Ousted Kyrgyz present takes refuge in

INSK, Belarus — Kyrgyzstan's ousted president was in exile in Belarus on Tuesday, as the interim authorities controlling the Kyrgyz capital warned he would be imprisoned if he tried to return to the Central Asian country.

Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who fled the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek after an April 7 protest rally that exploded into gunfire and left 85 people dead, had taken refuge last week in neighboring Kazakhstan, then left Monday for an unannounced destination.

Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko said Tuesday that "Bakiyev and his family are in Minsk under the protection of our state and me personally."

His presence, however, could exacerbate Belarus' tensions with both the West and neighboring Russia, as well as with Kyrgyzstan itself.

"We have a mutual obligation to extradite criminals," said Edil Baisalov, chief of staff for interim Kyrgyz leader Roza Otunbayeva. "We expect Belarus to provide protection and security for Bakiyev until he faces justice in Kyrgyzstan for his bloody crimes."

He accused Bakiyev of being responsible for the Bishkek bloodshed

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Israelis Debate Striking Iran Without U.S. Consent

ERUSALEM—The Israeli security establishment is divided over whether it needs Washington's blessing if Israel decides to attack Iran, Israeli officials say, as the U.S. campaign for sanctions drags on and Tehran steadily develops greater nuclear capability.

Some officials here fear that Washington is willing to live with a nuclear-armed Iran, an eventuality that Israel says it won't accept. Compounding Israeli concerns were U.S. statements this past weekend that underscored U.S. resistance to a military option. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Sunday discussed a memo to National Security Adviser James Jones warning that the U.S. needed new strategies, including how to contain a nuclear Iran—suggesting that Iran could reach nuclear capability without any foreign military force trying to stop it.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reiterated Sunday the U.S. position that a military strike against Iran is a "last option."

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Turkey offers to mediate on Iran's nuclear programme

Turkey has offered to mediate between Iran and the West in the dispute over Iran's nuclear programme.

The Turkish foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, announced the offer after talks with his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki.

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Obama affirms 'unbreakable' US-Israel ties

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has said on the Jewish state's 62nd anniversary that the United States shares an "unbreakable bond" with Israel and he was confident the relationship "will only be strengthened" into the future.

Despite tensions between Obama and the government of hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the US leader stressed that he looks "forward to continuing our efforts with Israel to achieve comprehensive peace and security in the region, including a two-state solution."

On the anniversary, Obama said in a statement released by the White House that "we once again honor the extraordinary achievements of the people of Israel, and their deep and abiding friendship with the American people."

On Sunday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States "will not waver in protecting Israel's security and promoting Israel's future," while noting while the Jewish state is "confronting some of the greatest challenges in its history, but its promise and potential have never been greater."

Clinton also pointed out that in 1948 it took President Harry Truman just 11 minutes to recognize the state of Israel.

"And ever since, the United States has stood with you in solidarity."

Ties have frayed this year, however. In March, during a visit to the country by US Vice President Joe Biden, Israeli officials announced plans to build 1,600 Jewish settlements in annexed east Jerusalem.

Clinton later called the Israeli move "insulting."

Just days ago Clinton called on Netanyahu to prove his commitment to a Palestinian state, warning that prolonged conflict only strengthened extremists.