Ten French tourists have been kidnapped in northern Ethiopia by unknown people, a businessman and a tour operator who work in the region said.
Tourists? Visiting the lovely deserts, the wastelands, and the third world poverty?
The tourists were in a convoy of four vehicles in Dalol, 800 kilometres north-east of Addis Ababa, travelling to salt mines in the Afar region when they were kidnapped, said the businessman, who spoke on condition of anonymity. One of the group escaped, got to another group of tourists and made a satellite phone call to authorities in the area to report the kidnapping, which took place around 4 pm (0000 AEDT), the businessman said. Bereket Simon, special adviser to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, said that he was checking into the situation, but could not confirm anything as yet.
Additional: Adis Abeba, 2 March (AKI) - A Somali Islamist group hostile to that country's transitional government appears to be behind the abduction earlier this week of a group of Western tourists in north-eastern Ethiopia, according to Arabic satellite TV network Al-Jazeera. "It is feared the group of Westerners has been taken to Somaliland (northwest Somalia) and that the kidnappers are Somali militiamen, from the province of Ogaden (located within Ethiopia)," said Al-Jazeera's correspondent, speaking from Ethopia.
"It should be remembered that the kidnap occurred shortly afte the arrival of Ugandan troops in Somalia," Al-Jazeera's correspondent added. Somali Islamist militiamen loyal to the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) oppose the deployment of foreign peacekeepers to conflict-wracked Somalia and the continuing presence of Ethopian troops there. Fifteen foreigners, including 11 French nationals, a Briton and an Italian, are missing in Ethiopia and believed to have been kidnapped late on Wednesday in the remote Afar region of Ethopia, according to French diplomatic sources.
Ethiopia's government said it was aware of this week's incident, but could not confirm if it was a kidnapping. No group has claimed responsibility for the abductions. However in 1995, nine Italian tourists were captured by separatist Afar tribesmen in the desert, then released two weeks later. Afar separatists started a low-level rebellion against the government in the 1990s, calling for a separate Afar state on territory straddling Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2007 00:00 ||
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#2
Should be "rouge sur rouge", but it still wouldn't mean anything in french.
And if by "red", you mean ennemy, I don't think french people, tourists or not, are the USA (or in your case, Canada)'s ennemies, unless words have no meaning. An annoyance, adversaries at worst, even the neogaullists; only "ennemies" would be the usual suspects (leftists and assorted msm tools, Moderate Muslims), but you've got exactly the same ones at home, their "frenchness" is not a defining factor.
I won't do it, but... Remember me to glee and say "red on red" next time a canadian is killed or kidnapped; I mean, Canada's got a pretty large liberal population, hasn't it? Moonbats, neomarxists,... Surely it has a multiculturalism-dominated intellectual life? Isn't the proud father of both the oil-for-food program and the Kyoto pact a canuck? Canada's Enlightened Elites are full of tranzis, aren't they?
Excalibur, please, cut down on your french bashing, it is as unhealthy as France's judeomania; I mean, you're obesssed by frenchies, I swear, everytime there's a France-related post, I know in advance you'll be there, faithful and regular, to throw in a cliché. You love to hate us. Hey, why not? It's a PC-authorized racism, after all.
Criticize France for what it does and what it did, what it invented in terms of false ideologies, I won't disagree, in fact, I will be right behind you... but stop criticizing it (or rather the imaginary version you seem to believe is the "real" thing) for what it supposedly is.
Really, what's your beef with France? Did one of your ex leave you for a quebecquois or what? Come on, it's tiring, and distracting.
#3
Hit him again, A5089! You are right, it is tiring.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
03/02/2007 11:06 Comments ||
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#4
The distance from adversary to enemy is a short one. As I look back over the half century of my life I struggle to find the examples of France acting as an ally of the US. Crickets. The reflexive position of the French government is to adopt whatever policy is in opposition to that taken by the U. S. almost regardless of what is in France's interest. This French default position has become equally tiring.
#5
The French in Paris (I.E., the elitist, government-dominated bureaucratic nihilists, "journalists", and other hangers-on) are not our friends. Most of the people in rural France are far more pleasant to be around. The French GOVERNMENT is nasty, arrogant, and needs an enema.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/02/2007 15:22 Comments ||
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(AKI) - Somalia's transitional government is willing to enter peace talks with the Union of Islamists Courts (UIC), the Horn of Afica country's interior minister, Mohammed Ghulid, told the Jordanian newspaper al-Dustur in an interview published Thursday. "We have contacted several rebels in Mogadishu asking them to negotiate," Ghulid was quoted as saying. "We hope they will accept are overture," he added.
UIC fighters besieged the transitional goverment for months in its headquarters in the south western city of Baidoa until Ehtiopian troops intervened last December driving the Islamists from the country's capital Mogadishu. Since then rifts had emerged within the transitional institution on whether or not to engage in peace talks with the Islamists who are believed to be repsonsible for ongoing sporadic attacks in Mogadishu and elsewhere.
This article starring:
Mohammed Ghulid
Union of Islamists Courts
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Good idea, as long as the negotiators are graduates of the Corbin Dallas School of Diplomacy.
Libyan leader Moammar Gadaffi defended his 30-year-old unique system of rule based on grass-roots government on Wednesday, saying Western-style democracy was not appropriate for Africa. "All people must manage their country according to the cultural and social environment," Gadaffi said in a speech in the town of Sebha, 600km south of Tripoli.
"The peoples of Africa live in tribes and every tribe has a leader, so the system of elections and political parties suits Europe and America more than it does Africa."
"The peoples of Africa live in tribes and every tribe has a leader, so the system of elections and political parties suits Europe and America more than it does Africa."
Gadaffi, who is in his mid-sixties, seized power in the North African country in a coup in 1969. In 1977 he proclaimed popular rule to try to create the perfect society in line with the teachings of his Green Book, which combines aspects of socialism, Islam and pan-Arabism. The Arab world's longest-serving leader, Gadaffi holds no official post but is called Leader of the Revolution. Political analysts say he appears secure atop a centuries-old network of family and tribal-based loyalties.
On Friday Libya is due to celebrate the anniversary of his Jamahiriyah, or state of the masses, based on a system of town hall meetings in which political parties are banned. Critics call it a dictatorship. Supporters say the system guarantees stability and gives people a direct say in ruling themselves, unlike Western democracy which Gadaffi condemns as the dictatorship of the 51%.
On Wednesday Gadaffi described Western politics as a lottery and said the United Nations contained 190 leaders who were not chosen by the people but still oversaw six billion lives. "They got into power through corruption," he said. "Politics for them, of course, involves buying votes in elections."
Gadaffi abolished big private enterprises and forbade Libyans to employ one another, explaining it was exploitative. In recent years he has said Libya should build companies, invest and liberalise the economy to make its citizens rich and reduce the country's reliance on foreigners.
In his speech, which was punctuated by long pauses, Gadaffi returned to his traditional themes. "Economic crisis is crushing most societies and the big fortunes are dominated by a very narrow social class," he said. "Why do you criticise the theory of socialism or communism if all the people can benefit from the country's wealth? The fortune of every country belongs solely to the people."
Libya's oil and gas-reliant economy is struggling to recover from almost two decades of economic sanctions, held back by inefficiency and corruption which Gadaffi himself has criticised. Gadaffi's speech came at the start of a public debate on democracy which included United States political scientist Benjamin Barber and British sociologist Anthony Giddens.
This article starring:
Anthony Giddens
Benjamin Barber
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
On Wednesday Gadaffi described Western politics as a lottery and said the United Nations contained 190 leaders who were not chosen by the people but still oversaw six billion lives. "They got into power through corruption," he said. "Politics for them, of course, involves buying votes in elections."
Gotta admin the old boy does a hell of a blind pig routine.
#2
Lest we fergit, PRAVDA > "At least in the Soviet Union the People were [perm] poor but OPTIMISTIC" - you know, when the LARGE, SPACIOUS OCEAN-VIEW DACHAS of Party Leaders/Members alongst the Caspian-Black Sea = equals the decrepit State-subsidized MINOR APARTMENTS OF THE LOYAL MASSES = PEOPLE'S ARMY WORKER-SOLDATS IN SOVIET CITIES. WIth EQUALISM like that, who needs to run off to America, besides only the World!?
#3
"The peoples of Africa live in tribes and every tribe has a leader, so the system of elections and political parties suits Europe and America more than it does Africa."
Yes, and tribal leaders authorize actions such as those that took place on Dec 21, 1988 as well. Rot in hell you tent dwelling son of a camel spider!
#8
The peoples of Africa live in tribes and every tribe has a leader, so the system of elections and political parties suits Europe and America more than it does Africa
Well, considering that is how Rome came up with the republic idea so the tribes could get along...
Dumbass. Him and all of his despot friends need to be sent up the river.
#9
I agree with him. Until the Africans, and Arabs for that matter, are prepared to abandon tribalism and adopt individualism, western type civil society, rule of law, representative democracy will not work, no matter how many elections Carter certifies. It will inevitably degenerate into one man, one vote, one time.
Look at how long it took the Brits to de-tribalize India. I doubt any culture can be externally de-tribalized in less than 160 years, two lifetimes, of external domination and control. The western powers no longer have the faith in themselves or the stomach to take on such a task. So these third world nations will continue to stumble along until they gain the internal will to detribalize. And there are a lot of reasons to suspect this could take a long time without external pressure.
Ultimately, I expect this to occur through another mechanism. More and more individuals will make the decision to leave the turd world for the west. This will grow the west and shrink the rest. The challenge will if the west will abandon the nonsense of racist multi-culturalism and assimilate them. Ultimately the current third world will start to contract into tribal areas that will look more and more similar to American Indian reservations without the benevolent Uncle Sugar. Disease and ignorance will return as previewed by AIDS and bird flu. If the west assimilates the emigrants, they will return to inhabit the periphery and conduct trade for natural resources with the tribes. From that state, things may or may not evolve.
