GAROWE, Somalia -- Seychelles government is poised to transfer an additional 11 convicted Somali pirates imprisoned on the African island back to Puntland state in northern Somalia, Garowe Online reports.
I don't know, a Seychellan prison versus a Punti prison? Maybe I'll take the Turkish prison...
Mr. Abdirizak Mohamed Dirir Ducaysane, Puntland s counter-piracy director, told Puntland-based independent radio station Radio Garowe during a Thursday interview that this group of Somali pirates are expected to be transferred over to Puntland government custody next month.
Puntland government has signed piracy-transfer agreements with Seychelles government as well as Mauritius and Maldives, to bring convicted Somali pirates to complete their prison sentences in Puntland prisons, said Mr. Dirir, noting that 40 Somali pirates were previously transferred to Puntland prisons.
Mr. Dirir also noted the marked decline in piracy, saying: Overall, Somali piracy attacks have declined markedly and the international community commends Puntland governments role to fight pirates on land, said Mr. Dirir, adding that Puntlands role was praised at the Counter-Piracy Conference, held in Dubai 11-12 September 2013.
In 2010, Puntland government enacted Somalias first-ever Anti-Piracy Law and instituted the Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF), which has bases along Puntland coast and has been renowned for actively fighting against piracy, smuggling activities, and illegal fishing.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/28/2013 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Pirates
[Al Ahram] Egypt's presidency expressed its "regret" during a Friday statement that Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki is "unaware" of the reality of the Egyptian situation.
"We hope that Tunisia, which had the honour of inaugurating the Arab Spring, benefits from the Egyptian experience proving that the people refuse to have a system imposed upon them," the statement read.
The presidency added that the 30 June protests, which resulted in the 3 July ouster of elected president Mohamed Morsi, were meant to "reclaim the January 25 2011 Revolution" and fulfill its goals.
In his address to the United Nations ...an idea whose time has gone... General Assembly on Thursday, Marzouki called on Egyptian authorities to release Morsi, who has been held incommunicado in a location unknown to the public since his removal from power.
Marzouki argued that such an action would help resolve the severe political tensions between the interim government, Morsi's Islamist supporters, and the former president's opponents.
Marzouki said that political dialogue is the only way out of the current political strife, as Islamists continue to call for Morsi's reinstatement.
Egyptian authorities have staged a crackdown against the Moslem Brüderbund -- the group from which Morsi hails -- following his popularly-backed ouster by the military.
Many Moslem Brüderbund leaders, including supreme guide Mohamed Badie and numerous high and mid-level leaders, have been jugged I ain't sayin' nuttin' widdout me mout'piece! and face charges of incitement of violence against their opponents. Last week, a Cairo court issued an order to ban all Moslem Brüderbund activities. The Islamist group has since vowed to appeal the verdict.
Egypt's foreign minister Nabil Fahmy is expected to address the 68th General Assembly on Saturday. Prior to his departure for New York, the foreign ministry released a statement noting that Fahmy plans to "explain the dimensions of the genuine democratic change to which the Egyptian people aspire, and the positive impact of 30 June on Egypt and the region."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/28/2013 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Arab Spring
#1
Marzouki argued that such an action would help resolve the severe political tensions between the interim government, Morsi's Islamist supporters, and the former president's opponents
Yes, much as bringing Khomeini back from Paris to Tehran did.
[Al Ahram] Head of Egypt's Salafist Nour Party Younis Makhioun said on Friday that his group "strongly objects" to a proposed constitutional amendment banning the formation of political parties on a religious basis.
Makhioun, whose Islamist party has been fighting a battle with the 50-member constitutional committee on several fronts, said that the draft article would "ban Islamists from political practice." He added that the article was also present in the 2007 constitutional amendments made under ousted president Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... , known for his crackdown on Islamists.
Egypt's temporarily-suspended 2012 constitution, which is currently undergoing amendment, does not contain an article prohibiting the founding of parties on a religious basis.
However, the hip bone's connected to the leg bone... Article Six of the 2012 constitution states that "No political party shall be formed that discriminates on the basis of gender, origin or religion." Makhioun has demanded that this phrasing stay as is, without additional changes.
Makhioun said that the newly-proposed amendment would be implemented "according to political whims" and asked for definitive criteria to distinguish whether a party had a religious basis.
