German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung on Thursday expressed support for the US plan to build a missile shield in central Europe. The latest developments with Irans nuclear program reinforce the case for deploying a missile shield to protect Europe from attacks, Jung told Reuters in an interview Thursday.
The controversial plan has met with opposition among the ruling coalition in Germany, as well as in Russia and central Europe. Jung, a Christian Democrat, is the first high-ranking German official to speak out strongly in favor of the missile shield plan. "Timely precautions must be taken against the foreseeable increase of the range of offensive missiles of certain problem states, even if it concerns long-term developments," Jung told Reuters.
Though the minister avoided naming Iran directly in the interview, it was clear that he had Iran as well as North Korea in mind.
When asked how close he thought Iran was to constructing a nuclear weapon, the defense minister said, "According to expert assessments, Iran is years away from that point." He added that it was still possible to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power through democracy.
#1
This would be the missile defense system that a) would never work, b) would work so well it would only provoke the enemy, and, c) will serve well enough for our "friends" to cower behind from an enemy they are too morally bankrupt to name.
We should make it clear that missiles with trajectories arriving in France or Germany will specifically be exempt from the shield. Let their white flags be their armor.
#2
German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung on Thursday expressed support for the US plan to build a missile shield in central Europe.
Designed at American expense, installed after paying for all the studies and environmentally friendly preparations, built by American tax payers, and manned by American troops who will bring their economic impact to help boost German unemployment, etc. Ah, no thank you. I'd say get those German scientist on the job now and those Euro bureaucrats busy on a multi nation system design and contract. It's work so well for Airbus. BTW, the Donks are just salivating to cut defense spending, this is a very good place to volunteer. Cost avoidance at the very start.
#3
I don't know the answer to this question, so I'll ask it here: is there a compelling need for American national security to put a strategic defense missile station in Europe?
I can see the advantages for our allies. Indirectly, keeping Europe from being nuked helps us. But do we need this station in the Czech Republic to keep nukes away from New York?
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/12/2007 10:10 Comments ||
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#4
It's close the Great Circle route from Iran to the US, but then so is the UK or Greenland (and would provide more reaction time). With interceptors as large and fast as GMD, there is leeway on where they are stationed. For the distances involved, THAAD or ground based Aegis would work just as well to protect Europe and be a lot cheaper. It's a political ploy to tie the US and what's left of Europe against the Iranian nuclear threat.
When asked how close he thought Iran was to constructing a nuclear weapon, the defense minister said, "According to expert assessments, Iran is years away from that point."
It takes less than a year for 3000 P1 centrifuges to produce enough HEU for a bomb. Though the Chinese-Pakistani (A Q Khan) implosion bomb design seems less than reliable.
Posted by: ed ||
04/12/2007 10:35 Comments ||
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Invite them in if they pay up. In treasure and blood, word, and deed.
In the middle east there were walled cities. The walls were there for when the areas were attacked by invading armies. The invading armies would wipe out everything in their paths like locusts. Of course, when one of those walled cities came under siege it was nice to have food available. So each year the locals in the surrounding countryside were responsible for tithing so much grain to put the silos inside the walls of the city. If you didn't tithe, that was fine, but don't expect to gain entrance to the city and enjoy the protection the walls and soldiers offered when the time came. If you could run out and get your tithe in time to beat the invading army, you and your family were allowed in.
They understood it then. Do they understand it now?
#8
This would be the missile defense system that a) would never work, b) would work so well it would only provoke the enemy, and, c) will serve well enough for our "friends" to cower behind from an enemy they are too morally bankrupt to name.
Damn, Excalibur, you know that's going to leave a mark! Luv it!
Tehran, 11 April (AKI) - The governor of Iran's central bank has written to his Italian counterpart to complain against last month's decision by Italian authorities to take effective control of the operations of the Rome branch of Iran's Sepah Bank which is linked to the Islamic Republic's armed forces. The Italian government's 26 March decision stemmed from a UN security council resolution, 1747, for sanctions against a list of Iranian financial institutions linked to the country's nuclear programme.
The Markazi central bank's governor, Ibrahim Sheibani, in his letter to Bank of Italy govenor Mario Draghi describes both the Security Council resolution and Rome's decision as "illegal". "Our checks are bouncing all over Pyongyang!"
The Sepah Bank was founded in 1925 as the cooperative bank of the Iranian armed forces. Today it boasts 1,700 branches in Iran and a dozen abroad, has become one of the most powerful financial institutions in the Islamic Republic. It also has a related group, Sepah International, based in London. It is particularly active in internationall transactions and for this reason was included in the list of Iranian companies subject to sanctions. Iranian armed forces, piracy, nuclear weapons production, ballistic missiles, international finance ... is there a connection?
Most institutions in the Islamic Republic, especially military ones for their historic connection with this bank, have used Sepah's services for international transactions. Where there's smoke, there's an ayatollah with a lighter.
The White House wants someone to focus on conducting strategic reviews for the wars, said Gordon Johndroe, a National Security Council spokesman.
"The White House is looking into creating a higher profile position that would have the single, full time focus on implementing and executing the recently completed strategic reviews for both Iraq and Afghanistan," Johndroe told FOX News. "This position would report directly to the president as well as Steve Hadley and have representatives in the offices of the secretaries of state and defense in order to speed up and make more efficient the implementation of these strategies."
First reported by The Washington Post, the administration is seeking a high-powered candidate to head up a new office, but so far, three retired four-star generals have turned down the offer.
Excuse me President Bush, isn't that YOUR Job - you know the part where you have the title COMMANDER IN CHIEF? Stop being a manager trying to delegate everything, and start being a leader, damnit! Crack the whiop and a few skulls if you need to. We are at war and wars need to be FOUGHT, not managed like a Walmart. Delegate the economic stuff and win the war!
#1
Fire people if they fail, stop being the frat boy and valuing loyalty over competence. And stop expecting the press to do anything - get out there and sell the war- push it, let people know What we are doing, WHY we are doing it - and how well we are doing now. Don't just let it lay on the floor expecting the press to do anything. You have to do what Reagan did - by pass the press and get the word out to the American People that this is worth doing - and we are doing it!
Yes I am pissed at the president for dropping the ball once again. Harvard MBA shoeing his stripes as a manger, not as a leader.
McCain has more cojones in terms of vocalizing support for the effort over there.
Meanwhile Bush panders in a photo-op and leaves our borders wide open in his refusal to push for renforcment first and enforcement at the border - immigration amnesty is what he wants.
#2
Only an idiot or a fool would challenge "The Peter Principle" of this position...It's like asking someone to be governor of the Moon, (ie, 'The Buck' would never stop with him)!
The wheels fell off long ago. The engine is now blowing the head gasket and the fuel line has ruptured, spraying gas all over a hot cylinder block.
The idea of a 'war czar' is - IMHO - the most revolting idea I have ever heard come out of the White House. This is no more or less than an attempt to completely evade responsibility for the many mistakes that have been made (and I will say that I believe MOST of the mistakes to have been honest ones). I also think that this idea is suggesting that the White House has panicked and now no longer believes the surge will work, and the hell with the reality. They want one more body between them and Congress and the public when it all hits the fan.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
04/12/2007 8:41 Comments ||
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#9
1. The Petraeus is in charge of military activities in Iraq. What is needed is someone to run Iraq AND Afghanistan, and to coordinate political/diplo activities as well.
2. They had a deputy NSC head doing that, but she quit. Naturally she needs to be replaced, and they seem to think someone more senior, and someone military, would be the right person.
3. Obviously it has to be someone lower than POTUS, as POTUS has far broader responsibilities.
4. One might think a high level DoD civilian could do it, but I guess the military doesnt have that kind of respect for DoD civilians any more. Maybe.
