Leahy wants to probe 'chain of command' on torture

An independent commission is needed to determine who authorized the use of abusive interrogation techniques against suspected terrorists, a leading advocate of such a panel said Sunday.

"I want to know who was it who made the decisions that we will violate our own laws; we'll violate our own treaties; we will even violate our own Constitution," Sen. Patrick Leahy told CBS' "Face the Nation."

"That we don't know," said Leahy, D-Vermont, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "We don't know what that chain of command was."

Former President George Bush repeatedly denied that his administration authorized the torture of prisoners in U.S. custody. But a set of legal opinions released earlier in this month documented the Bush administration's justification for coercive interrogation techniques including waterboarding, which has been considered torture since the Spanish Inquisition.

A Senate Armed Services Committee report released last week showed that top Bush administration officials gave the CIA approval to use waterboarding as early as 2002. And in 2003, a meeting that included then-Vice President Dick Cheney, CIA Director George Tenet, Attorney General John Ashcroft and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice reaffirmed the use of coercive tactics, according to the Senate Intelligence Committee.

The releases have fueled calls for investigations of former administration and led to arguments from Bush's defenders -- including Cheney -- that the tactics produced information that saved American lives.

Leahy first proposed the idea of a nonpartisan "commission of inquiry" in March. He said Sunday that he was not "out for some kind of vengeance," but added, "I'd like to read the page before we turn it."

"I want to know why they did that; what kind of pressures brought them to write things that are so off the wall; and to make sure it never happens again. That's why I want it."

Former Republican presidential nominee John McCain said any talk of prosecution was about "settling old political scores." McCain, who was tortured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, fought for limits on U.S. interrogation practices during the Bush administration, but the Arizona senator said the United States needs "to put this behind us."

"We've made a commitment that we will never do this again," McCain told CBS. "No administration, I believe, would ever do this again. And it's time to fight the wars that we're in."

President Barack Obama has said his administration is not interested in prosecuting CIA officers who relied on legal advice from the administration. Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, said last week that the administration would not pursue officials who authorized coercive interrogations, either.

But Obama appeared to back Leahy's idea last week, when he suggested that having a panel "above reproach" look into the issue would be "a more sensible approach to take." However, his spokesman, Robert Gibbs, said Sunday that a review already under way by the Senate Intelligence Committee "is the appropriate place for that."

"I think the president had great fears that the debate that you've seen happen in this town on each side of this issue, at the extremes, that's taken place, would be what would envelop any commission that looked backward," Gibbs told NBC's "Meet the Press."

The Democratic leaders of Congress have split over Leahy's "Truth Commission" proposal. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi supports it, while Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he prefers any inquiry be handled through the Intelligence Committee.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the head of the Intelligence Committee, told CNN's "State of the Union" that the committee's probe will take six to eight months.

"My hope is that the public debate quells, that we have an opportunity to do our work," said Feinstein, D-California. "The committee will consider it and then we will release, most likely, findings and recommendations."

Connecticut Independent Joseph Lieberman told CNN that an investigative commission would "poison the water here in Washington. It will achieve nothing. ... So let the Intelligence Committee do its work. That should be the end of it."

Lieberman and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, criticized the release of the Bush administration memos, which came in response to a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union.

"I think it was a mistake to release the techniques that we're talking about and inform our enemy as to what may come their way," Graham said.

Graham, a lawyer in the Air Force Reserve, said the use of abusive interrogations may have produced some information, "but also to say that it's been a net positive is wrong."

"There's a way to get good information in an aggressive manner to protect this nation without having to go into the Inquisition era," he said. "I believe you can do both."

Iraqi leader: U.S. raid that killed 2 breached accord

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is accusing U.S. troops of violating the security agreement between the two countries after a raid in Wasit province Sunday that left two people dead, Iraqi State TV reported.

U.S. troops raided a house in the city of Kut and arrested six suspected members of so-called "special groups" -- groups that are funded, armed and trained by Iran, according to the U.S. military.

During the operation, which the military said was "fully coordinated and approved by the Iraqi government," a man and a woman were killed by U.S. troops, the military said.

