[Dawn] Afghanistan will accept a Taliban office in Qatar to help peace talks but no foreign power can get involved in the process without its consent, the government's peace council said, as efforts gather pace to find a solution to the 10-year war.
Afghanistan's High Peace Council, in a note to foreign missions, has set out ground rules for engaging the Taliban after Kabul grew concerned that the United States and Qatar, helped by Germany, had secretly agreed with the Taliban to open an office in the Qatari capital, Doha.
It said that negotiations with the Taliban could only begin after they stopped violence against civilians, cut ties to al-Qaeda, and accepted the Afghan constitution which guarantees civil rights and liberties, including rights for women.
The council, according to a copy of the 11-point note made available to Rooters, also said any grinding of the peace processor with the Taliban would have to have the support of Pakistain since members of the turban group were based there.
"The Islamic Theocratic Republic of Afghanistan is in agreement regarding the opening of an office for the armed opposition, but only to move forward the grinding of the peace processor and conduct negotiations," the council said.
The government would prefer such an office in either Soddy Arabia or Turkey, both of which it is close to, but was not averse to Doha as long as the authority of the Afghan state was not eroded and the office was only established for talks, officials said.
"We are saying Saudi or Turkey are preferable, we are not saying it has to be there only.
The only condition is it should be in an Islamic country," said a government official.
President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... 's administration recalled its ambassador from Doha last week, apparently angry that it had been kept in the dark about the latest round of negotiations with the turban group.
Officials said Kabul was also deeply concerned about reports that the United States was considering the transfer of a small number of Afghan prisoners from Guantanamo Bay military prison to Doha as a prelude to the talks.
"We are a sovereign country, we have laws. How can you transfer our prisoners from one country to another. Already it's a violation to have them in Guantanamo Bay," the official said.
The Afghan government wanted the prisoners to be returned to its custody, the official said.
Rooters reported this month that the United States was considering the transfer of an unspecified number of Taliban prisoners from Guantanamo Bay into Afghan government custody as part of accelerating, high-stakes diplomacy.
"We have no problem with this. In fact we have been demanding this for a while. These are Afghan prisoners," said the official, who declined to be identified.
The tension between the Karzai administration and the United States over engaging the Taliban underscores the challenges of seeking a political settlement as the West prepares to withdraw most combat troops from the country by 2014.
Efforts to engage the turban group have faced a string of setbacks, the most recent being the liquidation of the head of the peace council and former president, Burhanuddin Rabbani ... the gentlemanly murdered legitimate president of Afghanistan... , in September at the hands of a jacket wallah who pretended to be a Taliban emissary.
Hardening of Positions
It led to a hardening of positions with Karzai saying the government could not talk to suicide bombers and that there should be an address for the Taliban so that negotiators know they are talking to the right representatives.
"We are committed to the reconciliation process; the experience of the last 10 years shows no military solution is possible. Talking to the armed opposition is the key in this regard," said presidential front man Aimal Faizi.
The peace council, laying down the markers for engagement with the Taliban, said well known figures from both the Taliban and the government had to be involved in talks.
It said that "before any negotiations can take place, violence against Afghan people must stop and that the armed opposition must cut ties to al Qaeda and other terrorist groups".
It also said that the Taliban must accept the constitution and honour the gains made in the last 10 years since they were ousted from power, conditions that the Taliban have shown no sign of accepting.
The Taliban do not accept the constitution and have vowed to carry on fighting until all foreign troops have left the country.
The peace council said Pak support was necessary for talks to take place, another condition that makes the task harder because of fraught ties between the United States and Pakistain which fears it is being shut out of the process.
Opening a Taliban office in a third country itself is seen as a way to create distance from Pakistain which has longstanding ties to the turban group.
But the government official said he did not think the peace council had laid down such tough conditions that the talks would fail even before they started.
"We don't think it's a deal breaker. We are quite optimistic," he said.
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12/27/2011 00:00 ||
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An Ethiopian court sentenced two Swedish journalists to 11 years in prison for helping and promoting the outlawed Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) rebel group and entering the country illegally.
Reporter Martin Schibbye and photographer Johan Persson were arrested in July after they entered the Ogaden province from Somalia's Puntland region with ONLF fighters.
Judge Shemsu Sirgaga told the court, "The court has sentenced both defendants to 11 years. We have heard both cases ... and we believe this is an appropriate sentence." He said the convictions warranted a sentence of up to 14 and a half years, but noted good behavior on the part of the journalists. The prosecution had asked for 18 and a half years.
The two Swedes had also been charged with terrorism but were acquitted in November on that count, as the court did not believe they were involved in carrying out any attacks. They did admit to crossing the border without a permit.
Last week's guilty verdicts had sparked widespread anger in Swedish media and accusations the case was political. Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said last week Sweden was very concerned about the judgment and the journalists should be freed as soon as possible.
#2
I gather that Ogaden is the equivalent of Aztlan in the US. Somali Muslims entered the Christian country of Ethiopia as illegal aliens, concentrated in the Ogaden region, and are now demanding to carve away a chunk of Ethiopia and declare it their own Muslim nation.
The Ethiopian mistake was first permitting this, and then tolerating it.
The pyramids at Giza are the most stunning sight I have ever seen.
True, their lonely eminence is threatened by Cairo's unlicensed building sprawl, with half completed houses inching their way towards them.
Surveying them at night as the calls to prayer multiplied into a thunder of sound from central Cairo already told me a few years back what was coming.
For now members of the Nour (The Light) Salafist party, which won 20 per cent of the vote in recent elections, are talking about putting an end to the 'idolatry' represented by the pyramids.
This means destruction - along the lines essayed by the Afghan Taliban who blew up the Banyam Buddhas - or 'concealment' by covering them with wax. Tourists would presumably see great blobs rather than the perfectly carved steps.
#7
The only way you're gonna get rid of the pyramids is to disassemble them. It would have been much wiser to have "found some evidence" that Mohammad had a vision there or something making them an Islamic Holy site.
What really bugs me is Muslims spread across North Africa in the days right after Mohammad did his thing, and they weren't bothered by the pyramids yet this new batch of nutters can't handle anything, even a religion that is not worshiped any longer.
