Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said his government will no longer hold peace talks with the Taliban. He said the killing of Burhanuddin Rabbani had convinced him to focus on dialogue with Pakistan.
Former Afghan President Rabbani was negotiating with the Taliban but was killed by a suicide bomber purporting to be a Taliban peace emissary.
Mr Karzai, speaking to a group of religious leaders, said there were no partners for dialogue among the Taliban. It was not possible to find the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, he added.
"Where is he? We cannot find the Taliban Council. Where is it?" he said.
"A messenger comes disguised as a Taliban Council member and kills, and they neither confirm nor reject it. Therefore, we cannot talk to anyone but to Pakistan," Mr Karzai told the meeting. "Who is the other side in the peace process? I do not have any other answer but to say Pakistan is the other side in the peace talks with us."
[Dawn] International forces in Afghanistan have released new data showing violence trending downward in their favor, only a day after the UN reported considerably more festivities and other attacks per month than last year.
The quick scheduling of the news conference to unveil the statistics underscored NATO's ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... sensitivity about how the war is perceived back home as the US and other nations start to withdraw some forces with an eye toward pulling all combat troops out by the end of 2014.
NATO's statistics, released Thursday, show that Death Eater attacks in the first eight months of the year were down two per cent compared with the same period last year.
A small enough difference that it may or may not be indicative...
The UN report, by contrast, found that the monthly average number of festivities and other attacks was running nearly 40 per cent higher than last year.
Yes, that certainly is significant, and a significant difference from the above.
The UN study measured not only Taliban attacks but also assaults by NATO and Afghan forces on Death Eaters; it did not provide a breakdown between the two.
Because really there is no difference between the good guys and the bad guys? Once again the U.N. shames itself. One can conclude from that datum, though, that our side is much more active than previously.
The coalition cited methodological differences between the two surveys: The UN report counted a wide range of security incidents that the NATO report did not, including arrests and seizures of weapons caches.
Arrests and seizures are good though, right?
Nevertheless, both sets of figures confirm that Taliban fighters continue to display resilience despite US claims of advances against the bully boyz in their southern strongholds.
Plenty of Pakistani madrassah boys continue to step up the the plate, O Dawn journalist? Because I hear Afghan parents are refusing to send their sons to be chewed up in the ISI jihad maw.
The forces of Evil have opened new fronts in the north and west and have stepped up attacks in the east, including high-profile suicide kabooms inside the heavily secured capital, Kabul.
That resilience renews questions about whether the Afghan government and its Western allies have a solid grip on security, and whether the Afghan forces can ever secure the nation by themselves.
Especially while neighboring Pakistan keeps sending over what they fondly believe to be untraceable proxies to wage insecurity across the land.
In a briefing at NATO headquarters in Kabul, the coalition said the Taliban were relying more on roadside kabooms to fight the war instead of shooting at better-armed international troops.
Roadside bomb activity, which includes both kabooms and attempted bombings, rose 25 per cent in the eight-month period compared with last year.
Direct-fire attacks from bully boyz fell by 30 per cent in June through August compared to the same period last year.
"The actual enemy-initiated attacks are down," said German Brig. Gen. Carsten Jacobson, a front man for the coalition. "That is what we are observing as an indicator that actually violence trends are going down in our favor."
The coalition defines "enemy-initiated attacks" as all bad turban actions, such as direct and indirect fire, shooting at aircraft from the ground, roadside kaboomings and mine strikes. Potential or attempted attacks by forces of Evil are not included in this figure.
Since May of this year, the monthly number of these attacks has been lower than the same month in 2010, something not seen since 2007, the coalition said.
Moreover, the coalition said that in 17 of the past 22 weeks, these attacks were lower than the same week of last year.
"The important thing is that we are looking at a decrease overall in comparison to last year ... with a higher number of troops" in the country, Jacobson said.
Coalition officials at the briefing said the international force expected a 17 per cent to 30 per cent increase in Death Eater-initiated attacks this year partly because of the 10,000 to 25,000 additional coalition forces and 60,000 more Afghan cops compared with 2010.
In the first eight months of the year, 405 international troops were killed in Afghanistan --16 per cent fewer than the 483 who died in the same period last year, according to a tally by The News Agency that Dare Not be Named.
Jacobson said the coalition and the UN need to put their reports side-by-side to find out how the data is being compiled.
