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Britain's Gordon Brown visits Iraq

BAGHDAD, June 11 (UPI) -- Britain's next prime minister, Gordon Brown, made an unannounced trip to Baghdad Monday for a meeting with the Iraqi prime minister and other officials.

It was Brown's second visit to Iraq in a year but his first as prime minister designate.

The visit occurred amid tight security with helicopters overhead as Brown talked with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, The Times of London reported.

Brown described the session as "very much an assessment more than anything else" and said it was part of the broader listening tour he has undertaken since becoming prime minister-in-waiting last month.

He said earlier that talks with the Iraqi prime minister would focus on political reconciliation between the Sunni and Shiite communities, instability and poor administration that is preventing the reconstruction of Iraq.

Brown was also expected to meet U.S. commander Gen. David Petraeus and British military officials, possibly to discuss the five Britons who were taken hostage last month.

Iran sees little U.S. threat

KUWAIT CITY, June 11 (UPI) -- The head of Iran's parliament doubts the United States will launch a military strike against his country due to its troubles in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Concluding a three-day visit to Kuwait, Gholam-Ali Haddad Adel told reporters Sunday that a military action against his country is a "weak eventuality," the Kuwait News Agency reported.

"After its bitter experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq, the United States is unlikely to launch a military showdown with Iran," he said.

Adel was asked to comment on a threat made by Iran's foreign minister that the Islamic republic would target all U.S. interests in the gulf if attacked.

"If Iran was attacked by a military base in the region, it would be natural for the Iranian response to be directed to that same base," he said.

Adel said his country was prepared to defend itself no matter what happened.

He said the talks with Kuwait did not deal with Iran's nuclear plans.

Conservatives win big in France

PARIS, June 11 (UPI) -- The first round of voting in France's parliamentary elections has given a huge majority to the party of conservative President Nicholas Sarkozy.

With only 60 percent of eligible voters turning out at the polls, Sarkozy's UMP party placed first in up to 75 percent of constituencies, Voice of America reported.

If those results are repeated in the next round of voting June 17, Sarkozy will have the backing he needs to implement his program of economic reform for France.

Among the reforms he favors are changes in the 35-hour work week, tax cuts and rules that set minimum service during a strike for necessary public services like trains and subways.

The voter turnout of 60 percent is thought to be the lowest in the history of the Fifth Republic, Voice of America said.

Shortly after the results were announced, Sarkozy's rival in the presidential election, Segolene Royal, pleaded with supporters to cast ballots in the next round of voting.

Iraqi leaders plan to remove speaker

BAGHDAD, June 11 (UPI) -- The leading political blocs in Iraq agreed to remove the speaker of Parliament after the Sunni Muslim was allegedly involved in an assault on a Shiite lawmaker.

Speaker Mahmoud Mashhadani's bodyguards allegedly attacked the Shiite lawmaker while Mashhadani cursed at him, The New York Times reported Monday.

Saleem Abdullah, a member of Parliament and spokesman for Mashhadani's Iraqi Consensus Front bloc, confirmed the allegations against Mashhadani and plans for his removal. However, he implied that Mashhadani hasn't agreed to leave his position, saying discussions on "how to arrange the exit" haven't been completed.

He told the Times Mashhadani's replacement would likely be another Sunni Arab.

The alleged assault Sunday marks the third time Mashhadani or members of his staff have been implicated in physical assaults on members of the legislative body.

"It's not just about what happened today," Jalal al-Din al-Sagheer, a member of the Shiite lawmaker's party, said to the newspaper. "We exploded with anger because today's actions were part of an accumulation of problems, one by one."

U.S. enlisting Sunnis help in Iraq

BAGHDAD, June 11 (UPI) -- U.S. forces in Iraq are reportedly expanding a strategy tried in Anbar Province of arming Sunni Arab groups to fight against militants linked to al-Qaida.

The top American commander in Iraq, U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, and the second-ranking U.S. officer, Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno are said to have given cautious approval to the plan, The New York Times reported Monday.

According to the newspaper, U.S. commanders talked with Sunni groups in at least four areas of central and north-central Iraq where the insurgency has been particularly strong.

Many of the groups have had past links to al-Qaida but grew disillusioned with its tactics, particularly suicide bombings that have killed thousands of Iraqi civilians, the newspaper says.

In exchange for U.S. backing, the Sunni groups have agreed to fight al-Qaida and halt attacks against American units.

Critics of the strategy say it could amount to arming both sides in a future civil war or providing weapons that would later be used against American forces.

Israel launches spy satellite

TEL AVIV, Israel, June 11 (UPI) -- Israel launched an Ofek-7 spy satellite Monday that is expected to vastly improve its intelligence capabilities, especially with regard to Iran.

The launch took place during the early morning hours and officials said the first images from the craft would be received within 48 to 72 hours, Ynetnews.com reported.

The launch of Ofek-7 follows a failed attempt in October 2004 to launch its predecessor, Ofek-6, which fell into the sea.

"We ran a series of extensive tests, and verified intactness and performance levels so that there wouldn't be any mishaps," a senior security source told Ynetnews.com.

According to that source, the design flaw that led to Ofek-6's failure was corrected for Ofek-7.

Israel's new satellite is expected to orbit the Earth every 90 minutes and should remain in orbit a minimum of four years.