Tamil Nadu students burn US draft resolution [TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 March 2013, 00:28 GMT] Protest started by the Loyola College students in Chennai against an empty US resolution on Sri Lanka at Geneva and the Tamil Nadu State Government action against the protest, have triggered spontaneous statewide student uprising that is not depending on any political party, news sources in Tamil Nadu said. Students of instituions such as the Annamalai University in Chithamparam and St. Xavier’s College, an autonomous university institution at Paa’laiyang-koaddai in Thirunelveali, have burnt the copies of the US draft resolution tabled at Geneva for discussion on Friday, saying that the draft only bails out the genocide-accused Sri Lankan State. Meanwhile, student protests took place in every part of Tamil Nadu and All Colleges Students Federation for the Liberation of Tamil Eelam has come out with a 9-point demand. Students burning US resolution at Annamalai University The students of Annamalai University and St. Xaviers College, who are also on a hunger strike, have urged the World Tamils not to be hoodwinked by any “constructive aspects” in any resolution that does not recognize a political solution on the basis of the nationhood of the Eezham Tamils, protestors told TamilNet. Student protests and hunger strikes have begun in several towns and cities that are historically and geographically significant in setting trends in Tamil Nadu. Political parties and certain sections that either tried to make benefits by association or tried to infiltrate and hijack were consciously kept out by the protesting students, who this time clearly drew the line between politics and peoples’ struggle. Students protest the draft US resolution at Annamalai University, Chidambaram

யார் தேசம் தமிழ் ஈழம்? போர் தொடுத்த சிங்களமே, ஈழத்தமிழரிடையே பொது வாக்கெடுப்பு நடத்து!

யார் தேசம் தமிழ் ஈழம்? போர் தொடுத்த சிங்களமே, ஈழத்தமிழரிடையே பொது வாக்கெடுப்பு நடத்து!

 

Sri Lanka Debrief news - 12.03.2013

Sri Lanka Debrief news - 12.03.2013

 

 

Falkland தீவார் 1513 பேரில் 1510 ( 99.8% )பேர் பெரிய பிரித்தானியராக இருக்க பொதுவாக்கெடுப்பில் தீர்மானம்!

Falkland தீவார் 1513 பேரில் 1510 ( 99.8% )பேர் பெரிய பிரித்தானியராக இருக்க பொதுவாக்கெடுப்பில் தீர்மானம்!

Falkland Islanders Vote To Remain British
By Ian Woods, Senior Correspondent, in Stanley | Sky News – 1 hour 4 minutes ago.

David Cameron has demanded that Argentina respect the result of a referendum in the Falklands which saw an overwhelming majority back staying under British rule.

Just three voted 'No' in the ballot about remaining a British Overseas Territory, with 99.8% supporting the status quo.

International observers ratified the poll, in which 92% of eligible voters - or 1,513 people - took part, as "free and fair"

The Prime Minister warned that Argentina should take "careful note" of the result, which he said was the clearest possible message.

"The Falkland Islands may be thousands of miles away but they are British through and through. That is how they want to stay," he said.

"They want to remain British and that view should be respected by everybody, including by Argentina."

Nigel Haywood, governor of the Falkland Islands, added: "You don't get a much clearer expression of the people's self-determination than such a large turn out and such a large yes vote."

Argentina has yet to officially react to the referendum but had already dismissed the vote as illegal and "pointless".

It claims the people have no voice in deciding what is a dispute about sovereignty that should be resolved directly with Britain.

But delighted residents, who sang Land Of Hope And Glory and Rule Britannia after the result, insisted they must be heard.

One woman celebrating in Stanley told Sky News: "It sends such a strong message to the world that we've been here for a long time.

"We have the right to determine our own future. How long do you have to live in a country before you're allowed to call it your own?"

The referendum was organised after a deterioration in relations between Britain and Argentina, which claims the Falklands and in 1982 invaded the islands it calls Las Malvinas.

During the war to take back the islands, 255 British serviceman died as well as 655 Argentinians and three locals.

Relations appeared to warm for a period until Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner restated her country's claims of sovereignty and tried to raise the issue with David Cameron and the UN.