"This doesn't mean there is controversy or there is a conflict," he said. "It just means that we are looking at certain incidents from a certain angle and different perspective."
Indeed. Some might consider that a matter of concern.
Staffan de Mistura, the UN envoy to Afghanistan, also insisted there was no conflict between the different assessments.
He told news hounds after a UN Security Council meeting Thursday that the situation in Afghanistan had improved "in a purely military way," but at the same time there has been an increase in civilian casualties.
In a midyear report, the UN said 1,462 Afghan civilians bit the dust in the crossfire of the battle between Taliban bully boyz and Afghan, US and NATO forces.
During the first half of last year, 1,271 Afghan non-combatants were killed, mostly by roadside kabooms.
...none of which were planted by Afghan or Coalition troops. This matters.
That UN report said Arclight airstrikes conducted by the US-led coalition remained the leading cause of civilian deaths by pro-government forces.
In the first six months of the year, 79 civilian deaths were attributed to air strikes --up 14 per cent from the same period last year, the UN report said.
How many times does 79 go into 1271, O clever Dawn journalist? That's one measure of how many time more murderous your pet jihadis are than the Coalition and Afghan troops combined.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/01/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
If an unwanted guest is seeking the door, do not obstruct his path or delay his departure with meanlingless haggling, threatening gestures, or dialogue. Always leave an escape route.
[An Nahar] Protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square declared a sit-in on Friday following a rally to reclaim the revolution amid anger over the military rulers' handling of the transition.
Thousands had flocked to the epicenter of protests that toppled President Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... in February to demand an end to military trials of civilians, cleansing institutions of former regime remnants, amendment of a recently published electoral law and social justice.
Speakers at the main podium declared they would remain in the square until their demands were met, but some groups including the April 6 pro-democracy movement that had joined the protests refused to take part in the sit-in.
And the powerful Moslem Brüderbund stayed away from the demonstration.
Meanwhile, ...back at the buffalo wallow, Tex and his new-found Indian friend were preparing a little surprise for the bandidos... around 300 people left Tahrir and made their way to the Defense Ministry in the Abbassiya neighborhood and the army deployed troops to block them from reaching the building, a security official said.
Among the crowd on Friday was US film star Sean Penn, who was carrying an Egyptian flag accompanied by Egyptian movie star and political activist Khaled al-Nabawi. Khaled, Khaled, how'd you fall so low in life?
Preacher Mazhar Shaheen, delivering the Friday Mohammedan prayer sermon, vowed to protect the goals of the revolution that toppled Mubarak.
He urged Egypt's military rulers to activate a law that prevents members of Mubarak's now dissolved National Democratic Party "who contributed to the corruption of political life" from running for public office.
Shaheen also called for amending a new electoral law, which stipulates that two-thirds of parliament be elected on a list system and one-third as independents.
The aim would be "to prevent powerful individuals from controlling votes by hiring thugs to bully voters." Under Mubarak, influential businessmen associated with the regime were known to hire people to bribe or harass voters into picking them.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), which took power when Mubarak was ousted, laid out the timetable for the first post-Mubarak elections, which will start on November 28 and take place over four months.
Presidential elections are expected to be set next year.
The Democratic Coalition, which groups dozens of parties including the powerful Moslem Brüderbund and the liberal Wafd party, have threatened to boycott the vote.
They object to Article Five of the electoral law, which bans political parties from running in a third of the seats in parliament, which are reserved for independents.
They fear the measure would help return old regime figures to parliament.
Under Mubarak, candidates affiliated with his party used patronage or pressure to garner votes.
Activists say that a proportional list system would help avoid that because voters would be electing candidates based on a party's political platform, circumventing candidates' personal power and influence.
On Thursday, six presidential hopefuls, including former Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... chief Jerry Lewis doppelgänger Amr Moussa ... who has been head of the Arab League since about the time Jerry and Dean split up ... , issued a statement denouncing what they say is the military's extension of the transition period.
They called on SCAF to provide a clear road map, which would ensure that presidential elections are scheduled for no later than March 2012.
On the eve of Friday's protest, SCAF warned against any threat to democracy and national security and "those who seek to impede the democratic transformation that began with the call for parliamentary elections."
"Those who have called for the Friday (protest) bear the responsibility to organize and secure and protect all private and public property," SCAF said.
