Via the Telegraph's intrepid Toby Harnden, I hear that Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan introduced Obama as, ""the distinguished President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama."
That's it. Erdogan's off the McCain campaign.
Posted by: Mike ||
04/06/2009 12:44 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Commerce Minister Faruk Khan yesterday said those BDR members who still remain absconding would be considered deserters and would lose their jobs automatically after 60 daysŽ absence from the duty as per the BDR rules.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/06/2009 00:00 ||
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Of course they could come back and be execued.
I wouldn't.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/06/2009 0:44 Comments ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] The process of trying war criminals is expected to begin on April 8 with the appointment of an investigation officer and a public prosecutor.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh has accepted a UN offer of sending a team of war crime experts to help Bangladesh try those who were involved in various war crimes during the Liberation War of 1971.
Law ministry officials said the group of UN specialists, having experience in dealing with war crimes that had occurred in different nations, might visit Dhaka shortly.
UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Renata Lok Dessallien put forward the offer at a meeting with Law Minister Shafique Ahmed at his ministry. Home Minister Sahara Khatun was also present at the meeting.
"We have offered Bangladesh to bring here specialists, who deal with the war crime issues, so that the trial process of 1971 war criminals meets international standards," Renata told reporters after the meeting.
She said mistakes have been made in trials of war crimes earlier in many countries. "The experts will share their experiences here in Bangladesh to avoid the mistakes," she added terming the process very complex and delicate.
Renata reiterated the UN's cooperation in holding the trial but said the trial would be of Bangladesh's own, not the UN's.
State Minister for Law Quamrul Islam said steps have already been taken so that suspects of war crimes cannot flee the country. He would not say who are on the list of suspects.
An inter-ministerial meeting, scheduled for Wednesday at the home ministry, would discuss the probe and trial issues for the second time since March 25. The meeting may also appoint a public prosecutor.
Once an investigation officer is appointment, law ministry officials said a large team would be formed to initiate investigation into the genocide that took place during the Liberation War. The government has also passed a resolution in parliament paving the way for holding the trial.
"Appointment of an investigation officer is the first step towards kicking off the trial process," said State Minister for Law Quamrul Islam, adding that the investigation officer would be appointed in Wednesday's inter-ministerial meeting.
A similar meeting on March 25, however, failed to make any decision regarding the appointment of investigation officer and public prosecutor.
In reply to a question, the state minister said whatever risk is involved the government is committed to holding the trial since it is in Awami League's election manifesto and people gave the Awami League an overwhelming majority. It has become a national demand, he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/06/2009 00:00 ||
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Law makers, political leaders and analysts, lawyers and university teachers simultaneously on Sunday called upon the government to take effective initiatives to stop extra judicial and political killings.
I'm pretty sure it has slowed down the Crossfire Gazette hasn't published in weeks. The RAB likes press releases too much to be quiet about this, right?
In the name of cross fire, encounter and interrogation in police custody as many as five hundred extra judicial killings have been perpetrated by law enforcing agencies under patronization of all the past successive governments in the last few years said discussants at a roundtable meeting on "Political killings of the state" held at National Press Club yesterday.
Barrister Rafiqul Islam Mia, Former law minister and incumbent law maker Abdul Matin Khasru, political analyst Farhad Mazhar, Major General (Retd) Moinul Hossain Chowdhury, BNP leader Shamsuz-zaman Dudu and University teacher Dr. Piash Karim attended the roundtable discussion.
Barrister Rafiqul Islam Mia said that as per constitution the government would have to ensure safety of people and their property. "If the government wants to establish a democratic state, firstly the role of law in the country will have to be ascertained. Otherwise, extra judicial killings will not be stopped," he said, adding that physical torture on people during interrogation should be stopped as it is a total violation of constitutional rights of the people.
Abdul Matin Khasru said that culture of impunity brought up by different governments in past contributed to conducting extra judicial killings in the country. To stop these killings, those who are actually responsible for patronizing extra judicial killing in the country since independence will have to be identified. After all, a political commitment among political parties is very much needed to stop extra judicial killings including political killing.
