Rejecting a recent US State Department report which accused Saudi Arabia of severe violations of religious freedom, prominent Islamic leaders on Friday said the United States' own record proved it was in no position to judge others. "How do the Americans have the right to speak about violation of religious freedoms and human rights in this country or another?" questioned a leading Shia leader, Shaikh Hassan al-Saffar. He said US support of Israel, the occupation of neighbouring Iraq and the reported mistreatment of Arabs and Muslims in the United States since 2001 had robbed Washington of moral high ground.
If you change the subject, you don't have to answer the questions, do you?
"Hey, look! Over there! It's William Shatner!
"With all these American policies and practices does the US State Department expect people to believe its report on religious freedoms?" al-Saffar asked.
Because Soddy Arabia is manifestly lacking in religious freedom?
The US State Department in a report earlier this week alleged "freedom of religion does not exist" in Saudi Arabia and included the kingdom for the first time on a list of eight countries of particular concern. The report said religious freedoms were denied to all Saudis except those who adhere to the "state sanctioned Wahhabi version of Sunni Islam". Saleh al-Fawzan, senior Sunni preacher and member of Saudi Arabia's top religious body â the Supreme Association of Ulema â condemned the United States as an 'infidel' country.
"So there! That answer yer questions?"
He also defended restrictions against non-Muslim religions in Saudi Arabia. "Prophet Muhammad said there should not be two religions in the Arabian peninsula," al-Fawzan said.
"So he said we gotta do it, so we gotta do it!"
Relations between Riyadh and Washington have been under stress since the September 11 attacks on the United States which were carried out by mainly Saudi hijackers. The surprise designation of Saudi Arabia as a country of particular concern, alongside Vietnam, Eritrea, Myanmar, China, Cuba, Iran and North Korea, allows for a range of sanctions, though none are expected to be imposed.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2004 7:45:02 PM ||
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"Prophet Muhammad said there should not be two religions in the Arabian peninsula"
So, if the place is nuked into a sheet of glass, that would not be two...
Posted by: Tom ||
09/17/2004 20:12 Comments ||
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#2
Frankly I'd like to see a Royal head or Cleric head or two on the chopping block, then I'll be better impressed
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/17/2004 20:13 Comments ||
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#3
The State Dept's spin on it would be that we are having frank discussions and dialog is continuing. BTW, I was not referring to Frank, heh heh.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/17/2004 20:15 Comments ||
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#4
Mullahs are too scared that introduction of Christianity or Budhism will lead to genuine charity, welfare human development and so forth. They will be hard pressed trying to stop people from converting. They wannah keep things simple.
Hopefully, he will fly Saudi Airlines and a heat-seeking missile finds its way to the fuel tank.
More likely he'll turn up in Waziristan in the next few months...
A lawyer for an American-born terror suspect said Thursday that a deal had been tentatively reached with the U.S. government that will send the man to Saudi Arabia and spare him prosecution after being held for more than two years without charge. Yaser Esam Hamdi, who grew up in Saudi Arabia, could become the first American classified as an enemy combatant to renounce his citizenship to avoid prosecution. "There is an agreement in principle for his release and it's now in the hands of the government," said Hamdi's lawyer, Frank Dunham Jr. John Novatsky, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Justice, said negotiations were still underway.
The 23-year-old was captured fighting with Afghanistan's Taliban in late 2001 and held at the U.S. military outpost in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for three months before authorities realized he was a U.S. citizen. He was then transferred to a brig in South Carolina and later to the Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia. Saying he was forced to fight for the Taliban, Hamdi had challenged his status as an enemy combatant, a classification given to the 585 detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay that affords detainees fewer legal protections than prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions. One restriction was not being allowed to see an attorney for months while in solitary confinement. But the Supreme Court ruled in June that enemy combatants may not be indefinitely detained without legal rights, allowing Hamdi to have a lawyer and contest his detention in federal court.
He is not facing any charges in Saudi Arabia, said a spokesman for the Saudi Arabia Embassy in Washington. There was no indication of compensation for Hamdi, or an unidentified detainee at Guantanamo whose release was ordered last week after a ruling that he had been improperly held for more than two years.
Posted by: Anonymous6134 ||
09/17/2004 9:04:12 AM ||
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Terror suspect may be freed, sent back to Saudi Arabia
All the more reason to kill these jerks in battle, instead of capturing them, flying them over to Gitmo on OUR dime, feeding the bastards on our dime, and then releasing them later on for God knows what reason.
#2
BAR---In these days of PC, yes. The only thing that they would be good for is intelligence, and it seems to me that their usefullness there is long gone.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/17/2004 12:01 Comments ||
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#4
How did it happen that he was close enough to the Taliban that they were able to force him to fight for them, I wonder? Surely they didn't kidnap him from Saudi Arabia!
#5
Didnt every one see what happened with the Mehsud nut when he went back and started a war in Waziristan, what are they releasing this terrorist for, and the Saudis dont even have the balls to go after him in case he shows his true colors.
#6
sent back in separate shipments? I can dream, can't I?
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/17/2004 20:24 Comments ||
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#7
#3 "Did we implant a GPS chip in his a**?"
Maybe that explains what they were doing at Abu Ghraib. General John Abizaid, the US central command (Centcom) and co seemed to have authorised ass-tagging for their guests.
Perversions aside, it doesn't seem to make sense to release one regarded as "an American classified as an enemy combatant to renounce his citizenship to avoid prosecution".
Anon6521, We know all that. Old news man. It's, how do we stop the Zionist that is the problem, they are like everywhere, man. See that guy behind the curtain, Zionist.
#6
...and, like, under your bed, UFOOL. I saw you look.
Posted by: The Mossad ||
09/17/2004 13:30 Comments ||
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#7
Careful, M. darling. He might become paranoid, and discover the saltpeter we mixed into his toothpaste, or the tiny spy camera behind the one way mirror. I know you men find him highly amusing, but really! You'd think he'd have listened to his mother when she told him not to do that. Eeuuuwwwww!
President Vladimir Putin accused the West of indulging terrorists on Friday, just hours after a Chechen warlord claimed responsibility for a wave of deadly attacks in Russia and threatened more. "A patronizing and indulgent attitude to the murderers amounts to complicity in terror," Putin said, widening a rift between Russia and the West over how to deal with Chechen rebel violence.
He's talking to the French, right? Can't be talking to us.
Shortly before, Chechen rebel leader Shamil Basayev said he had ordered the Beslan school siege in southern Russia in which more than 320 hostages were killed, half of them children, and threatened more attacks by any means he saw fit. "We have long warned about the threat of terrorist attacks, but our voice has not been heard," Putin told an international meeting of city mayors. "Moreover, we faced double standards in the attitude toward terrorism," he said, repeating charges the West has been two-faced by giving asylum to top Chechens and urging Moscow to negotiate with rebel leaders but rejecting the possibility of dialogue with Osama bin Laden.
Did Vanessa take in another wayward lad murderer?
He said calls to deal with Chechen separatists recalled the failed appeasement of Nazi Germany before World War II. "I urge you to remember the lessons of history, the amicable deal (with Adolf Hitler) in Munich in 1938 ... Of course, the scale of consequences is different ... But the situation is very similar. Any surrender leads to them widening their demands and makes losses worse." His comments are certain to fuel the mounting tension with a West critical of Putin's policy on Chechnya and which has warned that his recent response to terror attacks -- by handing more power to the Kremlin -- threatens Russia's brittle democracy.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: tipper ||
09/17/2004 11:03:24 AM ||
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Mr. Putin needs to use a different term than "the West" when he talks about appeasing terrorists. He can certainly make a case against Spain and France in this context, but he is only hurting himself and making a big mistake as far as the future of his country goes when he lumps the US in with those weasels.
