France has conditions for Lebanon force
PARIS, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- The French government is holding off on committing a significant number of U.N. peacekeepers to Lebanon until rules of engagement are clarified.
French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie told state television the 4-day-old cease-fire that stopped a month of fighting between Hezbollah guerrillas and Israeli forces had uncertain wording on the disarmament of militants and she wanted clarification before committing troops.
"When you send in a force and its mission is not precise enough, and its resources are not well adapted or large enough, that can turn into a catastrophe, including for the solders that we send," she said.
The multinational UNIFIL force already in place has about 2,000 soldiers, and the United Nations wants that increased to 15,000, with an equal number of Lebanese soldiers in southern Lebanon, The Independent reported.
Wednesday, the Israeli chief of staff, Dan Halutz, warned the military would cease its withdrawal from southern Lebanon if the Lebanese army was not deployed there rapidly.
Hamas pitches Palestinian unity plan
RAMALLAH, Gaza, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- The militant Hamas party has released a proposal for a unity government with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party.
The package was released after a meeting Wednesday night between Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas leader, the Palestinian Al-Ayam newspaper reported.
The proposal demands Hamas retain the post of prime minister and that the ministerial positions be filled in proportion to the parliamentary strength of the respective factions, which would give Hamas a majority in the government.
One contingency Hamas put on the proposal was that no unity government will be put in place as long as ministers and legislators from the movement remain in Israeli prisons, Ha'aretz reported.
There was no immediate response to the proposal from Abbas.
Hamas was elected in the first democratic Palestinian elections in January but because it is considered to be a terrorist organization by many Western countries, billions of dollars in aid have been suspended.
U.S. airports using behavior monitors
WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- The U.S. Transportation Security Administration is using "behavior detection officers" at 12 airports to scan faces and movements for security purposes.
Starting last December, the TSA placed at each airport six officers who had once been routine screeners and had received an extra four days of classroom training in observation and questioning techniques, the New York Times reported.
Called the Screening Passengers by Observation Technique, or SPOT, the program is based on a system developed in Israel in part by Rafi Ron, the former director of security at Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv.
He told the newspaper the TSA's methods still have wrinkles to iron out. For one thing, the TSA screeners do not have law enforcement abilities, and if they are still suspicious after questioning someone, must turn the person over to police for more interrogation. That's where Ron said he sees a weakness.
"If you don't do the interviews properly, you are missing what is probably the most important and powerful part of the procedure," he said.
Eight militants killed in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Eight Afghan anti-government militants were killed after attacking forces from the U.S.-led coalition in eastern Afghanistan, reports said Thursday.
The troops came under attack in Kunar, on Afghanistan's northeastern border, where warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar maintains his own militia, the BBC reported.
"The coalition responded to the attack with small arms, machine gun fire and grenades," a coalition statement said.
No coalition troops were injured in the exchange.
Meanwhile, six Canadian soldiers were recovering Thursday from non-life-threatening injuries they received in a mortar attack in Kandahar in southern Afghanistan Tuesday night. During the firefight after their patrol was attacked, eight suspected insurgents were arrested, the report said.
Motion seeks to erase Lay's conviction
HOUSTON, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Lawyers for Kenneth Lay want a Houston judge to erase his conviction, saying the former Enron Corp. head died before the jury verdict could be appealed.
If their motion is granted, it could hamper the government's efforts to seize Lay's remaining assets, reports The Washington Post.
Legal experts told the Post the system does not like to punish dead people or where one has not had a chance to appeal. Lay was convicted in May on fraud and conspiracy charges but he died last month before he could appeal or be sentenced.
His lawyers say the court should enter an order vacating his conviction and dismiss the indictment, the report said.
One legal expert told the Post said the conviction most likely will be struck down but that civil cases filed by shareholders may still allow the government to recover some of the assets.
A U.S. Justice Department spokesman was quoted as saying the agency will pursue "all available legal remedies to reclaim for victims the proceeds of crimes committed by Ken Lay."
