[Video/Interview summary] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a planned trip to the White House as Israel faced international condemnation in the wake of the Gaza flotilla raid. Gwen Ifill talks with Michael Oren, the Israeli ambassador to the United States, for Israel's perspective on the deadly incident at sea. [Transcript] Michael Oren, Israeli ambassador to the United States: Well, first, let me say, Gwen, that the state of Israel is saddened by all the casualties in this sorry affair, including the Israeli casualties. We have several soldiers who have been wounded, two of them quite seriously. As for the -- the use of force, our soldiers had no choice but to defend themselves. They landed on these ships armed with paint guns, and had no intention of using the sidearms which they carried only for personal defense, only if they were in a situation where their lives were threatened. And I think you can see on a YouTube clip which is now available, the minute they landed on the ship, they were beaten with iron rods. They were fired at with firearms, with knives. One of the soldiers was toppled from the top of the ship to the deck below and sustained severe head injuries.
Greece's alternate foreign minister Dimitris Droutsas called on Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to fully withdraw the Turkish occupation troops from Cyprus and to return the occupied sector of Famagusta (Varosha) to its legal inhabitants, the Greek Cypriots, in an interview appearing in the Sunday edition of the Cypriot newspaper Fileleftheros. Droutsas also urged Ankara to abandon its "double policy" of verbal assurances of volition for a Cyprus solution while at the same time promoting partitionistic policies.The alternate foreign minister explained that such moves as troop withdrawal -- "and I do not mean semi-measures but a clear-cut decision for full withdrawal" -- and the return of Famagusta to its rightful inhabitants are "actions that Mr. Erdogan can make, thus proving that he is a leader who is truly changing the face of his country". Droutsas further said that Greece's support of Turkey's EU course is neither "random support" nor provides a "blank check". He also warned that those who endorse a special partnership with Turkey instead of full EU membership are undermining the reform effort in Turkey, and stressed that if partitionist policies were advanced distancing a Cyprus solution, "there will be no relationship with Turkey to discuss". On the calls for an international conference on the Cyprus issue, Droutsas explained the Greek position that such a conference would be meaningful provided the negotiation process has progressed sufficiently, with respect to convergence of views by the two sides, to enable substantive progress in the international aspects of the Cyprus problem. Further, an inviolable condition for an international conference is the participation of the Cyprus Republic in such a conference which, Droutsas said, cannot and should not substitute for the necessary "Cyprus solution" coming from Cyprus itself and a "European solution". When the conditions are ripe, an international conference on the international aspects of the Cyprus issue would be useful, Droutsas said, adding that Greece was in full agreement and coordination with the Cyprus government on that issue. He also stressed that Greece remains at the side of Cyprus and the Cypriot people "with actions, and not only in words", adding that it has proven this from the very first moment.
Iraq's Supreme Court on Tuesday took the first major step toward resolving the nation's election crisis, ratifying the results and declaring a secular alliance the biggest winner in the March 7 parliamentary vote. Despite the official court approval of the results, the government impasse remains far from over as it could take weeks if not months before lawmakers choose new leaders. Announcing the certification, Chief Judge Midhat al-Mahmoud described as "reliable" election results that gave 91 seats to the Iraqiya political alliance led by Ayad Allawi, a former prime minister and secular Shiite. The alliance is heavily backed by Iraq's once-dominant Sunni Arab minority. Based on those results, "we decided to ratify the final results of the general parliament elections for 2010," al-Mahmoud told a news conference at the Supreme Court. Iraqiya won two more seats than its top rival, the State of Law coalition led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. But none of Iraq's major political coalitions captured an outright majority in the 325-seat legislature, leaving the country in a political vacuum. Iraq's next government will be tasked with overseeing a massive U.S. military withdrawal from the war-battered nation and its fledgling democracy, with the number of American troops to shrink to 50,000 by the end of August. A security agreement requires all U.S. troops to leave by the end of 2011. Iraqi, U.S. and U.N. officials alike fear the political void could lead to widespread violence as insurgents and extremists seek to take advantage of the chaos as the American troops leave. In a statement, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad called Tuesday's court ruling "an important step in the right direction as Iraq undertakes what will be a historic and peaceful transition of power from one elected government to another." Under Iraq's constitution, President Jalal Talabani now has 15 days to call parliament to its first session, where lawmakers could vote to elect a speaker and a new president of the republic. The new president will have another 15 days to name the largest bloc, based on the number of seats it holds. The new bloc will in turn name the next prime minister and piece together a new government. It also will be able to reward allies with Cabinet seats and top government jobs in a process that could take months. However, in a March 25 legal opinion, the Supreme Court left open the question of whether the biggest bloc would be that which won the most seats in the March vote — Allawi's alliance in this case — or if it could be one formed after the balloting.
