World briefs 14A

Palestinians bitterly mark Israel's founding

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Israeli troops withdrew from a Palestinian refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday, leaving a scene of wide destruction, as Palestinians bitterly marked the 56th anniversary of Israel's establishment. In Tel Aviv, more than 100,000 Israelis rallied Saturday night in favor of a pullout from the Gaza Strip -- a massive show of strength by the long-dormant opposition movement. At an economic conference in Jordan, Secretary of State Colin Powell said Saturday the Palestinians are willing to consider a proposed Israeli pullout from Gaza depending on how Sharon revises the plan rejected by his party.

Jordanian king speaks of peace, reform at forum

SOUTHERN SHUNEH, Jordan -- Jordan's King Abdullah opened the World Economic Forum on Saturday by urging the Arab world to unite against "the culture of terror and destruction" and act on unique opportunities for peace and reform. Nearly 1,300 intellectuals, politicians and members of the business community began the three-day forum at the Dead Sea with discussions on Iraq, the economy and the state of reforms in a region where respect for human rights is lacking. The forum comes at a critical time for Iraq, less than two months before the transfer of power to Iraqi authorities. The country's future as a democracy in the heart of the Arab world is a topic for participants.

U.S. military again probes abuse in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan -- The U.S. military on Saturday announced its second investigation in a week into allegations of prisoner abuse in Afghanistan, amid growing demands from rights groups for secretive U.S.-run jails across the country to be opened for outside scrutiny. The latest allegations follow complaints earlier this week from an Afghan police officer who said he was beaten and sexually assaulted during 40 days in custody last summer. On Monday, the U.S. military opened a criminal investigation into complaints of mistreatment by the Afghan police officer, Sayed Nabi Siddiqui, after his graphic account of his detention was published in the media.

Putin meets Rice to discuss Iraq and Mideast

MOSCOW -- Visiting U.S. national security adviser Condoleezza Rice and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday discussed the next steps necessary to bring stability to Iraq, a country on which Washington and Moscow have rarely seen eye to eye. Putin and Rice talked about "various issues relating to Russian-U.S. cooperation, as well as key international problems, including the situation around Iraq and in the Middle East," Putin's office said in a terse statement. Fyodor Lukyanov, the editor of Russia in Global Affairs magazine, said Russia would likely be more receptive to U.S. initiatives than would many of Washington's allies in Europe. "The Europeans are in deep shock after the Iraqi prisoners abuse scandal, while Russia has much stronger nerves," Lukyanov said.

U.S. unlikely to pass migration reform this year

GUADALAJARA, Mexico -- Mexican and U.S. lawmakers experienced firsthand the difficulty of talking about migration issues during a two-day meeting that illustrated how the two sides often see the problem from very different perspectives. For many of the 11 U.S. congressmen and senators, migration is wrapped up in concerns about crime, terrorism and border security; for the 20 Mexican legislators who attended, it's simply an issue of national dignity. U.S. officials have implicated migrant smugglers in a host of other crimes, ranging from kidnapping and drug-trafficking to the deaths of smuggled migrants. But the Mexicans maintained that the migration of millions of undocumented Mexican workers to the United States is an economic and political issue, not a criminal one. Both sides acknowledged that it was highly unlikely the U.S. Congress would pass a migration accord during this highly charged election year.

-- From wire reports