.
The head of the U.S. team, human rights envoy Robert King, said his group still has not decided whether food aid is warranted. He said that even if there is a need, North Korea must find a way to assure donors that it will go to those most in need.
North Korea has suffered chronic food shortages since a severe famine in the 1990s, which was blamed in part on government policies. Regular rice shipments from South Korea have been cut off amid severe military tensions between the countries.
United Nations food agency teams recently reported that more than one quarter of North Korea's population is in urgent need of food aid.
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India remains non-committal on supporting French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde for the top job at the International Monetary Fund. Lagarde visited the Indian capital during a campaign to counter opposition from emerging nations to the seven-decade convention of having a European IMF leader.
After meeting French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde in New Delhi, Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee extended no assurances about India's support for her candidacy.
Mukherjee reiterated that India wants the job to go to the best candidate.
"We want selection of the managing director of IMF or that of the World Bank should be on the basis of merit, competence in a transparent manner, not according to any particular nationality," said Mukherjee.
Lagarde's visit to India is part of a tour to gather support for her bid for the job, which fell vacant after IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn was arrested on sexual assault charges. She is focusing on emerging nations, which have criticized the tradition of a European IMF head as obsolete. Lagarde came to New Delhi from Brazil, and next travels to China.
After meeting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the finance minister and finance officials, Lagarde said she agreed with Indian officials the selection process should be open, transparent and merit-based.
"We also agreed on the fact that nationality, region of origin, should not either prejudice or privilege a particular candidate," she said.
Lagarde said Indian officials had "positive views" on her credentials. She said many countries will decide whom to back only after the last date for applying for the job closes on June 10.
Indian officials did not say whether emerging countries will name their own candidate for the IMF job. Finance Minister Mukherjee said "there is a divergence of views in respect of different candidates," indicating there is no consensus.
Developing economies have been lobbying for a greater role in the governance of financial institutions, pointing to their growing role in the global economy.
Lagarde promised to support more representation for countries like India, China and Brazil, saying emerging nations need more focus at the IMF.
"I think that process is an ongoing process," she said. "There has to be a constant review of the relationship between the size of the economy, its contribution to world GDP, and its population has to be clearly taken into account, and its voice and quota at the IMF."
Another candidate for the job, Mexico Central Bank Governor Agustin Carstens, also is expected to visit India this week.
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On Wednesday, Google, Facebook, Yahoo! and other major Internet companies will participate in what is being called IPv6 or Internet Protocol Version 6 Test Day. The 24-hour trial run is being held to test a new communication system for the Internet, which computer experts say is needed as more and more devices go online and the Web is quickly running out of addresses.
It's likely that you may not even notice it, but on Wednesday, across the globe, the Internet will be taking a test flight to try out a new system that will eventually lead to a dramatic increase in the number of addresses on the World Wide Web.
"We now have a tremendous number of users on the internet. And the Internet protocol or think of it as the Internet telephone number that exists for everybody on the Internet is kind of running out," said David Gewirtz, an Internet expert at the U.S. Strategic Perspectives Institute.
"When this stuff came into play 30 some odd years ago, people never expected that everybody on a cell phone would have an Internet address, everybody with a video game console would have an Internet address and so and so forth. And so now as the Internet becomes the wiring that connects everybody in the world, there's not enough Internet phone numbers or IP addresses for all of those devices."
The Internet Society, a non-profit organization based in Reston, Virginia that focuses on Internet standards, policy and education is promoting the trial run.
Leslie Daigle, is the group's chief Internet Technology Officer. "Once it escaped the research lab (IPv4) and started becoming an important component of everyday life. It was pretty clear that IPv4, which only has four billion addresses, would not be enough to serve the needs of the world. I mean, do the math. There are fewer IPv4 addresses than there are people on the face of the earth."
In a blog posting this week, Google called the test run an important milestone, adding that the deployment of IPv6 is crucial to the continued growth of the Internet.
Organizers hope Wednesday's event will boost awareness and promote what has so far been a slow shift to the new system.
Daigle says it would be valuable if the new system accounted for 20 percent of the Internet's traffic by next year.
