WASHINGTON — If al-Qaida acquired nuclear weapons it “would have no compunction at using them,” President Barack Obama said Sunday on the eve of a summit aimed at finding ways to secure the world’s nuclear stockpile.
“The single biggest threat to U.S. security, both short-term, medium-term and long-term, would be the possibility of a terrorist organization obtaining a nuclear weapon,” Obama said. “This is something that could change the security landscape in this country and around the world for years to come.”
“We know that organizations like al-Qaida are in the process of trying to secure nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction, and would have no compunction at using them,” Obama said.
The Nuclear Security Summit of more than 40 world leaders in Washington this week is aimed at securing “loose nuclear material,” Obama said. He was holding one-on-one meetings Sunday with several of those leaders.
On Thursday, Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev signed a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty that reduces each side’s deployed nuclear arsenal to 1,550 weapons. Earlier in the week, Obama vowed to reduce America’s nuclear arsenal and refrain from nuclear tests.
Florida: Astronauts 1, bolt 0
Spacewalking astronauts had to pull out a hammer and pry bar while attaching a big, new tank full of ammonia coolant to the International Space Station on Sunday, successfully driving in a stiff bolt after two frustrating hours, NASA announced from Cape Canaveral. Rick Mastracchio and Clayton Anderson banged and pulled and shoved, with no success, on the stuck bolt. They undid the good bolts and jostled the 1,700-pound, refrigerator-size tank in case it was misaligned. Finally, after they maneuvered the tank from a different angle, the troublesome bolt slid into place.
California: Aftershocks hit
A cluster of moderate earthquakes near the U.S.-Mexico border rattled southern San Diego County on Sunday as a swarm of seismic activity continues one week after a magnitude-7.2 quake slammed the area. No damages or injuries were reported from more than two dozen quakes Sunday, most in the 3.0-magnitude range but one registering 4.4. Also Sunday, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the Solomon Islands on Sunday, but a monitoring agency said a tsunami was not expected. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
Afghanistan: U.S. calls Karzai commander in chief
U.S. expressed sympathy Sunday for the pressure Afghan President Hamid Karzai faces and touted him as commander in chief of the warring nation. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates blitzed Sunday morning news shows in the U.S. to call Karzai a reliable partner. “President Karzai is the commander in chief — he is the president of a sovereign country,” Gen. David Petreaus, who oversees the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, said Sunday in Kabul. “Yes, there’s a partnership, but he is the commander in chief.” U.S.-Afghan relations grew tense earlier this month after Karzai complained about foreign interference in his government.
Iraq: Prime minister says 750,000 votes are in doubt
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s political party claimed Sunday its investigation into the March 7 parliamentary election has thrown into question some 750,000 votes, enough to change the results of the nationwide poll. The State of Law alliance trailed by just two seats behind former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi’s party in the vote, which produced no clear winner because neither side got enough seats to govern alone. Al-Maliki has demanded an official recount.
Kyrgyzstan: Ousted leader asks for troops from U.N.
Kyrgyzstan’s deposed president on Sunday defended the legitimacy of his rule and urged the United Nations to send peacekeepers to help stabilize the strategically vital Central Asian nation. President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said from his home village in the south that he had not ordered police to fire at protesters in the capital. Bakiyev fled the capital, Bishkek, on Wednesday after a protest rally against corruption, rising utility bills and deteriorating human rights exploded into police gunfire and chaos that left at least 81 people dead and sparked protesters to storm the government headquarters. The head of interim government, Roza Otunbayeva, said Sunday that Bakiyev must face trial, rescinding an earlier offer of security guarantees for him.
From Herald news services
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