As Republicans and Democrats wage a political battle over the attacks in which four Americans were killed, U.S. Representative Darrell Issa issued a subpoena ordering retired Ambassador Thomas Pickering to appear for a taped deposition on Thursday to answer questions about the Accountability Review Board report he prepared on the incident.

Pickering and retired Admiral Michael Mullen, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who led the Benghazi review board, on Thursday had offered to testify publicly before the House of Representatives Oversight Committee.

But Issa, the committee chairman, insisted that committee staff members be allowed to conduct private interviews first because the committee still has too many questions about the ARB report on Benghazi.

“A fully informed hearing, in which the Committee begins with a factual understanding of how the Board reached its conclusions, is critical to engaging in a public discussion with you about criticisms career State Department officials levied at the ARB’s efforts and recommendations,” Issa said.

Republican charges that President Barack Obama’s administration covered up details of the September 11, 2012, attack gathered more steam last week after a U.S. diplomat told Issa’s committee he thought more could have been done to stop the assault by suspected Islamist militants.

Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the oversight panel, who has disagreed sharply with Issa’s approach, calling the subpoena “a stark example of extreme Republican overreach and the shameful politicization of this tragedy.”

Cummings called for a public hearing.

Issa offered to lift the subpoena if Pickering agreed to a private transcribed interview.

A spokesman for the committee said there were no plans to issue a subpoena for Mullen on Friday.

(Editing by Doina Chiacu)

The warning by Army General Martin Dempsey came hours before President Barack Obama asked military leaders at a White House meeting to get the problem of sexual assaults under control.

“We’re losing the confidence of the women who serve that we can solve this problem,” Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said as he returned from NATO meetings in Brussels. “That’s a crisis.”

Obama met with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, Dempsey and other military leaders at the White House to discuss sexual assaults after a series of scandals discredited efforts to stamp it out.

A steep rise in sexual assault cases comes just as the Pentagon moves ahead with plans to integrate women into front-line combat roles.

Two cases in as many weeks in which members of the armed forces tasked with preventing sexual assaults have themselves been charged with sex crimes, were the last straw for lawmakers.

News of a third similar case broke shortly after the White House meeting when an Army officer who managed the sexual assault prevention office at Fort Campbell military base in Kentucky, was removed from his job.

Democratic and Republican lawmakers announced legislation that would overhaul the military justice system by taking responsibility for prosecution of most felony-level cases, including sexual assault, away from the chain of command, making it easier for victims to seek justice.

“This epidemic of sexual abuse cannot stand,” said Republican Senator Susan Collins. A Democratic colleague in the Senate, Kirsten Gillibrand, said the goal was to change the culture in the military.

Obama said armed forces chiefs were ashamed by complaints of unwanted sexual contact in the military, which shot up by more than a third last year.

“They care about this, and they’re angry about it, and I heard directly from all of them that they’re ashamed by some of what’s happened,” he said at the meeting. “They all understand this is a priority and we will not stop until we see this scourge from what is the greatest military in the world eliminated.”

Victims of sexual assault should have no fear of coming forward, and perpetrators should face punishments, Obama said.

The Pentagon has been under increasing pressure to do something about sexual assault. Its annual report on such attacks in the military released last week found that unwanted sexual contact complaints involving military personnel jumped 37 percent, to 26,000 in 2012 from 19,000 the previous year.

However, only 3,374 came forward and reported a crime in 2012, due largely to fears of retaliation and a culture activists say can be geared more toward protecting perpetrators of sex crimes than its victims.

“We are not unpatriotic for bringing this to light,” said Brian Lewis, who was raped by a superior while in the Navy, but ordered not to report it. He did so anyway, and was later misdiagnosed as having a personality disorder and discharged.

Last week, the officer in charge of the Air Force sexual assault prevention office was charged with groping a woman while drunk in a parking lot. And on Tuesday, the Army revealed a sergeant in the sexual assault prevention office at Fort Hood in Texas was also being accused of sex crimes.

