Peace Action, an anti-war coalition that has enlisted four Democratic and four GOP members of Congress in an effort to dissuade President Obama from sending more troops to Afghanistan, just invoked an ominous historical analogy to describe today's new White House war plan. I bet you thought he'd compare Obama to Bush. You'd be wrong.
Kevin Martin, executive director of the anti-war alliance, said in a statement:
"It's a shame President Obama believes he can pursue the same militaristic strategy as his predecessors and produce a different result. While President Obama has made some good statements on increasing diplomacy and economic aid to Afghanistan and Pakistan, the emphasis is clearly on military operations. John F. Kennedy was in a comparable situation when he was elected. He chose to escalate then as well, and the consequences of his decision left our country mired in an unwinnable war."
Peace Action is organizing local protests against the escalation of the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, starting in early April. This could be fun. Pass the popcorn.
Posted by: Steve ||
03/27/2009 14:52 ||
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It seems to be taking some time for the anti-war mongers to realize that Obama is the enemy. Faster, please. Each group in the Democrats coalition need to reassert their own viewpoints. The election is past, the future is division.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
03/27/2009 15:25 Comments ||
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#2
Hey! I thought Kennedy was one of the "good guys"?
#4
These anti-military nit-wits couldnt conceptulize world diplomacy if their hemp togas depended on it. Anytime you see the word Coalition associated with these groups you can bet theyre getting their marching orders from the likes of MoveOn.org. It is pretty simple formula really. Admonish Obama but make sure you blame Bush. Then repeat the same talking points.
1). One only has to look at the examples of the British and Soviets to realize that Americas fate in Afghanistan will end similar to Vietnam.
2). Americas mere presence has turned the Afghan people against us and has only strengthend the Taliban.
3). Afghanistan cant be won by the military alone. Therefore a diplomatic strategy must include a regional coalition that includes Iran and Pakistan.
4). Afghanistan is too remote for terrorists to train for sophisticated attacks anyway.
5). Leave it to the local tribes and Moderate Taliban for stability until a central government can take over.
Time will tell if this is really Obamas master plan.
#6
I'm not part of an anti-war group and I've been making that same comparison for some time. One key difference though - Vietnam logistics were infinitely easier.
President Barack Obama on Friday ordered 4,000 more military troops into Afghanistan, vowing to "disrupt, dismantle and defeat" the terrorist al-Qaida network in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan.
In a war that still has no end in sight, Obama said the fresh infusion of U.S. forces is designed to bolster the Afghan army and turn up the heat on terrorists that he said are plotting new attacks against Americans. The plan takes aim at terrorist havens in Pakistan and challenges the government there and in Afghanistan to show more results.
Obama called the situation in the region "increasingly perilous" more than seven years after the Taliban was removed from power in Afghanistan.
"If the Afghanistan government falls to the Taliban or allows al-Qaida to go unchallenged," Obama said, "that country will again be a base for terrorists."
It is smarter to defeat Al-Qaeda and the Taliban by separating the extreme from the "moderate" and using bribes specifically and an infusion of aid generally to keep America (and the world) safe. Force alone will not succeed; only improving the lives of Afghanis by building roads, bridges, schools, etc-of financially providing for them-will sway them away from the lure of the extremists. If we don't do this-if we don't provide them with the basics for survival-they will side with the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
Per a CBS news story of 2004: "So we are continuing this policy in bleeding America to the point of bankruptcy," bin Laden said in the tape that appeared near the end of a U.S. campaign that has focused on the war on terror as well as the foundering U.S. economy.
Now, skip ahead to 2009 and 2010. We infuse Afghanistan with money for rebuilding infrastructure, schools, etc. Bin Laden and his ilk bomb these facilities, one after the other. Now the Afghanis do not have the infrastructure, and according to Obama's logic, they will be pulled to side with the Taliban. Unless we send more money to build more infrastructure to replace what was bombed...
What an arrogant, short-sighted and idiotic strategy to defeat terrorism in Afghanistan. Or a deliberate strategy to see that Bin Laden's vision succeeds.
The Obama administration has conducted a vigorous internal debate over its new strategy for Afghanistan, expected to be unveiled by the president in a speech Friday. According to two U.S. government sources close to the issue, senior policymakers were divided over how comprehensive to make the strategy, involving an initial boost of 17,000 U.S. troops.
On the one side were Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Deputy Secretary of State James B. Steinberg, who argued in closed-door meetings for a minimal strategy of stabilizing Afghanistan that one source described as a "lowest common denominator" approach. The goal of these advocates was to limit civilian and other nonmilitary efforts in Afghanistan and focus on a main military objective of denying safe haven to the Taliban and al Qaeda terrorists.
The other side of the debate was led by Richard C. Holbrooke, the special envoy for the region, who along with U.S. Central Command leader Gen. David H. Petraeus and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton fought for a major nation-building effort.
The Holbrooke-Petraeus-Clinton faction, according to the sources, prevailed. The result is expected to be a major, long-term military and civilian program to reinvent Afghanistan from one of the most backward, least developed nations to a relatively prosperous democratic state.
According to one defense official close to the debate, the key to success in Afghanistan remains eliminating terrorist safe havens and training camps, which are no longer in Afghanistan but in Pakistan. "However, all of our actions are oriented on four lines of operation - security to set conditions for governance, development, rule of law with information operations and counternarcotics cross-cutting efforts," the official said.
The key to any strategy remains Pakistan and its border regions, which remain terror safe havens, said the official, who, like the other sources, spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information. Additionally, Gen. Petraeus made sure the Afghan strategy sought to borrow from the successful counterinsurgency strategy and tactics used in Iraq. According to one official in Afghanistan, many of the Afghans are not "hateful against the West."
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/27/2009 09:27 ||
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The result is expected to be a major, long-term military and civilian program to reinvent Afghanistan from one of the most backward, least developed nations to a relatively prosperous democratic state.
Prosperity coming from it's vast resources and well educated, industrious workforce. Democracy naturally flowing from it's tribal culture and Islamic roots.
President Barack Obama's new posture toward Afghanistan and Pakistan, to be unveiled tomorrow, codifies for the first time Iran's role in regional diplomacy, emphasizes counterterrorism as the primary mission of U.S. policy, and includes a multi-modal surge of civilians and economic aid to both countries.
According to people who have been briefed on the results of the policy review, Obama plans to emphasize results-driven cooperation with both countries. He will endorse a Senate bill, authored by Sens. John Kerry and Richard Lugar, that would condition a significant increase in aid to Pakistan on measurable improvements in Pakistan's internal efforts to combat terrorism. (President Obama and Vice President Biden were cosponsors of the bill in the Senate.)
In seeking to reassure Americans that help to Pakistan is contingent on internal reforms, he plans to stress that Americans will work with those in both countries who demonstratively seek peace and reconciliation.
This will be interpreted as a warning to both President Asif Ali Zardari in Pakistan and President Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan. Pointedly, the new Afpak policy does not express a preference for specific leaders, another difference from the previous administration, which had been accused of coddling and courting Karzai and former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf at the expense of rooting out corruption and terrorism. Afghanistan holds elections later this year, and the U.S. hasn't found a candidate it likes.
The Americans will lean on Zardari to end his military's ongoing cooperation with the Taliban. Some analysts may interpret the new American policy to mean that the U.S. is open to working more closely with the leader of the main opposition party in Pakistan, Narwaz Sharif.
A few weeks ago, Obama announced that an additional 17,000 U.S. troops would be sent to Afghanistan. Tomorrow, he plans to spell out their mission. 4,000 additional troops will be tasked with training Afghan soldiers and the national police; the administration hopes to have more than 130,000 soldiers and 82,000 police officers trained by 2011. The rest of the troops will be given expanded counter-terrorism assignments and charged with defeating Al Qaeda, not just killing them in isolation.
