Thursday 3 April 2014

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Iraq forces kill dozens of militants near Baghdad

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BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraqi soldiers killed more than 40 militants in clashes near Baghdad on Thursday as anti-government fighters edged close to the capital just weeks before national parliamentary elections.The firefight was the latest in a surge in bloodshed over the past year, amid fears insurgents could seek to destabilise the April 30 polls by upping the pace of attacks with violence already at its worst since 2008.The bloodshed comes with campaigning under way for the elections, Iraq's first since March 2010, which the UN's special envoy has warned will be highly divisive.On Thursday morning, militants attacked an army camp in Yusifiyah, just southwest of Baghdad, an interior ministry statement said.More than 40 insurgents died in the ensuing battle, with one army officer also killed.Iraqi security forces confronted a failed attempt by Daash gang members to break into a military camp, the statement said, referring to the Arabic abbreviation for the powerful Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant jihadist group.The security forces... killed more than 40 terrorist attackers, and the attack resulted in the death of one of our officers when he was confronting these criminal gangs.Two heavy machineguns, 15 rifles and five grenade launchers were seized, along with other equipment, the statement said.The clashes in Yusifiyah come after days of fighting in the Zoba and Zaidan areas west of Baghdad.The fighting spurred concerns that militants who have for months controlled the city of Fallujah, a short drive from Baghdad, could be looking to open a new front to encroach on the capital itself.Elsewhere Thursday, a series of attacks nationwide, including five car bombs, killed 10 people, security and medical officials said.A car bomb near the restive ethnically mixed northern town of Tuz Khurmatu killed four soldiers and wounded 12, while another car bomb in Hilla, south of the capital, killed two more.Three car bombs elsewhere south of Baghdad killed three people, while gunmen killed another in Tikrit, north of the capital.More than 2,300 people have been killed in Iraq so far this year, with unrest at its highest level since 2008 when the country was emerging from a brutal Sunni-Shiite sectarian war that left tens of thousands dead.The bloodletting has been principally driven by anger in the Sunni Arab minority over alleged mistreatment at the hands of the Shiite-led government and security forces, as well as by the civil war in neighbouring Syria.Analysts and diplomats have urged the authorities to reach out to the Sunni community to undermine support for militancy, but with the elections looming, Maliki and other Shiite leaders have been loath to be seen to compromise.Near-daily bloodshed is part of a long list of voter concerns that include lengthy power cuts, poor running water and sewerage services, rampant corruption and high unemployment.But campaigns are rarely fought on individual issues, with parties instead appealing to voters' ethnic, sectarian or tribal allegiances or resorting to trumpeting well-known personalities.UN special envoy Nickolay Mladenov has warned that the election campaign will be highly divisive, underscoring fears that the polls could worsen a long-standing political deadlock in which Iraq's fractious unity government has passed little in the way of significant legislation.Campaigning will be highly divisive, Mladenov told AFP in an interview.Everyone is ratcheting it up to the maximum, and you could see this even before officially the campaign started.Mladenov, a Bulgarian former foreign and defence minister, added: I would hope that it would be more about issues, and how the country deals with its challenges, but at this point, it's a lot about personality attacks.The efforts to reach across the sectarian divide are very weak.

Thousands march in Spain against austerity

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MADRID (AFP) - Tens of thousands of people marched in dozens of Spanish cities on Thursday against austerity measures enacted by the government, which is under pressure from the EU to reduce its public deficit.Rallies were staged in Madrid and 53 other cities by more than 100 organisations, including Spain's two largest trade unions, the CCOO and UGT, as well as groups representing health and education services.Several thousand people, many waving red-and-white labour-union flags, marched through the streets of the Spanish capital behind a large black-and-white banner that read: The austerity policies must end.Retired civil servant Maria Cruz Otero, 67, said she was protesting because the cuts were affecting those worst off in Spanish society.With the so-called austerity it is the same people who are being left with nothing, those who already have little, she said.Years of tax hikes combined with freezes and reductions in public-sector pay have caused a brutal loss in purchasing power for many people, she added.The protests were held on the eve of a large demonstration planned in Brussels by the European Trade Union Confederation to demand the end of austerity policies in the European Union.The confederation expects at least 50,000 workers from more than 20 European countries will take to the streets of Brussels to express their unhappiness with the economic policies being pursued in Europe.Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's conservative government has struggled to contain annual deficits by raising taxes, freezing public salaries and curbing spending in areas such as education and health care despite angry street protests.The government says its painful reforms are delivering results after the economy emerged gingerly from recession in mid-2013.Growth remains slow, however, and the unemployment rate still tops 26 percent as the nation struggles with the aftermath of a decade-long property bubble bursting.Despite the difficult economic environment, Spain has promised the EU it will lower the public deficit to 5.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) this year, 4.2 percent next year and 2.8 percent in 2016.Spain's public deficit fell to the equivalent of 6.62 percent of total economic output in 2013 from 6.84 percent in 2012, just failing to meet a 6.5-percent target.Catholic charity Caritas warned last week government cuts to social benefits and high unemployment have caused an unprecedented rise in poverty in Spain.