In the latest case, the Army said on Thursday Lieutenant Colonel Darin Haas had been removed from his position as program manager of the Fort Campbell office of sexual assault prevention over allegations that he violated a protection order requested by his ex-wife.

“It is clear that something is not working,” said U.S. Representative Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat who once worked as a rape crisis counselor.

The “Military Justice Improvement Act” announced on Wednesday would mean that trained military prosecutors, not commanding officers, would decide whether sexual assault cases should go to trial, according to a group of at least 16 U.S. senators and members of the House of Representatives behind the legislation.

It also would mean commanders cannot set aside the conviction of anyone who has been found guilty of sexual assault or downgrade a conviction to a lesser offense.

Hagel has ordered the retraining and recertification of U.S. military personnel whose job it is to work to prevent sexual assault and assist the victims. The Pentagon has made clear Hagel is open to further actions.

There are nearly 205,000 women in the active duty military, nearly 15 percent of all. When the reserves and guard are included, there are about 360,000 women in the military.

The heads of the different branches submitted their plans to integrate women into front-line combat roles this week. Hagel’s staff is reviewing those recommendations but the secretary himself has yet to see them.

(Additional reporting by Phil Stewart, David Alexander, Jeff Mason and Mark Felsenthal.; Editing by Alistair Bell and Christopher Wilson)

“We’re losing the confidence of the women who serve that we can solve this problem,” Army General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said as he returned from NATO meetings in Brussels. “That’s a crisis.”

President Barack Obama called a meeting for later Thursday with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and other military leaders to discuss sexual assaults after a series of scandals discrediting efforts to stamp it out, just as the Pentagon moves ahead with plans to integrate women into front-line combat roles.

The heads of the different branches of the U.S. military submitted their plans to integrate women into those roles this week. U.S. officials said Hagel’s staff is reviewing those recommendations but the secretary himself has yet to see them.

Democratic and Republican lawmakers announced legislation that would overhaul the military justice system by taking responsibility for prosecution of most felony-level cases, including sexual assault, away from the chain of command, making it easier for victims to seek justice.

The “Military Justice Improvement Act” would mean that trained military prosecutors, not commanding officers, would decide whether sexual assault cases should go to trial, according to a group of at least 16 U.S. senators and members of the House of Representatives behind the legislation.

It also would mean commanders cannot set aside the conviction of anyone who has been found guilty of sexual assault or downgrade a conviction to a lesser offense.

“This epidemic of sexual abuse cannot stand,” said Republican Senator Susan Collins. A Democratic colleague in the Senate, Kirsten Gillibrand, said the goal was to change the culture in the military.

The legislation faces hurdles before becoming law. Gillibrand, the main sponsor, said she hopes to include it in the National Defense Authorization Act, which lawmakers are putting together now with hope of passage around mid-year.

PRESSURE ON THE PENTAGON

The Pentagon has been under increasing pressure to do something about sexual assault. Its annual report on such attacks in the military released last week found that unwanted sexual contact complaints involving military personnel jumped 37 percent, to 26,000 in 2012 from 19,000 the previous year.

However, only 3,374 came forward and reported a crime in 2012, due largely to fears of retaliation and a culture activists say can be geared more toward protecting perpetrators of sex crimes than its victims.

“We are not unpatriotic for bringing this to light,” said Brian Lewis, who was raped by a superior while in the Navy, but ordered not to report it. He did so anyway, and was later misdiagnosed as having a personality disorder and discharged.

The issue has been brought to the fore by assault allegations against military officers charged with solving the problems.

Last week, the officer in charge of the Air Force sexual assault prevention office was charged with groping a woman while drunk in a parking lot. And on Tuesday, the Army revealed a sergeant in the sexual assault prevention office at Fort Hood in Texas was also being accused of sex crimes.

“It is clear that something is not working,” said U.S. Representative Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat who once worked as a rape crisis counselor.

