Leaders Visit Fukushima in Solidarity

Premier Wen Jiabao of China and President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea arrived in Japan on Saturday for a two-day meeting that was expected to focus on resolving differences over Japan’s handling of the nuclear crisis.

China and South Korea have criticized Japan for spilling radiation into the air and sea, and have banned imports of farm products from areas near the plant, citing what they call inadequate checks for radiation. Japan says the restrictions are unjustified.

Before the meeting began in Tokyo on Saturday night, the Japanese prime minister, Naoto Kan, took the leaders to visit a refugee shelter in Fukushima, 40 miles from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant that was crippled by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Before entering the shelter, a converted gymnasium, Mr. Kan steered the group to a table displaying strawberries, cucumbers and other produce grown in Fukushima Prefecture.

The leaders, who did not appear to have been surprised by the photo op, smiled and nibbled gamely.

“Very delicious,” Mr. Wen said.

He said later that China was ready to ease import restrictions on Japanese farm goods if they were safe, but did not offer specific steps.

Japan bans the sale of some produce from areas affected by the nuclear accident, but produce from many parts of Fukushima Prefecture has been deemed safe by a government testing program.

Before meeting Mr. Kan, the two visiting leaders also paid separate visits to the city of Natori, which was devastated by the tsunami.

“The warm feelings of the two leaders came through in their visits to disaster areas and an evacuation center,” Mr. Kan told reporters. “I’m glad they came.”

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Meeting With Pakistani Leaders, Kerry Seeks to Ease Anger Over Bin Laden Raid

Mr. Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has argued that it would be foolhardy for the United States to cut assistance to Pakistan. He said Monday that Pakistan had agreed to take “several immediate steps” to show its seriousness about the importance of relations with America. They included returning the tail of the helicopter that crashed on the night of the Bin Laden raid, he said.

But on the major differences at hand, Mr. Kerry declined to specify what, if any, progress had been made.

Mr. Kerry’s visit — and the postponement of Mrs. Clinton’s — reflected the strained ties between the two nations, but also the efforts by the administration to repair them.

Within the last 24 hours, a spokesman said Monday, Mrs. Clinton spoke with senior Pakistani leaders, including President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, about the tensions caused by Bin Laden’s killing. The State Department announced that it was dispatching the administration’s special envoy to the region, Marc Grossman, who only recently returned from Pakistan, where he was the first American diplomat to confront the country’s leaders in the hours after Bin Laden’s killing two weeks ago.

“We’re trying to move, to move on to address those questions as well as move forward with the relationship,” the spokesman, Mark Toner, said, referring to the questions raised by the raid, “because we feel it’s in both our countries’ interests.”

Mr. Kerry shed little light on the crucial issue of whether Pakistan would stop assisting the Haqqani network, whose forces keep sanctuaries in Pakistan’s tribal areas and cross into Afghanistan to kill American and NATO soldiers.

The senator, who came to Pakistan with the backing of the White House, said he had discussed the presence of the Haqqani forces in Pakistan, as well as Pakistan’s support for the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba and for Mullah Muhammad Omar, the spiritual leader of the Afghan Taliban, with the head of the Pakistani Army, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, and the head of the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha.

“We discussed every single one of them,” Mr. Kerry said, adding that Pakistani action against them would help the United States end the war in Afghanistan.

On Sunday, Mr. Kerry visited Khost Province in Afghanistan, where American commanders briefed him on the Pakistani insurgents coming across the border. It appeared that Mr. Kerry planned to use that information in his discussions with the Pakistani leadership.

In an unusual joint Pakistani-American statement negotiated Monday at a meeting attended by President Zardari and General Kayani, the main demand of the Pakistanis appeared to be a pledge that the United States had “no designs against Pakistan’s nuclear and strategic assets.”

“Senator Kerry stated that he was prepared to personally affirm such a guarantee,” the statement said.

Members of the Pakistani military have complained bitterly that the United States did not inform them in advance of the Bin Laden raid, and part of Mr. Kerry’s mission involved soothing wounded feelings and papering over American officials’ statements that Pakistan could not be trusted with advance knowledge.