#16
I'd take the job if I could be called The Jager Meister.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
04/12/2007 11:55 Comments ||
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#17
Maybe John Howard is availalbe; seems to be the only leader from a civilized country with a set of balls.
George, quit waffling and stand up you closet democrat.
#18
stop being the frat boy and valuing loyalty over competence
Dead nuts spot on, Old Spook!
This is why American presidents are elected to a four year term. It gives them a relatively free hand to shape foreign (and to a lesser extent, domestic) policy to their own liking. Bush has had the best part of EIGHT YEARS and its culmination seems to be some of the most shameless canoodling from someone who previously had the grit to identify "The Axis of Evil".
Hell, John Bolton could steer the executive war wagon better than Bush. Old Spook's accusations of delegation are directly on target. Executive leadership manifests most clearly in a nation's war time policy. Per force, it must devolve from the highest office. To delegate this supreme task is to effectively abdicate one's position as Commander in Chief.
One thing is being made abundantly clear; Bush will most likely not have the courage to take out Iran, regardless of all previous rhetoric. I hope like Hell I'm wrong on this but the prospects do not look good at all.
#19
Gawd Dam! We need a czar like we need another Pelosi. We have someone to coordinate the effort and to send the political messages. Are we gonna reduce the sec state and sec def to staffing positions. THIS IS JUST DUMB! What they want is a high profile fall guy.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
04/12/2007 19:14 Comments ||
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#20
This was first erroneously reported by Tom Ricks at WaPo. The term "czar" was Rick's term (hype meter pinging).
In reality, it is a coordinator or liaison type job.
Posted by: Captain America ||
04/12/2007 21:58 Comments ||
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John McCain has rolled the dice on Iraq. Linked to the unpopular four-year war and his presidential campaign floundering, the Republican had little choice but to embrace the conflict anew. "It is necessary and just," the Arizona senator said Wednesday, demanding that the U.S. strive for victory and accusing anti-war Democrats, including the party's White House contenders, of valuing electoral politics over sound policy.
Speaking to a friendly audience of Virginia Military Institute cadets, McCain staked his candidacy on Iraq in a speech that amounted to a full-throated appeal to the majority of Republicans who still back a war most Americans call hopeless. His criticism of Democrats were words certain to energize GOP voters.
Trailing in national polls and fundraising, the failed candidate of 2000 hopes GOP voters will view him as a principled leader for his unflinching war stance in the face of political pressure and, ultimately, will reward him with the 2008 Republican nomination. "In Washington, Democrats view it as a political opportunity and Republicans view it as a political burden," McCain told reporters of the war. "Our nation's interests should prevail over any parochial or party interests we might have, or any election."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
I got alot of beefs with McCain from the past BUT if McCain is willing to put the WOT as his top point and get out and RALLY THE PEOPLE & KEEP THEM RALLIED I could be willing to put my beef aside and support him for president of course considering the other options.
#2
CNN > The Dems will NOT accept or tolerate any US-led invasion or Govt overthrow of Iran - you know, IRAN, the world-acknowledged PRINCIPAL SPONSOR OF ISLAMIST-MUSLIM TERROR. IMO THE DEMS ARE COMMITTING POL SUICIDE FOR 2008 BY THE DIRECT INFERENCE THAT THEY ARE AGAINST THE USA PUNISHING = STOPPING TERROR, EVEN AT THE SOURCE.
#3
GUARDIAN > RUSSIA SIGNALS ITS PLACE IN NEW WORLD ORDER - believes American hegemony is at an end, Russia is ready to de facto challenge USA for leadership of world community; + INFOWARS > RON PAUL > USA IN DANGER OF DICTATORSHIP. SSSSSHHHHHH, dedicated Clintonian Rightistas/Rightists = New Leftists, Fascists = New Communists, etal. rushing to save sacred USSA = Amerika from the Fascist GOP-Right.
#4
"In Washington, Democrats view it as a political opportunity and Republicans view it as a political burden. Our nation's interests should prevail over any parochial or party interests we might have, or any election."
Right on, John. Now if you could just get wise about immigration...
After the smashing success of their Syrian jaunt, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Tom Lantos are considering another trip--"to open a dialogue with Iran," the San Francisco Chronicle reports:
"Speaking just for myself, I would be ready to get on a plane tomorrow morning, because however objectionable, unfair and inaccurate many of (Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's) statements are, it is important that we have a dialogue with him,'' Lantos said. "Speaking for myself, I'm ready to go--and knowing the speaker, I think that she might be.''
Still, the Democrats have their limits. The Chronicle reports that there is one world leader with whom congressional Democrats are unwilling to hold an unconditional dialogue:
President Bush, raising the political stakes in his fight with Congress over the war in Iraq, made Democratic leaders an offer they could and did refuse--come to the White House to accept his demand for continued, unfettered funding of the war.
"We can discuss the way forward on a bill that is a clean bill: a bill that funds our troops without artificial timetables for withdrawal, and without handcuffing our generals on the ground," the president said of the fight over the emergency war spending legislation.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, speaking Tuesday at a news conference in San Francisco, forcefully rejected Bush's invitation--as had Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada several hours earlier at a Capitol appearance.
"What the president invited us to do is to come to his office so that we could accept, without any discussion, the bill that he wants," Pelosi said. "That's not worthy of the concerns of the American people. And I join with Sen. Reid in rejecting an invitation of that kind. . . ."
Meanwhile at the Puffington Host, haughty, French-looking Vietnam veteran John Kerry defends Pelosi's junket to Syria:
We Democrats should've been unapologetic last week defending Speaker Pelosi because the truth was on our side: She had a right to go. And she was right to go. The coordinated attack on her trip to Syria was as inappropriate as it was irresponsible. And when that happens to one of our leaders, we should all damn well stand up and be counted in our support, or else we hand partisan operatives on the other side a dangerous victory.
The telling phrase here is "the other side." Which side is Kerry on? The Democrats' against the Republicans', it would seem, not America's against its enemies.
It used to be said that politics ends at the water's edge--that is, that both parties stood in solidarity against foreign foes. Many of today's Democrats have precisely inverted the meaning of that adage. They stand against Republicans, even if that means standing in solidarity with America's enemies.
Here's a thought experiment: what if, during the Kosovo conflict in 1999, Tom DeLay and Trent Lott had gone to meet with Slobodan Milosevic, would anyone have questioned their patriotism?
Posted by: Mike ||
04/12/2007 07:03 ||
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#1
What smashing success are we talking about? The Logan Act aside, this pseudo-diplomacy had not material consequence whatsoever. It's symbolic import, however, served to embolden the enemies of democracy both at home and abroad. Some success.
#2
This just makes me so mad I could spit. Bush should have this bitch prosecuted for treason but he seems to be frozen with fear. Can't we get a leader who has a pair?
A North Side man joined al-Qaida and tried to help the terrorist group blow up U.S. government buildings abroad and European resorts frequented by Americans, a federal indictment released yesterday in Columbus says.
Christopher Paul, 43, who shared an apartment with convicted terrorist Iyman Faris, is charged with conspiring to support terrorists, conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction and providing support to terrorists.
Paul was one of three Columbus men that federal authorities had been investigating. Faris, who shared an apartment with Paul at 676 Riverview Dr., is now serving a 20-year prison sentence for plotting to topple the Brooklyn Bridge. Nuradin Abdi is awaiting trial, charged with plotting to blow up a Columbus-area mall.
The indictment released yesterday says Paul trained in weapons and other explosives during trips to Afghanistan and Pakistan, tried to recruit people for a "violent jihad," and met with al-Qaida members with personal connections to Osama bin Laden. The indictment by the federal grand jury described Paul as a man so eager to fight that he told an al-Qaida member that he would continue to plan violence even if the group scaled back its military operations.