Calling upon people to be united against extra judicial killing, Farhad Mazhar said that these killings by law enforcing agencies must not be launched under democratic government violating constitutional rights of people. "It would appear that to keep the government in power, is the main duty of the government employees who are being capriciously used by governments to conduct extra judicial killings since long. The government will have to come out from this bad ideology in order to ensure the rule of law in the country," said Major General (Retd) Moinul Hossain Chowdhury.
Echoing the same, University teacher Dr. Piash Karim said that it is the high time to set up a National Human rights protection committee with a view to protecting all sorts of rights of the people.
Excepting, of course, that the bad boys from the Purgla communist party, the Biplobis, the sawans, and the various islamicists have no interest in a Bangladesh that has human rights, law or order. Perhaps you take care of them first?
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/06/2009 00:00 ||
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[Kyodo: Korea] North Korean leader Kim Jong Il observed the launch Sunday of a communication satellite at the launch facilityŽs control and command center on the countryŽs east coast, North KoreaŽs official Korean Central News Agency said Monday. North Korea launched a rocket it said propelled a satellite into space. Japan, the United States and other countries suspect the launch was a cover for test-firing a long-range ballistic missile.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/06/2009 00:00 ||
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Dammit, a perfect time for a launch "Malfunction" Lost forever.(Read as a laser hitting 1/2 second into ignition)
They're claiming a satelite in orbit, my first thought is "Liars" any proof, either way?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/06/2009 0:38 Comments ||
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[Kyodo: Korea] U.S. President Barack Obama laid out an ambitious vision for a world without nuclear weapons Sunday, saying the United States will take the lead in doing so as the only country that has used one. Delivering a speech in the Czech capital, he branded nuclear arms ŽŽthe most dangerous legacy of the Cold WarŽŽ and blasted North Korea for launching a rocket earlier in the day in a suspected test of a Taepodong-2 long-range ballistic missile.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/06/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Moron.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/06/2009 0:38 Comments ||
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If that's a true quote of Obambi, then it shows his gross ignorance of historical fact. We're not the only country to use one, we're the only country to use TWO!
Getting in my daily snark.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/06/2009 14:20 Comments ||
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Took the time away from gladhanding g20 faces to give us this generic response to an utterly predictable event did he? Well break out the palm leaves and love beads, mix the kool-aid, and gather round the olde Obama website for some Ethel Merman to-night!
Hokay, show of hands: who thought this was coming?
The U.N. Security Council met in emergency session on Sunday afternoon to discuss concerns over North Korea's launch of a long-range rocket. But the closed-door consultations did not produce a clear and unified response.
Even though diplomacy is the only possible approach to solving the problem of North Korea, donchaknow ...
Diplomats say the council was unified in its deep concern over the launch, but that it could not immediately agree what form its response should take.
Of course not. The Chinese won't curb their dog, the Rooskies enjoy meddling, and the rest of the Security Council is ineffectual and unwilling to take action.
The United States and Japan say they want a clear message in the form of a Security Council resolution condemning the launch.
We already have one of those. The next step is to do something about it, which the UN won't do.
U.S. Ambassador, Susan Rice said "It is our view that this action merits a clear and strong response from the United Nations Security Council. We will be embarked on additional consultations with partners in the Security Council as well as allies and concerned parties outside of the Security Council towards obtaining that kind of outcome."
Though Susie has no idea what the outcome should be. Her timid boss, our President, refused to shoot down the missile and then expressed 'outrage' that the Norks launched, and thus demonstrated himself to be a paper tiger. And his ambassador is clueless as to what we should be doing.
In and of itself the Nork's long-range missile is almost laughable. The Norks can't seriously threaten us. We have a missile defense system that works. It certainly works well enough to stop a single, or a few, TD-2 missiles. A Nork land invasion of the south would roll as far as the first big-box discount store in the South and come to a halt. The Norks can't hurt us, can't really hurt Japan, and could hurt the SKors only if they want their own country to cease to exist.
But what they can do is what they've been doing: sell their WMD technology to any group of thugs that have the cash. It's no accident that the Iranians were in attendance. Bet the Syrians have a full report by now. And Hugo. And so do various terrorist groups that would love to get their hands on a Nork nuclear device.