Hagel has ordered the retraining and recertification of U.S. military personnel whose job it is to work to prevent sexual assault and assist the victims. The Pentagon has made clear Hagel is open to further actions.

“There are a lot of good ideas out there. There are some I don’t think are good ideas, and there are some I really don’t understand,” said Dempsey, who will attend Thursday’s meeting with Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. “I’m hoping to provide my best advice back to those making the proposals. But I assure you that we are open-minded.”

There have been several other measures introduced lately on the issue. Two Democratic senators introduced a bill on Wednesday to force Hagel to take action to strengthen sexual assault prevention programs, including improving the training and qualifications of those who work in those jobs.

Hagel last week publicly opposed taking responsibility for the prosecution of sex crimes out of the hands of the military chain of command, but Pentagon officials since then have emphasized his willingness to be flexible and work with members of Congress.

(Additional reporting by Phil Stewart, David Alexander and Jeff Mason; Editing by Alistair Bell, David Brunnstrom, Doina Chiacu and Philip Barbara)

Lawmakers announced legislation that would take responsibility for prosecution of sexual assault cases away from the chain of command, and President Barack Obama called a meeting with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and other military leaders to discuss the issue.

A group of four Democratic and Republican U.S. senators and representatives said the proposed legislation would mean that abuse case were instead handled by trained military prosecutors.

“This epidemic of sexual abuse cannot stand,” said Republican Senator Susan Collins. Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who will introduce the measure, said the goal was to change the culture in the military.

The Pentagon has been under increasing pressure to do something about sexual assault. Its annual report on such attacks in the military released last week found that unwanted sexual contact complaints involving military personnel jumped 37 percent, to 26,000 in 2012 from 19,000 the previous year.

The report came a day after the officer in charge of the Air Force sexual assault prevention office was charged with groping a woman while drunk in a parking lot not far from the Pentagon.

And on Tuesday, the Army revealed a sergeant in the sexual assault prevention office at Fort Hood in Texas was also being accused of sex crimes, including allegations linking him to prostitution.

Hagel has ordered the retraining and recertification of U.S. military personnel whose job it is to work to prevent sexual assault and assist the victims. But the Pentagon has made clear Hagel is open to further actions.

Hagel and other military chiefs will meet Obama on Thursday afternoon to discuss their efforts to stop sexual assaults in the armed forces, a White House spokeswoman said. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey, the president’s top uniformed military adviser, will attend the meeting.

Democratic Senators Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota introduced a bill on Wednesday to force Hagel to take action to strengthen sexual assault prevention programs, including improving the training and qualifications of those who work in those jobs.

Hagel last week publicly opposed taking responsibility for the prosecution of sex crimes out of the hands of the military chain of command, but Pentagon officials since then have emphasized his willingness to be flexible and work with members of Congress.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Patricia Zengerle; Editing by David Brunnstrom)

The organisation, which coordinates Arctic policy, is gaining clout as sea ice thaws to open up new trade routes and intensify competition for oil and gas – estimated at 15 percent and 30 percent respectively of undiscovered reserves.

China has been active in the polar region, becoming one of the biggest mining investors in Greenland and agreeing a free trade deal with Iceland. Shorter shipping routes across the Arctic Ocean would save its companies time and money.

The council groups the United States, Russia, Canada and Nordic nations. Observer status gives countries the right to listen in on meetings and propose and finance policies.

China, Japan, India, South Korea, Singapore and Italy were granted observer status.

“Despite the varied interests we have heard today from the permanent participants, there is nothing that should unite us quite like our concern for both the promise and challenges of the northernmost reaches of the Earth,” U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told the meeting in Sweden’s northern town of Kiruna.

Canada, which will chair the council for the next two years, said the time had come to realise the “tremendous potential and opportunities” in the Arctic, which has rich reserves of gold, tin, lead, nickel and copper.