It is not clear whether Obama will mention Iran by name -- I think he probably will -- but he will ask neighboring nations to form a working group to handle disputes and plan longer-term initiatives. It will be clear, in any event, that Iran ought to be included in the group.
The new bearing reflects Vice President Joe Biden's imprint. He has been arguing internally for a more focused counterterrorism mission rather than a larger, more complex counterinsurgency mission, which would involve significantly more American resources and troops. Though the President plans to endorse the concepts of counterinsurgency as a means to fight the Taliban, it will not be the primary objective of U.S. and NATO troops. U.S. policy also focuses on improving the legitimacy of Afghan government institutions by endorsing anti-corruption drives, by devoting U.S. resources to counternarcotics missions, and by providing basic goods and services to Afghans outside Kabul.
Administration officials briefed Congress on the outlines of the policy this afternoon; NATO and EU countries were looped in on Wednesday.
United States President Barack Obama's hopes of new and improved relations with Iran started to seem possible as Iran said on Thursday it would attend a Washington-proposed U.N. conference on the future of Afghanistan, which calls for a regional solution to the "crisis."
Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said Iran had yet to decide who to send to next Tuesday's international meeting in The Hague, which will be attended by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and delegates from more than 80 countries.
News of Iran's participation is likely to be welcomed by the new U.S. administration of Obama, who has offered a "new beginning" of diplomatic engagement with the Islamic Republic on a range of issues.
" We believe that a regional solution should be found for the Afghanistan crisis "
FM Manouchehr Mottaki
In an overture to Tehran, Clinton said earlier this month Iran would be invited to the meeting to discuss the future of Afghanistan as it battles a growing Islamist Taliban insurgency.
Iran and the United States have not had diplomatic ties for three decades and are now at odds over Tehran's alleged nuclear work. But analysts say they share an interest in ensuring a stable Afghanistan, where violence is at its highest level since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion.
New solutions sought
" Iran goal in the region is to help peace, stability and calm which is necessary for the region's progress "
Mottaki
"Iran will participate," Qashqavi said. "The level of participation is not clear."
Clinton is expected to provide details of a review of U.S. strategy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan, which is set to be released before the conference in the Dutch city.
Iran said it was ready to help stabilize Afghanistan and Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was quoted as saying a regional solution was needed.
Obama last month ordered the deployment of 17,000 extra U.S. troops to the country. Iran has often called for U.S. forces to leave the region, saying they are making the situation worse.
"We believe that a regional solution should be found for the Afghanistan crisis," the semi-official Fars News Agency quoted Mottaki as saying during a visit to Brazil.
"Iran's goal in the region is to help peace, stability and calm which is necessary for the region's progress," he said.
Mottaki said earlier in March the United States was failing in Afghanistan and should recognize a new approach was needed.
Qashqavi said Iran would also attend a separate meeting on Afghanistan in Moscow this week.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
" Iran goal in the region is to help peace, stability and calm which is necessary for the region's progress "
"Kill the bastards" will accomplish the goal quite neatly.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/27/2009 9:43 Comments ||
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The first recruits have graduated to a new Afghan community force the U.S. military hopes will boost local security against the Taliban, and do for Afghanistan what Sunni militias did in Iraq.
The U.S. military says the Afghan Public Protection Force (APPF) will free up police by guarding schools, mosques, and roads, and boost traditional power structures fractured by war and threatened by the Taliban's hardline brand of justice.
Some 243 recruits have received three weeks of training and will soon return to their embattled home district of Jalrez in Maidan Wardak, 55 kilometers southwest of Kabul, in a pilot scheme U.S. commanders hope can be extended across the country.
"This program was created at a time when the communities of Maidan Wardak urgently need protection from the enemies of Afghanistan," U.S. General David McKiernan, commander of international troops in Afghanistan, told the recruits at their graduation ceremony at a base east of Kabul.
In the last year Taliban insurgents have expanded into the mountainous province and attacked fuel and supply convoys on the highway between the capital and the south.
Greatly strengthening both the Afghan army and police, U.S. officers acknowledge, is the only long-term exit plan for the 70,000 mainly Western troops now in Afghanistan.
But Afghan security forces are having a tough time and have suffered hundreds of casualties fighting an increasingly confident Taliban insurgency.
"In a lot of ways they are being overwhelmed," said a U.S. army advisor who declined to be named. "The fighting is becoming more and more intense every year.... The Taliban seem to grow increasingly stronger, they don't seem to be losing ground."
"We need to free up more highly trained more experienced officers to do more pivotal roles," he said.
The Afghan government, backed by the international community, is still trying to disarm local militias run by warlords and some Afghan politicians have said the community force scheme will simply pour more arms into a country already awash with guns and gunmen.
"You must prove wrong those who believe your actions will be influenced by criminals or by the enemies of Afghanistan," McKiernan said. "Prove wrong those who believe you might use your new skills and weapons against other communities."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2009 00:00 ||
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Following unconfirmed reports that the US or Israel attacked a convoy of trucks carrying weapons headed for the Gaza Strip in Sudan, a new report by Sudanese sources cited an additional strike on a ship possibly making its way to Sudan from Iran.
"There were indeed two strikes in Sudan, in January and February," Sudan's deputy transportation minister told Channel 10 on Thursday evening. "I cannot confirm that Israel or the US were behind the attack, but I know that the US controls the airspace there," he said. "The second strike was against a ship at sea and it was completely destroyed," another Sudanese official said.
Earlier, Sudanese State Minister for Highways Mabrouk Mubarak Saleem said that American aircraft had carried out the first attack.
Saleem, who spoke to Al Jazeera on Thursday, was quoted by Israel Radio as having said that the death toll in the bombing was much higher than initial reports, and stood at 800 people. He also claimed that the trucks were filled with people, and did not contain weapons.
According to a CBS News report, 39 people were killed when IAF warplanes bombed the convoy and all 17 trucks were destroyed.
Saleem's statement was in stark contradiction to a Sudanese Tribune report from earlier this week in which he was quoted as saying that a "major power bombed small trucks carrying arms, burning all of them." He added that the raid killed "Sudanese, Eritreans and Ethiopians, and injured others."
On Thursday, Reuters quoted two Sudanese politicians who confirmed that the strike had taken place. They declined to point fingers but one of them said that his colleagues had spoken to a survivor of the strike. "There was an Ethiopian fellow, a mechanic. He was the only one who survived. He said they came in two planes. They passed over them, then came back and they shot the cars. He couldn't tell the nationality of the aircraft ... The aircraft destroyed the vehicles. There were four or five vehicles," he was quoted as saying.
Reuters quoted the politician as saying that the route along which the strike took place was located in a desert area northwest of Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast and was used regularly by groups that smuggled weapons into Egypt. "Everyone knows they are smuggling weapons to the southern part of Egypt," he was quoted as saying.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
"I cannot confirm that Israel or the US were behind the attack, but I know that the US controls the airspace there," he said.
#2
Can Sudan prove it wasn't IEDs set by those who oppose whoever sent/received* the convoy? Or RPGs?
*Ok, nobody received it, but someone wanted to.
Oh, and 800 people divided by 37 vehicles equals 21.6 people/vehicle. That strikes me as much too uncomfortable for 800 civilians to choose willingly... but why would someone transport troops like that, even if it were remotely true? Finally, does the Sudanese government have airplanes capable of dropping bombs or shooting missiles? Does Egypt?
#4
The region is the site of one of the oldest training camps founded by the Bashir government of the Sudan following the 30 June 1989 Revolution. Mubarak of Egypt has complained that Egyptian mujahideen were trained there. Yemenis have practically admitted that Sudanese were training Yemeni rebels there prior to the short, sharp civil war of 1994. The region has been of especial interest to Iran ever since meetings held in December 1991. Thus, intel agencies from a number of nations have kept a close watch on the place for years.
Sudan President Omar Hassan al-Bashir defied an international arrest warrant by travelling to Libya on Thursday to hold talks with leader Muammar al-Gaddafi, a Libyan official said.
