Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai said his government is working very hard on peace talks to bring supporters of the countrys former Taliban rulers, back to the fold.
Karzai said a peace and reconciliation process has been going on for some time alongside efforts to bring back Taliban supporters who are not part of the Al Qaeda terrorist network. It is extremely important that this process will go on, he told reporters Sunday after a meeting of the countrys supporters and neighbors that he co-chaired with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
Pakistans contribution important: Karzai said Pakistans contribution is very, very important, adding that a four-day peace jirga in August which he and Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf attended was an important step in the right direction.
At that meeting, Musharraf had said Afghanistan faces a great danger from fringe groups that preach hate and radicalism.
Pakistans UN Ambassador Munir Akram said the meeting produced a reinvigorated commitment to address the three major challenges facing Afghanistan - security, drugs and governance.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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Link ||
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Top|| File under: Taliban
The Paris prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into an attack in Algeria last week that injured two French citizens and was claimed by a North African affiliate of al-Qaida, judicial officials said Monday.
An Italian, an Algerian driver, and five gendarmes were also injured in the attack Friday on a road between the town of Lakhdaria and the village of Maala, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of the capital Algiers. The foreigners were in a convoy escorted by gendarmes. The French probe will be conducted by the counterintelligence service known as the DST, according to the judicial officials. They were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter and asked not to be identified. France typically opens its own investigation when attacks and other incidents on foreign soil affect French citizens.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in North Africa
#2
You know, the kind of American's that travel to places like Yemen, are exactly the kind of American's we should allow to go there if there is a terrorist alert.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
09/25/2007 11:46 Comments ||
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Not a full-blown Nuggets From Pravda, but once you see this I'm sure you'll agree it needs a special post of its own.
Russian Military Intelligence Analysts are reporting today that one of the United States most secretive spy satellites, the KH-13, targeting Iran was 'destroyed in its orbit' with its main power generator powered by the radioactive isotope Pu-238 surviving re-entry and crashing in a remote region of the South American Nation of Peru, and where hundreds are reported to be ill from radiation poisoning. brains... Brains... BRAINS...
...Most astonishing about these reports, however, are that they state that it was the Americans themselves who destroyed their own spy satellite with the attack upon it being made by the United States Air Forces' 30th Space Wing located at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. This incident further fuels the intrigue involving the United States War Leaders plans to attack Iran in their attempt to engulf the entire Middle East in Total War, but, against which, according to Russian Military Intelligence Analysts, a 'high ranking and significant' faction of the American Military Establishment is opposed to.
This can be further evidenced by this past few weeks unprecedented announcement by the United States Air Force that 6 nuclear armed cruise missiles were removed, without authorization, from their secure holding facility, located in North Dakota at the Minot Air Force Base, and flown to Barksdale Air Force Base, located in Louisiana, where they were left 'unattended' for 'nearly 10 hours'.
It is interesting to note, too, that Barksdale Air Force Base is where the United States President was 'ordered' to report to on September 11, 2001 by the United States Air Force Strategic Command prior to his being 'transferred' under 'armed escort' to Offutt Air Force Base Strategic Command Center near Omaha, Nebraska, where the first 'truce' between Americas War Leaders and its Military Forces was 'negotiated' by billionaire Warren Buffett as intermediary between the rival power blocs.
Though the rival American power blocs do seem to have maintained their uneasy truce, and which have, to date, prevented further attacks within the United States itself, these latest events, according to these reports, appear to show that this truce is now breaking down over threats and planning by the American War Leaders to attack Iran, and which Russia has warned would be 'catastrophic'.
What remains unknown to us, at this time, is what counter-planning the American War Leaders have in store for furthering their war aims against Iran as the United States Military have 'clearly signaled' that it will not allow nuclear weapons to be used, even to the extent of denying to their War Leaders one of their most prized spy satellites used to guide their nuclear cruise missiles to their intended Iranian targets.
As the American peoples desire for war appears to be exhausted, and with new polls showing their President and Congress' approval ratings at 'record lows', these reports paint a frightening picture of an American War Leadership determined to engulf the entire World in Total War in order to perpetuate their hegemony.
Not since last century's German Nazi and Japanese Empire's has the World seen such naked aggression towards the capture of the Earth's resources, and which caused the deaths of nearly 100 million people, but which the United States and its Western Allies now seem determined to see through to its brutal, and bloody end.
By: Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Western Subscribers
#1
See also RIAN > asks whether Peruvian meteorite? had introduced potens new space diseases-viruses to earth [not killed/burned off during re-entry].
FREEREPUBLIC > Israeli attack deliber? mislabeled as "US attack" on Syria???
#2
As near as anyone can tell, the meteorite hit an area with a lot of subsurface water rich in arsenic, which vaporized during the impact (along with a lot of rock and other stuff not generally healthy to breathe) and caused problems for the surrounding people, and problems for _us_ because yahoos like Pravda will use the situation to generate propaganda.
#5
I trust the Ruskies military intelligence about as much as their denials with the polonium tea poisoning they sponsored against their man sheltered by the Brits. I don't know what fell in Peru, but I do know one thing, 'if' it is radioactive, it's either a core fragment from a dying super nova, the micro singularity of a blackhole, or man made! My money is on man made whether by intent or errant malfunction, if it's radioactive. You want me to believe Pravda?! Release the orbital trajectory and vector analysis from your 'Bear Bosses', such as was done by a consortium when the Chinese destroyed their own satellite a few months ago. Publish this telemetry in your prestigious paper or send it to the New York Times. People have been known also, of getting sick or seeing ufo's from a symbiotic association to hysteria. I'll assess my interpretation in part by transparency of the Peruvians, and how quick GoogleEarth goes 'blurred' over the area, thankyou!!
#8
this is what Pravda says in the 'about us' column
"The newspaper Pravda analyzes events from the point of view of the Party's interests, whereas PRAVDA On-line takes a pro-Russian approach to forming its policy."
#9
If I had more spare time were really sneaky, I'd register at DKos and DU and post a link to this article just to get the moonbats going.
Posted by: Mike ||
09/25/2007 6:10 Comments ||
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#10
Apparently the fools at Pravda haven't figured out that it was one of Iran's new weapons systems that took the satellite out! And that they have 600 additional systems just like it aimed at other Western satellites as well!
#13
Ah, where to begin? Spy satellites used to guide cruise missiles? Rival American power blocs? Total War in order to perpetuate their hegemony? Warren Buffett? This one has so many elements it must be a creative writing class assignment. Either that or someone's been into the purple micro-dot supply.
#18
Pravda [old media] is just upset the Truthers [new media] is getting all the lies attention and wants to show that it has the ability to still play in the big time propaganda/slander league like the young kids.
However, and according to these SVR reports, in the early morning hours of September 6th, an American Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft patrolling along the Syrian-Iraqi border alerted Israels Air Force to the entry of a suspected non-terrestrial aircraft into Syrian airspace near the city of Aleppo 350 km north of Damascus.
These reports go on to state that upon receiving the warning from the Americans, an Israeli Air Force Patrol squadron flying off the coast of Lebanon went into supersonic speed, raced into Turkish airspace, and in less than 20 minutes were over the target area whereupon they engaged an unknown type of aircraft, and which upon being fired upon by the Israelis ascended rapidly into the stratosphere and disappeared.
These reports do not identify the aircraft fired upon by the Israelis other than to mention that the American Air Force is suspected of having the Worlds only aircraft capable of being classified as non-terrestrial with hypersonic speed, and which has been called Aurora.
