BY JULIE PACEAssociated Press

CARTAGENA, Colombia — Ex-posing a rift with Israel, PresidentBarack Obama on Sunday insistedthat the U.S. had not “given any-thing away” in new talks with Iranas he defended his continuedpush for a diplomatic resolutionto the dispute over Tehran’s nu-clear ambitions.

Obama said he refused to letthe talks turn into a “stallingprocess,” but believed there wasstill a window for diplomacy. Ear-lier Sunday, Israel Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu publicly dis-agreed with at least part of thatstrategy, saying the U.S. and worldpowers gave Tehran a “freebie” byagreeing to hold more talks nextmonth.

“So far at least we haven’tgiven away anything, other thanthe opportunity for us to negoti-ate and see if Iran comes to thetable in good faith,” Obama saidduring a news conference Sundayin Colombia, as he closed a diplo-matic mission to Latin America.But Obama warned, “The clock’sticking.”

Winding down his three daytrip in the port city of Cartagena,Obama also sought to offer hopefor fresh start with Cuba, sayingthe U.S. would welcome the com-munist-run island’s transition todemocracy. There could be an op-portunity for such a shift to takeplace in the coming years, Obamasaid.

Standing alongside ColombianPresident Juan Manuel Santos,Obama also proclaimed a freetrade agreement between theircountries as a “win-win.” Obamaannounced that the trade pactcan be fully enforced next month,now that Colombia has enacted aseries of protections for workersand labor unions.

Obama had hoped to keep histrip to Colombia for the Summit ofthe Americas focused on theeconomy and the prospect of theregion’s rapid economic rise as agrowth opportunity for Americanbusinesses. But that message wasquickly overshadowed by an al-leged prostitution scandal involv-ing Secret Service personnel whowere in Colombia to set up secu-rity for Obama’s trip.

The president said Sunday thathe expected a full, rigorous inves-tigation of the allegations, andsaid he would be angry if the ac-cusations turn out to be true.

As Obama was meeting withLatin American leaders in Colom-bia this weekend, negotiatorsfrom the U.S. and five other worldpowers were in Turkey for a fresh

round of nuclear talks with Iran. While previous talks have done

little to dissuade Iran from mov-ing forward on its nuclear pro-gram, diplomats called the latestnegotiations constructive anduseful. Both sides agreed to holdmore talks in Baghdad at the endof May.

The Israeli prime ministerbalked at the announcement ofmore talks, saying the interven-ing five weeks would simply giveIran more time to continue en-riching uranium without restric-

tions. Netanyahu has said Iranuses diplomatic negotiations as adiversion while it continues topursue a nuclear weapon.

Israel has raised the prospectof a preemptive military strike onIran’s nuclear facilities. The Obamaadministration has urgently soughtto hold off Israeli military action,which would likely result in theU.S. being pulled into a conflict aswell. The U.S. believes a combina-tion of diplomacy and cripplingeconomic sanctions could pushIran to abandon its nuclearambitions.

Obama reaffirmed his commit-ment to that approach Sunday, say-ing it was “absolutely the rightthing to do.”

Iran insists its nuclear programis for peaceful purposes and says itdoes not seek a bomb.

BY HEIDI VOGT AND RAHIM FAIEZAssociated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan — Talibaninsurgents struck the heart of theAfghan capital and three easterncities Sunday, firing automaticweapons and grenades at em-bassies, government buildings andNATO bases as they launched thespring fighting season with theboldest and most complex assaultin years.

The multi-pronged attacksshow the Taliban and their alliesare far from beaten and under-scored the security challenge fac-ing government forces as U.S. andNATO forces draw down. The ma-jority of international combattroops are scheduled to leave bythe end of 2014.

The first blasts rocked thediplomatic quarter of Kabul onSunday afternoon, and soon gun-shots and rocket-propelledgrenade fire were ringing outacross the city. Smoke rose overthe skyline as sirens wailed. Aloudspeaker at the U.S. Embassycould be heard barking: “Duck andcover. Move away from the win-dows.”

One police officer and 17 mili-tants were killed in the attacks, themost widespread in the Afghancapital since an assault on the U.S.Embassy and NATO headquarterslast September blamed on theHaqqani network, a Pakistan-basedinsurgent group allied with the Tal-iban. Fighting continued more than12 hours after the first blasts, withexplosions echoing into the night.

The sophistication and fire-power of the latest strikes, as wellas the high-profile government andforeign targets, bore the hallmarksof the attack last fall and otherscarried out by Haqqani insurgents.

