State Department

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State Dept.'s Inspector General Quits

Embattled Krongard falls victim to fallout over Blackwater

(Newser) - The State Department’s inspector general will step down next month, ending a tenure marked by controversy and allegations of conflicts of interest, the Washington Post reports. Critics accused Howard Krongard of impeding the Blackwater investigation, a charge he vigorously denied. He recused himself from the probe when it became...

Rice Ripped for Stonewalling Rights for Gay Partners

Ex-ambassador quits: 'More benefits for pets'

(Newser) - The former US ambassador to Romania has quit the Foreign Service to protest its treatment of gays, the Washington Post reports. Michael E. Guest had some parting shots for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the system that he said gives same-sex partners of members of the Foreign Service fewer...

US Pulls UN Resolution on Mideast Peace

Israeli uneasiness prompts withdrawal of draft document

(Newser) - Reacting to Israeli objections, the US State Department has withdrawn a draft of a UN resolution based on agreements reached at this week's Annapolis conference, Reuters reports. Israeli diplomats apparently were dismayed that the US did not consult them before putting the resolution to the Security Council yesterday, and involving...

Musharraf Won't Budge for US
Musharraf Won't Budge for US
Nov 17, 2007 1:29 PM CST

Musharraf Won't Budge for US

In further blow to power, president's political party calls for end to martial law

(Newser) - In a face-to-face meeting today with a top American diplomat, Pervez Musharraf remained tightlipped when pressed on when he would end emergency rule in Pakistan. Musharraf told John Negroponte he would cease martial law when security improves in the country, but his resistance is winning him few fans in Pakistan...

US Won’t Force Diplomats to Serve in Iraq

Volunteer officers step forward to fill last open spots

(Newser) - The State Department won’t have to assign diplomats to open posts in Iraq because enough staff members have volunteered for the spots, the AP reports. The department planned to require foreign service officers to serve at the US embassy in Baghdad and in nearby provinces if there weren’t...

Blackwater Investigator's Brother Has Ties to Firm

State Dept. official steps aside after admitting "ugly rumors" are true

(Newser) - The State Department’s top official investigating Blackwater withdrew from the probe today after a dramatic admission that his brother has links to the private security contractor. At a congressional hearing, Howard Krongard initially called the alleged ties “ugly rumors,” but after a recess during which he called...

Diplomats Raise Stink Over Iraq Assignments

'Potential death sentence’ in required postings, staffers say

(Newser) - Foreign service officers vented anger today over the State Department's plan to require some to serve in Iraq, chewing out their director in a meeting. One senior officer called the “directed assignments”—which could force diplomats to take postings in Baghdad or outlying provinces—a “potential death...

Bush Loses Another From Inner Circle
Bush Loses Another From Inner Circle
Oct 31, 2007 11:26 AM CDT

Bush Loses Another From Inner Circle

Karen Hughes, adviser since Texas days, set to leave at year's end

(Newser) - Karen Hughes—one of President Bush's few remaining advisers from his Texas days—plans to leave her job as undersecretary of state at year's end. The former television reporter and media adviser spent the past two years leading efforts to improve the US' image abroad. Hughes will return to Texas,...

US Military to Oversee Blackwater Convoys

Defense Dept. wins tug of war with State for control of contractors

(Newser) - The military is taking control of State Department security convoys in Iraq, supervising Blackwater and other contractors, the New York Times reports. State had fought a losing battle to keep control of Blackwater after it was involved in a September incident that left 17 Iraqis dead. Now, the military will...

Iraqis to Put Contractors Under Local Law

Bill would require licensing, put convoys subject to search

(Newser) - Iraq's cabinet approved a draft bill today that would allow foreign security contractors such as Blackwater to be prosecuted under local law, Reuters reports. The bill would scrap Order 17—a hotly debated 2004 decree that protects contractors from prosecution—as well as require contractors to register for Iraqi licenses,...

Blackwater Guards Handed Immunity in Probe Blunder

Protection given without authorization

(Newser) - State Department investigators have jeopardized the Blackwater criminal probe by promising immunity to guards involved in the controversial shooting last month that killed 17 Iraqis, the AP discovered. The investigators, from the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, offered the guards limited-use immunity or "garrity" protection, which prohibits their statements from...

