The Afghan government is ramping up efforts to tax U.S. contractors operating there - an effort that could raise millions for Karzai and his hangers on the cash-strapped government but could also provoke fresh confrontation with the United States, according to U.S. and Afghan officials. Does Afghanistan now have a Democratic party?
In any case, if they stopped "diverting" half of it, they would be just fine.
#2
Afghanistan's push to tax U.S. contractors could renew tensions
Could "renew" the rush for US Contractors to submit Air Movement Requests (AMR's) out of theater also. RU, East Euro and Bangladouche international jobs program participants TCN's work harder and more effeciently anyway.
The very best thing that we do in Assghanistan is LEAVE as soon as possible. Just my humble opinion.
As the frequency of attacks on Nato supply trucks grows, Pakistani officials blame the alliance for rejecting a security plan that Islamabad unveiled to Western states last year, The Express Tribune has learnt.
The disclosure came as gunmen set ablaze two more oil tankers in the Surab area of Kalat district, in Balochistan, on Sunday. A day earlier 16 tankers, carrying oil supplies for Nato forces in Afghanistan, were torched by gunmen in Naseerabad district.
“The poor security arrangements put in place by Nato authorities have made supply vehicles vulnerable to Taliban attacks. Now there are frequent attacks on Nato supply vehicles travelling from Karachi to the Afghan province of Kandahar,” a top official told The Express Tribune requesting anonymity.
He said the Pakistan government had offered a comprehensive plan to Nato for safe transportation of military hardware and other supplies from the Karachi port to Afghanistan.
According to the plan, the Balochistan government will be responsible for the safety of Nato supplies to the Chaman border – a journey through 12 districts of the province. For this, Nato will be required to provide four vehicles and monthly salaries of 16 security guards.
The plan was unveiled to Nato officials in a meeting in Islamabad last year where Balochistan government officials were also present. British diplomats agreed to the plan but Nato officials rejected it without citing any reason.
“Nato has hired private security firms for the protection of its shipments. But it has been observed that the private guards flee whenever the convoys they are protecting are attacked by the Taliban or miscreants,” a top official in the Balochistan government told The Express Tribune.
The official precluded the involvement of the Afghan Taliban in Saturday’s attack on Nato lorries in Naseerabad. “Presence of the Afghan Taliban in Balochistan is out of question,” he added.
However, he hinted that the Baloch insurgent groups could be involved in such attacks. “The involvement of the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) cannot be ruled out,” he said. Nonetheless, he said it was premature to put the blame on anybody without proper investigation.
The official also pointed to another possible angle to the issue. “Some time drivers of Nato tankers sell out oil to another party and engineer attacks on their empty vehicles,” he said. “They get compensation for their trucks as those are already insured,” he said.
To substantiate his claim, the official said that Nato trucks were always attacked only when they were parked at some roadside restaurant or at filling stations. “Strangely enough, drivers and cleaners of these vehicles always survive the attacks,” he said. Heh heh. Looks like Pak reporters have a sense of sarcasm, too!
The official said that police have arrested some drivers for their involvement in such engineered attacks. And in some cases the involvement of drivers was established.
He also suspected that some Nato officials were also complacent in the racket. However, no Nato official was available to comment on this allegation.
The Balochistan government is tired of these attacks. “We are sick of these incidents because we have to pay Rs400,000 as compensation for any civilian death in these Rs100,000 for every injured,” the official said.
#1
I recommend KBR Fluer contracting and Russian escords and guards who do NOT get paid until the convoy reaches it's destination. This is all about host nation contracting and money anyway; let's bribe pay the correct people.
At the end of 2010, a total of 154 Canadians have paid the ultimate price, with 136 soldiers Killed in Action (KIA), 18 soldiers not KIA, and 615 Wounded in Action (WIA). There were also 1244 non battle injuries.
Here we honour those who have given their lives serving Canada and helping the people of Afghanistan.
Afghan demonstrators in the western border city of Herat threw eggs and stones at the Iranian consulate, protesting the six-week border blockade of fuel tankers passing through Iran that has caused prices of gasoline and winter heating fuel to rise between 35 and 60 percent across the country. Never interrupt the enemy while he is making a mistake.
"I'm 105 years old," said Bismiullah, an old man stopped by a patrol in southern Afghanistan as part of military efforts to map the population in the battle against the Taliban.
Asked what he thinks of the US army, the Afghan army and the Taliban, Bismiullah responded: "I like myself and my family, that's it." Questioned who is in charge in the area, he was similarly direct: "Allah is my chief."
The elderly man was stopped by a US-Afghan patrol in the village of Charkusah in the Zahri district of Kandahar, the southern Afghan province seen as the heart of the Taliban insurgency.
Troops in the region and across Afghanistan are gathering photographs, fingerprints and employment details as well as canvassing opinions from local residents to find out what they want for the war-racked province.
The goal is to strengthen relations between pro-government forces and the local population.
But the information gathered can also help troops catch Taliban fighters, for example by matching fingerprints on home-made bombs or guns.
Formally known as human terrain mapping, the process is an key strand of the strategy to build better ties between pro-government forces and local people as the war enters arguably its most important year.
International troops in Afghanistan, around two-thirds of whom are from the United States, are due to start limited withdrawals in July ahead of a scheduled transition of responsibility for security to Afghan forces in 2014.
Human terrain mapping was first used in its current form in Iraq in 2007 but experts say it also draws on the lessons of previous counterinsurgency campaigns such as in Vietnam.
Counterinsurgency theory holds that the key to winning such wars is to destroy the insurgents' political control over the population.
Identifying who is an innocent civilian and who is an insurgent is a vital element.
However, gathering reliable information is not always easy in a country where many desperately poor rural people do not know basic information about themselves, such as their age.
Afghanistan has not had a census since 1979, the year of the Soviet invasion, amid security concerns across the war-torn country.
"What we do here comes from previous experience in Iraq and other parts of Afghanistan," explained Lieutenant Wes Pennington of Taskforce Strike, 101st Airborne.
"The Taliban try to make their own COIN (counterinsurgency) tactics," he added. "But we have more to offer, we're better at it."
In Charkusah, the Taliban is also trying to build support among the population, handing out money and buying harvests of marijuana and opium which they then sell on to finance their fighting, Pennington said.
People in the village are notably reluctant to talk about the Islamist insurgents.
Mohammad Sahim, a 32-year-old farmer, stressed that he knows "nothing at all" about the Taliban. As for improvements he would like to see in the local area, he stresses "food, water and a hospital".
Staff Sergeant Alan Cable, who is asking the questions, said that such reticence about the Taliban is typical. "People usually say that they don't know anything," he explained.
Captain Brett Matzenbacher, in charge of the nearby Pashmul South base, is realistic when it comes to the power of the Taliban.
"The population is Taliban-influenced," he said. "But we provide an alternative to the Taliban, a district governor who is an official authority."
The task at hand is immense and hard-won gains can be fragile.
The Taliban would once again return to the area after the traditional winter lull was over in a few months' time, Cpt Matzenbacher added.
[Tolo News] Chaos within Afghan national army would result into fragmentation of the force after foreign forces pull out.
An Afghan military official told TOLOnews on condition of anonymity that foreign troops' presence in Afghanistan is a great requirement to strengthening the county's national army.
But Defence Ministry Spokesman dismissing the comments said national army increasingly grows more strength with each day past.
The official claimed ethnic composition is considered in recruitment of soldiers but not in appointments for key military positions.
"We are really concerned about this issue, because military appointments are done in favour of one ethnicity," the military official said.
Presently Afghan army is made of more than 42 percent Pashtuns, more than 40 percent of Tajiks and the rest are from other ethnicities', according to the defence ministry.
Gen. Zaher Azimi, Defence Ministry Spokesperson, highlighted that at first competence and merit is considered in appointments in the ministry and ethnic balance comes second.
"We try to keep a balance in the army. First of all we consider professional skills and capabilities and secondly ethnic aspects are considered," said Gen Azimi.
The bigwig warned that Afghan army will be hit with a flood of challenges after foreign forces leave the country.
