KABUL - A court-martial has found a US soldier guilty of maltreating a detainee in Afghanistan by punching him several times, and sentenced him to four months detention, the US military said on Saturday.
The court-martial on Friday at the main US base at Bagram, north of Kabul, found James R. Hayes guilty of one count of conspiracy to maltreat and two counts of maltreatment, it said in a statement. Hayes and another soldier, who is due to face a court-martial on Monday, had been accused of punching detainees in the chest, arms and shoulders at a base in southern Uruzgan province in July. A third soldier has already been punished for knowing about the incident and not immediately reporting it to authorities.
He was sentenced to reduction in rank to private, total forfeiture of all pay and allowances for four months and confinement for four months, the statement said. He is held in custody at Bagram Airfield pending transfer to Kuwait for detention.
The command takes this matter very seriously, said Marine Lieutenant Colonel Bob Fifer, chief of criminal justice for the force.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/28/2006 13:25 ||
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Afghans are among the most optimistic people in the world when it comes to their economic future, a BBC survey has found, but such confidence is not always easy to find on the streets of the capital, Kabul. The survey found 70 percent of those questioned in Afghanistan thought their own circumstances were improving, and 57 percent believed their country overall was on the way up.
Doesn't bode well for the Talibs, does it?
The survey by the Globescan polling firm also found optimism in Iraq, where 65 percent of people believed their personal lives were getting better, and 56 percent were upbeat about their countrys economy. The firm surveyed 37,572 people in 32 countries between October 2005 and January 2006, said the BBC, which released the results this week.
That's just what the poll found, of course. If you cast about long enough, you can always find somebody who disagrees with everybody else...
On the cold streets of an overcast Kabul on Friday opinion seemed divided about how people were faring more than four years after US-led forces forced the hard-line Taleban from power. Its not getting better for ordinary people, only for a few businessmen and investors. Ordinary people are getting poorer and poorer, said laborer Syed Kamal. Jobs are so few some people are willing to work just for bread, he said. Prices have been rising fast in Kabul and many people say they are frustrated with what they see as a slow pace of improvement in their lives. Government figures show that billions of dollars of aid have been disbursed, but given the little change in the lives of many people, there hasnt been much improvement economically, said Kabul University student Izatullah, 25.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2006 00:00 ||
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Government figures show that billions of dollars of aid have been disbursed, but given the little change in the lives of many people
Aghanistan could easily spend all that money just on roads and water wells. Let's just ignore the large amounts of funding that are going to train and equip the country's new police and army units, build schools and provide schoolbooks, and all those really basic things the Karzai government has been doing. Not to mention rebuilding that which the Taliban have been so avidly blowing up, removing mines and IEDs from the roads and fields, and so forth. And especially let's not mention the shockingly huge numbers of Afghan refugees that have returned home, most with nothing but more children and the clothes on their backs. "None so blind as those who will not see," indeed.
The commanding officer of the paratroopers being sent to Afghanistan said yesterday that Army chiefs would give him their "full support" over any incident in which his soldiers might be prosecuted.
Sounds like they expect them to be.
Following a raft of prosecutions of troops in Iraq, Lt Col Stuart Tootal, the CO of 3 Bn, The Parachute Regiment, said it had been made clear that if his men found themselves having to open fire but "made an honest mistake" they would be fully backed. "The chain of command have told me they will understand and support the difficult decisions we make and there is no doubt my soldiers will have to make difficult decisions," he told The Daily Telegraph yesterday. "But we have made it very clear to the men that they will act with legitimate conduct."
The regiment has already experienced the Army's prosecution system after seven members were cleared of murdering an Iraqi following a court martial last year in which the judge heavily criticised military investigators. The Paras are keen that the "rules of engagement" for Afghanistan will be robust enough that soldiers will not have to hesitate before getting involved in potentially lethal fire fights.
Lt Col Tootal, who took over command of 3 Para three months ago, was speaking as 3,000 troops from 16 Air Assault Brigade and from Denmark and Estonia took part in a major exercise watched by John Reid, the Defence Secretary. At Copehill Down, a life-size mock village built on Salisbury Plain, 60 Afghans, specially recruited through a language agency, played drug barons, war lords, Taliban and interpreters as the Army made its preparations for the major deployment to Afghanistan.
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The two main Darfur rebel groups could reach a peace deal with the Sudanese government within weeks now that Khartoum has shown signs of softening its position, the African Unions top mediator said yesterday. Unless something very dramatic happens in Darfur, we shall have a peace agreement in the next couple of weeks, AU chief negotiator Sam Ibok told Reuters, adding he hoped to see a deal signed by mid-February. The implementation is another thing.