#2
Putin has complained about mid-level US state connections with Chechen rebel leaders. Putin may be correct in that the US state department has been slow to recognize that the Chechen independence movement has been captured by the Islamists. (Note the Chechen fighters supporting Islamic causes throughout the world.) Historically the US backed Islamic groups against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. (Remember those Rambo movies?) So Putin probably does include the US as a contributor to the Islamic terror problem.
#3
Mr Putin, by all means, open the second front. May I recomend the jihadie barracks outside Tehran. That will open some eyes as to 'who pays' for international jihad. Maybe hit some mosqueskks in gay Parrie, Madrid, Berlin, London, Try some in Saudiland too. Because those are the training camps.
#4
Putin may be correct in that the US state department has been slow to recognize that the Chechen independence movement has been captured by the Islamists.
I think the state department gets it, Anon5032. It's messy because of old Soviet land steals. But try to live in the now, if you can, rather than decades ago. Or are just you one more Utopian delusionalist who insists on choices that are not on the menu (nor were they then)?
#5
Mr. Putin needs to use a different term than "the West" when he talks about appeasing terrorists.
Bingo. The "West" no longer exists. Aside from true allies like Britain and Australia, there are only rivals that are more or less friendly (Japan, SoK, Germany, India) or more or less hostile (France China Turkey Russia). The goal here for us is not to unite the non-existent West but to move a few nations in the hostile camp into the friendly camp (Turkey and Russia mainly) and to try to move India into the true ally/anglospheric camp.
#6
Just what is it about Putin and his 'West' insistence? he needs to 'pucker up' and take a few of his boys down into Chechnya and do alttle house cleaning. Or give them a fence around their backyard!
Pro-Chechen activists are increasingly going underground to secretly funnel money to fighters in Chechnya as post-Sept. 11 government crackdowns and Russian pressure choke off what was once a flow of hundreds of millions of dollars to the Russian republic, say Chechens and experts familiar with the money trail. The financial squeeze comes as Chechen rebels rely more on such dramatic low-cost terror attacks as the Russian school hostage-taking and suicide bombings with militants so starved of cash that they cannot afford to keep heavily armed forces in Chechnya. "Limited resources mean more terrorism," said Michael Radu, a terrorism expert at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia. "Terrorism is cheaper than guerrilla warfare and it has a more dramatic impact. You don't need heavy weapons to kidnap children."
The money flow has fallen sharply from its peak in the 1990s to an estimated several hundred thousand dollars a year now, Chechen activists and terrorism experts said. Wealthy Chechen businessmen and Islamic and pro-Chechen charities in the Persian Gulf, Jordan, Turkey, Europe and the United States once accounted for most of the hundreds of millions of dollars in fund-raising. It was mostly done through a far-flung Chechen diaspora, and Islamic charities often using murky and secret transactions that experts say were difficult to track. Now, the money is smuggled into Chechnya largely by private businessmen traveling through Azerbaijan, the Chechen activists and experts said.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/17/2004 1:14:30 AM ||
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Chechens and experts in terrorism financing say that at least part of the money is diverted to fighters.
"at least part" = ALL.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/17/2004 2:55 Comments ||
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Russian security forces were facing further criticism last night after it was revealed that the two female Chechen suicide bombers who destroyed two planes in August with the loss of 90 lives had been detained and released hours beforehand. Officials have already disclosed that the women bribed a ticket tout to squeeze them on to the planes at the last minute, evading security and identity checks. The ticket tout, who has since been arrested, bribed airport officials with £20 (1,000 roubles) to get the two women seats.
Vladimir Ustinov, Russia's general prosecutor, said the two "black widows" had arrived on a flight from southern Russia that evening and had, along with two Chechen men, immediately aroused suspicions. "Police officers confiscated their passports and handed them to a police captain responsible for anti-terrorism operations to examine their belongings," Mr Ustinov said. "The captain let them go without any check and they started to try to obtain tickets in the same buildings."
Russia's media have already raised the spectre of negligence and the FSB security service has told the public that it believes two other black widows are still on the loose in Moscow. Shamil Basayev, the Chechen warlord allegedly responsible for the Beslan massacre, is said to have trained a brigade of at least 20 black widows but officials admit there could be far more.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/17/2004 12:39:54 AM ||
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The Russians, even in their nasty version of a police state, still can't keep the violent types out. I suppose the corruption factor plays big in this. But still, USD$34. WTF??? Who the f*ck takes a bribe of 34 dollars. I mean, you should be able to get more than that.
#3
Maybe the people who took bribes should be charged with abetting terrorism, and make it a crime punishable by death. Then a lot of people would think twice about who they are taking bribes from.
Posted by: V is for Victory ||
09/17/2004 8:18 Comments ||
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#4
Dang, Dan Darling. A lot of alliteration for anxious anchors.
#6
In 1993, that was about the equivalent of a month's salary for the lower end of the economic bracket in some parts of the old Soviet Union. I don't know how that compares to today's equivalent. Corruption is king over there.
#7
Yeah, they're frugal little bastards alright. According to Basayev himself (from Mosnews, quoting Kavkazcenter), his total recent "expenditures" were as follows:
Two boomers in Moscow (late Aug.) -- 7000 dollars
Two plane boomettes (Aug. 24) -- 4000 dollars
Beslan (early Sept.) -- 8000 Euros
(why the currency switch, I haven't a clue).
#8
All right, CN, I admit to being a little slow on the uptake today, but certainly the boomers didn't get that kind of money-you are giving figures for the total cost of the "operation", right?
Some of the weapons used by militants in the deadly Russian school siege were pilfered from police posts in armed raids led by one of Chechnya's most notorious warlords, Russia's chief prosecutor said in an interview published yesterday. Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov's comments in the newspaper Rossiskaya Gazeta, which is supported by the Kremlin, suggested further evidence that the hostage-taking at School No. 1 in Beslan may have been organized by Shamil Basayev, one of Russia's most-wanted fugitives. The only suspected militant captured alive by Russian forces - a man identified as Nur-Pashi Kulayev - said earlier in footage broadcast on Russian television that they were carrying out an assignment from Basayev and Aslan Maskhadov, a former president of Chechnya. The separatist Maskhadov has denied involvement in the attack.
"Nope. Nope. Wudn't me. I'm moderate as the day is long!"
Ustinov told the newspaper that authorities seized seven Kalashnikov rifles and three pistols from the militants that were stolen during coordinated June attacks in Ingushetia, which borders war-ravaged Chechnya and North Ossetia. Hundreds of fighters raided the police posts in an overnight attack, killing 88 people. A video on a pro-rebel Web site the next month showed Basayev and about 10 other camouflage-clad men pulling weapons and ammunition boxes off shelves in a building. On the video, Basayev identified the building as an Interior Ministry arsenal in Ingushetia. In Beslan, investigators have pursued leads that Basayev was the mastermind behind the Sept. 1 school attack, in which 32 heavily armed militants seized the school and more than 1,200 people with relative ease.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/17/2004 12:36:51 AM ||
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South Korea's latest assessment of a widely reported explosion in the Hermit Kingdom North Korea last week is that there was no blast at all at the suspected site, a vice minister said Friday.