Bashir arrived in the Libyan city of Sirte to have lunch with Al-Gaddafi, who is also the current president of the African Union.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2009 00:00 ||
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Halliburton - Mysterious Conspiracy Division, you have a call waiting on Line Two.
A Sudanese government minister has confirmed reports of an air raid in eastern Sudan earlier this year.
Yes, minister.
The minister, Mabrook Mubarak Saleem, told an Arabic news channel that many people had been killed in the strike, said to have taken place last month.
"Easily sixty, seventy thousand. It was a wedding. Lots of new-born lambs and bunnies. Dreadful, simply dreadful!"
Israeli officials have not commented publicly on reports that their planes may have been involved.
They can say no more.
Israel's Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, did not confirm any raid but said Israel hit everywhere to stop terror. "That was true in the north," said Mr Olmert, "and it was true in the south ... Those who need to know, know there is no place where Israel cannot operate." Giving a speech in the coastal town of Herzliya, the outgoing prime minister said: "We operate in many places near and far, and carry out strikes in a manner that strengthens our deterrence."
He can say no not much more neither.
The CBS television network said it had been told by American officials that a strike by Israeli planes in January had succeeded in preventing weapons from Sudan reaching Gaza.
Mr Mabrook Mubarak Saleem said those killed in the air raid had been civilians from a number of African countries.
"And kittens! With big blue eyes!"
'Nod and wink'
End of "facts", on to Aunty's opinions:
The BBC's Paul Wood in Jerusalem says Israel's response is following a traditional pattern, set when it attacked a suspected nuclear reactor in Syria in 2007, of first refusing to confirm an alleged strike and then giving a nod and a wink. What we are getting now from Mr Olmert is clearly the nod and the wink, our correspondent says.
Much informed comment has appeared in the Israeli media, he adds, including the view of a retired general that Israel would not have had to violate anyone's airspace to carry out the strike, if it did. Nonetheless it was a long way to fly and the assumption is that this was a serious target, our correspondent says, and that these were weapons that could have changed the game in the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants. They could have included surface to air missiles or perhaps missiles with a 70km (44-mile) range that would have enabled militants to hit Tel Aviv from Gaza, our correspondent adds.
The investigators of Chittagong arms haul are now trying to identify the vessel that carried the huge cache of deadly weapons to the Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Ltd (CUFL) jetty in the early hours of April 02, 2004.
"We will try to know the names of vessels that arrived at the Chittagong Port at that time, the consignments they were carrying and the dates of their arrival," said CID Chittagong Divisional Special Superintendent Mohammad Muslim.
In reply to a question, investigation officer CID ASP Muniruzzaman Chowdhury said they might seek help from the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) in this regard. "But we are yet to send any letter to the port authority requesting them to help us with information," he added.
When contacted CPA Director (traffic) Ahsanul Kabir told The Daily Star that they would be ready to help the investigators with any information they may want.
Sources said investigators had information that one vessel named the Banga Borak left Singapore for Chittagong Port on March 24 and among the containers it was carrying three were empty.
The vessel had scopes to load the empty containers somewhere on the way and offload before reaching Chittagong Port, said the sources.
Following news reports published yesterday that mentioned the Banga Borak as the suspected vessel, officials of the shipping lines concerned rushed to the Criminal Investigation Department's Chittagong divisional headquarters at Dampara Police Lines to refute the allegation and clear their position.
Later, talking to The Daily Star in the evening, HRC Shipping Lines Director Khandakar Sirajuddin Ahmed said, "Their vessel [Banga Borak] may have carried empty containers but there was no scope for it to load or offload anything on the way. The shipping lines will never involve in such nasty matters, compromising its business reputation."
He said, "It is not unlikely that the mainline operators may have one or more empty containers in a vessel. The previous investigation officer of the case also enquired thoroughly about the vessel and found nothing...We told the CID that the matter could be investigated again," said the HRC director.
When contacted, Investigation Officer Muniruzzaman said, "We have not yet identified any specific vessel that carried the deadly weapons."
He said they are examining Havilder Golam Rasul's statement made during interrogation at the CID Chittagong headquarters on Wednesday. Rasul had said the first GD filed in connection with the arms haul was torn off and replaced with a fresh one dropping names of arrested five persons suspected as members of Ulfa.
Havilder Golam Rasul was on duty at Bandar Police Outpost on April 01 night. He was one the first few cops to have received information about the offloading of firearms at CUFL jetty.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2009 00:00 ||
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"CID Chittagong Divisional Special Superintendent Mohammad Muslim"
That'll work well for my new business cards.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
03/27/2009 16:52 Comments ||
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Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Matiur Rahman Nizami yesterday said militancy has been invented to impede development of Bangladesh keeping the frontier unprotected.
Addressing a meeting marking the Independence Day at Al Falah building, he said Awami League (AL) knows well that those involved in Islamic movement cannot have link with any acts of sabotage.
Nizami noted that after the independence Rakkhi Bahini formed by AL did not feel the urgency of launching operation against the then leaders of the Islamic movement, rather they carried out operation against the leftists and JSD leaders who deserted the AL.
"Having failed to accept Islam as code of life, they (AL) campaign against the leaders of Islamic movement," said the Jamaat chief.
He pointed out that conspiracy was cooked up to weaken the country's defence system through the BDR carnage. "Those who do not want a self-reliant army made the conspiracy."
In his speech at the Independence Day function, Nizami said the way 9/11 (in America) is a curse for the whole Muslim world, 1/11 would also remain a curse for Bangladesh.
He also criticized the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan by the Zionists.
Presided over by City Jamaat Amir Rafiqul Islam, the meeting was addressed by Jamaat leaders ATM Azharul Islam, Hamidur Rahman Azad MP, Nurul Islam and Maulana Abdul Halim.
Azharul said, "Those who directly fought against Bangladesh were released and conspiracy is on to try those who did not fight the war, in a bid to eliminate the Islamic leadership."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2009 00:00 ||
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday warned North Kore that firing a missile for any purpose would be a "provocative act" that would have consequences.
North Korea is loading a rocket on a launch pad in anticipation of the launch of a communications satellite between April 4 and 8, U.S. counterproliferation and intelligence officials said. North Korea announced its intention to launch the satellite in February, but regional powers worry the claim is a cover for the launch of a long-range missile capable of reaching Alaska.
Clinton told reporters during a visit to Mexico City that the U.S. believes the North Korean plan to fire a missile for any purpose wouldiolate a U.N. Security Council resolution barring the country from ballistic activity. She linked a missile launch to the future of talks between the U.S., North Korea and four other nations aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
"We have made it very clear that the North Koreans pursue this pathway at a cost and with consequences to the six-party talks, which we would like to see revived," Clinton said.
"We intend to raise this violation of the Security Council resolution, if it goes forward, in the U.N.," she said. "This provocative action in violation of the U.N. mandate will not go unnoticed and there will be consequences."
National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair said earlier this month that all indications suggest North Korea will in fact launch a satellite. However, North Korea faked a satellite launch in 1998 to cloak a missile development test.
In 2006, North Korea launched a Taepodong-2 that blew up less than a minute into flight.
Both the satellite launch rocket and long-range missile use similar technology, and arms control experts fear even a satellite launch would be a test toward eventually launching a long-range missile.
South Korea, the U.S. and Japan have urged North Korea to refrain from launching a satellite or missile, calling it a violation of the Security Council resolution. North Korea insists it has the right to develop its space program and on Tuesday warned the U.S., Japan and its allies not to interfere with the launch.
In Seoul, the Defense Ministry and the National Intelligence Service said Thursday that they cannot confirm whether the North has loaded the rocket on the launch pad.
South Korea's chief nuclear envoy, Wi Sung-lac, said Wednesday after returning from talks with his Beijing counterparts that a launch would trigger a response.