#11
Three things are needed for western-style democracy to fluorish - individual freedom, a codified and respected bill of rights, and the acceptance and guarantee of personal property rights. Everything else will build on those. Remember, our Declaration of Independence stated that "to secure these rights, governments are constituted by men". The only way to bring people out of poverty is to give them ownership of their own lives. The acquisition and retention of personal property is essential for the abolition of poverty. The abolition of poverty is essential for the development of representative government. You can't have one without the other, or the strongest man who promises the most gets to be leader-for-life. A good example of this is Mugabe's Zimbabwe.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/02/2007 15:34 Comments ||
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#12
I'm not sure that Bob's a good example of anything, Old Patriot.
(AKI) - The grand mufti of Egypt, Ali Gomaa, has lashed out at the so called tele-preachers who are growing in presence and popularity on Arabic satellite channels, with programmes in which they issue fatwa (religious edicts) and discuss religious issues. "They are not specialists" thundered Gomaa during another TV programme 'Beit Beitak', "and often issue fatwa that are in total conflict with those of the 'Dar al Ifta', which is the only body recognised (to do this)." The Dar al-Ifta is an officially recognised institution which is Egypt's supreme body for issuing religious edicts. These characters are not authorised by anyone and often do not have sufficient understanding or competence to speak out on delicate issues like those they frequently discuss, adding to general confusion. What is more they consider themselves stars of the screen and will not accept criticism he added.
Gomaa repeated that the Dar al-Ifta is the only body authorised to issue fatwa and the only one recognised by the research council of the university of al-Azhar, considered the highest seat of Sunni learning.
Regarding the recent fatwa issued by one of the Islamic televangelists which said it was wrong for Muslims to use banks which also issue loans with interest, Gomaa commented. The Dar al Ifta has been studying this argument for thirty years and after this have approved such operations as legitimate, on the basis of the Sharia (Islamic law).
Muslim televsion preachers are a relatively recent phenomenon but some of them have achieved unprecedented popularity across the Arab world. In particular Amr Khaled whose programme 'Treasures (of Islam) is aired on satellite television Iqraa, and seen from Cairo to Dubai to the Arabic communities in Europe. It has a strong following especially among the middle classes and among younger women, thanks also to the distinguished appearance and sober western dress jacket and tie which contrasts with the more religious conservative attire of traditional Muslim preachers.
This article starring:
ALI GOMAA
Learned Elders of Islam
Amr Khaled
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Send me $40 millions or the allen will need your youngest for martyr meat. Send your love offering now, RPG-7 rounds accepted.
#2
--The Dar al Ifta has been studying this argument for thirty years and after this have approved such operations as legitimate, on the basis of the Sharia (Islamic law). --
#3
--The Dar al Ifta has been studying this argument for thirty years and after this have approved such operations as legitimate, on the basis of the Sharia (Islamic law). --
#9
I assume Billy Graham is out of the question, How about Pat Robertson? Or The Bakers, I know Tammy Fae is out of the slammer,Or my personal favorite "The Reverend Ike"? None would be particularly missed.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/02/2007 12:05 Comments ||
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#10
Secret, CIA overseas prisons. Secret, CIA overseas preachers. There, it's said.
#11
I wanted to add Rev Jesse Jackson, but even though he's nothing but an opportunist I think he's got more smarts than to go over to the "Mad Mullah's" home turf. Maybe if Michael Jackson asked politely (With a few kilobucks in hand, and a dozen or so ready cameras?) Hummmm.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/02/2007 12:16 Comments ||
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#12
Jim in all fairness Billy Graham is the real deal. The man has more Faith, humility and honesty than 99% of the people on the planet. Met him in person. Don't always like the man's politics but his depth (in Christ) is almost spooky.
Missing from the story. "So come on down to our moon goddess mega mosque. Volunteers are needed, anti-aircraft gunmen are willing to play weddings in Afghanistan".
The main Yemeni Islamist opposition party, Islah, has re-elected Shaikh Abdullah Al Ahmar as its president for the fourth time since it was established in 1990, disappointing those who hoped for a change of guard.
Al Ahmar did not attend the congress for unspecified reasons but was chosen by recommendations for the president of Islah's supreme panel for a fourth tenure contradicting the internal by-law of the party, which bans re-electing leaders after three terms. The party's veterans said there was an urgent need behind choosing Al Ahmar as the president for the sake of the party, Al Ahmar himself and the opposition coalition.
The younger generation in the party did not see the necessity to recommend Al Ahmar as the president, especially after his announcement that he would not stand for the top post. Only days before the congress while debate was on about the need to change Islah's leadership so as to be a model for the ruling party and other opposition parties, Al Ahmar announced he no longer wanted to be the president of the party. "I could assure you that 85 per cent of the young people of the party did not agree on recommending Al Ahmar [for] the working sessions, but no one could convince those who were saying it was necessary to have Al Ahmar as the president," Abdu Salem, an Islah leader, told Gulf News.
This article starring:
ABDU SALEM
Yemeni Islah Party
SHEIKH ABDULLAH AL AHMAR
Yemeni Islah Party
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2007 00:00 ||
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China's military is engaged in a major buildup of submarines that includes five new strategic nuclear-missile boats and several advanced nuclear-powered attack submarines, according to the Office of Naval Intelligence.
The new nuclear-powered missile submarines (SSBNs), identified as Type 094s, will be outfitted with new 5,000-mile range JL-2 missiles that "will provide China with a modern and robust sea-based nuclear deterrent force," the ONI stated in report made up of written answers to questions on the Chinese submarine buildup.
The ONI report was first disclosed to Sea Power magazine, and a copy was obtained by The Washington Times. It was the first time the Pentagon has identified the number of new Chinese strategic submarines under construction.
The five new missile submarines will "provide more redundancy and capacity for a near-continuous at-sea SSBN presence," the ONI said, which noted that sea trials for some of the submarines are under way and the first deployments could begin as early as next year.
The buildup is raising new concerns among senior Pentagon planners already worried by Beijing's broader strategic nuclear-forces buildup, which also includes several new long-range land-based nuclear missiles and a land-attack cruise missile similar to the Tomahawk.
"This is a troubling development," Richard Fisher, a specialist on the Chinese military with the private International Assessment and Strategy Center, said of the submarine buildup.
The five missile submarines, each equipped with 12 JL-2 missiles, shows that China is working to achieve a force of 120 long-range nuclear missiles over the next decade, about half of them to be carried on the submarines, Mr. Fisher said. The other half would be the 60 land-based DF-31 missiles that current deployment rates will give China by then, he said.
The 120 missiles also could have multiple-warheads, since China is known to have acquired all the needed technology from the U.S. during the 1990s.
Retired Vice Adm. Michael McConnell, commenting at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday, said China's nuclear missiles pose a threat.
"It's a matter of they're building their military, in my view, to reach some state of parity with the United States," said Mr. McConnell, the new director of national intelligence. "So they're a threat today, they would become an increasing threat over time."
Little is known about China's nuclear forces and efforts by Pentagon officials to engage Chinese military leaders about their strategic weapons and forces has not been successful. China's government has insisted its current modernization is part of a peaceful development, but the contrasting strategic nuclear-forces buildup is worrying, defense officials said.
Chinese Gen. Zhu Chenghu told reporters in 2005 that China would attack U.S. cities with nuclear weapons in response to any conventionally armed U.S. missile strikes against China during a conflict over Taiwan. Years earlier, Gen. Xiong Guangkai threatened to use nuclear weapons against Los Angeles if the U.S. helped Taiwan defend against a Chinese invasion of the island.
The missile-submarine buildup would provide Beijing with a major upgrade on current capabilities. In 1983, China built one Xia-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, reportedly with 12 1,000-mile range JL-1 missiles. But that solitary submarine has only twice test-fired its missiles and never ventured beyond China's regional waters.
"Although the range of the JL-1 limits the Xia's utility as a deterrent platform, targets throughout the region, including U.S. military facilities, could be targeted with the JL-1 from launch points inside traditional Chinese navy operating areas," the ONI said.
On China's new attack submarine, the ONI stated that China already has launched and is performing sea trials on an unspecified number of Type 093 nuclear-powered attack submarines. Published reports in China have said two Type 093 attack submarines are deployed and use "foreign technologies" and advanced anti-ship missiles and torpedoes.
The new advances are part of China's efforts to bolster its anti-ship weapons to permit strikes at greater ranges from the Chinese coast than its current diesel-powered submarine force offers, the ONI said. China currently is upgrading its current force of about 55 attack submarines -- most of them easy-to-track diesel boats -- with more-advanced and harder-to-track vessels, including Russian-made Kilos, and its own Song- and Yuan-class submarines.
"Each of these submarine classes, which are quiet platforms with anti-ship cruise missiles, is an integral part of China's regional anti-access strategy," ONI said. "The quieting incorporated into these submarines is required for successful operations in the open ocean operating areas which could facilitate the [Chinese navy's] wartime mission of keeping enemy combatants outside of strike range of the theater of operation."
A Song-class submarine surfaced undetected within five miles, well within firing range, of the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk in October.
The ONI stated that China's maritime strategy is focused on blocking U.S. or Japanese intervention in a future conflict over Taiwan. To that end, Beijing has begun equipping its medium- and short-range ballistic missiles based on shore, hundreds of which are deployed across the Taiwan Strait from the island that the communist regime views as a renegade province, with maneuvering warheads.
These radar-guided or heat-seeking weapons "provide the accuracy necessary to attack a ship at sea," ONI said.