What brings these reports, however, about this non-terrestrial aircraft, from the science of the known, to ancient science, were the interviews conducted by SVR and Syrian intelligence analysts with a number of the eyewitnesses to the Israeli attack upon the unknown aircraft, plus an examination of the site of the attack itself.
According to the Syrian villagers located outside of the ancient Syrian city of Aleppo, one of the oldest known cities in the World, it has been long known of strange aircraft descending from the sky towards what are called the ancient burial grounds of the giants.
It is further believed by these villagers that the purpose for the visits of these aircraft is for the retrieval of the remains of the giants, and which, apparently, was verified by the large number of recently excavated and empty graves of the giants seen by SVR and Syrian intelligence analysts on September 6th.
In attempting to understand why the ancient giants remains might have importance, to anyone, we can read the words of the Worlds foremost authority on these ancient Syrian giants, Russian Scientist Professor Ernst Muldashev, and who has stated:
"Ancient giants may have never buried their dead in the ground the way we do. Different people in the present-day world bury the dead differently. It is a custom in India to burn the dead and throw the ashes in water. It seems to me that ancient people put the dead bodies into sarcophaguses where the bodies dematerialized and turned into a kind of energy blobs that were used by living people for various purposes. That is why the bones of giant people may never be found."
As to the greatest significance of these events; In a time when human beings will bring our World to the brink of total destruction, and as all the ancient religions prophesize, we are to look for the coming of the ancients (gods) from the sky in our Earths final hours.
#20
The event has a very simple explanation. A meteorite impacted a sewage lagoon and sh*t and pathogens were spread over a wide area. Fecal coliform went for a ride. End of story.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/25/2007 10:37 Comments ||
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#21
no, no, more plausible: fecal energy blobs from The Giants' ancient sh*t! TU's on the ball!
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/25/2007 10:39 Comments ||
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#22
If I had more spare time were really sneaky, I'd register at DKos and DU and post a link to this article just to get the moonbats going.
The DU commenters are split. Half of them recognize it for the nonsense it is, and a couple of commenters take the time to link to truthful information on how satellites work, etc.
The other half . . . oh my!
wow this is huge information
thanks for the posts.. you can always count on the russian sites to tell the truth about world events, something american newspapers have no clue.
when 9/11 happened I had more up to date news on russian newspaper sites than on US sites.
this is very disturbing. but if you have paid attention the last week, the war on iran has officially started when on 9/4 Israel bombed syrian 'alleged' nuclear sites. the 3rd world war is well begun!
how long do you think we have till serious bomb lobbing starts? and who do you think really took out US satellite? my bet is on the chinese.. smart little boogers.. don't want to see their major weapons buyers nuked to hell and back.
Don't know why so many here justwant to completely dismiss these stories. For weeks we've heard the drums bangin for Iran, even from the French. Israel bombed Syria, but bushler refuses to talk about it. Nukes were illegaly moved here in the US, and something crashed in Peru and sickened people. Meteorites don't usually do that, (unless the Blob is inside) Who really knows what is happening in Iraq, or why we invaded in the first place? There is no way these guys thought there were really wmd's there. Why did the guy who lied and told us he found some just testify in front of congress as the very epitome of truth? There may not be any dots to connect here, but let's not just blindly accept the msm or our government.
certainly an interesting interpretation
many have speculated the military wouldn't permit georgie-boy a chance to play with nukes. and i remember all sorts of speculation about his whereabouts on 911.
Pravda isn't known for its journalistic integrity, however it fits a lot of facts
It would also mean we're in the midst of a military coup against Bush. Scary stuff.
Permit me to humbly interject since the thread already has The Blob, Aliens and what-not, that some people think 9-11 was a (corporate? military?) coup against Bush. That Bush was the intended audience, if you will, of 9-11. That all he's ever done afterwards has been to fulfill the blueprint which was not his (yes, he *is* too dumb, and too uncurious, to even think in the terms required) but somebody else's.
It seems to me that all that's known as 9-11 conspiracy theories, this one fits most of the known facts and explains Bush's behavior best.
These people are the future of the Democratic Party. Now that's a scary thought.
Posted by: Mike ||
09/25/2007 10:48 Comments ||
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#23
So tu3031's blogger believes Israel saved humanity and the world from an alien invasion? Either that, or someone in the US Air Force wanted Israel to commit an act of war against the U.S., and Israel complied... Oh dear. I'm just not clever enough for this.
#27
Yeah, there's some good propaganda here if you don't mind dropping to the level of those ratty little tabloids at the supermarket check out stands. You start thinking it's like those stories about Chupacabra and space aliens and the black and white pictures of two headed bats until you realize that the writers really do expect some people to believe it. It must take some real talent to come up with this crap. I was going to ask how many Russians actually read this stuff and believe it until I saw the posts from KOS and DU. That really is scary.
#32
Has anyone ever read anything that says our spy satellites are powered by nuke reactors? I've always been led to believe they used photovoltaic solar panels - those that stay in orbit long enough to require such things.
As for attacking Iran, it's only 28 years past time...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/25/2007 20:03 Comments ||
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#33
OP, from someone reliable who knows this stuff (not me):
We've not used reactors per se.
In the 60s NASA did launch some experimental birds that produced thermoelectric energy from radioactive materials.
Deep space probes use subcritical masses of radioactive materials to generate power, since solar sails won't work that far out.
The Soviets used reactors on the radar sats, with reportedly mixed results.
As much as NOK 6 million (more than USD 1 million) has gone to 118 so-called "Koran schools" in northwest Pakistan. Some local experts, however, fear Norway risks supporting fundamentalist groups because it makes no demands on the schools' curriculum. Norway, btw, hosts several violent Pakistani crime syndicates. I'm sure that this subsidy has zero connection with that unfortunate fact.
Karin Ask, a researcher at the Christian Michelsen Institute, told newspaper Dagsavisen that Norway could wind up even supporting jihadists, those encouraging holy war. That could make things difficult for the Norwegian troops in Afghanistan.
The research institution International Crisis Group (ICG) also worries about any "uncritical" support of the schools, claiming that they mount a "considerable danger" to international security. The ICG noted that Koran schools in Karachi, for example, have trained jihad warriors and sent them to both Afghanistan and Kashmir. Ask told Dagsavisen that there's no reason to believe schools in northwestern Pakistan wouldn't do the same, not least because that area is known as a recruiting ground for jihadists.
Norway's government minister in charge of foreign aid, Erik Solheim, claims the goal of the aid project was to "promote dialogue." If things don't work out, Erik, there's a job waiting for you at Columbia U. He doesn't dismiss either Ask's or ICGs concerns, and said the Koran school support project will be evaluated. Solheim, of the Socialist Left (SV) party, said he also hoped the aid to the schools would further religious tolerance. "We figure that the schools that choose to take part in the project are hardly those that are in tight with al-Qaida," he said. "We want to be a counterbalance to the fundamentalists."
The foreign policy spokesman for the Progress Party, Morten Høglund, remained concerned and wants the aid cut off. "At a time when people all over the globe are working to fight fundamentalism and terror, the Norwegian authorities chose to sponsor the type of schools known for breeding fundamentalism," Høglund claimed. "That must end immediately." Thanks. That's the least Norway can do. Bastards.
Full text at the link. Don't want to burden Fred. :-)
Nutjob may be nuts but he's no dummy when it comes to manipulating a discussion. At least he's smarter than Bollinger, who's probably off licking his wounds (including his new a$$hole) somewhere. Or at least ought to be if he's even aware of it.
