FRANCE
Diplomacy urged for Iran
President Nicolas Sarkozy put his reputation as a stalwart friend of Israel on the line Wednesday, warning at a dinner hosted by France’s main Jewish group that military action was no way to deal with nuclear-minded Iran. In the wake of new U.S. concerns that Israel might strike Iran’s nuclear facilities this spring, Sarkozy reiterated his ironclad commitment to Israel’s security but advocated diplomacy. “The solution is political. ... The solution is in sanctions,” Sarkozy said, referring to a string of U.N. sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program, which the West fears mask designs to build weapons.
GREECE
Austerity talks hit snag
Talks to discuss austerity cuts in Greece broke down after eight hours Wednesday as leaders of the three parties backing the country’s coalition government failed to agree to demands from international creditors for substantial cuts to state and private pensions. Prime Minister Lucas Papademos left the meeting to negotiate with the “troika” of Greece’s creditors — the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund — on the cuts needed for Greece to reach the fiscal targets prescribed for 2012.
SUDAN
Weapons’ sources traced
Weapons from China, Russia and Belarus are fueling the nine-year-old conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region, Amnesty International said in a report late Wednesday. The human-rights group said arms made and supplied from the three countries — “or evidence of their use” — have been found in Darfur and other areas of conflict, including South Kordofan near the border of newly independent South Sudan. The report documents how China, Russia and Belarus continue to supply weapons and munitions to Sudan despite what Amnesty said is “compelling evidence that the arms will be used against civilians in Darfur.” The 29-page report was released a week before the U.N. Security Council considers its sanctions against Sudan.
Compiled from wire reports.