Turkey lifts controversial Twitter ban

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ANKARA (AFP) - Turkey lifted a much-criticised block on Twitter on Thursday, 24 hours after its highest court overturned the ban as a breach of the right to free speech.Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan on March 20 shuttered access to the social media site after it had been used to spread a torrent of anonymous leaks implicating his inner circle in corruption.Turkey's NATO allies and international human rights groups strongly criticised the ban -- as well as an ongoing block of video-sharing website YouTube -- as a step backward for Turkey's democracy.On Wednesday Turkey's Constitutional Court ruled the Twitter ban violated free speech and ordered the communications ministry and telecoms authority to reverse it with immediate effect.The government took 24 hours to react. First the telecoms authority TIB removed from its website a court order on the Twitter block and started contacting internet service providers to lift the ban.Shortly after -- as many of Turkey's Twitter accounts came live again -- the transport and communications ministry confirmed the move in a brief statement.In line with the decision made by the Constitutional Court ... the measure blocking access to the Twitter.com Internet site has been removed, it said. After the necessary technical arrangements, the site will be opened to use.The ban had been widely circumvented by many of Turkey's almost 12 million Twitter users, who have instead sent tweets via text message or by adjusting their Internet settings.Many Twitter users quickly commented on the move, with Nervana Mahmoud writing from Egypt, Joy to the world, the Sultan has agreed, using a common nickname for Erdogan.Turkish journalist Adem Yavuz Arslan urged caution, warning that users should maintain the VPNs or virtual private networks they have used to get around the ban. Twitter has been unblocked, he wrote. But do not change your VPN settings yet. Because the government has the plug on the Internet. It can pull it whenever it wants.When the micro-blogging service wasn't live in Turkey by Thursday morning, critics started pushing, fearing that the government may ignore the order. Lawmaker Sezgin Tanrikulu of the secular main opposition Republican People's Party, warned that defying the ruling would mean an abuse of power while President Abdullah Gul, a regular Twitter user, said the bans on Twitter and YouTube now needed to be lifted.After the service returned, San Francisco-based Twitter said: We are encouraged by the news from Turkey today and welcome our Turkish users back to Twitter.The United States, which offered rare criticism of ally Turkey over its crackdown on social media, also welcomed the move.Welcome back to Twitter Turkey. Good decision by constitutional court. @YouTube still offline, tweeted Rick Stengel, the undersecretary of state for public diplomacy.

