Cheney visits Iraq

Vice President Dick Cheney told reporters in Baghdad the Iraq war has been “well worth the effort” during a surprise visit to Iraq March 17. He also said that while the war has been a difficult challenge, it has been a successful endeavor. No decision has been made about future troop withdrawals, and Cheney stated that President Bush would make such decisions after a briefing from his top military officials. Cheney met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and President Jalal Talabani and will also visit leaders in Oman, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Israel and the West Bank to discuss gas prices and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

Suicide attack kills 43

A suicide bombing killed 43 people near the Imam Hussein shrine in the Shiite holy city of Karbala March 17. The explosion is the deadliest attack in Karbala in nearly a year and overshadowed the visit to Baghdad by Vice President Dick Cheney, who described security improvements in the country as “phenomenal.” The bomber, who police and witnesses say was female, penetrated one of the most secure perimeters in Iraq. Recently, there has been an increasing trend of female suicide bombers. This is facilitated by Muslim customs that forbid men from touching women, allowing them to pass freely through security checkpoints and giving them the ability to hide weapons in their concealing garments.

Israel, Germany tighten relations

Israel and Germany agreed to strengthen ties March 17 during German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit to mark the 60th anniversary of Israel’s creation. Merkel and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert led a joint session of the two countries’ Cabinets, where both governments gave the go-ahead on a range of projects, including education, the environment and defense. The two sides also agreed to hold meetings once a year, alternating as hosts. Germany has similar arrangements with France, Italy, Spain, Poland and Russia, but it was the first time Israel entered such an agreement since it formed diplomatic ties in 1965. Germany is one of Israel’s strongest allies in Europe and its second biggest trading partner, after the United States.

Violence in Kosovo forces U.N. withdrawal

The United Nations withdrew its police personnel in northern Kosovo after violent clashes with Serbs resulted in dozens of injuries and arrests. Serbs took over a U.N. building in northern Kosovo last week, and after negotiations failed, the U.N. resorted to force. The clashes began when U.N. and NATO forces tried to remove roughly 300 Serb protesters who had taken over the building in north Mitrovica, a divided Kosovo town where ethnic Serbs control the northern half and ethnic Albanians control the southern half. About 40 U.N. police and at least 12 NATO soldiers were hurt in the violence March 17.

Chad, Sudan agree to stop aggression

The presidents of Sudan and Chad signed an agreement last week, with the goal of halting cross-border hostilities between the two nations. The agreement came after nearly two full days of talks in Dakar, Senegal between Sudan President Omar al-Beshir and Idriss Deby, the president of Chad. The agreement to normalize relations condemns cross-border movement of rebel or armed factions by either side that could hurt the other. Each country accuses the other of supporting armed rebel groups that carry out attacks over the border in attempts to destabilize the government. The rival nations’ armies have skirmished several times. The United Nations said refugees and armed groups regularly cross the border between the troubled Darfur region of Sudan and Chad.