IV. KATHIMERINI - Greece: No-butts smoking ban starts in September
As of September 1, Greeks will only be able to smoke outdoors, according to a draft law presented yesterday by the government which bans smoking in bars, restaurants and businesses. In the strictest anti-smoking regulations introduced in the country so far, no smoking will be allowed in public places, which means that bars, clubs and restaurants will not be allowed to have smoking and nonsmoking areas and firms will no longer be able to have smoking rooms on their premises, meaning employees will have to go outside to have a cigarette, as already happens in many European countries. A new smoking ban was launched last summer by the then New Democracy government but a combination of convoluted rules and lack of enforcement meant it did not have a real impact. Now, the PASOK government believes it has struck on a more successful formula to stamp out smoking. The measures announced yesterday, World No Tobacco Day, by Health Minister Mariliza Xenogiannakopoulou make up for “the gaps and contradictions” in the previous law and demonstrate a more “decisive and effective” strategy, she said. Casinos and nightclubs with live music that are more than 300 square meters in size will be given eight months to adjust to the new measures but there will be no other exceptions, the minister said. The measures will be enforced by the police, the municipal police and the coast guard. The size of the fines will be calculated at a later date. Xenogiannakopoulou added that all tobacco advertising would also be banned from September 1.
President Dmitry Medvedev has said that Russia is prepared to introduce visa-free travel regime with the EU and handed over a draft agreement on the issue to the European partners. Speaking at a media conference on the results of Russia-EU summit in Rostov-on-Don, Medvedev said that Moscow is ready to lift visa restrictions for travelers from the EU “tomorrow”. “We believe that Russian society is well-prepared to host Europeans if they come without visas, and to control various processes that would be connected to that,” he stated. “We have the required technical side ready, as well as a pack of respective agreements that we are currently working on, which include documents concerning the fates of those people who cross the border in violation of the law and their subsequent deportation.” Moscow has long been pursuing lifting visa restrictions for travel between Russia and the EU. However, the idea so far has not found support among some European countries. But while Russia is one state, “the EU is made up of 27 states, and each of them has its own opinion on the cancellation of visas,” Medvedev said on Tuesday. He said that he believes the sooner consensus is found in EU, the better. However, he went on, “it is important not to politicize the issue,” but "we must move on to the main goal – the cancellation of visa travel”. This step, according to the president, would not only reinforce the strategic partnership between Moscow and Europe, but “the main thing is that it simply would ease the lives of millions of people in the EU and the RF". And to speed up the process, Russia has passed a draft agreement to the EU on introducing visa-free travel for Russian and European citizens.
VI. B92 - Russia-EU summit to talk Kosovo
The regular 25th bi-annual Russia-EU summit will discuss the issue of Kosovo as well, the Kremlin press service announced. The summit will be held in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on Monday and Tuesday. Both Russia and the EU are interested in reducing the number of crisis areas in the world, Moscow stressed, adding that better coordination is often required in the practical approach to issues such as Kosovo, or conflicts in the region of the former Soviet Union. The two sides are continuing their joint efforts at finding mutually acceptable solutions that would work for the interests of both the parties involved and the European safety as a whole, the Kremlin statement read. This year's bi-annual summit in administrative center of Rostov Oblast is the first of the kind ever since the Treaty of Lisbon came into force in 2009, the statement stressed. At the conference, the Russian delegation will be headed by President Dmitry Medvedev, while the President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy and the President of the Eropean Commission Jose Manuel Barroso will represent the European Union.
VII. INTERFAX - Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew urged Ukrainian dissenters to join the Orthodox Church
Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople urged Ukrainian dissenters to repent and join the canonic Orthodox Church. "Let them (dissenters - IF) not hesitate, but join the canonic Orthodox Church which is a ship of salvation," Patriarch Bartholomew said in an interview to Vesti 24 TV which was recorded Sunday in the Constantinovsky Palace in Strelna near St. Petersburg. He noted that speaking with Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev and all Ukraine he wished him that "he be honoured by God to see the solution to this problem while alive, and that the schism ceased to exist." "Our Church does everything with due respect to the existing canonic order (in Ukraine - IF)," Patriarch Bartholomew commented current standpoint by Constantinople Patriarchate on Ukrainian schism. He expressed willingness of his Church to pray both for "Russian and Ukrainian people."