[Al Ahram] On Monday, the Salafist ...Salafists espouse an austere form of Sunni Islam that seeks a return to practices that were common in the 7th century. Rather than doing that themselves and letting other people alone they insist everybody do as they say and they try to kill everybody who doesn't... Nour Party's official Facebook page denied any relation to an anonymous new group launched on Facebook, the "Committee for the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice in Egypt." The party's denial followed controversy among social media users after the anonymous Salafist group used the party logo in their first Facebook statement on Sunday, despite insisting they are independent.
Interesting...
The anonymous group announced that the committee intended to preserve the morals of Egyptians in accordance with sharia
The anonymous group announced that the committee, similar to one in Soddy Arabia, intended to preserve the morals of Egyptians in accordance with sharia (Islamic jurisprudence). The success of Islamist parties in Egypt's ongoing parliamentary elections led the group to form the committee out of a belief that the majority of Egyptians allegedly chose Islam over "stinky liberalism."
A legitimate deduction, given the way the vote has been going.
The unknown group promised to use advice and dialogue instead of violence to impose virtue and fight vice in the Egyptian street.
Step 1: verbally point out the error.
Step 2: take out and use beating sticks.
.
.
.
Step n: Muslim paradise!
Many Egyptian Facebook and Twitter users have slammed the group and its statement, rejecting the idea of having a morality police that monitors personal conduct.
The Facebook page "We are the ones who said NO", which was initiated last spring by people who voted "NO" in the national referendum held on 19 March, which was marred by polarisation between Islamists and liberals, responded, in a humorous manner to the anonymous morality committee.
We "will F**k up" the people who want to create a Committee for the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice if they show up in the streets," the admin posted.
The morality group members said that they do not plan to reveal their identity until they reach a specific number of registered members.
Basically, when they can guarantee a big enough mob to avoid getting f**d up.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/27/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
As much as the Nour party bothers me, it's good to know that they are being confronted by moderate muslims, rather than non-muslims doing it.
[Al Ahram] A court ruling in protester Samira Ibrahim's case against the ruling military council (SCAF) for subjecting her to virginity tests in March is expected on Tuesday.
The ruling will be announced by the State Council's Administrative Court at 9am.
The court was initially expected to issue a verdict in the case on 29 November, but the ruling was postponed.
Ibrahim, 25, was among seven female protesters who claimed to have been subject to virginity tests after being tossed in the clink on 9 March when army personnel attempted to disperse a sit-in in Cairo's Tahrir Square. Ibrahim is the only one of the seven women to lodge a lawsuit against the military for the incident.
Two separate cases were filed on Ibrahim's behalf by lawyers from the Hisham Mubarak Law Centre, the Nadim Centre for the Rehabilitation of Torture Victims and the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights. The first case challenges the alleged decision to conduct the virginity tests, while the second challenges the referral of the case to a military court.
Ibrahim, along with 20 other women and 174 men, was taken to the grounds of the nearby Egyptian Museum where they were allegedly tortured. Several were released, but the rest were taken to Cairo's notorious C28 military prosecution facility where they were jugged. It was here that Ibrahim and the other women say they were subject to virginity tests.
Ibrahim told Human Rights Watch ... dedicated to bitching about human rights violations around the world... (HRW) that two officers had entered the prison cell in which the women were jugged and asked them which of them were married. The officers then informed them that they would be subject to virginity tests to confirm that they were not lying, she said.
"They took us out one by one. When it was my turn, they took me to a bed in a passageway in front of the cell. There were lots of soldiers around and they could see me," Ibrahim told HRW. "I asked if the soldiers could move away and the officer escorting me tased me. A woman prison guard in plainclothes stood at my head and then a man in military uniform examined me with his hand for several minutes. It was painful. He took his time. It was clear he was doing it on purpose to humiliate me."
Ibrahim also gave a full account of the incident in a video posted on YouTube. In the video, Ibrahim, originally from the Sohag governorate, said that she had come to Cairo to participate in the 25 January uprising. She was tossed in the clink by Mubarak's security forces and released. She was then jugged again on 9 March when she took part in the Tahrir Square sit-in.
According to her account, she was taken along with other protesters to the Egyptian Museum. When she arrived at the premises, she was greeted by an officer she didn't know. "He said, 'Hello Samira, I was waiting for you'," Ibrahim recalled. "The first thing he did was electrocute me in my stomach."
Ibrahim and the other women were accused of belonging to a prostitution ring and allegedly tortured. "They splashed us with water, electrocuted us and insulted us," she said.
The group was then taken to the C28 military facility where they were photographed holding empty Molotov cocktails, before being allegedly tortured through the night. The next day, Ibrahim was taken to a room with a big window, where men of different military ranks were standing. She was then asked to take her clothes off.
"I thought they would search me like they do in the army, so I took my jacket off," Ibrahim said. "But they told me to take all my clothes off."
Ibrahim requested that they close the window, but says she was beaten for asking. "I took my clothes off while the military personnel laughed and winked at each other," she said. "I wanted to die."
She was then told to lie down in order to be inspected by a man dressed in Khaki clothes. The inspection took a long time, Ibrahim said. "If he was a doctor, why did he need five minutes?" she asked. "They were trying to humiliate us so that we would never ask for our rights again or go to protests again."
Ibrahim was later tried in a military court and given a one-year suspended sentence. She was released a few weeks later.
Ibrahim also says that, since having made the decision to file her lawsuit, she has received several threatening phone calls from an anonymous source. "I received phone calls saying, 'Give up this case or you'll pay with your life'," she said.
Although the military initially denied having conducted the tests, an army general admitted in May that the incident had in fact taken place. Speaking to CNN on condition of anonymity, the general defended the practice.
"We didn't want them to claim that we had sexually assaulted or raped them, so we wanted to prove they weren't virgins in the first place," he said. "The girls who were jugged were not like your daughter or mine."
"These were girls who had camped out in tents with male protesters in Tahrir Square, where we had found them in possession of Molotov cocktails and drugs," he told CNN.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/27/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
I halfheartedly wondered if this was part of the new defense appropriations bill...