He got Bollinger to agree with the idea that the existance of "Palestine" still wasn't decided. Great. That'll get lots of play over in Iran. Especially his answer "Well, thank you for your cooperation!", I'm sure. And I'm also sure that on top of that they'll be sure to trumpet the part about how he's the President of a "prestigious" American university and supposedly an expert on international affairs.
He didn't answer a single question that he did not want to. If he did, it was regurgitated rhetoric. He got the audience to applaud on several occasions. Swell. That will get lots of play over there, too. A total propaganda victory for Nutjob in the eyes of the news-starved Iranians, who cares about what the West thinks because they'll think what they think no matter what.
And everyone here is giving each other high-fives. Because they don't know that in the eyes of what is important, they have been had.
That's my take.
Posted by: gorb ||
09/25/2007 02:44 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
LUCIANNE > NATIONAL EXTINCTION[S] AND NATURAL LAW. The Persians are one of several worldwide ethnic groups about to meet Darwinism, due to not enuff sex = babies.
#4
It was all about Bollinger. I am convinced also, that it was all orchestrated by Karl Rove.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
09/25/2007 11:54 Comments ||
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#5
well said, Gorb. And I also question if the reason the endorsements were removed from the podium and the background was not due to the fact that Columbia was embarrassed, as may are supposing, but rather so that he would have a black backdrop that would allow him to use cuts from the adoring infidel footage in any way he wishes.
WASHINGTON (AP) - A military appeals court sided with the Pentagon on Monday, overruling a judge who threw out terrorism charges against a Guantanamo Bay detainee. The U.S. Court of Military Commission Review ruled that a military court set up by the Bush administration was the proper venue for deciding whether Canadian citizen Omar Khadr is an ``unlawful enemy combatant'' and trying him on terrorism charges.
The ruling reverses a military judge's June 4 ruling that the tribunal system created by Congress did not have authority to try detainees unless they were first determined to be unlawful enemy combatants. That ruling threatened to force the Pentagon to start over with tribunals for a number of detainees. Pentagon officials argued that the June 4 ruling was just a matter of semantics and was insufficient to dismiss the case.
Monday's decision, the first ever by the newly formed appeals court, agreed. The appeals judges, who are military officers, said the trial judge ``erred in ruling he lacked authority ... to determine whether Mr. Khadr is an 'unlawful enemy combatant' for purposes of establishing the military commission's initial jurisdiction to try him.''
This one will get appealed, eventually to the USSC, while Khadr grows old at Gitmo.
Khadr was captured when he was 15 and faces charges of murder, conspiracy, spying and supporting terrorism. He is charged with tossing a grenade that killed one U.S. soldier and injured another in Afghanistan in 2002. He is the son of an alleged al-Qaida financier, and his family has received little sympathy in Canada, where it has been called the ``First Family of Terrorism.''
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda
#1
Unless Congress + Dubya pass a law giving US civilian courts jurisdiction over foreign civies caught engaging in combat agz US forces + policies, which Congress is unlikely to do becuz the USDOD carrys out any and all US National Security policies as made by the USCongress + USNPE, the USDOD + UCMJ has venue.
LONELY, marginalisd and suddenly suspicious that he was losing his grip over the organistion he helped create, Osama bin Laden finally decided that enough was enough. At least thats the explanation sources close to him are giving for why, after three long years of silence, the Qaeda leader has released one video and two audiotapes in the past month, including last weeks audio message calling for a jihad against Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. According to Omar Farooqi, a Taliban liaison officer with Al Qaeda, bin Laden recently learned that a faction within his own organistion had been conspiring to sideline him, insisting—unnecessarily, bin Laden now believes—that he remain secluded for security reasons. CIA officials told Newsweek they could neither confirm nor reject the theory.
Bin Laden had long been chafing at this imposed gag order, says Farooqi, who learned from Sheikh Saeed, Al Qaedas senior leader in Afghanistan, and other top operatives that bin Laden became extremely upset earlier this year when he discovered that some of his lieutenants feared he was dead. Bin Laden has always loved talking to the media—he used to infuriate his onetime protector, Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, by holding press conferences—and, according to Farooqi, bin Laden had only reluctantly gone along with the advice that his safety required absolute silence.
Farooqi refused to say which faction bin Laden believes is responsible for the so-called conspiracy, though several Taliban sources pointed to Ayman Al-Zawahiri, bin Ladens grand vizir deputy, suggesting that he might have been trying to solidify his own authority. This summer Farooqi and other Taliban sources told Newsweek that a split had emerged in Al Qaeda between the organistions powerful Egyptian faction, led by Zawahiri, and its Libyan wing over jihadist strategy. Ever since the 2001 collapse of the Taliban, Zawahiri has been plotting to kill his nemesis, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, narrowly missing twice in 2003. But the Libyans, led by Abu Yahya al-Libi, had argued that Al Qaedas resources should be focused on supporting insurgents in Afghanistan and Iraq and fomenting terrorism in the West.
The Egyptian-Libyan feud may now be history, though, thanks to Musharrafs decision in July to storm the radical Lal Masjid in the heart of Islamabad, during which the mosques radical leader Abdul Rashid Ghazi was killed. Within days, Zawahiri issued a video calling on Pakistanis to revolt.
Soon afterward, al-Libi followed suit. Even bin Laden, who had never before called on Pakistanis to rise up against Musharraf, did so in his latest audiotape. Despite the unity over Musharraf, though, there is still plenty of talk within Al Qaeda over Zawahiris grip on resources. And what about those who had tried to sideline bin Laden? With Osama seemingly back in charge, they can only support him, at least for now.
This article starring:
ABDUL RASHID GHAZI
Taliban
ABU YAHYA AL LIBI
Taliban
AIMAN AL ZAWAHIRI
Taliban
Lal Masjid
MULLAH MOHAMED OMAR
Taliban
OMAR FARUQI
Taliban
SHEIKH SAID
al-Qaeda
Posted by: Fred ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Taliban
#1
No, Zawi is absolutely loyal to Osama, and AQ = Radical Islam still needs Osama as a symbol. Osama's poor health due to dialysis may require important oper changes, but IMO I don't believe Zawi will exclude OBL entirely from any top decision-making. The Osama I know will NOT want to be excluded anyways - only his Osama's per se death will change this. Lastly, bear in mind that most dedic Islamists will NOT want Islam = Islamism = Jihad assoc wid any defeat, failure, or serious intrigue. ONLY THING THIS ARTICLE IS TELLING ME IS THAT OSAMA IS INCAPACITATED, RADICAL ISLAM IS CURR LOSING = NOT WINNING THE WOT, AND RADICAL ISLAM NEEDS/WANTS TIME TO REBULD AND REARM FOR NEXT ROUND.
#5
I still haven't seen any evidence that UBL is alive. His call to arms against Pervez may very well have been taped five years ago for all we know.
Anyway, isn't AQ designed to be a foundation and guide to promote UBL's cause but not absolutely necessary? The whole 'cell' concept of terror was designed to carry the cause forward in case the leadership got nuked or something. The cells would still be out there to be guided by whoever stands up to replace the AQ leadership.
