...Hundreds of people, mainly academics and religious figures, are reported to have been detained in mass arrests since the beginning of this year. At least 100, including those named above, are held incommunicado, which puts them at risk of torture. Amnesty International is concerned that many may be prisoners of conscience, held solely for the non-violent expression of their beliefs
The government has given no explanation for the arrests, which have taken place in various parts of the country, particularly the capital, Muscat. Many of the arrests have been carried out at night and most of those arrested had their computers and documents seized. Relatives have apparently not been told why the detainees have been arrested, and none of the detainees is said to have been charged or given access to lawyers, or allowed to challenge the legality of their detention in court.
Mass arrests and incommunicado detention of political opponents in Oman has often resulted in allegations of torture and ill-treatment. Torture and ill-treatment are may be used during interrogation in order to obtain information about political suspects or for use as evidence in court to obtain conviction following unfair trials.
Kuwait takes on the ME conventional wisdom and authorizes its first political party! Congratulations, I guess.
Kuwaiti Islamists announced Saturday, January 29, the creation of the first political party not only in the emirate but also the Gulf region, with political reforms high on the agenda.
Kuwait looking for change! No longer bound by the status quo! Viral democracy breaks out as they watch their Arab brothers in Iraq break free from the chains of centuries of tyranny!
"We will work to set up a society ruled by the teachings of Islam. It will seek the implementation of Islamic Shari`ah laws in all political, economic, legislative and social sectors," the nascent Ummah (Nation) Party's spokesman Jaber al-Murri said in a statement reported by Reuters.
(sound of screaching brakes) Or not.
Women's legitimate rights will be guaranteed, in addition to backing political pluralism, peaceful transition of power, commitment to majority rule and rejection of all forms of political tyranny, added the statement.
No! To political tyranny! Yes! To glorious submission to the will of Allan, as interpreted by His worthy holy men (and a couple of shaykhs and a smattering of Emirs...and one big, gleaming, bejeweled curlytoed Turban...)
Kuwait is the only Gulf country to have an elected parliament, but women are not allowed to vote or stand for public office. The country's 1962 constitution says that both men and women are equal. But an all-male parliament, in seeming direct opposition to the constitutional edict, has adopted laws barring women from voting. In 1999, the country's ruler, Sheikh Jabir Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, issued a decree giving women full political rights. But the move was defeated in the National Assembly by 32 votes to 30. In January 2001, Kuwaiti court rejected a request by women rights advocates granting women the right to vote in parliamentary elections.
I'm not fully sure how an Islamist party plans to change this...
The Ummah party said it would endeavor to achieve political, economic and military unity among the Gulf countries to protect the region and to dispense with the infidel foreign military presence which threatens its sovereignty and independence. There are thousands of US forces deployed in Gulf countries, including 30,000 in Kuwait alone.
Threatening Kuwait's sovereignty each and every day.
The fledging party further added that the Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the world's largest Muslim body, must be revamped to support the Palestinians and other Islamic causes.
Cos the Arab League is always taking Israel's side, y'see...
Women's legitimate rights will be guaranteed, in addition to backing political pluralism, peaceful transition of power, commitment to majority rule and rejection of all forms of political tyranny, the statement added.
Only in Islam can wimmin have "legitimate" and "illegitimate" rights.
"This is the first party in the Gulf region," al-Murri told Reuters. "It presents the concept of political pluralism through popular participation," he said.
"Yepper! All male Moose limbs from the right familiies are hereby included in the Ummah Party. Everyone else can just...give us money and stay out of sight. Unless we need coffee or a massage."
Letters had been sent to Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, the parliament speaker and lawmakers to amend laws to allow formation of political parties, Mutairi added. "We hope that your government will amend laws restricting freedom in order to enable peaceful parties and political groups to operate freely," read the letter sent to the Kuwaiti premier. Mutairi said it is not expected that the government, which backs political pluralism and rotation of power in war-torn Iraq, will refuse to license this particular the party's formation. Political parties are not allowed in Gulf countries. There are some political groups operating in Kuwait, including a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic Constitutional Movement and the Salafist Movement. There are also 15 Islamists in the 50-member Kuwaiti parliament.
Anyone can see that the Allenists are certainly under-represented in Kuwait. Perhaps the Ummah Party can convince one of the lions of Enezi tribe to stand for Parliament.
The launching ceremony of the new party were attended by officials from the US embassy in Kuwait.
Gah. I expect better of Condi...
Posted by: Seafarious ||
01/31/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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Eh.
What kinda party can Islamists have? No booze, no broads...
A privatization of Al Jazeera may not change the content of the news but at least would take the heat off the Qatari government, according to the New York Times. Al Jazeera often has been critical if not misleading in covering the American military presence in Iraq.
The news operation has an audience of between 30 and 50 million people. It also has been the source for broadcasting tapes of Al Qaeda terrorists.
"We really have a headache, not just from the United States but from advertisers and from other countries as well, said a Qatari government official. The media complex has denied allegations that its immediate coverage of bombing attacks in Iraq indicate it has had advanced knowledge of terrorist activities.
Al Jazeera also reports daily on the Israeli "occupation" of Judea, Samaria and Gaza and generally portrays Israel in a negative light.
Arab countries also have been the target of Al Jazeera criticism, which has angered Saudi Arabia, Iran and Egypt. Qatar subsidizes the news operation with $40 million annually, one-third of its budget.
Posted by: Destro ||
01/31/2005 6:45:05 AM ||
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mhw - I'm not really sure how much relevance a "survey of almost 2,000 ad executives, brand managers and academics" can claim to have. And they were rating some nebulous concept called 'influence', not recognizability.
Think about it, Bulldog, you and I know about Al Jazeera, even though we don't watch it. And I think the sample group is indeed appropriate -- who would be more concerned with which brands are most recognized and/or influential? Both are critical realities in their eyes -- recognized is for selling product, but influential is for placing ads where they do the most good.
P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News Saleh Al-Asheikh, minister of Islamic affairs and endowments, yesterday called upon religious scholars, intellectuals, academics and writers to stand together with the government in its fight against terrorism and extremism. "You have a great responsibility in enlightening the youth on confronting deviant thoughts," the minister said on the occasion of the international anti-terrorism conference in Riyadh and the nationwide anti-terror campaign.
In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency, Al-Asheikh also urged all Saudis and expatriates to support security forces in their bid to defeat the "deviant group" from realizing its nasty goals. He was referring to Al-Qaeda terror network which has carried out a series of bombings and shootings across the Kingdom since May 2003 killing more than 100 people. Crown Prince Abdullah is scheduled to open the four-day anti-terror conference on Saturday at the newly established King Abdul Aziz Convention Center in the capital. Delegates from 49 countries, including the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Russia, as well as representatives of several international organizations are expected to take part.
The conference, which underlines the Saudi government's call for joint international efforts to confront and root out terrorism, will discuss ways to eradicate the root causes of global terrorism and measures to help tackle money laundering as well as drug and arms smuggling. Al-Asheikh revealed his ministry's programs in support of the nationwide anti-terror campaign. "We have set up a working team to carry out a variety of programs including lectures and seminars to educate the public on the danger posed by the deviant group," he said. The minister also called upon scholars delivering Juma sermons to focus on such subjects as the importance of protecting non-Muslims living peacefully in an Islamic country and the need to stop corruption on earth and killing of innocent people. The khateebs or prayer leaders have also been advised to expose the terrorist group that creates division in the Islamic nation and commits horrendous crimes. The ministry has instructed Islamic propagation centers in various parts of the country to hold special lectures and seminars on the occasion. The lectures will deal with topics such as the need to obey rulers, moderation in Islam, peace and justice in Islam and Islamic unity. The ministry, which has prepared a number of special radio and television programs to air during the occasion, will also distribute booklets and cassettes enlightening the public on terrorism and extremism. It has set up a website on the Internet to enhance public awareness on terrorism and extremism.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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kinda like nazis having a conference on racial tolerance--who do these islamofascists think they are kidding--its only when the "deviants" threaten saudi royal wealth and the expats who do all the work that this bogus meeting is held--piss on wahabbi/salafis and the camels they rode in on--fuck the nejdis--break up the saudi entity--free the hijaz--set up a shite republic in the eastern province--let them eat locusts in the rub al khali--restore the al rashhid to riyahd and the hashemites to mecca and medina--dismantle wamy--burn king khalid university and jeddah u.--napalm asir--er...also...free the chicago seven
Posted by: SON OF TOLUI ||
01/31/2005 3:58 Comments ||
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SoT, it sounds like you have a busy day ahead of you. ;-)
Imran Rahman & Agencies The son of assassinated former Bangladeshi Finance Minister Shah A.M.S. Kibria has accused the ruling Nationalist-Islamist coalition of killing his father, officials said yesterday. "My father has been killed in a pre-meditated manner," Dr. Reza Kibria told reporters, adding that an international probe into the grenade attack would uncover the true culprits.
That's assuming the turbans on top allow one to happen. Didn't happen last time, when they grenaded the Awami League rally, did it?