"Any encroachment on army units or camps or important establishments will be considered a threat to Egyptian national security and will be dealt with the utmost firmness."
But in a statement published on Facebook, the pro-democracy April 6 movement objected to the military's depiction of activists as troublemakers.
Military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi has repeatedly stressed the army's commitment to democracy, but protesters have maintained pressure on the military council he presides over because of the slow pace of change.
Thousands of protesters have gathered in Tahrir Square on an almost weekly basis to rally for speedy reforms.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/01/2011 00:00 ||
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[Tripoli Post] Former American Presidential candidate John Maverick McCain ... the Senator-for-Life from Arizona, former presidential candidate and even more former foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution... , heading a delegation made up of four Republic senators, the most prominent American delegation to travel to the Libya since the ousting of Muammar Al Qadaffy ...whose instability has been an inspiration to dictators everywhere... from power, said that Libya's revolutionaries were an inspiration to the world, and that he had full confidence in the country's new leaders.
McCain, on his second visit to Libya in five months, having visited the eastern city of Benghazi in April, said he was thrilled to be in Tripoli, adding that he had dreamed of returning to a liberated capital of a free Libya ever since that visit n April.
McCain, said the Libyan success in oust Al Qadaffy was inspiring activists in other countries.
"The people of Libya today are inspiring the people in Tehran, in Damascus ...The City of Jasmin is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. It has not always been inhabited by the same set of fascisti... and even in Beijing and Moscow," he said. "They continue to inspire the world and let people know that even the worst dictators can be tossed and be replaced by freedom and democracy."
He said his delegation's visit to Tripoli had been exhilarating and hopeful, and urged Libya's new leaders to rein in gangs and to press the hunt for the runaway leader, who is still on the lam and continues to rally his loyalists from his hiding place.
He expressed concern ...meaning the brow was mildly wrinkled, the eyebrows drawn slightly together, and a thoughtful expression assumed, not that anything was actually done or indeed that any thought was actually expended... about the proliferation of weapons and gangs, and said it was important for the country's leadership to continue bring the many gangs in the city and beyond it under the responsible control of its legitimate governing authority.
"It's also important to bring this war to a dignified and irreversible conclusion, to bring Al Qadaffy and his family and his fighters to justice, while ensuring that past wrongs do not become a license for future crimes, especially against minorities," he added
McCain's delegation, that included Lindsey Graham ... the endangered South Carolina RINO... (South Carolina), Mark Kirk (Illinois) and Marco Rubio (Florida), had meetings with the leader of the National Transitional Council, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, and other high-ranking officials, and visited Martyrs' Square, and a former Al Qadaffy prison.
Graham said that in their meetings, the Libyans expressed their gratitude and said they wanted to repay the international community that rallied around Al Qadaffy's opponents. He said there is a desire by the Libyan people to make sure that those who helped will get paid back.
McCain and Graham also visited Tripoli under Al Qadaffy at a time, in August 2009, when the Libyan leader was moving to normalise his relations with the international community. In that visit they met with Al Qadaffy and his son Muatassim and discussed the possible delivery of non-lethal defence equipment to libya.
In comments to the press, McCain said he believed that American investors are more than eager to invest in Libya. We hope and believe that they will be given an opportunity to do so," he said.
He acknowledged, however, that it would be difficult for companies to get started until the country is completely secure. Al Qadaffy loyalists continue to put up a fierce resistance in three strongholds in central and southern Libya.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/01/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
I would call such a declaration a bit.... premature.
#4
He's an idiot! Libya falling is not a slide to peace and democracy. Libya will soon have radical Islamic leadership spewing hate and terrorism. Next is Yemen. Do we not see that this Arab Spring is nothing more than a radical Islamic Blitzkeig across the Arab world???? Once the Arab states finish this mess they will unite in a crusade like the world has never witnessed. We will look back at Hitler as one of the milder maniac after the Muzzies are done.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
10/01/2011 14:52 Comments ||
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#5
Ye, but it is a lesson to every other dictator in the World, Pan: "don't give up your WMD!".
#6
McCain would have us handing free money to the Libyan Islamist government in power. Carter wasn't much of a president, but even he drew the line at subsidizing Khomeini after the Iranian Revolution.
