World Digest: Libyan Government Released 88 Repentant Islamist Militants

LIBYA

88 Islamist Militants Released, Group Says

The Libyan government released 88 repentant Islamist militants, some of them belonging to a group suspected to have links to al-Qaeda, a government-funded human rights group announced Thursday.

The release included 45 members of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, which has been accused of plotting to overthrow Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi and has been linked to al-Qaeda, but Libyan officials say the group has denied the connection.

The move is the latest effort by an Arab government to address militant movements through rehabilitation programs rather than solely through force. Saudi Arabia and Egypt have pioneered programs to "deprogram" militants and allow them to rejoin society.

-- Associated Press

RUSSIA

U.S.-Ukraine Talks Raise Ire in Moscow

Russia said Thursday that it was worried about U.S. talks on the use of Ukrainian radar stations as part of a revised missile defense shield, a step that could hurt efforts to reset ties between the two Cold War foes.

Russia, which is sensitive to any hint of U.S. cooperation with former Soviet republics, initially welcomed President Obama's scrapping of Bush-era plans for a missile defense system in Central Europe.

But Moscow has been irked by a U.S. statement that countries such as Ukraine could contribute early-warning information as part of the revised shield plan and by reports that talks between the United States and Ukraine on the issue had begun.

-- Reuters