It further says that Paul had traveled abroad as early as 1990 to receive terrorist training. Paul "offered himself to persons in Pakistan and Afghanistan associated with al-Qaida as an individual dedicated to committing violent jihad." While in Pakistan he met a former pilot of bin Laden's and became friends with Khalifah LNU, an al-Qaida member who was responsible for logistics at the group's training camps in Afghanistan. He received weapons training while there.
In April 1998, Paul went hiking with "several co-conspirators" in Burr Oak State Park in Glouster, Ohio, about 78 miles southeast of Columbus. They were training, the indictment states. Later, the indictment charges that from 1999 to 2000, Paul planned to bomb European tourist resorts that Americans frequent. He also plotted against governmental facilities such as embassies and U.S. military bases in Europe. While there, he trained fellow conspirators to use explosives.
At his home in Columbus, authorities found a night-vision scope, laser range-finder and "military survival knife." Subsequent searches found things like books and manuals on how to make explosives and improvised booby traps. Officials also found a letter to Paul's parents, in which he said he would be "on the front lines" and it explained how they could get information on "jihad." Family members would not comment about the arrest last night.
Lal Masjid has guns on the premises and will defend itself if the government attempts a crackdown, the mosques deputy administrator said on Wednesday. If it comes to a do-or-die situation we will use our right to self defence, Abdul Rashid Ghazi told AFP by telephone. Whatever arms we have are with licences obtained in the past through normal official procedures, he said. He refused to respond to comments by intelligence sources that students of Jamia Hafsa and Jamia Fareedia had stored petrol to make crude firebombs.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2007 00:00 ||
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The federal cabinet was on Wednesday divided on the Jamia Hafsa issue, with Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) ministers demanding use of force and others supporting negotiations. Four ministers from the MQM raised the Jamia Hafsa issue and demanded action. However, Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao and Minister for Religious Affairs Ejazul Haq disagreed, saying that talks were under way to resolve the issue. The sources said after Sherpao and Haq briefed the cabinet members, it was agreed that use of force should be the last option. The dominant view of the cabinet members was to first exhaust all means to settle this issue without using force, sources told Daily Times. The sources said Sherpao and Haq were confident a peaceful solution could be reached. It was unanimously decided to give talks a chance, the sources said. Later, Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani told reporters: We have many options to deal with this issue, but the government will wait for the outcome of talks between Chaudhry Shujaat and the Jamia Hafsa management before taking any action. He said the law-enforcement agencies had been given clear instructions on the issue. He rejected rumours about a change in the government, saying that all institutions were strong and working well. He also rejected reports that it was the last cabinet meeting and a photo session was conducted on Wednesday.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2007 00:00 ||
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Pakistani forces have choked off the infiltration of Taliban insurgents into Afghanistan from South Waziristan, Major General Gul Muhammad, commanding officer of troops in Waziristan said on Wednesday, Reuters reported.
Maj Gen Muhammad said his men had virtually sealed the frontier. No regular movement is taking place between South Waziristan and the Bermel area of Afghanistan, he told Pakistani and foreign journalists on a military-organised trip to the region. If someone proves it with any satellite imagery, I am responsible. We have choked all main routes, he said.
Maj Gen Muhammad said the Ahmedzai Wazir tribesmen were chasing Uzbek militants beyond Wana valley and the Pakistan Army hoped that the local population would rid Waziristan of all foreigners. He said that the Uzbek militants had retreated to Nandran heights in the northwest of Wana, but a tribal lashkar was chasing them. It (the anti-Uzbek drive) was an indigenous movement, he said, distancing the army from any involvement in the clashes. He said that around 200 Uzbeks and 40 tribesmen had been killed since the fighting started in March 19. We are sick and tired of the foreigners, the regional commander quoted the local population as saying.
Though the visiting journalists were not allowed to go to Wana bazaar or talk to the residents, the soldiers deployed at the main base appeared relaxed. Peace is returning to Waziristan, a young soldier escorting the journalists team told Daily Times. The journalists were also taken to the Sholam observation post overlooking Wana valley. Wana will become a model for the entire Waziristan region as far as the campaign against foreign militants is concerned, Maj Gen Muhammad said, but added that the process would take time. He said the situation in Pakistani tribal areas has links with the situation in Afghanistan.
At the briefing at the Shalom post, Brigadier Shafqat told the journalists that the tribesmen had almost cleared Kaloosha, Sheen Warsak, Azam Warsak and Wana of Uzbek militants. Maj Gen Muhammad said that Maulvi Nazir had not joined the fight against Uzbek militants as Taliban ameer but as a member of the Kakakhel tribe.
He said that the army carried out major operations in South Waziristan in 2004 and 2005 but was unable to drive out the foreign militants because they had the support of local tribesmen at that time. He said that differences increased between the Uzbeks and the tribesmen after the foreigners killed several local people and were involved in kidnapping and car snatching. Maj Gen Muhammad said that Uzbek commander Tahir Yuldashev with a $5 million bounty on his head had not been caught.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
NO! Tomorrow is a busy day
we got things to do, we got eggs to lay,
ground to dig, we've got worms to scratch,
you know it takes a lot of sittin' gettin' chicks to hatch
besides - there aint nobody here but us chickens
there ain't nobody here at all
so stop that fuss and raisin' dust
hey there ain't nobody here but us
so kindly point that gun the other way
and hobble hobble hobble off and hit the hay.
Posted by: bruce ||
04/12/2007 20:32 Comments ||
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Imam Muhammad Masood, brother of Jamaatud Daawa chief Hafiz Saeed, facing deportation for immigration irregularities, may apply for political asylum in the United States.
His lawyer argues that if deportation orders are passed against Masood and his family, he would ask for political asylum because Masood has expressed pro-American views and disowned his brother Hafiz Saeed, founder of the extremist group banned by the US and the United Nations. Masood has been out on bail since November 21, 2006. He, his son Hassan and a Chelmsford imam were among 33 people who were picked up on November 15 as part of a multi-state immigration sweep. The next hearing of the case in on May 9.
Masood was present with his wife and five of their eight children for a hearing in a federal immigration court in Boston as the week began in a case that could result in their removal from the country. The immigration court is expected to set a date this week for removal hearings for the Muslim cleric and members of his family. The government is seeking to have the family deported because of visa violations. Three of the clerics children are US citizens, having been born here.
Masoods lawyer William Joyce has said that he plans to ask the judge to do two things: cancel the deportation hearings, and review the governments denial of his clients 2001 visa application. He plans to request the cancellation partly because he argues that deportation would create hardship for Masoods three US-born children, who arent affected by the hearings and could stay in the United States.
Masood is facing two charges that he never returned to Pakistan in 1991 as required by a Boston University student visa, and that he committed fraud in applying for a 2001 visa with help from a Brooklyn imam who was subsequently convicted of providing false visas.
Masood insists that he did return to Pakistan but admits that he did re-enter the US illegally in 1993, but argues in his defence that he paid a $7,000 fine for the violation in 2000 under an amnesty programme. He says the Brooklyn imams name was included on his 2001 visa application by accident. He and Joyce said they thought the error had been cleared up.
According to Patriot-Ledger, Masood came to the Sharon mosque in 1996, first as a teacher and then as spiritual leader in 1998. He and his son were detained and taken to the jail on November 15, just after the whole family had finished a visa interview in Boston. The family has continued to live in housing at the Sharon mosque since then, but Masood has not been paid by the Islamic Centre and has not led his congregation there. The mosques board of directors has said that the family cannot live there indefinitely, but so far it has not been asked to leave. The local Muslim community appears to support Masood and a couple of non-Muslim clerics and a community group have raised money for him for day-to-day expenses. The Boston chapter of the Muslim American Society reportedly raised $40,000 at a March 24 event at the Islamic Centre of Burlington. Some of his fellow Sharon clergy have also collected donations from their own congregations. Several area clergy are among more than 800 whove signed an online petition on the Muslim American Society Web site.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Sorry, but you'll have to do it the way most people do: sneak across the border from Sonora.