[An Nahar] Algeria has named retired general Athman Tartag to head up the country's fight against armed myrmidons, the daily El Watan reported Monday.
Tartag, who is also known as General Bachir, is in his 60s and has previously run the country's internal security service, the DSI, on an interim basis after the death of its chief in 2007.
The paper said the general had been named to "eradicate the last groups of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb still surviving in the north of the country and to prevent any proliferation of terrorism on the borders with Libya, Niger and Mali."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/27/2011 00:00 ||
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Libya's Defense Minister Osama al-Juwali has called on Iran to help the country clear mine fields, Mehr News reported.
Very interesting indeed. And suspicious...
Iran has high capabilities in this regard, Juwali told IRNA's correspondent in Tripoli in an interview published on Monday. He also said that Iran has made great progress in the area of defense.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Libyan defense minister said that his country has good relations with Muslim countries, particularly Iran.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/27/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
young Iranian children to be employed?
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/27/2011 10:40 Comments ||
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#2
wonder who they will give the great honor of paying for the mine clearing.
Posted by: chris ||
12/27/2011 10:40 Comments ||
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#3
Easy! Just drive a crowd of Iranians over the minefield. Problem solved! It's what they did during the Iran-Iraq war.
ALGIERS: Boosted by the success of peers in the region, a leading Algerian Islamist party plans to leave the ruling coalition before April's parliamentary election to press for constitutional reforms to limit the powers of the president.
And to put themselves in power, after which the powers of the caliph president will be limitless...
"We are for a caliphate parliamentary system, not a presidential system as is the case now, and we will campaign to change the constitution," Bouguera Soltani, leader of the Islamist Movement for Society of Peace (MSP), told Reuters in an interview.
"The final decision belongs to the Shoura (advisory council) which should take it by the end of this month. Personally I am with those who support the idea to leave the government and the majority is with me," he said.
The MSP's withdrawal from the coalition would not strip the government of its majority but the party has a big following among conservative Algerians — a large part of the population.
Islamist parties have done well in elections this year after uprisings which overthrew leaders of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.
"The circumstances that have seen the birth of the government coalition in 2002 are over. We need to find new ways to do politics," Soltani said.
Formerly known as the Movement for an Islamist Society, or Hamas in Arabic, the MSP was founded in 1990 by Algerian members of the Muslim Brotherhood and has been in the government coalition since 2004. The party condemned a coup in 1992 that forced the cancellation of an election that fellow Islamists FIS, or the Islamic Salvation Front, were poised to win. The MSP did not join the resulting uprising that evolved into a decade-long civil war in which 200,000 people were killed.
Arab revolts prompted President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to end 19 years of emergency laws imposed to quell the civil strife. He has also promised reforms that include allowing new political parties, liberalizing the media and amending the constitution.
Soltani suspects Bouteflika is not serious about reform and warned that voters would snub the ballot box in large numbers if political reform was not implemented.
Of course the head cheese of an Arab state is not serious about reform. Duh. Bouteflika is going to take care of himself first, his cronies second, and the country sometime after that.
"The regime is not serious when it talks about political reforms. It continues to rule the country as it has always done ... People continue to believe that the ballot is not the way for change," said Soltani.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/27/2011 00:00 ||
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(KUNA) -- The members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Monday "condemned in the strongest terms" the terrorist attacks that occurred in Madalla, Jos and Damaturu, Nigeria, on Christmas day causing numerous deaths and injuries.
They expressed their deep sympathy and condolences to the victims of these "heinous" crimes and their families, and to the Nigerian people and Government. They reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is "criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of its motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed, and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group.
"They reaffirmed the need to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... , threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts and reminded States that they must ensure that measures taken to combat terrorism comply with all their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. , refugee and humanitarian law.
They underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice, and urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the Nigerian authorities in this regard.
They reiterated their determination to combat all forms of terrorism, in accordance with its responsibilities under the UN Charter.
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12/27/2011 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] The United States is considering Yemeni President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it... 's request to visit, but would only grant him entry for "legitimate" medical treatment, a senior U.S. official said Monday.
Officials also said President Barack Ready to Rule from Day One Obama's top anti-terror advisor John Brennan called Yemeni Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi on Sunday to urge "maximum restraint" after forces backing Saleh killed 13 demonstrators.
Saleh, set to stand down after a presidential election in February, said on Saturday he wanted to visit the United States, though was not seeking treatment for wounds sustained in an attack on his palace in June.
But a senior U.S. official said Monday that Saleh's office had contacted the U.S. embassy in Sanaa and said the president did want to go to the United States to seek "specialized medical treatment."
"The request for approval for President-for-Life Saleh ... exemplifying the Arab's propensity to combine brutality with incompetence... to travel to the United States is currently under consideration," the official said on condition of anonymity.
"The only reason that travel to the United States by President Saleh would be approved would be for legitimate medical treatment."
U.N. envoy Jamal Benomar said last week that Saleh, treated in Soddy Arabia after June 3 kabooms at his palace, needed "important" medical treatment abroad.
United Nations ...aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society... Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon had previously said that Saleh would visit New York for medical treatment.
White House Deputy Spokesman Josh Earnest meanwhile said that Brennan called Hadi on Sunday to discuss the recent violence and the political transition leading up to the presidential election.
"Mr Brennan emphasized strongly the need for Yemeni security forces to show maximum restraint when dealing with demonstrations and called upon all sides to refrain from provocative acts that could spur further violence," Earnest said.
"Vice President Hadi said that he has initiated an investigation into the deaths and injuries that occurred and that he would do his utmost to prevent further bloodshed," Earnest said in Hawaii where Obama is on vacation.
Thirteen people were killed on Saturday in an attack by security forces and loyalists of Saleh against a march of thousands of people calling for the embattled leader's trial, medics said.
Dozens more were maimed.
Brennan and Hadi also agreed on the importance of the transition leading up to the election in February, Earnest said.
Brennan also said Washington was a "strong and fervent supporter of the Yemeni people" in their quest for security, political stability, representative government, and economic prosperity.