"If North Korea launches rocket, certain countermeasures are unavoidable," he said. He refused to elaborate, saying the measures, including any sanctions, would be discussed among U.N. Security Council member nations.
It probably won't be clear if the latest launch is a satellite or a missile test until footage can be analyzed after the event; the trajectory of a missile is markedly different from that of a satellite.
Analysts have been watching for signs of a satellite or missile on the launch pad in Musudan-ni, the northeast coastal launch site. Satellite imagery from March 16 showed progress toward mounting a rocket, with a crane hovering over the launch pad, said Christian LeMiere, an editor at Jane's Intelligence Review in London.
LeMiere said that once the rocket is mounted, scientists would need at least a week to fuel and carry out tests before any launch. Images from earlier this month did not indicate the rocket or missile had been mounted, he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2009 00:00 ||
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As soon as Barry leaves town they'll light the fuze.
(RIA Novosti) - A North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman told state media that if rocket launches in the country "are criticized" either by the UN Security Council or collectively, then this would be viewed as a "hostile act."
Pyongyang has announced it will launch a satellite at the beginning of April. The Japanese Jiji Press agency last week cited diplomats in Beijing as saying the launch would go ahead on April 4 barring adverse weather conditions or last-minute repairs.
"Such hostile acts breach the September 19 agreement of the Group of Six talks, and from that moment those talks will be stopped," the spokesman said.
The UN Security Council passed Resolution 1718 on October 14, 2006, forbidding North Korea from conducting further nuclear tests or launches of ballistic missiles.
Japan has said it is ready to intercept the North Korean rocket if it poses a threat. South Korea has also urged its neighbor to call off the launch.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has warned North Korea that the firing of a missile of any kind would be a "provocative act" that could harm the six-party negotiations on the country's denuclearization.
North Korea announced plans last month to launch what it described as a communications satellite from the newly constructed Musudan-ri launch pad on the country's northeast coast. However, the U.S., Japan and South Korea believe that the secretive communist state is in fact planning to test its Taepodong-2 long-range missile.
Speaking to journalists in Mexico City, Clinton said the launch would be a violation of a UN Security Council resolution banning North Korea from ballistic activities.
"We believe it is important not to draw hasty conclusions, but to work from facts, and not to pass judgment before the event has taken place," Sergei Lavrov told a news conference on Thursday, urging Pyongyang however to comply with the UN resolution.
The talks, involving the two Koreas, the United States, Russia, China and Japan, came to a standstill last December, over North Korea's refusal to allow international inspections at nuclear sites.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2009 00:00 ||
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Do NOT FORGET that America and NORK,
ARE STILL OFFICIALLY AT WAR.
All this bullshit propaganda is just noise.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/27/2009 10:15 Comments ||
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#2
That would be the Group of 6 talks that the Norks have repeatedly ignored. So ya know.
#3
CHINESE MIL FORUM > POSTERS > opine that iff US-ALLIES SUCCESSF INTERCEPT, they win but must afterwards be ready for LIKELY NOKOR FORMS OF RETALIATION = YEARS OF [escalatory]MILPOL TROUBLES AHEAD.
* And where NOKOR goes, IRAN + RADICAL ISLAM MIL-TERRS FOLLOWS???
The United States says it has received assurances from North Korea that two American journalists who were detained there last week will be treated well.
Well I guess that's all right then. Algore can rest easy.
The journalists are believed to have been on the Chinese side of the border when North Korean guards arrested them and took them back to North Korea. The US had initially accepted media reports that the two were being interrogated for espionage, but later clarified that the US understood the two are being investigated for illegal entry of North Korea.
The two who have been identified as Euna Lee, a Korean-American, and Laura Ling, a Chinese-American, who work for Current TV in California.
"The North has assured us that the detainees will be well treated," a US government spokesman, Robert Wood, told reporters. "We have formally requested, through our protecting power in Pyongyang, the Swedish embassy, that the Swedish government be provided with consular access to these two Americans," Mr Wood said.
In Seoul, a South Korean daily, the JoongAng Ilbo, said on Tuesday that North Korean intelligence officials are questioning the journalists and would probably try to persuade them to confess to spying. Quoting a South Korean intelligence source, the paper said the pair were transported to a top-security guest-house on the outskirts of Pyongyang a day after they were seized before dawn on 17 March along the border with China.
State Department officials said they do not know where the pair are being detained.
#1
The United States says it has received assurances from North Korea that two American journalists who were detained there last week will be treated well.
They have already been fed - twice! - since they were captured.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
03/27/2009 7:21 Comments ||
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#2
Apparently interrogation & attempts at forced confession are part & parcel of North Korean good treatment.
What the hell is a "protecting power"?
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
03/27/2009 9:55 Comments ||
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#3
In diplomatic usage, the term protecting power refers to a relationship that may occur when two countries do not have diplomatic relations. Either country may request a third party (with which each country has diplomatic relations) to act as the protecting power, using its "good offices". In the territory of the host country, the protecting power will be recognized by that state as empowered to represent the other country and protect its interests. This may extend to caring for the diplomatic property of its protectee or acting as consular officers on behalf of its citizens. The relationship and the legal status are recognized in international conventions on diplomatic and consular affairs, such as the Vienna Conventions.
The practice is used when two countries have severed or suspended formal diplomatic ties for whatever reason (or never had them), including military or territorial disputes, and yet wish to retain some form of communication or means of conducting necessary business. Effectively, it is a means of maintaining diplomatic relations when those ties have been formally severed.
Sweden is the protecting power for the United States, Australia and other Western countries in North Korea for consular matters, "with assistance from Germany as needed."
Pakistan is the protecting power for Iran in the United States along with Switzerland.
Oh, lovely...
Belgium was the protecting power for the United States in Libya until 2006 when diplomatic relations were restored.
Poland was the protecting power for the United States in Iraq after the first Gulf War.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As North Korea prepares for an expected rocket launch next month, the U.S. Navy says it is moving to the Sea of Japan ships capable of shooting down ballistic missiles. The ships, with powerful Aegis radar that can track ballistic missile launches, are on regularly planned deployments but are "prepared to track a launch or more, if afforded," according to a U.S. Navy official who could not be named because of the sensitivity of the information.
The United States generally has a number of Aegis-capable ships in the Sea of Japan because of the threat by North Korea to launch missiles. The ships monitor the region and are designed to track and if need be shoot down ballistic missiles. If North Korea launches, the Obama administration may have has little as five minutes to decide whether it is a threat and, if necessary, try to shoot it down.
That's assuming Bambi wants to in the first place ...
The USS Hopper, a destroyer with the Aegis radar system aboard was scheduled for a port call in Japan in coming days. But the port call was canceled and the ship will remain in the Sea of Japan ahead of the launch, the official said. Two other U.S. Navy Aegis-capable destroyers, the USS Chaffee and USS McCain, are leaving the port in Sasebo, Japan, and are heading to South Korea for a ceremony in the coming days, according to the U.S. Navy official with direct knowledge of the operations.
The U.S. Navy just wrapped up military exercises with the South Korean military that brought a number of U.S. ships into the region.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/27/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
If North Korea launches, the Obama administration may have has little as five minutes to decide whether it is a threat and, if necessary, try to shoot it down.
But wouldn't that be like admitting that W was right?
#2
Sure would be sweet if the McCain dropped the Nork missile. I think the Japanese get a vote also. Bambi's only choice may be whether we drop it or the Japanese do.
Believe it or not, Finland still has blasphemy laws on the books, but there have been repeated attempts to rescind Section 10 of chapter 17 of the Finnish penal code. All attempts however, at removing the anti-modern statute from the law books have proved unsuccessful, with the latest attempt failing in 1998.
