Egypt has forced Israel to cancel a mission to assasinate Hamas prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram reported, citing Palestinian sources. According to the report, Egypt acted swiftly to pressure Israel to back out of the operation, which was planned following the recent multiple terror attacks near Eilat.
Egypt also contacted the Islamic Jihad and convinced it to declare a ceasefire, while negotiating a ceasefire with Hamas and other factions in Gaza, most notably the Popular Resistance Committees. According to the report, the PA also took part in the efforts to convince the terror groups to stop their rocket attacks on Israel, telling the factions in Gaza that it is only a matter of time before Israel carries out the threat on Haniyeh's life.
#2
I wonder Moose - this may simply be an initial operation. I somewhat understand Israel letting Egypt to deploy into Sinai and apparently up to the border. Only somewhat, since it must be a play to allow the Egyptian military to assert authority and ultimately remain the political power.
Still, unless the US has given some very surprising assurances, it could be difficult for Israel to re-enforce various treaty obligations.
OTOH, the IDF must surely be at a maximum of supremacy considering the ongoing collapse of the regimes immediately around them.
#5
#3 Gentlemen, ever occurred to you that these "people" are lying?
Fatah blaming it on Israel?
Problem is, there is no Palestinian economy. They don't have a government either. What they have are two warring factions, Hamas and Fatah, posing as governments
CAIRO Aug 27 (Reuters) - A convoy of six Mercedes cars have crossed from Libya into Algeria, Egypt's state MENA news agency reported on Saturday, quoting a rebel source.
It was impossible to verify the report and it was not immediately clear who might have been in any convoy, but MENA quoted the source as speculating that senior Libyan officials or Muammar Gaddafi himself and his sons may have fled the country.
The source was quoted as saying the rebels were unable to chase and stop the convoy.
Scottish officials say that they expect that when the situation in Libya calmed, contacts with Megrahi will resume. I expect the tooth fairy will show up while I sleep with about a hundred grand for me... There is one other possibility why he's been so quiet lately. Anyone look under the right pile of rubble?
[Tripoli Post] Former Muammar Al Qadaffy ...a proud Arab institution for 42 years... aide and prime minister in the first years of the First of September Revolution in Libya, Abdelsalam Ahmad Jalloud proved tripolipost.com right when last night he announced that he was planning to have a role in a future Libyan government.
In a presser in Rome, Jalloud said he is forming a secular political party with an eye towards future elections in Libya.
When weeks ago Rebel spokesperson Mahmoud Shammam broke the news that 67-year-old Jalloud had 'defected', this website said: "Now, with the rebels so close to eventual victory, many people close to the NTC leadership seem to believe that Jalloud still could have a part to play in a new Libya after Al Qadaffy. He has the experience and also world-wide connections that sources close to him say he has continued to foster.
"It seems that he could have been persuaded that he has a role to play in forming the base of a new leadership for Libya as, with Al Qadaffy out of the scene, he could become a valued adviser. He knows the ropes and what it takes to build the trust a new Libyan government."
Once one of Al Qadaffy's closest allies, Jalloud beat feet to Rome with his family a few days ago . He said at the time that he was supporting whole-heartedly the rebels. Now he said he is ready to take part in the transition phase in Libya and resuscitate himself in politics.
Jalloud, a popular figure who fell out of favour with the Libyan strongman in the mid-1990s, served in the role of prime minister of Libya in the Al Qadaffy government for five years, between July 1972 and March 1977.
Jalloud, who decamped Libya along with 13 members of his family, in a statement on Al Jizz on Sunday, called on Al Qadaffy's tribe to disown him, saying the "tyrant" Al Qadaffy will go. "The noose has tightened around him."
Jalloud had been increasingly distanced from politics starting in the 1990s following a reported fallout with his childhood friend, whom along with other members of the Free Officers Movement in 1969, led a bloodless coup and pushed Al Qadaffy to power.