The 74-year-old Kibria was killed in a grenade attack on an opposition rally carried out by unidentified assailants in northeastern Habiganj district on Thursday. Deeply shocked by the brutal killing, Kibria's daughter, Nazni, blamed the coalition government of denying her father timely medical treatment after he was struck down by an exploding grenade along with four other people attending the rally organized by the main opposition Awami League. "From whom will we seek justice?" said Nazni Kibria, expressing doubts about getting justice from the government or any of its organizations. Kibria, a retired diplomat and lawmaker, was finance minister in the Awami League government for five years from 1996 to 2001.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2005 00:00:00 ||
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Sunday, January 30, 2005
UPDATE: An Iraqi living in London wrote that he heard noices as he was casting his vote in a polling station in the United Kingdom. He turned around and saw Iraqi voters kicking Al Jazeera's crew out of the premise. The crew aparently came to cover the elections in this polling station. Upon seeing the channel's logo on the cameras, several Iraqis got angry and forced the crew to leave the area. He also said that he heard the same incident happen in Holland as well.
--unfortunately this is third hand-- I wish we would have had a video of this event
Posted by: mhw ||
01/31/2005 9:23:37 AM ||
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Take out the papers and the trash
Or you don't get no spendin' cash
If you don't scrub that kitchen floor
You ain't gonna rock and roll no more
Yakety yak (don't talk back)
Just finish cleanin' up your room
Let's see that dust fly with that broom
Get all that garbage out of sight
Or you don't go out Friday night
Yakety yak (don't talk back)
You just put on your coat and hat
And walk yourself to the laundromat
And when you finish doin' that
Bring in the dog and put out the cat
Yakety yak (don't talk back)
Don't you give me no dirty looks
Your father's hip; he knows what cooks
Just tell your hoodlum friend outside
You ain't got time to take a ride
Yakety yak (don't talk back)
Yakety yak, yakety yak....
I dunno, but somehow the Coasters seemed rather wierdly appropriate. Apologize if this song is now stuck in your mind for the rest of the day...
North Korea's media has for the first time raised the issue of a possible hereditary transfer of power from dictator Kim Jong-Il to one of his sons. Kim, who turns 63 next month, inherited power from his father Kim Il-Sung in 1994 as North Korea established the world's first communist dynasty. Kim was anointed by his father when the elder Kim was 62. Kim Jong-Il is now believed to be ready to anoint one of his own three sons, none of whom was mentioned by name in the North Korean radio report.
South Korea's JoongAng Daily said talk of the succession was aired publicly in North Korea for the first time on state radio on Thursday in a political commentary. "Our founder Kim Il-Sung, when he was alive, emphasized that if he falls short of completing the revolution, it will be continued by his son and grandson," the newspaper quoted the commentary as saying, noting that the term grandson referred to one of Kim Jong-Il's heirs apparent. Yonhap news agency also reported the commentary which quoted the words of Kim Jong-Il in the context of passing on power to a new generation. "A couple years ago, our dear leader Kim Jong-Il told workers, 'I will keep the will of my father....'," the newspaper quoted the commentary as saying. "This is a philosophy that revolution should be completed even if it takes place in the next generation ... If our tradition is great, then the inheritance of it should be great as well."
Kim's eldest son Kim Jong-Nam, 33, is in contention to inherit power in arguably the world's most isolated country though he may be losing out in a power struggle, according to experts. Jong-Nam's mother is Song Hye-Rim, Kim's former companion who reportedly died of heart disease in Moscow in 2003.
"She's dead, Kim"
His two rivals for the succession are Kim Jong-Chul, 23, and Kim Jong-Woon, 21. They are sons of Ko Yong-Hui, a former actress who died last year. Kim Jong-Nam is believed to have fallen from grace after he was deported from Japan for illegal entry in 2001.
Let the games begin!
Posted by: Steve ||
01/31/2005 11:19:02 AM ||
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nothing like inheriting a corrupt, starving, bankrupt hermit-kingdom, surrounded by nations that either resent having to support you or are ready for war with you and don't trust anything you say... good luck, kids!
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/31/2005 12:33 Comments ||
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"From each according to his genes, to each according to his genes."
#3
Who the hell is going to want to follow any of those lusers? Put six or eight Nork Generals and Colonels in a room and they will have a new dictator or junta in five minutes--these clowns all look to them like some damn private who doesn't have his stuff together. No way in hell are they going to just *give* them power.
#9
Kimmies been silent since Team America premiered. My guess is the brutal mocking sent him into a crying fit that caused his generals to lose respect.
Via Drudge. I saw this yesterday but was too busy to take notes... Leading Democratic Party critics of US President George W. Bush's Iraq policy cautiously welcomed the successful staging of elections and distanced themselves from calls for the start of an immediate US troop withdrawal.
Purely a temporary phenomenon...
Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, who lost the November presidential election against Republican President George W. Bush, described the Iraqi elections as "significant" and "important" but said they should not be "overhyped."
Meaning, simply, that he doesn't want Bush to get any credit for them...
"It is significant that there is a vote in Iraq," Kerry said in an interview with NBC television's Meet the Press. "But ... no one in the United States should try to overhype this election. This election is a sort of demarcation point, and what really counts now is the effort to have a legitimate political reconciliation. And it's going to take a massive diplomatic effort and a much more significant outreach to the international community than this administration has been willing to engage in. Absent that, we will not be successful in Iraq."
Let's try to wade through the nuances in that mess. Don't overhype it means that there's gotta be something wrong with it, otherwise Bush would deserve credit for bringing them to this point. There are "demarcation points" all over the landscape, but all "demarcation points" aren't created equal. This one's significant. "What really counts" is that the Iraqis got a chance to vote on what kind of government they're actually going to have, rather than having one imposed on them by a bunch of guys with uniforms and tin hats or turbans. That he can dismiss the significance of that demonstrates his own shallowness and underscores the fact the he's a purely political creature with no real values. The "legitimate political reconciliation" is an Iraqi matter, and the mechanism to achieve it is a representative form of government, the details of which are precisely what the Iraqis were voting on. The fact that a segment of the populace doesn't want to reconcile presents a problem, but it's not one that's amenable to diplomatic solution. The Iraqis have to hunt down the Bad Guyz and kill them, not make up with the Frenchies and have roundtable discussions with the Belgians.
Kerry also said he did not support fellow Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy's call last week for the immediate pullout of at least 12,000 US troops from Iraq following the elections.
Probably because it's not politically expedient. Kennedy looks like the ass he is, and most people who aren't regular posters on DU seem to agree. That's the way the wind blows, so that's the way JFnK is going.
"I wouldn't do a specific timetable, but I certainly agree with (Kennedy) in principle, that the goal must be to withdraw American troops," Kerry said.
Eventually. When the job's done. Expending lives and resources to halfass a job doesn't make a lot of sense.
Another influential Democrat, Delaware Senator Joseph Biden, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also rejected Kennedy's call for an immediate withdrawal of some American forces. "I think pulling American forces out now would be, quite frankly, a serious mistake," Biden said on CBS television's Face the Nation. "I think it's much too premature. I think there would be a collapse, quite frankly, of any sense of order in the country."
Which is, of course, the whole idea. Collapse would lead to revulsion, directed not at the dipsticks like Kennedy who called for it, but at the president who was dumb enough to do it. That's the way the system works in practice, and they all know it. The public either doesn't pay attention or forgets the fact.
Indiana Senator Evan Bayh, whose name has been mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2008, described the Iraqi elections as a "great day for democracy" but cautioned that "this is only one step in what is going to be a long and difficult process."
Who said it wasn't?
"It's a good day, but we need to see it through to a successful conclusion," Bayh said. "And frankly, I'm concerned, given some of the past mistakes, whether this leadership team will be capable of that."
I'm not in the least concerned, given some of the past successes. We're fighting a war to the death against a vicious and tenacious enemy, something the guys with the expensive suits seem to forget. The fact that they're vicious doesn't mean they're stoopid; every time we make a move they try to counter it, and if they can't counter it, they try something else that'll lessen its value. It's move and countermove, not a steamroller Master Plan. Things are going to go wrong; what's important is how well we can recover from setbacks.
He said he disagreed with Kennedy's call for the start of a US troop withdrawal from Iraq. "We've planted our flag," Bayh said. "I think that we need to be successful now, and unfortunately that's going to require our presence for some time. I think to cut and run at this juncture would be a terrible mistake."
Looks like eventual success might be in sight, huh?
Michigan Senator Carl Levin, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said challenges remain. "I'm afraid there were some areas where the turnout is extremely low, and that's the Sunni Triangle areas or parts thereof," he said. "And that's the challenge that we now face. But Iraqis that did turn out in large numbers, at least in some areas and in some places, took their lives in their hands in doing so, and we're very delighted with that." Levin said it was too early to talk about a troop withdrawal. "I think that is putting the cart a little bit ahead of the horse," he said.
I think that horse is dead for a month or so, until the attention span's worn off. In fact, it might be time for the Dems to trot out the need for more troops again.
"As important as it is that we finally obtain some kind of an exit strategy, we have to negotiate that with the sovereign government and see whether or not the Iraqis will step up to their own security as well. We've got to see whether or not the Iraqi people will put their lives on the line in joining the security forces. There are very few trained Iraqi security forces in Iraq. That is a huge challenge."
