US President George W Bush was a dunderhead for thinking that sending troops to Iraq was making the world a safer place, an outspoken Australian politician said on Wednesday. Bush, whose five-day visit has placed Australias biggest city Sydney under a security lockdown, spent the day in talks with Prime Minister John Howard and lunching with troops on the harbour.
While the US president was afforded the red carpet treatment, Greens Party leader Senator Bob Brown said it was wrong to think that Australias security depended on maintaining a military presence in Iraq. The Greens leader, who was frogmarched out of Parliament House in Canberra in 2003 when he interrupted an address by Bush, said Australia should never have joined the US-led Iraq war. What John Howard should have been saying to George Bush is, were withdrawing from Iraq and we are an independent country and we are on our own two feet, were not deputy sheriff, Brown said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/06/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
The correct adjective is of course "burbled"...
They have a list.
Ambassadors from Muslim countries have indicated that they intend to present the Swedish prime minister with a list of demands when they meet for talks on Friday. "Listen to our demands, infidel!
Fredrik Reinfeldt invited the ambassadors from 20 Muslim countries to government offices on Friday following a wave of protests from Muslim countries after the publication of a caricature of Muhammad in local newspaper Nerikes Allehanda.
Reinfeldt's press secretary Oscar Hållén was unable to say which countries had confirmed their attendance.
There are twenty of them. Does it matter much which twenty?
Egyptian ambassador Mohamed Sotouhi told news agency TT that he and a group of fellow ambassadors had agreed on a list of measures Sweden needed to take if it was to secure a long-term solution to the Muhammad cartoon controversy. Or else.
According to Sotouhi, "comprehensive measures" were required if Sweden was to prevent some "amateur artist" from reawakening tensions every other month. "We want to see action, not just nice words. We have to push for a change in the law," he said. "Muslims need legal protection against the desecration of the Prophet Muhammad, maybe something similar to the protection enjoyed by Jews and homosexuals."
While praising the "very constructive steps" taken by Fredrik Reinfeldt, the Egyptian ambassador said that Sweden had much work left to do. "In the long term the school curriculum has to convince pupils that if they want to express their opinion they should do so in such a way that it doesn't cause offence or hurt. This should also be part of journalism training," said Sotouhi. "A permanent parliamentary committee also needs to be established to tackle islamophobia," he added.
The ambassador urged Reinfeldt to strive towards "reaching a balance between freedom of speech and taking responsibility to avoid offending Muslims or other religious groups in this society".
And we all know where the fulcrum point for balance is.
"Everybody will compare his wisdom with the situation in Denmark, whose prime minister treated the problem with a sort of arrogance, or at least delayed taking action to prevent the problem from escalating," he said.
Sotouhi described Sweden as a sophisticated country containing talented and creative diplomats. "They know that proactive measures are necessary and we are ready to cooperate with them," he said.
Algeria's ambassador to Sweden, Merzak Bedjaoui, said the meeting "was an excellent initiative taken in a spirit of appeasement." "Appease us, kuff'r!"
"At our level, we are trying to work hand in hand with Swedish authorities to try to create a real bridge between our communities," he said. "When we speak of a dialogue between civilisations, it can't just be a catchy slogan. I think that the publication of this kind of caricature doesn't help at all," he said.
Earlier in the day the Oscar Hållén said that the meeting would form "part of our dialogue with these countries." "We want to emphasize the fact that Muslims and Christians live side by side in Sweden in a spirit of mutual respect," he said.
I rather doubt that.
Hållén further added that the government intended to reiterate its earler defence of Swedish laws surrounding freedom of expression. Cutting your defense budget again, and again, while mothballing your largest naval vessel doesn't help, Sven
Posted by: mrp ||
09/06/2007 14:23 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under: Global Jihad
#1
Not a good sign. Not good at all.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
09/06/2007 15:57 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Once all twenty are assembled in the same room, they should be flipped the collective bird and told that any further demands will see direct cuts in any foreign aid to the countries they represent and Sweden's alignment with UN groups seeking to censure their respective countries.
According to Sotouhi, "comprehensive measures" were required if Sweden was to prevent some "amateur artist" from reawakening tensions every other month. "We want to see action, not just nice words. We have to push for a change in the law," he said.
We need more cartoons! Every day of every week, more cartoons, until either Islam implodes or they finally grow a skin. This is merely the thin edge of an even bigger wedge and the demands will never stop.
It's long past tea to begin clearing the top ranks of Islam.
