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San
José, Costa Rica, Monday, June 16, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 117
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Officials
optimistic after U.S. trip
By Michael Krumholtz
of the A.M. Costa Rica staff President Luis Guillermo Solís concluded his week-long visit to the United States this past weekend with a few investment deals in his back pocket. Solís earned quick agreements from Intel and VMware to add to their operations in Costa Rica and held meetings with other businesses with whom the government expects to announce projects soon. Hopping between California, New York, and Washington, D.C., the president promoted Costa Rica as a platform for foreign business to a variety of U.S. business and political leaders. Solís said what separates his nation from others in the eyes of potential investors is its talented and creative workforce, which can put Costa Rica on a track to economic success. “We also have a long tradition of democracy, of stable institutions, and a government dedicated in working arduously to strengthen the country's competitiveness in search of better jobs for Costa Ricans,” Solís said. “I return to Costa Rica with a message of support and confidence on behalf of the businesses that recognize Costa Rica as one of the best places to invest in.” José Rossi accompanied Solís on the trip and said the prospects look promising for Costa Rica to attract further investments as a result of the connections made during their visit. He is president of the Coalición Costarricense de Iniciativas de Desarrollo. “We feel very happy with the results obtained up to this moment and the heavy interest of companies into Costa Rica and the opportunities that they can offer,” Rossi said. Solís was also joined by Minister of Comercio Exterior Alexander Mora and Director General Gabriela Llobet of the Coalición on the trip that began June 9. Mora said that the immediate results of the investment tour have exceeded their expectations and that they feel confident in Costa Rica's future with foreign business as more companies will follow those who have already signed on. “We are sure that in the short- and medium-term many investment projects in sectors like high-tech, health and life sciences, and sophisticated services are going to come to Costa Rica,” he said. Intel has already announced the creation of a testing laboratory in Costa Rica that could house up to 350 jobs, while VMware representatives said they could add more than 150 jobs by 2015. Solís and his team conducted interviews with many high-profile news services in the U.S., including the New York Times, Fortune, and the Wall Street Journal, so they could again spread the word of Costa Rica's bright future in business. Santos wins re-election in Colombia By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos was re-elected Sunday, in an apparent endorsement of his peace talks with leftist rebels. With most of the votes counted in Sunday's runoff, election officials say Santos beat right-wing challenger Oscar Ivan Zuluaga by about 5 percentage points. Zuluaga won the first multi-candidate round three weeks ago. Zuluaga criticized what he said was the slow pace of the peace talks with the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia rebels and wanted to impose tougher conditions on them. President Santos called the election a choice that is between those who want to put an end to the war and those who want a war without end. The president said last week that the talks with rebels, which began in November, are in their final stages. He announced last week that he also has opened talks with the second-largest rebel group, the Ejército de Liberación Nacional. Both groups have been carrying out a 50-year guerrilla war against the government, killing hundreds of thousands. Storm system in Pacific brings rain By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Low pressure over Costa Rica caused some heavy rains Sunday, but the amount was variable. Showers and thunderstorms associated with a tropical wave were in a disorganized system off the Pacific coast of Nicaragua, said the U.S. National Hurricane Center. The weather experts there estimated that the system has about a 30 percent chance of becoming a tropical storm, but the direction was westward away from land. The Instituto Meteorológico Nacional put out a bulletin Sunday night warning of evening storms. But the recorded rain fell short of the predicted 80 millimeters, more than three inches. La Fortuna came close. The automatic weather stations there registered 71.2 millimeters or about 2.8 inches. Santa Rosa in Guanacaste registered 34.6 millimeters, some 1.26 inches. But Liberia did not show any rain at all. Both San José and Ciudad Colón had about an inch. The city experienced moderate thunder and lightning.  Ministerio de Gobernación,
Policía
y Seguridad Pública photo Police
confiscated these 271 boards of the cristobal tree in Agua Buena de
Coto Brus. The driver transporting the boards did not have the appropriate paperwork, police said. Germany's Kaymer wins U.S. Open By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Germany's Martin Kaymer became the seventh golfer in history to win the U.S. Open after leading every round as he cruised to an eight-stroke victory Sunday. His back-to-back rounds of 65 to start the tournament and a 72 in the third round gave Kaymer a five-shot lead entering the final day. He shot a 1-under par 69 to close out the year's second major tournament. Americans Rickie Fowler and Erik Compton were the only other golfers to finish under par, but were not able to challenge Kaymer as they finished tied for second place. The win is Kaymer's second of the year after capturing last month's Player's Championship. Before that, he had not won on the PGA Tour since capturing his first major at the PGA championship in 2010.
