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Curfews extended in Baghdad, Basra

BAGHDAD, Iraq, June 16 (UPI) -- The Iraqi city of Basra was placed under an indefinite curfew while Baghdad's curfew was extended to Sunday to deal with continuing violence against shrines.

The curfews were imposed Wednesday after blasts targeted a shrine in Samarra and another in Basra's al-Zubair suburb, reported KUNA, the Kuwait news agency. The guards of the shrine in Basra were arrested after the blast, KUNA said.

In Baghdad, two suspects were arrested Saturday after Iraqi troops raided a home and discovered torture equipment and 250 gallons of nitric acid used to make bombs, KUNA said. A booby-trapped car found in the house was detonated and the residence demolished by the troops.

Meanwhile, three Australian soldiers were wounded Friday in southern Iraq when the vehicle in which they were patrolling rolled over on steep terrain during a sand storm. The soldiers were taken to a hospital in Baghdad.

Arab states call for calm by Palestinians

CAIRO, June 16 (UPI) -- Key Arab states in the Middle East established an emergency commission Saturday to examine the violence in the Palestinian territories.

The commission of Arab League foreign ministers urged both Hamas and the Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority to end the violence against each other, reported Alalam Satellite TV.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said the infighting helps realize "Israel's dream" by pitting Palestinian against Palestinian.

"Today, the Palestinians are banging in the last nail in the coffin of the Palestinian cause," al-Faisal said.

The Arab ministers urged respect for the legitimacy of the Palestinian nation, headed by Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, and the Legislative Council, where Hamas has a majority.

The ministers acted after Hamas seized control of Gaza and Abbas dissolved a three-month-old power-sharing government Thursday.

White House debates Iran strategy

WASHINGTON, June 16 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush's plan to rein in Iran's nuclear program is pitting White House officials against each other, it was reported Saturday.

The debate has pitted Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her deputies against those in Vice President Dick Cheney's office, who seek greater consideration of military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, the New York Times reported.

A year ago, Rice announced the strategy for the United States to join with Europe, Russia and China to press Iran to suspend uranium enrichment. Since then, Iran has installed more than a thousand centrifuges to enrich uranium and could have 8,000 spinning by year's end if they surmount technical problems, the Times reported.

Iran also has increasingly worried the White House by inflaming the insurgencies in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon and in Gaza, where it has provided support to the militant Islamic group Hamas, which now controls Gaza.

House passes Homeland Security bill

WASHINGTON, June 16 (UPI) -- A $36 billion Homeland Security bill passed by the U.S. House is short of funds needed for a fence along the U.S.-Mexican border, said supporters of the fence.

"Securing our borders and reinforcing our Border Patrol agents is critical to reforming our immigration system," House Republican leader John A. Boehner of Ohio said after Friday's 268-150 vote.

Boehner and other Republicans said the $1 billion provided by the bill for fencing and tactical support is woefully short of the money needed to build the 854-mile, double-layer fence authorized last year by Congress but never funded. Cost estimates for the fence vary by billions of dollars, the Washington Times reported.

President Bush has threatened to veto the Homeland appropriations bill because it exceeds his budget request. House Democrats, on the other hand, called the appropriations bill fiscally responsible in safeguarding the security of America, the Times reported.