Another Middle Eastern news agency reports that Sweden has apologized for the Modoggies. This time its SANA, the Syrian news service:
Sweden Apologizes for Newspapers Offending Muslims
Swedish Ambassador in Damascus Catharina Mempel Kipp conveyed on Wednesday her countrys apology for drawings printed recently in Swedish newspapers that depict the Prophet Mohammad in an offensive manner. Kipp expressed her respect to Islam and Muslims in general and the Syrian people in particular.
#6
Sotouhi described Sweden as a sophisticated country containing talented and creative diplomats. "They know that proactive measures are necessary and we are ready to cooperate with them," he said.
#9
"According to Sotouhi, "comprehensive measures" were required if Sweden was to prevent some "amateur artist" from reawakening tensions every other month. "We want to see action, not just nice words. We have to push for a change in the law," he said. "Muslims need legal protection against the desecration of the Prophet Muhammad, maybe something similar to the protection enjoyed by Jews and homosexuals.""
Did he really compare moslems to jews and homosexuals?
It does seem to me that they are making requests to prevent action by others (amateur artists). If they don't control the amateurs then they are being deceitful. If they do control the amateurs then they are complicit in criminal activity.
In either case, the request is blackmail and actionable by jail time.
#12
The Swedes should graciously agree to convene a session at the cathedral in Tunis, or the synagogue in Medina, perhaps the Meeting House in Tripoli, maybe the church in Rabat . . . and so on until they find a suitable meeting place. And then they can discuss the shape of the table - perhaps in the shape of a "t", or six-pointed, or whatever. . .
#13
Did he really compare moslems to jews and homosexuals?
You caught that too, flash91? I think rather he was pointing out that the Master Religion should at least get the same privileges as the two groups he sees as Untermenschen.
#17
Meanwhile, what do we do about persecuted Copts in Egypt and the 2,000,000 Christians who have been pushed out of Palestine since the late 'forties?
#18
The Palestinian Christians are doing just fine as far as I'm aware, McZoid. Quite a few of them settled in the U. S and quickly became quite prosperous, solid citizens.
#19
It would be nice if the swedes brought up the bits about christians being the offspring of dogs, and the jews the progeny of apes and pigs. Seriously, tell these guys to piss off and get their own houses in order.
#20
On the plus side, I suppose its not such a bad thing to have an enemy that can be made to howl in pain by a clever cartoon. We've had tougher people to deal with, and did just fine.
Tell all these Muslim ambassadors that this particular and absurd request has caused each of them to score "one point". Make it clear that there are a distinctly limited number of points that they can accumulate by making such unreasonable demands upon a free society. Conclude the presentation by informing them that once their demands exceed a certain arbitrary numberlet's say 50 or 100then something gets broken in their country, usually a very large and expensive item like a bridge or freeway interchange. Finish things up by reminding them that they have all scored one point each and that any protests will win them an extra five bonus points on the spot.
This same program should be used by Israel for whenever the Palestinians suggest trading a video of Shalit for the release of hundreds of prisoners. "Trade a short video tape for the release of hundreds of terrorists? Ooooh ... that wins you a point!"
#23
In diplomacy, there are quid pro quos for everything. In this case, the Swedes should draw up a list of "mutual respect" issues that must be agreed to by all parties.
Religious freedom all the way around, with other religions being exempt from Sharia or any other religious law in all nations. And any adult who does not wish to abide by a religion's law or any religion's law, is free to do so without punishment.
A prohibition against publishing any anti-religious statement or illustration, including in school textbooks. A prohibition against public declarations calling for violence against a religion or a nation because of its religion.
The abolition of forced religious conversion, and so much as a threat against anyone who seeks to leave a religion, join a different religion, or have no religion at all.
The abolition of any form of involuntary servitude.
That such laws are not just passive, but must be actively enforced by all signatories.
Social Democrat Mona Sahlin was forced to take shelter during her visit to Sderot in southern Israel when a Kassam rocket exploded at a nearby school. Sderot, a town located close to the Gaza border, has dominated the news in Israel this week with parents keeping their children out of school until the government takes action to prevent the rocket attacks.
"Two Kassam rockets hit the city. One of them didn't explode but the other one did," Sahlin's press secretary Cecilia Eklund told The Local.
There were no reports of any injuries. The rocket was thought to have exploded at a school some 1.5 kilometres from the school Sahlin was visiting at the time. "Mona Sahlin was eating lunch and drinking coffee when the alarm went off. She took shelter in the school and was not in any danger," said Eklund. Despite being fully aware of the recent attacks, Sahlin was "absolutely affected by the situation".
Earlier in the day, the leader of the Social Democrats had met with Israel's former Defence Minister Amir Peretz. Together they visited a day care centre, which was hit by one of the seven Kassam rockets launched at the town on Monday.