"If a party calls for implementing Islamic sharia as mentioned in the constitution's second article [as the state's main source of legislation], does this make it a religious party?" he asked.
"It is wrong to place the blame of the Moslem Brüderbund's mistakes on the whole Islamist faction," Makhioun added.
"Their failure in the previous period was not because they adopted an Islamic discourse."
Makhioun deemed the proposed amendment discriminatory, saying that the people are responsible for accepting or rejecting certain parties.
Egypt's 50-member constitutional committee is in the process of amending the 2012 constitution, and it expects to vote on a draft shortly.
The 50-member committee, which started work on 8 September, is expected to produce a final draft of the constitution within 60 days. The amended constitution will be put to a national referendum within 30 days of its completion.
The Nour Party recently replaced its committee representative after its original envoy stormed out of a drafting session following a heated debate on other Islam-related articles in the constitution.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/28/2013 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Arab Spring
[MAGHAREBIA] The number of Algerian jihadists fighting in Syria for al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra and other groups fell to fewer than 30, according to Algerian security services.
The number of Algerian combatants is one of the lowest in the Maghreb and the Arab world.
Security services had anticipated an increase in the number of Algerians joining the armed opposition in Syria, especially after calls by some holy mans for jihad. The opposite took place.
The main factor in the big drop in Syria-bound fighters was the success in infiltrating and dismantling recruitment cells, an Algerian intelligence source told El Watan on September 20th.
Another factor was the refusal by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) to support jihad in Syria. The latter considered any fight by North African jihadists in Syria as "illegitimate", in view of the fronts already open in Algeria and northern Mali.
And then there is the discrimination issue. Non-Syrian Arab jihadists are suspect to the point that field leaders refuse to give them responsibilities.
More than the recruiting tally has fallen. The number of Algerians slain in Syria is also low, compared to the corpse counts for other Maghreb nationals, especially those from Tunisia and Libya.
In addition to the security campaign to hunt down recruiting networks, preachers and theologians have made calls urging young people not to be deceived by fatwas calling for jihad in Syria.
"The so-called jihad in Syria is in fact a seditious fight," Cheikh Chemseddine said in an appeal on a private TV channel.
He also criticised the so-called "Jihad annikah", whereby women and girls from Tunisia and other countries have gone to Syria as temporary wives to Death Eaters.
Cheikh Chemseddine said that religion did not permit the "jihad marriage", adding that he considered it "plain adultery".
He's wrong. It's prostitution, plain and simple.
He called on Tunisian religious leaders from the Zaitouna Mosque to condemn the practice, speak the truth and spare Tunisian girls from falling into sin through suspicious fatwas.
Rabeh Hadef, an author specialising in Islamic movements, attributed the decline in Syria-bound jihadists to "the lack of conviction about the legitimacy of jihad there".
"Everyone is following what happened in Tunisia and Libya and people have heard the stories of the burning of non-Syrian jihadist corpses," he told Magharebia.
"A lot of enthusiasts for jihad in Syria now think twice before embarking on this journey," Hadef added.
For his part, military expert Taher Ben Thamer credited the drop off in Syria-bound youth to the success of security services in dismantling jihadist recruitment cells.
"The monitoring carried out by security services and the control on the eastern border contributed significantly to the decline in the number of young people going to Syria via Libya or Tunisia, and then to Turkey," Ben Thamer said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/28/2013 00:00 ||
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[MAGHAREBIA] Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... teachers rallied Thursday (September 26th) outside the Mermaid School to protest the kidnapping of four girls in the past week, Libya Herald reported.
In the latest incident, a 14-year-old was snatched Wednesday while waiting for her mother in front of the all-girls school in the capital. According to witnesses, two armed young men grabbed the girl and forced her into an unregistered car with tinted windows.
More demonstrations to call attention to the crisis will be held after Friday prayers in several Tripoli neighbourhoods.
Some 47 young women have recently been kidnapped throughout the country, a teacher told Libya Al Ahrar TV.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/28/2013 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Arab Spring
Foreign businesses have started taking an interest in the Kaesong Industrial Complex which reopened last week, but it remains to be seen whether they will develop enough trust in North Korea's unpredictable ways to park their money and enterprises there.
Among potential investors are Korean-American clothing firms in Los Angeles, Radio Free Asia reported Thursday.
