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ByYurasKarmanauand Jim Heintz The Associated Press MINSK, BELARUS The peace deal reached Thurs- day for Ukraine, if it holds, would be a partial win for both Moscow and Kiev: Ukraine retains the sepa- ratist eastern regions and regains control of its bor- der with Russia, while Rus- sia holds strong leverage to keep Ukraine from ever be- coming part of NATO. But neither side came away from the marathon talks unscathed. There's no sign Russia will soon escape the West- ern sanctions that have driven its economy down sharply, and Kiev's price for regaining control of the border with Russia is to grant significant new power to the east. But the complicated cal- culus of whether any side came out truly ahead can't be determined unless a sin- gle, straightforward term is fulfilled: halting the shoot- ing and artillery salvos that have killed more than 5,300 people since April. That is supposed to happen on Sunday, at one minute af- ter midnight. A cease-fire called in September never fully took hold and fighting escalated sharply in the past month. Questions remain about whether either side pos- sesses the will or discipline to ensure a truce this time. The cease-fire is to be monitored by the Organiza- tion for Security and Coop- eration in Europe's observer mission in Ukraine. But that "will probably go nowhere if there isn't a huge political will to beef up the OSCE, pull in many more monitors, give them clear support," said analyst Judy Dempsey, an associ- ate of the Carnegie Europe think-tank. The OSCE mission head, Ertugrul Apakan, said Thursday that he expected it would expand by the end of the month to about 500 observers, up from about 310 currently, the Interfax news agency reported. Under the terms of the deal reached after 16 hours of talks between the pres- idents of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France, the next step is to form a size- able buffer zone between Ukrainian forces and Rus- sia-backed rebels. Each side is to pull heavy weaponry back from the front line, creating a zone roughly 30- 85 miles wide, depending on the weapon caliber. Then come the knotty and volatile political ques- tions. While Russian President Vladimir Putin told report- ers the deal envisages spe- cial status for Ukraine's sep- aratist regions, Ukraine's president, Petro Porosh- enko, maintained there was no consensus on any sort of autonomy or federalization for eastern Ukraine. In addition, the agree- ment foresees the regions being able to form their own police forces and to trade freely with Russia, both of which would bring a degree of division and un- certainty within Ukraine that could be leverage to keep the country out of NATO. Those measures would require constitutional re- form, certain to be a highly fraught process. Only after such reform is passed would Ukraine's full control over its border with Russia be restored, accord- ing to the pact. Aside from the political resolution of the east's sta- tus, Ukraine also faces se- vere challenges with its troubled economy, which is close to bankruptcy. On Thursday, the International Monetary Fund agreed to give Ukraine a new bail- out deal worth $17.5 bil- lion (15.5 billion euros). The World Bank, meanwhile, announced it was ready to commit up to $2 billion to help Ukraine with reforms, to fight corruption and for other purposes. UKRAINE Ma ra th on t al ks p ro du ce peace deal, cease-fire VADIMBRAYDOV—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS A pro-Russian rebel mans a weapon mounted on a pickup truck in the town of Vuhlehirsk, eastern Ukraine, on Tuesday. ALEXEI DRUZHININ, PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVIC — RIA NOVOSTI Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to the media a er the peace talks in Minsk, Belarus, on Thursday. By John-Thor Dahlburg The Associated Press BRUSSELS Spurred to ac- tion by last month's terror attacks in France, Euro- pean Union leaders agreed Thursday on an ambitious range of new steps to bet- ter protect their countries from terrorism. Actions unanimously endorsed at an EU summit meeting include the sharing of airline passenger data, tougher border controls on travelers and the detection and removal of Internet content promoting terror- ism or extremism. "All citizens have the right to live free from fear, whatever their opinions or beliefs," the EU leaders de- clared in a joint statement. "We will safeguard our common values and protect all from violence based on ethnic or religious motiva- tions and racism." Gilles de Kerchove, the EU's top counter-terrorism official, told The Associ- ated Press that the leaders' action plan, some of which still requires approval by the European Parliament to go into effect, will make Europeans safer. It "keeps reducing our vulnerabilities," De Ker- chove said. In a report to the 28 EU member coun- tries last month, De Ker- chove warned "Europe is facing an unprecedented, diverse and serious terror- ist threat." Counter-terrorism pol- icy shot to the top of the EU agenda following the Jan. 7-9 attacks in Paris against a satirical weekly, a policewoman and a kosher grocery store that claimed a total of 17 victims. The three gunmen, who pro- claimed allegiance to Al- Qaida in Yemen and the Is- lamic State group, were also shot dead by French police. The attacks mobilized France and other EU mem- ber countries to seek more effective ways to deal with armed Islamic militancy, especially the problem of radicalized European-born Muslims who go to fight in Syria or Iraq and then re- turn home. The bloody