Though shaken by Thursday's attack, Sahlin returned to Tel Aviv after lunch for the last leg of her visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories. There she is scheduled to meet with the Prime Minister's wife Aliza Olmert before travelling on to Greece on Friday.
I gotta get one of those Expert doo-hickeys. I need the money.
(AKI) - Apparently homegrown Muslim terror plots such as those uncovered in Germany and in neighbouring Denmark this week will continue to be hatched for years to come, according to Danish expert Martin Harrow.
Comes as a surprise, dunnit? I know. It floored me, too.
"People who are disillusioned will gravitate towards Islamist militancy and political violence," Harrow told Adnkronos International (AKI).
More to the point, people who think it's kewl to visit violence on their fellows will gravitate toward political violence of some sort. The willingness to do violence gives an otherwise unaccomplished personality something to be noticed for.
If you own a turban, your violence'll probably be the Islamist sort. And if you don't own a turban, violence and mayhem aren't viewed as quite so kewl, except in places like Colombia. Since the Red Brigades went out of business, you have to become an anarchist to wear a ski mask and toss bombs, and you have to wait for G8 summits.
But that also means you have to know who Emma Goldmann was. Worse, you might have to read something she wrote, upon which you'll discover it makes no more sense than the Koran, so you'll probably end up buying a turban anyway.
He is a terrorism researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS).
I'll have to send them a resume. I can utter obvious profundities with the best of 'em. It is kind of a long commute, though. I was hoping to find a job a little closer to home.
Harrow said Germany's deployment of 3,000 troops in Afghanistan might have contributed to the radicalisation the three German converts to Islam and the Turkish citizen arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of planning massive attacks on Frankfurt airport and the US military base in Ramstein.
More likely they thought it'd be pretty kewl to blow something up to validate their turbans...
Similarly, Denmark's decision to contribute troops in Iraq, and the publication last year by Danish daily Jllyands Posten of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed could have played a role in radicalising the eight Muslim suspects arrested in Denmark late on Monday.
Yep. If none of us infidels ever did anything then no members of the Master Religion would try and kill us, unless they happened to feel like it.
Discrimination experienced by Muslims in the European countries they live in may also play in their radicalisation, according to Harrow. "But there is no clear relationship between injustices in the world, lack of opportunities and political violence," he said. Women and young Christian African immigrants in Denmark, who undoubtedly experience discrimination, but do not resort to violence, Harrow said, illustrating this point.
You seldom see itinerant illegal tomato pickers explode now, do you? Though they will occasionally hold up a liquor store.
The Danish and the German plots appear to be 'homegrown', i.e. "not initiated or planned in the caves of Tora Bora in Afghanistan," said Harrow.
The intended perps are all young, for the most part, and they get their inspiration from turbanized web sites. Most of these plots should be filed under takfir wal hijra, rather than under al-Qaeda, but when they occasionally get off the ground al-Qaeda will be there to send them some money and a helpful Pak or two to assist with the plotting and planning.
Danish and German security services both said there had been international cooperation in their respective anti-terror operations. "This makes it plausible there may have been some kind of connection," said Harrow, commenting on speculation that there may have been a link between the Danish and German arrests. "It is hard to imagine today a plot that doesn't branch out to other European countries," Harrow said. The Internet and web chatrooms are the main way that Muslim militants can enter into contact in different countries, he said.
There are no international boundaries in the electronic caliphate.
Danish police said they believed the terror cell had direct connections with al-Qaeda.
Once you've found the Pak you've found the Qaeda connection.
And German investigators said the three suspects arrested were members of the al-Qaeda linked Islamic Jihad Union and had trained in Pakistan.
I just said that, didn't I?
Asked if he believed there could be an al-Qaeda link to the German and Danish plots and whether they may have been orchestrated by a 'Big Brother' in Pakistan or Afghanistan, Harrow said: "This is possibly the most interesting question." Training in Pakistan does not necessarily mean training in an al-Qaeda camp, he noted.
Right. And a trip to the Vatican doesn't necessarily mean you went there to visit a Catholic.
"Where were they trained and by whom?" he asked.
Ah, yes. That's the question: North or South Wazoo? Probably not. They train Taliban there. Bajaur or Khyber or Mohmand? Likely. The closer you get to Chitral the higher the likelihood that the trainers were Arabs.
The number of videos al-Qaeda has released since 2001, the US military incursions into Afghanistan and the deployment of over 80,000 Pakistani troops to the border areas all appear to show its strength. But there is little evidence of direct al-Qaeda involvement in the recent plots in Europe, Harrow said.