"All a big mistake. Go back to what you were doing..."
Seismic signals and strange cloud formations picked up last week were not from an explosion, vice minister of unification, Rhee Bong-jo, told reporters.
"Yeah. Swamp gas. And... ummm... Venus rising..."
Initial reports had even suggested a nuclear test could have been responsible for a mushroom cloud spotted over the North. Foreign diplomats who visited Thursday what they were told was the site of a mysterious explosion in North Korea said it was a hydroelectric project under construction. South Korea said they had been in the wrong place.
"Yeah. It was... ummm... someplace else."
South Korea said the diplomats had been about 100 km away from the suspected location in remote Kimhyungjik county on the Chinese border. But the story became even more convoluted when Rhee said there had been no blast at all. "There is no information to support an explosion in the area where there were indications of an explosion," Rhee said. North Korea says the explosion was demolition work for a power plant.
"But they're wrong, 'cuz there wasn't an explosion, see?"
Rhee said the North's explanation was probably referring to work in Samsu county, where the diplomats went. "It is likely the peculiar cloud was natural cloud," Rhee said, explaining initial reports of a mushroom cloud.
"But it was just swamp gas..."
He said seismic activity had probably been around Mount Paektu, on the North Korean-Chinese border even further from Kimhyungjik county. A Western diplomat briefed by the returning observers said the group had been flown and taken by road to a large construction site in the northern county of Samsu Thursday. "There was lots of soil, debris and rocks being transported," the diplomat said.
"That's prob'ly what they thought came out of the mushroom cloud. But it was just swamp gas..."
#2
" Yeah, two miles in height isn't that big of a mushroom cloud! "
Posted by: Charles ||
09/17/2004 9:08 Comments ||
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I guess it was just your odd mushroom cloud. These things used to happen alot in the Pacific around the Bikini Atoll. Of course, we shouldn't believe our lying eyes either.
Posted by: Douglas De Bono ||
09/17/2004 9:08 Comments ||
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But there's an article on CNN now saying NorK plans on a couple more explosions in their dam construction. What's goin' on SKorea?
#5
Oceana is not at war with Eurasia.
Oceana has never been at war with Eurasia.
Now what was your question?
Posted by: N guard ||
09/17/2004 9:30 Comments ||
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#6
Whats goign on with South Korea?
Appeasement?
Considering the evidence was shaky to begin with, this may have been an over exaggeration by a sensationalist press. (Gee where have I seen that before?)
The real deal woudl be seismic information. Given the huge amount of sensors we have in the region, this woudl have been leaked long ago from the US. ANd I notice no images of the "crater" havve been posted. Given that there are commecrical stas good enough to image the area for that, this surely should have been posted by now.
My inclination is that, in the absence of sesmic, photo and other evidence, that this thing really may have been nothing at all. Its that the location was at such a logical spot that we all jumped but on inconclusive evidence because we wanted to see it be true - and it "made sense" given location, inclination of Norks.
#7
"There was lots of soil, debris and rocks being transported,"
I take it that fedex will soon be coming up with the ballistic package system: they'll shove your package into a big cannon and fire it at the target?
I can see the next time: "There was never a city called Seoul, any account of its existence is a heinous lie perpetrated by the evil Zionist entity and its puppet state in North Amerika"
#10
Seismic signals and strange cloud formations picked up last week were not from an explosion, vice minister of unification, Rhee Bong-jo, (alias Kim al-Sahhaf Park) told reporters.
Carl I. Hagen, head of the Progress party, continues his crusade against Islam, stating that it is only a matter of time before an Islamic party is established in Norway. Even if there currently are no concrete plans for an Islamic party in Norway, Hagen said his worst nightmare is Islamic fundamentalists at Stortinget, and he continues by stating that the government is naïve. «I'm convinced that it's just a matter of time before we get a political party based on Islam,» Hagen stated in an interview the TV 2 Nyhetene. «Of course, I don't know if it will be a moderate or fundamental party, but I'm keeping an eye on the international expansion the Islamic fundamentalism is organizing and the coordination of Muslims in Europe as well, and I'm convinced that it will come to Norway too. It may take five or ten years, but it will come.»
Hagen said that he sees that visit of the controversial Pakistani politician Qasi Hussein Ahmad in August as a sign that Norway is also included in this international trend of strengthening Islamic fundamentalism. «He works for the establishment of sharia law, and it's strange if he not tries to stimulate it in Norway,» Hagen said. «There are many Muslims in Norway, and probably also some fundamentalists that keep out of view. It's only a question of time before someone decides to become a representative in governmental organs through a political party.» In his worst nightmare, Hagen fears that Islamic fundamentalists may get elected to the Norwegian parliament. «This will be something I will fight as long as I live,» Hagen said. «If we get a party built on Islamic laws of sharia and a completely different set of values, then this will be a completely different Norway then what we inherited from our forefathers.»
Continued on Page 49
France on Friday backed UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's description of the US-led war on Iraq as "illegal", with Foreign Minister Michel Barnier saying that long-held stance was why his country had opposed joining the conflict. Â
That and the sweetheart oil exploration deals, the arms sales, the Oil-for-Palaces money, and a few other things we don't know about yet.
"Non, non! Reeeally! Nous wuz just bein'... how you say? Altruistic? (Sacred blue! There is no such word in Francais!)"
"You well know that what explains our country's disagreement with the way the war was carried out was that it clearly did not at that time abide by international law and there was not a clear request from the United States to start that action," he said at a joint news conference with visiting New Zealand Foreign Minister Phil Goff. Â
How clear did we need to be?
I'm not sure what the exact wording of the resolution, but to paraphrase, "Sammy, do as you're told or we'll beat you up!"
That was "traditionally" France's view from the start, he added.  "We have always considered that it's international law that constitutes the framework for any action, notably against terrorism or for stability in the world," he said. Â
"And international law is just made to protect bloody-handed tin-hat dictators! Everybody knows that!"
Barnier's comments added fuel to a debate over the legitimacy of the US-British invasion of Iraq that promises to loom large at the United Nations headquarters in New York next week when world leaders and ministers gather for the world body's 59th general session. Annan threw the spotlight back on the issue and tore the skin off old transatlantic wounds when he told BBC radio Wednesday that the United States had failed to seek a needed second resolution before launching the war in March 2003. "I've indicated that it was not in conformity with the UN charter from our point of view, and from the charter point of view it was illegal," Annan said. Â
Fortunately few people take you seriously, Kofi.
It is, of course, well within conformity with the UN charter to gas a few thousand people and bury their bodies using bulldozers...
The US government hit back by claiming it considered that a previous UN resolution passed four months before the conflict gave it sufficient authority to wage its action because Saddam Hussein had refused to surrender suspected stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction. The US ambassador to the United Nations, John Danforth, said Thursday that the UN chief should have shut the hell up kept silent on the topic. Â
"Kofi, what part about STFU don't you get?"
The debate has re-ignited simmering animosity between the pro- and anti-war camps.  France -- a veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council along with the United States -- was widely perceived as the leader of the latter camp because of highly publicised arguments made at the time by Barnier's predecessor, Dominique de Villepin, questioning the US justification for a pre-emptive invasion. Australian Prime Minister John Howard, a staunch supporter of the war, was particularly scathing of Annan's comment, saying he saw the United Nations as a "paralysed" body. Â
I'da have phrased it as a "rotting carcass," myself. But they won't let me be PM of Australia, so I guess "paralysed body" will have to do...