And so the missile launch was not just a test, it was advertising. It shows the Iranians and the rest that their technology works. And it shows the world that we, the West, the US, the UN, Japan, etc., won't do a damned thing about it. Our ambassador, Susan Rice, doesn't know what to do and what kind of outcome she wants, other than the most base platitude. All she can do is spoon out pablum.
Do we want the Norks to stop building WMDs? Do we want them to stop building and testing missiles? Do we want them to stop their proliferation efforts? What are we willing to do to stop them? Diplomacy has failed. Clinton tried. Bush tried. Bambi now will try. Pretty soon their efforts will rival our efforts to produce a lasting peace in the Middle East. We can enlist the Party-of-Six. We can bring in the UN. We can perhaps even enlist the EU for all the good it will do. None of it will matter. Diplomacy is meaningless with the Norks, because it's been shown previously to be meaningless.
No serious person wants a full-out war with the Norks. Lots of innocent people would die, and such a war could destabilize our relationship, such as it is, with China. Indeed, the Chinese might now be telling Barry, "mess with the Norks and we won't buy your T-bills anymore." You can bet that Timmy the Treasurer worries about that.
But it is time to put the Norks on notice: we won't do another damned thing to help you. No more food or oil. Threaten all you like, launch as many missiles as you want, even test your puny nuke device if you wish. We obviously can't stop you. But there will be no more aid of any kind.
We'll follow that up with relentless efforts to shut down all your ways of bringing in cash. Nork ships carrying missile parts will have tragic accidents. Nork diplomats will be compromised. Nork military officers will have fatal strokes. Nork counterfeiting, money-laundering, and drug-running schemes will be discovered and shut down. We'll starve you for cash, Kim: no more cognac, no more blondes, and no more boodle to spread to your generals so that they tolerate you in power. We had fifty years practice in running a cold war, Kimmie, we know cold war.
And we make it clear to the SKors: if you aid the North, we'll pull out and let you defend your own country. We can base our AEGIS ships from Yokohama, we can pull our other forces back to Okinawa or Guam, and you can handle Kimmie yourselves.
North Korea's allies - China and Russia - are calling for less severe action. Chinese Ambassador, Zhang Yesui said "Our position is that all countries concerned should show restraint and refrain from taking actions that might lead to increased tensions."
Never mind that the Norks have already increased tensions. Apparently they're the only ones allowed to do so.
Diplomats close to the talks say council members agreed on their concern about the launch, North Korea's need to return to the Six Party Talks and its need to respect existing Security Council resolutions. But there is disagreement over whether the launch of what North Korea says was a communications satellite was a violation of U.N. Security Council resolution 1718. That resolution prohibits North Korea from conducting "any further nuclear test or launch of a ballistic missile".
So the snow-job worked.
Whether the council's response will take the form of a resolution with new sanctions or a non-binding statement that carries weight because it requires council unity, will likely play out over the coming days.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/06/2009 00:00 ||
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#3
And a UN Security Council respnse would have accomplished what? Response or no response, the result is the same.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
04/06/2009 0:58 Comments ||
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#4
"the Chinese might now be telling Barry, "mess with the Norks and we won't buy your T-bills anymore."
I would not be at all surprised to learn Barry and the Hildebeast consulted with China on this issue prior to making any statements at all. We're "all in" with the Chinese Communists and have been for years. Now they call the shots.
#5
Well it would have been nice to shoot down the Nork missile but we didn't. Maybe this was because China asked us not to.
I don't think the PRC cares much about the missiles but there is some reason to think they have restricted the NORK nuke program (no tests lately, no satellite signature of a reactor operating) If the cost of slowing the NORK nuke program is letting them shoot a missile, its not too high a price.
#6
This is just the beginning. Obambi is a limp-dick and everyone knows it. He will be rolled by every country in the world, big and small. No wonder they were cheering him on so much.
#7
Biden: Mark my words, it will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking... were gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy.
#8
Barry might as well hold up a sign and tell the Chinese Communists to go ahead and take Taiwan. Of course there would be the perfunctory, strongly worded appear to the UN Security Council.
ANKARA, Turkey - Barack Obama, making his first visit to a Muslim nation as president, declared Monday the United States "is not at war with Islam" and called for a greater partnership with the Islamic world.
