Blair turns on the charm, but…

BRUSSELS (AFP) – British Prime Minister Tony Blair sought Thursday to put to rest doubts about his commitment to Europe’s social values, with a shock and awe charm offensive on his debut performance at the EU’s rotating helm.

But while he mostly won EU lawmakers’ broad if cautious support, some in Brussels – where Blair’s Iraq war zeal is still remembered – remained unconvinced.

“You say you listen to what the people said about the referendums,” said Green party leader Daniel Cohn Bendit.

“But Mr Blair the European people said ‘no’ to the invasion of Iraq,” he said to the packed Brussels hemicycle.

The Gitmo shuffle

Algerian Leila Zerrougui, rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and Argentinean Leandro Despouy, special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, speak about their request to the United States government to visit the US base at Guantanamo Bay, at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Thursday. (Photo: AP)

UN plans ‘indirect’ probe of Guantanamo Bay

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) – Four human rights experts on Thursday slammed the United States for stalling on a request to allow visits to terrorism suspects held at its Guantanamo Bay naval base, and said they planned to carry out an indirect probe of conditions there.

“We deeply regret that the government of the United States has still not invited us to visit those persons arrested, detained or tried on grounds of alleged terrorism or other violations,” said the experts.

The four – Leandro Despouy, special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, arbitrary detention expert Leila Zerrougui, and Paul Hunt and Manfred Nowak, who work for the UN’s health and torture watchdogs – have repeatedly pressed Washington for more than three years to allow visits.

US warns Iran to shelve nuclear plans

LONDON (AFP) – US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday urged Iran to abide by a nuclear suspension agreement signed in Paris and not to engage in nuclear enrichment activities.

Speaking after a one-day meeting of foreign ministers of the Group of Eight (G8) world powers in London, Rice said: “We call upon the Iranians to adhere to the Paris agreement to its letter and to not engage in any activities associated with the fuel cycle.”

Washington’s top diplomat said the United States supported the work of the so-called EU3 negotiators of Britain, France and Germany in trying to secure a guarantee from Iran that it is not making nuclear weapons.

Lawmakers debate allowing abortion in cases of rape

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) – A group of lawmakers on Thursday endorsed a proposed change of Venezuela’s near-complete ban on abortion to allow termination of pregnancy for victims of rape or incest.

Lawmakers of President Hugo Chavez’s governing party said they would push for the change to regulations that currently allow abortion only when the mother’s life is in danger.

Women who receive abortions despite the current restrictions face six months to two years in jail. Doctors who perform it can be sentenced 12 to 30 months in prison.