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U.N. women’s conference ends

Compiled from wire reports The Spokesman-Review

United Nations The final day of a U.N. meeting to press for women’s equality took an odd turn Friday when countries adopted a resolution pushing for the economic advancement of women – over the objections of its chief sponsor, the United States.

The resolution capped a contentious two-week meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women that ended much as it began, with the United States at odds with much of the rest of the world on issues of reproductive health and abortion.

The United States had originally intended that the document on economic advancement focus on entrepreneurship, but South Africa proposed an amendment saying that “the neglect of women’s reproductive rights severely limits their opportunities in public and private life.”

A Cuban amendment on the downside of globalization also was added.

Unhappy with those changes, the United States withdrew its backing. The vote went ahead anyway and the document was adopted by consensus.

Nine other resolutions were passed Friday without such fireworks, including documents calling for more action to eliminate sex trafficking and help women reverse the AIDS pandemic. While only 45 nations voted on the resolutions, 165 countries sent 1,800 delegates, including many government ministers. Some 2,600 representatives of human rights, women’s and other advocacy groups also attended.

Food programs for poor may lose out to farms

Washington Cuts in food programs for the poor are getting support in Congress as an alternative to President Bush’s idea of slicing billions of dollars from the payments that go to large farm operations.

Senior Republicans in both the House and Senate are open to small reductions in farm subsidies, but they adamantly oppose the deep cuts sought by Bush to hold down future federal deficits.

The president wants to lower the maximum subsidies that can be collected each year by any one farm operation from $360,000 to $250,000. He also asked Congress to cut by 5 percent all farm payments, and he wants to close loopholes that enable some growers to annually collect millions of dollars in subsidies.

Hezbollah promises to be politically active

Beirut, Lebanon Hezbollah intends to take a more active role in Lebanese politics but won’t disarm as long as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict persists, a leader in the guerrilla group said Friday, as its ally Syria nearly completed its troop pullback in Lebanon far sooner than expected.

By Friday evening, almost all of Syria’s troops had moved into the eastern Bekaa Valley – almost three weeks ahead of a March 31 target date to complete the redeployment. Only a few bases and outposts remained in the mountains northeast of Beirut. The troops in northern Lebanon left the country completely.

U.S. to pay millions to Holocaust victims

Miami The federal government on Friday reached a $25.5 million settlement with the families of Hungarian Holocaust victims and will acknowledge the U.S. Army’s role in commandeering a trainload of the families’ treasures during World War II.

Under terms of the settlement, the money will be distributed to needy Hungarian Holocaust survivors rather those who lost family possessions.

The Justice Department, which negotiated on behalf of the government, issued a statement saying it was “very pleased to announce” the settlement but said it would be inappropriate to add comment on a pending legal matter.

Rice promotes ‘special relations’ with Ukraine

Washington Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday hailed the “special relations” between the United States and Ukraine, brushing aside concerns about Ukraine’s plan to withdraw its 1,650 troops from Iraq.

Rice met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Borys Tarasyuk shortly after the White House announced that Viktor Yushchenko, president of the former Soviet republic, would meet with President Bush on April 4 at the White House.

Ukraine has been cited frequently by Bush administration officials as an example of the movement toward greater democracy worldwide. In Ukraine’s so-called “Orange Revolution,” popular protests after a fraudulent election led to a new vote, which Yushchenko won.