"It is impossible to compare last year with this year, because our capacities are raised to the point that we are ready for security transition. The speculations that the army will go into parts by 2014 are baseless," Gen. Azimi added.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/17/2011 00:00 ||
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#3
Once Western government money dries up, the elements of the Army will become mercenaries for the drug lords with the best pay and benefits - or they'll publicly acknowledge their alliegence to the Taliban.
#4
Ah nation building... is there anything it can't do?
Posted by: regular joe ||
01/17/2011 9:35 Comments ||
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On the plus side, remembering well the lesson of Vietnam, where a US trained force held off against a far superior enemy for two years after we left, after abandonment by the Democrats; and then how the US military was very determined to not let the same thing happen in Iraq, and it didn't.
So the bottom line is how well the US military is working with the Afghans. Certainly not as intensively as with the Iraqis, who had a lot more to work with.
Since Karzai and his crew are pretty worthless, perhaps the best outcome will be for the military to take over after we leave. That, more than anything else, would probably be the best outcome to prevent the rise of any Taliban movement.
#6
Actually the best outcome would be an airplane 'accident' that takes out Karzai and his cabinet, allowing the Northern Alliance to step into the power void and elect Dostum as President. End of kid glove treatments on Taliban and their supporters, and a very large segment of the Pashtuns go bye-bye under President Dostum. Oh, and for those who forget history, Afghanistan is not a country, it is a geographic location that is used by the rest of Asia as the holding pen for the least civilized of the tribes in their area.
#7
IIUC the Vietnamese have a better understanding of themselves as a people and culture than the concept and peoples in Afghanistan.
Need at least 8 years of mostly successful centalized government which gets the people excited about the concept of the nation Afghanistan. Likely longer considering location & geography, people within, and neighbors.
[Tolo News] A bigwig in Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sunday dismissed reports claiming that Iran government has summoned Afghan ambassador in Tehran.
Afghan ambassador to Iran was called over to Iranian foreign ministry for some consultation with officials there, the spokesperson for Afghan foreign ministry said.
Experts believed that summoning an ambassador is not against diplomatic principles, but recently Iran appears to be trying to apply political pressures on Afghanistan.
Fars news agency has reported that Iranian government summoned the Afghan ambassador in Tehran on Saturday about recent demonstrations before the country's embassy in Kabul.
"Ambassador of Islamic Theocratic Republic of Afghanistan went to Iran's foreign ministry for some consultations. We cannot call it summon," said Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Ahmad Zaher Faqiri.
Afghan ambassador in Iran only expressed regret about insults made against national personalities of Iran.
"This was not an apology. It is our duty to protect diplomatic locations in Afghanistan," said Mr Faqiri.
It has been more than a month that fuel trucks are stranded in Iran and have been avoided from crossing into Afghanistan.
Afghan Commerce Minister, speaking at a presser, called the pressures by Iran unjustifiable.
Following anti-Iran demonstrations staged in capital Kabul and other parts of the country to protest Iran's banning of fuel transit into Afghanistan, Iran summoned Afghan ambassador in Tehran, according to a report published by Fars News Agency.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/17/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
The bank says nothings missing.
Actually THAT IS the strange part.
"Mahmud, where's the gold?"
"The President's wife came and stashed it away in her Gucci bag."
"OK"
Posted by: European Conservative ||
01/17/2011 6:36 Comments ||
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Street value of 1.5 tons of gold is approximately Euro45 Million or $59,688,000 U.S. Dollars...sounds like a lot of weight for an F450 Gucci Edition
[Ennahar] Al-Qaeda is no longer "invincible" in the Sahara, say Malians of the region of Timbuktu, sure that the fight against terrorism has scored some points recently, despite the controversial death of two kidnapped Frenchies and three Nigerian coppers in northern Mali.
"Before, it was believed that nobody could kill a Salafi," said Mohamed ould Akim, elected in a municipality in the region of Timbuktu (900 km north-east of Bamako).
But when, in 2010, "they were seen fleeing after the attack of the Mauritanian and French, when we saw them fleeing the region of Timbuktu after the intervention of the Malian army and especially the Mauritanian army, we understood that they are not invincible."
"Before," said a doctor also met in Essakane, on the outskirts of Timbuktu on the sidelines of a cultural festival, "we were a little left" in this vast desert region of northern Mali.
"As we live in the bush and there are no security forces, when the Islamists come, we could do nothing. But since the Mauritanian soldiers, Malian and French patrol, we are in peace," he says, under cover of anonymity.
A member of the powerful Arab coordination in the region of Timbuktu, Ould Oumar Ibrahim, even said that "today there are more elements of AQIM in the region of Timbuktu."
The Franco-Mauritanian raid in July 2010 in northern Mali had failed to free French hostage Michel Germaneau whom AQIM had then announced the death. But Gay Paree has said that seven Islamists had been killed.
The Mauritanian army had then led the offensive against the unit of AQIM led by Algerian Yahya Abu Hamam, in the Timbuktu region, scene of deadly fighting.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/17/2011 00:00 ||
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[Yemen Post] Hundreds of Yemeni people, mostly college students, marched Saturday to send a message to the great Tunisian people and the Yemeni corrupt regime, though it seems that the revolution that forced out of office Tunisia's President days ago can't move the people in the Arab World.
"Go before you are forced out, our corrupt regime," the march, which ended in a sitting at the Tunisian embassy in Algeria Street in downtown the capital Sana'a, chanted.
"Our message was to send a message to the great Tunisian people that they inspired the Yemeni people and made them regain confidence in themselves, and a message to the Yemeni regime that it should go now and peacefully before they are forced out by the revolution of the people," said Tawakul Karman, the organizer who is a human rights ... which are not the same thing as individual rights, mind you... activist.
She addressed the marchers at the embassy saying "your message has been delivered and thank you for effort that I hope will enlarge in the future".
"Yemeni President-for-Life Saleh ... exemplifying the Arab's propensity to combine brutality with incompetence... should go along with his corrupt government and corrupt family right now before the people go further determined for change," said Karman.
"Our slogan is that corruption must be eradicated and no to be the family's own, the family of President Saleh".
We should remind our regime of what Tunisian President said before his people forced him out of office and out of the country, she said, quoting President Zein Al-Abidin Bin Ali as saying in his final speech to the people" I understood.... I got your message, hours before he left the country in a shameful way".
Karman was inspiring the people along the way of the march that started at Sana'a University, guiding them and telling them the slogans they chanted. She focused on slogans of revolution and unity, change and no to corrupt and liar ruler and regime.
The marchers rolled their eyes, jumped up and down, and hollered poorly rhymed slogans real loud urging the Yemeni people to walk, walk and walk for change and to take to the streets to send a message to the regime that corruption should come to an end.
They also carried placards that read" Oh! the Freedom Tunisia, You Are Our Liberation", " the Peaceful Democratic Change is Our Slogan to Build the New Yemen", " Revolution, Revolution the Youth against the Liar Ruler," and " Our Duty is to Eradicate Corruption".
The main slogans were: Go before your Out by the People's Revolution and Where are the Unity and the Revolution...We Have Become Your Family's Own.
Some MPs and activists walked in the rally covered by local and foreign media and that comes amid other tiny rallies in Sana'a and other provinces after the impressive and unexpected Tunisian revolution that forced Tunisian President to leave the country last week.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/17/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Choudary even bragged that prostitution, pimping and mixing freely with the opposite sex were prohibited in Islam.
How about pack rape, the subject of the discussion?
Choudary, AFAIK was born in England, therefore his knowledge of Pakistan is very limited. What does a Pakistani have to say? Gang-rape may not be an exclusively Pakistani practice. But gang-rape sanctioned and executed by a tribal “court”, or the pre-meditated rape or gang-rape of an alleged offender’s innocent sister, daughter or mother to restore someone’s “honour”? Now, that might have been copyrighted in Pakistan
In 2005 Griffits was charged, after using the same words that Jack Straw used, with inciting racial hatred. It took two trials to clear his name.