Goff, speaking at Barnier's side, emphasised that, unlike Australia, his country "was not a member of the coalition of the willing" and that it "has always regarded that as being critical in finding multilateral solutions to the world's problems".Â
"And that list of multilateral solutions is a long and distinguished list! Why, there's... ummm... uhhh... well... y'see..."
"Any shortcomings of the United Nations can't simply be blamed on the institution itself but rather on the readiness of international community members to work through that institution," he said, adding that "it would have been helpful to have had a second resolution to clarify" the legality of the Iraq war. Â
"It would have been even more helpful to continue talking for the next 20 or 30 years, until Sammy eventually either died in office or Iraq turned to dust and blew away like Zim-bob-we's gonna do. That's the way we do things in the UN!"
And if certain countries aren't willing to work through the UN, then it will be part and parcel of the UN's shortcomings. France made the bed, now it can sleep in it.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/17/2004 12:38:21 PM ||
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Get us out of the UN and the UN out of the US!!!
#5
This the day before Fox News reports Claudia Rossett's piece about the UN Oil-for-Food Scandle coverup!!!! HEEEEEE HEEEEEEE
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
09/17/2004 13:40 Comments ||
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#6
The biggest violators of international law hide behind it. Baltic Blog has it right, what about Kosovo? Clinton got a pass, he is not accused of being a war criminal. So it is not as much behavior, but rather who you are that determines whether you get a pass or not.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/17/2004 13:45 Comments ||
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#7
Just wait until Kofi finds out that the suitcase full of French Francs they bribed him with is worthless.
#9
France's new answer for solving the problems of the world--finding the least common demoninator, so that all the cooks in the kitchen can agree to cook up a lousy soup.
AP-you have it right, too-it's all about who you know. France is still a status-driven nation.
#10
Bah! You beat me to it, Steve. I just posted this same ridicule laden article. What outright twaddle! It's obvious that Annan had to put yet another pleading phone call from Darfur on permanent hold in order to be quoted for this piece of sh!t puffery.
#12
France on Friday backed UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's description of the US-led war on Iraq as "illegal", with Foreign Minister Michel Barnier saying that long-held stance was why his country had opposed joining the conflict.
A pile of steamy, hot, male bovine feces.
If anything, this proves that Chirac and his stooges have really, REALLY hard heads.
#16
I think they're trying to influence the election. Problem is, I don't think this is going to help Kerry. Maybe I'm wrong, but having the UN poke its nose into our business probably rubs a lot of Americans, both Kerry and Bush supporters, the wrong way.
#17
Excuse my shouting, ladies and gents, but I'm really getting sick of this "international law" crap.
Message to Anus, ChIraq, et al.: We run our country based on OUR CONSTITUTION, not your sorry excuse to hobble us that you call "international law."
But in the interest of cooperation, we'll be glad to pull our troops and planes and equipment out of Kosovo (not to mention Germany and Spain) and let you all handle it with your wonderful wisdom, understanding, and nuance.
In the spirit of "international cooperation," FUCK YOU AND THE CAMELS YOU RODE IN ON!
Morons.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/17/2004 18:14 Comments ||
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#18
We will never subjugate our constitution to another power, and that includes a world body like the UN. Our constitution has been emulated in the constitutions of many countries, so Kofi and Froggy-Boy, don't tell us how to run our country.
In the spirit of "international cooperation," FUCK YOU AND THE CAMELS YOU RODE IN ON! Morons.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2004-09-17 6:14:29 PM
Tell us how you REALLY feel, Barbara. These ass-hats get your boiler pressure up, too?
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/17/2004 18:34 Comments ||
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#19
Once again the Chiraq government demonstrates that French perfidy knows no bounds.
Posted by: Scott R ||
09/17/2004 18:36 Comments ||
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#20
My problem with this guy:
You well know that what explains our country's disagreement with the way the war was carried out
As long as the concept of individual rights does not rule and limit governments in most of the world, the USA will be hated and accused by the lovers of statism, collectivism, and tribalism.
President Vladimir Putin says Russia is "seriously preparing to act preventively against terrorists," the Interfax news agency reported. Putin did not explain what those actions would be or where but said Friday the steps would be "in strict accordance with the law and norms of the constitution, relying on international law." Since terrorists set off a hostage drama that ended with the deaths of at least 335 people at Besland, Russian officials including Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov have said Russia might launch pre-emptive strikes against terrorists in the region. Putin's remarks came on a day that a Chechen rebel leader claimed responsibility for that attack and others.
more...
Posted by: muck4doo ||
09/17/2004 10:59:27 AM ||
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Democrats blaming Bushitler for unleashing this evil "pre-emptive strategy" in 5...4...3...
#2
Granted, the Russian need to take down some neglected bad boyz on their turf, by why won't someone, anyone, think of the mullaz?
Seriously, until the world gets a pandemic infection of radical mullahpox(*), that wipes hundreds of these instigators out, they'll just keep inspiring an endless stream of lackwits to go out and get killed for them.
(*) symptoms include feeling fine until an outbreak of large, red splotches rapidly appear on the head and torso, followed by shortness of death.
~~~"seriously preparing to act preventively against terrorists,"~~~
Preventively!......preventively???????
Now look what "our" neocons got the Ruskies spouting!
'If it's good enough for da americanski cowboys, then it's good enough for us good Rooski KGB types!'
Posted by: ******* at September 17, 2004 10:46 AM
I understand that you have to deal with terrorism, and Putin certainly has to do SOMETHING. But you can't bomb terrorists. You have to take them out one by one using intelligence, spies, special ops, etc.
I heard it compared to the broom in "The Sourcerer's Apprentice". Take an axe to the broom and it splinters into many more, them more and more until the problem is insurmountable.
Posted by: *** at September 17, 2004 10:49 AM
just the name are been changer protect em posters.
#4
let the bear rampage and chips fall where they fall...it will be EU security issue they will have to deal with alone....
Posted by: Dan ||
09/17/2004 13:02 Comments ||
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#5
Let the LLL rant and rave about the "unilateral" actions. Until nations finally get together, share intel, and plan snd execute joint actions, 'unilateral' will be what has to be done to get the job done.
The Mullahs need a pop. They are instigating the hatred. But we NEED to go after the financers that make the madrassas and mullah hate factories happen, and that leads back to Saudi. It all leads back to either Saudi or Iran. There is simply too much oil money getting into the hands of psychopaths.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/17/2004 14:05 Comments ||
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#6
It always seemed to me that Mickey Mouse should have taken a flame thrower to the brooms.
#8
There may be another angle to this. RFE/RL posted yesterday (no permalink, sorry) a rumor of a pending Russian black ops strike against Islamists in Kabardino-Balkaria (the autonomous republic to the west of North Ossetia). Admittedly, the "source" they cited was kavkazcenter.com (pro-Chechen, pro-jihad) who, in their turn, were quoting an unnamed source within a Kabardin opposition group. However, there's been a lot of chatter about K-B in the last few days (some of which I've posted here). To recap, some of the Beslan terrorists were Kabardins, and the attack may have been funded/organized from Nalchik, the Kabardin capital. Such an operation by Putin would be "in the region" but also, strictly speaking, a domestic operation. Like Chechnya.