Addressing the Turkish parliament, Obama called the country an important U.S. ally in many areas, including the fight against terrorism. He devoted much of his speech to urging a greater bond between Americans and Muslims, portraying terrorist groups such as al Qaida as extremists who did not represent the vast majority of Muslims.
"Let me say this as clearly as I can," Obama said. "The United States is not at war with Islam. In fact, our partnership with the Muslim world is critical in rolling back a fringe ideology that people of all faiths reject."
#1
In a sense that's true, but Islam's sure at war with Humanity, and that includes US(A).
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/06/2009 14:24 Comments ||
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"The United States is not at war with Islam"
Maybe YOU ain't, cookie, but you don't speak for a lot of Americans (and citizens of quite a few other civilized countries, too).
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/06/2009 14:33 Comments ||
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The core strategy in Iraq, the central front in the war on terror, has been, and is, to defend the MUSLIM population from killers. This is being repeated in Afghanistan. Classic counterinsurgency yes, but it does mean fighting a war to PROTECT Muslims.
Now THAT'S irony.
Posted by: Minister of funny walks ||
04/06/2009 15:29 Comments ||
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Considering that all obama utterances come with a drop-dead date, abu et al better start worryin...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/06/2009 16:12 Comments ||
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Obama is off his head, if 71,000,000 Muslims join the EU ( JUST BECAUSE HE THINKS IT IS A COOL IDEA )the shores of my country will be flooded with yet more " Peace Loving Muslims " We have had enough.
Posted by: Dave UK ||
04/06/2009 16:52 Comments ||
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no mention of Armenian Genocide. Wasn't that one of his campaign promises?
#7
Fundamentalist Islamists must be snickering. Nice. President of the most powerfull infidel nation in the world just assured them that they are not at war with the theology that demands Muslims harm infidels in the most painfull way, i.e. 9/11/01...
Two young Americans who left their homes to join an Al Qaeda-linked terrorist group in Somalia held a rare press conference in Southern Somalia on Monday, saying they want to be killed for the sake of God, according to a U.S. law enforcement official and a video posted on a Somali news Web site.
For several months the FBI has been investigating at least 20 Somali-American men from the Minneapolis area and elsewhere in the United States who traveled to war-torn Somalia to join the terrorist group al-Shabaab, which has been warring with the moderate Somali government since 2006. Last month, a source familiar with the FBI investigation told FOX News that several of the men had returned to the United States, while others are still there [in Somalia]." Today is the first time any of these men have spoken publicly.
"We came from the U.S. with a good life and a good education, but we came to fight alongside our brothers of al-Shabaab to be killed for the sake of God, one man said in the video, as translated by Omar Jamal, the executive director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center in St. Paul, Minn. In the video, two men, identifying themselves as Abu-Muslim and Abu Yaxye, say they are Somali youth from the United States who are now stationed near the city of Kismayo, more than 300 miles southwest of Mogadishu, according to Jamal. The men say they are talking to media for the first time so others can learn why they joined al-Shabaab, he said.
A spokesman from the FBI Field Office in Minneapolis, E.K. Wilson, said he is aware of the video, which was posted on the Web site dowladnimo.com. He said the video was first brought to his offices attention early Sunday. Wilson would not say whether the FBI has identified the men in the video.
At their press conference, the men did not say exactly how many other U.S. citizens have joined al-Shabaab, but they insisted that many Somali-Americans are now all over Somalia to join the Jihad, according to Jamal's translation. Some of us are still in training, others are on the frontline of the Jihad, Abu-Muslim said in the video, according to Jamal. Sadly a few of us are dead, one of whom carried out a suicide bombing.
In October 2008, Shirwa Ahmed a 27-year-old college student from Minneapolis became what the FBI calls the first known American suicide bomber when he blew himself up in Somalia, killing dozens. The men in the new video said they want others like Ahmed to fight in Somalia, according to Jamal. We are here to invite others to come and join us" said Abu Yaxye, as translated by Jamal.
This comes a week after another video featuring an American in Somalia surfaced online. But unlike the new video, which is essentially a news story covering a press conference, the video posted last week is a highly polished production with the primary intent of recruiting foreign youth.
