Talks held with those linked to militants
BAGHDAD, April 7 (UPI) -- The U.S. ambassador to Iraq says there have been talks with some groups linked to the Iraqi insurgency that may have helped reduce attacks on U.S. troops.
In an interview with the BBC, Zalmay Khalilzad said the talks by U.S. officials were with some groups linked to the Sunni-led Iraqi insurgency. He, however, ruled out negotiating with those he called Saddamists or terrorists.
"We are talking to people who are willing to accept this new Iraq, to lay down their arms, to cooperate in the fight against terrorists," he said.
"The number of attacks on the coalition is down. I think last month was the second lowest month of attacks against the coalition," he said.
The report said the ambassador also appealed to Iraqi politicians to end their impasse on who should lead their new government.
Keelty: Al-Qaida forming new alliances
MELBOURNE, April 7 (UPI) -- Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty said he has evidence al-Qaida-trained operatives are infiltrating Southeast Asia.
Keelty said al-Qaida and Jemaah Islamiyah cells are sharing their expertise and forming alliances with other groups.
In an interview with the Melbourne Herald-Sun, Keelty said he hopes his police force will play a major role in a regional task force to counter the threat.
He also said Australia should establish special terrorism courts that should be allowed to take negative inferences from a defendant's decision his right to remain silent.
"I believe Australia's criminal justice system needs to allow courts to exercise even greater discretion to admit evidence acquired in circumstances which may not strictly conform to domestic requirements," he said in the paper's Saturday edition.
Palestinian P.M. denies rumors on Israel
GAZA, April 7 (UPI) -- Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh denied rumors Friday that Hamas is willing to accept a two-state solution that recognizes Israel.
Haniyeh seemed shocked when reporters asked him about the rumors during an appearance in the town of Khan Yunis in Gaza, the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported.
"That is not correct," he said. "Where did you hear that?"
Earlier in the day, an unnamed senior official had said that Haniyeh planned to present the plan for recognition to President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday. The foreign minister, Mahmoud al-Zahar, also said in an interview Thursday with the Times of London that Hamas is ready to change its position on Israel.
Both the United States and European Union have cut off aid to the Palestinian Authority until Hamas recognizes Israel's right to exist. Israel has also refused to hand over tax money collected on behalf of the authority.
Judge: Mom insane when she cut up daughter
MCKINNEY, Texas, April 7 (UPI) -- A judge in Texas ruled Friday that Dena Schlosser was insane when she dismembered her 10-month-old daughter.
District Judge Chris Oldner decided the case with the consent of both prosecution and defense after a jury was unable to reach a verdict in February, the Houston Chronicle reported. Oldner made his decision based on evidence presented during the trial.
She had been charged with capital murder for the death of her daughter Maggie in November 2004. She claimed she heard voices telling her to cut her daughter's arms off.
Schlosser, while legally not guilty, will remain in custody for a 30-day psychiatric evaluation at the North Texas State Hospital in Vernon. Oldner will then decide whether she can safely be released or, more likely, remand her to Vernon.
"My expectation is she will be in the hospital for many years,'' said her lawyer, David Haynes.
Schlosser's lawyers say she has an inoperable brain tumor. But during the trial, they presented evidence of mood swings, hallucinations and religious delusions, not the tumor.
Bush seeks immigration reform 'decency'
WASHINGTON, April 7 (UPI) -- U.S. President George W. Bush, at a prayer service with Roman Catholic leaders, said that changes in immigration laws can "uphold the decency of our country."
Bush and several other U.S. leaders and members of Congress attended a prayer breakfast put on by the Catholic Church. Philadelphia Cardinal Joseph Bevilacqua, who is a specialist in immigration matters, and Washington Cardinal Theodore McCarrick were also on hand.
U.S. Catholic leaders have spoken strongly in the debate on immigration reform. Religious leaders are particularly upset about a section of a U.S. House-passed bill that would make it illegal to help illegal immigrants. A Senate reform bill doesn't include such language.
Bush has been seeking immigration reform, including a temporary worker program, for some time. He asked that the debate continue in a "civil tone."
Friday he said: "An immigration system that forces people into the shadows of our society, or leaves them prey to criminals is a system that needs to be changed. I'm confident that we can change our immigration system in ways that secures our border, respects the rule of law, and, as importantly, upholds the decency of our country."