A Turkish cartoonist will be put on trial for a caricature he drew in which he renounced god, daily Habertürk reported on its website Wednesday.
I guess the Turks have given up on joining the EU...
The Istanbul chief public prosecutor's office charged cartoonist Bahadır Baruter with "insulting the religious values adopted by a part of the population" and requested his imprisonment for up to one year.
Baruter's caricature depicted an imam and believers praying in a mosque. One of the characters is talking to God on his cellphone and asking to be pardoned from the last part of the prayer because he has errands to run.
Within the wall decorations of the mosque, Baruter hid the words, "There is no Allah, religion is a lie." The cartoon was published in the weekly "Penguen" humor magazine.
Turkish Religious Affairs and Foundation Members' Union and some citizens filed complaints against Baruter.
The public prosecutor's office accepted the complaints and filed a lawsuit against the cartoonist. One might also mention that the abolition of free speech rights in Western nations as guaranteed e.g. by the 1st Amendment is an official diplomatic demand of the OIC member state Turkey .
#2
I guess the Turks have given up on joining the EU...
They're still officially demanding EU membership, and after the next elections in France (2012) and Germany (2013) they're more likely than not got gain admission.
#4
I think a while back, the French political spectrum put its foot down and said that Turkey can forget about it for this generation, but if they can keep it together, in two or three more generations they might have a shot at EU membership.
#7
AlanC: This was then. Things change. I've long believed that the EU would become like an accelerated version of the HRE.
First split into economic blocs, the subdivided by geographical region, with the Euro government becoming increasingly meaningless. I doubt it will be a quick demise, however.
Countries don't exist for the convenience of their ruling classes or when they do they fail.
In Europe there are a multitude of nations and peoples and they are totally ignored by the ruling class on their narcissistic mission to rule over ever more of their lives.
WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD: A senior US official told Reuters on Friday that Washington would not send ground troops into Pakistan to attack militant positions in North Waziristan.
"There will be no boots on the ground," the official said. "That has been communicated to them (the Pakistanis)."
Personally I'd tape the note to a Hellfire being fired at a senior member of the ISI, but I'm not the most diplomatic of Rantburg moderators...
Pakistan and the United States have engaged in a diplomatic fusillade over the last week after outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen said a Taleban faction was a "veritable arm" of the Pakistani spy agency. Mullen's charges has added to anti-American sentiment in a country where a poll in June showed that almost two-thirds of the population considered the US an enemy.
"The prevailing view in Pakistan is that because of our alignment with the United States, our problems have increased," said Talat Masood, a retired general and analyst.
"America's view is the opposite: 'Because you are not aligning yourself with us, your problems are increasing.'" "This," he said, "is the whole dilemma at the moment."
In Hyderabad, about 900 people from a group whose militant arm has been accused of killing thousands of people, burned an effigy of US President Barack Obama and chanted "America is a murderer."
In Lahore, at least 800 people protested at the headquarters of the Jamaat Islami (JI). "Go, America, Go!" rose from the angry crowd.
Another protest in Peshawar drew around 200 people. They chanted "America's Graveyard -- Waziristan, Waziristan", referring to the tribal areas on the border with Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, a US missile strike killed three suspected militants in a tribal region near the Afghan border on Friday, a reminder of the weapons at American disposal at a time of intense strain with Islamabad, two Pakistan officials said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/01/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD: A senior US official told Reuters on Friday that Washington would not send ground troops into Pakistan to attack militant positions in North Waziristan.
Terms of reference, why are they so very important?
Because they might result in US casualties and bad headlines. That's why donks prefer stand off weapons. No risk killing.
Posted by Nimble Spemble 2011-10-01 07:56||
Point was, perhaps those that participate across the border will not be ground troops.
#11
Nor does the "boots on the ground" classification include any PMC or contract troops raised by the CIA. Or any indig Strike Force troops raised by Special Forces in Afghanistan, sent across the border. Or any of the Northern Alliance warlords that rent out some troops for ops across the border for a suitcase full of cash.
[Dawn] Anti-American protests by religious parties broke out in several Pak cities on Friday, a day after politicians joined in rejecting US accusations that Islamabad was supporting beturbanned goons. Don't let the American public forget how much you hate us...
Charges by a top US general that Pakistain's spy agency had supported this month's attack on the US mission in Kabul has added to anti-American sentiment in a country where a poll in June showed that almost two-thirds of the population considered the United States an enemy.