“This development must be done in a responsible and an environmentally sustainable manner so that the land, the water and the animals … are not negatively impacted,” Canadian Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq told reporters by phone from Kiruna.

Indigenous groups have expressed concern the number of observers could dilute their voice as their traditional cultures are threatened by a possible influx of oil and mining projects.

A Chinese shipping firm is planning the country’s first commercial voyage through a shortcut across the Arctic Ocean to the United States and Europe in 2013, saving time and money. The distance from Shanghai to Hamburg is 2,800 nautical miles (5,185 kms) shorter via the Arctic than via the Suez Canal.

The council ruled the Europe Union could observe meetings until a final decision on its status was taken.

Diplomats said Canada and other Arctic states objected to an EU ban on imported seal products. Indigenous groups say they depend on the seal trade.

Aglukkaq said she would hold talks with the EU in a bid to find a compromise on the seals issue but gave no details.

WORLD’S BIGGEST DEPOSITS OF RARE EARTHS

China already has mining links with Greenland and trade ties with Iceland. Greenland may have the world’s biggest deposits of rare earths, used in smart phones and green technology.

“The entry of countries like China not only reflects how the Arctic has become a region of global interest, it also shows how the Arctic Council has become the main body of Arctic governance,” said Damien Degeorges, founder of the Arctic Policy and Economic Forum.

The council also adopted an agreement to coordinate a response to potential spills that could result from increasing oil and gas exploration, including joint training exercises to deal with major accidents.

The meeting also heard about the threat to the region’s biodiversity. Summer temperatures are warmer than at any time in the past 2,000 years, threatening animals and plants, according to an Arctic Biodiversity Assessment report given to ministers.

“Decisive action taken now can help sustain vast, relatively undisturbed ecosystems of tundra, mountains, fresh water and seas and the valuable services they provide,” it said.

(Additional reporting by Alister Doyle, Alistair Scrutton and David Ljunggren; Editing by Janet Lawrence and Cynthia Osterman)

The organisation, which coordinates Arctic policy, is
gaining clout as sea ice thaws to open up new trade routes and
intensify competition for oil and gas – estimated at 15 percent
and 30 percent respectively of undiscovered reserves.

China has been active in the polar region, becoming one of
the biggest mining investors in Greenland and agreeing a free
trade deal with Iceland. Shorter shipping routes across the
Arctic Ocean would save its companies time and money.

The council groups the United States, Russia, Canada and
Nordic nations. Observer status gives countries the right to
listen in on meetings and propose and finance policies.

China, Japan, India, South Korea, Singapore and Italy were
granted observer status. A decision on the European Union’s
entry as an observer was deferred.

“Despite the varied interests we have heard today from the
permanent participants, there is nothing that should unite us
quite like our concern for both the promise and challenges of
the northernmost reaches of the Earth,” U.S. Secretary of State
John Kerry told the meeting in Sweden’s northern town of Kiruna.

“The consequences of our nations’ decisions do not stop at
the 66th parallel,” Kerry said, referring to the latitude of the
Arctic Circle.

The council ruled the Europe Union could observe meetings
until a final decision on its status was taken. EU-members
France, Germany, Spain and Britain have observer status.

Diplomats said Canada and other Arctic states objected to an
EU ban on imported seal products. Indigenous groups say they
depend on the seal trade.

Russia has long been sceptical of letting in the European
Union as an observer, arguing it has representation through its
members Sweden, Finland and Denmark.

TENSE TALKS

The late night meeting over whether to accept the observers
was described as “tense” by one Western diplomat.

Indigenous groups have expressed concern the number of
observers could dilute their voice as their traditional cultures
are threatened by a possible influx of oil and mining projects.

A Chinese shipping firm is planning the country’s first
commercial voyage through a shortcut across the Arctic Ocean to
the United States and Europe in 2013, saving time and money.
The distance from Shanghai to Hamburg is 2,800 nautical miles
(5,185 kms) shorter via the Arctic than via the Suez Canal.

