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Bush: Won't be swayed by polls

WASHINGTON, July 12 (UPI) -- President Bush Thursday blamed the growing cry among U.S. residents to bring American troops home from Iraq to "war fatigue."

"It's an ugly war," he said. "It doesn't surprise me there is a deep concern amongst our people."

Part of the concern, he said, is "whether we can win."

Bush said it is his confidence the United States can prevail that drives his Iraq war policies -- not polls that increasingly show lack of support among voters.

"If our troops thought I was taking a poll about how we should conduct this war, they would be very concerned," he said. "This decision should not be made by a focus group."

He said U.S. residents opposed to the war have been affected by the violence and abject cruelty and lack of respect for life shown by al-Qaida terrorists and their allies. He asked those people to look at the whole picture.

"Just getting out may sound simple and it may affect polls, but it would have longterm security consequences for the United States."

Bush said he would continue to gauge the situation in Iraq and make decisions based on advice from his military team in Iraq, not on U.S. popular opinion.

U.S. troops and military families do not "want their commander in chief making decisions based on popularity," he said.

Iraq making progress some goals

WASHINGTON, July 12 (UPI) -- Iraq is making some progress in areas of security but lags in political development, a White House report released Thursday said.

The interim report detailed the Bush administration's assessment of 18 benchmarks set by Congress for Iraq when it authorized the president's request for 30,000 additional troops in January.

Despite progress in the area of security, the report defines the battle against al-Qaida and sectarian violence as "complex and extremely challenging."

Former U.S. foes are increasingly joining the coalition battle against insurgents, especially in Anbar province, the report says.

On the down side, the report says the Iraqi military is not yet capable of handling security on its own.

The most negative, however, is the political arena where factions have not been able to work together or come up with a comprehensive election plan.

Bush downplayed the unsatisfactory ratings given to Iraq's politicians during a morning news conference, telling journalists security must first be in place, then political development will follow.

Thursday's report is considered a mid-term evaluation, with the annual summary due in September from U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus, the multi-national military force commander in Iraq. The bill for funding the war is being wrestled with in Congress where Democrats and a growing number of Republicans are demanding a withdrawal timetable, which Bush has already vetoed once.

Bush has asked senators to avoid timetables until the September report is issued.

South Korea ships fuel oil to North Korea

SEOUL, July 12 (UPI) -- The first shipload of heavy fuel oil, part of an aid deal for North Korea's denuclearization, left South Korea's Ulsan port Thursday.

The Yonhap news agency reported the 6,200-ton tanker-load was bound for North Korea's Sonbong port. It is part of 52,000 tons, valued at $22 million, which South Korea has promised to provide in the next 20 days as its share of the deal.

Earlier this month, North Korea said it will begin shutting down its main nuclear reactor in Yongbyon, near the capital Pyongyang, once the first shipment of the fuel oil is dispatched.

The fuel oil, needed to operate its electric power plants, is part of a package of economic aid to be given to North Korea under a February agreement. In exchange for the economic aid North Korea has agreed to close its nuclear facilities.

The total cost of the aid package is to be borne by the five nations involved in the talks to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions -- South Korea, the United States, Russia, China and Japan.

Japan, however, wants the North to resolve the issue of kidnapped Japanese citizens before giving its share, the report said.

Amnesty calls for Lebanon war probe

BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 12 (UPI) -- Alleged war criminals from the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel haven't been prosecuted, Amnesty International said Thursday.

Failure to hold those responsible for war crimes such as killing civilians makes it more likely such abuses will occur in the future, the London-based human rights organization said.

"The total lack of political will to hold to account those responsible for the alleged indiscriminate killing of civilians, more than 1,000 of whom lost their lives, is both a gross betrayal of the victims and a recipe for possible further civilian bloodshed with impunity," said Malcolm Smart, director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa program.

After the 34-day war, the Israeli government limited its investigation to military tactics while Lebanon didn't review its actions during the war at all, the group said. An inquiry by the U.N. Human Rights Council investigated only potential Israeli abuses.

To protect civilians from further abuses, Smart said the United Nations should launch a full and impartial investigation into alleged abuses by both sides and impose an arms embargo on both Israel and Hezbollah.

Moms say part-time work is best

WASHINGTON, July 12 (UPI) -- U.S. working mothers prefer part-time jobs to staying home or full-time work, a study released Thursday said.

About 60 percent of mothers said work with limited hours was best because it allowed them to be employed while staying closely involved with the lives of their children. The responses came in a survey of 414 mothers, a subset of a larger Pew Research Center national survey on the societal impact of an increasing number of working mothers which involved 2027 men and women. But only a quarter of the mothers actually work part time, the Washington Post reported, citing Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers.

The desire to work fewer hours could reflect the more family-centered views of the post-baby boom generation, the Post said.

The survey also reveals a growing opinion gap between working mothers and those who stay at home, USA Today said.

Forty-four percent of stay-at-home mothers said the increasing number of working moms is negative, while 34 percent of working mothers said the trend is positive.