Pakistani officials have said that they had no idea that Bin Laden was living in a compound in the military garrison town of Abbottabad, where Navy Seal commandos killed him in a raid on May 2. “Even in the U.S. government, very few people knew about it,” the joint statement said of the Bin Laden operation.

Mr. Kerry, an author of a major $7.5 billion package of civilian aid to Pakistan, said he had warned the Pakistani leadership of the “grave” worry in Congress about the presence of Bin Laden in Pakistan. Those concerns had put future aid in peril, he said.

Mr. Kerry’s calming tone was apparently echoed Monday when editors of some of Pakistan’s newspapers met with General Kayani.

In contrast to the strong anti-American speech General Pasha delivered at a closed-door session of Parliament on Friday, General Kayani said that Pakistan would continue a relationship with the United States because otherwise the country risked becoming isolated, according to an editor who attended the meeting but declined to be named because the matter was politically delicate.

The editor said that General Kayani’s basic message was that “Pakistan understood the limits of its own reach.”

Moreover, according to the editor, General Kayani said that Pakistan needed to remain on good terms with the United States in order to have its say in the settlement of the nearly 10-year-old war in Afghanistan.

Steven Lee Myers contributed reporting from Washington.

 

Local Iraqi Leaders Blame Al Qaeda for Attack

The attack underscored the continued struggles of Iraqi security forces to curb violence throughout the country. Although there are far fewer attacks than at the height of the sectarian war in 2007, there are still bombings and assassinations on a daily basis.

Around 7 a.m., the bomber drove a car packed with explosives up to a check point outside the training center in downtown Hilla, detonating the explosives while a bus drove by, according to the security official.

At the time, there was a shift change at the training center, which increased the number of officers in the area, the official said.

“The central government is responsible for this explosion,” said the local official, Kathum Majed Toma, who is the head of Babil’s provincial council. “We requested many times for them to provide us with sonar devices to detect explosives and for them to hire more security forces so we can secure our province but they did not reply.”

The explosion knocked over several blast walls and damaged the front rooms of the training center, as well as several homes.

The attack was the deadliest in Iraq since terrorists here promised to increase violence in response to Osama bin Laden’s death in the early hours Monday.

"This was a breach of our security by Al Qaeda," said Haider Zanbor, the head of the province’s security committee. "We were expecting that Babil would be the target of revenge for the killing of bin Laden. We will increase the security procedure to prevent this from happening again."

Members of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, a Sunni group, have conducted dozens of attacks in the city in recent years, including several targeted at police and security officials. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

At a press conference in Baghdad on Wednesday, one of the country’s top law enforcement officials, Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta, said that “there are still some cells able to work in Iraq and able to implement a terrorist act.”

However, Mr. Atta, who is the spokesman for the Baghdad Operations Command, which controls the police and army, stressed that Iraqi security forces are prepared to maintain security after American forces withdraw all by the end of the year.

Yasir Ghazi and Duraid Adnan contributed reporting from Baghdad. An employee of The New York Times contributed reporting from Hilla.

 

French and Italian Leaders Seek Tighter Controls on Migration

The appeal, in a joint letter to the president of the European Commission, represented a remarkable request to change a pact that has become one of the European Union’s hallmark agreements. Under the treaty, which dates from 1985, 25 European Union member nations dismantled border controls for their own citizens and citizens of other countries.

Analysts said it was highly unlikely that the European Union would revise the agreement, and many said the joint request appeared to be aimed more at reducing political tensions between and within the two countries.

The looser borders have begun to pose problems of illegal immigration, as immigrants who arrive in one European Union member state can travel freely to others. The joint request reflected the severity of the migration crisis — in practical terms as well as for Italy and France’s domestic politics, in which anti-immigrant parties have substantial influence.

“Neither of us wants to deny Schengen, but in exceptional circumstances, we think there should be variations to the Schengen treaty,” Italy’s prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, said at a joint news conference here with President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, after weeks of tensions.

“We want Schengen to work, and to make sure that it works, it has to be reformed,” Mr. Sarkozy added.

In a joint letter to José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, the two leaders called on the European Union to “examine the possibility of temporarily establishing internal border controls in the case of exceptional difficulties in handling common external borders, on the basis of conditions to be defined in the future.”

