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Clinton: Pakistan provides al-Qaida haven

LAHORE, Pakistan, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday she finds it "hard to believe" Pakistan cannot find Osama bin Laden and other terrorist leaders.

"I find it hard to believe that nobody in your government knows where they are, and couldn't get to them if they really wanted to," she told Pakistani journalists. "Maybe that's the case; maybe they're not gettable. I don't know."

But, she added, "As far as we know, they are in Pakistan."

Speaking in Lahore, Clinton expressed publicly a longstanding frustration among American officials, The New York Times reported.

Pakistan has denied any proof exists that terrorists have found haven in Pakistan along the Afghanistan border.

But ABC News quoted Clinton as saying al-Qaida "has had safe haven in Pakistan since 2002" -- the year U.S. forces invaded Afghanistan.

Clinton arrived in Lahore on the second day of her visit to Pakistan, where people remained in shock following Wednesday's deadly blast in Peshawar. The attack, the deadliest in two years in the terror-ravaged country, killed more than 100 people.

On Wednesday in Islamabad, Clinton condemned the Peshawar attacks, The Washington Post reported.

"These extremists are committed to destroying what is dear to us as much as they are committed to destroying that which is dear to you and to all people. So this is our struggle as well," she said.

Pakistan has witnessed a wave of terror attacks this month that have killed nearly 300 people as the military fights its offensive against the strongholds of terror groups in South Waziristan.

Iran rejects key part of nuclear deal

TEHRAN, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Iranian officials say they are not willing to ship most of their uranium abroad temporarily, officials involved in nuclear talks said Thursday.

The Obama administration had hoped the provision would buy time to negotiate an overall agreement with Iran on its nuclear program, The New York Times said. Sending three-quarters of its uranium for processing elsewhere would have left Iran without enough to make a nuclear weapon.

European diplomats and U.S. officials provide information on Iran's response, the Times said.

The provision was part of a draft agreement negotiated with Iran in talks involving the United States, France, Russia and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Iranian representatives apparently agreed to it.

Earlier Thursday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Western countries had changed their posture from "confrontation to cooperation" because of Iran's "resistance against enemies," the Los Angeles Times reported.

Iran's envoy to the IAEA arrived in Vienna Wednesday to submit Tehran's formal response to the proposal. Iran said this week it would respond to the plan by Friday, about a week later than the U.N. nuclear watchdog had requested.

"In the past they said that we had to halt our nuclear activities," Ahmadinejad said in Mashhad in remarks carried by state-run television. "But today they say, 'Come consult about finding solutions for world problems,' and they want to cooperate for the exchange of fuel and development of nuclear technology and establishing a nuclear plant."

Panel to investigate Waters, Richardson

WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- A U.S. House ethics panel voted unanimously Thursday to investigate complaints against Reps. Maxine Waters and Laura Richardson, and cleared Rep. Sam Graves.

The House of Representatives Committee on Standards of Official Conduct said its three-month review showed Graves, R-Mo., did not violate House rules or standards of conduct by inviting a friend, Brooks Hurst, to testify before the Committee on Small Business March 4. The ethics panel said it found no need for further investigation of the matter, which had been referred to it Aug. 6.

The Hurst matter came up for review because Graves and his wife are investors in two renewable fuels cooperatives in Missouri and Hurst represents the Missouri Soybeans Association. But the ethics committee said Hurst did not advocate for either of the co-ops in which the Graveses have financial interests.

Richardson, D-Calif., is being investigated to determine whether she failed to disclose receipt of an impermissible gift or preferential treatment from her mortgage lender regarding property she owns in Sacramento that was headed for foreclosure.

The subcommittee will be led by Rep. Ben Chandler, D-Ky., with Rep. Gregg Harper, R-Miss., as the ranking GOP member. Reps. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., and Sue Myrick, R-N.C., will be the other panel members.

Waters, D-Calif., is being investigated to determine whether she or her husband received benefits from alleged communications and activities she had with, or on behalf of, the National Bankers Association and OneUnited Bank. Her husband owned stock in OneUnited and had served on its board of directors.

The investigatory panel will be led by Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla. Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Texas, will be the ranking GOP member, and Reps. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., will be the other members.

Two people shot at Los Angeles synagogue

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Los Angeles police Thursday played down speculation the shooting of two men in the underground parking lot of a synagogue might have been a hate crime.

Maor Ben-Nissan and Allen Lasry were both shot in the leg around 6:20 a.m. PDT by a gunman who fled immediately from the Adat Yeshurun Valley Sephardic synagogue in North Hollywood. Both victims were reported in good condition and Ben-Nissan, 37, was undergoing surgery Thursday afternoon, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Police initially said the shooting might have been a hate crime but backed away from that speculation. Instead, investigators said they were considering all possibilities, including whether one of the victims had been specifically targeted by the attacker, the Times said.

Law enforcement sources told the newspaper police were looking into whether the shooting was related to a business or personal conflict but do not believe the motive was robbery.

LAPD Deputy Chief Michel Moore said the gunman approached the victims "without any words" and shot them.

A 17-year-old who was picked up for questioning has been released.

Police alerted other Los Angeles synagogues about the shooting as a precaution and increased patrols near Jewish religious facilities in the city. The congregation of Adat Yeshurun Valley Sephardic is made up mostly of Moroccan and other North African Jews, the Times said.