Yeah, I know. As Detectives Riggs and Murtaugh would say, "Pretty f**kin' thin." I'm just tossing it out there.
EFL. Barf-bag required. Via DRUDGEREPORT.com
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Democratic Sen. John Kerry on Friday accused the Bush administration of hiding a plan to mobilize more National Guard and reserve troops after the election while glossing over a worsening conflict in Iraq. "He won't tell us what congressional Dummycrap scare-mongers leaders are now saying, that this administration is planning yet another substantial call-up of reservists and guard units immediately after the election," Kerry said. "Hide it from people through the election, then make the move." If he's hiding it, what evidence do YOU have showing it to be true? Nothing yet? Then pay me a dollar and I'll type it up for you in Word.
The Democratic presidential candidate listed examples where he sees Bush misleading voters about Iraq, seeking to turn the conflict into a liability for Bush even as the president polishes his credentials as the best candidate to deter terrorists and protect the nation. Kerry portrayed the president as out of touch with a serious and dangerous situation. "With all due respect to the president, (Something you know nothing about, Kerry)
has he turned on the evening news lately? Does he read the newspapers?" Kerry said. "Does he really know what's happening? Is he talking about the same war that the rest of us are talking about?" Are you?
This guy has more gall than Slick Willy. Too bad Willy could pull it off. The only thing you're pulling is your pud, Kerry.
Posted by: Chris W. ||
09/17/2004 4:08:40 PM ||
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If he's hiding it, why are we discussing it?
and
The Democratic presidential candidate listed examples where he sees Bush misleading voters about Iraq
Of course, Lurchie, you can't mislead because you can point to a statement that will be somewhere along the spectrum from absolute appeasing pacifist to support of the Prez. You can legitamately say that you have stated that position before, no matter what that position is.
#2
Hey, enemies! Yoo-hoo! Over here! Here's our tactical plans for the next six months. The CinC doesn't want 'em to leak out....but I don't care, I just wanna be elected!
#5
September 16, 2004
Nebraska reservists called up
Associated Press
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. â More than 90 Army Reserve soldiers from the North Platte-based 1013th Quartermaster Company have been called to active duty overseas, the Army announced Wednesday.
It is the second group of soldiers from the 1013th to be activated for Operation Iraqi Freedom since July, when 25 soldiers were called up.
The company provides shower and laundry support, including repairing uniforms and tents.
So much for the plot.
Posted by: Boston Barbie ||
09/17/2004 18:30 Comments ||
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#8
At least he's not repeating the Bush wants to draft you nonsense others in his party have been mouthing off about. Probably because of the long list of Democrat names on the draft bill currently in a comma in Congress.
#9
....what evidence do YOU have showing it to be true?
Didn't you know, Chris? Kerry has several Top Secret memos that Dan Rather faxed to him using his Kinko account.;-)
#10
Worst case would be that the Pentagon is indeed making plans for serious post-election action in Iran or Syria (it'd make sense to deny it) -- and Kerry sees this secret information as an opportunity to strike another despicable pose in his campaign. Sending such a signal to the enemy is what? starts with a T and rhymes with Amazon.
#11
"Worst case would be that the Pentagon is indeed making plans for serious post-election action in Iran or Syria..."
This sounds to me more like plain, old ordinary rotation of units. A lot of reserve and NG units went over to Iraq for one-year deployments in the Nov. 2003 - Mar. 2004 time frame, and I'd imagine other units currently stateside will be taking their place soon.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
09/17/2004 19:28 Comments ||
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#12
At least he's not repeating the Bush wants to draft you nonsense
Give him time.
As for Kerry's "anouncement", you have to wonder what he thinks the Bush administration would DO with the troops. If the call-up is only to be announced after the election, as far as I can tell it would take a month or two to get the logistics worked out, have everyone ready, and move them to, I dunno, anywhere.
If Kerry wins (God help us), then by the time the troops are mobilized and in place, Bush will be out of office.
And if Kerry's repeating something from the national security briefings he's getting, then tomorrow the administration should state what the idea was -- rotation of units makes sense. Then they should carefully point out that Kerry just leaked matters he had sworn not to.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
09/17/2004 19:48 Comments ||
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#13
Okay, so Mr. "Secret Plan" Kerry is accusing his opponent of having a secret plan. If that's true, sKerry just leaked state secrets. If it's not, he just lied. Again.
Posted by: Tom ||
09/17/2004 20:00 Comments ||
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#14
#13 That is putting it straight.But what is he talking about when NG units have been called up in July and now this month ? We are rotating units already including Marines.
#15
The Islamic terrorists slithering all over Iraq must love it when Kerry gives a speech.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
09/17/2004 22:58 Comments ||
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The OIF III / OEF rotation is scheduled to start in the November timeframe and carry on throught hte first of the year - it has been planned for months. Roughly 50% of the troops in the rotation are Reservists and NG. There is nothing new in this - Kerry is getting very bold with his deception.
Edited for brevity.
U.S. officials got a wake-up call last month about the need to screen airline passengers for explosives when two Chechen women apparently carried bombs onto two Russian planes and blew them up. Bags checked onto planes in the United States must pass through machines that can detect various kinds of explosives. But neither the walk-through metal detectors that passengers use on the way to gates nor the X-ray machines for carryon bags can detect plastic explosives. The Transportation Security Administration announced Thursday that, starting next week, all passengers must take off jackets before passing through metal detectors. Also, more travelers will be subjected to pat-down searches and checks for explosives.
Rafi Ron, former head of security at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport and now a security consultant in Washington, said the steps were "something we've been expecting for too long, but finally it's coming." Screeners will advise passengers of the new procedures when they put their carryon bags on the conveyor belt, agency spokeswoman Yolanda Clark said. Every passenger selected for secondary screening after passing through metal detectors will have their carryon items subjected to checks by explosives trace detectors. Screeners also have more discretion to conduct pat-down searches and check carryon bags for bombs.
Posted by: Dar ||
09/17/2004 10:46:33 AM ||
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We have had to take off jackets and usually shoes going through security in Alaska ever since we started flying again after 9-11. They want it all to go through x-ray.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/17/2004 12:10 Comments ||
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Maybe the mean suit jackets and blazers? I know BWI and I think Dulles do not make you remove a sports coat.
#3
I heard a piece on the radio this morning asking why this was necessary . . . like we w ould bring in C4 underneath our coats. If you looked at the piece on here several weeks ago about the latest fashions in suicide bombers you would know that that is exactly what is being done . . . strapping vests of explosives and nails, nuts, etc. to the bombers and giving them a switch to set it off with.
What I would like to see is bomb sniffing dogs at airports to vet passengers as they enter the terminal area. This would be far more effective than random searches. Yes, false positives are a distinct possibility. What would you prefer, a few false positives and one good hit or nothing at all and one plane going down?
Posted by: Jame Retief ||
09/17/2004 14:00 Comments ||
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#4
Not to be too graphic, but this is a very tough issue to solve. It's not too difficult for a person to carry a a significant amount of C4 in their uterus or rectum...
That with a cell phone (for battery) and a few inches of wire, and a few minutes of privacy in the john, and you can drop the plane of the sky.
Short of a full body cavity search, how to prevent this?
Posted by: Francis ||
09/17/2004 17:58 Comments ||
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Northwest Airlines --- Noor Mehana --- frequent trips to the restroom.