But China's rise in international trade and commerce, plus its growing dependence on imported foreign oil, also has expanded Beijing's maritime strategy from a mostly submarine force to one of building surface ships to "defend sea lines of communication" (SLOCs), because protecting sea-lanes with submarines is difficult.
ONI also said that in addition to new destroyers, "by 2020, China is likely to operate an aircraft carrier, the initial unit of which may be the refurbished ex-Varyag, acquired from Ukraine in 2000, to further support SLOC protection."
#1
since China is known to have acquired all the needed technology from the U.S. during the 1990s.
Damn those HALLYBURTONBUSHITLER capitalists-OH, wait-Never Mind!!!
[/emily latella]
Posted by: Almost Anonymous5839 ||
03/02/2007 11:03 Comments ||
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#2
Yep, thank Loral and the Clintons
Posted by: DanNY ||
03/02/2007 11:49 Comments ||
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#3
Billy-boy should be arrested for treason, and his fat-cow wife put in the next cell over. Their occupation of the White House has severely degraded the ability of the United States to protect itself from an increasingly agressive China. Lock up about half the former cabinet, too, especially madeline half-bright.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/02/2007 15:43 Comments ||
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#4
On your marks, Get set... Strike Taiwan's down!
#8
Some Netters have ascribed the 094's as China's version of the early GEORGE WASHINGTON or ETHAN ALLEN-class SSBN/FBM Subs - back to the future of the late 1950's = early 1960's. That being said, TAIWAN's real utility is as a "break-out" + littoral defense WESTPAC warm-water port for China - while there is Singapore, the Macau, and proposed new ports on both flanks of INDIA and INDONESIA, + CENASIA overland routes, are too many sovereign = non-Chicom controlled nations along these MLL-MLO's, etc. that can easily intervene = fail to protect to China's detriment. China's missles + strategic air units are there to destroy Taiwan in case China's massive
"conventional first strike" or even second strike fails to defeat Taiwan, + to deny any mil utility to the West.
Spain's Socialist government yesterday sparked controversy by allowing Iñaki de Juana Chaos, a hunger-striking prisoner from the armed Basque separatist group Eta, to go home. An emaciated De Juana, who was responsible for 25 killings in the 1980s, was sent back to his native Basque country after serving less than half of a three-year sentence for terrorist threats.
Three years for threats, another dozen for killing 25 people 20 years ago. And now he's virtually home free.
He had been on hunger strike for 114 days and, reduced to a skeletal wreck, was being force-fed by doctors after being strapped to a hospital bed in Madrid.
I thought force-feeding was against the Geneva Convention -- last time I checked on a Gitmo story it was, anyway. Guess it's different when a Euro government does it. And how the hell can he be a skeletal wreck? They didn't get the tube in early enough, and clearly weren't pouring enough down it.
"If I had not made this decision he would have died in the next few weeks," the interior minister, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, said.
That would be up to him, wouldn't it?
Although De Juana will formally serve out the rest of his sentence under police guard at home and at a nearby hospital, the measure came as close as was possible to freeing him.
Last night he was at a hospital in San Sebastián, while police stood guard at the doors and supporters gathered outside. The Basque separatist leader Juan Maria Olano, after visiting De Juana in hospital, told journalists that the prisoner had given up his hunger strike.
Why isn't Olano in prison with a tube down his gullet?
The decision provoked furious reactions from the conservative opposition People's party and the influential Association of Terrorism Victims, which have campaigned against attempts by Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero to negotiate an end to Eta's four decades of violence.
"Zapatero will go down in history as the prime minister who humiliated the victims of terrorism," the People's party's general secretary, Angel Acebes, said.
Aww, he done did that long before now.
"The government has finally surrendered to Eta," the victims' association said in a statement.
De Juana received his prison sentence after he was deemed to have made threats in letters printed in a Basque newspaper while awaiting early release on good behaviour from a murder sentence. His 12-year sentence was reduced to three years on appeal a fortnight ago but De Juana refused to give up his hunger strike, claiming his jailing was politically motivated. He has been in prison since 1987.
Notice De Juana didn't try this nonsense when Aznar was in charge.
People's party leaders last week joined a march through Madrid protesting at the supreme court's decision to reduce his sentence.
His supporters had plastered walls in the Basque country with photographs that showed him strapped to a bed and being force-fed through a nasal drip.
De Juana had become one of the biggest stumbling blocks on an already accident-prone peace process that started with an Eta ceasefire last March. His decision to go on hunger strike had been criticised by some other Eta prisoners for hindering a process he claimed to support. "If he dies, it will be a big problem," one prominent Basque separatist leader told the Guardian recently.
For him and his nasty supporters. I think Mother Gaia would have continued to rotate on her axis just fine.
The state of the peace process, shattered by a car bomb that killed two people at Madrid airport in December, remained unclear yesterday. Eta has claimed that the ceasefire is still in place and its political allies from the banned Batasuna party have recently been praising Mr Zapatero - leading to speculation that peace is back on the agenda.
Until they set off another bomb. That's why they're terrorists.
Conservative Spanish news media yesterday claimed that the decision to send De Juana home, without formally freeing him, had been made by Mr Zapatero himself. Mr Zapatero refused to comment when asked by reporters yesterday.
"The state has to be humane even with those who did not act this way with their victims," Mr Pérez Rubalcaba said.
Spoken like a good socialist. Wonder if they'd let an old Spanish fascist out of jail?
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/02/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
"Zapatero will go down in history as the prime minister who humiliated the victims of terrorism,"
And a fine legacy that is. Humiliate enough that they stop.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/02/2007 6:45 Comments ||
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#2
Suggestion, pork broth down that nasal tube.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/02/2007 6:47 Comments ||
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#3
He's ETA, not Muslim, Redneck Jim. Spaniards are fond of eating pork -- it's one of the ways they were able to distinguish the "true Spaniards" from the Jews and the Moors after the Conquista.
Contradicting statements made by German Foreign Minister Steinmeier, a high-ranking former US official has said that German government officials did not try to get German-born Murat Kurnaz released from Guantanamo. In an interview with German TV program "Monitor," Pierre-Richard Prosper, the US government's former ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues until Oct 2005, said that German officials never contacted him about releasing Kurnaz from the detention camp. "During my entire time in office, Germany never showed any interest and I was the person to contact within the US government," said Prosper, who was responsible for returning Guantanamo inmates to their home countries from 2002 to 2005.
Kurnaz was arrested in Pakistan in late 2001 on suspicion of being a terrorist and spent more than four years in detention before being released without charge from Guantanamo in 2006. He says he was tortured and abused at the camp. German government officials have denied delaying the release of Kurnaz, who has Turkish citizenship, but grew up in Germany. The case is now under investigation by a parliamentary committee. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who was former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's chief-of-staff, has come under fire for his role. Steinmeier has said that the Schröder government repeatedly talked to US officials about the Kurnaz case and lobbied for his release.
But Prosper, who left public service to work as an attorney at the beginning of the year, said he didn't know of any such conversations. "If the German government would have said: 'We want Kurnaz,' we would have immediately sat down to come to an agreement," Prosper said, according to German translations of the interview. Prosper added that it was "not a secret" that Kurnaz had been "considered for release" since 2002.
This article starring:
German Foreign Minister Steinmeier
MURAT KURNAZ
al-Qaeda
Pierre-Richard Prosper
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2007 00:00 ||
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Two out of three charged with rape in Norway's capital are immigrants with a non-western background according to a police study. The number of rape cases is also rising steadily.The study is the first where the crime statistics have been analyzed according to ethnic origin. Of the 111 charged with rape in Oslo last year, 72 were of non-western ethnic origin, 25 are classified as Norwegian or western and 14 are listed as unknown.
Rape charges in the capital are spiraling upwards, 40 percent higher from 1999 to 2000 and up 13 percent so far this year. Nine out of ten cases do not make it to prosecution, most of them because police do not believe the evidence is sufficient to reach a conviction. Police Inspector Gunnar Larsen of Oslo's Vice, Robbery and Violent crime division says the statistics are surprising - the rising number of rape cases and the link to ethnic background are both clear trends. But Larsen does not want to speculate on the reasons behind the worrying developments.
While 65 percent of those charged with rape are classed as coming from a non-western background, this segment makes up only 14.3 percent of Oslo's population. Norwegian women were the victims in 80 percent of the cases, with 20 percent being women of foreign background. Larsen said that since this was the initial study examining ethnic make-up there were no existing figures to put the numbers into context. "Meanwhile, it is our general experience that this is an increasing tendency. We note this by the number of time we need to use interpreters in the course of an investigation," Larsen said.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2007 00:00 ||
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#3
the rising number of rape cases and the link to ethnic background are both clear trends. But Larsen does not want to speculate on the reasons behind the worrying developments
"Ethnic background" and "reasons" .... no further speculation required.
#4
Vikings would have dealt with this with axes and very little recidivism. It is a pity that the only testosterone in evidence in Scandanavia is in the Arab invaders. It becomes obvious why the Scandanavian birthrate is below replacement levels. What women would want men who won't protect them to father their children? What the hell is wrong with Norwegian men?
Posted by: Angatch Protector of the Danes8108 ||
03/02/2007 2:00 Comments ||
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"immigrants with a non-western background"
Filipino gardeners? Japanese businessmen? Tibetan lamas? Zulu warriors (looking to buy JSF-29s, no doubt)?
'Tis a puzzlement.
#6
Turn your back on the spiritual (Christian), political (democracy), social (law and order and the family), and economic (capitalism) things that built your civilization, and you reap the whirlwind.
I have compassion for their suffering, but take no pity on their situation. Authors of their own misery, I'd say.
A society based on atheism/secular humanism/new age-ism, collectivism, and the supremacy of the state over the family MUST fail.
Posted by: no mo uro ||
03/02/2007 6:35 Comments ||
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What the hell is wrong with Norwegian men?