He has had contacts with the leaders of the National Transitional Council, and had received their approval to encourage Libyans to rebel against Al Qadaffy and mobilise support abroad.
While not part of the NTC, Jalloud said they were "in the same boat" and that he plans to form a secular, liberal, nationalist party.
Jalloud who said he tried to escape Libya six times by sea and 12 times by land during recent months, believes it was too late for Al Qadaffy to strike a deal to leave power and he would likely be killed.
Italian media has speculated he was finally able to get out only with the assistance of foreign diplomats or intelligence agents, or the help of Italian oil company ENI.
Jalloud insisted however that he is not beholden to anyone.
"I am a free person, completely independent. I don't owe anything to Italia, or Russia, or La Belle France," he said in response to a question from AFP.
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08/27/2011 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] The African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... declined Friday to recognize Libya's rebel authority and instead called for the formation of an all-inclusive transitional government.
With rebels still battling diehard forces loyal to Moammar Qadaffy ...who single-handedly turned a moderately prosperous kingdom into a dictator's fantasyland... , South African President Jacob Zuma said at the end of an AU Peace and Security Council meeting in Addis Ababa that the rebels were not yet legitimate.
"There is a process in Libya wherein the NTC (National Transitional Council) forces are in the process of taking over Tripoli ... but there is still that fighting going on.
"So we can't therefore stand and say this is the legitimate one now," Zuma told news hounds.
However, if you can't say something nice about a person some juicy gossip will go well... AU Commission front man Noureddine Mezni said Libya's seat at the bloc was vacant.
"If a consensual and inclusive government is set up tomorrow and it sends an ambassador to the AU, he will be welcome," Mezni told Agence La Belle France Presse.
The pan-African body called on Libyan parties to set up a transitional government that would be welcome by the 54-member organization.
The AU "encourages the Libyan stakeholders to accelerate the process leading to the formation of an all-inclusive transitional government that would be welcome to occupy a seat in the African Union", the bloc's Peace and Security Commissioner Ramtane Lamamra told news hounds.
In addition, the AU also called for an end to the fighting as well as talks to establish democratic government.
The bloc "strongly reaffirms that the AU stands with the people of Libya and encourages all the parties in Libya to come together and negotiate a peaceful process that would lead to democracy," Lamamra added.
The AU has repeatedly sought a peaceful settlement to the crisis, but its ceasefire proposals and plans for talks between the rebels and Qadaffy were largely ignored, with the rebels rejecting any negotiations.
Since the start of the rebel onslaught against Qadaffy's 42-year-old regime, several African countries have individually recognized the rebels' NTC, with Ethiopia and Rwanda this week calling on the AU to do the same.
Rwanda's Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo said the AU "should offer support to the National Transitional Council," in remarks to state-run Radio Rwanda Friday.
"We support the National Transitional Council ... We think that Colonel Qadaffy has run out of time as a leader," Mushikiwabo added.
Qadaffy played a key role in the formation of the AU and was a key financier, in addition to funding many African causes. Analysts said that his economic clout partly explained the AU's soft stand on the Libyan leader.
Several Western countries have also recognized the NTC and on Thursday the U.N. Security Council released $1.5 billion (one billion euros) of seized Libyan assets to be used for emergency aid.
Ali Awdian, once Qadaffy's ambassador to Ethiopia before switching support to the NTC, told AFP it was only a matter of time before the AU recognizes the rebels.
"We are respecting the rules and procedures of the NaN. ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... It's only a matter of time. It's not a frustration," said Awdian.
"We know African countries are supporting the people of Libya," he added.
The NTC announced Friday it would move its leadership from the eastern city of Benghazi to Tripoli, where they still face resistance from pockets of hardline regime loyalists.
Qadaffy's whereabouts however remain unknown despite an intensive search by rebel forces, and on Thursday he broadcast a new audio message calling on the populace to take up arms.
