Obama meets Central American leaders
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, April 19 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama met with Central American leaders Sunday in Trinidad, saying the United States wants to be an "effective partner."
Obama met with the presidents of the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala on the final day of the Fifth Summit of the Americasa, a White House statement indicated.
"I'm looking forward to hearing more about how the United States can be an effective partner with all the countries represented," Obama told the leaders.
"Obviously, we have a long history of relations between the United States and Central America -- that is a critical partner on a whole range of issues. We have the leadership here democratically elected, and provided a lot of important information during the course of this summit.
"But obviously when you're in a group of 36 it's more difficult to focus just on the regional issues. So this gives me an opportunity to hear more directly about both challenges and opportunities in the region."
The White House said the summit demonstrated that regional leaders have made a commitment to "promote human prosperity by agreeing to cooperate to address the current financial crisis."
Samarrai elected Iraqi speaker
BAGHDAD, April 19 (UPI) -- Sunni political leader Iyad Samarrai was elected speaker of Iraq's Parliament Sunday, ending months of legislative stalemate.
Samarrai, an engineer by profession who is a member of the Iraqi Islamic Party, replaces Mahmoud Mashadani, who resigned in December. His selection is viewed by some as a setback for Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, who had won the recent elections handily, the Los Angeles Times reported.
"This is a strong challenge to the prime minister because he didn't want this party to take the office," said Izzat Shahbandar, a lawmaker with the Iraqi National List group. "It shows that the prime minister derives his power from the people, not from Parliament."
Samarrai had a difficult time securing the necessary votes since Mashadani's resignation because of concerns the Iraqi Islamic Party would seek to oust the prime minister, the Times said. But Samarrai won election 153-79 after Maliki was assured the party would not go after him.
"Parliament will check the government, not topple the government, because lately the Parliament had become a tool in the hands of the government," said Samarrai, 63.
He said lawmakers "should in no way be subjected to political motives, or used to make gains by any political bloc."
7 dead in Baghdad violence
BAGHDAD, April 19 (UPI) -- A series of robberies left at least seven people dead in Baghdad Sunday, authorities said.
The New York Times said the violent robberies in the Tobchi neighborhood appeared to have been committed by the same group of gunmen.
The gunmen, wielding pistols equipped with sound suppressors, targeted several jewelry stores, the New York newspaper said.
Meanwhile, police said two mortar rounds hit a U.S. military base in eastern Baghdad late Sunday, the Los Angeles Times reported. It wasn't known if there were any casualties.
Hayden blasts Obama over memo release
WASHINGTON, April 19 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama has compromised the nation's security by releasing four terror memos from the Bush administration, a former CIA chief said Sunday.
In an appearance on "Fox News Sunday," former CIA Director Michael Hayden said Obama should have never released details of the Bush-era interrogation methods memos.
"What we have described for our enemies in the midst of a war are the outer limits that any American would ever go to in terms of interrogating an al-Qaida terrorist. That's very valuable information," Hayden said.
He said by taking some interrogation methods off the table, Obama has made it "more difficult" for the CIA to help protect the nation.
"You're going to have this agency on the front line of defending you in this current war playing back from the line," Hayden said.
Also appearing on the program were Sens. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who both said they believe some interrogation techniques should have never been allowed.
