World Politics

Poland to strengthen Afghan mission

Poland to strengthen Afghan missionWarsaw  - Poland will add 400 soldiers to

Italian NATO delegation kicked out of hotel over security concerns

Italian NATO delegation kicked out of hotel over security concerns Buehl, Germany  - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi needs to find alternative accomodation for April's NATO summit in Baden-Baden after the hotel of choice was deemed unfit, a hotel manager disclosed Tuesday.

Due to security concerns, Italy's NATO delegation will not be able to stay, as planned, in the Buehlerhoehe luxury hotel on the edge of town, hotel director Heinz Imhof told German Press Agency dpa.

Italian right-wing Alleanza Nazionale set to fuse with Berlusconi

Alleanza NazionaleRome  - Italy's second-biggest governing coalition party, the Alleanza Nazionale, was set formally to dissolve itself Sunday and fuse with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia as a new People of Freedom (PDL) alliance including the right-wing Lega Nord.

"We won't be disappearing," the party's acting president, Defence Minister Ignazio La Russa, had told 1,800 delegates Saturday as the party's final two-day convention went ahead before next week's planned fusion.

Obama welcomes French decision to return to NATO command

Obama welcomes French decision to return to NATO command Washington  - US President Barack Obama on Saturday welcomed France's decision to return to NATO's military command after a 43- year absence, saying France's "full participation ... will contribute to a stronger alliance and a stronger Europe."

"I enthusiastically welcome the decision made by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to fully reintegrate France into the NATO alliance," Obama said in a statement.

ROUNDUP: Iran rejects Obama's offer until real change observed

Iran rejects Obama's offer until real change observedTehran  - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday rejected an offer by US President Barack Obama to open a new era in relations until Tehran could see real changes in US policies.

"The Iranian nation can neither be tricked [by the messages] nor threatened. The changes claimed by the US should be real and not just in rhetoric," Khamenei said.

Abbas calls on Israel to accept two-state solution

Abbas calls on Israel to accept two-state solution Bethlehem - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Saturday reiterated calls for Israel to accept a two-state solution, vowing not to resume negotiations with Israel without an explicit Israeli recognition of previously signed agreements.

Addressing an audience at the opening of an event celebrating Jerusalem's role in Arab culture, Abbas said justice and peace will not come to the Middle East without "an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital."

"Jerusalem is the key for peace," said Abbas.

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