Look hard enough, you can always find something to kvetch about, can't you?
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2005 1:45:31 PM ||
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You gotta admit, he knows "overhyped". Sees it every morning in his bathroom mirror.
#4
You can tell the French elitist blood by his blather. All he had to say was "it's a good start and I'm hoping for the best." Its obvious we've got a long way to go, heck, everyone in the country knows that.
#5
Y'know, if you were to slam his elbow upward with about 40 lbs of force, it would drive his finger out the back of his head. Not like I'd do anything like that, if anyone was watching.
#6
.com, so cruel, I mean afterall, that's the elbow w/all the shrapnel in it! He was a war hero ya know. If ya don't believe it, just ask him, he'll tell ya.
For which side... I dunno. Now he's claiming he supplide weapons to the Khmer Rouge.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
01/31/2005 14:34 Comments ||
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I think he's holding his lips on.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2005 14:35 Comments ||
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Fred, you missed the part that got my blood boiling just before the "overhyped" comment:
it is significant that there is a vote in Iraq. But no one in the United States or in the world -- and I'm confident of what the world response will be -- no one in the United States should try to overhype this election.
Once again, M. Kerry proves himself able to speak more knowlegeably for Old Europe and the Arab League than for the country he hoped to lead...
* he still has the "lucky hat" from the fictitious CIA guy he helped to deliver weapons to the Khmer Rouge
* he promised to finally sign Form 180. I sure hope somebody follows up with this.
#11
Kerrys yesterdays news - the dems dont renominate folks who've lost. Havent done so since Adlai, and that didnt work out so well.
Good for Biden and Bayh. Even Levin is talking pretty sane, for him.
And yes, more troops probably WOULD have been better - 150,000 troops is probably enough for now. That, BTW, is an increase from the 130,000 we had for a long time, which was itself an increase. And the admin is FINALLY supporting an increase in the endstrength of the army, and is increasing the number of brigades.
Good for the people of Iraq, and for the US and UK and other coalition troops who made this possible, and good for ALL Americans who supported the US in Iraq, INCLUDING those, like Belgravia Dispatch, Daniel Drezner, Andrew Sullivan David Adesnik, PAul Berman, Christopher Hitchens, John McCain, Joe Lieberman, Bill Kristol, Michael Rubin, et al who did so while criticizing admin policy.
#12
The increase in troop levels strikes me a a real Brer Rabbit move. Where would all the Dems have been on that issue in mid-2002?
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/31/2005 15:03 Comments ||
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well shinseki was pretty strong on it, Mrs D. Teddy and Grand Kleagle would have been agin it, since they were against the war. Most dems i think would have been for, based on statements of commentators at the time deferring to Shinseki. A few quasi neocons might have gone with a smaller more transformationist force.
I dont think Bill Kristol is pulling a brer rabbit, and he too called for more troops.
Hell the admin INCREASED the troop strength by 20,000, and thats helped to pull this election off. Brer rabbit indeed.
#15
âThis election is a sort of demarcation point, and what really counts now is the effort to have a legitimate political reconciliation.â Translation: Sure they had election in Iraq, but the French and the un were not part of that! How can any election be called legitimate without the participation of my beloved Phrance and the honorable un. Hey John, whenever Phrance and the un want to joint eh coalition of the willing they are more than welcome, but I think any âreconciliationâ needs to come from that side and not ours.
#17
The Dem position calling for increased troop strength is indeed a "Brer rabbit" position, but it had a twist. They called for more troops before the war - not because they thought that there was genuinely a need for greater numbers to get the job done. They took the position that greater troops were needed because they hoped that would prevent the war. Remember the simple Brer Rabbit logic - Bush was in favor of the war, therefore the Dems were against it, but they didn't want to appear to be against it, so they threw up road blocks, one of which was the call for greater numbers. No matter the number the administration proposed, it would not have enough, because in their mind, the number had nothing to do with military tactics, but instead political tactics.
Posted by: Carlos ||
01/31/2005 16:16 Comments ||
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The Administration and the military have been systematically working through very difficult problems in the WoT, which includes Iraq. Remember when Turkey screwed us and we had to move the entire 4ID around? That messed up the Plan, it hurt, caused more US casualties, but we adjusted and made it happen. The dems will keep anklebiting and sniping until they go the way of the Whigs. As long as the Administration keeps the vision, and implements with that vision always in mind, we will achieve our goals and the dems will fade into irrelevance.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/31/2005 16:23 Comments ||
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#19
This election is a sort of demarcation point, and what really counts now is the effort to have a legitimate political reconciliation. And it's going to take a massive diplomatic effort and a much more significant outreach to the international community than this administration has been willing to engage in.
Sorry, but that's not our obligation. WE went in with allies and set the stage for these elections, so we have nothing to reach out for. It's the ones that opposed us, that OPPOSED freeing Iraq from the clutches of the likes of Hussein that need to begin with the reconciliations by admitting they were/are on the wrong side. Until they do, SCREW THEM.
Senator Kerry needs to realize that he's a U.S. Senator, and not a representative of the "international community".
#20
Kerry's interview was such a target-rich environment that it's hard to focus on just one thing. But what caught my attention was that, given a national forum on the subject of Iraq, Senator Kerry (again) forgot to share with us peasants his plan for Iraq. You know: the plan he kept saying he had during the election campaign.
Forgive me for thinking this, Senator Kerry, but could it possibly be that you never had any such plan? Heaven forbid.
Posted by: Matt ||
01/31/2005 16:35 Comments ||
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#21
I say we trade the Iraqis Kerry, Dean, Barbara Boxer, Harry Reid, Shela Jackson and a player to be named later for Saddam Hussein.
#23
For a contrarian point of view, I hope that the Dems "keep on keeping on" with this garbage. I and every member of my family have switched parties since the Clinton Administration, and I truly think that the current Democratic Party needs to die as an organization. I don't think that it is any more salvagable than the Whigs were at the point of their demise. It is a totally enthralled captive of the LLL, and needs to be replaced with a centrist loyal opposition party.
Can someone pull the quote from DU and put it in comments, I need a good laugh.
Here's the whole thing...
ShinerTX (96 posts) Sun Jan-30-05 12:31 PM
Original message The Iraq vote is making me sick this morning
All the media keeps talking about is how happy the Iraqis are, how high turnout was, and how "freedom" has spread to Iraq. I had to turn off CNN because they kept focusing on the so-called "voters" and barely mentioned the resistance movements at all. Where are the freedom fighters today? Are their voices silenced because some American puppets cast a few ballots?
I can't believe the Iraqis are buying into this "democracy" bullshit. They have to know that the Americans don't want them to have power, because they know that Bush is in this for the oil, and now that he finally has it he's not going to let it go. This election is a charade. The fact is that the Iraqis have suffered during the past two years more than any people on earth at the hands of the American gestapo. Maybe they're afraid and felt they had to vote. That's the only way I can explain it to myself.
OR--I just thought of this--maybe they're smiling because they're using the Americans own game to defeat them. They're voting in candidates who they know will widen the resistance, take the fight to the streets, and finally drive the occupying forces out of their country. Perhaps they're smiling because--right under the American's noses--they're planting the seeds of a bigger and more effective resistance movement. Wouldn't that be fitting? Use *'s own tools against them?
We can only pray that this is the case. Becuase if it's not--and if the Iraq vote is seen as a success that spread "freedom"--the world is screwed. Bush's inaugural speech left little doubt that he has other countries on his list to spread "freedom" to. They will be his next targets, and the world will burn because of it.
Let's hope the resistance got voted in, or if not, they only increase the fight and take down those who betrayed their country today by voting in this fraud election.
#1
All the media keeps talking about is how happy the Iraqis are, how high turnout was, and how "freedom" has spread to Iraq. I had to turn off CNN because they kept focusing on the so-called "voters" and barely mentioned the resistance movements at all. Where are the freedom fighters today? Are their voices silenced because some American puppets cast a few ballots?
I can't believe the Iraqis are buying into this "democracy" bullshit. They have to know that the Americans don't want them to have power, because they know that Bush is in this for the oil, and now that he finally has it he's not going to let it go. This election is a charade. The fact is that the Iraqis have suffered during the past two years more than any people on earth at the hands of the American gestapo. Maybe they're afraid and felt they had to vote. That's the only way I can explain it to myself.
OR--I just thought of this--maybe they're smiling because they're using the Americans own game to defeat them. They're voting in candidates who they know will widen the resistance, take the fight to the streets, and finally drive the occupying forces out of their country. Perhaps they're smiling because--right under the American's noses--they're planting the seeds of a bigger and more effective resistance movement. Wouldn't that be fitting? Use *'s own tools against them?
We can only pray that this is the case. Becuase if it's not--and if the Iraq vote is seen as a success that spread "freedom"--the world is screwed. Bush's inaugural speech left little doubt that he has other countries on his list to spread "freedom" to. They will be his next targets, and the world will burn because of it.
Let's hope the resistance got voted in, or if not, they only increase the fight and take down those who betrayed their country today by voting in this fraud election.