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, June 16, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 117 | |
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| Costa Ricans live the impossible dream with a dramatic upset |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Costa Ricans and friends gathered Saturday to see the national soccer team fight valiantly but unsuccessfully against the powerhouse from Uruguay. They came to public places, to the homes of friends, to neighborhood bars. The funeral was premature as an astonished cheer ripped through the land when Costa Rica scored its first goal to tie 1-1. Not only was this unexpected, but bookmakers had set high odds against Costa Rica ever scoring a goal in World cup competition. The probability that Costa Rica actually would win the match 3-1 was infinitesimal. The Uruguayan team expected a cake walk. As the game clock marked the final seconds, Costa Rica erupted into a celebration that eclipsed anything in recent memory. Young fans poured out of Mall San Pedro into the Fuente de Hispanidad traffic circle slowing drivers and buses. The honking of horns continued into the night. And the beer companies rejoiced. There is a good chance that the Costa Rica team was astounded, too. After his game-tying goal against Uruguay, Joel Campbell stuck the ball under his shirt and his thumb in his mouth to honor the expected arrival of a newborn son with his pregnant girlfriend. While Costa Rica's 21-year-old striker sucked on his thumb in front of a worldwide audience, it was clear the match had veered towards the unpredictable. Three minutes later La Sele scored again to take the lead, and in the 84th minute Marco Ureña's goal sealed the 3-1 upset over the heavily favored Uruguayans. “It wasn’t a surprise for us,” Campbell said after Saturday's opening game. “We came here to win. We wanted the points, and we went for them.” Costa Rica now owns an early lead on Group D, holding the goal differential advantage over Italy, which beat England 2-1. The surprise victory was also highlighted by a pair of acrobatic saves from Keylor Navas, including a last-second swat that denied Uruguay's captain Diego Forlan from giving his side an early 2-0 |
 A.M. Costa Rica/Michael Krumholtz
Crowd takes the street and the
Mall San Pedro balconieslead. Navas, La Liga's goalkeeper of the year, was only beaten on a penalty kick in the 24th minute. Following Costa Rica's second goal, a diving header from Óscar Duarte on an unmolested free kick, the defense remained strong despite Uruguay's overall advantage in possession time. Also benefiting the back line was the absence of La Celeste's star forward Luis Suárez, who was sidelined with an injury. Most of the conjecture over Group D leading up to the World Cup had to do with which of the three soccer powerhouses would be the two to advance. Analysts and oddsmakers had written Costa Rica off as poodles in a field of pit bulls, giving them slim odds of breaking through group stage and 1,000-to-1 odds of winning it all. Though Italy and England remain favorites against La Sele, head coach Jorge Luis Pinto has his side believing that they belong. “It’s an important win for us and it gives us hope, though we haven’t won anything yet,” Pinto said. Costa Rica plays the Italian team Friday at 10 a.m, which will again be locally televised on Repretel, Teletica, and ESPN. Public watch parties have been set up for all the games at locations around the country, including spots at Plaza de la Democracia next to Museo Nacional and at Avenida Escazú. |
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Long-time
political, cultural figure
Alberto Cañas, to be buried today By the A.M. Costa Rica staff Today has been declared a day of national mourning to honor Alberto Cañas Escalante, who died Saturday. Cañas, 94, had a long career as a journalist, politician and the country's ambassador to the United Nations. He also was the country's first
Cañas was taken Sunday to the Teatro Nacional where he will be visited by the public until his funeral today at 10 a.m. in the Iglesia Don Bosco. Elizabeth Fonseca, the minister of culture, said that Cañas was one of the individuals most important in the cultural sector in the history of the country. Among other achievements he founded the Compañía Nacional de Teatro. He also worked until the day he died, she said. |
 Ministerio de Cultura y Juventud photo
Casket bearing Alberto
Cañas is brought into the Teatro Nacional. |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, June 16, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 117 | |||||
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| Swedish study gives more bad news about eating processed red
meat |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
Men who regularly eat ham, salami, bacon and hotdogs are at higher risk of developing heart failure than those who do not. That's the finding of a new study involving more than 37,000 Swedish men, ages 45 to 79, with no history of heart disease or cancer. The study is the first to examine the difference in health effects between processed and unprocessed meats. Processed meats contain salt, nitrates and other additives. The men filled out a questionnaire on their eating habits and other lifestyle factors in 1998. Twelve years later, researchers found that nearly 3,000 men who regularly consumed processed red meat had developed heart failure and 266 died of the condition. |