Of course, being male, the C4 would of had to been in the place where the Dustin Hoffman character in "Papillon" kept his cash, and when the one guy made a gesture indicating something was cancelled, it became obvious something was amiss, and wires couldn't be connected. {Praise the fact that airline food goes right through you} Never mind Jihadis! Do the gig at the casino, get some cash, and get to the virgins on another day...
"It seems to me that Syria does bear some responsibility" for the double suicide bombing in Beer Sheva on August 31, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said on Friday. "Syria must withdraw its forces from Lebanon," said Assistant Secretary of State for the Near East William J. Burns in Damascus. Media reports suggested that Syria will make a "historic announcement" about redeployment in Lebanon following an American ultimatum.
In an interview with Egypt TV, Armitage was asked if Syria "should be held accountable" for the Beer Sheva attacks, which killed 16 Israelis and wounded more than 100. "Why not? Syria holds and houses Hamas. Syria is a conduit of weapons from Iran to Hizbullah. It seems to me that Syria does bear some responsibility," Armitage replied. But Armitage stopped short of endorsing an Israeli strike on Syria. "That I didn't say. You asked me should they be held accountable, and I said they bore some responsibility," Armitage said.
Israeli officials had previously hinted that Israel might stage military actions within Syria as a response to the Beer Sheva attacks. According to media reports, Israel had provided the United States with "concrete evidence" of Syria's involvement in the attacks. Recent media reports have indicated that Hamas leaders based in Damascus, who allegedly directed and financed the Beer Sheva attacks, have gone underground in fear of an Israeli reprisal.
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Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
09/17/2004 8:44:57 PM ||
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The Syrian Hamas can't dig deep enough to escape the long arm of an Israeli revenge. I think they should give the 'Big Dog'(US) a bone, pat him on the head and save face with a quiet withdrawal from Lebanon, before the 'Pup' (Israel) comes running from the back for a nip!!
#2
FYI, Richard Armitage is the US's "Extremely Bad Karma Dude", the equivalent of a diplomatic James Bond. He has virtually any resource, including nuclear, at his command, and any threat he makes is a promise. He is the unelected, bureaucratic version of the POTUS, higher up the chain than any other mandarin. Even his real biography is a mystery--only the smallest fraction of it is publicly available, and subject to change without notice, though still impressive.
Remember his name.
#4
Sounds like Armitage is bucking for a promotion to Sec. State if Powell chooses to bolt after the election. If Anonymoose is even close to the mark he's just what that particular cesspool needs.
#5
Look, as long as both Iran and ally in terror Syria are not totally prevented in exporting suicidal jihadists into Iraq to murder our boys, other Coalition forces, blow up Iraqis, plus ruin Iraq's exportation of her crude oil to overseas customers, this counter terrorist war will not be winnable, therefore,..... once Bush is re-elected the most paramount issue confronting our troops in Iraq, will to be brought to the geostrategic front burner.
I also firmly believe there is currently in place a long lasting economic & military solution to the ongoing radical Muslim terrorist axis problem of Iran-Syria-Lebanon.
Review the map. We had to be directly based next to Iran (Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Persian Gulf ..maybe Turkey) in order to crush Iran's beast like rulers!
Ask this question; If you were buying supertanker loads of either Iraqi or Iranian grade crude oil, right now which OPEC state is more reliable, safer to load and depart from, which has far less overall risk? Iraq or Iran?
Iran's brutal bunch in charge bloody well knows its own instigated instability being forced upon Iraq's oil based economy, via blowing up oil pipelines & attacking exporting facilities, , makes Iran, the originator of modern global jihadic terrorism....look a lot safer to deal with.
In fact when was the last time anyone read anything about Iran's exported oil having any problems. Well that is about to change. The shoe is about to be refitted on the other foot.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
09/17/2004 22:57 Comments ||
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In fact when was the last time anyone read anything about Iran's exported oil having any problems. Well that is about to change. The shoe is about to be refitted on the other foot.
I'd enjoy seeing Kargh Island crippled as a crimp in Iran's economy and some sort of incentive for them to come clean about their nuclear weapons program. Don't level the complex, just hit some major components that take it off line. Rinse and repeat until Iran is on the ropes economically.
I mean I already rule the country, why not make it official?
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani upped the ante Thursday by not ruling out standing for presidency in Iran's elections next year. Talking to reporters in this northeastern holy city, the former president stated that he would announce his readiness at an opportune moment. "I would rather someone else enter the presidential race, but if the society as well as prominent pundits conclude that I can fulfill this task better, I will announce my readiness. However, I would like that someone else comes up and I will announce my final decision at an opportune moment. We have still plenty of time; let's see if those who are acceptable to the people as well as those who are speculated to take part will ever announce their readiness."
The former president stressed last month that 'if my presence is considered necessary for the establishment and for the revolution, I will not hesitate for a single moment', according to media reports. The term of Iranian incumbent President Mohammad Khatami ends in June 2005, and while he has served for two terms as president since 1996, he is barred by the country's constitution to run again. The mid-ranking cleric came with a mandate to establish a rule of law and a civil society as well as push ahead with a raft of reforms which the next president has either to take up from where they were left or discard. Iranian press is already abuzz with reports about efforts by the reformist camp to pursuade former prime minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi to take up the challenge. Their efforts are a carbon copy ahead of the 1996 presidential election, which paid no dividends. Meanwhile, the names of several figures have been mentioned to be likely contenders, including former foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati, secretary of the Expeciency Council Mohsen Rezaii, as well as top security official and Iran's marksman on nuclear issues Hassan Rowhani. I'm not sure about Velayati, but Rowhani's a key cog in the same Iranian military-intelligence apparatus that's harboring the surviving al-Qaeda leadership. A choice between Rafsanjani and Rowhani is like a choice between Hitler and Stalin.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/17/2004 12:55:29 AM ||
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Isn't it lovely that the Mullahs have set up the entire apparatus for a functioning democracy, so that when (soon) they are overthrown the Iranian people will have an easy transition! No fumbling with the forms like that darling old man in Iraq, who had never heard of such things.
Iran's powerful former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani warned on Thursday that the country's willingness to compromise on its nuclear programme was under pressure from the hardening European stance. "If they keep on behaving like this, it is obvious that our capacity to compromise will decrease and we will act more independently," Rafsanjani was quoted as saying by the state news agency IRNA.
He was referring to efforts by the three main European Union powers — Britain, France and Germany — to pass a resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) seeking to limit Iranan's nuclear activities. "Our aim is to achieve our rights," Rafsanjani said, adding that "those who stand against us now will have to step back within a couple of months."For the past year the EU's so-called "big three" have been trying to convince Iran to give up dual-use activities in the nuclear fuel cycle. The process of mining uranium, converting and then enriching it is legal under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as long as it is for fuel for reactors. But once mastered, the fuel cycle can also provide Iran with the "option" of developing a nuclear bomb. Iran denies accusations it is trying to develop such an arsenal and says it is determined to master the full cycle to provide its own fuel for a planned atomic energy programme.
