ALGIERS (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pressed regional power Algeria on Monday to support an Africa-led military intervention in northern Mali, a senior U.S. official said.

Clinton’s one-day visit comes amid mounting international pressure on Algeria over the crisis in Mali, where a March military coup was followed by a revolt that has seen Tuareg rebels and Islamist militants, some linked to al Qaeda, seize control of the northern two-thirds of the country.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States said on Wednesday it had not supplied Stinger missiles to Syrian rebel forces and appeared to question intelligence from Moscow that the U.S.-made surface-to-air missiles had made their way into the opposition’s hands.

Stinger missiles would help bring down Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s warplanes and helicopters, which have bombed residential areas where rebels are hiding. More than 32,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

WASHINGTON, Oct 24 (Reuters) – The United States said on
Wednesday it had not supplied Stinger missiles to Syrian rebel
forces and appeared to question intelligence from Moscow that
the U.S.-made surface-to-air missiles had made their way into
the opposition’s hands.

Stinger missiles would help bring down Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad’s warplanes and helicopters, which have bombed
residential areas where rebels are hiding. More than 32,000
people have been killed in the conflict.

CAP HAITIEN, Haiti, Oct 22 (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton presided over the opening of a $300
million industrial park in Haiti on Monday, a venture led by a
South Korea textile company that could bring thousands of jobs
to the impoverished Caribbean nation.

“The people of this country have made real progress in a
short time, and we’ve reached a critical moment,” Clinton told
an investor lunch for 50 people after touring the 600-acre
(246-hectare) park.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The New York Times reported on Saturday that the United States and Iran have agreed in principle to hold one-on-one negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program but the White House quickly denied that any talks had been set.

The Times, quoting unnamed Obama administration officials, said earlier on Saturday the two sides had agreed to bilateral negotiations after secret exchanges between U.S. and Iranian officials. The newspaper later said the agreement was “in principle.”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House on Saturday denied a New York Times report that said the United States and Iran had agreed for the first time to one-on-one negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program, saying it remained committed to working with major powers to resolve the standoff.

The Times, quoting unnamed Obama administration officials, said earlier on Saturday the two sides had agreed to bilateral talks after secret exchanges between U.S. and Iranian officials. Iran had insisted the talks not begin until after the November 6 U.S. election because they want to know which U.S. president they would be negotiating with, the newspaper said.

BANGKOK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Myanmar will be invited to a major U.S. and Thai-led multinational military exercise, a powerful symbolic gesture toward a military with a grim human rights record and a milestone in its rapprochement with the West.

Officials from participating countries told Reuters Myanmar would be asked to send observers to the annual Kobra Gold exercise, which involves thousands of American and Thai military personnel and participants from other Asian countries.

WASHINGTON, Oct 17 (Reuters) – The United States has
concluded its first set of human rights talks with Myanmar and
is confident it now has an “open channel” to discuss political
prisoners and other sensitive subjects as ties improve, the
State Department said on Wednesday.

Michael Posner, the State Department’s top human rights
official, led the U.S. team at the talks in Naypyitaw, the
capital of Myanmar, which is also known as Burma.

LIMA (Reuters) – Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton assumed responsibility on Monday for last month’s deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, which has become an issue in the hard-fought U.S. presidential campaign.

“I take responsibility” for what happened on September 11, Clinton said in an interview with CNN during a visit to Peru, adding that President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden would not be responsible for specific security instructions for U.S. diplomatic facilities.

LIMA, Oct 15 (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Rodham Clinton assumed responsibility on Monday for last month’s
deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya,
w h ich has become an issue in the hard-fought U.S. presidential
campaign.

“I take responsibility” for what happened on September 11,
Clinton said in an interview with CNN during a visit to Peru,
adding that President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden
would not be responsible for specific security instructions for
U.S. diplomatic facilities.