There's been at least one Pak involved in every one of them, hasn't there?
"Despite hints of al-Qaeda involvement in the case of the July 2005 London bombings, the evidence is not carved in stone," he said.
"Do these rose-colored glasses make my ass look fat me look like Mama Cass?"
More details of the foiled Danish plot and its possible al-Qaeda links should emerge when the two of the suspects appear in court in three weeks time, Harrow said. All the men arrested in the Greater Copenhagen area of Denmark are aged 19-29 and are of Pakistani, Somali and Turkish and Afghan origins.
I rest my case. And, yer honor, I'd like double my usual fee.
Six are Danish citizens and the other two are legal residents. They are suspected of planning what police said they believe was an al-Qaida supported attack on unspecified targets.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/06/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
ISLAM'S WAKES UP/ISLAM'S REAWAKENING articles > Although Radical Islam is presently losing the WOT, many Muslims are now aware that the survival of their faith and identity as Muslims is now at risk of [self]obsolescence, which in turn may induce Muslims to resort to physical or armed violence independent or exclusive of AQ, Osama, or the Taliban, etal. Normally peace-minded, pluralist-minded mainstream Muslims may end up engaging in unholy alliances wid Radical Islam = Muslim-despised Xtremists to save their faith and traditions.
#4
Women and young Christian African immigrants in Denmark, who undoubtedly experience discrimination, but do not resort to violence, Harrow said, illustrating this point.
We have to stop conceding these points. It is immoral to concede these points. You know what? No, they do not undoubtedly experience "discrimination" any more than anybody else. Danish women are amongst the most privileged humans who have ever lived with the poorest of them having a better healthcare, better education and more opportunities than a dozen medieval popes put together; this thanks to centuries of effort by the West. As for Christian African immigrants, they can take their discriminated against posteriors back to Christian Africa if they don't like it. They are grown-ups. They have a choice.
I am personally discriminated against by every muslim alive today with every breath they use to chant from their Dark Ages scrolls. Tolerance is good enough reason to put up with it provided this tolerance is reciprocated. But someone praying for me to tortured for all eternity once I am dead can make no claim I am prejudiced against him.
Bosnias parliament was on Wednesday discussing the fate of dozens of former Islamic fighters who came to Bosnia to fight alongside Bosnian Muslims during the 1992-95 war and are now facing deportation.
"Thanks for all your help. Now get the hell out!"
A government commission has revoked 500 citizenships out of 1,300 that had been awarded to foreigners during and after the war, a move seen as part of an anti-terrorism drive urged by the United States. Parliaments discussion of the commission report is expected to be largely a formality, but deputies can ask for changes to legal procedures in appeals against deportation where they feel they are unclear. Most former fighters left Bosnia after the Sept. 11 2001 terror attacks on the United States.
"Mahmoud, it's time to pull up stakes and head for Afghanistan!"
"72 virgins, here we come!"
But those who stayed, mostly because of family ties, say they are innocents whose lives have been destroyed by political directives from abroad. Bosnians have proclaimed that I am a threat to national security, said Syrian-born Imad Al Husayn.
"... just because I slap a few infidels around now and then. And maybe launder a little money here and there. And because I can produce a passport with nothing but a piece of charcoal and a half role of single-ply toidy paper..."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/06/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
IRAN > focii seems to be enticing Dubya = USA to attack Iran before 2008, which in turn will "justify" Amer Hiroshima(s) or other WMD terror agz USA inside USA, which in turn will hopefully empower AQ's, etc. ranks wid new recruits to continue the Islamist fight. *SPACE WAR > THE RISE OF AL QAEDASTAN [Pakistan] former article. Even presuming AQ-dominated 'Stans/Enclaves in CENASIA or EAST ASIA are successfully established, still may not be enuff in LT to forestall defeat by the USA, hence Moud's escalations to entice Dubya to invade Iran and spark anti-US milpol confrontations = desire for forced intervention amongst the great powers.
#3
The key is identifying which well. Then the Air Force can shack one down the well bore.
Posted by: ed ||
09/06/2007 10:21 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Do you suppose Homeland Security has people going around taking pictures, getting lists of sponsors and attendees, listening to conversations in languages they've studied hard to understand, and doing other nefarious spylike activities? Not to mention by their presence reminding those there that they aren't flying below the radar anymore. Each glance at the sign, each mention in quiet -- or even laughing -- conversation, carries with it the freight of arrests and convictions, phone taps and email intercepts, expulsions and Guantanamo.
Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has booked himself on five different flights to the country next week to counter government efforts to thwart his return. The airliner intrigue is one of several ruses by Mr Sharif to keep Pakistan's intelligence agencies guessing. He has vowed to land in Islamabad on Monday, a move that will challenge the leadership of President Pervez Musharraf.
Government officials have threatened to arrest Mr Sharif on his return. He could also be deported, as his brother Shahbaz was when he tried to fly to Lahore in 2004. This time Mr Sharif is unlikely to take the national airline, Pakistan International Airlines, or charter his own plane. Instead, aides say, he will take a scheduled flight. Mr Sharif's aides say he will be accompanied by 100 people, including 60 journalists, who have been told little other than to be ready to leave Sunday night.
Islamabad has tried to block his return by exerting pressure through Saudi Arabia, which gave him exile in 2000. But a Sharif spokesman shrugged off the tactic. "He'll definitely be there," he said yesterday.
The drama is reminiscent of 1999 when Mr Sharif refused to allow a plane carrying General Musharraf to land in Karachi, triggering the military coup. This time, Gen Musharraf fears Mr Sharif's return could imperil power-sharing talks with former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
Mr Sharif insisted nothing would stop his return. "The soil of my country is calling me", he told Geo News. "No dictator can now stop our way."
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/06/2007 21:48 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under:
For the first time in Kashmir, a new political party comprising former terrorists militants and commanders is shaping up. The released terrorists militants having allegiance with different terrorist militant groups will form the core members of our new party, said Abdul Qadir Dar, who will be heading the political party. Dar was the divisional commander of Al-Jihad for many years before he was arrested. We will announce the name of our party within a week Dar said.
Over 200 released terrorists militants from different parts of Kashmir held two separate meetings in Sopore and Tangmarg areas of North Kashmir to chalk out a strategy for the new party. We already have many members and our endeavour is to get all the released terrorists militants in the new party, he said. The party, Dar said, is already in negotiations with former terrorists militants and commanders of other militant outfits. The new party will be open for talks with the Centre as well.
Earlier too, terrorist militant leaders and some top commanders held direct negotiations with the Centre. However, this is the first time when former terrorists militants, especially those who acted as foot soldiers in the years of jihad militancy, will become members of the new political party, he said. We will also try to unite all the former terrorists militants in a single group and find an final solution answer to the Kashmir problem, said Ashiq Hussain, a former terrorist militant and general secretary of the new outfit.
Some leaders or parties are claiming to represent us. In reality, we are being exploited, he said, adding that the released terrorists militants and their families are facing numerous hardships but nobody has done anything to rehabilitate former terrorists militants. Mainstream and separatist groups have failed to project our miseries, he said. We lost everything in 18 years of our jihad struggle. Our sacrifices have been ignored by people. We are not going to ignore Kashmirs jihad freedom struggle, he said.
Ajaz Ahmad Wani a, former district commander, said the party considers as top priority the rehabilitation of former terrorists militants and their families. Earlier, we were fighting for Kashmir with guns. Now, we are going to enter politics and fight for our rights, he said.
Wani said that from 1989 to 1998, thousands of youth participated in the fight for ethnic cleansing the movement. Even after serving our detention, we are regularly summoned by security forces for monthly attendance and harassed there. The police never clear the names of former terrorists militants for jobs despite their selection, he said. Another former terrorist militant Mohammad Abas said besides political goals the new party will also work on macramé humanitarian projects.
Official estimates put the number of former released terrorists militants at around 40,000.
President Gen Pervez Musharrafs legal advisers have proposed that his coronation re-election be held in October instead of the third week of September. The coronation re-election will most probably be held on October 8 following some important changes at top level in the army, the sources said.
JCSC Chairman Gen Ehsaul Haq and VCOAS General Ahsen Saleem Hayat will retire on October 7. Before the retirement of Gen Haq and Gen Hayat, the president will promote two lieutenant generals to the rank of general. It is expected that ISI DG Lt Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani will be promoted to a four-star general for his appointment as JCSC chairman in place of Gen Haq. Rawalpindi Corps Commander Lt Gen Tariq Majeed, Gujranwala Corps Commander Lt Gen Waseem Ahmed and Chief of General Staff Lt Gen Salahuddin Satti may also be considered for the position of VCOAS.
In case the president removes his uniform, one of these three generals may be appointed chief of army staff. It is expected that Lt Gen Satti will be promoted for the top position in the Pakistan Army.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/06/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under: ISI
Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri on Wednesday said that the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) should work for the adoption of an additional protocol to an appropriate convention by the United Nations or a separate convention focusing on respect of all religions and faiths. Only a protocol at the UN level can establish governments responsibility to control and penalise such cases of incitement which are sometimes justified in the name of freedom of expression, Kasuri told OIC Secretary General Prof Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu in a phone call.