The United States is acutely concerned about further instability in Yemen, and the presence on Yemeni soil of al-Qaeda and affiliated faceless myrmidons who have posed a direct threat to America's people and security.
Two years ago, while Obama was also in Hawaii for Christmas, Nigerian faceless myrmidons Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who was trained in Yemen by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), allegedly tried to blow up a U.S. airliner over Detroit with explosives sewn into his underwear.
In September, U.S.-Yemeni beturbanned goon Anwar al-Awlaqi, who is believed to have criminal masterminded the airliner plot, was killed in what was apparently a U.S. air strike in Yemen.
AQAP has taken advantage of 10 months of deadly protests against Saleh to bolster its presence in the restive provinces of Marib, Shabwa, Abyan.
Militants linked to al-Qaeda control several regions and towns including Abyan thriving provincial capital Zinjibar, where they clash regularly with government forces and tribal auxiliaries.
On Sunday, gunniesrubbed out a local intelligence chief in the port of Aden in south Yemen, a police official said.
Colonel Hussein Shabibi was the latest security officer to be targeted in recent months in south Yemen in attacks generally attributed by officials to al-Qaeda.
Government forces are sometimes supported by U.S. drone strikes in their battle against the Partisans of Sharia, the al-Qaeda-linked thug group that took over most of Zinjibar in May.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/27/2011 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] The Soddy Arabian monarchy will be tossed by Qatar very soon, a leaked confidential conversation by Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem Al Thani has revealed.
According to an audio file which has gone viral on the Internet, the premier said Qatari troops would occupy Qatif in Eastern Province and the Al Saud regime will disintegrate.
"The regime of King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud is exhausted and powerless to control the country and the army cannot confront the future changes," he asserted.
The remarks were made as people in Qatif have been staging protest rallies to demand freedom and equality over the past months.
The Qatari premier also revealed that the United States and Britannia wanted him to report back to them on the situation in Soddy Arabia.
"They want to get rid of the Saudi regime while they are afraid of any new Islamic regime in the region," Sheikh Hamad said.
"Therefore, Qatar has taken advantage to transfer US military bases to its country," he added.
Sheikh Hamad said Qatar also has been able to gradually reduce the dominance of Soddy Arabia in the region and impose itself on Arab countries.
Qatari state-run news channel Aljazeera has refused to comment on the audio clip.
Qatari officials did not confirm the report when Press TV contacted the Qatari Embassy in Tehran.
This is while several Arabic-language new agencies have covered the story.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/27/2011 00:00 ||
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#2
Qatif is just up the coast from Qatar, about halfway to Kuwait. It is the most Shiite part of SA, and with Iranian instigation they were cutting up rough until the Saud cracked down on them, killing a dozen.
However, the house of Thani, that rules Qatar, is also Sunni, so they have no great impulse to help out Shiites.
This leads me to suspect that this recording is some Iranian audio editing, because they want to claim both Qatar and Saudi Arabia for themselves.
#3
I am starting to see a pattern here. Iran has been buggered up so they have turned to old methodology (planning and control). Look at their activities in the Persian (Arab) gulf (sea). Libya asking for help. More influence in Arab countries. The strait of Hormuz and Canal look like a throttle point. They have even said that should they be stopped oil exports they would act to shut all oil shipments in the gulf.
"By the pricking of my thumb something wicked this way comes"
#5
NEWSMAX > {Arnaud de Borchgrave] WEALTHY QATAR HOLDS KEY TO STABILIZING AFGHANISTAN.
IMO Iran is sensing many or most of the US = US-ALLIED? strategy for containing or confronting Iran militarily in the PG - its prob is determin proper levels + mix of resources [defensive] to defeat it.
FEAR NOT, MOUD, IFF YOU SURVIVE THE INITIAL WESTERN ONSLAUGHT VLAD = RUSSIA WILL SAVE YOU FROM FINAL DEFEAT WID HIS MILITARY TECHNICIANS.
As per below described ....
* CHINA DAILY FORUM > [Russia Today] US FEARS RESURGENT GERMANY, RUSSIA - RUSSIA TODAY.
THE TECHNICIANS ARE COMING, THE TECHNICIANS ARE COMING!
Iff like FIRST KOREAN WAR, VIETNAM WAR, + COLD WAR, any US-led strike upon Russian-manned "defensive" military points is an act of aggression agz Mama Russia + Iran.
#6
Yes, this is not new but joint efforts are a concern. China wants resources. Russia wants technicians in place. So Iran is building an Arab unity. I think at this time Isreal must feal tremendous pressure. That conflict is inevitable.
I hear so little about Jordan. Perhaps they haven't joined the Iranians love fest. The pied pipers of doom.
[Daily Nation (Kenya)] The eldest son of North Korea's late leader Kim Jong-Il has arrived in Beijing as Pyongyang prepares a state funeral for his father, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported on Monday.
Citing what it called a source familiar with Kim Jong-Nam's activities, it said he arrived in Beijing from Macau a few days ago and "has been placed under Chinese protection".
Seoul's National Intelligence Service said it had no information on the report and there was no other confirmation.
It was not clear whether the son would attend Wednesday's funeral in Pyongyang, Yonhap said. Kim Jong-Nam, 40, has lived abroad -- mainly in the Chinese territory of Macau -- for years after apparently falling out of favour with his father for trying to enter Japan on a false passport in 2001.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/27/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Looks like the desert table should get the protection instead.
Posted by: Steven ||
12/27/2011 1:56 Comments ||
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A series of executions and unexplained deaths since North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's son Jong-un was anointed heir to the throne in January 2009 were apparently meant to remove obstacles to the transition. Kim senior instituted several bloody purges to ensure his iron grip on power since he officially took over from his own father in 1994.
The most prominent example is perhaps the death of Ri Je-gang, a former senior deputy director of the Organization and Guidance Department and a close aide to Kim Jong-il who oversaw key military appointments for more than two decades. Ri was a bitter rival of Jang Song-taek, Kim Jong-il's brother-in-law and guardian to Jong-un, and was killed in a mysterious car crash in late May 2010, just a few days before Jang was promoted to vice chairman of the National Defense Commission, the North's highest leadership organ.