The British bobbie, that stalwart upholder of the law, who applies the law without fear or favour, will lay similar charges of racial hatred against Choudary, won't they?
What's that ? mangy dogs running like frightened curs to hide behind a bush, is not a good sight guys. Remember the whole world is watching you.
#3
"Out of 56 convictions, 53 were Asian and three were white." That last line in the article should have been the first one, or part of the headline as it puts the lie to everything Choudary says.
I must confess that, after years of closely observing Iran’s strategies abroad, I find its growing presence in Latin America to be the most disturbing geopolitical development the region is facing today. Iran’s presence is Messianic in its goals and relentless in its tactics. It is intimately related to narcoterrorism, both in its own practice and in the groups and activities it sponsors. The key to its expanding reach has been Hugo Chávez.
Recently, a journalist from an important news outlet in Venezuela questioned the importance I attribute to Iranian embassies in Latin America. “They are just embassies,” he told me. To which I answered that our concept of what embassies are, or should be, has little to do with how Iran and its peers conceive of them. For these regimes, an embassy is a platform for terrorism. We need only to remember that two of the most brutal terrorist attacks in recent times in the region were ordered by Tehran and were planned and executed by Iranian agents operating directly from Iran’s embassy in Buenos Aires.
With this background, and with solid evidence that Islamic terrorist networks operate in sensitive areas of the continent, the Iranian regimeÂ’s growing interest and presence in Latin America is deeply troubling.
On his part, Hugo Chávez—Venezuela’s autocratic President—is acting as a go-between for Iran’s penetration strategy. He opens the doors to leaders of countries under his influence for the Iranians, like the Bolivian Evo Morales, the Ecuadorian Rafael Correa and the Nicaraguan Daniel Ortega. Recently, Chávez made his ninth visit to Tehran. Lately we have learned that Chávez also acts as a front man, facilitating Iranian arms purchases banned by UN sanctions. I refer to the fact, reported in the international press, that while in Moscow recently Chávez publicly announced that he would buy the batteries for the S-300 surface-to-air missiles whose sale to Iran Russia had to cancel in compliance with the new UN rules. This raises suspicion about the massive arms purchases already made by Chávez, in quantities that go well beyond the conceivable needs of any single country like Venezuela.
Given these circumstances, the reaction to Iranian penetration in Latin America on the part of the most responsible and democratic governments in the region has been amazingly passive. But it is nonetheless clear that such penetration poses serious threats to the peace and security of the peoples of the Americas, and ignoring them will not make these threats disappear. ItÂ’s time to wake up to the threat represented by the Tehran-Caracas axis and its links to terrorism.
As the close ties that exist between Chávez’s regime and the ETA terrorist organization were uncovered in Spain, judicial authorities there issued a timely reminder that these days Caracas is a hotbed of terrorists, where they find refuge, financing, and training. Spanish judges revealed that two ETA terrorists — Besance and Atistrain — confessed that as recently as 2008 they were trained in all the methods of terror along with Chilean radicals in Venezuelan territory.
The person in charge of receiving, protecting, and organizing their terrorist training was Arturo Cubillas, an ETA member closely linked to the Chávez regime. Cubillas not only is a functionary of the government, which assigned him the position of Chief of Security of an entity belonging to the Ministry of Agriculture, but his wife, Goizeder Odriozoloa, works with none other than the Venezuelan Vice President, Elias Jaua.
The organic links between ETA’s Cubillas with the government of Chávez were revealed in a single act. When the Spanish judges asked for Venezuelan collaboration in arresting and extraditing Cubillas, the first reaction from Chavez’ ambassador in Madrid was to question the proceedings, even hinting that the confessions were obtained under torture. The resulting scandal forced Chávez to deny his claims and that he was protecting ETA and promote, at the specific request of the then Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs Miguel Angel Moratinos, that he would investigate Cubillas and if it was the case [that he trained ETA terrorists] then he would be tried in Venezuela or extradited to Spain. Immediately after, however, the Venezuelan Attorney General Luisa Ortega was quick to note that in no case would Cubillas be extradited to Spain, as he held Venezuelan citizenship. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that so far Cubillas has not been arrested or stopped, not even suspended, despite the seriousness of the charges against him and his actions in support of terrorism.
IranÂ’s Strategy
This is the proper context in which we must place Iran’s extraordinary efforts to establish beachheads in Latin America with Chávez’s help. Those efforts are truly extra-ordinary: they include Iran’s investment of billions of dollars in Venezuela, as well as the promise of millions to be invested in Bolivia and Nicaragua.
In addition, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has made numerous visits to several countries in the region in recent years, always with Venezuela as his spearhead. Those same countries have been also frequently visited by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and other senior officials of the Iranian government, most notably including those of IranÂ’s security and intelligence agencies.
A logical, and disquieting, question imposes itself: what justifies such an eagerness toward an area geographically so distant from Iran? This question has been raised even in Tehran, where some have criticized the lack of economic sense in spending astronomical amounts of money in this region. Given the background and present behavior of the AyatollahsÂ’ regime, it would be a good idea for the countries of Latin America to start asking the same question, before it is too late.
It is widely known that the Iranian regime is looking for diplomatic allies all over the world. Its leaders are intent upon shaking off its status as an international pariah, which it first earned for its behavior as a state sponsor of terrorism and later confirmed with its ostensive quest for nuclear armaments, not to mention its virulent anti-Semitism and its stubborn denial of the Holocaust. Iran views any possible allies that are geographically close to the United States as particularly valuable, since they can be presented as challenges to American influence in the StatesÂ’ own backyard, something similar to what Ahmadinejad attempted to do in Lebanon.
We must also remember that Ayatollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic theocracy, always maintained that the Islamic Revolution had to transcend the national level and be exported to other countries, even by imposing it on other Islamic nations with non-theocratic governments. For Khomeini, the constitutional provision “to perpetuate the revolution at home and abroad” implied not only preaching and propagating the Islamic faith, but also engaging in confrontation and armed struggle. It is not surprising then that a regime that is expansionist by definition would, through the years, develops a clear policy of state-sponsored terrorism, directly and indirectly executed through organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamas.
Chávez’s Expansionism
Chávez’s regime shares the same expansionist drive, which translates into a strategic identification with Iran’s theocracy. In effect, while autocracy has been, unfortunately, a relatively common phenomenon in Latin America’s turbulent history, the authoritarianism of Chávez is of an aggressively expansionist nature: for him, it is not enough to ruthlessly impose it in Venezuela (as past dictators limited themselves to doing in this and other Latin American countries); it must also be transplanted to other countries and, if possible, to all the countries in the region.
Chávez is well placed to facilitate Iran’s penetration. His rabidly anti-American agenda has greatly benefited the Ayatollahs. Although Chávez doesn’t have a coherent system of beliefs, his brand of radical populism—inspired by that of his mentor Fidel Castro—finds fertile ground in the poverty, inequality, and corruption that are endemic in Latin America. In addition, Chávez has spent and continues to spend huge amounts of money to export his model of government, transforming other populist leaders in Latin America into his “clients” and acting—one could say—as the head of a regional franchise for radical populism.
Now, behind Chávez’s apparent madness there exists a careful method, thanks to the mentorship of the Castro brothers. For example, the strategy to bring about the expansionist vision of the Bolivarian revolution has three different levels:
· The first level is to establish satellite states;
· The second level is to generate “client states” in places where it is not possible to establish a Chávez-like regime, but where there is an important level of sympathy toward the Venezuelan Lieutenant General;
· The third level, complementary to the other two, is to intimidate the countries that don’t follow the guidelines issued in Caracas, in order to make sure that they keep silent about violations of human and democratic rights committed by the Chávez regime.
Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Ecuador are the best examples of satellites of Caracas, although each is in a different degree of progress in the process of becoming a “Chávez-like” regime. It is not by pure coincidence that Evo Morales, Daniel Ortega, and Rafael Correa, have all trampled on Congress and the Judiciary and set the abolishing of presidential term limits as their first priority in order to stay in power. All three have also criminalized their political opponents with all kinds of false accusations and have hounded private companies with expropriations, confiscations, and the imposition of ruinous low prices, among other measures that have no place in a democracy.