Football: Juve grab Europa League advantage

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PARIS (AFP) - Serie A champions-elect Juventus remained on course for the Europa League title with a 1-0 win at Lyon in a forgettable quarter-final first leg on Thursday.After losing their 14-match unbeaten run in a 2-0 loss at Napoli at the weekend, Juve continued to labour in France.They were heading for a scoreless stalemate until Leonardo Bonucci broke the deadlock five minutes from time.Andrea Pirlo's corner fell to Paul Pogba whose powerful close-range drive was blocked but Bonucci was on hand to blast the ball home past Anthony Lopes in the Lyon goal.Moments earlier, an unmarked Mirko Vucinic had managed to fire over the crossbar from just six yards out in a crude snapshot of the lack of quality involved.Lyon struggled to carve out a meaningful chance while Juventus's Argentine star Carlos Tevez had headed wide in the first half.Tevez, who has 18 Serie A goals this season, remains without a goal in continental competition since scoring for Manchester United against Porto in the 2008/09 Champions League. Portuguese giants Benfica and Porto both came out of their first legs with 1-0 wins.Last season's runners-up Benfica, who put out Tottenham in the last-16, won at Alkmaar in the Netherlands thanks to a 48th-minute goal from Eduardo Salvio.He was first to a rebound after Alkmaar's Costa Rican goalkeeper Esteban had saved from Oscar Cardozo.Porto, the 2011 champions, edged Sevilla 1-0 with stand-in captain Eliaquim Mangala scoring on the half-hour.Steven Defour and Ricardo Quaresma both saw efforts come off the post for Porto but they ended the game with 10-men after Fernando was red-carded.Argentine playmaker Matias Delgado scored twice in the space of four first-half minutes to help Basel on the way to a 3-0 win over Valencia.However, there were few on hand to witness the action after Basel, who were semi-finalists last season, were ordered to play behind closed doors following fan violence in the last-16 tie at Salzburg.The 31-year-old Delgado opened the scoring in the 34th minute with a calm finish into the corner after being afforded too much space on the edge of the area.He added a second in the 38th minute with Valentin Stocker creating the opportunity.Stocker grabbed the third in injury time at the end of the match when he cut across Juan Bernat and lifted the ball over Vicente Guaita in the Valencia goal.

Venus Williams ousted at Family Circle Cup

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CHARLESTON (AP) - Venus Williams couldn't dig herself out of a hole this time and lost to Eugenie Bouchard of Canada 7-6 (6), 2-6, 6-4 at the Family Circle Cup on Thursday.Williams fought back in each of her first two matches to advance. She seemed to follow the same game-plan in this one, rallying from a set down to win the second set and lead 2-1 in the third.That's when Bouchard took over, breaking Williams' serve twice in the third set, including the final game.She played a lot more consistently than I did, Williams said.Bouchard finished things off by reaching Williams' drop shot and pushing it into the open court for her first victory over the seven-time Grand Slam champion.I've shown to myself how mentally strong I can be, said Bouchard, seeded sixth. Today was really a mental battle. It was a bit ugly at times and tough on the court, but I fought through it.Williams was the 2004 Family Circle champion. She reached the semifinals here last year where she lost to sister Serena, the eventual champion.Bouchard awaited No. 2 seed Jelena Jankovic or Ajla Tomljanovic in Friday's quarterfinals. Jankovic, at eighth in the world the top player remaining, faced Tomljanovic late.Others advancing to the round of eight included third-seed Sara Errani, who outlasted Peng Shuai of China, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5); Andrea Petkovic, who topped fourth-seeded Sabine Lisicki 6-1, 6-0 in an all-German match; Jana Cepelova of Slovakia, who defeated Elena Vesnina of Russia 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-3; and Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, who beat Teliana Pereira of Brazil 6-2, 6-3.Errani rallied in each of her sets to eliminate Peng, the world's top-ranked doubles player.For Cepelova, it was her second big victory of this event after knocking off world No. 1 Serena Williams in a stunner on Tuesday.

Tennis: Britain, Italy seek to end poor Davis Cup record

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NAPLES (AFP) - Great Britain and Italy look to end their long waits to reach the Davis Cup semi-finals with Wimbledon champion Andy Murray and colourful Italian Fabio Fognini key to their hopes.Italy haven't made the last four since 1998 while Britain, nine-time winners but whose last title came back in 1936, have not been in the semi-finals since 1981.Italy and Britain have met 15 times in the competition with the Italians winning 11 times, although their last meeting was back in 1984.To make this stage, Italy beat Argentina 3-1 while Britain enjoyed a similar scoreline to shock the United States.In Thursday's draw, world number eight Murray, who has been suffering with a virus, was drawn to face Andreas Seppi, the world number 34, after 13th-ranked Fognini meets James Ward, the world 161.The winner of the semi-final will face either Switzerland or Kazakhstan in September for a place in the final.