France and Italy also called on the European Union to broaden the role of its border agency, Frontex, to allow it to repatriate illegal immigrants, and to “redefine” Europe’s regulations for immigrants from third countries. Under current regulations, the European country where immigrants first arrive is responsible for determining their status.

Faced with the likelihood of a wave of immigrants arriving in Europe from Libya, they also called for a common European Union policy on those seeking political asylum. Each country currently has its own standards.

In recent weeks, Italy has been reluctant to become involved in the intervention championed by France to oust Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi from Libya, a former Italian colony. France has been reluctant to admit third-country immigrants from Italy — most of them from Tunisia, which historically has had close ties to France.

Italy infuriated France by issuing some Tunisians travel papers allowing them to leave Italy for France, which has tried to block them at its borders with Italy.

Rachel Donadio reported from Rome, and Alan Cowell from London.

 

Jimmy Carter and Other Ex- Leaders to Travel to N. Korea

SEOUL, South Korea — Former President Jimmy Carter arrived in North Korea on Tuesday, news agencies reported, for talks aimed at reducing tensions on the fractious Korean Peninsula.

The so-called six-party talks on the denuclearization of North Korea remain in limbo, and Mr. Carter said official dialogue with the North “appears to be at a standstill.” The talks have involved North and South Korea, the United States, Russia, China and Japan.

Mr. Carter and three former leaders from Europe arrived in Beijing on Sunday. Traveling with Mr. Carter were former President Martti Ahtisaari of Finland, former Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland of Norway and former President Mary Robinson of Ireland. The four are members of The Elders, an independent group of world leaders founded by Nelson Mandela.

“Clearly, there is a great level of mistrust between North and South Korea,” Mr. Ahtisaari said. “But the stakes are too high to allow this standoff to continue.”

The group was hoping to meet with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, although Mr. Carter said Monday that such a meeting had not yet been arranged.

On Thursday, after meetings in Pyongyang, the North’s capital, the Elders group is scheduled to travel to Seoul.

It was also unclear whether Mr. Carter would press North Korean officials to release an American man who has been detained by North Korea on unspecified charges since November.

This month, the North Korean government said the man had already “admitted his crime.” The South Korean news agency Yonhap, citing sources in the United States that it did not name, said he was Jun Young-su, a Korean-American businessman in his 60s from Orange County, Calif.

Yonhap said Mr. Jun had been taken into custody in connection with illegal religious activities in the North.

A State Department spokesman, Mark C. Toner, confirmed that an American was being held by the North, but he and other United States officials declined to name the detainee and offered no personal details, citing privacy rules. The United States called on North Korea to release the American “on humanitarian grounds.”

The State Department has said that Mr. Carter’s trip is a private journey and that he is not acting as an American envoy.

Mr. Carter has been successful at freeing jailed Americans in the past. He made a private trip to Pyongyang last August to win the release of Aijalon Mahli Gomes, 31, of Boston, who had been convicted of illegally entering North Korea.

Mr. Gomes was sentenced in April 2010 to eight years of hard labor and was fined $700,000. The Carter Center, the organization founded by Mr. Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, said Mr. Gomes was granted amnesty by Mr. Kim.

 

Canada leaders clash in TV debate

 12 April 2011 Last updated at 21:43 ET  Prime Minister Stephen Harper needs to elect only 12 more MPs to form a majority government Canada's embattled prime minister has clashed with three opposition leaders in the first of two televised debates, ahead of the 2 May election.

Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff accused Mr Harper of deceit, saying Canadians "don't have confidence in your management of the economy".

Mr Harper said the opposition had provoked an unnecessary election at a key time for the economy.

Polls suggest the Conservatives will likely win re-election.

The election was prompted by a non-confidence vote in Canada's parliament after Mr Harper's government was criticised for failing to provide details about areas of spending, which included a budget for new fighter jets.

The Conservatives have about 40% support, according to recent poll, with the main opposition Liberal Party on about 30%.

But with nearly 25% of voters said to be still undecided, correspondents say the televised debates could have an impact on the election.

Questions over spending

Mr Harper was immediately put on the defensive by Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe over controversies surrounding G8/G20 summit spending and corporate tax cuts.

A leaked draft report on last summer's G8/G20 summit in Canada alleged the government spent millions of dollars on dubious projects and that parliament was "misled" about the spending.