It's just painful to see our own countrymen lining up to make money on other peoples' misery...
Lee Yoon-se of the Korean Apparel Manufacturers Association in Los Angeles told RFA that members of his group are looking at opening factories in the industrial park.
Korean-American businesses mostly look to Vietnam, China or Cambodia for cheap labor.
None of those countries are swell deals, either, but all are preferable to North Korea.
The Kaesong complex has a geographical advantage, but the drawback is U.S. sanctions against North Korea. But Lee said the companies feel that hurdle could be overcome.
Because Champ is in the White House, which means one can always make a deal. It's the Chicago way...
Other Korean-American clothing firms operating in China and Vietnam are also taking interest in the Kaesong complex, RFA said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/28/2013 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Commies
#1
It's just painful to see our own countrymen lining up to make money on other peoples' misery...
If the Norks keep playing their games, they'll more likely to lose money, which would serve them right.
#3
Korean-Americans who invest in this need a financial proctological exam. Chances are - they are:
a) just greedy assholes without ethics, or
b) NK agents laundering money
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/28/2013 16:41 Comments ||
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[Jpost] Reports emerge of Islamist hard boy group surveying Jewish establishments in Mumbai for possible terrorist strikes.
Indian police boosted security at Jewish institutions in Mumbai over Simhat Torah on Thursday and Friday due to intelligence that the Indian Mujahideen A locally recruited auxilliary of Pakistain's Lashkar-e-Taiba, designed to give a domestic patina to Pakistain's terror war against its bigger neighbor... terrorist organization might attack them.
Police sources told The Hindu newspaper that following the Nairobi, Kenya, terrorist attack, in which Jewish-owned stores were among the targets, they conducted a security review and determined that since an attack against the American Jewish community was "impossible," "al-Qaeda is looking at softer targets."
"India has a strong Jewish population, so an alert has been sounded across the country especially in states like Delhi, Maharashtra and Goa to strengthen the security around Jewish establishments and synagogues," the anonymous police source said.
Several thousand Jews live in Mumbai, the largest city in India.
Under interrogation, recently locked away Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! Indian Mujahideen leader Yasin Bhatkal told Indian counterterror officers that "he was asked by his bosses to get Jewish hostages," the source added.
"Interrogation of arrested accused Yasin Bhatkal and Asadullah Akhtar have [sic] revealed that Jewish and other locations in Mumbai were recced [reconnoitered] by their operatives in the first week of August 2013," according to a government report quoted by the Economic Times.
The Magen David Synagogue, Magen Hassidim Synagogue, Shaare Rason synagogue and Shaar Harahamim synagogue were all locations of interest for Indian Mujahideen.
Quick response teams were deployed outside of "every Jewish establishment" in the city, The Hindu reported.
For the past two months, "we have stationed two constables outside every synagogue," Krishna Prakash, a police official, told the Indian Express.
"Senior inspectors and deputy commissioners of police have visited each location and beefed up security."
Police have requested that synagogues use "door frame metal detectors and ensure that each person entering is frisked," Prakash said.
Indian police called on Jewish establishments to hire security guards, install security cameras and issue ID cards to be used to gain admittance to the businesses, according to NDTV. They also have been instructed to not allow vehicles to park around their buildings.
The Indian Security Group, a volunteer security organization run by members of the Jewish community, has increased its activities, Mumbai resident Malka Moses told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday. "There is a high alert here."
While concerns for security are important, Jonathan Solomon, chairman of the Indian Jewish Federation, told the Indian Express that maintaining good relations with the larger non-Jewish must also be a priority.
According to Solomon, the Jewish community sees a "foreign threat, but there is no distrust with the locals.
"It is a danger that bothers us and we are taking routine precautions, but there is a limit to what an ordinary person and institution can do in a city like Mumbai. So we have put up CCTV cameras and taken other such steps. However, those who apply themselves too closely to little things often become incapable of great things... we do not want to be counter-productive through these security measures based on an advisory and drive away the people. We feel secure in the round-the-clock support we have been receiving from the police for so many years now," he said.