The Sudanese government has said the African Unions recent decision to delay its presidency of the organization over concerns about Darfur had provided added impetus to reach a peace agreement. The onus is on the government to be more forthcoming, Ibok said. The international community is impatient, the African Union is impatient. The people in Darfur are suffering.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2006 00:00 ||
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George Galloway's appearance on Celebrity Big Brother is tipped to raise only £30,000 for his nominated charity, while the Respect MP is set to earn a six-figure fee for his three-week stint on reality TV.
Mr Galloway did not draw an MP's salary while he was locked in the house, but his absence triggered anger and criticism from constituents and colleagues who demanded he get back to work. Yesterday, he defended his onscreen antics - which included pretending to be a cat and dressing in a red leotard - by highlighting the cash that would be raised for Interpal, a charity helping Palestinian refugees. "At least the people in Palestine might have shoes for their children and something to put in their children's stomachs, and two additional staff will be working in my constituency office as a result," he told the Jeremy Vine Show on BBC Radio 2. He added that many Muslim people would be "totally glad" his participation would raise a lot of money for Palestinian refugees.
In his absence, he said other politicians may have been in the Commons, but "some of them might have been propping up the bars". He added: "Other MPs might have been on exotic foreign trips, fact-finding in the Seychelles or the Maldives. I was trying something different." Mr Galloway said that, while some of his acts may have embarrassed him, he was unashamed of his involvement. "Why are we talking about this?" he said. "The world is in flames. The Liberal Democrat party is imploding ... there is war and pestilence and disease in the world. Why are we talking on national radio for ten minutes about me, for charity, pretending to be a cat?"
Continued on Page 49
#3
"It is precisely because of Interpal's refusal to discriminate against sections of the Palestinian population terrorists that it has been the subject of unwarranted allegations of assisting terrorism."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2006 9:59 Comments ||
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#6
The Liberal Democrat party is imploding ... there is war and pestilence and disease in the world. Why are we talking on national radio for ten minutes about me, for charity, pretending to be a cat?"
Goodtimes end. Crazy people stay crazy.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has said Friday that Russia would beef up its early warning system by building a new radar station. "This is an important question of national security," Ivanov was quoted by Itar-Tass as saying. "Not having modern stations, we simply will go blind."
Ivanov made his comments on his return from Azerbaijan, where he visited the Gabala radar station, which was built by the Soviet military to track missiles in the southern hemisphere. After the Soviet collapse, Azerbaijan which shares a border with Iran to the south grudgingly allowed Russia to continue using the station, which is considered a key part of Russias early warning system, Associated Press points out.
Russia also uses radars in Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. Ivanovs comments suggested Russia is searching for a replacement for the radars in Azerbaijan and Ukraine to track the south. "Technologies are becoming more sophisticated. So are radars," Ivanov was quoted by Interfax as saying. "Whereas large stations were built previously, modern technology allows us to make such projects less costly." "Of course we trust our Iranian friends. This is just a routine upgrade."
#2
Some of the Russian "radar" installations are 60 acres or larger, especially the latest phased array sites. The radar in Azerbaijan is 400 feet long and about 250 feet wide at the base. It takes a medium-sized nuclear power station to power it. I'm sure the Azerbaijanis would like to control the power station, if nothing else.
I can't blame the Russians for wanting a new radar facing Iran - they've "empowered" the Iranians with nuclear capability, but have no control over the mad mullahs. Place the new radar at the head of the Caspian, pointing due south. That way, the Ruskies can both watch the Caspian AND any missiles rising from Iran - at least, until the US gets tired of being threatened and takes the entire mullocracy to task.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/28/2006 15:47 Comments ||
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From our friends at Ah Jeebus
North Korea has warned of nuclear war and has vowed to strengthen its deterrent forces, as it demanded that Washington show evidence backing its allegation that the communist regime is counterfeiting US money. North's official Rodong Sinmun newspaper said: "Dark clouds of a nuclear war are hanging low over the Korean Peninsula."
"The ever-more frantic moves of the US to ignite a new war against (North Korea) would only compel it ... to bolster its deterrent for self-defence in every way," it said in a commentary carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency on Saturday.
The North's comments on Saturday follow a South Korea-US agreement this month giving American troops more flexibility in the South. The North said the pact was aimed at preparing for war.
Also on Saturday, the North dismissed US accusations of counterfeiting and other illicit activities like drug trafficking. "The nature and mission of (North Korea) do not allow such things as bad treatment of the people, counterfeiting and drug trafficking to happen in it," KCNA deadpanned said.
