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Iraq says ex-Baathist confesses to Finance Ministry attack

Iraqi officials Sunday released what they called a confession from a man identified as a former Baathist police official, who says he helped organize one of last week’s attacks on government buildings in Baghdad. In the videotaped statement, the man identified himself as Wissam Ali Kadhim Ibrahim, a former police chief in executed dictator Saddam Hussein’s government. Ibrahim said he received orders for the bombing of the Finance Ministry building from a member of Hussein’s Baath Party now living in Syria

Thai court rejects U.S. extradition request for ‘Merchant of Death’

A Thai court on Tuesday rejected the extradition of a man dubbed the "Merchant of Death", whom the U.S. government accuses of selling millions of dollars in weapons to Colombian rebels.

Three detained U.S. hikers share love of travel, learning

One is a freelance journalist who intended to cover elections in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. Another also has been trying her hand at reporting, and the third is a friend who shared their love of travel. Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Joshua Fattal — three University of California-Berkeley graduates believed to have been arrested Friday after crossing from Iraq into Iran during a hike — are seasoned travelers with an appetite for interaction with other cultures, friends and associates said

Syria visit starts week of U.S. diplomacy in Middle East

A week of U.S. diplomatic maneuvering in the Middle East began Sunday with special envoy George Mitchell meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad before heading to Israel.

Democracy groups plan global Iran rallies

Human rights supporters in dozens of cities around the world plan to rally Saturday to show solidarity with Iranians seeking democracy and civil rights, one of the organizing groups said. United4Iran said it expects protests at Iranian embassies and other sites to condemn the Iranian government’s violent response to citizens who claim the June 12 re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was fraudulent.

Hamas leader: Obama must do more for peace

Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal on Thursday called on the United States to take a more active role in the Mideast peace process "so that America and the rest of the world can take a break from the headache of the region." “We appreciate the new language Obama used toward Hamas, and it is the first step in the right direction toward launching direct dialogue without any preconditions,” Meshaal said in his address from Damascus, Syria. “We welcome this.” Meshaal — who lives in exile in Syria — is the head of Hamas, which rules the Palestinian territory of Gaza

Analysis: Obama balances realism, idealism as Iran simmers

This week, President Obama spoke in the harshest tones yet about the Iranian regime’s violent crackdown against election protesters.

U.S. to send ambassador back to Syria

President Obama has decided to send a U.S. ambassador back to Syria, a dramatic sign of reconciliation between the two countries, senior administration officials tell CNN. The announcement is expected to be made this week

Will Offshore Searches Slow North Korean Nukes Or Spark a Military Confrontation?

After more than 15 years of largely fruitless diplomacy, the U.S. and its allies are preparing a high-seas quarantine to try to ensure that North Korea’s nuclear knowledge doesn’t leach beyond its borders

Hizballah After Lebanon’s Election: Down But Hardly Out

The temptation to make too much of Hizballah’s failure to unseat Lebanon’s Western-backed government in Sunday’s election is obvious. For past three years, the Shi’ite Islamist movement has been on a roll, withstanding an Israeli invasion, then paralyzing the U.S.-backed government, eventually humiliating its militias in a street confrontation, in the process winning veto power over cabinet decisions. Many had feared that the election would see the Iran-backed movement lead an opposition coalition to victory.