Helsinki city councilman, Jussi Halla-aho was charged with blasphemy and incitement of an ethnic-group in the Helsinki district court today, and ordered to stand trial for publishing on his blog that Islams prophet was a pedophile. According to the Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, Jorme Kalske:
Halla-aho had uploaded to the Internet and submitted writings to the general public, in which Islam and its sacred institutions were combined with pedophilia, and in which was also presented the robbery of pedestrians and the looting of tax revenue was a certain national group or a specific genetic characteristic.
The charges were presented in the Helsinki District Court. Halla-aho denies the charges More...it gets better.
While approving the sale of rifles and machine guns to India, the Swiss cabinet has rejected a request for export of replacement parts for anti-aircraft systems to Pakistan due to the unstable political situation.
The cabinet will reconsider its policy if and when other European countries restarted exporting arms to Pakistan, a spokesperson of the Economic Ministry was quoted as saying by the official Swissinfo news website.
Pakistan was the largest buyer of Swiss arms last year. On Wednesday, the Swiss cabinet also rejected a request for the export of weapons to Egypt and Saudi Arabia because of the unsatisfactory human rights situation in those countries, Swissinfo said.
However, it approved the sale of hundreds of rifles and machine guns to India to equip the police in various parts of the country, and the delivery of parts for air-to-air guided missiles and anti-aircraft guns to South Korea.
Posted by: john frum ||
03/27/2009 16:49 ||
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#1
India sure is stocking up lately I'm sure that Mumbai massacre isn't looking like sucha success as it was at first to the pakwakis
The funeral north of Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir was just like those of countless others who have died violently over the past 20 years.
A Muslim killed in the insurgency was laid to rest in his ancestral graveyard in the village of Dub, north of Srinagar, on Tuesday, surrounded by thousands of mourners. What made the ceremony unusual was that this was no militant who had died fighting the Indian army. This was a Kashmiri who served with the Indian army and died fighting the militants.
Shabir Ahmed Malik was among eight Indian soldiers killed in a gun battle earlier this week with separatist militants in Kupwara. Over the past two decades, hundreds of Kashmiris have died while fighting for India. Among them are police officials and Ikhwanis, or "renegade" militants who have been persuaded or coerced - depending on who you believe - to abandon militancy and instead work for the Indian security forces. Most Ikhwanis were or are pariahs.
But Shabir, 21, joined the Indian army after passing his 12th class examination. He studied at the Sainik (army) School at Ganderbal. Shabir's family and neighbours are proud of his army service. "He has become a hero. He died an honourable death. I am so happy, although I am also pained at his separation," says Mohammad Yasin, a neighbour and friend of the dead man.
Mr Yasin says he still regrets not being able to join the Indian army with Shabir. "I too went with him that day. But only three boys were selected. I was not taken because I was over age. I still feel so bad about it. "Even now, I have a passionate desire to do something for my country like Shabir has done."
Mr Yasin says that the moving send-off given to Shabir has inspired many more youths in the village to join the army. "I am 28," says Showkat Ahmed. "I have never in my life seen such a funeral. Such death is pride-worthy."
Such well-attended funerals are usually the preserve of militants killed by Indian troops. Shabir's body was kept outside the "imambara" (Shia place of worship) and the villagers mourned beside it. They beat their chests but unlike at the funerals of militants there was no slogan shouting. The fact the villagers are minority Shia may in part explain their pro-India loyalties. Kashmir's insurgency over the past two decades has mostly been waged by Sunni militants. Part of the Shia community has stayed away from the separatist campaign, although some leaders of the separatist movement do belong to the Shias.
The coffin was draped in India's tricolour before it was carried to the graveyard. Shabir's brother, Ghiulam Mohammad, says: "I wanted him to become a doctor. But he had a passion for joining the army and was determined to complete his graduation so he could become an army officer. "He was patriotic from his childhood. He wanted to do something for his country. His ambition has been fulfilled."
The villagers have been sharing the family's grief as well as its pride in what Shabir fought for. "Every family here is bereaved. Every family is mourning," one villager said.
Posted by: john frum ||
03/27/2009 10:31 ||
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Taliban have imposed a crippling blockade on Shia communities in northwestern Pakistan raising concerns of a 'dire humanitarian crisis'.
In a Tuesday peace summit held in northwestern city of Parachinar in Kurram Agency, political and religious leaders said the lack of government control had allowed the Taliban to pursue their aggressive agenda in the region.
The summit comes after reports of grave human rights abuses against Shias in Parachinar, which later turned in to a complete siege.
Although Shias are the majority in Kurram, they are surrounded by the Taliban-linked aggressive militants who have gone so far as to cut off roads over the past few months. The militants are also accused of kidnapping or killing those trying to deliver supplies to the Shia areas.
Shia farmers have been forced to sell their agricultural produce in Afghanistan instead of the markets in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province.
Taliban-linked militants in Parachinar, Hangu district and much of the Kurram tribal agency have killed 25 to 30 people on a daily basis over the last six months. Some local media say more than 1,300 Shia community members have been killed in the region since 2007.
They claim that security forces in the tribal regions are 'under the influence of local Taliban groups', adding that law enforcement officers have 'willingly or unwillingly' launched a clamp down on Shia Muslims.
The killing of Shias is to such extent that has caused international outrage with rights groups and regional countries including Iran expressing concern over the 'genocide'.
The leading Shia figure in Iraq, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has issued a ruling (fatwa) with respect to the treatment of the Shia in the Parachinar. The fatwa encourages all Shia Muslims in Pakistan to do everything within their power to help their "brethren."
Shias say they make up one-third of Pakistan's 160 million-strong population. Since the 1980s, thousands of people have been killed in violence-related incidents in Pakistan by extremist groups - who have embarked on an 'ominous mission' to 'eliminate' Shia elites across Pakistan.
They have killed hundreds of Shia medical doctors, university professors, lawyers and police officers across the violence-wracked country over the past few years.
Moderate Pakistani Sunni groups believe that leaving Shias at the mercy of the Taliban is a conspiracy against the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2009 00:00 ||
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LONDON: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain has said that rising terrorism and extremism are posing a grave threat to the security of the country.
He said: "Time has come that the entire nation should stand up against the menace of terrorism for the country's survival."
Hussain was speaking to members of MQM's Rabita Committee, federal and provincial ministers, MPAs, District and Town Nazims and other office bearers of the party arrived here from Pakistan.
MQM chief said that religious extremists were targeting not only innocent citizens, but police and security forces also. "These acts of terrorisms have badly damaged the country's image around the world," he noted.
He further said that country had been passing through a difficult time and it could not afford more confrontation. He called upon all parties to solve their outstanding issues through reconciliation.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2009 00:00 ||
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ISLAMABAD: US ambassador to Pakistan Anne .W. Peterson has said on Tuesday that the US administration is quite content with the achievements of the Swat peace deal.
She also predicted of Richard Holbrooke, a special US representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan, imminent visit to Pakistan soon.
US ambassador was of the view during receiving an honoree reception hosted in context of restoration of judiciary by ex-president of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) here. Â"Pakistan is a chief ally of United States in anti-terror warÂ", She added.
Â"US vows to work joining hands with the democratic government of PakistanÂ", She remarked adding, Â"The process of added US aid to Pakistan will likely be finalized amid Holbrooke visit here.Â"
US-Pakistan strategic ties will also be reviewed during his visit, she said. Â"US will raise the number of its troops in AfghanistanÂ", Peterson claimed.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2009 00:00 ||
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LONDON: Senior Federal Minister for Trade Makhdoom Ameen Fahim has said on Tuesday that the PPP-led government will soon steer country out of prevailing crisis and added, Â"The law and order situation in Pakistan is not as much bad as it is being projected in the world.Â"
He was speaking at a reception hosted by UK-Pakistan Culture Foundation in London. High Commissioner Wajid Shams-ul-Hassan, Lord Nazir Ahmed and others also spoke on the occasion.
He said there are bright opportunities of investment in Pakistan and urged overseas Pakistanis to join hands with Pakistan government to avoid IMF assistance.