"The prevailing view in Pakistain is that because of our alignment with the United States, our problems have increased," said Talat Masood, a retired general and military analyst.
"America's view is the opposite: 'Because you are not aligning yourself with us, your problems are increasing.'"
"This," he said, "is the whole dilemma at the moment."
In Hyderabad, about 900 people from an anti-Shia group whose beturbanned goon arm has been accused of killing thousands of Pak Shia's since the 1990s, burned an effigy of US President Barack B.O. Obama and chanted "America is a murderer".
In Lahore, at least 800 people protested at the headquarters of the Jamaat Islami (JI), Pakistain's biggest religious party.
"Go, America, Go!" rose from the angry crowd. Another protest by JI in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar, northwest of Islamabad, drew around 200 people.
They walked a donkey over an American flag laid on the road, and chanted "America's Graveyard Wazoo, Waziristan", referring to the tribal areas on the border with Afghanistan that is a hotbed of beturbanned goon groups.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/01/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
I remember reading that people wishing a draft waiver in our Civil War would Knock their upper and lower teeth in the middle, Just exactly like the Picture, so they couldn't tear the cartridges open and stuff the load dowb their gun barrels.
Just how OLD is that picture anyway?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/01/2011 23:47 Comments ||
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[Dawn] Pakistain Mohammedan League (PML-N) chief Mian Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Müslim League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... on Friday called on the government to reveal terms of engagement with the United States in the war on terror.
Addressing a presser at Punjab House in Islamabad, Nawaz said, he expressed reservations over government policies in the meeting: "The government should reveal what is going on between Pakistain and the United States."
The PML-N chief said that he told the meeting that no one will respect our illusory sovereignty when we carry a begging bowl in our hands.
"I talked in the moot about our internal weaknesses and called for introspection," Nawaz said. He maintained that it was naive to think that there was no truth to accusations being leveled against Pakistain.
He said economic slavery has turned into a political slavery. PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif said that he proposed for a 10 to 15 years national agenda in the All Parties Conference held on Thursday. However the former premier refused to divulge APC details.
"No political party can single-handedly tackle the challenges faced by the country," he said and called for a collective national agenda for a 10 to 15 years period.
Nawaz praised Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani for his decision to call an all parties conference.
While the PML-N chief again criticized President Asif Ali President Ten Percent Zardari ... sticky-fingered husband of the late Benazir Bhutto ... for writing an article in an American newspaper immediately after May 2 Abbottabad raid.
Sharif said the issue of war against terror had been discussed in Parliament. He said that a committee had given recommendations to the government after five months, but they had been ignored.
He said the Parliament had also passed a joint resolution on the May 2 incident and a commission had been formed, but no one paid any attention to these issues.
Sharif said Pakistain had sacrificed precious lives in the war and the United States had not acknowledged the country's role.
The PML-N chief said that a committee should be formed to ensure implementation of the resolution passed by the APC. He said any negligence in this regard can be harmful for the illusory sovereignty of the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/01/2011 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] One of the men sanctioned by the United States for supporting "the most dangerous terrorist organizations" in Afghanistan and Pakistain denied on Friday he was a Taliban financier. "No, no! Certainly not!"
Hajji Malik Noorzai told Rooters he was a legitimate Pak businessman trying to turn a profit in countries as far apart as Afghanistan and Uganda, and someone dedicated to teaching children about the peaceful religion of Islam. Then his lips fell off.
The US Treasury Department accuses him and his brother Faizullah of raising millions of dollars for the Taliban, running an turban religious seminary and storing vehicles for suicide kabooms.
On Thursday, it announced sanctions on them and three other individuals, including Abdul Aziz Abbasin, described as a "key commander" for the Afghan Taliban-allied Haqqani network.
The move came amid heightened American concerns over the activities of the Haqqani group, which Washington blames for a Sept. 13 attack on its embassy in Kabul.
The United States alleges that Pakistain's military intelligence agency supports the Haqqanis. Noorzai, it says, is an example of how Afghan Death Eater groups have also managed to secure critical support from businessmen in the region.
Noorzai said he was dumbfounded when he heard the news of American punitive measures against him on television.
"We have no connection with the Taliban, no connection with the Haqqanis. We have no need for such contacts, nor do we have the kind of money that can help run such groups," Noorzai said in a telephone interview.