Although Buenos Aires dismissed the referendum as illegitimate and refused to talk to Falkland politicians, the islanders hope other countries in South and Central America will be more sympathetic.

As the counting took place in Stanley Town Hall, it quickly became clear the piles of "Yes" votes were growing steadily, while "No" votes were nowhere to be seen.

There was a delay in announcing the result because one vote went missing during the count but officials eventually decided it was not worth a recount for a single missing ballot.

The result means the Falklands will continue to run its own affairs, but shelter under the wing of the motherland when it comes to defence and foreign policy.

Falklands' legislators know the referendum will be dismissed by the Argentine government, but one of them, Dick Sawle had this message for President Kirchner.

"Listen, this is what we've said and it's time you respected our human rights," he said. "It's time you stopped harassing us; it's time you stopped your very aggressive stance towards us.

"We'll be taking that message to various governments and saying

''look, self determination is a fundamental human right, you can't ignore it'. This is what the people of the Falklands have said. Do you have a problem with that?"
 

 Why Do you have problem with this?"

US tables Sri Lankan resolution with India line

US tables Sri Lankan resolution with India line

By P K Balachandran | ENS - COLOMBO
09th March 2013 07:55 AM

Activists burn an effigy and portraits of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse during a protest in New Delhi | AP/File

The US resolution on Sri Lanka, which was presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva on Friday, has incorporated India’s suggestion that the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) take the island government into confidence while probing cases of atrocities.

The resolution seeks to ensure that “special procedure mandate holders” tasked to look into human rights violations, work only in consultation with and with the concurrence of Colombo.

The provision for taking the Lankan government into confidence was part of the US resolution of March 2012 as well. It had been included at India’s insistence as New Delhi refused an intrusive resolution which could put Sri Lanka’s sovereignty into question.

The US resolution of 2013 said that neither the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission nor the National Action Plan, had “adequately” addressed allegations of rights violations.

It expressed “concern” at “reports” of human rights violations, including enforced disappearances; extra-judicial killings; torture; and the violation of the right to freedom of expression; association and peaceful assembly. The resolution points out intimidation of civil society and journalists and threats to judicial independence and rule of law.

The resolution has categorically stated that the US  expected “unfettered access” to the UN Special Rapporteurs looking into areas such as judicial independence; human rights defenders; freedom of expression; freedom of association and assembly; extra-judicial, summary and arbitrary executions; minority issues; enforced and involuntary disappearances and discrimination against women.

The US resolution made a strong pitch for the devolution of power to Tamils. It has also called for an independent international probe into violations of international human rights and humanitarian laws during Eelam War IV. This is, however, unlikely to be accepted by the Mahinda Rajapaksa government as it believes that any such investigation will violate the nation’s sovereignty.

Source: The New Indian Express

தமிழீழத்துக்கு பொதுவாக்கெடுப்புக் கோரி தமிழகத்தில் மாணவர் போராட்டம்!

Chennai college students on indefinite hunger-strike condemn US resolution
[TamilNet, Friday, 08 March 2013, 18:24 GMT]
Eight students of Loyola College, Chennai, who have begun an indefinite hunger-strike on Friday calling for a UN referendum among the Eezham Tamils, have also condemned the pro-LLRC US resolution to be tabled at Geneva, accusing it of bailing out genocidal Sri Lanka. Speaking to TamilNet, Mr. Britto, one of the protesting students, outlining the demands of the hunger-strike, said that the current US resolution was a farce that would completely cover-up the genocide of the Eezham Tamils and strengthen the hands of the perpetrators. The protestors also told TamilNet if their hunger-strike was not paid heed to by the Central Government, they would undertake a Civil Disobedience campaign throughout Tamil Nadu to boycott paying taxes to the Indian state that is endorsing the genocide of their brethren.
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=36109

பெண்களுக்கு முழு சுதந்திரம் வாங்கிக் கொடுக்காத வரையிலும் பாட்டாளி வர்க்கம் முழு விடுதலை அடைய முடியாது.