A pro-North Korean newspaper in Japan also urged Washington to prove its allegation that North Korea is counterfeiting US currency. The Choson Sinbo newspaper said: "If there is suspicion and clear evidence as claimed by the United States, (the US) can present it and prove (it)." The United States "continues to leak plausible information but the reality is that there is nothing to confirm the fact objectively," it said. Other than its plausibility, of course.
And the nuke clock takes another 'coupla ticks forward.
#5
Must really suck to be irrelevant. I think that they are upset with all the attention that Iran is getting and nobody paying any attention to the them. Oh, so ronery. With the rest of the world throttling their drug and weapons sales, the only way for them to get dollars are to roll their own.
NUEVO LAREDO, MEXICO - Mexican border journalists, whose colleagues have turned up missing or dead after covering drug violence, say they are censoring themselves out of fear of being killed...Nuevo Laredo newspaper editors say they have been omitting the names of some victims of violence after drug traffickers have called and threatened reporters if the names are published. Or sometimes, they add, they simply don't run the story.
ISLAMABAD: The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) on Friday protested in front of Parliament House against the killing of innocent people in the January 13 US air strike in Bajaur Agency and sought an apology from the US. Most protesters, who belonged to Bajaur Agency, held banners and placards inscribed with anti-Musharraf and anti-US slogans. Addressing the protesters, MMA leaders condemned the Bush administration and demanded the government expel the US ambassador to Pakistan from the country and declare him persona non grata.
Liaqat Baloch, MMA deputy secretary general, demanded an immediate stop to the military operations in the tribal areas and Balochistan, which he said was creating a rift between the provinces and federation. He said the MMA would take the issue up during National Assembly proceedings on Monday. People are dying in Balochistan while the rulers are conducting mixed marathons, he added.
He said that after having been defeated in Afghanistan, the US was now targeting the tribal areas. He called the US attack in Bajaur an attack on Pakistans sovereignty. He said the Pakistan Army should protect the countrys boundaries, which was their constitutional duty. The US was an international terrorist and wanted to impose a so-called world order in the world by using force in Iraq and Afghanistan and by supporting Israel against Palestine, he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2006 00:00 ||
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I want to protest Mushy, myself. The 20th Century's biggest parasite suppressed a UN speech from a victim of the Paki dishonor-murders that he does absolutely nothing about.
KHAR: Families of the victims of the January 13 US air strike on Damadola village, Bajaur Agency, on Friday demanded compensation from the government to rebuild their homes. In a press statement, Shah Zaman and Sher Afzal, relatives of the dead tribesmen, said the government had not yet compensated the families. Both men said they (victims families including children) were spending nights out in the cold because their houses had been destroyed. Our homes were completely destroyed in the attack and it seems that the government has abandoned us. It hasnt compensated us yet, they said, adding, We are poor and we need the government help to rebuild our houses. They said the victims families did not have any money. The government should help its citizens, both men said. NWFP Governor Khalilur Rehman announced early this week that the government would compensate the victims families.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
we agree. How will you compensate us for the fuel, pilot time, weapons' cost and followup labor to dig DNA from bodies you bastards hid from the foreign AQ f&ckers you were feeding and protecting? Compensation? Start talking...
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/28/2006 1:05 Comments ||
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#2
You mean their good buddies Al-Q aren't going to compensate them?
I'm shocked! SHOCKED I tell you!
Not even Mike Al-moore or Cindy Shithan are going to help their 'freedom fighters'?
Police on Friday clashed with Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) and Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) activists at various points on the Lahore Marathon 2006 route and arrested dozens. The activists were protesting against the marathon, which will be held on Sunday. Police said it baton charged and tear gassed the activists and arrested about 100. Police was also on alert throughout the day to handle more protests and ensure the safety of the marathon routes.
No mention of wimmin running, so I assume that it's the young men in short pants who arouse enrage the mullahs.
The clashes occurred on Lower Mall, near Qaddafi Stadium, Masjid-e-Shuhda and Upper Mall before and after Friday prayers. Police cordoned off various locations. About 1,000 IJT activists took part in the largest protest that came out of Islamia College, Lahore, at 12:00pm. The protesters marched to Lahore Museum where they chanted slogans against the marathon and liberalism. Dozens of policemen baton charged the rally, as the activists were not dispersing. The activists also started tearing banners and posters of the Lahore marathon and tried to disrupt the arrangements made by the City District Government and event organisers. Activists pelted police and cars with stones and damaged several vehicles. Separately, MMA activists also took out a rally outside Masjid-e-Shuhda after Friday prayers and clashed with police. MMA activists and seminary students from a local madrassa near Qaddafi Stadium also took out a rally, followed by another clash.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2006 00:00 ||
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#3
I've often wondered what would happen if during one of these "demonstrations" that escalate into a riot, the police mounted a couple of .50cal on flatbeds and started raking the crowd. I wonder how long it would take for another "demonstration" to get out of hand. When you begin destroying other people's property, you've moved from "exercising free speach" to "criminal behavior", regardless of what the "laws" state.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/28/2006 16:21 Comments ||
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Muslim World League calls for UN interventions against disdaining religions
RIYADH, Jan 28 (KUNA) -- Muslim World League (MWL) called Saturday on the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to activate international laws against insolence of religions.