Around 50 elders from Tarakzai tribes signed a peace accord on Monday assuring the political administration of Mohmand Agency that they would not provide shelter to foreigners. In the agreement signed at Yakka Ghund, the tribesmen also assured the administration that they would not allow any terrorism training in their areas. They guaranteed full protection to public property and government officials. Mohmand Agency Political Agent Dr Kazim Niaz said the Halimzai, Safi and Tarakzai tribes had entered into an agreement with the political administration.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda
The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA)s members of the NWFP Assembly (MPA)s and ministers have started evacuating MPAs hostels after the resignation decision from the All Parties Democratic Alliance (APDM) and the MMA, Aaj News reported on Monday. The members will return to their constituencies and start their general election campaigns, the channel reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal
Zahid Hussain in Islamabad The United States issued a rare rebuke yesterday to President Musharraf of Pakistan, a key ally in the War on Terror, over the detention of dozens of opposition leaders ahead of a presidential election. The criticism came as a respected former Pakistani Supreme Court judge announced that he would stand against General Musharraf, who is also army chief, in the election scheduled for October 6.
The two moves compounded the pressure on General Musharraf, who seized power in a coup in 1999, as he prepares for reelection despite a wave of protests and legal challenges. He has promised to shed his army uniform after he is reelected, but opponents say he cannot run while holding both posts and are calling for a return to democratic, civilian rule.
The US Embassy in Pakistan published a tersely worded statement after police detained dozens of opposition leaders over the weekend to prevent them from organising protests in the capital, Islamabad. The reports of arrests of the leadership of several Pakistani political parties are extremely disturbing and confusing for the friends of Pakistan, the statement said. We wish to express our serious concern about these developments. These detainees should be released as soon as possible. The US rarely criticises Pakistans Government in public and earlier this month refrained from condemning the deportation to Saudi Arabia of Nawaz Sharif, a former Prime Minister.
Washington has been pushing General Musharraf to reach a power-sharing deal with Benazir Bhutto, another former Prime Minister, who fled Pakistan to escape corruption charges in 1999. But the Embassys statement suggested that US officials were unhappy with General Musharrafs heavy-handed efforts to ensure that he is re-elected before Ms Bhuttos planned return on October 18. Opposition parties say that police have detained more than 200 of their leaders and activists since Saturday, including dozens who tried to protest outside the Supreme Court yesterday.
The Government says that the detentions were far fewer and were necessary to prevent protesters from intimidating the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court dismissed three petitions against General Musharrafs re-election yesterday, but is still considering several more. One group of lawyers challening his re-election has also nominated Wajihuddin Ahmed, a respected former Supreme Court judge, to run in the election. Mr Ahmed, 67, was sacked for refusing to sign an oath of allegiance to a new provisional constitution after the coup in 1999 and has been a staunch critic of General Musharraf ever since.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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The U.S. military has a special intelligence team in Baghdad that determines whether Iraqi civilian deaths were sectarian or criminal violence. The effort is in part to evaluate the U.S.-led coalition's and the Iraqi government's battle to rein in the insurgents and evaluate progress, a Washington Post correspondent reported Tuesday.
U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Dan Macomber told the newspaper a manual gives instructions that include such examples of bound and tortured bodies, which are classed as sectarian. A group of bullet-riddled bodies, however, is considered to be non-sectarian and more likely the result of an armed robbery, Macomber said.
Car-bombing victims are generally classed as sectarian deaths based on where they exploded, he said.
However, statistics and attributions vary from different government, military and aid agencies, the Post said. Accordingly, earlier this month, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a report it "could not determine if sectarian violence had declined" since the U.S. troop buildup began in the spring because of the disparity in reports.
#4
Sectarian violence has declined enough that this afternoon NPR had a long report from an embedded reporter about how much more difficult it is to get the heterogeneous tribes, etc in Diyala province to agree to live peacefully compared to the situation in now-peaceful Anbar province. There were short interviews with American military commanders, a mayor... and then I parked the car. ;-)
JFM, agreed trends are key, but first some sort of a base line has to be established.
Saddam Husseins notorious hatchet man Chemical Ali demanded on Monday that the trial accusing him and 14 other former regime officials for crimes against humanity be adjourned for a month. Ali Hassan al-Majid - due to be hanged shortly after his conviction for genocide in a separate trial and his co-defendants are accused of having overseen a bloodbath in which up to 100,000 Shiites were killed by Saddams security forces.
The Shiite uprising trial resumed on Monday after a month long break and Majid, widely known as Chemical Ali, urged that the proceedings be adjourned by another month. Majid and another defendant Ibrahim Abdul Razzaz said their lawyers were afraid to attend the court and had asked for protection from the US military which was refused. My brothers here have some demands, Majid told judge Mohammed al-Khalifah al-Oreibi. They said they would stop eating and drinking if their lawyers are not back. They need more negotiations (with the US military). I dont think this will take more than one month. I ask that we adjourn the trial for one month so that we can come up with a solution.
Judge Oreibi noted his comments but then went on to call the first witness of the day.
This article starring:
ALI HASAN AL MAJID
Iraqi Baath Party
IBRAHIM ABDUL RAZZAZ
Iraqi Baath Party
Posted by: Fred ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
I don't blame him, I'd want my execution trial delayed too.
The Middle East diplomatic Quartet voiced hope on Sunday that direct international assistance to the Palestinian government would be resumed next year. During a meeting at the UN Headquarters, the principals of the diplomatic grouping, which comprises the United Nations, the European Union, Russia and the United States, were briefed by their newly appointed representative, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, on the latest developments in the troubled region.
A statement issued after the meeting said the Quartet agreed that Blair should work closely with the Palestinian Authority government in developing a multi-year agenda for institutional and economic development, and looked forward to strong technical and financial support from the international community in support of these efforts. "In that context, the Quartet called upon all countries that are able to contribute to urgently provide financial support to the Palestinian Authority," it said. "The Quartet endorsed an extension of the Temporary International Mechanism until December 31, 2007, and expressed its hope that during this period a mechanism would be established to facilitate the transition to direct international assistance to this Palestinian Authority government," it added.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Palestinian Authority
Meretz Chairman Yossi Beilin warned Monday that failure of the US-sponsored Middle East peace conference set tentatively for November would be "the end of the world," igniting another round of violence.
Beilin told The Associated Press that he discussed the peace conference with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday, and he called Olmert's efforts to lower expectations from the gathering "pathetic."
Beilin said he told Olmert, "If you fail, it's the end of the world right now. We know it already. You can't fail."
Beilin said he told Olmert, "If you fail, it's the end of the world right now. We know it already. You can't fail. The responsibility you have on your shoulders now to succeed in two months from now is very, very, very big. And this is why you cannot afford it to work in an amateurish way."
Beilin warned that a vague statement at the end of the conference would be disastrous, propping up the Islamic militant group Hamas and undermining moderates like Abbas. If that happens, he said, the results would be "that Hamas will be stronger, that violence will erupt, that hopes will not be there any more, and again, the feeling that we are unable to solve this conflict will re-emerge on the Palestinian side and the Israeli side, that both of us will say, 'no chance."'
This article starring:
Meretz Chairman Yossi Beilin
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
Posted by: Fred ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
IOW, only ARMED/MILITARY FORCE = WAR TO THE DEATH will stop the proliferation of WMD techs to nations fighting or opposing Israel [by extens USA]. As before, TOPIX NEWS > EXISTENTIAL BATTLES FOR THE MIDDLE EAST. CONQUER, OR BE CONQUERED, as saying goes.
For some reason, this really surprises me... particularly as it comes from Lantos
It's either disapprove of Short Round or have the entire Dhimmicratic agenda cast into a light that the general public would grasp and understand at once, with deleterious consequences in November, 2008. It's one thing to advance the pomo-Dhimmi-socialist agenda by stealth, it's another thing to have someone shine a light on it ...