#2
"Three of the clerics children are US citizens, having been born here."
Family separation when deporting is the cause of much of the bellyaching over unfair immigration laws. They need to retroactively confer citizenship only to those babes born with at least one parent a citizen and put an end to this malarkey.
#3
Nice gravy train he's got going. I wouldn't wanna leave either.
But seeing he lives two towns over, get him the hell outta here. He can take the kiddos and the old lady too. Wouldn't wanna break up the family...
The administration of Lal Masjid has ruled out any compromise on the enforcement of Sharia in the country and linked the start of formal talks with the government with the start of reconstruction of seven demolished mosques in Islamabad.
We have told PML President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain that we will not budge from our position. He came to us and we conveyed it to him that formal talks with the government will start only after the reconstruction of seven mosques the CDA demolished in Islamabad is started, Abdur Rashid Ghazi, the principal of Jamia Hafsa, told Daily Times on Wednesday. Shujaat met with Ghazi and his brother Maulana Abdul Aziz on the premises of Lal Masjid late on Tuesday night.
Ghazi claimed Shujaat agreed that the Lal Masjid administrations demands were genuine. Chaudhry Shujaat assured us that he would soon take up the demolition of mosques with the CDA bosses and issues related to obscenity, pornography, prostitution and other social vices with concerned authorities, to address our concerns, he said.
He said the reconstruction of demolished mosques would show the governments sincerity towards resolving the issue peacefully. Ghazi rejected the cancellation of Jamia Hafsas affiliation by Wafaqul Madaris Al-Arabia and said the girls madrassa would conduct examinations itself and issue certificates to the successful students.
Meanwhile, a group of clerics led by Wafaqul Madaris Secretary General Qari Hanif Jalandhri on Wednesday met with Shujaat at his residence and discussed the Hafsa standoff with him. He later told Daily Times that the talks between Shujaat and the Lal Masjid administration were moving ahead positively and had so far made some progress. He would not elaborate.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2007 00:00 ||
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A difference of opinion has again emerged between the two major component parties of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) and the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) as MMA leader Qazi Hussain Ahmad on Wednesday supported the steps taken by the Jamia Hafsa administration.
The leader of the opposition in the National Assembly and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazulur Rehman recently termed the madrassa students actions misleading and a conspiracy against religious institutions, however, Ahmad said the Lal Masjids announcements were positive steps towards the enforcement of Shariah in the country.Talking to journalists after attending the JIs central committee meeting at Markaz-e-Islami, the MMA chief said that Jamia Hafsas demands of enforcement of Shariah were according to the Quran and Sunnah. It is the right of every mosque and madrassa administrator to establish courts and to decide peoples disputes according to Shariah. Establishment of Qazi courts in mosques and madrassas on the pattern of jirgas or panchayat for the restoration of peace and justice are nothing new. In the past, the government supervised such courts and now it is opposing the idea, Ahmad said.
Lal Masjids declaration is not a violation of the law and the states writ, but it is a traditional peace jirga meant to prevent un-Islamic activities and to solve peoples problems in accordance with Shariah, he added. Supporting Lal Masjid administrator Maulana Abdul Aziz, Ahmad said the setting up of Qazi courts were part of the MMA governments Hasba Bill that was hindered by the federal government.
Some people are conspiring against the Lal Masjids administration. Maulana Abdul Aziz has not issued any threat to citizens and the MMA does not want to implement Shariah by force, Ahmad said. He demanded that the Pakistan Peoples Party-Parliamentarians (PPPP) join the joint oppositions protest on the MMAs call in front of the Supreme Court (SC) building on April 13 against the suspension of CJP Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. Ahmad appealed to the PPPP leadership to avoid dividing the opposition and to join the protest against President Pervez Musharraf. The PPPP leadership had earlier announced a separate protest demonstration in front of the SC on the day of the presidential references hearing.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2007 00:00 ||
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#2
What farce? It's an abetment for a false religion.
A religion that cannot stand criticism(like any others) isn't much of one but an arrogant worldwide cultish creed.
New York, 12 April (AKI) - UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon has informed the UN security council of his decision to appoint two new members of the monitoring group established in 2004 to help track the application of United Nations sanctions against the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and their operatives. Saudi Arabia's Mubarak Mashhoor al-Shahrani and Carlton Greene of the United States are to serve as experts on the monitoring team until 30 June next year, the UN said in a statement released by its New York headquarters.
And who would bring more expertise in funding terrorists than a Saudi?
The Analytical Supports and Sanctions Monitoring Team was set up to work at the direction of the existing UN committee dealing with sanctions against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, and reports periodically to the Security Council on its work. The new members replace Egypts Ashraf Mohsen and John Smith of the US, who resigned from the team in November last year and last month respectively.
The sanctions were originally adopted, and later tightened, in response to the indictment of Usama bin Laden for the 1998 terrorist bombings of US embassies in Nairobi and Dar-es-Salaam. States are required to freeze financial assets, including property as well as funds derived or generated by any undertaking owned or controlled by the Taliban, and to ensure that they are not used by the group. Countries are also obliged to freeze funds, property and other financial assets of Usama bin Laden and his associates in the Al-Qaeda organization, and to prevent their entry or transit through the State's territory.
In addition, nations must prevent the supply, sale and transfer of all arms and materiel along with any form of military training to the named individuals and entities. The monitoring team will help countries increase their capacity to implement the sanctions against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, and is also mandated to collate, assess, verify wherever possible, report and make recommendations on information regarding violations of the sanctions.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/12/2007 07:39 ||
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The UN has sanctions against the Taliban? Who knew?
Powerful Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadrs movement on Wednesday threatened to pull out of the Iraqi government after the prime minister opposed laying down a timetable for a US troop withdrawal. The threats came in a statement from the political committee of Sadrs office, read to AFP over the telephone by MP Saleh Hassan Issa al-Igaili, a lawmaker of the Sadr bloc in Iraqs parliament.
Sadrs political group has 30 lawmakers in the 275-member parliament and six ministers in Malikis coalition. Any walkout by the faction would be the second in less than five months and underscore the premiers vulnerability.
Then again, it might free Maliki to open a can of whupass without a complaint from Sistani.
The Sadr trend strongly rejects the statement of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who adheres to the occupation forces remaining despite the will of the Iraqi people, said Igaili, reading from the statement. Therefore, the Sadr trend is studying the option of withdrawing from the Iraqi government, which failed to honour its obligations towards the citizens in providing security and public services, the statement said. We stress our intention to withdraw from the Iraqi government.
The statement also lashed out at what it called the unjust application of an ongoing Iraqi and US security plan in Baghdad, which officials say has seen Sadrs Mahdi Army melt away from the streets of the capital to avoid capture.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2007 00:00 ||
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The sooner Sadr is marginalized, the more quickly Iraq can begin functioning like an actual nation. Trying to co-opt messianic psychopaths like Sadr makes as much sense as herding cats. Cap Sadr's ass and purge the entire Mahdi Army. Send the right message for a change. Too bad there's a snowball's chance in hell that Maliki would do something in the best interests of his own country rather than shamelessly pursuing vindictive Shiite sectarian agendas.
The Vatican ambassador to the Holy Land said Thursday that he would not attend the annual Holocaust Remembrance Day state ceremony at Yad Vashem because of a caption at the Holocaust Museum that referred to Pope Pius XII's controversial role during World War Two. The meter is tickling
#1
Pius was a man of his time, conditioned by education and society.