Diplomats to Be Ordered to Serve in Iraq

Lack of volunteers spurs biggest call-up since Vietnam War

(Newser) - Lacking volunteers for dozens of vacancies at the US Embassy in Baghdad, the State Department is set to order its diplomats to serve one-year postings in Iraq. Those selected for the postings will be notified Monday; if not enough take the bait, assignments will be made mandatory, on pain of ...

Feds Sought to Cover Up '05 Blackwater Killing

'We can't win this one,' wrote one official

(Newser) - State Department officials sought to conceal evidence of a 2005 Blackwater killing from an LA Times reporter, according to emails obtained by ABC News. Referring to a shooting that killed one Iraqi and led to two Blackwater dismissals, one official instructed another to give the Times "what we can...

Dems Skewer Rice Over Iraq Foul-ups
Dems Skewer Rice Over
Iraq Foul-ups
Oct 25, 2007 6:35 PM CDT

Dems Skewer Rice Over Iraq Foul-ups

Condy accused of lax oversight of Blackwater, corruption, US embassy

(Newser) - House Democrats today grilled Condoleezza Rice over alleged State Department bungling in Iraq, from failure to supervise private security contractors like Blackwater to ignoring corruption in the new Iraqi government to sloppy oversight of the new US embassy in Baghdad. Usually composed, Rice showed signs of frustration today, as Dems...

Audits Rip Fed Oversight of Security Firms, Costs

Lax controls, slopping accounting

(Newser) - A State Department internal review of its own security practices in Iraq is sharply critical of the lack of oversight of private contractors Blackwater, DynCorp International and Triple Canopy. A second report due today says officials can't say what the government got for $1.2B paid to DynCorp since 2004,...

US Envoys Try to Soothe Angry Turks
US Envoys
Try to Soothe
Angry Turks
Oct 13, 2007 4:38 PM CDT

US Envoys Try to Soothe Angry Turks

Upset over rebel strikes, Turkey may attack Kurdish Iraq

(Newser) - Two US envoys flew to Ankara today to urge Turkey not to strike back against Kurdish militants, the BBC reports. Relations between the NATO allies remain strained after US lawmakers accused Turkey this week of waging a WWI-era genocide campaign against Armenians. Turkey reacted by recalling its ambassador from Washington.

US Ignored Blackwater Warnings
US Ignored Blackwater Warnings
Oct 7, 2007 8:02 PM CDT

US Ignored Blackwater Warnings

Immunity for guards was 'a bomb that could go off at any time'

(Newser) - The White House ignored signals about Blackwater and other private mercs for years, rejecting the idea that they were "a bomb that could go off at any time," the Los Angeles Times reports. One official says that contract guards blatantly smashed property and scared Iraqis, then argued that...

Iraq Embassy Costs Skyrocket
Iraq Embassy Costs Skyrocket
Oct 7, 2007 4:13 PM CDT

Iraq Embassy Costs Skyrocket

Project delayed for months due to shoddy workmanship, planning

(Newser) - Shoddy workmanship and poor planning have left construction of the new US embassy in Iraq—the biggest in the world—months behind schedule, and tacked $144 million onto what was originally a $592-million project. Scheduled to open last month, it won't be fully habitable until 2009. The State Department, already...

Rice Orders Blackwater Chaperones
Rice Orders Blackwater Chaperones
Oct 5, 2007 12:55 PM CDT

Rice Orders Blackwater Chaperones

Convoys will also be monitored with video cameras, radio logs

(Newser) - Condoleezza Rice has ordered all private security convoys in Iraq to be accompanied by at least one US diplomatic security agent. The Secretary of State acted on an internal review sparked by the recent Blackwater shooting incident that left 17 civilians dead. Contractors will also be monitored by video cameras...

House Bids to Put Contractors Under US Law

Landslide passage for bill to bring private firms into civilian courts

(Newser) - The House of Representatives passed a bill today that would make private security firms accountable to US civilian courts; the vote was 389 to 30, with opposition coming only from Republicans. The White House and Pentagon want contractors kept under military jurisdiction, but if the Senate passes similar legislation by...

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