It was a "clear appeal to foreign youth, especially in English-speaking countries, to join the jihad in Somalia," according to the Washington-based Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), which first provided the video to Fox News. In the 30-minute video, featuring an anti-American hip-hop score and images of Usama bin Laden, a man dubbed "The American" purportedly leads a group of al-Shabaab militants in an ambush of Ethiopian forces, which oppose an Islamic state and have backed the new Somali government. If you can encourage more of your children and more of your neighbors, anyone around, to send people like him to this jihad it would be a great asset for us," the so-called American says in the video, which was posted on an Islamist web site.
A law enforcement official confirmed to FOX News that the man, identified in the video as Abu Mansur al-Amriki, is originally from the United States, but said he has been in Somalia for some time. The official said the man is in his late 20s or early 30s, and left the United States many years ago.
The FBI investigation into how young American men were recruited to join al-Shabaab in Somalia is active in Columbus, Ohio; Cincinnati, Ohio; Boston; Seattle; and San Diego, according to testimony from counterterrorism officials and others at a Senate hearing last month. But, officials said, there is no intelligence to indicate that Somali-Americans who traveled to Somalia are planning attacks inside the United States.
The source familiar with the FBI investigation would not say publicly if authorities know the whereabouts of the men who returned to the United States, nor would the source say if authorities are pursuing arrests in the case. But Muslim leaders in the Minneapolis area told FOX News that they believe arrests are coming. It will be a big relief for the community once this comes to an end, Jamal said.
I'd like them to be killed for the sake of God. Why are we fighting when we agree on so much?
Posted by: Formerly Dan ||
04/06/2009 12:32 Comments ||
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There are Somalis missing from the UK and OZ, too. They also have valid passports, so they could return or travel easily elsewhere to carry out attacks.
The teenage girl who was filmed being flogged by the Taliban in Pakistan's restive Swat valley has denied that the incident ever occurred in a statement made to government officials, media reports said on Monday. "Nope. Nope. Never happened."
Chand Bibi, the 17-year-old girl who was shown being held down by three men while a fourth flogged her, reportedly told the judge of a Qazi or Islamic court and Divisional Commissioner Syed Mohammad Javed yesterday that such an incident had never happened. "Not to me, not to nobody."
The incident was condemned in Pakistan and around the world and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani ordered an inquiry into it after TV channels last week aired the video of the girl being flogged. "Huh huh! This is better'n gun sex!"
"Lemme whack her! Lemme whack her!"
Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry too took suo moto notice of it and directed the interior secretary and other officials to appear before him to give an explanation. "What's the meaning of this?"
"Here, Judge! Give her a whack yourself!"
[WHACK!]
"Hooooo! Owwww!"
"Say! This ain't bad at all! Lemme have another go at her!"
[WHACK!]
"Hooooo! Waaaah!"
North West Frontier Province Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain told The News daily that Chand Bibi had made a statement to the two officials who visited her village of Kala Killay in Kabal sub-division yesterday. "We're here to receive your statement, miss."
"Never happened."
"Hokay. And who're these stout fellows?"
"Witnesses."
"Say! Ain't you the guys that wuz holding her down? And ain't you the guy that wuz whacking her?"
"Wudn't us."
Quoting the divisional commissioner, Hussain said the girl made it clear she was married to a man named Adalat Khan. An electrician by trade...
She refuted reports that both of them were flogged by the Taliban as punishment for having "illicit relations" and then forcibly married. "Au contraire! I been in love with Whatsisname here since I wuz a girl.!"
Hussain also said Chand Bibi had expressed her inability to appear in the Supreme Court as she and her family felt it was not appropriate for a purdah-observing Pashtun girl to do so in the presence of TV cameras and onlookers. "I mean, what would the neighbors think? More to the point, what would they do?"
"She requested the judge and the commissioner to spare her from appearing in the court in Islamabad," he said, adding the two officials visited the village to record the statements of the couple on the directive of the NWFP chief secretary. "No way I could go to the big city and survive!"
The incident caused outrage in Pakistan where civil society and rights activists organised protests across the country. The incident was also condemned by most political parties and religious scholars. "If it's on film it's un-Islamic, you betcha!"