Congress signaled its disapproval of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with a vote Tuesday to tighten sanctions against his government and a call to designate his army a terrorist group.
The swift rebuke was a rare display of bipartisan cooperation in a Congress bitterly divided on the Iraq war. It reflected lawmakers' long-standing nervousness about Tehran's intentions in the region, particularly toward Israela sentiment fueled by the pro-Israeli lobby whose influence reaches across party lines in Congress. "Iran faces a choice between a very big carrot and a very sharp stick," said Rep. Tom Lantos, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. "It is my hope that they will take the carrot. But today, we are putting the stick in place."
Unfortunately you don't think 'stick' when someone mentions Tom Lantos. Or Nancy Pelosi. Or Harry Reid (D-Saster).
The House passed, by a 397-16 vote, a proposal by Lantos, D-Calif., aimed at blocking foreign investment in Iran, in particular its lucrative energy sector. The bill would specifically bar the president from waiving U.S. sanctions.
Somehow I don't think George will mind.
Current law imposes sanctions against any foreign company that invests $20 million or more in Iran's energy industry, although the U.S. has waived or ignored sanction laws in exchange for European support on nonproliferation issues.
In the Senate, Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., proposed a nonbinding resolution urging the State Department to label Iran's militarythe Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corpsa terrorist organization. The Bush administration had already been planning to blacklist a unit within the Revolutionary Guard, subjecting part of the vast military operation to financial sanctions.
The legislative push came a day after Ahmadinejad defended Holocaust revisionists, questioned who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks and declared homosexuals didn't exist in Iran in a tense question-and- answer session at Columbia University.
The Iranian president planned to speak Tuesday at the U.N. General Assembly.
Lantos' bill was expected to draw criticism from U.S. allies in Europe. During a visit to Washington last week, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told lawmakers that France opposes any U.S. legislation that would target European countries operating in Iran. He argued that such sanctions could undermine cooperation on dealing with Iran.
#1
Gee. Looks like the Dhimmicrats figured out how to vote. And more importantly, when.
And I don't see why France gives a $hit about whether we impose sanctions on countries for investing in Iran. They should have already figured out by now that propping up that regime is a bad idea. If necessary, that bill can be retooled to just bar investment beyond what is already committed.
#2
Lantos used to be very good on the Soviets, and was something of a neo-con (though very liberal on domestic issues). The local reds and pinks (his district is just south of San Francisco) have hated him for decades.
I think he is breaking down in his old age, but he may still be good for something sometimes.
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Allowing Iran to acquire nuclear weapons could destabilize the world and could lead to war, French President Nicolas Sarkozy told the United Nations on Tuesday.
In his maiden speech to the U.N. General Assembly, Sarkozy said: "There will be no peace in the world if the international community falters in the face of nuclear arms proliferation.
"If we allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, we would incur an unacceptable risk to stability in the region and in the world," he said, adding in a general warning: "Weakness and renunciation do not lead to peace: they lead to war."
Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
#2
There's no "could" about it. Iran's belligerance is a well-established fact. Either we have a very brief war with them now or sit back and watch them embroil the entire region in renewed conflict.
Columbia University President Lee Bollingerripped a new bunghole for excoriated Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday, going through a long list of documented actions and remarks by the firebrand Iranian leader and his government. "Mr. President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator," Bollinger said to applause from many of the 600 people in the room for a speech from the Iranian leader.
Bollinger cited the Iranian government's "brutal crackdown" on dissidents, public executions, executions of minors and other actions. And he assailed Ahmadinejad's "denying" of the Holocaust as "ridiculous" and "dangerous propaganda." He called the Iranian leader either brazenly provocative "or astonishingly uneducated."
"The truth is that the Holocaust is the most documented event in human history," he said.
I'm more than a little surprised that Dr. Bollinger went after Short Round like this. Glenn Reynolds wondered why anyone would want to listen to Dinner Plate: "what value does his insight into world politics bring?" I'm not sure if Dr. Bollinger really is offended by the little man, whether he planned to use the opportunity to demonstrate that Tiny has no ideology worth considering, or if he came to realize what a terrible black eye this was for Columbia and thus was simply doing damage control. But -- as a start -- this was a strong rebuke to the midget and the Mad Mullahs.
One of the things our best leaders have demonstrated, from our Founders to Ronnie Reagan, is that you have to confront evil. You have to point at it, call it what it is, and stand firm when others around you want to compromise, to 'understand', to turn away. I wouldn't put Dr. Bollinger in the company of august American heroes, but I'm pleased he stood his ground and made clear to Short Round that the current system of governance in Iran is evil. Just wish he'd used the word.
He said he doubted Ahmadinejad would show the intellectual courage to answer the questions before him. Ahmadinejad responded quickly. "We don't think it's necessary before the speech is given to come in with some series of claims," the Iranian leader said. He said Bollinger's comments included "insults" and false claims, and flew in the face of an environment that's supposed to let people speak their minds.
On the Holocaust, Ahmadinejad asked why history can't be questioned and further researched. "If the Holocaust is a reality of our time, a history that occurred, why is there not sufficient research that can approach the topic from different perspectives?" he asked.
The Iranian leader has made statements in the past suggesting that Israel be politically "wiped off the map," though he insists that can be accomplished without violence. While he would not respond with a "yes" or "no" when asked Monday if he sought the destruction of Israel, he said the status of Israel should be determined by a free election. "Let the people of Palestine freely choose what they want for their future," he said.
Asked about widely documented government abuse of women and homosexuals in his country, Ahmadinejad said, "We don't have homosexuals" in Iran. "I don't know who told you we had it," he said.
He also repeatedly said that women have freedoms in Iran and refused to comment on reports that their freedom is severely constrained.
Ahmadinejad said Iran questions "the way the world is being run and managed today." But he said Iran would hold talks with the U.S. government "under fair and just circumstances." As he ended his talk at Columbia, he invited faculty and students to visit any university they liked in Iran.
Earlier Monday, in a question-and-answer video conference with the National Press Club, Ahmadinejad said the Middle East can govern itself without interference from the United States and other Western nations. Speaking from New York to the luncheon in Washington, Ahmadinejad said Iran wanted to see "an independent powerful Iraq ... which will benefit the entire region. We are two nations interconnected. We are brothers and friends."
But he said the region didn't need U.S. help. "We oppose the way the U.S. government tries to manage the world. ... We propose more humane methods of establishing peace," he said.
He also said all the world's religions have the same common ground, "justice and friendship." The views of all religions must be respected and "we must all move hand in hand," Ahmadinejad said.
Earlier in an interview with The Associated Press, Ahmadinejad said he didn't think the United States was preparing for war against Iran. "I believe that some of the talk in this regard arises first of all from anger. Secondly, it serves the electoral purposes domestically in this country. Third, it serves as a cover for policy failures over Iraq," he told the AP.
The Iranian president said his country would not attack Israel. "Iran will not attack any country," the AP quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.
Despite an outcry against Ahmadinejad that included New York tabloid headlines such as "The Evil Has Landed," John Coatsworth, acting dean of Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs, said it is important for Americans to hear from the Iranian leader. "Iran is going to ... hold the key to peace in the Middle East. We have to deal with and negotiate with leaders like this however much we may disagree with their views," Coatsworth said on CNN's "American Morning."
