Karzai issued a statement saying American and British ambassadors reviewed the contract and agreed it was fair and transparent.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be the first foreign official to meet with newly elected Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, Egypt's Al-Ahram news website is reporting.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday approved a $16.2 billion State Department authorization bill after reaching bipartisan consensus that 10 years of squabbling has diminished the panel's ability to shape policy.

The bill passed by voice vote in under a minute, in stark contrast with last year's record 30-hour markup where Democrats and Republicans battled on everything from funding for abortion providers to aid to Pakistan. The hope this year is that a bipartisan consensus will enable the full House to adopt the committee's priorities quickly and help get an authorization bill signed into law, which hasn't happened since 2002. Read more...

Iran will not be invited to participate in the new round of international peace talks on Syria, U.S.-Arab League Kofi Annan announced Wednesday. 

One of the staunchest proponents of more forceful U.S. action in Syria warned Wednesday that the escalating crisis risks undermining U.S. ally and NATO member Turkey.

Arizona Sen. John McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, made the remarks at the Middle East Institute’s Third Annual Conference on Turkey in Washington. The comments come after Turkey called for an emergency NATO meeting on Tuesday after Syria shot down a Turkish jet, prompting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to warn of retaliation if Syrian military forces approach the Turkish border.

“The situation in Syria cries out for U.S. leadership — not just to save Syrian lives, but to support our ally, Turkey, when they need our support the most,” McCain said. “The conflict in Syria is becoming a strategic threat to Turkey. 

U.S. trade officials requested that the World Trade Organization begin the dispute settlement process over China's export restraints on rare-earth materials. 

U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said Wednesday that the dispute panel is needed over China's treatment of tungsten and molybdenum because they are "key inputs in a multitude of U.S. manufacturing sectors and American-made products."

"It is vital that U.S. workers and manufacturers obtain the fair and equal access to raw materials like rare earths that China specifically agreed to when it joined the WTO," Kirk said. 

Your morning global affairs speed-read

The House Committee on Foreign Affairs this morning marks up a foreign operations bill that does not include a section on bilateral foreign aid, likely making for rapid and bipartisan passage (it does, however, include $3.4 billion in contributions to international organizations and international peacekeeping activities). That would be in stark contrast to last year's bill, which took some 30 hours to mark up because of a slew of amendments regarding funding for Pakistan, the Palestinian Authority and other controversial measures. 

The House has failed to pass a foreign affairs authorization bill in about a decade, leaving appropriators to set priorities at the State Department through the power of the purse. The House Appropriations Committee approved a $40.1 billion State and foreign operations bill last month.

Burma ties: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee holds a hearing on President Obama's pick to be ambassador to Burma, Derek Mitchell. Mitchell has been the special representative and policy coordinator for Burma since last year. While the nomination itself does not appear controversial, the hearing could be an opportunity for lawmakers to air out their differences on how quickly the United States should lift sanctions against the country.

Russian spring: The Foreign Policy Initiative and Freedom House host a Capitol Hill briefing on “Toward a Democratic Russia” with Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), both of whom serve on the U.S. Helsinki Commission. Panelists include former Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov and Kristiina Ojuland, a member of the European Parliament.

Senators of both parties are offering a wary welcome to Egypt’s new Islamist president.

Top American and Pakistani military leaders are struggling to find common ground on stemming deadly cross-border attacks on U.S. and coalition troops by terror groups based inside Pakistan.

The issue will be at the top of the agenda during a scheduled meeting between Gen. John Allen, the top American commander in Afghanistan, and Pakistani army chief Ashfaq Kayani on Wednesday, according to Reuters.