Â"It is incumbent upon overseas Pakistanis to invest in PakistanÂ", he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2009 00:00 ||
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(APP): Pakistan Thursday reiterated that the drone attacks were counter productive and not helpful in the fight against terrorism and extremism. "Pakistan has taken up the issue very forcefully with the United States and conveyed the sentiments of Pakistan government and people to the US leadership, especially that these are counter productive," Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit told a weekly media briefing at the Foreign Office.
He said since Pakistan has been cooperating sincerely as an ally, the United States will understand its concerns and review its policy accordingly, adding that there will be positive outcome regarding drone attacks when the US reviews its policy.
The spokesman dismissed reports that drone attacks were being carried out with tacit permission of Pakistan and said how a country can allow its sovereignty and territorial integrity to be breached.
He said the whole issue of campaign against terror needs to be reviewed and there is need for a comprehensive regional approach in order to resolve the issues involved. He said that instead of use of force there is need to win hearts and minds of people.
Pakistan believes that force has not worked in the past and will not work in future and therefore it is absolutely important that all stakeholders work towards promoting development and reconciliation in Afghanistan, the spokesman said.
He expressed the hope that there would be some positive outcome on the issues involved including drone attacks in the US policy review on terrorism being announced on Friday.
Replying to a question, the spokesman said there is robust counter‑terrorism cooperation among Pakistan, Afghanistan, United States and other countries.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are close neighbours and process of constructive multi‑tier engagement including counter terrorism has been significantly enhanced. "Pakistan sincerely wishes to see a peaceful. stable, sovereign and united Afghanistan, which would be an anchor of peace for the entire region," he said.
Commenting on announcement of head money by US on some terrorists, he said Pakistan is against terrorism in all its forms and manifestation and supports steps that help bring terrorists to justice.
Replying to another question the spokesman said reports about involvement of any foreign country in the security of Pakistani nuclear assets are mere conjectures. He said Pakistan armed forces are fully capable of taking care of "our strategic assets and facilities and we do not need foreign assistance in this regard."
He underlined that the nuclear assets are completely safe and secure under a fully indigenous multi‑layered institutional security and command and control structure operational since 1998. He said that consistent with its obligations as a nuclear weapons state, Pakistan formally instituted an elaborate command and control mechanism in February 2000 comprising National Command Authority, Strategic Plans Division and Strategic Force Command. He said SPD has elaborate mechanism including counter intelligence network to safeguard the nuclear facilities.
The spokesman told a questioner that Pakistan Indus Water Commissioner has written a letter to his Indian counterpart regarding Kishan Ganga project and the Ministry of Water and Power is working on the issue with a view to resuming talks. He said Indus Water Treaty provides dispute settlement mechanism and Pakistan can consider invoking the treaty.
Replying to another question he said Pakistan desires good neighbourly relations with India and wishes to resume the process of engagement with a view to enhancing all round cooperation for seeking just and durable settlement of all outstanding disputes including Jammu and Kashmir.
Responding to a question the spokesman said Pakistan and Iran have worked out a border control mechanism to deal with each other's concerns.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2009 00:00 ||
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#2
He said since Pakistan has been cooperating sincerely as an ally, the United States will understand its concerns and review its policy accordingly, adding that there will be positive outcome regarding drone attacks when the US reviews its policy.
Yeah. We'll keep them up there.
And I still want the ice cream truck music...
The UN's human-rights body approved a proposal by Muslims nations Thursday urging passage of laws around the world to protect religion from criticism.
Apparently certain religions have all the starch of a hot-house plant ...
The proposal put forward by Pakistan on behalf of Islamic countries - with the backing of Belarus and Venezuela - had drawn strong criticism from free-speech campaigners and liberal democracies. A simple majority of 23 members of the 47-nation Human Rights Council voted in favor of the resolution. Eleven nations, mostly Western, opposed the resolution, and 13 countries abstained.
Ummm, 23 is not a majority of 47 ...
The resolution urges states to provide "protection against acts of hatred, discrimination, intimidation and coercion resulting from defamation of religions and incitement to religious hatred in general."
The resolution thus provides cover for those societies who wish to tell people what to think. If you can do that then you control the people. To decide what to think, and thus to criticize the mainstream religion around you, is perhaps the first fundamental right. If you don't have that you are, at best, a ward of the state.
"Defamation of religions is the cause that leads to incitement to hatred, discrimination and violence toward their followers," Pakistan's ambassador Zamir Akram said. "It is important to deal with the cause, rather than with the effects alone," he said.
Inconceivable.
Muslim nations have argued that religions, in particular Islam, must be shielded from criticism in the media and other areas of public life. They cited cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad as an example of unacceptable free speech. "Islam is frequently and wrongly associated with human rights violations and terrorism," the resolution said.
Instead of complaining, you could help us dispel that notion by helping us put down the terrorists.
"Defamation of religions is the cause that leads to incitement to hatred, discrimination and violence toward their followers," Pakistan's ambassador Zamir Akram said. "It is important to deal with the cause, rather than with the effects alone," he said.
Opponents of the resolution included Canada, all European Union countries, Switzerland, Ukraine and Chile. "It is individuals who have rights and not religions," Canadian diplomat Terry Cormier said.
India, which normally votes along with the council's majority of developing nations, abstained in protest at the fact that Islam was the only religion specifically named as deserving protection. India's Ambassador Gopinathan Achamkulangare said the resolution "inappropriately" linked religious criticism to racism.
The council is dominated by Muslim and African countries. Its resolutions are not binding, but are meant to act as recommendations for UN member states on issues of human rights. Earlier, a coalition of more than 100 secular and faith groups had called on governments to oppose the resolution, warning that it could lead to accusations of defamation among different faiths.
The United States did not vote on the resolution because it is not a member of the council. The Bush administration announced it was virtually giving up on the body and would participate in debates only if absolutely necessary because of the Geneva body's anti-Israel statements and its failure to act on abuses in Sudan and elsewhere. US diplomats resumed their observer role in the council after President Barack Obama took office, though it is unclear whether Washington will stand for one of the 18 council seats up for election in May.
Esther Brimmer, Obama's nominee for the job of Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizational Affairs, told a Senate hearing Tuesday that the council was a "major disappointment, diverted from its mission by states with some of the worst human rights records."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
time to get out
Posted by: Large Snerong7311 ||
03/27/2009 3:46 Comments ||
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#2
"Islam is frequently and wrongly associated with human rights violations and terrorism," the resolution said.
#3
India, which normally votes along with the council's majority of developing nations, abstained in protest at the fact that Islam was the only religion specifically named as deserving protection.
So feel free to continue to pile on to the Sons of Monkeys and Pigs, holy men.
After all, it is Friday...
Israel had given Hamas a revised a list of Palestinian prisoners it is willing to release in exchange for a captured IDF soldier Gilad Schalit, a Palestinian official reportedly told Reuters on Thursday night.
The unnamed official was quoted by the news agency as saying that according to the list relayed to the Islamic group via the Egyptian negotiators, "Israel now said they were ready to release three top Hamas leaders who they had previously refused to free."
However, the Palestinian official went on to say that there was still " a big gap between what Israel has offered and what Hamas wants."
#1
They should be released in exactly the same condition as Shalit is returned. If Hamas returns his remains, the Hamas biggies should be executed on the spot.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
03/27/2009 21:59 Comments ||
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(Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert proposed to return 93 percent of the West Bank to the Palestinians and to handle the Jerusalem question under an international framework as his "final offer," local news service Ynet reported Thursday.
Olmert made the promises to Palestinian National Authority (PNA)Chairman Mahmoud Abbas during a meeting in September, said the report, quoting senior officials as saying that the pledges marked Olmert's "final offer to end the conflict."
"There was one point when I put things on the table and offered Abbas something that had never been offered and dealt with the crux of the problem, with the most sensitive issues that touch the most exposed nerves and historical obstacles," Olmert was quoted as telling a political conference held near Tel Aviv on Thursday.