China already has mining links with Greenland and trade ties
with Iceland. Greenland may have the world’s biggest deposits of
rare earths, used in smart phones and green technology.

“The entry of countries like China not only reflects how the
Arctic has become a region of global interest, it also shows how
the Arctic Council has become the main body of Arctic
governance,” said Damien Degeorges, founder of the Arctic Policy
and Economic Forum.

The council also adopted an agreement to coordinate a
response to potential spills that could result from increasing
oil and gas exploration, including joint training exercises to
deal with major accidents and ensuring there is equipment to
deal with spills in place.

The meeting also heard about the threat to the region’s
biodiversity. Summer temperatures are warmer than at any time in
the past 2,000 years, threatening animals and plants, according
to an Arctic Biodiversity Assessment report given to ministers.

“Arctic biodiversity is being degraded, but decisive action
taken now can help sustain vast, relatively undisturbed
ecosystems of tundra, mountains, fresh water and seas and the
valuable services they provide,” it said.

(Additional reporting by Alister Doyle and Alistair Scrutton;
Editing by Janet Lawrence)

The organisation, which coordinates Arctic policy, is
gaining clout as sea ice thaws to open up new trade routes and
intensify competition for oil and gas – estimated at 15 percent
and 30 percent respectively of undiscovered reserves.

China has been active in the polar region, becoming one of
the biggest mining investors in Greenland and agreeing a free
trade deal with Iceland. Shorter shipping routes across the
Arctic Ocean would save its companies time and money.

The council groups the United States, Russia, Canada and
Nordic nations. Observer status gives countries the right to
listen in on meetings and propose and finance policies.

China, Japan, India, South Korea, Singapore and Italy were
granted observer status. A decision on whether to grant the
European Union observer status was deferred.

“Despite the varied interests we have heard today from the
permanent participants, there is nothing that should unite us
quite like our concern for both the promise and challenges of
the northernmost reaches of the Earth,” U.S. Secretary of State
John Kerry told the meeting in Sweden’s northern town of Kiruna.

(Additional reporting by Alister Doyle and Alistair Scrutton;
Editing by Janet Lawrence)

Differences between Russia, a main ally of President Bashar al-Assad, and the United States, which supports those trying to topple him, have long obstructed United Nations action on the turmoil convulsing Syria for more than two years.

But last week Kerry and Lavrov announced plans to hold a peace conference now expected to take place in Geneva in June.

“Both of us are…very, very hopeful that within a short period of time, pieces will come together so that the world, hopefully, will be given an alternative to the violence and destruction that is taking place in Syria at this moment,” Kerry told a news conference after meeting Lavrov in Kiruna, Sweden.

“I would very much share the assessments just presented by John,” Lavrov said.

He said Moscow and Washington were trying to mobilize support for the negotiations from Syria’s government and opposition, as well as other countries concerned.

Kerry said the peace drive was based a deal that has stayed a dead letter since it was announced in Geneva in June 2012 for the creation of a transitional government in Syria “with full executive authority by mutual consent” – ambiguous wording which deliberately left Assad’s future role unclear.

“WORKING TOGETHER”

“That’s what we’re working toward and I don’t think it’s insignificant that at this moment in time we are finding this common ground and working closely together,” Kerry said.

Syrian revolutionaries have previously demanded Assad’s removal before any talks on the country’s future. The main Western-backed opposition coalition is due to meet in Istanbul to consider whether to attend the new Geneva talks.

A Western diplomat in Paris said the “Friends of Syria”, an anti-Assad group of mainly Western and Arab countries, would meet in Jordan on May 22 to discuss the U.S.-Russian initiative.

Kerry and Lavrov, who met for an hour on Tuesday night on the sidelines of a meeting of the eight-nation Arctic Council, emphasized they were working in tandem on the Syria plan.

Syrian Information Minister Omran Zoabi said on Tuesday that Assad’s government, fighting an insurgency that threatens to draw in Syria’s neighbors, wanted specifics on the proposed conference before it decides whether to participate.