According to a statement by the foreign ministers office, Kasuri, the current chairman of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers (ICFM), telephoned the OIC secretary general to discuss the recent incidents of inflammatory cartoons, defamation and blasphemous utterances in some Western countries against Islam and its holy personalities. Defamation of any religion negates the fundamental rights of its followers, Kasuri said, adding that the issue could increase tension among civilisations.
Kasuri asked the people in the West and elsewhere to denounce the cartoons and raise their voices against the apparent trend of defamation of all religions and faiths. He cautioned the West against the consequences of the rising Islamophobia.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/06/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under: Global Jihad
#1
No, dirtbag, we do not respect your religion. Respect must be earned and the more we learn about you and your prophet the less respect we have for you. Stop trying to kill us and then we'll think about it. Until then you can FOAD.
#2
Of course, those bastards at the UN will be happy to tell us our Bill of Rights are null and void at which point I would be happy to declare the UN null and void.
#3
Doctor, every time these fools start whining about cartoons, I get this mental image of the Gary Larsen Far Side cartoon of the "Midvale School For the Gifted" only its Big Mo and not the short fat kid pushing on the 'Pull' door.
Is this something I should be worried about?
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a report released Wednesday that he hopes to appoint judges to the international tribunal to prosecute suspects in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri by the end of the year.
In the report to the Security Council, Ban said the tribunal would not be established until the U.N. had an estimated $35 million to fund its operations through the first year, as well as an additional $85 million in pledges to pay for the following two years.
The Security Council approved a resolution in May to establish the tribunal after Lebanon's divided political parties were unable to approve it. The Netherlands agreed last month to host the court if those convicted serve their sentences elsewhere.
Hariri was killed in February 2005 by a massive suicide car bombing in downtown Beirut that also killed 22 other people. Many in Lebanon accuse Syria of being behind the assassination, a charge that Damascus denies.
In his report, Ban said he had begun forming a selection panel that will be pick the international judges for the tribunal next month. He will also select the Lebanese judges for the court from a list of 12 possibilities the Lebanese government will provide.
He said he expects to announce the names of all the judges by the end of the year.
Ban will also choose a prosecutor and head of the Defense Office, which will draw up a list of defense lawyers for the case, according to his report.
His report estimated the budget on the assumption the tribunal would have a staff of more than 400 people. It noted, however, that a list of defendants and witnesses had yet to be drawn up and the level of security needed had not been determined, which could drive up the estimated three-year budget of $120 million.
Ban said 51 percent of the total would be paid using voluntary contributions of U.N. member states, and Lebanon's government would put forth the other 49 percent.
Fallujah, Iraq - When Marine Lt. Col. Bill Mullen showed up at the city council meeting here Tuesday, everyone wanted a piece of him. There was the sheikh who wants to open a school, the judge who wants the colonel to be at the jail when several inmates are freed, and the Iraqi who just wants a burned-out trash bin removed from his neighborhood.
As insurgent violence continues to decrease in Iraq's Sunni-dominated Anbar Province an improvement that President Bush heralded in his visit to Al Asad Air Base Monday as one sign of progress in the war the conversation is shifting in Anbar. Where sheikhs and tribal leaders once only asked the US to protect them from Sunni extremists, now they want to know how to get their streets cleaned and where to buy generators.
"Security dominated everything, and we weren't able to get anything done," says Colonel Mullen, battalion commander here.
It's been six months since the so-called Anbar Awakening, when Sunni sheikhs joined US Marines in the fight against Al Qaeda in Iraq. Sunni extremists may still have a presence here, but US military officials say that with the help of the expanding Iraqi security forces, they've driven most of what remains of Al Qaeda from the urban areas.
Violence has stayed down, dropping from 2,000 attacks in March to about 450 last month as the number of Iraqi security forces has increased, from around 24,000 this spring to nearly 40,000 today.
The changes here have allowed provincial and local governments to get established over the past few months, US officials here say. And now, true to the tribal culture that permeates Iraqi society, Sunni sheikhs here want to create a relationship of true patronage with what they consider to be the biggest and most powerful tribe here: the Marines of Anbar Province.
Much of the local population here has always wanted the US to give them handouts, but it's different now, American officials say. Over the past few years, the strategy here was to clear an area of danger and then swoop down with reconstruction projects in an attempt to win over the populace. That was because Anbar was still dangerous, still peppered with Al Qaeda and other Sunni extremists. The US would see a project finished, only to be destroyed.