There was speculation Friday that Qadaffy might have found refuge in his hometown of Sirte to the east of Tripoli, near where NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions... said it had hit 29 armed vehicles and a "command and control node."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/27/2011 00:00 ||
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(KUNA) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il said Friday that his country is ready to resume the six-party talks on dismantling its nuclear programs without preconditions, China's official Xinhua News Agency reported. Kim made the remarks while meeting with Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo ... "and Bingguo was his name-o!" ... during his visit to northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.
North Korea "adheres to the goal of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and is ready to fully implement the Sept. 19 joint statement along with all sides for maintaining and promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," Kim was quoted as telling Dai. Launched in 2003, the six-party talks involve the two Koreas, the US, China, Japan and Russia. The joint statement was signed on Sept. 19, 2005, in which Pyongyang promised to abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs. The multinational talks have been stalled since December 2008 after the North stormed out. South Korea, the US and Japan North Korea insists Norht Korea must halt its nuclear activities before stalled six-party talks reopen. Kim arrived in northeast China on Thursday after his Russian tour.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/27/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
I assume the recent payoff worked then as usual. The workers paradise lives! Congrats democrats. Your home awaits you. Feel free to immigrate anytime.
[Dawn] Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani ... Pakistain's erstwhile current prime minister, whose occasional feats of mental gymnastics can be awe-inspiring ... on Friday telephoned Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif and discussed the issue of kidnapping of Shahbaz Taseer, the son of ex- governor Salman Taseer.
The Chief Minister assured PM Gilani of the early recovery of Shahbaz Taseer, who was kidnapped by unknown persons today in Lahore.
Earlier, the Prime Minister directed Inspector General Police Punjab to take all measures to recover Shahbaz Taseer, the son of deceased Governor Salman Taseer.
The Prime Minister also telephoned the daughter of Salman Taseer, Sherbano and assured her that all efforts would be made to recover her brother.
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08/27/2011 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Hizbullah chief His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah The satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb... noted Friday that his party is "counting on the public opinion's support for the Resistance That'd be the Hezbullies, natch... " to overcome "the conspiracy of the Special Tribunal for Leb and its threat."
"Day after day we are discovering how much the tribunal is politicized and why it was established ... When I or some of my brothers (in Hizbullah) make explanations and clarifications (on the STL), we are not trying to convince the U.S. administration, (STL Prosecutor Danielle) Bellemare, (STL President Antonio) Cassese or some figure in Leb ... we are rather trying to appeal to the public opinion," said Nasrallah.
Speaking via video link during a mass rally organized by Hizbullah in the southern border town of Maroun al-Ras on the anniversary of Quds Day, Nasrallah said: "We chose this location because of the sacrifices of the Lebanese people, army and the sons of this land who transformed Maroun al-Ras into a symbol of perseverance and resistance during the July 2006 war."
"Jerusalem is part of our religion, culture, and prayers," Nasrallah added.
"We will not allow some Lebanese to sell Leb and Paleostine to the U.S. and a settlement will not take place at Leb's expense," he vowed.
Hizbullah number one noted that Leb now poses a problem to Israel, "one it is seeking to escape."
"Efforts have been made for years to break up the equation of the army, people, and Resistance through seeking strife and targeting the Resistance," Nasrallah added.
Addressing the indictments recently released by the STL, which issued arrest warrants for four Hizbullah members it accused of being involved in the 2005 murder of ex-PM Rafik Hariri, Nasrallah said "everything the STL issues is worthless."
He stressed that the army is the one guarantee for Leb's stability and that "targeting it is aimed at sectarian incitement."
"Anyone who targets the army is serving Israel. I am not accusing anyone of being a traitor. The equation of the army, people, and Resistance alone can thwart Israel."
Hitting out at the leaders and officials of the rival March 14 Those are the good guys, insofar as Leb has good guys... camp, Nasrallah said: "All statements of illusory sovereignty and independence are empty words because the Cedar Revolution was directed by (Assistant U.S. Secretary of State) Jeffrey Feltman and the French ambassador."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/27/2011 00:00 ||
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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.
North Korea
Punjab
