MIDDLE EAST

SON OF ASSASSINATED PREMIER LEADS VICTORY IN ELECTION

BEIRUT, Lebanon – The son of the assassinated former premier Rafik Hariri swept Beirut legislative elections, officials said yesterday, in a solid rejection of Syrian influence that marked a turning point in Lebanese politics.

Saad Hariri, a 35-year-old political novice who took over his father’s mantle only in April, headed a ticket that won all 19 parliament seats up for grabs in the capital Sunday in the first election since Syria ended its nearly three-decade military domination of Lebanon in April.

Political pundits expect Mr. Hariri’s Future Movement to win the biggest bloc in the next parliament as elections continue over the next three weeks, a stature that could propel him to the premiership. Mr. Hariri said yesterday he would decide whether to seek the job after the elections.

The voting in Beirut will be followed by elections the next three Sundays in other regions that are widely expected to propel anti-Syrian politicians to power in the 128-seat parliament.

But the other three regions will be far more challenging for Hariri loyalists. They will face entrenched pro-Syrian politicians who are forming alliances with other groups, including former opposition members who have split with Mr. Hariri.

– Associated Press

ISRAEL PREPARES TO RELEASE PALESTINIAN PRISONERS

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – An Israeli aircraft fired missiles near a Palestinian refugee camp yesterday, destroying two rocket launchers and wounding three people, while Israel published a list of 400 Palestinian prisoners to be released later this week.

The prisoner release, which was set for Thursday, is part of the February ceasefire agreement, but has been repeatedly delayed.

Israel’s foreign minister, meanwhile, said Prime Minister Sharon plans to meet with Palestinian Arab leader Mahmoud Abbas soon in Jerusalem to coordinate security in the Gaza Strip after Israel has withdrawn from the area.

Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom gave no date for the Sharon-Abbas meeting, which would be the first since the two met at a February 8 summit in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh that produced the truce.

“We are trying very hard to coordinate [security issues] with the Palestinians in order to make sure” the Gaza areas Israel leave behind do not come under the sway of Hamas or “other extremist organizations,” Mr. Shalom told reporters outside a European-Mideast conference in Luxembourg.

– Associated Press

EASTERN EUROPE

RUSSIA AGREES TO BEGIN WITHDRAWING TROOPS FROM GEORGIA

MOSCOW – Russia agreed yesterday to begin withdrawing its troops from two Soviet-era bases in Georgia this year, resolving one of the most serious disputes between Moscow and its pro-Western neighbor.

The deal is a victory for the Caucasus Mountains nation, whose president, Mikhail Saakashvili, has sought to move the country out of the shadow of Moscow and toward deeper economic and military relations with America and Europe.

Troops and equipment will begin to be pulled out of the military base at the southern city of Akhalkalaki by year’s end, and then similar withdrawals will start from the Black Sea port of Batumi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. Mr. Lavrov signed a joint statement with his Georgian counterpart, Salome Zurabishvili. About 3,000 troops are stationed at the two bases.

Russia committed itself to finishing the withdrawal by the end of 2008, according to the pact, the text of which was posted on the Russian Foreign Ministry Web site.

The agreement is “an important and constructive step,” Mr. Zurabishvili said. “We have achieved to goal which we have long been working for.”

– Associated Press

CENTRAL ASIA

UZBEK POLICE ROUND UP ACTIVISTS; MCCAIN CALLS FOR INQUIRY

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan – Uzbek police are rounding up activists in a new crackdown, opposition leaders said yesterday, as Senator McCain repeated demands for an inquiry into this month’s violent uprising, calling it a “massacre.”

The protest in the eastern city of Andijan exploded into violence when militants seized a local prison and government headquarters and thousands of people demonstrated in the streets. Uzbek authorities say 173 people died in the May 13 violence, and deny they opened fire on unarmed civilians. Human rights advocates say up to 750 people were killed. President Karimov – viewed as one of the most authoritarian leaders still in control of a former Soviet republic – has rejected U.N. and Western calls for an international inquiry, saying Uzbek authorities would conduct their own probe.

“Karimov must understand that this kind of activity has no place in the 21st century,” Mr. McCain said in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek after he and two other American senators met with American-funded humanitarian organizations. “We repeat our demand for a full and complete investigation … of the massacre that occurred just a few days ago.”

– Associated Press

WESTERN EUROPE

POPE ENDORSES EFFORTS TO RESTRICT ASSISTED FERTILITY TREATMENTS

VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI yesterday endorsed efforts by Italy’s Roman Catholic bishops to restrict assisted fertility treatments, stepping into an emotionally charged Italian referendum battle.

The German-born pope contended that next month’s plebiscite on scrapping parts of a law that regulates assisted fertility treatments posed threats to life and the family. The pope spoke to the Italian bishops’ conference, which has called on Italians to boycott the June 12-13 referendum. He did not mention any details of the law but noted that the bishops were “committed to illuminating the choices of Catholics and all citizens” in the upcoming referendum. He emphasized the importance of defending the family and human life.

– Associated Press