 

 

சிறப்புக் கட்டுரை

 

உழைக்கும் பெண்களுக்கு

தோழர் - லெனின்

தோழர்களே, மாஸ்கோ சோவியத்துக்கு நடைபெற்ற தேர்தல்கள்  தொழிலாளி
வர்க்கத்தினரிடம் கம்யூனிஸ்ட் கட்சி பலமடைந்து கொண்டிருப்பதை எடுத்துக் காட்டுகின்றன.

உழைக்கும் பெண்கள் தேர்தல்களில் இன்னும் அதிகமாக பங்கு வகிக்க வேண்டும். ஆண்களோடு ஒப்பிடுகின்ற பொழுது பெண்களைத் தாழ்வான நிலையில் வைத்த பழைய, வெறுக்கத்தக்க, முதலாளித்துவ சட்டங்கள் அனைத்தையும் முழுமையாக ஒழித்திருக்கும் அரசாங்கம், உலகத்திலேயே முதல் ஆட்சி, ஒரே ஒரு ஆட்சி சோவியத் அரசே.

இந்த சட்டங்கள் ஆண்களுக்கு விக்ஷேடமான உரிமைகளைக் கொடுத்தன; அதற்கு உதாரணமாகத் திருமண உரிமைகளையும் குழந்தைகளைப் பற்றிய உரிமைகளையும் கூறலாம். குடும்பச் சட்டங்களில் சொத்துக்களைப் பற்றிய பிரச்சனைகளில் ஆண்களுக்கிருந்த விக்ஷேடமான சலுகைகள் எல்லாவற்றையும் உலகத்தில் ஒழித்திருக்கும் முதல் அரசு, ஒரே அரசு உழைக்கும் மக்களின் அரசாகிய சோவியத் அரசுதான். இந்த சலுகைகளை எல்லா முதலாளித்துவ குடியரசுகளும்---அவற்றில் மிக அதிகமான ஜனநாயகத்தன்மை கொண்டவை கூட---- இன்னும் பாதுகாத்து வருகின்றன.

 எங்கே நிலவுடைமையாளர்களும் முதலாளிகளும் வணிகர்களும் இருக்கிறார்களோ அங்கே சட்டத்தின்படி பெண்கள் ஆண்களுக்குச் சமமானவர்களாக இருக்க முடியாது.

 எங்கே நிலவுடைமையாளர்களும் முதலாளிகளும் வணிகர்களும் இல்லையோ, எங்கே உழைக்கும் மக்களின் அரசாங்கம் இந்த சுரண்டல்காரர்கள் இல்லாத புதிய வாழ்க்கையை நிர்மாணித்துக் கொண்டிருக்கிறதோ அங்கே சட்டப்படி ஆண்களும் பெண்களும் சமமாக இருக்கிறார்கள்.

ஆனால் அது மட்டும் போதுமானதல்ல.

சட்டப்படி சமம் என்று சொல்லிவிட்டால் அது நடைமுறையிலும் சமத்துவம் என்றிருப்பது அவசியமல்ல.

ஒரு உழைக்கும் பெண் ஒரு உழைக்கும் ஆணுக்குச் சமமாக---- சட்டத்தில் மட்டுமல்லாமல் நடைமுறையிலும்----- இருக்க வேண்டும் என்று நாம் விரும்புகிறோம். அதற்கு உழைக்கும் பெண் சமூகமயமாக்கப்பட்ட நிறுவனங்களிலும் அரசாங்க நிர்வாகத்திலும் மென்மேலும் அதிகரிக்கும் பாத்திரத்தை வகிக்க வேண்டும்.

நிர்வாகத்தில் பங்கு கொள்வதன் மூலம் பெண்கள் வேகமாக அறிவைப் பெறுவார்கள்;  ஆண்களுக்குச் சமமாக முன்னேற்றமடைவார்கள்.

கம்யூனிஸ்ட் பெண்கள், கட்சியில் இல்லாத பெண்கள் ஆகிய இரு தரப்பிலிருந்தும் அதிகமான உழைக்கும் பெண்களை சோவியத்துக்குத்  தேர்ந்தெடுங்கள். தங்களுடைய வேலைகளை அறிவோடும் பொறுப்புணர்ச்சியோடும் செய்யக் கூடிய நேர்மையான உழைக்கும் பெண்களாக இருந்தால்---- அவர்கள் கட்சியின் உறுப்பினராக இல்லா விட்டாலும்--- அவர்களை மாஸ்கோ சோவியத்துக்குத் தேர்ந்தெடுங்கள்!