In 2012, an Israeli diplomat was targeted in an attempted bombing and six Jews, including Chabad emissary Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife, Rivka, were killed when Nariman House, the hassidic movement's local headquarters, was invaded by Islamic faceless myrmidons during the 2008 Mumbai massacre.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
09/28/2013 08:53 ||
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Top|| File under: Indian Mujaheddin
#1
how about just nipping the problem in the bud? Kill the LeT, ISI asshole facilitators, and their political backers? Do it covertly
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/28/2013 16:43 Comments ||
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[Dawn] Pakistain on Friday expressed deep concern on "an unfortunate incident in Jammu which occurred on September 26 resulting in the loss of lives of around 10 security personnel."
Foreign office Spokesman, Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry in a statement said the timing of the attack was particularly disturbing as it took place a couple of days before prime ministers of Pakistain and India were to meet in a bid to move towards improvement of relations.
He said it was imperative that any such act of violence should not be allowed to deter from pursuing a path to a better future for the peoples.
Militants had stormed a cop shoppe and an Indian army base in Kashmire on Thursday, killing at least 10 security personnel. India blamed the Pakistain army for the attack, a charge that Islamabad denied.
Pakistain, itself a foremost victim of terrorism, condemns all forms of terrorism and has rendered immense sacrifices in this regard, said Chaudhry.
"Pakistain remains committed to eliminate the specter of terrorist violence from our society and our region and has on numerous occasions offered cooperation to India in fighting this menace through laid down bilateral mechanisms."
"Pakistain remains ready to discuss all outstanding disputes in a meaningful manner," said the front man.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/28/2013 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[Dawn] The provincial executive council of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl has proposed that the next local bodies' elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should be held on 'proportional representation' basis.
Giving details of the council meeting here on Thursday, JUI deputy chief Maulana Attaur Rehman said that his party was ready to form alliance or make seat adjustment with all political parties and groups in the local bodies' polls in the province.
He said that the council had authorised the district chapters of the party to form alliance with political parties. The district chapters had been empowered to allot of tickets to suitable candidates, he added.
The JUI leader said that if local bodies' polls were held on proportional representation basis then it would strengthen the system and devolve powers to grassroots level.
However, he failed to explain the term 'proportional representation' when asked by the journalists.
Mr Rehman, who lost by-polls to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf candidate in Lakki Marwat, alleged massive rigging and use of government machinery in by-elections. He said that women voters were barred from casting vote in 52 polling stations in NA-27, Lakki Marwat.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/28/2013 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday toned down expectations for his planned meeting with Premier Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... this weekend at the UN, saying Pakistain remained an "epicenter of terrorism."
Singh, making what will likely be a farewell visit to the White House after a decade in power, told President Barack Obama I mean, I do think at a certain point you've made enough money... that India still faced "difficulties" because of the activities of its neighbor and bitter rival.
Singh and Sharif are expected to hold a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Saturday, as they reach for better relations despite heightened cross border tensions.
"I look forward to the meeting with (premier) Nawaz Sharif even though the expectations have to be toned down given the terror arm which is still active in our subcontinent," Sharif told news hounds in the Oval Office.
Singh told Obama that India was facing difficulties because the "epicenter of terrorist activity remains focused in Pakistain."
India has blamed Death Eater groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba ...the Army of the Pure, an Ahl-e-Hadith terror organization founded by Hafiz Saeed. LeT masquerades behind the Jamaat-ud-Dawa facade within Pakistain and periodically blows things up and kills people in India. Despite the fact that it is banned, always an interesting concept in Pakistain, the organization remains an blatant tool and perhaps an arm of the ISI... (LeT) and even elements of the Pak state for attacks on its soil, including the assault in a luxury hotel on Mumbai nearly five years ago which killed 166 people.
Deadly skirmishes across the de facto border in divided Kashmire meanwhile have jeopardised the atmospherics for the meeting in New York, which would come months after peace talks again stalled between the two neighbors.
Since winning an election in May, Sharif has been vocal in his desire for better relations with India, but the recent flare-ups have overshadowed the prospects.
Earlier, Sharif warmed up for the expected talks by saying that a nuclear arms race between India and Pakistain was a huge waste of money.
Singh's visit to the White House had a valedictory tone, as he is not expected to lead his Congress Party into elections next year, with his political fortunes battered by a slowing economy and corruption claims after two five-year terms.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/28/2013 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#2
Two countries that would not be missed are Pakistan and Somalia.