Honduras was moving in that same direction under Manuel Zelaya who, as soon as he joined the army of followers of the Bolivarian revolution, tried to bring about the first rule in Chávez’s manual: abolish presidential term limits and remain in power at any cost. As we all know, Zelaya did not achieve this goal, which was in open violation of the Honduran Constitution. Chávez and his acolytes have not yet been able to recover from this setback to their progress in Central America, to the point that they continue to engage in all actions possible to block the normalization of international relations with the freely and democratically elected government of Honduras.
Examples of “client states” abound. They go from the purchase of Argentine bonds, in order to keep the Kirchners afloat during their periodic episodes of fiscal insolvency, to the huge flows of oil and money that keep the majority of Caribbean states in a permanent position of support for Chávez’s whim. Thus, Chávez has managed to create significant blocks of open or subtle support for himself and his friends in international fora and organizations.
Cuba is a special case in terms of relations to Chávez. On the one hand, to Chávez, Cuba is the motherland of knowledge about and guidance for the construction—I would rather say the destruction—of socialism. In turn, Venezuela is for Cuba a generous udder from which it milks billions of dollars a year, a role not that different from the one played by the Soviet Union until its empire collapsed.
One key element of the services that Cuba offers to Chávez is his personal security. In addition, Cuba already has a leading role in Venezuela’s Army, in its police and its intelligence and migration services. There are thousands of Cuban doctors and teachers, infiltrated all throughout the country, who carry out the ideological indoctrination of Venezuelan citizens.
With the unlimited support of Chávez and with his tactics to control countries, earn their support, or silence their criticism, Iran’s diplomatic efforts in the region have borne significant results. Nicaragua, for instance, has expressed its support for the Iranian nuclear program. Venezuela and Cuba, in turn, have confirmed on multiple occasions their opposition to any sanctions imposed on Tehran for its non-compliance with resolutions of the UN Security Council and its Nuclear Agency. Furthermore, Iran’s diplomatic presence in the region has been continually expanding: it has reopened embassies in Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Uruguay, and it has opened a new one in Nicaragua with a disproportionate number of “diplomats,” in spite the fact that their ties, commercial or otherwise, are utterly insignificant. It is also worth noting that Iranian nationals no longer need a visa to enter Nicaragua.
The support of Brazil, under Lula da Silva’s government, is even more remarkable. Brazil is too too big a country and its economic situation is too solid to be in any way controlled by Chávez. Yet, it is the most glittering trophy in Iran’s showcase of diplomatic triumphs in the region. Lula da Silva legitimized Ahmadinejad when he received the Iranian president in Brasilia in November of last year. But Lula has also legitimized Iran’s nuclear ambitions, which he insists on characterizing as “peaceful,” although it is known beyond any reasonable doubt that Iran’s aims are clearly military in nature.
What prompts Lula to provide such useful diplomatic services to Tehran? His motivations are, in part a winning move in the leftist gallery of his political party, and in part sheer ego and vanity. The tight financial and monetary policies with which Lula governed Brazil have distanced him from the leftist orthodoxy of his party about domestic policy. In order to neutralize intra-party criticism, he resorts to those leftists gestures in foreign policy. Lula also has the ambition to go down in history as the president who earned Brazil international recognition and status as a superpower. This encourages him not only to challenge the United States as much as possible—in order to “show” his independence—but also to assume flamboyant positions that call attention to Brazil on the international scene. In both cases, Lula’s gestures of support for Iran are perfectly consistent with his strategy; they create problems for others at a limited domestic cost to himself.
Dangerous Liaisons
The danger here is that the ties to the Ayatollahs entail much more than what the countries in the region may be expecting. We must remember that Iran is considered “the most active state sponsor of terrorism.” Thanks to Chavez’s ties to Iran, Hamas has opened offices in Caracas, as has the terrorist group Hezbollah, which Tehran finances with over 120 million dollars a year.
As the Los Angeles Times has reported, Western government officials fear that Hezbollah “may be using Venezuela as a base for its operations.” An official involved in the fight against terrorism told the Times that the relation between Venezuela and Iran “is becoming a strategic association.” How to explain otherwise the regular flights between Caracas and Tehran, for which no tickets are sold and no immigration or customs inspections are required?
We must not forget that Hezbollah has carried out not one, but two horrible terrorist attacks in the region, both in Buenos Aires. The first one, in 1992, against the Embassy of Israel, killed 42 people and wounded 242. The second one, two years later, against the headquarters of the largest Jewish Community Center in the city, left 82 people dead and 300 wounded. The official report from the Argentine authorities confirmed the direct responsibility of Iran and Hezbollah in both attacks. The report pointed out that Hezbollah had “followed orders issued directly by Tehran’s regime.” The Argentine Justice issued arrest warrants against former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani, former Foreign Minister Ali Ar Velayati, former Intelligence Chief Ali Fallahijan and four other Iranian nationals, as well as against Imad Mugniyah, head of Hezbollah´s external security apparatus. It is worth noting that, in spite of Iran’s strong protests Interpol confirmed Argentina’s report and issued international warrants for the arrest of six Iranian suspects.
Besides this bloody record, police authorities know that Hezbollah, Hamas, and Al Qaeda have sought refuge and raise funds in the Triple Frontier area, shared by Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay, as well as in VenezuelaÂ’s Margarita Island and the Caribbean. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been channeled to parent organizations in the Middle East through their operatives in those areas, extending thus the worldwide network of support for terrorism in the region.
Although it is well known that al Qaeda and Hezbollah come from different, and inimical, branches of Islam, this is not an obstacle for the two organizations to form alliances of convenience seeking to reach common goals against a “common” enemy, the United States. The infamous “tri-border” region has a trait that makes it particularly inviting to Tehran. Most Muslims in the Americas are Sunnis, in line with their proportion in the world’s population. But the Shiites constitute almost half of all the Muslim residents of Foz do Iguaçu, the Brazilian city with the largest Islamic community in the Triple Frontier, just one bridge away from Ciudad del Este, which has the largest Islamic community in Paraguay with an equal high proportion of Shiites. We should all be concerned that Iran may aim at infiltrating these communities in order to manipulate them.
All this has moved the U.S. Treasury Department to freeze assets belonging to Hezbollah members in the tri-border area as well as prompted Canadian intelligence to point out that its “reports indicate that resources are regularly sent to Middle East groups, including Hamas, by support groups [in the Triple Frontier].” The threat of Islamic terrorism in the Triple Frontier is serious enough to have brought the three countries involved to create, with the support of the United States authorities, a tripartite command center (the 3 + 1 Group) in order to consolidate their police efforts in the area.
There is also evidence that Islamic terrorists have active links with drug traffic and money laundering in several countries in the region, as was revealed in Colombia by the dismantling of a group composed of Hezbollah operatives and a Colombian drug cartel that had generated hundreds of millions of dollars to finance HezbollahÂ’s terrorist activities.
The drug cartels are expanding their reach in our countries, as has been shown by diverse police operations. The proven links between the Islamic terrorists and the drug cartels significantly increase the security risks in the region. In this respect, several Central American countries suffer the assaults of “maras” (gangs). These “maras” are tightly linked to drug trafficking and all kinds of highly violent criminal acts as well as to gangs in the United States; they are also instrumental in the illegal infiltration of this country. Security experts worry that these gangs’ expertise could be put at the service of terrorists who want to enter the United States without being detected.
Necessary Actions
It is time that Latin American countries open their eyes to these risks. In view of the active presence, among others, of Hezbollah, Hamas, and al Qaeda in the region, it is also important to strengthen the institutional capacity of Latin American countries to prevent, research, and prosecute terrorist activities of any kind. There are excellent hemispheric tools available for that purpose, like the Inter American Convention Against Terrorism (CICTE), established by the Organization of American States. In close cooperation with United States authorities and with SpainÂ’s support, CICTE works to strengthen the countries anti-terrorism legislation and to train the appropriate officers and personnel. It also promotes the improvement of security and immigration controls and the development of special training programs in the control of financial flows and money laundering, based in actual cases, as well as in matters of cyber-security.