 மாஸ்கோ சோவியத்துக்கு இன்னும் அதிகமான உழைக்கும் பெண்களை அனுப்புங்கள் ! பெண்களை அவமானப்படுத்திய பழைய முதலாளித்துவ முறையை, பழைய சமத்துவமற்ற நிலையை எதிர்த்து வெற்றிக்காகப் போராடுவதற்கு மாஸ்கோ பாட்டாளி வர்க்கம் எல்லாவற்றையும்  செய்யத்
தயார், எல்லாவற்றையும் செய்து கொண்டிருக்கிறோம் என்று காட்டட்டும் !

பெண்களுக்கு முழு சுதந்திரம் வாங்கிக் கொடுக்காத வரையிலும் பாட்டாளி வர்க்கம் முழு விடுதலை அடைய முடியாது.

1920,பிப்ரவரி 21     நூல் திரட்டு தொகுதி 40,  பக்கங்கள் 157-158
சோவியத் ஆட்சியும் சமுதாயத்தில் பெண்கள் நிலையும்  21-22

தமிழர்க்கு வேண்டும் தமிழீழம்! ஜெனீவாவில் ``நீதி கேட்டு`` தமிழர் முழக்கம்!

* எமக்கு - (தமிழர்க்கு) வேண்டும் தமிழீழம்!
 ** எமது - (தமிழர்) தலைவர் பிரபாகரன்!!
 *** ராஜபக்சே போர்க்குற்றவாளி!!!

ஜெனிவா முத்துக்குமாரன் முன்றலில் தமிழர்

முழக்கம்.

Portuguese march against austerity, want government out

உலக மறுபங்கீடே,  சமகால  சர்வதேச அரசியலை  இயக்கும் விதி. ENB

Portuguese march against austerity, want government out

By Andrei Khalip
LISBON | Sat Mar 2, 2013 2:37pm EST

LISBON (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of Portuguese poured into the streets of Lisbon and other cities on Saturday to demand an end to austerity dictated by an international bailout and the resignation of the center-right government.

The rallies, which follow the introduction of the biggest tax hikes in living memory, mark the greatest public show of discontent since demonstrations last September forced the government to adjust some of its austerity measures.

More than 200,000 protesters in Lisbon packed the vast imperial Praca do Comercio square, home to the Finance Ministry, and surrounding streets, chanting: "It's time for the government to go".
Organizers said as many as 500,000 people took part in the rallies around Lisbon, which would make the protest bigger than in September, but the numbers could not be independently confirmed. Police, as is customary, would not provide estimates.

Many carried banners with slogans such as "Austerity kills" and "Screw the troika, power to the people!", aimed at the so-called troika of lenders from the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund.

"Grandola", the signature tune of the 1974 "Carnation revolution" that overthrew the fascist dictatorship of Antonio Salazar after the army rebelled, reverberated through the crowds in Lisbon, which has a population of about 3 million, and elsewhere where protesters gathered. Many cried as they sang.

Protesters have used the song increasingly in the past month to interrupt government ministers speaking at public events.

"We are in a new dictatorship. Everything that the revolution achieved is being destroyed," said one elderly protester in Lisbon who did not give his name.

The rallies, which coincide with a quarterly review by the EU/IMF bailout inspectors, are the first large protests since the government acknowledged last month the economic downturn this year will be nearly double its earlier predictions.

The forecast 1.9 percent decline will further deepen the worst recession since the 1970s, already in its third year.

Tax hikes and spending cuts ordered by the terms of the 78 billion euro ($101.3 billion) bailout agreed in mid-2011 have slashed consumer demand and pushed unemployment to record levels of 17 percent, causing thousands of small businesses to go bust.

"This government has left the people on bread and water, selling off state assets for peanuts to pay back debts that were contracted by corrupt politicians to benefit bankers," said Fabio Carvalho, a movie-maker, protesting on Lisbon's main Liberdade thoroughfare.

"If not today, things have to change tomorrow and we need to remain in the streets for the government to fall."