MWL Secretary General Dr Abdullah Al-Turki condemned, in a letter addressed to Annan, the discretion of Prophet Mohammed (PBU) by Danish and Norwegian newspapers, which published cartoon depicting the Prophet in a disrespectful way.
Al-Turki said in the letter that Muslims around the world felt very offended by the unethical campaign, noting that international laws prohibited scorning religions and other hatred-provoking practices.
He stressed that UN should intervene to stop media campaigns against Islam, which might ignite clashes between different cultures.
Moreover, he called on Annan to immediately and directly contact the Danish and Norwegian governments to demand them to ban media campaigns against Islam and to officially apologize for the Muslim nation.
Al-Turki also called on the international community to adopt a clear law criminalizing individuals and institutions that disrespect religions.
#1
Wonder how they feel about the Lions of Islam who defecated in the sanctuary of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre? Does this mean that they have to quit calling us infidels and kaffirs and quit burning Christian churches? These people descend into self-parody.
#2
A very few, not very bad, cartoons about the [truth about] Prophet Mo. - horribly wrong!
Weekly preaching of 'Kill Kill Kill the Infidels! Jews! and Christians!' which occur every Friday all across the world in thousands of Islamic Mosques - No Problem!
#4
your religion, society, and prophet are pathetic excuses if you've gotta appeal to the UN to "make them stop teasing me"
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/28/2006 15:08 Comments ||
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"...activate international laws against insolence of religions."
The only religion whose insolence warrants an international law against it is Islam.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
01/28/2006 15:17 Comments ||
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#6
So is the MWL asking the UN to ban all muzzie preaching, or is the Master Religion gonna be exempt?
Posted by: ed ||
01/28/2006 15:24 Comments ||
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#7
I'm a thinking one of teh greatest weapons to use against Islamo-fascism and Wahhabists is out and out ridicule and comic abuse. When you can tell jokes about Allan on stage without threat of being killed, it's over. That's why the fatwas and Islamo-outrage. Fuck em if they can't take a joke. They do stoopid things, behave badly, treat their women like dogs because of their own lack of male assets (if ya know what I mean *wink*), and demand respect? LOL!
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/28/2006 15:26 Comments ||
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#8
Go ahead I am already and outlaw. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is a corrupt moron. I am sure you can buy what ever you want from him.
Freeking green flag waving clowns you and you patheic prophet of hell have just about had your full run. Keep your hypocrisy at home, it's smelling up the place.
#9
WHAT!!!??? Were they snickering when they said this?
Did anyone happen to mention the "sons of pigs and monkeys" comment about Jews, repeated over and over throughout the muslim world? Or the blood libel? Or the protocols of zion thingie?
Let them start by setting an example. And that's gonna happen when those pigs they seem to obsess about, fly.
BAGHDAD - Iraqs interior minister said on Saturday that the conservative Shia United Iraqi Alliance (UIA), which won most seats in the December election, will take half the ministries plus one in the next government.
Minister Bayan Jabr Solagh told AFP that the group also wanted the posts of Iraqi vice president and parliamentary assembly vice president. The political consultations are ongoing and the alliance will take half of the ministerial posts, plus one, including three major positions: either defence or interior, in addition to finance and oil, he said. The decision of the alliance is also to have the position of vice president of the republic and the vice president of the national assembly, he added.
But he added: We want a government of participation and national unity in which each community will be represented according of its electoral weight.
So long as everyone remembers who is top dog.
Solagh, a member of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), one of the chief parties making up the UIA, also said: We see doubling the number of deputy prime ministers (allowed under the constitution) to four so as to allow for the representation of all members of Iraqi society.
Two for them, one for the Kurds, and one for the Sunnis.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/28/2006 13:23 ||
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I think this is the official bargaining position of "We get everything, and you get what is left over"; which will shortly be followed by the opposition demand that *they* get everything. This will be followed by mutual cursing about unfairness. Then the casbah will officially be open for business and the real bargaining will begin.
BAGHDAD - Iraqi Sunni Arab and secular groups have agreed to form a single bloc in talks with Kurds and Shias on a new coalition government, in a bid to strengthen their negotiating position, officials said on Saturday.