Same thing that is wrong with most European men, they've been "Socialized" and "Feminized". In short, they're pussies!
Fuzzy thinking and PC and Liberal Bull SHit rule the day. And, if you look around you here, same thing is happening in many parts of the country.
Boys in school these days are being feminized to a frightening degree. PC, Multi-Culti garbage is rampant. And nothing is going to change, unless the people make it happen. The Government has sold us out, they are also the enemy.
Buy ammo, form like minded groups. Look around, you will find small groups quietly organizing all over the place. Join. Get involved. Spread the word. The life you save might be yours or your families. Teach your kids to shoot, camp and be self sufficient. Get involved with Scouting. Do something.
#11
"Same thing that is wrong with most European men, they've been . . ."Feminized"."
A McLaughlin WRONG! on this.
They've not been feminized. They've been emasculated, which is something else entirely. And something far worse.
Posted by: no mo uro ||
03/02/2007 14:55 Comments ||
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Most of Europe has been feminized. The Vikings sent the boldest out against the world. The bold and strong died, colonized or conquered. The weeker stayed home.
Similar story with the English except add in WW1 and WW2 and they still have a salvagable crop, barely.
The Germans fought two world wars (and the Franco-Prussian War) slaughtering off generations of bold and strong and leaving the few survivors to raise the current generation.
The French were broken after losing a generation in WW1, being conquered in WW2 and losing their Empire soon after.
This weakening took time and made these nations easy prey to the socialism that's pulling them down now.
American peace activist Cindy Sheehan has described George W. Bush as the worst terrorist on the planet.
Sheehan made her remarks in Istanbul where she attended the Fourth International Meeting for a Warless World, sponsored by the Global Coalition for Peace and Justice (BAK) of Turkey, reported Prensa Latina news agency.
The peace mom, who lost her son in Iraq, warned of schemes by the U.S. government to carry out an attack on Iran, which she said was quite possible given the fact that Bush does not care if the majority of U.S. citizens agree or disagree with the plan. The peace activist accused both Democrats and Republicans of supporting Bush's war policies.
Sheehan called Bush a serious danger for world stability and referred to the death of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children during the years of the embargo and the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 as an instance of terrorism.
Sheehan apologized on behalf of her nation for all the crimes committed against Iraq and voiced her concern about the growing hatred brewing worldwide against the United States due to Bush policies.
"The American people are not guilty of all the murders, disappearances and tortures committed under the occupation," Sheehan said.
Sheehan told reporters that she will participate in the protest scheduled for March 17 in Washington, as part of a global appeal on the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq.
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/02/2007 9:19 Comments ||
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The peace mom, who lost her son and her mind in Iraq
"The American people are not guilty of all the murders, disappearances and tortures committed under the occupation, the nutcases who are trying to re-establish the Caliphate are " Sheehan said.
Sheehan called Bush a serious danger for world stability and al-Queda
Sheehan told reporters that she will participate in the protest scheduled for March 17 in Washington, "And I want another fifteen minutes, dammit!!"
There. All fixed. :)
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
03/02/2007 9:24 Comments ||
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The peace mom, who lost her son in Iraq had tried her level best to disgrace her son's memory
#5
The last article I saw about Sheehan's son, said that his grave did not have a marker because she could not find the time to tell the Dept. of Defense what she wanted. Is her son's grave still just a plot of grass?
#6
whatadeal, now the last I heard was that the son's uncle or brother had put a stone at the grave. I have been known to be wrong before so take my input with a grain of salt.
Posted by: Almost Anonymous5839 ||
03/02/2007 10:58 Comments ||
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sponsored by the Global Coalition for Peace and Justice (BAK)
Here is the guest list from their last Anti-NATO shindig. See if you can spot a common thread.
Unity against NATO and Bush ,Committees against Occupation, Communist Party of Turkey (TKP), Peace Association, Nazim Culture House, Jose Marti Association for Friendship with Cuba, Workers Council and University Councils, Communist Party of Greece (KKE), Communist Youth of Greece (KNE) and the Communist Party of Syria,Communist Party of Australia, Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia, Communist Party of Bulgaria (Georgi Dimitrov), Communist Party of Denmark (Marxist-Leninist), Communist Party of Norway, New Communist Party of Netherlands, Workers Party of Belgium, World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY), Stop USA Anti-imperialist League (Belgium) and World Peace Council (WPC)
#13
Not that this is an original thought or anything, but Jeez, if Bush was half as bad as she thinks she'd be dead along with all her friends and that list of anti-western groups.
#17
Sheehan called Bush a serious danger for world stability and referred to the death of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children during the years of the embargo and the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 as an instance of terrorism.
Uh, somebody ought to tell Cindy Shitcan that the embargo was imposed by her dear UN and was in place for a helluva' long time before President Bush came to the White House. Somebody also ought to tell her that the Lancet study has been debunked.
But then, I guess she wouldn't let a few things like facts get in the way of her vehement hatred.
#18
Lest we fergit, post 9-11 + anti-IRAQI FREEDOM > GIST-America must become Martialized, Socialized, Governmentized, and Globalized so that big Big BIG B-I-G BBBBBBBIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGG, D *** you, Gubmint can protect the Amer people by only DEFENSIVELY "responding/reacting" to Radical islam's [Commie supported] multiple preplanned attacks or other Terror "events" or "Schemes" against America, and doing so while simul helping Russia-China modernize by making them responsible for Amer National-Global Security, i.e. giving them and aligned ALL OUR $$$ + ALL OUR TECH + ALL OUR GUNS, ERGO DEFENSELESS MONEYLESS ANTI-SOVEREIGN, HATED DESPICABLE FASCIST = WELL-MEANING BUT DEFECTIVE/ERRORFUL LIMITED COMUNIST, America = Amerika, the mighty USSA = weak SSR/United Soc Republics, will dominate the future OWG - YOU KNOW, CANTON-CENTRIC NATIONAL GLOBAL ISOLATIONISM??? Is that about the core nutshell of the DemoLeft's-anti-US agendists rants agz Dubya - D *** NG IT, ordinary Amerikans just don't understand the arguments of the Pols and Activists, nor the consequences!? They want to make it absolutely undeniably categorically unequivocally clear to the Amer People. that ------------------------------------------------------------------------, AND DON'T YOU ALL FORGET IT!
Republican Sen. John McCain on Thursday became the second presidential contender to back away from saying the war in Iraq had "wasted" the lives of U.S. troops. During a Wednesday night appearance on CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman," McCain announced that he would enter the 2008 race but said a formal announcement would come in April.
He also said the nation had paid a "grievous price" for mistakes made in the first years of the nearly four-year-old war in Iraq. Americans "are very frustrated," he said, "and they have every right to be. We've wasted a lot of our most precious treasure, which is American lives, over there."
More than 3,100 U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein. The Arizona senator has been harshly critical of the Bush administration's management of the war, but he is a prominent advocate of President Bush's deployment of more than 21,000 additional combat troops. The Democratic National Committee called for an apology. However, in a written statement McCain said only that "I should have used the word 'sacrificed,' as I have in the past." He added that U.S. leaders owe the armed forces "our best judgment and honest appraisal of the progress of the war."
"With a new commanding general and a new strategy, we are now trying to correct those mistakes, and I believe we have a realistic chance to succeed," he added. "That does not change the fact, however, that we have made many mistakes in the past, and we have paid a grievous price for those mistakes in the lives of the men and women who have died to protect our interests in Iraq and defend the rest of us from the even greater threat we would face if we are defeated there."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Shouldn't have been pandering to Letterman - that'll learn ya!
#2
The screwup was in being recorded where there's no weasel room.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/02/2007 6:34 Comments ||
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Ever notice how when these guys "misspeak" they never catch it right then and there, but have to wait until someone criticizes them?
Posted by: The Doctor ||
03/02/2007 9:04 Comments ||
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That's because it's not a "Misspeak" unless someone catches it, then it's time to busily cover your mess.
Sorry McVain, It's like watching a cat trying to cover a "Mess" on a tile floor, all the scraping does no good.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/02/2007 9:57 Comments ||
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#5
Hey should just save a LOT of money and the embarrasment by just dropping out now.
#6
John McCain has once again proved that the only person he cares about is John McCain. If he and Hillary get the nod for 2008, I'm going to have to seriously consider setting up my own nation somewhere in the Rockies, armed to the teeth. Even his former "friends", including a couple of other former POWs, won't talk to him. Sick!
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/02/2007 16:07 Comments ||
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#7
May I join you, Sir.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/02/2007 18:04 Comments ||
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#8
RD, OP, come on to Tennessee and join me. I'm already almost self-sufficient.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
03/02/2007 20:50 Comments ||
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In a flash, the blast incinerates air, sprays metal, burns flesh. Milliseconds after an improvised explosive device (IED) detonates, a blink after a mortar shell blows, an overpressurization wave engulfs the human body, and just as quickly, an underpressure wave follows and vanishes. Eardrums burst, bubbles appear in the bloodstream, the heart slows. A soldier or a civilian can survive the blast without a single penetrating wound and still receive the worst diagnosis: traumatic brain injury, or TBI, the signature injury of the Iraq War.
But in the same instant that the blast unleashes chaos, it also activates the most organized and sophisticated trauma care in history. Within a matter of hours, a soldier can be medevaced to a state-of-the-art field hospital, placed on a flying intensive care unit, and receive continuous critical care a sea away. (During Vietnam, it took an average of 15 days to receive that level of treatment. Today the military can deliver it in 13 hours.) Heroic measures may be yielding unprecedented survival rates, but they also carry a grim consequence: No other war has created so many seriously disabled veterans. Soldiers are surviving some brain injuries with only their brain stems unimpaired.