To be added in due course are North Korea, Syria, Yemen,Zimbawe
Posted by: Paul D ||
09/28/2013 9:29 Comments ||
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#3
A toilet never morphs into a tureen...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
09/28/2013 10:07 Comments ||
Top||
#4
"A toilet chamber pot never morphs into a tureen"
Except in a far-Left librul's antique store ....
Posted by: Barbara ||
09/28/2013 10:10 Comments ||
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#5
Zimbabwe? Not exactly a hotbed of International terrorism. I would rather see Rhino and ivory poachers on that list, along with their emminent backers.
[Dawn] Yielding to the hypnotic beat of drums and the intoxicating scent of incense, the woman danced herself into a state of trance, laughing and shaking uncontrollably alongside hundreds of others at Pakistain's most revered Sufi shrine.
Swathed in red, the Sufi colour of passion, she shouted invocations to the shrine's patron saint in an ecstatic ritual repeated daily in the dusty town of Sehwan Sharif on the banks of the river Indus.
With its hypnotic rituals, ancient mysticism and a touch of intoxicated madness, Sufism is a form of Islam which has been practised in Pakistain for centuries -- a powerful antidote to extremism in places such as the province of Sindh.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
09/28/2013 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Pakistan
[Dawn] A politician for the Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... on Thursday said that party chief Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who is the lightweight's lightweight... 's recent statement on Pak Taliban was not an official PTI policy statement.
Asad Umar, a politician for Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaaf (PTI), stated in a conference that the idea for establishing an office for peacetalks with the Taliban was not an official party policy. He added that the statement only reflected the personal views of the PTI leader.
Umar added that it was wrong to criticise those who wished to use peacetalks as a way to fight the rampant terrorism in the country and come to terms with the terrorists. However, if you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning... he added that peacetalks go hand in hand with cooperation from the other side.
Umar declared that it was a weakness to insist on peacetalks if terror attacks continued, saying that it was unfair to the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/28/2013 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
Israel and France have averted a diplomatic crisis by agreeing that a French diplomat, who hit an IDF soldier after she was dragged from a vehicle delivering aid to Palestinians, should return to Paris.
The incident in the West Bank one week ago had the potential to escalate, with Israel considering expelling her and aid groups privately pressing Paris and other European countries involved to protest at the treatment of their diplomats. The times Marion, they are a changing.
Israelis and Palestinians have agreed to intensify peace talks aimed at reaching a final agreement, not an interim accord, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday.
The two sides met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York at a conference of donors looking for ways to revive the fragile Palestinian economy.
Speaking before the closed-door meeting known as the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, Kerry said the goal of talks between Israel and the Palestinians is a "final status agreement", not an interim one.
On Tuesday, President Barack Obama met Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and he plans to meet Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu next week in Washington.
Both sides expressed their commitment to the peace talks at the Ad Hoc meeting and noted the determination of the US, and Kerry in particular, to move the process along.
"This is a 50-year-old conflict, and it's inevitable that we have to find closure to it," Palestinian Finance Minister Shukri Bishara said.
"It's impossible to continue as is." The new Palestinian new finance minister called Wednesday's economic talks "very, very successful".
The donor meeting asked Israel to ease some of the restrictions that have hurt employment, trade and other crucial areas of the Palestinian economy.
What do the Paleos give in return?
Don't be absurd.
I was just asking...
An International Monetary Fund staff report on West Bank and Gaza economies released last week said extensive Israeli restrictions on movement and access should be eased and eventually removed.
The donors on Wednesday also asked the Palestinians to rein in expenditures and take steps to "develop a business-friendly environment".
Like stop shooting investors in the feet...
They are facing a $350 million financing gap projected for this year.
And the donors asked, instead of saying, "Cut spending or you don't get any more"?
The Palestinians depend heavily on aid from donors -- about $1.3 billion this year, or the equivalent of nearly 1200 12 per cent of annual gross domestic product. But the aid has been falling in recent years, along with optimism over peace.
Much of the money is thrown away on guns, ammo and rockets. The rest is thrown away maintaining the kleptocracy. Only the stupid give the Paleos money. That includes Uncle Sugar, of course...
Both sides appeared unusually upbeat after Wednesday's meeting, despite the challenges. And they acknowledged they have little time to be otherwise.