Ri Yong-chol, the second-in-command at the Organization and Guidance Department, also died of acute cirrhosis a heart attack in April of last year. "Ri Je-gang was the central figure of the old guard," a knowledgeable source in China said. "He seems to have been eliminated to boost the power of Kim Jong-un's supporters."
Economic officials have also purged. Pak Nam-gi, director of the Planning and Finance Department in the Workers Party, and Moon Il-bong, head of finance, were executed by firing squad in April and June last year. Hong Sok-hyong, who succeeded Pak, was relieved of all of his duties in June and his whereabouts are unknown. Ex-minister of railways Kim Yong-sam was executed in June of last year after being linked to a massive explosion in Ryongchon in 2004 that is believed to have been a botched attack on Kim Jong-il's armored train.
Key intelligence and public security officials have also disappeared while the succession was being assured. Ryu Kyong, the deputy director of the State Security Department, was shot early this year as he was considered a rival to Jang. Ju Sang-song, the minister of People's Security, was fired in March of this year. "Those considered as obstacles to Kim Jong-un are being removed," a source said. "Another bloody purge is likely after the period of mourning for Kim Jong-il ends."
The crosshairs are expected to be aimed at elderly military and party officials who could consider Kim Jong-un a lightweight.
They're going to purge everyone then...
Pensions are expensive, you know.
O Kuk-ryol (80), who was the central military figure during the Kim Jong-il regime is on top of the bucket list, according to experts. O was not appointed to any position within the Politburo or Central Military Commission during an extraordinary party congress in September last year.
The North's espionage operations against South Korea, which O had headed over the past 20 years, are now headed by Kim Yong-chol, who has emerged as a key aide to Kim Jong-un. Secretaries to Kim Jong-il and other elderly party officials also represent obstacles to Kim Jong-un. Kim Jong-il in turn got rid of his own father's secretaries when he took over.
There are views that Kim Jong-un's "reign of terror" has already begun. According to a government source, there were 60 public executions in North Korea last year, a three-fold increase from 2009. The North Korean government set up special riot police in each part of the country.
A year after Kim Jong-il was appointed North Korea's top military commander, in October 1992, he purged 20 military officers who were educated in the Soviet Union and had gained control of the North's troops. In April 1995, just after his father's death, he executed hundreds of soldiers when suspicious developments in the Sixth Army Corps stationed in North Hamgyong Province were detected. In 1997, when millions of North Koreans were starving to death, Kim Jong-il executed his then agriculture secretary So Kwan-hui in Pyongyang after accusing him of being a U.S. spy.
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12/27/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
See also TOPIX > NORTH KOREA COMMANDER WHO LED CHEONAN-YEONGPYEONG ATTACKS FIRED. Kim Kyuk-Suk, Commander of the 4th Corps, Chosun People's Army.
Seemingly or apparently so???
Also from TOPIX > CHINESE FM [Yang Jiechi] ASKS SEOUL NOT TO PROVOKE PYONGYANG.
Beijing may be a'doin that itself iff they declare the DPRK a Chinese province during the upcoming 2012 CPC Plenum.
* SAME > KIM JONG-IL GROOMED [for succession] SINCE EARLY 1970's: DOSSIER, ala communigues by then East German Ambassador to Pyongyang.
President Mohamed Nasheed yesterday called on citizens to reject religious extremism and continue to support the "traditional form" of Islam that has been practiced in the Maldives for the past 800 years.
Speaking at the rally held at the Artificial Beach by Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) "in support of moderate Islam", the President said that the party is accused of being anti-Islamic because it does not support the idea of marrying children or keeping concubines and circumcising girls.
He said that the issues have to be cleared out for the public by scholars and that relevant punishment according to the religion need to be written down in the constitution.
Oh? I thought it was all written down in the holy book...
He also called on opposition politicians and religious scholars to state clearly, where they stand on religious issues for the 2013 presidential election.
"Should we ban music? Should we mutilate girls' genitals? Should we allow nine year-olds to be married? Should we forbid art and drawing? Should we be allowed to take concubines? Is this nation building?" he asked his critics.
Seems that the people who advocate these things aren't into 'nation building', and the people who agree are happy with a nation built in the 8th century...
"This is an old country, people have lived here for thousands of years and we have practised Islam for more than 800 years. In 2011, we are faced with a question, how should we build our nation: what we will teach our children, how should we live our lives and what we will leave for future generations?"
President Nasheed expressed his belief that the Maldivians want "a better life, the ability to travel, not to have to beg for medicines, for each Maldivian to be able to fend for themselves, feed their families and stand tall."
The President said that the turn out for the counter-protest held by MDP compared to that of the protest held at the same time by religious organisations and opposition parties to "defend Islam" shows what the majority of Maldivians want.
"Some people are saying that the government is going against religion because we won't deviate from the traditional form of Islam," he said.
The President completed his speech by saying that the ruling MDP is clear where it stands; and that is with a moderate, tolerant form of Islam.
"asked you to come here in support of the middle, tolerant path. And I believe that most citizens want to continue our traditional form of Islam," he added.
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12/27/2011 07:55 ||
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"Should we ban music? Should we mutilate girls' genitals? Should we allow nine year-olds to be married? Should we forbid art and drawing? Should we be allowed to take concubines? Is this nation building?" he asked his critics.
Should we chase off western tourists who are the only source of jobs, foreign currency, energy and food?
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani ... Pakistain's erstwhile current prime minister, whose occasional feats of mental gymnastics can be awe-inspiring ... on Monday rebuffed the speculation that the government was planning to sack Army Chief Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani ... four star general, current Chief of Army Staff of the Mighty Pak Army. Kayani is the former Director General of ISI... and DG ISI Gen. Shuja Pasha, DawnNews reported. He thinks doing that will prevent the tanks from rolling. The Pak government is in the rather embarrassing position of having no tanks of its own to counter them if they do.
The reports about army chief and DG ISI were the latest in what has been feverish press speculation about a rift between civilian politicians and the military. It's been an amusing pie fight to watch...