#2
Wow. This guy seems to have the BDS too, .com. Maybe it is indicated by the prefix "2" in the username. I'll be sure of this when "2Aris" starts posting. Perhaps Dr. Steve can prescribe drugs.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/31/2005 9:47 Comments ||
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#3
2B was quoting ShinerTX at the DU. The stuiff that passes for insightful at DU is mind blowing. There is more of that bile at DU if you follow the link Mr D.
Don't get to DU too often. Folks of my persuasion wern't welcome there way back when I went to college, so I've always had an aversion. And they drank too much.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/31/2005 9:55 Comments ||
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#7
"Let's hope the resistance got voted in, or if not, they only increase the fight and take down those who betrayed their country today by voting in this fraud election."
Take down? So the DUmmies want most of the Iraqis dead?
#8
I think this is the thread Steve Stirling was posting on. It should be fun to watch.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
01/31/2005 10:10 Comments ||
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#9
This is indeed the thread to which Mr. Stirling is posting. Instapundit had the story yesterday. It's hilarious. ShinerTX is a prevaricating moron. Not just Stirling, but others as well, nail him to the wall.
You know it's bad when other DU'ers start accusing the original poster of being a Freeper troll :-)
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/31/2005 10:20 Comments ||
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#10
I don't know whether to laugh or cry at this idiot--I saw the same comments with some fisking linked by Instapundit last night. I imagine there were probably complete morons like this in the 50's bitching and moaning that Japan and Germany's election process and new democracies were also shams. What planet are these fools on?
Posted by: Dar ||
01/31/2005 10:23 Comments ||
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#11
Shiner is a regional beer sold in Texas.
Dr Steve - Is that similar to the phenomenon in nature when the mother becomes so agitated (or hungry, that works, too, heh) that she eats her young?
Until Iraqi insurgents deliver a pillow case full of fingers dipped in ink to the nearest American commander because thatâs what I would do if I were an insurgent leader
All weâve heard the past few weeks was how bad the violence was going to be, how Iraqi turnout was in question, how much of a disaster this was going to be, et al. In other words, we were lured into believing this was going to be a mess, but the reality is it wasnât so bad. There was violence, but there was also a huge voter turnout ... These guys are adept at making us believe that all will be a disaster, but when the reality shows itself to be not-that-bad, they look better in the aftermath than they deserve.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/31/2005 10:51 Comments ||
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#13
Haven't been to DU yet,not a word mentioned at Juliusblog.The guy above ain't nuttin but a cry-baby.
#17
FrankG - Maybe this guy was in charge of the English-Metric thrust conversion for that Mars probe a couple of years ago.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
01/31/2005 12:02 Comments ||
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#18
Purge time for the Dems. Beinart's right: this is like 1947 all over. Time to get rid of the fellow travelers, or else resign yourselves to permanent minority status.
#19
Of course no one was purged in 1947, theres no mechanism in the US for ousting someone from the party, and candidates for Senate, etc are nominated by state parties - theres even less party control now, with the thorough dominance of the primary process. All we can do is make choices.
I liked the words of Evan Bayh on ABC yesterday, saying it would be a disaster to cut and run. No one important is backing Teddy on this. Reid by asking for an exit strategy, NOT a timetable, is trying to skirt the divisions within the Dems.
All kind of silly, as the results from Iraq are going to be what determins negotiations for a timetable, but I guess its hard for Reid to simply ignore Ted.
#24
The DUs are democratic supporters of democracies as in Peoples' Democratic Republics. They don't support democracy in Iraq anymore than they support democracy in America. One Party, One Vote - Ein Volk.
#25
Stirling did make one mistake on that thread. He wrote that the US didn't attack Sweden or France during WW II. Actually, the first US invasion in the European war was of the Vichy French territories in Africa. And, they shot back.
That tells you something about the French. It also tells you that to bring freedom to the world, you do sometimes have to do other unpleasant things.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
01/31/2005 21:30 Comments ||
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#26
I read a few more of ShinerTX's posts on DU - make no mistake - ShinerTX is the enemy here in America. Worse - he/she is a traitor and an enemy within. This piece of shit disrespects the sacrifices made by 1400 soldiers/marines and their families as well as the thousands wounded some horribly. Freedom of speech has its limits during war. If you identify yourself as the enemy - you should be treated as such.
In a pre-State of the Union challenge to President Bush, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid intends to call Monday for the administration to outline an exit strategy for Iraq. Reid plans to raise the issue as part of back-to-back speeches in which he and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi will sketch outline their differences with Bush on two issues likely to dominate Congress' work this year, the war on terror and Social Security. ``The president needs to spell out a real and understandable plan for the unfinished work ahead: defeat the growing insurgency, rebuild Iraq, increase political participation by all parties, especially moderates, and increase international involvement,'' Reid will say, according to his prepared remarks. ``Most of all we need an exit strategy so we know what victory is and how we can get there; so that we know what we need to do and so that we know when the job is done.''
Bush keeps telling you, but he uses such simple words it flies right over your pointy heads: we'll leave when we're done and the new Iraqi government asks us to leave.
Apart from Iraq, the Nevada senator's prepared remarks include a broader criticism of Bush's foreign policy, and accuse the president's actions of falling short of the words he used in his Inaugural Address earlier this month. ``There is a gap between saying to reformers that the `United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors,' and an administration that stands by in virtual silence as Saudi dissidents disappear,'' one portion of Reid's speech says.
If you want to come out in favor of deposing the House of Saud, just say so. That would twitch the surprise meter.
Bush is scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress and a prime time nationwide television audience on Wednesday. While he is expected to discuss Iraq, and the national elections that were held on Sunday, he has signaled he intends to make Social Security a focus of his speech.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/31/2005 12:02:42 AM ||
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#1
..we'll leave when we're done and the new Iraqi government asks us to leave.
Seems pretty self-explanatory to me. Now why can't Reid, Pelosi, and their ilk get this through their extra-thick skulls?
#2
how about--we leave when we win and the baathist and islamofascists lose--why is that complicated?--did the dems used to ankle bite fdr about his exit strategy for ww11--fer gawd's sake its a volunteer army dude
Posted by: SON OF TOLUI ||
01/31/2005 4:24 Comments ||
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#3
I'll settle for a military victory as a gauge for when we should leave.
#4
I wonder if the Z-man asked them to do this or if it is just an effort to tie down the votes in Dearborn. Reid is starting to look dumber than Daschle. Why don't they give the job to Boxer? I see no reason to prolong the agony.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/31/2005 7:47 Comments ||
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#5
Nancy Pelosi is going to be in on it tells you all you need to know. She is only happy when U.S. Service men are dead.
Posted by: SPOD ||
01/31/2005 8:02 Comments ||
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#6
Harry and Nancy stomp their feet in outrage. Challenge, call, raise, and sketch outline anything you want, you jerks. You have freedom of speech, but you would never help the Iraqi's to gain it.
Posted by: Tom ||
01/31/2005 8:07 Comments ||
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#7
Four more years of temper tantrums so their core base will keep giving them cookies.
#11
The Democrats are in difficult times. They stubbornly stick to their "Brer Rabbit" foreign policy. They don't know what they are for, they just know they are against everything the Bush administration is for and for everything they are against. Their positions can be summarized by "don't" - "can't" - "wrong" - "miscalculation" - "colossal mistake" - "arrogant" - "misleading" - "lied."
I can hear myself telling the story to my great-grandkids. And then Bush said, "please Mr. Democrats, please don't support the terrorists, and legitamize their efforts to intimidate the Iraqis into not voting. Please don't align your selves with the America-hating factions in Europe. Please don't try to undermine the cause for which 1000s of young Americans risk their lives, health and honor, for it might make people free." That was all they needed to hear - the Democrats did these thngs - they supported the terrorists, aligned themselves with the America-haters, and tried to undermined the Iraqi elections. And then Bush won the US election and the Iraqis won theirs too.
#12
I still remember Polosiâs âNightmareâ when we threw out Grey Davis. She canât stand it when people have elections and vote for themselves. Luckily she is from the really red part of California so her seat is very safe. They (the LLL DNC) had to be watching in horror as the results came in and now they are trying to put a negative spin. God bless the brave voters in Iraq for stepping up and being counted, what a blow to Islamofacists!
#13
Time for regime change. Get rid of the whole lot: Pelosi, Kerry, Teddy, Reid, Byrdbrain. The Dems should let Obama and The New Hillary step to the forefront and keep moving the party in the direction of sanity and suburban-friendly common sense.
#14
I am coming to the conclusion that the Democratic party is where the Republicans were with the defeat of Hoover. At first, the strongest faction wouldn't, couldn't, admit that the US was in a new paradigm--many went to their graves still bitterly opposed to everything the New Deal represented. And then, a "moderate" faction arose, which were later called the "country club Republicans". The "moderates" ascended to power in the Republican party by doing whatever the democrats wanted, not resisting, and getting payback in the form of largesse. This also kept the Democratic extremists in check, taking the marginal vote away from them, moving everything to the center. Finally, the demise of the CCRs and the rise of the Democratic far left happened at about the same time, in the late 1960s. Since then, the Republicans have been in ascendancy, and the Democrats have been in decline. If this theory is correct, what will happen next is that the Democrats will evolve a "near-Republican" centrist faction that will almost always vote with the Republicans. This in turn will exclude both the Democratic far left and the Republican far right from policy making. This evolution may take 20 years, so I hope you aren't in a hurry.