The main Sunni Arab political grouping, the Iraqi Accordance Front, and the Iraqi National list led by secular former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi have joined the Iraqi Unified Front of Sunni politician Salih Mutlak, the officials said. The parties will formally announce the move on Sunday.
By negotiating together they have a better chance, said Abdul Hadi al-Zubeidi, a member of the Accordance Front. They have the same ideas, such as forming a technocrat government, opposing federalism in the south and the centre, and they all agree that the Interior Ministry should not be in the hands of people related to political parties, he said.
Sunnis want to amend the constitution, fearing that its provisions for federalism will give Kurds and Shias control over Iraqs vast oil reserves and eventually break the country apart. Sunnis also whine complain that police, controlled by the Shia-led Interior Ministry, unfairly target their community.
By joining forces, the Sunni and secular parties would have a total of 80 seats in the 275-seat parliament, making them the second-biggest bloc in the assembly. The Shia Islamist Alliance won 128 seats in the Dec. 15 parliamentary poll, while the Kurdish Alliance, with whom they formed a coalition government after elections in January 2005, won 53 seats. Basically it is to face the Kurdish and Shia coalition, Zubeidi said.
Sunni leaders are angry over the results of the polls, claiming they were rigged, but they have committed themselves to talks on a new coalition government.
So they're being realistic, an uncommon trait in that part of the world.
One of their demands, which they say is negotiable, is for a Sunni to become the new president. That would set up a clash with the Kurds, who now hold the post.
Informal talks between the Shia Alliance and the Accordance Front began this week. The Sunni parties say they will take a decision next week on whether finally to join the government.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/28/2006 12:41 ||
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#1
One of their demands, which they say is negotiable, is for a Sunni to become the new president
Still gotta be in charge. Anything less is unacceptable.
Zakho, Iraq- In northern Iraq, there is a school under reconstruction that may have a greater impact on the future of Iraq than any other reconstruction effort. The school is Zakho Military Academy.
As important as oil, electricity, water, health care, and primary education are to Iraq's future, educating those already identified to be the future leaders of Iraq will provide direction in the same manner as a rudder steers a large ship. Zakho Military Academy is one of Iraq's two national military officer academies and is equivalent to the U.S. Army's Military Academy at West Point.
The force protection upgrades performed on the academy are now complete. These upgrades included the design and construction of nine guard towers located around the perimeter of the ZMA compound, installation of lighting on the perimeter wall, and the renovation of two compound entrances. The lighting will provide protection and security to the Iraqi Army cadre and cadets who live on campus. The guard towers will serve both as training opportunities for the cadets to learn first hand the nuances of guard mount, and as operational guard posts for the facility. The new entrances will inspire awe, determination, and commitment to entering cadets in the same manner as entering the gates of West Point, Annapolis, or the Air Force Academy have been symbolic for those entering training to become the nation's leaders in the U.S.
Other force protection projects included a new munitions storage facility and upgrades to the armory. The armory includes rooms for weapons issue, weapons maintenance and cleaning, and weapons racks and lockers for storing both rifles and pistols. The weapons storage rooms were equipped with their own independent air handling. The new munitions storage facility commonly called an ammunition supply point is a four meters by six meters brick building with elevated pads to keep the ammunition off the floor. The facility is secured by a three-meter-high berm, a cyclone fence with razor wire around its perimeter, and lights.
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The man who served as the no. 2 official in Saddam Hussein's air force says Iraq moved weapons of mass destruction into Syria before the war by loading the weapons into civilian aircraft in which the passenger seats were removed. The Iraqi general, Georges Sada, makes the charges in a new book, "Saddam's Secrets," released this week. He detailed the transfers in an interview yesterday with The New York Sun. "There are weapons of mass destruction gone out from Iraq to Syria, and they must be found and returned to safe hands," Mr. Sada said. "I am confident they were taken over."
Mr. Sada's comments come just more than a month after Israel's top general during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Moshe Yaalon, told the Sun that Saddam "transferred the chemical agents from Iraq to Syria." Democrats have made the absence of stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq a theme in their criticism of the Bush administration's decision to go to war in 2003. And President Bush himself has conceded much of the point; in a televised prime-time address to Americans last month, he said, "It is true that many nations believed that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. But much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong..."
#1
Heard this guy on Fox say they used a 747 to move the stuff. I seriously doubt they have a 747 and that we'd miss it when it makde a puddle jump like this. Makes me skeptical of the guy, though it's pretty clear Syria was involved in hiding the WMD.
#2
Weren't commercial flights allowed into Baghdad until the war officially kicked off? With a bit of complicity on the part of any of the Middle East's national airlines this might have been possible if unlikely.