"As far as the rumours that the government wants to remove the DG-ISI and General Kayani, this impression is simply a fools' talk," Gilani told news hounds in comments broadcast on television. "Even if we wanted to, we couldn't do it."
"It is wrong to spread such talk. If this was the case, I wouldn't have given them extensions.... I am happy with his (army chief's) work and I want to dispel this impression." "Otherwise they'll kill us all and replace us with turbans."
The government last year extended Kayani's term of office to 2013, while Pasha's term was extended to March 2012.
The prime mininster was briefing the representatives of electronic media at the Prime Minister House in Islamabad.
Rejecting the speculations in media circles, the prime minister said that he was satisfied with the performances of both military leaders. "Do I have a choice? It's be satisfied or live in London, dodging assassins."
"Generals are not sacked in a state of war," said the prime minster. "Unless they're losing the war..."
He said the rumours were spread by few 'opportunists' who were seeking their own political goals.
He clarified that he pointed towards Defence Secretary Khalid Naeem Lodhi and not army chief or DG ISI during his speech in National Assembly when he talked about "state within state." "There is no clash between government and military," he added.
Gilani reiterated that the parliament will complete its constitutional term regardless of him being the prime minster. He suggested that the opponents must adopt a constitutional way to oust him from the rule. "I am not a stubborn child," he added.
The prime minister said that all national institutions were working under the government's ambit. "We're just arguing over the details of which institutions are actually the government."
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12/27/2011 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] The ministry of interior submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court on Monday, in response to the statements submitted by Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani ... four star general, current Chief of Army Staff of the Mighty Pak Army. Kayani is the former Director General of ISI... and DG ISI General Ahmed Shuja Pasha in the 'memogate' case.
According to DawnNews, the interior ministry told the apex court in the 18-page reply that the Army chief did not immediately inform the prime minister of details regarding the memo scandal.
The government also said that DG ISI General Shuja Pasha should have first informed PM Gilani of his meeting with US-based businessman Mansoor Ijaz.
The affidavit filed by Secretary Interior Khawaja Siddique Akbar raised constitutional and legal questions over the Army chief and DG ISI's responses to the memo issue.
According to details, General Kayani informed the PM of General Pasha's meeting with Ijaz after a delay of 20 days. Kayani met with the prime minister on November 13, while his meeting with Pasha took place on October 24.
Similarly, in reply to DG ISI Pasha's statement, the federal government was of the view that according to the rules and regulations the ISI chief should have informed the prime minister of the issue before anyone else.
The reply also calls Ijaz's allegations "a pack of lies." Moreover, it goes on to say that a "piece of paper" does not pose a threat to the world's "eighth largest army."
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12/27/2011 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] One month has passed since the supply for NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... forces via Pakistain was suspended, DawnNews reported on Monday.
On November 26, after the NATO air strikes on Pak posts in Mohmand ... Named for the Mohmand clan of the Sarban Pahstuns, a truculent, quarrelsome lot. In Pakistain, the Mohmands infest their eponymous Agency, metastasizing as far as the plains of Beautiful Downtown Peshawar, Charsadda, and Mardan. Mohmands are also scattered throughout Pakistan in urban areas including Karachi, Lahore, and Quetta. In Afghanistan they are mainly found in Nangarhar and Kunar... , Pakistain suspended the supply to NATO in protest.
Pakistain strongly protested against America and NATO and claimed that the attack was deliberate.
Whereas in the investigation report of NATO, these attacks were declared unintentional and a result of mistakes.
As a result of the suspended supply from Pakistain, NATO forces are facing great difficulty.
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12/27/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Once again, the reasons = pressures for US war on Iran keeps mounting.
#2
This is how logistics generals earn their rewards, by figuring out work-arounds against efforts to cut logistical supply lines.
In normal times, logistics REMFs seldom get much applause, but when the pinch is on, they will move heaven and earth to get the beans, bombs and bullets to the combat troops.
#4
Visited the D-Day Museum here yesterday. The two featured items are a Higgins boat and a C-47, unsung logistical heros of WW-2, without which victory might well have been impossible.
[Dawn] The tough stance of Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... may block restoration of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) though Jamaat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) seems optimistic about the revival of the alliance, according to sources.
JUI-F provincial secretary information Abdul Jalil Jan said in a statement on Sunday that the party central general council had authorised the leadership to continue efforts for the revival of the alliance of religious parties.
He said that JUI-F central council comprising 400 members, headed by Maulana Fazlur Rehman Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty ... , met in Lahore last week and allowed its leadership to carry on endeavours for the restoration of MMA. Members from all four provinces and tribal areas attended the council meeting.
The MMA, an alliance of six religious parties, was formed in early 2002 that swept the general elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... . The alliance formed governments in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... after 2002 general polls.
The MMA was dissolved in October 2007 owing to differences among its member parties. Apart from JUI-F and JI, JUI-S, Jamaat Ulema-i-Pakistain, Jamaat Ahl-i-Hadith and Pakistain Tehrik-i-Islami were also part of the alliance.
A big shot of JUI-F told Dawn that homework had been completed for the restoration of MMA and the alliance was likely to be formally restored next month.
He said that Maulana Samiul Haq, chief of his own faction of JUI and head of Pakistain Defence Council, would not be part of the MMA this time. Maulana Samiul Haq, founder of the MMA, had also quit the alliance.
"The JI is very keen in restoration of MMA and leaders of all factions are likely to meet in Islamabad next month and will make announcement in this regard," he claimed. He added
that restoration of the alliance was possible before elections.
However, the difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits... a source in the JI said that his party had set tough conditions for rejoining the alliance and Maulana Fazlur Rehman might not agree on those terms and conditions.
He said that JI wanted to rejoin the alliance when government announced schedule for general elections while JUI was insisting for its immediate restoration.
JI central shura is meeting in Lahore on Monday that will decide fate of the alliance.
The source said that revival of MMA would not be possible unless JUI-F accepted major demands of Jamaat.
"One major demand of the JI is that Fazlur Rehman will not cooperate with the Pakistain People's Party in future," he said, adding that Jamaat also demanded 50 per cent share in the allotment of tickets both for national and provincial assemblies.