Judging someone like that by contemporary standards can have only one result.
Likewise trying to pretend he did not have these attitudes is silly.
While researching a new book on the Allies' policy towards bombing Rome, the historian Umberto Gentiloni Silveri stumbled across an intriguing telegram sent to London by the then British ambassador to the Holy See, Sir D'Arcy Osborne (later Duke of Leeds).
Dated January 26, 1944, it reported the substance of a conversation with Pope Pius XII just days after the landings at Anzio and Nettuno, south of the capital.
"The pope hopes that there will not be Allied coloured troops among the units deployed in Rome," wrote the ambassador. Sir D'Arcy seems to have been rather bemused by the request, for - with a hint of sarcasm - he went on to say that the pontiff "had hastened to add that the Holy See has not fixed a limit to the range of colours".
Gentiloni Silveri told La Repubblica that the pope's "embarrassing" appeal reflected the view of the Holy See throughout the conflict: that Rome was a "symbol of Western culture ... a patrimony to be entrusted to the care of the white race".
Posted by: John Frum ||
04/12/2007 10:35 Comments ||
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#2
Yeah, right. Context, Frum.
The troops in question were from northern Africa, under French command. Quoting a snide Brit telegram in order to slime a Catholic Pontiff without the full story is a bit much.
From the Guardian (hardly a bastion of Catholicism):
Gentiloni Silveri told La Repubblica that the pope's "embarrassing" appeal reflected the view of the Holy See throughout the conflict: that Rome was a "symbol of Western culture ... a patrimony to be entrusted to the care of the white race".
Today, the conservative Il Giornale hit back with an article insisting Pius XII was "not in any way a racist". But that he had good reason to fear the arrival of troops from North Africa.
"As apostolic nuncio in Bavaria, immediately after the end of the [First World] War, he had been a witness to what happened in the regions of the Rhineland and Ruhr, which were occupied by French troops," it said.
North African soldiers were accused of numerous rapes and, although the scale of the problem was deliberately exaggerated by local people, even the French acknowledged several dozen had taken place.
It is a matter of historical record that North African troops under French command committed many atrocities in the area known as Ciociaria south of Rome. Alberto Moravia wrote about them in his novel La Ciociara and, in the film of the book, Sophia Loren won an Oscar for her performance in the title role.
Il Giornale's explanation, however, leaves at least two questions unanswered. Why, if the pope was worried about North African soldiers, did he not make that clear to the British ambassador?
And, if he was concerned about a repetition of what had happened in Germany, why should he want the French troops kept out of Rome? Surely they could wreak far more havoc out in the countryside than under the eye of their officers in a city.
John Hooper reports for the Guardian from Rome
It's not that we don't have contemporary accounts of North African behaviors to consider as context, either..
#3
Wait a minute. Frum - my excerpt appears to come from the same source as yours. Was the text in my excerpt in your source article, or did you just happen to leave it out?
#5
Europe is still trapped in that WWII guilt-trip; obession with the dead WWII jew and its victim image, and hostility to the modern-day israeli jew seen as a bully. I wonder if we're going to die from this neurosis, from which the current opinion-makers, decision-takers,... draw their legitimacy (the 60's leftist students turned Enlightened Elites, piling upon the stalinist subversion before and after WWII), or if we'll be able to somehow get over it.
By the way, a large part of the anti"zionist" resentment in France, from the right, from the left, comes from that forcefed Holocaust obsession (IIRC, it is commemorated in 5 different occasion a year, plus the omnipresent speech, tv dramas, documentaries, movies...), and the ensuing feeling that the Establishment is suited to and dominated by the jews and the "zionists".
Judeomania (to borrow a word I find very appropriate) at home, antizionism abroad, or how to get fixated upon and shamed into neurosis and impotence by a past genocide, and yet, collaborating with people who wish and promise to re-do it as soon as they can.
#6
Also, hostility to Israel, in addition to the sweeping propaganda from the EE, is also probably due to a reaction to that perpetuated guilt. If you're "told" from your childhood that "you" killed the jews, by school, by the media complex, by the pols,... and that the Holocaust is the defining point of european History, then, seeing the israelis as "bad guys" help you escape that. And from that, it's easy to nazify the israelis, as the liberals (or at least the leftists) are so busy doing so. If the jews are nazis, then you don't have to feel guilty anymore.
#7
None of this seems to address the "blood libel" that Catholicism so cheerfully perpetuated down through the centuries. That alone should have been enough to motivate the Holy See's attendance at Yad Vashem. It is quite discouraging to see Pope Benedict withdraw from the field in such disarray. Especially in light of how his initial sorties seemed so very promising.
The Catholic Church has within its reach immense power to drive change for the better. Should they allow attempts to conceal their well-established culpability in enabling so much of the medieval European pogroms and even the Holocaust itself to outweigh the current need for excoriating Islam's general hostility to all other parties, then they make themselves irrelevant. How sad to think that Pope Benedict might even consider such abject defiance of Christ's word.
...
The three, Ramat Gan resident Kfir Levy, 26; Taiba resident Sif Azam, 35; and Abed Abu Moch, 30, from Baka al-Gharbiya, were convicted in March of manslaughter and causing severe damage. Get off way too light
The new Palestinian Hamas-Fatah coalition government has brought many little-known figures into the spotlight, including the new tourism minister, Khuloud Daibes. Before accepting the post, Daibes was director of the Center for Cultural Preservation in Bethlehem for six years. She received her doctorate in archeological conservation in Germany and has dedicated her "whole life," she says, to the field in one way or another. She was born in Bethlehem to a Christian family, but grew up on the Mount of Olives in east Jerusalem. She describes herself as "a technocrat without a political background, an independent."
Immediately before giving an interview to The Jerusalem Post, Daibes met with the Hamas members of the Bethlehem local council. "They want to see what we can do for the local community, and to offer me their words of congratulations," she says. Making sure that local communities benefit from tourism is one of her main objectives as minister.
Daibes faces formidable challenges in her new job. Her government is divided and faces significant restrictions. She is responsible for the tourism industry in an entity that is not independent, has an ever-worsening image as a dangerous place to visit, and lacks territorial continuity or control over its borders. "We can't function like this, with the [international aid] boycott and the restrictions on movement" she says in her Bethlehem office.
The checkpoints and other restrictions lead tourists to prefer Jerusalem as their base, so they do not stay overnight in Bethlehem, she says. Even during the Easter holiday, hotels in the city are only at 20 percent capacity - which Daibes says is considerably higher than the usual 5%. There is a trend of visitors going straight to holy sites, the Church of the Nativity, and then leaving right away, "without spending a shekel in the city."
"Restaurants have shut down, taxi drivers are without work and hotels are in trouble because of the high maintenance costs coupled with low occupancy rates," Daibes says. Her main goals are improving the destinations' image abroad - "rebranding Palestine" - and restructuring the industry, including working closely with the private sector. In particular, she wants to increase the amount of time people spend in the Palestinian areas while visiting the Holy Land.
"We are counting on cooperation with the outside world to give Palestine the image it deserves and encourage tourism and pilgrims. Behind the wall," she says, referring to the security barrier surrounding Bethlehem, "they will find friendly people with a rich heritage and culture ready to receive them."
During her time at the Cultural Preservation Center, Daibes was involved in the rehabilitation of many historical sites, something that also encourages tourism. She plans to stick with this model as minister. She says Palestinians have neglected heritage sites, something she wants to end. "People are too concerned with daily life, work, and they don't realize the importance of the old buildings, sometimes. We are working to increase heritage awareness among Palestinians, including in schools," she says.