Long Discover Magazine article, very interesting, pretty fair. Several moving sub-stories about individuals, like the guy mentioned in the summation of the four types of blast injuries to the brain...
Blast-related brain injuries like those sustained by Reyes can deliver multiple TBIs. First there is barotrauma, in which the body suffers the same magnitude of pressure felt deep underwater. It's theorized that portions of the brain swell and decompress almost instantly during this stage, causing a host of cellular defects throughout the brain. Objects like shrapnel and gravel penetrate the skull, ping-ponging within the cranium walls. The force of the blast then blows an individual against an object, like a wall or a roof, causing blunt trauma to the head. Finally, in response to these injuries, the brain releases a metabolic cascade of neurochemicals that have a toxic effect on brain tissue. Reyes had no penetrating fragments; he experienced three of the four blast insults.
Go read the whole thing, or bookmark it and read it later... It'll probably take 10-20 minutes to read it. Some will need a tissue or two.
Posted by: Bobby ||
03/02/2007 07:52 ||
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#1
Go read the whole thing, or bookmark it and read it later... It'll probably take 10-20 minutes to read it. Some will need a tissue or two.
Thanks for the heads-up. Filed under "Read Back at Home After Work."
Opponents of a Navy plan to use dolphins from San Diego to guard a submarine base in chilly Washington are knitting hats, mittens and sweaters for the dolphins. The informal group of knitters hopes to persuade the Navy not to use the animals from the 60-degree waters of San Diego in 46-degree Hood Canal.
The Navy announced a plan February 12th to use the dolphins and California sea lions to watch for terrorist swimmers at the Trident submarine base. Opponents plan to show up with their knitting at public meetings March 27 in Keyport and March 28 in Seattle.
The Navy says the dolphins would only patrol in Hood Canal for two hours before returning to heated enclosures.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/02/2007 6:49 Comments ||
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Surpassing the already high mark for incredible cluelessness. "60 degree water" in San Diego? WTF? Dolphins go to considerable depths to fish, and the waters off San Diego, or in the Bay where they house the critters, are almost always colder and often much colder than that. Aside from the fact that marine mammals, uh, don't get "cold" the way we do. Sheesh. And what are the mittens for?
#6
Our Brave Dolphins are being deployed without adequate body armor! Most of them are using Vietnam-era protection. This is an injustice to our brave men... er... mammals in our armed forces.
#7
Yeah? Where were they when the hunter/killer dolphins needed them while they prowled the streets of New Orleans in Katrina's aftermath?
Phony bastards!
The U.S. military said it will try Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks, an Australian, on a charge of supporting terrorism within about four months.
Hicks, who was captured in Afghanistan in 2001, will be arraigned within about 30 days, the Defense Department said in a press release. A military judge approved one charge of ``providing material support for terrorism.'' Previously, a U.S. official had said Hicks might also face an attempted murder charge. Hicks has been held at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for five years without trial. His case has been a sore point in Australian-U.S. relations and a liability for Australian Prime Minister John Howard, an ally in President George W. Bush's war on terrorism. Pressure has been growing among Australian voters for Hicks to be formally charged and tried.
Howard last week urged the Bush administration to deal ``expeditiously'' with Hicks. Vice President Dick Cheney, who was visiting Australia last week, promised that Hicks would be tried soon and that if found guilty, he will serve his sentence in Australia. Sixty percent of 1,152 Australian voters said the government's stance on Hicks would affect how they vote in an election this year, according to a Newspoll survey published on Jan. 23.
The charge of supporting terrorism was approved by military Judge Susan J. Crawford. On Feb. 15, U.S. prosecutor Colonel Mo Davis told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that Hicks might also face a charge of attempted murder. The deadline for bringing Hicks to trial is four months after he is served with papers, and that will happen within days, according to Navy Commander J.D. Gordon, a Pentagon spokesman.
This article starring:
DAVID HICKS
al-Qaeda
Judge Susan J. Crawford
Navy Commander J.D. Gordon, a Pentagon spokesman
Prime Minister John Howard
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2007 00:00 ||
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Wake me up when court actually convenes.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/02/2007 6:37 Comments ||
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notify Major Mori - he's still off on his "building sympathy for a terrorist" tour
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/02/2007 9:47 Comments ||
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#3
Since he said "Screw Mo", put him out in the yard.
He won't last 4 months...
NEW DELHI: India has ruled out talks on President Pervez Musahrrafs concept of joint management for Kashmir, saying it cannot be the basis of a settlement of the issue of Jammu and Kashmir.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, answering a question in the Rajya Sabha, said that Jammu and Kashmri was an integral part of India and therefore concepts like Musharrafs joint management cannot be the basis of any solution to the Kashmir issue.
Any demilitarisation or re-deployment of security forces within the territory is a sovereign decision of the Indian government, based on our own assessment or the prevailing security situation, Mukherjee said. He told the house that President Musharraf, in an interview, had suggested the identification of the areas to which these proposals of making the LoC irrelevant, demilitarisation and joint management would apply.
He said during the last round of the Foreign Secretary-level talks in January 2006, several proposals, including these four concepts, were discussed.
Mukherjee said further that Jammu and Kashmir enjoys autonomy under the Indian Constitution and has a democratically elected government in place. On the other hand, there is only nominal autonomy in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and there has been no popular election in Gilgit-Baltistan, which does not even have a legal or constitutional status, he told the upper house.
He also denied that Hurriyat leaders had submitted any proposal for solution of Kashmir issue after their return from Pakistan.
Mukherjee further told the House that during his recent meetings with Pakistani counterpart Khursheed Kasuri, it was decided that the officials would meet soon to address the issue of Siachen. We agreed to expedite the liberalisation of the visa regime and the agreements on reducing the risk of accidents relating to nuclear weapons, speedy return of inadvertent line crossers and prevention of incidents at sea, he stated.
He also said that both sides had also agreed to facilitate the movement of diplomats to Noida and Gurgaon in India and Taxila and Hasan Abdal in Pakistan. On Sir Creek, they agreed that the officials would be directed to expedite the joint survey, he said.
Posted by: John Frum ||
03/02/2007 06:12 ||
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"Actually, we don't trust you monkeys as far as we could throw your goddamned country. But thanks for askin'..."
German Ambassador Dr Gunter Mulack said on Thursday that he had seen no proof to back American claims that Al Qaeda is regrouping in the tribal areas of Pakistan. He also confirmed the European Unions ban on older PIA planes starting from next week. We have no proof. And I can only hope that Al Qaeda is not regrouping in the tribal areas, Mulack told journalists in Peshawar.
How bad or good the situation is (in the tribal areas) we dont know because we dont have access. We have to rely on what we get in the media.
He said he did not expect the United States had shared any intelligence with Pakistan about Al Qaeda attempts to reorganise itself in Pakistans tribal areas. How bad or good the situation is (in the tribal areas) we dont know because we dont have access. We have to rely on what we get in the media, the German ambassador said. Where is the proof? We dont know.
"We hope it is not true. But you never exclude certain areas which are not under control or being misused by terrorist elements.
So, we hope it is not true. But you never exclude certain areas which are not under control or being misused by terrorist elements, he said. We know there are foreigners around. Some of them living in the area are married to the tribal people there, mostly Chechens, Uzbeks, Tajiks, and maybe Arabs. But we dont know how many there are.
The ambassador said: We have seen actions which Pakistani army (has) done against certain madrassas, certain camps. That shows something is there. But we cannot verify. I can only hope that Al Qaeda is not regrouping.
Mulack appeared unhappy at the Foreign Offices refusal to allow him to visit a school in the tribal areas. I regret having no access to FATA, he said. I would like to go but was denied because of security.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2007 00:00 ||
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"GERMANY SEES 'PROOF' OF POLISH BOLSHEVIKS MURDERING GERMANS IN DANZIG CORRIDOR"
#2
Mulack appeared unhappy at the Foreign Offices refusal to allow him to visit a school in the tribal areas. I regret having no access to FATA, he said. I would like to go but was denied because of security.
#3
German Ambassador Dr Gunter Mulack said on Thursday that he had seen no proof to back American claims that Al Qaeda is regrouping in the tribal areas of Pakistan.
Terrorists could strike in the capital again and in view of this threat, security in the capital has been stepped up and extra checks placed to prevent any subversive activity, Syed Kamal Shah, federal secretary for the Interior said on Thursday.
He was talking to reporters after a ceremony held in connection with Civil Defence Day. Shah said that more arrests might be made based on the information obtained from the suspected suicide bombers in detention.
The secretary said that Rangers, Frontier Constabulary and Punjab Police personnel had been deployed to support Islamabad Police and patrol the city. The umber of security posts has also been increased, he said.
The secretary said that the civil defence department had been neglected in the past, but the present government was committed to developing it. He said that civil defence volunteers services were indispensable to law enforcement personnel in any emergency.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2007 00:00 ||
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The Bush administration, which is now picking holes in the North Waziristan deal signed by Pakistan with tribal leaders, initially backed the decision that was made in consultation with Washington.
Daniel Markey, a former State Department specialist on South Asia for the Policy Planning Council, said in an interview here this week with the Council on Foreign Relations that the US was in accord with Pakistans decision. Asked if the Americans sympathised with Musharrafs approach last year, he said, Precisely.
Markey said that when at Washingtons urging the Pakistan Army moved heavily into the tribal areas, it was realised before long that this was not working. According to him, While it immediately paid some dividends, the Pakistani military took serious casualties and the longer they stayed, they began to be seen more and more as an occupying force.