#15
Good lord, is that the Democrat "Topic of the Week"? Last week it was Dr Rice. What's it going to be next week?
This groupthink is REALLY getting old....
BTW, where's the exit strategy for Europe and Korea while we're at it, Harry & Nancy?
#17
I like the sound of that, GT. Now that I'm a NV resident - at least for the moment - I'll do my part if I'm still around when he comes up.
Can you picture the ritual where he was "crowned" Minority Leader and they gave him the hemlock Kool Aid? Amazing that this quiet little mouse, from whom I had never heard a single word, is now a regular SocioFascistIslamoBat⢠and quoted every day on the news as if his words suddenly mean something?
#18
I think Hank (#11) hit on the reasoning behind the Democratic foreign policy - the Brer Rabbit policy. There is no other reasonable way to explain it. How else could they get to a point where they say every single administration decison is wrong. If they used x number of troops, they should have used x+y. If they disbanded the old Iraqi army, the old army should have been the main stay of the new security. If they pulled out of Falujah, they should have gone in. If they went into Falujah, they were too brutal and were going to incite the Arab street. If they transferred power, it was too late. If they did it earlier, it was too soon. If elections were set in January, it was too late, unless it was too early. If there is no exit time table, there should be. If there is an exit time table, it is too long if it isn't too short. The election is sure to be a disaster and success is hugely important. Now, the elections were no big deal, and the Sunni turnout was light. Woe - things are still terrible, all this talk about freedom.
The Democrats have have no position now. They had no position throughout the campaign. They stand for nothing, unless Bush does, in which case they stand for anything.
Posted by: Sam ||
01/31/2005 14:51 Comments ||
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#19
Damn, Sam! *wipes tear* That is a beautiful, and spot-on, summary!
#21
"The Democrats have no position now. They had no position throughout the campaign. They stand for nothing, unless Bush does, in which case they stand for anything." #18 Sam
Yes.
Posted by: Carlos ||
01/31/2005 18:28 Comments ||
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#22
I have seen in my lifetime the South go from "The Solid South", i.e, solidily Democrat, to Solid Republican. I personally know many Democrats who voted for The President because their party no longer has any place for anyone who doesn't agree with the "Party Line". I have voted Democrat and Republican and it just seems to me that most Republicans, regardless of what the screechers say, do welcome a lot of different viewpoints. These Democrats could not stomach Kerry's transparent pandering to every group he spoke to. They saw him as a shallow, political entity who had no position on anything except "International Community". They resent being called stupid and insane by their fellow Democrats and I doubt they would ever vote for Hillary. She showed her true Socialist colors in the past election.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
01/31/2005 20:13 Comments ||
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OSLO - Humanitarian aid group Save the Children, Ukraine's new President Viktor Yushchenko and former US secretary of state Colin Powell are seen as likely candidates for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize ahead of Tuesday's deadline for nominations.
I'd be happy with any of these.
While Asia copes with the disastrous effects of the December 26 tsunamis, some have argued that humanitarian organisations involved in the largest and fastest relief effort the world has ever seen would be deserving candidates for the prestigious prize. Former US president Bill Clinton recently said he believed that the aid effort would help to increase "religious reconciliation" and contribute to "reducing the likelihood of terror".
But choosing just one relief organisation would be hard, observers say. The International Red Cross could be considered an obvious choice, but it has already received the prize three times—in 1917, 1944 and 1963. The founder of the Red Cross, Henri Dunant, was also awarded the very first Peace Prize in 1901. Many children were orphaned in the catastrophe and will need support for many years, and thus Save The Children International could appear as a judicious choice. The organisation has operated in the hardest hit countries like Indonesia and Sri Lanka for decades.
The annual deadline for nominations is Tuesday, and the laureate is announced every year in October. As tradition dictates, the Nobel Institute never reveals the identities of the candidates. However, those entitled to submit nominations for the prize—including past laureates, members of parliament and cabinet ministers from around the world and some university professors—are allowed to disclose their suggestions.
The Ukrainian president is thus known to be on the list, having been nominated by a group within the Ukrainian academic community for his peaceful fight for democracy in his country.
But some observers stressed that it was still early days to be speculating about who the Nobel Committee would honour later this year. "I haven't started thinking about this year's nominees yet," admitted Stein Toennesson, director of the Norwegian Peace Research Institute, PRIO, who is considered a local expert on the committee's inclinations. "If one would follow the committee's policy the last few years, it will be a woman who represents something special."
So, ok, Laura Bush would work.
Last year, the prize went to Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai, and the year before to Iranian activist Shirin Ebadi. Rebiya Kadeer could be a possible candidate. She is a prisoner of conscience in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, also known as East Turkistan, in China. She is a prominent symbol of the Uyghurs' struggle for basic human rights, and just a few days ago her family received the Norwegian Rafto Prize—often seen as a forerunner to the Nobel Prize—on her behalf at a ceremony in Washington.
The conflict in Sudan, Africa's longest running war which ended in January when the government and Sudan People's Liberation Army signed a peace treaty, could also earn Colin Powell the prize, a candidate vigorously supported by US Senator Frank Wolf. "President Bush and Secretary Powell should be considered for the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts" in Sudan, he said at a peace ceremony in Naivasha, Kenya on January 9.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/31/2005 12:16:59 AM ||
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#1
What about Ronnie Reagan? He only freed about 750 million people....and they gave one to Jimmy the peanut farmer Carter over Ronnie...
Fuck that whole process. What a sham!!
#6
Arafat, Carter and Gerry Adams. IMO, if they're going to give the prize to an individual they ought to wait till they can't stumble around being idiots and/or psychopaths with the Peace Medal dangling round their worthless necks for another twenty or thirty years. Wait till they're dead, and then wait another fifty years for the dust to settle, and then make them eligible. You know, maybe that'd work for the Oscars, too...
#7
The best thing possible is for the Nobel committee to award a prize and the recipient denounce the Nobel committee at the awards ceremony. Alas, Powell is too polite to do this.
Workers were burying more tsunami victims in Aceh province as a premature end to cease-fire talks between the Indonesian government and separatist rebels dampened hopes for a quick resolution to a 30-year-old conflict in the devastated province. There had been optimism that the immensity of the disaster in Aceh on the northern tip of Sumatra island would spur Indonesia's government and rebels to find a way to end fighting and focus on rebuilding. But hopes were dashed when truce negotiations in Helsinki, Finland, broke off. There was no word on why the meeting ended late Saturday, a day earlier than planned. Indonesian Communications Minister Sofyan Djalil described the talks as "quite hopeful." But former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, who convened the meeting, said neither party had accepted an invitation to a second round.
TEHRAN: Iranian officials on Sunday hailed Iraq's elections as a "great step" towards full independence, but repeated a warning from the Islamic republic's supreme leader that the United States may not accept the result. "The organisation of the elections in Iraq constitutes a great step for Iraqis towards an independent and popular regime," top MP Alaeddin Boroujerdi was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency. But influential former Iranian president Akbar Hasemi Rafsanjani warned that Washington may not accept Iraq becoming a country that is "free and independent and that does not stand next to America and Israel."
Israel! Oh, horrors! Quick, Ethel! My pills!
"If a free and clean election happens in Iraq, an Arab country, self-rule will be a good example for many countries. I think the Americans and Iraqi Baathists do not want this to happen," he told the student news agency ISNA.
[Scratches head] Then why'd we let them have elections? The Sunnis wanted them postponed indefinitely. Kofi wanted them postponed. The Euros wanted them postponed. We could have gone along...
Rafsanjani said the United States "could either rig the results of the elections," or otherwise stage a coup d'etat — a warning expressed earlier this month by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei..
Brilliant. Simply brilliant.
For his part, Iranian Defence Minister Ali Shamkhani told ISNA that "a massive participation in the election will put an obstacle in front of the occupiers."
Sounds like they're just as confused as al-Jizzles.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2005 00:00:00 ||
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#2
Not that declaring he'd nuke Israel the instant he had the means was insufficient, but this pretty much closes the book on Rafsanjani: he's simply insane. None of this makes any freakin' sense whatsoever. Thus it is perfect for PakiWaki & Arab consumption, of course.
#3
But influential former Iranian president Akbar Hasemi Rafsanjani warned that Washington may not accept Iraq becoming a country that is âfree and independent and that does not stand next to America and Israel.â
That doesn't matter. We removed a potential threat, set the Iraqis free from tyranny, and started them on their way to whatever awaits them, the only desire being that they not be a member of Terrorists Inc. That's all.
If Rafsanjani isn't careful, he might find himself the next one in the crosshairs.
#4
poor rafi--this is what happens from eating too many pistashio nuts and being the most corrupt mullah in iran--gawd--i'd love to see him dangling from a lampost by his turban on a street in north tehran
Posted by: SON OF TOLUI ||
01/31/2005 4:09 Comments ||
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#5
"Rafsanjani said the United States 'could either rig the results of the elections,' or otherwise stage a coup dâetat..."