This type of education is increasingly important because of the restrictions on movement, she says. "Young people from Hebron have never been to the Old City of Nablus, and vice versa. West Bankers can't travel to Gaza," she laments.
She notes that Israel has a particularly high number of archeologists and says, "They are interested in proving their existence on the land." Daibes, however, feels that "all layers of history here, including the Jewish parts, are part of our Palestinian history. Judaism is the first of the three monotheistic religions and this is a place of three religions, a rich cultural diversity, a place of spirituality."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2007 00:00 ||
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It would help if certain people would not occupy the churches there and make messes of the places.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
04/12/2007 0:48 Comments ||
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"We are counting on cooperation with the outside world to give Palestine the image it deservesI believe the problem is that it has the image it deserves.and encourage tourism and pilgrims. Behind the wall," she says, referring to the security barrier surrounding Bethlehem, "they will find friendly people with a rich heritage and culture ready to receive them."and hold them for ransom.
Palestinians refuse to understand the Western preocupation with cause and effect. Having driven most of the Christians out of the holy places through a relentless campaign of rape, murder, and intimidation, they still expect Christians to come and spend money as if it were Disneyland. The only way Western tourists could be induced to return in any numbers would be for Israel to retake the West Bank and expel all muslims. Paleos are perceived as dangerous to the health and safety of normal humans.
#6
"Behind the wall," she says, referring to the security barrier surrounding Bethlehem, "they will find friendly people with a rich heritage and culture ready to receive them."
Sure. I think that's why the Israelis had to put that wall up. All those "friendly people"...
The new Palestinian Authority government will need 1 billion euros in international aid this year to "get back on our feet," Palestinian Authority Finance Minister Salam Fayyad said Wednesday. "We are looking for donor support to bridge the gap of 1 billion euros for 2007," Fayyad said after meeting with EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner. "This is assistance we need to get back on our feet."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2007 00:00 ||
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WND > Radical Iran may be waging a EUROS-based financial war against the West, in the hopes of destabilizing the US- and US-aligned economies, espec vv CHINA's Dollar reserves/T-Bills.
#2
And I, too, need One Billion Euros to regain my own financial stability. I can only hope that all of the above are equally forthcoming. Who are these artless fucks and why do they have an atom's credibility in the real world?
Posted by: Michael Corleone ||
04/12/2007 10:30 Comments ||
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#9
He sounds like one of those bums who gets you at a stoplight.
"Can yas help me out? Jush sho I can get back on ma feet...a millyun Uros ought do it. Cnmahn, be a good guy..."
As negotiations over the release of Cpl. Gilad Schalit appeared to enter their final lap this week, grave concern was expressed within the Israeli defense establishment on Wednesday over the growing rift within Hamas, which officials warned could jeopardize the deal and future contacts with the Palestinian Authority.
According to the defense establishment's current assessment of Hamas, the movement has split into three central groups, the first led by Khaled Mashaal, the exiled political leader based in Damascus. Mashaal, a senior defense official noted Wednesday, recently made a strategic decision to "lower his profile" as part of an effort to disguise himself as a moderate.
"Mashaal's ultimate goal is to take over the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and become the next Yasser Arafat and become the supreme Palestinian leader," the official said. The official added that Mashaal's attempt to turn into a pragmatist was part of a "devious plot" and that he had not really abandoned his radical anti-Israel views.
The second group is spearheading the revolt within the movement and is led by former interior minister Said Siam, former foreign minister Mahmoud Zahar and former Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri. The three enjoy the backing of many Hamas activists in the Gaza Strip, including members of Hamas's armed wing, Izaddin Kassam.
The "rejectionists" - as they are called - accuse Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and Mashaal of betraying Hamas voters by agreeing to form a coalition with Fatah. They argue that the Mecca agreement is nothing but a plot designed to remove Hamas from power. Both Siam and Zahar have privately criticized Haniyeh as well as Mashaal for signing the agreement.
The rejectionists are also worried that to retain their positions, Haniyeh and Mashaal are prepared to sacrifice Hamas's ideology. For them, the political platform of the new coalition, which accepts the Arab peace plan of 2002 and UN resolutions regarding the Israeli-Arab conflict, is an indication that Hamas has abandoned its radical ideology.
"Their major fear is that Hamas will do what the PLO did in 1993, when it recognized the two-state solution and launched peace talks with Israel," said one of Haniyeh's top aides. "The unity government has created many problems among the leaders of Hamas, but we hope that this will not lead to a split."
According to a senior Israeli defense official, the current rift within Hamas could serve as an obstacle for Israel in advancing Schalit's release. Hamas's agreement to the deal was essential for its implementation. He said Hamas was also trying to copy Hizbullah war tactics and draw the IDF into a fight where Hamas would have the upper hand.
The third group in Hamas is the most radical and is believed by Israel to be behind the drafting of the list of prisoners who the Palestinians have demanded be released in exchange for Schalit. This group is based in the Gaza Strip and is led by Ahmed Jaabri - the Hamas "Chief of Staff" in Gaza - believed to have directed and carried out Schalit's abduction in June.
"There is a split inside Hamas," Fatah legislator Jamal Tirawi, who represents the Nablus district in the Palestinian Legislative Council, said. "Siam, Zahar and Abu Zuhri represent the radical trend, while Haniyeh and Mashaal belong to the moderate side."
Sources close to Hamas said the tensions inside Hamas have had a negative impact on Haniyeh.
"Haniyeh is not able to make decisive decisions because of the opposition he is facing from top Hamas leaders and activists, who don't want the partnership with Fatah," the sources added.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2007 00:00 ||
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It's the Judean People's Front, the People's Front for Judea, and the one I hope they all emulate, the Judean People's Suicide Squad. What's “Israelis Go Home” in bad Hebrew?
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
04/12/2007 7:02 Comments ||
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#8
the "factions" are a fiction to let us pretend there are "moderates" in this bunch to negotiate with/financially support. Make em support the existence of Israel, publicly, before we acknowledge they even exist
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/12/2007 22:10 Comments ||
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#9
You say "fahction", I say "fihction", fahction, fihction, let's call the whole thing off!
Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan, Ali Awad Al-Asseri, has emphasised the need for unity among the Muslim Ummah to effectively respond to the propaganda against Islam and the Muslims.
Addressing the opening ceremony of the 19th International Muslim Cultural Exhibition at the International Islamic University (IIU) here on Wednesday, Al-Asseri said the 9/11 terror attacks in the US had badly damaged the image of Muslims as a peaceful community. Those with vested interests started dubbing Islam as a faith promoting religious intolerance and extremism after the 9/11 attacks, thus forcing many hardships on Muslims the world over, he added.
He said it was the combined responsibility of Muslims to represent Islam as a religion that promotes peace and tolerance and denounces destruction and bloodshed. He appreciated the IIU for organising the cultural exhibition as it showed the world that Muslims were not opposed to the promotion of cultures, adding that the exhibition would help IIU students understand the cultures of various Islamic countries.
Speaking on the occasion, IIU President Dr Anwar Hussain Siddiqui said the universitys Islamic character would be maintained and that Arabic would continue to be taught as a compulsory language at the institution.
He said the establishment of a medical faculty and a hospital at the university were in the pipeline, and that a new mosque was being constructed at the universitys men campus and had been named the Shah Abdullah Mosque in homage to the Saudi king for his valuable services to the Ummah.
Dr Siddiqui said that 10,000 students were currently enrolled at the university and that the number would swell to around 30,000 in the next 10 years.
IIU Vice President Dr Hassan Khalifa, Dr Hussain Piracha and Dr Nasim Shah Shirazi also spoke to the audience, which included ambassadors and diplomats, university teachers and numerous students.