Markey said that when the Musharraf government decided that the strategy was not working and the US tended to agree, Pakistan needed in some way to go back to an earlier policy, and then try to bump it up a little bit. Pakistan wanted to go back to this earlier strategy of working through traditional mechanisms between political agents and tribal elders, but then try to improve the local security forces, so they would actually stand a chance against the larger terrorist and militant threats. The Pakistanis would then inject a certain degree of development and other types of assistance so the local population would not be so alienated. The problem with this latest strategy is that in the near term, you have fairly weak local authorities with relatively poor security mechanisms at their disposal. Theyre not capable of standing up against outside terrorists and the Taliban, and it doesnt serve the US interests, at least in the short term, to allow these militants to continue to operate there.
Asked why the US was feeling frustrated with Pakistan now, Markey replied, What were finding is that despite the fact that he (Musharraf) may be correct in his assessment of the complexity of the problem, this new solution has a significant downside in terms of timing. It may be a reasonable approach to a long-term solution, but in the short term, this is not working.
Replying to a question about the threat that if Pakistan does not play according to American wishes, Congress will cut off the aid the country is receiving, the former official said, I dont think the most responsible members of Congress would really significantly seek to cut assistance to Pakistan. Everybody recognised after 9/11 that you need to build a long-term partnership with Pakistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2007 00:00 ||
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I wonder if this is a case where State made a decision without the White House's approval. I don't see Bush making such a deal. Either that, or Pervert fed the US a lot of bulls$$$. That I could easily believe...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/02/2007 16:21 Comments ||
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With most of American politics focused on the troop surge and partisan maneuverings over its implementation, another story has gotten lost: The Iraqis themselves have made important progress in a basic economic issue that has fueled the sectarian divide...
...Over the past three years, the politicians were unable to settle on an equitable and secure revenue-sharing plan that still allowed the Kurds and the Shiites to manage their own resources. But now things have changed.
The Kurds, who had held out the longest, agreed to share their oil revenues on a basis that had already won support from the Shiites and the Sunnis. Two days later, the Iraqi cabinet approved the deal, and the Iraqi Parliament will likely vote it into law.
Does this address the fundamental differences that have produced dissent and Sunni insecurity in the past? It appears to. It takes the collection of oil revenues out of the hands of regional governments and invests it into the central government.
The Sunnis may not control the central government any longer, but they have more representation in Baghdad than in Basra or Kirkuk. They also won central government oversight over oil contracts, ensuring that oil revenues could not be hidden or controlled by the regions.
This turned out to be one of the major stumbling blocks, with the Kurds insistent that Baghdad not be allowed to force contracts on the regions or require approval from national bureaucrats. Instead, the parties agreed to give the national government the power to prevent contracts from being executed, a bit of wordsmithing that allowed the Kurds to acquiesce.
This agreement got a boost earlier this month when geologists and seismologists reported oil and natural gas reserves in Anbar, a Sunni stronghold. The reserves in Anbar so far do not appear to be anywhere near as large as those in the Kurdish or Shiite regions.
However, their existence gives the Sunnis incentives to stabilize Anbar and start building infrastructure to exploit their holdings. If they can reduce the violence, more surveys could be conducted that might find even more reserves, giving them even more opportunity to flourish.
This development sends two strong signals, both of which bode well for the long term. First, the Sunnis will now have an investment in the success of the central government. Revenue sharing will only occur if the government remains in place; if Iraq falls apart, the Sunnis will see no revenue from either area.
Second and just as important, the process of reaching this agreement demonstrates that Iraq can teach itself democracy and internal diplomacy. If the three factions can reach lasting agreement on oil, it will generate momentum for the resolution of less-tractable disputes.
If this plan gets passed and implemented quickly, it has the potential to take the wind out of the Sunni insurgencies, especially if the U.S./Iraqi "surge" also succeeds in dialing down the violence in Baghdad.
It could add to the breathing room needed for the Iraqi government to take control over the capital and the Sunni areas of its nation. Let's hope the Iraqi National Assembly senses the urgency and immediately moves this proposal into law.
#1
This - combined with the news of the oil find in Anbar in the (better be sitting down!)New York Times - could be the best news from Iraq since they pulled down Sammy's statue!
Dr. White? Have one of my Dreamsicles?
Posted by: Bobby ||
03/02/2007 15:56 Comments ||
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BAGHDAD - The secular party led by former Iraqi interim prime minister Iyad Allawi threatened on Thursday to quit the countrys embattled government of national unity, accusing officials of sectarian bias. Allawis Iraqi National List is the only major political party in Iraq to include high ranking members from both the Sunni and Shiite community. It has five ministers and 25 members of parliament.
If Allawis supporters were to quit Prime Minister Nuri Al Malikis coalition, it would strike a blow to attempts to portray the government as a moderate, non-sectarian force in an Iraqi increasingly divided by violence and extremism.
The List says Malikis Shia-led government has failed to honour promises to allow more Sunnis into public service and of persecuting its enemies under the guise of fighting corruption and terrorism. We strongly fear that the governments announced security plan will suffer setbacks because of disagreements and clashes between senior officials, the List said, in a statement sent to reporters. In this context, the Iraqi List feels it will soon no longer be able to accept the responsibility of being in this govenrment, because of its sectarian domination and narrow-mindedness, it warned.
We wouldnt have joined government in the first place but for pressure on us to serve the national interest, but in the last few months the government has done the opposite, and committed despicable acts against many citizens.
The party did not set a deadline for its withdrawal, but party spokesman Ibrahim al-Janabi told AFP that the day would soon be at hand. This is a final ultimatum to withdraw from the government. The decision has not been taken yet but it will be in the short run rather than the long run.
We put forward a programme to build a national unity government without sectarian and party divides. Now we see that things are taking a completely different shape, he said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/02/2007 00:00 ||
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I'm linking to LGF because he's got a couple of relevant links, plus a YouTube video. WARNING! Possible ear worm infestation may result.
Asked to pick a song for this years Eurovision song contest, Israelis paid little heed to the eternal Eurovision themes of peace, love and harmony and settled instead for a number about the threat of terrorism and Armageddon called Push the Button. The track, sung by the Teapacks in English, French and Hebrew, is a peculiar but confident amalgam of eastern sounds, rock and rap. It was chosen this week as the countrys preferred song in a phone-in television show and now the band will go forward to the Eurovision finals in Helsinki in May. And, of course, the Euros are immediately threatening to put the kibosh on it (link also at LGF):
Eurovision Song Contest organizers said Thursday they might ban this years Israeli entry, Teapacks Push the Button, because of what they termed its inappropriate political message.
Its absolutely clear that this kind of message is not appropriate for the competition, said Kjell Ekholm, an organizer of the contest. Well have all the delegation leaders here in Helsinki next week, and Im sure well talk about this case within the EBU [European Broadcasting Union] group. Lyrics links and dubious translations from the French at my blog.
#1
They won't like this article then > BBC > Scientists to probe large underwater hole in earth's crust [Atlantic Ocean - da Mid-Atlant Ridge]. KEY PHRASE - "EARTH'S CRUST IS NOT REPAIRING ITSELF". *All together now, wid feeling, WE'RE DDDDOOOOOOOOOMMMMMEEEEEEDDDDDDD, + its Dubya's fault. The good news is NOT Terra Firma being hollow, or we've found the Mother of all Global SINK-HOLES/SINKHOLE-ZILLA, but News > AMERICA'S BIGGEST PROBLEM: ITS DEBT SYSTEM.
#4
Eurovision Song Contest organizers said Thursday they might ban this years Israeli entry, Teapacks Push the Button, because of what they termed its inappropriate political message.
Sometimes I've to remind myself that the 2 + generations we've to wait until Europe is gone is not such a long time (except in individual terms).
If Tevi from Fiddler on the Roof did hip-hop, you'd get the Teapacks.
So goofy it's . . . goofy.
I like it.
Posted by: Mike ||
03/02/2007 5:53 Comments ||
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#6
Angie Shultz
There's much suffering
In the streets there's too much violence
And there's a good chance
[Two lines I can't decipher]
Tactical advance
of a fanatic regime
Tragic situation
that puts tears in my eyes
The French texte:
Il ya plein de souffrance
Dans les rues il y a trop de violence
Et on a beaucoup de chance
d'être vivant même pas blessé
Avancement tactique de
régime fanatique
Situation tragique qui me
met les larmes aux yeux
AMMAN - The European Union will never halt aid to the Palestinian people even if a new Hamas-led unity government Hamas fails to meet international conditions, its external relations commissioner said on Thursday.
A (Palestinian) national unity government will have to respond to the Quartets principles, Benita Ferrero-Waldner told reporters in Amman, a day after talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas. We have never abandoned the Palestinian people ... and even if the (unity) government did not meet these requirements we will not abandon the Palestinian people, she said.
Ferrero-Waldner was on Wednesday in the West Bank town of Ramallah, where she visited a bank disbursing EU social allowances to individual Palestinians set up last year by the European Commission, at the request of the European Council and the Quartet. We are reaching out to one-quarter of the Palestinian population, she said in Amman of social allowances handed out to Palestinian people who have suffered loss of income as a result of the international sanctions. They absolutly need it in this very difficult moment ... and we are trying to help them in this very difficult situation, she added.
This of course takes the very pressure off the Paleos that's required to get them to change their ways (assuming that's possible). As long as the cash rolls in it doesn't matter from where, or even to a considerable extent how. Mashaal and his pals will always find a way to finance the Widows Ammunition Fund. The EU giving away cash to 'individual' Paleos simply makes it easier for Hamas to stay in power.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/02/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Anti-semitism is not an integral part of European culture. It a part of their genotype.
#2
I think Benita should stay there forever and make sure all those "social allowances" go to where they're supposed to go. Keeps everything on the up and up...
#3
I believe the EU is offering to take the Paleos in. Load up the donkeys and move to Beverly Paree.
