World Briefs

TEHRAN, Iran – An American journalist jailed for four months in Iran was freed Monday and reunited with her parents after an appeals court suspended her eight-year prison sentence on charges of spying for the US. Her parents said they would bring her home to the US within days.

The release of Roxana Saberi, a 32-year-old dual Iranian-American citizen, clears a major snag in President Barack Obama's efforts to engage Iran in a dialogue after decades of shunning the country.

KABUL – The US accused Afghan militants Monday of using white phosphorus as a weapon in "reprehensible" attacks on US forces and in civilian areas.

The accusation comes two months after an 8-year-old Afghan girl named Razia was wounded by white phosphorus in a battle between militants and NATO troops.

US and NATO troops use white phosphorus to illuminate targets and create smoke screens. Human rights groups denounce its use as a weapon, or over populated areas, for the severe burns it causes.

SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought Egypt's help Monday in building a coalition of Arab nations against Iran, framing the broader Middle East conflict as one in which moderates must band together to confront extremists.

Mubarak avoided any mention of specific regional threats and said peace with the Palestinians would bring stability and reinforce cooperation in the region.

BOGOTA – Colombian authorities have arrested senator Zulema Jattin, closely allied with President Alvaro Uribe, for alleged collusion with illegal far-right militias.

The senator had been under investigation for allegedly benefiting politically from ties with militia boss Rodrigo Tovar, extradited to the US last year.

Uribe has been at odds with the Supreme Court, which has ordered since 2006 the arrest of more than 30 lawmakers — chiefly Uribe allies — for alleged cooperation with the so-called paramilitaries.

JERUSALEM – Pope Benedict XVI confronted the dark history of his native Germany on the first day of his visit to Israel on Monday, shaking the hands of six Holocaust survivors and saying victims of the genocide "lost their lives but they will never lose their names."

Benedict's attempts to ease tensions with Jews after his recent decision to lift the excommunication of a Holocaust denying bishop appeared to enjoy only partial success. The top two officials at Israel's Holocaust memorial faulted the pope for not apologizing nor using the words "murder" or "Nazis" during a speech.