Non-Americans still doubt Al-Qaeda perpetrated 9/11

Seven years after the September 11 attacks, there is no consensus outside the United States that Islamist militants from Al-Qaeda were responsible, according to the findings of an international poll published on Wednesday.

The survey of 16,063 people in 17 nations found majorities in only nine countries believe Al-Qaeda was behind the attacks on New York and Washington that killed about 3,000 people in 2001.

US officials squarely blame Al-Qaeda, whose leader, Osama bin Laden, has boasted of organizing the suicide attacks by his followers using hijacked commercial airliners.

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Washington must be ‘very clear' on timeline for withdrawal - Iraqi minister

The United States must provide a "very clear timeline" to withdraw its troops from Iraq as part of an agreement allowing them to stay beyond this year, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Ze bari said on Sunday.

It was the strongest public assertion yet that Iraq is demanding a timeline. US President George W. Bush has long resisted setting a firm schedule for pulling troops out of Iraq, although last month the White House began speaking of a general "time horizon" and "aspirational goals" to withdraw.

Iraq's leaders have become more confident of their ability to provide security as the country has become safer. But attacks which killed at least 15 people on Sunday, including a US soldier, were a reminder it is still a violent place.

In an interview with Reuters, Zebari said the agreement, including the timeline, was "very close" and would probably be presented to the Iraqi Parliament in early September.

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Obama shift gears on issues, including Iraq

Barack Obama bills himself as a new brand of leader poised to drain Washington's swamp of political cynicism. But despite spellbinding calls for "Change We Can Believe In," the Democratic hopeful is not shirking from cold-eyed positioning to boost his hopes of victory over Republican White House hopeful John McCain.

Obama has turned down the crowd-swooning oratory since beating Hillary Clinton to the Democratic nomination last month. The Illinois senator has switched to a general election strategy, making a beeline for the fabled political center, with policy adjustments, tonal shifts and speeches extolling faith and patriotism. Obama also appeared to be maneuvering for room on Iraq, after his anti-war stance and calls for immediate troop withdrawals underpinned his primary triumph.

But Thursday Obama denied he had changed his mind,despite claims from Republicans he had performed another "flip-flop."

Political scientist Costas Panagopoulos of New York's Forham University said Obama's tactics were normal behavior for a presidential candidate.

"This is typical in presidential campaigns, to run with more extreme positions in primaries, and then to slowly drift to the center to appeal to the greatest number of voters in a general election," he explained.

"I think for Obama it is especially crucial, because to some extent he can't run away from his record, which is one of the most liberal voting records in Congress," said Panagopoulos.

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United States presses International Atomic Energy Agency to search for nuclear sites in Syria

The United States is pressing UN inspectors to broaden a search for secret nuclear sites in Syria to check if it has other hidden facilities beyond an alleged reactor destroyed by Israel, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

US officials have given information on three suspect sites to the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency, which is negotiating with Syria for permission to conduct inspections in the country, the Post said, citing US government officials and Western diplomats.

US officials want to know if the suspect sites were support facilities for the alleged Al-Kibar reactor, which Washington says was built with North Korean help, the daily said.

Officials declined to describe the suspect sites or discuss how they were identified, the newspaper said.

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