Blatter says World Cup will be 'well done'

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SAN JOSE (AP) - FIFA President Sepp Blatter says the World Cup will be well done, but he criticized Brazilian authorities for starting late on stadium projects and for not providing enough worker safety.Blatter spoke on Thursday in the Costa Rican capital, where he was attending the Under-17 Womens World Cup.Three World Cup stadiums are still being built in the southern cities of Sao Paulo and Curitiba, and the western city of Cuiaba.A fourth stadium, already opened in Porto Alegre, has been slowed in a dispute about how to pay for temporary facilities for television, hospitality and security.The World Cup opens in 10 weeks.

Rallying: First strike for Ogier in Portugal

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LISBON (AFP) - World champion Sebastien Ogier claimed the opening super stage of the Rally of Portugal on Thursday in a Volkswagen cleansweep.French driver Ogier, in a Volkswagen Polo, finished ahead of teammates Jari-Matti Latvala of Finland and Norway's Andreas Mikkelsen by 0.3sec and 2.2sec respectively.Six stages will be held on Friday's first full day in the south of the country, in and around Faro.

Hidden ocean on Saturn's moon bolsters life theory

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Saturns moon Enceladus is home to an ocean of melted water beneath its surface, and could be a source for alien microbes, scientists said Thursday.The first measurements of the subsurface water at the south pole of the small and icy moon were made by the US space agencys Cassini spacecraft, and are described in the journal Science.The body of water is about the size of Lake Superior, the second largest lake on Earth, and has a rocky bottom which could create conditions that allow tiny life forms to thrive.Researchers first raised the possibility of a below-ground ocean on Enceladus in 2005, after water vapor was detected spewing from vents near the moons southern pole.Material from Enceladus south polar jets contains salty water and organic molecules, the basic chemical ingredients for life, said Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist at NASA.Their discovery expanded our view of the habitable zone within our solar system and in planetary systems of other stars, she added.This new validation that an ocean of water underlies the jets furthers understanding about this intriguing environment.The Cassini spacecraft detected the shape of Enceladus gravity field during three flybys from 2010 to 2012.The gravitational tug exerted on the unmanned orbiter was carefully analyzed for clues about what the interior of Enceladus contained.Researchers believe the 500-kilometer (310-mile) wide moons ocean is encased beneath a thick crust of crystal ice.For the first time, we have used a geophysical method to determine the internal structure of Enceladus, said co-author David Stevenson, professor of planetary science at Caltech.This then provides one possible story to explain why water is gushing out of these fractures we see at the south pole.The Cassini mission is led by NASA, with the cooperation of the Italian Space Agency and European Space Agency.The spacecraft was launched 2004 and has visited all of Saturns largest moons.The sixth planet from the Sun, Saturn is characterized by its unusual rings and has 53 known moons and nine provisional moons.

Oil rises on anticipation of improved jobs report

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NEW YORK (AP) - Benchmark U.S. crude for May delivery gained 67 cents Thursday to close at $100.29 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, used to set prices for international varieties of oil, rose $1.36 to $106.15 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.The Labor Department releases its March employment report Friday. Economists project that employers added 191,000 workers last month, according to a survey by FactSet. That would be an improvement from February, when employers added 175,000 positions.We are still viewing the non-farm payrolls report as a key determinant as to how the complex finishes this week, wrote Jim Ritterbusch, president of energy consultancy Ritterbusch and Associates, in a note to clients. We feel that surprises are more apt to be favorable.After Thursday's gain, oil is down 38 cents a barrel so far this week.

Euro retreats on dovish comments from ECB's Draghi

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The euro Thursday retreated against the dollar and the yen after the head of the European Central Bank signaled he would act aggressively to ward off deflation if conditions warrant.Near 2200 GMT, the euro bought $1.3717, down from $1.3765 late Wednesday.The euro slipped to 142.61 yen from 142.96 of the Japanese currency.The dollar advanced to 103.94 yen from 103.85.Currency traders kept attention squarely on Frankfurt, where the ECB, as expected, kept its central refi or refinancing rate unchanged at 0.25 percent at its monthly policy meeting.However, the euro retreated following a news conference with ECB President Mario Draghi, who vowed to act swiftly if needed to keep deflation at bay.We will monitor developments very closely and will consider all instruments available to us. We are resolute in our determination to maintain a high degree of monetary accommodation and to act swiftly if required, Draghi said.BK Asset Management managing director Kathy Lien said Draghi was unusually specific in saying that quantitative easing, another rate cut, negative deposit rates and a narrower rate corridor were all discussed at the meeting.The comments tell us that there's no question that the ECB's primary goal today was to harden their dovish bias, Lien said.Lien said traders Friday will be especially focused on the US Department of Labor's monthly jobs report. An increase of more than 225,000 net new jobs in March would boost the dollar, while the greenback would fall if the report shows fewer than 150,000 new jobs, she said.Among other currencies, the British pound fell to $1.6597 from $1.6622 Wednesday.The dollar advanced to 0.8909 Swiss franc from 0.8866.