After all, that's what he would do.
#6
Boyo! What are the arabs going to say now? We have once again defied the sentiment of the UN and Europe and went ahead with successful and relatively calm Elections. Again the US has done the right thing in contrast to the views of the rest of the World. How can the arab press be critical of a process they long to have in their own countries? Mullah Ras is tinkling in his turban over the fact the success next door could happen at home and so is Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan etc. etc. My father told me Bush was a dreamer and a visionary - I didn't see it now it's glaringly apparent.
DAVOS: Pakistan is exerting behind-the-scenes pressure on Iran to compromise in its acrimonious dispute with Europe and the United States over its nuclear programme, Pakistani diplomatic sources say. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri passed on their concerns during a meeting at the weekend with Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi. Kasuri, for his part, said Pakistan supported negotiations led by Britain, France and Germany, to reach a lasting deal that would allay US charges that Iran is covertly developing nuclear weapons.
"We feel the role the (EU three) are playing is positive, because we feel that a peaceful resolution to this dispute is highly desirable," Kasuri told AFP on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. "Being their neighbours, and already with the Iraq situation being what it is, we wouldn't want another turmoil on our border," he said. "We paid a big price" in Afghanistan. "We don't want a similar destabilisation on our border again, so we have a vested interest in a peaceful resolution of this dispute," Kasuri added. Sources said the ministers "tried to convey the European position" to Kharrazi during Friday's meeting.
Pakistani officials said that Tehran had been warned "bluntly, bordering on rudeness," of their concerns and urged "not to make the mistake" of ignoring the Europeans. "We have not minced our words," a diplomatic source said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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#1
"So like hey Khomeini, bro, chill. You're bringing the heat down on everyone, y'know? Take 5, do some deep breaths, say some Suras, and play along. You're ruining it for Egypt, dood. If I'd known you were like a Nazi Mullah I wouldn't have cut you in on the action. 'Tard."
-Khan
Iraq's election will help set the wheel of reform moving in the Arab world and "there is no looking back", Jordan's King Abdullah said today.
"I think what we saw yesterday in Iraq is a positive thing," King Abdullah told CNN a day after Iraq held its first multi-party election in 50 years. "I think this is a thing that will set a good tone for the West Asia and I am optimistic." His remarks were the most supportive yet by an Arab leader of the US-backed political process in Iraq.
"People are waking up, (Arab) leaders understanding that they have to push reform forward and I don't think there is any looking back," said the king, a close ally of Washington.
He said he didn't believe autocratic Arab leaders were "shaking in their boots" because of the voting in Iraq but said political reform was now an open subject in Arab societies.
"Once you open the door to reform and it's allowed to be discussed in society, as it is throughout the Middle East, it is very difficult to close again," he said.
The monarch urged Iraq's new 275-member parliament, which is set to be dominated by Shi'ite Muslims and Kurds, to work for an inclusive administration that would embrace the Sunni Arab minority, which showed little enthusiasm for the election.
#3
This is not reassuring. I prefer it when Kings oppose democracy not co-opt it.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
01/31/2005 21:47 Comments ||
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#4
Ah, an excellent observation. I wonder where his brother is, these days, now that he's been relieved of the burdens of and any pretentions to royalty...
A University of Colorado professor who provoked a furor when he compared victims of the World Trade Center terrorist attacks to Nazis resigned as a department chairman Monday but will retain his teaching job, the university said.
In an essay written after the Sept. 11 attacks, Ward Churchill said the World Trade Center victims were "little Eichmanns," a reference to Adolf Eichmann, who organized Nazi plans to exterminate Europe's Jews. Churchill also spoke of the "gallant sacrifices" of the "combat teams" that struck America.
The essay attracted little attention until Churchill was invited recently to speak at Hamilton College, about 40 miles east of Syracuse, N.Y. Hundreds of relatives of Sept. 11 victims have protested the appearance. Hamilton College President Joan Hinde has said that "however repugnant one might find Mr. Churchill's remarks," the college was committed to his right of free speech and would not rescind its invitation.
Administrators have moved Churchill's appearance to a building that can seat 2,000, instead of the originally planned 300.
Churchill resigned as chairman of Colorado's Ethnic Studies Department, telling university officials in a letter that "the present political climate has rendered me a liability in terms of representing either my department, the college, or the university."
University officials welcomed the move.
"While Professor Churchill has the constitutional right to express his political views, his essay on 9/11 has outraged and appalled us and the general public," interim CU-Boulder Chancellor Phil DiStefano said.
The Israeli government has quietly seized thousands of acres of Palestinian-owned land in and around east Jerusalem after a secret cabinet decision to use a 55-year-old law against Arabs separated from farms and orchards by the vast "security barrier".
Most of the hundreds of Palestinian families whose land has been confiscated without compensation have not been formally notified that their property has been transferred to the Israeli state. But plans have already been drawn up to expand Jewish settlements on to some of the expropriated territory.
The move has drawn stinging criticism from the Palestinian leadership and some Israelis, who call it "legalised theft" and say it is evidence that the vast steel and concrete barrier under construction through the West Bank and Jerusalem is less for security than a move to expand Israel's borders.
"The government is walling in east Jerusalem for the first time in six centuries," said Daniel Seidemann, an Israeli lawyer fighting the seizures on behalf of several Palestinian families.
"It is turning the eminently reversible step of a barrier into an irreversible step by building immovable homes. It is a move to assert aggressive Israeli sovereignty over east Jerusalem."
Palestinian officials have warned that if the strategy is not reversed it could prove an insurmountable obstacle to a final peace agreement with Israel. The Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of an independent state.
The cabinet secretly decided to seize the land in July last year using a law passed in 1950 allowing the state to confiscate property abandoned by Arabs who fled to neighbouring countries during Israel's independence war...
The paleos could have stayed in place and become Israelis; instead they took their prejudice and hatred and fled in the hope that the other Arabs would destroy all the Jews and the paleos would get their own land and the Jews' land too.
Payback's a bitch, ain't it?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/31/2005 20:02 Comments ||
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*yawns* I wouldn't care if they seized ALL of the mythical "Palestinian" land.
#3
At least they did it quietly. Wouldn't want to disturb anyone.
Posted by: Mark E. ||
01/31/2005 20:12 Comments ||
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#4
I think it's the point at which Israel starts losing American voices of support-is that bright?
There's no need for provocative moves right now. Mobility and growth, yes, seizing Palestinian owned land, no. That is an act of aggression no American here would tolerate against their own property. Over the top.
#5
The wall caused these people to be cut off from their land. This is a BS move that plays into the hands of Israel's detractors and flat pisses me off. I have no lost love for the Paleos but stuff like this ain't right. I have never been a fan of Sharon things like this are why that is so.
#6
I think that headline should read: "Israelis use barrier and 55-year-old law to quietly liberate portions of Palestinian-occupied Israel"
Ah, much better!
Posted by: Sheik Abu Bin Ali Al-Yahood ||
01/31/2005 21:13 Comments ||
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#7
If this isn't right, the thing to do then is to run it through the courts. The Israeli court system seems to operate on an even keel, so let it resolve the question of the seizures' legality.
Personally tho, I'd like to see a piece on this by some other outfit. Quite frankly, I don't particularly care much for news pieces originating from the Guardian.
#8
B-a-R is right. The Palestinians are getting the abandoned Israeli settlements built on the far side of the barrier in exchange -- in many cases former scrubland that the Israelis paid for in cash. So in exchange for some land, they get modern houses with running water and electricity.
This is a Guardian article -- how truth-based do you really expect it to be?
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/31/2005 17:21 ||
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actually the same people deny the holocaust happened and a day later they praise it; its similar to the people who blame the Mossad for the WTC atrocity but then say that it was a great victory for Islam
Aid groups report renewed fighting in northern Uganda. Over the last six weeks it is clear that the core leaders in the LRA are continuing to fight. In the last week, troops in northern Uganda have killed at least 17 LRA members. On January 28, Sudanese SPLA rebel leader John Garang (after signing the peace deal he's no longer the same type of rebel) said that he would work to end the fighting in Uganda. Garang visited northern Uganda and expressed his "unreserved willingness to help" end the Ugandan conflict. Garang indicated his forces (SPLA) would not "tolerate the presence" of the LRA (ie, in Sudanese territory where the SPLA operates). Garang admitted that in the past the Sudanese government had supported the LRA. Since Garang is now part of the Sudanese government, he believes he is in position to stop any overt (and perhaps covert) Sudanese support of the LRA. At the minimum, Garang's attitude increases the political pressure on holdout LRA factions. The LRA can now expect SPLA forces to participate in counter-LRA operations in Sudan.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/31/2005 9:56:30 AM ||
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The Federal Government has revealed it is reviewing the role and number of Australian troops in Iraq after deciding to move diplomatic staff in Baghdad to a coalition military camp. Labor leader Kim Beazley is taking credit for the Government's decision to move diplomats after last week's attack on the embassy. "I'm glad we've had an effect - chalk one up to us," Mr Beazley said.