In the offer, Israel would return 93 percent of the West Bank and evict over 60,000 settlers, while retaining large settlements in the Palestinian territories, according to the report, which added that the deal would also see the Jewish state cede control over some peripheral neighborhoods and refugee camps on the outskirts of Jerusalem.
As for the sovereignty of Jerusalem, which is regarded by Israel as its permanent and inalienable capital, and the east part of which is termed by Palestinians as the capital of their future state, Olmert proposed to tackle it under an international framework, revealed the report.
The plan was also presented to the United States, an influential player in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and Olmert's office said that the staunch ally of Israel supported it, added the report.
"I told him (Abbas) 'let's sign.' It was half a year ago and I'm still waiting," said Olmert on Thursday, who is set to be replaced by hawkish Benjamin Netanyahu as early as next week.
Olmert and Abbas resumed the long-stalled peace talks at a U.S.-hosted international conference in Annapolis on Nov. 27, 2007, and pledged to reach a comprehensive peace deal in 2008.
Yet the ambitious goal proved to be out of reach as both sides were largely paralyzed, respectively by an internal feud between Abbas' Fatah in the West Bank and the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip and by a political turmoil that forced scandal-enveloped Olmert to leave office and Israel to hold a general election.
Now that Netanyahu is set to present a new Israeli government dominated by right wingers, who traditionally hold hardline stances toward the peace process with the Palestinians, the peace prospect of the two neighbors seems increasingly blurry.
Although the premier-designate has recently repeated his readiness to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Netanyahu stopped short of committing himself to the two-state solution, which both the United States and the PNA are backing.
Meanwhile, his argument that Israel should first help develop the Palestinian economy before the two sides settle the core issues has also run into closed doors, triggering Palestinian criticism that he intends to obscure political issues with economic topics.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2009 00:00 ||
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(IsraelNN.com) Despite Kassam rockets, a team of archaeologists has nearly completed the excavation of a Byzantine village containing the largest bathhouse ever discovered in Israel.
The Israel Antiquities Authority started excavating the site of a large Byzantine village this past January. A few weeks ago, archaeologists found a bathhouse dating back to the Byzantine period. The excavation, which is expected to be completed in a week's time, is located in the Shaar HaNegev region near Kibbutz Gevim, at the site of Horvat Lasan.
The area was excavated following the government's decision to lay new railroad tracks between Ashkelon and Netivot in 2003. As part of the plan, the Israel Antiquities Authority presented their recommendations in order to preserve ancient relics. Using their expertise, archaeologists identified potential archaeological sites along the tracks. Ancient reservoirs in the area led to the moving of some of the track five meters away from their intended location.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2009 00:00 ||
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The pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance (TNA) stayed away from an all-party meeting convened by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Thursday.
Hours before the meeting, in a letter addressed to Mr. Rajapaksa, the TNA said priority must be given to resolution of the humanitarian crisis before it assumed catastrophic proportions and that any political discussion must follow such resolution.
Sources in the government maintained that by not taking part in the meeting convened by the President, the TNA had missed an opportunity to put forth its viewpoint on the prevailing situation in the north and the ethnic conflict.
"The President extended the invitation in good faith. The negative attitude of the TNA would not deter the President from continuing his efforts to generate consensus on a political solution to the ethnic conflict," said a senior official.
The TNA letter said: "Since you have hitherto consistently followed a policy of ignoring the TNA in regard to all political issues in the north-east, we are glad that you now wish to engage in discussions with us, recognising, even though belatedly, that we represent the Tamil people".
"We will extend our cooperation to any credible political process that seeks to evolve an adequate, acceptable and durable political solution to the Tamil question. We would strongly urge that you take necessary steps to address forthwith the grave humanitarian crisis pertaining to the displaced Tamil civilian population," it added.
The invitation to the TNA is the first after the abrogation of the Norwegian-brokered 2002 Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) in January 2008 and imposition of a ban on the Tigers in January this year.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2009 00:00 ||
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The United Nations is urging the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels to temporarily stop fighting in order to allow civilians trapped in the conflict zone to safely leave.
Thus allowing the LTTE to live for another day ...
It's the "pulse" setting on the Peace Processor.
United Nations humanitarian chief John Holmes says there may be between 150,000 and 190,000 civilians still trapped in the Vani area of northern Sri Lanka, the last stronghold of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or the LTTE. He urged both sides to call a brief cease-fire to let them leave.
"Therefore, our first appeal is to the LTTE to let the civilians out in a safe and orderly fashion. And I very much hope they will do that. We are also concerned that the government of Sri Lanka should do everything they can to avoid civilian casualties, to do as they said they will do and not to use heavy weapons in this area, and we also call them to respect international humanitarian law in every area," he said.
Speaking after an informal briefing to Security Council members, Holmes told reporters the U.N. is pressing for better humanitarian access to this area, whichcomprises about21 square kilometers of jungle and beach on the northeastern coast.
"We are pressing for more aid to be able to get into this particular zone, so we can get the necessary food, medical supplies and other things people need there and to have humanitarian access to the area. And we have suggested again some kind of humanitarian pause to allow that to happen and to allow the civilian population to leave," he said.
Sri Lanka's U.N. Ambassador [H.M.G.S. Palihakkara] said his government would be willing to agree to a 48-hour "no-fire" period to help evacuate civilians. "The issue is not the pause, the issue is if the LTTE is ready to let these people go -- at least part of them go. I would persuade my government to agree to a modality to facilitate that," he said.
He denied human rights groups charges that the Sri Lankan military has indiscriminately shelled the so-called "no-fire zone" where tens of thousands of civilians are trapped by the Tamil rebels, saying only that there may have been "one or two occasions where return fire" from the military may have caused casualties.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/27/2009 00:00 ||
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#3
When a government starts murdering its citizens over thought crimes, the citizenry has no choice but to respond by killing the government.
The way to do this today is by using the "assassination pool" idea to take out those select members of the government responsible for the abuses.
Simply put, the pool is hosted internationally, with anonymous bets made on the day the target might die. The bet closest to the date of actual death is the winner. Improbable bets are used to raise the total pool going to the eventual winner.
Therefore, those who wish to put out a contract bet a bunch of money on dates up front, on that individual, kicking the pool up to tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. The assassin places the minimum bet on the day he intends to kill the target. As the winner of the pool, he is then paid anonymously.
Thus nobody ever meets or can identify the assassin. There is no need to even use a real bank to hold the money. The pool website is high security, but otherwise looks like an ordinary business site. It is reliant on word of mouth for its customers and credibility.
Stratfor, so pinch of salt
Iran confirmed on March 26 that it will accept a US invitation to participate in a UN conference at The Hague on March 31 regarding the future of Afghanistan. The conference, originally proposed by the United States, will be attended by delegates from more than 80 countries.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said that Iran still has yet to decide who it will send to the meeting on behalf of Tehran.
The acceptance of the US invitation follows a televised address by US President Barack Obama on the occasion of the Persian New Year, in which he offered a new diplomatic beginning with the Islamic Republic.
The United States is not only publicly recognising the staying power of the clerical regime, but is also acknowledging an Iranian sphere of influence that spreads to Southwest Asia in Afghanistan.
While Iran is pleased to be in this diplomatic spotlight, it must also tread carefully. The Iranians made it clear in their response to Obama that the mere offering of talks is insufficient. Iran has geopolitical interests in Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan, and Iran is motivated to develop its nuclear program, all of which clash with US interests. If the United States is unwilling to shift its position on any of these issues, then Iran will not exhibit much eagerness to go beyond the talks and actually deal.
Still, Iran is not about to pass up an opportunity to show the world that it carries significant influence beyond the borders of the Islamic Republic. The United States and its NATO allies could use Irans assistance in Afghanistan, specifically in regard to the wealth of intelligence the Iranians have on Taliban and al Qaeda movements in the country.