At the same time, the U.S. Southern Command has sustained solid relations of military collaboration with its counterparts in the region in order to fight the threat of terrorism, which reaffirms that hemispheric cooperation is a crucial asset in this area.
An important additional step would be to raise the funds devoted to the program of anti-terrorist cooperation provided to Latin American countries in order to improve their capabilities in areas such as the handling of airport security, bomb detection and deactivation, and the fight against the financing of terrorist activities. In spite of its significance, this State Department program has been assigned very limited resources, and these have been mostly spent in support, first, of Colombia and, presently, of Mexico. This program is an effort that could and should be considerably strengthened, given the urgency of bolstering the anti-terrorist capabilities of Latin American countries.
Finally, although nothing can replace the countriesÂ’ determination to pay due attention to the risks of Iranian penetration in the region, it is clear that the Iranians have used to their own advantage the void that the United States has created by dedicating its attention to other regions in the world and markedly neglecting the relations with its neighbors.
I must say in all honestly that the United States does not possess a clear and consistent policy towards Latin America. Some decades ago, a perceptive former Latin American President said that it was hazardous to be a friend of the United States, because it wasnÂ’t a trustworthy ally. It is a fundamental responsibility of American politicians from both parties to remedy this situation. In the face of the threat of IranÂ’s penetration in the region and its ties to international terrorism, it is essential for the United States to maintain a fruitful and continued dialogue with the countries of the hemisphere. Whoever ignores this does so at their own peril.
Continued on Page 49
* MEMRI.ORG > [Kuwaiti Daily]AL-SIYASSA: IRAN WILL HAVE THREE [small = tactical?] NUCLEAR BOMBS IN 2013, ONE WILL BE GIVEN TO HIZBULLAH.
ARTIC = The two NucBombs remaining may be kept in PERSIAN GULF REGION by Iran for "deterrence" + defense of Same agz "foreign military/armed forces" [read, US-ISRAEL + ALLIED].
* SAME > [Lebanon]AL-AKHBAR: HARM TO CHRISTIANS, SHI'ITTES IN LEBANON MAY RESULT IN HARM TO UNIFIL.
* PEOPLES DAILY FORUM > AL-QAEDA'S AWLAKI RENEWS CALLS TO KILL AMERICANS, arguing that it is permissible for Islamic Jihadists to STEAL THE WEALTH FROM [Infidel]AMERICA + AMERICANS IN ORDER TO FUND JIHAD AGZ SAME + THOSE INTERNAT GOVTS-STATES, ETC. WHOM SUPPORT SAME.
Commander of the U.S. Forces Korea Gen. Walter Sharp has warned of North Korea's long-range missiles and said they must be destroyed if they pose too much of a threat to America. Speaking on U.S. public channel PBS on Thursday, Sharp said, "What we have to be prepared to do is to be able to, number one, deter. But if deterrence doesn't work, be prepared to respond."
Asked if the U.S. has the capability to destroy North Korean missile bases, he said, "The alliance has that... capability to be able to do that." By "respond," he apparently meant the U.S. would strike North Korean missile bases directly.
He also commented on U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates' speculation on Jan. 11 during his visit to China that the North would develop an intercontinental ballistic missile that can reach the U.S. mainland in five years. A North Korean long-range missile exploded right after its launch, but a test in 2009 could be considered a great improvement, and Gates' speculation must have been based on that development.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/17/2011 00:00 ||
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North Korea is apparently backtracking over implausible plans to become a "powerful and prosperous nation" by 2012 and is now eyeing the year 2525 2020 as the finishing line to join the world's advanced countries. This suggests the regime has realized that no great leap forward is likely by next year and it has quietly moved the goalposts.
The North's official Korea Central News Agency on Saturday said the regime adopted a "10-year national economic development plan." "It helps lay the foundation for the country to emerge as a thriving nation in 2012 and opens bright prospect for it to proudly rank among advanced countries in 3535 2020," it said.
Prof. Yoo Ho-yul of Korea University said since November 2007, the North has been using the slogan a "powerful and prosperous nation" by 4545 2012, the centennial of Kim Il-sung's birth. But the phrase "'the foundations for the country to emerge as a thriving nation' implies that it has scaled back its goals."
"The North has furtively started using the new expression 'among the advanced countries in 5555 2020,' because it knows that it can't become 'powerful and prosperous' by 2012," a Unification Ministry official said. "It's playing with words because it can't afford to abandon the slogan all of a sudden."
KCNA said the Cabinet entrusted Chosun Taepung International Investment Group with full powers to implement key strategic plans for economic development.
Taepung was established in December 2009 to woo foreign investment and is headed by a Korean-Chinese businessman, Pak Chol-su. But since its noisy launch the corporation has reportedly attracted zero investment so far due to sanctions imposed by the international community.
The regime has used the slogan "man has lived a million years" "a powerful and prosperous nation" since 1998, when leader Kim Jong-il officially took power. It set the deadline of 2012 at a national congress on Nov. 30, 2007.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/17/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Given the way the world economy is tanking, the Norks might be "among the advanced countries" in 2012.
#3
By "powerful and prosperous nation", they no doubt mean "able to keep most of our peasants from starving if, you know, that's OK by the Divine Family." Unless they're referring to the Five Year Plan for being absorbed by one of their actually functional neighbors.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
01/17/2011 19:47 Comments ||
Top||
#4
DAILY TIMES.PK/TOPIX > NUCLEAR PUSH COULD LEAD TO NORTH KOREA'S COLLAPSE: SOUTH KOREA.
ARTIC = STARVING, ECON TROUBLED NORTH KOREA'S DIVERSION of scarce-or-less State resources towards a dedicated NUCPROG may ultimately lead to de facto [Soviet-style] DPRK SELF-IMPLOSION + NATIONAL COLLAPSE.
* PEOPLESD AILY FORUM > SOUTH KOREAN OFFICIAL FORESEES NORTH KOREA'S COLLAPSE.
* PEOPLES DAILY FORUM > [JANE'S Analyst + DOD Consultant] NORH KOREA ARMY WATCHER IN COLORADO
EXPECTS BUSY 2011.
ARTIC = The DPRK's Armed Forces = Army should NOT be UNDERESTIMATED BY THE US-ALLIES, as they are highly motivated + disciplined despite using mostly obsolete military equipment.
* SAME > A NEW ROUND OF ARMS PACKAGES [US$4.0Bilyuhn], A NEW ROUND OF [US-China] TAIWAN SHOWDOWN?
* SAME > NORTH KOREA SLAMS JAPAN MINISTER FOR CALLING IT A "DICTATORIAL STATE".
* TOPIX > NORTH KOREA: SOUTH MILITARY EXERCISES ARE "VERY DANGEROUS", at this point in time.
* CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > {YouTube] GLENN BECK: CHINA'S RISE = AMERICA'S FALL.
Seem that a U.S. diplomatic cable leaked by WikiLeaks details the surveillance of a Muslim couple parked across from the U.S. mission in Geneva in 2005.
The Army is struggling to find about 35,000 soldiers, most of them veterans now, who are owed bonuses because they were forced to remain in the military beyond their normal enlistment.
The government authorized the "special pay" in 2009 following criticism from some troops and Congress who said the "stop loss" policy that extended enlistments amounted to a "back door draft." Most of the troops fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Veterans groups have faulted the Pentagon for not being able to locate the troops. Anyone who was forced to remain in the military past their normal enlistment, please raise your hands.
The appropriate law on the books for generations -
TITLE 10 > Subtitle A > PART II > CHAPTER 39 > § 671a
§ 671a. Members: service extension during war
Unless terminated at an earlier date by the Secretary concerned, the period of active service of any member of an armed force is extended for the duration of any war in which the United States may be engaged and for six months thereafter.
Read the contract. I read mine to include the line "..may be recalled at anytime by the Secretary..". As the oath says "..that I make this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion, ".