University students from 27 Islamic countries had setup stalls to present various aspects of their cultures and traditions. Jordan, Somalia, Nigeria, Nepal, Yemen, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan were some of the countries represented on the stalls.
On the second day of the exhibition, a cultural night will be held where students will perform dramas and other art forms. A prize distribution ceremony will also be held on the same day.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2007 00:00 ||
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"Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan, Ali Awad Al-Asseri, has emphasised the need for unity among the Muslim Ummah to effectively respond to the propaganda against Islam and Muslims."
Of course Muslims define anti-Islamic propaganda as any facts which expose Islam as the menacing cult that it is, like this link:
#2
You know, if the hajjis just lay off the whole "death to the infidel" schtick for a generation or two, we will go back to sleep. During the subsequent quiet time, they could gin up all the nukes and whatnot they need to cow us.
Fortuantely for us, our own willful stupidity is equaled or exceeded by the sheer mindless stupid ferocity of the Islamonutz. They cannot put off immidate gratification for a potentialy greater reward.
Posted by: Helmuth, Speaking for N guard ||
04/12/2007 1:20 Comments ||
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#3
The Saudis have been very busy lately, pushing this line in all sorts of places.
#4
"...the opening ceremony of the 19th International Muslim Cultural Exhibition..."
And this year's theme is "Wetwear". Imagine the display materials the union workers get to tote around for THAT exhibition.
"...Muslims were not opposed to the promotion of cultures, adding that the exhibition would help IIU students understand the cultures of various Islamic countries."
Culture as long as it's Islamic. Britain, hear your phone rigning?
"...the audience...which included ambassadors and diplomats, university teachers and numerous students..."
The usual crowd.
"On the second day of the exhibition, a cultural night will be held where students will perform dramas and other art forms. A prize distribution ceremony will also be held on the same day."
The "purest" of performance art. No doubt the prizes distributed will include the odd pint of skin acid, gold-studded suicide belts, and truck flaps featuring the 72 white raisins.
A Beirut court on Wednesday adjourned for one week the trial of four Lebanese men accused of participating in a failed train bombing in Germany, court officials said. Meanwhile, Lebanon's top military magistrate Rashid Mezher issued formal arrest warrants Wednesday for 14 people suspected of belonging to al-Qaida.
The four train bombing suspects appeared before Judge Michel Abu Arraj for just 10 minutes before the hearing was adjourned until April 18 at the request of the suspects' defense attorney. Court officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said the attorney asked to move the trial from Beirut to northern Lebanon, arguing that the suspects' families couldn't afford transportation to Beirut for the trial.
Lebanese authorities arrested the suspects on charges of planting crude bombs on two trains at the Cologne station on July 31. The bombs, found later in the day on trains at the Koblenz and Dortmund stations, failed to explode because of faulty detonators. German surveillance cameras are said to have filmed the suspects as they wheeled suitcases into the station.
The suspects include Jihad Hamad, Ayman Hawa, Khalil al-Boubou and Khaled Khair-Eddin el-Hajdib, whose brother Youssef is under arrest in Germany in connection with the case.
Last month, Hamad, 19, confessed to planting one of the bombs. During preliminary interrogation by Judge Abu Arraj, Hamad said he was trying to avenge the publication of 12 cartoons that satirized the Prophet Muhammad. Hamad, who is from the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, told the judge that his aim was not to kill, but to defend Islam, according to court officials.
The head of Germany's Federal Crime Office, Joerg Ziercke, has said that the train-bomb suspects were also motivated by the June 7 killing of the former leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, in a U.S. airstrike.
Germany wants to extradite the suspects, but there is no extradition treaty between Germany and Lebanon. Lebanon has decided to try the suspects in its courts and defer consideration of extradition until later.
Also on Wednesday, arrest warrants were issued for 14 suspected al-Qaida members nine Lebanese, a Saudi, a Syrian and a Palestinian held in police custody for more than a month, and two Lebanese at large accused of carrying out terrorist acts, attacking people and weakening state authority, court officials said.
WASHINGTON - The United States on Wednesday ruled out releasing five Iranians held in Iraq, after Teheran warned it was unlikely to attend a May conference on Iraqs security unless they were freed. Asked whether the United States would consider releasing the five, whom US forces detained in a January raid in northern Iraq, White House national security spokesman Gordon Johndroe replied: No.
When asked for a longer response, he replied, "Hell no."
Johndroe also rejected charges from Iranian state television that the United States had severely abused an Iranian diplomat during a two-month captivity in Iraq. The United States was not involved in his detention, and any suggestion of torture is baseless, Johndroe said after Iranian television showed footage of Jalal Sharafis wounds and called them proof of US torture.
US forces arrested five Iranians during a raid in northern Iraq in January, and has accused them of seeking to stir trouble in Iraq and has detained them ever since. Iran says the men are diplomats who were working for a consulate.
Sorta like a "mosque", with larger storage facilities for ammo and a hidden safe for the Kruegerrands.
Iraq has said the ministerial level meeting of its neighbouring countries and world powers will be held in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt between May 3-4. We told the Iraqi officials that as long as the Iranian diplomats are not freed, the idea of Iran attending any conference along with the United States will encounter serious problems and obstacles, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told the hardline Kayhan newspaper.
Teheran has repeatedly called for their release. Washington has responded by saying they are being detained pending an investigation, although it has not announced any formal charges against them.
"We'll get back to you."
In the Sharafi case, Washington has steadfastly denied any involvement, and Johndroe welcomed his release when it was announced last week. But Iranian state television on Wednesday showed footage of Sharafi in hospital, his feet badly bruised and body covered by sensors, as he was visited by the head of the International Committee of the Red Thingy Cross (ICRC) delegation in Iran, Peter Stocker.
The United States, whose officials make claims about human rights, drilled holes into the legs of Jalal Sharafi and there were signs of damage to his nose and neck, state television said.
Holes in his legs? Only Imperial stormtroopers are so precise.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/12/2007 00:00 ||
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Holly sh*t,,,,?? BALLS??? "HELL NO" was the answer????? Holly sh*t.
Excuse my french but I was really worried after the British Debacle and when we released the Iranian Diplomat I thought it was the sign we were DONE and just bluffing.
This kind of responce makes me wonder hmmm with the news of the last couple months (nobodys is covering past blurps) I gotta wonder,,,, does Bush still have his game face on just playing it smart (Iran is not a push over they got a serious conventional force that given first strike could bring some hurt)?
#2
How nice to see that the United States has not committed itself to an entirely emasculated condition. It's long past tea or even supper for Iran to be nursing the very hindmost tit.
#3
Dubya isn't gonna stop entrenching ala "FORTRESS ME" mode - it is for Moud, Mullacracy, and even the People of Radical Iran to decide how any and all = their Nation will react and survive agz Dubya containing, isolating,+ surrounding 'em wid pro-US/West/Moder regional democracies protected by Amer firepower. IOW, DUBYA IS ALL BUT OFFICIALLY DARING IRAN TO DO SOMETHING.
#4
There's gotta be some footage of this guy walking to the airplane with a spring in his step or something I suppose. This thing where they beat the soles of a guy's feet is a very muslim sort of thing. Not the kind of thing most westerners would think of.
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
04/12/2007 9:04 Comments ||
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#7
Mixed messages here. A captive Iranian with a diplomatic passport was released by US authorities one day after the release of the UK hostages. And, Gitmo prisoners of jihad are being sent back to terror at an alarming rate.