Al-Maliki's accusation that the United States violated the security pact is the first time the Iraqi government has claimed a breach in the deal that governs the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq. It was reached last November and implemented in January.

Under the agreement, the U.S. military cannot carry out raids without Iraqi permission and warrants. And Iraq has primary jurisdiction over members of the U.S. military who commit "grave premeditated felonies" outside of certain geographical boundaries and when they are off duty.

Al-Maliki has asked Gen. Raymond Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, to release the suspects detained in the raid, and to hand over "those who committed the crime" -- or U.S. troops -- to the Iraqi judiciary, state television reported.

The U.S. military statement said when troops approached the residence, "an individual with a weapon came out of the home. Forces assessed him to be hostile, and they engaged the man, killing him," the U.S. military statement said.

A woman who "moved into the line of fire" was also killed in the shooting, the U.S. military said.

An Interior Ministry official told CNN the raid was on the home of a tribal leader, and said U.S. forces killed the leader's wife and brother and detained a number of family members.

Speaking on Iraqi State TV, the deputy governor of Wasit province called the killings "cold-blooded murder."

The U.S. military said there was a warrant issued for the arrest of the targeted individual -- "a network financier, who is also responsible for smuggling weapons into the country to support JAM Special Groups and Promise Day Brigade," a U.S. military statement said.

Iraqi State TV reported that Iraq's defense ministry ordered the arrest of two Iraqi commanders in Kut who apparently allowed the U.S. military to carry out the raid.

April 26, 2009 -- Updated 1406 GMT (2206 HKT) * Share this on: Mixx Digg Facebook delicious reddit StumbleUpon MySpace Share

Sri Lankan officials rejected a proposed cease-fire from the Tamil Tiger rebels Sunday, warning instead that government troops intended to continue a new offensive until the group surrenders, a senior government official said.
Tamil demonstrators

"The government is firm that (the rebels) lay down their arms and surrender. We do not recognize this so-called offer," said Lakshman Hulugalle, director of Sri Lanka's Media Center for National Security.

The proposed cease-fire came six days after the Sri Lankan army launched a new offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) in the country's northern area. Government troops made significant advances into rebel-held territory on Friday and Saturday, according to Sri Lankan Army sources.

A government-imposed deadline for the Tigers to surrender passed last Tuesday. Tens of thousands of displaced civilians currently remain wedged in a dwindling swath of territory controlled by the Tigers along the country's northeastern coast.

Government troops say they have rescued 39,000 civilians trapped in the area, but a U.N. refugee agency said Friday that a wave of "fresh displacement" has now exceeded 100,000 individuals.

"In the face of an unprecedented humanitarian crisis and in response to the calls made by the U.N., EU, the governments of the USA, India and others, the (LTTE) has announced an unilateral cease-fire. All of LTTE's offensive military operations will cease with immediate effect," the rebel leaders said in a written statement issued earlier Sunday.

"We welcome the attempts by the U.N. and its agencies to assist the civilian population and are ready to engage and cooperate with them to address the humanitarian needs of the population. ... We are in full agreement that the humanitarian crisis can only be overcome by declaration of an immediate cease-fire."

The Tiger leadership asked the international community to "pressure the Sri Lankan government to reciprocate" on the cease-fire offer.

The Tigers have been fighting for an independent state in Sri Lanka's northeast since 1983. As many as 70,000 people have been killed since the civil war began, and the group has been declared a terrorist organization by 32 countries, including the United States and the European Union.

we have made history

President Rafael Correa of Ecuador claimed re-election victory Sunday minutes after the polls closed, calling his apparent win "a day of joy" in which "we have made history."

Officials results were not expected until later Sunday night.

"We are here for the poor," Correa said in concluding a news conference. "We will never fail you. We will never fail you."

Exit polls broadcast by CNN affiliate Ecuavisa TV showed Correa with more than 50 percent of the vote, leading former President Lucio Gutierrez by nearly 30 percentage points and banana magnate Alvaro Noboa by more than 40 percentage points.

In order to avoid a runoff, a presidential candidate must win more than 50 percent of the vote, or take more than 40 percent of the ballots while beating the second-place finisher by 10 points.