Mr Duceppe called on Mr Harper to release the auditor general's report that alleged the Canadian government misinformed parliament to win approval for a $50m (￡32) G8 fund that put money toward questionable projects.

The report, which Auditor General Sheila Fraser has said she will not release until after the new parliament is seated, suggests the process by which the funding was approved may have been illegal.

Mr Ignatieff and New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jack Layton soon jumped into the conversation, demanding answers on spending practices.

"The Conservative Party is the problem here when it comes to the economy," Mr Layton said.

Mr Layton added that Conservative corporate tax cuts contributed to "why people can't make ends meet, why so many people are still out of work".

"Your policies don't address them," he said.

Mr Ignatieff also accused Mr Harper of pushing corporate tax cuts, which he said the Liberal Party would end in order to pay for a student grants programme.

"We can invest in Canadian learning," Mr Ignatieff said.

"That's a billion-dollar investment ... you spent that in 72 hours on the G8/G20 photo-op."

The debate was seen as a good chance for Mr Ignatieff, who has been portrayed as an elitist in political attack ads, to improve his image.

But despite an energetic campaign, Mr Ignatieff has made little headway in opinion polls, with his party trailing the Conservatives by 8.5 points in a Nanos Research poll released on Tuesday.

'Unnecessary election'

During the English-language debate on Tuesday evening, Mr Harper said opposition parties had provoked what he believed was an unnecessary election at a time when Canadians should be focusing on the economy.

But Mr Ignatieff struck back at Mr Harper, saying Canada was "having an election because you didn't tell parliament the truth".

Mr Ignatieff's Liberal Party, which has governed Canada for longer than any other group, is struggling partly because they are now competing with the New Democrats for the same portion of the electorate.

The debate was broken down into six portions, which saw two of the four leaders debating in six-minute showdowns.

Each segment began with a question from a Canadian voter, and ended with a brief free-for-all debate involving all four leaders.

A debate in French, which is the other official language of Canada, will take place on Wednesday evening.

 

Business chiefs to quiz leaders

 11 April 2011 Last updated at 21:27 ET  The FSB says that small businesses are vital to the Scottish economy Scotland's political leaders will face questions about business and the economy as they go head-to-head at a hustings in Edinburgh.

The event on Tuesday evening has been organised by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).

On the podium will be the SNP's Alex Salmond, Labour's Iain Gray, Lib Dem Tavish Scott, Conservative Annabel Goldie, and the Greens' Patrick Harvie.

Campaigning for all parties continues ahead of the 5 May poll.

As the fourth week of electioneering gets under way, the Scottish Lib Dems, the Scottish Tories and Scottish Labour are promoting their manifesto commitments published last week.

The SNP is preparing for its manifesto launch later this week. The Scottish Greens are also due to publish their manifesto.

About 200 invited guests from Scotland's small business community are expected to quiz the five political leaders at the hustings taking place at Dynamic Earth.

The event, in association with the Sunday Times Scotland, will be chaired by political broadcaster Colin Mackay.

Continue reading the main story The total number of private sector enterprises in Scotland was 296,780 as of March 2010, a 1.9% increase since March 2009Total private sector employment in Scotland is 1,999,140Businesses with fewer than 50 employees account for 98% of all Scottish businessesBusinesses with fewer than 10 employees account for 93% of all Scottish businesses

(Source: Scottish Government Corporate Statistics 2010)

Andy Willox, the FSB's Scottish policy convener, said: "Scotland's small businesses have faced some tough times since the last Scottish Parliament elections. Our members have been leaned on by banks and big business.

"Many still sometimes feel that government at all levels can forget how important they are.

"However, we are encouraged at the pro-small business stance adopted by all the parties in this election.

"They know, as we do, that Scotland's small businesses have a track-record of creating jobs, generating revenues and advocating for community improvements.

"They know, with big business already shedding jobs and the public sector facing difficult times, it is more important than ever that they give small businesses the tools they need to get on with the job.

"I look forward to seeing Scotland's next first minister making their case to Scotland's small businesses."

The FSB says it is Scotland's largest direct-member business organisation. It represents more than 20,000 Scottish members in every sector of the economy.