The rallies were organized in Lisbon, Porto and several dozen other cities via the Internet by a group of activists known as Que Se Lixe a Troika, or Screw the Troika.

Veronica Pereira, an unemployed mother who says she has no means to send her daughter to college said: "Our people have the habit of letting things happen, but I think this is changing radically now. We need to protest to change things," she said.

Echoing her words, Bob Dylan's 1964 anthem "The Times They are a-Changin'" blared from a car with loudspeakers.

A woman gestures during a march against government austerity policies in Lisbon March 2, 2013.
Credit: REUTERS/Jose Manuel Ribeiro

PATIENCE RUNNING OUT

Portugal had shown a tolerance for austerity compared with countries like Greece with its frequent protests and strikes, but opposition has begun to rise in recent weeks as the economic outlook has worsened. Protests have largely been peaceful, but one Lisbon rally in November ended in clashes with police.

On Friday, the main opposition Socialists hardened their stance on the bailout, demanding an end to the austerity which they said pushed the country into a recessive spiral - the position they outlined to visiting EU/IMF bailout inspectors.

Socialist leader Antonio Jose Seguro said he felt the lenders were more open to his proposals of a growth-oriented strategy but doubted they would act soon enough.

The government's strategy, that has been praised by Brussels, is to cut the budget deficit as quickly as possible in order to exit the bailout as scheduled in the middle of 2014 after regaining full access to debt markets.

The government says it is likely to request an extra year to meet budget goals under the bailout, but political opponents and some business leaders say much more time is needed.

(Additional reporting by Miguel Pereira; Editing by Stephen Powell)
குறிப்பு : செய்தி மூலம் REUTERS விபரண இணைப்பு ENB
Contact: eelamnewsbulletin@googlemail.com

Obama formally orders "deeply destructive" cuts

A poster replicating a notice of job termination for 750,000 Americans due to the impending
sequestration, is pictured during a news conference by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (not
pictured) Credit: REUTERS/Jason Reed

*U.S Government agencies will now begin to hack a total of $85 billion from their budgets between Saturday and

October 1.

 

*At the heart of Washington's persistent fiscal crises is disagreement over how to slash the budget deficit and the $16 trillion national debt, bloated over the years by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and government stimulus for the ailing economy.



* The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office predicts 750,000 jobs could be lost in 2013, and federal employees throughout the country are looking to trim their own costs.

Obama formally orders "deeply destructive" cuts, blames Congress

By Richard Cowan and Alistair Bell
WASHINGTON | Sat Mar 2, 2013 1:04am EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama formally ordered broad cuts in government spending on Friday night after he and congressional Republicans failed to reach a deal to avert automatic reductions that could dampen economic growth and curb military readiness.

As the United States staggered into another fiscal crisis, the White House predicted that the spending cuts triggered by the inability of Obama and lawmakers to forge a broader deficit-reduction agreement would be "deeply destructive" to the nation's economic and national security.

"Not everyone will feel the pain of these cuts right away. The pain though will be real. Beginning this week, many middle-class families will have their lives disrupted in significant ways," Obama told journalists after his meeting with Republican and Democratic congressional leaders.

Late on Friday, Obama signed an order that put in effect the across-the-board government spending cuts known as "sequestration." Government agencies will now begin to hack a total of $85 billion from their budgets between Saturday and October 1.

Half of the cuts will fall on the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the reductions put at risk "all of our missions.

Congress and Obama could still halt the cuts in the weeks to come, but neither side has expressed any confidence they will do so. Both Democrats and Republicans set the automatic cuts in motion during feverish deficit-reduction efforts in August 2011.

MARKETS SHRUG OFF CRISIS

Friday's events marked the first budget showdown in Washington of many in the past decade that was not somehow resolved at the last minute - often under pressure from rattled financial markets. Markets in New York shrugged off the stalemate in Washington on Friday as they have for months.
Democrats predicted the cuts could soon cause air-traffic delays, meat shortages as food safety inspections slow down, losses to thousands of federal contractors and damage to local economies across the country, particularly in the hardest-hit regions around military installations.

At the heart of Washington's persistent fiscal crises is disagreement over how to slash the budget deficit and the $16 trillion national debt, bloated over the years by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and government stimulus for the ailing economy.