Meanwhile, in Vienna the US-EU rift over a resolution on Iran's alleged nuclear weapons ambitions that has paralysed this week's UN atomic agency meeting narrowed on Thursday and talks will continue until the weekend, diplomats on both sides told the news agency. "We are narrowing differences," a European diplomat at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said. "We are making progress, but you can't say yet we'll reach an accord by Thursday night, or even Friday," he said. The European diplomat said the European Union states "remain firm" in their refusal to bow to US wishes that the IAEA impose a tough ultimatum with an October 31 deadline requiring Tehran to allay concern that it is secretly developing nuclear weapons. The negotiations are being pursued on the sidelines of the IAEA board of governor's plenary session, which began on Monday and adjourned late Tuesday over the stalemate. The meeting is scheduled to resume early on Friday.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/17/2004 12:50:39 AM ||
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âIf they [Eurpoeans] keep on behaving like this, it is obvious that our capacity to compromise will decrease and we will act more independently,â Rafsanjani was quoted as saying by the state news agency IRNA.
France and Belgium, two of the most vocal critics of the U.S. war in Iraq, would not agree Friday to a planned expansion of NATO's military training mission in Iraq, but officials were confident that a deal could be reached within coming days. The two nations expressed concern over several aspects of the planned mission, including how to pay for it, where to hold it and how to protect it. "As things stand now, not all 26 allies are completely happy," NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said on the sidelines of a European Union defense ministers meeting. However, de Hoop Scheffer said he was "really optimistic that we can reach agreement very soon on the remaining points." He scheduled a Monday meeting of NATO envoys at alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
De Hoop Scheffer said one difference concerned financing the mission, which would involve deploying up to 300 NATO instructors to establish a training center for Iraqi officers. Other unresolved issues include details of the training mission's relationship with the U.S. plan to rebuild a 260,000-strong Iraqi army and the question of whether NATO or U.S.-led coalition forces would protect the instructors. Speaking to reporters at the EU meeting, France's defense minister restated Paris' doubts about training Iraqis in Iraq. "We in France continue to believe that this training should be done outside Iraq," Michele Alliot-Marie said. "Iraq has to find its own sense of identity and I don't think the addition of more foreigners in uniform will help that." Diplomats said French concerns focused on whether U.S. Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, who commands the American training operation in Iraq, also could head the NATO mission under a "double-hat" arrangement allowing him to report back to alliance headquarters. French diplomats last week expressed concern about the alliance operation becoming "subservient" to the U.S.-led coalition.
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#3
So yet again the same few actively attempt to sabotage, then castigate the U.S. for operating unilaterally, and insult as non-entities the many who do take part.
Kerry remains true to his childhood training. Without honor, all of them.
#5
How in hell can we have an alliance like NATO with saboteurs like France undoing everything? Remember the crap they heaped on NATO when we were trying to get Patriot missile batteries for Turkey? France ought to be booted out of NATO or NATO scrapped if the rest of the organization has to put up with this sniping. Also, I consider it poor form to air out one's laundry in public on this, but France has no shame.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/17/2004 18:39 Comments ||
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#1
I still think that paying Mexicans a bounty, of say, $1,000, for information leading to the arrest of any non-Mexican after they cross the border into US jurisdiction (up to $10,000 if they're really, really interesting), would make that border as airtight as a vaccum tube against non-Mexicans.
Hell, the US would have leads on every non-Mexican north of D.F. Mexicans would probably be policing the Canadian border for us.
#2
BZZZZT - bad answer - we need the military on the border - all illegals stopped.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/17/2004 12:36 Comments ||
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#3
Hell, the US would have leads on every non-Mexican north of D.F.
Why shouldn't our efforts to stop illegal entries also include Mexicans themselves? After all, the large majority of the illegal alien problem here consists of....wait for it....Mexicans.
#4
We must secure out borders. install a fence, patrol it. Take one of those divisions in Europe, convert it to light infantry, and as training, station it in El Paso, and make it responsible for the border in that region. Same goes for a Marine unit in 29 stumps (@9 Palms training area) - they run from the coast over to where they meet up with the Army in Arizona. And assign a reserve unit (rotating) to patrol the border on the right of the position in El Paso down to the Gulf.
As for the Canadian border, thats one the USAF gets, with UAVs, sensors and aerial patrols.
Lock em down. We dont care about those leaving, just those getting in.
#5
Anymoose-I guess it would depend on what happens to those arrested. If they are freed in short order, what better money-making scheme could be designed for a "bounty hunter" and his "trespasser"?
#6
Say $500/ft for a fence. That comes out to $2.64 million a mile. For 1500 miles, that will come to $4 billion. Say $2 billion for first class sensors to pick up sneakers and tunnel rats. Plenty doable. I see absolutely no reason why this cannot be done. We just need the will to do it.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/17/2004 16:02 Comments ||
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President Pervez Musharraf Thursday rejected a US State Department report that blamed Pakistan for not protecting the rights of religious minorities, Online news agency reports.
"Nope. Nope. No sectarian violence at all..."
The Annual Report on International Religious Freedom, issued Wednesday, had accused Pakistan of imposing limits on the religious freedom of minorities and failure to protect their rights because its constitution required laws to be consistent with Islamic laws. Musharraf rejected the findings of the report and said minorities enjoyed complete freedom in Pakistan. "In our neighbouring country, minorities are subjugated to discrimination. Their rights are usurped and 2,000 to 3,000 Muslims were killed in different racial riots. But in Pakistan, no Hindu has died in any such incident," he said, while speaking at an "Inter Faith Conference" here.
They got run out of the country instead...
"Now, Presbyterians, by Allan, they're a menace to our society!"
Only a few attacks on Christian institutions had occurred in the context of the situations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine, Musharraf said. The government would repeal blasphemy laws to stop their misuse against minorities, he said, and added Islamic Ideological Council is debating the issue.
I'll believe that when I see it. The blasphemy law's much too dear to the hearts of the mullahs.
And such a convenient law it is, all sorts of mischief uses.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
09/17/2004 7:23:12 AM ||
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Of *course* they don't have race riots. They'd *shoot* the minority folks for getting uppity.
#3
There may be synagogues, but I'd doubt it, considering there were only two Jews left in Afghanistan.
As for churches -- sure, but they have a tendency to attract grenades and other explosive devices.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
09/17/2004 10:17 Comments ||
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#4
No there are no Synagoges and a person of jewish belief is in constant danger even if he gets the visa. I accept that Pakistan is not as violent against Christians as India is and Hindus dont get killed like muslims are in India, but Christians are still not treated equally. There is not a single Pakistani Citizen of Jewish faith that I am very positive on, based on the census results. They have severe problems with Wahabis killing Shias and Ahmadis.
EFL from Defend America
Ahmed Mutlok Oda creases his ballot slowly, seemingly worried he will fold it wrong. He starts to place it in the cardboard-and-tape ballot box, then pulls it back, unsure if he's doing it right. He looks to an interpreter for the 1st Infantry Division, who tells Oda he's doing it correctly. Reassured, Oda drops the ballot in.
If Oda seems unnecessarily timid, consider that no one in Wynot has ever voted before. Oda has no predecessor, no way to know if he's doing it right. The strong turnout completed a turnaround in how Wynot residents view the U.S., according to the company commander, U.S. Army Capt. David Krzycki. "This was probably the most anti-coalition town in sector when we first got here," he said. "Kids and adults were throwing rocks at us and calling us names. But we established a knock-and-talk program, where we'd go to six to eight houses per night. We'd ask people what they needed and what they thought of us. Eventually they realized we're here to make their way of life a little bit better."
"WeâŠhad meetings once a week and explained what we are trying to do and why having a city council would be good," Robinson said. "Initially they weren't too favorable, but we explained that with a city council, you could solve your own problems." Building up to the elections, soldiers encouraged teamwork among the Wynot residents and urged them to set goals. One week, for instance, they encouraged everyone to clean their front yards so the residents could see the benefits of working together. All voters were male, but such decisions were left up to the Iraqis, according to 1Lt. Matthew Angliss, a fire support officer. "We didn't want to impose an American style of democracy on them," he said. "We let them decide how to run it."