#5
And the Iraqis had plenty of trucks, and good roads to Syria, and willing partners on the other end. We don't need to invoke a high-tech solution to this; the low-tech solution works very well.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/28/2006 13:01 Comments ||
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#6
Debka was all over this from the beginning. I happen to believe it...but that's irrelevant.
However, if it is true...why in Heaven's name aren't we holding a hammer over Syria? We (apparently) know the 3 main locations...2 in the Syrian desert and 1 in the Bekka valley. You would think we would allow Baby Assad to trade his life for at least 1 stash. That's the sticking point with me. If we really believe it's there...why haven't we moved on it militarily, or politically?
Exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal rejected suggestions the radical group should disarm following its shock victory in Palestinian elections, in an interview with an Italian newspaper published Friday. Meshaal said in Damascus that the internationally sponsored roadmap for Middle East peace was unacceptable, and that talk of forming a coalition with the moderate Fatah, which it thrashed in the polls, was premature.
The roadmap is unacceptable, Meshaal told the daily La Repubblica, saying it imposed strict conditions on the Palestinians while asking too little of Israel. Meshaal - who survived an Israeli assassination bid in 1997 - said the radical group would certainly not lay down its arms as long as much as its territory was occupied. Only force has produced results, he said, citing Israels recent withdrawal from Gaza. However, he denied his group sought the destruction of Israel, saying its statute had been misunderstood in the West.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2006 00:00 ||
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"We wuz only jokin'...we never thought we'd win"
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/28/2006 1:03 Comments ||
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#2
my popcorn is ready and i'm snug in my armchair and the show is starting! yay
#5
Khaled Meshaal:"Only force has produced results, he said,"
Yep UR right there Kahled. Odd how Sheikh Yassin is smiling, from his grave, over your shoulder. That might makes right stuff is two way street there buddy. I see a HellFire in your future as well.
A day after its sweeping victory in Palestinian legislative elections, pressure mounted on Hamas to renounce violence and accept the existence of archfoe Israel. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he would soon ask Hamas to form the next government. Supporters of his Fatah party fought a gunbattle with Hamas activists.
Just a little exchange of political opinions, mind you...
Leaders of Arab and Islamic countries urged Hamas to talk peace with Israel and called on the West to accept the Hamas poll win. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, in a call to Abbas, urged Fatah and Hamas to work together for peace and an independent state. Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa called on the new government to affirm its commitment to an Arab peace proposal made in 2002. It offered peace with Israel in exchange for the Jewish state withdrawing to territory it held before the 1967 Middle East war. Speaking in Davos, Switzerland, he also cautioned Israel against using the Hamas victory as a pretext for halting the peace process.
He's confusing "pretext" with "reason." A pretext is an excuse you use to do something for which there's actually another reason.
King Abdallah of Jordan called for a rapid return to Middle East peace talks.
"Into the peace processor wit' yez!"
Turkey offered to act as an intermediary between Israel and the Palestinians. The 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference also may perhaps take on an important role, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in Davos.
If so, it'll be the first important thing it's ever done...
He called on Hamas to recognize Israel, hand over its weapons to the Palestinian security forces and move away from extremism toward a middle ground. And he called on Israel to accept both the election results and Hamas role in the new government.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
When getting stabbed in the back is what you really want, call Tapyyip Erdogan.
#2
It offered peace with Israel in exchange for the Jewish state withdrawing to territory it held before the 1967 Middle East war.
It's entirely up to Israel to decide whether this is something worth looking into, but quite frankly, in view of how Israel came to occupy all the territory they did, this offer of "peace" and its conditions are an insult.
Halliburton, the world's largest diversified energy services, engineering and construction company, on Friday said it was ready to spin off and list its KBR unit, which is the US's biggest private contractor in Iraq, and might also consider selling "some pieces of KBR" outright. The decision to list 20 per cent of KBR, which had been expected, comes as Halliburton reported the best annual figures in its 86-year history it earned $2.4bn, or $4.54 per share, in 2005, compared with a full-year net loss of $1bn, or $2.22 per share, in 2004.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards chief Saturday warned the United States and Britain that Iran would respond with its missiles if attacked, a clear threat to Israel, which lies within easy range of such a launch.
"The world knows Iran has a ballistic missile power with a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,300 miles)," Gen. Yahya Rahim Safavi said on state-run television.
Iran's improved version of Shihab-3 missile can strike more than 2,000 kilometers (1,300 miles) from their launch site, putting Israel and US forces in the Middle East in easy range.
"We have no intention to invade any country. We will take effective defense measures if attacked," he said. "These missiles are in the possession of the Guards."