He said that JI also wanted new code of conduct for the restoration of MMA. He said that JI wanted equal share in the allotment of seats in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Fata because the party had improved its vote bank in both the areas.
The Jamaat-e-Islami has set up a five-member committee, headed by its central general secretary Liaquat Baloch, to finalise conditions and demands for rejoining MMA.
The committee, sources said, had finished its work and would present its report in the shura meeting in Mansoora, the party central headquarters.
The sources said that JI was also taking into consideration electoral alliance or seat to seat adjustment with Pakistain Tehrik-i-Insaf in next general elections. They said that it was very early for JI to rejoin MMA.
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12/27/2011 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] An Iraqi Shiite militia group behind the kidnap of a British consultant and his four bodyguards, and blamed for the killing of U.S. troops, said on Monday it would join the political process.
Qais al-Khazali, leader of Asaib Ahel al-Haq or League of the Righteous, said the departure of American forces a week ago meant violent "resistance" was no longer required.
"The sons of resistance have carried out their duty successfully," Khazali told a conference in the holy Shiite city of Najaf in south Iraq. "They are ready to sacrifice to participate in the political process."
Mohammed al-Hamed, front man for Iraq's National Reconciliation Commission, said authorities held a series of talks with the League of the Righteous' political section and the deal was agreed after the U.S. completed its withdrawal from Iraq on December 18.
"They felt the withdrawal is real, and there is no need to carry weapons," Hamed told Agence La Belle France Presse. "It has been agreed by the two sides to support the political process and take part in it."
Asaib Ahel al-Haq still holds the body of Alan McMenemy, one of four bodyguards working with British IT consultant Peter Moore.
Moore was released unharmed in December 2009, and the bodies of the three other Britons were handed over to British officials that year.
The group said in July that it would not hand over McMenemy's body, in a statement worded to suggest he was still alive. Britannia believes he has been killed.
Beginning in June 2009, hundreds of members of the Shiite militia were freed from U.S.-run prisons in Iraq after the bodies of the other three bodyguards were handed over by the beturbanned goons.
Suggestions that the gun-hung tough guys were released in exchange for the bodies of the three Britons have never been officially confirmed.
The group is also suspected of being behind an attack in January 2007 in which one U.S. soldier was killed and four others were kidnapped. They too were later found dead.
"We welcome all efforts by beturbanned goon groups to lay down arms and engage positively in the Iraqi political process," said a spokeswoman for the British foreign ministry in London.
"It is not yet clear if and how Asaib Ahel al-Haq will do this, but we reiterate our call for any reconciliation efforts to include the return to his family of Alan McMenemy's body."
U.S. embassy front man Michael McClellan said only that the mission "will not speculate on hypothetical developments," and declined to elaborate further.
Washington has charged that Asaib Ahel al-Haq and other Shiite militia groups are trained and funded by neighboring Iran, allegations Tehran denies.
Iraq's National Reconciliation Commission decided in April 2009 to include the League of the Righteous in talks with various groups in an effort to get them to join the political process.
Four months later, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ... Prime Minister of Iraq and the secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party.... opened a dialogue with them, but the group ended the talks in December 2009 because no agreement was reached.
This article starring:
Qais al-Khazali
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[An Nahar] The United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... ' top envoy in Iraq, German diplomat Martin Kobler, does not expect civil war to break out in the country, he was quoted as saying on Monday.
"The country is facing significant security problems," he said, pointing to a string of attacks since last week that have claimed dozens of lives.
But Kobler does "not expect the outbreak of civil war" although he said there is a policy deadlock in the country, according to an interview published in the Berlin daily Tagesspiegel.
The U.N. envoy said he was neither optimistic nor pessimistic about the future of Iraq after the departure of U.S. forces earlier this month but said: "I am realistic and take the facts into account."
"Iraq now has security forces and they are in a far better state than some years ago. There will be no break-up of Iraq."
Just days after the last U.S. troops left on December 18, Iraq was shaken by a number of attacks, against the backdrop of a deepening political crisis between the Shiite majority and the Sunni minority.
A suicide kaboom on Monday killed five people and left dozens maimed at the interior ministry in Storied Baghdad ...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate...
Last Thursday a wave of attacks across the capital killed 60 people, and violence in the provinces the same day claimed another seven lives. It was the deadliest day in Iraq since mid-August.
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[An Nahar] The bloc loyal to anti-U.S. holy manMoqtada Tater al-Sadr ... the Iranian catspaw holy man who was 22 years old in 2003 and was nearing 40 in 2010. He spends most of his time in Iran, safely out of the line of fire, where he's learning to be an ayatollah... called on Monday for the dissolution of parliament and early elections, the latest step in a political standoff that has stoked sectarian tensions.
The movement's parliamentary chief Baha al-Araji said in a statement that his bloc in Iraq's Council of Representatives wanted to "dissolve parliament and repeat elections."
An official at the movement's headquarters in the southern holy city of Najaf said Araji's remark "represents the entire bloc, and it represents the opinion of the bloc."
The call for early elections, after the last vote in March 2010, comes amid a political standoff that has seen Iraqi authorities issue an arrest warrant for Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi on charges he ran a death squad, and Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ... Prime Minister of Iraq and the secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party.... call for his Sunni deputy to be fired.
Hashemi's Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc has boycotted parliament and cabinet and the vice president denies the allegations against him.
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[Iran Press TV] A senior Iranian politician says the ongoing Velayat 90 naval drill aim to send a warning to the West that the Strait of Hormuz will be closed if Iran is threatened.
"The [Iranian] Navy's military maneuvers in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman indicate the power and dominance of Iran's Navy in regional waters," member of the Majlis (parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Zohreh Elahian said Monday.
The politician stated that military drills also aim to increase Iran's deterrence power and prove its regional dominance.
"The exercises send an important message to the whole world, especially the colonialist powers...and also show the power of [Iran's] armed forces, particularly [the country's] Navy," she noted.
Elahian added foreign media have admitted that Iran and its Navy are so powerful that if threatened, the country can take control of the Strait of Hormuz as the global economic and energy conduit.