But the Government insists it had already decided to move the staff. Defence Minister Robert Hill says while Australian troops will continue to provide transport protection for officials, there may be some changes to troop numbers and functions in Baghdad. "Defence have started an assessment of that," Senator Hill said. The Federal Opposition says it is time to start pulling coalition forces out of Iraq now that democratic elections have been held. But the Government insists Australian troops will be there for some time.
The Government and the Opposition have praised the Iraqi people for turning out to vote. But they still differ on a timetable for withdrawing troops. "We should be starting to pull back," Labor leader Kim Beazley said. "The Americans should be starting to pull back too." Senator Hill says now is too early but it appears an exit strategy for coalition forces may be being planned. "They may well be able to significantly reduce that number in another 18 months but it really depends on the pace of development of Iraq on security forces," he said.
Posted by: God Save The World ||
01/31/2005 4:55:54 AM ||
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Driving across Mogadishu in a battle wagon full of machine-gun-toting, khat-chewing militiamen, crossing an area of inter-clan fighting involving mortar attacks in densely populated urban areas, we felt we were in a time warp. This could easily have been a decade ago, when 30,000 U.S. soldiers were deployed in Somalia, a country then and still without a permanent national government.
But things have indeed changed, and the way they have changed matters to U.S. national security. During the last decade, international Islamist groups, including Al-Qaeda, have invested with Somali partners, building a commercial empire in the country that rivals that of any other faction and which is increasingly asserting itself as a political and military force.
It is crucial not to paint every Islamist group as an inherent threat to Western interests or values. Islamic organizations of various stripes have been at the forefront of restoring education and health care, Sharia (Islamic law) courts have provided security in some areas, and sheikhs are prominent in reconciliation. But a small network of Islamist extremists in Somalia has helped facilitate the activities of Al-Qaeda in terrorist attacks over the years, namely against the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, the attack on a tourist hotel on the Kenyan coast, a failed attempt to shoot down an Israeli charter flight near Mombasa, and an unrealized plot to crash an airplane into the new U.S. embassy in Nairobi last year. The same extremists are preparing to unleash attacks on Somalia's new government, as well as African Union peacekeeping forces, when they eventually return to Mogadishu.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/31/2005 12:26:04 AM ||
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#1
Somalia falling into it's own cesspool by weight should cause no concern for the US! They're already in hell, just provide the handbasket!
#2
So, the whole thing is America's fault. Good to know.
And if America was taking an active interest in Somalian reconstruction, you'd hear unconstructive criticism of the same from this very outlet, methinks.
#3
This paper, "The Daily Star", is headquartered in Beirut, Lebanon. That's about all we need to know. Just one more festering mess of a place whose own people have given up and allowed foreigners and radical Islam to crap in their nest.
Posted by: Tom ||
01/31/2005 8:17 Comments ||
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#4
Now there is a glowing example of the Democratic Party exit strategy. Peace, love, and warm puppies.
#6
I'm afraid I stopped caring about Somalis in general, after those pictures of a Somali mob dragging the dead bodies of American soldiers through the streets of Mogadishu were published. Seal the borders and let them slaughter each other, or starve, or whatever. As the great Lileks said (and I am approximating the quote by memory) "I am out of care. The care well is run dry. The dog ate my care..."
Posted by: Duke Nukem ||
01/31/2005 10:37 Comments ||
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#8
So what they are calling for is a recolonization program, like the post-WWI mandates given to Britain and France in the Middle East -- Palestine, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon...
At some point the peepul have to decide law and order cost less than all-against-all chaos. And until they are willing to pay the cost, nothing the US or anyone else does will fix it. My heart weeps to say it, but in the end kindness is more cruel: Surround the place with an Iron Curtain, and wait them out.
#9
Not recolonisation, just lots of money, diplomats with endless tolerance, patience and enthusiasm for 'process', and perhaps a few technocrats to keep the fax machines running.
#11
It's not "Islam" per se that we have a problem with - it's the way some people interpret and apply Islam to terrorize, extort, kill, maim, murder, and destroy others that we have a problem with. If that's not "part of Islam", then get rid of it. IF, however, that is the part of Islam you intend to extend to us, you're going to have a problem - a BIG problem.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/31/2005 17:23 Comments ||
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#12
We all have our little foibles, and one of mine is that every now and then I work up a good grudge and won't let go of it. The Somalis mutilated our soldiers and dragged their bodies through the streets. Now they want some more of my tax dollars? Go screw.
Posted by: Matt ||
01/31/2005 17:43 Comments ||
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Pakistan will propose a series of confidence-boosting joint projects with India, which it hopes will pave the way to progress in ending difficulties such as the dispute over Kashmir, the Financial Times reported on Monday. A gas pipeline to connect India with Iran via Pakistan and a move to open banking links were among possible measures which "would improve the atmospherics", Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz told the FT in an interview.
"All we need is someone to talk sense to the Bugtis ..."
The paper quoted Aziz as adding there were "many other possibilities which we want to explore". Aziz would make the proposals to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at a regional summit in Bangladesh next weekend.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/31/2005 12:10:55 AM ||
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WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush called Sunday's elections in Iraq a success and promised the United States will continue trying to prepare Iraqis to secure their own country. ``The world is hearing the voice of freedom from the center of the Middle East,'' Bush told reporters at the White House on Sunday, four hours after the polls closed. He did not take questions after his three-minute statement.
Bush praised the bravery of Iraqis who turned out to vote despite continuing violence and intimidation. Bush said voters ``firmly rejected the antidemocratic ideology'' of terrorists.
Iraqis defied threats of violence and calls for a boycott to cast ballots in their first free election in a half-century Sunday. Insurgents struck polling stations with a string of suicide bombings and mortar volleys, killing at least 44 people, including nine suicide bombers. ``Some Iraqis were killed while exercising their rights as citizens,'' Bush said. He also mourned the loss of American and British troops killed Sunday.
Bush cautioned that the election will not end violence in Iraq, but said U.S. forces will continue training and helping Iraqis ``so this rising democracy can eventually take responsibility for its own security.''
In a statement Sunday, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass, said Bush ``must look beyond the election.''
Just as Ted must look beyond the bottle.
``The best way to demonstrate to the Iraqi people that we have no long-term designs on their country is for the administration to withdraw some troops now'' and negotiate further withdrawals, Kennedy added.
Still beating that dead horse, is he?
Earlier Sunday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Iraqi will now work to reduce ethnic or sectarian differences, and the United States will discuss the continued need for outside security forces with the newly elected Iraqi government. ``We all recognize the Iraqis have a long road ahead of them,'' Rice said on CBS' ``Face The Nation.'' ``The insurgency is not going to go away as a result of today,'' Rice added.
Rice would not say whether U.S. forces will leave the country in great numbers after the vote, and Bush did not mention any U.S. military withdrawals. Rice said the election went better than expected, but did not elaborate on U.S. predictions for turnout, violence or other measures.
In Iraq, officials said turnout among the 14 million eligible voters appeared higher than the 57 percent they had predicted. Complete voting results are not expected for days.
Polls were largely deserted all day in many cities of the Sunni Triangle. In Baghdad's mainly Sunni Arab area of Azamiyah, the neighborhood's four polling centers did not open at all, residents said. A low Sunni turnout could undermine the new government and worsen tensions among the country's ethnic, religious and cultural groups.
Yup, get ready, here's the "but ... " part --
``It is hard to say that something is legitimate when whole portions of the country can't vote and doesn't vote,'' Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said on NBC's ``Meet The Press.''
Even with lower turnout among Sunni Arabs, the government can be representative of all Iraqis, Rice said. She also downplayed concerns that a Shiite-dominated government will morph into a theocracy. ``I'm sure that they will have a healthy debate about the role of Islam, about the role of religion in that society,'' Rice said on CNN's ``Late Edition.''
Sorta like the conversation Democrats need to have with themselves, only I'm betting the Iraqis figure it out first.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/31/2005 00:00:00 AM ||
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#1
Meanwhile, former President Jimmy Carter said the Iraqi elections validated the legitimacy of Yassir Arafat's leadership.
Informed that Arafat was dead (and that Carter himself had visited the grave), he shrugged and said "Maybe it was Castro. He kinda looks like Arafat. It's the beard...".
#6
Ah, so "J" is a Kool Aid addict. Shoulda guessed - er, actually I did guess, but was reserving the post until proof arrived. What flavor is it today, "J"? Huckleberry? Got any spiffy DUmmy Dhimmi Talking Points / Memes you'd like to share? Even freshly-minted memes can be fun.
You see, you've just proven, yet again, RC's Good News Theorem: When there is Good News, the fuckwits come out of the woodwork to post.
Thanks, he'll be pleased to know it still holds. Prolly ought to upgrade it from a theorem to a SocioFascistIslamoBat⢠Law. Yeah, I think I will.
Associated Press
Israel will transfer security control over several West Bank towns to the Palestinians in coming days, Israel's defense minister said yesterday, hours after he met with a Palestinian negotiators to work out the details of Israel's troop redeployment. A senior Palestinian security official said the first four towns — Ramallah, Tulkarem, Qalqiliya and Jericho — would be handed over on Wednesday. The planned handover is the latest sign of rapid changes on the ground. It is accompanied by a rebuilding of trust after more than four years of fighting and a flurry of diplomatic meetings. The announcement comes as Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas took the peace initiative to Moscow yesterday in the first direct engagement of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the conflict in four years.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2005 00:00:00 ||
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The planned handover is the latest sign of rapid changes on the ground. It is accompanied by a rebuilding of trust after more than four years of fighting and a flurry of diplomatic meetings. .
