IDs of 2 GIs missing in Iraq found

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BAGHDAD (AP): The identification cards of two American soldiers missing since an attack on their unit in May were found in an al-Qaida safe house north of Baghdad, along with video production equipment, computers and weapons, the U.S. military said Saturday.
The house, discovered June 9 near Samarra - more than 100 miles from the area where they disappeared - was otherwise empty, the statement said. American soldiers approaching the building came under fire from a nearby stand of trees, and two were wounded before air support could arrive.

US promises end to aid embargo on Palestine

RAMALLAH, (West Bank) (AP): The US strengthened its offer of support for President Mahmoud Abbas Saturday, telling him an international aid embargo against the Palestinians would end as soon as he forms a new government without Hamas, aides to Abbas and a Western diplomat said.
The United States and the European Union issued statements expressing backing for Abbas in light of the upheaval that has remade the Palestinian territories, but they said no decision had been reached on lifting the embar go.
Crowds of Gaza Strip residents converged on the border crossing with Israel desperate to leave the coastal strip, but they found locked gates. Israel, meanwhile, said it would allow food and other basic supplies into Gaza.
Hundreds of Fatah gunmen stormed Hamas-controlled institutions across the West Bank, seeking revenge for the Islamic group's violent takeover of the Gaza Strip.
In Gaza, the deposed prime minister appointed a new security command to solidify control. Despite Hamas pledges to restore calm, looters attacked several prominent Fatah symbols, including the home of longtime Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
The Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and the Fatah-controlled West Bank have effectively become separate political entities, endangering the Palestinian dream of forming an independent state in the two territories.
In the West Bank, Abbas' newly appointed Palestinian prime minister, Salam Fayyad, moved forward with plans to form an emergency government. Officials close to Abbas said the government would also include members from Gaza, underscoring Abbas' claim to lead all Palestinians. Hamas, which now claims its own government in Gaza, called the move illegal.
Abbas aide Yasser Abed Rabbo said the new government would be sworn in by Sunday. He also rejected negotiations with Hamas: "There will be no dialogue with killers who carried out field executions in Gaza."
Abbas also rejected a plea from the Arab League to meet with Hamas' exiled leader, Khaled Mashaal, an Abbas aide said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The international community, both in the Arab world and the West, have sided with Abbas in the dispute.
In a major boost for Abbas, the U.S. consul-general in Jerusalem, Jacob Walles, said Washington would end 15 months of sanctions once the new Palestinian government is formed, aides to Abbas said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the meeting was closed.
The sanctions were imposed after Hamas, which the U.S. has branded a terrorist group, was elected in January 2006. Hamas and Fatah have been locked in a power struggle since then, especially over which group would control security forces.
A Western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the U.S. was expected to announce at the beginning of the week that it will fully engage with the new Abbas government. All restrictions will be lifted, including those on bank transfers, the official said.
The EU's statement said the question would be discussed at a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers in Luxembourg. Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, said that "any discussion of future actions would be premature."
In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the Bush administration was examining its options for providing support to Abbas. He described Fayyad, Abbas' new prime minister, as "a person that the international community has long experience with, has great confidence in."
In Gaza, deposed Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh - who has ignored Abbas order firing him - replaced security commanders loyal to Abbas, a spokesman aid.
Since seizing control of Gaza on Thursday, Hamas has tried to impose law and order in the area - in part due to fears of retribution in the West Bank. Saturday's attacks on Hamas targets were the most serious so far.