World in brief: Officials launch security lockdown

BAGHDAD – Iraqi security forces locked down parts of Baghdad today and were searching neighborhoods, said Baghdad’s chief military spokesman, in what appeared to be a wide-ranging operation across the city.

While there are hundreds of checkpoints throughout Baghdad, such large-scale lockdowns and searches of neighborhoods have become rare since the height of the insurgency.

The security operation comes as Iraq is preparing for crucial nationwide parliamentary elections in March, and officials have warned that insurgents trying to disrupt the vote could try to launch attacks as the election nears.

Maj. Gen. Qassim Al-Moussawi would not comment on why the measures were imposed, if authorities were responding to a specific threat, or in which neighborhoods the operations were under way.

N. Korea proposes peace treaty talks

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea proposed Monday signing a peace treaty this year to formally end the Korean War, a suggestion that Washington quickly dismissed.

In a move seen as an attempt to bolster its negotiating position, the isolated communist regime said a return to negotiations on its nuclear weapons program depends on better relations with Washington and the lifting of sanctions.

However, U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters Monday that peace treaty talks would only be discussed once North Korea comes back to six-nation nuclear talks and takes steps on abandoning its nuclear programs.