"We are producing these missiles and don't need foreign technology for that," he said. Iran announced last year that it had fully developed solid fuel technology for missiles, a major breakthrough that increases their accuracy.
Safavi also accused US and British intelligence services of provoking unrest in the oil-rich southwestern Iran and providing bomb materials to Iranian dissidents. He said the US and Britain were behind bombings January 21 that killed at least nine people in the southwestern city of Ahvaz, near the southern border with Iraq where 8,500 British soldiers are based.
"Foreign forces based in Iraq, especially southern Iraq, direct Iranian agents and give them bomb materials," he said.
Safavi said Iran was monitoring dissidents and their alleged links with the US and British forces.
"We are aware of their meetings in Kuwait and Iraq," he said. "We warn them (US and Britain), especially the MI-6 and CIA, that they refrain from interfering in Iran's affairs."
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/28/2006 15:54 Comments ||
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#3
NOTE THIS: This could be part of their plan. That is, they will pre-emptively launch missiles and claim it is in retaliation to an act of war against them.
Also note that the British are foremost in their accusations. This means there is some focus on the British forces in southern Iraq. This could mean something.
#4
There will be no "holding Israel back" for any provications. The provications are all there and plain to see as the nose on ones face. This international political dance is about to come to an end. The Chinese and Rus really have not calculated Israels reactions very well from what I have read.
The election of Hamas, an Iranian client movement, is likely the actual tipping point. Israel really doesn't need a justification anymore. Who is going to attempt to stop them? Us? I think not.
Irans throw weight is 0%. Not enough MMs will be left around to carry out any "reprisals" should they decide to lunch any missiles at anyone. Look for an Iranian grab at the oil fields in southern Iraq cloacked as an Shia Iraqi move in the near future. Thats why all the anti-UK forces noise is being made.
Greed and stupidity with a huge heap of religious mania. It's not just for breakfast anymore in Iran.
#5
WTF? Are they just trying to get us to take them out? I thank God every day I was raised in a Western world with a Western logic and a philosophy of the greater good. It seems as if we will not end this any time soon and my young son will end up there also.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
01/28/2006 17:09 Comments ||
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#6
Current US strategic doctrine has this scenario well covered. The Iranians may be busy, but we have been busier. I shall say no more.
An international tribunal must be set up to try the suspected killers of Lebanese former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, head of the Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc MP Walid Jumblatt told Friday's edition of the French daily Liberation newspaper. Jumblatt added that ongoing investigations should be widened to cover other assassinations in Lebanon.
On Thursday, a senior United Nations legal expert arrived in Beirut to discuss Lebanese calls for such a tribunal but the world body has not gone as far as saying such a court would definitely be established. "All we can do is stick to our basic position: demand an international tribunal and widen the enquiry to include other assassinations," said Jumblatt, speaking from his home in Mukhtara in the Chouf mountains. The prospect of an international tribunal has led Hizbullah and Amal to start boycotting the Cabinet on December 12.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Wally ought to be calling for a cure for baldness. And ugly.
UN Undersecretary General for Legal Affairs Nicolas Michel said he "had fruitful consultations" with Lebanon's top officials on Friday, adding that he is "determined to inform [UN Secretary General Kofi] Annan immediately of their results." Michel, who arrived in Beirut Thursday, met Friday with President Emile Lahoud, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, Speaker Nabih Berri, Justice Minister Charles Rizk and Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh to discuss the nature of the court that would try those accused of killing former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
According to a presidential statement issued Friday, Michel briefed Lahoud on the nature of his mission in Lebanon, saying he was assigned by Annan to confer with Lebanese officials on the nature of the court. After his meeting with Siniora, Michel, who was accompanied by a UN delegation, said: "The conversations today were especially rich and will help us steer our work in the next few days; but we have to say that our Lebanese friends will have to help us in steering this thinking in the next few days." He added: "I am determined to tell Annan immediately of the results of my consultations, and after that we will continue to think in all directions."
Michel also said that he will respect the secrecy of the meetings and discussions. "All I can tell you is that the consultations will not be successful unless the Lebanese people - and not only its officials - consider that this consensus, [about the form of the court], relates to them," the UN official said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2006 00:00 ||
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U.S. President George W. Bush told hereditary MP Saad Hariri, the son of assassinated former Premier Rafik Hariri, Friday that one of his country's priorities is allowing Lebanon to be "free of foreign influence, free of Syrian intimidation, and free to chart its own course." Bush - the jewel in the crown meeting of Hariri's visit to the U.S. capital - told the young MP allowing "Lebanon's democracy to be able to reach its full potential will be very important for the region."