"I worked very hard to set up my business, God is my witness. I didn't give any money to anyone."
Noorzai says he is an importer and exporter of cars and machinery from the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Afghanistan, Pakistain, Kenya and Uganda.
He believes he is the victim of a malicious plot by competitors to ruin his reputation.
"We have business rivals, clan rivals. If someone in our area starts doing badly in business, they will try to malign others. I don't know who spread this rumour that we are connected with these groups," he said.
As a result of the action, US companies and individuals are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with the targeted individuals and any assets they hold under US jurisdiction are frozen, Treasury said.
Noorzai is based in Pakistain's biggest city and commercial hub Bloody Karachi, where security officials say Death Eaters raise revenues for their operations through extortion and kidnappings for ransom.
The United States says he has been breeding generations of Taliban fighters.
"As of 2009, he had served for 16 years as the chief caretaker of a madrassa (religious school) near the Afghanistan/Pakistain border that was used by the Taliban to indoctrinate and train recruits," said a Treasury Department blurb.
Noorzai says he is just carrying out religious obligations.
"Yes, we do have a madrassa, it is also a private school. There is no child there above the age of 10. This is our country, a Mohammedan country, we are Mohammedans," he said.
"It is our duty to provide religious education to our children."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/01/2011 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another Timothy Pickering ... on Thursday renewed calls on Pakistain to eliminate safe havens that Orcs and similar vermin use to launch attacks into Afghanistan, while calling for better US-Pak ties.
"We're certainly making clear that we want to see an end to safe havens and any kind of support from anywhere for cut-throats inside Pakistain," Clinton told news hounds.
"And we also want to continue to work to put our relationship (with Pakistain) on a stronger footing," the chief US diplomat said as US-Pak ties appeared worse than ever.
The Pak government and opposition leaders on Thursday closed ranks against increasing US pressure for action against the Haqqani network, refusing to be pressured into doing more in the war on terror.
The group, allegedly based in Pakistain's North Wazoo tribal region, was founded by former CIA asset Jalaluddin Haqqani and is run by his son Sirajuddin. It is blamed for attacks on US and NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... forces in Afghanistan.
Despite the "serious questions" that Washington has about Pakistain's support for orcs, Clinton said, "we have a lot of interests that are in common, most particularly the fight against terrorism."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/01/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Clinton said, "we have a lot of interests that are in common, most particularly the fight against terrorism."
Quite right! Unfortunately however, they view the United States as the TERRORISTS!
The Palestinian Authority has accused the US of "collective punishment", after the US Congress blocked $200m (£128m) in aid in response to President Mahmoud Abbas' bid for UN statehood.
#3
About time. The Palestinians have been making war for free during 60 fricking yeasr, that and living at our expenses. Peace in ME will not b when Arabs love their children more than they love theuir children but when Paleos will have to live from their work and pay for their war (that includes indemnizing their victims).
#5
Ala CHINA = STATE GUARANTOR OF NORTH KOREA, IMO the US Congresscritters recognize that the US-WEST, including ISRAEL, will likely be the ones primarily or wholly responsible for taking care + developing the new Paleo State - by this move, the US wants to assuage Israeli security concerns by demanding the Paleos formally recognize Israel + its right to exist, + both refrain from attacking them + prosecute those that do.
Iran's supreme leader rejected the Palestinians' U.N. statehood bid on Saturday, saying any deal that accepted the existence of Israel would leave a "cancerous tumor" forever threatening the security of the Middle East.
As leader of a country under a long-standing threat of military action from Israel and the United States, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned the Jewish state and its allies to expect "paralyzing blows" that a NATO missile shield could not prevent.
"Any plan that seeks to divide Palestine is totally rejected," Khamenei told a conference on the Palestinian issue.
"The two-state scheme, which has been clad in the self-righteousness of the acceptance of the Palestinian government and membership at the United Nations, is nothing but a capitulation to the demands of the Zionists or the recognition of the Zionist regime on Palestinian land," he declared.
Israel's U.S. ally has vowed to veto the Palestinian request for full U.N. membership, now being discussed by a U.N. Security Council panel, if it goes to a vote.
