The president of Colombia asked for help from the UN Security Council and the Organization of American States after Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez ordered his army to prepare for war between the two Latin American countries. Chavez has been characterizing a military cooperation pact between Colombia and the United States as a prelude to war between Colombia and Venezuela. But Bogota and Washington say their pact is aimed at fighting drug trafficking and Marxist insurgents inside Colombia. On his television and radio show this weekend, Chavez said, “Let’s not waste a day on our main aim: to prepare for war and to help the people prepare for war, because it is everyone’s responsibility.” Chavez has ordered 15,000 troops to the border after citing increased violence by Colombian paramilitary groups. Colombian president Alvaro Uribe has called for “frank dialogue” between the two countries. Venezuela has spent nearly $3 million on arms and has blocked the import of some Colombian goods after the announcement of the U.S.-Colombian military agreement.
The Iraqi election commission announced Monday that Iraq’s Parliament passed a law to hold national elections on January 21. Both Iraqi and American officials praised the measure as a symbol of Iraqi nationalism as well as a prelude to further American military withdrawals. The law has been debated in parliament for weeks as lawmakers decided upon election eligibility in the contested northern province of Kirkuk, an ethnic Kurdish region where lucrative oilfields are located. Kurds argue that voter registration should reflect their current population while Arabs argue that Kurds have intentionally been increasing their population since 2003 in an effort to build political influence The central government in Baghdad believes the region should be subject to 2003 records. The law authorizes current registration levels and provides for the appointment of a special commission to review any allegations of fraud, which could prompt a re-election one year to date. Of the 120,000 American soldiers in Iraq after the election, 50,000 advisory soldiers will remain in a support role for one additional year, after which all American soldiers are scheduled to leave Iraq pursuant to the Status of Forces Agreement signed in November 2008.
Israeli president Shimon Peres will arrive in Brazil on Tuesday in an effort to counter Iran’s influence in the region. The trip, the first by an Israeli president since 1966, comes two weeks before Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad plans to visit the Latin American country. A spokesman for the Israeli government said Peres’s visit will attempt to reinforce strategic cooperation between Israel and Brazil. “The president will discuss Iranian infiltration in South America and explain to his hosts that Israel has nothing against the Iranian people, but against Ahmadinejad.” In the past, Israel has called for Brazil to use its ties to Iran to help restrain its nuclear program. But Brazil has defended Tehran’s stated aim of nuclear development, which it says is for civilian energy. Before leaving for South America, Peres called for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to remain in his post and not to give up on the peace process. “We both signed the Oslo accords,” Peres said, referring to the U.S.-brokered deal that called for an independent Palestinian state. “And I turn to you as a colleague and ask that you don’t let go.” Hundreds of Palestinians expressed their support for Abbas by gathering in the West Bank town of Ramallah, calling for the Palestinian Authority president to run for re-election in January. Abbas has said he will step down because the American government has failed to persuade Israel to halt Jewish settlements.
Afghan president Hamid Karzai called for closer trade ties with Muslim countries after meeting with Turkish president Abdullah Gul and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at an Islamic conference in Turkey. After his chief rival, Abdullah Abdullah, dropped out of a run-off election that he said would again be marked by widespread fraud, the Karzai government is struggling to appear legitimate in the eyes of Western allies and neighbors alike. British prime minister Gordon Brown said Karzai is at risk of losing British and international support unless he fights corruption within the Afghan government, builds the Afghan security forces and promotes reconciliation. He also called for Karzai to encourage economic development and closer cooperation with Pakistan. Karzai is hoping to find some stability by developing closer economic ties with Muslim neighbors, which he made clear at the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Istanbul. While Karzai called for expanded trade ties, Ahmadinejad railed against capitalism, saying “the world needs a radical change” and that Islamic principles should replace capitalist values.
Iran’s Judiciary announced Monday morning that police have detained three Americans on charges of espionage. The U.S. citizens, between the ages of 27 and 31, were traveling on Syrian and Iraqi visas, hiking along the scenic landscape of northern Iraq and apparently crossed into the Iranian district of Marivan, where they were detained on July 31. The Judiciary announced it would reveal a final decision “in the not too distant future”; the official state punishment for espionage is execution. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in Berlin Monday, “We believe strongly that there is no evidence to support any charge whatsoever” and demanded their release. Iran is also investigating the case of a Danish student detained on November 4 during demonstrations on the 30th anniversary of seizing the American embassy. The detentions, coming after election fraud during national elections in June and the subsequent violent retaliation against election protestors, highlights the clerical regime’s domestic policies in addition to its protracted negotiations with the P5+1 over its nuclear weapons program.