Men who ate
the most processed meat were two times more likely to die
of heart failure than those who ate the least amount. There was no
increased risk among men who did not eat processed red meat. Heart failure is a disease in which the heart gradually loses its ability to pump blood. Those who are diagnosed with heart failure usually die within five years. Researchers expect similar findings in a study now being conducted with women. To be on the safe side, doctors recommend people limit their consumption of processed red meat to no more than one or two servings per week. The study was published in the journal Circulation: Heart Failure, an American Heart Association Journal. |
Here's reasonable medical care
Costa Rica's world class medical specialists are at your command. Get the top care for much less than U.S. prices. It is really a great way to spend a vacation. See our list of recommended professionals HERE!amcr-prom
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fifth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, June 16, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 117 | |||||||
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| Top 40s radio personality Casey Kasem is dead at 82 By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Casey Kasem, 82, the U.S. radio personality with the distinctive voice who counted down the top pop music hits on his popular weekly show and also provided the voice of hippie sleuth Shaggy on the "Scooby Doo'' cartoons, died Sunday. “Early this Father's Day morning, our dad, Casey Kasem, passed away surrounded by family and friends,” his daughter, Kerri Kasem, said in a statement posted online. “Even though we know he is in a better place and no longer suffering, we are heartbroken.” In recent years, Kasem was trapped in a feud between his three adult children and his second wife, former actress Jean Kasem. In 2013, his children filed a legal petition to gain control of his health care, alleging that Casey Kasem was suffering from advanced Parkinson's disease and that his wife was isolating him from friends and family members. He also suffered from lewy body disease, a form of dementia. Last week Casey Kasem, who had developed a severe bedsore while in Washington, was placed in a Washington state hospital. He was receiving pain medication, but not food or water, after Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Daniel Murphy determined that feeding him would have been detrimental to his health. Kemal Amin Kasem was born in 1932 in Detroit, the son of Lebanese immigrants. He was active in speaking out for greater understanding of Arab-Americans, both on political issues involving the Mideast and on arts and media issues. Kasem began his broadcasting career in the radio club at Detroit's Northwestern High School and was soon a disc jockey on WJBK radio in Detroit, initially calling himself Kemal Kasem. In a 1997 visit with high school students in Dearborn, Michigan, home to a large Arab-American community, he was asked why he changed his name to Casey. “It didn't sound like a deejay. It wasn't hip. So we decided I'd be `Casey at the Mike,' and I have been since,” Kasem said. Kasem became perhaps best-known for his “American Top 40,” which began on July 4, 1970, in Los Angeles. The No. 1 song on his list then was “Mama Told Me Not to Come,” by Three Dog Night. He stepped down from “American Top 40” in 2004 and retired altogether in 2009. Gender-balanced trials mandated by health funder By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Beginning in October, U.S. scientists who want government money to fund their research will have to start using female animals and cells in their research. The announcement from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the biggest funder of medical research in this country, is seen as a major development because male specimens traditionally dominate drug research. Curtis Meinert, at Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland, is an expert in the design of clinical trials. He believes results from men apply to women, too. "In general, things that work, work," Meinert said. "And so it's independent of male or female. So to some degree I expect it doesn't make much difference." Not so, according to Phyllis Greenberger, president of the Society for Women's Health Research. "When researchers have looked at sex differences, they sometimes find that something works better in a man versus a woman or the other way around," she said. "So it's not just about women anymore. It's really understanding the mechanism of disease." Lobbying efforts by women's health advocates led Congress to pass a law in the 1990s requiring federally-funded research to include more women in large clinical trials. Before then, it was widely believed that what works in men works for women. Janine Austin Clayton, an ophthalmologist by training who directs the Office of Research on Women's Health at the National Institutes of Health, says participants in research now include an equal number of men and women. The two genders respond differently to different drugs, says Dr. Clayton. For example, some medication can be harmful to women at the doses recommended for men. "We want to understand that so that when I'm treating a patient any day, my mother, your father, I can design that treatment with that patient in mind, with sex-specific evidence behind it," she said. Dr. Clayton adds that certain illnesses, such as heart disease and some eye conditions, manifest differently in women and men, which is why drugs and dosing need to be tailored for women. Western Amazon pollution linked to petroleum drilling By the European Association of Geochemistry