Now, say Marine officials, they'll only spend money on a project that tribal sheikhs want only if those sheikhs get buy-in from the local and provincial governments that will ultimately own and maintain it.
Notably absent is Wahida's husband, Faris Matti, who has spent most of the past four years in Iraq, working as a translator for the U.S. army. And while it's hard to be so far from his family, he is proud to be working to rebuild his homeland, said Wahida, 45.
(KUNA) -- Israel's security bodies on Wednesday charged an Islamic Jihad leader with bringing dozens of Iranian military experts into Gaza Strip.
The Israeli Debka intelligence and security site quoted security sources as claiming that the Iranian experts, previously working for Hizbullah, were brought by Dr Mohammad Al-Hendi to provide military training for Jihad activists. According to Debka, the training covered not only launching missiles but developing them as well, so that they could carry more explosives and reach a further range. Debka also claimed that the Israeli security bodies had asked Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to interfere and stop the flow of Iranian experts into Gaza saying they had obtained relevant information.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/06/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic Jihad
#1
WORLDNEWS > ARAB NEWS > WHY ISRAEL SHOULD PLAN FOR US ' DECLINE; + WORLDBANK: US ECONOMY TO BE LESS THAN OTHER NATIONS AFTER 2007.
#3
According to Wikipedia, and depending on the source, the US economy is at present almost as large (or slightly larger) than the entire European Union. The US economy is almost as large as China and Japan combined. For us to fall below any of those would imply a HUGE economic turndown in the US. And if the US economy gets a cold these days, the rest of the world gets pneumonia.
DAMASCUS, Syria - Syrian air defenses opened fire on Israeli aircraft that violated Syrian airspace, a Syrian military spokesman said Thursday. The Israelis broke the sound barrier and dropped ammunition over deserted areas of northern Syria overnight, the spokesman was quoted by the official Syrian Arab News Agency.
We warn the Israeli enemy government against this flagrant aggressive act, and retain the right to respond in an appropriate way, the Syrian spokesman said.
It was not clear if Syria was accusing the Israelis of using warplanes or some type of other aircraft such as drones.
The Israeli enemy aircraft infiltrated into the Arab Syrian territory through the northern border, coming from the Mediterranean heading toward the eastern region, breaking the sound barrier, the spokesman said. Air defense units confronted them and forced them to leave after they dropped some ammunition in deserted areas without causing any human or material damage.
Israels army said it was looking into the report. Israel acknowledges flying over Lebanon routinely, but it is unclear how often its aircraft fly over Syria.
Not often enough, evidently.
At the beginning of last summers war against Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon, Israeli warplanes buzzed the palace of Syrian President Bashar Assad in what analysts called a warning to Damascus. They also flew over Assads summer home in the coastal city of Latakia, after Syrian-backed Palestinian militants in Gaza captured a young Israeli soldier.
#2
Flying over northern Syria? Shouldn't they have spotted them before then?
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
09/06/2007 11:27 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Northern Syria... wouldn't that be the area they might launch LR (Scud-style) missiles at Israel from? Could the message be that Israel can reach them anyway?
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
09/06/2007 11:58 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Maybe zooming up to Zippy's summer place to drop that flaming bag of dogshit?
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Wednesday officially called for a special session on September 25 to elect a new president for a country mired in political crisis. "(Berri) called for a general assembly at 10:30 am (0730 GMT) on Tuesday September 25 in order to elect a new president of the republic," his spokesman said.
The vote for a successor to Syrian-backed President Emile Lahoud has exacerbated the country's political crisis which has split Beirut into pro- and anti-Damascus camps. If the necessary two-third majority quorum - or at least 86 members present in the 128-seat parliament -- is not guaranteed on September 25, Berri will have to call for another session before Lahoud's term expires on November 24. "We hope that you attend the session," Berri told MPs in the official invitation, the spokesman said.
On May 10, Berri said he would call for a parliament session on September 25 "provided we have a two-third majority quorum." To muster the necessary quorum, a compromise must be reached by the feuding parties in Lebanon, as the ruling coalition of Western-backed Prime Minister Fouad Saniora controls only 69 seats in the house.
Lahoud's mandate was extended for three years in September 2004 under a controversial constitutional amendment passed with the support of Syria, which at the time was the power-broker in Lebanon. While the anti-Syrian camp holds the majority in parliament, the Hizbullah-led opposition walked out of the Saniora cabinet in November.