Obama wants to close the fiscal gap with spending cuts and tax hikes. Republicans do not want to concede again on taxes after doing so in negotiations over the "fiscal cliff" at the New Year.
Public outrage, if it materializes, would be the most likely prod for a resolution as the impact of the spending cuts starts to be felt in the coming weeks and months.

As a percentage of total government spending every year, $3.7 trillion, the actual spending reductions are small. But because safety-net programs such as Social Security and Medicare will be untouched, the brunt falls mostly on federal government employees rather than direct recipients of aid.

The U.S. government is the nation's largest employer, with a workforce of roughly 2.7 million civilians spread across the country. If the cuts stay in place, more than 800,000 of those workers could see reduced work days and smaller paychecks between now and September.

Furlough notices warning employees and their unions started to go out earlier this week and the pace picked up on Friday after it became clear that talks at the White House between Obama and congressional leaders would be fruitless.

While the International Monetary Fund warned that the belt-tightening could slow U.S. economic growth by at least 0.5 of a percentage point this year, that is not a huge drag on an economy that is picking up steam.

'THE SPENDING PROBLEM'

Many Republicans accuse the Obama administration of overstating the effects of the cuts in order to pressure them into agreeing to a solution to the White House's liking.

A deal proved elusive as Obama met at the White House with House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, the top Republican in Congress, and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, as well as the top two Democrats in Congress, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi.

"The discussion about revenue, in my view, is over. It's about taking on the spending problem," Boehner said after the meeting.

Asked why he did not just refuse to let congressional leaders leave the room until they had a deal, Obama told reporters: "I am not a dictator. I'm the president. So, ultimately, if Mitch McConnell or John Boehner say, 'We need to go to catch a plane,' I can't have Secret Service block the doorway, right?"

The across-the-board cutbacks were mandated by a deficit reduction law, structured to be so disruptive that Congress would ultimately replace them with more targeted savings. But partisan gridlock has prevented agreement on where to save.

The White House budget office sent a report to Congress detailing the spending cuts. Some 115,000 employees of the Department of Justice - including prosecutors and the FBI - were among the first to get the official word of furloughs.

The government also sent letters to several state governors advising them of cuts to services like the Head Start education program in California and military facilities in Virginia.

Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty expressed rare public frustration with the United States for lurching from crisis to crisis.

One reason for the inaction in Washington is that both parties still hope the other will either be blamed by voters for the cuts or cave in before the worst effects predicted by Democrats come into effect.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Friday showed 28 percent of Americans blamed congressional Republicans for the sequestration mess, 18 percent thought Obama was responsible and 4 percent blamed congressional Democrats. Thirty-seven percent blamed them all, according the online poll.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office predicts 750,000 jobs could be lost in 2013, and federal employees throughout the country are looking to trim their own costs.

"The kids won't go to the dentist, the kids might not go to the doctor, we won't be spending money in local restaurants, local movie theaters," said Paul O'Connor, president of the Metal Trades Council, which represents 2,500 workers at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine.

After weeks of White House warnings about the cuts causing disruption, Obama acknowledged it might be a while before effects fully kicked in. "We will get through this. This is not going to be an apocalypse," Obama said.

In the absence of any deal at all, the Pentagon will be forced to slice 13 percent of its budget between now and September 30.

In his first Pentagon news conference since he was sworn in on Wednesday, Hagel struck a more moderate tone than many other defense officials who have said the spending reductions would be devastating or could turn the U.S. military into a second-rate power.

"America ... has the best fighting force, the most capable fighting force, the most powerful fighting force in the world," he said. "The management of this institution, starting with the Joint Chiefs, are not going to allow this capacity to erode."

Most non-defense programs, from NASA space exploration to federally backed education and law enforcement, face a 9 percent reduction.

Moving to head off a new budget crisis later this month, Boehner said the Republican-led House would move a "continuing resolution" to fund government through the rest of the fiscal year, thus hopefully averting a government shutdown.

(Additional reporting by Steve Holland, Roberta Rampton, Deborah Zabarenko and Jeff Mason in Washington and David Ljunggren in Ottawa; Editing by Peter Cooney and Will Dunham)