news staff A new study of pollution records indicates that the western Amazon, an area of unparalleled biological and cultural diversity, may have been contaminated by widespread oil pollution over a 30-year period. Most of the world's tropical rain forests contain oil and gas reserves. Oil production started in the western Amazon in the 1920s and peaked in the 1970s, but current growing global demand is stimulating a renewed growth in oil and gas extraction. Nearly 70 percent of the Peruvian Amazon was tapped for oil and between 1970 and 2009. Now for the first time, a group of Spanish researchers have compiled a database of chemical analyses taken from the western Amazon area, over 1983 to 2013. These analyses come from a variety of sources, including Peruvian public agencies and oil companies. Though the results need to be reinforced by further study, they raise some significant concerns. Researcher Raúl Yusta Garcia described the findings: "We looked at measurement in 18 wastewater dumping sites from 10 different Amazon tributaries. We were able to pull together records over a 30-year period, from 1983 to 2013, allowing us to measure variations in nine different pollutants, such a lead, mercury and cadmium. We found that 68 percent of the samples were above the current permitted Peruvian limits for lead concentrations, and 20 percent of the samples above permitted cadmium levels. We were also able to compare pollution upstream and downstream of some of the dumping sites. With some samples, we found chlorine levels averaged 11 times higher downstream of the wastewater dumping site than it had been upstream. Pollution from oil extraction declined from around 2008, but the danger is that increased demand causes increased pollution". Lead researcher Antoni Rosell-Mele added: "There are no published studies to date that report the pollution impact of oil extraction activities in remote pristine rain forests. Our results show that contamination is widespread in these areas. This increase in pollutant levels is not just due to oil spills, but to the drilling and extraction process. These processes have not been effectively monitored in remote areas until now. Some of this pollution may feed its way into the human food chain and certain of the areas affected by oil spills on land are feeding grounds for large wildlife, including endangered species". The Amazon River has its ultimate source in the 5,597-meter Nevado Mismi peak in the Peruvian Andes. From there it flows down into Peru's Loreto and Datem del Marañón provinces, which is where these samples were taken. The Western Amazon has large reserves of hydrocarbons in rain forests that host unparalleled biological and cultural diversity. Warmer Arctic reported cutting extreme cold in south By the University of Exeter news service
Climate change is unlikely to lead to more days of extreme cold, similar to those that gripped the U.S.A. in a deep freeze last winter, new research has shown. The Arctic amplification phenomenon refers to the faster rate of warming in the Arctic compared to places further south. It is this phenomenon that has been linked to a spike in the number of severe cold spells experienced in recent years over Europe and North America. However, new research by University of Exeter expert James Screen has shown that Arctic amplification has actually reduced the risk of cold extremes across large swathes of the Northern Hemisphere. The intriguing new study, published in leading scientific journal Nature Climate Change, questions growing fears that parts of Europe and North America will experience a greater number, or more severe, extreme cold days over the course of the next century. Screen, a mathematics research fellow at the University of Exeter, said: "Autumn and winter days are becoming warmer on average, and less variable from day-to-day. Both factors reduce the chance of extremely cold days." The idea that there was a link between Arctic amplification and extreme weather conditions became prevalent during the severe winter weather that plagued large areas of the United States in January, leading to major transport disruption, power cuts and crop damage. In his study, Screen examined detailed climate records to show that autumn and winter temperature variability has significantly decreased over the mid-to-high latitude Northern Hemisphere in recent decades. He found that this has occurred mainly because northerly winds and associated cold days are warming more rapidly than southerly winds and warm days. Screen said: "Cold days tend to occur when the wind is blowing from the north, bringing Arctic air south into the mid-latitudes. Because the Arctic air is warming so rapidly, these cold days are now less cold than they were in the past." Using the latest mathematical climate modeling, Dr Screen has also been able to show that these changes will continue in to the future, with projected future decreases in temperature variability in all seasons, except summer. Researchers find a spike in suicides amid recession By the Oxford University news staff