Kerry and Lavrov both said they expected Syria to attend.

Despite a push from some U.S. lawmakers for Washington to provide military aid to Syria’s rebels – and to consider some military involvement such as a no-fly zone – President Barack Obama’s administration wants a peaceful resolution to the war.

The pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group, said on Tuesday that at least 94,000 people had been killed in the Syrian conflict, but that the real death toll was likely to be as high as 120,000.

(Additional reporting by John Irish in Paris; Editing by Alistair Lyon)

Kerry updated his Russian counterpart on his discussions with the Syrian rebels and officials from countries involved in the talks and his plans to participate in a meeting in Jordan next week ahead of the international conference, a senior State Department official said.

Russia has been a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, blocking new sanctions against Syria at the United Nations and supplying the government with arms.

Kerry had said earlier on Tuesday he expected the proposed peace conference to be held in early June, and denied reports that the Damascus government did not plan to attend.

Syrian Information Minister Omran Zoabi said earlier in the day that Assad’s government, fighting an insurgency that threatens to draw in Syria’s neighbours, wanted specifics on such a conference before it decides whether to be part of it.

Kerry is visiting Sweden for a meeting of the Arctic Council, a grouping of eight nations with Arctic territory.

Kerry had said earlier the exact timing of the Syria peace negotiations was up to the United Nations, but that he expected it would take place in early June, noting that a great deal of work had already taken place.

“I have talked with almost all of the foreign ministers in the core group who will be meeting next week together in order to lay plans for this negotiation. The members of the opposition have been in touch,” he said.

At his earlier news conference, Kerry reiterated the Obama administration’s desire for a peaceful resolution to the two-year-long Syrian civil war, which has killed at least 82,000 people by an opposition estimate and could destabilise the wider Middle East.

Assad’s departure has been a demand of the opposition since the revolt started and previous peace initiatives have foundered over the failure to settle on the president’s future role.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Eric Beech)

Syrian Information Minister Omran Zoabi said earlier in the day that Damascus, fighting an insurgency that threatens to draw in Syria’s neighbors, wanted specifics on such a conference before it decides whether to be part of it.

“If he decides not to come to the table, it would be another one of President (Bashar) Assad’s gross miscalculations,” Kerry told reporters during a visit to Sweden to attend a meeting of eight nations with Arctic territory.

“I don’t believe that that is the case at this moment. The Russians, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has already given him the names of people who will negotiate,” he said.

Kerry said the exact timing of the meeting was up to the United Nations, but that he expected it would take place in early June, noting that a great deal of work toward the negotiations had already taken place.

“I have talked with almost all of the foreign ministers in the core group who will be meeting next week together in order to lay plans for this negotiation. The members of the opposition have been in touch,” he said.

Kerry added that he spoke on Tuesday morning with Syrian opposition General Salim Idriss, and he was committed to the negotiation process.

“It’s only been five days since this was announced and a huge amount of work is already under way,” Kerry told a news conference in Stockholm with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt present.

“When we announced it, we said towards the end of the month (of May) or early June. We expect it to be exactly that, somewhere in early June, I would hope, and that’s our current expectation.”

Kerry reiterated the Obama administration’s desire for a peaceful resolution to the two-year-long Syrian civil war, which has killed at least 82,000 people by an opposition estimate and could destabilize the wider Middle East.

“We believe the … best way to settle Syria is through a negotiated settlement,” Kerry said. “If Assad decides not to come, the world will see how empty his rhetoric is, as well as his intent.”

Assad’s departure has been a demand of the opposition since the revolt started and previous peace initiatives have foundered over the failure to settle on the president’s future role.

Zoabi, the Syrian information minister, said Damascus also wanted a political solution but that international efforts should also tackle “terrorists”, a term the Syrian government uses to refer to rebel forces.

(Editing by Mark Heinrich)