Chand Bibi's husband said he was ready to appear in the Supreme Court. The Qazi court judge also recorded his statement and he too denied reports that he or his wife had been lashed by the Taliban. "No, no! Certainly not!"
Hussain claimed a fake video had been used to tarnish the reputation of the people of Swat and to disrupt the peace process in the area. "We condemn the acts of repression against women...But the incident depicted in the videotape never took place in Swat," he said. "Yeah! You can tell it's a fake!"
"How?"
"Lotsa stuff."
He claimed the videotape was released as "part of a conspiracy to foil the peace agreement in Swat and put pressure on President (Asif Ali) Zardari not to sign" a regulation for implementing Islamic law in the region. "And to give Islam a bad name!"
Meanwhile, the man who filmed the Taliban flogging Chand Bibi has said that the incident occurred about two weeks ago. Shaukat told Dawn News that the treatment meted out to the girl was actually a "punishment" for her refusing a marriage proposal from a militant. "Marry me, Chand Bibi!"
"Never! My heart belongs to Whatsisname!"
The man who proposed to marry Chand Bibi joined the Taliban after the rejection and this was how he took revenge on the girl, Shaukat said. "Hrarrrr! Let's flog the wench!"
"I'll get my whip!"
"I'll geet my mascara!"
"I'll get my leather chaps!"
Asked about the reaction of the people who had witnessed the incident, Shaukat said the people in Swat are so scared that no one has the courage to stand up and speak out against the Taliban and their verdicts.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/06/2009 07:31 ||
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#1
they sure are sensitive about being seen as barbarian animals, huh?
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/06/2009 8:26 Comments ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] PakistanŽs Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi says Islamabad will block any decision by the US to conduct operations inside its territories.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/06/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
OK Big mouth, just how Y'all planning to do that?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/06/2009 0:40 Comments ||
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#4
Helluva lot of foreign troops in Pakland, just that they die for AQ and the Talibunnies. Certainly not from just locals. If you don't control the territory, its not yours to claim sovereignty over.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/06/2009 18:04 Comments ||
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#8
IF they don't get their sh$$ together and do some housecleaning, there may very well be LOTS of foreign troops in Pakistan, and they won't have a thing to say about it but "aiiiieeeeeee".
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/06/2009 18:55 Comments ||
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[Geo News] Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has convened a high-level meeting to review the present law and order situation in the country. Chief ministers of the four provinces will also be attending this meeting, source said. Interior Advisor, Rehman Malik will give briefing on the overall law and order at the meeting, sources added.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/06/2009 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] Chairman Pakistan International Human Rights, Raja Liaquat Ali has said that the video footage of a 17-year old Swat girl being aired on media is fictitious and termed it a conspiracy to malign Islam. Addressing a press conference in Swat Press Club, he said the video footage of a girl being flogged in public has nothing to do with Swat and that it is a made-up video. "The purpose of displaying this video is to tarnish the image of Islam." He said some elements want the Swat peace agreement to fizzle out.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/06/2009 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] Advisor to Prime Minister on Interior Affairs Rehman Malik Sunday said the attackers are Pakistani and that they have not come from outside. He said a suicide bomber is not under any compulsion to carry out attacks. "They are sold for money," he added. Rehman Malik said the family of a suicide bomber gets Rs500,000 for blowing himself up. He hoped to flush out the terrorists out of the country. The Advisor said a high level meeting will be held tomorrow to review security situation in the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/06/2009 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] Residents of Swat valley have denied occurrence of any incident in which a girl had been whipped in front of public. Meanwhile, IG Police NWFP will present his report in connection with incident before the larger bench of Supreme Court on Monday. E pur si muove.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/06/2009 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] Chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Imran Khan and other leaders of the country expressing concern on the increasing terrorist activities, have demanded of the government to give up what they called being slave to the US and ensure safety to the life and property of the people. In a statement issued here, Imran Khan and other leaders of TI condemned the drone attacks in North and South Waziristan and the suicide attacks in Islamabad, Chakwal and Miranshah.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/06/2009 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] US special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke and US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen will visit Pakistan on April 6. The two would meet Pakistan's political and military leadership following the announcement of a new US regional policy by President Barack Obama. Several important decisions are expected to be made during the American officials' visit.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/06/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
"We may go down, but at least we shall go down talking."
