RTC Director

Greek Radical Left Leader Refusing Coalition Talks

The leader of a group of Greek far-left parties, which finished second in last week's parliamentary elections, is refusing to take part in more talks to form a coalition government.

Alexis Tsipras said Sunday he will not become what he calls an accomplice in a crime against Greek society.

He said those who govern Greece and support the deep spending cuts demanded by the European Union did not get the message of the voters.

Greek President Karolos Papoulias is struggling to broker talks between the three top party leaders to form a new coalition government and avoid another round of parliamentary elections.

None of the top three parties in last week's vote — conservative New Democracy, radical left Syriza, and the socialist PASOK — won enough parliamentary seats to vote to form a government. And, when given the chance, the party chiefs were not able to find enough support to form a coalition on their own.

The talks are scheduled to resume Monday.

The New Democracy and PASOK parties could form a coalition if the small Democratic Left party decides to join them. But that party has so far refused to join unless Syriza does.

The previous Greek government — a New Democracy-PASOK coalition — agreed to demands from its international lenders for deep spending cuts in exchange for the country's second bailout in two years. This includes slashing government jobs, raising taxes, and cutting pensions. Greeks have taken to the streets in sometimes violent protests against the bailout plans.

by RTC Director

Syrian Troops Storm Village; Violence Spills into Lebanon

Syrian troops backed by tanks killed at least five civilians, torched homes and looted shops when they overran a rebellious Sunni Muslim farming village Sunday, as tensions from the 14-month-old uprising also spilled into neighboring Lebanon.

Sunday's raid against the impoverished village of al-Tamana, 55 kilometers northwest of Hama, cast further doubt on the viability of U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan's plan to end the bloody conflict peacefully.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said al-Tamana was “subjected to collective punishment” with “over half of its houses burned, several people executed [upon arrest] and the rest killed from bombardment.”

The watchdog group said at least 25 people – 18 civilians, five soldiers and two anti-government rebels – were killed Sunday as violence ripped through various Syrian flashpoint areas.

Opposition activists said al-Tamana had seen regular anti-government protests. The village was one of dozens of Sunni settlements torched since Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces seized control of the cities of Homs and Hama.

Residents of the nearby Alawite village of al-Aziziyeh, a recruiting ground for the loyalist Shabbiha militia, took part in a separate assault on al-Tamana Friday.

Syria's Sunni majority is at the forefront of the uprising against Mr. Assad, whose Alawite sect is an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam.

In a sign the sectarian tension threatens to spill over into Lebanon, three people were killed early Sunday when gunbattles broke out in an Alawite enclave and surrounding Sunni neighborhoods of the northern port city of Tripoli.

Lebanon is sharply split along sectarian lines, with 18 religious sects. But it also has a fragile political fault line precisely over the issue of Syria.

An array of pro-Syrian parties support Mr. Assad's government, as do many Lebanese citizens. Others oppose the Syrian leader and accuse Damascus of heavy-handed meddling in Lebanese affairs.

Violence by Mr. Assad's forces and his increasingly armed foes has continued despite an April 12 cease-fire declared by Mr. Annan and the presence of a U.N. monitoring mission now with about 150 observers on the ground.

In another development Sunday, two Turkish journalists who had been detained in Syria for two months arrived in Istanbul on a plane from Iran, after Tehran helped negotiate their release.

Reporters Adem Ozkose and Hamit Coskun were abducted by pro-government militiamen and handed over to Syrian intelligence, which held them separately in a Damascus prison. The two men said they feared they would die after spending 55 days isolated in cramped concrete cells.

by RTC Director

US, Pakistan, Afghan Military Hold Talks

The commander of NATO-led forces in Afghanistan met with the army chiefs of Pakistan and Afghanistan in Islamabad Sunday to discuss border security and anti-terror coordination.

The meeting of the Afghanistan-Pakistan-ISAF Tripartite Commission came as Pakistani civilian and military leaders are preparing for talks Tuesday on ending the nearly six-month blockade of NATO supply routes into Afghanistan, following a NATO air strike last November that mistakenly killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.

The meeting, the first in nearly a year, is a key component of the international community's engagement in Afghanistan and has offered the opportunity for discussion on issues of tactical, operational and strategic importance.

The ISAF commander, U.S. General John Allen, said he was “very encouraged” by the talks with Pakistani General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, and Afghan General Sher Muhammad Karimi.

General Allen said “there was agreement these meetings are important to achieving continued progress toward our shared goals of a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Afghanistan” so the country “can no longer be a safe haven for terrorists again.”

After the deadly NATO air strike, already tense U.S.-Pakistani ties plunged into a diplomatic deadlock. Pakistani officials demanded an unconditional apology. But Washington refused and Islamabad retaliated by cutting off NATO ground supply routes to international forces in Afghanistan. In return, the U.S. withdrew as much as $3 billion of promised military aid.

Islamabad also demanded an end to drone strikes, arguing they are counter-productive because they kill civilians, exacerbate anti-U.S. sentiment and violate sovereignty.

Washington says the strikes are crucial to defeating al-Qaida and the Taliban.

by RTC Director

Merkel’s Conservatives Trounced in German State Election

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives suffered an embarrassing loss in Sunday's legislative election in Germany's most populous state as she continues pushing for economic austerity in Europe.

Preliminary results show the opposition left-wing Social Democrats winning 39 percent of the vote in North Rhine-Westphalia. Ms. Merkel's Christian Democrats won 26 percent.

The Social Democrats will likely form a coalition with the Greens in the state.

The conservative candidate for governor, German environment minister Norbert Roettgen, calls Sunday's election a bitter defeat that really hurts.

Some German political analysts say the results in North Rhine-Westphalia may be a harbinger of next year's federal election, in which Chancellor Merkel plans to seek another term.

Ms. Merkel is still calling for economic austerity across Europe even after voters in Greece and France last week ousted parties that back deep spending cuts.

She plans to hold her first meeting with France's incoming socialist president, Francois Hollande, after his inauguration this week.

by RTC Director