Khamenei's speech underlined Iran's support for groups that oppose Israel, including Hamas, the Islamist faction which rules the Gaza Strip and which rejected the U.N. bid presented by President Mahmoud Abbas as "begging" for statehood.
The 72-year-old cleric also sought to portray Iran as the greatest defender of the Palestinian cause, criticizing other countries in the region that have close ties to Washington. Two of these, Egypt and Jordan, have recognized Israel.
"Governments that host Zionist embassies or economic bureaus cannot advocate support for Palestine," he said in comments aimed, among others, at post-Mubarak Egypt with which Tehran is seeking to restore the diplomatic ties cut since 1979.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/01/2011 10:31 Comments ||
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#2
Similar to the leftie moonbats who complain that Bambi isn't 'radical' enough...
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/01/2011 11:28 Comments ||
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#3
I think it would be hilarious to start a rumor in Iran that, in exchange for nationhood, Abbas had signed off on a treaty with Israel, acknowledging their existence, agreeing to peace in exchange for continued water, electricity and fair trade at their border, and the expulsion from the West Bank of anyone who commits an act of violence against Israel.
Persians are so contemptuous of Arabs that they would believe it.
[An Nahar] Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Wally Jumblat ... Druze politician, head of the Progressive Socialist Party, who's been on every side in Leb at least four times. He'll sell you his friends for a dollar, but family comes higher because of shipping and handling... reiterated on Friday that he has advised the Syrian leadership to quickly implement reforms rather than cracking down on protestors.
In remarks to As Safir daily, he said: "The Syrian regime should adopt qualitative and urgent reform steps."
"This is my advice but they are free in taking the appropriate decision," the Druze leader said.
Jumblat's remarks came after he dispatched Public Works Minister Ghazi Aridi to Damascus ...The City of Jasmin is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. It has not always been inhabited by the same set of fascisti... where he met with the assistant of the Syrian vice president, Maj. Gen. Mohammed Nassif, As Safir said.
The PSP chief also denied that he had changed his stance on Hizbullah's arms, saying he holds onto his theory that the state should gradually absorb the weapons when the party decides on such a move and when the political and military circumstances are ripe.
But until then, the army-people-resistance equation remains valid, he said.
Jumblat stressed however that putting Hizbullah's arms under the control of the state is a must and would lead to the full establishment of the state by giving it the right to make war and peace decisions.
Asked what he meant by telling an Egyptian TV earlier in the week that he had a gun pointed at his head, the politician said he was speaking about the period when he was a member of the March 14 Those are the good guys, insofar as Leb has good guys... forces whose supporters were being targeted in bombing attacks.
"I was describing the difficult circumstances of the period between 2004 and 2008," he told As Safir. "I didn't intend to hint that I fell out of March 14 and moved to another position under pressure."
He also rejected being forced into proving his "good conduct from time to time."
"I am not in a position to sit at periodic exams or carry out blood tests to check my political choices," Jumblat added.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/01/2011 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
[An Nahar] Deputy Commissioner of the New South Wales Police Nick Kaldas slammed Hizbullah leader His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's The satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb... alleged accusations that he was a "stooge for Israel and the CIA" while investigating the liquidation of ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
"They're very, very hurtful, damaging allegations. No evidence whatsoever has been put up by him," Nick Kaldas told SBS journalist Yaara Bou Melhem.
He served in 2008 as chief investigator of the Special Tribunal for Leb probing the murder of Hariri, who was killed in a suicide car booming along with 22 other people including a bomber on February 14, 2005.
Nasrallah claimed in July that Kaldas over his investigation acted as a "stooge for Israel and the CIA".
"Firstly, there is not one skerrick of evidence to suggest any involvement from Israel or anybody else who's been accused by Hizbullah." Kaldas said, adding: "Secondly, if you look at pure motive, political causes and so on, I'm not sure that Israel or anybody who's aligned with them has actually gained by the liquidation of Mr. Hariri."
He blamed Hizbullah for the murder of Hariri. Kaldas told SBS in an interview to be broadcast on Sunday "You do get to a point in an investigation where you're satisfied that a person, or group or individuals are responsible for the murder. You do need to eliminate all the other possibilities and I think that happened in this case."
He also lashed out at Hizbullah's attack on key telecommunications evidence put forward by the Tribunal.
"It's easy to stand up on a podium and make really spurious, unproven allegations when you're not being cross examined on them. I think it's cowardly in many ways." Kaldas said.