"In terms of actual numbers, we still see almost vanishingly small amount of IPv6 traffic on the Internet. It's on the order of one and a half to three percent of the traffic that comes over IPv6 depending on whose measurements you use," Daigle said.
Daigle says more than 400 organizations from across the globe are participating in the IPv6 Test Day. Internet service providers and government's including the European Commission and U.S. government websites will join in the test.
China has been aggressively positioning itself to make the transition to IPv6. During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, China showcased the IPv6 infrastructure.
China has set up a website to mark IPv6 Test Day, which includes a list of more than 100 sites that it says are running on the next generation system.
Gewirtz says China's aggressive approach highlights its desire to promote technological development and the reality that it has a huge population.
"They have 1.2 billion people, which is pretty much the number of IPv4 addresses total. So for China to be fully on the Internet, in it's full glory moving into the 21st century it needs more phone numbers or essentially more Internet addresses," Gewirtz said.
According to statistics in China, the country already has more than 450 million Internet users and 66 percent of Chinese access the Internet using cell phones.
During Wednesday's test, Google says most users will be unaffected, but that it will place a prominent a notice on Google Search's main page for those who may not be able to connect and direct them to a test page to see if the connection is working.
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China is taking a more active diplomatic role in Libya, where it is pushing for a political resolution to that country's crisis. Officials Tuesday said the Libyan foreign minister is in Beijing, days after Chinese officials disclosed they have held talks with Libyan rebel forces.
In public, China has not taken sides in the Libyan conflict since it erupted in mid-February. But while Beijing is still officially holding to its neutral position, officials are taking a more active role in what happens in Libya's future.
On Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Libyan Foreign Minister Abdul-Ati al-Obeidi is visiting China for the next three days.
Hong says the Libyan official will meet Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi to discuss the current situation in Libya and a political resolution to the crisis there.
Hong referred to Obeidi as a special envoy of the Libyan government, which is headed by embattled leader Moammar Gadhafi.
At the same briefing, Hong confirmed that Chinese officials based in Egypt recently went to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi to meet with forces who are fighting Gadhafi.
He says Chinese diplomats went to Benghazi to learn about the humanitarian situation and to look into the status of Chinese enterprises there. He added that Chinese officials, in his words, also "made contact" with the National Transitional Council rebel force.
When asked if China is planning to offer humanitarian aid to the Libyan rebels, the spokesman declined to give a definitive answer. He said he would have an answer after he learned the relevant information.
On Friday, the Chinese government announced its first meeting with the Libyan rebels - between the Chinese ambassador in Qatar and the head of the transitional council. China's decision to engage the rebels has been seen as a diplomatic setback for Gadhafi.
Hong also did not directly answer a question about whether China is trying to act as a mediator between the Libyan government and the rebels. Instead, he said only that China is working with the international community to seek a political resolution to the Libyan crisis.
When the United Nations Security Council voted to authorize NATO-led air strikes to stop Gadhafi's forces from threatening civilians, earlier this year, China and Russia abstained instead of using their veto power. After the air strikes began, China strongly condemned the violence and repeatedly called for a cease-fire.
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Welcoming German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the White House, President Barack Obama has hailed the strength of the U.S.-German partnership.
On a sunny, hot morning the South Lawn was filled with military honor guards and a fife and drum corps, as the two leaders stood during a 19-gun salute for German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
President Barack Obama called Germany one of America's strongest allies, and Ms. Merkel - who grew up in what was communist East Germany - one of his closest global partners.
"At a time when some have asked whether the rise of new global powers means the decline of others, this visit reaffirms an enduring truth," said Obama. "Our alliances with nations like Germany are more important than ever. Indeed, they are indispensable to global security and prosperity."
Obama, the first African-American U.S. president, said he and Merkel, the first woman to be chancellor of Germany, are also symbols of change.
"Madame Chancellor, the arc of our lives speaks to this spirit," added Obama. "It is obvious that neither of us looks exactly like the leaders who preceded us. But the fact that we can stand here today as President of the United States and as Chancellor of a united Germany is a testament to the progress, the freedom, that is possible in our world."
Obama said that as two of the largest and most dynamic economies, Germany and the United States can show that prosperity is "best achieved by investing in their greatest resource, their people, and ability to compete and innovate in the 21st century."
