Rice: 'There will be a Palestinian state'
WASHINGTON, July 26 (UPI) -- Prior to her visit to the Middle East next week, U.S. Secretary Condoleezza Rice told an Arabic broadcaster in Washington, "There will be a Palestinian state."
In an interview with the Al Hurra satellite television network, Rice said the conflict between Israel and Palestinians had gone on too long for both sides.
"The Palestinian people have waited too long for the state," Rice said. "The Israelis have waited too long for the security that will come from having a viable and democratic neighbor.
"I can't tell you that it will all be done when we are finished here, but I can tell you that there will be a Palestinian state."
She went on to say Israel needed to alter its thinking on existing borders "because the future of Israel is not under the continued occupation of the West Bank.
The future of Israel is in building a strong Israeli state in places like the Negev and Galilee," Rice said.
Specter sees no compromise with WH
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE, July 26 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said he doubts the White House and Congress can come up with a compromise over executive privilege claims.
Aboard Air Force One en route to Philadelphia with President Bush, Specter told reporters he sees little hope of reaching "an accommodation" over testimony from former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten on the firings of eight U.S. attorneys at the start of Bush's second term.
The House Judiciary Committee Wednesday voted to issue contempt citations against Miers and Bolten, but Specter conceded pursuing such action would be time-consuming and drag on past the inauguration of the next president.
U.S. House nixes permanent Iraq bases
WASHINGTON, July 26 (UPI) -- The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly adopted a symbolic resolution that would prevent the U.S. military from establishing permanent bases in Iraq.
Republicans offered little resistance to the resolution, which was sponsored by Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., The New York Times reported.
By a 399-24 vote, the measure passed with language limiting federal spending "to establish any military installation or base for the purpose of providing for the permanent stationing of United States Armed Forces in Iraq or to exercise United States economic control of the oil resources of Iraq."
Republican House leader John Boehner of Ohio called the resolution meaningless theatrics.
"The bill brought to the floor by the majority today represents yet another political stunt and an intellectually dishonest one at that because the United States has never proposed establishing a permanent base in Iraq or anywhere else," Boehner said.
15 dead in accidental Syrian depot blast
DAMASCUS, Syria, July 26 (UPI) -- An explosion at a Syrian ammunition warehouse, apparently set off by high summer temperatures, Thursday killed at least 15 soldiers and injured another 50.
The state-run SANA news agency emphasized the blast at a military depot in Musalmiya -- about six miles outside the city of Aleppo -- was not an act of sabotage, but rather the result of the morning's intense heat reacting with the highly explosive materials stored inside the depository. Temperatures have been between 100 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade.
Most of those hurt were treated on the scene for minor injuries, many of which resulted when they were showered with shards of broken glass.
An official at Aleppo University Hospital, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the bodies of five soldiers and 10 wounded patients were brought to the facility.
UPI Poll: Congress worse than Bush on Iraq
WASHINGTON, July 26 (UPI) -- Respondents to a UPI-Zogby International poll give the U.S. Congress very bleak grades on its handling of the war in Iraq.
While many experts -- including the Democratic Party leadership -- said control of Congress changed hands last year because of promises to change U.S. policies on the Iraq war, U.S. residents who took part in a Zogby interactive poll shoved already sour congressional markings on the war down further.
More than three-quarters -- 75.1 percent -- said Congress' handling of the war was "poor," up substantially from the 59.5 percent who gave the same grade in June polling. Another 20.8 percent gave Congress a "poor" grade on Iraq in July, down from 34.6 percent in June.
The "positive" marks were also off in July, with 2.9 percent saying Congress' performance on Iraq was "good" and 0.2 percent saying it is "excellent." Those figures in June were 4.6 percent and 0.3 percent, respectively.
U.S. President George Bush's July figures on Iraq were 57.1 percent "poor," 18.1 percent "fair," 18.9 percent "good" and 5.1 percent "excellent."
Democratic respondents were tough on the Democratic-controlled Congress with 63.5 percent giving the lawmakers a "poor" grade and 30.3 percent saying "fair."
The poll was conducted July 13-16, before the U.S. Senate staged its all-night debate on the war. There is a margin of error of 1.1 percentage points in the data, compiled from responses from 7,562 U.S. residents.
