General Petraeus Nominated
to Lead U.S. Central Command

Bush taps Petraeus to lead military operations in Middle East, Africa and Central Asia, as battles in Sadr City and Green Zone heat up, battle info.

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Gen. Petraeus, who has commanded United States troops in Iraq for the past year, will replace previous Central Command chief, Adm. William J. Fallon, was ushered into retirement in March after rankling the Bush administration with public comments that seemed to suggest an emphasis on diplomacy over confrontation in dealing with Iran, details

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Abbas says no progress made in
D.C. talks with President Bush

Palestinian leader says settlements are biggest obstacles

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas wants the Bush administration to press Israel to stop expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank — a step he says is needed to make progress in Mideast peace talks. The White House acknowledges the talks have bogged down.
The core issues remain the final borders of a Palestinian state, the fate of Jerusalem, disputed Israeli settlements, refugees, water and future relations between the two states, details.

“Frankly, so far nothing has been achieved. But we are still conducting direct work to have a solution. We demanded the Americans implement the first phase of the road map that talks about the cessation of settlement expansion,'' Abbas said, expressing disappointment the US hasn't exerted more pressure on Israel to stop, details.

While in D.C. Abbas also met with Jordan's King Abdullah II , who was also requesting real action on the "Roadmap to Peace," stating that stalled negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis should be based on clear grounds and fixed timetables and also called for an end to all Israeli settlement activities, a lifting of the blockade and restrictions on the movement of Palestinians, details.

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