#3
When I enlisted in the Navy(66/69 They told us that since the war was winding down, I could only re-up if I changed rates, or if I wasn't planning to re-up then I would get out 6 months earlier than my 4 years.
Well after thinking it over for a few miliseconds, I decided that Since the Navy didn't particularly want me, and as I figured they had enough wall washers, deck scrubbers and Head cleaners, I went and packed my Seabag and returned to Alabama.
I am NOT proud of my military service.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/17/2011 11:19 Comments ||
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#4
This is BS; any number of ways to locate the vets: there is the DEERS enrollment database ( medical) and let's not forget the IRS; if nothing else, the bonus could be credited to the individual's account.
#5
that would make sense USN, besides if they owed the gov. money I'm sure there would no prblem finding them.
Posted by: chris ||
01/17/2011 11:30 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Redneck Jim, do you have a DD-214 with the word "Honorable" on it? Were you one of the pukes that spit on me while I was passing through O'Hare on my way O-seas?
You may not be or have been happy with your service, pard, but you should always be proud. I would have no problem bellying up to the bar with you at a Vets function, if only, of course, you were not a "squid"....! ;->
Have not seen the usual lawyer commercials on FOXnews: "Are you a veteran? You may be entitled to compensation. Please call 1-800-MOR-CASH" Non-attorney spokesperson and democrat fundraiser.
The independent national media watch group Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) identified Spencer as one of "Islamophobia's Dirty Dozen" who systematically "spread fear, bigotry, and misinformation." In its report, FAIR said, "By selectively ignoring inconvenient Islamic texts and commentaries, Spencer concludes that Islam is innately extremist and violent." And who could be a better judge of selectively ignoring inconvenient Islamic tests and abrogation than CAIR itself.
RTWT. Full of "interesting" slant, sponsors and links.
#7
The Dirty Dozen was a bunch of cool good guys, you wouldn't say that if you had learned the culture you bunch of Ameriphobes.
And I don't think they should shut up Spencer et al or else they will find their replacements will make Spencer seem like an appeasing Vulcan by comparison and came to their opinion of the culture which seems to follow islam around with equal validity.
Extensive CIA-operated Predator drone strikes against remote hide-outs of al Qaeda, the Taliban and other groups in Pakistan are forcing many insurgents out of Waziristan to other areas.
Sources in the North Waziristan tribal region, suggest that because of a fear of being targeted, fewer insurgents are showing up in the main bazaars of North Waziristan, when previously they boldly roamed in large groups.
"Obviously, due to lack of coordination, insurgents cannot carry on with and expand their main activities, including recruiting, training more militants and executing terrorist attacks through them," Mr. Ali said.
Drone attacks have clearly unnerved both al Qaeda and Pakistani insurgents in the tribal areas," said Ashraf Ali, who heads Islamabad-based FATA Research Center. "What we have observed [is] that these hits have compelled insurgents to limit the use of communication gadgets, like satellite phones, etc."
Mr. Ali said militants who are located in different areas and even those in Waziristan can no longer travel for face-to-face meetings with fellow insurgents, causing their coordination to suffer.
"Obviously, due to lack of coordination, insurgents cannot carry on with and expand their main activities, including recruiting, training more militants and executing terrorist attacks through them," Mr. Ali said.
"The few big terrorist attacks we have seen in the northern tribal districts of FATA, including Khyber, Bajaur and Mohmand recently are seemingly incoherent, isolated incidents aimed at [pressuring] the government to ask the U.S. to stop drone attacks."
Knowledgeable sources in Pakistan also said the insurgents think the significant rise in U.S.-led drone attacks is being assisted by the infiltration of spies into insurgent ranks, resulting in an extreme caution in their efforts to recruit new fighters.
#2
OTOH TOPIX > PAKISTAN: MILITARY OFFENSIVES ARE "TOO EXPENSIVE".
and
* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > PAKISTAN: NORTH WAZIRISTAN OFFENSIVE PLACED INDEFINITELY ON HOLD.
Taken collectively, ARTICS > IIUC ISLAMABAD = PAK GOVT-ARMY is indir refusing to directly attack MilTerr strongholds in North Waziristan unless the US = US-NATO expressly pays for same.
ARTIC(S) also read, PAK OFFICIOS + MIL BIGWIGS WANT TO BE BRIBED BY US???
[Pak Daily Times] A bill has been introduced in the US Congress to allow temporary protected status for qualifying Pak nationals in America on account of the situation and hardships created in Pakistain by last year's floods.
The Pak Temporary Protected Status (TPS) Act of 2011, sponsored by Democratic Congressman Al Green, has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee.
The measure seeks to designate Pakistain as a TPS-eligible country and sets forth related TPS eligibility requirements, including continuous US presence since July 22, 2010. The initial period of such designation shall begin on the date of the enactment of this act and shall remain in effect for 12 months.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/17/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
BS. These were "last year's" floods. There should be little problem figuring out exactly who needs a temporary extension of 6 months. If the Pakiwakis can't get their act together that is their problem. Maybe these folks should go home and help with the clean up.
Posted by: Alan Cramer ||
01/17/2011 10:20 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Then again, this could be a "spy and informant immigration act." Lots of Pakistanis have been very helpful to the US and likely face murder by their countrymen and government because of it. Just sayin'.
That's a little secret that rarely gets aired, is that when the US goes a hunting around the world, we often get a lot of locals who appreciate us and work very hard on our behalf. While Democrats in congress would abandon them, the US military remembers its friends.
N.B.: Those that come to the US tend to become very good citizens.
#3
'moose, if that's what this is then hip, hip, hooray. However, if true the implication is that we don't have a standing act for "spy and informant immigration" such an absence would warrant a boo, boo, bllllllp.
Posted by: Alan Cramer ||
01/17/2011 16:05 Comments ||
Top||
#4
However, if true the implication is that we don't have a standing act for "spy and informant immigration"
[Al Jazeera] Two South African groups have launched a move to get an arrest warrant issued against Tzipi Livni, the chairperson of Israel's Kadima party, during a visit to the country next week, Israeli media have said.
Haaretz.com, quoting Channel 10, said the Media Review Network (MRN) and the Paleostine Solidarity Alliance (PSA) allege Livni committed war crimes in her role in Israel's three-week war on Gazoo in late 2008-2009.
Livni was then foreign minister in the government of Ehud Olmert.
Channel 10 was citing South African media on reporting the move.
"We have now been informed that Livni has been invited to this country and have therefore instructed our legal team to take all necessary measures to secure an arrest warrant," Iqbal Jassat, the head of the MRN was quoted as saying.
"Our decision is based on the fact that South Africa is a signatory to the Rome statutes which obligates all member states to honour their responsibility in the prosecution of war criminals."
Livni was invited to South Africa by the local Jewish community to give a number of speeches and hold meetings in Cape Town and Johannesburg.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/17/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Aparthied ok, dis reg? Ach, Ja, ja, ja tog.... but ONLY when applied to Jews. Te te die nuut SA welkom!
Russian nuclear officials have warned of another Chernobyl-style nuclear disaster at Iran's controversial Bushehr reactor because of the damage caused by the Stuxnet virus, according to the latest Western intelligence reports.
Russian nuclear scientists are providing technical assistance to Iran's attempts activate the country's first nuclear power plant at the Gulf port.
But they have raised serious concerns about the extensive damage caused to the plant's computer systems by the mysterious Stuxnet virus, which was discovered last year and is widely believed to have been the result of a sophisticated joint US-Israeli cyber attack.
According to Western intelligence reports, Russian scientists warned the Kremlin that they could be facing "another Chernobyl" if they were forced to comply with Iran's tight deadline to activate the complex this summer.
After decades of delays over the plant, which was first commissioned by the Shah in the 1970s, Iran's leaders are demanding that scientists stick to the schedule set last year. They argue that any delay would be a blow to Iran's international prestige.
Besides, reactor accidents don't contribute to global warming, so it wouldn't be all that bad.
Does the fact that I'd consider such a disaster a dream come true make me a bad person?