As in the earlier attack, armedinsurgents took over half-builtbuildings Sunday and used them tofire down on nearby embassiesand bases. In the streets of Kabul’sWazir Akbar Khan neighborhood,where a NATO base and a numberof embassies, including the U.S.Embassy, are located, residentsscrambled for cover as gunfirerained down from all directions.

“I saw two Land Cruisers pullup and two militants jumped fromthe car,” said Mohammad Zakar, a27-year-old mechanic who has ashop near the building comman-deered by the militants. “Theyopened fire on an intelligence serv-ice guard ... They also fired and

killed an Afghan policeman andthen they jumped into the build-ing. All the shops closed. I ranaway.”

Across town at the parliamentbuilding, insurgents climbed to theupper floors of another emptybuilding and fired on lawmakersbelow. A few legislators climbed onthe roof of the parliament and firedback.

Militants also attacked a NATOsite on the outskirts of Kabul,where a joint Greek-Turkish basecame under heavy fire and forcesresponded with heavy-caliber ma-chine guns. A police officer said asuicide bomber inside a buildingnear the base was shooting towardthe Kabul Military Training Center.

The eastern cities of Jalalabad,Gardez and Pul-e-Alam also cameunder attack, with suicidebombers trying to storm NATObases.

Taliban spokesman ZabiullahMujahid said dozens of suicide at-tackers and gunmen were sent intofour provinces in an assault thathad been planned for two monthsto show the extent of the insur-gency’s power after NATO com-manders called the Taliban weakand said there was no indicationthey were planning a spring offen-sive.

“We are strong and we can at-tack anywhere we want,” Mujahidsaid, calling the attacks an opening

salvo ahead of the yearly spring of-fensive, when warmer weather typ-ically brings increased attacks.

The near-simultaneous assaultswere the latest blow to an interna-tional effort that has been on edgefor months as distrust grew be-tween international and Afghanforces following the release of avideo purporting to show Marinesurinating on Taliban corpses, aswell as the burning of Qurans at aU.S. base and a deadly attack by aU.S. soldier that killed 17 Afghanvillagers.

Those tensions had appearedto be subsiding in recent weeksand the relatively quiet start tospring had brought hope: a dealgoverning night raids, talks withthe Hizb-i-Islami insurgent groupand the appointment of a newhead to the High Peace Council —which is trying to negotiate withthe Taliban.

That quiet was shattered Sun-day. More than a dozen explosionsrocked Kabul and heavy gunfirecrackled through the streets forhours.

At least one police officer waskilled in Kabul, according to anAP photographer at the scene.Seventeen militant fighters alsodied, including four in Kabul, andtwo others were arrested, the In-terior Ministry said. Seventeenpolice officers and 14 civilianswere wounded in attacks across

four provinces.Lt. Col. Jimmie Cummings, a

spokesman for the U.S.-led coali-tion, said the U.S., German andBritish embassies and some coali-tion and Afghan government build-ings took direct and indirect fire.

U.S. Marine Gen. John Allen, thetop commander of U.S. and NATOforces in Afghanistan, said thecoalition was standing by to sup-port the Afghan forces, if neededbut had not been called in.

Some international forces couldbe seen taking part in operationsto secure and retake buildings inthe capital — NATO troops embed-ded in Afghan units as “trainers” or“mentors.”

Explosions caused minor dam-age to the German Embassygrounds, but no staff were injured,German Foreign Minister GuidoWesterwelle said in Berlin.

The shooters appeared to be fo-cusing on the nearby British Em-bassy, which also suffered “limiteddamage,” according to British For-eign Secretary William Hague. Hesaid all staff were safe.

Mujahid said the Kabul attackstargeted NATO headquarters, theBritish and German embassies, theAfghan parliament building, twohotels, and other sites along Daru-laman road, where the Russian Em-bassy is located.

U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crockersaid Sunday’s attacks showed whythe U.S. should not try to hastenthe exit from Afghanistan.

At nearly the same time as theKabul attacks, Taliban fighterslaunched assaults on Afghan andNATO installations in the capitalsof Nangarhar, Logar and Paktiaprovinces.

In Jalalabad, the capital of Nan-garhar province, two groups ofmilitants — some wearing burqasto disguise themselves as women— launched separate attacks on amilitary airfield used by NATOand Afghan forces, as well as asmaller NATO base nearby. Theministry said Afghan securityforces gunned down all four of themilitants.

In Logar province, south ofKabul, five militants occupied abuilding under construction andstarted firing, the ministry said.Three police were wounded whenthe insurgents, who were all shotand killed, threw hand grenadeson policemen responding to thescene. Four civilians also werewounded in the attack.