Early results were not available in elections for the 124-seat National Congress, where Correa's Alianza Pais party was expected to do well and could win enough votes to control the legislative assembly.

Gutierrez, who served as president from January 2003 until fleeing the country amid a scandal in April 2005, declined to concede defeat and accused Correa of fraud.

"The whole country said, 'With Lucio we were better and with Correa we are worse,' " Gutierrez said.

He also indicated during a boisterous news conference he may run for president again in four years.

"We must keep fighting for Ecuadorians who want liberty," Gutierrez said. "I am going to continue fighting because we can't let our guard down."

U.S. prepares for possible swine flu epidemic as global cases rise

The United States stepped up preparations for a possible swine flu epidemic, and Canada confirmed its first cases on Sunday as researchers worked to determine how contagious the virus could be.

Keiji Fukuda, the assistant director-general of the World Health Organization, called the outbreak "serious" on Sunday. Researchers are still trying to determine how easily the virus is transmitted person to person and it's too early to predict whether there will be a mild or serious pandemic, said Fukuda.

Dr. Alejandro Macias, an epidemiologist and adviser to the federal Ministry of Health, told CNN en Español that the official death toll was at 86. Macias said five more deaths in Mexico City had been reported to federal authorities by local authorities in the city.

Earlier, Mexican President Felipe Calderon said 81 deaths were suspected to be from the outbreak and 374 people remained hospitalized. Another 929 people have been examined and sent home, he said.

"These people have shown up at some medical institution in the country with respiratory symptoms that required to be studied and diagnosed," he said.

Mexico City closed all of its schools and universities until further notice because of the virus, and troops passed out filter masks outside the National Cathedral on Sunday morning. No masses were scheduled at the cathedral, but dozens of worshippers put on masks and went inside the church to pray on their own.
Public Health Emergency
According to the World Health Organization, a public health emergency is an occurence or imminent threat of illness or health conditions caused by bioterrorism, epidemic or pandemic disease, or highly fatal infectious agents or toxins that pose serious risk to a significant number of people.

At a White House news conference Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the emergency declaration is standard procedure -- citing that one was declared for the inauguration and for recent flooding.

Mexican Finance Minister Augustin Carstens said Sunday that the World Bank was lending Mexico $205 million to deal with the outbreak. "We are getting an immediate loan of $25 million for the requisition of medicines, medical equipment and epidemiological equipment and in addition, $180 million to build up strategic operational and institutional capacities to deal with this issue," he said.

Russia announced it is banning meat imports from Mexico and the southern United States due to the outbreak of swine flu, the Interfax news agency reported. Passengers arriving in Russia from Mexico and the United States also will be screened for swine flu, the news agency reported, by having their temperatures taken upon arrival.

Canada confirmed six cases of mild illnesses on Sunday, and the United States reported 20. Meanwhile, Spain, Israel and New Zealand were investigating possible but unconfirmed cases.

In Washington, the head of the Centers for Disease Control said 20 cases had been confirmed in five U.S. states by noon Sunday. The largest number of cases was in New York, where the CDC confirmed cases in eight students at a preparatory school in that city, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Sunday.

Another seven cases have been confirmed in California, two each in Kansas and Texas and one in Ohio, said Dr. Richard Besser, the CDC's acting director. Only one person has had to be hospitalized, but Besser said authorities are likely to see "a broader spectrum of disease" in the days ahead.

"Given the reports out of Mexico, I would expect that over time we're going to see more severe disease in this country," he said.

Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. David Butler-Jones said the symptoms seen there -- headaches, fevers, coughs and muscle aches -- were mild by the standards of serious flu cases. But he added, "It's still pretty miserable."

The U.S. government declared a public health emergency -- a step Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said "sounds more severe than really it is."

"This is standard operating procedure and allows us to free up federal state and local agencies and their resources for prevention and mitigation," she said.

The outbreak "is of great concern to the White House," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, but, he added, "It's certainly not a time to panic."

"If you're sick, stay home, get treatment, go see a doctor," Gibbs told reporters. "The government is taking all the steps it needs to and must do to take the precautions to deal with whatever size and scope we may be facing," he said.


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