Posted by: ed ||
03/02/2007 11:00 Comments ||
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#4
Sometimes watching the EU I get the impression it's just like watching a guy standing on top of a high building, right on the edge, with a lot of other people yelling "JUMP, JUMP, JUMP!!!!" up at him. They're committing suicide in full view of the entire world.
Posted by: mac ||
03/02/2007 18:48 Comments ||
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AMMAN - Jordans Press Association (JPA) slammed parliament on Thursday for approving a clause in a draft law which allows the imprisonment of journalists.
We reject this decision. We are opposed to the imprisonment of journalists for expressing their opinions by writing, verbally or by any other means, and linking this to four taboos, JPA president Tareq Momani told AFP. At the same time we welcome parliaments decision to scrap a clause calling for the arrest of journalists over publication matters, he added.
Sucks to live in a non-democratic state, huh.
During its deliberations of a controversial press and publication draft law, the 110-seat lower house approved on Wednesday a clause to imprison journalists over four violations outlined in Article 26. Journalists could go to jail if they defame any religion protected under the constitution, namely Islam, Christianity and Judaism, or if they offend the prophets in writing or through the publication of cartoons.
They could also face imprisonment if their writing is seen as an insult to religious sentiments and beliefs, fuelling sectarian strife or racism, and finally if it slanders or libels any individual, Petra news agency said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/02/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Hey, it's not all bad. I can think of a few American agitpropagandists journalists I'd like to see do some hard time in a PTITA jail. You could start with Dan Rather...heck, it would be easier to name the ones who SHOULDN'T be in jail.
Posted by: mac ||
03/02/2007 5:37 Comments ||
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ISRAEL can deal with the Iranian threat on its own if the international community fails to do so, tough-talking Minister for Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman claimed yesterday. Mr Lieberman warned that if Iran were permitted to acquire non-conventional weapons, "the entire Middle East will enter into a mad race to achieve similar capabilities".
Appearing before the Knesset foreign affairs and defence committee, Mr Lieberman said: "Israel has the capability to deal with the Iranian threat even in the worst-case scenario in which our friends throughout the world stop dealing with the threat and we are left on our own." It was his first appearance before the committee since taking the right-wing Yisrael Beytenu party into the governing coalition in November.
Mr Lieberman said Iran was more vulnerable than the image it attempted to project. "Sixty per cent of the population lives in shocking poverty, there are a million and a half students with no prospect of jobs, 900,000 women working in prostitution and three million drug addicts," he said. It would be easier for the international community to pressure Iran on the nuclear question, he said, than it was with North Korea since Tehran's economy was in the hands of a small number of businessmen - "50 to 60 families" - who were vulnerable to travel restrictions and limitations on bank transactions. "Sanctions should be directed mainly against them," he said.
The 49-year-old minister, who has just returned from an official visit to his native Russia, said Moscow's attitude towards Iran was changing. "Russia and Israel are on the same side of the barricades," he said. He noted that Moscow recently held up shipments of nuclear fuel to the nuclear power plant it was building at Bushehr in Iran.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
I wonder how much it cost Israel to get that shipment cancelled.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
03/02/2007 0:49 Comments ||
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#2
Israel cannot afford to wait, nor can it succumb to the temptation of relying on others to guarantee its existence.. allies yes, sovereign guarantors no.
Vis-à-vis Iran:
Intel and preparedness, the right plan joined to the right overkill/robust attack.
#3
Israel will only continue planting the seeds of its destruction if it continues down this path of aparthied and oppression. It neeeds to change its ways by not just livin' in peace with its neighbors, but also to sincerly respect and allow the people living around it and in it to live in dignity and prosperity. If this does not happen soon one day, terrible things are going to happen to both sides.
#4
How the hell can it live in peace with its neighbours , when they call for its total annihilation week in week out , you clueless retard .
Go hug a tree you plonker.
#5
It neeeds to change its ways by not just livin' in peace with its neighbors, but also to sincerly respect and allow the people living around it and in it to live in dignity and prosperity
Attacked three times in the last century - I think Israel has a fairly good idea of how to treat its neighbours.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
03/02/2007 4:29 Comments ||
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#6
Nothing is wrong with Iran that a failure of their staple food crop can't fix --- nukes are for pussies.
#10
allow the people living around it and in it to live in dignity and prosperity
how? They're Arabs
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/02/2007 10:20 Comments ||
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#11
How they're Arabs......Thats a real educated statement. Last time i checked you moron they're Persian. Thats a different thing in case you didn't know. When i said to live in peace with its neighbors you have to forget the past. Imagine that America still harbored bad feelings from their civil war. I agree that Israel needs to defend it self but the last war it fought in Lebanon was no different than a wrestler beating up a midget.
Also, when Ahmadinajad was giving his speech in which you say he called upon the annihalation of Israel that was taken out of context. He said that, "as the Soviet Union ceased to exist so would Zionism". Russia wasn't destroyed the last time I checked and seems to be makeing a come come back on the world stage. The reason the media keeps on bringing this up in the main stream media is because the Jews have alot of influence there. They keep on saying that he said he wants to,"wipe Israel off the map", so they can have a reason to launch a pre-emptive strike on the country so Israel can maintain its never publicly declared nuclear deterrance. Iran would not be crazy enough to use the bomb on Israel for the same reasons the cold war remained a cold war and that was mutually assured destruction.
Posted by: the Prophet ||
03/02/2007 15:37 Comments ||
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#12
Iran would not be crazy enough to use the bomb on Israel for the same reasons the cold war remained a cold war and that was mutually assured destruction.
I don't recall the Soviets overrunning our embassy and holding our diplomats hostage for 400 days. The Mullahs have convinced me their leadership is crazy and that only a fool would expect them to act rationally. MAD is not an alternative with these loons, only nuclear extermination for one side or the other.
#13
The reason the Jooos keep saying that President Ahmadenijad says he's going to wipe Israel off the map is because, my dear Mr. Prophet, he has said so in almost every major speech he's made, domestically -- in Persian -- and abroad. The Joos have learnt to believe those who say such things, because historically it has been demonstrated that those who so speak generally act upon such words -- just as last year Iran sponsored the Lebanese Hizb'allah (that means Party of God in Arabic, in case your Arabic doesn't go that far) attack on Israel, for which Israel retaliated. Oh, and President Ahmadenijad has also repeatedly said (in those same speeches) that it won't matter if Israel tries to retaliate, because Allah won't let Israel's bombs explode. So mutally assured destruction seems rather a moot point.
By the way, you do know that taking that nym is blasphemy, right? After all, the Koran says that Mohammed was the last prophet ever. Not that I care whether you end up in Hell for it, but as someone so concerned about the subject, you ought to be more respectful. More careful, too -- death fatwas have been issued for far less blasphemous things.
#14
Sorry Prophet, but you are spinning. That was the latest statement regarding the Soviet Union.
There have been others prior that were clear and not taken out of context. Try some of the previous ones or perhaps even the banner hung across the Shahab which read wipe Israel off the map
Further, you brought up living with Neighbors peacefully - which would include all neighbors, not just the Persian variety, correct? The rest are Arabs, so again you are spinning.
Or you are ignoring history and falling into the Great Catastrophe meme. As it is clearly the region which needs to live in peace with all Neighbors - far more deaths have been cause by Shia vs. Sunni conflict since 632 than conflict with Israel can come close to.
You may wish to chase down that front rather than Israel if you are really interested with Neighbors in the region living in peace. Can't say it is Israel's fault either, unless you ignore the history, as the Shia vs. Sunni rift has been raging far longer than anything to do with modern Israel. If you wont chase down that front, then you have no credibility saying Israel needs to live in peace shouldnt all parties there strive for peace?
#16
Hey, it's like Tuco said: "When it's time to shoot, SHOOT. Don't talk!" Psst-hey, Israel? Are you listening? It's time to shoot!
Posted by: mac ||
03/02/2007 18:53 Comments ||
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#17
Mr. Profit, can you give me any insight on the over/under on Syrian (arab) thermal plant production in 2008? My broker sees a steep decline in output, but he's a Joooooooooooo, so I'd like your opinion.
#18
Israel's neighbors are Persians? Nice geopolitical knowledge dickhead. BZZZZT weong! Unless you count the rent-a-puppet Hezbollah, you're completely WRONG! The Prophet's asswipe more likely
Jakarta, 2 March (AKI) - Representatives of the foreign ministries of Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Australia will join their Indonesian counterparts for a two-day ministerial level counter-terrorism conference which begins in the Indonesian capital Jakarta on March 5. The conference includes discussions on how governments respond to the radicalization of segments of their populations and to mass casualties from terrorist attacks.
A spokesperson of the Indonesian Foreign ministry said that the conference is a follow-up to a Regional Ministerial Meeting on Counter-Terrorism held in Bali in February 2004.
Southeast Asia is known as The Second Front in the global war on terror. The region is host to several terror organisations, the most dangerous of which is Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), an Indonesia-based group that aims to create a pan-Asian Islamic caliphate. JI is deemed responsible for most of the bloodiest attacks that have occurred in the region in the last few years, including the 2002 Bali bombings, which killed 202 people.
A better awareness and a much improved international cooperation have lately scored significant successes for the regional authorities against the Islamic radicals, especially in Indonesia and the Philippines where the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) operates. ASG is an organization affiliated to JI.
The regional fight against terror was stepped up last January when a Convention on Counter Terrorism was signed by the 10-member countries of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asia Nations) at the ASEAN Regional Forum summit held in Cebu, Philippines.
The accord commits member states to sharing information, particularly in relaying 'early warnings' - as well as taking measures to curb the financing of terrorism. It also provides a legal basis to extradite terror suspects in the absence of bilateral treaties and urges governments to strengthen their readiness to deal with chemical and biological weapons, as well as nuclear and cyber terrorism. Moreover, the accord underlines the need for cooperation to ensure effective border controls.