On Saturday, December 24, Iran's Navy launched a massive 10-day Velayat 90 naval exercise, covering an area stretching from the east of the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Aden.
Different classes of submarines, including Tareq and Qadir, the newest ground-to-sea missile systems and torpedoes have been employed in the maneuvers.
Over the past years, Iran has made important breakthroughs in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing important military equipment and systems.
The country has repeatedly clarified that its military might is merely based on the nation's defense doctrine of deterrence and poses no threat to other countries.
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12/27/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Tubbs and Crockett in the Middle East Iranian Vice. Merry Christmas!
[An Nahar] Former premier Saad Hariri Second son of Rafik Hariri, the Leb PM who was assassinated in 2005. He has was prime minister in his own right from 2009 through early 2011. He was born in Riyadh to an Iraqi mother and graduated from Georgetown University. He managed his father's business interests in Riyadh until his father's liquidation. When his father died he inherited a fortune of some $4.1 billion, which won't do him much good if Hizbullah has him bumped off, too. on Monday said the 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... should seek a "no-fly zone" over revolt-hit Syria, stressing that "everything must be done" to stop what he called a "massacre."
"The Arab League should go to the U.N. and (seek) a no-fly zone (over Syria) and if Russia vetoes (the resolution) then a joint force should be formed with Turkey," Hariri said on the social networking website Twitter.
Syrian President "Bashar (al-Assad) thinks he can outsmart the vaporous Arab League and the world, he will fall so hard," Hariri tweeted in English.
Asked by a Twitter user to comment on Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn's recent remarks that Qaeda members were "hiding" in the Bekaa town of Arsal, which borders Syria, Hariri said: "There is only one al-Qaeda: it's Bashar's shabiha (militiamen) and killers."
Turning to Leb, the ex-PM said "dialogue about the defense strategy is a joke because you are talking to someone who doesn't listen."
Asked about the wage hike plan recently approved by the government, Hariri said he thinks "it will be harmful for the economy."
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12/27/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
And the pressure on IRAN = AHMADINEJAD also builds.
Be it the US-vs-Pakistan-Supply-Blockade, or Iran-vs-Arab-League-N-Turkey vee Syria, its interesting to see how external, third-party circumstances can induce a US-Iran war.
As per TOPIX + NORTH KOREA. i.e. internal Military-led coup scenario agz Kim Jong-un as early as this coming 2012 due to instabilities in the DPRK, DITTO US-CHINA WAR DUE TO KIM-FAMILY-VS-USS-GEORGE-WASHINGTON???
#2
BUSH 41 = "HERBIE" hoped that the Arab League would come together, + get or kick Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait widout need of any US-NATO intervention, but twas a no-go.
[An Nahar] Lebanese government officials should exert more efforts to distance Leb from the twin Damascus ...Capital of the last overtly fascist regime in the world... bombings that took place in the Syrian capital on Friday, otherwise the cabinet would appear to be adopting a lax approach in combating terrorism, reported the Kuwaiti al-Rai newspaper on Monday.
Widely informed sources told the newspaper that President Michel Suleiman ...before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Leb Armed Forces. That was after the previous commander, the loathesome Emile Lahoud, took office as president in November of 1998. Likely the next president of Leb will be whoever's commander of the armed forces, too... 's statements on Leb's rejection of terrorism was the first attempt to ease the government "embarrassment" in this issue.
They interpreted the remarks as an attempt to withdraw Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn's statements that al-Qaeda members had infiltrated the Bekaa town of Arsal from media speculation.
Shortly after the Damascus bombings, Syria accused al-Qaeda of being behind the attack.
The sources stressed the need for the government to adamantly deny any links to the attack in order to prevent the country from being dragged into the Syrian crisis.
They added that Ghosn should be held accountable for his statements and debriefed at cabinet in order for him to present the evidence of his claims that al-Qaeda had indeed infiltrated Arsal.
The Syrian authorities should also be made to present any evidence they have on the alleged infiltration of cut-throats from Leb into its territories, they continued.
At least 40 people were killed and 166 maimed in two deadly bombings against Syrian security forces in Damascus on Friday.
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[An Nahar] Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn condemned on Monday the sides that criticized his recent statements that al-Qaeda members had infiltrated the Bekaa town of Arsal, accusing them of attempting to question the loyalties of the Arsal residents.
He said in a statement: "My declarations last week were not a product of speculation, but they were based on information we received, which we thought was prudent to reveal to the public."
Last week, the minister announced that al-Qaeda members had infiltrated Arsal, shortly before Syria accused the group of being behind a kaboom that left over 40 people dead 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... on Friday.
The opposition slammed Ghosn's remarks, warning of attempts to spread the unrest in Syria to Leb.
Ghosn defended his statements, stressing that he was trying to highlight the dangers against Leb's security and stability.
"The criticism that was directed against me has been approached from a sectarian perspective, making it appear as if I was targeting a specific sect or the dignity of the town," continued the statement.
"We know that the Lebanese, regardless of their sectarian affiliations, reject and combat terrorism," he stressed.
"It's impossible for terrorist to find any shelter in Leb," noted the minister.
"Those questioning my statements are doing so in order to fulfill political purposes," Ghosn added.
The minister stated that the army and security forces are performing their duties in tackling the security situation, "which should motivate the people to support the army and its role in defending Leb."
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Dawn] Afghanistan will accept a Taliban office in Qatar to help peace talks but no foreign power can get involved in the process without its consent, the government's peace council said, as efforts gather pace to find a solution to the 10-year war.
Libya's Defense Minister Osama al-Juwali has called on Iran to help the country clear mine fields, Mehr News reported.
... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it...
The eldest son of North Korea's late leader Kim Jong-Il has arrived in Beijing as Pyongyang prepares a state funeral for his father, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported on Monday.
Prime Minister 
According to DawnNews, the interior ministry told the apex court in the 18-page reply that the Army chief did not immediately inform the prime minister of details regarding the memo scandal.
[Dawn] One month has passed since the supply for 
Maulana Fazlur Rehman
Nouri al-Maliki
Moqtada 
[Iran Press TV] A senior Iranian 