#3
It would be nice if the Paleos were not so ungrateful, they think they have it coming, according to their spokespeople.
They are completely unconcerned about the settlers having to forego land where their family members are buried. They have absolutely no regard or human dignity.
Posted by: Duke Nukem ||
01/31/2005 11:01 Comments ||
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#5
Phetora, I don't know what's more dazzling....the brilliance of that statement, or your complete disregard of capitalization, grammar and punctuation.
He was going to include that in his report, of course, but then Muammar jumped the gun on him...
WASHINGTON: Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has said that before he leaves, he would like to "get to the bottom of the "AQ Khan network" that provided a "complete kit" for a nuclear weapon to Libya.
How long have you been working on it?
In an exclusive interview with Lally Weymouth of the Washington Post published on Sunday, the Egypt-born head of the nuclear watchdog agency that he has headed for two terms was repeatedly asked why the United States wants to get rid of him. He is the only candidate for a third term. He replied that it was the US view that no head of an international organisation should serve for more than two terms. He said there was a "security imbalance" in the region. Iran looked at Pakistan, Russia and Iraq and it was clear that more countries were trying to acquire nuclear weapons or nuclear know-how. "So there are going to be 20 or 30 countries with nuclear weapons, or we must move to say nuclear weapons are a recipe for disaster and we need a security system that does not rely on them," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2005 00:00:00 ||
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#1
He seems capable of "dicovering" only those programs where he is invited in, shown everything, handed a complete inventory, fed a fine catered meal, and fawned over. In other words, he's a pluperfect UN official. I think he was separated at birth from Henry Waxman (D, CA).
why the United States wants to get rid of him. Because the people at can rantburg can provide more accurate info from their own homes, in their pajamas, without the lunch tab?
#4
Fascinating, the US and its partners discover the Khan network long ago, to the complete surprise of the IAEA, and now ElBaradei wants to include it on his c.v.
The US has learned to manage around this boob long ago, but would prefer to see someone with a clue replace him.
Posted by: Duke Nukem ||
01/31/2005 6:27 Comments ||
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#5
Libya is a done-deal and old news. What about the other countries that Khan sold "complete kits" to? Every Tom, Dick, and Harry Tin-pot Dictator has a "kit", you jerk. What did you do to stop it?
Armed police were out in force across Port Sudan yesterday following two days of riots by ethnic minority protesters in which at least 17 people were killed, witnesses said. Tensions ran high as hundreds of mourners turned out for the funerals of those killed in what Beja leaders described as a "deliberate, premeditated" attack against their community by the Arab-dominated regime in Khartoum.
The protests sparked a security clampdown across eastern Sudan, with arrests of Beja activists also reported in the region's other main towns of Kassala and Jebeit, officials of the opposition Beja Congress said. "Everywhere you go and look, you see groups of police and army troops giving you the impression that they are going to shoot at you," witness Abdullah Bakash said. "The atmosphere is tense and one feels it can explode any time," he said, adding that there were nonetheless no new protests yesterday. The Beja Congress's leader in Red Sea state, which includes Port Sudan, said separate funerals were held yesterday for 17 of the protesters killed by the security forces.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2005 00:00:00 ||
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One of the main rebel groups in the Darfur region of western Sudan has asked the African Union to send peacekeeping forces to the area with a mandate to disarm Janjaweed militias. Abd al-Wahid Muhammad Ahmad Nur, chairman of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), said in a statement on Sunday that peacekeepers should replace AU observers sent only to monitor a ceasefire agreed upon in April.
African leaders were meeting in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, on Sunday, with the Darfur conflict a major agenda item. The humanitarian coordinator of the SLM, Sulayman Adam Jamus, accused government forces of violating a much-abused ceasefire by bombing two villages on Saturday in South Darfur state, southeast of the capital Nyala. He said that all 450 villagers fled their homes, which were burned to the ground. One person was killed, six were wounded and many were still missing, he added. AU officials said they were checking the reports.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2005 00:00:00 ||
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#1
Is it just me or does Janjaweed Militias sound like something vaguely Jamaican? At the least something to do with the magical herb . . . but that would be Ganjaweed militia, wouldn't it?
Posted by: Jame Retief ||
01/31/2005 0:16 Comments ||
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#2
Damn people are trying to live, we told them to die.
Posted by: Duke Nukem ||
01/31/2005 10:38 Comments ||
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#3
Similar situation as Somalia. Surround it, isolate it, and let them do what they wish to each other. Clean up the mess when it's over.
#4
I disagree, Rightwing. In Somalia it looks like all against all -- no innocents except for some of the peasantry. In Sudan, it is the Arab Muslims against each group of their dark-skinned citizens in turn. Perhaps we could somehow wall in the Arab overlords, until they outgrow it, while letting the rest of the people live in peace.
Yes, I do realize that is a totally unrealistic idea -- maybe some of our Special Forces guys could teach them how to defend themselves instead?
K.S. Ramkumar, Arab News
The 60 percent turnout of voters in the first phase of civic elections held in Jammu & Kashmir on Saturday is "yet another evidence" of the waning support to militancy in the state. The other evidence is the figure of nearly one million tourists visiting the state last year and heavy bookings from visitors for 2005. "Sixty percent turnout at the state's civic elections is better than the average in the national parliamentary election. People have been feeling neglected and isolated and lagging behind the rest of the country due to militancy, and the civic election turnout should be serve as the right message to whatever militants remaining in the state. They are keen to have their share of globalization and industrialization," India's federal Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad who led a 36-member Haj goodwill delegation, told reporters at Hotel Trident shortly before his return home. Hinting that there was already a perceptible change in the troubled Kashmir's tourist industry, Azad said some tourist infrastructure was still in tact, although part of it was destroyed during the past 15-year militancy.
"Honey, I just can't decide. Where should we go this year? A cruise? Or Kashmir?"
"Oh, Herb! It's so hard to decide!"
Posted by: Fred ||
01/31/2005 00:00:00 ||
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Gosh! You don't suppose that democracy stuff is catching? Or even the attitude expressed in Iraq: by voting we make the violence end. That commercial about the community grouping together to show the terrorists that they are the minority was absolutely spot on. GWB should pay to air it on CNN, BBC and Al Jazeera during their prime times -- the results would be highly amusing (for us, at least. The tyrants would be considerably less amused, and all the antis would go berserk.)
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.
The son of assassinated former Bangladeshi Finance Minister 
from an Egyptian blogger's Jan 30 posting
North Korea's media has for the first time raised the issue of a possible hereditary transfer of power from dictator 
Leading Democratic Party critics of US President George W. Bush's Iraq policy cautiously welcomed the successful staging of elections and distanced themselves from calls for the start of an immediate US troop withdrawal. 
In a pre-State of the Union challenge to President Bush, Senate Democratic Leader 
Workers were burying more tsunami victims in Aceh province as a premature end to cease-fire talks between the Indonesian government and separatist rebels dampened hopes for a quick resolution to a 30-year-old conflict in the devastated province. There had been optimism that the immensity of the disaster in Aceh on the northern tip of Sumatra island would spur Indonesia's government and rebels to find a way to end fighting and focus on rebuilding. But hopes were dashed when truce negotiations in Helsinki, Finland, broke off. There was no word on why the meeting ended late Saturday, a day earlier than planned. Indonesian Communications Minister Sofyan Djalil described the talks as "quite hopeful." But former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, who convened the meeting, said neither party had accepted an invitation to a second round.
TEHRAN: Iranian officials on Sunday hailed Iraq's elections as a "great step" towards full independence, but repeated a warning from the Islamic republic's supreme leader that the United States may not accept the result. "The organisation of the elections in Iraq constitutes a great step for Iraqis towards an independent and popular regime," top MP Alaeddin Boroujerdi was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency. But influential former Iranian president Akbar Hasemi Rafsanjani warned that Washington may not accept Iraq becoming a country that is "free and independent and that does not stand next to America and Israel."
DAVOS: Pakistan is exerting behind-the-scenes pressure on Iran to compromise in its acrimonious dispute with Europe and the United States over its nuclear programme, Pakistani diplomatic sources say. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri passed on their concerns during a meeting at the weekend with Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi. Kasuri, for his part, said Pakistan supported negotiations led by Britain, France and Germany, to reach a lasting deal that would allay US charges that Iran is covertly developing nuclear weapons.
Aid groups report renewed fighting in northern Uganda. Over the last six weeks it is clear that the core leaders in the LRA are continuing to fight. In the last week, troops in northern Uganda have killed at least 17 LRA members. On January 28, Sudanese SPLA rebel leader 
WASHINGTON: 
Armed police were out in force across 
One of the main rebel groups in the Darfur region of western Sudan has asked the African Union to send peacekeeping forces to the area with a mandate to disarm Janjaweed militias. 