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NEWS DEPARTMENT: news@yankton.net12 PRESS DAKOTANthe worldEgypt’s Muslim Brotherhood Suffers Setback

CAIRO (AP) — The elimination of three of the main contendersfrom Egypt’s presidential race has eroded the chances of an Islamistcandidate to seize the country’s top job.

The Muslim Brotherhood, the most powerful political group toemerge from last year’s uprising, finds itself increasingly in a bind. It isunable to exercise the power of its electoral wins so far and is jostlingwith the ruling generals and liberal and secular groups that drove theuprising but now fear religious domination of politics.

The Brotherhood was outraged over the election commission’s de-cision late Saturday to bar its chief strategist and leading choice forpresident, Khairat el-Shater. It threatened more protests like a largemarch on Friday that drew tens of thousands of Islamists to Cairo’sTahrir Square.

“This is a political decision not a legal one, said Murad MohammedAli, a spokesman for el-Shater’s campaign. “This commission is politi-cized and we will exert all political pressures to restore our rights.”

The election commission disqualified 10 candidates from the May23-24 vote including el-Shater and a popular, more hardline Islamistfrom another party, Hazem Abu Ismail. Omar Suleiman, who wasousted President Hosni Mubarak’s long-time spy chief and only vicepresident, was also barred.

Obama: Trade Deal Includes Worker ProtectionCARTAGENA, Colombia (AP) — President Barack Obama is praising

the free trade agreement between the United States and Colombia, say-ing it includes protections for workers and the environment that willserve as a “win” for both countries.

Obama and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said at a jointnews conference that the trade deal will go into effect May 15.

The U.S. and Colombia agreed to the trade deal last year. But imple-mentation of the pact was contingent on Colombia enacting reforms toprotect unions.

Obama says it will support “thousands of U.S. jobs” and giveColombia a market for exports. He says it will be a win for workers andthe environment because there are “strong protections.” Obama saysthose are “commitments that we are going to fulfill.”

Business leaders support the agreement but labor leaders sayColombia still has a poor record of violence against labor unionmembers.

Issa: Doubts S. S. Scandal Was One-Time LapseWASHINGTON (AP) — A Secret Service scandal involving prosti-

tutes in Colombia that has overshadowed President Barack Obama’sdiplomatic mission in Latin American probably isn’t an isolated inci-dent, and the agency should ensure it doesn’t happen again, a leadingHouse Republican said Sunday

California Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of a House investigativepanel, said he wasn’t certain whether Congress would hold hearingson the misconduct. But lawmakers will be looking “over the shoulder”of the Secret Service, he said, to make sure that the agency’s methodfor training and screening agents isn’t endangering the nation’s VIPs.

“Things like this don’t happen once if they didn’t happen before,”said Issa, who leads the House Oversight and Government ReformCommittee.

Eleven Secret Service employees are on administrative leave formisconduct and five service members assigned to work with theagency are confined to quarters amid allegations that a group of per-sonnel partied with prostitutes before Obama arrived in Colombia forthe weekend summit with Latin American leaders.

Leader Vows Military Strength In First SpeechPYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — North Korea’s new leader ad-

dressed his nation and the world for the first time Sunday, vowingto place top priority on his impoverished country’s military, whichpromptly unveiled a new long-range missile.

The speech was the culmination of two weeks of celebrationsmarking the centenary of the birth of his grandfather, nationalfounder Kim Il Sung — festivities that were marred by a failedlaunch Friday of a rocket that generated international condemna-tion and cost North Korea a food aid-for-nuclear-freeze deal withWashington.

Kim Jong Un’s speech took North Koreans gathered at Kim IlSung Square and around televisions across the country by sur-prise. His father, late leader Kim Jong Il, addressed the public onlyonce in his lifetime.

Appearing calm and measured as he read the 20-minute speech,Kim Jong Un covered a wide range of topics, from foreign policy tothe economy. His speech, and a military parade that followed,capped the carefully choreographed festivities commemoratingKim Il Sung’s birthday.

Attacks Rock Afghan Capital, Provinces

Obama: U.S. Has Offered No ‘Freebies’ To Iran

JONATHAN S. LANDAY/MCTInsurgents took over a high-rise building on Sunday, and began firingrocket propelled grenades and assault weapons at government buildingsand towards the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, news reports andofficials said. There were no immediate reports of casualties in what ap-peared to be a strike mirroring an attack on the heavily fortified Americanmission in September.