"We are particularly conscious of the fact that we can't build a state that almost totally depends on foreign grants," Bishara told reporters after the meeting. But he stressed: "We have to ensure that one state is close in its standard of living to the other state." The income gap between Israel and the Palestinians remains vast.
The Paleos have two ways to fix that -- build their own state or tear down the Israelis. Guess, just guess which way they're going to go...
Israeli cabinet minister Yuval Steinitz called the meeting "positive" and said a "strong, viable Palestinian economy" helps to create a better political climate -- as long as Israeli security needs are not damaged.
Both sides have resumed dialogue between finance ministers, Steinitz said. Other moves include another 5,000 employment permits for Palestinians and allowing more water and construction and cellular equipment into the Gaza Strip.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/28/2013 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Palestinian Authority
#2
> Assad stays.
> Iran gets its Nukes or in alternate a [temporary?]NucProg for Energy while adhereing to its hallowed JAPAN/EGYPT NUCLEAR MODEL where it will have the ability to quickly prduce NucWeaps in short lead time.
At this rate, its likely to safe that the Paleos will also get their state.
PAK Taliban to acquire post-2014 legit political power + ultimately control Pakistan's nuclear arsenal - NUKE-HAPPY MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD TO REGAIN GOVT. CONTROL OF EGYPT???
RADICAL ISLAM - 5 [ + counting], POTUS OBAMA = USA - 0.
Radical Islam won the post-9-11 GWOT + Nukes + OWG/Global Caliphate, etc. by losing to the US???
"We promise to give 200 missiles to Sderot on an afternoon of our choosing, preferably while school is in session, so you know the level of our sincerity."
[An Nahar] Iran's diminutive President Hassan Rouhani warned Thursday that Syria could become an bad turban haven like Taliban-era Afghanistan as he called for cooperation to end the country's civil war.
Iran considers Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad The Scourge of Hama... its closest regional ally and has not accepted U.S. intelligence that the regime killed some 1,400 people in a chemical weapons attack last month.
"My government strongly condemns the use of chemical weapons in Syria," Rouhani told a New York think tank forum, without assigning blame.
"I am also concerned about the breeding ground created in parts of Syrian territory for bad turban ideology and a rally point for terrorists, which is reminiscent of another region adjacent to our eastern borders in the 1990s," he said.
"This is an issue of concern not only to us but also to many other countries, which requires cooperation and joint efforts aimed at finding a durable, inter-Syrian political solution."
Iran, led by a Shiite theocracy, opposed the 1996-2001 rule in Afghanistan of the Taliban, who welcomed al-Qaeda bully boyz and enforced an austere brand of Sunni Islam.
The secular-minded Assad belongs to the heterodox Alawite community and is battling rebels who include Sunni hardliners.
In an earlier false start of better ties, Iran and the United States briefly cooperated in 2001 when a U.S.-led campaign ousted the Taliban.
Rouhani welcomed a U.S.-Russian agreement for Assad to give up chemical weapons, which halted a push for a military strike on Syria by U.S. President Barack Obama Ready to Rule from Day One... "We are pleased that diplomacy... and sober judgment prevailed over saber-rattling," Rouhani said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/28/2013 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
I have to admit Rouhani is gener correct - widout Baby Assad to suppress Syria's domestic Radiclas + foreign Hard Boyz, POST-ASSAD SYRIA CAN EASILY DEVOL INTO AN AL-QAEDA = HARDLINE ISLAMIST-JIHADIST STATE, OR ELSE A SYRIA DIVIDED BETWEEN AL-QAEDA + HOMELAND, KURDISH UNION-HAPPY KURDS.
Wid WMDS.
The same also applies iff Iran + Hezbollah took over a post-Assad Syria agz either Al-Qaeda, etc. + the Kurds.
Still wid WMDS + possibly Nukes as FREEREPUBLIC Artics claims Iran may have at least one NucBomb already, or else will soon have one widin two months.
THE SOLUTION(S) REMAINS WORSE THAN THE ORIGINAL PROBLEM.
#2
Iran doesn't have a nuke weapon -- yet. We'll know when there's a mushroom cloud (or three, four, twelve) over the Iranian nuclear processing centers (and elsewhere). Israel knows the second the Iranians get nuclear weapons, they're under a constant death threat.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/28/2013 16:17 Comments ||
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[An Nahar] The long-awaited trial of a number of Islamist detainees held over the Nahr al-Bared festivities got underway Friday at the recently-inaugurated trial room in the Roumieh prison, state-run National News Agency reported.