PM, Interior minister meet to discuss security issues

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ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar met here on Thursday to discuss security issues. Interior ministry also released information about release of 19 ‘non-combatant’ Taliban prisoners, Dunya News reported.Prime Minister was briefed that all released prisoners belonged to Mehsud tribe. Interior ministry also released detail about the prisoners. According to details, 3 prisoners were released on March 1, 5 on March 25, and 11 on March 28.The ministry revealed all these prisoners were arrested on the basis of intelligence reports and suspicion.Earlier, foreign news agency Reuters has claimed that the government of Pakistan will release 100 more Taliban prisoners. The government has started releasing non-combatant prisoners to boost reconciliation efforts.According to Dunya News, South Waziristan’s political administration released 16 Taliban prisoners on Wednesday as part of goodwill gesture.According to reports, those freed were arrested during various search operations in South Waziristan two years ago. Sources say the free men include Mera Jan, Abdullah Jan, Salamat Khan, Bandshah Gul, Abdul Aziz, Noorzada, Satta Jan, Saddam Hussain, Ziauddin, Sher Pao, Riaz Ali, Mir Alam, Sher Alam Khan, Iqbal, Noor Alam.The political agent of South Waziristan, the highest government official in the northwestern tribal region, confirmed.South Waziristan s political administration released sixteen men on April 1, Islam Zeb told Reuters.They are not major commanders. They are innocent tribals who were arrested during different search operations in South Waziristan in the last two to three years.He said these men are freed upon guarantee of Senator Saleh Shah and have nothing to do with negotiation process.Zeb said all the released prisoners belonged to the Mehsud tribe, a major Pashtun tribe living in South Waziristan. Another 100 prisoners on the Taliban s list were being processed and would be released in the next few days, he added.