violence in the French capital was "a game- changer" for EU counter- terrorism efforts, said Al- exandra de Hoop Scheffer, senior trans-Atlantic fellow and director of the Paris of- fice of the German Marshall Fund think tank. To pre- pare for Thursday's sum- mit meeting in Brussels, EU foreign, finance and interior and justice ministers were ordered to draw up recom- mendations on what to do. The plan finally approved by the heads of state and government calls for a wide array of measures in fields ranging from foreign pol- icy to the functioning of law enforcement agencies. In some instances, it insists on the need for rapid or ur- gent change. JO IN T SE CU RI TY EU leaders agree on new anti-terror measures VIRGINIA MAYO — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE Belgian soldiers patrol outside EU headquarters in Brussels. J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., le , and Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., walk through a corridor at the Capitol following a closed-door meeting on President Barack Obama's request for Congress to authorize military action against terrorists who are cutting a swath across the Middle East, in Washington on Wednesday. By David Espo and Matthew Daly The Associated Press WASHINGTON Republi- cans said Thursday that President Barack Obama's request to authorize the use of force against the Is- lamic State group is too weak to do the job, and the House's Democratic leader said the White House is facing a stern challenge. "It's going to be hard," said Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., leader of a party that generally opposes the use of U.S. ground forces. Republicans were trou- bled for far different rea- sons. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Obama's proposal "ties his hands even further" than current law. The presi- dent's draft legislation would bar "enduring of- fensive combat operations" and repeal a 2002 autho- rization that preceded the U.S. invasion of Iraq while leaving in force the autho- rization that was approved by Congress after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Boehner said the House will hold hearings, and any legislation will authorize sufficient military force to "fight the war wherever it is." The comments by Boehner, Pelosi and others epitomize the skeptical re- sponse from Capitol Hill as the White House searched for its first outright sup- porter for the measure. Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Com- mittee, said Obama still "needs to make the case to the American people" and Congress. "This won't be easy," he said. Referring to U.S. partici- pation in airstrikes against Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria, he said the "campaign isn't pummel- ing the enemy as it should." "Congressional author- ity is of no value if the president isn't willing to act decisively," Royce said. In the president's own party, a new day brought new skepticism. "We must make it clear that there is no authoriza- tion for the use of combat ground troops," said Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md. Rep. Eliot Engel of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Af- fairs panel, said coalition military operations were making good progress. He noted that Jordan has "doubled down on its com- mitment in the aftermath of the horrific murder" of a Jordanian pilot who was burned alive. "But we're not out of the woods; far from it," Engel said. Freshman Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., a Ma- rine veteran who served four tours in Iraq, said he was not ready to support Obama's request until the administration presents a comprehensive strategy to ensure long-term success. "I believe the only way to ensure the defeat of ISIL in the long term is for lo- cal forces, supported polit- ically by moderate regional governments, to lead this fight and take ownership of their own future," he said, using an alternative acronym for the terrorist group. Rep. Matt Salmon, R- Ariz., said he was baffled by Obama's request. "Why would the presi- dent be submitting to Con- gress a (request for use of force) that ties his hands?" Salmon asked. He said he could not imagine Presi- dent Franklin D. Roosevelt standing before the Amer- ican people in 1941 to say, "'Here are the five things I am not going to do to the Japanese.' It doesn't make sense." Obama was resolute as he made the case for legis- lation in remarks Wednes- day at the White House. "Make no mistake. This is a difficult mission," he said, calling for action against a group that he said threatens U.S. security. He said it will take time to dislodge the terrorists, especially from urban ar- eas, "but our coalition is on the offensive. ISIL is on the defensive, and ISIL is go- ing to lose." Under Obama's pro- posal, the use of military force against Islamic State fighters would be autho- rized for three years, not limited by national bor- ders. The fight could be ex- tended to any "closely re- lated successor entity" to IS that has overrun parts of Iraq and Syria, imposed a form of Sharia law and killed several hostages it has taken, Americans among them. Obama war power plan in search of its first supporter CONGRESS THANKYOUFORSUPPORTING N EWS D AILY RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY H E V O I C E O F T E H A MA C O U NTY S I N C E 1 8 8 5 NEWSPAPERS NIE ThroughtheNewspapersinEducationprogram,areaclassroomsreceivetheRedBluff Daily News every day thanks to the generosity of these local businesses & individuals. 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