Berri, who himself heads the pro-Syrian Amal Movement, has since refused to convene parliament on the grounds that the rump Saniora government was no longer legitimate. Several candidates from the rival camps have said they plan to run for president, a post reserved for a Maronite Christian in line with the sectarian distribution of political powers.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/06/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under:
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said on Wednesday he wanted Germany to help arm and train Lebanon's army so that it is able to protect the country from militant groups that threaten its stability.
Speaking to reporters in Berlin, Siniora said a key lesson to be learned from Lebanon's 15-week battle against al Qaeda-linked militants of Fatah al-Islam at a Palestinian refugee camp was that an effective Lebanese army was crucial. "It is very important to support the Lebanese army with the necessary equipment, training, methods and ammunition so that it can ... be a deterrent force in the real sense of the word to any group that may think of playing with law and order in the country," he said after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/06/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#2
Fire up Krupps' furnaces, roll out the Panzers...
Posted by: Howard UK ||
09/06/2007 7:59 Comments ||
Top||
#3
It's a step in the right direction. Think how much fun the German NCOs will have, not tied by German PC rules. Also, an eye opener about the realities of jihadi terrorism, and the interconnectedness of all those similarly named groups, for the Germans who are associated with the program.
European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana called Tuesday on Syria to stay away from Lebanon's upcoming presidential elections. Solana, who visited Lebanon for a few hours, told reporters in Beirut Syria must help Lebanon and "let Lebanon do its job, and I think that the leaders of Syria must understand that."
"At the very least, we hope that the Syrians shall not leave fingerprints this time," he added.
"For the European Union, our interest is that the Lebanese people elect the president they wish, but we would like (it) to be done within the mandate of the constitution," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/06/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
Pope Benedict XVI received on Wednesday a letter from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on bilateral relations and the regional situation. The letter was conveyed by Vice President Farouk al-Shara during a meeting with the Pope in Vatican City.
A statement issued by the Vatican's press center that Pope Benedict referred to the crucial circumstances in the Middle East, and the necessity of concentrating efforts to surpass these difficult circumstances. He pointed out to the situation in Lebanon, affirming the need for the Lebanese people to choose a new president that represent all the Lebanese parties.
For his part, VP al-Shara said that Syria's vision is identical to the Pope's regarding the next Lebanese president in that he should represent all Lebanese parties and that he should be elected during the set constitutional time period.
Later, al-Shara met with the Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States Monsignor Dominique Mamberti, and discussed with him regional developments, particularly in Lebanon and Iraq, with Monsignor Dominique expressing the Vatican's appreciation of Syria's aid to Iraqi refugees. The meeting was attended by Syrian Assistant Foreign Minister Abdelfattah Amora.
Al-Shara arrived in Rome on Tuesday on an official visit.
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.
More to the point, people who think it's kewl to visit violence on their fellows will gravitate toward political violence of some sort. The willingness to do violence gives an otherwise unaccomplished personality something to be noticed for. 
Bosnias parliament was on Wednesday discussing the fate of dozens of former Islamic fighters who came to Bosnia to fight alongside Bosnian Muslims during the 1992-95 war and are now facing deportation.
Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has booked himself on five different flights to the country next week to counter government efforts to thwart his return. The airliner intrigue is one of several ruses by Mr Sharif to keep Pakistan's intelligence agencies guessing. He has vowed to land in Islamabad on Monday, a move that will challenge the leadership of President Pervez Musharraf.
President Gen Pervez Musharrafs legal advisers have proposed that his 
Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri on Wednesday said that the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) should work for the adoption of an additional protocol to an appropriate convention by the United Nations or a separate convention focusing on respect of all religions and faiths. Only a protocol at the UN level can establish governments responsibility to control and penalise such cases of incitement which are sometimes justified in the name of freedom of expression, Kasuri told OIC Secretary General Prof Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu in a phone call.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a report released Wednesday that he hopes to appoint judges to the international tribunal to prosecute suspects in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri by the end of the year. 
DAMASCUS, Syria - Syrian air defenses opened fire on Israeli aircraft that violated Syrian airspace, a Syrian military spokesman said Thursday. The Israelis broke the sound barrier and dropped ammunition over deserted areas of northern Syria overnight, the spokesman was quoted by the official Syrian Arab News Agency.
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Wednesday officially called for a special session on September 25 to elect a new president for a country mired in political crisis. "(Berri) called for a general assembly at 10:30 am (0730 GMT) on Tuesday September 25 in order to elect a new president of the republic," his spokesman said.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said on Wednesday he wanted Germany to help arm and train Lebanon's army so that it is able to protect the country from militant groups that threaten its stability.