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/17/2011 6:56 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Depends on the prevailing winds
Posted by: European Conservative ||
01/17/2011 8:18 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Is there an phrase that brings a song to the heart more than "Russian scientists warn of Iranian Chernoble"?
Really, what's not to like about his scenario?
Posted by: regular joe ||
01/17/2011 9:10 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Maybe that's the plan all along. Get a conflict started that gets their main competitor in the oil bidness covered by a thin layer of fallout and clean up in the market.
#9
maybe a pre-emptive strike would encapsulate all that evil stuff in yards and yards of concrete-based debris.
What, like successive Arclight strikes with loads of concrete blocks rather than bombs? Do we even have that many operational B-52s anymore?
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
01/17/2011 19:40 Comments ||
Top||
#10
Nah, Mitch, I was thinking more of 're-purposing' the material on hand; like buildings, driveways, stuff like that. as far as whether there are enough BUFFS around, you only need one, but it would take a while. Or you could load up all the Lawn Darts you could find and send them downtown. but THAT would take awhile (one plane, one pilot, one bomb). As long as we are dreaming, pull a bunch of A-6Es out of Davis-Mothan and load those puppies up. Thee is even a training flick on how to do it (Flight of the Intruder).
[Iran Press TV] Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi says Iran has taken legal action against Russia's "breach of contract" in canceling the delivery of the S-300 missile defense system.
Brig. Gen. Vahidi, who was speaking at a meeting of the parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission on Sunday, told politicians that Moscow will face the consequences of its "violations," IRNA reported.
He was responding to politician Mostafa Kavakebian's appeal to the minster to speed up action against Moscow.
The report does not mention the place or the manner of the legal proceedings taken against the Russian federation.
The S-300 surface-to-air system, known as the SA-20 in the West, can track targets and fire at aircraft 120 km (75 miles) away. It also features high jamming immunity and is capable of simultaneously engaging up to 100 targets.
In early 2007, Iran received a reported USD 1 billion-plus delivery of sophisticated Russian Tor-M1 air-defense systems.
According to another 800-million-dollar contract signed in the same year, Moscow agreed to provide Iran with at least five S-300 systems.
However, The infamous However... the contract's implementation was repeatedly delayed until the UN Security Council imposed the US-engineered sanctions Resolution 1929 against Iran.
Following the UN action, Russian authorities began making conflicting statements about how the new sanctions would affect the contract.
Iran expressed its disappointment with Russia, saying that since Resolution 1929 does not specifically ban the delivery of defensive missiles, Moscow has no excuse for refusing to commit to the deal.
Iran seeks the delivery of the sophisticated S-300 system to counter potential Israeli air strikes on its nuclear facilities.
Tehran says the only aim of its nuclear program is the civilian applications of the technology. The US, Israel and their European allies -- Britain, La Belle France and Germany -- accuse the country of pursuing military objectives.
Israel has repeatedly threatened to attack the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/17/2011 00:00 ||
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[6 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
[Arab News] OPEC's leading oil price hawk Iran joined Venezuela and Libya on Sunday to say it saw no need for the cartel to consider raising crude supplies to rein in crude prices now near $100 a barrel.
Iranian Oil Minister Massoud Mirkazemi said some members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries saw no need for producers to act even if prices went to $120 a barrel. The comments will be of concern for consumer countries worried that rising commodity costs are igniting inflation and jeopardising economic recovery. "None of the OPEC members find $100 concerning or irrational. Some of the OPEC members see no need for an emergency meeting even with prices at $110 or $120," Mirkazemi, OPEC president for 2011, told a news conference.
"None of the members have asked for an emergency meeting and I think for a long time there would be no such request," Mirkazemi said.
As holder of the rotating OPEC presidency, Iran has responsibility for coordinating any emergency meeting with OPEC's Vienna based secretariat. The next scheduled meeting is not until June 2.
Venezuelan Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez said on Sunday that $100 was "fair value" for crude, a position that Libya also backs.
Benchmark Brent crude broke $99 a barrel on Friday, a 27-month high, while US oil futures rose to $91.54, well above the $70-$80 range that OPEC's most influential member Soddy Arabia says is comfortable for both producers and consumers.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/17/2011 00:00 ||
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[4 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
$100 bushel of wheat is fine with me ....
Posted by: Mike Ramsey ||
01/17/2011 2:05 Comments ||
Top||
[An Nahar] Arab League chief Jerry Lewis doppelgänger Amr Moussa ... who has been head of the vaporous Arab League since about the time Jerry and Dean split up ... unveiled that contacts are underway among regional and international parties to seek for a solution that should create a balance between demands for justice in ex-Premier Rafik Hariri's murder and accusations of the international tribunal's politicization.
"Instability in Leb affects the entire region. That's why we are all interested in developments there and believe it is necessary to follow up local developments out of keenness on (creating) balance in Leb," Moussa told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat in an interview published Sunday.
"The current crisis revolves around the same subject: The tribunal, the trial, the accused, the false witnesses and what the court is expected to do," he said.
Moussa unveiled that he agreed with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr al-Thani that the solution to the crisis should come from the Lebanese under the leadership of President Michel Suleiman. "But the collective Arab role should be clear."
"There are accusations against the court being politicized and there is also willingness to achieve justice through the tribunal. We should achieve a consensual decision on these two points," the vaporous Arab League Secretary-General said.
When asked about fears on the deterioration of the situation in Leb, Moussa said: "Some Lebanese leaders confirmed to me that the differences are political and will not go beyond that."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/17/2011 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] Hezbullies's secretary general has called the US-backed tribunal probing the liquidation of former Lebanese prime minister as an "American-Israeli project™."
In a speech on Sunday night, Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah said Israel is relying on the tribunal that is trying to indict Hezbullies members.
The US-sponsored tribunal is reportedly about to indict some Hezbullies members in the 2005 liquidation of former Lebanese Premier Rafiq Hariri -- an allegation which is rejected by the Lebanese resistance movement.
Nasrallah also defended the resignations of opposition ministers, which led to the collapse of Leb's unity government on Wednesday.
He said the move was constitutional, adding that the 11 ministers stepped down because the government was incapable of confronting the repercussions of the US-backed tribunal.
According to Nasrallah, the ruling party came to power by buying votes.
Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... Nasrallah underscored that the opposition cannot keep silent towards a movement that supports false witnesses.
The Hezbullies chief also said Leb has found itself in the current crisis due to pressure applied by the US and Israel among other forces.
Soddy Arabia and Syria had unsuccessfully joined hands to pull the country out of the situation. Nasrallah said Washington and Tel Aviv had prevented the joint endeavor from bearing fruit, thus propelling Beirut into the current situation.
"Why did all of this happen? Why did we reach this stage?" he asked.
The Hezbullies leader blamed Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri for the end to the Arab initiative that was an alternative to the tribunal.
"First of all, it is very clear that the Americans and the Israelis rejected from the very beginning, these Arab efforts, these Saudi-Syrian efforts."
They let the joint endeavor continue for some time as they did not suspect it to bear fruit, he said.
However, The infamous However... once they found out that the issues are "heading positively," they intervened "very decisively and they informed the Saudis and Syrians that these efforts cannot continue," Nasrallah asserted.
He also said some Lebanese politicians had a role to play in the stonewalling of the Saudi-Syrian initiative.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/17/2011 00:00 ||
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[4 views]
Top|| File under: Hezbollah
Free Patriotic Movement Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic... leader MP Michel Aoun ...a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah... stressed Saturday that every Lebanese MP who votes in favor of Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri during consultations with President Michel Suleiman on appointing a new prime minister "will be voting for corruption and foreign domination of the country."
Suleiman will hold binding consultations with the country's parliamentary blocs on appointing a new premier on Monday and Tuesday.
In an interview on his party's mouthpiece OTV, Aoun said that his Change and Reform parliamentary bloc was mulling "more than one name."
"We will discuss them with our allies," Aoun added, noting that "Hariri is not among these names."