The trial room was recently built specifically for this purpose.
The Judicial Council, presided over by Judge Jean Fahd, convened amid strict security measures at the external and internal courtyards of Roumieh, NNA said.
The public and the news hounds were able to see the defendants through a glass barrier and via two huge screens that were installed on two of the court's walls. Only four lawyers were present at the trial room, which was designed to accommodate around 200 family members and defense counsels, according to the news agency.
In the evening, the Judicial Council adjourned the trial to January 17, 2014.
On July 15, caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel inspected the courtroom in Roumieh, which he said was ready to start the trial of inmates.
The courtroom "saves us the effort to transport the prisoners (to the Justice Palace) and it provides security protection," he said. "It also speeds up the trials of not just the Islamists but all the inmates," he added.
Roumieh, the oldest and largest of Leb's overcrowded prisons, has witnessed sporadic prison breaks and escalating riots in recent years as inmates living in poor conditions demand better treatment.
Pretrial hearings for 86 Islamists were held at Beirut's Justice Palace in February, the first legal action taken by the Lebanese judiciary ahead of their trial.
Justice Minister Shakib Qortbawi had promised speedy trials for the Islamists without political intervention.
The Nahr al-Bared Paleostinian refugee camp in northern Leb was almost totally destroyed during a months-long conflict between the Lebanese army and the al-Qaeda-inspired group Fatah al-Islam A Syrian-incubated al-Qaeda work-alike that they think can be turned off if no longer needed to keep the Lebanon pot stirred. in 2007.
The fighting killed some 400 people, including 168 soldiers. Some Islamist leaders escaped despite the army siege of the camp.
The inmates were tossed in the clink Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! on charges of fighting or aiding the Fatah al-Islam fighters in Nahr al-Bared that lies near the northern coastal city of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... Several of them have beat feet from Roumieh in daring prison breaks.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/28/2013 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Fatah al-Islam
[An Nahar] Lebanese Forces A Christian political party founded by Bashir Gemayel, who was then bumped off when he was elected president of Leb... leader Samir Geagea ... Geagea was imprisoned by the Syrians and their puppets for 11 years in a dungeon in the third basement level of the Lebanese Ministry of Defense. He was released after the Cedar Revolution in 2005 ... strongly condemned the attack on two churches in Syria on Thursday evening, calling on the Free Syrian Army to "deter hard boy groups."
"These forces of Evil harm Christians and Moslems alike and are offensive to the values on which the Syrian revolution was based," Geagea said in a released statement.
He explained: "These attacks are against the principles of freedom, pluralism, equality, democracy and tolerance."
The LF leader warned that hard boy groups are a danger to the Syrian revolution.
"We strongly urge the Syrian National Coalition and the FSA to draw an end to their dangers and stop their abuses against the revolution, Christians, Moslems and all the freemen of Syria."
Jihadist fighters linked to al-Qaeda set fire to statues and crosses inside churches in northern Syria Thursday and destroyed a cross atop the clock tower of one of them.
Fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) entered the Greek Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Annunciation in the northern city of Raqa and torched the religious furnishings inside.
They did the same thing at the Armenian Catholic Church of the Martyrs, and also destroyed a cross atop its clock tower, replacing it with the ISIL flag.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/28/2013 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Islamic State of Iraq
UNITED NATIONS -- The United States and Russia reached an agreement Thursday on a plan to seize Syria's chemical weapons in a move the Obama administration deemed a diplomatic breakthrough, even though the resolution stops short of triggering military action should Syria fail to comply.
Of course they won't need force: Champ will sprinkle his special unicorn dust over Damascus and Pencilneck will magically comply...
The draft U.S.-Russian resolution received support from fellow permanent members France, China and Britain, and it was put before the full 15-member U.N. Security Council on Thursday night. The draft also was to be submitted to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which is expected to add its own text to the resolution, Russian officials said.
And they also won't require force...
U.S. officials said the resolution deems Syria's chemical arsenal a threat to international peace and security and makes it legally binding for President Bashar Assad's government to comply with an expedited plan to hand over the weapons to international authorities for destruction.