The recent recession can be linked with over 10,000 suicides across Europe and North America between 2008 and 2010, according to research by the University of Oxford and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. The findings, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, show that suicide rates rose significantly in the EU, Canada and the U.S.A. after 2007, with the increase being four times higher among men. The research team analyzed recently released suicide data from the World Health Organization covering 24 EU countries and two North American countries. They observe that the downward trend in suicide rates in the EU reversed when the economic crisis began in 2007, rising by 6.5 percent by 2009 and remaining at the higher level through to 2011. In Canada, suicides rose by 4.5 percent between 2007 and 2010, while in the USA, the rate increased by 4.8 percent over the same period. Report authors Aaron Reeves, Martin McKee and David Stuckler argue that there were at least 10,000 additional suicides due to the economic hardship experienced in EU countries, Canada and the USA. They describe their figure as a conservative estimate and say the rise in suicides is substantially over and above what would be expected. They found that there were marked differences in suicide rates across countries affected by the same recession. This leads them to conclude that, in theory, increased suicides during an economic crisis are avoidable. The study finds that job loss, home repossession and debt are the main risk factors leading to suicide during economic downturns. The study says while most suicides occur among people with clinical depression, to date there is little evidence to show the benefits of treatments, such as antidepressants, for protecting individuals against the risk of suicide. However, the study notes that prescription rates rose markedly in some countries during the recent recession. In the UK, a rise of 11 percent in antidepressant prescribing between 2003 and 2007 went up to 19 percent between 2007 and 2010. The study suggests that nations that invest in active labor market programs reduce the risk of suicide. The authors estimate that for each $100 spent per capita on programs offering such assistance for the unemployed, the risk of suicide reduced by 0.4 percent. The authors highlight that Sweden, between 1991 and 1992, and Finland, between 1990 and 1993, both experienced rises in unemployment at the same time as the rate of suicide decreased. In the most recent recession, suicide rates remained stable in Sweden and Finland, while the rate declined in Austria, despite rising unemployment. Lead author Aaron Reeves, of Oxford University's Department of Sociology, said: "There has been a substantial rise in suicides during the recession, greater than we would have anticipated based on previous trends. A critical question for policy and psychiatric practice is whether suicide rises are inevitable. This study shows that rising suicides have not been observed everywhere, so while recessions will continue to hurt, they don't always cause self-harm. A range of interventions, from return to work programs through to antidepressant prescriptions, may reduce the risk of suicide during future economic downturns." Co-author David Stuckler, also from the University of Oxford, added: 'Suicides are just the tip of the iceberg. These data reveal a looming mental health crisis in Europe and North America. In these hard economic times, this research suggests it is critical to look for ways of protecting those who are likely to be hardest hit.' Spurs take NBA title by winning fifth game By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The San Antonio Spurs have defeated the Miami Heat four games to one to capture their fifth National Basketball Association championship in 16 years. Kawhi Leonard, 22, led the Spurs with 20 points as the Spurs took Sunday night's game five 104-87 to win the best-of-seven series. Leonard's teammates excitedly mobbed him after the game as NBA Commissioner David Silver announced him as the most valuable player of the series. Leonard is the youngest to win the award since teammate Tim Duncan was the MVP in 1999, and described the honor as surreal. Miami led by seven points after the first quarter Sunday, but the Spurs dominated the next two periods, outscoring the Heat 55-29 in the second and third quarters. LeBron James scored 31 points in the loss for Miami, which was trying to win its third consecutive title. Miami defeated San Antonio in an epic seven-game series to win last year. Spurs guard Tony Parker, who grew up in France and has been a member of four of the championships, said the team wanted to redeem itself this year. He called this title the sweetest one. The Spurs have for years been led by the 38-year-old Duncan, 32-year-old Parker, and 36-year-old Manu Ginobili. Ginobili spoke after the game with the flag of his native Argentina wrapped around his shoulders, and said the Spurs were not going to let this opportunity get away.  Voice of America photo