In accordance with Southeast Asias penchant for a softer approach to the war on terror, the accord guarantees 'fair treatment' for terrorist suspects, and calls for the use of inter-faith dialogue as a counter-terrorism tool.
Posted by: Steve ||
03/02/2007 12:18 ||
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TEHERAN - A top Iranian cleric accused Pakistan on Friday of becoming a terrorist sanctuary, following an upsurge of violence on the two nations border area that Teheran blames on plots by arch foe the United States and on Pakistans inability to control its border.
Mister Pot, I believe you know Mister Kettle...
Though Pakistan is our neighbour, little by little it is losing its neighbourly manners. Pakistan has become a sanctuary of terrorists who kill people in Zahedan, hardline cleric Hojatoleslam Ahmad Khatami told Friday worshippers in Teheran. Zahedan is the capital of the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, which is home to a population of minority Baluch Sunni Muslims. It borders Pakistan to the south and Afghanistan to the north.
Thirteen Revolutionary Guards were killed last month when militants set off a car bomb in Zahedan, and security forces also clashed with militants in the city when a percussion bomb exploded. And on Tuesday, four policemen were killed, one abducted and another wounded in Sistan-Baluchestan by rebels who then allegedly fled towards Pakistan.
Pakistan should be careful not to fall into the US trap, since it will be the loser, undoubtedly, Khatami added in a sermon broadcast live on state radio.
Iran is a strong country. Certainly being Irans friend is much better than being the US and Israels friend. There is no benefit in being the US and Israels friend, he said to the habitual chants of death to America, and death to Israel.
Iran summoned Pakistans ambassador after the unrest last month and both sides agreed to reinforce border security.
Posted by: Steve ||
03/02/2007 09:14 ||
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#1
They Dont like the Competition!!!
Pakistan is becoming more of a terrorist state than their own!!!!
They will argue they only fund terrorists like Saudi whilst Pakistan/Paleo is Operations Central!!!
#2
They are not terrorists---they are tribal people who hate long cylindrical objects made out of steel. It goes against their religion. Get some cultural edumication and sennnnnnsitivity, Zahedan, and things will be peachy.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/02/2007 11:04 Comments ||
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#3
Bwahahahahah. Too bad. Too sad. The rats complaining about the cockroaches.
Iranian students involved in an angry protest against the president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have been expelled and earmarked for compulsory military service in an apparent act of official retribution. Authorities at Tehran's Amir Kabir University, a traditional hotbed of student protest, have ended the studies of 54 students, ostensibly for repeatedly failing their exams. However, most of the students singled out are political activists who took part in December's demonstration at the university at which President Ahmadinejad was greeted with chants of "death to the dictator". Many students with equally poor academic records have been allowed to continue, activists said.
Sucks to live in a dictatorship, huh?
The demonstration, which sparked violent clashes between protesters and Basij volunteers loyal to the president, was triggered by student anger over a campus clampdown by the government. One activist displayed a banner reading: "Fascist president, the polytechnic is not for you." Others held portraits of Mr Ahmadinejad upside down and set them alight. One student had his nose broken by a cabinet minister's aide and a member of Mr Ahmadinejad's security team fired a stun grenade to disperse demonstrators.
Several protesters later went into hiding fearing for their lives after being threatened by the president's supporters. Mr Ahmadinejad later announced that the dissenting students should go unpunished.
Broke his word, did he?
Ali Azizi, vice-secretary of the Islamic Students Committee, said the wave of expulsions broke that pledge. "Many of the expelled students are political activists and were present at the protests ... It demonstrates revenge against the students' protests ... In the past, questions over academic performance have not [been] considered reason for expulsion. Students with even worse academic records exist among student organisations supported by the government but they have not faced expulsion."
The university chancellor, Ali Reza Rahai, an ally of Mr Ahmadinejad , accompanied the expulsion orders by signing eligibility notices allowing the students to be enlisted into the armed forces. That effectively makes good a threat by Mr Ahmadinejad that he would arrange for students with three stars under the university's disciplinary code to be enrolled as army sergeants. This system has been extensively used to punish those involved in political activities on campus.
The protest against Mr Ahmadinejad was also related to moves to segregate female and male students, the closure of campus magazines and the demolition of buildings belonging to the students committee. Campus guards were also ordered to refuse admission to women wearing make-up and "too short" coats.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/02/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Wonder if they rape young guys in the Iranian army the way the Russkies do? That would add a whole new dimension to the punishment.
Posted by: mac ||
03/02/2007 5:39 Comments ||
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#2
..If Dubya rounded up opponents of the war and then ordered them into the army, the wrold would be up in arms. Waiting for the outcry here in three, two, one...
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
03/02/2007 9:10 Comments ||
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#3
What is the word for "fragging" in Farsi?
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/02/2007 11:01 Comments ||
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#4
Make the military a place where you send people to punish them. And as sergeants. Sounds like a helluva way to build an effective fighting force. And a loyal one, too.
Syria has spent the past few months constructing and moving infrastructure to its southern border that could be used to launch a war against Israel, senior defense officials have told The Jerusalem Post.
According to the officials, the Syrian military - while restricted in the number of troops it is allowed to deploy along the border - has moved military infrastructure, including fuel depots, closer to the frontier. The Syrians have also built structures in the area that could serve as weapons stores and military bases.
"There is no doubt that something out of the ordinary is taking place on the Syrian side of the border," a high-ranking official said.
The IDF and Syria raised their levels of alert along the Golan Heights during the second Lebanon war last summer. The IDF has noted a reinforcement of forces on the Syrian side but the meaning of the move is unclear. Some security officials believe Syria is preparing to initiate a war. Others believe that President Bashar Assad is concerned that Syria will be attacked by Israel as Lebanon was last summer, and that the beefing-up of forces is a defensive measure.
The commander of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), deployed in Israel and Syria and responsible for maintaining the cease-fire between the two countries, told the Post in an interview that he had not noticed any military changes on the ground.
"From our point of view the situation is quiet and there is no indication from our side that anything has changed in last weeks or months," Maj.-Gen. Wolfgang Jilke said in a phone interview from Syria. UNDOF conducts weekly inspections of the demilitarized zones on the Israeli and Syrian sides of the Golan Heights.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2007 00:00 ||
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#3
I have read in Israeli newspapers that the Chinless One thinks Hezballah won the latest confontation.
There are stories of him adding 2 new divisions to the Army and adding new commando batallions for cross-border raiding.
I sense an impending collision between the Chinless One and reality.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
03/02/2007 18:20 Comments ||
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#4
RIAN/DEBKA > Russia denies US + Israeli claims that its is arming Syria wid advanced ADM's + espec AAM's. etc. whom will arm the Hizzies and Hezzies in Lebanon whom will arm Paleos in Gaza agz Israel. Russia hints of more pressure agz Israel unless Israel joins NPT Treaty + officially declares/clarifies nuclear status. ALSO, RIAN > ATTACK AGZ IRAN THREATENS CENTRAL ASIA NATIONS = CSTO, SSSSSSSSHHHHHHHH read RUSSIA. WND > ISRAEL [in GAZA milex] TRAINING FOR WAR AGZ IRAN-SYRIA.
Hizbullah on Thursday evening denied accusations by the Pentagon that the organization was training Iraqi insurgents responsible for ongoing attacks on US forces. According to US intelligence reports, Iran has been supplying the Iraqi guerrillas with weapons and training them via Hizbullah proxies.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2007 00:00 ||
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Follow-up on a previous story about this mook. Long, long piece in the Guardian.
Mystery over killing of Osama Bin Laden's friend Muhammad Jamal Khalifa
When Muhammad Jamal Khalifa was found dead at a remote gemstone mine in south-eastern Madagascar at the end of January, local police quickly put the murder down to a business deal gone wrong. The Saudi businessman, 49, had had to call in local police to evict a gang who had taken over the mine during the owner's six-year absence. All the evidence pointed towards another of the many killings that dominate the notoriously violent Madagascar gem mining business.
Khalifa had been shot twice, stabbed and hacked at with an axe. His laptop, notebooks and money were missing, as were his two mobile phones. A survivor from the attack said a gang of up to 30 men had burst in to the guesthouse at the mine in Soameloka before setting upon their victim.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/02/2007 00:00 ||
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#3
Did they mention anything about the 0.325 BAC, or the two women he was with at the time? I didn't hear anything about that on the news. How about the dozen or so police he bribed to help oust the "squatters" on his gem mine? Or that some of the police were relatives of the squatters? We can make up lots of unanswered questions that will tarnish old Khalifa's reputation, and cause concern and uncertainty "back home".
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/02/2007 17:10 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Ten French tourists have been kidnapped in northern Ethiopia by unknown people, a businessman and a tour operator who work in the region said. 
Spain's Socialist government yesterday sparked controversy by allowing Iñaki de Juana Chaos, a hunger-striking prisoner from the armed Basque separatist group Eta, to go home. An emaciated De Juana, who was responsible for 25 killings in the 1980s, was sent back to his native Basque country after serving less than half of a three-year sentence for terrorist threats. 
Contradicting statements made by 
Republican Sen. John McCain on Thursday became the second presidential contender to back away from saying the war in Iraq had "wasted" the lives of U.S. troops. During a Wednesday night appearance on CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman," McCain announced that he would enter the 2008 race but said a formal announcement would come in April. 
The U.S. military said it will try Guantanamo Bay detainee 
German Ambassador Dr Gunter Mulack said on Thursday that he had seen no proof to back American claims that Al Qaeda is regrouping in the tribal areas of Pakistan. He also confirmed the European Unions ban on older PIA planes starting from next week. We have no proof. And I can only hope that Al Qaeda is not regrouping in the tribal areas, Mulack told journalists in Peshawar.