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/17/2004 3:13:27 AM ||
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DNC lawyers are challenging the outcome, and sending in a team of experts to determine the true intent of the voters who cast overvotes and undervotes.
#8
"Weâ¦had meetings once a week and explained what we are trying to do and why having a city council would be good,â Robinson said. âInitially they werenât too favorable, but we explained that with a city council, you could solve your own problems.â Building up to the elections, soldiers encouraged teamwork among the Wynot residents and urged them to set goals. One week, for instance, they encouraged everyone to clean their front yards so the residents could see the benefits of working together."
#9
I wish all the liberal whiners would link to, and read this. The link explains that in a neighboring town US teams did the same thing, and the town now has a police patrol and a clean-up program. And guess what? The people like running things themselves. The liberals, however, would rather have Sadaam and his psycho sons running things.
The United States predicted Thursday that the Security Council will adopt its resolution on Sudan, buoyed by strong backing from Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who called for urgent U.N. action to stop attacks against civilians in western Darfur. U.S. Ambassador John Danforth made the prediction after the council discussed a new toned down draft aimed at winning support from China, Russia and other members who fear the threat of oil sanctions against Khartoum could complicate efforts to end the 19-month conflict that has forced over 1.2 million people to flee their homes. Danforth said a vote was likely on Saturday afternoon and he predicted the resolution would get at least nine ``yes'' votes - the minimum needed for approval in the 15-member council. ``I believe we are going to have the votes,'' he said.
But China threatened to veto the original U.S. draft and it was unclear whether Beijing would veto or abstain on the latest. ``This one will be difficult for China ... in a number of areas including sanctions,'' said China's U.N. Ambassador Wang Guangya, who voiced concern about the ``philosophy'' behind the current resolution and said Beijing would like additional changes.
But the U.S. draft got a boost from the secretary-general, who urged the council to act on it ``without delay and to be as united as possible in the face of this crisis.'' Danforth called Annan's unexpected statement ``very important,'' saying ``it helped create the sense of urgency.''
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Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/17/2004 12:47:13 AM ||
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The United States predicted Thursday that the Security Council will adopt its resolution on Sudan, buoyed by strong backing from Secretary-General Kofi Annan,..
Why should we give a rat's ass about whether Koffee likes it or not? For that matter, who gives a rat's ass about these silly, worthless UN resolutions?
#2
BAR-We shouldn't give a rat's ass, but we are at the UN master's door again, aren't we? The overall impression I get in the post-Iraq days is that the US is comporting itself as if it has something to apologize about, tail between our legs, hoping the international community will forgive us our fortitude and integrity. As if WE, and not the international community and the UN, had betrayed the Iraqis. In the words of Shakespeare, "vile submission".
Drafts of a report from the top U.S. inspector in Iraq conclude there were no stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, but say there are signs the fallen Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had dormant programs he hoped to revive at a later time, according to people familiar with the findings. In a 1,500-page report, the head of the Iraq Survey Group, Charles Duelfer, will find Saddam was importing banned materials, working on unmanned aerial vehicles in violation of U.N. agreements and maintaining a dual-use industrial sector that could produce weapons. Duelfer also says Iraq only had small research and development programs for chemical and biological weapons.
As Duelfer puts the finishing touches on his report, he concludes Saddam had intentions of restarting weapons programs at some point, after suspicion and inspections from the international community waned. An intelligence official said Duelfer could wrap up the report as soon as this month, but noted it may take time to declassify it. Those who discussed the report inside and outside the government did so on the condition of anonymity because it contains classified material and is not yet completed. If the report is released publicly before the Nov. 2 election, Democrats are likely to seize on the document as another opportunity to criticize the Bush administrationâs leading argument for war in Iraq and the deteriorating security situation there.
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Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/17/2004 12:41:34 AM ||
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Iraqi authorities are holding talks with tribal leaders in the western Anbar province and Baghdad's tense Sadr city in hopes that militias will hand over their weapons in exchange for a pullback of US troops, Iraq's vice president said. The talks are significant because they show that the government is trying to pacify hotspots with dialogue rather than using military means. "Dialogue is going on with Arab tribesmen in all parts of the country, and the latest visit by some of the brothers took place yesterday here in this house," Vice President Ibrahim al-Jaafari said. "I told them it is necessary that militias be disarmed and that this action would be followed by a multinational forces withdrawal."
In a wide-ranging interview in his heavily secured Baghdad villa, al-Jaafari also downplayed that possibility that a trial of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein might start soon because "the huge number of crimes that Saddam Hussein committed might take time to shed the light on them." He also said Iraqi authorities had arrested an undisclosed number of foreign fighters — but did not say when or where they had been seized. He said they were caught in Iraq and are being interrogated but "until now it has not been officially proven that they came for sabotage." He refused to give their nationalities.
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Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/17/2004 12:29:38 AM ||
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Five Moroccans arrested by US forces in Afghanistan and held at Guantanamo base in Cuba before being returned here had joined the Al-Qaeda extremist network, a police report said here Wednesday. The five men, whose eight-day interrogation ended on Wednesday, were to be tried before Rabat criminal court.
Moroccan jails are not so nice. And Moroccan judges haven't been letting many terrorists go free.
Extracts of the police report said that according to inquiries "it has been proved that they joined the terrorist network Al-Qaeda" and there was also proof of "solid links and various contacts with a group of cells and organizations that have the same terrorist aims." The suspects - Mohamed Ouzar, 24, Mohamed Mazouz, 38, Radouane Chekkouri, 32, Abdellah Tabarak, 49 and Brahim Benchakroun, 25 - were turned over to the Moroccan authorities on August 1 by the United States in the framework of "international cooperation in the fight against terrorism." "These people underwent military training in Afghanistan where they learned among other things how to use arms and prepare explosives," the report said. They face trial for "forming a criminal band with the aim of preparing and committing acts of terrorism, preparation to carry out a collective plan aimed at harming public order, and belonging to a banned organization," a judicial source said.They categorically denied all the charges, the source said.
And then their lips fell off.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/17/2004 12:19:23 AM ||
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Pakistan appears no closer to crippling al-Qaeda or snaring its leader, despite scores of militant arrests in recent months which highlighted its active role in the war on terror, officials and experts say. In a highly publicised sweep since July, Pakistan has arrested more than 70 suspected small-fry members of al-Qaeda or its allies, and President Pervez Musharraf has vowed there would be no let up in the country's biggest offensive ever to crush Islamic militancy. "Pakistan's efforts are unprecedented and almost unbelievable," a US counter terrorism official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. "But not every individual arrest is important," the official said. "They're casting a very wide net. Still, we hope that one of these arrests will net another big fish, or someone with key information on who al-Qaeda has in the United States."
"Hasn't happened yet, but we keep hoping!"
Several officials and analysts said the mass arrests were no measure of success in the struggle to dismantle Osama bin Laden's network and reduce the threat of attacks because the identity of many detainees was unclear and Pakistan may be exaggerating their relevance.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/17/2004 12:17:10 AM ||
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#1
Time to start thinking about the possibility of who(Al Qaeda)found refuge in Iran while efforts continue along Afghanistan/Pakistan border.
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