Both leaders pointed to cooperation in Afghanistan, where Germany has about 7,000 troops, the third-largest contingent after the U.S. and Britain.
Chancellor Merkel, in translated remarks, reiterated determination to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, and spoke about popular uprisings in North Africa.
"Germany and the United States are partners, sharing responsibility for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan," said Merkel. "We are pulling in the same direction, trying to keep Iran from following its course of developing a nuclear forces capability. In North Africa, we support the struggle for freedom. And in the Middle East, we support efforts to fill the peace process with new life."
In a joint news conference, both leaders were asked about bilateral differences on the NATO-led military operation in Libya.
Each predicted that Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi must and will step down. Obama discussed the role he expects Germany to play as events move forward.
"There is going to be a lot of work to do when Gadhafi does step down, in terms of getting the Libyan people back on their feet, economic, political work that is going to have to be done, and my expectation is going to be that there will be full and robust German support, as there has been in the past, on a wide range of issues," said Obama.
Asked whether Germany felt NATO was mistaken in becoming militarily involved in Libya, Chancellor Merkel said Germany's position should be seen in its support for the international "stance" there, and remains committed to the objectives of the mission.
"It is our joint will that this NATO mission is successful," added Merkel. "This is important for the people in Libya, but it is also important for NATO for the alliance at large and here we have one heart of an ally that beats with the heart of the other allies."
President Obama said U.S. economic growth depends on a "sensible" solution to Europe's financial problems. He said Greece will require a combination of private investment, structural reforms and greater transparency, with help from Eurozone countries.
"We think it would be disastrous for us to see an uncontrolled spiral and default in Europe because that could trigger a whole range of other events, and I think Angela shares that view," said Obama.
Whether the warm reception for Chancellor Merkel, including the presentation of the Medal of Freedom to her by President Obama, helps smooth some of the tensions in the U.S-German relationship, over global economic and other issues, remains to be seen.
Chancellor Merkel said that despite what she called some differences of opinion, the partnership rests on "a very broad basis." She invited President Obama to visit Berlin and the president said he looks forward to that, provided he wins another term as president.
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European Union Farm Commissioner Dacian Ciolos has recommended a $220-million aid package to help farmers recoup some of their losses from unsold vegetables during the E. coli crisis.
EU agriculture ministers are meeting in Luxembourg Tuesday to talk about the crisis and its economic impact. Since the crisis began, European farmers are unable to sell their vegetables due to growing consumer fears. Russia has banned all vegetables from the EU.
The EU health commissioner cautioned against releasing premature or inaccurate conclusions on the source of the outbreak, which has killed 22 people and sickened more than 2,400.
The cause of the E. coli outbreak in Germany remains a mystery after officials Monday ruled out organic sprouts as the culprit.
Officials had said on Sunday that sprouts from a farm in Lower Saxony state were the source of the bacteria. But they backtracked Monday after the state's agriculture ministry said most of the samples taken from the farm had tested negative.
Officials have also ruled out lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers from Spain.
The E. coli outbreak is the deadliest in modern history. Nearly all the victims are German. Eleven other European nations and the United States also report E. coli cases and say most of the victims had visited northern Germany.
E. coli symptoms can include stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever, vomiting and other complications leading to death.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
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The United Nations refugee agency says the number of people who have fled Sudan's disputed Abyei region has reached 100,000.
A spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Fatounata Lejeune-Kaba, said most of them are seeking refuge in Warrap state, south of Abyei.
U.N. officials believe many displaced persons are still hiding in the bush and desperately need food, water and other basic aid.
Many of the refugees began fleeing the north-south border region last month, after northern troops seized control of Abyei.
The south is preparing to declare independence from the north on July 9, and the two sides have not agreed on the future of the oil-rich region.
Khartoum has rejected calls by the U.N. Security Council to withdraw its forces.
Officials fear the renewed tensions could plunge Sudan into a new civil war. North and south Sudan fought for 21 years before the conflict ended with a 2005 peace agreement.
On Monday, the U.N. Mission in Sudan called on the north's armed forces to bring the looting in Abyei to a halt, release civilians in its custody, and allow unrestricted and safe access to people in need of humanitarian aid.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
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