After the meeting at the White House's Oval office, Bush said: "There's no doubt in my mind, with the focused effort of the free world ... we will be able to achieve this objective." Bush also said he and Hariri discussed putting together a global donor's conference to raise funds to help Lebanon. Hariri told reporters the president had expressed support for a donor conference, but that no date has been set.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2006 00:00 ||
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Judge Serge Brammertz, the newly appointed head of the UN investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, has informed Lebanese officials that the dossier handed over to him by his predecessor Detlev Mehlis contains enough information enabling him to identify those responsible for the murder and demand they stand trial. According to informed sources, Brammertz indicated that he intended to complete his mission within the next two or three months and prepare a final report to the UN Security Council.
He also expressed hope the Lebanese judiciary would complete its work and chief investigating magistrate Judge Elias Eid would prepare a bill to indict those killers before the summer in order to hand over all the evidence to the international tribunal that will be set up to try the defendants. The UN has already began discussions with the government in Beirut on the nature of the tribunal, the identity o the judges, its venue and remit. The Belgian judge believes that Syria represents the principal obstacle for the UN commission since it has yet to give a clear and firm response as to whether it will cooperate in a constructive way with the international investigation team. Syrias promises have yet to materialize and the statements of officials in Damascus are not matched by deeds. What is required is an answer to whether President Bashar Assad will allow the probe team to meet Foreign Minister Faruq al Sharaa and question his brother-in-law Asef Shawkat, head of military intelligence, the sources added.
Brammertz is set to refuse a Syrian request to sign a protocol of cooperation with Damascus because he believes the text of UN Resolution 1636 is clear and stipulates that Syria should cooperate with the international probe. Meanwhile, diplomatic sources at the UN headquarters have indicated that the investigation team has recovered the voice recordings of Syrian officials that include threats to Prime Minister Hariri. These recordings are one of the most important peices of evidence in the investigation that [Former investigator] Detlev Mehlis wanted to keep confidential.
The same sources predicted that the Syrian leadership would have become aware of these recordings and was, therefore, preventing its officials from meeting with the investigators. It also considers the demand to question the leadership as an infringement on national sovereignty.
National sovereignity appears to be the last resort of the incompetent dictator.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/28/2006 00:00 ||
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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.
Afghans are among the most optimistic people in the world when it comes to their economic future, a BBC survey has found, but such confidence is not always easy to find on the streets of the capital, Kabul. The survey found 70 percent of those questioned in Afghanistan thought their own circumstances were improving, and 57 percent believed their country overall was on the way up.
The two main Darfur rebel groups could reach a peace deal with the Sudanese government within weeks now that Khartoum has shown signs of softening its position, the African Unions top mediator said yesterday. Unless something very dramatic happens in Darfur, we shall have a peace agreement in the next couple of weeks, AU chief negotiator Sam Ibok told Reuters, adding he hoped to see a deal signed by mid-February. The implementation is another thing.
Mr Galloway did not draw an MP's salary while he was locked in the house, but his absence triggered anger and criticism from constituents and colleagues who demanded he get back to work. Yesterday, he defended his onscreen antics - which included pretending to be a cat and dressing in a red leotard - by highlighting the cash that would be raised for 
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has said Friday that Russia would beef up its early warning system by building a new radar station. "This is an important question of national security," Ivanov was quoted by Itar-Tass as saying. "Not having modern stations, we simply will go blind."
X-Band
ISLAMABAD: The 
KHAR: Families of the victims of the January 13 US air strike on Damadola village, 
Police on Friday clashed with 
BAGHDAD - Iraqs interior minister said on Saturday that the conservative Shia United Iraqi Alliance (UIA), which won most seats in the December election, will take half the ministries plus one in the next government.
Exiled Hamas leader 
A day after its sweeping victory in Palestinian legislative elections, pressure mounted on Hamas to renounce violence and accept the existence of archfoe Israel. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he would soon ask Hamas to form the next government. Supporters of his Fatah party fought a gunbattle with Hamas activists.
Halliburton, the world's largest diversified energy services, engineering and construction company, on Friday said it was ready to spin off and list its KBR unit, which is the US's biggest private contractor in Iraq, and might also consider selling "some pieces of KBR" outright. The decision to list 20 per cent of KBR, which had been expected, comes as Halliburton reported the best annual figures in its 86-year history it earned $2.4bn, or $4.54 per share, in 2005, compared with a full-year net loss of $1bn, or $2.22 per share, in 2004.
An international tribunal must be set up to try the suspected killers of Lebanese former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, head of the Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc MP 
UN Undersecretary General for Legal Affairs 
U.S. President George W. Bush told 
Judge 