'Look, Ma! No human hands!'Metalic milkmaid
on duty
all the time for dairy cows By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
At his dairy operation in rural Maryland, John Fendrick has seen the future for milking his cows, and it is robotic. Gone are the quaint days of milkmaids, milk stools and the pit-pat of a stream of milk into a tin pail in a bucolic barn setting. At Woodbourne Creamery about an hour outside of Washington, D.C., it is robots doing the work that Fendrick admits he doesn’t care for. “I don’t like milking,” he said during a recent tour. Fendrick's is one of a growing number of dairy operations around the United States, Europe and Australia that are using the latest evolution in milking technology. “You’re given your freedom back, essentially," he said. "So it allows me or the people who work for me to do other things on the farm.” With the exception of small-scale farmers, dairy operations have long since moved beyond the stool and the pail. Most larger dairies have long used mechanized vacuum pumps to increase yields and cut down on labor costs, but they still required workers to tend the milking process and the machinery. With this newest technology, the robot does all the work, finding each cow teat using a laser, then cleaning it, then attaching the milking tube. The robot also checks the milk for contamination and automatically spits out the rejects. When the flow of milk slows down, the machine knows to stop and sends the cow on its way. The technology isn’t inexpensive. Fendrick has spent more than $150,000 to install the system. He points out, however, that paying someone to milk the cows isn’t cheap, either. Dairy cows need to be milked on a regular schedule or else their milk flows slow. Most farmers are tied to a schedule of early morning and late evening milkings, twice a day, every day, rain or shine. By contrast, with 50 Guernsey cows, Fendrick, says they can stay out in the pasture until they feel like a milking. Some come in the middle of the night. On Woodbourne’s 60 acres of pasture, Fendrick does not even need to be there to watch them. He can watch from his smart phone and find out when each cow milked last and how much she produced. “With my phone, I can actually do pretty much everything I normally do up at the dairy,” he said. His wife, Mary, said that the voluntary milking system, as the operation is called by its makers, DeLaval of Sweden, saves about the equivalent of one to one-and-a-half milkers in labor. “In three years, I will have paid off the difference with this, and I don’t have to be the person who’s always on call to milk,” he said. |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's sixth news page |
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U.S. officials wonder what to do in Iraq By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The United States is repositioning military assets closer to Iraq, as Baghdad braces for a possible attack by Sunni militants that have seized large swaths of territory in the country. Meanwhile in Washington, the risks and merits of some form of U.S. military intervention in Iraq is a topic of heated debate. Shi’ites in Baghdad are flocking to recruitment centers to defend their city, the latest sign of worsening sectarian conflict in war-ravaged Iraq. To the north, militants of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant continue a brutal and effective campaign, seizing municipalities and military equipment, and posting images of them purportedly executing all who stand in their way. The United States ordered an aircraft carrier into the Persian Gulf, which the Pentagon says provides additional flexibility should military options be required. President Barack Obama said he understands what is at stake. “Iraqi security forces have proven unable to defend a number of cities, which has allowed the terrorists to overrun a part of Iraq’s territory. And this poses a danger to Iraq and its people. And given the nature of these terrorists, it could pose a threat eventually to American interests, as well,” said Obama. U.S. engagement in Iraq is urgently needed, according to Rep. Michael McCaul, a Republican and chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. “We need to stop this, the action needs to be now, not two weeks down the road,” said McCaul, speaking on ABC’s This Week program. At the same time, he urged a diplomatic effort. “We need to be very careful with any military strategy. Diplomatically, we need to bring the Sunni-Shia-Kurds together against the extremists,” said McCaul. Another Republican, Sen. Lindsey Graham, said the United States should engage in talks with Iraq's neighbor, Iran, on the crisis. The White House said options are being prepared and reviewed. “Any action we may take to provide assistance to Iraq, one security forces has to be joined by a serious and sincere effort by Iraq’s leaders to set aside sectarian differences. We cannot do it for them. And, in the absence of this type of political effort, short-term military action, including any assistance we might provide, will not succeed,” said Obama. |
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