PM Office denies report regarding Taliban prisoners' release

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ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) - A spokesman of Prime Ministers Office has rebutted report of a foreign news agency that the Prime Minister has approved release of Taliban prisoners.In a statement, he said the Prime Minister has given no such approval nor any prisoner has been released.Earlier, British news agency Reuters has claimed that the government of Pakistan will release 100 more Taliban prisoners. The government has started releasing non-combatant prisoners to boost reconciliation efforts.According to Dunya News, South Waziristan’s political administration released 16 Taliban prisoners on Wednesday as part of goodwill gesture.According to reports, those freed were arrested during various search operations in South Waziristan two years ago. Sources say the free men include Mera Jan, Abdullah Jan, Salamat Khan, Bandshah Gul, Abdul Aziz, Noorzada, Satta Jan, Saddam Hussain, Ziauddin, Sher Pao, Riaz Ali, Mir Alam, Sher Alam Khan, Iqbal, Noor Alam.The political agent of South Waziristan, the highest government official in the northwestern tribal region, confirmed.South Waziristans political administration released sixteen men on April 1, Islam Zeb told Reuters.They are not major commanders. They are innocent tribals who were arrested during different search operations in South Waziristan in the last two to three years.He said these men are freed upon guarantee of Senator Saleh Shah and have nothing to do with negotiation process.Zeb said all the released prisoners belonged to the Mehsud tribe, a major Pashtun tribe living in South Waziristan. Another 100 prisoners on the Talibans list were being processed and would be released in the next few days, he added.Taliban negotiators were not immediately available to comment on the releases.Intelligence officials confirmed that the prisoners were brought to the Zari Noor army camp in Wana, the regions main town.The enclave on the Afghan border was once the epicentre of a spreading Taliban insurgency and the site of a major military offensive in 2009 that displaced half a million people.Security officials said once at Wana, the prisoners were handed over to office of the political agent, who then released them to the Taliban.Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif personally authorised the releases, a source in his office said - an apparent sign the premier is giving in to pressure from the Pakistan Taliban and resisting those in the military arguing for tougher military action against militant strongholds.But they (released prisoners) are all non-combatant civilians. They are not sensitive figures, the prime ministers aide said.Maybe some of them are Taliban sympathisers but they are not commanders and have no role in the talks process.Releasing them will create goodwill and we hope they (Taliban) will reciprocate, he added.Sharif, who took power last year promising to strike a negotiated peace with the Taliban, has been trying to engage the militants, who want to topple his government and enforce severe Islamic law.But talks broke down in February this year, when a Taliban wing operating in the Mohmand Pashtun tribal region said it had executed 23 soldiers in revenge for the killing of its fighters by the security forces.Islamabad then refused to hold further talks until the Taliban announced a ceasefire on March 1.The second round of peace talks now hangs in the balance after the Taliban announced on Wednesday they would not extend the ceasefire and warned that attacks would begin again in Pakistan. Pakistan was not entirely peaceful during the ceasefire either.On Wednesday night, a bomb exploded near a bridge just 30 minutes before the convoy of former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf, who is on trial for treason, passed by. The retired general was not harmed.Last month, a judge was among 11 people killed in a rare attack by a militant group calling itself Ahrar-ul-Hind on a court in Islamabad.Pakistans powerful military, which has the upper hand in policy-making and a free hand on internal security, has always been skeptical about talks.A senior army official said the release of Taliban prisoners involved in attacks on civilians and the army was impossible.There is no way these hardened militants will be freed, said the official who declined to be identified.Neither will the army pull out of the tribal areas. What are the Taliban asking: that we hand them parts of the country? Thats not going to happen. No chance.

West, Middle East powers warn against Syria election

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Eleven Western and Middle Eastern powers on Thursday warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against holding elections, saying that the vote would have no credibility amid the countrys brutal civil war.In a joint statement, the 11 core members of so-called Friends of Syria urged Assad instead to embrace a plan outlined in Geneva talks that includes a transitional government as a way out of the three-year war.Elections organized by the Assad regime would be a parody of democracy, would reveal the regimes rejection of the basis of the Geneva talks and would deepen the division of Syria, said the statement, as issued by the US State Department.The 11 nations include Western powers the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Italy as well as key regional opponents of Assad: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Arab powers Egypt and Jordan are also part of the group, which does not include Assads allies Russia and Iran.The statement said that a credible election would be impossible with millions of Syrians displaced.Bashar al-Assad intends these elections to sustain his dictatorship, it said.An electoral process led by Assad, whom the United Nations considers to have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, mocks the innocent lives lost in the conflict, it said.Assad -- whose family has ruled Syria for more than four decades -- has not announced his candidacy in elections expected before July but is widely expected to run.Parliament has approved a law that essentially bars opposition candidates from running, virtually ensuring Assads re-election.The US State Department earlier described Assads prospective re-election campaign as disgusting.

US says Israel's failure to free Palestinian prisoners a 'challenge'

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States said Thursday that Israels failure to agree to free a group of Palestinian prisoners was a new challenge for imperiled US peace efforts.Israels top negotiator Tzipi Livni told the Palestinians earlier that the release of 26 prisoners could not take place because of an attempt by the government of president Mahmud Abbas to seek international recognition, a source said.The decision by the Israelis to delay the release of the fourth tranche of prisoners creates challenges, said White House spokesman Jay Carney.There certainly is currently no agreement on the release of this tranche.Carney said, however, that Secretary of State John Kerry and the US negotiating team would not be deterred in trying to keep the peace effort alive despite recent setbacks.There has been progress in narrowing some of the questions that have arisen as a result of the events of the last few days, he said.Neither side has indicated that they want to walk away from the talks. They both indicated they want to find a way to move forward.Israel refused to release the prisoners until the Palestinians agreed to push on with peace talks past an end-of-April deadline. But the Palestinians would not give the undertaking until the previously agreed releases took place.In response to Israels move, the Palestinians applied to join several international treaties and organizations in the belief that aspirations for statehood through peace talks were foundering.
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