A senior Russian legislator warned Lebanon's opposition Wednesday that its "forceful, shortsighted approach" would cause the UN Security Council to establish an international tribunal to try suspects in the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri unilaterally. Mikhail Margelov, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the upper chamber of the Russian Parliament, told the Interfax news agency that he "regretted" the actions of the opposition and all external interference in Lebanese affairs. "The minority ... by resorting to a forceful and shortsighted approach, aims to hamper the work of Parliament and forbid the tribunal from starting its work," Margelov said. Russia is committed to the stabilization of the situation in Lebanon and to reaching a peaceful solution he added, urging all sides to respect the democratic process.
In a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday night, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora asked that the matter of the tribunal be placed before the Security Council to consider "alternative ways" of establishing the court.
In a telephone conversation Wednesday, Ban reportedly assured Siniora that he would continue discussions with council members "to study all options."
In a copy of the letter obtained by The Daily Star, Siniora told Ban: "I urge you to put this matter before the esteemed members of the Security Council to examine alternative ways and means that will ensure the establishment, without delay, of the [court] which is essential for the safeguarding of liberties and deterring further political assassinations."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2007 00:00 ||
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"Lebanon's opposition" meaning Iran's agents in Parliament.
(KUNA) -- Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said Wednesday there was possibility to resume nuclear negotiations under current circumstances in a drive to reach a deal over Tehran's nuclear program. "Holding constructive and objective negotiations should be on correct basis and without previous conditions," Larijani said in remarks to reporters.
He called on Western countries to consider their positions vis-a-vis Iran's nuclear activities. Larijani, who said Iran was keen on stability of the region, expressed readiness to hold "specific and constructive" and unconditional negotiations. Commenting on reactions of some of the Western countries which played down importance of the uranium enrichment on industrial scale, Larijani said "if they are doubting our ability in reaching advanced stages in the nuclear field, then why they practice pressure on us ... The visit of the international inspectors to nuclear centers will prove to the world our capabilities in this domain." He denied reports that Iran would withdraw from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT). "Iran does not wish to withdraw from this treaty and the West should not behave in a manner that will make the treaty loses its importance," he added.
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's recent announcement that uranium enrichment has shifted to an industrial scale had drawn criticism from some of the Western country.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
WND > Iran making BATTLE PLANS agz US attack, $$$ buying up support from Terror groups [to attack US/US interests?]; + NEWSMAX > RUSSIA CRITICIZES IRANIAN [Air] DEFENSE AT NUKE SITE - Un-announced Iranian DEFEX/MILEX disturbed Russian Technicians' beauty sleep.
#1
While following links to an article posted here I ran across another commenter's suggestion concerning Iran.
Our putative ally, Saudi Arabia, could put Iran on the ropes in a matter of weeks. Simply lowering the price of oil to where production became unsustainable for Iran to compete effectively would crash their economy. Yes, the Saudis would lose a few billion in oil revenue, but there would be an Arab solution to an otherwise intractable problem confronting the entire peninsula.
Clearly, expecting Muslims to solve each other's problems is a bit much to hope for, but these sort of solutions need to be aired so that this world can bear witness to how unwilling the entire MME (Muslim Middle East) is in regard to dealing with its own issues.
Only by highlighting these sort of untapped solutions can it be made clear why repeated military intervention will become a necessary pattern of events.
#2
The Saudis are following their own slow-bleed strategy, much like that advocated by their agent, Rep. Murtha.
Posted by: Jonathan ||
04/12/2007 14:58 Comments ||
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#3
Why not just have the Saudis lower the price of oil and the US could give them $$$ on the side somehow to make up for it? Saudia Arabia doesn't get hurt, the US doesn't change its status quo, and Iran takes it in the teeth.
#6
preparing Iran's battle plans for a conflict past 20-30 minutes might be a wasted effort
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/12/2007 20:11 Comments ||
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#7
Last month the Jewish state engaged in a nationwide wartime drill, acting out responses to various wartime scenarios, including salvos of chemical-tipped missiles and major terrorist attacks.
Palestinian use of WMDs would be catastrophic for them and for those who supplied the chemicals / rockets.
#8
Palestinian use of WMDs would be catastrophic for them and for those who supplied the chemicals / rockets.
I dearly hope so, RWV. At that point, Israel could finally expel every single Palestinian, breathing or not, to surrounding Arab nations and be done with this farce once and for all. Absolutely NO ONE amongst the Muslims really wants an end to this festering Middle East wound. Should the Palestinians cross that point of no return by using WMDs of any sort and we all know they will the instant that they can then they forfeit even the current pretense of entitlement.
The Palestinians somehow manage to epitomize all of the malignancy which we can expect from Islam in general. No easy task, they nonetheless manage with an almost effortless ease to concentrate all the venom, bile and vitriol which Islam has in such abundance and then distill it into a concentrated locus of genocidal hatred.
The Palestinians using WMDs against Israel is a foregone conclusion. It's only a question of which other Muslim majority country is irrational enough to provide them these foul arms that remains to be seen. May all involved in such a nefarious scheme perish from the face of this earth.
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John McCain has rolled the dice on Iraq. Linked to the unpopular four-year war and his presidential campaign floundering, the Republican had little choice but to embrace the conflict anew. "It is necessary and just," the Arizona senator said Wednesday, demanding that the U.S. strive for victory and accusing anti-war Democrats, including the party's White House contenders, of valuing electoral politics over sound policy.
The federal cabinet was on Wednesday divided on the Jamia Hafsa issue, with Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) ministers demanding use of force and others supporting negotiations. Four ministers from the MQM raised the Jamia Hafsa issue and demanded action. However, Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao and Minister for Religious Affairs Ejazul Haq disagreed, saying that talks were under way to resolve the issue. The sources said after Sherpao and Haq briefed the cabinet members, it was agreed that use of force should be the last option. The dominant view of the cabinet members was to first exhaust all means to settle this issue without using force, sources told Daily Times. The sources said Sherpao and Haq were confident a peaceful solution could be reached. It was unanimously decided to give talks a chance, the sources said. Later, Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani told reporters: We have many options to deal with this issue, but the government will wait for the outcome of talks between Chaudhry Shujaat and the Jamia Hafsa management before taking any action. He said the law-enforcement agencies had been given clear instructions on the issue. He rejected rumours about a change in the government, saying that all institutions were strong and working well. He also rejected reports that it was the last cabinet meeting and a photo session was conducted on Wednesday.
Imam Muhammad Masood, brother of Jamaatud Daawa chief Hafiz Saeed, facing deportation for immigration irregularities, may apply for political asylum in the United States.
The new Palestinian Hamas-Fatah coalition government has brought many little-known figures into the spotlight, including the new tourism minister, Khuloud Daibes. Before accepting the post, Daibes was director of the Center for Cultural Preservation in Bethlehem for six years. She received her doctorate in archeological conservation in Germany and has dedicated her "whole life," she says, to the field in one way or another. She was born in Bethlehem to a Christian family, but grew up on the Mount of Olives in east Jerusalem. She describes herself as "a technocrat without a political background, an independent." 
The new Palestinian Authority government will need 1 billion euros in international aid this year to "get back on our feet," Palestinian Authority Finance Minister Salam Fayyad said Wednesday. "We are looking for donor support to bridge the gap of 1 billion euros for 2007," Fayyad said after meeting with EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner. "This is assistance we need to get back on our feet."
According to the defense establishment's current assessment of Hamas, the movement has split into three central groups, the first led by Khaled Mashaal, the exiled political leader based in Damascus. Mashaal, a senior defense official noted Wednesday, recently made a strategic decision to "lower his profile" as part of an effort to disguise himself as a moderate. 
The rejectionists are also worried that to retain their positions, Haniyeh and Mashaal are prepared to sacrifice Hamas's ideology. For them, the political platform of the new coalition, which accepts the Arab peace plan of 2002 and UN resolutions regarding the Israeli-Arab conflict, is an indication that Hamas has abandoned its radical ideology. 