There is also potential for discussions over a supplemental supply route for coalition forces in southern Afghanistan that could run through Iran.
Although Iran is willing to play the diplomatic game, tangible cooperation will come at a high price, particularly as the United States is building a strategy to engage 'moderate' Taliban.
On a tactical level, the Iranians might offer support to certain Taliban factions in Afghanistan with an aim of keeping US and NATO forces tied down on its eastern frontier. But on a strategic level, the Iranians do not want to see their Taliban rivals back in power in any shape or form. This is just one of many core disputes that will complicate any new 'diplomatic beginning' between Washington and Tehran.
BRUSSELS - An Iranian diplomat and a NATO official have had informal contact for the first time in 30 years, holding discussions in Brussels which touched on Afghanistan, NATO officials confirmed Thursday.
A NATO official said the visit last week by the diplomat, who was not identified, was the first 'since the regime of the Shah' of Iran, which collapsed in 1979. He noted that 'the Iranians are interested in possible cooperation on Afghanistan' to better confront the problems posed by opium production there and an influx of Afghan refugees across their border.
'There were exploratory contacts recently. Nothing of substance was discussed. It was a first informal contact between an Iranian diplomat and a representative of the secretary general,' a second NATO official added.
Earlier Thursday, Iran announced that it would attend a major international meeting on Afghanistan in The Hague in Netherlands next week.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/27/2009 00:00 ||
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(Xinhua) -- The Lebanese Shiite armed group Hezbollah said Wednesday that the United States is the "top terrorist state" which supports terrorism in the world, local Elnashra website reported.
"Hezbollah is honored to be accused of terrorism by the U.S. administration, which is the top terrorist state," the group said in a statement. It added that statements of U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs Jeffrey Feltman are "desperate and empty."
Earlier on Tuesday, Feltman told the U.S. House Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia that Hezbollah remains a terrorist group unless it renounces terrorism both in Lebanon and abroad, referring to Britain's decision to start contacts with Hezbollah.
On March 5, Britain's Foreign Office said it has reached out to Hezbollah in order to coax the militant group to lay down its arms and take part in the recovery of the war-torn country. "It is not strange for Feltman to interfere in Lebanese affairs, which he got used to since he was once an ambassador to Lebanon," Hezbollah added.
The group also accused the United States of supporting Israel which it describes as a "terrorist state" as well.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Hezbollah
#6
I'm beginning to need to be intoxicated in order to read these kinds of stories anymore. 2 oxycontin, a cup of NyQuil a joint and two Reds outta about do it.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
03/27/2009 20:20 Comments ||
Top||
A Russian official says Moscow is not planning to provide Tehran with S-300 air defense systems despite previous reports.
Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the Russian State Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee said that sending S-300 missiles to Iran was out of the question, the Press TV correspondent reported on Wednesday. The top Russian parliamentarian added that the Russian Defense Ministry had announced that supplying Iran with the advanced anti-aircraft system was not on the country's agenda.
Kosachev added that military and technical cooperation between Russia and Iran is fully in line with Moscow's commitment to the international community.
The head of the Russian State Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee welcomed the US new policy of engagement with Iran; however, he believed there would be no major development in the near future. "The signals from Washington to Tehran are aimed at supporting those political forces in Iran which Washington believes are more progressive and open to cooperation, but I can not call it a far sighted policy, because Iran is a very independent state, insusceptible to outside influences," Kosachev added.
The news come as the Russian President and his newly elected US counterpart are preparing for their first meeting amid speculations that they will try to coordinate their policies towards Iran.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/27/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
The Russians only took the money and trained the crews.
Posted by: ed ||
03/27/2009 1:10 Comments ||
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In yet another fissure within radical Islamist networks, one of the world's most influential jihadi theologians is coming under fire from some former followers for allegedly moderating his views a claim he denies. "Bloody-handed moderator!"
"Am not!"
"Are too, are too, are too!! (Hah - I win)"
The attacks on Jordanian cleric Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, who was spiritual adviser for the late Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, are significant because of Mr. Maqdisi's longtime stature as a revered spiritual mentor who legitimizes violence with his religious interpretations of Islamic sacred texts. How is he more moderate than before?
For some outside experts, the bitter verbal dispute in jihadi online forums is alarming because it heralds the emergence of an even more radicalized younger generation of violent extremists. This generation, which Mr. Shishani calls "neo-Zarqawists," includes veterans of Mr. Zarqawi's jihad in Iraq. Inspired by Maqdisi, the analyst adds, they now are "coming and saying that he is too soft."
Other analysts regard the back-and-forth between Maqdisi and his critics as an indication of disarray in a jihadi movement that is past its prime. "Maqdisi is often forgotten by the Western media, but he's actually very important," says Thomas Hegghammer, a fellow in Harvard Kennedy School's international security program and moderator of jihadica.com, a blog that monitors jihadi Internet activity. The attacks on his credibility come on top of other disputes that have already caused fragmentation within the jihadi community, Mr. Hegghammer says, adding: "I think we're seeing some kind of decline. We're past the peak.... We're at just the beginning of the decline." Does this mean the good guys are winning?
The two assessments reflect a trend: Even as Al Qaeda has become a spent organizational force, and the wider Salafi-jihadi community has been weakened by a loss of public support and by internal disputes in large part because of the violent excesses of Zarqawi in Iraq that killed so many Muslims a new danger has emerged in smaller, independent, and more radical groups that are inspired by jihadi ideology and devoted to violence. Zarqawi's "dream of a Salafi-Jihadist movement ... is coming to fruition with a new generation of militant youth," wrote Shishani in The Jamestown Foundation's "Terrorism Focus." And "though they are, in many cases, poorly trained and without direct contacts to al-Qaeda, this younger generation appears to be even more radical than their Jordanian predecessors." In other words they are nastier but incompetent. How much should I worry about this trend?
Another noteworthy development, this time in Egypt, was reported by Steven Brooke in this month's CTC Sentinel, published by West Point's Combating Terrorism Center. Mr. Brooke, a Washington-based analyst, noted that while an organized jihadist movement "remains a remote possibility" for now, "a non-violent but especially stern ... brand of Salafist Islam has elbowed its way into Egypt's religious landscape." This strain of Islam rejects political engagement, which puts it in opposition to the country's largest Islamist group, the Muslim Brotherhood. Although Egypt's authoritarian government welcomes this avoidance of politics, the Salafist strain is potentially problematic because of its tendency to see other Muslims and non-Muslims as inferior, a stance that disposes some to adopt violent tactics. Takfiris! That always ends well. Not!
"While this trend is non-violent," writes Brooke, "their rigid conception of belief, occasionally antagonistic posture toward religious minorities, and tendency to withdrawal from society" have led some observers to warn of increased "social violence."
Brooke says that many analysts had put Egyptian society's increasing conservatism in recent years "at the feet of the Muslim Brotherhood. But I think there are deeper dynamics going on.... And as America tries to figure out this Islamist dilemma, I think it's important to understand that there is a spectrum there."
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
(RIA Novosti) - A North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman told state media that if rocket launches in the country "are criticized" either by the UN Security Council or collectively, then this would be viewed as a "hostile act." 
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As North Korea prepares for an expected rocket launch next month, the U.S. Navy says it is moving to the Sea of Japan ships capable of shooting down ballistic missiles. The ships, with powerful Aegis radar that can track ballistic missile launches, are on regularly planned deployments but are "prepared to track a launch or more, if afforded," according to a U.S. Navy official who could not be named because of the sensitivity of the information.
The UN's human-rights body approved a proposal by Muslims nations Thursday urging passage of laws around the world to protect religion from criticism. 
The United Nations is urging the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels to temporarily stop fighting in order to allow civilians trapped in the conflict zone to safely leave.
A Russian official says Moscow is not planning to provide Tehran with S-300 air defense systems despite previous reports. 