The tricky part, however, is in language about what happens should Syria fail to fulfill its end of the deal, which includes refraining from the use or transport of chemical weapons, and allowing international authorities unfettered access to related facilities.
How is it 'tricky'? Fail to hand over the weapons and you get flattened. Without that there's no incentive on Pencilneck's part.
U.S. negotiators gave up the demand of military force, authorized under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, as a consequence for noncompliance, compromising with the Russians on softer wording that says the Security Council would be "authorized to impose measures under Chapter 7," according to diplomats and news reports.
Champ got rolled...
That means no punitive measures would kick in automatically. Instead, chemical weapons authorities would have to report any alleged violations to the Security Council, which would have to determine whether Syria had in fact failed to comply with the resolution. And even after that, the Security Council would have to agree on the appropriate punishment under Chapter 7, which allows for measures other than military action.
Translation: The mechanism for responding to alleged noncompliance gives Assad's chief ally, Russia, at least two opportunities to block punitive consequences at the Security Council.
Not that Vlad will need two, of course...
"There will be no enforcement in line with Chapter 7," Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.
And he ought to know...
Still, U.S. diplomats described the draft resolution as a victory because it was the first time Russia, with a record of repeatedly blocking attempts to pressure Assad via the Security Council, had agreed to any such measure.
It's the standard Russian trick, something for nothing. We give up the threat to neutralize Assad (something) and Russia gives us a toothless resolution in return (nothing).
Russian and Chinese vetoes have kept the Security Council paralyzed and unable to issue a unified response in more than two years of the Syrian civil war, which has killed 100,000 and displaced millions.
Not that it should bother us...
"This is a breakthrough arrived at through hard-fought diplomacy," said a senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity because it involves sensitive diplomacy. "Just two weeks ago, no one thought this was in the vicinity of possible."
Whoever would have thought that two weeks of tough negotiations would lead to nothing?
Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., confirmed the deal Thursday on her official Twit Twitter account, with a post that said the draft creates "a new norm" against the use of chemical weapons. In another tweet, Power wrote that the resolution obligates Syria to "give up CW they used on their people."
She's delusional. She thinks that the only wars we should fight are for strictly humanitarian reasons and not for our national interests. Okay, gassing people is a humanitarian interest, and the result? Nothing. Figures...
However, the final draft reportedly did not assign blame for the poison gas attack that killed hundreds of Syrians in the suburbs of Damascus on Aug. 21. A U.N. inspection team's report on the attack in the Ghouta area offered evidence that pointed to regime use of the banned agent sarin, but the U.N. mandate didn't include determining culpability.
The U.S.-Russian draft also specifies that Chapter 7 consequences could come from violations by "any party," meaning that the resolution was binding for both the regime and the myriad rebel groups it's fighting.
The Obama administration repeatedly has said that only the Assad regime possesses chemical weapons capabilities. The Assad government and the Russians have countered with claims that the opposition has used such munitions.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/28/2013 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Arab Spring
#1
See also TOPIX > [Daily Star] EXPERTS SEE ASSAD HOLDING POWER FOR YEARS.
#2
OOOOPPPSSS, my bad, forgot DAILY STAR > KERRY SAYS SYRIA WILL IMPLODE BEFORE EITHER SIDE CLAIMS [military] VICTORY.
HHHHHMMMMM, HHHHMMMM, wehell, iff SecState Jaaawhn is wrong about Baby Assad + Regime imploding, then IMO its safe to say NEITHER WILL ANTI-US IRAN ANDOR CHINA "IMPLODE" AGZ POTUS OBAMA DESPITE ANY INITIAL DEFICIENCIES.
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.
[Dawn] Pakistain on Friday expressed deep concern on "an unfortunate incident in Jammu which occurred on September 26 resulting in the loss of lives of around 10 security personnel."
[Dawn] Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday toned down expectations for his planned meeting with Premier 
[Dawn] Yielding to the hypnotic beat of drums and the intoxicating scent of incense, the woman danced herself into a state of trance, laughing and shaking uncontrollably alongside hundreds of others at Pakistain's most revered Sufi shrine.
Israelis and Palestinians have agreed to intensify peace talks aimed at reaching a final agreement, not an interim accord, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Samir Geagea