[Geo News] CHAKWAL: Pakistan Muslim League-Q has condemned in strongest terms the suicide blast in Chakwal and expressed grief on the loss of innocent lives. In a statement issued in Lahore, leaders of PML-Q Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, MNA Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain and MNA Munis Elahi termed the increasing acts of terrorism in the country as deplorable. They described these acts as conspiracies to destabilize the country. They prayed to God for grant of solace to the bereaved families and quick recovery for the injured.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/06/2009 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Sunday that no foreign military boot will step in Pakistan and our own law enforcement agencies and paramilitary forces will conduct anti-terrorism operation inside the country.
Talking to the newsmen at the local airport upon his arrival here, the Foreign Minister said that during his recent visit to Washington he conveyed clearly to the US that NATO will not be allowed to conduct operation in Pakistan adding that it is not acceptable for Pakistan. They have understood our point of view and accepted it, he added.
He said that US has introduced a bill worth US$ 10.5 billion for Pakistan including US$ 7.5 billion as economic assistance and rest of US$3 billion for military assistance. He termed it as a success. Mentioning a statement by US President Barack Obama regarding 'No Blank Cheque', FM said, Pakistan will neither give any blank cheque nor will accept it.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
04/06/2009 00:00 ||
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BAGHDAD - Ineffectual Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas sought to repair relations between Palestinians and the Iraqi government and find solutions for Palestinian refugees stranded in camps during his first visit to the country since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. The visit Sunday is significant because it marks a major step in improving ties between the Shiite-led government of Iraq and the Palestinian leadership, which had warm relations with the ousted regime of Saddam Hussein.
And the rest of Iraq noticed that.
Iraqi spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the Iraqi government would affirm its support for the Palestinians and the creation of a Palestinian state during Abbas talks with President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
That's just boilerplate ...
Palestinian exiles who fled to Iraq after the establishment of the state of Israel enjoyed a privileged status during Saddams rule, but that privilege ended when the U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam and paved the way for his Shiite opponents to take power.
They didn't 'flee', they were recruited. A fair number of them served in Saddam's Feyadeen both in Kuwait and in Iraq. They worked as thug-boys. And the rest of Iraq remembers ...
About 11,000 Palestinians still live in Iraq, mostly in Baghdads Shiite district of Baladiyat. Hundreds of Palestinians, overwhelmingly Sunni, were slaughtered during the sectarian violence of a few years ago in Iraq.
Precisely because the Shi'a remember what the Paleo thugs did to their families ...
Several thousand remain stranded at refugee camps along the Iraqi-Syrian border where they fled the sectarian massacres.
Because their brother Syrians won't take them in. The Syrians, it seems, paid attention when the Paleos alienated the Jordanians, Lebanese, Tunisians, Egyptians, Mauritanians, Kuwaitis, and Iraqis.
Abbas aide, Saeb Erekat, said a main reason for Abbas visit was to discuss the legal situation of the Palestinians in those camps. But al-Dabbagh asserted the situation has improved. 'The Iraqi government has dealt with and overcome this issue, al-Dabbagh said. 'It is no more a problem, and now Palestinians in Iraq are sharing a normal life with Iraqis.
Thus taking their treatment, whatever it is, off the table.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/06/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Has anyone suggested repatriating Iraq's Palestinians to their homeland in the Palestinian territories? What say you: 11,000 Palestinians with their few remaining worldly goods (including tents), to be divided proportionately between the West Bank and Gaza Strip? It wouldn't do to divide them evenly, given that the two parts are of significantly different size and population density.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Mahmoud Abbas has said that Israel must accept the creation of a Palestinian state and stop settlements in order to reopen stalled peace talks.
When will the Paleos accept the two-state solution?
The acting ineffectual Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas, in the first visit of a Palestinian official to Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion, said at a joint press conference with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Sunday that the Palestinian stance remains the same as before on a two-state solution.
"We call on the new Israeli government (of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) to recognize the two-state solution, stop building settlements and remove all obstacles from the West Bank to allow the Palestinians to resume dialogue and reach a solution with the new government," he said.