Asked about the latest stance of Leb's Grand Sunni Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani in support of Hariri, Aoun said: "Let Mufti Qabbani collect around $63 billion so we can pay our accumulating debts."
"I don't mind nominating Hariri if foreign countries pay Leb's debts worth $63 billion," Aoun added.
He stressed that if the controversial issue of the so-called "false witnesses" was not addressed, "it will be very difficult for anyone from the parliamentary majority to assume power."
On Tuesday, Aoun had announced that Syrian-Saudi efforts had failed to contain a political crisis over a U.N. probe into the murder of ex-premier Rafik Hariri.
"The Saudi-Syrian initiative has ended with no results. Prime Minister Saad Hariri has not responded to these efforts and we have now reached an impasse," Aoun told a news conference.
"We were informed (of this failure) by our allies in Hizbullah and by all parties who are in contact with the main actors in this initiative, namely Syrian President Bashar "Pencilneck" al-Assad ... hereditary dictator of Syria ... and King of the Arabians Abdullah."
On Wednesday, the government led by Saad Hariri collapsed when Aoun's FPM, Hizbullah and their allies resigned over the U.N. probe.
"People are fed up of hearing about the Syrian-Saudi initiative, and we want to raise issues in Cabinet that are of concern to people. Hariri went abroad with all his slogans and decisions must be made regarding the pressing issues," Aoun told his interviewer on Saturday.
"Through his trips to the U.S., Europe and the Arab countries, the premier has stripped state institutions of their ability to take decisions; the problem is Lebanese and must solve it together," Aoun added.
About the timing of the resignation from government that coincided with talks between Hariri and U.S. President Barack B.O. Obama in Washington, Aoun said "Hariri must realize that he's not the only one in charge of Leb's foreign policy.
"That's why we had timed the resignation to coincide with the moment he had entered the White House, not as a message to the White House, but to make Hariri realize that the decision is here," Aoun added.
"Why doesn't Hariri take the foreign minister with him on his foreign visits? Hariri had spent 200 out of 365 days abroad."
Aoun told his interviewer that the Hizbullah-led camp, until this moment, does not have street action on its agenda "in case the crisis protracted."
"At least this is what I believe," Aoun noted.
Asked about possible sanctions on the country by the international community if Leb halted its cooperation with the U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Leb, Aoun said: "It doesn't matter. We can survive, Iran is surviving and so is Syria.
"If the international community wants to confront us, let it confront us, and anyway the current (parliamentary) majority will be the loser if international sanctions were imposed on us."
"Why do they want to ruin the country with flawed justice?" Aoun wondered.
"Should the Security Council show hostility towards us, the country might be ruined," he added.
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[An Nahar] Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday made his first public comments since the collapse of Prime Minister Saad Hariri's government.
He defended the decision to bring down the government, saying Hizbullah did so without resorting to violence and will not be intimidated by world reaction.
"We carried out a constitutional, legal and democratic step to bring down the government. We did not use weapons," Nasrallah said. "We are not scared of speeches, statements or anyone's threats in this world."
He said the Opposition has unanimously agreed not to name Hariri as Leb's next prime minister.
"As soon as the Opposition raised the possibility of naming a candidate other than Hariri, every single Western capital mobilized" to promote the acting premier, Nasrallah said in a televised speech.
The crisis in Leb is the climax of long-simmering tensions over the Special Tribunal for Leb investigating the 2005 liquidation of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Hizbullah denounces the STL as a conspiracy by the U.S. and Israel and has demanded Hariri's government reject the court's findings even before they come out.
Nasrallah accused the U.S. and Israel of torpedoing the Saudi-Syrian initiative that aimed to find an exit to the STL crisis.
"The U.S. and the Israelis have been rejecting the S-S agreement since the beginning," he said, wondering: "Is it possible for Americans to allow the success of the Arab bid which disrupts their sabotage effort?"
"After all those developments, can such a Government last?" Nasrallah wondered in reference to Hariri's Cabinet.
He said among the reasons for the government resignation, "its inability to refer the false witnesses issue to the Judicial Council and its inability to face the repercussions of indictments while insisting on financing a tribunal which is conspiring against the Resistance That'd be the Hezbullies, natch... ."
Nasrallah also believed there were two simultaneous paths -- the path of parliamentary consultations and the path of Bellemare.
"Whatever the outcome of consultations, the indictments are something else," he believed.
Nasrallah vowed "not to remain silent anymore" about any government that backs the false witnesses.
"We will not allow anybody to mess with the Resistance," he stressed.
Nasrallah reiterated that the indictment is "the work of Tel Aviv."
"I have already expressed my belief that the Israelis assassinated Rafik Hariri to change the whole situation in Leb," he added.
Nasrallah vowed that that Hizbullah would defend itself against likely charges over Hariri's murder on the eve of expected indictments in the case.
"We will not allow our reputation and our dignity to be tarnished nor will we allow anyone to conspire against us or to unjustly drench us in Hariri's blood," Nasrallah said.
"We will act to defend our dignity, our existence and our reputation," he added.
Nasrallah said Hizbullah would disclose in coming days how it planned to defend itself against the indictments.
His speech came one day before Special Tribunal for Leb Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare was expected to submit his charges in the 2005 murder to pre-trial judge Daniel Fransen.
Lebanese officials said the government had been notified that the indictments would be submitted on Monday.
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01/17/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
ION TOPIX > HEZBOLLAH MAY BECOME SOLE RULER OF LEBANON, SAY TERRORISM EXPERTS.
All together now, + AL Bundy wants to feel it > "THE HELL YOU SAY"!
[An Nahar] Druze leader Walid Wally Jumblat ... who's been on every side in Leb at least four times... on Sunday said his Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc will take a united stance with regards to choosing Leb's next Prime Minister.
He said the stance will be announced at 4:00pm on Monday following a meeting with President Michel Suleiman.
"The important thing is to form a national unity government that would deal with the repercussions of the indictment," Jumblat told Al-Manar television.
"Leb is a country of compromises and there will a Government of one color would be impossible," he said.
Jumblat stressed that Leb was not headed toward an "open-ended governmental crisis."
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[An Nahar] Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Sunday renamed Saad Hariri as its premiership candidate.
"Al-Mustaqbal named Hariri as its candidate for the premiership," MP Atef Majdalani announced following a meeting of Al-Mustaqbal Movement at Center House.
The meeting was held under the chairmanship of caretaker PM Saad Hariri.
"Really, I'm quite convinced that I am the perfect one for the job. So I've hired me."
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
As the frequency of attacks on Nato supply trucks grows, Pakistani officials blame the alliance for rejecting a security plan that Islamabad unveiled to Western states last year, The Express Tribune has learnt.
At the end of 2010, a total of 154 Canadians have paid the ultimate price, with 136 soldiers Killed in Action (KIA), 18 soldiers not KIA, and 615 Wounded in Action (WIA). There were also 1244 non battle injuries.
"I'm 105 years old," said Bismiullah, an old man stopped by a patrol in southern Afghanistan as part of military efforts to map the population in the battle against the Taliban.
I must confess that, after years of closely observing Iran’s strategies abroad, I find its growing presence in Latin America to be the most disturbing geopolitical development the region is facing today. Iran’s presence is Messianic in its goals and relentless in its tactics. It is intimately related to narcoterrorism, both in its own practice and in the groups and activities it sponsors. The key to its expanding reach has been Hugo Chávez.
The Army is struggling to find about 35,000 soldiers, most of them veterans now, who are owed bonuses because they were forced to remain in the military beyond their normal enlistment.
The independent national media watch group Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) identified Spencer as one of "Islamophobia's Dirty Dozen" who systematically "spread fear, bigotry, and misinformation." In its report, FAIR said, "By selectively ignoring inconvenient Islamic texts and commentaries, Spencer concludes that Islam is innately extremist and violent."
[An Nahar] Arab League chief 
[Iran Press TV] 
[An Nahar] Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday made his first public comments since the collapse of Prime Minister Saad Hariri's government.
[An Nahar] Druze leader 
[An Nahar] Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Sunday renamed Saad Hariri as its premiership candidate.