In August, the court published a full indictment, saying it had enough evidence to put four members of Hizbullah on trial. The four Hizbullah members are Salim Ayyash, 47, Mustafa Badreddine, 50, Hussein Oneissi, 37 and Assad Sabra, 34.
Ayyash and Badreddine face five charges including that of "committing a terrorist act by means of an bomb" and homicide, while Oneissi and Sabra face charges of conspiring to commit the same acts. The whereabouts of the four men are currently unknown.
Kaldas confirmed that he believes that the case will move to a trial in absentia.
"The evidence is what it is," he said.
Concerning the witnesses, Kaldas noted that "there is protection for witnesses and I'm sure the office of the prosecutor will do all they can to protect witnesses."
Kaldas left his position in the STL at the end of his contract on Feb, 28 2010 to return to resume his duties as Deputy Commissioner of the NSW Police.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/01/2011 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hezbollah
[An Nahar] Iran's offer to halt production of low enriched uranium is not credible because the Islamic republic has a record of making "empty promises," the United States said Friday.
Iran's diminutive PresidentMahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad told The New York Times ...which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... last week that his country had offered to stop its production of low enriched uranium, which can be a stepping stone to produce atomic weapons, provided the West gives it the nuclear material.
"Ahmadinejad makes a lot of empty promises," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told news hounds.
"He knows exactly what has to happen. If Iran has a serious proposal to put forward, it has to put it forward to the IAEA."
The U.N. nuclear watchdog, or ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency, and the United States "can study it and then we can respond, but from our perspective at the moment, this looks like a diversion from the real issue," Nuland said.
Ahmadinejad said Iran wanted 20 percent enriched uranium for a medical reactor that makes isotopes for cancer treatment.
Western countries say Iran already has enough uranium for the reactor and that any additional uranium would be used to make weapons.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/01/2011 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
Iff the POLITICAL-LEGAL JIHAD succeeds, vee ARAB SPRINGS = JASMINE REVOLS, the US-West + UNO will soon enuff have multiple, NUCLEAR "ROGUE/
ISLAMIST" STATES to deal with than just Iran.
* PAKISTAN DEFENCE FORUM > IRAN EQUIPS ARMY, IRGC WID ANTI-SHIP CRUISE MISSLES, "that can sink GIANT WARSHIPS" aka US Aircraft Carriers + assorted heavies.
* DEFENCE FORUM/PK > [PAK can achieve geopol vital...] STRATEGIC DEPTH THROUGH UNION OF PAKISTAN, AFGHANISTAN, + IRAN: GENERAL ASLAM BEG.
#2
TOPIX > IRAN SAYS IT HAS PRODUCED MEDIUM-RANGED BALLISTIC MISSLE SYSTEM, for Air Defense, espec agz SSSSHHHHH the wily dastardly Zionist imperialist Air Forces of the US-Israel.
* SAME > IRAN EQUIPS ARMED FORCES WID ADVANCED MISSLES.
* SAME > IRAN CAPABLE OF MONITORING ALL FOREIGN NAVAL, AIR MOVEMENTS IN PERSIAN GULF.
* SAME > ANKARA: ISRAEL, SYRIA, + IRAN
"BESIEGING TURKEY" WID THEIR SUPPORT OF KURDISH REBELS.
The killings of U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki and another American al-Qaida propagandist in a U.S. airstrike have wiped out the decisive factor that made the terrorist group's Yemen branch the most dangerous threat to the United States: its reach into the West.
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/01/2011 17:56 Comments ||
Top||
#3
And the diminishment of the jihadis continues, however much they continue bullying the home folks and attempting soft jihad in the West. Let the wannabes in the West Dar al Harb learn Arabic or Urdu if they want to join the fun.
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.
[Dawn] International forces in Afghanistan have released new data showing violence trending downward in their favor, only a day after the UN reported considerably more 
Jerry Lewis doppelgänger Amr Moussa
John 
Lindsey Graham
A Turkish cartoonist will be put on trial for a caricature he drew in which he renounced god, daily Habertürk reported on its website Wednesday.
Anti-American protests by religious parties broke out in several Pak cities on Friday, a day after 
Nawaz Sharif
Asif Ali 
Hillary Clinton
Walid 
Mahmoud 