Abbas said he discussed the Arab peace initiative, explained the steps Palestine will implement to apply the peace initiative and the means to deal with the new Israeli government to the Iraqi president. "We expressed our concerns to the Iraqi president including Palestinian unity and dialogue. We hope that Palestinian unity will be achieved as fast as possible because without it there will be no political progress," he said and added, 'We also have Iraq's support' in this process.
Abbas said he also discussed the issue of Palestinian refugees stranded on the Iraqi-Syrian border.
Abbas said he expressed his gratitude to the Iraqi president for his country's dealings with Palestinians. He also thanked the Iraqi government for the attention that it gives to the Palestinian people in Iraq. "It considers them part of Iraqi society, and we consider them in safe hands," said Abbas.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/06/2009 00:00 ||
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#3
That is kinda pointless when the opposition - Hamas and Hizbollah - are one-staters, as are most local Arabs. Fatah support is generally bought. Fatah members are not averse to H-H terror.
JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said his government would immediately get to work on Mideast peace issues, promising to present a diplomatic agenda in the coming weeks.
Let's hope it doesn't get watered down.
Speaking at the first meeting of his Cabinet, Netanyahu said he planned to appoint an inner Cabinet on Sunday to deal with the nation's most pressing security and political issues. 'In the coming weeks, we shall complete our policy guidelines for progress on peace and security,' he said.
Netanyahu has sent mixed signals about his diplomatic program in recent weeks. Elected on a platform highly critical of his predecessor's peace talks with the Palestinians, he took a softer line when he was sworn into office last week, telling parliament he would pursue a 'full peace' with the Arab and Muslim world.
However, Netanyahu has given few details about his program and has so far refused to endorse the idea of an independent Palestinian state. Palestinian independence is a cornerstone of U.S. policy in the Mideast, and the Palestinians have said that if Netanyahu does not commit to a two-state solution, there is no point in negotiating.
Precisely. The Paleos haven't committed to a two-state solution so why should Israel?
Netanyahu's hard-line foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, raised additional concerns on his first day in office when he dismissed as meaningless the past year of U.S.-led peace negotiations and said concessions to the Palestinians only invite war.
Lieberman did endorse the 'road kill map,' an internationally backed peace plan that calls for a staged process leading to Palestinian independence. The road kill map has been frozen for several years due to failure by Israel and especially by the Palestinians to meet their initial obligations.
Also high on Netanyahu's agenda is Iran's nuclear program. Netanyahu believes Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons and has called on the international community to prevent this from happening. Upon taking office last week, Netanyahu stressed that Israelis 'know how to protect' their country _ a possible hint that Tehran's nuclear facilities could be struck if the international community fails to persuade it to stop its nuclear activities.
You have to think that Bibi is willing to do what Olmert wasn't. And you have to think that Bibi will do it even if Bambi says don't.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/06/2009 00:00 ||
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Coming from Bibi, I expect this to be a true peace plan - the kind that actually achieves peace. Of course, that will require tanks and bombs, not just snippy letters and UN blustering.
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.
[Bangla Daily Star] Commerce Minister Faruk Khan yesterday said those BDR members who still remain absconding would be considered deserters and would lose their jobs automatically after 60 daysŽ absence from the duty as per the BDR rules.
Law makers, political leaders and analysts, lawyers and university teachers simultaneously on Sunday called upon the government to take effective initiatives to stop extra judicial and political killings.
[Kyodo: Korea] U.S. President Barack Obama laid out an ambitious vision for a world without nuclear weapons Sunday, saying the United States will take the lead in doing so as the only country that has used one. Delivering a speech in the Czech capital, he branded nuclear arms ŽŽthe most dangerous legacy of the Cold WarŽŽ and blasted North Korea for launching a rocket earlier in the day in a suspected test of a Taepodong-2 long-range ballistic missile.
[Geo News] Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Sunday that no foreign military boot will step in Pakistan and our own law enforcement agencies and paramilitary forces will conduct anti-terrorism operation inside the country.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Mahmoud Abbas has said that Israel must accept the creation of a Palestinian state and stop settlements in order to reopen stalled peace talks. 