Ahmadinejad also has drawn fire for his insistence that Iran will defy international demands that it halt production of enriched uranium. Iran insists it is producing nuclear fuel for civilian power plants, but Washington accuses Tehran of trying to create a nuclear weapons program.
Also, the United States says Iranian explosives and weapons are making their way to Shiite Muslim militias in Iraq's sectarian conflict and have been used against U.S. troops in the 4-year-old war. U.S. commanders say they have captured Iranian agents involved in supplying those weapons to the militias, some of which have longstanding ties to the Islamic republic.
In an interview broadcast Sunday on CBS' "60 Minutes," Ahmadinejad denied U.S. accusations that Iranian weapons are being used against American troops in Iraq, saying, "Insecurity in Iraq is detrimental to our interests."
He said U.S. officials are blaming his country for problems unleashed by the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. "American officials, wherever around the world that they encounter a problem which they fail to resolve, instead of accepting that, they prefer to accuse others," he said. "I'm very sorry that because of the wrong decisions taken by American officials, Iraqi people are being killed and also American soldiers." He added, "If they accuse us 1,000 times, the truth will not change."
Ahmadinejad landed in New York on Sunday to attend the U.N. General Assembly session, which opens Monday. He is set to speak Tuesday at the United Nations.
This article starring:
Christine C. Quinn, speaker of the New York City Council
Columbia University President Lee Bollinger
Hamid Dabasi, a professor of Iranian studies at Columbia
John Coatsworth, acting dean of Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs
Posted by: Fred ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
In my experience university prezes are "petty, cruel dictators", Ahmi is something else.
#2
FARK.com > EXAMINER article on Dubya advising Hillary > DUBYA/Bush IS A CLOSET DEMOCRAT. And Bill Clinton was the best dadburned, you betcha boy, Republican POTUS the USA ever had.
#3
Some have said that this forum is the same as inviting Hitler to speak in America in 1939. Isn't this more akin to allowing Hitler to speak in 1942?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/25/2007 7:32 Comments ||
Top||
#4
I may have misjudged Bollinger. He sounds like a real prick, and I can appreciate that.
#5
notice the podium and background, normally covered floor to ceiling in Columbia's name and logo, were shrouded in black. I expect that was a weak attempt to disassociate Columbia in future published vid/photos. They woke up and found what a PR disaster their little dip into dictator-succor was
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/25/2007 7:39 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Joe, Bush's advice to the Clintons is aimed at keeping her from boxing herself into promises that would be disastrous, like premature withdrawl in Iraq, if she were elected.
It's a responsible thing to do and shows Bush is acting like a statesman, not a short-sighted partisan IMO.
#7
The president of Columbia University did invite Hitler's ambassador to Washington to speak at the school in 1933. The student body erupted in vehement protest at allowing such an evil regime to be presented as if its ideas were as worthy of discussion as any other, that the invitation was rescinded, and never renewed.
#8
Also, President Bollinger commented that he would equally invite Hitler to speak at the university, for the same reason that he invited the honourable president of Iran. A news bulletin of his statement was released to the university community and the public on Yom Kippur.
"If Hitler were in the United States and wanted a platform from which to speak, he would have plenty of platforms to speak in the United States. If he were willing to engage in a debate and a discussion, to be challenged by Columbia students and faculty, we would certainly invite him."--Dean John Coatsworth, Fox News Channel, Sept. 23, 2007 link
#10
Inviting Dinner Plate to speak to a bunch of" I cant help being liberal " students takes the wool off of their dainty little eyeballs and exposes them to "real" evil, something you just cant do that easily with the "normal" round of guest speakers presented to University students.
#13
Interesting information came in to a national talk show yesterday. An Iranian who is now in the US was a political prisoner in Iran 20 years ago in a Tehran prison. Said he went through some of the most brutal torture a human being can experience. And he said that one of the executioners in that prison 20 years ago was Ahmadinejab.
#14
But he wasn't involved in the hostage taking, tho, right? Just some guy who looks like him, but it was really .. um, somebody else, who we can't find right now.
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/25/2007 13:26 Comments ||
Top||
#15
re 13 & 14, this was a priceless opportunity to bring as many of the Teheran hostages on to that stage, give them a microphone and ask them "Have you seen this man before?"
But Bollinger is an intellectual, that would be an action, and he only deals in words.
The alleged September 6 air strike on a Syrian facility has destroyed any chances for peace between Syria and Israel, senior Syrian officials said Monday. The officials in question told Reuters that Damascus had been cautious about responding to the alleged IAF attack because of Israel's military superiority and the fact that other Arab nations "did not support Syria."
One could argue that loading chemical weapons onto Scud missiles isn't too healthy for peace between the two countries ...
Furthermore, they said, while Syria's troops were "on alert," Syria would not initiate an attack. Earlier Monday, Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal denied a report in Britain's Sunday Times that IDF special forces had collected material from a suspected Syrian nuclear site shortly before the strike. "These are sick delusions, intended to raise the morale of the IDF, which was defeated in Lebanon last year. They're intended only to cause fear among the Arabs," Bilal told Asharq alawsat.
According to the Times, the alleged IAF attack was sanctioned by the US after the Americans were given proof that the material was indeed nuclear-related. The sources confirmed that the materials were tested after they were taken from Syria and were found to be of North Korean origin, which raised concerns that Syria may have been trying to come into the possession of nuclear arms.
The commandos, who, according to the report, belonged to the legendary General Staff's Reconnaissance Unit (Sayeret Matkal), may have been disguised in Syrian army uniforms. It was also stated that Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who used to head the unit, personally oversaw the operation.
Israeli sources admitted that special forces had been accruing intelligence in Syria for several months, the report said, adding that evidence of North Korean activity at the installation was presented to President George Bush during the summer.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
#1
Hopefully the Syrrians are 'spooked' enough to tell the Norks to take a hike. That 6 day war, and the 73' icing revisit, must have really ??? the psyche of Baby Assad and his 'circus tent'. They're also still puzzled as hell over that emp 'dampening field' that blanketed the region, and until that's resolved by the Ruskies, The Syrians can only wait for their regional big bro to finish their uranium projects for some real whoop a** to muster Israel!
#3
The officials in question told Reuters that Damascus had been cautious about responding to the alleged IAF attack because of Israel's military superiority and the fact that other Arab nations "did not support Syria."
#11
It's not at all clear why the Russian air defense radars stayed dark (assuming they did). EMP is pretty unlikely for several technical reasons, not the least of which is that there is no evidence that other electronics in Syria were fried.
Note that electromagnetic pulse is an event, unlike the extended phenomenon smn posits as a 'dampening field'.
As a total speculation, an air-based laser system might be have been used to blind or damage the air radars in Syria. Such systems, if they exist and were used, would leave other systems in Syria intact. The Israelis have expertise in tactical lasers. We've got some good operational testing results from airborne lasers (abeit on larger airframes than the F15I).
#13
Rather than an EM dampening field, it seems more likely that the selective application of force by IDF commandos (suggested in some Israeli papers) disrupted the air defense network.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Monday that Iran would not launch an attack on Israel or any other country, and he does not believe the United States is preparing for war against Iran. "Iran will not attack any country," Ahmadinejad told The Associated Press. Iran has always maintained a defensive policy, not an offensive one, and has "never sought to expand its territory," he said.
Asked whether he believed the US is preparing for war, he responded: "That is not how I see it ... I believe that some of the talk in this regard arises first of all from anger. Secondly, it serves the electoral purposes domestically in this country. Third, it serves as a cover for policy failures over Iraq."
