House of Commons report critical of Britain’s Afghan war effort

The British government should refocus its objectives in Afghanistan and concentrate on one priority: security, a House of Commons committee said in a report released Sunday. The report also criticizes the NATO mission in Afghanistan, saying the lack of a unified vision and strategy is jeopardizing the military alliance’s reputation. Britain has moved away from its initial goals of counterterrorism in Afghanistan and has started working on areas it isn’t able to handle alone, the Foreign Affairs Select Committee said in the report, which examines security in Afghanistan and Pakistan

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De facto Honduran president changes course, calls for envoy

Honduran interim President Roberto Micheletti’s hard-line stance against the return of ousted President Jose Manuel Zelaya has softened, he said, but the signing of a proposed agreement to end the country’s political crisis remained uncertain. In a statement released late Wednesday, Micheletti said an agreement presented by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias “is the best path toward the achievement of consensus in Honduras.” Micheletti’s announcement was an apparent change of position, given that it was accompanied by a call to Arias to send a special envoy to Honduras to persuade political and business leaders to embrace the agreement, too. In the month since Zelaya’s ouster, members of Micheletti’s government have repeatedly stated that Zelaya’s return is an unacceptable condition

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Blair to be called before UK inquiry to Iraq war

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair will be called before an inquiry into the country’s role in the Iraq war, its chairman said during the opening Thursday. John Chilcot told media he would not “offer a list of witnesses” but that “key decision-makers in the key phases of the Iraq affair” would be called. “You can work out for yourself who some of them will be, but apart from the former prime minister [Tony Blair] — who it’s obvious we must see — I don’t want to give a longer list today.” Blair’s appearance before the inquiry, whenever it happens, will be of huge interest to the British public and media

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Guantanamo detainee may face trial in U.S.

Administration officials Friday indicated a second Guantanamo Bay detainee may be brought to the United States for a criminal trial, but cautioned no final decision has been made. Justice Department officials said they continue to review the case of Afghan detainee Mohammed Jawad, who has been held at the Guantanamo facility for more than six years. “The attorney general has now directed that (Justice) Department prosecutors expedite their review of his case so the department can decide whether evidence exists to support a criminal case in federal court

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