Seated in a hotel room near the United Nations, Ahmadinejad projected a soothing face during the 30-minute interview with the AP. He said that Iran's foreign policy is based on humanitarian concerns and on seeking justice.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
Surrrre! Although the 600 missile ready launch toward Israel and the Iraqi coalition has been over exaggerated by some in the intelligence agencies, and Jane's, I would imagine that Iran would lob everything they could, like Saddam tried to do in the 'Mother Of All Battles', atleast until their territory becomes a no fly zone, with the US, France, Britain and others 'of the willing' firing on anything flying more than 10 feet off the ground!
#4
CNN.com > Pert Gardinier - WAR AGAINST IRAN HAS BEGUN, on Blitzer's SITUATION ROOM [IRAN:THE MILITARY OPTION]segment. IRAN HAS TWO DOZEN NUCLEAR = NUCLEAR-RELATED FACILITIES. Gardinier says US getting ready to implement SECOND PHASE? of ops agz Iran.
Daniel Sharon, the Israeli arrested in Lebanon on suspicion of involvement in murder and spying, does not appear to be involved in espionage, a Lebanese security official said Monday.
"He's just a real kinky guy."
Sharon, 32, who holds German and Israeli citizenship, was arrested on Thursday on tips from security and judicial authorities over his frequent visits to Lebanon using his German passport. Israelis are not allowed to visit Lebanon because the two countries are technically at war, and authorities turned Sharon over to military police for interrogation.
"Are you gonna confine me?"
"Here, now! Stop that! Put those back on!"
But the security official said interrogations have not shown that he was involved in security work or spying. He said the investigation was still underway.
"More! More! Oh, don't stop!"
Posted by: Fred ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's Government said Monday it is working out a policy to confront terrorist threats, warning opposition factions that the current approach of acquiring arms will likely lead to a civil war.
Information Minister Ghazi Aradi told reporters the marathon seven-hour meeting, in which the nation's top intelligence and security officials took part, was "an important session" characterized by a "discussion in depth" of the situation. Such a discussion, he said, helps in the "forging of a policy to confront terrorist cases and all the threats directed against the country."
Security officials, he said, briefed the cabinet on "available information regarding cases of arming up and training" by the various factions.
Aridi, in answering questions, said factions of the opposition were training on the use of weapons, while other factions, mainly private security companies, were involved in "training, but not on the use of weapons."
"The government stressed on the importance of not sliding into options that had been tried by the Lebanese for years and had catastrophic results on every body," Aridi said.
He stressed that "political differences between the various political factions are normal, but resorting to weapons and the logic of force and threats of confrontations and wars are rejected by all."
The government looks forward to "further cooperation and coordination" between the various security agencies," Aridi added. He said the government assigned the army command to "adopt all the required security arrangements to guarantee parliament security and ensure safety of MPs to carry out their duty" in electing a new president.
He said Fatah al-Islam terrorist mastermind Shaker Abssi and his aides "remain at large in north Lebanon," stressing that security agencies are launching a man hunt for them. Security officials briefed the cabinet on "very important security information" obtained during interrogation of Fatah al-Islam terrorists or found in documents with the group members who tried to escape the final showdown earlier this month. Such information, Aridi explained, disclose "what such groups had been planning to carry out."
He pledged that all the information pertaining to Fatah al-Islam terrorists, their plans, contacts, affiliations and financing would be revealed to the public. He did not set a date, though.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Fatah al-Islam
Lebanese troops and police have been tasked to provide tight security in downtown Beirut ahead of Tuesday's elections of a new president for Lebanon to replace Emile Lahoud.
Prime Minister Fouad Saniora is currently presiding over a cabinet meeting with high ranking military leaders to discuss the security plan . The daily An Nahar said security would be boosted from Monday afternoon and will cover the whole vicinity of downtown Beirut which houses the Lebanese Parliament in Nijmeh Square.
An Nahar said "special measures" would be taken around the tent city that has been erected since Dec.1 by the Hizbullah-led opposition in an effort to topple Prime Minister Fouad Saniora's government. It said details of the actions were not announced.
Members of the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority have demanded increased security ahead of Tuesday's presidential vote after the assassination of MP Antoine Ghanem. Ghanem, a Damascus critic, and four other people were killed by a car bomb in Beirut's Sin el-Fil neighborhood on Wednesday, an attack pro-government parliamentarians blamed on Syria. Damascus denied involvement. Ghanem was the eighth anti-Syrian politician to be assassinated since the February 2005 murder of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
The network of three suspects arrested last month in an al Qaeda-linked bomb plot in Germany may have extended to Syria and other countries in Europe, the German interior minister said on Monday.
"They worked in a very conspirative and high(ly) professional conspirative manner," Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told reporters as he met U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff in Washington.
German police earlier this month arrested the three men, said to have trained at militant camps in Pakistan, on suspicion of plotting large bomb attacks on U.S. installations in Germany. U.S. electronic surveillance played a key role in disrupting the plot, authorities have said.
The suspects had an international network that ranged to "not only Pakistan (but also) Syria, and even there are links maybe to other European countries," Schaeuble said.
Since the boundaries between internal and external security are becoming blurred,
the distinction between international law in peacetime and international law in wartime is no longer really helpful,
and even the distinction between combatant and noncombatant seems to be no longer sufficient
There were also possible additional contacts in Germany but authorities lacked sufficient evidence to prosecute, he said.
Schaeuble, whose aggressive push against terrorism has underscored strengthening German-U.S. security ties, met with Chertoff for talks on a broad range of security issues.
In a speech after the Chertoff meeting, Schaeuble called for an overhaul of international law and suggested a "trans-Atlantic security area" to collectively fight terrorism.
"Since the boundaries between internal and external security are becoming blurred, the distinction between international law in peacetime and international law in wartime is no longer really helpful, and even the distinction between combatant and noncombatant seems to be no longer sufficient," he said.
Schaeuble has drawn criticism from Germany's Social Democrats, partners of Chancellor Angela Merkel's "grand coalition" government, for warning this month there was a risk of nuclear attack by militants.
Chertoff said in response to a question that he agreed with Schaeuble's concern over a radiological "dirty bomb." But he added, "I don't have any information that suggests there's a threat that's imminent."
Schaeuble dismissed the criticism from the Social Democrats as political manoeuvring. "It's nothing new. I didn't say 'next week we will get a nuclear bomb in Germany,'" he said in his speech to the German Marshall Fund.
Posted by: lotp ||
09/25/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Europe
#3
The suspects had an international network that ranged to "not only Pakistan (but also) Syria, and even there are links maybe to other European countries," Schaeuble said.
#1
Damn. That link needs a warning label. My eyes are bleeding.
Posted by: Ho Chi Unusoger7890 ||
09/25/2007 17:06 Comments ||
Top||
#2
I like boobs, but I hate hippies. They say they want to save the earth but all they do is smoke pot and smell bad. If I hated this country as much as these assholes, I'd go find somewhere that I could be happy. Like Britain.
HT Riehl World. San Fran Nan had not comment
New York said "yes," but we said "no." Why were the U.S. Marines denied permission to film a recruiting commercial on the streets of San Francisco?
San Francisco is, once again, the center of a controversy over how city leaders treat the U.S. military. This time, it involves an elite group of Marines who wanted to film a recruitment commercial in San Francisco on the anniversary of 9/11.
The tension has been building in the two weeks since the city turned away members of the Silent Drill Platoon, and it boiled over Monday afternoon at a meeting of the San Francisco Film Commission.
The U.S. Marine Silent Drill Platoon performed Monday morning in New York's Times Square. They filmed part of a recruitment commercial through the start of the morning rush hour -- something they could not do in San Francisco on the anniversary of 9/11.
"It's insulting, it's demeaning. This woman is going to insult these young heroes by just arbitrarily saying, 'no, you're not going to film any Marines on California Street," said Captain Greg Corrales of the SFPD Traffic Bureau.
Captain Greg Corrales commands the police traffic bureau that works with crews shooting commercials, TV shows and movies in the city. He's also a Marine veteran and his son is serving his third tour of duty in Iraq. He says Film Commission Executive Director Stefanie Coyote would only allow the Marine's production crew to film on California Street if there were no Marines in the picture. They wound up filming the empty street and will have to superimpose the Marines later.
"Ms. Coyote's politics blinded her to her duty as the director of the Film Commission and as a responsible citizen," said Captain Corrales.
We asked Stefanie Coyote why they're not allowing the Marines to shoot on California Street. She wouldn't answer our questions. At today's Film Commission meeting, she said she wouldn't let the Marines film because of rush hour. "Traffic control was the issue," explained Stefanie Coyote.
However, the Marines would have just shut down one lane of California Street for a few minutes at a time, and Captain Corrales points out the Film Commission often approves shoots for rush hour Disgusting tools will welcome their Islamist overlords right before they're stoned to death or decapitated
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/25/2007 09:35 ||
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Top|| File under:
#1
filming during rush hour on one of the busiest streets in America, good luck with any city.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
09/25/2007 10:22 Comments ||
Top||
#8
I'm tellin ya. When the big one hit's, I hope the Pentagon got their "we're kinda busy" excuse ready.
Let the homeless and Dykes on Bikes clean it all up...
#11
lotp,which citys would those be, New Orleans or Albuquerque since those states have good film incentives, but I cant think of any others, esp any BIG city with crushing traffic.
#12
like San Diego, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle....but those aren't big cities in the first world on the west coast, are they, VG? Meh.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/25/2007 11:12 Comments ||
Top||
#13
I've pretty much given up all hope on SF politicians ever since they turned down home-porting the USS Missouri. It's a beautiful city with some of the best restaurants in the world but a bunch of real nutjobs run the joint.
#15
all of the Cities listed above have commissions and boards that facilitate filming in their town's as SF does. They WILL close down important streets for a short time (the Marine's ad would close one lane only - if you read it). It is obviously a political, not economic or traffic safetydecision, since they allowed it IF the Marines weren't in it/on site during the filming. Correct?
He says Film Commission Executive Director Stefanie Coyote would only allow the Marine's production crew to film on California Street if there were no Marines in the picture. They wound up filming the empty street and will have to superimpose the Marines later.
So, your point was what, again?
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/25/2007 11:26 Comments ||
Top||
#16
My point is, you have NO experience permitting a film shoot in a big city. Seattle would never allow it, Portland probably would, LA mabey, San Diego, mabey. butthe point is those cities arent Iconic like SF is and the producers probably would pick LA or San Diego as their downtowns are rather nondescript, Portlands is somewhat "big city looking" but rather small, and Seattle, NO WAY. I am a location manager for films, Frank.
#19
Thats Chicago,they're pretty cool in shytown, unlike the "stick way up their ass" West coast cities,esp SEATTLE, and I bet they dont do it during rush hour
#20
really, and I work downtown San Diego and have seen streets closed for filming, downtown rush hour. It's called "detours". The fact that you refuse to acknowledge they would allow the filming/lane closures if the Marines weren't actually present says all I need to know, thx for playing, HAND
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/25/2007 11:35 Comments ||
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#21
with NO people present, they dont have to close down the street, which was one of her reasons for denying the permit, the fact that she doesnt like Marines and snubbed them is chicken shit on her behalf
#25
VGetc., I've lived and worked in the Bay area and we continue to have a home there. It's Mr. Lotp's family home, with immediate family members in the Richmond district, Telegraph Hill, Marin couny and across the bay.
I've watched filming happen during rush hour in the banking district. Including a promo shot for an organization I was with.
And you? Your intimate familiarity comes from ... ????
#28
C'mon now, leave us not gang up on the new kid in the schoolyard. He had a point, and some important perspective, but also acknowledged San Fran did it for spite (#21), so let's not go all Democratic on him, O.K.?
They would've allowed it if they were not so rabidly anti-military. Can't we all just agree on that, and just be friends? [snigger]
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/25/2007 12:54 Comments ||
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#29
All I know is in Boston, they let them film just about anywhere at anytime. I know, since I've sat in the traffic jams.
Classic Boston film moment. 1994, "Blown Away". They blow up a ship on the East Boston waterfront at 5PM on a Friday night without advising the rest of the city. Pretty good bang, considering it took out about 8000 windows in Eastie, and causing the rest of the area to think that we'd been nuked.
#30
tu3031 : since 1994, cities are more film Savvy though I cant speak for Boston, alot of these Locations film "deals" are money driven, if you're willing to pay the BIG bucks, I mean BIG, sometimes they'll let you do anything, that "blown Away" explosion sound irresponsible at best. And a great way to clue the city in on policing film shoots much more closely.Also, there are plenty of irresponsible film production companies out there that will do whatever they want despite what specific permissions were given by the city.
The final explosion was the largest on film by amount of explosives used (the opening napalm scene from Apocalypse Now is the largest by area covered). No-one was injured filming the scene, but the explosion caused $1 million in damages, and the concussion from the blast shattered thousands of windows in the Boston Harbor area, as well as 30 blocks away.
#34
I know it's not the main street in SF or Seattle, but many's a time that the only direct way onto beautiful Whidbey Island is via the scenic Deception Pass Bridge and it gets shut down routinely for car commercials. and the Marines are only a few minutes away. (not counting the 2 ferries, and pointedly ignoring the opportunity to make a fairy comment about SF)
#35
Deception Pass is a pretty amazing place, what a pain to have them shut it down all the time, I hope Island and Skagit counties are charging fees in accordance with the inconvenience to their citizens.
#37
This reminds me of the Saturday Night Live commercial parody of Garrett Morris dressed in a US Marine uniform, approaching men on the sidewalk who don't want to talk to him, then finally one who does, who is obviously gay, and the two of them walk off together. "Marines. We're looking for a few good men."
But seriously, why bother to even ask in San Francisco? At the first sign of refusal, the Marines should have given a press release throughout all the 'red' parts of California, pointing out the obvious.
It wouldn't bother the SF Moonbats, who are proud of their bizarre behavior, but it might have some influence of companies already considering leaving.
Captain Greg Corrales commands the police traffic bureau that works with crews shooting commercials, TV shows and movies in the city. Hes also a Marine veteran and his son is serving his third tour of duty in Iraq.
He says Film Commission Executive Director Stefanie Coyote would only allow the Marines production crew to film on California Street if there were no Marines in the picture. They wound up filming the empty street and will have to superimpose the Marines later
#41
Zenster nails it. Visit the Financial District on any weekday - a target rich environment like you wouldn't believe. Warning: If you're married, don't go. Just don't.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
09/25/2007 19:09 Comments ||
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#42
lopt, perhaps it would be better for civil discouse rather than just directing me to the travel america tourist site, or is fred to chicken to actually discourse , apparently he'd rather just try to bully me , probably like he's done for his entire life
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